The Word of God Cannot be Quenched

Grace and peace from the Father and our LORD Jesus Christ, There have been many attempts to suppress the Word of God throughout history. Christians have been maliciously persecuted for the faith given to us by our Father in heaven.

Unbelievers have foolishly thought that they could snuff out the Living Word by the sword and fire, or other means of tortured, but the Bible declares, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” (Matthew 24:35)

In A.D. 303 the Roman Emperor Diocletian issued an edict to destroy Christians and their Bible. The persecution that would follow were insurmountable and grievous. Over a burned and extinguished Bible, Diocletian built a monument on which he wrote these triumphant words, “Extincto nomene Christianorum” (the name Christian is extinguished). However some twenty-five years later, Diocletian was dead and the new Emperor Constantine commissioned fifty copies of the Bible to be prepared at government expense.

“Forever, O Lord,
Your word is settled in heaven.” (Psalm 119:89)

In the year of our LORD 1776 a world renowned French philosopher by the name of Voltaire announced, “One hundred years from my day, there will not be a Bible in the earth except one that is looked upon by an antiquarian curiosity-seeker.” One hundred years later Voltaire was dead, and it is said that Voltaire’s house was used as a repository (storage) for Bibles by the Geneva Bible Society.

The first edition of Voltaire’s work sold for eleven cents in Paris, but the British government paid the Czar of Russian one-half million dollars for an ancient Bible manuscript.

“But the word of the Lord endures forever.”
Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.” (1 Peter 1:25)

Let us remember that the Word of God has and will continue to endure from everlasting to everlasting despite opposition. Allow this to comfort you beloved of the Father and may you be blessed by the Prince of Peace Jesus Christ, Amen.

 

Blessed are Those Who Can See

Peace and grace to you from the Father and our LORD Jesus Christ, When we think about being “Blessed” today we often think about material items such as cars, houses, and a large bank account. We are prone to think, “the more the merrier” and the more material items we possess, the greater the blessings.

Our Father has been in the business of blessing us from the beginning, ,”So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.  Then God “blessed” them..” (Genesis 1:27-28). That is until the great disobedience by our first parents Adam and Eve, who bit the fruit and for their disobedience where cursed. (Genesis 3:17)

After that great and terrible fall, we should note that no matter how many material items Adam and Eve possessed they were unable to reverse the curse. In other words the houses, herds, perhaps grain could not take away the sting of spiritual death.

Although I should point out the differences between the Old and New Testament usages of blessing are striking. To be blessed is to be granted special favor by God with resulting joy and prosperity. In the New Testament, however, the emphasis is more on spiritual rather than on material blessings.

If you are a Christian then you are abundantly blessed because you have Jesus Christ,
“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” (Galatians 3:13)

Your belief in Christ has given you the abundant life, you are blessed because although you have not seen your LORD, you believe. (John 20:29)

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5: 3-10)

 

Jesus Is Who the Bible Says He Is

Shalom beloved of God, There is a question about our LORD that many stumble on and I would love to shed some light on it by the grace of God if I may. Now the question is, “Why did JESUS tell His disciples many times NOT TO TELL OTHERS that HE was the MESSIAH? [See Matthew 16:20]

In Matthew 16:20 we read, “He (Jesus) commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.” Many people hold that Jesus told His disciples to be untruthful making our LORD out to be a liar. This is simply a huge error in their theology since we should understand clearly that Jesus, “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth” (1 Peter 2:22).

When we study the text closely we can discern why Christ told them this command. The scriptures themselves testified about Jesus, and if the people did not believe the Holy Scriptures concerning the Messiah and the mighty works He performed by the power of God, then they most certainly would not believe His (Jesus) disciples.

One of the greatest prophets, John the Baptist, testified as to who Jesus was.
“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29)

When Christ was baptized we know that the Father spoke from Heaven in the hearing of those who were assembled there. “And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)

Jesus also told those who were blinded that in all their studies they still had no understanding of who was indeed standing in their midst. Jesus said to them you “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” (John 5:39)

Jesus wanted these unbelievers to come to a realization of divine truth based on Biblically sound evidence resulting in true faith. There was evidence of who Jesus “is” all around them yet they did not believe, Jesus makes this sweeping statement about them, ” Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.” (Matthew 13:13)

It is clearly seen that Jesus is the Christ and “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made” (John1:3).

