"Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." This was a familiar Bible School verse that many of us memorized; it wa part of the process of hiding the Word in our heart.
One teacher pointed out that the best thing you can have is the Word, and the best place you can have it is in your heart, and the best thing it will produce is that it will keep you from sin.
Every one of the 176 verses of Psalms 119 uses some form of the meaning of this Word. Check it out. It may be a bit too time-consuming to check out the 5, 280 times it is used in the Old Testament!
Just what does it mean to hide this word in our heart?
One conference speaker said that as he was checking out at the supermarket, he made what he thought was just casual conversation with the cashier and went on about his business. Several days later he happened by the same cashier and she thanked him for the prophecy he had given her. He told us that he was just making conversation. What happened? In looking back, he said that before going to the grocery store, he had spent an hour in Bible Study and prayer. So what happened? He was so saturated with the Word of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit, that it turned his general conversation into "spirit and life" words for that cashier.
We have been memorizing and repeating Psalms 91 together as a family. I have heard over the past several years of many others who have done or are doing the same. One such lady was awakened by an intruder in her home. The first words that came to her mind were from Psalm 91:4 and she shouted out, "Feathers! Feathers!" The intruder was so startled that he fled from the house! She had the Word hid in her heart and it came to her rescue.
If a quart jar is full of fresh, clean water with a small stream continually running into it, then even if a few drops of oil happens to get dropped into it, it will immediately get washed out without contaminating the whole jar. Likewise, "Be filled, continuously filled, with the Holy Spirit."
Sin ceases to become a problem when we have the living, life-giving, creative Word springing up within us. We are no longer sin-conscious but Son-conscious.
Don't live sub-standard of God's best for your life. You can live the victorious, over-coming Spirit-filled life by hiding God's Word in your heart.
Thy Word is an essential, necessary, must-have part of our life as we are preparing for the coming crisis. It will put us over the top every time.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
SEARCH AND RESCUE
Mark 7:24 Jesus left teaching in Jerusalem and went to the coastal area of Tyre and Sidon. “He went into a certain house and did not want anyone to know that he was there: but He could not be hid.”
Jesus for some reason did not want to be found. Probably He was very tired from His walk from the Jerusalem area where He had been teaching about what makes a person defiled and unclean. But He was found. He could not be hid.
A Gentile woman who lived in this very same area Of Tyre and Sidon heard of Him—and found Him. This mother was desperate! She had a little daughter who was under the control of an unclean spirit. The very thing He had been teaching about back in Jerusalem.
Jeremiah the Prophet says in 29:13 “You shall seek me, and find me, when you shall search for me with all your heart”.
This woman met the criteria for finding help for her daughter.
She first rightly discerned that her daughter was under the control of an unclean spirit and second, she had heard about Jesus (faith comes by hearing) and came and “fell at His feet,” pleading with Him to “cast forth the devil out of her daughter.”
Jesus reads the thoughts and intents of the heart which He must have done in this somewhat hard to understand quip of the puppies and the crumbs of bread. He understood the faith response of this woman for He said, “Go your way; the devil is gone out of your daughter.” And so it was.
Application: Can we discern when a person is under the control of an unclean spirit and second, can we find help for deliverance?
The Amplified Bible describes the results of unclean spirit activity in a person’s life.
Mark 7:21-23 “For from within, out of the heart of men, comes base and wicked thoughts: sexual immorality, stealing, murder, adultery, coveting (a greedy desire for more wealth), dangerous and destructive wickedness, deceit; unrestrained (indecent) conduct; and evil eye (envy), slander (evil speaking, malicious misrepresentation, abusiveness); pride—[that is] the sin of an uplifted heart against God and man; foolishness (folly, lack of sense, recklessness, thoughtlessness).
All of these evil [purposes and desires] come from within, and they make the man unclean and render him unhallowed.”
It is a fact that there are thousands of “little daughters” and “little brothers,” “mothers and fathers, aunts and uncles” who are under the control of an unclean spirit.
Toward the end of this year you will need to draw upon all of God within you to meet the crisis. You too, may try to hide just to get some rest but you will not be able to! You cannot hide the Light of the world in you; they (people in need) will find you. We will have the privilege of bringing Christ the healer and deliverer to them.
