thepointe: 2008

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Stay Alert Today

December 13-14
Deut 6:4-9;	2Tim 2:2

The goal: Keep God and His commandments at the center of your life. Let His explained definition of TRUTH rule and direct your decisions. The trick is first to talk the right life, but then to follow through and live that same life!

We conclude that this is best maintained

by carefully
remembering the death burial and resurrection of Jesus in the flesh

then by

Living each day in the eager expectation that Jesus could return at any moment.
Keep a constant vigil over the once great salvation, and deliverance from dead Works.

The first step down the path challenging fervency of faith, how do you interact with others.
1. Deuteronomy 6:4Law of Love
2. Deuteronomy 8:18 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.

Through out history of the church a curious aspect of true society changing revivals, an eager expectation of Jesus imminent return. This can not be manufactured. It must needs be a true revelation of Jesus mind and purpose. This implies that He himself will reveal the immediacy of his return. "Luke-warm" Christians and by definition partially committed believers restore the Passion for the Lord Jesus by remembering from which they came! Forgetting this makes a person loose value for the Great cost Jesus paid to redeem His life. It also diminishes the level of thanksgiving which as a manner of course, diminishes The very Grace that Saved the person. On both accounts the important matter is the remembering of where the person was when he was saved. It is no accident that this is the very command in the receiving of communion. Remember the body and blood of Jesus.

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Deut 6:4-9

4 ¶ Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:

5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all your heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in your heart:

7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sit in your house,

and when thou walk by the way, and when thou lie down, and when thou rise up.

8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as front lets between your eyes.

9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

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2Timothy 2:2

the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

Watch an Be ready

Matthew 25:1-13

1 ¶ Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins,

which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

2 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

3 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:

4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

6 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.

8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

9 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you:

but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready

went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

13 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

The sober council - Be Ready! Implicit in this parable is the question? Can one be not ready? Only by bold denial and could this be answered in the negative. Verse 13 requires a day when no one else will be permitted into the Wedding Feast! For Family members only. There will not be any party crashers there. Sometimes at a funeral there is a special place for family only! They have memories particular to their experience. Remember the time..and so it goes
At this party one has to be more than a member! He must also be a member in good standing! Have the oil in the lamps.Rememberig the spiritual symbolism for the oil! the Anointing! Or the charis, this is also translated Grace. So by grace are we saved. Having oil (grace) in a life also is important.

"LukeWarm"
Revelation 3:3-6;14-22

3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch,
I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.
5 He that overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life,
but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches.
***
14 ¶ And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things says the Amen,
the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou were cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spit thee out of my mouth.
17 Because thou say, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and
know not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou might be rich; and white raiment,
that thou might be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that thou may see.
19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
21 To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches.

verse 18 councils the luke warm believers to remember the first Love Go back to a time when this one first believed. This time, for a person truly saved, is a time where recognition of sin is great and recognition of forgiveness is greater! The one who remembers forgiven sin also remembers the great love that results from the forgiven sin. As an aside, if any one wants some one to love them , the greatest bonding is realized forgiven sin. If the person first realized that a hurt has been caused, then accepts that he is forgiven, great bonding of love will result. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, For a person to realize that the greatest sin in his own life is forgiven by another, he will be able to believe that God also could forgive the sin. This works out to cause the person to be able to accept God's forgiveness and ultimately to forgive him self as well. Only when all three are received [God, others, self] is true forgiveness realized. The long and short of this lesson is that in order to regain fervency for the mission and the passion of the Way
one must first remember the forgiven sin. Keep it ever close to his thought life. The power of the Gospel is in the power of forgiven sin

first Love Luke 7:47-48

Luke 7:47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven;
for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.

Luke 7:48 And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.

Back to passage

Deuteronomy 6:4

4 ¶ Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
5 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:

***

And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Staying Alert In The Last Days

Dec 6-7

Acts 1:9-11;

Dan 12:1-2;

2Corinthians 5:10;

Rev 20:12-13

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Jesus Taken Up

Acts 1:9-11

9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;

11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
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Michael Anounces It Is Time

Dan 12:1-2

1 ¶ And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which stander for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
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Creation Jumps to Attention

Rev 20:12-13

12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
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All Mankind must give account

2Corinthians 5:10;

10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

Two judgements await every person.

Who has paid the debt of sin in your life?
How did you use the gifts and resources in your life time?

the answer to the first paves the way to the next. If any payment other than the Blood of Jesus is given there is no second question. The person would will and begin to fall down the eternal tunnel into the bliss. If in some way the person can say by the Grace of Jesus His blood paid the price of my sin, then he will continue to stand.

Soon after I repented of sin, turned to God and asked Jesus to come into my life, I awoke one morning with a dream. In the dream I looked up and I began to see a series of events. The picture resembled the view of an "IMax" with a domed screen. The characters that I envisioned gradually seemed more and more familiar. I remembered the scenes and as the action progressed I realized that I was watching my own life. It started back in my earliest memory. I could see my own life as it was, but what I experienced, in the dream, were the events from the viewpoint of an outside observer. Gradually I realized I was both experiencing the dream and seeing it circumspectly. I could see both what I remembered and what any one else could see. The gradual progression continued from my earliest memory to the things that had happened the previous day. At the time I could easily justify certain misdeeds as other peoples fault, but in the dream I realized how completely the sin was my own fault. Approximately half of the way through the dream as it progressed I vaguely began to perceive that there was another silent observer immediately beside me and slightly out of the vision. The further the dream progressed the more condemned I began to feel. By the time I awoke I felt so bad that I wanted to die. At that time I had never done anything that people would generally condemn as being "gross or blatant sin." Never the less sin totally consumed my life. I had no hope! When I confessed the dream to my pastor and spiritual advisor, He pointed out that the silent observer never condemned me and might have even forgiven me had I ever asked. At that time I realized the observer actually was Jesus. I did ask for forgiveness, and immediately experienced a cleansing of the guilt. As I meditated over these experiences I realized that I would not have needed Him to condemn me because I would have condemned my own self. In fact with out the forgiveness I would have run away from the light of God's eyes, and never even attempted to enter Heaven. After receiving the forgiveness I was able to stand before the Lord with the knowledge of my past actions but with out needing to run away. I presume that the way I was reconciled to God was that the pastor looked at the very sin that condemned me in my own eyes yet he did not condemn me. The process of realizing he would not cast me out, gave me the ability to believe that maybe God himself also would not cast me out! In the process of time I began to accept my own self not as a perfect person but instead one who was truly and deeply forgiven. Hi metamorphosis began to renew my mind to a different paradigm. I am forever changed by this knowledge.

