HOLY CROSS UPDATE - November 22, 2019

POTLUCK LUNCHEON — This Coming Sunday!

Our monthly Potluck Luncheon is this Sunday, November 24th. As always, members of our church family are asked to bring a Main Dish, or a Side Dish and desert. Visitors are our guests and do not have to bring a thing.  Everyone enjoys our monthly Potluck Luncheons and there is always plenty of good food so be sure to invite your family and friends!

MUST SEE VIDEO ATTACHED

I am attaching for you an hour video titled, The Hebrew Gospel of Matthew with Nehemia Gordon. This video was produced in 2011, some five years after the video The Hebrew Yeshua vs. The Greek Jesus which we just saw at church. 

This is a video you will not want to miss! In it Nehemia Gordon continues to teach about the Shem Tov Hebrew Gospel of Matthew and how it clarifies our faith for us. In this presentation Gordon focuses on the Lord’s Prayer, the Our Father. I was so blessed by the  video and you will be blessed too. Here is this link. Enjoy!

https://www.nehemiaswall.com/hebrew-gospel-matthew-nehemia-gordon

STUDY GUIDE HANDOUTS THIS SUNDAY!

I will be handing out Study Guides this Sunday for both the adult Christian Education class and for my sermon at the Holy Eucharist. You will find these handouts very helpful in going deeper into God’s Word.

In our adult Christian Education class we will be studying the Gospel. Most Christians today so confuse the Gospel with the Plan of Salvation that they have no idea what the Gospel really is. The lack of understanding is so serious that when many Christians are told what the authentic Gospel is they reject it out of hand as something they have never heard of before. This is tragic.

This handout is an updated version of a handout that I used to give to my students decades ago when I was a college teacher teaching ministerial students. You will want a copy of this helpful multipage handout. Christian Education class is at 8:30 AM.  The public is invited. I hope to see you there.

This Sunday is the last Sunday before Advent and I will be preaching on End Time Bible Prophecy. To go with my sermon I will be distributing a multipage handout titled, ISRAEL — GOD’S PROPHETIC TIMECLOCK. You will want  a copy for your studies. Join us for the Holy Eucharist at 10:00 AM. Everyone is invited and visitors are always welcome.

THE MOST POST-CHRISTIAN CITIES IN AMERICA: 2019

I am attaching for you a very troubling research report from the highly respected Barna Group titled, The Most Post-Christian Cities in America: 2019. A big thank you goes out to my friend Bishop Anthony Bondi for forwarding this report on to me.

The Barna Group looked at 100 American cities. The top ten “Most Post-Christian” cities consisted of eight from the Northeastern United States, with Springfield-Holyoake, Massachusetts coming in #1 as the most Post-Christian city in America. 

The top ten Most Post-Christian cities included Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-San Louis Obispo, California at #9, and Seattle-Tacoma, Washington at #10. That the Northeastern  United States has eight of the ten most Post-Christian cities in America should not be a surprise to anyone, nor should the fact that this roll of shame was completed by two cities from the left coast. 

What should trouble us the most at Holy Cross parish is that out of the 100 cities in the report ranked from #1 (Most Post-Christian) to #100 (Least Post-Christian), Omaha came in #34. We just missed being in the top third. Lincoln-Hastings-Kearney did better, coming it at #61, but still much worse than our neighbors in Wichita-Hutchinson-Dodge City-Salina-Manhattan, Kansas who came it at #97.  Seven of the ten least Post-Christian cities were in the South, the Bible Belt. No surprise there.

We have a lot of work to do and I am truly thankful for our new radio ministry in Omaha (660 AM) and Lincoln (106.7 FM). Rather than merely cursing the darkness we are letting the light shine. Please help us.

Here is the link to the Barna Group Report on the Most Post-Christian Cities in America:

https://www.barna.com/research/post-christian-cities-2019/?utm_content=106033820&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&hss_channel=fbp-10759904877

LAST CHANCE BEFORE THANKSGIVING — PARISH FOOD BINS

Every day of the year the Open Door Mission serves more than 2,300 meals to the homeless and to the very poor. That’s right, 2,300 meals! In addition, every night the Open Door Mission provides more than 800 beds for homeless men, women and children. With Thanksgiving upon us the Open Door Mission really needs our help right now.

Our parish food bins are about two-thirds full. Let’s make an extra effort to fill them to overflowing so a delivery can be made to the Open Door Mission before Thanksgiving. PLEASE bring donations of food on Sunday. All of us have our basic needs met right now. Let us help those who have little or nothing. 

This is the last Sunday before Thanksgiving. We need to get the bins filled on Sunday so our food donations can be delivered to the Open Door Mission before Thanksgiving. Let us show our thanks to God for our many blessings by blessing those most in need. Thank you!!!

FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT — December 1st

The season of Advent begins the ecclesiastical year, and with the beginning of the new ecclesiastical year we are returning to the New Calendar after six years on the Old Calendar. The Old Calendar did not work well for us, and we are all looking forward to returning to the Calendar that more than 99% of American Christians follow.  

Mark your calendar. December 1st is the First Sunday in Advent!  Jesus is the Reason for the Season! 

ADVENT SERMON SERIES

In Advent we will begin a new four week sermon series focusing on the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. In this sermon series you will learn things that you have never known before. This will be an eye opening, faith building and exciting sermon series as we dig beneath the surface and uncover how the text was understood by first century believers.

The topics of the Advent Sermon Series are as follows:

First Sunday in Advent, December 1st — 

Why celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25th? Is Christmas a pagan holiday? When was Jesus really born? Should his birth even be celebrated?

Second Sunday in Advent, December 8th —  

The Genealogies in Matthew and Luke’s Gospels are very different and apparently contradictory. Are they contradictory? Are they important? What do they tell us? 

Third Sunday in Advent, December 15th — 

Who really were the Shepherds that were caring for their sheep on the night in which Jesus was born? Were they poor shepherds and were the sheep ordinary sheep? The truth will both surprise you and thrill you!

Fourth Sunday in Advent, December 22nd — 

Was Jesus really born in a stable, in a cave? Were the people of Bethlehem so cold hearted that no one would provide a place in a house for a young mother to deliver her baby?  Why didn’t the local priests or rabbis intervene? The surprising truth will warm your heart and give you a new perspective on humanity. You will not want to miss this sermon!

THIS SUNDAY’S SERMON

This Sunday, I will be speaking on End Time Bible Prophecy. The title of my sermon is, Israel — God’s Prophetic Time-Clock. If you have ever wondered about what Bible Prophecy has to say about the future — and who hasn’t? — then you will not want to miss this sermon. We will be putting aside speculation, human tradition and sensationalism, and will simply be exploring what is revealed in the Holy Scriptures.

NO MIDWEEK SERVICE NEXT WEEK — Have a Great Thanksgiving!

There will be no celebration of the Liturgy of the Holy Eucharist on Wednesday, November 27th. 

SATURDAY’S RADIO BROADCAST

This Saturday’s broadcast of THE FAITH ONCE DELIVERED is the fourth and final part in our four part series on the authentic Gospel proclaimed by Jesus and his apostles. What you think you know about the Gospel may be very different from the Gospel found in the Holy Scriptures. Saturday morning we will be studying the Gospel as found in the Holy Scriptures, and debunking the false Gospel of human tradition. This is a broadcast you will not want to miss!

THE FAITH ONCE DELIVERED is heard every Saturday morning at 9:30 AM CST on KCRO Radio 660 AM in Omaha, and 106.7 FM in Lincoln, and can be heard throughout eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. Not in eastern Nebraska or western Iowa? No problem! You can listen live over the Internet. Just go to the KCRO Radio website and click Listen Live:

http://www.kcro.com

THE FAITH ONCE DELIVERED — PODCASTS

In addition to the radio broadcast every Saturday morning at 9:30 AM Central Time on KCRO Radio 660 AM in Omaha and 106.7 FM in Lincoln, each episode of THE FAITH ONCE DELIVERED is being archived and can be listened to anytime as a Podcast. You can access past radio programs here: 

https://thefaithoncedelivered.podomatic.com

SUNDAY SERVICES

Sunday Christian Education is at 8:30 AM, followed by Morning Prayer at 9:15 AM, and the Liturgy of the Holy Eucharist at 10:00 AM, with our monthly Potluck Luncheon after Services.

Holy Cross is an Orthodox Bible-believing congregation where the Holy Scriptures are taught in their proper textual, historical and cultural context. At Holy Cross parish God is worshipped in a spirit of holiness and the uncompromised Word of God is taught. Everyone is invited to attend and visitors are always welcome. We are a faithful and friendly parish, and we have a place for you. We hope to see you on Sunday!

HOLY CROSS ORTHODOX CHURCH

7545 Main Street

Ralston, Nebraska 68127

holycrossparishomaha.com

(402) 573-6558

BIBLE PROPHECY — The Signs of the Times

“Surely the LORD God does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7).

“But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief” (I Thess. 5:1-4). 

Only those who have faith in God and study what He has revealed in the Holy Scriptures can really know what is going on in the world. The great masses of people without faith, indifferent to spiritual matters, and without knowledge of the Bible are unconscious of what is really happening around them. 

Yet, for those who have eyes to see, God is at work all around us bringing history (His Story) to its appointed glorious climax.

