They that wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength. They shall mount up on wings like eagles and soar. I’m so glad. I’ve learned how to wait …

Isaiah 40:31: Says: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Posted by:  Minister Evelyn Diane Thomas

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”

This has been a very enlightening journey for me, and I’m still  enjoying the “40 days of TRIUMPH” with my Empowerment Temple Church Family in Baltimore, Maryland under the leadership of Dr. Jamal Bryant down to final days… It  just keeps on getting better and better.  We are studying 40 chapters on “TRIUMPH”: We are on day 38 , February 8, 2012 and we are reading from the book of

Ephesians 6. If you can and if you will read and study Ephesians 6 with us on today.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Ephesians 6

New International Version (NIV)

Come and discover how to study the bible, not just read it:

– 6 METHODS OF STUDY:
* Pronounce it!
* Picture it!
* Probe it!
* Paraphrase it!
* Personalize it!
* Pray it!

Posted by: Minister Evelyn Diane Thomas, February 8, 2012

Tuesday, February 7, 2012 – 7:30 p.m. Empowerment Temple Bible Study:

“Bible Study Title: “Life Goes On ”
“Even if it killed you, you are going to live again!”

The bible study on tonight at Empowerment lead by Dr. Jamal H. Bryant was absolutely phenomenal!!!   I will post  my full length sermon notes soon…

“Song Selection: I know it was the blood……

“Highlights from the Bible Study”  

Empowerment Temple / http://empowermenttemple.org/

Min. Evelyn’s Verbatim full length Sermon Notes from / Dr. Jamal H. Bryant’s Bible Study notes to follow.

Posted by:  Minister Evelyn Diane Thomas, Tuesday, February 7, 2012 – via  Empowerment Temple Bible Study:

Greeting to all of my New Friends from all over the world… I said a couple of weeks ago that I would personally introduce my self to any new friend’s or family members that have jointed me on Facebook, or our own personal ministry page at  World In Focus International Ministries.  I do apologize, being that I am a little taken and overjoyed of the new friendships God has given to me.  I just wanted to extend myself to each of you and say “Hello” and let you know that I personally take frienship to the heart…   The bible says in Proverbs 18:24  (NKJV):  ^“A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
” ” Show Yourself Friendly!”  I’m friendly yawl!!!  🙂
Welcome to my Personal page “Minister Evelyn Diane Thomas” and  I invite you to “LIKE” my brand new Face-book Ministry page at www.facebook.com/www.wifiministries.org  and  my new Web site http://www.wifiministries.org that I’m working on as we speak, not allowing me much time in the day to converse like I please.  However, if you talk or comment, I promise you I will comment  back, answer your question,  pray with you  or try to be a help and encouragement wherever God leads me…
I just take the time to welcome each of you, and Pray God’s precious blessings over your life!
Minister Evelyn and  LosAngeles YoungAdult Choir.  Thank you for adding me: Los Angeles YoungAdult Choir
Minister Evelyn and Prodigy ColumbusGa are now friends.
Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!
are now friends.
Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Sadie Anderson are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Elaine Gibbs are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Ps Philip Phil Mwas are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Demetrius Miles are now friends. Pastor, Thank you so much.. I appreciate you sharing Live from Arizona… I remember last year when I was sick and shut in, you came to me live blessing my soul, and I say Thank  you! Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Samantha Myles are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!  You grew up.. I remember when you were just a little girl, when we use to come by your house to pick up your brother Larry… 🙂

• Minister Evelyn and Regina Scott are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Garon Harden are now friends. Hey My Friend… Greater Open Door… Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Suzlynn Bruton are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Laurietta King are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Simplydivas N Dames are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Lili Johnel Carter are now friends Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated! Hey Girl, I hope. all is well.. I remember churching with you back in the day in the LBC.

• Minister Evelyn and Andrea Wade are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Nechell Wright are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Kijana Jordan are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Sharon Davis are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and ReverendRogers DeCuir are now friends. Thank you so much Pastor Decuir, for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated! I love ya so much for imparting into my life way back in your tent revivals on PCH and California Ave. at Greater Light back in the day with the late Bishop Fluker… I feel honored!