Remember that “all of God is in Christ and Christ is in you.” You will be able to meet every need through the power of the Holy Ghost and the baptism of fire. Know what you believe and why you believe it.
Jesus for some reason did not want to be found. Probably He was very tired from His walk from the Jerusalem area where He had been teaching about what makes a person defiled and unclean. But He was found. He could not be hid.
A Gentile woman who lived in this very same area Of Tyre and Sidon heard of Him—and found Him. This mother was desperate! She had a little daughter who was under the control of an unclean spirit. The very thing He had been teaching about back in Jerusalem.
Jeremiah the Prophet says in 29:13 “You shall seek me, and find me, when you shall search for me with all your heart”.
This woman met the criteria for finding help for her daughter.
She first rightly discerned that her daughter was under the control of an unclean spirit and second, she had heard about Jesus (faith comes by hearing) and came and “fell at His feet,” pleading with Him to “cast forth the devil out of her daughter.”
Jesus reads the thoughts and intents of the heart which He must have done in this somewhat hard to understand quip of the puppies and the crumbs of bread. He understood the faith response of this woman for He said, “Go your way; the devil is gone out of your daughter.” And so it was.
Application: Can we discern when a person is under the control of an unclean spirit and second, can we find help for deliverance?
The Amplified Bible describes the results of unclean spirit activity in a person’s life.
Mark 7:21-23 “For from within, out of the heart of men, comes base and wicked thoughts: sexual immorality, stealing, murder, adultery, coveting (a greedy desire for more wealth), dangerous and destructive wickedness, deceit; unrestrained (indecent) conduct; and evil eye (envy), slander (evil speaking, malicious misrepresentation, abusiveness); pride—[that is] the sin of an uplifted heart against God and man; foolishness (folly, lack of sense, recklessness, thoughtlessness).
All of these evil [purposes and desires] come from within, and they make the man unclean and render him unhallowed.”
It is a fact that there are thousands of “little daughters” and “little brothers,” “mothers and fathers, aunts and uncles” who are under the control of an unclean spirit.
Toward the end of this year you will need to draw upon all of God within you to meet the crisis. You too, may try to hide just to get some rest but you will not be able to! You cannot hide the Light of the world in you; they (people in need) will find you. We will have the privilege of bringing Christ the healer and deliverer to them.
Remember that “all of God is in Christ and Christ is in you.” You will be able to meet every need through the power of the Holy Ghost and the baptism of fire. Know what you believe and why you believe it.
POPCORN AND PUFFED RICE
Here it is Christmas Eve, 2010, and I believe that my sanctified imagination has returned enough to post a thought or two.
It is rather funny where a thought may strike my mind for a blog.
This one was from the recycled cardboard backing for a scratch pad in the hymn book holder at church.
I had to wonder if Puffed Rice had anything to do with Christians. Then as I thought further I thought of popcorn. These two definitely have something in common and yes, they do have something to do with Christians.
In the creation scenario, all of the plants and living creatures were to bring forth after their own kind. But it would be impossible for corn that has been popped and rice that has been puffed to bring forth after its own kind. One could plant a whole box of puffed rice and a whole bowl of popped corn and it would never bring forth even one green blade.
Next, a verse of scripture came to my mind that I had memorized many years ago: Colossians 2:8, “Beware lest any man spoil you (puff you or pop you) (1) through philosophy—intellectualism), (2) vain deceit—idle fancies and plain nonsense, (3) traditions of men—man’s ideas, (4) the rudiments of the world—teachings of the universe and disregarding the teaching of Christ the Messiah.”
You might now read that verse: “Beware and guard against anyone puffing you or popping you!” along with four ways that the spoiler might try to spoil you, causing you only to be a snack for someone rather than bearing fruit for the kingdom of God.
Jesus said that we “should go and bring forth fruit and that our fruit remain.” But there can be no fruit if we have been popped or puffed.
If we are going to bring forth fruit after its own kind then it would be something of God’s nature within us. The fruit the Spirit brings forth is first love then joy and peace. All nine of the fruit of the Spirit is like an orange. The orange is one fruit but there are many segments within that one fruit. Love, joy, and peace are probably the first to be realized within us when we first become a Christian and the most noticeable to a non-Christian.
