What I Treasure

Psalms 119: 11 NRSV

"I treasure your word in my heart, so that I may not sin against you".

Christianity has a very simple world view. This world view is why it can be adapted from age too age, people group too people group, and is not based on national pride, or race.Christianity, is based solely on the the decision we make in making Jesus the Lord of our lives, living out His word in our lives, until He comes or takes us Home with Him.

Things I do know is that as we talk to Him He honors His word. That the book of Acts should be normal in our world view. ( note if God answers prayer then the book of Acts in normal in our lives). In addition, I do know that God speaks to day. Since He is a living God,  do not let our prophetic words and or statements limit what He wants to do today.  Ephesians 2:17-22 is becoming a very important verse in my life.

 Ephesians 2:17 Netbible, And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near, 2:18 so that   through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 2:19 So then you are no longer foreigners and noncitizens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, 2:20 because you have been built   on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,   with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.   2:21 In him   the whole building,   being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 2:22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

The hand of the Lord

Proverbs

16:1 The intentions of the heart belong to a man, but the answer of the tongue comes from the Lord.
19:21 There are many plans in a person’s mind, but it is the counsel of the Lord which will stand.
20:24 The steps of a person are ordained by the Lord – so how can anyone understand his own way?
21:1 The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord like channels of water; he turns it wherever he wants.


If this is the case. Then why do we fear the on going foundations of the Antichrist we see developing in our nation.

The Baptism with the Holy Ghost

Always exalts the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Knows that the tomb is empty.
Creates a compassion for the Lost.
Will always separate us from the world.
A longing for His holiness.
Creating accountability for our own actions.
A Call to the deep.
 
Acts 2

Afterwards

Joel 3:1. And it shall come to pass afterwards that I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy; your elders shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. . And even upon the slaves and the maidservants in those days will I pour out My spirit. 3. And I will perform signs in the heavens and on the earth: Blood, fire, and pillars of smoke. 4. The sun shall turn to darkness, and the moon to blood, prior to the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. 5. And it shall come to pass that whoever shall call in the name of the Lord shall be delivered, for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be a deliverance, as the Lord said, and among the survivors whom the Lord invites.

Two Questions

One of the interesting things about New Testament thought is applying our Fathers word in real time worldview. Normally this is done by asking and applying questions about the word of God and then doing it.

Two questions that stand out; One is If you were to die today day would you have the assurance of heaven? The other is have you received the Baptism with the Holy Ghost.

If that same Spirit

                                                                

Romans, Paul shows the condition of the heart being equal; painting the heart totally void without God. He also talks about how all have sinned, fallen short of God glory - deals with the cost of sin being death.

Paul then shows the hope of the Church that if the same spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in you, making a believer alive unto God no longer under the condemnation of Sin.

Understanding a Biblical concept of change.

One of the first concepts of change can be found in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 Part 1.

Ecclesiastes 3


3:1 For everything  there is an appointed time, and an appropriate time for every activity on earth:
3:2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot what was planted;
3:3 A time to kill, and a time to heal;a time to break down, and a time to build up;
3:4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh;a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
3:5 A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones;a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
3:6 A time to search, and a time to give something up as lost; a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
3:7 A time to rip, and a time to sew;a time to keep silent, and a time to speak.
3:8 A time to love, and a time to hate;a time for war, and a time for peace.

Change at times is hard to accept, but it is a biblical concept that  change is seasonal in nature. Change can be seen in the cycles of the earth. Time  for us is also  a part of the healing process.

Look what is happening now.

Ezekiel 36:25-27

36:25 I will sprinkle you with pure water and you will be clean from all your impurities. I will purify you from all your idols. 36:26 I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your body and give you a heart of flesh. 36:27 I will put my Spirit within you; I will take the initiative and you will obey my statutes and carefully observe my regulations.

God does not show favoritism

God does not show favoritism

Acts 10:34 Netbible, Then Peter started speaking: “I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism in dealing with people, 10:35 but in every nation the person who fears him and does what is right is welcomed before him. 10:36 You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, proclaiming the good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all) – 10:37 you know what happened throughout Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John announced: 10:38 with respect to Jesus from Nazareth, that God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with him. 10:39 We are witnesses of all the things he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, 10:40 but God raised him up on the third day and caused him to be seen, 10:41 not by all the people, but by us, the witnesses God had already chosen, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 10:42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to warn them that he is the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead. 10:43 About him all the prophets testify, that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”10:44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all those who heard the message. 10:45 The circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were greatly astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, 10:46 for they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, 10:47 “No one can withhold the water for these people to be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” 10:48 So he gave orders to have them baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for several days.

Jesus Appearance to the Diciples

Jesus’ Appearance to the Disciples

John 20:19 Netbible, on the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the disciples had gathered together and locked the doors of the place because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20:20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 20:21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. Just as the Father has sent me, I also send you.” 20:22 And after he said this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 20:23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you retain anyone’s sins, they are retained.”

When Jesus breathed on His disciples, most of the preaching I have heard has been that this was when they were born again. But not all the 120 was present and Jesus appeared too many people after this meeting it seemed to have only happened to this present group. It then brings another question that there may be no clear answer, but along with the idea of being born again – can we ask then was his breathing on the disciples a place of preparation for Pentecost placing to rest the fears of last forty days. Laying the ground work for the next forty days. Just thinking a bet.

See what God is concerned about.

See what God is concerned about

This Good Friday morning, I was reading in Jonah the last several verses caught my eye, compare this with John 3:16-18 and see who God has compassion for even in the midst of Judgement.

Jonah 4:7 netbible, So God sent a worm at dawn the next day, and it attacked the little plant so that it dried up. 4:8 When the sun began to shine, God sent a hot east wind. So the sun beat down on Jonah’s head, and he grew faint. So he despaired of life, and said, “I would rather die than live!” 4:9 God said to Jonah, “Are you really so very angry about the little plant?” And he said, “I am as angry as I could possibly be!” 4:10 The Lord said, “You were upset about this little plant, something for which you have not worked nor did you do anything to make it grow. It grew up overnight and died the next day. 4:11 Should I not be even more concerned about Nineveh, this enormous city? There are more than one hundred twenty thousand people in it who do not know right from wrong, as well as many animals!”