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Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Rejoice!


Beautiful police women of Liaoning Province of China are required to have the strange training “biting chopstick between their teeth for a few minutes every day”, and the training is mandated just to get the perfect smile. Reported by Dailymail, U.K.


When I see the image, it reminds me of the Apostle Paul’s admonition to the Philippians;

We read in, Philippians 4:4;

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!”


Greek Text

Χαίρετε ἐν κυρίῳ πάντοτε· πάλιν ἐρῶ, χαίρετε.


Strong’s Greek Concordance

χαίρω  xaírō (“rejoice”; favorably disposed, leaning towards and cognate with xáris, “grace”) – properly, to delight in God’s grace (“rejoice”) – literally, to experience God’s grace (favor), be conscious (glad) for His grace.

ἐν κυρίῳ πάντοτε  en kýrio pantote ( “in the Lord continually”;  Be always happy; but this happiness you can find only in the Lord Jesus, Prince of Peace. Genuine happiness is spiritual; as it can only come from God.)

Do we rejoice because everything goes well with me in my life on earth? It’s a blessing. Be thankful to the Lord. But DO NOT REJOICE only because everything goes well.

If you are sad because nothing goes well with you, still REJOICE IN THE LORD.

Let us hear our Lord Jesus say in Luke 10:20;

“However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”


Dear readers, we have received God’s grace coming from Christ Jesus our Savior and we should  rejoice in the Lord even if we may face the tough situations in life.

I will say it again to you, “Rejoice in the Lord!” Amen.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Junk vs. Real


Junk food is an informal term for food that is of little nutritional value and often high in fat, sugar, and calories.  Junk foods typically contain high levels of calories from sugar or fat with little protein, vitamins or minerals. Common junk foods include salted snack foods, gum, candy, sweet desserts, fried fast food, and carbonated beverages.(Wikipedia)

I am always checked by my daughter who majors in a nutritional science in university when we eat together because I love to drink pop soda.

The Bible introduces us the Real Food and Real Drink which we Christians should eat and drink.

We read in, John 6:54-55;

“Whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My Flesh is real food and My Blood is real drink.”

Christ Rock/Cristo Petros


We read in, 1 Corinthians 10:2-5;

“They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.


The manna on which they fed was a type of Christ crucified, the Bread which came down from heaven, which whosoever eats shall live forever. Christ is the Rock on which the Christian church is built; and of the streams that issue there from, all believers drink, and are refreshed. It typified the sacred influences of the Holy Spirit, as given to believers through Christ.

Let’s read these two passages;

John 6:53-58

“Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood; you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is real food and My blood is real drink. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood remains in Me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever.


John 7:37-38

“Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. By this he meant the Spirit, Whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.”
 
O Christ Jesus, You are  the Rock on Which we stand!

 

Gloria Dei


How To Glorify God?

Do you wish to glorify our God the Father in Heaven?

Believe and confess with your mouth that Jesus is the Lord Jehovah.

That’s what the Bible says. Amen.

We read in, Philippians 2:11;


“And every tongue shall confess that Yeshua The Messiah is THE LORD JEHOVAH to the glory of God His Father.


Lord Jesus, we confess You are the Lord, Holy One of Israel, the true people of God.

We love You with all our heart, soul, mind and body. Amen.

Can't Believe?


“I did not know He was the One” (Messiah, the Great I AM, God of Israel) has been said by John the Baptist.

We read in, John 1:33;

“I didn't know He was the One, but when God sent me to baptize with water, He told me, “The One on Whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the One Who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.””


John must have known who Jesus was (humanly speaking) as a relative of Jesus because Mary and his mother Elizabeth was a close relative.

We read in, Luke 1:35-37;

“The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.””
 

How did John the Baptist know Jesus is the Son of God Who baptizes with the Holy Spirit?

God told him so.

He told me, “The One on Whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the One Who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.””


Who told Peter Jesus is the Christ and the Son of the Living God? God the Holy Spirit told him so.

We read in Matthew 16:15-17;

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.””

As for any person who doesn’t know Who Christ really is, I think it is natural for human not to know of God by him or herself. Even the Apostle Paul said so;

2 Corinthians5:16;

“So then, from now on we do not think of anyone from a human point of view. Even if we did think of the Messiah from a human point of view, we don't think of Him that way anymore.”

