Consider the Trinity

Understanding the three in one

8-30-08

Matt 28:19-20;
Eph 1:3-14;
2Corinthians 13:14;
1 Thess5:23

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Matt 28:19-20;


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:

20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always,
even unto the end of the world. Amen.

You know, sometimes it just pays to obey! Nothing complex, just obey!
JUST DO IT!




Sometimes I get bogged down in the process.

How many things do we overlook; simply because they are not new, unusual, spectacular!

One day someone said, it isn't having heard that produces faith, but Hearing! Rom 10:17.

I can look at a scripture that I have seen since childhood, and one day get a burst of faith

when I really hear the scripture in the present. Did you ever hear that before? It's that kind of thing!

This very stumbling block has caused many to return slower to daily reading,

or whatever schedule of scripture. reading they might have struggled with!

Jesus commands an action implying that whose name it is done "IN" affects the outcome. In this case: if Jesus links the name father, son, Holy Spiritthen they are each significant!. Such a small subset of all the things that could have been written were, we must conclude, that Jesus thought it made a difference. In the Greek, it was the awesome Spirit or presence!.The mere fact that He said no more about this issue at the time, an issue that has become such a dividing point for so many since, indicates:

No one there had any "problem" with the idea of the "Holy Spirit!"

• Few complain about baptizing in the name of the Father.
• Whole denominations baptize in the name of "Jesus Only!"
  
• No, It is this subject of the "Holy Spirit" that seems to cause the difficulty.
  
• As we consider this topic; It is a little like the story of the six blind men trying to describe the Elephant.
  
  • They each saw a different part of the elephant
    
  • causing each to give
    a true but radically conflicting report of the experience
  
  
  • While we should never make theology to describe experiences,
  • only understanding and applying scripture,
  • we cannot overlook the fact that:
    
    It is personal experience that affects emotion,
    
    and belief in every day life.
    
    Much of what we really believer must be validated by personal life experience.
    
    
  • This is the very reason Jesus emphasized that "the Holy Spirit would walk with a person always.
    
  • When Jesus was resurrected, his promise to abide with you, me ,us forever must necessarily be in Spirit.
    
    
  • There is a more important facit to this passage as well.
    Verse 20 commends the making of disciples who would observe the teachings of Jesus.
    

    
    
    • While attempting to follow the 613 commandments of Torah all day everyday seemed impossible, the very best of the faithful might keep most of them, some of the time.
      
    • It was truly impossible to keep the rules and regulations outlined by Jesus in the sermon on the Mount.
    • Only the Holy Spirit working inside the heart of such a person could ever hope to live by these new understandings of Torah as outlined by Jesus.
      
    • If one understood the original reading of Torah He would know that was the first meaning of the commandments.
      
      Not only would a person not murder another, but every fiber of his being would be strained to give life, and prevent harm.
      
      The Hebrew "thou shall not" implied a command of the opposite.
      
      If placed on a graph where the moral imperative was placed on the infinite point to the right,
      
      the command was to stay on the infinite point to the Left.
      

    
    
  • So we have the last words Jesus spoke on the earth, to baptize
    
    in the name of the Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit
    
  
  We can conclude there is a Holy Spirit, and that the three are equally important in this baptism process.
  Jesus here seems to believe in the Trinity, Can we do less?
  

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Eph 1:3-14;



3 ¶ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

4 According as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;

9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure

which he hath purposed in himself:

10 That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ,

both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose

of him who works all things after the counsel of his own will:

12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation:
in whom also after that ye believed, you were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession,

unto the praise of his glory.

This is the passage of scripture that I call the Next Step passage! If any one really wants to take the "Next step in their walk with the Lord, read and reread this passage. read it over and over again until it is in the reflex memory. At a certain point the passage becomes a prayer. I also pray it with the name of someone whom I think is important. Just like I write the name in John 3:16:. For God So loved Wes...
example:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who hath blessed ___ with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

According as he has chosen ___ in him before the foundation of the world,

that ___ should be holy and without blame before him in love:

Having predestinated ___ unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself,

according to the good pleasure of his will,To the praise of the glory of his grace,

wherein he hath made ___ accepted in the beloved.

7 In whom ___ has redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

8 Wherein he hath abounded toward ___ all wisdom and prudence;

9 Having made known unto ___ the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure

which he hath purposed in himself:

10 That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might gather together ___ in one all things in Christ,

11 In whom also ___ have obtained an inheritance, ___ being predestinated according to the purpose

of him who works all things after the counsel of his own will:

12 That ___ should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

13 In whom ___ also trusted, after that ___ heard the word of truth, the gospel of ____'s salvation:

in whom also after that ___ believed, ___ was sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

14 Which is the earnest of ___'s inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession,

unto the praise of his glory.

