Saturday 113024
Don’t let me or my writings influence or scare you in any way, instead, allow me to be used as a vessel to open the Word, just a little bit, and hopefully, together we are going to read and study His Word, and let God teach us what He wants us to hear.
Our identity means a lot today, the problem that confronts all of us is, just who are we trying to portray our identity to?
So, our study consists of two ground rules:
1st we ONLY read and follow what is found in the Holy Bible.
2nd we ONLY learn from a study by what effort we put into that study.
The verses we are going to study tonight:
Acts 2:4; 1 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 3:3; Philippians 4:6-7, 19; Galatians 3:20; John 4:23-24; Matthew 10:8.
So, earlier in our study we finished our lessons on the word MYSTERY.
The Greek word musterion (mystery), when used in the New Testament, refers to the things of God that were once hidden but were later revealed through Christ and the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:4 ‘…All the believers became full with the Holy Spirit. They began to speak in languages that they had not learned. They spoke whatever language the Holy Spirit helped them to speak…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)
Just this past week, I updated a verse posted on my blog:
1 Timothy 3:16 ‘…And, beyond controversy, great is the mystery of our religion – that Christ appeared in human form, and His claims justified by the Spirit, was seen by angels and proclaimed among Gentile nations, was believed on in the world, and received up again into glory…’ WNT (Weymouth New Testament)
‘…And, beyond controversy…’, another words, beyond any possible dispute.
The next six words …
‘…great is the mystery of our religion…’, in just about every other version I found it written as ‘…the mystery of godliness…’
The mystery is that Christ became flesh, He came to this earth as a human being. To continue, the mystery is the person and work of Jesus, including the divinely revealed truth about him. The phrase can also be seen as a summary of Jesus’ ministry, with the implication that the godliness of God’s Son should be reflected in people’s lives.
Unless we have our heads buried in the sand, each one of us should realize there have been a lot of changes in this world over the last few years.
Today we hear people talk on ‘Global Warming,’ ‘Global Currency,’ and there is a large percentage of people pushing everything GREEN for our atmosphere’s sake.
Maybe the one real thing that’s not being relayed to people out there in this world, is maybe our time is running out as we know it.
Maybe it is time for us to make certain we are firming up our relationship with Jesus Christ and we begin to focus on the words He has given us through His Word.
It’s a shame, I sit back and hear of shootings at a presidential election rally, there are shootings in our public schools and gang members are running rampant in our larger cities. Non-citizens flood across our borders, bringing with them crime, drugs and health issues and today’s news reporters are only focused on today’s political rivalries.
2 Peter 3:3 ‘…The first thing that you should understand is this. In the last days of this world, some people will laugh at you because you believe in God. These people will do whatever bad things they want to do…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)
In all the years that I’ve taught the Word of God, maybe this is the first that I’ve noticed, how much prophecy is focused on today.
Too many times, I hear people speaking about a church service, but they’re not praising what has been written in the Word. Instead, they are giving praise to a pastor, the music or the interior of a church building as if the reason God created this earth was just for this one church building and its congregation.
Before physically attending a new church, I get online to watch previous services at that church, and I listen to earlier sermons.
There was this one church, every week, just before the pastor walked onto stage, he spoke in a shaky and loud voice …
‘I feel the presence of the Holy Spirit, here with us today.’
You’re joking right …? Every Sunday, the same exact time, when you’re in the exact same spot, just as the pastor enters onto the stage the Holy Spirit comes into a service?
What page, book and verse did that come from?
Phillipians 4
vs6 ‘…Do not worry about anything. Instead, pray to God about everything. Ask him to help you with the things that you need. And thank him for his help…’
vs7 ‘…If you do that, God will give you peace in your minds. That peace is so great that nobody can completely understand it. You will not worry or be afraid, because you belong to Christ Jesus…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)
Where is it written a pastor is needed for the Spirit to come into our service?
Philippians 4:19 ‘…And my God will liberally supply (fill until full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus…’ AMP (Amplified Bible)
… you seen the word ‘pastor,’ anywhere?
Galatians 3:20 ‘…Now a mediator is helpful if more than one party must reach an agreement. But God, who is one, did not use a mediator when he gave his promise to Abraham…’ NLT (New Living Translation)
There is no mediator, any longer, needed to worship our God.
There is no mediator, any longer, needed to pray to our God.
Jesus told the ‘Gentile’ woman at the well in Samaria (land of the Samaritans) …
John 4
vs23 ‘…But a time is coming – and now is here – when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such people to be his worshipers…’
vs24 ‘… God is spirit, and the people who worship him must worship in spirit and truth…’ NET (New English Translation)
Jesus made this statement to the woman at the well close to 2000 years ago.
It is only when we get into the habit of opening His Word and reading what we have been told that our lives will change from surviving the way this world wants us to live, to living the LIFE that Jesus has promised that we will have once we have attained Him in our lives.
We have been told how we must have FAITH in our lives. We must BELIEVE that Jesus Christ died, was buried and rose again on the third day so that we may LIVE in Eternity in His Presence.
The Bible doesn’t tell us how many hoops we must jump through or how many bells we must ring.
The Bible doesn’t tell us how many days we must attend a church service or how much change we must throw in the collection basket.
The Bible doesn’t tell us what color suit coat we need to wear or how big of a hat we must wear on our head.
These wishes are all man. Man lets you know you need a suitcoat to worship God. Man lets you know your hair must be cut. Man lets you know it is wrong to get a tattoo or it is wrong to get a divorce.
If Jesus thought the Law was difficult for mankind to obey, I can only guess what He would think of the rules that man is putting on other men like they do today.
Just as Jesus told His disciples …
Matthew 10:8 ‘…Heal the sick, bring the dead back to life, heal those who suffer from dreaded skin diseases, and drive out demons. You have received without paying, so give without being paid…’ GNT (Good News Translation)
In a different version:
‘…Make sick people well again. Cause dead people to become alive again. If people have a bad disease of the skin, make them well again. Send bad spirits out of people to leave them. God has been very kind to you, so you should be kind to other people. When you help people, do not ask them for money…’ EASY (Easy English Bible)
So many churches are too interested in making a living instead of serving those in need.
Don’t be afraid to speak up and let the words of Jesus flow off your tongue so that others might hear the message. Just remember that there may be those around you that have never had the exposure that you’ve had. You may be the one and only individual that might have a chance to influence some soul.
Be proud of your God and let others see your proudness in everything that you do.
I love every one of you. Remember though that Jesus, He loves every one of us even more than I could ever possibly love. Be kind and be proud of what God has given you.
Share what you have with those that are in need. You will be rewarded in the future.
Open your Word and continue to study what He has given us. Make reading the Bible a daily part of your life and share with others what you will find.
Jesus, I pray that those ears and eyes, either listening or seeing this message today would be opened to the very fullest and allow Your love to come inside their lives and comfort them. Teach us Jesus. Protect us. We love You. Amen.
I am, InHIM. ><)))o>