Chronology of Events

This morning I wanted to at least post this small listing of countries names that are found in some Old Testament Books that are or are not the same today, so that if or when you come across them, they might make a little more sense as to what country they are talking about. This might be just for information at this time, but I thought it would be okay to post them.

Cush = Ethiopia
Elam = Iran
Shinar = Iraq (also where the Tower of Babel was built - Babylon)
Hamath = Middle Syria
Islands of the Sea = Mediterranean Coastlands

These are in reference to Isaiah 11, and I got them out of a book I am reading.

In the Book of Ezekiel and Daniel, the countries listed are:

Sheba = Saudi Arabia
Dedan = Persian Gulf
Persia = Iran (Iran is also called Elam in Dan.8)
Gog = Russia

If your Bible gives some info on these places, maybe you could share them with me too! These sure can be confusing :-)

Also, here is the list I have as a chronology of events - a brief outline from Genesis til now:

Abraham
Isaac
Jacob - 12 sons which become the 12 Tribes of Israel (Jacobs name was changed to "Israel")
Joseph
Moses
Joshua brought Israel into Promised Land
Judges ruled Israel
Samuel - last of the Judges - appoints the first King of Israel
Saul - first king
David - appointed king in place of Saul
Solomon - David's son and successor as King - built the 1st Temple
Rehoboam - Solomon's son and successor as King - He was a bad King so the people rebelled
Israel splits into 2 Kingdoms - (the Books of Kings and Chronicles records the many kings of both the Southern and Northern Kingdoms)
Southern Kingdom = Tribes of Judah and Benjamin
Northern Kingdom = Remaining 10 Tribes

These 2 Kingdoms fought each other until the Assyrians conquered the Northern Tribes in 721 B.C. and brought foreigners in to resettle the land (the Samaritans)

The following events are prophecied in the Book of Daniel and in the Prophets as well as they warned the Israelites of the coming destruction of Jerusalem and their captivity because of their unfaithfulness to God and breaking their covenant with Him:

The Babylonians (under Neuchadnezzer) conquer Assyria (Daniel 1)
Then the Babylonians capture Judah and destroy the Temple and Jerusalem (586 B.C.)

The Medo-Persian Empire arises and conquers Babylon (under Cyrus - 589 B.C.)

Cyrus decrees that the Temple should be rebuilt in Jerusalem (Ezra 1:1,2)538 B.C.

Greeks arise (under Alexander the Great) and conquer the Persians, Syria and Judah (333 B.C.)
Antiochus Epiphanes rules Syria and Judea (175-164 B.C.)

The Maccabeans lead a revolt against Antiochus Epiphanes and establish Jewish Independence in Jerusalem and the surrounding area.

Greek Kingdom under Alexander the Great splits into 4 parts:
1. Macedonia, Greece, Epirus (under Cassander)
2. Thrace, Bithynia (under Lysimachus)
3. Egypt, Libya, Arabia, Coelosyria, Palestine (under Ptolemy)
4. Syria (under Seleucus)

The Roman Empire conquered the Greeks in the 8th year of the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes.
Romans (under Pompey) defeat Syria and Jerusalem 63 B.C.

Jesus is born

Romans (under Titus) destryoy Jerusalem and Temple (70 A.D.)

110-160 A.D. Marcion of Sinope (a follower of Plato and believer in "gnosticism") wanted to separate Christianity from any connection to Judaism. (Gnosticism was spreading in the Church even during the time of the Apostles, and many of the Epistles refer to it and write to the Church to stand firm against its false beliefs.)

100-165 A.D. Justin Martyr claimed God's covenant with Israel was no longer valid and was replaced by the Gentiles.

Jewish persecution of the followers of Jesus was common. There was even a Jewish "blessing" which invoked a curse on the followers of Jesus called "Birkat HaMinim". Any Jew unwilling to recite it was excommunicated. During the Roman/Jewish War in 132-135 B.C., Simon Bar Kokhba (who was regarded as the Messiah) led a revolt. Jewish followers of Jesus would not support the claim of Bar Kokhba that he was the Messiah. Because of this, there came an even greater divide between Rabbinical Judaism and the Early Jewish Church. More and more Gentiles came to believe in Jesus and the Jewish Roots became less and less pronounced. Gentile Christian teachers were influenced by the Greek Philosophy and advocated cutting ties to the historic roots of Christianity. The Gentile Church became a distinct entity.