These fruit segments are meant to be given away to others. You can be a blessing to others all day long whether on the street, on the telephone, and especially in your home with your family.
Then there is long-suffering (an even temper) gentleness, goodness, meekness (humility), faithfulness and self-control.
How can we guard against intellectualism, traditions of men, and material influences of the world? Number one, first and foremost, know God! Know God’s Word—memorize it so when and if you wake up during the night you have a ready reference to rehearse in your mind. This is a tremendous spiritual battery charger.
Yes, beware lest any man spoil you but more so, beware that the kingdom of God is within you. “All of God is in Christ and Christ the Anointed One lives within us.” Recognize, honor, and confess all of God’s goodness, mercy and faithfulness to you.
It is rather funny where a thought may strike my mind for a blog.
This one was from the recycled cardboard backing for a scratch pad in the hymn book holder at church.
I had to wonder if Puffed Rice had anything to do with Christians. Then as I thought further I thought of popcorn. These two definitely have something in common and yes, they do have something to do with Christians.
In the creation scenario, all of the plants and living creatures were to bring forth after their own kind. But it would be impossible for corn that has been popped and rice that has been puffed to bring forth after its own kind. One could plant a whole box of puffed rice and a whole bowl of popped corn and it would never bring forth even one green blade.
Next, a verse of scripture came to my mind that I had memorized many years ago: Colossians 2:8, “Beware lest any man spoil you (puff you or pop you) (1) through philosophy—intellectualism), (2) vain deceit—idle fancies and plain nonsense, (3) traditions of men—man’s ideas, (4) the rudiments of the world—teachings of the universe and disregarding the teaching of Christ the Messiah.”
You might now read that verse: “Beware and guard against anyone puffing you or popping you!” along with four ways that the spoiler might try to spoil you, causing you only to be a snack for someone rather than bearing fruit for the kingdom of God.
Jesus said that we “should go and bring forth fruit and that our fruit remain.” But there can be no fruit if we have been popped or puffed.
If we are going to bring forth fruit after its own kind then it would be something of God’s nature within us. The fruit the Spirit brings forth is first love then joy and peace. All nine of the fruit of the Spirit is like an orange. The orange is one fruit but there are many segments within that one fruit. Love, joy, and peace are probably the first to be realized within us when we first become a Christian and the most noticeable to a non-Christian.
These fruit segments are meant to be given away to others. You can be a blessing to others all day long whether on the street, on the telephone, and especially in your home with your family.
Then there is long-suffering (an even temper) gentleness, goodness, meekness (humility), faithfulness and self-control.
How can we guard against intellectualism, traditions of men, and material influences of the world? Number one, first and foremost, know God! Know God’s Word—memorize it so when and if you wake up during the night you have a ready reference to rehearse in your mind. This is a tremendous spiritual battery charger.
Yes, beware lest any man spoil you but more so, beware that the kingdom of God is within you. “All of God is in Christ and Christ the Anointed One lives within us.” Recognize, honor, and confess all of God’s goodness, mercy and faithfulness to you.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
WHAT WENT WRONG?
That’s the question we often ask when something that has been working all right suddenly quits working. My laptop had been working fine until three weeks ago a red light began bleeping beside the blue ones. It must need a new battery I figured. Then before I could check further into that, it all went blank. I was ready to take it to the fix-it shop when my daughter began to read the instruction manual. She plugged it into a different outlet and all at once it worked fine. What had gone wrong? The outlet I had been using went bad, not the computer.
That’s really a simple illustration of how we often miss God’s purposes for our life. We may have a poor connection to our Power Source or perhaps we didn’t read the Manual (the Bible) close enough.
Our Power Source is God. Jesus said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” He then told the disciples further, “Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Matthew 28:18-20
The word power here in Matthew means “authority.” Jesus taught them as “one having authority” to the point where the people marveled that “never a man spoke like this man.”
It is interesting to note that the word power in Acts 1:8, “But you shall receive power” has a different meaning but complements Matthew’s use of the word. In Acts, the word power means “to have great ability.” What good would it do to have great authority without having great ability to back it up?
