MERRY FRIDAY BY PARRIS-
Isaiah 58:12 says, “Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.”

Over the weekend, we as a church, will be celebrating 40 years as Victory Fellowship. In the past month the staff has bent over backwards trying to catalogue and find all of our memories and important God moments. Boxes, sermons, photos have long been thrown away because there is not enough storage to contain those 40 years! Only eternity keeps the true stuff! Frank and I feel like the years were few and the blessings immense. At the young age of 21 when we started, I still shudder how long it has taken me to understand the things of God.

The number 40 is mentioned 146 times in Scripture. Most of the time; it symbolized a period of testing, trial or probation. During Moses’ life he lived forty years in Egypt, was sent forty years in the desert before God selected him to lead his people out of slavery, and then another 40 years in the wilderness of testing with the Jewish nation. Moses was also on Mount Sinai for 40 days and nights, on two separate occasions receiving God’s laws. He also sent spies, for forty days, to investigate the land God promised the Israelites as an inheritance.

The prophet Jonah powerfully warned ancient Nineveh, for forty days, that its destruction would come. The prophet Ezekiel laid on His right side for 40 days to symbolize Judah’s sins, Elijah went 40 days without food or water at Mount Horeb. Jesus was tempted by the devil for 40 days and nights and He also appeared to his disciples and others for 40 days after his resurrection. Jesus prophesied the total destruction of Jerusalem and 40 years after his crucifixion in 30 A.D., the Roman Empire destroyed the city and burned the temple. The Bible was written by forty different people. Wow thats a lot of forties!

In Jer. 29:11 it say’s-“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end” God has each one of us on his precious time clock. This scripture is saying is that the Lord will superadd or will add from one thing to another and that he would perform his good word found in his promises. We have a future that he is overseeing! And he always is working at full noon! He is on it!
I believe we have a lot to celebrate about! Victory, now that she is 40, can move from the “probational testing” period in her life (haha) and begin the great rebuilding of our city, New Orleans, through every means possible. We know what we have to do, and that is run with all of our might with the Lord’s wind behind us doing what we do best and that is living and loving the message of redemption. I hope to see you this Sunday as we celebrate together as a body His goodness and grace!