POWER PRAYER PRAYER THAT TRANSFORMS - PART 2

TEXT:

Colossians 1:11-12 English Standard Version (ESV)

11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

POWER PRAYER THAT TRANSFORMS - PART 1

TEXT:

Colossians 1:9-10

9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

LUKE 3:16 - "EVANGELISM 101 BY JOHN THE BAPTIST"

John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire (Luke 3:16)

Any believer in the one True God will know that He is not only His best Evangelist but also the very First One. He says in Exodus 9:16 “But for this purpose, I have raised you up. I show you My Power, so that My Name may be proclaimed in all the earth”. Jesus, the Son of God Himself, was clear in Mark 16:15 when He says “Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel”.

The great Scottish missionary Robert Moffat (1795-1883) said these immortal words, which inspired his son-in-law David Livingston “In the vast plains to the north, I have sometimes seen, in the morning sun, the smoke of a thousand villages where no missionary has ever been”.  These words had a profound impact on Dr. Livingston, who blazed a trail for the Gospel of Jesus Christ in darkest Africa.

These men – Moffat and Livingston – operated with the same urgency as Yochanan the Immerser (or John the Baptist), the final Old Testament prophet. The first half of the Gospel of Luke, chapter 3, contains a detailed and dedicated account of the greatest evangelist in the Bible, after the Lord Jesus. The methodology of this passionate man of God is a thing to behold, thereby becoming a blueprint for us to know the basics of evangelizing.

MISSION STATEMENT:

Luke 3:3 gives us John the Baptist’s mission statement “…and he came into all the district around Jordan preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins”.

DIRECTIVE:

God Himself had prophesied through Isaiah that He was sending John to pave the way for the soon coming Messiah – John’s actual earthly cousin (in verse 4). Here is what the Lord called John, who is called “the voice of one crying in the wilderness”. His assignment came directly from heaven, which he declared with powerful proclamations. These are his orders from our Heavenly Father. God the Father gave these orders 700 years before, in Isaiah 40:3-5:
-  Make ready the Way of the Lord
-  Make His paths straight
-  Humble the proud and exhort the humble (every ravine will be filled every mountain and hill will be brought low)
-  Reveal the crooked and depravity of mankind that they may face up to their sins
-  Explain the rough roads and narrow gates will lead to smoother, greener pastures
-  Do all of this (repentance, faith, and baptism) that “all flesh will see the salvation of God”

METHODOLOGY:
John used varying degrees of heat to apply the board of divine education of their spiritual condition, to the seats of their knowledge.  He was quick to call out those who claimed to represent God because of their position in the temples and synagogues of the Land

NARRATIVE:

John understood his role and mission here during his brief time on earth. He was almost the exact age of Jesus but full of the Spirit of God. His extremely humble lifestyle (clothed in rugged natural clothes), with a menu of locusts and honey, was indeed reflective of simple Savor Himself – the Lord Jesus! John’s lifestyle and integrity gave him immediate credibility when God unleashed his fiery ministry in the desert!

Consider this – the desert was quite some miles on foot, or donkey – from Jerusalem and its surrounding towns like Bethany and even Bethlehem. When this Duck Dynasty looking man, with the beard and “desert -styled” hair started preaching, many recognized that he was a significant prophet of God! The reason is that there had not been a prophet of the Holy One of Israel for over 400 years since God shut the windows of Heaven with the closure of Malachi’s ministry. Malachi was the final prophetic book of the Old Testament.

John completely sold out to his mission. He was fearless and let the Truth fly, as God revealed it to Him. 

He let fly with what some may term the “Doctrines of Grace”, but with power, conviction and a knife straight to the heart of sin! Listen to some of the words he chose carefully:
 -  You brood of vipers (religious hypocrites and fake “believers”). (Why do you wish) to flee the coming Wrath of God (the coming Judgment of all people)
 -  Produce fruit in keeping with Repentance (stay humble, seek forgiveness from God)
 -  Don’t believe because you are children of Abraham, you are saved (God has NO grandchildren)
 -  The ax is at the root of (your) tree and one that doesn’t produce will become firewood! (This is the gist of Luke 3:7).

Note that in his modus operandi of in-your-face evangelism, he was very explicit about the sinful nature and total depravity of man. This really got their attention because they stayed and listened to him. First of all, they had to be more than interested in just who this eccentric prophet was. They walked miles through the desert to the various deep pools of water, where John was baptizing after the converts made declarations of Faith. (John kept moving to different rivers depending on where he could find good amounts of water).