I conclude from this; one concept. God has given each of us the power to introduce fellow persons to Him. Part of the introduction includes that God does not look upon our sin as we do but instead looks at the same sin through the blood of Jesus. The change of color means everything. The most important thing is that the cost of the sin [namely death] was prepaid long before our need presented itself. We must however accept this exchange and implement the merited righteousness for our own selves. All this must take place before our own death or the return of Jesus noted in the above verses.

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to Know God and the power of his resurrection

John 17:3

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

Phillip 3:10

10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

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to believe

12 Corinthians 5:19

19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself,

not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

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Tuesday, December 2, 2008

The parable of the Sower

Understanding The Parable of the Sower
In a New Light

Matthew 13:3-9
Mark 3:3-14

Luke 8:5-15

The Parable of the Sower What does it mean?
Matthew 13:3-9	Mark 3:3-14	Luke 8:5-15

The parable of the Sower
in Matthew

3 And he spoke many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;

4 And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:

5 Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:

6 And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.

7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:

8 But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixty fold, some thirty fold.

9 Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Insight

The parable of the sower identifies a person delivering the same seed to four different grounds. The GROUND in the illustration actually was the heart of a person.

{para along side}{able= to throw}[i.e. to throw a story along the side of a spiritual principle that could actually illustrate the picture of an idea; maybe an idea not so easy to understand!]

Scientists have discovered that people think primarily in pictures and in images.

No accident that the book of Genesis as well as much of the remainder of the Old Testaments written a s a series of stories, that illustrate a multitude of Human experiences and Problems.

The Bible is the only major religious book that describes it's heroes in any light that could be considered as less than favorable.

Yet not one of the major characters in the Bible is reported with out his or her flaws.

Many times the flaws lead to major changes in the Plot Line

The overall story continues on without missing a step.

The story being one of Redemption, Restoration, Reconciliation of fallen man with the God who created him

Thus we have a ground that can be cultivated and the person himself could control the kind of heart that would receive the seed.

Jesus explains the parable

In Matthew 13:10

The Disciples did not understand

Matthew 13:10

10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why do you speak unto them in parables?

11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven,

but to them it is not given.

12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance:

but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Elijah, which said, By hearing ye shall hear,

and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed;

lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears,

and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.

17 For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see,

and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

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Jesus Explains to his Disciples

Matthew 13:18-25

18 Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.

19 When any one hears the word of the kingdom, and understands it not,

then cometh the wicked one, and catches away that which was sown in his heart.

This is he which received seed by the way side.

20 But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that hears the word, and at once with joy receives it;

21 Yet hath he not root in himself, but endures for a while:

for when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word,

by and by he is offended. {offended: he relapses, or, falls into sin}

22 He also that received seed among the thorns is he that hears the word;

and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

23 But he that received seed into the good ground is he that hears the word, and understands it;

which also bears fruit, and brings forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

Jesus Makes a remarkable side note
Mark 3:14

Mark 3:13 And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?

Jesus is implying that not understanding this parable would preclude understanding any other miracle!

So what is it that makes this parable so important that the rest of scripture is unattainable. In his recent podcast Robert Morris illustrated this contrast and comparison. While there are five different kinds of grounds, there is only one stealing the seed.

The first hindrance to the effectiveness of the seed would be the Birds! Not having received message into the heart the protection that would come from the Word believed or the Milk of the word being hidden in the heart, the seed fell easy prey to the watchful birds. One might wonder what the birds represent in the scripture.

The next hindrance to the effectiveness of the seed would be the Heat! Watching new believers for some time we see the first obstacle to standing in faith after making a confession is holding out against the anger of family members or close friends. It is only after standing firm in the face of this anger that the faith takes root. By this we remember Jesus words. Not having the moisture that would come from the Word believed or the Milk of the word

Luke 8:5-15
Luke reporting of this teaching

5 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.

6 And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.

7 And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.

8 And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

9 And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?

10 And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.

11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

12 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

13 They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

14 And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.

15 But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

Insight

As Usual the inclusion by Luke is always the more heady or intellectual description of the same events that may also be listed in other gospel entries.

Mark 4:3-20
Mark reporting of this teaching

3 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:

4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.

5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth;

and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:

6 But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.

7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.

8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.

9 And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

10 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.

11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

13 And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?

14 The sower slows the word.

15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh

immediately, and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts.

16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;

17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they are offended.

18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,

19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirty fold, some sixty, and some an hundred.

Heat!

Deuteronomy 29:24

24 Even all nations shall say, Wherefore hath the LORD done thus unto this land? what meaneth the heat of this great anger?

The context of this passage identifies the heat as anger!

Back to The understanding of the parable.

Jesus words.
Confess Jesus
Matthew 10:32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.	Luke 12:8 Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God:
Love Jesus more than others
Luke 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.	Luke 16:13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other.
Back to The understanding of the parable.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Home Work Blog

Improving Your Home

Nov 15-16

Gen 2:18-25;

Psalm 127:3-5;

Ephesians 5:22-23

*** Families ***
Here I speak as a male about things that are primarily not my domain. I will however try to clarify at lest one side of the issues. As a member of a family I do have some experiences and knowledge. As with many bible subjects, what I read and the first understanding that I get from the reading needs a little reconciliation with real life! I find that the Bible is not well understood in many of it's particulars with out interaction with other believers. Jesus said where two or three are gathered...I am there! I believe any person can understand the Bible, but do not think that good doctrine is developed in a vacuum. Paul said, From many members to one body Revelation is a book to understand Jesus, the Bible however is an unfolding of the knowledge of God from Genesis to Revelation! God is understood and known by reading the scripture. Scripture is understood best by living in fellowship with other believers. God said let there be light, in the beginning and has continued to reveal the light of the scripture through out the centuries. My prayer is that the light of God be revealed in the heart of each believer.