This “authority power” and “ability power” came upon the 120 persons gathered in the upper room on the day of Pentecost in the person of the Holy Spirit. Remember, God is Holy and God is Spirit hence we have Holy Spirit.
Here is a very important point to remember. When we are “born again—born from above—born of God” it is the work of the Holy Spirit bringing us to repentance and faith in Christ.
We do not have great ability or great authority as a baby Christian. It is unfortunate that Christians go through their entire lives barely maintaining their own salvation because they have never appropriated what our Manual declares is the “one thing needful” to live a victorious Christian life. And what is the “one thing needful?” Allowing Jesus to take that new, born-again baby and immersing it into the Holy Spirit.
John the Baptist declared this as he began his ministry as recorded in John 1:33 “He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizes with the Holy Ghost.”
Jesus himself before his ascension told his followers “wait for the promise of the Father, which saith he, you have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” John 1:4b, 5
So “what went wrong” that every believer in Christendom has not received this Holy Spirit baptism, ordained and administered by Jesus? Did the Power Source or Manual (the Bible) err, or was it the fault of those interpreting it?
If something is going wrong in some area of your life, make sure that you have a great connection to the Lord through the power of His Holy Spirit, read your Manual, and perhaps call for help from a trusted friend.
That’s really a simple illustration of how we often miss God’s purposes for our life. We may have a poor connection to our Power Source or perhaps we didn’t read the Manual (the Bible) close enough.
Our Power Source is God. Jesus said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” He then told the disciples further, “Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Matthew 28:18-20
The word power here in Matthew means “authority.” Jesus taught them as “one having authority” to the point where the people marveled that “never a man spoke like this man.”
It is interesting to note that the word power in Acts 1:8, “But you shall receive power” has a different meaning but complements Matthew’s use of the word. In Acts, the word power means “to have great ability.” What good would it do to have great authority without having great ability to back it up?
This “authority power” and “ability power” came upon the 120 persons gathered in the upper room on the day of Pentecost in the person of the Holy Spirit. Remember, God is Holy and God is Spirit hence we have Holy Spirit.
Here is a very important point to remember. When we are “born again—born from above—born of God” it is the work of the Holy Spirit bringing us to repentance and faith in Christ.
We do not have great ability or great authority as a baby Christian. It is unfortunate that Christians go through their entire lives barely maintaining their own salvation because they have never appropriated what our Manual declares is the “one thing needful” to live a victorious Christian life. And what is the “one thing needful?” Allowing Jesus to take that new, born-again baby and immersing it into the Holy Spirit.
John the Baptist declared this as he began his ministry as recorded in John 1:33 “He that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizes with the Holy Ghost.”
Jesus himself before his ascension told his followers “wait for the promise of the Father, which saith he, you have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” John 1:4b, 5
So “what went wrong” that every believer in Christendom has not received this Holy Spirit baptism, ordained and administered by Jesus? Did the Power Source or Manual (the Bible) err, or was it the fault of those interpreting it?
If something is going wrong in some area of your life, make sure that you have a great connection to the Lord through the power of His Holy Spirit, read your Manual, and perhaps call for help from a trusted friend.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
BLESS THE LORD
“I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.” Psalms 34:1-4
Here in this Psalm is a perfect biblical prescription for “deliverance from all of our fears.” Perhaps this is why this Psalm has become a favorite to sing as Christians gather together.
First of all there is a decision of our will to bless the Lord even if we may feel down and discouraged. To bless the Lord means to “confess and acknowledge those characteristics that are his.” The Lord is merciful and kind, his loving-kindness is everlasting and his love endures forever. The Lord is patient and long-suffering not willing that any should perish.
When we bless the Lord we are not thinking of ourselves but expressing gratitude like children jumping into their parents’ arms to give them a hug and kiss.
Secondly, praise and thanksgiving go hand in hand and are closely linked with the meaning “to bless” the Lord. What is in our heart finds expression through our mouth. It is not kept a secret but is verbal so that the “humble hear it and are glad.” Praise choruses such as “I exalt Thee” are still very popular.
When we sing unto the Lord and bless His name He “inhabits the praises of his people.” In 1972 we introduced many of these worship choruses into our church service and the people were mightily blessed. One lady said that she never felt closer to Jesus in her life. Yet sometime later she became a very outspoken opponent when she heard that what we were singing were “charismatic songs.” She even said, “We’ve got to stop this thing.”
