Note: This article, like most others written by Rebecca Bryant Hervey, is written because of the ‘nudging’ of the Holy Spirit, for the purpose of building His Church. Calling His own unto Himself in a true and vital relationship. Rebecca Hervey, along with her husband Reed, is an earnestly committed minister in obedience to His call, and ordained by a convocation of believers since November 24, 1996.

 Any contributions to this ministry of letters go toward the obtaining of computer and word processor equipment, printing supplies and mailing costs, and are gratefully received. RBH

 

                          A Pink Banner??

 

How is your relationship with God? Are you relating to Him as your Father? Depending upon Him;  respecting and awesomely reverencing Him as your Father?… (your Father who is King of Kings and Lord of all the Universe?  The Father who loves you just as much as he loves any of His many children?)

 The subject compels me to speak of it and write of this relationship as being so very necessary for everyone who calls himself or herself a Christian. A “Christ-follower”. One who lives as though God, through Jesus Christ, lives in us and we live in Him, which is His desire and command.

The subject was made of greater importance to me one Sunday during a church service. The pastor mentioned the beautiful banners and flags that are made by people in the congregation, and waved during worship… each color signifying a different aspect of God or an aspect of praise or worship. The pastor urged the people to ask God for a certain color of banner, and to come forward and wave at that time. I didn’t know what color signified anything, but I definitely heard the Holy Spirit pronounce the word “pink” in my mind. 

Well, as I looked at the array of beautiful colors of banners and flags, I didn’t see anything that really looked like “pink” to me, so I didn’t do anything… but later I asked a couple of the ladies in the church what this color stood for. It seemed I was being told that pink was not really thought of as a significant color, “either flesh, or relationship”, and so I decided that I would look into this further in prayer.

            The following Sunday, the main worship song was about Fire… imploring the Holy Spirit to send His Fire among us. The banners were extremely inspiring, as they all represented various colors of flames. The last banner to join the procession was a blue one I had never seen before, and it made thrills shower over me! There were flame banners of gold, silver, orange, red, even white, if I remember correctly… but that blue flame meant something more…something powerful. As I researched it, I learned (as I suspected) that the blueness of a flame shows that it is the hottest of flames. The purest of flames, adjusted to give it the purest oxygen available. The purest air. The purest spirit, wouldn’t you think?

 

But I didn’t sit down here to write about the blue banner. I want to talk about the pink banner that deserves a place among all the other banners, because of its very special meaning. “Flesh”? Who came in the flesh to dwell among us?  God Almighty came, as you know, in the form of a man of flesh, born of a woman of flesh, sired by the Lord God Himself. This precious man of flesh lived among other people of flesh… working among them, eating and drinking among them, learning and teaching among them. The man was given the name “Jesus” even before He was born.

Why did He come here? He came here to redeem that which was lost… as it is written in Luke 19:10, “For the Son of man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”  That which was lost: For most of my life I assumed that it simply meant mankind that was lost due to sin. But my best friend and husband Reed explained to me that “that which was lost” was the beautiful relationship between God and man! That pure and personal relationship… that daily and intimate walk with the Creator in all innocence, is what was lost due to sin. The sin of Adam and Eve is what forfeited for them and for all mankind after them that wonderful intimacy with God…that is, until the One who came in the flesh restored the opportunity to be one with Him.

So… churches were formed out of people’s efforts to relate to God… and those same churches took the place of the true relationship with Him, and sadly, they still do to a great extent, yet with all good intentions.  Jesus promised He would return to gather the true and obedient believers unto Himself at just about the time this world self-destructs… which looks like an imminent thing, to me.

Of all the names dear to men, the one most precious and most powerful is the simple yet sublime name of Jesus. Like the apostle Paul, all who have been brought to know Him (Acts 9:5) Those who know Him well can truly say that Jesus is the "name which is above every name." (Philippians 2:9). So shall it ever be.

 

This article may be copied and distributed by anyone, as long as the true text is not changed or distorted. Replies are welcomed, and may be sent to Rebecca Hervey, 64 Sam Thomas Rd. Texarkana, TX 75501    Thank you.