In 135 A.D. the Romans (under Hadrian) completely destroy Jerusalem and sends the Jews into exile. Hadrian renames the land of Judea to "Palestine" after the historic enemy of the Jews, the Philistines. This is known as the Great Jewish Diasporia (dispersion) They were exiled into all nations, where they remain today except those that have returned to Israel and are rebuilding their country.

Early Gentile Church Leaders:
160 - 220 A.D. Tertullian blamed Jews for Jesus' death, is known as the father of Latin theology.

263-339 A.D. Origen taught that the Scriptures were allegories. He was heavily influenced by Gnosticsm. He was known as the father of "Systematic theology."

306-434. A.D. the Councils of the Roman Church rejected Jewish influences by forbidding intermarriage of Jews and Gentiles, observances of Passover and worship on the Sabbath.

344-407 A. D. John Chrysotom denounced the Jews. He was the patriarch of Constantinople.

347-420 A.D. Jerome produced the Latin Vulgate (Latin Bible) and said the the Jews were uncapable of understanding the Scriptures.

354-430 A.D. Augustine spiritualized the Kingdom of God - maintained that the Jews deserved death and said that they were destined to wander the earth to witness the "Church's" victory over the synagogue. He was the father of Western Orthodox Theology.

637 A.D. Muslims conquer Jerusalem

701 A.D. Muslims complete building the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the site of the southern portion of the early Temple in Jerusalem.

1099-1118 A.D. Crusaders capture Jerusalem and make the Al-Aqsa Mosque into the headquarters for the Order of the Knights Templar.

1187 A.D. Muslims recapture Jerusalem and take back the Al-Aqsa Mosque

In the 1800's, the "Zionist" movement begins under Theodore Herzl, a Jewish journalist from Austria who called for the creation of a Jewish Nation to be established. A wave of immigration of Jews back to the Homeland begins.

During World War I Britain defeats the Turks (the Ottoman Empire) and governs "Palestine".
Britain gives the Jews permission to resettle in their homeland through the "Balfour Declaration".

After WWII and Hitler's Holocaust, world support grows for the Jews to estalish a homeland.

In 1948 the Jews declare independence for Israel and the Nation is reborn (2900 years since Solomon's Temple).

Within hours, the Arab Nations attack the new state of Israel and Israel conquers more land.
In 1967 Israel takes control of Jerusalem in the Six-Day War.

As you probably know, there has been fighting back and forth between the Muslims and Jews to this day!

This outline is as I understand it now, which I will update if I find new info. But for now hopefully is gives somewhat of a timeline of how we got here without getting too much into details. I also hope to post an outline of how the different denominations came to be and their timelines too. It is kind of good to have an idea of how things have evolved to where they are now.

Life, Death and Judgment

I have a few thoughts today resulting from a daily devotional called, "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers. While visiting the Messianic Church this last weekend, one of the Rabbis read from it a little, which caused me to pick up my copy once again.

He read a portion of the entry for March 16. It says,

"We must all, preacher and people alike, 'appear before the judgment seat of Christ.'
(2 Corinthians 5:10) If you learn to live in the white light of Christ here and now, judgment finally will cause you to delight in the work of God in you. Keep yourself steadily faced by the judgment seat of Christ; walk now in the light of the holiest you know. A wrong temper of mind about another soul will end in the spirit of the devil, no matter how saintly you are. One carnal judgment, and the end of it is hell in you. Drag it into the light at once and say - 'My God, I have been guilty there.' If you don't, hardness will come all through. The penalty of sin is confirmation in sin. It is not only God who punishes for sin; sin confirms itself in the sinner and gives back full pay. No struggling nor praying will enable you to stop doing some things, and the penalty of sin is that you gradually get used to it and do not know that it is sin. No power except the incoming of the Holy Ghost can alter the inherent consequences of sin."

" 'But if we walk in the light as He is in the light.' Walking in the light means for many of us, walking according to the standard we set for another person."

Basic Life Principle Every Christian Must Know

There is a certain principle that has been extremely helpful to me in my walk with the Lord. It is a parable that Jesus told in Mark 4. Jesus was teaching his followers how the Kingdom of God works within each of us. How come the fruits of righteousness, peace, love, joy and such are more evident in some people's lives, and not in others? Living a life of faith in God should produce much blessing.

First, we are told that in order to produce or experience the blessings of God in our lives (including answered prayer) the Word of God must be sown into our hearts and lives. (Chapter 4:14) Read the Word. Hear the Word. That is the beginning.

