Feb 16

Salvation, the wedding of your soul!

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In the beginning, God created everything that we see and don’t see! When God created humanity, He gave us an insight to His purpose and desire. He created mankind in His own image and then made a profound statement in Genesis 2:18, “it is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” ESV Is it possible that it is not good for God to be alone either? I know that I am in deep theological waters at this point with that question, but everything the Bible teaches us of God’s love for us and what He has done for us to be with Him, leads me to believe that His purpose ultimately includes a suitable companion for Himself.

I have noticed in the Genesis account which literally means the book of beginnings, everything that God created was pronounced ‘good’ by God. Then when He made the first marriage with Adam and Eve, for the first time His creation was ‘very good’. Notice that Eve was made from Adam and the Lord made the statement that they are one flesh.  Marriage is beautiful in that a male and a female make promises to each other, and become one flesh in the sight of God. This ‘wholeness’ is seen by God as ‘very good’.

It is interesting that the Church is called the bride of Christ. It is also an interesting allegory that the Church is also known as the body of Christ. The Church is married to Christ.  Note that the word Church literally means the ‘called out ones’.  This gives us a clearer insight to the relationship of the Lord and His Church. What other similarities are there?  In a marriage, the woman usually takes on the name of her husband and they exchange rings as a symbol of their commitment. To enter into the church of the living God, we take on the name of Jesus in baptism and God seals us with the gift of the infilling of His Holy Spirit as we give ourselves as a gift to God. It is as if when we are baptized in Jesus name, we say ‘I do’ to the Lord.  When He fills us with His Spirit He says ‘I do’ to us. This is why simply accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior or confessing Him isn’t enough. Not only do we give ourselves to Him when we come to Him, but He has to accept us as well. Just as in a marriage, it must be mutual.

You may have never thought of the term being saved in the same terms as being married to Jesus Christ but according to the Bible that is exactly what it means. Just as with marriage, couples promise to stay faithful to each other. The Lord has promised to never leave us nor forsake us when we come and give ourselves to Him. In my observations it has never been the Lord who leaves; it is us that turn away from Him. When the promises are broken, one can understand what it must feel like to God to have someone turn away from Him. When we repent and turn to the Lord, we begin courting, so to speak, and the Lord begins finding us irresistible. He already loves us, but when we decide to live according to His teachings and holy ways, it shows Him our love.  He even said “If ye love me, obey my commandments “ John 14:15 KJV. Truly if we love someone, we want to do things that please them. In like manner, we don’t want to do things that displease them.

Jesus is still on the outside of many of our heart doors knocking. If we choose to open the door to Him, He will enter and share Himself with us. This is why it is called amazing love!  I have heard it said that ‘love is blind’.  I know in this case that love is all knowing, all seeing and all powerful! I believe that the Lord Jesus is quite excited about the upcoming wedding banquet that He will prepare for His bride.  I hope to see you there!  It will definitely be worth the price!

Feb 07

…and you will be my witnesses

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What did the Lord Jesus mean by the statement, “and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8 ESV)  This was the last statement that Jesus gave before He ascended and disappeared into the heavens. Note that usually the last instruction given carries much weight and importance to the one giving it. This was ten days before the Holy Spirit was poured out and filled 120 disciples with an initial supernatural evidence of speaking in other languages as the Spirit gave them the ability.  (Acts 2)  It was after this event that those disciples started proclaiming and preaching Jesus Christ and the born again salvation plan that they had learned from the Lord Himself.  When the Lord’s salvation plan was resisted by the power hungry religious rulers of the day, they were told by their accusers,  ‘yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching’ (Acts 5:8 ESV).  These disciples obviously were making a spiritual difference after they had received the power that accompanies the infilling of the Holy Spirit. So what does this teach us about what it means to be witnesses for Jesus Christ?

Let’s note that the statement you will be my witnesses, etc. is preceded by, “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.”  Evidently the ability and ‘power’ to be a witness for Jesus Christ can only come when we are filled with the Holy Spirit.  Something obviously happened to these men who initially ran for their lives when Jesus was taken to be crucified, and remained in hiding even after his resurrection. But now, after being filled with the Holy Spirit, which according to Col. 1:27 is Christ in you the hope of glory, these same followers boldly proclaimed and preached Jesus Christ to anyone they came into contact with, which caused many of these same disciples to be martyred in brutal ways! These uneducated fishermen and farmers after being filled with the Spirit of Jesus Christ, turned their world upside down with the Truth of what they were preaching.