Cut to the quick, some of the new converts, once getting on the same page as John, now sought to sincerely seek how to live and bear “fruit”. This is called Sanctification. This fruit of repentance of which the Baptist spoke is no different from what the Apostle Paul taught in Galatians 5:22-23. Paul had spent three years in the Arabian desert being taught directly by Jesus Christ after his dramatic conversion on the Road to Damascus.  Therefore,  he knew, with precision, what the fruits of the Spirit were. 

The fruit of a forgiven and converted person are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  These are no different from what John the Baptist taught, as a voice, crying out to the lost in the Judean Desert. Basically, he was saying….and it is still true….that “they shall know you by your fruit”. In all of the above-mentioned, John the Baptist became the first New Testament Evangelist, in addition to the final Old Testament prophet! All of this occurred in his early 30’s.

APPLIED:
Luke 3:16 fulfills the zenith of the John the Baptist’s main prophesy, and where the fullness of Jesus the Lord’s mission of earth comes completely into view:
- The One Who comes (and is now, here) is most Powerful
- This Powerful Supreme Being is overall, and even I, John the Prophet, am not even fit to be in the same room as Him or even tied His shoes. This Person is a King of which no word or action is comparable
- The King Who is coming is not here to baptize people with natural water. This is a topical testimonial of This is the job of mortal men. This King’s baptism is the Holy Spirit and "fire" (as Luke 3:16 indicates).

Knowing this, we have, who are called by His Name, have two choices. We can work for the King or sit back in the back row of the church of life, and do nothing. We can inspire our children, friends, family and the gas station clerk to be better and find peace, joy, and be healed with Jesus, or we can do nothing. We can do all things through Christ Who strengthens us, but if we do not recognize and grow in this strength and power, we are just barely going to squeak into heaven.

If your neighbor's house were on fire, you would warn him/her and call the Fire Department. Christians know instinctively there is pending doom. The Holy Spirit and the Fire of God are in sync with our spirit to place that fact of eternity in our hearts. We will be held to account by the Father if, when presented with an opportunity to help someone in distress find God, we pull a Jonah and bolt in the other direction. The difference between modern western Christians and Jonah is this - Jonah actually stayed around Nineveh (now called Mosul) after we read of him and his book cuts off in Jonah 4. He taught about Yahweh, lived in the area, died and was buried in Nineveh. We know this because when the Islamic State took over Mosul a few years ago, one of the first things they went after to destroy, was the tomb of - guess who - the Jewish prophet Jonah. Jonah complained, but he did the right thing. Today, church people complain...and the majority do nothing.

Let this not be said of us. In the same beautiful journal, of which we spoke in Matthew 3:16, we recommend the following:
 - Go to Galatians 5:22-23.
 - Write down one fruit of the Spirit per day. Then, take the first one - love - and do some soul-searching.
 - With the first Fruit of the Spirit, Love, write down what your love for God means, in Jesus Christ. Be honest, and also write down where you think you need to do more work in loving God. 
 - Write down where you are at with your love for your family, and other people. How is your love for the lost and hurting? Write it down. Are you cold and need to show some TLC (tender loving care) in that area? Write that down....and so on. 
 - This first fruit (love) is probably the most important because how you view Love affects all the other fruits.  If you and I love God and the Bible and Jesus and honor the Holy Ghost, we will be so much at peace that the joy will overflow and people will see it on our faces, all the time. Because of that peace, we are patient with others, because we LOVE (agape) them...and so on.
 - Do the same exercise with EVERY single fruit of the Spirit in your journal. For instance, if you are troubled over something, journal it, with the question "why am I not at peace?" Then go to the concordance at the back of your good Study Bible or most any bible, and research the word "peace". Or simply, "google" the words "peace in my soul..." or something similar. Then find the associated bible verses and instead of just writing down the verse number, journal the ENTIRE verse....or verses...and then watch God begin to transform your cares into a state of rest in His Promises and care.

This is a major assignment and all flows from the Gift of our Salvation, from the One Whom John the Baptist said, will fill us with the Holy Spirit and fire. This One's Name is - Jesus, the Messiah. 