What happens next determines how much our lives are blessed and how much we are a blessing.

The first thing that happens after we have the Word sown into our hearts is that a spiritual battle takes place and "Satan comes immediately to take away the Word that was sown into our heart." (Chapter 4:15) This same story is told in Matthew 13 and in verse 19 of that account, Jesus says that the Word is easily stolen away from the people that do not understand what they have heard. These people are not close followers of the Lord, but are "by the way side."

Next, Jesus says that there are some people that hear the Word, but because they have a hard, stony heart, the Word of God cannot remain and grow in their heart. Even though the people were happy when they heard the Word of God, after a while they became offended or weary and when trials or persecution comes their way, they no longer keep that Word as precious, they lose heart and give up on following God.

Another type of heart condition that Jesus describes is one that is thorny. This person also hears the Word, but Jesus says that it does not produce any fruit in that person's life because the person becomes concerned with worldly things, and begins to seek money and the things money can buy, and becomes too busy living this life, that they lose sight of the value of their spiritual life of walking with their Lord. These "thorns" (cares of this world and deceitfulness of riches) choke the Word in their hearts, and the person becomes unfruitful in God's Kingdom. They cannot receive blessings and they are not a blessing to others. God is not glorified in their life.

The last person Jesus describes is one whom Jesus says their heart is "good ground". This person hears the Word, understands it, and it produces fruit in their life.

As Jesus said, a person cannot serve two masters. It is the faithful person that abounds in blessings. He gave His all. There is nothing He withheld from us. He desires the best for us. But there are things that would stop us from living the blessed life. As Jesus said, the first thing that happens to us is that Satan comes immediately to steal the Word out of our hearts before we can even understand it. Then we will find ourselves becoming offended at something or other. If we are offended, we quit trusting God and seeking Him, and the Word cannot abide in our heart and produce righteous fruits. If Satan can't get the Word out of our heart right away, then we need to be aware of cares, concerns, and desires for other things that enter our hearts and chokes out the Word. Then we find we have no time for God. We have no time for His Word. Our heart is thorny - ouch! There is a battle that we must be aware of. But Jesus told us about it so that we can recognize it when it comes. It will come. But we must prevail because our souls (mind, will and emotions) are at stake.

According to His Word - Faith and Culture

It was an interesting weekend for me. I finally visited the Messianic Church I had been talking about. The service lasted 3 1/2 hours! It really was nice though, as the people there have such an enthusiasm for God and love Jesus so much! It was also a culture shock. They are more Jewish than I had realized. The services are a blend of Ancient Hebraic traditions and contemporary Messianic faith. When they sang for worship, or did certain readings of Scripture, they sang or read first in Hebrew, then in English. They did traditional Jewish dances during worship, shook tambourines, waved banners and blew a shofar (a rams horn) - all traditional forms of worship found in the old testament. Anyway, it was interesting! I might go back again sometime. We will see. In the end, though, I realize that God calls people from every nation and race, and we don't all have the same styles and traditions. The main thing is that we have a good foundation in the Scripture and a true love for Jesus. Cultures vary, and that is okay.It really made me realize and appreciate what kind of culture Jesus grew up in. He was, after all, Jewish. But that doesn't mean we all need to become Jewish. It does, however, remind me that it is us, the Gentiles, that are grafted into the vine (Jesus' family), and not the other way around...lol. So many times I think we translate the scriptures according to our Western way of thinking. I felt that the Jewish people had a greater understanding of the Scripture, since that is their heritage and culture. But even the Rabbi agrees...God looks on the heart. God is still our Father too. We may or may not have all of our doctrine or theology straight all time, but God honors a heart of love and faith in Him. Of course, if we love Him, Jesus said, we will keep His commandments, His Word. We will seek Him, and find Him - in the Scriptures. We will want to do the things that please Him. There is no other way to come to know who God is, and who Jesus is, except through the Scriptures.

Psalm 119:1,2,9,-11,15,16 says:

"Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD. Blessed are they that keep His testimonies and seek Him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in His ways.

How shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed according to His Word. With my whole heart I have sought Thee: Let me not wander from Your commandments. Your Word have I hid in my heart - so that I might not sin against You. I will meditate in Your precepts, and have respect unto Your ways. I will delight in Your statutes: I will not forget Your Word."

How were services at your Church this weekend?

