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Complete change

Mark 5:15 - And they come to Jesus, and see the demon possessed man,
sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind, and having had the legion
and they were afraid [seized with alarm].

What we see in today's scripture the man possessed with a legion of
evil spirits and was delivered by Jesus was completely normal. Before
that he roamed naked and was very violent and now he was n clothed and
acted normal like any other person. There was a vast difference
between his behaviour when he was possessed and when he was free from
the bondage.

If the man was asked about how he felt after being free he sure would
tell you the joy he had in him. It is written he wanted to follow
Jesus for the rest of his life but then Jesus sent him back to his
family and told him to tell his people how merciful God was with him.
He went back and not only told his people but went about the whole
city proclaiming about Jesus.

Most do not like to be under any bondage even if it is not demonic but
of the flesh. Some may enjoy it in the start but most hate it over a
period of time and look out for an escape from it. Their helplessness
and weakness may cause them to remain in it but given a choice of
freedom they would jump at it.

It was only the mercy of God that set him free from his bondage, and
abundant mercy or grace can only be received by faith. Therefore if we
need to be set free from whatever bondage we are it we need to build
our faith. No all of us may have the privilege to meet a person of
authority like that man did when he met Jesus. Even after being set
free to remain free we need to have faith. Jesus said a house from
which an evil spirit is driven out and if kept empty may cause that
spirit to come back bringing many more spirit even worse than it with
it.

We all have bondages in varying measures, some very small and some
large and we all need deliverance. So let us concentrate on building
faith in those weak areas and cause that bondage to be broken. We
should target not only to be free from the bondage but also remain
free with abundant faith in us and always full of grace.

[Prayer Starter]
Lord Jesus, with You came grace, for in You faith was made easy for
man. You made available your Spirit and through your Spirit of Truth
You help us multiply our faith. Help us Holy Spirit in our areas of
weakness so that by the revelation of the Truth we may be set free. We
specially prayer of those who are possessed or tormented by spirits
and are your children, we prayer Lord that your Messengers reach them
and having authority deliver them...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]
Matthew 17:14-21
14 And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a
certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,
15 Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatic, and sore vexed: for
often he falls into the fire, and oft into the water.
16 And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not cure him.
17 Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation,
how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him
here to me.
18 And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the
child was cured from that very hour.
19 Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we
cast him out?
20 And Jesus said to them, Because of your unbelief: for truly I say
to you, If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to
this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and
nothing shall be impossible to you.
21 However, this kind goes not out but by prayer and fasting.

Matthew 12:43-45
43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walks through dry
places, seeking rest, and finds none.
44 Then he said, I will return into my house from where I came out;
and when he is come, he finds it empty, swept, and garnished.
45 Then goes he, and takes with himself seven other spirits more
wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last
state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also to
this wicked generation.

Mark 5:15-21
15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the
devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right
mind: and they were afraid.
16 And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was
possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine.
17 And they began to pray him to depart out of their coasts.
18 And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed
with the devil prayed him that he might be with him.
19 Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy
friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee,
and hath had compassion on thee.
20 And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great
things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.
21 And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side,
much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea.


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His purpose for us

Colossians 1:20 - And, having made peace through the blood of his
cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, whether
things in earth, or things in heaven.

Bible says God did not just create any thing just like that. It says
God created everything with a plan and a plan which is good. That
means you and me were given great thought by God before we were
created. We were not thought of somewhere on the way but right in the
beginning before all things were created we were in the plan of God.
The Bible says God knows us from the foundation of creation. That
means when God thought of creating Adam and Eve, He also thought of
you and me.

God's plan included the smallest of details like He even counted every
strand of hair on our head. He knew our every thought, word and action
even before I could talk or walk, or open our eyes to see, yet the
Bible says He chose us to know Him and have purpose in Him. If He has
chosen us from the billions He created then who are we to call
ourselves failures or just normal beings.

We are special since we have a special purpose in the plan of God.
Today's message tells us our actually purpose of being created is to
be part of the Lord.

We read in scriptures which sometimes state the Lord appeared and the
very same situation is described in another place as an Angel
appeared. This is no recording problem but like we have a physical
body but the real us is our spirit and soul, in the similar way God
the Son is Spirit and the Angels beings form His body. Like He Himself
is part of the Godhead, of which God the Holy Spirit is part of and of
which God the Father is the Head of.

Scriptures say we will be like the Angels part of this glorious Body
of the Son of God, this union is the heavenly marriage we all are
being prepared for. Since God is Holy we too need to be made holy.

God hates sin and when we sinned His wrath was on us and to remove
this wrath the Son humbled Himself, came as man and by His sacrifice
made peace with God and by His Spirit prepares us to be reconciled
unto Himself. We along with the Heavenly Angels will be part of this
glorious Body of the Son.

Can we ever imagine what it would be to be part of this glorious Body,
shouldn't we be excited and at the same time grateful for the
Sacrifice who made peace and reconciled us.

[Prayer Starter]
Lord, when You created all things even though they were good yet they
were not perfect and You knew nothing is perfect other than You and so
You planned to perfect all things in You. Your plans were hidden from
man until You came in the flesh and by your Spirit revealed your plan
unto us. Lord, we thank You for finding us worthy for your glorious
plan and for making us worthy...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]
Matthew 13:34-35
34 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and
without a parable spake he not unto them:
35 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet,
saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which
have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

Matthew 25:34
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye
blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world:

Ephesians 1:3-4
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath
blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the
world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Exodus 3:1-2
1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of
Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came
to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.
2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out
of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned
with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

Acts 7:30-32
30 And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the
wilderness of mount Sina an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a
bush.
31 When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near
to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him,
32 Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the
God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not
behold.

Revelation 12:3-4
3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red
dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his
heads.
4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did
cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which
was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was
born.

Zechariah 13:8-9
8 And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD,
two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be
left therein.
9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine
them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they
shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my
people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

--
[email=T@MZ]T@MZ[/email]

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The Royal Law

James 2:8 - Howbeit if ye fulfil the royal law, according to the
scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well:

In today's message James calls one of the two commandments which Jesus
summarized all commandments into, as a Royal Law.

These two commandments do not replace the Law but by fulfilling these
two one lands up fulfilling all commandments in the Law. The Ten
Commandments, which were given were written on 2 tablets and they can
be grouped also into 2 categories, one towards God and other towards
people. The Royal Law also has 2 commandments one concerning God and
other people.

James goes on to state if one breaks any commandment he or she
transgresses against the one Who gave the Law and thus becomes a
transgressor. Thus it does not matter which commandment we break we
still become a transgressor.

The second Royal Law however specifies a category of people and thus
James put as 'you do well'. When Jesus used the term 'neighbor', He
specified a specific lot of people, and tried to explain it through
His parable of the Good Samaritan. There was a priest, a Levi and a
Samaritan who passed the injured man on the road but only the
Samaritan showed the nature of God in him and proved to be a child of
God. Even in the case of Paul when he was Saul although he was among
those or even led them to persecute the Christians; he himself did not
stone or hurt the Christians but arrested them and handed them over to
the authorities.

We as Christians are called to love all people irrespective of what
religion except for those who with knowledge worship Satan, these we
need to keep far away. But when it comes to Children of God we need to
not just love them but love them as we love ourselves. Jesus explained
this quantity of love saying as much He loved us and we all know He
even gave up His life for the purpose of His love.

James also points out if we show partiality between one brethren and
another we are committing sin and are convicted by the law as
transgressors. This is one area where we all fail in one way or
another. When we say we love one child of God more than another than
we transgress against the second Royal Law.

Let us remember we may have more or else responsibility with one or
another but our love for every child of God should be the same.

[Prayer Starter]
Lord, You gave us the Law so that we may walk on the path of Truth and
know You. By your sacrifice You gave us abundant mercy by which the
consequence of the Law which is death was taken away from us. But we
cannot take your sacrifice for granted every time and make it
valueless. Lord, help us understand your plans and purpose in our
lives and help us love like You loved. Help us be more and more of You
and less of us...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]
James 2:8-11
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture,
"You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well;
9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by
the law as transgressors.
10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one
point, he is guilty of all.
11 For He who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not
murder." Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you
have become a transgressor of the law.

Luke 10:25-37
25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying,
Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all
thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with
all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou
shalt live.
29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my
neighbour?
30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem
to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment,
and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when
he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked
on him, and passed by on the other side.
33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and
when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine,
and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care
of him.
35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and
gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and
whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him
that fell among the thieves?
37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto
him, Go, and do thou likewise.

John 13:34-35
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I
have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have
love one to another.



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Connected in Spirit

Matthew 2:18 - In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and
weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and
would not be comforted, because they are not.

We all give great importance to our family relationship. We love our
mother, father, brothers, sisters and even those connected to the
family. It is very important as a Christian to know the purpose why
God instituted a family and went on to call it a Church in which He
dwells.

Family relationships are earthly - our earthly father, our earthly
mother, brothers and sisters, they all will cease to be related in
that context the day we die or they die and leave the natural body.

Jesus stated in Heaven we would be like Angels. Heaven is a Spirit
place and those who dwell there are of spirit. The inhabitants in
Heaven do not have gender like earthly male and female. They are
referred to in only one gender 'male' and this has nothing to do with
earthy male / female but with the image (symbolic nature) in which man
is created and that is why Jesus refers to us as His brethren. In
Heaven there is only God and brethren to which all the Angels and all
other Heavenly beings belong to.

People do not realize calling another spiritual brother or sister has
great importance. When we call another believer brethren (brother or
sister), we extend or come into the spiritual net unto that person.
For example if that person is more spiritually grown then the
protection on that person is extended unto us, the blessings on that
person is extended unto us. The other way is also valid that is by
calling another spiritually growing person a brethren we extend our
spiritual protection and blessings on to that person. We people should
realize the value of calling each other brethren and how dangerous it
is when someone disconnects spiritually. Paul knowing this used this
disconnection as the last weapon against those who refuse to change
and who continued acting in the flesh. Paul literally called the
disconnection as handing over that person to the devil. By removing
the spiritual protection Paul exposed the person to spiritual attacks
by Satan so that by this they would come to senses and turn back to
God; so we see this too was done out of love, but as the last resort.

There is also another spiritual connection before we enter Heaven and
is related to how we enter this world.

In today's message it is written that Rachael wept when her
descendants the small babies who were killed by Herod in his bid to
kill baby Jesus. They were not a few but may be hundreds since all
males under the age of 2 years. The wise men (it is not written they
were 3 but only given that they bought 3 gifts, some Churches think
there were 3 and some 12, both are assumptions) followed the stars and
according to Prophesy there were 2 astrological alignments one when
Jesus was born and the other on the 25th December when the wise men
reached Bethlehem. That is why when the wise men saw Jesus He was no
longer in the stable but in a house and no longer a just born baby but
a grown baby. Keeping this fact into mind Herod ordered the killing of
all males from 2 years and below (the actual age of Jesus on December
was about 4 to 6 months).

It is written we the children of God are born from the loins of
Abraham. This has to do with the spiritual connection between us and
Abraham unto whom the promise of the Seed was given.

I have yet to figure the details of this relationship but there are
many scriptures which show how we are spiritually connected to our
descendants until we enter Heaven. So let us understanding this
connection, make sure that our children and their children are saved
and bought up in the Lord. This will not only affect them but also
affect us.

[Prayer Starter]
Lord, You are Spirit and You made us too spirit and bought us into
this world in the flesh. When we leave this flesh we too will be our
real selves in the real world which is spirit. This world is temporary
but has purpose and understanding which helps us in our walk to our
salvation. Lord Jesus, we thank You for calling us your brethren and
bringing us under the protection which is on You. Help us realize the
value of being brothers and sisters unto each other. Help us also
realize the world does not end when we die and how we are all
connected to each other in spirit. Help us work today for those who
are spiritually connected unto us...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]
Matthew 22:29-30
29 Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not knowing
the Scriptures nor the power of God.
30 "For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in
marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.

Ephesians 2:18-19
18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but
fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

Revelation 22:8-9 (also Revelation 19:10)
8 Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw,
I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me
these things.
9 Then he said to me, "See that you do not do that. For I am your
fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who
keep the words of this book. Worship God."

Luke 18:29-30
29 So He said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who
has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the
sake of the kingdom of God,
30 "who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and
in the age to come eternal life."

1 Peter 3:8-9
8 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one
another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous;
9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the
contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may
inherit a blessing.

2 Thessalonians 3:6,13-15
6 But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not
according to the tradition which he received from us.
13 But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.
14 And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that
person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed.
15 Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

1 Corinthians 5:1-5
1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you,
and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the
Gentiles—that a man has his father's wife!
2 And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has
done this deed might be taken away from among you.
3 For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already
judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed.
4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered
together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus
Christ,
5 deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that
his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Matthew 10-11
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.
11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child
with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they
had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold,
frankincense, and myrrh.



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Soldiers of Christ

1 Peter 3: 15,16 - But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and
always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason
for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; having a good
conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile
your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.

A soldier fights and a gangster also fights, one fights for his
country or kingdom and the other for his own selfish purpose or the
sake of terror. One has a uniform and the other does not know what a
uniform means. One works with the whole army as one unit having
ultimately one command head and the other works in small units having
their own leaders, they may corporate with each other temporally but
soon or later fall apart due to selfish reasons. One works for the
glory of his country or kingdom and the other for an individual's
glory. A soldier is trained and made fit and gangsters do not.

In today's message we Christians are compared to soldiers who needs to
be dressed, trained and educated about the purpose he or she is going
in the battle field. The Lord in today's message is telling us the
first step towards being a Christians is to sanctify our hearts. The
word 'sanctify' means to be used solely for holy purpose. People think
by sprinkling water a thing can be sanctified. Objects in the Bible
which were called holy were symbolic to what they represented. Holy,
only humans can be, not objects. Holiness like righteousness is an
on-going process which being children of God we cannot do without.
Like a plant grows towards the sun which is far, far beyond, yet it
still grows towards it. The holy water we need to be drenched in is in
Living Water which is the knowledge and understanding of the Kingdom
of God which Jesus manifested in flesh.

The second step is towards being a true Christian is to be filled with
knowledge, wisdom and understanding such that we are always ready to
answer everyone (means both growing Christians and unbelievers alike).
That means, we as Christians should be ever thirsty, having a burning
fire inside us for growing in true knowledge and understanding.

