THE MYSTICAL ORDER MINISTRIES

FROM THE DESK OF THE PATRIARCH AND PRESIDING PRELATE

Sir Godfrey Gregg D.Div

 

Through all the changing scenes of life,
in trouble and in joy,
the praises of my God shall still
my heart and tongue employ.

O magnify the Lord with me,
with me exalt his Name;
when in distress to him I called,
he to my rescue came.

The hosts of God encamp around
the dwellings of the just;
deliverance he affords to all
who on his succor trust.

O make but trial of his love;
experience will decide
how blest are they, and only they
who in his truth confide.

Fear him, ye saints, and you will then
have nothing else to fear;
make you his service your delight;
your wants shall be his care.

For God preserves the souls of those
who on his truth depend;
to them and their posterity
his blessing shall descend.

Another day in the Lord and to God be the complete honour and glory. There is none like Him and His Name MUST be praised at all times. Repeat with me Psalm 121

1 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2 My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. 3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. 4 Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. 6 The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. 8 The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.

This Psalm speaks of the safety of the believer.

We must not rely upon men and means, instruments and second causes. Shall I depend upon the strength of the hills? upon princes and great men, Bishops and other Clergy? No; my confidence is in God only. Or, we must lift up our eyes above the hills; we must look to God who makes all earthly things to us what they are. We must see all our help in God; from him, we must expect it, in His own way and time. This psalm teaches us to comfort ourselves in the Lord when difficulties and dangers are greatest. It is Almighty wisdom that contrives, and Almighty power that works for the safety of those that put themselves under God’s protection. He is a wakeful, watchful Keeper; He is never weary; He does not sleep, neither so much as slumber. Under this shade, we sit with delight and assurance. He is always near His people for their protection and refreshment. The right hand is the working hand; let them but turn to their duty, and they shall find God ready to give them success. He will take care that His children shall not fall. Thou shalt not be hurt, neither by the open assaults nor by the secret attempts of thine enemies. The Lord shall prevent the evil thou fearest most, and sanctify, remove, or lighten the evil you may feel. He will preserve your soul, that it be not defiled by sin, and disturbed by affliction; He will preserve it from perishing eternally. He will keep thee in life and death; going out to thy labour in the morning of thy days, and coming home to thy rest when the evening of old age calls thee in. It is a protection for life. The Spirit, who is our Preserver and Comforter, shall abide with us forever. Let us be found in our work, assured that the blessings promised in this psalm are ours.

This is a place every believing Christian should look to for strength, protection, comfort and guidance among some of the benefits offered by the hills. You will recall the Scripture “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so, must the Son of man be lifted up.” John 3:14 What a great lesson for us to learn here and applied to our lives or everyday living.

Why did Moses have to put a serpent on a pole? Numbers 21:19 Why does the Son of man have to be lifted up? That whosoever believeth on Jesus Christ shall be saved.

The man seems to share a close relationship with the serpent for better or for worse. What was it that caused the man to sin? It was the serpent, wasn’t it?

In Genesis chapter 3, we have the words that God spoke to the serpent:

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Genesis 3:15

God’s plan was accomplished when Jesus was lifted up and nailed to the cross, but this was also what Satan wanted. Jesus was lifted up to hang on the cross.

Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. John 8:28

Here, too, Jesus was speaking about His crucifixion. He referred to Himself as the Son of man, since He had come into the world in the flesh. He said, “When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he.” In other words, they would come to understand after He had been crucified.

And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This he said, signifying what death he should die. John 12:32-33

What does it mean that Jesus would be lifted up from the earth? God spoke continually through the prophets in the Old Testament, telling of the crucifixion of Jesus.

When the Israelites had come out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses, they began to complain against God and against Moses, and so God sent fiery serpents among them. These were poisonous snakes, and most of the Israelites who were bitten by them died. So Moses prayed to God, making an earnest plea for help. God told him to make a bronze (brass) serpent and set it up on a pole. Numbers 21:4-9

Let’s try to imagine this situation. When Moses told the people to look at the serpent, the more naive and uneducated people would have raised their heads and looked up right away. Those who trusted more in their intellect and powers of reason, however, would have found the solution completely illogical and refused to look up. If they had been told to melt down the bronze serpent, break it into pieces with a hammer, or grind it into powder to make a tonic that would heal them, they might have tried it, even though it would involve a great effort on their part. Would they have found it easy, however, to believe that they could be healed just by looking? Jesus also said something similar:

I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Matthew 11:25

The Israelites were told simply to look at the bronze serpent. All they had to do was look. In our case, too, all we need to do is look to the cross, and yet merely a case of the death penalty being carried out; He was crucified in accordance with the words that had been recorded in the scriptures. It was as the Bible says: “The Son of man goeth as it is written of him.” (Matthew 26:24; see Mark 14:21)

Let’s go back to John chapter 3.

And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so, must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:13-15)

When Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, what happened to the people who looked at it? They were healed and they lived. “Even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” God’s aim in giving us His word was not so that we might lead religious lives of reading the Bible and singing hymns and yet not be able to go to the kingdom of God. He gave us His word in order that we might receive eternal life. Being born again itself is a matter of becoming connected with eternal life. The path that had been cut off between man and God has been reestablished. As Jesus was lifted up and nailed to the cross, He became the path to the kingdom of God. In the above verse, Jesus was explaining the moment when we come into contact with this eternal life.

Nicodemus probably heard the voice of God in his heart on that day and was deeply moved. The path to the kingdom of God is opened only through Jesus Christ. But it is a narrow path. Many people make all kinds of efforts in their attempts to prepare themselves to be able to go to heaven, but there is no need to make such efforts or to do anything at all. Just as the Israelites were healed simply by looking at the serpent, we become born again by looking to Jesus. In other words, we experience rebirth. When we read the Bible after we have had this experience, we find that it also explains to us the paths we are to take as we live our lives as children of God.

Let me warn you my brothers and sisters of The Mystical Order and our Affiliate churches. Let go of yourself and let God take over. Do not let education stand between you and your God. The plan is very simple and if you obey it, you will be saved. Come unto me all you that are laden with sin and I will give you rest saith the word of god. A simple plan for your salvation.

If you hear the voice of the Lord today harden not your heart as in the day of provocation when the children murmured and complained. You know better and you must act now. I trust that you are reading these emails and finding some virtue in them. I am doing my part to minister to you and warn you of the impending danger that lies ahead of this Christian pathway. I ask you today to make an effort and donate a few dollars to this ministry. One ($1.00) will help.

God bless and keep you and may the face of Almighty God bless and keep you till His return.