15 ¶ Wherefore I also, after I heard of ____'s faith in the Lord Jesus, and ____ love unto all the saints,

16 Cease not to give thanks for you,____ making mention of you _____in my prayers;

17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you ____the spirit of

wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: {in: or, for the acknowledgement}

18 The eyes of ___'s understanding being enlightened; that ____ may know what is the hope of ___

calling, and what the riches of the glory of ____ inheritance in the saints,

19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to ___ and all of us who believe, according to the

working of his mighty power in ____'s life, {his mighty power: Gr. the might of his power}

20 Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not

only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

22 And hath put all things under his and ____'s feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church,

23 Which is His body, the fullness of Him that fills all in all.

1 ¶ And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

2 Wherein in time past ____ walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of

the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience:

3 Among whom also we all had our life style in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the

desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. {desires: Gr. wills}

4 ¶ But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us and ___,

5 Even when _____ was dead in sins, hath quickened ____ together with Christ, (by grace ___ is saved;)

{by: or, by whose grace}

6 And hath raised ___ up together with al of us, and made ___ sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

7 That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in his kindness toward ___ through Christ Jesus.

8 For by grace is ___ saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

10 For ___ is his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained

that ___ should walk in them. {ordained: or, prepared}



I continue in this fashion through Eph 2:10. When I am doing my job right, I pray this every day until I sense inside my spirit that it I have reached a conclusion. I may get a "sigh of relief" that the prayer is accomplished, or other times simply a sense that It is done. This may or may not be accompanied by a physical or emotional change that I can perceive. The person whose name I have placed in this blank line of the prayer may appear no different. (I can not remember a time when it took more than thirty days after the "testament" of faith was received that the results were begun in the person of interest!) When you pray the scripture you know that you are praying the
Will for God. We know that if we pray anything according to his will, we have that for which we have requested. If we have that knowing; then we have the answer. It matters not how long the process takes to see the answer. There are those that have prayed for years with no apparent results. This prayer specifically asks for "spiritual Blessings in heavenly places!" This then asks for Him to be chosen in Christ Jesus.Because there is no limitation of time in the Spiritual Realm. (A day is a thousand years and a thousand years is a day. He is the same yesterday today and forever.) Even after those years of praying for a person with no apparent change; praying this passage ( thirty to ninety days) dramatic results are recorded. In a short time, point of view changes. A sense of Mission is established. A sense of the purpose in the Body of Christ is understood. The word has never failed; we simply have failed to exercise the word. Sadly God gets blamed for not answering prayer when in truth we have not prayed the scripture or have not held out our conviction to the end. If faith could be turned on and off like a light switch, "Keep the switch of faith turned on!" The Hebrew word for prayer means "I am changed." In actuality it implies I meet with God and I am changed forever." This is also my experience in prayer. The "burden" that causes me to want to pry in the first place is lifted and the result of the prayer. makes me and everyone involved different. The persistence of daily (or more often like every time I worry about the subject/person) prayer with this name can be is like water dripping on the head of the Chinese Torture victim. Yet in this sense it isn't so bad. As the end result is desirable to all. The answer will work out to God's will. Because His will is singular what is His will for one is also His will for all others who might realties to Him.

This prayer covers many of the major issues in life. occasionally I also add some passages in Eph 3 to the end depending on what I sense is needed. Every addiction is in reality a form of idolotry.If a person uses a drug of choice to medicate a pain, this is an attempt to place that drug of choice into the place of healer, One of the names of Jesus "is My Healer!." Praying the lines of this passage covers this as well as other needs.


In Conclusion, there is no better testimony to the presence and power of the Holy Spirit than the example of his work in the lives of those (or yourself) that you care for. Sadly for many "out of sight is out of mind." So goes the life and work of the third person of the Trinity. Jesus instructed us to not pray to the Holy Spirit. I find it most preferable to not even speak of His working as this seems to postpone His work when I do. Maybe He is the type of person who likes not to have attention drawn to Him. He is, none the less, very powerful in the working of the Will of God.

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2Corinthians 13:14


4 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

Have a nice day! Who hasn't heard or even said the same. Grace implies all that is good , smooth, easy, comfortable.
In this way does Paul close all of his letters. He says "GOOD ON YOU!" But He doesn't just say "Have a nice day," he says so much more.
Love implies the Acceptance of the Lord. So much evil in the world is the result of lacking that "sense", or "atmosphere" or as some say the "Spirit of Acceptance!" Unwarranted Criticism in particular leaves a person with a sense of non-acceptance. Every thing is perceived with a fearful expectation that all will not turn out well! This is exactly the Spirit that Paul is contrasting! He wants a communion (mutual exchange or interchange) with the "Spirit of Acceptance!" That would be the Holy Spirit! His incidental invoking of the Holy Spirit in this Blessing implies that it was of no question to him at all. The third member of the one who is Blessing, would have been the Holy Spirit!
BE with you all. Same thought as God saying "Let there be Light"! ... and Light was! Paul says Grace be with you and where none had previously been, there was now Grace.

This is so much more emphatic than simply "Have a nice Day!