This knowledge and understanding being more of the Kingdom of God
makes us meek and fills us with fear of God for as we come to know
more of Him, how magnificent and powerful He is we grow in awe and
respect of Him. A true wise man will always be aware of the little he
knows but at the same time would not act like a fool who does not know
anything.

Like a soldier defends his country we are expected to use this
knowledge and understanding for the purpose of defending those who
comes against our faith or our character in Christ.

If we call ourselves protectors of our faith, let us be like soldiers
disciplined and trained, and not like gangsters.

[Prayer Starter]
Lord, You hate evil but yet in patience and wisdom You did not finish
Satan in a moment which You could easily have done, but You pursued
the complete and eternal eradication of darkness. You came as man so
that You could use the least of the Kingdom of God to bring down the
very high who went against your light. Lord, condition and prepare us
as true, string soldiers for your Kingdom...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]
Philippians 2:19-25
19 But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that
I also may be encouraged when I know your state.
20 For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state.
21 For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus.
22 But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father
he served with me in the gospel.
23 Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it goes with me.
24 But I trust in the Lord that I myself shall also come shortly.
25 Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my
brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the
one who ministered to my need;

2 Timothy 2:1-7
1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses,
commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
4 No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of
this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.
5 And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless
he competes according to the rules.
6 The hard-working farmer must be first to partake of the crops.
7 Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things.


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--------------------

Faith perfected in works

James 2:22 - Do you see that faith was working together with his
works, and by works faith was made perfect?

The salmon fish is partly a fresh water fish and partly ocean fish. It
lives in the ocean but when breeding it swims upstream the river to
lay eggs. One should see the efforts it takes to swim against the
water flow to reach its destination. It sometimes travels 900miles
(1,400km) and slowly and slowly climbs heights of up to even 7,000
feet to lay eggs. In the ocean it is a sliver blue fish while
navigating upstream to lay eggs it even changes it colour to a darker
shade making a complete transformation to its self.

Faith does not mean just believing in something. People mistake belief
and trust to faith. Faith means believing in something that does not
change. The only things in the whole of creation which do not change
are God and His Word. Only God and His Word is Truth, thus faith
simply means believing in the Truth. Believing in anything that is
fact cannot be termed as faith for fact is dependent on situation or
environment and can be termed as belief or trust. Faith is
unchangeable or unshakeable.

We need to realize unless the Truth is in us we cannot have faith. It
is also true that till date no man has had the complete knowledge of
the Truth, yet many had and have the knowledge of the Truth. It is
only in the end days that the whole Truth will be known to us and man
will stop prophesying.

In the Old Testament, Truth was symbolized by the pomegranate fruit.
Each aril (unit of the pomegranate seed with its fleshy cover) has a
unique shape and going only in its unique place. The whole fruit has
sections like how Truth has different areas of understanding, for us
it is body, soul and spirit. A Truth (aril) cannot be put in any place
other than where it belongs, if put anywhere else it will misaligns
all other Truths. Therefore in every Truth all scriptures need to be
fulfilled. As we come to know more and more Truth(s) and as we put
them in its proper place we will know more of the whole Truth until
all Truth(s) are complete.

Understanding comes either from experience or by revelation from God.
Works help us to grow in understanding of the Truth and thus is
directly connected to faith. If we need to grow in faith we need to
work for the Kingdom of God. Therefore working on our own inner
selves, working for the people of God and also for others helps us in
our faith walk.

Truth comes from God and we the children of God too come from Him.
Like the salmon fish we too need to seek our source and some may have
to go over long distances and difficult heights for that. But in the
process of these works we all will get transformed completely when the
whole Truth comes in us and our faith become complete.

[Prayer Starter]
Lord God, when Adam and Eve disobeyed You they lost the Fruits of
Holiness, Righteousness and Truth, became spiritually corrupt and were
no longer called sons of God. You in your mercy expect man to gain
back only one Fruit so that corrupt man can be made incorrupt through
the gifts of the 2 Fruits paid for by the sacrifice of your Son.
Knowing it is just impossible for man to earn the fruit of Holiness
and Righteousness You made available your Spirit of Truth so that we
may know the Truth by the working of your Spirit in us. Holy Spirit,
strengthen us when we put our faith in action in our work and grow in
understanding of the Truth...

This prayer we make in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]
Exodus 39:24-26
24 And they made upon the hems of the robe pomegranates of blue, and
purple, and scarlet, and twined linen.
25 And they made bells of pure gold, and put the bells between the
pomegranates upon the hem of the robe, round about between the
pomegranates;
26 A bell and a pomegranate, a bell and a pomegranate, round about
the hem of the robe to minister in; as the LORD commanded Moses.

Luke 13:20-21
20 And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God?
21 It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of
meal, till the whole was leavened.

1 Corinthians 13:9-12
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part.
10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in
part will be done away.
11 When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I
thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish
things.
12 For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I
know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.

1 John 3:2
2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been
revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we
shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

Zechariah 13:2-5
2 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts,
that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they
shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and
the unclean spirit to pass out of the land.
3 And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then
his father and his mother that begat him shall say unto him, Thou
shalt not live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the LORD: and
his father and his mother that begat him shall thrust him through when
he prophesieth.
4 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be
ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither
shall they wear a rough garment to deceive:
5 But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man
taught me to keep cattle from my youth.


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The Gospel that saves us

2 Timothy 1:10 - But is now made manifest by the appearing of our
Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life
and immortality to light through the gospel:

We learned some days back in Hebrew the word translated as flesh also
means the understanding or message and in Greek the word also means
nature. Before Jesus came as man although the Word was given unto man,
man had no understanding of the Word. So when Jesus came He not only
completed the Word but also made it possible to man to understand the
Word and that is why His introduction in John talks of Jesus being the
Word of God.

Without the Word it is impossible for man to be saved. So when Jesus
became the Word manifested in the flesh He bought hope for the
salvation of man so that anyone who believes in Him (in the Word) will
be saved.

Jesus said unless we eat of His flesh we will not have life, eating of
His flesh means accepting His message and becoming one in His nature.
Thus to know Jesus we need to know the Word. People are deceived that
we need not go deep into studying and understanding the Word, it is
like saying we do not need to really understand and know Jesus. Unless
we do not know Him, we do not know His Name (nature) and therefore
will not have authority in His Name.

Other than completing the Word and becoming the Word manifested in the
flesh He also became the sacrifice for our sins. By His dead (dying
and going to Hell) and resurrection (coming back from Hell) He broke
the curse of spiritual death (our spirits becoming dust) which God had
put on the generations of Adam and Eve, so that whoever believes in
Him does not go to Hell. His resurrection was a confirmation of the
curse been broken.

The word blood in Greek also means sacrifice so drinking of His blood
means accept His sacrifice into our lives. That is the reason
unleavened bread and wine (unfermented grape juice) is used as His
flesh and blood for what we need to have is the understanding of what
they represent. The Jews could not digest when Jesus spoke of eating
His flesh and drinking His blood. They thought the real thing and did
not know the actual meaning of what Jesus meant. Even though we eat
mere unleavened bread and drink wine in real life, we spiritually need
to accept the Word and accept the sacrifice of Jesus as our own.

With these factors we now have a living Good News (Gospel) which
enables us to have eternal life by returning to our real home in
Heaven with God.

[Prayer Starter]
Lord Jesus, we thank You for becoming the Word manifested in the
flesh. Without You it would have been impossible for man to be saved.
When there was darkness even before this creation God saw You as the
light which overcame darkness and through You we too have become the
children of light. Lord, help us to realize the real value of having
You and knowing You. Build a thirst in us to know your Word by the
help of your Spirit...

We make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]
John 1:1
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God.

John 1:11-14
11 He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become
children of God, to those who believe in His name:
13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of
the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His
glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace
and truth.

John 6:51-54
51 "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats
of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give
is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."
52 The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can
this Man give us His flesh to eat?"
53 Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you
eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life
in you.
54 "Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I
will raise him up at the last day.

Daniel 12:8-9
8 And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what
shall be the end of these things?
9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and
sealed till the time of the end.

Genesis 3:17-19
17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice
of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee,
saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake;
in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou
shalt eat the herb of the field;
19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return
unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and
unto dust shalt thou return.



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Promised before time began

Titus 1:1,2 - Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus
Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledgment
of the truth which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life
which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began,

Just some days back I was showing someone the Interlinear Old
Testament, and I was showing the person how each Hebrew word was
translated and the depth of its richness and how we lose when they are
made into simple English statements. Just then in the very first
scriptures we were talking of we hit on something which Paul spoke to
Titus in his letter and our message for today, about the promise of
the Light even before creation.

Time is a factor which is to do with period and measured with either
light or atom vibrations or for us the movements of the sun with the
earth. So we see time is to do with physical creation. Heavenly or
spiritual time is unlike natural time but it too is relative to
something, and that is nature or character. Time can be different for
different beings in Heaven. When we change our hearts we can quicken
or delay things in the spirit world for ourselves.

God is light and He exists from ancient. His plans are good and light
and when His plans were obstructed darkness came into existence. This
darkness existed even before our creation was made and at that time
the English Bibles say 'then God said "Let there be light"; and there
was light'. The Hebrew word 'there be' and 'there was' is verbatim
actually 'let him be' and 'he was' respectively. So we see the Light
was promised to us even before man came into existence and time came
into existence and sin came into existence.

People normally have the questions why God did this or that and why
not what they assume to be good. Another very usual question is why
God created so many humans if all are not going to be saved, but only
a few are? I simply say God does all things with purpose and His plans
are always good. Unlike us who live in a time God lives in different
time which is past, present and future at the same time and in Greek
it is termed as a tense 'aorist' and in Hebrew the tense 'imperfect'
is used. What we see is only in the present and what sees is
everything at the same time, the past, the present and the future and
that is why He has already written the Book of Life.

Paul spoke with confidence many a times not because he was confidence
but because he believed in God's Word and since God's Word spoke to
him, he knew it was unchangeable since it came from God, Who sees
everything.

Today the very same God is telling you and me if the Word of God
promises us, we need to simply believe it (full stop), because it is
God's Word and He sees everything and knows everything far more and
beyond our time.

[Prayer Starter]
Lord God, You are omnipresent. You not only are everywhere but also
You exist in all time and beyond yet are same. Time is not a factor
for You but came into existence by You. You know all things and gave
us your Word so that we know. Your Word is Light and coming as man You
became the Light manifested in flesh for us. Lord Jesus as your Word
dwells in us and makes us light for others who are in darkness so they
too can see and believe. Separate us Lord from spiritual darkness so
that we shine more and more bright for You...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]
Genesis 1:1-4
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face
of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the
waters.
3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light
from the darkness.

Titus 1:1-3
1 Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ,
according to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledgment of the
truth which accords with godliness,
2 in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before
time began,
3 but has in due time manifested His word through preaching, which
was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior;

2 Peter 3:8-9
8 But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one
day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count
slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should
perish but that all should come to repentance.

--
T@MZ

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Preparing ourselves as virgins for our one Husband

2 Corinthians 11:2 - For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For
I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a
chaste virgin to Christ.

The word jealous used by Paul is also translated as zealous and its
source in Hebrew describes it as a mother's possessiveness over her
children.

Paul has such an extreme emotion over his congregation on just one
matter and that matter is to prepare them as a chaste virgin to
Christ. When he used the term virgin it does not refer to the sexual
status of a person not been sexually active with another person.

Initially when I started reading the Bible and read scriptures which
seem to show God's preference to people who did have any sexual
relationship, I was quiet depressed. I thought had I known this long
before I may have made that sacrifice for the Lord but I was wrong in
that understanding. It was when the Lord blessed me with the wisdom to
understand scriptures then I realized the virgin matter did not have
anything to do with sexual status nor with being an unbeliever before.

Married or not married we can still be virgins for Christ. Those who
are not married have a plus of being totally dedicated to Christ but
if they have problem with overcoming their sexual desires then it is
worst for them.

The Greek word 'parthenos' translated as virgin is used for a person
sexually inactive and also for a person eligible for marriage.

The term Paul used here and most scriptures talk of is the spiritual
readiness which we need to be in before the coming of Christ. Like a
bride gets dressed with fine clothes and decorates herself with fine
jewellery before meeting her bridegroom we too need to do the same
with spiritually. Spiritual beauty includes things like Fruits of the
Holy Spirit and Gifts of the Holy Spirit used for the glory of God.

Jesus Christ is the first of Zion and only man who remained Son of God
even unto death, not getting defiled in any way. Without going into
details of Heavenly factors He also is the only perfect Son in Heaven
among all the Angels who are also called Sons of God. Even though He
humbled Himself He still remained perfect and His victory has made way
for us along with the Angels to become one in Him and to also become
Sons in perfection.

This preparation is also not simple as just believing in Jesus Christ,
or being good, or doing work for God even like bring thousands and
millions to believe in Jesus Christ. It is a great challenge which is
more internal then to do with outward or with others; it requires us
to overcome our flesh and to grow the various Fruits of the Holy
Spirit in us. The Bible records as only a limited number of us in the
whole of creations who succeed in becoming spiritual virgins and they
have a very special place in Heaven and they also are those who have
authority in Christ and among the first to resurrect in Christ.

We need to ask ourselves if we aim to become one among them and the
great secret I like to share with you, which even Paul did not share
openly but we can see in his life, is by trying to make others one
among them we land better changes of becoming one. Because by trying
to get others to build the Fruits of the Holy Spirit we land up
growing in them.

[Prayer Starter]
Lord, we thank You for showing us in yourself how by becoming a
servant You become everlasting King. Help us to become Israel (Princes
of God) forever by first becoming servants unto your Kingdom. Help us
to become spiritual virgins, standing pure in spirit not defiled by
evil and weakness of the flesh. Help us to overcome and be among those
who are among the first to resurrect in You...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]
Read Psalms 45 (it is totally symbolic like Songs of Solomon / Songs of Songs)

Amos 8:11-14
11 "Behold, the days are coming," says the Lord GOD, "That I will
send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for
water, But of hearing the words of the LORD.
12 They shall wander from sea to sea, And from north to east; They
shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, But shall not find
it.
13 "In that day the fair virgins And strong young men Shall faint from thirst.
14 Those who swear by the sin of Samaria, Who say, 'As your god
lives, O Dan!' And, 'As the way of Beersheba lives!' They shall fall
and never rise again."