This plainly declares to us that we must be filled with the Spirit of Jesus Christ to be witnesses for Him. He was quite adamant to His followers about not beginning their ministries until they had received the promised power of the Holy Spirit!  Remember that these same men had already received power from God to heal the sick and to cast out devils as stated in Luke 9, yet the Lord adamantly told them to stay in Jerusalem until they had received the gift of power that was promised them. The Lord knew that they would be hated for His name’s sake and all that His teachings represented.  In other words, the teaching and preaching of righteousness, submission to God’s authority and denying ourselves isn’t a popular message at all. (Matthew 21-23)

It is interesting to note that the original Greek word used for ‘witness’ is martus which is where the word martyrs comes from. Since true repentance is a form of death of our own self will, and the Lord instructs us to deny ourselves, pick up our cross and follow Him, we can clearly see what the price is of being a witness. (Matthew 16:24)

This is not a popular message, but it is the Truth! As the Lord instructs, we must count the cost and then choose to live according to the Lord’s ways over our own way.  Biblical salvation may be free monetarily,  but it will cost us ourselves and everything we are to follow the Lord Jesus. This is a strait or difficult path and a narrow way, and not for the faint at heart.  The meaning of the word strait used in the Scripture in Matthew 7:13-14 is not as in a straight line, but a strait or difficult place as it means to be in dire straits. It is during these difficult times as we follow the Lord, that we can truly be a testimony and be witnesses for God. As it says in the book of Revelation in chapter 12, verse 11 “And they overcame by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”  We know that without a test, we cannot truly have a testimony!  When we choose to follow the Lord Jesus, there will tests and pressure.  A metaphor of this truth is that it takes tremendous heat and pressure to form a precious jewel!

We have to know in our hearts and make a decision that we will have and keep a true relationship with our Lord Jesus so that nothing can separate us from Him.  May the purpose of God be done through us all that choose this ultimate honor and privilege of being witnesses for Jesus Christ!  May His love flow through us to the point that others can surely say, ‘that person has been with Jesus!’

In a world that is presently filled with much hate, may we truly be witnesses of the Lord Jesus and His love.

Jan 11

The Son of God

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What does the term ‘the Son of God’ actually mean?  More importantly for our understanding, what did the term mean to the writers of the New Testament Bible? First we must understand that the New Testament was exclusively written by the followers of Jesus of Nazareth. Just as Jesus Himself was born Jewish, the authors of the New Testament were also born Jewish.

The Jews are strictly monotheistic which means the belief in one God. The ‘Shema’ is the prayer/law taught by God in the Old Testament which declares the existence on one God. You will find the Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4-7 which states: Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.  (KJV)

As we can see, the Bible is clear in stating that there is one God and also to make sure that this is taught to the reader’s children.  It is no doubt that the obedient Jewish family taught their children this truth given by God.

In Mark 8:27-29, Jesus of Nazareth asked His followers who other people thought that He was, they answered that some believed He was John the Baptist or Isaiah or some other prophet. When Jesus asked them directly who they thought He was, Peter answered that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God.  What this literally meant to Peter was that God had made a human body for Himself and the Everlasting Father was with them, robed in flesh. They knew from Old Testament prophecy that a child would be born of a virgin and that child would be called Emmanuel which Is translated ‘God with us’. (Isaiah 7:14) They knew according to Isaiah 9:6 that a male child would be born who would one day rule the nations and that He would actually be a wonder or miracle of a teacher, He would be El Gibor which is translated ‘God the strongest’ (Mighty God), the everlasting Father and the principality or Master of peace. Peter and the other followers were present when Jesus opened blind eyes, and many deaf received their hearing and the dead were raised to life and many other miracles that only God in flesh could do; as a result Peter knew that he was talking to the anointed One (the Christ), in other words, God in flesh . On this truth, Jesus the Christ stated that the very gates or protection of hell would not prevail against the church also translated, the called out ones.  (In that time, gates were used as a defense against outside attack)  In other words, the devil’s kingdom can’t stop this Truth. This is a truth that needs to be rediscovered in this perilous time of modern spiritual attack and deception.  The Christian church needs to receive an understanding of Who Jesus actually is!