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2 Thess 5:23


23 ¶ And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body
be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the image of God made he them! Gen 1:26 Made in His image (shadow or likeness or semblance)
When you see man you would be reminded of God. How could that be, unless the man resembled the form and likeness of God.

Paul exhorts his people to sanctify (separate unto God) all three parts: Spirit soul and Body to God.

Can not do that without a Spirit, soul and Body. Many are so "body minded" that they seldom consider the other parts.

The spirit (unseen part,) and the body are connected by the Soul. If the mind is thinking about the God part,

that is two against one, a majority.
It has the effect of sanctifying the whole man.

If instead the thought life runs off in concert with the carnal body,

that also makes a two to one majority, but in the favor of the carnality. Not Good!

These scriptures clearly declare that There are three distinct elements too God.
The term "Trinity" implies three in one. The only outstanding item is the word one. How many does one contain.

We frequently allow the thought to describe a group who have similarthoughts goals or ideals. Nearly any number may be described as one.
Under this thought ****** how hard is to describe God as one? In all of the numbers of significance, the most basic is three. The Trinity

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Our Goal in this blog is to create discourse and a foundation. This foundation supports correct faith, belief and thought. If possible,
we give tools for success in daily life. Truly a life lived for God is the ultimate success.

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Fall Roadmap

Understanding the three in one 8-30-08 Matt 28:19-20; Eph 1:3-14; 2Corinthians 13:14
********************Matt 28:19-20;
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:
20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
******************** Eph 1:3-14;
3 ¶ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
******************** 2Corinthians 13:14
4 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. The second epistle to the Corinthians was written from Philippi, a city of Macedonia, by Titus and Lucas.
******************** 2 Thess 5:23
23 ¶ And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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Comprehending Creation Sept 6-7 Gen 1:1,26-28;2:7;Acts 17:24-26; Hebrews 11:3
******************** Gen 1:1,26-28;2:7;
1 ¶ In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
26 ¶ And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
******************** Acts 17:24-26;24
God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;
25 Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;
******************** Hebrews 11:3
3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
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Relying on God's Word Sept 13-14 2Tim3:16;2Pet 1:20-21;Luke 1:1-4
******************** 2Tim3:16;
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
******************** 2Pet 1:20-21;
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
******************** Luke 1:1-4
1 ¶ Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us,
2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;
3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.
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Interpreting the Incarnation Oct 4-5 John 3:13-16;8:58;2Corinthians 5:21;1Pet 2:22
******************** John 3:13-16;8:58
13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
******************** 2Corinthians 5:21
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.
******************** 1Pet 2:22
22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
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Identifying with the Humanity of Jesus Oct 11-12 2Cor 8:9;Heb 10:5-7 1Pet 2:24
******************** 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.
******************** Heb 10:5-7
5 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest 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.
******************** 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 ye were healed.
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Accepting by Faith Alone Oct 18-19 Eph 2:8-10;John 3:16;Titus 3:5
******************** Eph 2:8-10
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
******************** John 3:16
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
******************** Titus 3:5
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
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Mastering the Message Oct 25-26 1Pet 1:15-16;Rom 12:1-2;1Pet 2:9
******************** 1Pet 1:15-16
15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
******************** Rom 12:1-2
1 ¶ I beseech 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.
******************** 1Pet 2:9
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:
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Connecting With Community Nov 1-2 Acts 2:41-45;Matt 28:19;1Corinthians 11:23-26
******************** 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 stedfastly 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.
******************** Matt 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:
******************** 1Corinthians 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 shew the Lord’s death till he come.
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Appreciating Life Nov 8-9 Gen 9:5-6;Psalm 139-13-14;Ex 21:22-23
******************** Gen 9:5-6
5 And surely your 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 Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
******************** 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: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
******************** Ex 21:22-23
21 Notwithstanding, if he continue a day or two, he shall not be punished: for he is his money.
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,
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Improving Your Home Nov 15-16 Gen 2:18-25;Psalm 127:3-5;Eph 5:22-23
******************** Gen 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.
******************** 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.
******************** Eph 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 saviour of the body.
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Using Money Wisely Nov 22-23 Prov 10:22; 1Tim 6:17-19;Luke 16:9-13
******************** Prov 10:22
22 ¶ The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.
******************** 1Tim 6:17-19
17 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;
19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
******************** Luke 16:9-13
9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, 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 ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
12 And if ye 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. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
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Staying Alert In The Last Days Dec 6-7 Acts 1:9-11; Dan 12:1-2; 2Corinthians 5:10;Rev 20:12-13
******************** 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 stedfastly 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.
******************** Dan 12:1-2
1 ¶ And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth 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.
******************** 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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Practicing The Faith Challenge Dec 6-7 Deut 6:4-9; 2Tim 2:2
******************** 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 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:
7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
******************** 2Tim 2:2
2 And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

Believing in God

Believing in God Aug 23-24

!DUH, Ya Think?     For some reason many atheists are males between the age of 15 and 51! Guess after 50 these guys start to see there just might be an end to this thing we call life...then what? Starts putting an end the thought:  "we made it ourselves!"  Before that time...well... the lad hasn't awaken yet!
         