It is so true that we are all "works in progress". That is a really good thing to come to terms with. Scripture sometimes says that we are "perfect" in Christ. The important part of those verses is the "in Christ" part. We are not perfect, neither will we ever be perfect on this earth, of our own selves. It is the sacrifice of Jesus that is and was perfect. And it is when we acknowledge Him, and receive His grace and Spirit into our hearts that we enter into that perfection of what He has done on our behalf.

The purpose of the Church, it seems to me, is to help us come to know God so that we can have a relationship with Him, and to help us show God to others (by imitating Him and becoming like Him), so that they also can have a relationship with Him.

I am reading a book about "Ephesians" by Marcus Barth. One of the things he said that I like is, "God made Himself known to men by the salvation of sinners in Christ." I think if we really think about this, it makes God so much less of a mystery than we think. It is easy to get false ideas of what God is like; there are many things we hear that can cloud our thinking of what God is like. But in the end, the truth is that God must be good, because He sent us a deliverer to save us and give us hope. People often blame God for bad things that happen to them. They think God is mad at them, or doesn't care for them. None of this can be true; if it was true, He would not have sent His Son, Jesus, to die in our place, and to take the penalty for our sin upon Himself. People often say that they don't believe in God because of all the suffering in the world. God has given to us all we need to be restored. He has only done good and reached out to a world that rejects Him, and then blames Him for the evils around us. He has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. The problem does not lay with God. The problem always has been found in mankind himself. The existence of the Church in the midst of a crooked and perverse world is God's witness. The Church bears the testimony of God's love, because without His love, the Church would not exist.

Marcus Barth writes, "To receive and to convey the knowledge of God's mystery, this is essential to the Church." "She is not only the privileged recipient, but also the chosen instrument of the manifestation of God's will, grace, and might.The Church is the first-fruit of God's revelation. She knows already what is to be known and acknowledged universally. Until all in all is filled with the fullness of God, only the Church is called 'the fullness of Christ' (i.e., that which is already filled by Christ). Only the Church had 'heard and believed the work of truth, the Gospel of salvation."

Once a person has opened their heart to receive the good news of salvation through Jesus, they become a child of God and are given an inheritance in His Kingdom.

Colossians 1:12,13 "We give thanks to the Father, who made us worthy to receive an inheritance along with the saints. He has delivered us from the power of darkness, and translated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son."

Ephesians 1:12,19 "In the past you were without Christ, strangers from the convenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. Now, you are not strangers, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God."

As a citizen in this New Kingdom, we need to learn how the Kingdom works, just like when an immigrant becomes a citizen of the U.S., they learn how to live as a good citizen in this country. Scripture, of course, is our "handbook" that contains the information we need to be good, productive citizens in God's Kingdom. We are now 'co-workers' in building this Kingdom, which is found within you. As the Kingdom grows in your own life, it will expand to draw others in as your life becomes a light in the world.

There are some very foundational things that must be in place so that this Kingdom within you will not become lopsided, or built upon faulty doctrines and ideas.

Hebrews 6:1 tells us, "Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on to perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith towards God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment."

I Corinthians 3:10,11 "According to the grace of God which is given to me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another builds upon it. But let every person take heed how he builds upon it. For there is no true foundation except the one which is already laid - the foundation of Christ. Now, if anyone builds upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble, everyone's work will be revealed. . ."

With this in mind, I think it is worth spending some time making sure our foundation in solid. According to Hebrews 6, part of our foundation includes "repentance from dead works." What are "dead works"?

We know that something that is "dead" is not alive, not growing, and definitely not producing any fruit. Also, Jesus said that if we are not connected to Him, and if we do not base our lives upon Him, we cannot produce fruit in His Kingdom.

John 15:5 "I am the vine, you are the branches: He that abides in me, and I in him, he shall bring forth much fruit, for outside of me, without me, you can do nothing."

How do we abide in Jesus? He tells us.

John 15:9 "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you: continue in My love."

John 15:12 "This is my commandment, That you love one another, as I have loved you."

John 14:23 "If any one loves me, he will keep My Words: and My Father will love him, and We will come and be at home with him."

Receiving Jesus' love is our foundation for good works. If we do work out of a sense of duty or guilt, or because we want to look good in the eyes of someone else, it is a "dead" work. This was a big problem for the religious people in Jesus' day. They didn't really love others. They just wanted to appear good. Only work that is done with love as the motivation will produce the righteous works that God is pleased with. It is our heart, our love that He desires. This has always been the case. In the Old Testament, God said,

Deut. 5: 29 "Oh that there were such a heart in them, that they would revere Me and keep all my commandments always so that it might be well with them and with their children forever!"

