The New Testament outlines #5CrownsofReward , and we have been expounding on each of them from our upcoming book, Crowns of Valor--Bold Leaders, Arise! (See Barnes & Noble), as well as the 2nd and 3rd orders of effects from using them to guide ministry. But in this brief article, we will cover the gleaming jewel that is hidden in plain sight amidst the 5 Crowns of Reward themselves, namely, the process driving these crowns! There's no technical or special name for it; you won't find this process directly referenced in any specific verse of Scripture, nor will you find any preacher identifying it through a sermon series. No. But you will find that once you SEE what this process does for your Christian faith and maturity, you can never UNSEE it!! As we summarize each crown, try to picture a flow to the big picture toward Christian maturity. See https://authors.tertulia.com/drjustinrwoods-drafteldm83 for links to get our book, Crowns of Valor. Firstly, let's summarize each of the 5 Crowns of Reward, and that will give us the roadmap to uncover what drives them. We start with #1 the Crown of Righteousness (2 Tim 4:8), which keeps us reading the Scripture daily. This practice fills us with the remembrance of the Holy Spirit leading us through all truth (Jn 16:13), and it holds us in the love for Jesus's return. #2 is the Imperishable Crown for disciplining our bodies in service to the Lord and the members of the Church. This holds in place our agreement with one another on God's vision over the congregation, and calls each of us to edify one another with our gifts and calling as the Body of Christ. #3 is the Crown of Life. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit's word, transforming our lives, and come together in allegiance to Christ's mission, the world will notice and throw all the attacks of the enemy in response. Paul warns that everyone who lives a godly life will suffer for the gospel and Christ's name's sake.

The Crown of Rejoicing is about winning souls, but how do we do that? Jesus Christ plainly referred to the Word of God as the "seed" which is planted in people (Luke 8:11): "The seed is the word of God." He used this metaphor to point out the relationship between humanity's reception in time and God's Word from eternity. While Jesus talked about 4 different types of reaction in the parable of the sower, the entire parable was used to inspire one common reaction that believers ought to take toward sowing the word in others: absolute, unwavering faith that after you sow the seed of God's Word in anyone, it will produce a reaction from them by the power of God's Holy Spirit. That is the topic of this article: placing our faith in God's Word to produce in others. Firstly, many places in Scripture reveal the same category of power from God's Word. Of that, we may place our faith. And when we do, that faith will invigorate our efforts to sow in every person. Let's look at a few examples. One of the most prominent examples, as well as the most elaborate, comes out of the Book of Hebrews (4:12-13). For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. The Holy Spirit has communicated several critical ideas that inform our faith in the work of God's Word, the power of God to which people are exposed: 1. God's Word holds humanity accountable, 2. God's Word discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart, and 3. God's Word is a living, active force that humanity cannot avoid, thwart, or hide from. Firstly, it is by the Word of God that people know they will give an account of themselves. This is not just speaking of the Scriptures that overtly communicate about judgment day, either. This aspect speaks of any part of the Word of God shared by a believer, because regardless of which truth you share, the unbeliever must hold in their conscience whether they accept or reject it. They decide whether they will retain it in their knowledge of God or turn to other sources. Paul's letter to the Romans, chapter 1, covers this concept well. For believers, the Word of God begins the sanctifying work of the Spirit in their lives (1 Thess 2:13). But unbelievers rejecting the Word of God only go from bad to worse (2 Tim 3:13). Even believers are not immune from deception's crafty schemes, which can lead them in a downward spiral, finally becoming enemies of the cross (Phil 3:18-19).

I am writing this message to equip you with God's purpose for the sun, moon, and stars, and they are all connected!!! Firstly, the purpose of the moon is the carrier of both dark and light: redemption coming. Secondly, the purpose of the sun as THE source of light for the moon: the source of redemption. Thirdly, the stars of the heavens are God's untouchable promise: God's grace. Let's get into it. The Moon is the only orb in the sky appointed as THE carrier of both light and dark as God's foreshadowing the containment of the darkness, alongside the light that will overtake it. The phases of the moon outline this well--from full moon (full darkness) toward slivers of light along the way to the full moon (full light). The promise of redemption encompasses the 4 dispensations God designed to lead us toward the Fullness of Time, the Return of Christ: 1. The Order of Melchizedek, 2. Israel, 3. Church, 4. 144 thousand Messianic Jews. The sun is THE source of light that nourishes life on this planet, i.e., signifying Christ, as well as supplying the moon with its light to overcome the darkness set on it. Christ is the fulfillment of every dispensation: 1. Christ is the priest in the Order of Melchizedek, 2. Christ is the King of the Jews, 3. Christ is the Bridegroom of the Church, 3. Christ is one of the firstfruits of the first resurrection (1 Cor 15:20), as are the 144 thousand Jews who are specifically dedicated to "the Lamb" (Rev 14:4), and the one who seals them unto the end of the Tribulation, i.e., the wrath of the Lamb. Finally, the stars of heaven were shown by "the word of the Lord" (Gen 15:5) as the embodiment of the promise for his nation, Israel, to come from his own body and accomplish the redemption. God has promised under oath that Israel is spoken into this earth as a part of the created order as the sun, moon, and stars (Jer 31:35-37). From start to finish, the moon has foreshadowed the coming redemption, set in the stars as a testimony to that end. This creation was made by the Almighty, and Christ has promised He is the Almighty to accomplish these promises. No one can touch the sun, moon, and stars to destroy them, take them out of orbit, or steal them away. God is faithful to his covenant with Israel as a promise to the world for redemption. Just look up at the moon, and be reassured of Him.

The entire Bible has as its foundation the covenants of God made to Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and Christ. What you will notice about these covenants is that they refer to several situations where Israel will have activities that last "forever" or will endure or be practiced "forever." Take, for instance, Genesis 13:15 promises Abraham that "all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever." What does a promise like this mean if God knows the day that Abraham is going to die? Take another promise God gives to David: "I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.” But if you read verse 11 in that chapter, God refers to the day David will die. How can God keep these promises? The answer is simple: resurrection. Before God can begin to keep his 'forever' promises to anyone, God first needs to set up the person to live forever so that they can be kept. That means these promises are given to those whom God will save by resurrection. As you read Scripture, keep this in mind: God's forever promises and language refer to far more than mere rhetoric; they refer to a real situation where people need to live forever for them to be accomplished. Only resurrection answers this aspect of eschatology. Jesus himself was challenged on this very issue by his religious contemporaries. "But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed, in the passage about the bush, where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him" (Luke 20:37–38). God has vowed to keep his promises, and the only way to do that beyond the grave is resurrection. This is the future context of situation God's 'FOREVER' language points.

“This road turns the ‘5S Cleanup’ into a revival engine—let us travel it together.” (Chapter I) --Dr. Justin R. Woods