Matthew 24:21-24
21 "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been
since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall
be.
22 "And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved;
but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.
23 "Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or
'There!' do not believe it.
24 "For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great
signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

Revelation 14:1-5
1 Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with
Him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having His Father's name
written on their foreheads.
2 And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and
like the voice of loud thunder. And I heard the sound of harpists
playing their harps.
3 They sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four
living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song
except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the
earth.
4 These are the ones who were not defiled with women, for they are
virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes.
These were redeemed from among men, being firstfruits to God and to
the Lamb.
5 And in their mouth was found no deceit, for they are without fault
before the throne of God.

Revelation 20:4-6
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed
to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their
witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the
beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads
or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a
thousand years.
5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand
years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over
such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God
and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one
receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.
25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all
things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an
imperishable crown.
26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as
one who beats the air.
27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when
I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.



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Sitting with the enemy

Luke 14:1 - And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of
the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched
him.

The word Sabbath if translated in its true sense in English would
simply mean holiday. It was a day of rest like we do on a holiday.
According to Jewish practise the seventh day of the week which was a
Saturday was celebrated as a Sabbath. They also called the days of
festivals as a Sabbath and at some places termed it also as high day
or high Sabbath.

In today's message Jesus went to the house of one of the chief
Pharisees. The term Pharisees was originally used to those
revolutionaries who revolted during Israel's exile. They were like
heroes and John son of Simeon in Apocrypha book of Maccabees was their
leader. Latter this group took the role of becoming religious
policemen.

The Last Supper which Jesus celebrated with His disciples was the
Feast of the Unleavened Bread which was a few days before the real
Passover, and was also a Sabbath (holiday). It was exactly a year
before the Last Supper that Jesus celebrated this same day with the
very people who would be the main people behind His death on the
crucifix. It is written they watched Him closely, but let us ask
ourselves what was going in Jesus' mind? Did not Jesus know that these
very people would next year be the people behind His death?

Jesus knew in great details about His death on the crucifix and it is
written in the books of the Prophets as to who would be the people to
put Him to death. Yet we see Jesus sat with these very enemies of His
to celebrate the feast.

At the enemies camp Jesus did not just lay back and smile. His
behaviour was congenial with them but yet He became a stumbling block
for them. Jesus could have chosen to just sit and talk with them and
be in good books with them but then we see on seeing a man suffering
of dropsy Jesus questioned their understanding. He not only questioned
them but by healed the man on the Sabbath which according to them was
breaking the Jewish law. He openly confronted these religious
policemen and the religious intellectuals who were along with them.

In yesterday's message the Lord instructed us about our attitude
towards the false and in today's message gives us an example in
Himself as how He did it. We Christians calling ourselves peaceful
people land up doing the opposite to what Jesus taught us. If a
Christian does not have anger inside them he or she is not a
Christian. This anger is not against the person but against the
understanding of the person.

Towards the person we are to be merciful and gentle but against the
belief of the person we have to be firm and confronting. Our war is
spiritual and not in the flesh.

Jesus gives us a beautiful example in today's message and let us all
learn from His example. Let us not be quiet Christians but be
Christians who bring down the strong holds of the enemy. Let the enemy
worry every time a Christian approaches or even passes by.

[Prayer Starter]
Lord Jesus, You became our corner stone. In You we see the perfect
example of being man according to the heart of God. Satan and his army
feared You but yet You did not go after them but focused on your
mission. You came to save and set free those who chose to believe in
the Truth. You are Truth and it is by You that man has come to know
God's Word and understand the Truth. Lord, give us the wisdom, courage
and gentleness in heart to be like Jesus...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]
Luke 14:1-6, 12-14
1 And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief
Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him.
2 And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy.
3 And Jesus answering spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying,
Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?
4 And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go;
5 And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox
fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the
sabbath day?
6 And they could not answer him again to these things.
12 Then He also said to him who invited Him, "When you give a dinner
or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives,
nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid.
13 "But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame,
the blind.
14 "And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you
shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just."

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Our attitude towards false

Paul's letter to the Romans

Today the Lord wants us to learn from Paul's letter to the Romans
about how our attitude towards false should be.

In the letter Paul is very firm in his words and distinguishes the
Truth from the false. When it comes to belief in the occult or untrue
Paul does not take a relaxed attitude or minces words, and we see the
same attitude was with Jesus when He was flesh among us.

Both were very graceful and loving towards people but when it came to
exposing the false they did not hold back is using firm words. They
did not abuse or say nasty things, nor did they use soft words, they
said it as it is without fear.

Being kind, gentle and loving to people does not mean we need to
accept or certify the false belief of other people. It also does not
call us to have an aggressive attitude or confronting behaviour. We
should be clear to show firstly that we do not accept their
understandings and we should also have answers as to defend our own
faith.

We need to understand when someone tells us that there are other gods
or there are other ways to God other than Jesus Christ, then it is an
attack on the Truth and we should be ready to defend it; this need to
be done with gentle and humble heart, yet firmly.

A Christian may live peacefully among the gentile and pagan of the
world but his or her presence should cause unrest in the minds of the
others when it comes to their gods or their belief.

[Prayer Starter]
Lord, we pray that You make us bold and the only fear that should be
in our hearts should be the fear of You. Give us knowledge and wisdom
that we may be able to answer the worldly system and defend the Truth
and the hope within us...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]
Romans 1:18-25
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all
ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in
unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for
God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are
clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His
eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God,
nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their
foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made
like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping
things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of
their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and
served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever.
Amen.

Romans 3:7-9
7 For if the truth of God has increased through my lie to His glory,
why am I also still judged as a sinner?
8 And why not say, "Let us do evil that good may come"? —as we are
slanderously reported and as some affirm that we say. Their
condemnation is just.
9 What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have
previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin.

Romans 16:17-18
17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and
offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid
them.
18 For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their
own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of
the simple.

1 Peter 3:15-16
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to
give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is
in you, with meekness and fear;
16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers,
those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.

2 Timothy 2:24-26
24 And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all,
able to teach, patient,
25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps
will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth,
26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the
devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

--
T@MZ

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Being rich

1 Corinthians 1:7 - so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting
for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Corinth was a principal city of Greece and due to its strategic
location its 2 ports were preferred for trade. Its ports were also
situated at convenient positions; one did all the trade to Italy and
to the west and the other to Asia. So we see this city was a
commercial capital and thus all the people were well to do. Along with
riches came various vices into the lives of the people of Corinth.

Paul landed in this place due to his trade connections and then
started witnessing Jesus Christ to the people there. He initially
started with the Jews in the synagogue, who in the start rejected him
but then some did turn to the Lord and were baptized. Paul built a
large Church (congregation) but the people mostly struggled in their
spiritual life.

In today's message Paul was telling these rich believers about not
lacking. Surely Paul was not referring to the material aspect but to
the spiritual aspect. Paul also specifies the areas in which they
would be richly blessed and they were in all utterance and knowledge.

People have the wrong idea about Christianity and prosperity.
Christianity does assure us abundance but this abundance is not in
material or worldly riches but in spiritual richness. Christianity
does not say we will be beggars but assures God will provide us our
needs and little extra to bless others.

Jesus Christ became poor by humbling Himself in the Spirit world from
God He became mere man less than even the Angels. Jesus was never in
need of money for the group had sufficient money for them always in
their money bag and Jesus wore not rags but a robe which was
considered valuable during His time. He did this not because He liked
to dress well but to fulfil scriptures.

In the Bible no Man of God was richie rich other than Solomon and we
know how Solomon fell indirectly due to his lavish life. Even Abraham
who was blessed was found historically to be a middle class citizen by
his assets compared to others during his time (he had an army of 800
while the richest person had an army of 5000 and these were all
private armies, not the king's army).

In today's message the spiritual gifts and spiritual understanding
which we will be provided, will be with only one purpose and that is
to edify the people of God and to make His bride blameless when He
comes. The spiritual gifts have one purpose and that is to know the
Truth and spread the Truth to the people of God and therefore is
mostly speech and knowledge. All gifts like healing, prophesy,
tongues, wisdom etc. are connected with either knowing the Truth, or
delivering the Truth, or building the environment for people to
receive the Truth.

We hold the most powerful weapon in all creation and that is our
mouths. It becomes powerful only when we are filled with the knowledge
of the Kingdom of God and when we speak His Message unto others.

[Prayer Starter]
Lord God, your Word is like a flaming sword which no being in all
creation can come against. It is your sword which keeps the fallen
spirits from entering Heaven. You have blessed us with the ability to
hold this mighty weapon, which is the only weapon that works against
Satan and his army. Lord Jesus Christ, your coming in the flesh made
way for man to know the Truth and You will come again when man has the
whole Truth in them and has the Heavenly sword with them. You with
your Angels will use this sword against Satan and his army in the end
days and eradicate darkness. Lord, help us realize the importance of
your spiritual knowledge and the power of the tongue...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]
1 Corinthians 1:4-8
4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was
given to you by Christ Jesus,
5 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and
all knowledge,
6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you,
7 so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the
revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
8 who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in
the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 13:4-5
4 For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be
afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's
minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.
5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also
for conscience' sake.

Revelation 1:10-16
10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a
loud voice, as of a trumpet,
11 saying, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,"
and, "What you see, write in a book and send it to the seven churches
which are in Asia: to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamos, to Thyatira, to
Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea."
12 Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having
turned I saw seven golden lampstands,
13 and in the midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man,
clothed with a garment down to the feet and girded about the chest
with a golden band.
14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His
eyes like a flame of fire;
15 His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His
voice as the sound of many waters;
16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a
sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in
its strength.

1 Thessalonians 4:16
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with
the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead
in Christ will rise first.

2 Thessalonians 1:6-10
6 since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation
those who trouble you,
7 and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus
is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,
8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and
on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the
presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
10 when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to
be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among
you was believed.

-
http://www.SavedByFaith.info
http://www.ToMountion.com

Having favor even with our enemies

Acts 27:43,44 - But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them
from their purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should
jump overboard first and get to land, and the rest, some on boards and
some on parts of the ship. And so it was that they all escaped safely
to land.

We know when we walk in the ways of the Lord the world starts to hate
us. People close to us suddenly are very far from us. We are
side-lined from social networks for we do not do things which people
of the world do. The worst reactions come from the religious people
and people who are protectors of the worldly system. These people not
only dislike us but become our haters, for they consider us their
enemies. The Lord is telling us when His grace is upon us and when we
stand in His Word even these people would not be able to harm us, more
than what the Lord allows them. When times get bad from among them
will unexpectedly stand someone who would have favor on us and may
even land up being our protectors.

Those who are in the front of the spiritual battle zone would have
numerous testimonies on this, like Paul. Even when everyone else from
the Roman army had decided to kill the prisoners, all of a sudden the
Centurion has favor on Paul and thus not only Paul but all others with
him also as saved. The Romans take the risk to allow those who would
swim to freely jump off the sinking ship and swim to land and the
others who could not were given means to float on and go to land.

The Bible talks of us facing persecution as Christians, but even then
we would not be crushed and would come out of them stronger when we
stand in the Name of the Lord, in His Word.

So be encouraged if you are in such situations now, where all people
around you are not with you, mainly because you witness Christ.

[Prayer Starter]
Heavenly Father, You are God and You alone are divine and eternal. You
are our creator and You alone know the beginning and the end.
Everything is by You and through You and nothing has power against
You. It is by the sacrifice of your Son and our testimony in Him that
sets us free from this corrupted worldly flesh. Lord, we thank You for
the grace we receive by faith in Jesus Christ. We know even in the
worst of situations our enemy would not be able to crush us for You
are with us. We pray for others who are now in thus situation that
they continue to keep their trust in You...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]
Acts 27:41-44
41 But striking a place where two seas met, they ran the ship
aground; and the prow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern
was being broken up by the violence of the waves.
42 And the soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them
should swim away and escape.
43 But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from their
purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard
first and get to land,
44 and the rest, some on boards and some on parts of the ship. And so
it was that they all escaped safely to land.

Genesis 39:1-5
1 Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer
of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the
Ishmaelites who had taken him down there.
2 The LORD was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was
in the house of his master the Egyptian.
3 And his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD
made all he did to prosper in his hand.
4 So Joseph found favor in his sight, and served him. Then he made
him overseer of his house, and all that he had he put under his
authority.
5 So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house
and all that he had, that the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house for
Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had in
the house and in the field.

1 Samuel 14:44-45
44 And Saul answered, "God do so and more also; for you shall surely
die, Jonathan."
45 But the people said to Saul, "Shall Jonathan die, who has
accomplished this great deliverance in Israel? Certainly not! As the
LORD lives, not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for he
has worked with God this day." So the people rescued Jonathan, and he
did not die.

