the watchman's call

the beauty of the resurrection...

The Beauty of The Resurrection

Happy and Blessed Resurrection Day!

I am going to tell you all about a resurrection plan that a loving Father enacted so His beloved children could be protected and thrive in His Kingdom forever. In order to do that, the Father had to sacrifice one of the most precious treasures that He had – another Son.

Are you a parent? Do these scenarios sound like something you would do for your children? These could be called principles. It’s certainly human decency. They are biblical principles.

When a loving Father looks at His children and sees them hurting, His heart hurts also. He’s going to look for a solution to heal that hurt.

When a loving Father sees His children in danger, He’s going to take the steps to protect them permanently.

When a loving Father sees His children in great need, there is nothing that can get in the way of His enacting a great plan for their salvation out of that great hopelessness.

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. (Matthew 3:13-15 NIV)

One of the last things that Jesus did before He went to the cross was to get baptized. Why is that? If Jesus was sinless, what would the purpose be for Him to go through baptism, which is solely for the repentance of sins? The answer is one of the most amazing revelations in the Bible – and of course, it starts with our loving Father!

All through the Bible, the story of redemption is interspersed along with a Father God Who is merciful and loving. The next step in His redemption plan for us was for Jesus to be baptized. Jesus went through it to fulfill our righteousness, not His. His plan has always been to walk through every situation for us first, let us see how He handles it and overcome anything that can come against us in the process. For what loving Father makes His children walk into a situation without having looked into the circumstances first and then giving His love and support throughout?

So even before Jesus went to the cross, He had it set up for us that ALL righteousness would be fulfilled at the cross. Step one was done at baptism when our sins were washed away by the water “to fulfill all righteousness”.

After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him (Matthew 3:16)

 

After Jesus was baptized He went down into the water. Again, that action is not for Him. That is for us because it was to show that we are buried in death with Him because of our sins (Romans 6:3-4) However, what happened next is extremely powerful: Jesus came up immediately from the water. Jesus walked through the resurrection for us at His baptism. This happened immediately. He was raised up for us at the baptism, taking care of our sins through the washing of the water. When we were dead and in sin, we were living below the water – in the deep. However, when our sins are forgiven, we are raised up immediately and the heavens are opened to us.

Later, on the cross, we were washed through His blood. This explains why this happened: Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. (John 19:34)

 

A Father’s Great Love

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.  And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:4-6 NIV)

Because of the great love of the Father, and the tremendous sacrifice of Jesus, we are now permanent sons and daughters. This verse tells us that we were “raised…up with Christ” Jesus walked through it first at the baptism for us and then we went through the resurrection with Jesus once we were saved. We operate out of a place in the heavenly realms because right now we have a seat next to Him. This is because of our Father, because of Who He is and because His heart is so great. Just as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new life. (1 Corinthians 15:22 NLT) Our lives are completely new and different because of our Father and His grace and love.

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:1-3)

When we went down into the water in baptism, that’s the last time we died. Because of the Father and His amazing grace-plan, we will never taste death. Because we are already seated in the heavenly realms, our focus can be on heavenly, spiritual things. The only thing that we operate in now is life and the abundance of it.

He Already Went Through It

Every moment of the New Testament was walked out in real life and experienced first by our Lord and Savior. He lived our pains, our highs, and our lows. He walked through the footprints of our lives before we could even walk ourselves. So now, when we need Him He truly knows what we’re going through because He already went through it. He raised us up, saved us and gave us everything!

~Anne Schickowski

© Copyright Anne Schickowski, 2019

 

About the copyright: please feel free to share, repost or print a copy for yourself or friends as long as you retain and attribute it to the above copyright info and link back to either www.facebook.com/thewatchmanscall or www.thewatchmanscall.com

the power of the hosanna...

The Power of the Hosanna...

I believe that everything that Jesus did here on earth, while obviously making a gigantic impact also has huge spiritual implications for the end times. What Jesus said and what He did was the prophetic forerunner of the end times – He was laying the foundation for the last days.

With that said, it is important that we read our Bibles – especially the New Testament – with the end times in mind and apply it to our lives while we’re living in these last days. Every verse in the Bible has several different facets – like a diamond. We can’t just look at one facet of a Bible verse otherwise we would miss the true beauty of it. We have to look at the whole picture in order to see the sparkle. The following passage gives us a two-fold revelation of what is happening for believers and for the Jewish people in the end times.

John 12:12-15

The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,

   “Hosanna!”

   “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

   “Blessed is the king of Israel!”

 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:

 “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;
   see, your king is coming,
   seated on a donkey’s colt.