When he met the Risen Lord on the way to Damascus, he changed and came to believe Jesus is the Lord God Whom he waited for.

Pray to God earnestly so you can believe Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. Then the Holy Spirit of God will descent on you and make you follow Jesus from here to eternity! Amen.

 

Jesus Is Jehovah


To : Anyone Who Don’t Believe Jesus is Jehovah God in Flesh.

The following verses are part of the passages in the Bible which tell us Jesus Christ is the Word Who is God Himself.


John 1:1-2

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

John 1:14

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, Who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John1:18

No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, Who is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.


People never believe Jesus Christ is God Himself Who became flesh and dwelt among us.

You know why?

They reject the Holy Spirit Who teaches us Jesus Christ is the Son of God, which means He is God Himself.

Do you know what happens to you if you don’t believe Jesus is Jehovah, God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob?

The Word of God clearly tells us;

John 8:58


Yeshua said to them: “Timeless truth I speak to you: Before Abraham would exist, I AM THE LIVING GOD.” Aramaic Bible in Plain English (©2010)

John 8:24


“That is why I told you that you will die in your sins, for unless you believe that “I AM,” you will die in your sins.”  International Standard Version (©2008)

Who is the “Great I AM” (Yahweh, Jehovah) in Exodus 3:14?

He is Jesus Christ Himself.

“God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” This is what you are to say to the Israelites: “I AM” has sent me to you.””

That’s what the Word of God says, and not me.

I pray that you can believe this Bible truth by the illumination of God the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

Do Not Die in Your Sins!

The Holy Spirit and the Bride invite you;

Acts 16:31

"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household."

Monday, October 29, 2012

Jesus Our Neighbor

Who is our neighbor?

Jesus taught us who our neighbor is in Luke 10:25-37;

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

He answered: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

In reply Jesus said;

“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him.

The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, Go and do likewise.”

 

So far, I understood this portion of the Bible telling us; “If you want to be saved, love God and love you neighbor as yourself.” , because the Bible tells so and I try to be a “Good Samaritan” by sending donations to Non-profit organization,  “Samaritan’s Purse.”


But now I came to understand this passage with a different perspective based on the other passages in the Bible telling the same truth below;

We read in, John 17:3;

“Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

John 8:48

“The Jews answered him, “Aren't we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?””


If we use the two verses above in restructuring the Parable of the Good Samaritan, it  would result in the passages below.
You might be interested in this interpretation and I pray that the Holy Spirit lead you to the Truth. Amen.


“Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“Do this and you will live” – “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.”

 And who is my neighbor?”

They are not  “Priests and Levites.”

He is a “Samaritan” as you call Me so.

Go and do likewise.”as I have mercy on you.

Then when I return, I will reimburse you””

Who Is Enemy?

Who is our enemy?

God told us to love our neighbor including even our enemy.
Jesus says in Matthew 5:44;

“You have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.””


Joshua 5:13-14 tells us God has no enemy among man.

“Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Jehovah I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”


The Bible tells us we have an enemy to resist.

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you”. (James 4:7)


Jesus Christ had an enemy and He conquered it already when He rose from the dead.

The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15:26)

 
The people in the world have been fighting each other between no enemies. We need to know who our enemies really are. They are devil and death. We cannot do anything about these two great enemies for us, but Jesus Christ conquered them all when He said, “It Is Finished.”

Thank You Lord Jesus. Let us love our neighbor as we love You Lord, True Neighbor of us all. Enable us to resist the devil by submitting ourselves to You Only until he becomes a footstool for your Kingdom Throne. Amen.

Devil - Roaring Lion

This snapshot of an owl snatching away a wild cat was taken in a field in Minnesota, USA.
 

 

The images above reminded me of the alert warning in 1Peter 5:8;

“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.”


Roaring (ὠρυόμενος) : Only here in New Testament. The word conveys somewhat of the sense by the sound (oruomenos). It denotes especially the howl of a beast in fierce hunger.

As a roaring lion - Satan tempts under three forms:

1. The subtle serpent; to beguile our senses, pervert our judgment, and enchant our imagination.

2. Disguised as an angel of light; to deceive us with false views of spiritual things, refinements in religion, and presumption on the providence and grace of God.

