The angel told Mary that she would conceive and have a Son named Jesus, and He would be great. (Luke 1:26-32) Keep Jesus at the focus and center of your life. Colossians 1:12-23 tells us that God has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the Jesus’ kingdom. Jesus is the head of the body, the church. Make sure Jesus always has pre-eminence and keep Him first in your life. He reconciled all to Himself having made peace through the blood of His cross, and we are now reconciled to Father God. We were alienated, and we were enemies in our mind by wicked (twisted) works. Our thoughts can be alienated from God. The blood and His body died on the cross to present us (me) holy, unblamable, and unreprovable in His sight. How does God see you? He sees you holy. He sees you without blame or fault. He sees that nothing is needed to be added or fixed about you. The alienation and enmity are in our minds, not in God. What He sees is more important than what you think about yourself. He sees you always victorious, having more than enough, finding opportunities, and full of love, joy, and peace. God sees the answer. God can’t answer a prayer when it is for something He has already given us. Luke 1:13-15 is the account of the angel telling Zacharias that Elizabeth was going to have a son named John and that he would great in the sight of the Lord. Even though John the Baptist would be great, in fact greater than Adam, Abraham, and Daniel, Jesus said that whoever is the least in the kingdom of God is greater than John. That is who we are. Most of us do not see the greatness God sees. If we would see ourselves as God sees us, we would be translated from darkness to light in a moment. Knowing that you are holy, unblamable, and unreprovable in His sight will destroy past memories and make every day new. God sees what He has fashioned for Himself.
Jesus Is Great!
Value the Word of God
Psalm 19:7-10 tells us that God’s Word is the law, a testimony, statutes, the commandment of the Lord, the fear of the Lord, and the judgments of the Lord. The Word should be more valued than your paycheck. In keeping God’s Word is great reward. The Word is not qualified by the sower, and the sower does not determine the Word. It is the Word that is important. We are experience-oriented, but purifying your soul is not an experience, but a process by obeying the truth through the Spirit. (1 Peter 1:22-23) God wants our hearts red-hot for Him. Love others and reach out to them, even those who are different. God’s Word is eternal. When we work the Word, we will be blessed. (James 1:25) The Word of God can convert your soul. It is a process of renewing your mind by it. Your desires rule you, and you can choose your desires. (Psalm 19:10) What you focus on long enough, you will desire. Get your desires on the Word. Read the Word for yourself and value it.
Who Is the Blessed Man
Who is the blessed person? Is it the person living in a multi-million dollar home along Malibu Beach, or is it the young woman in Iran who is imprisoned and beaten and shamed for her faith in Jesus Christ? Is it riches or what is it? A blessing is a spiritual thing. In Genesis 18:18God said that through Abraham every nation would be blessed. That didn’t mean that the Jews would give money to all the nations. It meant that blessing would come through spiritual experience. What we receive from Christ is salvation and eternal life. We get blessed when someone gets saved through us. Revelation 5:12 mentions blessings separately from riches. We are of the blessing of Jacob. Even though his father-in-law and brother were against him, and everything seemed to be taken from him, God blessed him, and from him we have blessed generations. Multiplication is part of blessing. Pastor Arthur told a story of a woman who had two other children and was going to have an abortion because her husband died. Pastor Arthur ministered to her, and his church supported her and her children. Today that youngest child is one of the lead dancers in the Russian ballet. Blessing is creative. Determine and choose what a true blessing is. You will have battles and persecution, but desire to be a blessed person. The church is to bring the truth of spiritual blessing. Be blessed and be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Everything Will Turn To Good
Arthur Simonyan, a pastor from Armenia, preached on Romans 8:28. The number one thing for believers is to love God, and secondly, to love our neighbors. Loving one another and God means to take care of one another and to protect one another. Pastor Arthur shared several examples of people who were serving God and bad things happened to them, but in the end, it turned out for the good. For instance, their church started out as a Bible School in a park, but they were banned. Later they applied for a loan to build or buy a building, but the bank told them they don’t finance religious organizations. The good that came from that is that they own, debt-free, a beautiful 3500 seat church building. Peter caught no fish after a night’s fishing, but because his boat was empty, he connected with Jesus, who brought a boatload of fish to him. We have many Goliaths who want to break down our faith, but your “Goliath” can become a blessing. God is with us and victory belongs to us.