Luke 21:16-18
16 "You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and
friends; and they will put some of you to death.
17 "And you will be hated by all for My name's sake.
18 "But not a hair of your head shall be lost.



http://www.SavedByFaith.info
http://www.ToMountZion.com

End of our journey
Paul’s journey
Yesterday as I sat to write the Lord had led me to the end of Paul’s
second letter to Timothy and since I did not receiving any scripture I
assumed yesterday was my day of rest so I did not send any message.
But today again the Lord took me to the same location so I asked the
Lord what He was trying to convey to us and then I realized at the
Lord was pointing to the end of the journey of Paul for the second
letter of Paul is the last letter of Paul recorded in the Bible.
In a nut shell if we look at the life of Saul who became Paul, he
being a (half) Jew and very learned in scriptures (Law of Moses), was
yet void of the knowledge of God and became a self-righteous man.
Thinking the Christians were blaspheming the holy things of God he
became a religious police man and started persecuting the Christians.
He was indirectly involved in the murder of Stephen. It was after that
the Lord appeared to him and that became a turning point of his life.
The Lord put him on a special mission to reach out to the gentiles,
the rulers and the spiritual growing up in the Lord which he did very
successfully.
But on his personal front Paul struggled spiritually with one area in
his life and that area became the thorn to him. The grace of God was
abundant on him and the Lord helped him is all areas of his life
amazingly but yet the area which was a thorn to Paul, God wanted him
to overcome and backed him with only His grace.
The thorn of Paul was his pride. He calmed to never have it yet it was
very visible and this fight nearly took him to his death for he became
physically very sick at his spiritual weakest moment. The battle was
at its peak in his letters to Corinthians and the first letter exposes
the low of Paul and shows him getting angry and envious even on his
own spiritual son Timothy. Paul being an Apostle was trying to compare
his power to preaching to the masses with Timothy who was an
evangelist. Paul did a great job in building the foundations of faith
of the Church of Corinthians and his letters and his personal one to
one counseling to the people of Corinthians did help in that area. But
his physical preaching was no match to Timothy the evangelist and this
open comparison by the people got Paul angry even though a person fell
from a height and died during one of Paul’s long boring preaching.
Latter in the second latter Paul is shown overcoming his thorn and the
proof of it is in his last letter to Timothy where he acknowledges
Timothy as a spiritually grown Evangelist, giving him directions of
how to go about with his calling and from being his spiritual son
started refers to him as an associate.
So we see Paul had 2 journeys in his life one his calling as an
Apostle and second his personal spiritual walk in the Lord. In his
calling Paul was on total fire and did not face any problems but in
his spiritual walk he struggled in the start and was not even
confident of entering Heaven even though he was instrument in bringing
many to the Lord, but at the end when he overcame the area which the
Lord wanted him to overcome he was totally confident to be in Heaven
when Jesus Christ comes again to receive us. Not only confident of
entering Heaven, Paul also had an idea of what was going to be his
reward in Heaven.
We too are one day doing to come to an end of our journey on earth; we
may not have the time like Paul had in jail to reflect on his walk
with the Lord. We may have done great work in the Lord, witnessing
Him, bringing His Word unto His people, healing people, performing
great miracles etc. Yet unless we have not overcome our flesh with the
teachings of Jesus Christ Who is a living Word then our entering
Heaven is not assured.
The Lord desires today we take the time to reflect on these urgent
matters for some brethrens among us may not have the gift of time for
long to do it again, for we never know when the breathe of life can
leave us any time.
[Prayer Starter]
Lord, You made us in this flesh to overcome it and by the light of the
Truth to let darkness be removed forever. Even when the world was not
in forma and darkness covered the lower heavens You saw light. You
planned this light to work in man and made him to be part of your
glory. Lord, your wisdom is beyond any human understanding yet You
make way simple for those who trust in You. Lord, help us be your
vessels for your glorious plan and to be forever with You in your
glory...
This prayer we make in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
[Reference Scriptures]
Acts 7:57-59
57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and
ran upon him with one accord,
58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses
laid down their clothes at a young man’s feet, whose name was Saul.
59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit.
Acts 8:1-3
1 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was
a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and
they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and
Samaria, except the apostles.
2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great
lamentation over him.
3 As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every
house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.
Acts 9:1-18
1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the
disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if
he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might
bring them bound unto Jerusalem.
3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there
shined round about him a light from heaven:
4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul,
Saul, why persecutest thou me?
5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom
thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me
to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it
shall be told thee what thou must do.
7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a
voice, but seeing no man.
8 And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he
saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into
Damascus.
9 And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.
10 And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and
to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am
here, Lord.
11 And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is
called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called
Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,
12 And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and
putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.
13 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how
much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:
14 And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that
call on thy name.
15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel
unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the
children of Israel:
16 For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake.
17 And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting
his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that
appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou
mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit.
18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales:
and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
Acts 13:7-12
7 who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man.
This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of
God.
8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood
them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.
9 Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit,
looked intently at him
10 and said, "O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the
devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting
the straight ways of the Lord?
11 "And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall
be blind, not seeing the sun for a time." And immediately a dark mist
fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the
hand.
12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being
astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
Acts 20:9-12
9 And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being
fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down
with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead.
10 And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said,
Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him.
11 When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and
eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he
departed.
12 And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.
2 Corinthians 10:8-11
8 For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the
Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I
should not be ashamed:
9 That I may not seem as if I would terrify you by letters.
10 For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his
bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.
11 Let such an one think this, that, such as we are in word by
letters when we are absent, such will we be also in deed when we are
present.
2 Corinthians 12:4-10
4 How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable
words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
5 Of such an one will I glory: yet of myself I will not glory, but in
mine infirmities.
6 For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I
will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me
above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of
the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the
messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above
measure.
8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my
strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I
rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon
me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in
necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for
when I am weak, then am I strong.
2 Timothy 4:5-8
5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an
evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
8 Henceforth 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.
--
[email=T@MZ]T@MZ[/email]
http://www.SavedByFaith.info
http://www.ToMountZion.com

Being a proud bondservant of God

Titus 1:1 - Paul, a servant (bondservant) of God and an apostle of
Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and the
acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness,

I am in IT Industry and one of our businesses is IT services, wherein
we handle the IT of other organisations which outsource it to us. We
dedicate technical resources at the clients place. We have locations
where the operations are very critical and customer works 24x7,
365days a year, so also do our resources.

At one of our customer sites we have a very high security requirement
and our staffs are cleared by the government police agencies before
they are dedicated there. The site being very big and operations
complicated, it takes at times even 2 to 3 months before an engineer
gets familiar to the physical site and customer operations, and really
starts getting into the system. The induction being long and tedious
we take serious steps to avoid retention rate.

The candidate goes through 2 to 3 interviews and background checks
other than technical clearance before they are selected. Another
retention policy we have in place is we ask the candidate to give a
written commitment of working for at least 1 year. In technical terms
it is called a bond and employees in whom the company invests in way
of training or any other way, the company can make such an agreement
with the employee.

We have seen people who are not really interested in long term
commitment very hesitant to sign such a document and this becomes a
good deterrent for them. But most people who really need the job and
committed to their job actually look at it also as a commitment from
the company of keeping them.

The Greek word 'doulos' meaning servant or bondservant is used in John
8 by Jesus as a slave servant but in today's message Paul uses it very
proudly to describe himself. The Bible says we were slaves to sin and
we are set free by the price Jesus paid. We were not only set free but
also made sons and heir and no longer are slaves or servants.

In today's message Paul is very proud to call himself a servant or
bondservant of God because he willingly committed himself to an
agreement with God to work for God's purpose and God in His part will
make sure He succeeds and gains a great reward doing the job.

Throughout scriptures where ever God and man made a covenant God has
always been the honest keeper of the covenant. Many a times even when
man violated the covenant God did not scrap the covenant but yet
tolerated man and honoured His part of the covenant.

The task assigned to the workers of the Vineyard of the Kingdom of God
is a very critical job and not anyone or everyone gets this job. Many
apply and go through the internship but majority fail at the tests of
being qualified to the job.

Believing and loving Jesus with all our hearts and wanting to do God's
work is like filling the job application. It is when we start doing
our walk with the Holy Spirit that our interview test and selection
happens. Any and everybody can apply for the job but it is only those
who have the Fruits of the Holy Spirit really get the job. And once we
make that bond with God then we can be sure God will never fail to
make us a success. He will provide everything we require for the job,
He build us in every way and take us through every situation that
comes and never forsake us even during those many occasions when we
fail to keep our commitments of the bond.

So being in such a bond with God is a great honour and asset which
Paul was proud of.

The Lord is asking us, would we not like to also be in such a bond
with Him and be called His servants?

[Prayer Starter]
Lord, we were slaves unto sin and under the yoke of Satan. You paid
the price to free us from sin and gave us authority to overcome Satan.
You not only set us free but also gave us the ability to be your
mature Sons from being your little children. Lord, You also gave us to
choice to be part of your business in the process of becoming Sons.
Even though being your own You still make a bond to show your
commitment and You have shown over the years You have not failed on
your part and have tolerated the worst of our failures to keep our
part. Lord, we thank You for making this bind available for us and we
pray may of your children commit to the bond to become mature Sons
soon and that your Kingdom come in glory quickly...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]
John 8:34,35
34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever
committeth sin is the servant of sin.
35 And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son
abideth ever.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one
receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.
25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all
things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an
imperishable crown.
26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as
one who beats the air.
27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when
I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.

2 Timothy 4:7-8
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept
the faith.
8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which
the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to
me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

James 1:12
12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been
approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has
promised to those who love Him.

1 Peter 5:2-4
2 Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers,
not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;
3 nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples
to the flock;
4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of
glory that does not fade away.

John 17:12
12 While I was with them, I kept them in thy name which thou hast
given me: and I guarded them, and not one of them perished, but the
son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.

John 18:8-9
8 Jesus answered, "I have told you that I am He. Therefore, if you
seek Me, let these go their way,"
9 that the saying might be fulfilled which He spoke, "Of those whom
You gave Me I have lost none."

--
T@MZ

http://www.SavedByFaith.info
http://www.ToMountZion.com

Your own will be against you
Acts 22:30 - The next day, because he wanted to know for certain why
he was accused by the Jews, he released him from his bonds, and
commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and
brought Paul down and set him before them.
In today’s message we read Paul who was born of a Jewish Pharisee and
a Roman parents was stuck between both Pharisees and Romans, and both
had a hate and love relationship with him.
The Romans did not like him for he became a problem for law and order
in Jerusalem and the Pharisees hated him for he preached the Gospel of
Jesus Christ and caused problems for their traditions and beliefs.
The Roman commander tried s best to save Paul when he came to know he
was a Roman and see if he could bail Paul out by getting the Pharisees
and Sadducees to reconcile with Paul, but in the bargain landed up
with a bigger problem on hand. To persecute another Roman needed the
Commander to follow a protocol which would cause great inconvenience
for him and he tried to find an escape from it. If Paul wanted he
could have easily submitted to the Pharisees and the Sadducees but
chose to testify Jesus Christ amongst them.
The Pharisees on the other hand, even though hated Paul supported him
when Paul smartly put them in confrontation mode with the Sadducees on
the topic of afterlife. But later they realized that they were taken
for fools by Paul they became very angry and plotted to kill him and
not to eat until they did the job.
The Sadducees also were Jews and they too did not like Paul but yet
did not hate him as much as the Pharisees did.
Jesus is called the Prince of Peace yet He said He did not come to
bring peace but unrest and division in a family wherein the father
would be against the son and mother against the daughter. Did Jesus
contradict when He made that statement? It is only when we understand
this will we be more a Christian. Many give up following Christ and
become name sake Christians due to not understanding this.
We see in Jesus’ life as man, He never had problems with the regular
Jews; His problems were only with the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The
Pharisees (which included the Jewish priest) and the Sadducees were
protectors and professors of their faith and which was contrary to
what Jesus Christ stood for. These people had another understanding of
the very scriptures which Jesus referred too and this disagreement had
cause them to hate Jesus. No doubt there were very, very few among
them who gave ear to what Jesus spoke the others had shut their eyes
and ears to Jesus. This hardening of heart had caused them to hate
Jesus.
The Lord is telling us when we have Christ in us, our priorities and
way of life will change and this change will cause a change in the
family we live in. If the family members are not protectors or
professors of any other belief, faith or worldly system then things
may be easy for us but when they are, then there will be turmoil of
love and hate relationship. They may love us but our belief will
ignite a hatred which will blind their eyes and deafen their ears.
Some may go to the extent of making us a greater enemy then their
worst enemy.
In these situations we should not fear, for God would take care of us
and nothing that is against His will can happen to us. Even if we may
face some persecution these would be to build our testimony to bring
many more to the Lord. So in either ways if all turns out easy or if
we face problems, we need to rejoice for both will glorify God.
[Prayer Starter]
Father God, You alone are the King of Peace and true peace abides only
in You. Jesus became your message of peace and those who believe in
Him and live the message of Jesus Christ will have peace in You. The
world hates You and the peace of this world is like sweet poison which
causes death. Lord, strengthen us are we become a living witness for
You and as we face the people of this world especially those who live
in our family. We pray they do not harden their hearts and become
protectors and professors of another faith like the Pharisees and
Sadducees or protectors of the worldly system like the Romans...
This prayer we make in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
[Reference Scriptures]
Acts 22:24-30; 23:1-12
24 The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and
bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know
wherefore they cried so against him.
25 And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion
that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman,
and uncondemned?
26 When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain,
saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman.
27 Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou
a Roman? He said, Yea.
28 And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this
freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born.
29 Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined
him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was
a Roman, and because he had bound him.
30 On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore
he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands, and
commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and
brought Paul down, and set him before them.
1 And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren,
I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.
2 And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to
smite him on the mouth.
3 Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall:
for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be
smitten contrary to the law?
4 And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God’s high priest?
5 Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest:
for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy
people.
6 But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the
other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a
Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the
dead I am called in question.
7 And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the
Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was divided.
8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel,
nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both.
9 And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the
Pharisees’ part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this
man: but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight
against God.
10 And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain,
fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded
the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and
to bring him into the castle.
11 And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of
good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so
must thou bear witness also at Rome.
12 And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and
bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor
drink till they had killed Paul.
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And
the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Luke 12:51-53
51 "Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you,
not at all, but rather division.
52 "For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against
two, and two against three.
53 "Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother
against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against
her daughter-in- law and daughter-in- law against her mother-in-law. "
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Faith came with Jesus Christ!
Galatians 4:22-23 - But the scripture hath concluded all under sin,
that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that
believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up
unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Today I will share with you one of the greatest revelations I received
from the Lord of late which renewed my understanding of the whole
Bible and which Paul talks about in the message we received from the
Lord today.
Paul talks about 'when faith came'. How can faith come when Abraham
was called the father of faith by Paul himself?
First we need to understand we are saved from sin by grace and grace
came through Jesus Christ. Grace is nothing but mercy but even though
mercy existed since God, grace came only when Jesus Christ came as man
and became our sacrifice. Grace by definition is the needed amount of
mercy to get the job done. Before Jesus came as man mercy was very
difficult to earn or receive and it was up to God to shower as much
mercy He desired. But since faith and mercy (grace) are like Siamese
twins by faith we receive grace and are saved. That is the reason it
is only after Jesus came as man people started getting healed by
faith.
Now we need to understand how faith came through Jesus Christ even
though more than 90percent of the Word (Prophetic Word) was already
given before Jesus Christ came as man?
Faith means believing in the Truth which does not change and which we
know is the Word of God. Even though the Word was given no man knew
the Truth for the Truth was still with God and no man had the
understanding of the Truth. It was when Jesus Christ came as man the
Word was broken down to the level which man could understand and
therefore in John it is written the Word which was with God came down
and became flesh.
In Hebrew the word flesh comes from the root word which means
understanding or message. This is the reason Jesus said unless we eat
of His flesh we will not have life. When He said flesh He meant His
message for His message is the Bread of Life.
Man (Adam's) flesh was made from earth (water was needed to bind the
earth/dust together to make the model of man into which God breathed
life) but Jesus was made of Heavenly flesh which is Spirit. That is
the reason being born again requires us to put on a new flesh and
reject our own flesh. We need to reject our understanding, our
knowledge, our way of life and put on the understanding which came
through Jesus Christ, the knowledge of the Kingdom of God and live the
life according to His Kingdom. Unless we do not spiritually cut off
from the earth and be born again in Spirit we are not people who have
the message of Jesus Christ in us.
The first Church was born when God told Abraham to cut the foreskin of
his people by circumcision. They did it without understanding back
then, but in Jesus Christ we know that we need to cut our worldly
flesh (understanding) and when we are circumcised in our hearts and
receive Jesus Christ then only we become Christians.
Let us thank God for the life giving flesh of Jesus Christ which
enabled us to have faith and be saved by grace.
[Prayer Starter]
Lord Jesus, we thank You for coming down to man and being the true
Manna for the Salvation of man. You became flesh which gives life.
Lord, may we understand the importance of receiving your message of
life and eat of it so that it becomes our flesh and we become one.
Your Church, your bridge needs to become one flesh with You so that
the Heavenly marriage takes place like earthly marriage takes place
when man and woman became one in flesh. Open the minds and hearts of
your people to understand Who You are and may your purpose be our
purpose, may You be part of us and we be part of You...
This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.
[Reference Scriptures]
John 1:1-4
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made
that was made.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
John 6:48-58
48 "I am the bread of life.
49 "Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
50 "This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat
of it and not die.
51 "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats
of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give
is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world."
52 The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can
this Man give us His flesh to eat?"
53 Then Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you
eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life
in you.
54 "Whoever eats My flesh [message] and drinks My blood [sacrifice]
has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
55 "For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.
56 "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him.
57 "As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father,
so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.
58 "This is the bread which came down from heaven-not as your fathers
ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live
forever."
John 3:3-6
3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you,
unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
4 Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can
he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"
5 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born
of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
6 "That which is born of the flesh [earthly flesh] is flesh, and that
which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Ephesians 2:11-16
11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh-who are
called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the
flesh by hands-
12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the
commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise,
having no hope and without God in the world.
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been
brought near by the blood of Christ.
14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken
down the middle wall of separation,
15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of
commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one
new man from the two, thus making peace,
16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through
the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.