Charis is a God thing and means “grace.” No one can ever stop the grace of God.
By the grace of God we are able to bless the Lord and praise him continually. We can magnify the Lord and exalt his name together.
The Hebrew/Greek study Bible notes over 400 times in the Old Testament we are called upon to bless the Lord. When we do this, we come into the place where “the Lord blesses us.” “The Lord that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion.” Psalms 134:3
Listen to how Unger’s Bible Dictionary describes God’s blessing to us. “God’s blessings to us are accompanied with that virtue which renders his blessing effectual, and which is expressed by it.”
Jesus Christ is God’s greatest blessing to us. “He delivered me from all my fears” when he brought with him all of the Godly virtue that was in God. When Jesus said, “My peace I give unto you” that statement carried with it the very virtue of God. When we lay hands on someone and bless them with the peace of God, that same virtue is transferred to them.
We have the privilege of blessing God and also of blessing one another in the name of the Lord.
Have you been practicing “Passing on the peace of God, the blessing of God?” Your family needs the blessings of God.
My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.
I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.” Psalms 34:1-4
Here in this Psalm is a perfect biblical prescription for “deliverance from all of our fears.” Perhaps this is why this Psalm has become a favorite to sing as Christians gather together.
First of all there is a decision of our will to bless the Lord even if we may feel down and discouraged. To bless the Lord means to “confess and acknowledge those characteristics that are his.” The Lord is merciful and kind, his loving-kindness is everlasting and his love endures forever. The Lord is patient and long-suffering not willing that any should perish.
When we bless the Lord we are not thinking of ourselves but expressing gratitude like children jumping into their parents’ arms to give them a hug and kiss.
Secondly, praise and thanksgiving go hand in hand and are closely linked with the meaning “to bless” the Lord. What is in our heart finds expression through our mouth. It is not kept a secret but is verbal so that the “humble hear it and are glad.” Praise choruses such as “I exalt Thee” are still very popular.
When we sing unto the Lord and bless His name He “inhabits the praises of his people.” In 1972 we introduced many of these worship choruses into our church service and the people were mightily blessed. One lady said that she never felt closer to Jesus in her life. Yet sometime later she became a very outspoken opponent when she heard that what we were singing were “charismatic songs.” She even said, “We’ve got to stop this thing.”
Charis is a God thing and means “grace.” No one can ever stop the grace of God.
By the grace of God we are able to bless the Lord and praise him continually. We can magnify the Lord and exalt his name together.
The Hebrew/Greek study Bible notes over 400 times in the Old Testament we are called upon to bless the Lord. When we do this, we come into the place where “the Lord blesses us.” “The Lord that made heaven and earth bless thee out of Zion.” Psalms 134:3
Listen to how Unger’s Bible Dictionary describes God’s blessing to us. “God’s blessings to us are accompanied with that virtue which renders his blessing effectual, and which is expressed by it.”
Jesus Christ is God’s greatest blessing to us. “He delivered me from all my fears” when he brought with him all of the Godly virtue that was in God. When Jesus said, “My peace I give unto you” that statement carried with it the very virtue of God. When we lay hands on someone and bless them with the peace of God, that same virtue is transferred to them.
We have the privilege of blessing God and also of blessing one another in the name of the Lord.
Have you been practicing “Passing on the peace of God, the blessing of God?” Your family needs the blessings of God.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
EPHESIANS (3)
We are blessed, we are blessed, we are blessed!
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, who has blessed us (in Christ) with all spiritual (Holy Spirit given) blessing in the heavenly realm!” Ephesians 1:3 Amplified Bible.
Just what does it mean that we are blessed and furthermore, that we can bless God? It is God the Father that has blessed us so that we in turn may bless Him.
To bless God means to “ascribe to him those characteristics which are his, acknowledge his sovereignty, express gratitude for his mercies, his loving kindness etc.” We often do this in our prayers of thanksgiving and singing praises unto him.
If children respect and love their parents then they will likely express their gratitude to them.
In Psalms such as 103, David says “Bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name” and in Psalms 145, “I will extol thee, my God, O King; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.”