Jeremiah 30:21,22 ". . .for who is this that engaged his heart to approach Me? You shall be My people, and I will be your God."

Jeremiah 29:11-13 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you. Thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall you call upon Me, and you shall go and pray unto Me, and I will hearken unto you. And you shall seek Me and find Me, when you shall search for Me with all your heart."

Jeremiah 31:33 "But this will be the convenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days (when Jesus has come), I will put my law (commandment of love) within them and write it in their hearts; and they will be My people and I will be their God."

It is carried through in the New Testament.

I Corinthians 13 is known as the "love" chaper.

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels, if I do not love, my words sound brassy or like a cymbal tinkling. Empty noises. If I speak God's Word with power, reealing all His mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have mountain moving faith, but I do not love, I am nothing. If I even give everything I own to the poor and even be burned at the stake as a martyr, but don't love, I am bankrupt."

Romans 13:8 "Owe no 0ne anything, except to love each other: for he that loves has fulfilled the law."

This love (coming to know how much God loves us - so much that He was willing to sacrifice His own life for our benefit), causes us to reach out to others so that they can also know this love. Then God will be glorified in our lives as well as in the lives of those we touch, and we will be good citizens in His Kingdom, producing fruit that is pleasing to God. This is one of things that Paul prayed for in Colossians 1:10:

"That you might walk worthily of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God."

Don't Go Out Undressed!

In the previous post (before the American Idol one), I blogged about Paul's letter to the Church in Colosse, and commented on what we are told to "put on" and "put off". Ephesians 6 also gives us a listing of body armor that we are given to "wear"; our "protective spiritual clothing". There are times that we experience peace and rest, but there are also times when things are difficult and we may experience turmoil - after all, we are on planet earth...lol. Many times Scripture speaks of our walk with Christ as being in a battle. Have you read the Apostle Paul's list of battles? It is more than most of us will experience.
He lists them in II Corinthians, chapter 11.
Five times he was whipped
three times he was beaten with rods
once he was stoned (they are still throwing stones at each other in the middle east ...lol)
three times he was in a shipwreck
and he was immersed in the open sea for a night and a day.
He fended off robbers,
struggled with friends and foes,
was at risk of attacks in the city and in the country,
and was betrayed by those he thought were his brothers.
He knew drudgery and hard labor,
many long and lonely nights without sleep,
missed many meals,
was blasted by the cold, naked to the weather.
After that long list, Paul says that is not the half of it!
He also dealt with the stress of caring and worrying about the Churches. He personally felt deep concern for each member. "When someone is duped into sin, an angry fire burns in my gut. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is offended, and I am not burned?"

Whew! Given all that Paul experienced, we would do well to accept his counsel so that we will be able to say with him,
"I have fought the good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith. From here on in, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing." II Timothy 4:7-8

Paul tells us in Ephesians 6 that we have been given armor to protect us in this fight we are in.
He tells us how to "be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His Might."

"Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the cunning and deceit of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, the authorities, the rulers of this world, of the darkness of this age, against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenlies. Because of this, take up all of the armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having worked out all things, to stand. Then stand firm, having girded your loins about with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having the feet bound with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one, the things having been made fiery. Also, take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God; through all prayer and petition, praying at every time in the Spirit."

This armour covers you, head to toe.

A helmet on your head to cover your mind. In Philippians 2:5 Paul tells us to "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who being in the form of God. . .but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men, and being found in fashions as a man, he humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also has highly exalted Him. . ." The helmet of salvation - remember that what we go through is not lost in God's sight. He will reward us. Think about that.

The breastplate of righteousness covers your heart. You have been made righteous in God's sight.

Romans 8:33 says, "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? God is the One justifying. Who is he that condemns? It is Christ that died for us - who was raised to life for us - who is in the presence of God at this very moment sticking up for us. Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ's love for us? There is no way! For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come. . .nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Your loins being wrapped up like a girdle in truth. The "loins" are speaking of the hip area, literally.

Jesus said, "Whoever believes on me, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." Ephesians 5:26 tells us that Jesus sanctifies and cleanses us with the washing of water, by the Word." The truth found in God's Word is the living water within us.

Our feet are to be bound with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Feet, of course, are a reference to walking. Everywhere we go we bring the good news of the gospel: that we can have peace with God through Jesus.

Romans 10:14-15 says, "How can they believe on Him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, 'How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!'"

Covering all of this, we are to take the shield of faith.

