LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell

EPISODE 282: God Loves Togethering, Part 10

What does God say in the New Testament about His people assembling together? What attitudes does God wants us to have about meeting together? We look at seven different attitudes which will completely change your attitudes to the positive instead of the negative.

Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, Life to The Full, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.

Nancy Campbell: Hello, ladies! Good to be with you again. We are continuing, and I think this will be the last one on our sessions of “God Loves the Gathering of His People Together.” Today I’d like to talk about the attitudes that we should have when we come to be with God’s people. God shows us in His Word these attitudes we should have. Therefore, we should understand them. I’m going to take Scriptures from both the New Testament and the Old Testament.

No. 1. IT WAS THEIR HABIT TO MEET TOGETHER

This is a very important principle. In Luke 4:16, it talks about Jesus. It says: “As was His custom,” or, “As was his habit.” he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day.” Every week Jesus, as a child, and now as an adult, continued to go into the house of God each week.

That is a scriptural principle, dear lovely ladies. I believe that we, as mothers, although our husbands are the head of the home, we are the heart. We determine what makes it happen. Therefore, it’s very important for us to know that this is a scriptural principle and something that we must work towards. Even during the week, we’re thinking about it. We’re making sure that everything is ready for us to get there . . . that we put this principle into our children.

I am blessed, and my husband is blessed, to be part of a godly generation, a generation of God-fearing and church-attending families. Because of this, it’s blessed our lives. We have sought to pass that on into our children’s lives, and their children. Sometimes I see it weakening a bit. Wow! Maybe I’ve got to get a bit of strengthening going on there because God wants us to pass on these principles to the next generation and the following generation.

We can’t miss out, can we, without reading Hebrews 10:23-25. I’ve often mentioned this Scripture. This is a Scripture that we really should all know by heart. I wonder if you can say it without having to look it up. Do your children know it? If they don’t, why not make it a memory verse in your family?

Hebrews 10:25. We’ll read from verse 23 for now: “Let us hold fast the confession of our faith without wavering.” Can I repeat that: “Without wavering; (for He is faithful that promised; And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

Do you notice what is leading up to that Scripture? Verse 23: “Let us hold fast the confession of our faith without wavering.” Then it goes on to say: “Not forsaking the assembling of yourselves together.” Now ladies, the coming together each week, as we come together as families, we as mothers are making it happen, helping our family to get there. As we make this happen, we’re going to strengthen our own faith and strengthen the faith of each one of our children, because it’s as we come together that our faith will be strengthened. Our hearts will be strengthened. We’ll be able to hold fast the confession of our faith without wavering.

OBEDIENT OR DISOBIEDIENT?

You’ll find that people who are wavering in their faith are people who are not attending church regularly. They are being disobedient to this Scripture. Ladies, we have to confess, if we are not obeying this Scripture, we are disobedient. We are either a doer of the Word, or a non-doer. What does Jesus say? “He that hath My commandments and keepeth them, he is His that loveth Me, and I will love him, and My Father will love him.”

Everything hinges on keeping His commandments. Here is one that is so important for the strengthening and the continuing of our faith, that we will not waver. I know you want to have children growing up in the faith who will not waver. Of course! It’s not going to be enough, just taking them to church on Sunday. You have to be giving them the Word, day by day, in the home.

THE ASSEMBLING

But this is a very important part because it’s a coming together. There’s something wonderful about the coming together. God loves it. Oh, look at those words again: “Not forsaking the assembling.” I’ve heard many people say, “Well, we just do our little thing at home.” Well, that’s all very nice, but that’s not what the Word says. The Word says: “the assembling.” Then it says: “of ourselves together.” You’re not together with all the saints if you’re at home. No, we are assembling, we’re coming together. This is what the Word says.

Here are a few other translations.

The Moffat Translation: “Not ceasing to meet together.”

The Knox Translation: “Not abandoning, as some do, our common assembly.”

The Amplified Classic says, “Not forsaking, nor neglecting, to assemble together.”

The Jerusalem Bible: “Not neglecting our congregational meeting.”

We can go back to the Old Testament, 2 Chronicles 29. We learn from the New, but we also learn from the examples of the Old. Go back to 2 Chronicles 29. This was in the reign of Hezekiah when he brought a great revival to the people of Judah.

Here it says, in verse 6 onwards: “For our fathers have trespassed, and done that which was evil in the eyes of the LORD our God, and have forsaken Him, and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the LORD, and turned their backs.” That was talking about the temple, where they came to meet together, where they assembled.

It says they “turned away their faces from the habitation of the LORD, and turned their backs. Also they have shut up the doors of the porch, and put out the lamps, and have not burned incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place unto the God of Israel. Wherefore the wrath of the LORD was upon Judah and Jerusalem.” Why? Because they had turned away from the habitation of God’s house. They turned off the lamps and they had not burned incense.

Well, how does that relate to us? Very much. In God’s Word, the incense, the lighting of the incense, which was on the altar of incense right before the curtain before you went into the Holy of Holies. The altar of incense was not something that was only back in the Old Testament. The altar of incense is something which is present right now. It’s in the heavenly realm. It’s before the throne of God right now.

Of course, now there is no curtain separating that beautiful presence of God, the Holy of Holies. It’s open because of Jesus shedding His blood. When His blood was shed, that curtain was torn, from the top to the bottom.

But over in Revelation 5 and 8, John looked, and he saw that altar of incense before the throne. Yes, in heaven, right now! It is there in the Word, in the Old Testament, and in the New. Right there in Revelation it says: “And the incense was the prayers of the saints.” That’s what it’s all about, the “prayers of the saints,” morning and evening. They had to light it morning and evening.

I wonder how many have turned off from that. So many Christian families today are not lighting the incense morning and evening. Now, I’m not saying you go and light incense, no. It is what it typifies, the meaning. The lighting of the incense was the prayers of the saints and the worship unto God.

We still need to keep that going—every morning coming into His presence to pray, to worship and every evening, coming into His presence to pray and worship. When we come for the (not just our little family gathering), but then the meeting of the assembling of all the family of God’s people, we are to come and worship, and to pray. We make it a habit. Amen?

We also notice that, when they came, the whole assembly came. I think we’ll look at that a little bit further on, hopefully.

No. 2. THEY CAME ON TIME FOR THE MEETING OF GOD’S PEOPLE

We talked about that two podcast’s ago, so I don’t have to talk about that again. Just a little reminder—at least three of the Hebrew words for “assembly” mean “the appointed time, the calling out of the assembly.” God ordained trumpets to be blown when He wanted His people to meet.

No. 3. WE MUST HAVE THE ATTITUDE OF LOVING TO GET TOGETHER WITH GOD’S PEOPLE

It’s not only a duty. We do it because we can’t wait to do it! We can’t wait to be with the people of God. We can’t wait to get with others to pray and to worship. Oh, it’s just in our hearts! This attitude, lovely ladies, we’ve got to have this attitude ourselves, and get this attitude to our children.

Let me give you some Scriptures.

Ephesians 5:25. You all know this Scripture because it says: “Husbands, love your wives.” Then it goes on to say: “even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it,” But do you notice there, dear ladies, that it says that Jesus Christ loved His church. Jesus loves the church. He loves them individually, but He loves them as a church.

We talked about how God sees His people as a flock. He sees them gathering together. He loves the church. He gave Himself for it. Shouldn’t that be our attitude?

Over in 1 John 3:14 -16: “We know that we have passed from death unto life.” Why? How do we know? How can we be sure of our salvation? How can we know without a doubt that we “have passed from death unto life.”?

Here's the answer: “Because we love the brethren.” Do you love the people of God? Actually, this is one of the proofs that we are born again. If we are not born again, we really don’t have any desire to be with the people of God. But if you’re born again, you are a blood-bought believer. You have a longing to be with other blood-bought believers because you have been born again into this family. They are now your family. You love them, because Christ loves them. God loves them. Now He’s put this love in your heart for you to love them too.

Romans 5:5: For “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” We meet together because we love them! Amen? Oh, do you teach your children this attitude? My lovely ladies, what attitude do you have when you’re going each weekend to be with the people of God? “Oh well, I guess we’d better get ready for church. We’ll get home as soon as we can because we’re going to go for a picnic this afternoon. We’ve got to get to that sport,” or whatever we’re doing. No, that’s not our attitude.

We set aside a day for the Lord. Some are meeting Saturday on the Sabbath. Some are meeting on Sunday, the first day of the week. But whatever day you are meeting, see it as the Lord’s day, set apart for Him. What I notice is those who meet with God on the Sabbath keep the Sabbath. They keep it as a day to the Lord. I see many who consider Sunday the day, but they might go to church, and that’s it! The rest of the day belongs to them. It doesn’t belong to God at all. Oh, let’s have a Lord’s Day.

Let’s go to Psalm 16:2-3. David says these words: “O my soul, thou hast said unto the LORD, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee; But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.” Did you get that, ladies? Did you see David’s attitude to God’s people? Oh, wow, this is amazing!

When David was talking to the Lord, he said, “Lord God, I can’t really practically show my goodness to You, so I’m going to show it to the saints that are in the earth, because they are Your people. They are Your footstool. Oh, Lord God, they are the most excellent in all the earth, and they are my delight!” Wow!

This is how God wants us to see His people. They should be our delight. This is how we show our love to God, by showing it to His people! As the New Testament tells us, our attitude to the humblest saint is our attitude towards the Lord. How we treat the humblest saint is showing how we treat the Lord, because He is in His people. If you haven’t got that, ask the Lord to give you a delight for His people. If you delight in His people, you will want to be with them! Amen?

No. 4. THEY WERE EXCITED TO MEET WITH ONE ANOTHER

Once again, David speaking. Psalm 122:1: “I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord.” David was excited about going to the temple to worship the Lord with God’s people. He loved the assembling of God’s people. He loved to be in the midst of them. He loved to worship the Lord in the midst of His people.

Now, of course, we can worship the Lord on our own. Oh, we can pray on our own. We can have our own beautiful personal quiet time. Oh, I can’t wait to get up in the morning, to open the Word and hear from God personally. Oh, I just love it! I can’t wait for it! And yet, there’s even more. God loves to meet us in the assembling of His people. He wants us to be glad about it! Woo hoo! Glad!

