McMinistries, UnInc.

Savior in the Old Testament

2011-07-16T19:14:00.006-04:00

Jesus says they should have recognized Him from the Scripture.

John 5:39-40
39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.
NKJV

Peter says that ALL the prophets spoke about Jesus.

Acts 3:24
24 Yes, and all the prophets, from Samuel and those who follow, as many as have spoken, have also foretold these days.
NKJV

Acts 10:43
43 He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name."
NLT

God called Him the seed of a woman.

Gen 3:15
15 And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel."
NKJV

Abraham called Him a lamb.

Gen 22:8
8 And Abraham said, "My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering." So the two of them went together.
NKJV

Jacob called Him the Angel who has redeemed me.

Gen 48:16
16 The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil,
NKJV

God Called Him the Angel in the cloud that would go before them.

Ex 23:20-23

"Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. 21 Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him. 22 But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. 23 For My Angel will go before you and bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will cut them off.
NKJV

Jesus was in the Pillar of Cloud by day and in the Pillar of Fire by night.

Num 14:14-15
They have heard that You, LORD, are among these people; that You, LORD, are seen face to face and Your cloud stands above them, and You go before them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night.
NKJV

Moses called Him a prophet like me.

Deut 18:15
"The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren.
NKJV

Samuel called Him The Angel of the Lord and The Judge.

Judg 2:1-2
Then the Angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: "I led you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers; and I said, 'I will never break My covenant with you.
NKJV

Judg 11:27
27 Therefore I have not sinned against you, but you wronged me by fighting against me. May the LORD, the Judge, render judgment this day between the children of Israel and the people of Ammon.'"
NKJV

Nathan (or Gad) called Him Savior.

2 Sam 22:3
3 The God of my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation,
My stronghold and my refuge;
My Savior, You save me from violence.
NKJV

Job called Him my Redeemer (some versions, my Vindicator.)

Job 19:25
25 For I know that my Redeemer lives,
NKJV

David called Him my Redeemer and Savior.

Ps 19:14
O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.
NKJV

Ps 106:21-22
21 They forgot God their Savior,
Who had done great things in Egypt,
22 Wondrous works in the land of Ham,
Awesome things by the Red Sea.
NKJV

Solomon called Him a Redeemer.

Prov 23:11
11 For their Redeemer is mighty;
NKJV

Isaiah called Him Redeemer and Savior.

Isa 43:14
14 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer,
The Holy One of Israel:
NKJV

Isa 43:3
3 For I am the LORD your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
NKJV

Jeremiah called Him Redeemer and Savior.

Jer 14:8
8 O the Hope of Israel, his Savior in time of trouble,
NKJV

Jer 50:34
34 Their Redeemer is strong;
The LORD of hosts is His name.
NKJV

Ezekiel called Him LORD, sanctifier of Israel.

Ezek 37:27-28
28 The nations also will know that I, the LORD, sanctify Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forevermore."'"
NKJV

Daniel called Him the Ancient of Days.

Dan 7:22
22 until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.
NKJV

Hosea called Him the Holy One and Savior.

Hos 11:12
But Judah still walks with God,
Even with the Holy One who is faithful.
NKJV

Hos 13:4
4 "Yet I am the LORD your God
Ever since the land of Egypt,
And you shall know no God but Me;
For there is no savior besides Me.
NKJV

Joel called Him LORD who acquits them of the guilt.

Joel 3:21
21 For I will acquit them of the guilt of bloodshed, whom I had not acquitted;
For the LORD dwells in Zion."
NKJV

Amos called Him the Pride of Jacob.

Amos 8:7
7 The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob:
"Surely I will never forget any of their works.
NKJV

Obediah calls Him the King.

Obad 21
21 Deliverers will go up to Mount Zion in Jerusalem to rule over the mountains of Edom. And the LORD himself will be king!"
NLT

Jonah draws a picture of Him as our Teacher.

Jonah 4:9-11
9 Then God said to Jonah, "Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died?"

"Yes," Jonah retorted, "even angry enough to die!"