When Jacob blessed his sons (Gen. 49:1-28) those words carried with them prophetic pronouncements that came to pass.
When God is said to bless us that blessing carries with it “that virtue which renders that blessing effectual.”
When Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.” That is a pronounced blessing that carries with it divine virtue that makes peace effectual in your life.
Here is another, “I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” John 10:28, 29.
Listen to the Amplified: “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never lose it or perish throughout the ages—to all eternity they shall never by any means be destroyed. No man is able to pluck (snatch) them out of my hand and no man is able to pluck (snatch) them out of my Father’s hand.”
So you can see we are blessed, we are blessed, we are blessed!
We are in good hands! Don’t ever forget it!
Just as Jacob blessed his sons so God is making pronounced blessings over his sons and daughters. This is not a universal pronouncement over all mankind as some may say. In John 10:27 Jesus is speaking of “his sheep which hear his voice, and he knows them and they follow him.”
Learn to speak the words “May the Lord bless you and keep you, may the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” You don’t have to be a pastor or a priest to express these words of blessing.
Parents, learn to speak these words of blessing upon your children as they leave for school this year and see what a difference it makes in their day. Husbands and wives, exchange these words when leaving for work or even when leaving to go shopping.
Speak these words of blessing after your dinner prayer
or evening devotions. Grandparents, speak these words over your grandchildren anytime they’re with you.
And the list goes on and on.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, who has blessed us (in Christ) with all spiritual (Holy Spirit given) blessing in the heavenly realm!” Ephesians 1:3 Amplified Bible.
Just what does it mean that we are blessed and furthermore, that we can bless God? It is God the Father that has blessed us so that we in turn may bless Him.
To bless God means to “ascribe to him those characteristics which are his, acknowledge his sovereignty, express gratitude for his mercies, his loving kindness etc.” We often do this in our prayers of thanksgiving and singing praises unto him.
If children respect and love their parents then they will likely express their gratitude to them.
In Psalms such as 103, David says “Bless the Lord O my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name” and in Psalms 145, “I will extol thee, my God, O King; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.”
When Jacob blessed his sons (Gen. 49:1-28) those words carried with them prophetic pronouncements that came to pass.
When God is said to bless us that blessing carries with it “that virtue which renders that blessing effectual.”
When Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.” That is a pronounced blessing that carries with it divine virtue that makes peace effectual in your life.
Here is another, “I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” John 10:28, 29.
Listen to the Amplified: “And I give them eternal life, and they shall never lose it or perish throughout the ages—to all eternity they shall never by any means be destroyed. No man is able to pluck (snatch) them out of my hand and no man is able to pluck (snatch) them out of my Father’s hand.”
So you can see we are blessed, we are blessed, we are blessed!
We are in good hands! Don’t ever forget it!
Just as Jacob blessed his sons so God is making pronounced blessings over his sons and daughters. This is not a universal pronouncement over all mankind as some may say. In John 10:27 Jesus is speaking of “his sheep which hear his voice, and he knows them and they follow him.”
Learn to speak the words “May the Lord bless you and keep you, may the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.” You don’t have to be a pastor or a priest to express these words of blessing.
Parents, learn to speak these words of blessing upon your children as they leave for school this year and see what a difference it makes in their day. Husbands and wives, exchange these words when leaving for work or even when leaving to go shopping.
Speak these words of blessing after your dinner prayer
or evening devotions. Grandparents, speak these words over your grandchildren anytime they’re with you.
And the list goes on and on.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
EPHESIANS (2)
There are many, many really good books on the study of Ephesians. I am not trying to do a systematic study of this very important book but simply gleaning what I feel the Holy Spirit is giving me for this time.
As you notice, I do not try and cover a great amount of scriptures but focus more on a word study and then see how that ties in with the whole chapter.
Keep in mind that it has been said that Ephesians shows “God’s highest revelation of the church.” At the same time the theme of this letter to the Ephesians is “The Spirit filled life.”
Prior to this letter are Romans, I II Corinthians, Galatians which show “the need of the Spirit filled life” and then following are Philippians, Colossians, I II Thessalonians which reveals “the results of the Spirit filled life.” You can choose just how far you want to go in this study. I will simply hit some of the highlights.