Now, ladies, we’ve got to teach our children to get this attitude. But you know what? They’re going to get your attitude. What your attitude is, it will become their attitude. You’re going out of duty, going, coming home. Well, they’re going to see it as something boring. But if they see, wow! This is so important.

You can gear your children up. You don’t start on Sunday morning. You start in time to prepare them for having everything ready for Saturday or for Sunday. Say, “Children! Wow! It’s the Lord’s Day, and we’re going to meet with the people of God! Isn’t it going to be so exciting? Wow! We’re going to worship the Lord. We’re going to hear from God. We’re going to meet with His people. Oh, you’re going to see your friends at church!”

That’s a good thing. Yes, it’s a good thing that they can see their friends at church, hopefully. I know sometimes there are some of you, you’re in a fellowship, and there are no other children the ages of your children. That is sad, because it’s so wonderful when there are friends for every age group. That’s how it’s meant to be, of course.

We are so blessed here. Oh, the children are so blessed. They come to church, and they see their friends. As soon as church is finished, we have a fellowship meal. We don’t just go home. The children go out to play. They all find one another. The little ones all begin to play. Then the bigger ones. Then the bigger boys are out playing soccer. Then some are out playing volleyball. Everyone is finding their own age group. They’re excited to meet one another because fellowship is so important in this part of church life.

YOU DETERMINE THE ATMOSHERE! YOU MAKE IT EXCITING OR BORING!

But dear ladies, get some excitement about going to the house of the Lord. Of course, if we’re delighting in it, we’ll want to get there on time, won’t we? This is the same for our family devotions. I’ve had some people say to me, “Oh, our children find it a bit boring.” Well, it must be you who’s making it boring. Help! You can have it boring, or you can have it exciting! It’s all our attitude.

When we gather our families together every morning and every evening, when you’re getting them together, well, of course, what we do. We have them already gathered together. We always have our morning devotions after breakfast. Then evening at the supper table so that everyone is already there. But if you’re calling them together, say, “Come on, children. We’re going to get together. Daddy’s going to read the Word, and we’re going to listen to God speak! Oh, come! It’s going to be so exciting!”

Everything depends on our attitude. If it is exciting to us, we can’t wait to hear the Word of God, we make it exciting for our children, asking them questions, giving them opportunity to ask questions. Then perhaps after we have read to our children, ask, “What did God say to you?” It’s amazing to hear what God has spoken to our children.

It’s all your attitude. Even going to church, oh, if our children have negative attitudes, we don’t stand for them. We put a positive attitude into their hearts. I remember a family that we knew many years ago. They continually gave into their children. They would go to one church, and their children would get negative about it. They didn’t like this, and they didn’t like it. So, they’d take them to another church. Then they’d have groanings and complainings about that church. So, they’d go to another one. They didn’t stick.

Where are they today? Those children, a boy and a girl, are both on drugs and wiped out. They didn’t put those right attitudes in them. We don’t have to put up with the stupid little groanings and grumblings of our children. No, we put into them the right attitudes. We should give them the attitudes of making it exciting to be with the people of God.

That word, “I was glad,” it’s the word samach. It means “to be joyful, merry, glad, to brighten up, cheer up, gladden, make joyful.” It talks about having a joyful and cheerful countenance. So, encourage your children, when they go to church, to smile at everybody, to have a cheerful countenance. It’s amazing what cheerful countenances do to cheer others up!

LET’S GO!

Do you notice it says, “I was glad when they said unto me, let us go!” Wow! Do you like those words? That’s what you want to say in your family. “Come on, children! Come on! Let’s go! We’re going to the house of God! Yippie!” Yes, be excited! That’s the words of the Bible, the living Words. “Let us GO!”

It doesn’t say, “Oh, well, think we’ll stay home today. We’ll have our little Bible reading ourselves.” No! “Let us go! Let us go unto the house of the Lord!”

Isaiah 56:7 talks about being “joyful in My house of prayer.” Amen.

No. 5. REVERENCE THE HOUSE OF GOD

We can be filled with joy, also having reverence. We realize we’re coming to worship an awesome God. We come dressed appropriately. I think if we’re truly reverencing God, if we come to meet Him, we won’t be coming with clothing that is exposing the flesh—

short skirts, cleavage, and so on. These are not showing reverence to God. They’re not walking in the fear of God.

We see examples of this fear of God coming on the church in Acts 5:12. That’s in the story of Ananias and Sapphira because they deceived the Lord. You can read this story again. “And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.” It says: “Great fear came upon all the church.” It didn’t come upon the building. No, “all the church.” That means all the assembly of the people gathered in the church.

Leviticus 19:20 and repeated in 26:2: “Ye shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary. I am the Lord.”

Psalm 89:7: “God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about Him.”

Psalm 5:7: “But as for me, I will come into Thy house in the multitude of Thy mercy, and in Thy fear will I worship towards Thy holy temple.”

The New Living Translation says: “I will worship with deepest awe.”

No. 6. THEY CAME TO GIVE PRAISE TO GOD

When we come as the assembling of God’s people, we’re coming to give to God. We’re not just coming. “Oh, what can I get out of this place?” No! It’s nothing to do with what you’re going to get. It’s what you’re going to give. Firstly, you’re going to give to God.

The Scriptures speak (and I’ve got all the references that I’ll put in the transcript). The Scriptures speak about blessing the Lord, praising the Lord, giving thanks to the Lord, exalting the Lord, singing new songs to the Lord, and lifting up His Name in the congregation of the saints. God wants us to do all these things personally. But, oh, He especially loves us to do them in the congregation of the saints.

By the way, that word “congregation” in the Old Testament is used 335 times! That’s how much God loves it. Of course, He also wants us to shout and clap in the house of the Lord.

Psalm 132:16: “Her saints shall shout aloud for joy.”

Psalm 35:18: “I will give thanks in the great congregation. I will praise Thee among much people.”

No. 7. THEY CAME TO GIVE TO ONE ANOTHER

That is such a big thing, such an important attitude for us to have, dear mothers, and to teach our children. We don’t wait for them to be adults to understand this principle. We teach them right from the beginning that we go to the assembling of God’s people to bless others, to encourage them, to pray for them, to lift them up, and to build one another up.

I think I’ve talked about it before, but I discovered in the New Testament 41 different things that God wants us to do to one another. We can’t do them to one another sitting in our homes. We’ve got to meet with one another to do all these things to one another. It’s a whole one-anothering lifestyle.

When we go to be with the people of God, we’re going with a smile on our face. We’re going with a little word in our heart to pass on to someone, to cheer them up, to comfort them, to bless them. That’s why we need the times of fellowship. Oh, it’s so wonderful if your church has a fellowship meal. But maybe they don’t. We have found this the greatest blessing over our lives. But then we have also been in the past to different countries and churches where they didn’t have a fellowship meal. What would we do? Then we would ask people to our home.

Every week, after church, we would always ask people to come back to our home so we could fellowship together. Oh, it’s such a blessing, because this is God’s whole plan, to build one another up. What does it say in 1 Corinthians 14:26? It says here: “How is it then, brethren? when ye come together,” (notice the words “come together) “every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.” That means “building up.” The early church conducted their meetings a little differently than we do.

Today, most churches will have worship and then the minister gives the Word, then the closing prayer. And bye-bye! But back then, when they came together, they came ready to participate! Every one of you has something to give to the body. A word, a doctrine, a revelation, and so on. They don’t always have that in churches today, do they?

We have always given opportunity in our fellowship. My husband has always done this for people to share, and have an opportunity to share, because it is biblical. It is for the building up of God’s people. However, if your church does not have that, well, you can also bless other people.

Don’t run home from when the meeting has finished. If you’ve got a little word in your heart, maybe it’s for someone who is lonely, they’re hurting, they need comfort, they need cheering up, look for that one. Give them that little word. Give them that word of encouragement. Give them that blessing. Pray over them. Always seek to come to give to someone who needs cheering up, because so many do.

And you can inspire your children to do the same. “Children, we are not going to church just for ourselves. We are going for the people, to bless them. If you see someone lonely today, why don’t you give them an especially big smile? Why don’t you go up to them and give them a big hug?” Oh, a hug from a child can do wonders for an older person. There are people who live on their own, widows who live on their own. When a child will come up and say, “I love you,” or “God loves you so much,” and hug them. Oh, it can do wonders for them, miracles. Teach your children how to bless other people.

Of course, they’ll see that we’re doing it too. They’ll see that we want to invite people home, to keep blessing and encouraging them, fellowshipping together. When we have all these different attitudes, dear mothers, oh, it makes all the difference! It makes it exciting and full of purpose. We’re also training and teaching our children from little that this is their lifestyle. It’s the lifestyle of the kingdom of God. Amen?

“Dear Father, we thank You with all our hearts again, for Your precious Word that shows us the way. I pray, Lord, for these lovely families. Each family, Lord, the representatives that are listening, I pray that You will give them a new inspiration, a new purpose, a new desire for the meeting with Your people. Firstly, Lord, because it’s Your commandment, and we’re being obedient, that is the very first thing, Lord, being obedient to You.

“But help us to do it, Lord, in the way You want us to do it, Lord. Oh, coming, Lord, with our hearts filled with love and joy and delight at being with the people of God. Coming ready to give, and to bless, and to build one another up, Lord God. That we will all be strong in the faith, never wavering. We ask this in the precious Name of Jesus. Amen.”

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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www.aboverubies.org

Transcribed by Darlene Norris * This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Scriptures about praising the God in the congregation of His people:

Psalm 22:22, 25; 35:18; 26:12; 68:26; 107:32.

 

LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell

EPISODE 281: What Does God Say About Israel and Togethering in the New Testament, Part 9

Do you know what God says about Israel? What about the land? Do you have a biblical worldview on this subject? Do your children know God's mind on this subject? It is imperative that we know the Scriptures regarding Israel, as it will affect our future destiny, and the destiny of our children. Please don't miss this podcast.

Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, Life to The Full, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.

Nancy Campbell: Hello, ladies! Great to be with you again today. At this time, we are all, I’m sure you are, as well as we are, facing the burden of this war in Israel. It’s a burden that is upon all our hearts because everything that happens in Israel really is at the very heart of what is going to happen in the whole of the world.