10 Then the LORD said, "You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. And a plant is only, at best, short lived. 11 But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn't I feel sorry for such a great city?"
NLT

Micah called Him the One to be Ruler in Israel.

Mic 5:2
2 "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Though you are little among the thousands of Judah,
Yet out of you shall come forth to Me
The One to be Ruler in Israel,
Whose goings forth are from of old,
From everlasting."
NKJV

Habakkuk called Him Your Anoined.

Hab 3:13
13 You went forth for the salvation of Your people,
For salvation with Your Anointed.
NKJV

Zephaniah called Him a Mighty Savior (some versions Mighty One.)

Zeph 3:17
17 For the LORD your God has arrived to live among you. He is a mighty savior. He will rejoice over you with great gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will exult over you by singing a happy song."
NLT

Zechariah called Him the Branch and your King.

Zech 3:8
For behold, I am bringing forth My Servant the BRANCH.
NKJV

Zech 6:12-13
12 Then speak to him, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, saying:
"Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH!
From His place He shall branch out,
And He shall build the temple of the LORD;
13 Yes, He shall build the temple of the LORD.
He shall bear the glory,
And shall sit and rule on His throne;
So He shall be a priest on His throne,
And the counsel of peace shall be between them both."'
NKJV

Zech 9:9
"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey.
NKJV

Malachi calls Him the Sun of Righteousness.

Mal 4:2
2 "But for you who fear my name, the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing in his wings. And you will go free, leaping with joy like calves let out to pasture.
NLT

Mary the Mother of Jesus called Him Savior.

Luke 1:47
47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.

The Names of God

2011-02-05T13:21:00.000-04:00

There is a large amount of information on the Names of God. I will merely scratch the surface enough for you to be able to determine which name of God is being used and why it is important to know the names of God.
There are two Hebrew names from which most of the names of God are built. The first is El. Meaning God. I think its use is much the same as 21st Century America uses “God.” It is generic and can mean anything that the user wants it to mean: such as Mother Nature, a cosmic force, or the sum of all peoples love, etc. So the Hebrews were very inclined to add a suffix to the name in order to define which God they were talking about. The word for God used in Gen 1:1 is Elohim meaning “strong one”. The form of the word is plural, indicating plentitude of power and majesty. The word could be translated as the plural of majesty. So one could say Gen 1:1 says, “In the beginning the Majesties created…”
Anyone see a problem here? The Hebrews believed in One True God. Moses is the hero of the Hebrew people and Moses wrote a plural form for the word God in the beginning. As one theologian put it to me, “They didn’t understand it, but they knew better than to change it.” The important thing to note here is that the word allows for the New Testament revelation of the Trinity of the Godhead.
For the purposes of a simple layperson anytime you see the word God by itself you can assume the Hebrew word used is Elohim. Not totally accurate but close enough as all names are talking about the same God. Other compounds are actually spelled out in the text. El Elyon for instance means God Most High. Look at Gen 14:22 and you will see “God Most High” in the text. So you don’t really need to know that it is El Elyon, just be aware that whatever Hebrew word was used it means “God Most High.”
The second base compound word is YHWH. This is the word the Hebrews valued so highly that they would not pronounce it. While reading the scriptures the Hebrews would pause when reaching the YHWH and then say “Adonai.” We put vowels in the word making it Yahweh and have no problem pronouncing it. The meaning of the YHWH is “I am that I am.” The name first appears in the second chapter of Genesis so was well known to the Hebrew people when passed down from generation to generation in their oral tradition. When God revealed Himself to Moses in the burning bush, this is the name He called Himself so the Hebrews knew exactly who had sent Moses.
The YHWH is translated into English as LORD. Notice the capital letters. When there are compound names associated with it like YHWH Jireh (or Jehovah Jirah from the Greek) then once again the whole meaning is translated into the English. Look at Gen 22:14. You will see imbedded into the verse “The LORD Will Provide”. It is not a sentence, it is a name. Notice all the capital letters. Again, you don’t really need to know that it is YHWH Jireh, just be aware that whatever Hebrew word was used it means “The LORD Will Provide.”
The last word you need to know is Adonai. Adonai is translated as Lord. Notice the lack of capital letters. The most famous use of this is in Psalm 110:1. “The LORD says to my Lord…” In English this looks rather silly, but with your new found knowledge you now know to read it, “YHWH says to Adonai…” This is another Old Testament allowance for One God in multiple Persons.
Now that the surfaced is scratched we ask, Why do I need to know the names of God? Look at John 3:18. You will see imbedded in the verse a command to “believe in the name…” What does it mean to believe in the name? The names, as you have seen, have meanings. You need to believe what the names are telling you. So which name does John 3:18 tell us to believe in? “… in the name of God’s one and only Son.” Which leads us to ask, what does the name Jesus Christ mean?
Matt 1:1 leads off with the name of Jesus Christ. The notes of your Study Bible tell you that Jesus is from Jeshua which means “the Lord is salvation.” Christ means “anointed one.” So we must believe that Jesus Christ is “the Lord is salvation” and “the anointed one.”
So what’s in a name? Now you know.