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NEW LIFE - A MONTH OF VERSES: JANUARY 9, 2017

VERSE: For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6)

FORMULA: If God is the originator of something, He seems it through. Q.E.D. (Quod Erat Demonstrandum - That which has already been proven)

ACTION: The verse explains itself. Our part in the equation is simple - yet sober and difficult without commitment and perseverance. We have to cooperate with Him. Without our acknowledgment of His Lordship over our lives, sanctification to the high standards He set, will be either slow or almost non-existent, since we do grow even if by a centimeter. Trust and obey, because there is no other way,

PRAYER: Oh most kind and gracious God in Heaven, creator of all heaven and earth and as Charles Wesley says He Who loves our souls, we repent this day for having fallen short in our reaction to that to which You have called us in Your and Grace to us. First of all, Lord, thank You for calling me to Your side. Thank You for sending the Ancient of Days to sacrifice His Life for the forgiveness of my vile sins. Thank You for saving me and sticking with me through this process of drawing me even closer. Thank You that as time is fleeting, You still call me, and all Who will listen to come to the Knowledge of You so much so that it will mold and transform our lives into what You would have us be and what you created us to be, Father, we cry out for Your longsuffering and mercy as we grow more and more into the Image of Your Dear Son, so we will not be ashamed on that Day, to the Praise and Glory of His Name, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, amen and amen.

(Clip Art Credit Here)  

THE OTHER BROTHER - JUDE, THE BROTHER OF JESUS, PART 1

The Book of Jude is amazingly chock full of more nuggets than a San Francisco 1849’er could ever find in his gold mine. There is more substance, more power and more truth packed into 25 short verses of this book, than half of the books in your average Christian book store.

Before looking closer at these Truths therein, we must marvel at just who Jude really is! He is the other half-brother of the Lord Jesus and full blooded brother of the Apostle James (writer of the book of the same name). Both Jude and James were sons of Mary and Joseph, after Jesus was born of the virgin, as ordained by God. Jesus, James and Jude also had two other brothers and three sisters, but there is no mention of who the sisters were in the rest of the Canon of the Scriptures. 

It is noteworthy here that NONE of the Lord’s siblings believed in Him and His Work while He was alive! It was only after the Lord’s Resurrection, when He appeared to 500 followers AND JAMES (1 Corinthians 15:6-8) that James believed and then Jude.  Both of the Lord’s natural brothers (via Mary) were radically saved. James became the head of the founding church in Jerusalem. He became known as “Camel Knees” from praying so much to the Father, in Jesus’ Name and eventually gave his life for the cause of Christ. Matthew gave the names of all four of Jesus’ half-brothers who were born of Mary, after the birth of Christ. There were Joseph (Jr. presumably); Simon; James and Judas (who was called Jude for obvious reasons. Judas was a popular name before the betrayal). James and Jude were the best known evangelists of the family, after their Great Brother, Lord and Savior – Yeshua!  These names are found in Matthew 13:55. The Lord’s three half-sisters are not named.

Jude and James became more than radical believers in Christ. They stood strong for the Faith, were bold and travelled in the beginning with their now believing wives sharing the Gospel. In fact it was the Apostle Paul himself, seemingly concerned that only he and Barnabas were bi-vocational pastors, who mentioned them in his letter to Corinth.

Paul said “5 Do we have no right to take along a believing wife, as do also the other apostles, the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas? 6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working?" (1 Corinthians 9:5-6).

Evidence of Jude’s complete Faith in Christ is as plain as day immediately in verse 1. Note, first of all that he does not equate himself with the Lord, even though they grew up in the same house with the same earthly mother! It is obvious that both Jude and James encountered the resurrected Christ and it changed his life. From then on, he looked at Jesus as Lord and Master, not his older brother.

Secondly, Jude is positive about the doctrine of election. From a doubter and a scoffer of the Lord during his brief three year ministry, Jude knows positional salvation, having been one of the many lost previously. He knew his lost situation, from that perspective. He also knows that it was God Who called him to this salvation and that neither he, nor any man, just finds God.  It is the Lord Who seeks us out, elects us.

Third, and still in the first verse, Jude expounds emphatically on the doctrine of Eternal Security of the Elect! Using the word “tereo”, under inspiration of the Spirit, he proves the Love of God for all His children in the following phrase: “preserved in the Lord Jesus Christ” (NKJV). None of the English translations of the Bible keys in on the full meaning of this. The NIV says “kept by”’. The NASB says "kept FOR Jesus Christ". The New Living Translation comes closest in translating the original word as “kept safe in the care of”…Jesus Christ”! 