3. As a roaring lion; to bear us down, and destroy us by violent opposition, persecution, and death.

Seeking whom he may devour - Τινα καταπιῃ· Whom he may gulp down. It is not every one that he can swallow down: those who are sober and vigilant are proof against him, these he may not swallow down; those who are drunken with the cares of this world, etc., and are unwatchful, these he may swallow down.

Be sober, νηψατε from νη, ‘not’, and ‘πιειν‘to drink’; do not drink, do not swallow down: and the word καταπιῃ, from κατα, down, and πιειν, to drink. If you swallow strong drink down, the devil will swallow you down. Strong drink is not only the way to the devil, but the devil's way into you and swallow you down.

Friday, October 26, 2012

World Religion


Do you belong to one of the following religions?

Protestantism

Roman Catholicism

Baha'i

Islam

Jehovah's Witnesses

Kingdom of Jesus Christ

Mormonism

Oneness Pentecostal

Seventh Day Adventism

Wicca

World Religions

Unification Church


Whichever religion you may profess you belong to, it is your own choice and preference. I don’t have any intention to criticize or do harm on your own religion.

I am a follower of Jesus Christ and belong to a Protestant Church denominationwise.  

I do ask you to listen ONCE to the Voice of the Creator God (Elohim) in His Holy Word, the Bible. Then you and your family will find the Way, Truth and Life in Christ Jesus, the Son of God. Amen.

Acts 4:12;

“There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”

Acts 16:31;

They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household.”

 

I pray that the Holy Spirit will guide you to Jesus Christ, the Savior of you and the world. Amen.

Christ the Lord


I made up my mind to tell everybody that Jesus Christ is Lord and I believe this is to the Glory of God the Father in Heaven.

I am so much blessed because I can take part in this glorious work of God.  I will keep writing the articles on the Bible topics focused on the Person and Work of our Lord Jesus Christ until either He comes or I go to Him.

 
What does it mean. “ Jesus Christ is Lord?”


We read in, Philippians 2:9-11


“Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place

and gave Him the Name that is above every name,

that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.”


The New Testament human writers employed the Greek word, κύριος, kýrios for designating Jesus Christ, it meant, “a person exercising absolute ownership rights; lord (Lord).”

We read in, 1 Corinthians 1:2;

“Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours.”
 

The Jehovah's Witnesses deny that Jesus is God in flesh. Therefore, they have produced a Bible, the New World Translation that reflects their theological bias against Christ's deity. But, their Bible cannot completely remove all the references that show who Jesus really is. Such is the case with the phrase, “to call upon the name of the Lord.”

We can see in the Bible where the Old Testament believers “call upon the name of the Lord,” as a reference to God. Literally, in Hebrew this is “call upon the name of Jehovah [YHWH].” This phrase with its variations “calling upon...”and “called upon...” etc., occurs eleven times in the Old Testament in the King James Version, which the Jehovah's Witnesses used as their Bible for many years.

“Jehovah” is an English(ized) form of the Hebrew four letters YHWH from which we get God's name “Jehovah” or “Yahweh.” Most modern English Bibles translate the four letters “YHWH” into the word “Lord.” This is done because no one knows the true pronunciation of God's name and also because the Jews wanted to avoid violating the sacredness of God's name if they pronounced it incorrectly. Nevertheless, in every instance of this usage “Lord” in the Hebrew phrase, “call upon the name of the Lord,” it is the Hebrew “YHWH” in the original and is always in reference to God and to God, the everlasting God, alone.

Around 250 B.C., the Hebrew Old Testament was translated into Greek by Jewish scholars. This translation is called the Septuagint and is known by the designation LXX. The Hebrew phrase to “call upon the name of the Lord [YHWH],” of course, was also translated into Greek. For example, in Joel 2:32 it says, “...whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD [YHWH] shall be delivered...” This Greek translation in the LXX is “hos an epikalesatai to onoma kuriou,” literally, "whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord."

When we look at this phrase in the Old Testament, we see that “to call upon the name of the Lord" was used to designate prayer to God in 1 Kings 18:24, 37 and Psalm 116:4.