Be Seed-Minded
Text: Mark 4:26-29. The kingdom of God is as if a man should plant seed. Be seed-minded. Planting seed takes time, but keep planting seeds. It does not always mean giving money. Rule your life by divine appointments. Apostle Dale sowed seed by helping a man get out his car out of a ditch. Forget your own deliberate plans and honor God’s divine appointments. When you realize what you’ve done, you will have to say, “I don’t know how that happened. It was the Lord!” Peter did everything he needed to do as a fisherman, but Jesus, a carpenter, told him what to do to prosper. His obedience brought a boatload of blessing. Let go and leave it up to the Lord. Be immediate in your obedience to do what God tells you to do (thrusting in the sickle). Apostle Dale tells of blessing missionaries to Russia and how that impacted them and him. Whenever inspiration comes, act on it.
Meditating on the Word and Your Testimony
Sydney Ropp had the offering message. Dale’s message, Text: Psalm 1:1-4. You can be blessed by what you don’t do: NOT walking in the counsel of the ungodly, NOT standing in the path of sinners, and NOT sitting in the seat of the scornful. Watch your desires. The Word and God’s promises do not change, so keep your eyes on them. Meditating takes time, just like planting by the rivers of water and then prospering (the harvest of meditating). Meditation is greater than crisis. In Psalm 119:1-2 the Word is called “His testimonies”. A testimony is a landmark in your life. It is something you can obey and keep, because it should change your life forever. For instance, Pastor Syd and Jen can keep the testimony of their daughter’s miraculous birth. There is a law of gratitude for all that God has done in your life. Meditation is seeing God in the Word making a change. Make the New Testament biographical by reading it and putting yourself as the character in the account. Do not let your testimony slip. In Genesis 15:5-6 God gave Abram an image to help him see and believe what He was saying to him about being the father of many descendants. What is the image you have of yourself? Get the right image and then you will have it. Meditation is your way out of wherever you are. Joshua 1:8 tells us to keep the Word coming out of our mouths and we will see things differently. Action comes out of meditation and prosperity comes out of the action. The problem of your problem is that it demands your attention. Meditate on the Word, not your problem. Light comes out of darkness (Psalm 112:4).
The Blood Covenant
Pastor Sydney shared his testimony of his salvation and peace in a serious accident. Because of what Jesus did for us in the New Covenant, we can come boldly into the throne room. Covenant means to cut where blood flows. It is a binding, unending agreement with one another. Jesus’ covenant is unending. In a covenant each person loses his own identity and individuality. Some covenants were made by cutting wrists and intermingling the blood and then catching the blood in a cup of wine and then each one drank it. Sometimes an animal is cut in half with parts opposite each other. The participants would walk through the blood to the other person and so on. It’s because of the blood that we can see glory. Hebrews 8:6-10 tells us that Jesus is the Mediator of a better covenant. Abram and God made the first blood covenant (Genesis 15). Each animal God told him to bring to Him symbolized something: the cow (wealth), the goat (strength), the ram (political power and favor), the turtledove (love forever), and the young pigeon (dependency). David and Jonathan had cut a covenant (1 Samuel 18; 2 Samuel 9). God’s covenant never weakens. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:11-10:23). Jesus’ sacrifice was done once. Jesus took away the first covenant (Hebrews 10:9). We should not lack because of our covenant (Psalm 23:1). He restores our soul. He leads us on the right path. We don’t need to fear evil even when we are in the valley of the shadow of death. He prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies. This is our covenant meal. We participated in the Lord’s communion.
Feeding the Sheep
Text: John 21:15-17. Jesus affirmed Peter by asking him three times if he loved Him and then He told him to feed His sheep and lambs. Jesus must be more important to you than anything else. The phileo (responsive love) that Jesus and Peter talked about required the action of Peter’s feeding His lambs and sheep. Here “feed” means to pastor. He was saying, “If you love Me, take your place.” People get out of their place, and then they get into trouble. David was supposed to be going to war, but instead he saw a woman and gave into temptation. One of the roles of a pastor is to feed his sheep. The second role is to protect the sheep. Peter wasn’t a pastor, but he was an apostle. In other words, he was an apostle, pastoring. Don’t put church roles into a box. Pastor/Apostle Dale shares about being an apostle and a pastor. An apostle needs to keep his feet in the local church and his hands in the world. He shared that Sydney Ropp will be the CWI pastor, so that Apostle Dale can fulfill the apostolic role in CWI. What happens to Ukraine is happening to us, because of our connections. Pastor Demeke’s church will be joining CWI. Gene English is reaching to Washington, D. C. Our sister church is in Colorado.