I John 5:4 says, "Whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith."
II Peter 1:16 says, "We have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we make known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty."
We have the testimony of the Apostles as well as the Word of God as the foundations of our faith. It is a well grounded faith. It is well worth your time to read through I John and make a special note or highlight all the times that John writes that we "KNOW" . . . We do not have a "blind" faith. As Paul says, and we can come to say with him, "I know Him on whom I have believed." 2 Timothy 1:12

And last but not least, we are told to take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

We do not use this sword against people (we wrestle not against flesh and blood), by arguing with people about what Scripture means, or attacking them with God's Word. We use it in the spiritual realm. God's Words are spiritual. Jesus said, "The Words that I speak unto you are spirit, and are life" (John 6:63). When Jesus was tempted in the desert by the devil, He used this sword very effectively. Everytime the devil tempted Him, Jesus replied with a scripture verse (Luke 4:2-12). This is the most powerful way I have found to pray. Pray the Words of Scripture. Pray Scripture over yourself. Say what God says about you. With the entire Bible at our disposal, we do not need to be in doubt of what to pray. The Scriptures are so rich. I gave the example the other night, of Psalm 23.
"The Lord is my Shepherd. Therefore, I do not lack any good thing. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside quiet, still waters. He restores my soul (my mind, will and emotions.) He leads me in paths of righteousness for His Name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil. He is with me. His rod and staff comfort me. He prepares a table for me in the presence of my enemies. My head is anointed. My cup overflows. Goodness and mercy follow me. I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

When reading through the Scriptures, especially the letters to the Churches, highlight or make a note of the Scripture verses that are meaninful to you for prayer. Another example would be
I Corinthians 1:30 and 2:16. "Jesus is made unto me: wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. I have the mind of Christ."

As you grow in the Lord, and in His Word, my hope is that you will become skillful in using this sword of the Spirit.

Hebrews 4:12 tells us: "The Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword. It pierces, even to the dividing apart of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."

II Corinthians 10:3,4,5 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down reasonings, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought (remember that helmet of salvation?) to the obedience of Christ."

American Idol Fan

Hi Jessica! Just thought I would let you know that it was announced that Bono (one of many in a long list of participants) is teaming up with American Idol in a charitable outreach. I think it is really cool. I know he does some really good things, and I would like to listen to a recording of what was played at your church. The people at American Idol feel that they have been so blessed financially by the success of the show that they want to DO something to help others. They are going to be reaching out to the poor and destitute in Africa and also in America. The nights this will be featured on include April 24 and 25. They will give a certain amount of money for every vote called in. It is exciting to think about the lives that will be changed through these efforts. Kudos also for Coca Cola and the Ford Companies as they were also listed as being involved in this effort. There is an article explaining it all on the American Idol web site. If you would like to check it out, click on this link, and look for the article, "Idol Gives Back". The address is: www.americanidol.com.

Pitiful or Powerful

Hi Jessica! I really enjoyed the Bible Study last night. It is always so good to see you and be encouraged by you. I wasn't sure what to blog about today, and have given it some thought. I remembered you expressed a desire to know where to start in finding what your "responsibilities" are in living the Christian lifestyle. I thought I could blog a little bit about that.

The Scriptures often speak to us of "putting on" and "putting off" when addressing Christian conduct. Just as we put on clothes, we can put on Godly ways. Colossians 3:8-17 is an excellent example.

Colossians 3:8-10 "But now (since becoming a Christian) put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blashpemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him."

Don't hurry through this too much, because you will not get the depth if it. For instance, this list gives us some things we would do well to consider. For instance, anger and wrath are both listed. What is the difference between them? They are two different words. Wrath describes a more agitated condition of feelings coming from inward indignation and generally will rise up quickly and subside (reminds me of "road rage"), while anger is connected with a condition of the mind that is more settled and abiding, thinking about revenge. It is a more lasting state and not as sudden in its rise. Malice is not a word we are used to. It refers to being spiteful or having a desire to inflict suffering on someone. Blasphemy is another confusing word. It means, "evil speaking", or to bring dishonor upon someone by attacking their reputation, especially with unjustified or false information.

After we are told what to "put off", we are told what to "put on".

Colossians3:12-14 As the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a complaint against you; even as Christ forgave you, you should also do. And above all these things, put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness."