Two Temples have been destroyed, but a Third temple is foretold in the Holy Scriptures. Solomon’s Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians, and the Second Temple built after the return from the Babylonian Captivity was destroyed half a millennium later by the Romans in AD 70. But a Third Temple is prophesied in the Holy Scriptures and is tightly linked to the Return of the King — the Messiah Jesus.

In 1948, after nearly 2,000 years in exile the Jews are back in the land and the State of Israel is a sovereign State under Jewish control once again. In 1967, all of Jerusalem passed into the hands of Israel, and recently President Trump recognized Jerusalem as the eternal capitol of Israel with other nations then following America’s lead.

The Temple Institute (in Hebrew, Machon HaMikdash) founded in 1987, is a nonprofit educational and religious organization in the Jewish quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. The Temple Institute is dedicated to the building of the Third Temple on Mount Moriah in the Holy City of Jerusalem. The Sacred vessels for use in the Temple have been completed, as have the vestments for the High Priest, the priests and the levites, as well as the sacred furnishing for the Sanctuary, including the silver trumpets. Priests and levites have been trained, and all is in readiness. You can learn all about it from the website of the Temple Institute:

https://www.templeinstitute.org/main.htm

Of course there are two important mosques on the Temple Mount, but they cannot long stand in the way of God’s sovereign purposes.

SIGNS OF THE TIMES

“For the first time in modern history [for the first time since the Temple’s destruction in AD 70], approximately 800 men from the tribe of Levi joined together on the stairs in front of the Hulda Gates in the Davidson Center adjacent to the southern wall of the Temple Mount to sing the three songs the Levites sang in the Temple… Some of the Levites in attendance wore special garb intended to be used in the Third Temple. Silver trumpets created for use in the Third Temple were also used in the performance… The Levites sang three of the fifteen psalms that were traditionally sung on the steps inside the Temple including Psalm 121 and 126. The Levites were accompanied by musicians also from the tribe of Levi.” 

You can read all about it and see two videos of the event at Breaking Israel News, a Jewish news site in Israel. Here is the link:

https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/138717/first-since-temple-levites-sing-psalms-footsteps-temple-mount-watch/

“Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore” (Psalm 121:4,7-8).

“When the LORD brought back the captivity of Zion, We were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, ‘The LORD has done great things for them.’ The LORD has done great things for us, And we are glad” (Psalm 126:1-3).

“Let all those who hate Zion be put to shame and turned back”  (Psalm 129:5).

“This was the LORD’S doing; It is marvelous in our eyes” (Psalm 118:23). 

Bible prophecy is being fulfilled all round us. The signs are everywhere for those who have eyes to see.  We are living in exciting times — in Biblical times!

None of this is doom and gloom. Instead it is glad tidings that the LORD our God keeps His promises and that the Scriptures cannot be broken. 

“And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private origin, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1: 19-21).

HAS THE CORNER OF GOD’S ALTAR BEEN FOUND? — An important Archeological Find in the Holy Land!!!

Yesterday, October 31, 2019, the Jerusalem Post in Israel reported on a new, important archeological find. The headline reads: 

WAS THE CORNER OF GOD'S ALTAR FOUND IN SHILOH, WEST BANK? — The discovery, said Dr. Scott Stripling, is consistent with what he expected to find in the fields of the ancient city where the tabernacle for the Ark of the Covenant once stood.

If you will remember your Bible history (His Story) you will recall that the Ark of the Covenant and the Tabernacle resided in Shiloh for more than three centuries before it was moved to Jerusalem by King David. Later, David’s son, King Solomon built the Holy Temple and that Temple replaced the Tabernacle. Shilo had been the religious centre for Israel during the more than three centuries that the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant were located there.

A team of 200 archaeologists and volunteers have been excavating ancient Shiloh. The Shiloh team is made up of archaeologists and volunteers from 11 universities around the world – an interdisciplinary team of scientists, historians and Biblical scholars.   

The BIG NEWS is that they have made the discovery of a horn, which was one of the four corners of an ancient altar, as described in the Biblical books of Kings. You can see a photo of the horn of the altar in the article I am attaching for you. 

The “horns” were horn-like projections at the four corners of the altar of burnt offering. God’s instructions for the altar’s construction specified “horns” —  “Make a horn at each of the four corners, so that the horns and the altar are of one piece” (Exodus 27:2).

The horns of the altar were first mentioned in Exodus as part of the furnishings of the tabernacle. In Exodus 29 they were used in the consecration of the priests (see verse 12). Exodus 29:37 describes the altar as "most holy" and says, “And the altar shall be most holy. Whatever touches the altar must be holy.”

After giving instructions as to what must be offered on the altar, God said, “And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by My glory. So I will consecrate the tabernacle of meeting and the altar. I will also consecrate both Aaron and his sons to minister to Me as priests. I will dwell among the children of Israel and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them up out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them. I am the LORD their God" (Exodus 29:43-46).