The Role of the Apostle and Pastor
Texts: John 21:15-17; Philippians 1:27; 2:12, 19, 25-30; 3:17; 4:10. A pastor’s role is to feed (with the Word) and protect the local church. The Lord told Apostle Dale to keep his feet in the local church and his hands in the world. Jesus had world dominion in mind. If we are after the world, we need a world structure. Apostle Dale makes a comparison of his role with that of Paul’s. Paul was an apostle. He wrote his epistle to the Philippians from prison, so even though he wasn’t physically with the people, he knew what was going on with them. He communicated with them. He expected their obedience to him. He determined the movement of ministries and teams. He expected their service to the apostolic ministry. He expected them to follow him. During his lack of presence, he expected them to care for one another. He expected them to take care of his needs. Apostle Dale told about the Lord’s calling Pastor Sydney to come to Lancaster. In the first phase, he saw him pastoring and covering the pulpit in his absence. In the second phase, he saw him traveling and learning with Apostle Dale, and in the third phase, he would release and send him. We are in phase one, where Pastor Sydney will be installed as the CWI pastor. Apostle Dale will step out in apostolic ministry. Under Apostle Dale will be Pastor Sydney Ropp (CWI, Lancaster), Pastor Gene English (Slavic church in D. C.) and Pastor Jay Stoltzfus in Colorado, and Pastor Demeke Getahun (Ethiopian Church). Pastor Demeke’s church will be joining CWI and will take the CWI name. Artack and Anna (Slavic) will be coming to New York, Philadelphia, and Lancaster. Pastor Sydney shared how the Lord brought him and Jen to Lancaster. God’s will cannot be stopped, although it can be delayed. We live in perilous times. Pray and be bold to confess your faith. We can have greater unity, because we have a common Lord. Lord, help us find our place in Your kingdom.
Having A Sound Mind in Crisis: God Is King of All the Earth
(Alex Mirsaidov translated to Russian) Jesus said we will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but, “See that your heart is not troubled.” Watch your heart. Fear is a spirit from the devil. Rebuke that spirit. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. That’s what we need in times like these. We can have a supernatural understanding of our days if we ask God, the wisdom of God is ours. Satan is afraid of prayer and of you praying. Satan is afraid of a prayer meeting. The prayers of God’s people change nations. Don’t be afraid of bombs and guns. It is by the Spirit. The key verse in Daniel 4:13-17 is 17- “in order that the living may know that the Most High rules in the kingdom of men.” Just like in Nebuchadnezzar’s case, a kingdom can change overnight. Things can happen quickly when people follow truth and throw off corruption. We can depend on the Word and the Spirit of God. Jesus is Lord. God is King. The pastors in Ukraine are rising up and working in a new unity. The politicians are looking to the pastors for answers. It’s an amazing day. God rules. Don’t get into strife with one another. It’s a great opportunity to destroy the devil’s propaganda. There needs to be repentance in Ukraine. It wasn’t by accident that Daniel and Joseph were in their positions. We are all in our place for a reason. You have a place. For every Pharaoh, there’s a Joseph. For every Nebuchadnezzar, there’s a Daniel. We have a place of power, love, and a sound mind. Ask God to share His secrets with you. Start praying for nations, presidents, and other leaders.
Be A Doer of the Word: God Is Light
Text: James 1:22. Are you practicing in faith what you have heard about healing, tithing, etc.? Talking and making plans are not the same as doing what you have heard. Be a faith-walker and do what you say. God is light, and when we walk with Him we are in the light, but when we walk away from Him, we enter areas of darkness. In darkness, you lose your direction and get confused. The Word you see is the Word you need to walk in. Don’t move away from God and from His light. Darkness is sin and is a violation of the light you have. Look for the light.
Grace: Pleasing God
(There was communion and children departments’ participation.) Text: Acts 4:33. Pastor Sydney reviewed about grace. When we are in God’s presence and experiencing His grace, we enter into peace, joy, and victory (Psalm16:11; Psalm 5:11-12; Psalm 30:5, 7). How can we receive more of God’s grace? Psalm 89:17 tells us that pleasing God releases His grace. Even your enemies are at peace with you (Proverbs 16:7) and they don’t triumph over you (Psalm 41:10-11) when you please God. It was the grace of God that protected Jesus, and He had that grace because He always did what pleased the Father (John 8:29). We should walk as He did, always pleasing the Father. You can choose to delight to do His will by agreeing with Him quickly.