The Question of Original Sin

2011-01-31T23:22:00.002-04:00

Are humans born sweet and innocent, but learn how to be sinful or are we born with a sinful nature? This is how I phrase the question of Original Sin. I heard an illustration that makes it rather clear, I think.
Once upon a time there was an old woman who owned a farm. On this farm she had a chicken coup. Surrounding this farm was a wooded area that was inhabited by weasels. The weasels liked to eat the chickens. So the old woman would set traps for the weasels. When she caught one, she would get her hoe that was filed down to a sharp point and kill the weasel.
One day she happened upon a nest of baby weasels. She did not say, “Oh what cute little weasels, they have never done anything wrong. They are so sweet and innocent. I will just let them be.” She said to her helper, “Go and get my sharpened hoe and I will stay here and make sure the babies do not get away.”
The point is that a weasel is going to be a weasel and humans are going to be humans. Unless we change from the inside out by the power of the Holy Spirit and put on a different nature (the nature of God by faith in Jesus Christ) then we will suffer the same fate as the baby weasels.

The Healing Rooms of Louisville at the City of Hope Have First Testimony of Healing

2011-01-18T17:39:00.008-04:00

The Healing Rooms of Louisville KY openned last week. The City of Hope located at 1909 Standard Ave has its first testimony of a healing. Larry says he was at the City of Hope for other reasons than the healing room but ended up getting some of his hearing in his right ear, which never had any hearing before.

The current schedule is:

Wed - City of Hope, 1909 Standard Ave., 1pm-3pm

Evangel at 6900 Billtown Rd., 5pm-7pm

Thurs - Evangel North, 1430 Cedar St., Clarksville, IN, 6pm-8pm

Fri - Evangel at 5400 Minors Lane, 5pm-7pm

Sat - Evangel North, 1430 Cedar St., Clarksville, IN 12 noon-2pm

Come and see the power of God either by receiving a healing or learning how to prayer for the healing of others; body, soul, and spirit.

The Healing Rooms of Louisville welcomes you.

What is the Bible all about - Mick's Theology

2011-01-15T00:31:00.005-04:00

There is One True God.

Deut 6:4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!
NKJV

Apart from Him there is no other.

Isa 45:5-6 5 I am the LORD, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me. I will gird you, though you have not known Me, 6 That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting That there is none besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no other; NKJV (Actually all of Isaiah chapter 45 is good)

He is Spirit.

John 4:24 God is Spirit, NKJV

He created all things, spirit and material. Nothing exists that He did not make.

John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. NKJV

One of God's greatest angel's decided to sin and was thrown out of Heaven onto the earth.

Isa 14:12-15 12 "How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. 13 For you said to yourself, 'I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God's stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. 14 I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.' NLT

God created mankind in God's own image.

Gen 1:27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. NKJV

Satan tempted mankind and mankind chose to sin and is now separated from the Creator God by sin.