This is something to take comfort in and is for all Christians in these last days. The very fact that a Mighty Fortress is our God (which is what the word “TEREO” really means) and He will never leave nor for forsake His children remains the great hope for all followers of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In just the very first verse of the Book of Jude, the brother of the Lord….and in one sentence, we have the doctrines of Election; Sanctification and Eternal Security, leading to Perseverance of the Saints. What a powerful work and an encouragement to all believers of all time! 

As for Jude himself, no one knew what happened to him, personally. However, his descendants were well known. Some of them were persecuted and martyred by the corrupt Roman Emperor Domitian and historians noted that Jude's great grandson - Judah Kyriakos - was the final Jewish bishop or head of the Christian church in Jerusalem! This is noted by the great historian Eusebius, among others. Quite a legacy from a man, who never believed what he saw with his own eyes, until he witnessed the Resurrected Jesus Christ, his former half-brother!

PRAYERS OF THE BIBLE SERIES - THE BOOK OF JAMES, #12

METHODOLOGY CONCERNING: EFFECTIVE PRAYER

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:16a).

When a righteous man (a saved person- male or female) prays, God hears and remembers. Even if the answer is to be sent from Heaven 20 years later, God has it. Conversely, scripture tells us that God will not listen to the prayer of an unrighteous man – unless that person is crying out to Him for forgiveness of sin, the first step to salvation. From the Word of God:
- But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear (Isaiah 59:2)
- Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him (John 9:31). 

As just an example, these two verses above prove that there is no doubt God will never listen to the "prayers" of the unsaved. However, God will not pay attention to a Christian who is out of fellowship either. That is, one who is currently going through a season of rebellion and is not praying or reading the Bible….or even attending church, on purpose. The Apostle Paul said “should I keep sinning that grace may abound? May it never be!” Think if the fuel injector in your car. If it is clogged by the impurities (sin) of the gasoline going in through it from the pump (the human), there is no way the internal combustion engine can function as was meant by the automaker.

Therefore, we must be free AND forgiven from current sin. We should never be like the person whom James talks about here in James 1:6-7 "But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord". 

So what about about the "effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man"? This is simple and here is what the Word of God through James really says about it: "the many and constant intensive prayer of a man or woman made whole (or righteous) by God can, will and always will accomplish much". Let us not minimize the power behind the word "accomplish" because the original biblical textual word implies energy and power behind this "accomplishment". This is the INTENT of the Christian who prays with power and the expectation that God will hear and respond, in like manner to the fulfillment of the prayer request.

Therefore, let us pray: "Father, in the Mighty Name of Jesus, first of all thank You that You resist the proud and giveth Grace to the Humble. Thank You that You are a good good God and Your patience, mercy, grace and compassion are long-suffering and full of love towards us. We confess all sin in our eyes, minds, thoughts, and speech and deed right now and ask that You search our hearts, minds and souls and see if there is any wicked ways within us and rout and root them out and lead us to the Paths of holiness, goodness and complete righteousness in our sanctification that We may be worthy of being in Your Holy Presence as we pray for others. And Lord, may these prayers be fervent and full of the fire of Jesus Christ through the Power of His Name and in the inspiration of the Holy Ghost that we may reach Thy Throne of Mercy and Grace to bring our supplications, petitions and prayers for those who need healing, for those who need comfort, for those who need love, understanding, food, shelter, work, a friend or a kind word today and always. Let our souls and hearts be aligned with Thy Heart, oh Great God of the Universe, that we may seek Thee more and more to accomplish the goal and task and calling of the elect, to which Thou hast set before us, to do in Thy perfect will, until that day, unto which Thou will bring us home. We love Thee, praise Thee and magnify and adore Thy Holy and precious Name, HaShem, in Jesus Strong Name, amen.

All Scriptures in the blog: BIBLE GATEWAY

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LOOKING FOR A CITY .....(OUTSIDE THE CAMP)

12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. 13 So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. 14 For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.
Hebrews 13:12-14
(Bible Gateway- NASB)

Any study of the history of Christianity will reveal the sheer brutality which the persecutors of the Lord Jesus visited on those who followed His teachings, His Truth and His Way. The first three centuries were highlighted by the blood of the martyrs, who laid the cornerstone for the Faith we enjoy today. The first to shed His Blood was the Master Himself - the Ancient of Days, the Great I Am - YHWH - Who descended to reconcile man back to God. He was nailed to a Cross, suffered and died by evil men - Romans and Jews. 