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Genesis 2:18-25

18 ¶ And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

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.

25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Using the principle of first occurrence we understand the order of all priority to be as listed.

Family was God's idea. His ideas are better than any we might have. Various religious traditions have legislated away the plan for family. The Jewish idiom renders the meaning of a definite negative as a forceful opposite! So "it is not good for man to live alone" would mean that it is very good for man to be joined with a woman. Her affect on him is so profound that it becomes the single most important decision of his life, after His choice For God! The Hebrew for Help meet suggests Succor. By this we usually mean food, nourishment, and by implication encouragement! The Greek word translated Home comes from the idea of Leaping up with particular image of a Geyser. This is the best image of the kind of relationship that God has designed.

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Psalm 127:3-5

3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

4 As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.

5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.

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Ephesians 5:22-23

22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body.

How many times in our reading of the scripture do we see a command on the very thing that is most difficult for each of us to do.

Thou shall not Kill...when you are sure the world would be better with out the person

Men Lay down your life.

This focuses on the one need that every lady has: the need for attention;
and the thing that is the most difficult for the man: to let go of all the other pressures onthe person.

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Two or Three

Matthew 18:20

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
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From many one

Romans 12:4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:

1 Corinthians 12:12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:20 But now are they many members, yet but one body.
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Know God

John 17:3

And this is life eternal, that they might know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

This description by Jesus pictures salvation as a relationship, first with God and then with the Body of Christ. Paul reveals in

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Priority

God
Genesis 1:27 ***
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

Spouse ***

Parents and children ***

Worship, congregational Fellowship ***

Work ***
Genesis 3:12 -- When you till the ground, it shall not henceforth yield to you her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt you be in the earth.
Genesis 6:14 -- [God said]Make you an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt you make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.

Friends ***
Genesis 38:12 -- And in process of time the daughter of Shuah Judah’s wife died; and Judah was comforted, and went up unto his sheep shearers to Timnath, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite.

This study of priority answers a major problem in the ordering of our day to day life processes. I have noticed the lower items have a way of matriculating up the list until the lower items gradually take the place of the higher items. What ever higher priority subject that a person misplaces with a lower item is diminished. The person does not simply get the items out of order; the higher item is lost entirely. If a person places the work above the family the family is lost although the correct relationship with the Lord may still be maintained. Care must always be taken to keep the Lord's order of priority that same as the person's order. In this way we have a parallel way to be sure that we are walking in God's will.

God's Will

Romans 8:27 -- And he that searches the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because he makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Because there is only one God there can only be one Will... for every one! What ever is God's will for one will necessarily coordinate with God's Will for every other person who has relationship with Him. This also lends feed back as to what God's will is for each of us. If some planned action would prove not to be God's will for one Then the action is therefore not God's will for the person considering the planned action. The Scripture applies to all equally and with out partiality. God is not a respecter of individual Persons.

Respecter ** Romans 2:11

11 For there is no respect of persons with God.

Back to Family

Using Money Wisely

Nov 22-23

Proverbs 10:22;

1Tim 6:17-19;

Luke 16:9-13

Money parables usually picture some form of faithfulness
Faithfulness!

You to them: Your Doing what the other person expects of you (when you have a relationship with them.)

Them to you: Well that is different isnt it? HA HA

So why do we seem to expect more of others thatn we do of ourselves? That wouldn't be a double standart would it?

Koinonia ** the Greek word describing fellowship ** where there is mutual exchange, mutual interaction!!

This relationship implies someone is counting on another and in particular the expected performance of the other.
Jesus teaches on money more than any other subject. Seems that has the attention of his listeners. One element of his teaching on money is profit. Does he expect a profit? His idea of a profit might be something different than we would normally think. Money alone has very little utilitarian value. Gold the primary guarantor of money could be used for jewelry and for anything that needs to transmit electricity. So...Gold does provide value in these areas. Primarily the thing that buoys the price per ounce is it represents a medium of exchange. hours of work. Value can also be c arried foreward into succeeding periods! We exchange our time or resources for money! Money doesn't spoil in a few days like food! This makes it suitable medium of storage. You can save up some unused time. The saved money could then be exchanged later for food, shelter , or clothing; the basics of life.

His idea of profit is souls. Jesus' medium of exchange is words and people. To him this is the ultimate in resources. Money only lasts as long as the world lasts. The soul -- forever. Jesus implies that to exchange money to get a soul that lasts longer than money, well this is a good profit! He's thinking that to exchange something that is perishing for something that isn't is good!

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Riches are from the Lord

Proverbs 10:22

22 ¶ The blessing of the LORD, it makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.

Blessing *** Some translations of the bible give happines as a meaning of blessing. Seems that this is another "religious word!" Having onr meaning in religious context, but another meaning in other schemas. Funny how we separate the world into secular and spiritual. Do we think that deeds in the secular do not count in the Spiritual world? The truth is:all is spiritual first.If it is also secular, then we are carring the spiritual part of ourselves into an unnatural setting. How comfortable is that?

Riches *** So often we think of riches as only money! For many it isn't only the main thing ...it's ythe only thing! The wisdom of Proverbs elevate the concept of riches to a higher level. This level is an experience! Represents a fullness.

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The hebrew word for peace comes to mind! Shalom...Nothing missing; nothing broken! Yet howmany who are rich in money and this world's goods wish to exchange some of their money for health, or even peace?

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Using Riches wisely

1Tim 6:17-19

17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy;

18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate [give to those in need];

19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

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There is only one god...at any given time!

Luke 16:9-13

9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon [worldly goods] of unrighteousness;

that, when[ if] you fail[ die], they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and

he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.