What will bring Jesus running quicker than anything? Of course, He will answer if we call to Him. He will run to us if we call His name. However, the thing that will bring His complete presence and power is the thankful praise of His people.

Just before the Feast of Passover, there were great crowds of people in Jerusalem. Passover is one of three feasts in which the people were to come to Jerusalem to celebrate. So when the crowds heard that Jesus might be coming too, they did something somewhat odd in the context of that festival. They grabbed palm branches and called out, “Hosanna!”

Hosanna means to save. The people were calling to Jesus to save them. They were calling for grace. Jesus and grace are the same. Jesus saves. Grace saves. Jesus sacrificed. Grace sacrificed. The word Hosanna is also used to praise. When the one cry comes out of the same heart and mind it becomes all the more powerful. Everyone sings the same thing and has the same cry coming from deep within. We become one with each other and one with the Father. So when we are calling for Jesus, we are calling for grace. So if we are doing it in the form of praise, it is even more powerful. That is what the people were doing there on that Palm Sunday: Calling out for grace. Pretty amazing, isn't it? 

Want to know the even greater thing? When the people called out “Hosanna to the King”, this was the customary acclamation for the Feast of Tabernacles, not the Passover. The waving of the palm branches is also something that is done in the Feast of the Tabernacles. The people were there for the Passover, not for the Feast of the Tabernacles. The Feast of the Tabernacles is a joyful festival where Jews celebrate the fall harvest and God’s provision – something similar to the American Thanksgiving. On the last day of the Feast of the Tabernacles, the people call for the promised Messiah. On this day though, they were prophetically calling for grace to come during the Passover.

The Hosanna for Believers

Now that we are believers we no longer need a Savior. We have already been saved but that doesn’t mean we need the Hosanna any less. It is more powerful when we know the full meaning and price that was paid. When we combine the praise for the Savior with the power that the savior brings, we are unstoppable. That has huge implications for the end times. When we combine understanding with knowledge we have great power. Once we understand our true standing in the Kingdom, we can go anywhere and overcome anything.

Matthew 21:10-11

When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Right away, the name of Jesus is established by believers. Unbelievers asked who it was and believers unequivocally declared the name of Jesus. It is to be that way now in the end times.

Jesus riding on a donkey had to happen before He died on the cross. The exultation had to come before the cross. Praise brings in the promise – or in this case, the Promised One. When praise to Jesus is shouted by a believing people, grace is ushered in. Grace comes in exalted and lifted up because it is greater. It is what always comes first. Sin sought to destroy grace at the cross but that is impossible. Just like Jesus couldn’t be destroyed, grace cannot be destroyed because it is greater.

Hebrews 13:15

 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.

Praise is what brings Jesus and Jesus is grace. In the final days, there will be no external Grace. The only grace will come from the inside of believers because that is where Jesus will be. The way to keep Grace and live in Grace in the final days is to continue to meditate and speak God's word and the way to bring grace out into the open is to praise Jesus.

When truth leaves in the end times, grace leaves too. As much as we lament the loss of truth and grace right now, during the Great Tribulation, once the Holy Spirit leaves, it will be so much worse. But to prove that grace and truth are from Jesus, they will leave with the believers when Jesus comes to get us. What will be left is the law. Law will stay with the world because it's what they understand. There is no place for the law in heaven.

The Hosanna for the Jewish People

Isaiah 46:13

I am bringing my righteousness near,
   it is not far away;
   and my salvation will not be delayed.
I will grant salvation to Zion,
   my splendor to Israel.

For the Jews in the end times, God has the perfect plan and it involves the Hosanna. Jesus will once again come riding into Jerusalem to save the Jewish people and bring His glory to Israel when the days are the darkest and they need Him the most..

The Passover celebrates the time when death passed over the Jews. The blood on the doorposts served as the atonement for them. They were spared death because of the blood. Just a few days later, Jesus died on the cross and became the true Passover Lamb - the perfect and permanent sacrifice and atonement for all. The cross was the fulfillment of the Passover.

Each year the Jews celebrate the Feast of the Tabernacles, where they pray a prayer known as Hoshanos. It is a prayer for blessing that ends each phrase with the word: hoshana - “Please save” or “save now!” So every year, the Jewish people are literally calling Hosanna – for Jesus to come, just like they did during the Passover before He died on the cross. As we know, He will come again to the Jewish people and this time they will see Him clearly as their Messiah and they will celebrate Him. To date, there is no end-times fulfillment of the Feast of the Tabernacles. That is because He is waiting for the Jewish people to acknowledge Him. Once they do, there will be great rejoicing and celebration in Jerusalem by believers and Jewish believers as well!