Gen 2:16-17 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." NKJV

Gen 3:1-7 3:1 Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the creatures the LORD God had made. "Really?" he asked the woman. "Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden?" 2 "Of course we may eat it," the woman told him. 3 "It's only the fruit from the tree at the center of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God says we must not eat it or even touch it, or we will die." 4 "You won't die!" the serpent hissed. 5 "God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it. You will become just like God, knowing everything, both good and evil." 6 The woman was convinced. The fruit looked so fresh and delicious, and it would make her so wise! So she ate some of the fruit. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. Then he ate it, too. 7 At that moment, their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they strung fig leaves together around their hips to cover themselves. NLT

The wages of sin is death.

Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death… NKJV

The Creator God has then made a way back to Him by taking the punishment for sin upon Himself for us.

Isa 53:4-6 4 Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. NKJV

He did this in the form of Jesus Christ the Son. Jesus paid our sin debt for us by suffering, dying on the cross, and raising again from the dead.

1 Cor 15:3-4 3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, NKJV

Now that Jesus has ascended to the Father, He has sent us the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who convicts us of the Truth that Jesus is the Promised Savior.

John 16:7-11 It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. 8 And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 of sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10 of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; 11 of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. NKJV

It is by having faith (which means trusting) in Jesus that we are saved.

Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. NKJV

It is not just any kind of faith that saves us, even the demons believe, but it does them no good. A saving faith is the kind of faith that changes us from desiring to do bad things into desiring to do good things.

James 2:19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe — and tremble! NKJV

James 2:16-17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. NKJV

When we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior then our spirit, that was dead (meaning separated from God by sin), becomes alive, new (meaning connected to God by the Holy Spirit.)

Eph 2:4-5 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

It is the person of the Holy Spirit (who is God), who lives in us, in our new, living spirit.

Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

1 Cor 3:16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

But our minds and our bodies are not immediately renewed.

Rom 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. NKJV

Rom 8:13-14 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. NKJV

The work of the Holy Spirit is to sanctify us, meaning He renews our minds and curbs our fleshly desires. He is recreating us into the image of Jesus Christ.

2 Thess 2:13 because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth,

2 Cor 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

We assist (or allow) the Holy Spirit to do this when we practice the disciplines. I think the three most important disciplines are prayer,

1 Thess 5:16-18 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

scripture (read, study and memorize),

John 17:17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

Ps 119:11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.

Ps 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

and witnessing.

Rom 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.

We know this “sanctification process” is happening when we “naturally” demonstrate the fruits of the Spirit. It just flows out of us without us even trying to be good, it just becomes who we are to do good.

Rom 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Gal 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

If we have the power of God “in us”, then what do we have power over? We have power over the most destructive force in the universe, which is “sin.” We have the power to stop sinning.

Rom 6:6-7 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin.

That is enough to get you started. Just be aware, there is more. I will cover this in the future under something I like to call, "Something More."

The Healing Rooms of Louisville with International Association of Healing Rooms

2011-01-10T11:34:00.012-04:00

Healing Rooms open this week in Louisville, KY. Associated with the International Association of Healing Rooms

http://www.healingrooms.com/

The current schedule is:

Wed - City of Hope, 1909 Standard Ave., 1pm-3pm

Evangel at 6900 Billtown Rd., 5pm-7pm

Thurs - Evangel North, 1430 Cedar St., Clarksville, IN, 6pm-8pm

Fri - Evangel at 5400 Minors Lane, 5pm-7pm

Sat - Evangel North, 1430 Cedar St., Clarksville, IN 12 noon-2pm

Come and see the power of God either by receiving a healing or learning how to prayer for the healing of others; body, soul, and spirit.