God bless you and may the Father of our LORD Jesus Christ increase your faith, I ask this in Jesus name Amen.

 

 

Holy Week ” Spy Wednesday “

Today in Holy Weeks marks “Spy Wednesday” this is when the Sanhedrin desperately wanted to kill our Messiah, even before Passover (Pesach).
While it is said that our LORD spent time in Bethany at the house of Simon the Leper and as they reclined at supper, Mary anointed Jesus with a extremely expensive oil called spikenard (Mark 14:3)

Costly was this oil indeed, it was a “years worth in wages” which was upsetting some of Jesus’ followers they said, “For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor” (Mark 14:4–5). Our LORD deflected that outburst and said “She has done a beautiful thing to me,” Jesus said. “She has anointed my body beforehand for burial” (Mark 14:6, 8).

Here is where we can discover mutiny against the Messiah, in the face of Judas Iscariot who was obsessed with money and was the treasurer for the congregation. Judas loved money more than he loved the LORD so we find Judas offering up our Savior for thirty pieces of silver.

This is a tragic reminder of some of our churches today and it’s “Prosperity Gospel”. We see many so called leaders who are blinded by greed and wealth at the expense of the “Children of God”.

I pray that you will see your worth in the face of an all powerful God, and that perhaps you will discern that the Kingdom of God is infinitely more valuable than anything you can attain on earth.

Matthew 19:24
“And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God”.

 

Come Closer Saints of God

Come closer to our Heavenly Father, for there is no better way to spend your days. Studying His word, reciting them throughout your day, literally walking in the spirit. The closer you come, the more revelation you will receive.

James 4:8(NKJV)
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you”.

The Talons of Fear

If we really understand scripture, and the mighty God whom we serve, then fear would have very little to do with the saints of God. Fear would not clasp us in it’s nasty talons. Study Beloved so you may know your Father, which is heaven.

Isaiah 43: 1-2 (NKJV)

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by your name;
You are Mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you”.

Alone Time With the Father

Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes in Life Together:

Whoever cannot be alone should be aware of community. Such people will only do harm to themselves and to the community. Alone you stood before God when God called you. Alone you had to obey God’s voice. Alone you had to take up your cross, struggle, and pray, and alone you will die and give an account to God. You cannot avoid yourself, for it is precisely God who has called you out. If you do not want to be alone, you are rejecting Christ’s call to you, and you can have no part in the community of those who are called.

The word community is thrown around quite a bit in Christian circles today. But our gatherings can be toxic if we do not spend time alone with God. I’ve been in many groups where people share their insights. The problem is not only that our insights are not as profound as we think they are, but that we’re so eager to share thoughts originating in our own minds, when we have a God who says,

          My thoughts are not your thoughts,
               neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
          For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
               so are my ways higher than your ways
               and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8–9)

I want to know the thoughts of God. I want to gather with people who have been reading God’s words, people who have prayed and interacted with him. I want to fellowship with those who fellowship with God. I couldn’t care less if you have a doctorate in theology or sixty years of life experience. I would rather talk with a fifteen-year-old who has been in the presence of God. ~ Francis Chan

God Has Promised

Deuteronomy 12:7
“There, in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the Lord your God has blessed you”.

How’s your prayer life? (Desiring God)

Hardly any question — unless perhaps if someone asks about your evangelistic efforts — can cause more chin-dropping, foot-shuffling embarrassment for Christians than asking about their prayer life.

Why is that? Why do so many followers of Jesus suffer with such unsatisfying prayer lives and consider themselves hopelessly second-rate Christians because of it?

Method Is Our Madness

For almost all followers of Jesus, I believe the problem in prayer is not with the quality of the Christian, but with the method of their prayer.

Of course, no change in method will make prayer consistently meaningful to someone who is spiritually dead. But it’s different for those who are spiritually alive. They are born again through faith in Christ and indwelled by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit’s presence causes them as God’s children to cry, “Abba, Father!” (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6), giving them a Godward orientation they didn’t have before.