John 17:3;
Genesis 1:1;
      

      
John 1:1-3; 
Psalm 19:1;  Romans 1:19-20  
Hebrews 11:6
      

• Genesis 1:1 ¶ In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

  
  "And he said!" The beginning of beginnings. Only God could testify as to want happened at the beginning.
  
  Who else was there. Oh, that's right, we hadn't been created it yet! Everyone came from somewhere. Except God! Once I met a man fro the continent of India. When he read the begets in Matthew he wanted to become a believer. In his tradition nothing ever had a beginning, a first time! When he discovered that Jesus could be traced to a first point , He believed. Every word of scripture is endued with the power of God unto Salvation! There is Life in every word!
  

  
  
• John 1:1-3

           
  1 ¶ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
  

  2 The same was in the beginning with God.
  

  3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
  

  4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.       *******
  

  Yes there was a beginning. the world hasn't's gone this way at all times. Some how this lends a slight question of doubt. Maybe this world will not continue as it has for all time. Maybe there will be an end to the things that we rely upon and that we all think is set. This is a little unsettling to a person who is thinking that God either isn't , or if He is He doesn't care. It's so much easier to think that he isn't contributing any control to things here round about! Yes, that is it! He spends His time dealing with nations and others..He could care less about a person like myself. Why would he care if I see a little eye candy? So it goes, little by little; how did we get to this place? But I really believe in God don't I? I pay my dues! I live okay! Why should He care, and about ME?
  
  The word! Now that is something! How did we get that? At places, it makes me a little uncomfortable. Wish it hadn't have said that. This is how that thinking goes. A little maybe!A little fudge here or there.Soon you have a sticky situation. gonna have to get off of this subject! So this Wordwas in the beginning with God. That is a little scary. All things were made by Him. Everything here was made by Him. Think about some of the seven wonders of the world. Life, I could use some of that! Things are a little "dead" around here!
  

  
  
  
• Genesis 17:3          
  And this is life eternal, that they might know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.      

  
  

  Some time back, I had the opportunity to participate in the last Billy Graham crusade here in Dallas. As a result of that experience I had the opportunity to experience being near him personally and come into the presence of a great man. I will forever be different as the result of that experience. Some how touching a man who has for all these years been the contact for people to meet the Lord changed my prospective on life and on my world. Having known him I carry within my self a different kind of feeling about life that is difficult to put into words.
  When I compare this feeling with the feeling that I get when I think," to know God personally," there is no comparison.
  Trying to put this experience into words is difficult.
  
  
  
  
  Opening this thumbnail into a different page, a person may be able to get the feeling of the vastness there is in God. Some how, comparing my 5'9" frame to this mile high overlook, places my mind into perspective of the vastness of God. Sitting by a seashore or lakeside looking out over the expanse of water does a similar thing inside. Maybe that is why; when Jesus got too much of people, he headed to the seaside or to the mountains. It was there he refocused his heart on the reality of life and NOT!
  It is here that one would begin to recommit to the "Mission of your life?"
  Because I do
  not live near scenes like this,   I sometimes remember to take five minute vacations. At these times I close my eyes and relive the vacations of the last few years.  I can see again the Grand Canyon, or some other "breath taking site!"  A five minute vacation can re-vive me to the reality of God. After all Believing in God carries me through all the "Dirty here and Now!"
  

  
  
  
  
  
• 
  Hebrews 11:6       
  But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that comes to God must believe that he is,
  and that he is a rewardor of them that diligently seek him.

  The Author made the rules, He wrote the Book. If he says it takes faith, then ,Dear Lord , Give me more Faith! ...Or at least help the faith that I have!
  As I mentioned earlier, I was born on a sheep ranch in West Texas ("see July 19,2008".)
  At three years or so, in the ordinary course of living, My dad took me to the side of a canyon he called the "Big Canyon." It ran through our ranch, dropping to debts of three hundred to four hundred feet. Seeing that drop of 350-400 feet changed my life in a way that could not have happened any other way. My 32" looking over the side of that cliff left me with night dreams of standing near the precipice and feeling something like a huge vacuum pulling me to the edge. In these dreams I never fell over, but it was nearly twenty years before I conquered the fear of heights. All those formative years I thought God must be really BIG. Over time I also learned that with all this BIGness He was also Good! Big and Good, This is enough to take away fear!
  Believing that He is only the first half. One must also believe that he is a rewardor of those who diligently seek Him. The first half while reassuring, might be a passive thing. But the second half certainly cannot be a passive experience. Inside my self I must put it in "D!"   Oh, there is no time limit either! Guess it just status in "D" until the reward comes,   no that would be too crass! Must be from now on!
  Inside many of us, there exists a strong desire to please others! For a believer this is a miss placement of the very natural desire God placed in each of us to PLEASE GOD. A very simple and straight forward proposition,
  

  Believe in God!

  Diligently Seek Him!

  This will please Him!

