Prayer Request for Beth Schield




This prayer and donation request
 was given to us at work, and I
 wanted to share the plight of this
 family with everyone so we can
 lift them up in prayer to the Lord.

Dear Sir or Ma'am:

The Lord be with you.

Saint John writes, "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another," I John 4:9-11

I write you to encourage you to show your love and mercy to one of our sisters in Christ Jesus, Beth Schield. She is the wife of the Rev. Kirk Schield, in Two Harbors, Minnesota.

Revelation Chapter Two, Part 8 of 9

2:22 Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of their deeds.
Here is where we need to carefully follow the moments of the meeting, so to speak. First, note the difference of punishment. Jezebel shall be cast into a bed; a sickbed from which she shall not arise. Paul warns that those who treat sex like a toy receive the punishment “in themselves” which is due, Romans 1:27. Jezebel’s choices will be her demise, and it is God’s will that it be so since she did not repent.

Revelation Chapter Two, Part 7 of 9

2:18 And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass
Jesus commanded John to write to the Thyatirans in the name of the Son of God, with eyes as a flame of fire and feet like fine brass; both Old Testament references to Yahweh or Jehovah, the covenant God of Israel. The eyes of flaming fire speak of coming judgment (2nd Thessalonians 1:8) and Jesus’ omniscience; His ability to see through every guise and darkness of man (Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 4:12-13). His feet like fine brass indicate, in my opinion, power. Read Isaiah 63:1-6 and you will see the Son of God trampling and treading upon the wicked with none to withstand Him, and He trampled them in fury so that their blood stained His raiment. God literally crushed these rebels beneath His heels, as He will one day do with Satan beneath ours, Romans 16:20. Likewise in Daniel 2:44-45 we are given a vision of God coming in great power and literally crushing the kingdoms and governments of the earth beneath Him until no remnant remains of them. Scripture states that our God is a consuming fire, Hebrews 12:29.

Revelation Chapter Two, Part 6 of 9

2:12-13 These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges; I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is
The church of Pergamos dwelt in a city that the Lord calls Satan’s throne, NKJV. It was a spiritual epicenter of demonic influence, and in the midst of this there was a godly congregation preaching Christ, doing His works, holding fast His name, and suffering for it. Jesus wanted to remind this burgeoned church that He is the One who holds the sharp two-edged sword. He is the most skillful at employing it, since the sword is the word of God. In the days of His humility Jesus used the sword of the Spirit to deal Satan a terrible blow, when the tempter came to tempt Him with the kingdoms of the world, Matthew 4:3, 9.

Revelation Chapter Two, Part 5 of 9

2:10 behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried
While it is Satan casting believers into prison, it is God trying them; that is, trying their faith. Like Abraham’s faith was tried when God demanded his son Isaac to be offered up as a sacrifice, so too were these Christians going to have their faith tested, or refined; God refines and tests His children in the furnace of affliction, Isaiah 48:10. To what end? That “every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit,” John 15:2.

Revelation Chapter Two, Part 4 of 9

2:7 To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Here is a plain reference to Genesis, and the tree which dwelt in the midst of Eden, that anyone eating of its fruit would live forever. Man in his sinful state was precluded from this blessing, Genesis 3:22-23. In this first of the overcomer passages, we find a promise given by God. Man in his fallen estate was forbidden to eat of the fruit of the tree of life; man in his renewed state was now allowed by Christ’s merit to partake of what he had formerly forfeit by disobedience.

Revelation Chapter Two, Part 3 of 9

2:6 thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
Much speculation has gone into the identity of this sect that our Lord first speaks of here. I will not speculate as to who they are, or what they were preaching, but the meaning of their name gives something away about the character their leaders must have possessed. First, the name Nicolas from where the term derives means, “victor over people.” The term Nicolaitans is translated “follower of Nicolas.” Simply put, like certain televangelists and charismatic leaders, they rise up to lead away the flock of Christ after them; they have no genuine intention of bringing people to Jesus, so that our Lord receives the glory of saving them and cleansing them from their sins. Instead they wish to have the adulation that only belongs to God. They overcome the people with the sole intent of hoisting themselves up as some uniquely qualified guru imparting wisdom unavailable elsewhere.

Revelation Chapter Two, Part 2 of 9

2:2-4 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.

The Ephesians had stumbled into the error of legalism. Listen to their list of sound works. They work and labor, they are patient, they are intolerant of evil, they try false apostles; they have persevered and patiently labored in Jesus’ name. What happened? They became so rigid with the law of God that they left the God of the law. Paul wrote that a man might have mighty spiritual gifts, a generous disposition and a martyr’s spirit; but should he lack love he profits nothing and in fact is nothing, 1st Corinthians 13:2-3.

Revelation Chapter Two, Part 1 of 9

The word “Bible” (Greek, biblyon) simply means “book.” The Bible is the book of God; God’s character and redemptive plan are outlined in its pages. Not simply the final book of the New Testament that we are currently studying, but all of Scripture is a progressive revelation of God’s person and the plan of salvation He offers in Christ Jesus.

Lessons from a Chair

Let us, for the sake of demonstration, look at a common chair. Say you wanted to sit down in your living room. You approach the nearest chair, place your faith in that object, and seat yourself. If it holds you upright, your faith has been well placed; the chair is a worthy object of said faith. If it begins to wobble you realize that you may have to switch seats: that chair is not providing the assurance that it can perform the function it is accredited with. If it falls straightway out from beneath you, and you find yourself sitting on the floor, then the chair was indeed a poor object to trust that it might hold you up.

To Judge or not to Judge, Part 2 of 2

Yet this passage in Matthew was not given to teachers (those the Holy Spirit gave the gift of teaching to) specifically; it is addressed to all Christians who attempt to reprove or admonish. If you do not “practice what you preach” as the saying goes, you have disqualified yourself from ministering in this regard to another believer. You, in fact, need the gentle ministry of one who is spiritual, Galatians 6:1! This verse is extremely informative, so it would be helpful in the context of “judging” to quote Paul: “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” Note that Paul addresses this counsel to believers alone (brethren) and instructs spiritual believers (those in fellowship with the Holy Spirit) to restore the straying Christian to a right relationship with his God; taking care that his sins do not tempt you to do likewise.