We Love God!

God: "I looked for someone to take a stand for me, and stand in the gap" (Ezekiel 22:30)

In order to see God’s church grow, we should use the means God has given to us… Preaching the Gospel is the normal way God grows His church. Added to this there is also prayer. Again and again in the book of Acts we find the early Christians in prayer. And as we beseech God for conversion and for maturity, we find God granting our prayers. The more we pray the more we acknowledge that God is the reason for any growth that comes. We acknowledge, in humility, that any growth that comes does not ultimately come from us.

Mark Dever

The biblical evidence : Matthew 1:18-25 1. Joseph and Mary were betrothed (1:18, 20, 24), a relationship regarded as the legal equivalent of marriage. In other words, betrothal could be broken only by a formal divorce. This is why Joseph is referred to as her “husband” (v. 19). 2. Although betrothed, the relationship had not yet been consummated sexually (see vv. 18, 25; also Luke 1:34). 3. Mary’s pregnancy is attributed to the Holy Spirit: a. Verse 20 – “of the Holy Spirit.” b. Verse 16 – “and to Jacob was born Joseph the husband of Mary, by/of whom [feminine] was born Jesus.” Matthew clearly excludes Joseph. c. Note that the repeated active verb (“was the father of” or “begot”) gives way to a divine passive in v. 16 (i.e., God is the active agent in the conception and birth of Jesus). 4. Joseph is instructed to take Mary into his house and to name the child (vv. 20-21) thereby establishing for Joseph legal paternity of the child. Hence the community came to believe that Joseph was Jesus’ father (Lk. 2:48; Mt. 13:55). Luke 1:26-38 1. Mary is explicitly identified as a “virgin” (parthenos, v. 27), a fact she confirms in v. 34. 2. Verse 35 clearly attributes the conception to the work of the Holy Spirit. 3. The terms translated “come upon” and “overshadow” (v. 35) are not euphemisms for sexual relations. They are simply figurative expressions for divine intervention by which God will supercede the natural order of things. 4. For the term “overshadow,” see Ex. 40:35; Psm. 91:4; 140:7; Mt. 17:5; Mk. 9:7; Lk. 9:34 (cf. also Gen. 1:2). The emphasis is on the powerful creative presence of the Spirit in bringing to pass the conception of the man Jesus.

Sam Storms

We Love God!

God: "I looked for someone to take a stand for me, and stand in the gap" (Ezekiel 22:30)

Walnut Cream Roll

January 25, 2023

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
Eggs, Grains, Dairy	Jewish		1	Servings

INGREDIENTS

4		Egg whites
1/2	ts	Salt
1	ts	Vanilla
1/2	c	Sugar
4		Egg yolks
1/4	c	Sifted enriched flour (boy sure is dated)
1/2	c	Chopped (Calif) walnuts
1	c	Heavy cream, whipped, sweetened

INSTRUCTIONS

under cakes of all places. BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS DESSERT COOK BOOK (pg.
49)
Beat whites with salt and vanilla till soft peaks form. Gradually beat in
sugar. Beat yolks til thick and lemon-colored. Fold yolks into whites;
carefully fold in flour and nuts. Line bottom and side of 15 1/2 x 10 1/2 x
1 inch jelly-roll pan with waxed paper. Spread batter evenly in pan. Bake
in moderate oven (375 deg) 12 minutes or till cake springs back when
lightly touched. Cool 5 minutes. Loosen sides of cake; turn out onto towel
sprinkled with sifted confectioner's sugar. Peel off paper; cool to
lukewarm. Starting at narrow end, roll cake and towel together; cook on
rack. Unroll; spread with whipped cream. Reroll cake; chill Posted to
JEWISH-FOOD digest V97 #145 by Sharon Barish <slbarish@execpc.com> on Apr
30, 1997

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“Jesus: the human face of God”