  
  

  
  
  
  
• Romans 1:19-20       

  
  

  19 ¶ Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God has shown it to them.
  
  

  20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made,
  even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
  

  
  
  

  The context of this verse in Romans is this. The people in question acted in a way that God did not exist. Or if God did exist, He did not care what they did. It is significant that the subject at issue is the subject of Sexuality. Maybe Paul expressed thoughts about sexuality different than the prevailing thought of our day. Now is this or is this not the Word of God in these scriptures?
  

  This really seems to be the real issue! Not only does God exist, but does this existence have any bearing upon our lives? Does God matter to us in this year 2008?
  Have we progressed so far that we passed Him up? For many this is the state of their lives. As for me and my house, We will serve the Lord!
  

  
  
  
• Psalm 19:1;7-9       

  
  

  1 ¶ To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows his handy work.
  
  

  7 ¶ The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.
  

  8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.
  

  9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
  

  
  
  The firmament... that would be The mountains, the Grand Canyon, and maybe the seas starting with the seashore!
  
  "The Glory of God" I always wondered what that means. Oh yeah, It is that Mist around the Mercy seat in the Torah!
  Where no one could sand. That could do it. I have a hard time standing at the edge of the side of a cliff, like the Grand Canyon.
  
  The Law...That would be Torah!The word of the Lord is "perfect"(complete) self sufficient to the converting of the soul.
  
  This does bring a little light into the situation! The "fear"(awe) cleans out the "debris" left by a life of sin! The "debris" left by a healthy Fear of the Lord is a sense of rightness with God!
  
  I think that is what I would like! Maybe that would lift this burden of "guilt" off of me.
  
  
  I the writer would like to interject a word in Prayer! Dear Jesus please introduce this person GOD to me.
  
  Please come into my heart and clean me of this sin that I have live in for so long.
  Please give me this FEAR that Psalms speaks of!
  Please reveal to me this faith that Pleases God!
  speak to my heart that I may Believe Him!
  

http://community.webshots.com/slideshow/562837668gPSXeT?mediaPosition=7

the firmament shows his handy work.You may click on any of these to enlarge.

The Ultimate Faith Challenge

The Ultimate Faith Challenge

Contending For the Faith August 16/17

Jude 3-4; old testament reference

Exodus 34:12-16

Contend--- You are either moving forward increasing your faith or you are regressing, backsliding, becoming more worldly. No one ever stays static although it may feel that way at times. Time is a stream that either will carry a floater downstream or, if he struggles, he may proceed up stream, to his place of destination!

3. 
   3 ¶ Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation,
   it was needful for me to write unto you,
   and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith
   which was once delivered unto the saints.
   
4. 
   4 For there are certain men crept in unawares,
   who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men,
   turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness,
   and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
   
5. 
   5 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.
   
6. 
   6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
   
7. 
   7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
   
8. 
   8 ¶ Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.
   
9. 
   9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
   
10. 
    10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
    
11. 
    11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
    

So what do we have? The Logos i.e. The "Word " of God was written to all people everywhere, at all times, in all places, in short to everyone. All can get life out of these words by only reading the thoughts contained there in. Now what I am saying or as it happens writing, is specific to time place and person. If you receive any life from the words it is because you are able to relate them in some way to your specific time place and situation.
In short they may be to a new believer, a person working in the ministry, an evangelist, a prayer person,
a young person, a an old person in the lord with much experience and so on.

Much also could be made of the context The Old Testament reading of this same idea is found in Exodus 34:12-16. In short destroy, Idolatry.(Creating A god made of human hands or mind!) Permit no fortification. (worship of a false God.) It seams that the writer thought that to permit a sin would be to think of it and in time to embrace it and in the process of time to commit the same! Also the sins accepted by the Fathers are embraced by the sons, and those same sins are taught and propagated by the grand sons!

New Believer

A new believer is like a clump of clay that may be molded into any shape the artist desires. He is actually being molded into the believer he will become by every reading of scripture.Also every act of fellowship where he "Learns" the way of Salvation forms the picture that he will later compare everything else. Like a young child he is greatly impresses by every experience, and as such will grow or be warped by all that he encounters. As Jesus said it is especially important not to cause one of these little ones to stumble.

Believer

As a believer begins to identify him self as a Person of faith, he often will call himself a "Baptist" or a "Methodist" or whatever as his affiliation is called. At this point the admonition will be especially important; for by this time he will have become active in the flow of the fellowship. He often takes on as many "jobs" as his time allows. Others may look at him as being a very important person, however he has not actually "solidified" in his faith. Because the sermons and teachings are necessarily limited by "seat time" (how long the congregation can stay seated,) what he thinks that he knows while it may be accurate, may also contains gaps. It is in these gaps that he is especially vulnerable to deception and many a believer has been led astray by "winds of doctrine!" As difficult as it is, he must stay diligent to contend for the faith! In this manner he will "present himself faithful before the father,"A workman to be honored!