This little bit of land over there, in the very heart of the world, the middle of the world, which God chose—in fact, the Bible says that God went before His people, and He searched out a place for them. And He chose this land. This land, in the Bible, is called “God’s land.” When God is speaking, He says: “My land.” Then, when He’s talking to the people of Israel, He says, “It’s your land,” because God chose this land. Ultimately it is His, but He gave it to His people.

He chose these people, through which He would bring forth the Scriptures, through which He would bring forth the Messiah, Yeshua Mashiach, the Messiah, the Savior of the world. This land belongs to His people forever. I think this is something we have to know deep in our spirits. We’ve got to know the truth because all around we are being bombarded with lies and deceptions and protests from the Palestinians, the people who want to take this land that doesn’t belong to them.

That doesn’t mean that God doesn’t love the Palestinians. No, the fact is that He gave the land to His people, Israel. It’s nothing to do with, “OK, God does not love them because he’s not giving them the land.” No, He has already given it to His people. It doesn’t belong to us Gentiles at all. It belongs to Israel.

I’m sure you are praying much for this situation. We are here. We, of course we pray morning and evening at our family devotions, but we also have two prayer meetings a week, one at our place, and one at Serene and Sam’s. Of course, currently we are praying very much for Israel. Last night we had a special prayer for Israel. It was such a wonderful prayer meeting.

I had this thought during the day of writing out, in big print so it was easy for people to see, loads of the promises that God has given to Israel. I typed them all up in great big print and pinned them all around the wall of our big meeting room. After worship we all got up from our seats. Everyone began to walk around the room, and speak out the Scripture, and pray over the Scriptures, and pray these promises. Because every word of God is pure, every word of God is truth, and every word of God is eternal. The Bible says: “Heaven and earth can pass away, but My Words shall not pass away.”

It was so good to be praying the Scriptures! I thought I may mention a few Scriptures to you this morning. I put them around the wall. I put up over 30 Scriptures and I’ve yet to add to that. Of course, this is only a little wee fraction of the promises that God has given to His people for His land that He gave them.

In fact, we read right back in Genesis 13:15, and God is speaking to Abram. His name has not even been changed to Abraham yet. He says: “Abram, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed, thy children, and thy children’s children,” for how long? For a few years? No, “forever.” The word is “forever.”

That word was written right back in the very first book of the Bible. It is amazing, ladies, isn’t it, that here a promise, a personal promise given to a man, and to his children afterwards, that here three thousand years later, we are still standing for that promise. It is a promise that has never gone away! Here we are today, we’re still reading about it. We’re still praying about it. We’re still standing for it, contending for it, because although we know God’s words will come to pass, the devil tries to come against them. The devil attacks everything that God has promised.

We go over to Genesis 17. God is speaking to Abram again. Here in this chapter, He changes his name to “Abraham,” because he is going to become the father of many nations. We go down to Genesis 17:8. God says again to him: “And I will give unto thee, and to thy children after you, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan,” (not part of it) “all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” Read that whole chapter of Genesis 17 when you have some time.

Let’s go over to Jeremiah, the prophet Jeremiah. By the way, as I’m turning to this, ladies, I believe these Scriptures are so important, not only for us personally to know, because when we read them and know them, we know God’s heart. We know His plans. We know His truth.

But we must get them into our children’s hearts and minds. They must know what God says about Israel, which begins in Genesis and ends in Revelation! Right throughout the whole Bible! No wonder the devil wants to get rid of Israel! If he can get rid of God’s land, and God’s people, well, that’s it! The Bible’s finished! Throw it in the fire. Because it’s about Israel, and His promises to Israel from Genesis to Revelation.

Here in Jeremiah 23, oh, read that whole chapter too. It is the most wonderful chapter. I love reading it over and over again. But let’s just read. Jeremiah 23:7-8: “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, The LORD liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the children of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their OWN land.” Did you get that? “In their own land.”

I’d love to read that from the Knox Translation. It’s an old translation of the Bible. I love old translations. I’m not so crazy about the new translations although I do like to read them. I am a King James version Bible reader, but I do love to look at other translations.

Here is the Knox Translation: “I will reassemble all that is left of my flock, scattered over so many lands, and restore them to their old pasture grounds.” I love that. God is bringing them back to where they originated. We go to verse 8: “The living God will be the One Who rescued Israel and brought them home from the north country, and from all the places of exile He had once designed for them, to live in their OWN land again.”

We are living in the days of the fulfillment of these prophecies. Since 1948, and even before 1948, although it began to accelerate after that when Israel become a nation, God has been bringing His people back from the four corners of the earth, back to their land. He promised He would, and He is doing it, and He is still doing it. They’ve come back to the land, a nation that was once forgotten. They were taken to all the countries all over the world.

Any country, any nation that that has happened to has never ever risen again. But Israel has risen again! It became a nation again. They’ve become a nation significant in the world. They are back in their own land. Let’s get it ladies. Their own land. Let’s get this truth to our children. Our children must have a biblical worldview.

Having a biblical worldview is not just knowing the doctrines of Scripture about justification, and sanctification, and glorification, and so on. No, it’s knowing God’s heart and mind on every subject that there is in the world! God doesn’t leave one thing out. It’s all there in His Word. Israel is a huge part of His Word. God tells us His plans and His promises. We must know them.

We’ve got to have a biblical worldview, not a humanistic worldview. Not a worldview of the media telling us everything. No, that’s not truth. It’s all lies and deception. Our children have got to be embedded with a biblical worldview about Israel, especially at this time, when all these deceptive voices are coming through the media, through those who hate God’s people.

There is rising more and more this antisemitism again. Where does it come from? There’s no excuse for it. There is no need for it. Why, why, why? There’s only one reason. It’s demonic. It’s because the devil hates God’s people, and hates the land, because it’s God’s plan. Everything that God has planned and promised, the enemy seeks to destroy. He’s the one who comes to “steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10).

So, ladies, I think it would be so great if you could take these Scriptures, read them to your children, tell them about them, let them know. I’m just giving you a few little teasers. You can go to my website, aboverubies.org. On “Articles and Stories,” you can click on “Israel and The Land.” Then you can click on “Everlasting Possession.” You will see many, many, many Scriptures there. You can go through them all. It will take you weeks! Go through them with your family. It will give you God’s plan and heart for Israel which we must know.

Let’s move on a little bit. We go over to Ezekiel 34. Oh, I would encourage you too, to read Ezekiel chapters 34, 35, 36, 37. Oh, just amazing, amazing chapters of prophetic promises for the land of Israel and for God’s people. It’s just amazing! It’s so incredible. Many of these things have yet to come to pass but we can pray them into being.

I love Ezekiel 36! It became so real to me when I was in Israel a few years ago, out there on the West Bank. I went out to be with the beautiful people of HaYovel, the Waller family, and all those who are helping them. This family has gone out to the West Bank, the heartland of Israel, to help support the Israeli farmers who have gone out there to possess the land.

That’s the heartland of Israel, where the children of Israel first came into the Promised Land. It’s the heartland, where they first put their feet when they came in. Well, first of all, Abraham had walked the land to and fro, but when they came in as a people, this was where they put their feet. It’s the heartland. But now it is overtaken by the Palestinians, although there is 60% of this barren land still waiting to be possessed. Yet God says it's going to be possessed. Oh, you’ve got to read these chapters to see what is going to happen out there.

But I love this Scripture. The whole of Ezekiel 36 is the prophetic word, not so much to people, but to the land. God is speaking to the land, and the mountains, and the valleys, and the rivers, and the wasteland. He says, in Ezekiel 36:8: “But ye, O mountains of Israel, ye shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people of Israel; for they are at hand to come. For, behold, I am for you, and I will turn unto you, and ye shall be tilled and sown.”

Yes. And that is happening before our eyes. This word was prophesied so many years ago! And now, in our day, it is being fulfilled. There is no one alive on this planet who can say that the word of God is not true! Because here is prophetic fulfillment happening right now, before our eyes. Well, if you go over to Israel, you see it.

I remember standing out there, on these barren hillsides, looking around and seeing just dirt and stones. Then we walk up to a vineyard that has been planted, a vineyard planted in this barren soil! Really, how can it grow anything? And yet, out of this barren ground grow these prolific vineyards, giving off tons and tons of grapes! It is miraculous, because it’s what God said, that He would prepare the land when His people came back to shoot forth their branches, and it would be tilled and sown.

He also said He would send aliens and strangers to be their vinedressers and help them on the hills of Samaria. That is what is happening. HaYovel brings in, every year, at harvest time, hundreds of families and young people from all over the world, to help these Israeli farmers harvest their grapes. They bring in teams to do the pruning and the planting. Now they do many, many other projects out there to help these people possess the land. They do it all for nothing, just to bless God’s people, and for His glory. It’s all happening.

But anyway, I’m telling you verses about the land, aren’t I? We were reading Ezekiel 34:13: “And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their OWN land.” Do you see these words repeated over and over again? “Their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country.” And so, it goes on.

Oh, yes, I love this, verse 14: “I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be.” This is where so many of these Israelis have gone out to possess the land. “There shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel.” 

All right. Let’s go over, shall we, to chapter 36. I was reading from there before, but let’s read verses 11-12: “And I will multiply upon you,” that’s upon the land, “man and beast; and they shall increase and bring fruit: and I will settle you after your old estates.” Yes, you once lived in the land, and now I’ve brought you back. “And will do better unto you than at your beginnings: and ye shall know that I am the LORD. Yea, I will cause men to walk upon you, even my people Israel; and they shall possess thee, and thou shalt be their inheritance, and thou shalt no more henceforth bereave them of men.”

Verse 24: “For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your OWN land.” There it is again, ladies. “Your own land.”

Let’s go, shall we, to chapter 37. I hope you’re going to read all these chapters. You need to read every Scripture. They are all so amazing. Ezekiel 37:14: “And I shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your OWN land: then shall ye know that I the LORD have spoken it, and performed it, saith the LORD.” Yes, God has spoken it, and He is performing it now, bringing them back to their own land. And He will continue to perform and fulfill every promise.

