Hugh's News & Commentary

Today's benediction is given to us by the Apostle Paul in the Book of Hebrews 13:20-21:

Hebrews 13:20-21 (King James Version)

20 Now the God of peace, Who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,

21 Make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to Whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

This benediction became more important to me when Melvine and I watched the funeral service for Princess Diana, Princess of Wales from our home in Richmond, VA. Diana's funeral took place in Westminster Abbey on September 6, 1997. Melvine is an historian and loves the history of the royalty of the United Kingdom. I remember getting up before the crack of dawn to watch the funeral. Millions of other people around the world watched by television as well.

The Archbishop of Cantebury, the Right Reverend Mr. George Carey, read this benediction from the Anglican Prayer Book at Princess Diana's funeral. Had not I memorized that benediction, I am sure I would not have caught the error. I thought that maybe he misread it; but later found out that the words, "through the blood of the everlasting covenant" from this great benedcition had been removed from the prayer book. The same rendering of this benediction was read or misread at the funeral for former President Gerald Ford at the National Cathedral. The Episcopal minister did the same thing.

What I noticed was that they (both ministers) had omitted the phrase "though the blood of the everlasting covenant."

Athough churches may change the Scriptures to fit their theology, the Bible remains the same. Recent studies of George Barna, the founder of The Barna Group, a market research firm specializing in studying the religious beliefs and behavior of Americans, reveal that in many Christian churches in America today there is an ignorance of Biblical theology.

It was the prophet Amos who prophesied in Amos 8:11, "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord."

I wrote Harold Presley, our missionary to the United Kingdom, an e-mail and titled it: "The Missing Message of Great Britain: The Cross of Calvary." God demonstrated His great love for the world by sending His Son, Jesus Christ to the Cross to suffer and die, and pay the penalty for our redemption. The Apostle Paul had this to say about the cross: "God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting (reckoning) men's sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:19).

The pathway to salvation is through the Cross of Jesus, and the shedding of His precious blood for an atonement for our sins. It is the blood of Jesus that remains forever an everlasting covenant. What can wash away my sins? The hymn writer wrote, "Nothing but the blood of Jesus." The chorus goes like this:

"Oh, precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know,
Nothing but the blood of Jesus."

May God help us as Pentecostals/Charismatics/Evangelicals to insist that our preachers preach the Word of God. There is life and power in the Word of God to change lives, correct, and convert.

Let us stick to the Word of God, the sole source for our faith and conduct in this life.