In other words, all those indwelled by the Holy Spirit really do want to pray. And if an individual Christian sincerely seeks to live for Christ, and has no specific sin issue that he or she refuses to confess and fight against, then the basic problem in prayer is not with sin or failure, but with method.

And what is the method of prayer for most Christians? It’s this: When we pray, we tend to say the same old things about the same old things. Sooner or later, that kind of prayer is boring. When prayer is boring, you don’t feel like praying. And when you don’t feel like praying, you don’t pray — at least with any fervency or consistency. Prayer feels much more like duty than delight.

The problem is not that we pray about the same old things. To pray about the same things most of the time is normal. That’s because our lives tend to consist of the same things from one day to the next. Thankfully, dramatic changes in our lives usually don’t occur very often.

No, the problem isn’t that we pray about the same old things; the problem is that we tend to say the same old things about the same old things. The result is that we can be talking to the most fascinating Person in the universe about the most important things in our lives — and be bored to death.

So we can experience boredom in prayer, not because we don’t love God, and not because we don’t love who or what we’re praying about, but because of our method.

Solution in the Spirit

What is the solution? Well, whatever it is, it must be simple. God has children all over the planet, and they represent the widest imaginable diversity in language, culture, age, IQ, education, and Christian privilege (such as access to a Bible preaching church, Christian books, Christian content online, and more). If all these believers, despite the various and dramatic differences among them, are invited to pray, then prayer must be doable by all God’s children.

The simple solution to the seemingly universal problem of saying the same old things about the same old things in prayer is this: Pray the Bible. In other words, slowly read a passage of Scripture and pray about all that comes to mind as you read.

Do this, and you’ll never again be left to say the same old things in prayer.

Simple, Powerful, Biblical

Praying the Bible isn’t complicated. Read through a few verses of Scripture, pause at the end of each phrase or verse, and pray about what the words suggest to you.

Suppose you are praying your way through Psalm 23. After reading verse one — “The Lord is my shepherd” — you might begin by thanking Jesus for being your Shepherd. Next you might ask him to shepherd your family, making your children or grandchildren his sheep, causing them to love him as their great Shepherd too. After that you might pray for your undershepherds at the church, that Jesus would shepherd them as they shepherd you.

Then, when nothing else comes to mind, you go to the next line, “I shall not want.” You might thank him that you’ve never been in real want, or pray for someone — perhaps someone you know, or for a Christian in a place of persecution — who is in want.

You would continue through the psalm until you run out of time. You wouldn’t run out of anything to say (if you did, you could just go to another psalm), and best of all, that prayer would be unlike any you’ve ever prayed in your life.

That means if you’ll pray the Bible, you’ll never again say the same old things about the same old things. You don’t need any notes or books or any plan to remember. Simply talk to God about what comes to mind as you go line-by-line through his word.

As John Piper puts it, “Open the Bible, start reading it, and pause at every verse and turn it into a prayer.”

If nothing comes to mind, go to the next verse. If you don’t understand that verse, go to the next one. If the following verse is crystal clear, but doesn’t prompt anything to pray about, read on. If you want to linger long over a single verse, pray from and about that verse as long as you want.

By this method, your prayers will be guided and shaped by Scripture, and be far more in conformity to the word and will of God than they will if you always make up your own prayers.

Jesus prayed the Bible in Matthew 27:46 and Luke 23:46, and the early church prayed the Bible in Acts 4:23–26, and so can you.

Commend Them to Christ!

Oh, you who want unfailing comfort, I commend you to Christ! In Him alone there is no failure. Rich men are disappointed in their treasures. Learned men are disappointed in their books. Husbands are disappointed in their wives. Wives are disappointed in their husbands. Parents are disappointed in their children. Statesmen are disappointed when, after many a struggle, they attain place and power. They find out, to their cost, that it is more pain than pleasure—that it is disappointment, annoyance, incessant trouble, worry, vanity, and vexation of spirit. But no man was ever disappointed in Christ. ~ J.C. Ryle