This has implications for both believers and Jews. When we call Hosanna, we are calling out praise for Jesus but we are also calling for the final Feast of the Tabernacles where the Jews can finally, joyfully partake of the spiritual bounty that God has in store for them: Hoshana! Praise Jesus! Many Blessings to you and your family, ~Anne Schickowski

© Copyright Anne Schickowski, 2011

 

About the copyright: please feel free to share, repost or print a copy for yourself or friends as long as you retain and attribute it to the above copyright info and link back to either www.facebook.com/thewatchmanscall or www.thewatchmanscall.com

 

When should we start a Bible ministry - How about April Fool’s Day?

So when is a good time to start a Bible ministry? How about April Fool’s Day? That is where I found myself on 4/1/09. It was then that I decided to just step out in faith and believe that God would provide. I had a desire to give out Bibles to anyone who asked for one. I believed that people were more apt to ask for a Bible on the internet and I believed strongly that there should be no conditions attached. No selling. No knocking on doors. No one forcing anything on anyone. Like the gift of God’s grace – I believe that the gift of a Bible should be free and unconditional.

There was one problem though. We didn’t have any money. We were in terrible financial straits. At times we couldn’t pay our water bill, let alone give out free Bibles. We had to move to a rental house in a different state in order to find work just to get by. Three times we almost lost our house to foreclosure before it sold as a short sale. I found myself ministering to people on my cell phone while (unbeknownst to them) on my end, I was standing in the dark because the power was turned off! We made the conscious decision to buy Bibles for people before our own needs. Then we would declare this verse over and over - sometimes through gritted teeth, sometimes with doubt rising and tears flowing: "Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall." Psalm 55:22)

What I’ve found though, in my relationship with God is that everything works out as long as I put Him and His Kingdom first. Through experience, I knew that what God orders, He pays for. If He brings us to it, He will always, always supply what we need and even OVERSUPPLY! We just have to have the faith to believe that and have the patience to wait until He brings His supply. 

He had me start slow. We offer Bibles to people in the US - that is all that we can handle! So there I was – stepping out into the deep end. I started, 'Get a Free Bible'. I had made a website and put up the info that I thought would be helpful. Soon enough I had my first orders and on April 1, 2009, we sent out our first Bibles.

Since then, 10 years ago today, I have never had more Bible requests than money to pay for them. We have never asked for donations one time. We have never had a fundraiser. The LORD is the fundraiser. We have never had to sell anything to pay for the website to stay up and running. Every time I needed something, without me saying a word, God would move in someone's heart and they would send some money or an Amazon gift card. 

We have gotten requests from all kinds of people from all walks of life. They are all precious in God’s sight and I believe they will find what they are searching for. 

 

+ We have had at least 25 people give their lives to Jesus in the 10 years that we've been up and running. 

 

+ Countless Christians have come back and rededicated themselves to God. 

 

+ We have had numerous Muslims write and say that they want to "know the truth". We gladly tell them. Many also don't want any outward markings on the packaging that shows that it contains a Christian Bible.

 

+ Through the years, I have "talked" to several people via email and have shown them how precious their own life is in God's plan and have encouraged them to seek professional help as they go through their new Bible. They can see that getting their emotional and mental life back in order goes hand in hand with their spiritual life getting back on track. 

 

+ We have given countless Bibles to children! Most people ask for a family Bible but we will always ask for the children's' ages so they can receive their own personal Bible. 

 

+ Over the years we have had the honor to help some people spiritually and prayerfully get through financial hardships and physical illnesses. God has done some AMAZING things through their own prayers and our prayer ministry!

 

+ We have given Bibles to *every* person who has asked for one*. We've never turned anyone away based on their inward, outward, spiritual, physical or belief system. We believe in responding in love, just like Jesus would. He will convict ALL of us of our sin, wherever He may find it.

 

+ I have had a *lot* of people come to us who have been denied a Bible by their own local churches. Every person here gets a Bible. 

 

+ We have given Bibles to hospices, homeless shelters, mental health facilities, and a youth hostel.

 

+ We have a special place in our hearts for prisoners so we give out as many Bibles as we can to inmates and have prayed every day for them and try to be a support to their families, mainly through prayer. We have also given 50 Bibles to a prison chaplain in Indiana. 

I say all of this to prove that with God anything is possible. Even the most foolish of ideas can be carried out if God is a part of it. In fact, the more foolish, the better! So wherever you are, whatever you are doing, step out and do what God is leading you to do. It is soo worth it. Ten years and countless blessings later, we are living proof!

~Anne Schickowski

"Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him." 1 Corinthians 1:26-29
 
* According to the parameters of our policy (i.e.: US addresses only, one Bible per address, etc)