• Minister Evelyn and Gerey Johnson are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Gina Thehairstylist Dapremont are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Sonya Hopkins are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Ken-yon Rambo are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Jaquela Williams are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Elisha Bernoudy are now friends Hey…  Kiss them pretty girl’s for me!!!  Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Urban Gospelnetwork are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Benjamin Harper are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Tracy Carter are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Jeffrey Calhoun Sr. are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Sheldon Reynolds are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Kenny Powell are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Carla Garriga are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Lanar Brantley are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Michael Henderson Jr. are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Donnie Roberson are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and David Daughtry are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Takim Raye-Brown are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Jeanne Rockett are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Erica Marlo Williams are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Mark Fowler are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated! Excellent posts… I really appreciate you letting us know that “It’s not all about me, but it’s about us!”

• Minister Evelyn and Deanna Hollie are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

• Minister Evelyn and Kamia Saulsberry are now friends. Thank you so much for adding me to  your circle of friend’s, it is so greatly appreciated!

I am really am enjoying the “40 days of TRIUMPH” with my Empowerment Temple Church Family in Baltimore, Maryland under the leadership of Dr. Jamal Bryant… We are studying 40 chapters on “TRIUMPH”: We are on day 37 , February 7, 2012 and we are reading from the book of  I Corinthians 15. If you can and if you will read and study I Corinthians 15 with us on today.Come and discover how to study the bible, not just read it:

1 Corinthians 15

New International Version (NIV)

– 6 METHODS OF STUDY:
* Pronounce it!
* Picture it!
* Probe it!
* Paraphrase it!
* Personalize it!
* Pray it!

http://www.empowermenttemple.org/

Song of Songs 1

¹ Solomon’s Song of Songs.

She

² Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—
for your love is more delightful than wine.
³ Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes;
your name is like perfume poured out.
No wonder the young women love you!
⁴ Take me away with you—let us hurry!
Let the king bring me into his chambers.

Friends

We rejoice and delight in you;
we will praise your love more than wine.

She

How right they are to adore you!

⁵ Dark am I, yet lovely,
daughters of Jerusalem,
dark like the tents of Kedar,
like the tent curtains of Solomon.
⁶ Do not stare at me because I am dark,
because I am darkened by the sun.
My mother’s sons were angry with me
and made me take care of the vineyards;
my own vineyard I had to neglect.
⁷ Tell me, you whom I love,
where you graze your flock
and where you rest your sheep at midday.
Why should I be like a veiled woman
beside the flocks of your friends?

Friends

⁸ If you do not know, most beautiful of women,
follow the tracks of the sheep
and graze your young goats
by the tents of the shepherds.

He

⁹ I liken you, my darling, to a mare
among Pharaoh’s chariot horses.
¹⁰ Your cheeks are beautiful with earrings,
your neck with strings of jewels.
¹¹ We will make you earrings of gold,
studded with silver.

She

¹² While the king was at his table,
my perfume spread its fragrance.
¹³ My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh
resting between my breasts.
¹⁴ My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms
from the vineyards of En Gedi.

He

¹⁵ How beautiful you are, my darling!
Oh, how beautiful!
Your eyes are doves.

She

¹⁶ How handsome you are, my beloved!
Oh, how charming!
And our bed is verdant.

He

¹⁷ The beams of our house are cedars;
our rafters are firs.

It’s  a  Holy Ghost Party going on at my house right now… Aint nobody Mad but the devil… Who cares?  God is in control of my destiny!!!!

1 Sam 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.  (KJV)

To begin this teaching, I borrowed a passage from I Samuel directed at King Saul.   Saul had been anointed king over Israel per their request to be “like all the nations” (I Sam 8:5, 20).  Israel’s rejection of the Lord as their King set them up for future hardships.   Saul showed signs along the way that he had some problems with obedience.  Despite Saul’s character flaws, it appears that the Lord was still willing to work with him and gave him some specific instructions (I Sam 15:3) regarding the Amalekites.  Saul partially obeyed the Lord, but decided he would pick and choose which commands were important to obey and which ones he felt he could disregard.  The verse above shows Samuel’s response to Saul’s disobedience.  And those same words echo throughout thousands of years, and speak to us today.  Truly, to obey is better than sacrifice!