Stephen was the first martyr of the modern church, led outside the gates (outside the camp as verse 13 above says) to be stoned by priests. Present was one zealot by the name of Saul. When Christ saved Saul on the Road to Damascus and changed his name to Paul, the latter spent and give his life in hot pursuit of souls to make up for what he had done to followers of the Way in the past. Every disciple of Jesus Christ was martyred except John. He wrote the Books of John, 1/2/3 John and the Revelation of Jesus Christ and died of natural causes at the ripe old age of 95.

The protective valley of Pella, Jordan,  where God sent the first

Christians from Jerusalem to save them from Titus (AD 70)

Photo Credit: www.bibleistrue.com

CHRISTIANS SAVED FROM ROMAN DESTRUCTION IN AD 70
When Jerusalem fell to the Roman General Titus in 70 AD as prophesied by Jesus Himself in detail in Matthew 24, not one Jewish Christian was killed because the Lord had removed His remnant and hidden them in a place called Pella. The Book of Hebrews was written, before this crucial event, to some of these same brethren to encourage them as they were persecuted by the Pharisees. The Lord knew this was coming down and wanted His elect to be fully aware of what they believed. The majority heeded the advice of the Apostle Paul in this Book and while the Romans killed millions at Masada and by starvation etc. in Jerusalem, King Herod Aggripa II welcomed the Elect to Pella. Pella is a city in the Decapolis which is just beyond the Jordan River.

To the Jew of the period, Jerusalem was the sacred and eternal City of God. The Good News is - Jerusalem STILL IS and will always be! But verse 14 above instructs those of us who are now in a spiritual "Pella" that this city is still to come. It is known in Scripture as the "NEW JERUSALEM".  This is a part of our history, as believers, to which scant attention is paid. 

We can look at End Times prophesy, as pre-Wrath/pre-tribulation believers, and

Petra, Jordan, future hiding
place of the Jewish Remnant
Photo: www.gomadnomad.com

are certain as to the taking out (rapture) of the church. Scripture tells of the hiding of the Jewish remnant which will be saved during the Tribulation, in the protected city of Petra. Just as the Lord saved the first Jewish Christians from the rampaging Romans in AD 70 by sending them to Pella, the one third of modern Israel which will be saved (during the Great Tribulation) will be housed in Petra - both being in the area of Jordan...both being "outside the camp"!

OUTSIDE THE CAMP
But what does this "outside the camp" really mean? Well, the answer is actually in the brief passage above! Followers of Jesus Christ know His Word and His Word dwelleth within. Therefore, we instinctively know that Scripture explains Scripture, because the Same Holy Spirit Who inspired the writers of the Bible to physically write down these words, lives inside everyone who is truly born again and rejuvenated, as adopted son or daughter of Abba.

Verse 12 (Hebrews 13) says Jesus suffered outside the gate...that He may continue to mold us into His Image (sanctify). We know He was crucified outside the gates of Jerusalem and died for the sins of all mankind, for all time. Therefore we are to "remain outside the gates" of the world as well, so that we remain worthy of being continually cleansed into spiritual growth, by His Precious Cleansing Supernatural Blood.
This means while we live in this world, our entire being - body/mind/soul - are to be set apart OUTSIDE of this corrupt system of the evil one in order to be aligned with His Holiness, His Truth, His Cleansing Power and His Righteousness. Anything else is anathema. Any other doctrine is the doctrine of demons. Any compromise to co-exist outside of the Will of God is idolatry and all three of these will be punished in the Judgment. We must NOT defile the sacrifice He made outside the Gate on Calvary, by running back into the City of Sin and its closed walls of death.