Let’s go to verse 21: “And say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their OWN land. And I will make them one nation in the land.” One nation. Did you get that? “One nation upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all.”

Verse 25: “And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children FOR EVER: and my servant David shall be their prince forever.” David was a type of the Messiah to come.

Well, dear ladies, that was just a few Scriptures to give you that give understanding of God’s heart for His land, and for His people, because we must know the truth. Please, impart this truth to your children. Not only take the Scriptures I’ve given you today but read those chapters. Look up that link on my website and begin to read all the promises and all the Scriptures that God has given for His people.

Today I have to tell you something, ladies. I said last podcast, “OK, I think we’ve talked enough about how God loves the togethering of His people.” But this last week, I just realized, oh my!  I can’t stop! I do have to give you one more, or maybe two. Let’s see how it goes.

WHAT DOES THE NEW TESTAMENT SAY ABOUT ASSEMBLING?

But ladies, I didn’t even take you to the New Testament! I think it was eight podcasts we did, and we were mainly talking about the words that God gave for “assembly,” and for “congregation,” and “convocation,” and the “gathering together” in the Old Testament. What I will do, because I haven’t given them all to you, but I will write in the next transcript the 17 Hebrew words for “assembly” so you can have them if you are really interested to look into them.

But today we’re going to move on to the New Testament, because really, the Bible, although we have the Old and the New, it’s not really meant to be separated. It is one book. We go to the New Testament. It’s amazing. We’ve been talking from the Old, and now we go right over to the New. Wow!

We read in Hebrews 12:22-23. It was talking in the previous Scriptures about how awesome it was when God came to Mount Sinai and gave the Ten Commandments. He came with lightning, and burning with fire, and blackness, and darkness, and tempests, and the sound of the trumpet; oh, all these things happening.

But he says to us that now: “Ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, To the general assembly and church of the firstborn,” the firstborn being Jesus, the firstborn risen from the dead; “which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.”

This is now bringing us to all that we have come into in Christ because of His death, and burial, and resurrection, because of the Son of God being willing to shed His own blood for our sins. And now we have come into the greatest of assemblies.

We’ve been talking about how God loves the gathering of and the assembling of His people on earth. But this Scripture . . . it’s still speaking of the assembling of all His people who are the blood-bought believers, but not only here on earth—those who are in heaven, those who have gone before, and also the innumerable angels. Wow!

Imagine the hosts that are going to be in heaven, the hosts of angels (because the angels are often spoken of as “hosts.”) When it talks about “hosts,” it’s speaking of an innumerable number that cannot be counted. In fact, one of the most prolific names of God in the Old Testament is “The Lord God of Hosts.” That is speaking of the Lord God of the armies, the angelic armies of heaven. They’re called “the hosts” because there are so many of them!

Then, of course, there are going to be so many of God’s blood-bought believers. Can you imagine this festive assembly in the heavenly realm one day? Oh, we have been given the inheritance to this. We’re part of it already. We belong to it already. We’re on earth belonging to it.

But one day, we’re going to belong to it in the heavenly realm. That will be the greatest assembly of all! Just think of the marriage supper of the Lamb! What an incredible assembly that is going to be! Of every blood-bought believer, from every nation, tribe, and kindred in the world, surrounded by the angelic hosts! Oh, we can’t even imagine it. Our brains can’t even take it in. Even when you get little glimpses of eternity, dear ladies, doesn’t it make you think, “What on earth are we worrying about things here on this earth? Why are we taken up with so much of these temporal and material things?” Oh, every day is a day worth living, preparing for this eternal world.

Now, we have two words for “assembly” in the New Testament. We have synagoge. I think I’ve pronounced it sort of correctly (soon arh o gay), something like that! You can see that comes from “synagogue.” We do read about the synagogues in the New Testament. That word in the Greek means “an assembling together.”

Back in Jesus’s time, it was usually an assembly of Jews, formally gathered together to offer prayers and listen to the reading of the Scriptures. Later that same word was used for the assembling of Christians gathering together for the same reason; to offer prayer and to hear the teaching of the Word. That word was used for the assembling of the Jews and then later, the assembling of Christians together.

Then we have the word “church.” Well, we use that mostly today, don’t we? The word “church” in the Greek, as I’m sure most of you will know, is the word ekklesia (ek klay see ah). It means “a calling out, a gathering of people called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly, an assembly of Christians gathered for worship, united into one body.”

It can also mean the Christian community of members on earth and the saints in heaven. This is the word “church” that we read in the New Testament. It’s used 118 times in the New Testament—115 times, it’s translated “church,” and three times it’s translated “assembly.”

This word, of course, often we talk about the church. “Oh, I’m going to church.” We think of the building, don’t we? Well, that is true. That is the church building. It’s where we go to meet.

But the full meaning of the understanding is that it’s the people in the building. Of course, we know that. The ekklesia is God’s people when they are assembling together. So, it’s the assembling of God’s people, coming together in a building. Sometimes we talk about it as, “OK, I’m going to church.” You may be going to a building, but you could be going to a specially designated place outside. That would be the church too, because it’s the people you are gathering to. You’re gathering firstly unto God and then with His people.

What did the early church do? They were the first example. Everything that’s written in the Word is written for our example. We have to go back . . . we have to go back to the very beginning, in Genesis, to find out the truth on so many areas of what we even need to know today. We need to go back to Genesis to understand God’s account of creation, of the world, and of mankind, of male and female, to know the truth.

Why are people walking in such delusion today? We are now facing this ridiculous deception, transgenderism, because people have forgotten to go back to their roots, back to the truth, back to the very beginning. Creation is the beginning of God in the Word of God. He created male and female, only two genders. Of course, we’re speaking about church now.

We’ve got to go back to the beginning of the church to see how they operated. We go to Acts 2:42-43, and we see what they did: “And they continued steadfastly in” four things.

No. 1: THE APOSTLES’ DOCTRINE

That was teaching. They came together, they assembled together to hear more of the understanding of what God had to say to them.

No. 2. FELLOWSHIP

Oh, that was such a big part of their gathering together! That’s missing in many churches today. Yes, many people, “OK, we’ve got to go to church, folks! Let’s go!” We go, and we have singing. Then we have a message. Then we go home. I beg your pardon. We’ve only had one thing: just teaching. Oh yes, and some worship. That’s wonderful. But when did you fellowship? Fellowship is so important.

We, at our fellowship now on the Hilltop, our HOUSE OF PRAYER. We nicknamed it “The Hilltop Fellowship.” We have fellowship lunch after every service, where we all bring a dish, and we hang out, and we talk, and we fellowship together. There’s still never enough time to fellowship!

No. .3. BREAKING OF BREAD

That could be Communion, yes, but it was more than that. When they fellowshipped, they broke bread together. That’s how they ate back then. Even in Middle Eastern times now, they have the flatbread, the matzoh, which they break and tear off to dip in the hummus, and the baba ghanoush, or whatever dish they are eating. It’s the fellowshipping over food.

No. 4. PRAYERS (Notice the word is plural)

Prayers.  Oh, wow! How much time does your church spend praying? Wow! Often, we have an opening prayer and a closing prayer. But it should be a very big part of our service, and also throughout the week as well.

I can’t believe it. Time has gone. We’re going to have to do one more. We’ll do that with you next time. We’re going to look at the attitudes God wants us to have toward coming together with His people, and how we are to teach these attitudes to our children. They’ve got to get it while they’re young.

“Dear Father, thank You so much again. I’m always thanking You, Lord, for Your precious Word, because it’s so rich. It shows us the way. Every word You speak is filled with truth. It’s what You have given us to live by.

“I pray that, Lord, You will help us to truly have a biblical worldview on every subject, and every aspect of our lives, and to teach it to our children, that they will understand Your heart and Your ways. Lord God, this young generation must know your heart for Israel. I pray, Father, that You will teach us more and more as we read Your Word.

“Give us Your understanding, Your heart. Give us Your burden to pray. I ask that You will put this anointing and burden upon every family listening, that, Lord God, if they’re not already praying for Israel, they will begin to pray for Israel as families together. Lord, You’ve said those who bless Israel, You will bless. You’ve told us that we are the watchmen who never get off the wall, who do not keep silent! Lord, we do not give up praying until we see Jerusalem established as a praise in the earth! Help us to be faithful, Lord God. We ask in Jesus’ Name. Amen.”

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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Transcribed by Darlene Norris * This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

17 DIFFERENT WORDS FOR ASSEMBLY

 

Genesis 28:3: “And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a MULTIDUDE (assembly - qahal) of people.”

The Bible uses 17 different Hebrew words in the Old Testament to describe the assembling of God’s people. This is how important it is to God.

1. QAHAL (an assemblage, assembly, company, congregation).
2. ASAPH (gather, assemble together).
3. EDAH (an assemblage, family, crowd, company, congregation, people, multitude).
4. YA’AD (to meet at a stated time, to appoint, to fix a time and place, to meet by agreement, come together, gather together, to summon). It speaks of the congregation assembling to worship God at designated times and places.
5. MO’ED (an appointment, a fixed time or season, specifically a festival or assembly convened for a definite purpose, congregation, the place of meeting, set time).
6. QABATS (to collect, assemble, bring together, assemble together).
7. ZA-QQ (to announce or convene publicly, assembly, call together, cry out, come with a company, gather together).
8. ATSARAH (an assembly, especially a festival or holiday, solemn assembly or meeting).
9. MIQRA (something called out—the act, the persons, or the place, assembly, calling, convocation, reading).
10. MAQHEL (an assembly, congregation).
11. SOD (a company of persons in close deliberation, intimacy, assembly, also secret counsel).
12. SHAMA (to gather together, to hear with obedience and attention, give ear).
13. Y’QAHA (“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come, and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” Genesis 49:10).
14. YAHAD (union, unitedness together, altogether in one place).
15. Q’HILLAH (assembly, congregation).
16. YACHAD (together, altogether, unitedness) Strong’s 3161, 3162, and 3163 are all similar but different Hebrews words.
17. ADA (congregation, company, assembly, multitude, swarm).

We cannot come to the full understand of all that God wants us to know without each other!

Ephesians 3;17-19: “That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that yew being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend WITH ALL SAINTS what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.”