11 If therefore you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?

13 No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other;

or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

Divided loyalty! Is it money or God that you serve. One of the names of the most high is I Am A Jealous God.

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Profit

Luke 19:23

Why then give not my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury [interest]?

The master is requesting that profit be made of His investment made. The minimum acceptable return to him (one with no risk) is the bank. He is assuming that the banks will not fail! He is, however, expecting a return on investment. We have the same expectation which verifies that we are made in His image!

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Sunday, November 9, 2008

Appreciating Life

Nov 8-9

Genesis 9:5-6;
Psalm 139-13-14;
Exodus 21: 22-23

Life the one thing Science can not duplicate! The "something" that departs at the time of Death... we call Life! The body weighs a little less when the spirit [that thing that we call life] departs the body at time of death. Life has substance and that substance is distinctive with every person. So at seems that every person is unique! There are those that say, "I met my double." By this they mean, "I met one who looks like me on another part of the world." A closer look reveals the outside shell may appear similar, but the DNA for the person is different, the quality that makes the most difference is the value structure. This may not easily discerned from the outside. The values are more determinate to what a person will do than any outward appearance. Never the less the most determinative predictor of future action would be the value structure. What does the person believe? We hope to shed light on some of those beliefs and assumptions as we outline this topic.

We call those who kill the life of an adult with out conscience a psychotic murderer. His actions are unnerving in that they seem to have a different set of rules regarding Life. How can a person predict what that person will do in any given situation. The essence of trust is to be able to be comfortable with expected reactions to any given stimulus or situation. Their actions are psychopathic when those actions deny the life of another person without cause. In Littleton Colorado the murdering students not only did not value the lives of those different from themselves. Investigation revealed that they felt compelled to eliminate all those different. This compulsion was particularly strong for any found who worshiped the Living God! (Psychologists call psychopathic another word for sick. This is not generally accepted in the world. We call one who would mistreat a child an abuser; a criminal. We are so very easy to judge the one who takes the life of another with no respect. Right we should be! stepping back down the scale of utility, why do we make devalue the life of these certain members. Why do we permit the special class of persons called mothers to extinguish the lives of the most helpless members of our world. If a person does not produce money, the person's valuation in the eyes of our society falls. The more the lessening of the productivity, the less the value. People with various handicaps seem to come out lower on the scale of importance. Turning the job of valuation over to some governmental potentate gives him god like powers. As such, how much will the society permit? how far will the society work to defend the rights of the dependant person. How far will the people permit this person to go in the destruction of human life. Does this process or turning the decision over to another absolve guilt from the whole?

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Genesis 9:5-6

5 And surely the blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man.

6 Whosoever sheds man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

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Psalm 139:13-14

13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.

14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knows right well.

If you ever wondered

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Exodus 21:22-23

21 Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.{If a man hurt his slave!}

22 ¶ If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman’s husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.

23 And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life,

This passage indicates that the unborn child has value. Torah awards personhood to the unborn, and he accrues damages for hurt experienced before the mother delivers. It prescribes that a judge should defend those rights in awarding damages. The only problem for the unborn baby today is that judges have declared that this life is not suitable for defending. Many of those same judges have discovered more value in an endangered species of mammal than in the unborn of the human experience.

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Death

Death is the termination of the biological functions that define living organisms. It refers both to a specific event and to a condition, the true nature of which it has for millennia been a central concern of the world's religious traditions and philosophers to penetrate; in particular, the possibility or otherwise of what is known as life after death.

Spiritually: Death takes place when the spirit departs form the body. there are these who do not believe the existence of the spirit. The persons who assert this do not seem to have any problem with the concept of "subconscious!" because this is not the essence of this article, I will

Numerous factors can cause death: predation, disease, habitat destruction, senescence, suicide, conflict, malnutrition, or mere accidents resulting in terminal physical injury. The principal cause of death among those in developed countries is disease precipitated by aging. The chief concern of medical science has been to postpone and avert death. Precise medical definition of death, however, becomes more problematic, paradoxically, as scientific knowledge and technology advance.

This definition is a copy of the Wikipedia definition. Interesting that through medical science we work so hard to "extend the life of the aging" there by postponing the eventual ending of all living things.

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Who is the most Valuable?

Luke 9:48 and [Jesus] said to them, "Whoever for my sake receives this little child, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives Him who sent me. For the lowliest among you all he is the greatest."

Another translation uses the word more "important than all." Jesus by definition is applying a different standard to the value of this person from that used by the people he is speaking with! A complete understanding of valuation can be obtained by Looking through the Epistles for the phrase "in Him", "through Him", or "by Him." The concept is this:

Who we are and how valuable we are can be obtained

from a comparison with out friends, our leaders,,

or even what a very important person thinks of us.

Try God!

Back to Life

made:
Genesis 2:22

And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

Back to Hand crafted by the hand of God

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Connecting With Community

Nov 1-2

Acts 2:41-45;
Matthew 28:19;
1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Personal Focus

Worship
Piety
Outreach Vertically
1. Teaching Children
2. Teaching Extended Family
3. Teaching Neighbors Children
Outreach Horizontally
1. Neighbors
2. Fellow Countrymen
3. Neighbor Countries
4. Around the world
Evangelism
Community Involvement
Exercising gifts like Romans 12

The challenge for each person is to maintain balance; Balance in outlook, endeavor, concern, and goals. Each of these areas is important. The challenge is to rest in the Lord and thereby permit Him to guide and emphasize each one of these areas of focus at a specific time and place. At the end of a life an accounting will be made.

Who Is the Lord and savior of our life?
How do we account for sins
1. of omission or
2. of commission
How well we used the gifts
1. of talent
2. of resources
to fulfill the mission that was placed into
1. our world and
2. our hearts

Because this time (fifty, seventy, even a hundred years) we have on Earth is only a photo flash of time in a thousand year party, we must remember the long term goal. In the sum of it all; our mission is to know Him and the power of His Resurrection!

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Acts 2:41-45

41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.

42 ¶ And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.