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God Haters
Romans 1:32 - Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit
such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have
pleasure in them that do them.
A few days back a senior minister of India made a comment about
homosexuality calling it a disease. The so called modern people did
not spare him and grouped together along with the media to attach him.
Out of fear he retracted his comment by saying the words he used was
towards HIV and not homosexuality.
In today's message Paul writes on the topic and uses even harsher
words towards it, and among them is the words 'God hater'.
Homosexuals try to take cover behind facts like science (having half
knowledge), being broad minded and being modern. They claim this
orientation is natural. In the developed countries we have Church
leaders who openly practice homosexuality and thus along with others
become instruments to promote it as being okay.
Firstly there is nothing modern about Homosexuality it is as ancient
as sin. The moment sin multiplied the rebellious man filled with lust
found ways to mock God and main among them was homosexuality.
Paul uses the word 'God haters' for them because man and woman in
spirit are made in the image of God but in flesh, man is made in the
image of God and woman in the image of man, for woman was made from a
bone of man and bone symbolizes character or nature.
When God made man He took dust of the earth, moulded the earth into
the form of and breathed a living spirit into his nostrils. It was the
earth which became flesh of man. When God created woman He took the
regenerating rib bone of man and covered it with flesh. The flesh was
the same as Adam's flesh yet even though Adam claimed the woman was
made from his bone and his flesh God did not take it from man but
chose to recreate it. And it is for this purpose they were given the
instruction to come together as one flesh and multiply.
God created man and woman uniquely with reason and one of them was to
procreate. God did not make sex. Sex is a human creation for man
started giving more importance to the pleasure than the purpose. God
allowed this weakness of man in the sanctuary of marriage when they
come together in commitment to God by becoming a Church. Sex is
allowed in marriage but as Paul put it, man and woman need to come
together when procreating and also when they are weak in the flesh as
allowed by God but they need to prayer and strengthen each other to
overcome these desires or weakness of the flesh. It is for this reason
man should surrender to the desires of his wife and woman to the
desires of her husband but after that they need to pray. One of the
main purposes of marriage is procreation and sex in marriage is not a
sin but a weakness.
Sin made man to rebel against God and so one of the ways to mock God
was to mock the images in man and woman and thus also mock the Church.
That is the reason Paul used harsh words like God haters to
homosexuals knowing that God never failed to let His wrath fall on man
when homosexuality multiplied.
The minister was very true when he said it was a sickness for
homosexuality is a spiritual sickness and such people need healing of
the soul and deliverance in the spirit. This bondage of the evil one
is one of the strongest on man and the next stages are animal sex and
then cannibalism. These evils were practised in many early
civilizations in the Bible and we read God did not fail to annihilate
them completely.
Paul says because of fear of coming into judgment we avoid judging
these people and we actually land up pilling up God's wrath to fall on
us. As Christians let us fear the wrath of God more and not fear man
so let us stand against this sickness which makes man into God haters.
[Prayer Starter]
Lord, You made man and woman with purpose to understand your Church
which is your Body. Man under the yoke of sin and the power of the
evil one mock this sanctuary by homosexuality. Lord, deliver us from
this sickness and strengthen us so that we stand up and separate
ourselves from it and exposing this evil destroy the powers behind
it...
This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.
[Reference Scriptures]
Romans 1:18-31; 2:1-5
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all
ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in
unrighteousness,
19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has
shown it to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are
clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His
eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God,
nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their
foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made
like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping
things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of
their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and
served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever.
Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their
women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.
27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman,
burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is
shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which
was due.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge,
God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not
fitting;
29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality,
wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife,
deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,
30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of
evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;
32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who
practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but
also approve of those who practice them.
1 Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge,
for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who
judge practice the same things.
2 But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against
those who practice such things.
3 And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such
things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?
4 Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and
longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to
repentance?
5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you
are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and
revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
Genesis 2:7, 19-24
7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed
into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the
field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see
what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living
creature, that was the name thereof.
20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and
to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help
meet for him.
21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he
slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead
thereof;
22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a
woman, and brought her unto the man.
23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my
flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall
cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
1 Corinthians 7:1-9
1 Now concerning the things of which you wrote to me: It is good for
a man not to touch a woman.
2 Nevertheless, because of sexual immorality, let each man have his
own wife, and let each woman have her own husband.
3 Let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and
likewise also the wife to her husband.
4 The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband
does. And likewise the husband does not have authority over his own
body, but the wife does.
5 Do not deprive one another except with consent for a time, that you
may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again so
that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.
6 But I say this as a concession, not as a commandment.
7 For I wish that all men were even as I myself. But each one has his
own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that.
8 But I say to the unmarried and to the widows: It is good for them
if they remain even as I am;
9 but if they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. For it is
better to marry than to burn with passion.

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Lethargic nation
Luke 24:25 - Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart
to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!
One of the main reason why most Christians do not understand
scriptures is what Jesus puts in today’s message as being ‘slow of
heart’ or a better word in English is lethargic.
A per the definition a lethargic person is a person who is exhausted,
lazy, sluggish or lacking energy. Taking these definitions in
spiritual sense gives us understanding why we do not understand
scriptures.
Exhausted: When we try to study scriptures with our own understanding
or strength then we will find numerous blocks to understand or find
the connections between scriptures. We land up with issues wherein one
understanding contradicts the other. We need to understand all the
worldly wisdom we have and all the worldly wisdom of man put together
will not be sufficient to understand scriptures, for God has hidden
them for the wise. So if we are trying to learn the Word of God using
our brains then we would land in this category.
Lazy: Many fall in this lazy category. People who do not bother to
open the Bible and confirm any teaching or spiritual understanding
they have received from others. Even if they have a doubt or query
they will not thirst for the answer and the reason is their laziness.
The Kingdom of God is not for the lazy, so if we continue our laziness
please realize we may not enter Heaven. Kingdom of God is for those
who take it by force.
Sluggish: A person is sluggish when they have a lot of burden or have
stiff joints. If we sit to study the Word with a lot of worries, sins
or distractions we would not at all understand what the Lord is trying
to tell us. Also if we sit will a stiff mind we will not understand
the Word of God. The second largest category is this, for people ask
the Lord to teach them the Word while having an already defined
understanding which is not in line with the Word and which they will
not question. We should let the Lord mold our minds and sit with Him
keeping all our worldly thoughts and affairs far from us. It is only
when we do that we will understand the Word of God.
Lacking energy: I remember the Lord started teaching me when I started
sitting with the Bible with the one purpose to do God’s work. I wanted
to be an instrument for the Lord to reach out to the world. Unless we
do not have a fire in our bones we will lack understanding of the Word
of God.
I remember my peak learning from the Lord was when I used to not waste
even 10mins on the road. If I had even 10mins I would open the Bible
and study where ever I was. If I did not understand I would put that
question to the Lord every day, in and out even if it took months,
till I got the answer. Everything I did was checking with what I read
that day from the Bible or the questions I had put to the Lord. Even
before going to sleep I would refresh all my questions to the Lord
hope He would answer me by dreams that day.
I can surely tell you God does talk in various ways to open our minds
to understand His Word. It is His greatest desire we know Him and come
into His Kingdom. So let us not be a lethargic and foolish nation for
all of us in some degree are in one or more of these 4 categories.
[Prayer Starter]
Lord, You came as man and paid the price so that your Spirit may dwell
in man. You gave us your Spirit of Truth to help us understand your
Word and by the knowledge of the Truth have power in You. Holy Spirit
deliver us from our laziness, sluggishness, tiredness and fill us with
a fire for treasures of your Kingdom...
We make this prayer in Jesus’ Name, Amen.

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Lament and mourn and weep!
James 4:9 - Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to
mourning and your joy to gloom.
People mainly get attracted to Christianity since it is the only
religion which assures eternal life and an entry to Heaven.
Christianity also offers great blessing both spiritually as well as
physically. It is only among Christians we find people being confident
of healings and deliverance.
But there are some aspects of Christianity which people prefer to keep
away or ignore and is our message of the day.
As James tells us, we need to be lamenting and mourning and weeping,
not people of laughter but of gloom! Paul in his letter also speaks of
being sober in life.
We as Christians need to remember we are not of this world, even
though we live here our eternal home is in Heaven with our Heavenly
Father. Our home and God is Spirit and our desires are mainly
spiritual, in this physical world we basically look at our needs to be
fulfilled and we being an instrument to bless others. We live in this
world but waiting to escape from it. And during the period of waiting
we are to help the others who are also part of our family through this
journey.
The Bible tells us the joy we hold is that we are on the right path
and will soon reach our destination because we see light through the
Truth, but the sorrow we hold at the same time is seeing suffering of
our fellow family members who are struggling to overcome.
The Lord is telling us how can we be people partying when we are in a
transit camp with thousands of medical casualties around us?
In the Old Testament Ecclesiastes 7:3 tells us it is better to have a
mourning heart for it strengthens the spirit. When we are sober our
discernment is better and our spiritual communication with the Lord is
better.
Proverbs tell us even in laughter may be sorrow and in joy grief in
the same way even in grief there can be joy and the end of every
sorrow is laughter for after night comes morning. Jesus put it as a
woman in labor who goes through pain for the joy that awaits her.
[Prayer Starter]
Lord, help to realize the Truth of who we are and the purpose You
created us in this world. You made us of earth and have asked us to
reject it and to live in spirit. Lord, by your Spirit renew us and
keep us sober with a morning heart for your burden is upon us and we
need a strong spirit to carry it...
This prayer we make in Jesus’ Name, Amen.
[Reference Scriptures]
Proverbs 14:13 - Even in laughter the heart may sorrow, And the end of
joy grief.
Ecclesiastes 7:3 - Sorrow is better than laughter, For by a sad
countenance the heart is made better.
John 16:21-22
21 "A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has
come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer
remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into
the world.
22 "Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your
heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.
1 Thessalonians 5:5-8
5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the
night nor of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.
7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are
drunk at night.
8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate
of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.