Saul had been given specific instructions to utterly destroy the Amalekites (men, women, infants, animals, etc.).  The Amalekites were noted for their cruelty, and this direction from the Lord was in response to their cruelty towards Israel.  Saul comes to the people of Amalek and begins to smite them.  But he decides that perhaps it would be wise to spare a few things; like King Agag, the best of the sheep, the oxen, and “all that was good” (I Sam 15:9).  Everything that was “vile and refuse” they utterly destroyed.   When Samuel comes to Saul,  Saul greets him by saying “I have performed the commandment of the Lord”.  I’m not sure if he really believed that, or if it was simply a way of justifying his actions.  I find that the longer we disobey, the more we are willing to justify our disobedience.   In the New Testament, we are warned that we can sear our “conscience with a hot iron” (I Tim 4:2) or become “past feeling” (literally numb!) to the effects of sin (Eph 4:19).   The writer of Hebrews warns us against becoming “hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Heb 3:13).  Samuel is not fooled by Saul’s statement of piety and basically says (and I’m very loosely paraphrasing here) “if you have obeyed the Lord, why do I hear all of these sheep and oxen?”.

It is at this point that we might expect that Saul would come clean about his disobedience and motives for not fully carrying out the command(s) of the Lord.  Instead he defers and says “the people” spared the best of the sheep and oxen so that they could sacrifice unto the Lord.  Samuel sees right through this and accuses Saul of “flying upon the spoil”.  Again, one might think that Saul would confess that he has been caught red-handed.  But instead he says “Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord….”.  Samuel then proceeds to tell him that obedience is better than sacrifice!

We look at Saul’s story and shake our heads in amazement that he could be so blessed by God and have such a callous disregard for the commandments of the Lord.  But we must take heed just as Paul warned the Corinthians that we might not fall after that same example!

Sacrifice is a noble thing.  As a matter of fact, Jesus Christ is our ultimate example of what it means to sacrifice.  He is the perfect sacrifice, as the writer of Hebrews describes.  In John’s Gospel, Jesus Christ tells us that laying down one’s life for another is the ultimate expression of love (John 15:13).  Many people in scripture are noted for their acts of sacrifice for the cause of Christ and the Kingdom of God.  Today’s teaching is not a critcism of sacrificial acts of giving, worship, and love.  But it is a caution, that sacrifice is not a substitute for obedience.  When Jesus began his ministry and started to explain the nature of the Kingdom of God, he warned that there must be a righteousness that exceeds that of the Pharisees (Matthew 5:20).   Christ’s ethical teachings contained in the Sermon on the Mount are probing and challenging.  One of the reasons this is so, is because Christ deals not only with the outward expressions of obedience, but the inner workings and motivations of the heart.

While we’re on the subject of the Pharisees, let’s observe a few things about them.  They were skilled craftsmen in the art of outward piety.  Their forms of worship were well observed (their manner of praying, giving, and fasting are particularly mentioned).  They did all of these things and yet their hearts were clearly not in step with the type of obedience that the Lord required.  Again, this is not a treatise against sacrifice.  Jesus gave us an example of this when talking about their manner of giving/tithing:

Matt 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. (KJV)

Jesus didn’t say “stop what you’re doing”, but rather that they should have observed all of God’s commands, and not simply those that suited them.  Unfortunately, many unbelievers view us as modern-day Pharisees.  Certainly not all of their criticisms are warranted, and we understand that one cannot understand or even see the Kingdom of God unless they are born-again (John 3:3).  But many of us are perpetuating the “hypocrite” charge that is so often leveled against us.  The word hypocrite literally means “an actor under an assumed character”. This is exactly what we are, when we make the decision that sacrifice can replace simple obedience.   And so many of us have soothed (or perhaps seared) our consciences by believing that our sacrifice will be enough to please God.  Countless individuals fill churches, sit on pews, sing in choirs, teach Sunday school, place offerings in the plates each week- but have hearts far away from God.