Minister

Our minister especially needs to contend for the faith. It is his passion that people are seeking. All the world to them is nonchalant, lukewarm. The human spirit seeks someone to believe in. There is to them so much that is phony, so much that is a sham! Yet every man wants someone to prove their faith; someone who will really live it out. The only way a minister can experience this reality of faith is to really live it on a minute to minute basis. He must really believe the things that he says every time that he opens his mouth! He must live it in the morning, in the evening at the times that he is alone, where no one is looking. Yes at all times. No one can do this in his own strength, he must get this fire from the throne of the Lord. He must get this life giving mana in the secret place in his own private life! Because so many are depending upon him, he must contend for the faith!

Evangelist

The evangelist does that which is his nature. Every encounter is a opportunity to speak a word in season to comfort the one in need.
Every eye met in passing could be a person who does not know the Lord as their personal Savior.
They might not know the one who would speak a word of forgiveness to a lifetime of sin!.
They might not know the friend who sticks closer than a brother.
They might not have experienced an end to so many questions.
Every person is waiting if not to get that first day of new birth,
then for that life giving hope that comes to one who remembers the name of Jesus at a time like that!
Ever vigilant always thinking of the eternity to gain and guilt to shed, by simply turning to Jesus.
By simply allowing him to come into the sin sick heart.
What he has been is not working,
lets turn it all over to the son who wrote the light of the dawn.
The one who authored the world could not do badly with my world, he would think!
Daily thought like this is what contending for the faith is all about for the evangelist!

Prayer Person

The person of Prayer, placed in the secret places of the body of Christ must always guard the balance of seeing the wounded and hurting world and the joy that Christ has over come the world. Sometimes it is a little hard to remember these things. For him to contend for the faith he must always remember Revelation 5:12 that promises the prayers of the faithful arise in the heavenly spiraling up before the throne of the Most High. This eternal place will always remember his prayer and its parallel answer. Particularly does he remember the prayer at a time when he sits between the spoken petition and the manifested answer. What goes on in that intermediate period between the prayer and the answer.
That is when contending for the faith takes place.
Once he has prayed: not to answer or even speak contrary to the prayer of faith; that is the problem.
When everything looks like all is lost, Contend!.
When hope is bleak,Contend!.
yet the prayer person has another field in which to contend. To the rest of the fellowship, he is like the root system. Out of sight and out of mind, he can see so many things that it does not seem like the rest of the world sees. He must guard against trying to take over, trying to control things. The last thing the minister needs is for some one to start criticizing and undermining the vision and the work that this minister has received from the Lord. Many times it isn't that there is something wrong but simply that his way is different. To Contend he must remember that is place is to help, not to lead. In humility he must remember that his is to see which way that the lord is leading and go get in the path. His life and work is magnified when he carries to the throne the thoughts and the concerns of those who do not know personally the miracle of answered prayer. It is in these places that his efforts are best felt!

Old

An old believer will look at things differently.
He will have earned at least one of two types of discerning of spirits.



• The first type could easily be understood by the phrase "once bit twice shy!" If a person experiences any thing and especially if there is joy or pain connected , he will be a little more careful the next time. This is a natural discernment that derives itself from the promise that Jesus made "In this world you will have tribulation." Also the fact is if you live long enough you will learn something.
  
• There is a spiritual gift listed in I Corinthians 14. It is a gift given to the church (usually for meetings or assemblies) that permits the gift holder to assess the spirit (and by inference often the motives of those that he encounters. This gift also developers in accuracy and clarity with use (trial and error.) After a time he might be able to exercise this gift in any given situation with the qualifier that it is as the Spirit wills.
  

The point is that this person will follow this scripture much differently than our new or adolescent believer. Being old in the faith implies but not necessarily insures that he will have been grounded in the faith. The phrase "you can't teach an old dog new..." A mature believer should be grounded in the faith. Sadly I have seen some "old" believers that were as "silly" or as gullible as any young one. For this reason the old believer must always contend for the faith once delivered and Strive for the best. He must guard his mind so as not to grow lazy in the exercise of the commandment of Jesus "Go Ye into the world and teach."




Context


As the letter by Jude was written to a specific group, the body of believers circa 80 A.D. These were encountering a "new" theology. (understanding of God and his nature.) This theology was called Gnosticism. It's basic precepts described the Spiritual nature and being GOOD, and the body was BAD. Paul responded to this concept as saying I beseech you therefore brethren to keep your whole spirit soul and body sanctified. But Jude simply says contend! The doctrine that began to developer as the result of this Theology permitted any kind of bodily expression as being permissible, as the body could never be redeemed. This understanding contravened the Hebrew scripture as the Hebrews described a righteous person as only a person who "lived" out the "Torah" in everyday life! Describing the person in only two parts the Greek thought of Gnosticism basically equated the spirit with the soul (thought life.) In actuality they ignored what Paul was calling the Spirit in I Thess. The Hebrews thought of the mind as the "battle ground" of the was to do right or not follow Torah. This is a partial picture of my understanding of this concept. The Soul; has a vote, the "flesh" has a vote. And The mind can follow a "will" fashioned after the teaching of Scripture, to vote with God's Spirit, or Follow the carnal desires of the flesh which includes the body and Its passions. Jesus taught that the thought life was a precipitate of the acts of the body in Matt 6, (If a person would look on a woman with "lust in his heart" he has committed Adultery already! By so doing, He imputed guilt at the thought life level as compared to the physical level as had been the rule of the Hebrew Scriptures.) Jude simply commanded "Contend." I think of the Proverb that noted "a corner of a roof top was preferable to life in a big house with a contentious Woman." A woman like this might be a woman who had been spurned of fancied so! Maybe a person who had wanted a child, yet so far left barren. In any event this picture of a person whose first thought was to breathe, the second was to "contend" for the thing that her very self identity needed to have resolved.