Verse 13 (Hebrews 13) gives us the road map of where we are to land, once we have made the conscious and intellectual decision to allow His Sanctification into His Image and Likeness. There is a work to be done. This work is not for the purpose of salvation but for the principle of submission. Here is where the majority of professing Christians in the western hemisphere (mostly North America and even Australia/the UK) have a problem. The verse says "let us go to Him outside the camp BEARING HIS REPROACH"!
There is a cost to this. We are not going to be loved and tolerated, even by those who like to talk about "love and tolerance". The biggest enemy of the true church is, get this - the apostate church! We already know who the atheists are and their modus operandi. We already see what false religions are doing to God's people in the Middle East, Nigeria, North Africa and Asia. But it is those who claim the Name of Jesus and constantly select out of context phrases from the Sermon on the Mount, while rejecting the Diety of Christ and the Inerrancy of the Word, are stumbling blocks. You and I will lose many of these as friends. Some of them walked with us, ate with us, and even went to church with us....but when the rubber met the road and then it came to the point of going outside the Culture and the demands of the Corrupt modern societal norms, they walked from Jesus just like those "disciples" of John 6:66. Are you ready to bear the reproach...which in today's definition means - the insults, mocking and cursing by the lost because you and I have Jesus Christ as our LORD and Savior? Only those to whom Jesus is LORD will persevere to the end.

Verse 14 (Hebrews 13) is the reward as well as the exhortation to not look back on the door that just slammed behind us as we walked away from the perishing of this evil world (in spirit and in truth). He says "we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come". Therefore what He (the Spirit) means is what the old baseball legend, Satchel Paige from the old Negro Leagues of 100 years ago once said "Don't look back, something mighty be gaining on you"!
This word specifically implies that the former abode from which Christ rescues us - IS NOT GOING TO LAST! Thus, He wants us, because we are now being molded and shaped into what Christ wants ....and because we have gone outside the gates, and turned from the fleeting/useless love and praise of mortal men into the growing in grace and maturity of the True Worshipper by taking the heat as a Disciple, we can now keep our eyes up to the skies, from whence cometh our help!

That help is the home which He first promised us in John 14:1 ("in My Father's House there are many rooms"). Those "rooms" reside in the Eternal City of the New Jerusalem! This eternal and everlasting city, where none of the filth, corruption, political correctness, distractions and diabolical plans of this current system exist, is the 100% REAL hope of the Believer. 
This will be the home of Stephen, stoned outside Jerusalem while the future Apostle Paul held the coats of his murderers. 
This will be the home of Paul, beheaded in Rome by Nero. 
This will be the home of Polycarp who refused to bow and burn incense to an evil one like Caesar. 
This will be the home of Athanasius, St. Nicholas, John Hus, Tyndale, Wightman, Jim Elliott, Pastor Saeed and the millions and millions of Christians from 100 AD until now whose names are only known to our Great Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
This will be the home of those of us, who take up our Crosses daily, live outside their gates, knowing Who bought us with His Life, and is now maturing us into the men and women of God, that He wishes all could be. Amen

THE DAWN OF GLORY

NEW SERIES ON 1 & 2 PETER BEGINS

KEYS TO A GODLY LIFE -PART 1:WHO IS PETER, THE ROCK?

A couple months ago, a 12 part series on the Book of Ecclesiastes was posted here, along with the video teaching from my PLUMBLINE TV show to go along with it. That series on Ecclesiastes kicked off the topic on the general "Meaning of Life", according to how God sees it. God used a deeply flawed man to get His point across, while at the same time, giving us a Living Example of what we should not become - like Solomon.

First and Second Peter are the bookends to Ecclesiastes. While the latter explained the Meaning of Life, Peter showed us exactly HOW we are to walk out that Life in expectation for the "Dawn of Glory" - that is, the coming Kingdom of God! How did a rude, crude, three-time denying, jump-out-the-boat and walk on water only-to-sink kind of guy end up with this lofty position of writing for ALL people of ALL ages? Well, because GOD HIMSELF through Jesus Christ His Son - gave Peter the Keys to the Kingdom!

The Keys to the Kingdom are not to let people into Heaven! Only Jesus Christ can do that. The Keys to the Kingdom are to show us HOW we are to live DAILY as saved and rejuvenated people, so we can come into the Fullness of what Christ expects of us. Remember this - Peter means "rock" but only in the pebble size sense of the word. Jesus Christ IS the Rock. Peter is a servant. Jesus is the Master.

The Apostle Peter was personally selected by the LORD Jesus Himself to be the Head of the Church - His Church. Peter is NOT the first pope and the word pope is nowhere near the canon of Scripture. The rough and tumble Galilean Fisherman sure had his ups and downs as a follower of Christ, yet we see in Paul's writings that he ministered with his wife and ended up in Rome where he was crucified upside down between the age of 65-70 years old.  