Bowels of compassions is such a strange term, isn't it? I looked up the word, "bowels" in the Greek dictionary, and it means "the inward parts as the seat of emotion". Vines Dictionary of New Testament Words says, "To be moved with compassion, to yearn with compassion is frequently recorded of Christ towards the multitudes and toward individual sufferers." Some examples of this are recorded in:

Matthew 14:13-14 "When Jesus got the news (that John had been beheaded), he slipped away by boat to an out-of-the-way place by Himself. But the word got around and soon a lot of people from the nearby villages walked around the lake to where he was. When he saw them coming, he was overcome with pity and healed their sick."

Mark 1:40,41 And a leper came to Jesus, begging Him, and falling on his knees to Him, saying, 'If You will, You are able to make me clean.' And being moved with pity, reaching out the hand, Jesus touched him and said, 'I am willing. Be made clean.' And when Jesus spoke, instantly the leprosy left him, and he was made clean."

Mark 6:34 "And going out Jesus saw a large crowd. At the sight of them, His heart broke because they were like sheep having no shepherd. He went right to work teaching them."

Luke 7:12-16 "As He drew near to the gate of the city, they met a funeral procession - a woman's only son was being carried out for burial. And the mother was a widow. When Jesus saw her, His heart broke. He said to her, 'Don't cry.' Then He went over and touched the coffin. The pallbeareres stopped. He said, 'Young man, I tell you: Get up.' The dead son sat up and began talking. Jesus presented him to his mother."

I noticed in these verses that when Jesus was moved with compassion, He was moved to DO something. People were healed, and the dead were even brought back to life. I am reminded something a wonderful Bible teacher, Joyce Meyers says often. When she was sulking and wallowing in self pity one day, the Lord said to her,

"You can either be pitiful (poor me attitude), or powerful. But you can't be both."

That really struck me. It is so true. When we are feeling sorry for ourselves, we can't help ourselves or anybody else. I would definitely rather be powerful!

Love is the glue that holds us all together and keeps us in the perfect peace of God. It is not an automatic thing, however. It is a conscious decision we make. Like putting on our clothes in the morning, it takes effort. But just as we want to look good on the outside, God wants us to look good on the inside. Our bodies are the Temple that the Holy Ghost dwells in. Kindness, longsuffering, gentleness, humbleness, meekness and mercy are the decor of the inner Temple that allows the Holy Spirit to feel at home in us. It is not always something we even want to do and it is also not always easy. But then we are again reminded that we walk in love and forgive others because we are also forgiven, and we are loved. We have been chosen by God to know His love. We can't know His love if our hearts are full of anger, wrath, etc.

Verses 15 and 16 don't tell us to "put on" something, but as we put on the things in the above verses, the result will be a peaceful heart.

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which you are called; and be thankful. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom."

Verse 17 puts it all into perspective. It says, "Whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord, giving thanks to God."

I like the way the Message Bible puts it.

"So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It's your basic all-purpose garment. Never be without it. Let every detail in your life - words, actions, whatever - be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way."

These are a lot of verses that speak of what to do in order to live the Christian life. They really point to attitudes within our hearts. They are not verses that tell us to go out and save the world, so to speak, but instead they tell us to live a pure life within, as Jesus said, the Kingdom of God is within you.

When the Holy Spirit is welcomed in your heart, and not grieved by the presence of anger, wrath, unforgiveness, and hardness of heart, then He is able to empower you. His anointing will be upon you to work through you and in you. In Luke 4:18 Jesus said that the Holy Spirit was upon him to enable Him to preach the gospel to the poor, heal the brokenhearted, preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised."
Paul also spoke of the power of God working great things in his life. In Acts 26:18 he said he was sent to the Gentiles to "open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith."

This is the kind of life the Spirit enables us to live.

Peyton

These are some old pictures of Peyton that Joey just helped me get off the dvd camera and load onto this blog. Just think he is almost a whole year old already!

He sure liked his swing!

Snow

If you click on the picture, it will enlarge for a better view!

The snow was still falling at 1 a.m.

This is quite an icicle!

This view is from our bedroom window..those round bumps are our bushes surrounding the back patio. You can see the snow piled up on the railing.



Joey is building a snow pile...it is going to b e a pyramid. We will see..that will be a lot of work!




This is a view of the snow overhanging our roof. I always think it is cool when the snow does that.





Here are some icicles that formed on the back side of our house. The sun was shining today and the snow was melting off the roof, resulting in these huge icicles.