Ezekiel 43 speaks of the horns of the altar that will exist in the future Temple that will be built, with verses 13-27 describing the altar in detail, and notes “the four horns of the altar” (vs. 20). 

“We can discover the date of a structure,” said Brent Nagtegaal, Jerusalem representative of the Armstrong International Cultural Foundation, “but without the Bible, we don’t understand its context… The Bible is the best tool that archaeologists have in Israel.”

You will want to read the article from yesterday’s Jerusalem Post. Here is the link:

https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Was-the-corner-of-Gods-altar-found-in-Shiloh-West-Bank-606477?fbclid=IwAR1f_eEdVnItgUIlmSG3dxBEQeSH_foCAcAEei1Kr3Eji9SkhsoPOMN6Bik

Both the Tanakh, the Old Covenant Scriptures, and the Brit Chadasha, the New Covenant Scriptures, foretell a Third temple in Jerusalem. Could it be that when the Third Temple is built — and all is now in readiness — that this newly discovered altar horn, found in ancient Shilo, will be incorporated into the new altar? The Third Temple will be built just before the Return of  Jesus Christ who will reign from the throne of his father David as King of Kings and Lord of Lord’s. Are you prepared? Maranatha — Come Lord! 

LIFT UP THE TRUMPET

“Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28).

I am attaching for you a very short video, less than a minute in length, that will lift your spirit and bless your heart. It is called, Lift Up the Trumpet. You will not want to miss this encouraging video. Here is the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eJv6esf_Is

WANT TO LEARN MORE?

Want to learn more? Of course you do! Join us this Sunday morning at 8:30 AM for our Adult Christian Education class. We are studying Second Temple Judaism and first century Christianity — “the Faith once delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). This course will last all of the 2019-2020 term. This is a college level course. Everyone is invited and visitors are most welcome. 

The Bible is the most important book ever written. It is an eyewitness account of the most critically significant events in human history, and foretells what will happen in the future. In this class you will discover how vital it is not only to read and meditate upon the Holy Scriptures, but to study them in their original Hebrew context. This class will help you to increase your understanding and application of God’s Word in your life. There is no charge for the course and everyone is invited to attend, so be sure to invite family and friends. We hope to see you at 8:30 AM on Sunday!

THIS SUNDAY’S SERMON

Last Sunday we began a sermon series on Bible Prophecy. I spoke on the Mark of the Beast and the End Time Message of the Church found in Revelation 14 and commonly called the Three Angels Message. This Sunday, I will be speaking on the coming Kingdom of God, and the New Heavens and the New Earth. If you have ever wondered about what Bible Prophecy has to say about the future — and who hasn’t? — then you will not want to miss this series. We will be putting aside speculation, human tradition and sensationalism, and will simply be exploring what is revealed in the Holy Scriptures. 

SATURDAY’S RADIO BROADCAST

This Saturday’s broadcast of THE FAITH ONCE DELIVERED is on the topic of the authentic Gospel proclaimed by Jesus and by his apostles. What you think you know about the Gospel may be very different from the Gospel found in the Holy Scriptures. Saturday morning we will be studying the Gospel as found in the Holy Scriptures, and debunk the false Gospel of human tradition. This is a broadcast you will not want to miss!

THE FAITH ONCE DELIVERED is heard every Saturday morning at 9:30 AM CDT on KCRO Radio 660 AM in Omaha, and 106.7 FM in Lincoln, and can be heard throughout eastern Nebraska and western Iowa. Not in eastern Nebraska or western Iowa? No problem! You can listen live over the Internet. Just go to the KCRO Radio website and click Listen Live:

http://www.kcro.com

THE FAITH ONCE DELIVERED — PODCASTS

In addition to the radio broadcast every Saturday morning at 9:30 AM Central Time on KCRO Radio 660 AM in Omaha and 106.7 FM in Lincoln, each episode of THE FAITH ONCE DELIVERED is being archived and can be listened to anytime as a Podcast. You can access past radio programs here: 

https://thefaithoncedelivered.podomatic.com

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME ENDS

Daylight Savings Time ends this Sunday, November 3rd. Remember to change your clocks before going to bed on Saturday night.

SUNDAY SERVICES

Sunday Christian Education is at 8:30 AM, followed by Morning Prayer at 9:15 AM, and the Holy Eucharist at 10:00 AM, with fellowship and refreshments after Services.

Everyone is invited and visitors are always welcome.  We are a faithful and friendly parish, and we have a place for you. We hope to see you on Sunday!

HOLY CROSS ORTHODOX CHURCH

7545 Main Street

Ralston, Nebraska 68127

holycrossparishomaha.com

(402) 573-6558