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Why Peter did not become Judas
Mark 14:66 - And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one
of the maids of the high priest:
Among the disciples there were 2 who denied Jesus one was Judas and
the other was Simon Peter.
Judas sold Jesus for a few coins but when he realized his mistake he
hung himself from the tree and Jesus confirm before of him being lost
by calling him as son of perdition (destruction) indirectly calling
him as son of Satan. Judas' being sorry but yet did not repent for he
did not come to Jesus to ask for forgiveness and to make a commitment
to change his life.
On the other hand we have Simon Peter who was among the other 11 who
deserted Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. All the others ran away
and hid themselves in a secure place but Simon Peter took the risk to
follow Jesus. It is true that he verbally denied Jesus thrice but yet
in his heart he had held on to Jesus and therefore took the risk to
follow Him.
All of us some or other time in our lives deny Jesus or run away from
Him, and most of us will be sorry for doing that. What matters is
after being sorry are we going to be like Judas or like Simon Peter.
Simon Peter even though denied Jesus still loved Him and believed in
Him being merciful and forgiving.
Our God is merciful and forgiving and all who repent and come to Him
are not disappointed.
[Prayer Starter]
Lord, You are Righteous and in your Word You confirm that no sin will
go without punishment, but in You are merciful God who forgives those
who repent and turn to You. The sinner You forgive is set free but
those who still carry the sin will be punished. Lord, we thank You
through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ You made a way for us to be set
free from the yoke of sin and your punishment of death. Lord, we pray
for the many sinners who are weak in heart that they truly repent and
come to You knowing You are merciful...
This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.
[Reference Scriptures]
John 17:12
12 While I was with them, I kept them in thy name which thou hast
given me: and I guarded them, and not one of them perished, but the
son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
Hebrew 2:2-3
2 For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every
transgression and disobedience received a just reward,
3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at
the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by
those who heard Him,
Exodus 34:6,7 (Italic removed)
6 And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD
God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness
and truth,
7 "keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression
and sin, by no means clearing, visiting the iniquity of the fathers
upon the children and the children's children to the third and the
fourth generation."
Micah 7:18
18 Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the
transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His
anger forever, Because He delights in mercy.
--
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Jesus bore the CROSS for us
John 19:17 - And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called
the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:
In the book of John it is recorded as Jesus bore His CROSS and went
forth to be crucified at Golgotha a small hill top which was round in
shape reminding one of a human head. But in the book of Matthew it is
recorded that Simon of Cyrene was compelled to carry the crucifix of
Jesus to the place He was crucified.
Both of these recordings are perfect.
Some of us look at the CROSS and others at the crucifix; you may be
wondering why I am using the word CROSS and the word crucifix as two
different words.
The Greek word used here is 'stauros' referred to the instrument used
for the most cruel and ignominious punishment, borrowed by the Greeks
and Romans from the Phoenicians. The Phoenicians were close neighbours
of the Israelites and closely influenced their history.
The word 'cross' comes from the Latin word 'crux'. The Latin Church
had / has four different forms of the cross:
1) Crux immissa - the one we mostly associate with the crucifixion of
Jesus Christ
2) Crux commissa - also called 'Saint Anthony's Cross' and looks like
the alphabet 'T'.
3) Greek cross - which had cross beams of equal lengths like the '+' sign.
4) Crux decussate - also called 'Saint Andrew's Cross' and looks like
the 'X' sign.
Since the original crucifix was not maintained there were many debates
on the crucifix of Jesus. No doubt of late archaeological findings
have confirmed many things in detail regarding the crucifixion of
Jesus Christ.
The Greek word 'stauros' comes from the root word 'histemi' which
means 'to cause' or 'to stand'.
There are two kinds of people who look at the crucifix of Jesus one
who look at the physical aspect and the other at the purpose. Matthew
recorded the historical aspect and correctly put that the physical
crucifix was carried on the way by Simon of Cyrene, but John who
literately wrote the autobiography of Jesus from Jesus' own mouth
wrote not of the physical crucifix but the purpose or cause which
Jesus took on Himself and which He Himself carried.
People, who look at the historical figure Jesus, give more importance
to the symbol and those who look at Jesus Christ as Saviour, give more
importance to the Cause of Jesus Christ. Paul in all his letters very
clearly talks of not of the crucifix but of the Cause of Christ
whenever he used the word 'stauros'. Only in one place in his letter
to the Colossians (Colossians 2:14) he talks of the Cause along with
the physical aspects of the crucifix.
A crucifix needs to be respected but a Christian who makes it a
religious object looks at Jesus more as a historic character and loses
on knowing Him as their Lord and Saviour. During the time of the
Apostles they never gave much importance to the physical crucifix but
more to the purpose of the death and resurrection of Christ and that's
the first foundation of baptism. Paul therefore went to the point to
record that he gave more importance to build the foundation by
preaching the Cross then to perform the ceremony of baptism, not that
he did not do it.
Peter in his letter does not even used importance to the symbol and
instead uses the word 'tree' for the crucifix of Jesus. In one way
confirming that Jesus was crucified on a wooden crucifix and not an
iron crucifix which the Romans were famous for using during those
times.
In the Old Testament the symbol of victory was the Ark of Covenant and
in the New Testament is the CROSS of Jesus Christ. Lord made the Ark
to be lost like He did to the body of Moses, but after He gave us His
Son and Spirit He also gave us the choice to choose between the symbol
and the purpose.
What do you carry?
[Prayer Starter]
Lord Jesus, You are the Word which came down and becoming flesh
dwelled among us. The flesh of man is corrupt but You came as perfect
flesh and remained perfect. The knowledge of You changes us brings us
unto perfection and eternal life. Lord, You said the days will come
when man will worship in Spirit and Truth. Holy Spirit, reveal the
Truth unto your people and help them bring victory over their flesh
and become overcomers.. .
This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.
[Reference Scriptures]
Matthew 27:33-34
32 Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name.
Him they compelled to bear His cross.
33 And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say,
Place of a Skull,
1 Peter 2:24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree,
that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness - by whose
stripes you were healed.
1 Corinthians 1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to
preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ
should be made of no effect.
1 Corinthians 1:18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to
those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power
of God.
Galatians 5:11 And I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why do
I still suffer persecution? Then the offense of the cross has ceased.
Galatians 6:12 As many as desire to make a good showing in the flesh,
these would compel you to be circumcised, only that they may not
suffer persecution for the cross of Christ.
Galatians 6:14 But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross
of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me,
and I to the world.
Ephesians 2:16 and that He might reconcile them both to God in one
body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.
Philippians 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled
Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of
the cross.
Philippians 3:18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now
tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of
Christ:
Colossians 1:20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him,
whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through
the blood of His cross.
Colossians 2:14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that
was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of
the way, having nailed it to the cross.
Hebrews 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith,
who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising
the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

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The Reign of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords
1 Corinthians 15:25 - For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies
under his feet.
Jesus Christ is called the 'King of Kings' and this reference was
first pointed by Paul in his letter to Timothy. This title king of
kings was used for an emperor and was used for kings like Artaxerxes
(book of Ezra), Daniel used this title for Nebuchadnezzar the king of
Babylon and in fact the Lord Himself used this reference for
Nebuchadnezzar by the mouth of Ezekiel.
In the book of Revelation the Rider on the white horse holds the title
of King of Kings and Lord of Lord and the Rider is revealed as the
Word of God.
Earlier in the same book of Revelation the Lamb is also referred to as
King of Kings and Lord of Lords and along with His Saints He wars
against Satan the Beast and his appointed ones and defeats them. This
again refers to Jesus coming on the Judgment Day along with His Angels
and gives a clue that the Angels are His Saints. Thus the army that
defeats Satan or crushes him is fully a man army headed by the Son of
man Jesus Christ.
Most Christian Churches expect Jesus to come as man and sit on a
throne and rule the world for a thousand years before Satan is set
loose. The irony is that they also believe in the fact that His
Kingdom and reign is eternal so why the period of thousand years?
In the book of Revelation the Word of God clearly says just moments
before judgment on the Judgment Day along with the shout of the Lord
all earth (physical world), Grave and even Hell (the levels below this
physical creation) is completely destroyed and ceases to exist. If
these all cease to exist then how can this world be the eternal
Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ the King of Kings and Lord of Lords?
We need to understand the concept of God pressing as king came during
the time of Samuel when the Lord led His people and they did not need
any king. But when they wanted to be like the worldly people and have
a human king they had indirectly rejected the Lord from leading them
and ruling over them although they said the Lord could do so through
the one He choose as king over them.
The Lord was not a human king and did not desire to be one. But when
they chose man over God then God desired them to reject man king and
send them a Servant (Jesus) to be King. Jesus never desired to be king
of this world and we see the time when He fed the five thousand men
(and women, and children) with five loaves and two fishes He escaped
from the midst of them for He came to know that they wanted to make
Him king by force. Also when He was being crucified Jesus Himself said
that His Kingdom is not of this world.
To make man reject the concept of king, Jesus became the Servant King.
The only Kingdom which is eternal is the Heavens, the top three levels
which are above this physical creation which will be redefined when
the Son comes in glory on His Glorious Throne (not a seat).
The thousand years of rule is explained by John of Revelation and has
to do with the expanding Kingdom of the Word of God in the hearts and
minds of the people of God. This rule had begun from the time the
Protestant movement started and the Word of God was given unto common
man. It was from the 1400-1500 AD that the Word became a living Word
among God’s people and evangelism started.
God had given man dominions over earth (physical creation) and all
that dwell on it and man was not aware of this authority. When man
sinned he was under the yoke of sin and death which was in the hands
of Satan. Without any son of man of authority Satan could rule these
areas. Jesus proved Himself to worthy as man to take authority and
through Him we again come to the knowledge of the authority God has
given us.
In today's message the grammar of the word reign tells us Jesus Christ
as man, no doubt reigns over this world and has authority over all
things of this world, even over the fallen angels that were thrown
down, but as the Living Word He is actively working to reign in the
hearts of His people and as God He is come into take His eternal
Kingdom to its glorious place.
So we see the only area of working where Christ is to take total
control as King is in our hearts and minds. So if we want His Kingdom
to come in its fullness we need to start by making Him (the Word of
God - the Living Bread) as King on the throne of our hearts and the
throne of our hearts is our will. If our will is the Will of God then
we can say the King has come into our hearts, if the top most desire
of our hearts is the Will of God then we can say the King has come
into our hearts, if all that we do is truly according to the Will of
God then we can say the King has come into our hearts.
Let us not delay the Kingdom of God and let us start first from our own hearts.
[Prayer Starter]
Lord God, You are almighty God and everything that exist bows down to
your Name. There is no place in Heaven that You do not rule, even in
Hell it is your Angels which have charge of all things. The only place
that delays the fullness of your Kingdom to come in glory is your
coming as King in the hearts of your people. Lord, as your Truth gets
rooted in our hearts, we are sure to come into the knowledge of who we
are and the authority we have. You called us Princes of God (Israel)
even before the coming of Jesus as man for You gave us authority at
the beginning. As man Jesus You revealed the Truth to us and bought us
to the knowledge of our authority. Lord, we prayer your Kingdom come
in glory and You rule in the hearts of your people soon...
This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.
[Reference Scriptures]
Ezra 7:12
12 Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the
law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time.
Ezekiel 26:7
7 For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will bring upon Tyrus
Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, a king of kings, from the north, with
horses, and with chariots, and with horsemen, and companies, and much
people.
Daniel 2:36-37
36 This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof
before the king.
37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath
given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
1 Timothy 6:13-16
13 I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things,
and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good
confession;
14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until
the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:
15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only
Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;
16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can
approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour
and power everlasting. Amen.
Revelation 17:12-14
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have
received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with
the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome
them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are
with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
Revelation 19:11-21
11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat
upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth
judge and make war.
12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many
crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is
called The Word of God.
14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white
horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should
smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he
treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING
OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud
voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come
and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and
the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit
on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and
great.
19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies,
gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and
against his army.
20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that
wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had
received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image.
These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
21 And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the
horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were
filled with their flesh.
Genesis 1:27-30
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created
he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and
multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion
over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every
living thing that moveth upon the earth.
29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed,
which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which
is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and
to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I
have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
--
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Nothing be lost
John 6: 12 - When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather
up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.
In today's message we read after Jesus had performed the great miracle
of feeding five thousand men (not counting the women and children)
with just 5 loaves and 2 fishes. He did not do the miracle Himself but
involved the people in performing the miracle in a chain reaction. He
thanked God and broke a loaf and gave this broken loaves to His
disciples and they became whole and when the disciples to thanked God
broke the loaves and gave a part to the persons sitting next to them,
the loaf they had became whole and the person sitting next to them
also received a whole loaf. The people too performed the miracle in
the same way and at the end all received a full loaf.
We read after all ate Jesus asked His disciples to not let the
fragments of leftovers be wasted but to collect them in baskets. Was
Jesus trying to teach them not to waste food? NO.
Lord had a very specific reason to do this exercise since it was only
after they collected all the fragments did they realize that they had
filled 12 baskets.
Long back, a Priest was teaching on this miracle and as his church
tries to deny that miracles do happen he tried to explain this miracle
saying that the five loaves were very big and therefore everyone ate a
small piece and were yet satisfied. The miracle according to him was
people being satisfied with crumbs. It would have being interesting to
hear from him how after sharing this five loaves between more than
five thousand people, did manage to fill twelve baskets of fragments.
Even without eating I would like him to fill twelve baskets with
fragments of five loaves.
God knew of these smart-alecks and therefore had got the fragments
gathered to glorify His Name.
Yesterday we received a message of the Lord's hidden treasure and in
the evening at my session God revealed some awesome things which
brought new light to the whole Bible. The topic was about why God
created man; man who was made a little lower than the Angels and made
in the weak flesh yet was loved so much and chosen to be lifted up and
even glorified in the Lord. What actually means to be baptized and why
it is also called being born again.
What we learned from all this was nothing was done without purpose and
understanding.
Although all people are not God's people yet God created them for
purpose and reason, and that is to lift His Name high.
Today the Lord is telling each one of us who think, 'why we went
through a life which we did and why all those terrible things happened
unto us'. God is telling us all these had a purpose and role to build
us and use us for His glorious Name. We should not thank Him for those
situations or fragments but thank Him that even through them He is
using us and has found us worthy to be part of His glorious plan.
[Prayer Starter]
Lord, You are God and your wisdom is beyond boundaries or measures.
Man cannot imagine or even dream of the plans You have for him. Lord,
we thank You for finding us, lesser than worms worthy to be your sons.
We thank You for your love and boundless grace...
We make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.
[Reference Scriptures]
John 6:5-13
5 When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come
unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these
may eat?
6 And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.
7 Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not
sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.
8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, saith unto him,
9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small
fishes: but what are they among so many?
10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in
the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he
distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set
down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.
12 When they were filled, he said unto his disciples, Gather up the
fragments that remain, that nothing be lost.
13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets
with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and
above unto them that had eaten.
Psalms 8:3-9
3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and
the stars, which thou hast ordained;
4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that
thou visitest him?
5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast
crowned him with glory and honour.
6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou
hast put all things under his feet:
7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever
passeth through the paths of the seas.
9 O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