Getting Along

There is always more to be learned about getting along with others. I believe the best thing to do in a situation where people don't agree is to look to God our Father for wisdom in the situation. This includes praying about it, considering the scriptures, considering Jesus, and making sure our hearts are free from bitterness which clouds our judgment. All this does not mean that we will not be angry or upset about the situation. If we do not get angry about something wrong or evil, then there is something wrong with us. The difference is that we do not seek revenge. This also does not mean that we do not seek to have the wrong made right. That is something we should work for. Revenge, on the other hand, does not have any redemptive properties to it.
Ephesians 4:26-32 is very informative in this. It says: "Be angry and sin not. Neither give place to the devil. . . .Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let al bitterness, and wrath, and anger and clamour, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you."

When we are in a situation where emotions are high and we are angry, it can be difficult to keep our words pure so that they will minister grace and edify. It is no mistake that our focus is to remain on the fact that God has forgiven us - for Christ's sake - not because we deserve it, but because Jesus paid for us with His precious Blood on the cross.

Notice also that when we have anger and bitterness in our hearts, we are giving the devil a place in our lives. This reminds me so much of what Jesus said in John 14:30-31:

. . .for the prince of the world (the devil) comes, and has nothing in me. But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence." (He said this just before His arrest and crucifixion.)

Now what does the devil do in our lives? The Bible says that he is "the accuser of the brethren". If we ourselves are guilty of strife and bitternes and unforgiveness, he has something to accuse us of.
It also says that he comes and "takes away the Word that was sown in our hearts" so that we can not produce fruit (Mark 4:15). The fruit of the Spirit working in our heart is: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance." (Galations 5:22) If we grieve the Holy Spirit, then He will not be able to produce these fruits in our hearts. Remember the verse in Ephesians tells us not to grieve the Holy Spirit. We are sealed by Him. When we grieve Him through harboring anger or bitterness, we break that seal. Then the devil can have a foothold in our lives.
No wonder then that we are told in Proverbs 4:23 to: "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life." Keep your heart free from bitterness and wrath.

Coming to Know Him

It is late...12:44am, and it is still snowing here! We really got a lot of snow! I have been in touch with my mom yesterday and today, and have had some good conversations with her. I have been studying tithing, as well as the meanings of the sacrifices outlined in the Book of Leviticus and their connection to the New Testament. One article I read stated that the early Church didn't have the written New Testament consisting of the letters to the Churches, like we have today. From what I have read in Scripture, apparently the early Church leaders like Paul and Peter taught a lot about Jesus by showing where the Old Testament foretold about Him. I have thought that would be a fun thing to do - to look at all the places that foretold or prophesied about Jesus, and how they were fulfilled.

One article I read mentioned that the Jewish people paid a "temple tax", which was used to pay the expenses for maintaining the Temple back then. In Matthew 17:24-27 there is an account that shows how gentle and considerate our Savior is. It says:

"And when they came to Capernaum, they that received tribute (the annual Temple tax) came to Peter and said, 'Doesn't your master pay tribute?' Peter said, 'Yes he does'. And when Peter came into the house (where Jesus was), Jesus anticipated him and said, "What do you think Simon? Of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? Of their own children or of strangers? Peter said to Him, "Of strangers". Jesus said, "Then the children are free. However, so we don't offend them, go cast a hook, take up a fish, open its mouth, take the money and give it to them for you and me."

The author of this article pointed out how gracious Jesus was in this situation. Peter was embarrassed that Jesus had not paid the tax, so he lied and said "Yes he does" when they confronted Peter about it. Jesus didn't wait and make Peter come and tell Him what happened. He extends grace. He initiates the conversation about it and invites Peters involvement. Also, He does not confront Peter for having lied. He doesn't rant about how unfair taxes are. . .lol He supplies the means for both His AND Peter's taxes to be paid. The author of this article also makes the point that Jesus really didn't have to pay the "Temple tax" because He was the True Temple (He said so Himself in John 2:19-21 "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise rit up. Then the Jews said, It took 46 years to build this temple, and will you rebuild it in three days? But He spoke of the temple of His body.) The author also points out that the Temple tax was established "to make atonement for their souls" in Exodus 30:13-16. Jesus is our atonement (Romans 5:11). Also, Jesus is the King of the Kingdom. The King does not pay taxes. However, Jesus said that He would pay the tax anyway in order to not offend others.

I really like scriptures like this that paint us a portrait of what Jesus was like. It makes me appreciate Him more and more. Besides, how can we be conformed into His image if we don't know what that image looks like? That is the whole point of Bible study to me. To come to know Him more and more so that I can be like Him.