44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;

45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

The word always produces results; namely salvation. There are periods of time when people get saved in greater numbers than other times but the word preached will produce results.
If These results are not happening the first place to check is what is the word quality. The Scripture never promises to produce results based on our ideas. It does promise to produce results on it's ideas.
Receiving the word is a spiritual transaction.
People often are resistive to receiving the Word.
Others are believers and not doubters;
it is the ones that will take a risk who make the profit.
When I have spoken to a group that is eager to receive
the preach just jumps out . Contrarily the group that is resistive,
with a show me attitude, the message delivery
is like digging a hole in solid rock, very difficult.
I think that the blessing of the Lord is hindered as well.

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine
and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
These four corners of every fellowship support the building of the Church.
Every Christian or Jewish group that includes these four elements will grow and eventually flourish.
Every Denomination that has grown has started with these elements.
Apostles Doctrine is doctrine that an apostle has received from the Lord,
and crafted a message into the bite size pieces that a new believer can use.
Any person can receive a message from the Lord using the 20-20-20 method that
I outlined in last weeks message. When a person has a word from the Lord,
the people are fed, nourished spiritually. When to this "Word from the Lord"
is added fellowship; a mutual exchange of heart a deep need is met within the
heart of each believer. The frigid feeling of loneliness of soul is wiped away
when this fellowship, called in the Greek, Kononia is experienced.
A person is validated at a deep level by this experience. To this is added a
"breaking of bread. The Hebrew mind likens the table to
the mercy seat of God. He feels like the table can be a Holy Place
like the temple where one can experience the mysterious presence of the Lord.
It is an important place in the family, a place where much bonding takes place.
At a time where many hours of the lady's day were centered around the procuring
and preparation of the family meal; one can easily see why this place of great
sacrifice would be a place to meet God. One can also see where a writer might
allude to the table as a place where their god was their Belly!
Lastly we have the "Prayers!" The prayer in common does much to join a heart to heart.
Bonding after all is the main issue for a group of people.

Back to Apostles Fellowship

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Matthew 28:19

19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Go Ye! Three commands by Jesus.
Amazingly, Jesus gave only these three commands.
They defined the Law of Love. in this manor.
Jesus meant implied by his words that the Law of love must be put into practice. It must be lived out in day to day life.

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1 Corinthians 11:23-26

23 ¶ For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:

24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.

25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come.

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Covenant..The backbone of all bonding with God.
View and approach to this concept sets the foundation to all of a person's
Faith When the chips are down, when the back is against the wall when
there is no hope/help but God what does the person do?
When the pressure is on, when all is on the table,
what do we actually believe? Many say they are believers;
profess a good confession. What do they do? Do they really rely on the
GOD of all eternity, on the covenant he has cut in blood
This is the significance of this passage!
I believe that is the real incidence of salvation.
Remembering the question of a few weeks ago..."Is you is or is you ain't
my Baby!" Are you really saved?

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Exercising gifts

Romans 12

4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:

5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;

7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teaches, on teaching;

8 Or he that exhorts, on exhortation: he that gives, let him do it with simplicity; he that rules, with diligence; he that shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another;

11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;

12 Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;

13 Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.

14 Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.

15 Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

16 Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.

18 If it be possible, as much as lies in you, live peaceably with all men.

19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, said the Lord.

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Belly!

Philippines 3:19 Whose end is
destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame,
who mind earthly things.)

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Three commands

Matthew 28:19 Go you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit:

John 21:16 He said to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, said unto him, Yes, Lord; you know that I love you. Jesus said unto him, Feed my sheep.

Mark 10:14 But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Permit the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.

Go into the world
Feed My Sheep
Bring the little children to me

Fellowship groups that do these three works of the ministry are the ones that grow.
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Law of Love

Matthew 22:

37 Jesus said unto him, You shalt love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, You shalt love your neighbor as thyself.

1 John 3:11 For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

1 John 3:23

23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

Leviticus 19:18

38 You shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but you shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: ...I am the LORD.

Both of these passages delineate the further understanding of the law of Love found in Torah. The actual verse explains the verse in context. This section also has been called the Golden Rule.

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The Golden Rule

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you!

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Is it Faith or Isn't it?

James 2:18-24

18 Yes, a man may say, You have faith, and I have works: show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

19 You believe that there is one God; You do well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

20 But will you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

22 Do you see how faith was brought by his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

23 And the scripture was fulfilled which said, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed onto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

24 You see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

You can see by these words actions speak louder than words.
We might also say,
Your actions are speaking so loud ... that I can not hear what you are saying!
The challenge against the charge of hypocrisy is this:
make the walk match the talk. Nowhere is this more difficult than in the area of Faith.
In every other challenge of hypocrisy. the question is on the outside!
In this one we are often deceived as to what we really believe!
The proof of the "puddin" is in the eating!
Often by watching what we are saying in the idle moments
do we really find what we are believing.
It is on the reflex level that we discover what we are really believing.
It is easy to repent! If we have missed it we can easily redo!
All we have to do is the same process that we did the first time!
Say it and start acting like it was so! Sometimes an "I take it back,"
an "I'm sorry," or even an "I won't do that again" will help.
That is the great thing about the MERCY of God! Even as easy as it is,
I am surprised sometimes by the failure of good believers to walk through
the steps to actually do it! For my self I discipline my self to be
a quick repenter and a quick believer! I make my body expect to step back quickly,
if I make a wrong step. It feels like I know that a pot on the stove is hot
and I expect that handle to be to hot to handle! That is the care that I take
in my daily life!

Back to Corinthians

reflex level

Remember the five levels of learning?

Surprise
Recognition
Short term memory
Long term memory
Automatic recall also called reflex!

Matthew 12:36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak,
they shall give account of it in the day of judgment.

Remember the day of judgment take place any time that you judge your self.