The Process of Sanctification

2011-01-07T11:21:00.000-04:00

I define the Process of Sanctification as the process of changing one’s personality into the likeness of the personality of Jesus Christ.
I give credit to the accomplishment of this process entirely to the Holy Spirit. Our part in the process is to make ourselves available to the Holy Spirit so that He may accomplish His good work in us. This work will be completed in that day when we meet Jesus Christ Himself.
The only question then is: How do we make ourselves available to the Holy Spirit? Answer: By practicing the disciplines! The disciplines are not spelled out specifically in the Bible. This has led to many people developing their own “list” of disciplines. This is a very worth while exercise, which may be why they are not specifically listed. My list looks like this:
1. Prayer, with the goal of praying continuously2. Scripture; read, study, memorize and pray them (supercharging your prayers)3. Witnessing: in word and in deed
I break here to emphasize that these three are the most valuable of all the disciplines. If one were to only focus on these three, then one would do very well indeed. Twelve are hard to memorize, but just remembering these three is not so hard.
Why are these three more important?
Prayer: because it is the only one that can be done 24 hours a day. Yes, by practicing “praying continuously” prayer begins to penetrate your sleep and affect your dreams. C. S. Lewis said that anything that is living is either growing or it is dieing. So when we speak of a Spiritual Life we speak of something that is either growing or it is dieing. If you spend 15 minutes in Bible Study per day, great! You were growing for 15 minutes, but if you do nothing else you are dieing for 23 hours and 45 minutes. Praying continuously then is “the” way of growing all day long.
Scripture: because it is the anointed word of God. Get the Word inside you and it changes you from the inside out. You will not have to “act” like a Christian, you will “become” more Christlike. John 17:17
Witnessing, because it is part of the salvation process (Romans 10:9-10).
4. Meditation5. Worship6. Communion7. Repenting8. Giving9. Fasting10. Forgiving others
All of the above are disciplines that we initiate. The last two are initiated by God.
11. Challenges in life12. Punishment
I think Finney got it right when he said, he “believed that sanctification only occurred through the constant appropriation of faith through Christ. Christ then enabled the Christian’s moral self to become like His own.” The question then becomes, “how does one constantly appropriated his faith through Christ?” Practicing the disciplines is (in my humble and uneducated opinion) the “how.”

Assurance of Salvation

2011-01-03T15:28:00.001-04:00

Assurance of Salvation

How can I know for sure that I am saved? I got this answer from Les Feldick Teaches Through the Bible. It is a national television show. I hope it is as comforting an answer to you as it is to me.

There are only two types of spirits; The Spirit of Christ and the spirit of the anti-christ. Poor, pitiful creatures that we are, we have both spirits living in us. Our minds are the battlefield where these two spirits are at war with each other. So to determine which spirit has the upper hand in you, you need only answer these three simple questions.

Do you enjoy spending time in prayer?
Do you enjoy spending time in reading the Bible?
Do you enjoy spending time with people who enjoy prayer and the Bible?

If the answer to all three of these questions is “Yes,” then the Spirit of Christ dominates in you because prayer, the Bible, and Christ’s people all have the Spirit of Christ.

If you said “No” to all three, then you are dominated, but not yet defeated by the spirit of the anti-christ.

If you said “Yes” to some and “No” to others then I would say that the Spirit of Christ is becoming dominate in you, but you still have a lot of growing to do. So start reading the Bible and Praying more often (with the goal of praying continuously) and watch yourself change from the inside out. Understand that this work of sanctification will not be complete until we see our Savior face to face.

Read the Bible for Yourself

2011-01-02T22:29:00.001-04:00

I used to think that I did not need to read the bible because I grew up in the church and had heard all the stories. So what is the point in reading them? When I began to read them for myself in 1999, I found that I had not heard all of the stories nor were the stories that I had heard written the way I had heard them. Here are some examples that may entice you to read them for yourself.

Did you know there is a story about Isaac in the bible? Not a story about Abraham and Isaac. Not a story about Isaac and Jacob and Esau. A story about Isaac, as the leader of the clan, after Abraham and before Jacob and Esau. If not, then there are stories in the bible that you have not heard; see Genesis chapter 26.

Did you know that Jesus was not born in a manger? I still hear “Jesus was born in a manger” frequently in Sunday School. Go look it up; Luke 2:6. The manger is a feeding troth not a building.

The Ten Commandments are written in Ex. 20. If you read Ex 19 you will not see Moses on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights. You will not see any reference to 2 stone tablets. No writing on tablets with the finger of God. You will see God coming down on the mountain and speaking the Ten Commandments to the people. Where did the tablets come in? Read the rest of Exodus and Deut. 5. By the way, there are two sets of two tablets.