The good news is that the Truth will still set you free even today…

Oct 27

The thief on the cross.

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If Christian Biblical salvation is found in the Book of Acts, how is it that the thief on the cross was saved without having to be baptized in Jesus name and receiving the Holy Ghost?

Many have asked this question of myself and other Apostolic believers who believe that the Apostles of Jesus Christ were correct in their teachings that only through repentance, baptism in Jesus name and the infilling gift of the Holy Spirit can a person be saved and ready for Heaven. After all didn’t the criminal mentioned in Luke 23:42, say to Jesus Christ as they hung dying together on their perspective crosses, “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom”. Didn’t Jesus Christ say to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with me in paradise. (Luke 23:43 NIV) It sounds to me that that criminal was saved. After all doesn’t the Bible say that the Lord Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life in the gospel according to John in verse 14 in the 6th line?

That criminal was saved by the Lord that day and we do not doubt that in any way.  What makes this account quite extraordinary is that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ happened during the time of the Law of Moses.  The church age of grace didn’t begin until the Day of Pentecost, which was 10 days after Christ’s ascension and 50 days after the crucifixion. That was the day that Peter preached the salvation message of the church age:  Repent and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all that are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself. (Acts 2:38-39 NIV)

Simply remember that to be saved under the Law of Moses the obeying believer had to have a high priest and a sacrifice unto God. Hanging next to that criminal was Jesus Christ, the criminal’s and our High Priest as mentioned in Hebrews 4:14, and also his and our sacrifice as mentioned in John 1:36 and again in Galatians 4:4-5.  That believing criminal fulfilled the requirements of the law and was saved that day at the very last of his life!

On the Day of Pentecost, we were given a new way of walking with God with the infilling of the Holy Spirit.  The power of God to overcome sin and our own fallen nature was given for the first time to humanity and with it we truly become new beings in Christ. The law could not change our fallen human nature but only exposes it. (Romans 7:11 & Galatians 3:24-27)    Perhaps that criminal was one of the last humans to die saved under the law!  Only the Lord knows and eternity may tell. But for now, the Lord says to us as He said to Nicodemus in John 3: You must be born again to see (which is translated perceive) the Kingdom of God which happens to include Heaven. Jesus later explained a little more when He said that you have to be born of the water and of the Spirit to enter into the Kingdom of God or in other words, enter into Heaven. Jesus Christ is very clear concerning this so great salvation.

Still others try to find salvation in the Epistles even though they were clearly written to those that were already born again into the church, not to those looking to be saved. Note that most of the Epistles begin with the statement from Paul saying “to the church at Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Thessalonica, etc”. The Apostle Paul was writing instructions of how to live God pleasing lives unto to those already in the church. Many times he was writing to churches that were being persecuted and many times tortured or killed. That is why he admonished them to confess the Lord and be saved. Note that in one of Peter’s writings to the church, he mentioned that baptism is necessary to be saved. (1 Peter 3:21)

Salvation is a gift from God which He paid for in full, but it does mention in the Scriptures that the Lord expects us to do our part as mentioned in James 2:17-19 and Ephesians 4:1. The Epistles teach us what type of people we should be to bring glory to the Lord for the awesome investment in us that He gave us.  This so great salvation, which includes the forgiveness of our sins which was paid for in full by Jesus Christ, by His precious blood shed on Golgotha’s hill and the infilling of His Holy nature, truly brings glory to the Lord when we are willing to live according to His precepts and moral laws while reflecting the love and goodness of God to the world around us.  Truly our life is our witness as to our faith.  If we truly love the Lord, we will obey His commandments and moral laws and live to glorify Him.   The example and account of the Old Testament shows us that our salvation will still cost us something just as it cost those of the old covenant the best of their flocks that would be sacrificed to the Lord to push ahead their sins.   Today the denying of ourselves, the picking up of our crosses and the following of the the Lord isn’t always the easiest thing to do and it does cost us something, but it is truly worth it.  After all, living according to God’s ways, while following His example and doing the right thing in a world that glorifies doing the wrong thing still takes a lot of effort and can definitely be called good works.