Back to Faith by Works

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Mastering the Message

Oct 25-26

1 Peter 1:15-16;
Romans 12:1-2;
1 Peter 2:9

The message this week spells out the mission of the everyday believer. Live as the Scripture describes! The only hitch is that this mandate is impossible; at least to all who walk after the flesh; whatever that means! Those who do walk in any measure of the goal of Righteousness do so only by miraculously permitting the life of God to walk through their carnal bodies. The thing that the giving of Torah did, was only to prove that no one could really live this way by obeying an external law. The Jewish people tried unsuccessfully for nearly eight hundred years. Torah it self provided a loop hole, by ceremonially removing all guilt for disobedience on the day of "covering" also called the day of Atonement. During this day, participants in the ceremonies experienced At-One-ment. This process removed the sins from the previous year. The blood of the Sacrificial heifer on the mercy seat was accepted as a fair exchange before God for all miss-deeds and the people who participated in the ceremonies experienced a just as if I never did it kind of covering of all sin. It would seem to me that a better way of dealing with the sin problem would be to never do the deed. This could be effected by living according to the Law. Once again seemingly impossible. There was a way… after Jesus came and exchanged his blood for the blood of a heifer. He did live the law for a whole life time by permitting the law to live within his own body. When one permitted the "law"to walk through their own lives, then a person really could keep these impossible 636 commandments. Ezekiel also described exchanging this process. He spoke of exchanging this heart of stone with a heart of Flesh.

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1 Peter 1:15-16

15 But as he which has called you is holy, so be yourselves holy in all manner of lifestyle;

16 Because it is written, Be yourselves holy; for I am holy.

This process of being called describes a person who was walking along their life; possibly minding their own business, and surprise; they hear their name. The voice calling their name is not of this world. One gets the feeling that there is something very eerie a stir! The effect of this call is to forever change nearly everything in their whole life. Before ...Everything looked one way! After… everything looked another way! The difference is this thing called Holiness. An uncomfortable term, Holiness describes the process of setting a special dish aside only for special occasions. The item would signify something different and a part; To be used for a special day, an event, some visitor! Only then would it be HOLY!

The primary emphasis of most North American believers about this topic, is the challenge of walking after the spirit and not after the Flesh. Noah bore three sons. The first, Shem in the original Hebrew implies Spiritual, or spirit. His descendants have given the world most of the major religions. The second, Japheth connotes the mind. Most of the worlds sciences have come form these descendants. The third son, Ham, in the Hebrew refers to the flesh, or the body. From this group athletics is excelled. There is more likely a concern with physical conditioning and this sphere pre-eminent. No one is to be judged based upon the gifts and callings of another. The only responsibility any one has is to fulfill the call of holiness for his own self.

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Romans 12:1-2

1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

This verse was the first verse that I learned in the path to let a scripture speak to me. I used the 20-20-20 method. This method of studying scripture reads the scripture over and over for twenty minutes out loud if necessary. The next twenty minutes a person simply thinks over this same scripture. The third twenty are spent writing down the numerous thoughts a person has in the process of thinking of the scripture. Taken in combination the process directs the body and mind to the scripture and the scripture alone for understanding. This sequence is repeated over and over for several days and after the week the seven pages are combined to write a single coherent thought. To me, the result was striking! It revolutionized my understanding of scripture. It also transformed, in a word, my viewpoint of the spiritual life.

Every day present your body a living sacrifice! First present! An action command verb. As in Just Do IT. Living as opposed to dead. Most present something that was obtained in the past. Living would be present!. Living in the Now! How many live in the past or in the hopeful, but not promised future. No - In the Now is all you have! In this time line of life we can only go foreword or back in our mind. One is memory the other is simply a dream. A living sacrifice is required. Living by the mercies of God, certainly not an easy path because it implies living on the strength of another not on our own strength. A competent person would much rather rely on his own strength. He would greatly prefer to contribute something to the operation as opposed to entering as a beggar. This is Really not comfortable! This sacrifice must be Holy. Remembering from the paragraph above Holy means separated to God. Living for God in a World that does not like or respect this God you are revering, also not a pretty picture. The picture is more likely to procure the Scorn of the world about. This is also not Comfortable. As it turns out the only thing that God accepts is something that is wholly his. Acceptance would be the very thing that the world’s scorn denies. Many a heart desires this more than anything. Acceptability implies an end to Rejection, another huge stumbling block for many who would otherwise accept the Gospel story!

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1 Peter 2:9

9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:

Chosen implies a consent. In this process of walking the message God seems to operate in a by invitation only posture. He comes into a life of a person only when there is an invitation. This precludes intervention because of need. The invitation can easily be made on the part of an interested third party, as in the case of the calling of Paul the Apostle. History has however demonstrated that this example is not the norm. more frequently a person tells another about the fact of salvation, and the hearer asks the Lord to come into his heart. Thereby is the invitation made, accepted and the choosing completed.

This royal priesthood is another matter. The process of permitting Jesus to indwell a heart also merits all of the other rights that Jesus earned. These include regality and priesthood. The reality of Jesus becomes so magnified that the person is enabled to do a measure of the works of Jesus. Again this quality is by mutual consent where the person actually believes the process is taking place. Jesus rules and reigns in the heavenly realm. The person is empowered to rule in his realm of influence as well. The person is likewise empowered to offer prayers and sacrifices for his realm of influence. It is said that a boy never leaves the shadow of the prayers of a caring mother! She is exercising the role of priesthood in these situations.

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heart law

Psalms 40:8 I delight to do your will, O my God: yes, your law is within my heart.
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Three Sons

Ge 5:32 And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
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Judged

Lu 12:48 But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

By this we realize that a person will only be required to answer for those things that were committed to him.

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heart desires

Psalms 37:4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give you the desires of your heart.
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Flesh

Walk after the spirit and you will not fulfill the desires of the flesh.

Ro 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

Ro 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

Ro 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

Ro 8:9 But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

because the Flesh and the Spirit war with each other; one will prevail or the other will take precedence. Either way they are mutually exclusive.