The Old Testament

Exodus 34:12-16





• 12 Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee:
  
• 13 But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves:
  
• 14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
  
• 15 Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice;
  
• 16 And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.
  
• 17 Thou shalt make thee no molten gods.
  
• 18 ¶ The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. Seven days thou shalt eat unleavened bread, as I commanded thee, in the time of the month Abib: for in the month Abib thou camest out from Egypt.
  
  
  
  

The Bride Groom

The BrideGroom August. 9/10 Matthew 25:1-13, Revelation 19:7-9

The Great Romance

---

So this is our last installment in the series "It's In The Name."
We have week by week survived the wayward acts of "my third child ", i.e. my keyboard. With its many acts of misspelling ,it's often doubling of the letters and its simply awful way of repeating the ideas that I have so patiently fed its hungry keys. Some how we have made it to the end of the first semester of our Adult Bible Fellowship. I think that we are both a little wiser as to how this hand shake of a relationship will work out. Like riding a wild bronco, I have hung on to the ride of my life. I hope that you have enjoyed. I graciously thank My dear wife for her proof reading of my words and thoughts.

I the meantime, we have surveyed some of the beautiful names of Jesus, the reason for the season, the bright and morning star, the beginning and the end! Yes I can go on!
Each week we have unrolled the carpet to reveal a little more of the picture of the Messiah that has been engraved on the pages of scripture. Truly this same carpet has been unrolled for nearly six thousand years as God, the God of all eternity has endeavored to reveal Himself to his creation. We remain here comparably blind deaf and dumb, like the proverbial six blind men trying to describe the elephant. One feels the ear and thinks that God is a huge Palm leaf. One feels the nose and swears that God is a Fireman's Nose. The next feels the front leg and begins to convince the others that God is a very large tree. The next sits on the back and fights the others that God is very much like a mountain. The little guy in the front feels the tusk and rests in the fact that God is a man of war, with this a huge sword. The last in the back hangs on to the tail swinging as it were on the rope of the trapeze. Each actually does give a true description of the object of his experience, but each sadly falls short of accurately describing the total picture. In actual fact the view Pointe of each is needed to describe the picture. For this reason I eagerly welcome feedback from readers as we traverse the renderings of this study. In the fall, We will attempt to strive through the series "The Ultimate Faith Challenge." We invite you to work through this starting with contending for the faith next week.

This week we will think about the Great Romance. The fire of the Bible, the very power proceeds from the Love of God. Typically we think of Love as being Agape, the unbounded love of the father. But we also experience the deeply romantic love of the marriage, starting with the first miracle preformed by Jesus at the wedding feast. That of turning some vats of water into the celebration wine, And that not of simple everyday wine but so remarkable that the president of the feast proclaimed it the best!

So this is the picture, God in heaven looks for a bride for his son. Finding none he conceives of this world created with people who have free will to choose him or not, Never mind that the choice is between bars of gold and clumps of mud. The choice is still theirs to make. The door on the left or the door on the right, that is the question! On the left is temporary pleasure and sometimes riches, or fame but eventually leading to death of the most dreadful kind . On the right is an simpler less ornate door with very human hardware, yes we studied that last week, The Door! Into this door we find life health peace, along with some sacrifice, we find needs met and healing required by our wavering between the two doors.

Into the fabric of every culture that I have encountered, there is woven what I call the red cord of salvation. By that I mean there is a belief or custom, or strain of emotion that leads one, when studied out, to conclusion that the God of Eternity actually is The God of the life of the enquirer. The American Indian and others have the tradition of the Blood brother. This actually is the basis of the covenant of Abraham listed in Gen 15:1-21.
In Papua, New Guinea among a tribe of cannibals, there rings a tradition passed down through the generations, that a white skin man would come and tell a story of how all men could live in peace with the gods and with others. In the same way men of all races and cultures have a surviving virtue of Romance! In the ultimate, Romance is a person giving up their life for another or so that the other might live or at least live better. The grand scheme of things reveal that this is the actual thing that Jesus did when he came to earth.
He gave up his life that others might have Life and have it more abundantly. In Him we have the ultimate Bridegroom.