 

LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell

EPISODE 280: God Loves Togethering, Part 8

God is the Great Shepherd of the sheep and loves to tend to His flock. We are the sheep of His pasture. Although we can have an individual relationship with the Lord, He looks upon His people as a flock. What does this mean?

Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, Life to The Full, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.

Nancy Campbell: Hello! I’m looking outside the window. The leaves are gradually turning yellow and gold and red. Isn’t fall such a wonderful time?

Now today, we’re continuing “God Loves Togethering.” Remember last time, I talked about the word ya’ad, and how does it not only mean “to assemble,” but “to assemble at an appointed time.” There’s another word also, maybe a couple more, that give that same meaning.

We are encouraged. When it’s time to come and be with the people of God, when it’s our weekly church meeting, or prayer meeting, or some gathering, let’s come on time. When I was looking up these Scriptures and writing them down in my journal, I wrote these words:

“If we can’t be on time for the trumpet blowing of the calling of our local assembly, how will we be ready for the blowing of the last trumpet, when Jesus returns?”

I think we ought to get practice now. Don’t you? I think it’s very important. These may not seem very big things in your eyes, but they are very important to God. God speaks about the appointments, about the times. He wants us to be there, on time, so we all meet together. Amen?

Before I go on to another Hebrew word, there’s another Scripture that uses this same word. It’s not really the word “assembly,” but “bringing everybody together.” They use this word, and it’s in Genesis 18, the chapter where God came in three Persons, well three men came to visit Abraham and to tell both him and Sarah that she would have a son.

We read Genesis 18:10: “And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son.” But remember? Sarah heard this in the tent. She wasn’t out with Abraham, but she heard it and she laughed. It goes on: “Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.” So, she was no longer having her cycle. “Therefore, Sarah laughed within herself.” She didn’t laugh out loud.

“. . . Saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure?  . . . And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh?” God saw it, even though she didn’t laugh out loud. He saw her laughing inside. Then He said: “Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed . . .” Ya’ad. That same word that’s used for the gathering of God’s people. “I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”

Have you ever thought much about this, and how it happened? As I thought about it, I believe that the miracle that happened there was that God restored Sarah’s cycle because it says there that the manner of women had ceased to be with her. But God miraculously, in her old age, restored her cycle, so that she was having that time of life. That’s what it talks about here, as “the time of life.”

When we’re cycling, every woman has this time of life every month. It’s that time when she is fertile, that time of ovulation. This is the time when she can conceive. You can’t conceive all through the month. You can only conceive in that little block of time, that time of fertility. That time is a time when God can visit you.

It’s a miraculous time, because conception is a visitation of God. We cannot conceive without God. It’s God Who gives conception. God returned Sarah’s cycle, and He visited her. In fact, that’s exactly what the Bible says about three chapters over (Genesis 21:1-3). It says, And God visited Sarah, and she brought forth her son. She had a visitation of God in that time of life, at the appointed time.

In fact, it also says the same about Hannah. After Hannah had had Samuel and dedicated him to the Lord, and taken him to the temple, God blessed her again, and she had five more children! It says in 1 Samuel 2:21: “And God visited Hannah,” and gave her these other children. That’s another time that that word is used.

Let’s go to another Hebrew word today:

SOD, pronounced sowed.”

This is a word that also means “assembly,” but this is a word that also has an extended meaning. It also means “a secret.” Well, that’s interesting, isn’t it? The full meaning of this word is “an assembly, but also an intimate circle of friends in confidence, confidential discussion among friends, secret counsel revealed from one confidant to another; friendship and intimacy with a person.” It gives a picture of sitting on a cushion, or a pillow, or a divan, intimately talking with someone.

Here are some Scriptures.

Proverbs 3:32: “His secret is with the righteous,” those who do right.

The Amplified version says: “For the perverse are an abomination, extremely disgusting and despicable to the Lord, but His confidential communion and secret counsel are with the uncompromisingly righteous, those who are upright and right, standing with Him.” Isn’t that a wonderful Scripture? That when we’re walking righteously before the Lord, that God will come. He will give us His intimate counsel and communion. I think that is so beautiful.

In Job 29:4, Job was looking back to when everything was going so wonderfully. Now everything’s been taken away from him. His body is covered with boils. He says: “As I was, in the days of my youth, when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle.”

Other translations say: “When he had intimate friendship with God.”

I love the New Living Translation: “When God’s friendship was felt in my home.” Isn’t that beautiful? How would you like to have that testimony, that God’s friendship is in your home. If God is sitting with you as you have your meals, He’s with you in the kitchen. He’s there with you as you’re homeschooling your children. He's there in your bedroom. He’s in every room of the house. He wants to be with you, and He wants to have intimate fellowship with you.

Psalm 25:14: “The secret of the LORD is with them that fear Him; and He will shew them His covenant.”

Once again, the Amplified says: “The secret of the sweet satisfying companionship of the Lord have they who fear Him. And He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its deep inner meaning.”

Here’s another one. Psalm 55:14: “We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.” I love that picture, a picture of David walking to the house of God in the company of others. Actually, you may just think, “Oh, maybe he’s just walking with a friend and talking.”

But it’s more than that, because the word “company” is the Hebrew word regesh. It means, “a throng, a crowd.” So, yes, maybe David was intimately talking with a dear friend. David did have special friends. We read the names of them in the Bible. Maybe he was talking and fellowshipping, having “sweet counsel.”

But he was also in the company of many, maybe hundreds, coming to the temple. That’s the whole picture that is there. The company. It means “a crowd, a throng.” And they were walking together all to meet God at the appointed time.

We don’t do that today, of course, do we? We all drive in our cars. Maybe I think perhaps, if we were able to walk, sometimes it might be a little better for us. Because often, we are hurrying to get ready. We all pile in the car to drive to church. Sometimes somebody’s mad with one another. I’ve heard many families say to me, “Goodness, they argue all the way to church!” Isn’t that terrible? Help! Goodness me, what kind of an atmosphere can you have at church when people are arguing on the way?

But I remember one time, we were in Ukraine. We were speaking in a number of European countries. We’d just been in Hungary, and then we drove on into Ukraine, although we were still among the Hungarian people because this part of Hungary had been taken over by Ukraine. In this village, there were hundreds of people, but they only had one church. Everybody came to church.

They had three church bells. They started half an hour before and you’d hear the church bell ringing. People would start walking. Those who had to walk a little further would start walking. Then a quarter of an hour later, another church bell would ring. People who were a little closer would start walking.

The whole throng of people were walking up the road toward the church. Then they all got there, and they would all go into the church. When the last bell went, they would all be there inside. It was amazing to see that they did it! They got there at the appointed time. But I think they all loved walking to church together. There’s something about it. They were having “sweet counsel.” That’s a beautiful Scripture. I love that.

Then we go on to some other Scriptures with this same word, sod. But here it’s speaking more about the assembly.

Psalm 89:7: “God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints.”

Psalm 101:1: “I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.” That’s another Hebrew word for “assembly.” I love that word. It talks about assembly, and also intimate communion with the Lord. But, of course, that’s what we have, isn’t it, when we come to meet together with God. He comes to meet with us, and to commune with us.

Another Hebrew word MIQRA means “something called out; an assembly; a calling, a reading” Quite a number of the Hebrew words mean “a calling out.” It’s not staying at home. It’s a calling out, where you are called out to meet together. This particular Hebrew word includes the word “reading.” Many times, when they came together, they assembled together, they would read portions of the Torah. They would read the laws. They would read the commandments.

In fact, I talked to you in one podcast, how every seven years, they would read the whole of the Torah. That was usually during the Feast of Tabernacles, and they would take seven days to do that. But they would read the whole of those first five books of the Old Testament.

That’s another thing, of course, when we come to the house of God, when we assemble together. We assemble to hear His Word.

Nehemiah 8:8: “So they read in the book of the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.” That’s in the context of that word, miqra, where they had the reading. 

I have a little thought here too, of OK, what do you do when you have people in your home, who maybe they’re living with you, or staying with you, and they don’t want to go and come with the assembling of God’s people? Or perhaps you have your time of devotions, your Bible reading, the time you meet together, morning and evening to gather your family together. They’re not really very happy about doing this kind of thing, because they’re not walking with the Lord. What do you do?

I’ve often wondered about these things. I believe I’ve found the answer. I believe that God has an answer for every question we have in His Word. I have found that God talks to His people, but not just to them. He always includes the strangers that are with you. When God gave His commandments, when He wanted to talk to His people, or when He wanted to gather His people to hear what He was going to say to them, He would tell them all to come. The fathers, the mothers, the children, the servants, and “the strangers that are in your gates.” Always the strangers were included No one was ever, ever left out.

Let me read a few Scriptures to you. If you would really like to know more, well, I could most probably put it on the transcript. I’ll read you a few of these Scriptures today, but there are so many. I will do that. When I do this transcript, I’ll put them on the bottom for those who would really want to get them all.

Here we go. Exodus 12:49-50: “One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you. Thus did all the children of Israel; as the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they.” 

Numbers 15:14-16: “And if a stranger sojourn with you, or whosoever be among you in your generations . . . as ye do, so shall he do. One ordinance shall both be for you, of the congregation, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you. An ordinance forever, in your generations. As you are, so shall the stranger be, before the Lord. One law and one manner shall be for you, and for the stranger that sojourneth with you.”

Now, that’s very, very explicit, isn’t it? It tells us exactly. If you have someone living with you, OK, there will be the same law. There are laws that you have in your home. Everybody has different laws. Not that we would want to call them “laws,” but you have principles that keep your home in order and that are convictions to you, that you do. When people come and live with you, they become part of that. They are to take on those same laws while they are with you, even if you have people with you and you’re going to church.

OK, well, I’ve had people say, “Oh, I couldn’t come to church today, because we’ve got people staying, and they didn’t really want to come.” Well, I’m sorry. You do what God wants you to do and you invite them to come with you. If they don’t, well, they’ll just have to sit and look at the walls, because you are going! Because you are going to do what God wants you to do.

But in your home, OK, you’re gathering to read the Word. Well, you ask them to gather with you because that is what is meant to happen. That’s how God intends it.

Numbers 15:29: “Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them.”