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Stony Heart Becomes Heart of Flesh

Ezekiel 11:19 And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:

Ezekiel 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

The prophet of old pictured a very impossible thing. A hard hearted person becoming a tender hearted person. Such a picture! What makes a person become hard hearted, only hard things! Ever hear of the person who needed a yes but everywhere he looked he only got a no! After a succession of these things

Back to Flesh

Chosen Generation Matthew 22:14

14 For many are called, but few are chosen.
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Calling of Paul - Acts 9:3

Acts 9:3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:

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Greater Works

John 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believes on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
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Saturday, October 11, 2008

Identification

Identifying with the Humanity of Jesus

Oct 11-12

2Cor 8:9;
Heb 10:5-7

1Pet 2:24

He Was There For Me

The most common description of friendship in these times: He was there for me! What more can be said of a friend than, Were brothers! He's from the Hood! We go way back! In a word...Identification This is a feeling that is so hard to put in words. This is lifestyle Christianity. We take it out of the books, forget the sermons, bible studies, and all that is in the head. Instead this lesson deals with where we live! In out heart. It concerns it self with he bile that comes up at times of danger, real or imagined! How do we really respond when the heat is on. Do we run away from the truth? Do we lock up and loose all words? Do we sink into the arms of the Lord and let him defend us? What really happens in the nitty gritty times? These questions arise as we transform ourselves from the level of superficial Sunday go to church Christians into Deeply felt reflex level believers!

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2Cor 8:9

9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

The heart of a giver is that giving where one gives from the riches of his own personal treasury. This word Grace, meaning so often "church-skewed" and given a definition or no definition at all. The usual one way out of context with it's use anywhere else in the world. This verse accurately illustrates it's misuse! One of the definitions given by Merriam Webster is that certain feeling one gets when a very rich person gives a large sum of money to someone who could never repay. That overwhelming feeling one gets who receives such gift we call Grace! The humble act of giving where the giver makes no pretense or show at the time of giving also is called Grace Both the giver and the recipient experience Grace!

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Heb 10:5-7

5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he said, Sacrifice and offering thou would not, but a body hast thou prepared me:

6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.

7 ¶ Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.

I will do thy will! How many have claimed the Promise ... All things will work out to the Good. 1.Qualification Love God 2.Called according to your purpose (in a word God's Will!) This is quite a nice promise, but the qualifications call for "Doing God's Will

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1Pet 2:24

24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes you were healed.

Time to get out the "exacto knife" and do some cutting. This is a verse that has been "spiritualized" more than most others. At the point of this verse does much of Christianity began to divide. The road to "Radical and Fringe goes one way and the path to nominal Christianity turns the other. In the Late forties and the early fifties of the last century a group of about fifty ministers and evangelists formed a group of loosely knit affiliates who decided to believe that this scripture did apply to today. Most of those have passed from this world by 2008 but the various works and institutions that they founded has formed the backbone of the "Charismatic Renewal" as it is called. They along with some groups formed after the "Azisua Street Revival" beginning in Los Angeles around 1904 and continuing approximately seven years have spread the basic tenant of their thoughts and faith around the world. There has been no movement since the reformation that has had as much of a broad impact on the face of Christianity. Currently the groups that propose "hetero-glosia" as a central tenant of their faith constitute approximately one third of all peoples who claim Christianity as their faith. Second on their list of basic precepts it the belief that "Who his own self in his own body " is actually a present reality for today. Many of the more extreme believers claim that He is the same Yesterday Today and Forever I can not question the veracity of the verse, but do think that the context of the other verses lead one to think the writer of Hebrews was not expecting the reader to "Force God to respond to their requests and demands" simply because He did so in another time and place. Another scripture leads one to believe that all things are possible to him who believes, Once again it is a specific time place circumstance (rhema) word of faith as compared to a (logos) any time, any where, any body, word of faith. It is on this distinction that many who think that they are "Believing" the Bible or the "Believing in" theLord get deceived. Each person has to get the faith understanding for the specific time place and situation for himself. Sadly pastors and other Christian leaders can not really see into a persons heart. So it is hard to find out what the person is actually believing. It is on the miss diagnosed understanding that many have "failed to be Healed." The pastor may have actually believed the person would be healed. The person however must also carry his half of the 'Mercy Seat" in order to actually see the manifest presence of God's healing! In other words both of the two persons praying must believe the same thing and base the belief on a written scripture in order for the "miracle" of answered prayer to take place. It is possible for a person to pray and believe the prayer for healing but he must also deal with the physical discomfort caused by the affliction or disease. iGenerally it is harder for a person to see the 'Miracle of Answered Prayer" when praying for himself. Also it is easier for a person who is not experiencing the hurt to "unselfishly" The best motive for any prayer is to give the glory to God! This is another thought that is "Churchified" and thereby given a meaning not extant in normal conversation within the culture at large.

On the thought of identification with Christ we need to come back together. We must not be separated by specific understandings of this scripture or that scripture. No one is big enough to know and understand every scripture in the Bible. We all must simply start where we are. If one finds himself in a group that believe the verse one way, he should accept that understanding then put the shoulder to the plow and do the work of the vision of the pastor in their fellowship. Even if he has experienced understanding or faith in a precept that the pastor does not accept he must have patience with the pastor. To cause distress for others is only to plant the seeds of the sin of Sedition and in time will cause many to stumble. A more effective path of action is to privately share the faith and understanding with he pastor. If this is a new concept to him the pastor will listen and try to understand. He realizes that he does not know everything either. On the other hand he may suggest another pastor and fellowship who understands this verse the way you understand it and ask you to seek for specific guidance from the Lord. In the mean time continue to participate in the life of the fellowship and learn all possible from the pastor as he has studied much of the scripture and has understandings that you will benefit by learning.
By way of example Beverly Lewis describes the subject as it played out in the mid fifties. the Amish began to understand salvation in a new way. some of these wrestled with his new experience of "Knowing God!" Some gravitated to the Mennonite fellowship who shared a slightly less severe understanding of come out from among them than the Amish. As Revival began to break out among these people, there existed great stress and a challenge of beliefs. It is a delicate thing to expand the tenants of a group of believers. I personally ting that this is a job not for the lay person, the pastor or the governing board. Instead Scripture indicates that the church is founded on the apostles and prophets. (missionaries with preachers witnessing the new doctrine.) More harm is doesn't to believers and to the fellowship by those who stubbornly cling to the "truth" but at the same time divide the body. Christ, the true apostle has a way of identifying a portion of scripture that he wants to emphasize at a given time. He generally "broadcasts" the truth to many across the broad spectrum of the body of Christ. The last couple of years He has been emphasizing the Blessed life! This is not a new concept. It is however a portion of scripture that has been overlooked. Church leaders across the country have begun to emphasis this concept spontaneously and independently; each from his own paradigm of thought. If these had resisted the message undoubtedly a new denomination would have sprung up led by a man who thought this message was paramount. He over time would have spawned new churches and given time a denomination of Blessed life-ers would have begun to populate the landscape! This has been the pattern through out the generations. Look at the second baptism cloud! They believed that one should believe before baptism, They originally were called the Ana-Baptists or another baptism Group. They were fueled by persecution of both the Catholic Church (as well as other "Liturgical" groups) and the Governments that were offended by their "Faith and Understanding of Scripture!" The Government objected to the lack of tax revenue as the government had co-opted the church baptismal rolls to count the heads for purposes of taxation. The challenge then was who owned and therefore should the children , the parents, the church, or the state! Some how we still feel the cut of this challenge!