Then, there is the Bride. What about her dowry? This is the price he must pay to redeem her from the family of her origin. Jesus must pay the "Just" Price for her sin. That would cost him his own blood for it is written with out shedding of blood there is no remission of sin! Shedding his own blood he paid this just price. Now she is free to follow and marry her beau! The she we have is the Church. Such a story. Even the new Guinean would be proud!

The final agreement is made by simply accepting the exchange. Feelings are not required, but they will come in time. As realization is made of forgiveness of sin, Love is the natural consequence. For he who has been forgiven much will have much love.

---

Jesus the Door!

Hosea 2:14-15; John 10:7-9 Re 4:1

The door, Our Old testament reading, refers to Hosea 2:15 the door of hope. Understanding the Semantic mind lends to better understanding of this prophetic illustration. The context, His reference "Valley of Achor" is a reference to the stoning of Achan in Joshua 7:26. The "cleansing of the sin of Achan" led to a sure victory over the city of Ai. This passage warrants an entire lesson as the battles of Joshua have illustrated examples of many aspects of success of the Spirit led life. Achan had taken the gold, silver and clothing of the pagan city. The name Ai means "heap of Ruins."

As Joshua has been compared to the walk into victory for the Spirit filled life,
This, the second battle to be won to occupy Canaan is the victory over the ruins of the past. This is another way of saying:Forgettting those things behind, I press towards the mark..Phil 3:14 . *****
The Middle Eastern mind focuses not on the past sin and respective failure, but instead on the door of hope that was provided..Only by complete obedience to the prophetic word of God may a person win victory over the failures of the past. Through out the hundreds of years following, the Rabbis called the Valley of Achor symbolized by a monument of stones high enough to cover Achan, his family , his goods and his livestock. Such was the valley of hope. Not lost on the Hebrew listeners was the meaning of the word, Ai. This summoned memories of smells of the city dump, thoughts of past failures, and things better forgotten. The hope comes when we actually do "forget", an act of choice, those things behind. Instead one who overcomes must purposely focus of the Door of Hope. We now know that hope to be Jeshua.

Jesus calls himself the door of the sheepfold. Remember a few weeks ago we studied the Good Shepherd. In the section we spoke of the shepherd walking the sheep home from the hills and pastures. The last image of the sheep "coming home " for the evening pictures the shepherd counting the sheep into the safe place for the evening. It was here that he counted them into the small pasture. My family called this spot the "trap." It was here Jesus reminded that the Shepherd would "leave the ninety and nine as they would be safe. This place might be a cave or a dugout if the side of a hill along with a little pasture fenced off around the opening. There remained a small opening four to six feet wide through which the sheep would enter and depart. This also is the place where Deut 28:6 would be blessed in going and coming. The opening itself would be called the door. We focus more on the material that closes off for the evening when we think of the door. The hearer of the illustration focus only on the opening. A little earlier in the chapter. Jesus boldly states any other entry point would be entered only by a thief or outlaw! He also declares he is the only way to approach the Father. Some in the culture say there are many paths to God, but Jesus only says i have other flocks that you know not of. So to contend that any other path to heaven would require the careful use of an Exacta knife to remove that verse. But if that were removed there would be other verses to be removed to yield comfort to all these readers.

Now the image "the door" actually controls egress in both directions.The sheep is safe during the storms that often come at night. Only those sheep actually belonging to the shepherd ever enter into these portals. The door in the Greek sounds like "through." This is also an indication as to the derivation.
A similar thought as to the image we have of the door, is that of the Roman shield. This is the image we have of the picture of the spiritual armor piece called the shield. This item is as large as the door we usually think with the word. Large enough to stand behind and be completely covered in case of an arrow. This thought clearly pictures an image of the sheep being completely safe in the sheepfold. Now in the image of the door we have two sides. One side, from the outside closes to all not part of the flock. The other closes to the inside, and closes in for the night. The sheep remain "safe" form all of the "terrors of the night!" A parallel safe spot in out world is that provided by observing Sabbath. It is a safe place whereby we may withdraw from the evil events of the world. For twenty-four hours we neither consider the "things coming upon the world" nor engage in such activity. By this we enjoy the safety of the sheepfold.


Revelation 4:1
1 ¶ After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven:
Remembering that the door was a portal, a simple opening John is describing the vision. This use of the word describes that a person comes into a new awareness, a new understanding. The angel immediately says I will show you things that are, that are to come. Then he sees the four and twenty elders kneeling around the throne. This portal is some how a picture of Jesus and the things that he will show unto the earth. Proceeding from them was the incense which are the prayers of the believers. From each vial (Rev 5:8) there emitted two spirals one of the prayer and one of the answer. Realizing that with every prayer according to God's word, God hears and if He hears, we know that we have the answer is and so the answer is paired with the request, so they each (the prayer and the answer) spiral up before the throne for eternity to show the faithfulness of the Lord our God!

My hope is that you enter daily into the portal of Jesus whereby you may enjoy the safety of the presence of the Shepherd.