When God gave the Ten Commandments, He didn’t give them just for His people. No. It says in Exodus 20:10, just take this one, for example, where we’re not meant to work on the Sabbath day: “Thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.” That principle, that law God gave to every person, even the cattle.

Let’s look at a couple more. Yes, Day of Atonement. They were not meant to work on the Day of Atonement. Leviticus 16:29: “. . . Whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you.”

One of the laws in Leviticus that God told His people was that they must not eat the blood of the animals, because blood was sacred to God. They were not to eat it. In Leviticus 17, when it’s talking about that, it also refers to the stranger. “Whatsoever man there be of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, that eateth any manner of blood, I will even set My face against that soul that eateth blood, and will cut him off from among the people.” Five times in that passage, God spoke those words, and five times he mentions the strangers that are with you. They were to receive the same judgement as the people of Israel if they did not comply.

When it was blessings, they were to receive the same blessings, as well. So, God included them in everything that He said. There are lots more Scriptures about that if you’re interested to look at more. I have always found that that’s been a blessing to me, so that when people come into our home, well, I expect them to be part of what we are doing in our home. And then, if I’m to come to your home, well, then, I’m meant to be part of what you are doing in your home.

Oh, yes, I said that I was not going to take you into all those 17 Hebrew words. They’re all so amazing. But I wanted to give you another English word that we read so much in the Word, too. It’s the word “flock.”

A FLOCK

Now, a flock is not one person. A flock is not two people. A flock is many. Well, in Middle Eastern flocks, maybe, I’m not sure how many they have; maybe 15 or 20 sheep. From where I come from in New Zealand, our sheep farmers have thousands of sheep in their flocks.

But sheep do not do very well on their own. They are a very social animal, and they rely on one another to survive. In fact, a sheep on its own doesn’t really survive. Well, you can have a pet sheep. Of course, you’ve got to be “all the other sheep” with it and keep it happy. But sheep love to be a flock.

And God looks upon us as His flock. He not only sees us individually; He sees us corporately. He sees us as a flock, and therefore, we should see ourselves as a flock. We’re not meant to say, “OK, I can do it on my own!” No, we’re part of a flock, and we will be stronger, we will grow more in God, and we’ll shine our light brighter as we are in the flock, because that is how God intends us.

He intends us to live in a flock, to be blessed by one another, and for us to bless others, and to have Him as our Shepherd, because sheep cannot even survive without a shepherd. They are the one animal that cannot survive without a shepherd or without being part of a flock. That’s why God chose to call us His sheep. Of all the animals in the whole of the world, He chose to call us His sheep, because sheep need a shepherd. We rely on our Shepherd. We need one another. We are a flock.

Let’s read some verses, shall we?

Psalm 77:20: “Thou leddest Thy people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron.”

Psalm 78:52: “He made His own people to go forth like sheep, and guided them in the wilderness like a flock.” All through that barren wilderness, He kept them together as a flock.

Psalm 80:1: “Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock.”

Psalm 107:41-43: “He setteth the poor on high from affliction, and maketh him families like a flock.” 

Yes, God loves to make our family like a flock. This Scripture says God makes families like a flock. He sees all His people as a flock, but within His flock, there are family flocks. That’s how it was back in Israel. Of course, they were individual people, but they were in their families. Then they were in their tribes. Then they were the whole flock of Israel.

God makes Him families like a flock. Who is He making them for? For Him. For Himself. Do you notice that? He “maketh Him.” God is making these families. He’s making them ultimately for Him. We give the reins of our family life to Him. He’s the one who builds the house; He’s the one who makes the family. He gives us the children He has planned to give us.

Then it goes on to say something very interesting: “The righteous shall see it, and rejoice: and all iniquity shall stop her mouth. Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.” It’s interesting, ladies, that this Scripture says the righteous will see it, and they’ll rejoice.

That’s interesting, isn’t it, because today, I cannot believe it, but even in the church, there are grandparents who are not really interested when they hear that their daughter or daughter-in-law is having a baby! I have many women come to me and say, “Look, I’m scared to tell my mom I’m having another baby! Help! I don’t even know what she’s going to say!” They don’t want them to have another baby!

What? What is wrong? Well, they have been brainwashed by our society’s thinking that is antagonistic to children, because the devil hates children. He hates life. But God is the author of life, and He loves life! And it says here that the wise, the righteous, will see these families growing like a flock, and they will rejoice! Yes: “Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.”

Isaiah 40:11: “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.” This is how God leads us. But it’s also a beautiful Scripture for mothers, especially young moms.

Those of you who are pregnant, you’re carrying a little one in your womb, or you’re nursing a little baby, listen to what God says here. He’s speaking to you. He gathers the lambs in His arms. He carries them in His bosom and gently leads those that with young.

Dear mother, you don’t have to keep up with all the things you were doing before. You don’t have to be involved in everything that’s going on. You don’t have to do this and do that. You are in the greatest, most important work that God has given you to do. And that is to nurture your little ones.

He gently leads you. He doesn’t expect you to be running around here, there, and everywhere, leading this group, and doing this, and leading singing, and being involved in that. No, He gently leads you. Let Him gently lead you, because He understands. He doesn’t expect you to be up in the very front of the flock. Yes, at this time of your life, you can be lagging behind a little bit as you’re needing to sleep more, and as you’ve got the weight of all these darling little ones upon you. Or you’re pregnant. Just know that God gently leads you.

Jeremiah 23:1-4: “Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture! saith the LORD . . . Ye have scattered My flock, and driven them away . . . But I will gather the remnant of My flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.” That’s another thing about flocks. Every shepherd wants His flock to increase. God wants His flock to increase! And He wants our little flocks to increase.

Ezekiel 34:31: “And ye My flock, the flock of My pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD.”

Ezekiel 34:15: “I will feed My flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD.”

Ezekiel 36:37-38: “Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock.” Yes, God loves the increasing of flocks. “As the holy flock, as the flock of Jerusalem in her solemn feasts; so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the LORD.”

That’s an incredible promise that is being fulfilled, and yet, has to be much more fulfilled. He’s talking about those barren wastes of the West Bank, those hills of Samaria, many of them still barren. Just barren stones and dirt.

But settlers are going out to possess the land, and God has promised in Ezekiel 36 that when His people come back to the land, that He will bless the land, and it will bring forth fruit for His people. They are out there, growing vineyards, and causing the barren hills to become filled with glorious bunches of grapes, and fruitful vineyards, and olive orchards. It also says that He will build up the waste cities, and they will be filled with flocks of men.

Well, that’s a pretty difficult promise to take hold right of, right at this moment as Israel is at war, facing being attacked, day by day. But we’ve got to hang onto God’s promises, because every one of them are true and every one of them will come to pass.

OK, time is going! But just one or two more of these wonderful Scriptures about our being a flock, which is an assembly. It’s not just an individual. I trust, and I’m going to make this my last podcast on this subject, which will be eight different podcasts, just seeking to get to you, lovely ladies, that God loves the assembling of His people. I want you to see how much God loves us, so that you will love it, too, and how He sees you not only as an individual, but as a flock. Over and over again, He calls us His flock.

Micah 2:12: “I will surely assemble, O Jacob, all of thee; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will put them together as the sheep of Bozrah, as the flock in the midst of their fold.” God loves us to be in a fold. You see, “fold” is another synonym that goes with a sheep. It’s a fold. To be folded, and God wants us to be in a fold.

He wants us to be part of an assembly, a fold, where we can” one-another” each other, bless one another, pray for one another, and show hospitality to one another, and care for one another, and do all the over 40 “one-anothers” that we read in the New Testament. It goes on to say: “And they shall make a great noise, by reason of the multitude of men.” My, that’s talking about a great flock!

Zechariah 9:16: “And the LORD their God shall save them in that day as the flock of his people.”

Zechariah 10:3: “. . . The LORD of hosts hath visited His flock the house of Judah, and hath made them as His goodly horse in the day of battle.”

Remember, Jesus said, in Luke 12:32, “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

Let’s pray, shall we?

“Father, help us to understand how You see us. You see us as a flock. Lord, we are the sheep of Your pasture. Lord God, we thank You that You have made us a flock, to be part of one another. You want us to be folded as a flock. You want us to come into a fold. Lord, there are many sheepfolds across this nation. Lord, help us all to be faithful in our own particular sheepfold that You put us in.

“Lord God, I pray that You will bless each mother and father, Lord God, each family that is listening today, and that You will bless their little flock, Lord. I pray that they will yield to You, Lord, their lives, as they let You make their family like a flock. Lord, You’re the One Who does it. It’s all You. So, we trust You, Lord, and we bless You, and we praise Your wonderful Name. Amen.”

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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www.aboverubies.org

Transcribed by Darlene Norris * This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

You can check out the 41 One Anothers in the New Testament in the book:

Go to: 100 Days of Blessing, Volume 4 - 100 Selected Devotions by Nancy Campbell (mybigcommerce.com)

 

LIFE TO THE FULL w/ Nancy Campbell

EPISODE 279: God Loves Togethering, Part 7

What’s been happening on the Hilltop?

God assembles His people at appointed times. Are we on time?

Announcer: Welcome to the podcast, Life to The Full, with Nancy Campbell, founder and publisher of Above Rubies.

Nancy Campbell: Hello, ladies! I trust that you’ve been blessed in your homes today. Well, let’s just catch up on a little bit of the news on the Hilltop here.

This last weekend, we had a father-son camp for fathers and their sons, older sons right down to little sons! There were about 200 fathers and sons who came. They held it over on Sam and Serene’s property. The meetings were at their big barn that they have, the wonderful barn we have over there which Sam originally built for all our weddings and all the weddings that are yet to come. But it has so many other uses.

All the guys were camped all around about in their little tents and so on. They had the most amazing time, teaching them how to shoot with pistols and rifles. They had tomahawk and knife throwing, and rappelling, and goodness knows what! Everything a boy could learn. It was really amazing. Many of them had never done many of the things that they had for them.

They had wonderful meetings in the barn. It was just a beautiful time of father-son relationships. It’s going to be the first of many. It’s just so amazing. So now, they’ve already got the date for next year! My, I think it will be worth giving your husband this date, getting them to put it on their calendar:

October 10-13, 2024.