Walking in the Light of the Word
Text: James 1:22-23. In order to remember the Word, we need to speak it, write it down, and reread it. Ezekiel 33:30-32 gives a description of people who were excited to hear the Word of the Lord, but they didn’t obey it. Their mouths spoke much love, but their hearts pursued their own gain. The Word should change us and we should act according to it. Knowing what the Bible says isn’t enough. John 8:31-32 tells us that we must continue in the Word to be a disciple of Jesus. It’s the truth you know (intimately) that sets you free. Knowing is in the heart, not just the head. Freedom comes when you continue in the truth. The one who keeps His commandments is the one who loves Jesus (John 14:21). You are deceiving yourself if you think you are doing the Word and really you just know it in your head. You will be blessed in what you do if you continue to do the Word (James 1:21-25). Doing the Word is walking in the light. If your spiritual eyes are good, your whole body is full of light. The light shines into our spiritual eyes. Light exposes what is in the dark. Don’t keep walking around in the dark, but walk in the light. Ephesians 5:8-14 says that we should walk as children of light. We should judge ourselves, but before we judge anyone else, we need to remove the “planks” in our own eyes (Matthew 7:1-6). Are we walking in the light of the Word about our speech? About tithing? About walking in love? Know the truth and walk in it. Judge yourself. When light comes in, rejoice.
His Presence, His Grace
Texts: Acts 4:33; Exodus 33:1-6, 11-17. Moses told God that he would not leave Sinai and go into the Promised Land without the Lord. He asked God for grace for Him to show Moses His way and that Moses would know Him. God said that Moses found grace in His sight and that His presence would go with him. God’s presence is God’s grace. Greater grace results in greater peace. Peace is the indicator of God’s grace. Pastor Sydney and his wife, Jenn, tell of the grace that God gave Jenn after surrendering and submitting to Him when He told them that they were to move to Lancaster at a very inconvenient time. You eat the good of the land if you are obedient and willing. You have to submit to God’s will (James 4:6-7). Get into His presence. Get into His grace. You can get out of God’s grace by regarding the wind and the waves, the outside pressures, and worries. The “Yeah, buts” will sink you. An idol is anything that takes the place of your Source. It’s you thinking you can do it yourself in your own ability. God’s grace is in everything. Don’t think you can do it on your own. The time is short. We need great grace. The word of grace is to empower you (Acts 20:32). Rotten talk tears you down (Ephesians 4:29). Minister life and encouragement. Grace is the opportunity for you to have faith.
Hear and Do the Word
We are told to be doers of the Word and not hearers only, and if we don’t, we are self-deceived (James 1:22-25). To remember the Word, so write it down. Pastor Sydney asked God for dreams and visions, and He gave him a dream about financial wisdom. He was sure he would remember it in the morning, but he didn’t value it enough to write it down, and in the morning he could not remember it. Joshua 1:8 states how important it is to keep the Word and meditate on it. Knowing the truth does not change anything, unless you act on it. Live in the Word. We can become deceived in our relationship with the Father, if we do not talk to Him. You cannot have a relationship with someone you do not talk to. Be a hearer, doer, and you will be blessed. Ezekiel 33:30-32 relates about people who hear what to do but do not do it. “Doing it” is not talking about it, planning to do it, and wanting to do it. The Word has to be what sustains us. Walk in the light that you have. He will bring to your remembrance what you have put into yourself in the past. We let the Word slip if we are not doing it, and we are deceiving ourselves. God’s Word brings light and understanding. Are you walking in the light that you have? Build your life on the solid rock. How you stand in a storm reveals how established you are in the Word. Use what you have (Luke 19:20-26).
More Grace
Word Given During CWI Service
“Get Ready for the Outpouring” Given by Larry Hostetter:
My children, the shaking is coming. Get yourselves ready. Get yourselves in the Word, because you have to trust in Me like you’ve needed trusted in Me before, but My power and My love is sufficient. I have a boldness, a boldness for you, a boldness you have never experienced in your life, and a love, and a power, and an anointing that you’ve never experienced in your life, because it’s time for the outpouring. So, get ready! Get ready! Get on your knees. It’s time to be holy. It’s time to put things aside. It’s time to shake yourselves. Shake off those things that have a hold on you. They don’t belong to Me! They don’t belong to Me, and you need all of Me that you can get.
Be ready, My children! Be ready, My children for I’m coming soon! I’m coming soon! I’m coming soon! Get ready! Get ready! Get ready!