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The hidden wisdom of God
1 Corinthians 2:6 - However, we speak wisdom among those who are
mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age,
who are coming to nothing.
In today's message Paul points to the fact that God has revealed him
great and wonderful things of the Kingdom of God which he only speaks
with people who are mature in the Kingdom of God.
I remember during my first stages of learning with the Lord I used to
get revelations almost every day and these revelations were not just
grammatical understanding of scriptures but they were the hidden
treasures of the Kingdom of God which like Paul notes "things which
eye has not seen and ear has not heard and which have not entered the
heart of man".
Whenever I get these revelations there is tremendous joy which no
pleasure of this world can give. There were times which I am
travelling by train and I would cry with tears flowing due to the
overflow of joy in my heart. Sometimes the effect of these revelations
used to be so strong that it would take days to become normal.
One mistake I used to do at that time was whenever I used to get these
revelations without thinking I used to share them with my colleagues
in the Lord. Many a times these would create great spiritual problems
to them, for they were not mature in spirit and these revelations
would become a stumbling block for them. Since they were from the
Kingdom of God rejecting them would have consequences.
Being mature in spirit has nothing to do with the number of years in
Church or preaching or the number of people one has under them in
one's ministry.
Take 2 preachers today and put them in a room to discuss the Bible and
if they are vocal about their thoughts in no time you will find them
fighting and accusing the other of misleading the people and one may
even go to the extent of claiming the other has an evil spirit.
Initially I used to wonder if there is such confusion in God's Kingdom
how is the Kingdom going to progress; then I realized even though I
had not fully read the Bible yet the things which the Lord was
revealing were perfect in line with people like Paul, Pater, James,
John (book of Revelation), Daniel, Job, etc. who wrote and certified
by the Lord as knowing the Kingdom of God.
Paul is a perfect example for even though he was overcoming and
growing in the Lord yet at no place does he contradicts himself. When
he preached some people would check his teaching with scriptures and
found them to be in line.
He would reveal according to the people he would minister. Throughout
all his letters there is hardly much solid meat he reveals yet at
times he finds it difficult to hold back and does let of some sparks
of the knowledge he had of the Kingdom of God.
One of the main reason most Churches are not growing and Kingdom of
God is suffering is because the leaders are not gathering fresh Manna
for their people. They are using the stale Manna which they or others
gathered many days back, sometimes even years back. This stale Manna
if reused over a period of time causes worms and corruption. This
reason we find preachers who added greatly to the Kingdom of God once
upon a time, when they grew in popularity and started connecting more
with the people and less with God, they started concentrating on
building their own kingdom more than God's Kingdom. It is sad that we
find many of these onetime great Men and Women of God talk utter
nonsense today.
God knows when and to whom He reveals these undisclosed treasures.
Sometimes these are so unique that no man since creation has yet got
to know it. They being symbolized by the pomegranate fruit tightly fit
in their own unique place like its seed pips.
It is not that we should not hear teachings from people who received
revelation long back but tell me how many times can the same sugarcane
stick can be passed through a crusher to extract juice? There will
surely come a time when the juice would reduce and reduce and more and
more waste would land in your glass. The juice center person knows
after 3 or 4 times of passing through the crusher he needs to discard
the cane remains and add fresh sugarcanes.
Let us mature and stop chewing of dried waste of sugarcane. The Lord
has assured us fresh Manna everyday leaving for our days of rest,
until we enter our Promise Land - Heaven.
[Prayer Starter]
Lord, You promised us fresh Manna right unto our entering our eternal
home in Heaven, yet most of your shepherds today are reusing the many
same Manna everyday which they collected many years back. The Church
is getting worms and people are corrupt in the flesh because they lack
spiritual nourishment and are eating stale food. Lord, the Church
desperately needs a revival and people who thoroughly love You with
all their hearts and more than any other thing in their lives...
We make this prayer in Jesus' Name, Amen.
[Reference Scriptures]
1 Corinthians 2:6-9
6 However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the
wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to
nothing.
7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom
which God ordained before the ages for our glory,
8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they
would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
9 But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have
entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for
those who love Him."
Exodus 16:14-27
14 And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of
the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar
frost on the ground.
15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another,
It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them,
This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.
16 This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it
every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to
the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in
his tents.
17 And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less.
18 And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had
nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered
every man according to his eating.
19 And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning.
20 Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them
left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses
was wroth with them.
21 And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his
eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted.
22 And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as
much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the
congregation came and told Moses.
23 And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To
morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which
ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which
remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.
24 And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did
not stink, neither was there any worm therein.
25 And Moses said, Eat that to day; for to day is a sabbath unto the
LORD: to day ye shall not find it in the field.
26 Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the
sabbath, in it there shall be none.
27 And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the
seventh day for to gather, and they found none.
Exodus 16:35
35 And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they
came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the
borders of the land of Canaan.
1 Corinthians 3:1-3
1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as
unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were
not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able.
3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and
strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
Hebrews 5:13-14
13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of
righteousness: for he is a babe.
14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those
who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good
and evil.

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For a little time
1 Peter 1:6 - In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little
while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,
One of the greatest stumbling blocks for man to believe in the Bible
is the factor of time. It starts with creation of the world in 7 days
and in the New Testament is about the end of the world and coming of
Jesus Christ.
From the time of Jesus there are scriptures stating the end is at hand
and since 2000 years it is still at hand, this hand must have been
very, very long!
In today's message too Peter is telling Christians who are been
persecuted that this persecution is for a short time and at the coming
of Jesus Christ it will all end. Yes as Peter put it all persecution
will end at the coming of Jesus Christ but till date almost 2000 years
the people of God are still being persecuted throughout the world.
What made Peter to write this general letter?
This letter like the other letters (Epistles) is not just historic
documents but is largely valid even today for us.
One of the greatest promises of Salvation (being Saved) through Jesus
Christ is the promise of eternal life. We need to understand when we
compare the time period of our suffering to our eternal life then our
time period of suffering is just incomparable.
Today again I would like to explain this eternal life concept for many
fail to understand this.
Eternal life or life in one's self is a property which only God holds
and God the Son being God also holds the property. We are promised
eternal life does not mean we will be made equal to God.
We need to understand when God made man in spirit he was made to live
for thousands of years and not with eternal life but since he was in
the Garden of Eden and have access to the Tree of Life he could live
eternally. For eating from the Tree of Life man can live eternal life.
That does not mean by just eating once of its fruit and leaves man
will live forever.
Firstly the Tree of Life is not like our earthly trees and does not
have earthly fruit and leaves. It is symbolically described so that
man can come to some pictorial understanding of it.
Adam and Eve had access to the Tree since the time they came into
existence and till they sinned but yet they did not eat of it for they
had no need.
One needs to eat of the Tree only when one need to extend one's life
to another thousands of years, therefore having access to that Tree
always is essential. It was this reason after man sinned God first
removed the access of man from the Tree of Life and did not put
ordinary Angels but Cherubims who are thousand times mightier than an
Angel. He did not stop there but also put a flaming Sword to guard the
access to the Garden of Eden. The access was blocked not only for man
but also for Satan for he himself was a Cherub, else God could have
just put an Angel on that job.
Jesus promised us those who believe in Him and abide by His Father's
Word would enter Heaven when He comes again and we will have access to
the Tree of Life to live eternally.
When we compare what is in store for us then the suffering which we
bare in the Name of Jesus is just nothing. So let us not look at the
persecution that we go through but let the joy of receiving what is in
store for us keep us through it.
[Prayer Starter]
Lord, when You made us You desired us to live eternally with You. You
allowed us to fall so that by the testimony and the relationship we
build with your Son would mature us to be lifted up and receive the
abundance according to your riches in Heaven. Lord, what we suffer
here on earth is irrelevant to what we will receive. By your Spirit we
are assured our inheritance. Holy Spirit, strengthen us and let the
knowledge of Truth keep us through our persecutions. ..
This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.
[Reference Scriptures]
1 Peter 1:1-7
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered
throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through
sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the
blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which
according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively
hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not
away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready
to be revealed in the last time.
6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye
are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold
that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto
praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
Genesis 2:8-9, 16-17
8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he
put the man whom he had formed.
9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is
pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the
midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the
garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not
eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely
die.
Genesis 3:22-24
22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to
know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also
of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to
till the ground from whence he was taken.
24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden
of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep
the way of the tree of life.
Ezekiel 28:11-14
11 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say
unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of
wisdom, and perfect in beauty.
13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was
thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the
onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle,
and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared
in thee in the day that thou wast created.
14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee
so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and
down in the midst of the stones of fire.
John 5:26
26 "For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son
to have life in Himself,
Revelation 2:7
7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of
life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Revelation22: 1-2, 14
1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal,
proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river,
was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and
yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the
healing of the nations.
14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have
right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the
city.
Mark 10:29-30
29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no
man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or
mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's,
30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and
brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with
persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
----

Cursing and Swearing
Mark 14:71 - But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not
this man of whom ye speak.
In the New Testament the Greek word 'curse' is a compound word which
means 'to speak evil of'. The Hebrew language gives a different
understanding of the word, in most places it is translated as 'bless'
other than book of Job where the same word is translated as 'curse'.
It does not mean the meaning of these words got changed through the
languages but due to the limitation of vocabulary the English language
we use the same word for the two different situations of the process.
We need to understand man has no power to create or destroy any thing
in the spiritual rim. His words can be a petition to accelerate the
good or bad in this rim. Good by invoking the promises of God and bad
by doing the opposite - cancelling the promises of God. That is the
reason a prayer of faith works because they are based on the Word of
God and a righteous person who walks in the Word does not only speak
faith but also acts in faith and therefore his or her prayers are
immediately answered.
God has created all things and His Word is light. We can accept His
Word and bring in light into our lives or petition it into other
people's lives. We can also hinder His light and create darkness. It
is not possible to create darkness into the lives of people where
Light exist thus a person in the Lord if cursed does not affect them
but if people are already in darkness, more darkness can be created by
negative words or evil words by invoking evil to work further in that
person's life.
The Hebrew word 'bless' or 'curse' means to accelerate the good or bad
into that person's life or situation. In Greek the contents was
distinguished and bless meant accelerate good by speaking good and
curse to accelerate evil by speaking evil.
I always tell people to be more specific when they say the word
'bless' as to what good things they are invoking into that person's
life or situation for bless in reality means just to accelerate
whatever we feel towards that person.
Swearing is taking the cursing or blessing to the next level by making
an oath and putting oneself or the object by which we swear as witness
or guarantor, thus when swearing we can get ourselves into deep
trouble similar to a guarantor gets if the loan or promise is not
fulfilled. When we swear by things of God of which we have no right we
anger God. This is the reason the Lord warns us never to swear or take
unneeded oaths but say things as they are and not put ourselves into
risk.
But when we are taking an oath or swearing based on the Word of God
after having good understanding of that matter then it is similar to
prophesying with assurance. Prophesying in general means to speak the
Word of God into a person's life or a situation.
Cursing, swearing or blessings, prophesying comes according what is
there in our heart towards a person or situation and if we are in
light or darkness. We promote the kingdom of Satan when we curse and
swear and we promote the Kingdom of God when we bless and prophesy,
depending in which kingdom we stand we promote. Simon Peter at that
moment had already denied Jesus twice and therefore the third time did
not just deny but cursed and swore.
The Lord is telling us today if we too are cursing and swearing, we
need to look into our lives are we in the position of Simon Peter who
denied Jesus and was in darkness. If we have Jesus Christ (His Spirit)
in us and if His light shines in us, we will not curse and swear but
bless and prophesy.
[Prayer Starter]
Lord, You have given us one of the greatest weapon in creation our
mouths. When we speak we accelerate your Kingdom of Light or the
kingdom of darkness. When we speak according to your Word we speak
light and when we speak contrary to your Word we speak darkness. Lord,
help us realize our words do not go just in vain but can change
people's life and situations, they do also affect our lives and our
situations. Help us repent and renew our lives like Simon Peter did
when he realized his mistake. Help us recommit our love and commitment
towards You and your Kingdom...
This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.
[Reference Scriptures]
Mark 14:66-72
66 And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the
maids of the high priest:
67 And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and
said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth.
68 But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what thou
sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew.
69 And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by,
This is one of them.
70 And he denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by
said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a
Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth thereto.
71 But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of
whom ye speak.
72 And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the
word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt
deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept.
Job 2:9
9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine
integrity? curse [bless] God, and die.
Luke 6:27-28
27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them
which hate you,
28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
Matthew 23:16-22
16 Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by
the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of
the temple, he is a debtor!
17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the
temple that sanctifieth the gold?
18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but
whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.
19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar
that sanctifieth the gift?
20 Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by
all things thereon.
21 And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him
that dwelleth therein.
22 And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God,
and by him that sitteth thereon.
Matthew 5:34-37
34 But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is
God's throne:
35 Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem;
for it is the city of the great King.
36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make
one hair white or black.
37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever
is more than these cometh of evil.
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The Foundation of Christianity
Mark 12: 32, 33 - So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher. You
have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but
He. "And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding,
with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s
neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and
sacrifices."
The one statement which pleased Jesus Christ was the one which the
scribe confessed and is our message for the day. Jesus went to the
extent to tell that person that he was not far from entering the
Kingdom of God for this was the foundational understanding of
Christianity.
If we break the statement into parts we will understand the whole
foundation of our faith.
'There is one God, and there is no other but He' - First and primary
part of our belief is acknowledging the One and only God and making
Him alone as Lord and Master of our lives.
'To love Him with all the heart' - The word used for love is not
'agape' but 'agapao' which means to humanly express our love for Him.
We cannot say we love God if we do not outwardly express it and the
only way to express our love to Him is to love the things important to
Him.
'With all the understanding' - We are not expected to know everything
of His Kingdom even though we are expected to thirst to know more and
more of His Kingdom. God just desires us to love Him with whatever is
revealed to us. If we know something new today of the Kingdom of God
then that adds to the foundation of our relationship with God.
'To love one's neighbor as oneself' - Jesus told His disciples to love
each other as He loved them and God said love your neighbor as
oneself. We are called not just to love a believer like we love others
but we are supposed to love a believer as we love ourselves and Jesus
showed how much this was by His love for us.
These 4 points alone gets us almost into Heaven. Jesus used the words
'not far' because one cannot do all these 4 points without Him. It is
only through our faith and relationship with Jesus Christ we can keep
the above 4 points.
[Prayer Starter]
Lord God, You love us and desire us to live eternally with You and You
have given us the freedom to make this choice. You made all things
very simple if we follow your instructions but due to the hardness of
our hearts we struggle. You yet send your Son to be the way and
example for us to follow. He became the manifestation of your
Instructions to us. Lord Jesus, by You, through You and with You and
your Spirit we are assured victory, help us Lord to surrender
ourselves unto You...
This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.
[Reference Scriptures]
Mark 12:32-34
32 So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher. You have spoken
the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He.
33 "And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding,
with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s
neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and
sacrifices."
34 Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You
are not far from the kingdom of God." But after that no one dared
question Him.
John 13:34-35
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I
have loved you, that ye also love one another.
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have
love one to another.
John 15:12-15
12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life
for his friends [associates] .
14 Ye are my friends [associates] , if ye do whatsoever I command you.
15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not
what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends [associates] ; for
all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

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Paul's urgent second letter to the Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians

The second letter of Paul to the Thessalonians was written within a
few months from the first letter while Paul was in Corinth with Silas
and Timothy.