These next twelve teachings are not done by Chapter but by sections and are fully fleshed out for the most part. Pray, read and be blessed, in Jesus' Name, amen.

THIRTY DAY PRAYER CHALLENGE - DAY 13

PRAY THE NAMES OF GOD

DAY 13


GOD IS JUST


Non-christians are the ones who fling the word "Justice" around more than any of us. However their notion of  Justice is a misappropriation of the word to their own selfish personal or political desires. Unless they are actually saved before they die, the majority of the world will face a Justice of which they have no clue!


The world uses Justice from the Bible to mean an unbiblical use of "social justice" which is code for socialism or  a state run redistribution of wealth. Whereas God's Justice is something completely different.

God's Justice is and will continue to be the downflow of His Holiness. You cannot comprehend God Who is Just without knowing about the God Who is Holy.


God is Holy, Holy, Holy. There is no imperfection to be found in Him. His standards are so high that no man can attain to or reach it. We who are saved have to grow in His Grace, through the process of sanctification because He has called us OUT of this world to be set apart for His Kingdom. This calling and 'setting apart' is the Clarion Call to walking in Holiness.


Scripture says "be ye Holy as I am Holy"....set apart, consecrated...and without Holiness, no one will see God.


The saved therefore are set apart from the Judgment of God against the rest of the world, which will occur before the Great White Throne. They will be judged according to their deeds and told why they will spend eternity away from God before condemned, because God is Just.


He is Just because He is jealous to protect His Holy Name. He has given men and women free will and we have broken everyone of His Laws. We have ill-treated and oppressed His people through out time, in various forms and more.

We all know Romans 3:23 says we have all sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God. But we should read the next several verses to get the Flavor of what that all means. Here it is ":...and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus"
(Romans 3:24-26 ESV)


Pray with me right now as we both read  and worship Him through this Bible Passage:


Father in the Name of Jesus I come humbly to You and thank You for Your wonderful Grace, compassion and mercy to me and all the saints whom You have called out of this dying world, since creation and the fall.


When we deserved punishment, You gave Grace
When we deserved destruction, You sent Salvation
When we deserved Your Wrath, You gave us Your Mercy
When we deserved Your Judgment, You opened Your Heavenly Home!


Lord our puny minds cannot grasp the full measure of Your love for man, Your creation. 


Even when You banished us from the Garden of Eden, You sacrificed an animal to cover up Adam and keep him comfortable. 
Even after You flooded the earth, You gave Your rainbow as a covenant promise to never do that again and then You gave us a fresh start! 
Even when Your chosen Israel worshipped pagan gods fully and turned their backs on You, You sent Your prophets and messengers to not just warn them of coming doom, but to show them that if they repented and turn from their wicked ways, Your mighty arms of Love would be opened Lord!
Even when You saw people walking in darkness and they saw a great light for three years with Jesus' ministry and STILL persecuted and killed Him, You held Your only Begotten Son up as the Peace offering between You and them and us! 

Father, time after time, You keep giving us time! You have not forgotten our sins. You have not compromised Your Holiness. You have not  all of a sudden said that You did not mean half or any of the Words, commands and demands in the Scripture. You did none of that!


You are giving us more time because You want that none will perish and die and that each of us would have a chance to be saved and come to a saving knowledge of the Truth. You desire that none die because of  our arrogance, pride and self-delusion. The self deception is that we, mortal men, can talk and out perform good deeds thinking this is good enough to get us into Heaven when YOU ARE CLEAR THAT IT IS ONLY THROUGH THE SHED BLOOD OF CHRIST JESUS THE MESSIAH AND ITS CLEANSING THAT YOU WOULD ACCEPT US! Why can't get that through our thick skulls Abba Father!


God if we asked for and got Your Justice we would not stand in the terrible Day of the Lord! You gave us the way we should live in Micah 6:8 and I thank You for Your clear directions in my life, Heavenly Father. In Micah 6:8 You said
He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8 ESV)
Therefore I resolve this day to do Justice favorable to You.
I resolve to love and minister in kindness, according to Your Grace to me.
I resolve humble myself and throw myself daily to the Foot of the Cross and walk humbly and under the Authority and Lordship of my Savior - Jesus Christ and it is in His Name I commit and affirm all these things, amen and amen.

TOMORROW: GOD IS JEHOVAH RAPHA!

(image courtesy google images)