I think it’s one of the greatest things that I have ever seen. It was so wonderful to see the beautiful atmosphere, and all the things that were happening.

But we did have some challenges as they prepared for this camp. Just a week before, Sam, that’s Serene’s husband, was up on a 20-foot ladder, doing something. The ladder slipped out from underneath him. He fell crashing to the ground. He was pouring blood everywhere. His sons, who were there, were in terrible shock. I think they thought they had lost their dad.

They took him to hospital, but we were all praying. God did such a wonderful, wonderful miracle. It was so unbelievable. He even came home that night. It was like he was raised from the dead. He still has something very wrong with his arm and his hand, but at least, as Sam says, he thinks the hand actually saved his life.

Then two days later, Sam’s right-hand man, who’s been building with him for years, fell also on the building site as they were preparing. He ended up in hospital with eight broken ribs and a pierced lung. They had challenges but they kept going. They ended up with this most wonderful, triumphant, great weekend. It was so great.

But not to be outgunned, we also have a ladies’ retreat coming up, here in Tennessee. Some of the men came to me and said, “Oh, my wife is so jealous! She wishes she could be here.” I said, “Well, don’t worry. We have a ladies’ retreat coming up!”

Actually, we have two. We have one in Missouri the first weekend of November. And then, we have the one here in Tennessee, in Dickson, the second weekend of November. That’s coming up very quickly, so whichever one you are nearest to, do try and come. You can go to the website, AboveRubies.org, and go to “Retreat.” Click on that, and you’ll be able to go and find the information and to register.

Don’t come on your own! You can come with your daughters, and of course, if you have a nursing baby, you can bring your baby. We never say no to nursing babies at Above Rubies retreats! In fact, I think it’s so wonderful when you can come as three generations—grandmothers, mothers, and children, daughters, and babies.

Yes! Don’t come on your own. Bring a carload! Fill your car with your family. Or fill it with other ladies. Tell other ladies about these retreats. We haven’t had a ladies’ retreat for a while, because we’ve mostly been having family retreats. They have been so amazing. But it’s always lovely to have a ladies’ retreat. There’s something special about them. A weekend of being so encouraged in your role as a woman.

I will be speaking on “God’s Glorious Design.” But apart from the meetings is the wonderful fellowship that you can have with one another. I think that is so important. I remember as I was raising our children, one of the greatest blessings was getting with other mothers. I used to do that in those days. We would arrange picnics together. We would have luncheons together.

Of course, I had a ladies’ Bible study in my home every week. Mothers and babies came. We often had more babies and little ones than mothers. They would take over my home. But what wonderful times! It was the fellowship together that got us through. So, do check out those ladies’ retreats. I do hope you can come. That would just be so great.

Now, we have interrupted our series on “God Loves Togethering,” because the last two weeks I interviewed Bethany Vaughn. Her husband was kidnapped by the FBI at their home, at gunpoint, and no warrant. I’m sure you’ve already listened but if you haven’t yet listened to those podcasts, do listen.

The transcripts are already out. We’re right up to date with transcripts. We do a transcript for each podcast. I have such a dear, wonderful lady, Darlene Norris, who, out of the love of her heart to minister to ladies, she does these transcripts, so they are available. Sometimes I can share Scriptures that I may not even get time in the podcast. There are often little extra things there too, for you. So, go to them as well.

Now we’re back to “God Loves Togethering.” Ladies, this is a very important subject. I hope you just won’t turn it aside, because the Word of God is filled with it. It’s amazing. I have already given six sessions on this, and there’s still so much more. I’m not going to ever, ever give you all the Scriptures on it. We’d be going all year! There are so many!

I’m just going to give you a few more little tidbits today. But it’s just the surface of what is there. If you could only understand how much togethering means to God! I think we don’t understand, because often we’re not in the Word. We’re not reading it. We’re not reading and getting God’s heart.

These words come over and over, of the assembling of His people, the togethering of His people; the congregation, a convocation, the getting together. God loves it! And He fills His Word with it. The word “assembly” occurs frequently in the Old and the New Testaments. God doesn’t just say the “assembly of His people.” He calls the assembling of His people, “My assembly. My assembly.”

Did you get that, ladies? Yes, they’re very personal to God. They’re “My assemblies.” The gathering of God’s people together. It belongs to Him. You see, everything belongs to God. I think of Romans 11:36: “For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things.” Everything is for Him, and is through Him, and is of Him. Even the assembling of ourselves together.

Some people don’t think much of it, but they don’t realize that it’s for God. It’s from Him, because He’s the One who advocated it. It’s so much in His heart. He loves it, so it’s from Him. It’s for Him, and we’ve got to see it like God sees it, don’t we?

Talking about how He says, “My assemblies,” I must share this with you because I’ve been noticing just recently, reading Ezekiel 44, how God calls everything “My.” Yes, it belongs to Him. In Ezekiel 44, He uses the word “My” 21 times. He says:

“My sanctuary.” He says that six times in that chapter!

My house,

My bread,

My covenant,

My holy things,

My charge,

My hand,

My table,

My people,

My judgement,

My laws,

My statutes,

My assemblies, and

My Sabbaths.” We’re not to gloss over all these things. They belong to God. They’re precious to Him, and they should be very precious to us.

In Ezekiel 34, He says the word “My” 18 times! He calls His people:

“My flock” 12 times in one chapter!

My flock,

My sheep,

My pasture,

My people,

My shepherds, and

My hill.” That’s talking about His holy mountain, Jerusalem.

And then in Ezekiel 16, it talks about “My children.” I’m always challenged by that. We talk about “my children, these children are my children.” Or “our children.” They belong to both my husband and me, your husband and you. But God says, “No, they are My children.” That’s a challenge, isn’t it? We can’t train them how we like. We’ve got to train them for God because they ultimately belong to Him.

Joel chapter 1. Here it says, “My land.” God uses that often throughout the Scriptures. “My land.” Well, we’re facing this on the world stage at the moment, aren’t we as Hamas has just come in and invaded Israel with such atrocities, coming into God’s land, yes, God says: “It’s My land.”

Even the area from which they came, from Gaza, is God’s land. Yes. The Israelites, the Jews there, they had that land. Years ago, they gave it back. They gave it! Just handed it over to these Palestiniansfor peace! Did they get peace? No. They’ve never had peace since they handed it over. They were not meant to hand it over. They handed over God’s land to people to whom it did not belong.

God said, “That is My land, and I have given it to you for an everlasting possession.” That’s the word of the Lord. Read Genesis 17:8.

Jeremiah 23:8: “The LORD liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them; and they shall dwell in their own land.” Because although it’s ultimately God’s land, He gave it to them. Nations better be pretty careful when they come against God’s land.

That same chapter, Joel 1:

“My vine,

My fig tree (These are some of the names He calls Israel).

My people,

My heritage,

My silver,

My gold,

My precious treasures,

My holy mountain.”

Go to Jeremiah 23. 18 times in this chapter, God says “My” again.

“My pasture,

My people,

My flock,

My house,

My counsel,

My words. (Five times He says “My words.”)

My Name.”

In Leviticus 23, it talks about the feasts that God has ordained for His people. We usually think of them as the Jewish feasts of Passover, and Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles, and so on. But that’s not what the Bible calls them. Do you know what He calls them? He calls them “My feasts.” They belong to Him. He ordained them, and they’re God’s.

So, when we begin to see all these things, that they are God’s, they belong to Him, they become even more precious to us. They also become a greater challenge to us, that we will be part of what belongs to Him. Because if we belong to Him, we will want to be part of what belongs to Him! Can you say amen to that? I hope so.

OK, a new Hebrew word for today, regarding the assembling of God’s people. Now, ladies, when I first started this series, I told you that I found 12 different Hebrew words to describe the assembling of God’s people. God doesn’t limit it to one word. He has so many words for it. But then, I had to tell you a few sessions on, that, no, there are more than 12. I found 14!

17 HEBREW WORDS TO DESCRIBE ASSEMBLY

Well, ladies, forgive me. I was wrong, because now, up to date, and I hope I’ve got them all now, I have found 17! Can you believe it? I just keep discovering them all the time! This is the amazing thing about the Word of God. Oh, it’s so rich. It’s so endless. The more we delve into it, the more we find! I think I’ve found them all now, but maybe not. But so far, there are 17!

I’m not going to go through all these words. We’d be here forever. But just a few more of them. Isn’t it so amazing? This is how God feels about this. And thinking of that, and thinking of how, OK, I was wrong. I was always discovering. I have changed my understanding on so many issues as the years have gone by. I think we have to be open to doing that, don’t you? We can’t be stuck, OK? I believe this.

Many times, we believe things because of how we were brought up. That’s what we were taught, so that’s what we believe. But when we actually begin to delve more into the Word of God, we find, wow! No, that’s not actually true, and we’ve got to expand our understanding. We’ve got to sometimes repent, then we’ve got to say, “Lord God, yes, I understand that now, and I will walk in Your ways.”

I didn’t always understand the full revelation of God’s truth about having children. Oh, if only! That is perhaps the greatest regret of my whole life. Many times, Colin and I look at one another, and we say, “Oh, if only we could have had 12 children!” We were blessed with six amazing children, and then we adopted four more. But we didn’t understand fully. We were never a couple who were closed to children.

Even before I had the revelation of God’s heart, to totally yield my womb to the Lord completely, I could never have, even “with a 40-foot pole,” touched the Pill, or any of those kind of contraceptions or anything like that. Even when I didn’t understand, I heard people choosing tubal ligation. It just revolted me from within to think that someone would want to cut off or stop some part of their body that God had given to them from His divine creation!

I didn’t understand it all. But God knew my heart was open, and He began to reveal to me His ways. So, I began to walk in the understanding of the fullness of God’s truth. That’s how He created us. Our womanly creation is for the blessing of bringing forth children. The greatest blessing, and the greatest, most powerful thing we can do on this earth, and even for eternity, is to bring forth an eternal soul.

Of course, in many, many areas. I remember a few months ago, I was writing my daily Facebook that I write to encourage you. I hope you get to check them out and be encouraged. I do a devotion every week which you can get by email. I do that to encourage you as mothers and wives. I also like to send out Facebook messages every day (on most days) to encourage you.