I call you Friend

You did it to me

You did it to me Mathew 25:42-45

42 For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

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I call you Friend
John 15:15

John 15:15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant know not what his lord does: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
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What is a reflex level Christian?

Introduce... I have never heard of that

Recognize... Let's see I think that I have seen that before

Remember...Short term memory "I remember that the other day"

Remember...Long term Memory "Oh yes, I know that"

Memorize ...Reflex the information sinks into the subconscious where: memory takes place with out conscious thinking

We are hoping to move this thought "Jesus Saves" from the head down eight inches to the Heart! Only when our normal thoughts drift over to the friendship we have with Jesus do we begin to experience this Salvation!

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Transform
Romans 12:1-2

1 ¶ I beg you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Paul thinks that it is reasonable to present your own body to the Lord and that in the process of presenting you are transformed. He finds three levels of entering into God's will. One that is Good one that is one that is acceptable and finally one that is perfect or complete

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Mutual
Matthew 22:12

Matthew 22:12 And he said unto him, Friend, how did you came in here not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.

Jesus by his words establishes a definition for fellowship. This definition implies that each party needs to contribute. In the case of the man in the parable the contribution was merely to make himself ready.The spiritual counterpart is: to put on "godliness." Dressing appropriately is an entry requirement for the Spiritual Feast. The essence of the parable is that the actions of a believer do matter. The implication of the story is that each party needs to contribute something of value and of cost.

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Identification
John 17:21

21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

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The Monkey Is On his Back

Isaiah 53:3-11
If He took it on his back then ... Is it just for two to pay the price for the same sin?

Isaiah 53:3-11

3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4 ¶ Surely he hath borne our grief, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.

8 He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

9 And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

10 ¶ Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.

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Heb 13:8

Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
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All Things

Matthew 19:26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

Matthew 21:22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

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Unselfishly
James 4:3

James 4:3 You ask, and receive not, because you ask a miss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
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Come out from among them

2Co 6:17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, said the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

Re 18:4 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.
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Apostles and Prophets
Ephesians 2:20

And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

This delicate dev elopement of a new understanding like Luther's introduction that the "just should live by faith" not by works to the Roman Catholic Church slowly moves the entire body of Christ into a new and fuller understanding of the Truth of Scriptures. The revelation is already in the scripture but simply not understood by the body of Christ at the time.

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Blessed Life

Deuteronomy 28:1-15

1 ¶ And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:

2 And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.
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Children

Psalms 127:3 Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

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All things work out to the Good --- Promise
Romans 8:28

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
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A New and Living Covenant --- Sacrifice For Sin

Hebrews 10:16

16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;

17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

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The only way the exchange could be made was for Jesus to come into the earth in PERSON, The letter To the Hebrew Christians blasts any argument against the truth Jesus came in the Flesh and by same identified with Us!

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Blog Archive

About the Teacher

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Stay Alert Today

December 13-14

then by

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Deut 6:4-9

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2Timothy 2:2

Watch an Be ready

"LukeWarm"Revelation 3:3-6;14-22

first Love Luke 7:47-48

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Staying Alert In The Last Days

Dec 6-7

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Jesus Taken Up

Acts 1:9-11

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Michael Anounces It Is Time

Dan 12:1-2

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Creation Jumps to Attention

Rev 20:12-13

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All Mankind must give account

2Corinthians 5:10;

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Understanding The Parable of the SowerIn a New Light

The parable of the Sower in Matthew

Insight

The Disciples did not understand

Jesus Explains to his Disciples

Jesus Makes a remarkable side noteMark 3:14

Luke 8:5-15Luke reporting of this teaching

Insight

Mark 4:3-20Mark reporting of this teaching

Heat! Deuteronomy 29:24

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Improving Your Home

Nov 15-16

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Genesis 2:18-25

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Psalm 127:3-5

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Ephesians 5:22-23

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Two or Three

From many one

Know God

Priority

God's Will

Respecter ** Romans 2:11

Using Money Wisely

Nov 22-23

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Riches are from the Lord

Proverbs 10:22

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Using Riches wisely

1Tim 6:17-19

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There is only one god...at any given time!

Luke 16:9-13

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Profit

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Appreciating Life

Nov 8-9

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Genesis 9:5-6

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Psalm 139:13-14

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Exodus 21:22-23

Death

Who is the most Valuable?

made:Genesis 2:22

"LukeWarm"
Revelation 3:3-6;14-22

Understanding The Parable of the Sower
In a New Light

The parable of the Sower
in Matthew

Jesus Makes a remarkable side note
Mark 3:14

Luke 8:5-15
Luke reporting of this teaching

Mark 4:3-20
Mark reporting of this teaching

Heat!

Deuteronomy 29:24

made:
Genesis 2:22