Understanding the process, the time it took to write, deliver and get
feedback for a letter, it seems that this letter was written in at an
urgent note. If we look at the contents of the letters it is mostly
the similar topics taken again by Paul. If one reads the letter there
is one important topic which the letter stretches on and that is about
the end days.

First we need to remember the Church of Thessalonians were not a
spiritually struggling Church like the Corinthians or a Church which
was worldly like the Romans. This Church was a maturing Church having
a sound knowledge and understanding of the Word of God, yet we see
they had a problem with understanding the end days and this problem
was serious so much that Paul had to dash a short letter again to
them.

In this letter Paul gives a very clear message that the end time is
not at hand and points to the simplest way of confirming that the end
time is at hand in 2:3-4.

2:3-4 very clearly gives the alert to the end days and it starts with
apostasy (falling away or forsaking) and then the revealing of the son
of lawlessness who is also called the son of destruction, who exalts
himself above every so called god and idol. Paul even puts a clear
clue of where this son of destruction would operate from and that he
says as the temple of God. Paul does not mean the real Temple for Paul
in his previous letters notes the true Temple is our bodies. This
temple points to a shrine. By the book of Daniel we know that the son
of destruction would be the last Pope and here Paul points to the fact
that the last Pope may move his base from Rome to Jerusalem for the
word used here for shrine is a common word used to the temple of the
Jews (it could also point to the Vatican which is the headquarters of
this Church).

The last Pope would kill the Pope before him and coming to power will
cause all other religions to worship him for all other religions are
directly or indirectly the works of Satan the Beast. The son of
destruction is the Beast’s appointed one as Christ is the appointed
one of God.

We know the teachings of the Catholic Church had already started its
roots during the time of Paul and were called at that time as
teachings of Nicolaitans. If we compare the Nicolaitans belief and the
teachings of the Catholic Church they are basically the same.

The most important part to remember is before the coming of son of
destruction is the Apostasy, the forsaking of this Church which is
recorded by John of Revelation as forsaking of the Queen of Babylon
who is seated on the Beast.

Between these 2 events is where the true Church of God is glorified
and Men of God grow in power and authority and cause fear of God to
come on man and ends with the two witnesses and rapture of the Saints
of God at that time.

So if we look through these events timeline we are far from the end of
the world. And therefore instead of getting worked up with the world
coming to an end we need to concentrate on the growing of the Kingdom
of God.

[Prayer Starter]
Lord, Your Word give a clear guidance to the turn of events but yet
your people are lost, confused and act like blind people. Like Paul
noted You cause them to be confused for they refuse to believe your
Word and take pleasure in lies and deceptions. Lord, harden not the
hearts of your people and by your mercy and grace open their eyes to
the Truth...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.

[Reference Scriptures]
2 Thessalonians 1:1
1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in
God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
1 Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and
our gathering together to Him, we ask you,
2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by
word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had
come.
3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come
unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed,
the son of perdition,
4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that
is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing
himself that he is God.
5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?
6 And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in
his own time.
7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now
restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.
8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will
consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness
of His coming.
9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan,
with all power, signs, and lying wonders,
10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because
they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they
should believe the lie,
12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but
had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Revelation 2:1-7
1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith
he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the
midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou
canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say
they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast
laboured, and hast not fainted.
4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left
thy first love.
5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do
the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will
remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans,
which I also hate.
7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of
life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Revelation 17:3-5
3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw
a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy,
having seven heads and ten horns.
4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked
with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her
hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE
GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Read Revelation 18

Daniel 7:8
8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them
another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns
plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the
eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.

Daniel 8:9-14
9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed
exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the
pleasant land.
10 And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down
some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon
them.
11 Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by
him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary
was cast down.
12 And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of
transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it
practised, and prospered.
13 Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that
certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the
daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the
sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?
14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days;
then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

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The fake Israel
Romans 9:6 - Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For
they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:
Sometime back I was in discussion with an unbeliever on the Word of
God and he raise a point about the hostile attitude of Christians
against Muslims and the over friendly relationship with the Jews. He
pointed to the fact that Muslims respected Jesus and accepted Him as a
Prophet but the Jews consider Jesus as a false Prophet and believe He
is hell burning in pots of boiling oil for the blasphemy He spoke on
earth.
In today's message in the letter of Paul to the Romans, Paul goes to a
great extend to specify the real Jew and writes that not all
Israelites are Israel. He further goes on to explain that the promise
was not to the ones born of flesh but ones born of promise.
The question comes as to who is Israel?
God always spoke of Israel as His chosen people. When the Jews
rejected Jesus they actually rejected God and thus they were cut of
Israel. In the book of Moses God had clearly defined conditions
wherein people born as a Jew would be cut off. Even though they are
cut off people want to override God and His Law.
We become the true Israel and Paul explains this, that it is through
our faith in Jesus Christ we become seeds of Abraham. Today you attend
most of the Preachers of USA and they preach more on the people of the
country Israel than the Word of God. They talk more politics than
Christianity. They are the preachers of Samaria whom the Lord would
soon bring down.
Jesus Himself said that salvation was first for the Jews but because
they rejected Him that salvation went to the Gentiles. The Jews surely
were given first preference by God but the day the rejected Jesus they
lost it. The Jews are as much connected to Christianity as a Muslim
is. Other than historical links there are no other links to the Jews.
The Jesus whom the Muslims accept as Prophet is not the Jesus we know
in the Bible even though many things are common. As much as their
Allah is the God of Abraham so also is their Jesus, the real Jesus -
the Jesus of the Christians.
Jacob struggled with God and Jesus was the first in whom the struggle
was complete and was the first true Israel. Those who believe in Him
and follow Him in Truth are Israel.
Are you Israel?
[Prayer Starter]
Lord, You called your people Princes of God. The struggle started with
Jacob and in Jesus was the struggle completed. Now we do not have to
struggle but by your Spirit all things are easy unto us. You gave us
authority in your Name, once we come in your Name all creation will
once again be under our dominance. Because of sin we lost and by your
sacrifice and Spirit we receive it back again. Lord, help us to
realize we are the True Israel whom You gave the promise and it is we
who will enter our Promised Land - Heaven...
This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.
[Reference Scriptures]
Romans 9:6-8
6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are
not all Israel, which are of Israel:
7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all
children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not
the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for
the seed.
Romans 3:28-30
28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the
deeds of the law.
29 Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles?
Yes, of the Gentiles also:
30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by
faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
1 Corinthians 1:22-31
22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:
23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock,
and unto the Greeks foolishness;
24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the
power of God, and the wisdom of God.
25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness
of God is stronger than men.
26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men
after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound
the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound
the things which are mighty;
28 And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath
God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things
that are:
29 That no flesh should glory in his presence.
30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us
wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory
in the Lord.
Romans 4:10-13
10 How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in
uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.
11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the
righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that
he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not
circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:
12 And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the
circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our
father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.
13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not
to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the
righteousness of faith.
Romans 2:26-29
26 Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law,
shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?
27 And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the
law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress
the law?
28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that
circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that
of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is
not of men, but of God.

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Times of Micah
Prophesies of Micah the Prophet
In today's message the Lord is telling us that the words of Micah will
come to pass. Let us understand Micah to understand what he prophesied
mostly about.
Micah was an ordinary person living in Moreshethgath about 25 miles
southwest of Jerusalem. Most assume he was a farmer by profession. He
was a unique Prophet who seemed to have had little emotional concern
to the suffering of the people and just went about doing his prophetic
call. Micah proved himself a great prophet when he prophesized
Bethlehem as the place where the Saviour would be born. He is few
among the Prophets who caused another great Prophet to note his
prophesizes. Jeremiah who himself was a great prophet wrote the most
important prophesy of Micah, since Micah alone had a very unique view
to these events. Jeremiah knew the importance of what Micah
prophesized.
Micah most important prophesies were concerning the ruins of Jerusalem
and Samaria. He also spoke about how Zion would be ploughed like a
field. Today the Lord is telling us the time is come for these
prophesies of Micah to be fulfilled.
Micah was not prophesizing against the Jews, or against a place
Jerusalem, or people of that place. Micah was speaking about the
people in particular spiritual levels Jerusalem and Samaria. How the
bringing of fruits in Zion, would require the ruins of Jerusalem and
Samaria.
In very few words Jerusalem which Micah refers to are people who
believe in the True God, having made peace with Him and preach His
peace. Samaria refers to people who know and follow the truths of God.
These people are not founded on the Truth or The Rock but on rocks.
They have many truths which do not link to each other and cause these
people to be confused and lost. They do not know if they are coming or
going and where in the prophetic times they exist.
People may understand Samaria but may wonder why the Lord is picking
on Jerusalem. Jerusalem is like junior school of the Kingdom of God.
It is loved by the Lord but when people dwell in there for long and do
not move up to the secondary or higher standards the Lord starts to
get upset on the inhabitants of Jerusalem. The spiritual stage after
Jerusalem is Judah. Jesus is called the Lion of Judah, the chief of
Judah the righteousness of Judah and He is the first of Zion.
We will find scriptures asking us to pray for Jerusalem and even find
indirectly for Judah but will not find any, asking us to pray for
Israel or Zion. Israel and Zion are those spiritual stages which do
not require prayers. Praying for them is like praying for the Angels.
True Israelites and people of Zion are people of authority and power.
Even for Samaria the Lord does not ask our prayers for these people
are hardened people who knowing God and having seen His glory has
still chosen to live a life far from His ways. It is the people of
Samaria who are causing all the confusion in Christianity today by
prophesising the end of the world coming very soon, getting people to
be rapture any day, and connecting God with the teachings of this
world.
God does not just want us to know Him, but wants us to grow in Him and
to having authority in Him to be His princes. How would your truly
parents like you to remain in the 2nd standard for many, many years
and not grow up?
If you dwell in Jerusalem since long it is time you come into Judah in
the gates of the House of God and eating of His solid food.
If you are of Samaria just renew your mind and understand there is
only ONE WORD and ONE TRUTH.
[Prayer Starter]
Lord, You made us with plans to be blessed abundantly in your Kingdom.
You are a loving Father (and Mother) and are zealous and possessive of
your children. You want your children to grow and have inheritance in
your Kingdom. Lord, we pray for those who dwell in Jerusalem will grow
and no longer be little ones. We pray the shepherds You appointed may
do their task in truth and your Kingdom come in glory...
This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.
[Reference Scriptures]
Jeremiah 26:18
18 Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of
Judah, and spake to all the people of Judah, saying, Thus saith the
LORD of hosts; Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall
become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a
forest.
Isaiah 2:1-4
1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of
the LORD’S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and
shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the
mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will
teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion
shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
4 And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people:
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears
into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more.
Isaiah 5:3-8
3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I
pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard.
4 What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done
in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes,
brought it forth wild grapes?
5 And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I
will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break
down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:
6 And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but
there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds
that they rain no rain upon it.
7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and
the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but
behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.
8 Woe unto them that join house to house, that lay field to field,
till there be no place, that they may be placed alone in the midst of
the earth!
Jeremiah 4:14
14 O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be
saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?
Micah 4:1-3
1 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of
the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the
mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall
flow unto it.
2 And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the
mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he
will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law
shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
3 And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations
afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their
spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against
nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
Micah 5:2-4
2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the
thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that
is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old,
from everlasting.
3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which
travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall
return unto the children of Israel.
4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the
majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now
shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.
--
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Repent and be Converted to be Truly Forgiven
Acts 3:19 - "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be
blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of
the Lord,
Everyone dreams of going to a great restaurant and order all the best
dishes and not pay for them.
Yes, our Merciful God has not made us pay for all the sins we
committed and even made it possible to receive forgiveness but yet
this forgiveness is not free.
People have this wrong notion that Jesus died on the crucifix and by
His sacrifice forgave us all of all our sins. Yes, Jesus did by His
sacrifice forgive us of all our sins but not all of us. The Bible
clearly says it is only those who repent and believe in short are
baptize in Him are forgiven of their sins and the first step to
baptism is repentance and second is conversion.
Repentance does not mean just being sorry for the sins we committed.
Repentance requires us not to look just at the consequences of the act
but at the act itself. For example if I have robbed someone I do not
have to be sorry only for causing a loss to the person but be sorry
for the act of robbing. That will require me to discard the garments
of a person who robs.
The Lord is telling us by just discarding the clothing of the sinner
is not sufficient. We are called to be converted. To be converted
means that we need to wear new and different clothing. We always
repent and find ourselves again doing the same sin again and again all
because we are not converted.
Small children have the habit to getting into the shoes and clothes of
their parents. They do this because they admire their parents and have
set them as a standard to look at.
In this world we did not have any person who could be a standard to
us. It was only when God came as man and became the Corner Stone for
all mankind, did we have a standard to imitate. So, to be converted we
need to not just discard our sinful clothing but need to put on Jesus
Christ. We need to live our lives like Him and copy His Nature on to
us.
True forgiveness does not mean only being washed of the dirt on us but
meaning also being dressed with fresh clothing, clothing which does
let us be dirty again in the area which we worked on. Slowly by slowly
as we get converted fully we will find ourselves true Christians,
which means - little Christs.
[Prayer Starter]
Lord, You are merciful and forgiving Father. You do not want us to
perish therefore desire to forgive us. Even when things were
impossible You make a way. Lord Jesus through our baptism in You we
are forgiven and by your Spirit we are converted and make new. Holy
Spirit, dress us up as Jesus Christ our Corner Stone. Make us less of
us and more of Him so as to be blessed in Him forever...
This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.
[Reference Scriptures]
Acts 5:30-31
30 The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.
31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a
Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
Acts 26:15-18 [Italics removed]
15 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou
persecutest.
16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee
for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these
things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will
appear unto thee;
17 Delivering thee from the people, and the Gentiles, unto whom now I
send thee,
18 To open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, and the
power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins,
and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in
me.
1 John 1:8-10; 2:1-6
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth
is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his
word is not in us.
1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not.
And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ
the righteous:
2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but
also for the sins of the whole world.
3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a
liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God
perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even
as he walked.

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