Clearly, the phrase is used of God in reference to prayer to Him. The phrase is never used in reference to anyone else other than God. Remember that “call upon the name of the Lord [YHWH]” in Hebrew was translated into Greek by the Jews in the LXX and they rendered “YHWH” into the Greek “kurios,” which means “lord."”This phrase was then used of Jesus in 1 Corinthians 1:2.

 “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours,” (1 Cor. 1:2). “...call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ...” NASB, ASV, ASV1901,

“...call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ...”KJV, NJKV, NIV, RSV,

“...calling upon the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours,” NWT.

NOTE: In the Greek, it is literally, “Call upon the name of the Lord OF US, Jesus Christ.”  This is why the English says, “Call upon the name of OUR Lord.” Therefore, the phrase is the same.

This is clear evidence that Jesus is called YHWH since the same phrase used to address God is also used to address Jesus.

Retrieved partially from http://carm.org/religious-movements/jehovahs-witnesses/1-cor-12-call-upon-name-lord-jesus

אֵ֣ל גִּבֹּ֔ור- Mighty God JESUS


Mighty God JESUS

Some never believe Jesus is God Himself because He was born as man. This was the accusation of the Jews for profanity or blasphemy against Jesus who claimed Himself to be God because they knew only Jehovah was God.

Let’s see what happened to Him when He claimed that He is the Son of God, which means God.

We read in John 10:33;

“We are not stoning you for any of these,” replied the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”


Truly Jesus was born as man like you and me, however His Origin and Nature is different from us. What does the Old Testament say about Him?

Let’s read Isaiah 9:6;

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”


Hebrew Original Text - Westminster Leningrad Codex

כִּי־יֶ֣לֶד יֻלַּד־לָ֗נוּ בֵּ֚ן נִתַּן־לָ֔נוּ וַתְּהִ֥י הַמִּשְׂרָ֖ה עַל־שִׁכְמֹ֑ו וַיִּקְרָ֨א שְׁמֹ֜ו פֶּ֠לֶא יֹועֵץ֙ אֵ֣ל גִּבֹּ֔ור אֲבִיעַ֖ד שַׂר־שָׁלֹֽום׃

“A Child”, “Son” prophesied to be born here is none other than JESUS.

Our Lord JESUS is;

  1. Wonderful Counselor(פֶּ֠לֶא יֹועֵץ֙ ) - the Holy Spirit is called ‘Counselor’ in John 14:26

But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

  1. Mighty God(אֵ֣ל גִּבֹּ֔ור) - He is Mighty  God Himself
  2. Everlasting Father (אֲבִיעַ֖ד) - He gave us the everlasting life by shedding His Precious Blood and Water
  3. Prince of Peace (שַׂר־שָׁלֹֽום)  - He is the Peacemaker between God and sinners

 

It’s not me, It is the Holy Spirit Who teaches us to call JESUS, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace  as recorded in Isaiah 9:6,  some 730 years before Jesus was born.

O Holy Spirit, thank You for teaching us to believe Jesus our Lord is Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace  as in Your Word. Amen.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

The Great I AM


Lord Jesus says in John 8:58

“I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!”

Greek text

 πρὶν(before) Ἀβραὰμ(Abraham) γενέσθαι(was) ἐγὼ(I) εἰμί(Am).


Any careful grammar students will know well about the tense of English verb “to be”. The words rendered “was” and “am” are quite different. The one clause means, “Abraham was brought into being”, the other, “I Exist”.  The statement therefore is not that Christ came into existence before Abraham did, but that He never came into being at all, but existed before Abraham had a being; in other words, existed before creation, or eternally (as John 1:1).

This speaks Abraham a creature and our Lord the Creator. I AM, is the name of God (Exodus 3:14) and it speaks His self-existence. He is the First and the Last, ever the same. Thus he was not only before Abraham, but before all worlds. As Mediator, he was the appointed Messiah, long before Abraham; the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8).

Anyone who can’t believe this vital truth in the Bible, pray to Holy Spirit and He will lead you to all truth concerning Jesus Christ, the Son of God;

BECAUSE HE SAID,

 “I said to you that you shall die in your sins, for unless you shall believe that I AM THE LIVING GOD, you shall die in your sins.”(Aramaic Bible in Plain English 2010)
 

O Jesus our Lord, we are blessed by the Holy Spirit Whom You sent in Your Name because we believe You are the Son of the Living God and Messiah slain from the foundation of the world. Amen.