Sep 03

God, why all the mystery?

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I believe that this universe and all that is in it, is a wonderful creation. As it is written, the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament His handiwork. With such a wonderful creation, that was absolutely impossible to have happened by chance, why then does the Creator choose to keep Himself veiled in mystery? Wouldn’t it be much easier on us believers  if God would do something so spectacular as to take away all doubt of His existence? Something like stop Niagara Falls from falling! Or perhaps have clouds form the words, “I am that I am! I am Jesus…” But yet, He veils Himself in mystery so that unless you believe that He is, you won’t seek after Him. Unless you desire to know Him, you can go your way without ever considering Him.

Have you ever wondered why the angels that fell didn’t receive a second chance?  I believe that the angels, who had already been created before the earth was, decided to rebel against God, didn’t need faith because they were there during the entire creation process.  Unlike us, they saw God at work, Who spoke everything into existence and then formed man and woman kind.  Because the angels saw God and knew Him, it didn’t take faith for them to believe that God is.  Therefore no mercy was offered for their deeds.

In contrast, we humans have never seen God, although the Bible declares in Rev. 10:07, that the mystery of God will one day be revealed to us. But for now, the mystery that God has chosen for Himself, allows Him to extend mercy to us.  As it is written, we humans are made in the image of God, it stands to reason that He would find a way to save us. Being made in His image, God give us choice. I believe that God is our very source of life, so without Him we are miserable and unfulfilled. Just as if you pull a fish out of water or pull a tree out of the ground that  it would die, so it is with us being pulled away from God.  I know from experience that finding the purpose that God has for me and doing it, has given me a joy that it hard to describe.  I now have a purpose that is bigger than I am!

One day, when the mystery of God is revealed, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord  (literally Jehovah, meaning the self existent One), but until then, I am thankful for the mystery that gave me the mercy to find Him! I have never been the same since he filled me with the gift of His Holy Spirit which has given me abundant life and joy! I am thankful that when He knocked on my heart door, I opened it and invited Jesus into my life!

May 06

What did Jesus say about a divided Kingdom?

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Isn’t it amazing that Jesus Christ Himself spoke of the Kingdom of Heaven, which is temporarily here on earth as the born again church, as being completely “leavened”.  The Greek word that is translated as “leaven” literally means error or fermentation. (Matthew 13:33 & Luke 13:21) Could it be that the error that was added by mankind was the very thing that God Himself was so adamant about teaching His people: “Hear O Israel, the Lord thy God is one Lord:” (Deuteronomy 6:4). God wanted His people to teach this truth to their children!  Isn’t it interesting that an emperor of Rome named Theodosius decided to change this foundational monotheistic doctrine of the Christian church to a pagan doctrine of a multiple person god for a political advantage.  It is too bad that after the beginning of the reformation of the church after the dark ages, the doctrine of a multiple person god was never challenged as being invalid according to the Bible.

The living Word of God is truly amazing and is as a hidden treasure in a field that someone has found and then realizing the value of the treasure was willing to  sell all he had to buy that field!  (Matthew 13:44)  There is so much depth in the Bible that once you uncover it, you’ll stand amazed at the fact of not seeing the treasure therein! Our eternal God has also shrouded Himself with mystery which allows Him to be merciful to us humans in this time. The angels, which did not need faith, didn’t get a second chance when they rebelled.  Because we see God through faith, we can be shown mercy in this church age.  Because of this, we have to dig for the hidden treasure of understanding His message has for us!  How else would God know that we truly love him unless we were willing to obey His word and commands? But notice that the heavens themselves speak of the glory of God…

Jesus the Messiah also spoke about the fact that a Kingdom divided will not stand. Does anyone out there believe that perhaps the devil (the one presently behind sparking much of the strife between humanity),  also knows that.  Perhaps that is why he is so hard at work bringing division to the Christian Church and keeping mankind distracted with the worship of self! After all, all you have to do to make “society” really mad is mention the name Jesus Christ and the fact that he is coming back for a prepared people!  Could that be why the politically correct society we live in tells us that it is OK to mention God or Father or even savior, but don’t mention Jesus.  Well, as for me and my house, we will cherish the name of Jesus Christ the Messiah! God with us…

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