It seems like a long time coming, but time is very, very short, so be ready. Be ready! Be in your Word. Be on your knees. Be opened to hear the Holy Spirit, and do what He says.
There’s so much to be done. I want to see souls come flooding into My kingdom. I want to see peoples’ lives changed by the power of a living God, because you can’t do it on your own. It’s not by might. It’s not by power. It’s by the Spirit of the living God. You need to know Me more and more and more. You need to know Me more and more and more.
Pastor Sydney Ropp “More Grace”
Texts: James 4:6; Acts 4:33. The grace of God is His favor, His wisdom, and His empowerment. Our part is to be humble, living to do His will, not our own will. We are to grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). With enough grace I can do anything He asks me to do. We have to come to God boldly and humbly (Hebrews 4:16). Grace is NOT God covering-up or overlooking my sin. It is God’s empowerment for me not to sin. Sin should no longer be our master (Romans 6:14). If you are in a “wilderness experience”, it could be because of hardness of heart. God graces you to come out of the wilderness, but you still will have to face enemies, and then His grace is there for you, if you are obedient. Grace, proclaimed to her by the angel Gabriel, made a huge difference in Mary’s life (Luke 1:26-30). God’s grace was on Jesus (Luke 2:40). God does give more grace to some people than to others. Jesus grew in wisdom, grace, and stature as a child (Luke 2:52). John 1:14-17 says that Jesus was full of grace and truth. We have received grace upon grace from Jesus’ fullness. It is by His grace that we can go through the valleys in life. We need God’s grace now more than ever, because there are more people on the earth than ever before. Ask Him for more of His grace.
Cling to the Word
The Israelite army fled from the Philistines, but four of David’s mighty men fought against eight hundred of the enemy (2 Samuel 23:9-12). Eleazar stood against the enemy and fought to the point of his hand being stuck to his sword. The men stood and fought, and the Lord brought about a great victory. God will do that for us, but we must stand, clinging to the Word of God. Proverbs 4:13, 20-23 tells us to hold onto instruction (the Word) and guard it, because it’s your life. When we delight in His Word, we delight in Him. First of all, we have to get the Word of God into us. Every day at home, get into His presence and into His Word. That’s where you will receive strength for what’s ahead of you. Your hand will grab onto the sword (the Word of God), and you won’t let go of it, because you have a foundation of truth inside of you. Meditate on the Word and sing Scripture songs. If you have the Word in the proper perspective, you will live according to it. The Word is health. Guard what you allow to come in, which guards your heart, and allow the Word to come out of your mouth. The battles that we fight are spiritual ones (Ephesians 6:10-18), and the way to have victory is to take up the full armor and stand, being full of the Word of God. Every part of the armor really is based on the Word of God, whether it’s the belt, shield of faith, or any other part of the armor. The Word in our mouths is truth. Psalm 119:162 tells us to rejoice in the Word as one who finds great treasure. The entrance of God’s Word gives light and understanding (Psalm 119:130). Praise God, sing, dance, be joyful, let praise be in our mouths and a two-edged sword in your hand (Psalm 149:1:6). Get the Word in you and cling to it.
Grace: We Need It
Texts: Acts 4:33-34; James 4:6. With great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all, and the result was that no one lacked, because they share their possessions. God gives more grace to the humble. Throughout the New Testament letters, Paul wrote about grace, often opening and closing his letters with a blessing of grace, but it was more than just a greeting. Just as God said, “Light be!” in Genesis, Paul said, “Grace be upon you.” Grace can be increased. We can grow in grace. We can take a stand in grace. A dictionary definition of grace is unmerited favor. The Greek word for grace is the same as for favor. “Grace” conveys the picture of a superior stooping down to help an inferior. Mainly, grace is God’s ability and empowerment. We are told to come boldly to the throne of grace (God’s ability), so that we can obtain God’s strength, wisdom, and ability. If grace would be increased in our lives, hard things would become easy. Jesus said that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Grace is NOT mercy. Mercy is not getting the judgment you deserve. Grace helps you with the ability and empowerment to get out of what you needed mercy for. In Genesis 6:5-8, God saw man’s wickedness and regretted He created him, and if Noah wouldn’t have found grace in the eyes of the Lord, He would have wiped out all men and animals from the earth. We’re here because He gave grace to Noah- grace to build an ark and to do what he needed to do. Grace picks us where mercy ends. It was God’s mercy to the Israelites when they complained, that His wrath didn’t wipe them out, but His grace was shown when Moses extended his rod and the Red Sea parted. God’s grace was shown when Peter walked on the water, and Jesus’ mercy was demonstrated when Jesus reached out for Peter when his focus turned away from Him, and he doubted. We need God’s grace!