Mark 7:6 He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. (KJV)

Jesus mentions Isaiah the prophet, and I think that would be a good place for us to look now.  Isaiah chapter 58 is a vivid example of what happens when we choose sacrifice over obedience.  First, let’s look at the frustration of the people of Israel.  Now whether or not we would readily admit it, we might read these words and identify with them more than closely than we think.  Let’s look at their story:

Isa 58:2 Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways, as a nation that did righteousness, and forsook not the ordinance of their God: they ask of me the ordinances of justice; they take delight in approaching to God. 3 Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your labours. (KJV)

On the surface, they seem like good church people don’t they?  They have daily devotions, delight to know more about God, kept ordinances, and enjoyed approaching the presence of God (we could probably insert “liked going to church” there), and they fasted.  But they sensed something dynamic was missing in their relationship with God.  Why were they fasting with no results?  Why did it seem as if all their sacrifice was being ignored?  God goes on to explain to them in vivid detail that they were missing some of the weightier matters of the law, just like the Pharisees.   I won’t post the whole chapter (I encourage you to read it on your own), but we find out that they needed to also be burden-relievers, they needed to reach out to their loved ones and their neighbors.  They needed to take care of the poor, and be physically and emotionally available to those in their lives.  Now if that doesn’t challenge us, I don’t know what will!  The Lord then goes on to say that if they (and we) do those things, they will experience the provision and blessings of God.  But it requires total obedience, not merely a sacrifice that ignores weightier matters of the Kingdom.

Hosea 6:6 For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. (KJV)

This verse in Hosea is repeated in the Gospels (Matt 9:13, Matt 12:7).  The recurring theme of the New Testament is that love is a fulfilling of the law.  Love for God, and love for fellow man is the overarching message of the scriptures.   The mission of Jesus as revealed by Luke is to “seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). If we are believers who value sacrifice over obedience, we will never truly help to fulfill the Great Commission.  We can comfort ourselves by giving money to missions, but that does not relieve us of our duty to pray for missions and missionaries.  We can invite our friends to church, but that does not relieve us of our duty to love them and allow them to see Christ in us each and every day.  We can attend church services every time the door is open, but that does not mean we have permission to ignore the Kingdom of God in the marketplace and in our homes.   One of the most terrifying pictures in the bible is recorded in Matthew chapter 7.  Here is an eternal example of what happens to those who value sacrifice without obedience.

Matt 7:21-Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (KJV)

I’m not trying to scare you today, but if you can read this passage without holy reverence, you may need to spiritually examine yourself.  These people depicted here are clearly people of sacrifice.  They are involved in Kingdom work (prophecy, demon expulsion, “wonderful works”) in Jesus’ name.  They clearly call Jesus “Lord”.  But they have obviously been duped into believing that they can practice iniquity (the word literally means “lawlessness”) and their sacrifice will somehow balance the scales of judgment.  Jesus says that only those who do the will of the Father will enter the kingdom of Heaven.

Finally, we will look at David’s prayer of repentance found in Psalm 51.  Most theologians believe that this Psalm records David’s prayer of repentance after his sin with Bathsheba.   I am glad that this is recorded in the canon of scripture.  There are times when we fail God, just like David did.  David’s remorse resonates with each one of us who has ever sinned against God and violated His holy commands.  His petitions to God are extremely touching and transparent.  He pleads with God to cleanse him, purge him from iniquity, and wash him from his sins.  He asks for the joy of God’s salvation to be restored unto him and for the presence of God and the Holy Spirit not to be removed.   He then acknowledges something that we’ve been looking at today:

Ps 51:16 For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. (KJV)

David realized that a burnt offering or a sacrifice wasn’t going to solve his problem.  His problem was a heart problem.  It would only be remedied by a brokenness, confession to God, and a willingness to fully obey the commands of the Lord.   Maybe this message today has brought you to a place of conviction.  Perhaps the Holy Spirit is ministering to you even now- bringing you to a place of remorse over your own sin(s).   While the bible rejects the notion of sacrifice without an obedient heart, it also promises that God won’t reject or despise those who are truly broken over their sin.  If that is you today, you can stand upon this promise found in I John.

I Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.(KJV)

May God bless you as you continue to study His Word!

Reference Material on Obedience from:  http://www.truthablaze.com/index.html

I am really enjoying the “40 days of TRIUMPH” with my Empowerment Temple Church Family in Baltimore, Maryland under the leadership of Dr. Jamal Bryant… We are studying 40 chapters on “TRIUMPH”: We are on day 36 and we are reading from the book of Romans 8. If you can and if you will read and study Romans 8 with us on today.

Come and discover how to study the bible, not just read it:

– 6 METHODS OF STUDY:
* Pronounce it!
* Picture it!
* Probe it!
* Paraphrase it!
* Personalize it!
* Pray it!