A Message of Hope in Christ

Tonight Im righting this because of the persecution of my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ their is always hope and he wont abandon you. Whether you are locked behind doors or not Christ is with you just like he was with his original disciples that were locked behind doors that very first Easter. Jesus tells us peace be with you. The only safe place is to know that God will hold you in love forever, he saved you, and he will not abandoned you. Wherever you go tomorrow  and every day the risen Christ goes before you because their are no places God wont go for his children, no depths to low, as was proven by the Lords death and resurrection. Hold strong and confident as Christ, as he will see us all through this time. God Bless!

Reserection NT Wright

Today I am just sharing a link to an amazing video featuring the former Anglican Bishop of Durham and leading New Testament scholar  Dr.  N.T  Wright on the historical truth of the Resurrection.
                           Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqc7--CaCpM                             

The Cleaning Temple and its meaning

Throughout Jesus amazing public ministry he did things no one thought the Messiah would do, when he publicly announced on the streets the forgiveness of peoples sins, an assurance that many did not understand. Before God sent his son to save the world people who be forgiven of sins by going to the temple and offer sacrifice to the Lord. Usually their would be some kind of celebration after, however with Jesus the Sins were forgiven without any intermediate steps, because he is God in the flesh and people celebrated right on the spot.

Then questions arouse who does he think he is, does he think he is God? The miracles and other such events that Jesus were preforming were undermining the temples authorities. However when he healed the Leaper he told him to go to the temple to show himself as clean. The Leaper needed to do that so he could be re integrated into society. Jesus was fulfilling the purpose of the temple, basically replacing its purpose.

The newest questions where asking was Jesus or the temple representing the will of God and the coming Kingdom. Their is evidence that the poor felt at the time the temple was an oppressive regime more interested in following a set of rules and making a profit than glorify God. However Jesus isn't saying the temple was an evil thing, but was a thing of the past. Simply put he is saying God the Father is doing a new thing.

When Jesus overthrew the tables of the money changers he stopped the flow of sacrifices being bought at the temple for a while (as they had to be blemish free and essentially perfect). What this says is that this whole system in under judgment and not before to long the system will stop completely because the temple will be destroyed completely.

Ultimately what our Lord was saying is that through me you have God with you, as Jesus is God, therefore you now have in reality what the temple was pointing towards. Does this mean the temple or law was a bad thing, no it doesn't. What it does mean is that the temple was a good sign post that pointed to a future reality, forgiveness of sin through the Messiah and is now its purpose has been fulfilled and now it is time for its destruction. He is not saying it destroyed because it was a bad thing, what he is saying is that the temple pointed to God's future plan and that if they are only looking to the thing that points to the Jesus and not Jesus they have missed the point which is idolatry and not true worship of God.

When Jesus came people were so focused on the temple that they failed to see that it pointed to him as the savior of the world, therefore it has worn out its use. Now our bodies are a temple unto the Lord. God Bless.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

What does the Resurrection Mean?

In modern society we have no real understanding of cost or sacrifice, as we have a view of cheep grace. However many don't realize that real healing and forgiveness comes from restitution, from cost, and from sacrifice. It isn't that God just sent his son to be killed, no that isn't the message. What Jesus did as the son of God is to in obedience to the Father's divine will, carrying out that will in a society that has gone corporately wrong (which is actually what original sin means), It is his obedience in the contexts of the corrupt society that ultimately leads to the crucifixion that restores our relationship which was broken between God and man.

So all of the evil, sin, and injustice in the world was put on Jesus and which he willingly took so we may have eternal life. Isaiah talks about how our Savior was bruised for our transgressions, beaten for our iniquities, and how he has overcome sin and death, so we may live again, eternally with him. It is key to remember Colossians 2 that Jesus through his resurrection took the worst and disarmed the principalities and powers of this world: What Paul is saying all the evil and the sin of this world did its worst to Jesus and he took this pain for us and defeated and broken its bonds forever through the power of his resurrection. All glory and thanks to God three in one, Lets give thanks for reserectiona and God incarnate among us, God Bless.
 

Praying and Remembering those who died on 9/11

Today we remember all those who died senslessy and violently 13 years ago, the tears fresh upon my face to this day. 

Yearning and hoping peace may come to this land through God,  we pray for hearts that may grow and change so that no nation will study war.  Micah 6:8  No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God  (NLT).  When you live by this, you will begin to see the world transfom before your very eyes.  Christians and Jews  alike share an understanding that peace can only occur when you align your heart with God's intentions, and God is LOVE. Align your Heart with God's peace changes realtiy overtime, How do we pray for our enemies that persecute and hurt us- How do you forgive those that toture, you look for Jesus in them, you see them as the humble Christ laying in a manger,  wrapped in swattling cloth.  Changed hearts seek not vengance, but seak love, peace, and greater life. Pray for those who acted violently and all those lives lost. May we change the hearts through prayer and love, yes we can for We can do all things through Christ who Strengthens us.

Loving God and Neighbors-Based on passage Based on Mathew 25: 31-36

Hello Everyone todays teaching is on Loving God and others. The passage used for this post is at the bottom of the page which is from Mathew 25: 31-36 in the New Living Translation, which is my favorite translation. Here we go:

 

A question to ask yourself is how can we love God when we don't love our neighbor? We must not deny the physical needs or the spiritual needs of others for they our brothers and sisters. They are not only physically hungry but also hungry for the Word of God. As Jesus said "Men do not live by bread, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God". We must be concerned for all people and love them, as God loves ALL his people, whether they know him or not he loves them and expects us to care for them. We need genuine love and concern for those in need. We must respect and  help those in need, treating them will love, kindness, and dignity that is given to ALL God's children, they have been created to love and be loved.

 

God loves and raises the lowest among us and we are to love and to care and help these people. These include but are certainly not limited to the homeless, the unloved, a throw away of society, and more! May we show the love of God to others, those who so desperately need us. Let us do as God asked to be that lovingness, that kindness, and thoughtfulness to them, let us be light and salt unto the earth and all its people. God is of the living so me mustn't be afraid but be living for him fully which means following him, loving him with all are hearts minds souls and strength, sharing life, loving, not being afraid, and spreading the good news, lets remember the world shall know that we are Jesus's disciples by our love.

 

 New Living Translation (NLT) Mathew 25: 31-36

“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. ³⁶ I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? ³⁹ When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
 “Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.^{[g] 42} For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. ⁴³ I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’
“Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’
⁴⁵ “And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’
⁴⁶ “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”