One day, I was writing about clothing. Sometimes I’ll write about clothing, just saying how I believe that especially in this hour of this transgenderism, and this total mix-up of the sexes, how we should embrace who we are as women, and dress femininely. And especially when we go out, to wear a dress and look like a woman! For goodness’ sake! I think it’s time we did look like women!

Anyway, on the thread, someone answered, and they were very upset with me. In fact, they said “I am cancelling right now! I’m not coming back to this Facebook, because, Nancy Campbell, I remember, I was at a retreat. And I remember in a Q and A, the question was asked, should women wear pants? And you said, well, as long as you dress femininely, and you may wear very feminine pants, well, OK. That would be OK.”

I was just, perhaps, compromising. But I didn’t really have the full conviction that I have now. I have changed, yes. There were times when I would wear pants. But I do not now. OK, I’ll go out to the garden on a muddy day and get my old pants on to get down on my knees and dig in the garden.

But when I go out the door to go out where people are, I’m going to be a testimony to who God created me to be as a woman. I’m going to wear a dress, because that is what personifies a woman. Let’s face it. Every single restroom you go to in the world, we know which one to go to, because for the men it has the stick figure of the pants. For the women, it has the stick figure of the skirt. How much longer will they be doing that? Because all these women, with their pants, go into the skirt one.

Now, isn’t that amazing? You see, that’s really what shows we are a woman. I don’t believe we’re going to turn back the tide of this evil that we’re facing in our society today, of people turning away from male and female, no longer revealing who they truly are. I am going to be a testimony of who God created me to be. So, yes, I’ve changed my convictions. I think we can change. I was sad that that woman felt like that, that I had to stick to my old convictions, which really were not right! We’ve got to be open to change all the time, don’t we? That’s a little bypass as we’re going along.

The word I’m giving you today is . . .   

YA’AD.

It means “to assemble by appointment, to gather together, to summon, to meet at a certain time and place, to meet by agreement. It speaks of the congregation assembling to worship God or hear from Him at designated times and places.” In the Word, God did give specific times. I did a podcast on that regarding the times. You can go back to that one.

The times are the daily times. He gave them for morning and the evening. I go into that more, how everything in the tabernacle, God commanded them to do in the morning and in the evening. Those were the meeting times with God. They were a type for us today. In our home, we like to keep to those. In the morning, we come together as a family to hear the Word of God, and to worship the Lord, and to pray.

Of course, the altar of incense, which speaks of prayer and worship was every morning and every evening they had to light that incense. Then He gave the daily and the weekly and the yearly appointments. We talked about that in another podcast. But I’d like to remind you of the places where God said He wanted them to meet. There were three specific places.

GOD LOVES TO MEET WITH US

The first one was at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. That was where you first came into the tabernacle, and where they were sacrificing the lamb or the bullock, or whatever. And then later, in the temple.

In Exodus 29:42-46, it says: “This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the LORD.” Whenever you read “before the LORD” in the King James version, it literally means “in the presence of the Lord.” God was there, and they were coming to meet Him.

“. . . where I will meet you, to speak there unto thee. And there I will meet with the children of Israel.” Isn’t that a beautiful thing? God loves His people. He loves to meet with His people. He loves to meet with us personally. Everything starts personally, then in the family. He wants to meet with us as a family. Every morning, every evening. We’ve got to start in the home, ladies. This is where it starts. We’ve talked about this one. It’s the place where they did the morning and the evening sacrifice.

And then, secondly, it says “at the altar of incense.” Exodus 30:6-8: “. . . where I will meet with thee.” We’ve been talking in that whole chapter about the altar of incense. “And Aaron shall burn thereon sweet incense every morning . . . and at evening.” Once again, every morning and every evening they came to burn the sweet incense which filled the tabernacle with a beautiful, sweet incense. That spoke of prayer and worship, so that is a type.

Coming every morning, every evening, that’s the least. You can come more. You can come all day! But we need to make at least those times, because you listen to what He said: “There I will meet with thee.” Do you want to meet with God? Yes, we all long to meet with God. We long for His presence. And we can know His presence moment by moment in our lives. But God also wants His special meeting times.

Thirdly, in the holy of holies, where back there in Old Testament times, only the high priest could go into the holy of holies.

Exodus 25:22: “And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony.”

But now, wonderful ladies, we can all go into the holy of holies. That curtain that blocked every other man from going in, that only allowed the high priest in once every year, and taking the blood, otherwise, he would die. But now, because Jesus shed His blood, and when that happened, that curtain tore from the top to the bottom!

Now we can go in and we can have that intimate fellowship with Him. And where He says: “I will meet with you, and commune with you” We can do it personally, but we must begin to do it as family. And then, of course, there is the corporate meeting with one another, the assembling. Oh, and God loves this assembling of all His people.

Let’s look at some more Scriptures.

CALLING OF THE ASSEMBLY

Numbers 10:1-10. In this passage, it says here: “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Make thee two trumpets of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them.” They were made out of one piece of silver! “. . . That thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly.” Did you hear it?

“The calling of the assembly and for the journeying of the camps. And when they shall blow with them, ALL the assembly shall assemble themselves.” Notice that again? Some of the assembly? No, all of the assembly. We notice this so often as we’re reading about the assembling. You’ll read that “all of them assemble,” “the whole house of Israel.” “All the assembly shall assemble themselves to thee at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.”

Keep reading down to verse 10 and it tells you all the different things that they would blow the trumpets for. The first one, of course, was when God wanted to speak to His people and to commune with them. They had to blow the trumpet. They blew it, and when they heard the trumpet, what did they do? It says: “all the assembly assembled themselves.”

It wasn’t, “oh, the trumpet!  Oh, goodness me, well, I’m in the midst of this big project. Help! Goodness me, I’ll just have to finish this first!” Or, “We’re doing this,” or “We’re doing that.” No, when that trumpet blew, they stopped what they were doing, and they assembled themselves because God had ways of letting His people know when they were to meet. He had a trumpet.

Well, we don’t have trumpets today, do we? But, OK, we do have the weekly assembling of ourselves together. Of course, all the different churches have their different ways, but they’ve all got church notices.

Today, of course, they have the internet, and a lot of churches let everybody know what they’re doing by internet. I guess that’s like a trumpet. In fact, in our church fellowship here, we have a signal group. We call it “The Hilltop News and Alerts.” It’s what’s happening at the church, and also what’s happening on the Hilltop. Everybody knows the time when church starts.

Now, you know the time when your church starts. Everybody has different times, but you have a time! You have to have a time! If you didn’t have time, you could not assemble, because some people would come at 9 o’clock. Some would think, “Oh, I think I’ll come in the afternoon.” Some think, “Oh, I think I might come at evening.” Nobody would be together! No, there has to be a time.

That’s why not only this word, ya’ad, but there’s another Hebrew word, mo’ed, and there’s another one as well, they all have that meaning within them of appointment by time. Yes, assembling by time. We have to take notice of that too. I think we really need to.

It’s amazing how today many people will think, “Oh, well, what does it matter if I’m a bit late? I’ll come when I’m ready.” Somebody arrives late for work. If they did that two of three times, that’s it. They’re fired. But isn’t it more important to come to the assembling of God’s people? Remember, “My assembly.”

Oh, we’re coming to God. It belongs to Him. How does it make you feel? Are you really seeing how God sees it? It’s His assembly. He wants you there at the right time with all His people. Look, when you all come together at the right time, there is something so exciting about it.

When people just drag in at different times, five minutes late, ten minutes late, 20 minutes late, half an hour late . . . the people who are sitting, waiting, they’re just waiting. When’s everybody coming? God is waiting and He sees. God sees what importance you put on the assembling of His people. We show the importance we put upon what God says by our actions.

I can remember back in New Zealand. There was a time when we were really in revival times. We didn’t know it. We thought it was normal. But they were incredible times. I can remember when we would meet each Sunday. You didn’t just kind of get there when you could. In those days, I had all my little children. They were all little ones.

In fact, Colin was pastoring. Sunday mornings he would go to the six o’clock prayer meeting. He would come back to get me and take me when it was time for church. I had to be ready, because we only had one car in those days. I had to be ready, with the six children, all ready. Often a new little baby, a big roast of meat and vegetables in the oven, waiting to bring people home after church.

But I would be ready because I could not wait to get there. I can remember going. We’d go up the stairs . . . we had our church in this big old theater. I would be running up the stairs! People would be running up the stairs! We’re running to get there! That’s the kind of attitude we are meant to have.

Oh, we certainly need a revival, don’t we? In our hearts, and then in God’s people, and then in this nation. But when it starts, what is a revival? It’s coming back to God’s ways. And here, this is one of His biggest ways for his people to meet together. He even organized trumpets to blow and let them know. But now we have all kinds of things to let us know. We have no excuses!

Can I encourage you to try to get there on time? Oh, I know it’s hard when you’ve got little babies and children, but you could do all kinds of tricks. You can turn your watch on for an extra hour or half an hour or something. It will make you hurry. You’ll get there on time, even though most probably you would have been late on your watch. But anyway, time has gone so quickly. Let’s pray.

“Father, we thank You so much for Your Word. Lord God, Your Word shows us Your heart. It shows us Your ways. Help us to walk in Your ways. Oh God, we take them so lightly! Help us, Father, Lord, to reverence Your ways, to walk in Your ways, to be obedient to Your ways. We ask it in the Name of Jesus. Amen.”

Blessings from Nancy Campbell

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www.aboverubies.org

Transcribed by Darlene Norris * This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Missouri Retreat is canceled. Here is the information for the Tennessee Retreat. Hope you can come.

ABOVE RUBIES LADIES’ RETREAT

TENNESSEE

Don’t miss this last one for this year!

For wives, mothers, daughters, grandmothers, and of course, nursing babies!

NOVEMBER 10 – 12

Camp Garner Creek, 700 Sam Hollow Rd, Dickson TN

Speaker: Nancy Campbell * “God’s Glorious Design”

Charity Jenkins * 503-871-9535 * This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sonia Ramsay *503-428-7345 *  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Go to: https://bit.ly/ar-ladies-retreat

See you there!