Faith: Love Meditating on the Word
Speaking God’s Word satisfies you (Proverbs 18:20-21). Your words carry the power of life or death. The people who love His Word will eat its fruit. Pastor Dale told of how he loved football practice, whereas others on the team didn’t but only wanted the lights and action of the Friday night games. We have to love “practice”, the daily time with the Father, His Word, and the confession of it. We “see” by what we hear, because words carry visual images (Mark 4:21-26). Sin brings darkness, and darkness is a lack of the Word; the Word is light. Love the process of meditation on the Word. There is power in it. Meditating on the Word is like sowing seed, like the practice for the football games. It’s a process of life. Blessed (favored by God) is the man who doesn’t walk, sit, or stand where he shouldn’t (Psalm 1:1-3). Sometimes you are blessed by what you don’t do. Don’t walk in ungodly counsel. Good is not necessarily God. Correct your course, or you’ll get in a place where you’ll have to justify your course. Love the Word and love meditating on it. Take heed how and what you hear. Start where you are. It’s a process of planting (Psalm 1:3). If you love the process, you’ll love the harvest. Meditate on the Word for the Word’s sake, not to get some result and apply kingdom principles first.
We Are Blessed in Christ
Pastor Dale shared about a Mennonite missionary to Ethiopia who found out that miracles are for today and is writing a book about the miracles in Ethiopia. Pastor Dale told about talking to a Baptist pastor near Pittsburgh who told him that he doesn’t believe in speaking in tongues and being charismatic, but this pastor told of being in Africa in a crisis and how he and the Africans didn’t understand each other, but all of a sudden this language came out of his mouth, and they understood him. The pastor said he still doesn’t believe in tongues. Sermon: Just like you are a sibling in your family, and you don’t have a choice about it, you can try to be depressed, defeated, or sick, but you’re blessed. God has blessed you! Isaac, even through deceit and deception, couldn’t take back his blessing. God has commanded the blessing on us. You are blessed! “Happy” is not the same as “blessing”. God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). God’s blessing rests on you. You are blessed in heavenly places, which is the spiritual realm where angels and demons are. The spirit realm birthed us. You are blessed in Christ. Being born-again or saved is Christ in us. Colossians 1:27 says Christ in us, the hope of glory. Jesus Christ has come in my flesh (1 John 4:2). We are also in Christ. That’s where the blessings are. What does it mean to be in Christ? In Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:22). What are the effects of being in Adam? (Romans 5:12) Adam opened the door to sin and as a result suffering, wars, corruption, and death came. Does sickness come because of a person’s sin? In some cases it does. All sickness does come from sin, at least from Adam’s sin. If you have sinned and have sickness, run to the cross and the blood of Jesus takes care of it. Apply faith to the grace that has been given to you. The Old Testament priesthood was replaced by Christ as our High Priest. Abraham tithed, and when you tithe you are really giving to God, testifying that Jesus is alive (Hebrews 7:8-). Levi paid tithes through Abraham, but Levi was born 430 years after Abraham. How could he have paid tithes to Abraham? Abraham paid tithes to Melchizadek, the Priest of the Most High God, a type of Christ, obligating Levi to come underneath what Abraham did. You are the result of those who have gone before you. One act affects lineage. (Pastor Dale told of his German cousin, Johnny, and his meeting with his grandfather years later. He found out that he was the recipient of one act of mercy.) In Abraham, you can be blessed. (Pastor Dale gave a demonstration of lineage: God, Adam, Cain. When Adam sinned, there was a breach, and the blessings couldn’t pass down the line.) We all were in Adam. Jesus’ lineage is in Luke 3:23-38, tracing all the way to Adam, who was the son of God. In Adam all die. In Abraham there can be blessing because he tithed. In Christ, He took His blood and went to heaven to the mercy seat, breaching the gulf with His sacrifice. As long as you put faith in the blood of Jesus Christ, the lineage doesn’t stop at Adam, but goes back to God. We were grafted into the root. Being born is how we inherited all the sin and sickness and death, but being in Christ is to have all the righteousness, wisdom, redemption, peace, joy, love that comes to us through Christ Himself. We have to receive by putting faith in the grace of God. If you are in Christ, you are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). It’s your birthright to be blessed. You are born blessed and healed. We are in Christ, blessed and redeemed.