How does “the Spirit filled life” tie in with the revelation of the church? First and foremost the church should be an expression of God’s divine nature—the nine “fruit of the Spirit” and all nine “gifts of the Spirit.” This is simply the Holy Spirit expressing Himself through a yielded believer in order to bring glory to God.
The “Spirit filled life” simply means the attitude of our heart embracing the purpose of God which is that “we should be the full expression of God Himself in this world.”
For some, the purpose of God is to go to heaven. That is a settled matter when we repent and receive Christ as our Savior. Our spirit has been regenerated, made alive unto God and now we are ready for the next step. Don’t be consumed with going to heaven. I know that goes against a lot of teaching but God desires that we be the full expression of himself until that time.
This body cannot function without a spirit and soul. It is an absolute essential that the church be filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit. It cannot be otherwise or it would become an organization and not his body. It cannot function without a head. Christ is the Head.
This is the church that “Christ loved and gave Himself for—for this purpose—that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Eph. 5:26, 27
To the extent that we as members of a church are honoring and giving preeminence to the Holy Spirit and the purpose of God will the church be growing up in the “fullness of the stature of Jesus Christ.” See Ephesians 4:11-13
“As many as are being led by the Spirit of God they are the (mature) sons of God” Romans 8:14. In the scriptures we find that when we are first “born of God” we are called little children, then as we mature we are called “young men” and then “fathers” I John 2.
The point I am making is that “the Spirit filled life” leads one on to maturity to where we are “led by the Spirit.” We must have “young men and fathers” in the faith to be leaders and examples for the younger ones in the faith.
This often does not come about without much opposition from those in the church who are hanging tight to the traditions of men.
As powerful as the Apostle Paul was in ministry there were those who followed him from place to place bringing up false accusations against him and what he was teaching until he got to the point of “shaking the dust off” and going on to the next place.
As you notice, I do not try and cover a great amount of scriptures but focus more on a word study and then see how that ties in with the whole chapter.
Keep in mind that it has been said that Ephesians shows “God’s highest revelation of the church.” At the same time the theme of this letter to the Ephesians is “The Spirit filled life.”
Prior to this letter are Romans, I II Corinthians, Galatians which show “the need of the Spirit filled life” and then following are Philippians, Colossians, I II Thessalonians which reveals “the results of the Spirit filled life.” You can choose just how far you want to go in this study. I will simply hit some of the highlights.
How does “the Spirit filled life” tie in with the revelation of the church? First and foremost the church should be an expression of God’s divine nature—the nine “fruit of the Spirit” and all nine “gifts of the Spirit.” This is simply the Holy Spirit expressing Himself through a yielded believer in order to bring glory to God.
The “Spirit filled life” simply means the attitude of our heart embracing the purpose of God which is that “we should be the full expression of God Himself in this world.”
For some, the purpose of God is to go to heaven. That is a settled matter when we repent and receive Christ as our Savior. Our spirit has been regenerated, made alive unto God and now we are ready for the next step. Don’t be consumed with going to heaven. I know that goes against a lot of teaching but God desires that we be the full expression of himself until that time.
This body cannot function without a spirit and soul. It is an absolute essential that the church be filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit. It cannot be otherwise or it would become an organization and not his body. It cannot function without a head. Christ is the Head.
This is the church that “Christ loved and gave Himself for—for this purpose—that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Eph. 5:26, 27
To the extent that we as members of a church are honoring and giving preeminence to the Holy Spirit and the purpose of God will the church be growing up in the “fullness of the stature of Jesus Christ.” See Ephesians 4:11-13
“As many as are being led by the Spirit of God they are the (mature) sons of God” Romans 8:14. In the scriptures we find that when we are first “born of God” we are called little children, then as we mature we are called “young men” and then “fathers” I John 2.
The point I am making is that “the Spirit filled life” leads one on to maturity to where we are “led by the Spirit.” We must have “young men and fathers” in the faith to be leaders and examples for the younger ones in the faith.
This often does not come about without much opposition from those in the church who are hanging tight to the traditions of men.
As powerful as the Apostle Paul was in ministry there were those who followed him from place to place bringing up false accusations against him and what he was teaching until he got to the point of “shaking the dust off” and going on to the next place.
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