The Garden of Eden story is interesting. Remember the story? God created Adam and Eve and told them not to eat from the tree in the middle of the garden. They ate and were kicked out of the garden. Is that right? If you read it for yourself you will find that there are two trees of importance in the garden and that one of them pops up again in The Revelation.

You have heard that the bible says, “The last shall be first and the first shall be last.” Well in Matthew 19:30 it says, “But many who are first will be last and many who are last will be first.” There are actually four different times this line appears in the Gospels. It is interesting to see all four in their different forms and the differences between other translations.

There are many other interesting things waiting for you in the bible. I hope that these have sparked an interest in you.

Something More

Having good bible knowledge is cool but I found that something more happens when you read the bible for yourself. I have found that you begin to change from the inside out. I am fully convinced that the bible is the anointed Word of God. If you get His Word in you for the purpose of knowing Him more fully then His Holy Spirit uses those words to recreate you into the image of Jesus Christ.

You no longer have to try to be a good person because “you are a Christian and you are supposed to be good.” What happens is you become a good person. You get the spirit of Jesus Christ in you and you become more loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, good, faithful, gentle, and self-controlled. You do not become perfect but you will notice that you are changing and growing into His Perfection, which will be completed on that day when we meet Him face to face.

Why are the Scriptures Authoritative?

2010-12-30T21:33:00.000-04:00

Why are the Scriptures Authoritative is a question that each person should search out an answer for himself. What makes the Bible anymore authoritative than the Koran or any other religious document? I will give you my three reasons why, for me and my house, the scriptures are the sole authority.
First, there are the Wonders of the Bible. It was written over a period of 1500+ years. It was written by 40+ different authors, but speaks about God (and a wide variety of other controversial subjects) with a consistency that sounds like One voice. It has been persecuted and yet preserved throughout time. It has wielded incredible influence on people groups all over the world.
No other book can match these wonders, even though some have tried. I can’t site any specific examples (somebody “in the know” help me here) but I have heard of experiments on college campuses where they have tried. They would take 20 professors and give them a title to this new book to be written. They would give them the chapter titles of this 20 chapter book. Then send them to different locations, each professor to blindly write his own chapter. When they compiled all the chapters together, the book would never read as one book and very often contradicted itself many times.
Second, I sometimes still compare what I believe to what others in the world believe. Just to make sure I have a good reason to believe what I believe. When I compare Christianity to other religions there is one glaring difference that Christianity has that no other religion has. I could travel today to Mecca and visit the enshrined tomb of Mohammed. I could travel to China and visit the enshrined tomb of Confucius. I could travel to India and visit the enshrined tombs of Buddha, whose body was cut into many pieces and sent to many parts of India. But I can’t travel to Jerusalem and visit the enshrined tomb of Jesus Christ. He is not there. He is a risen Lord and Savior. Therefore, the historical resurrection event gives authoritative credibility to Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ gave His authoritative credibility to the scriptures that we call the Old Testament. Jesus Christ’s Apostles gave their authoritative credibility to the New Testament scriptures. Therefore, I must view the scriptures as authoritative.
Where did Jesus give authority to the scriptures? This is an excellent question you ask. You would probably miss it unless someone pointed it out. I sure did. Go to Matthew 23:35 and Luke 11:51. In these parallel verses you will find the phrase “…from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah…” Abel’s death is in Genesis and Zechariah’s death is in 2 Chronicles. Genesis is the first book of the Jewish Bible and 2 Chronicles is the last book in the Jewish Bible. Theologians say, Jesus was giving credibility to the Jewish Bible by using this reference in His comments. He excluded all of the Apocrypha, all of which was in existence at that time. The Jewish Bible is the same as our Old Testament, with the books arranged in a different order.
Third, anything that is “true” has an inherent authority. Much of the scriptures have been proved to be historically “true” by sources outside of the Bible. Also, they have been proved to be “true” by those who believe them and have experienced the life changing power of Jesus Christ in their lives. A plethora of books have been written in support of the above two statements.

You can read this same post here.
That is why I think the Scriptures are authoritative.

Proof That God Exists

2010-12-18T00:44:00.000-04:00

The proof is in the pudding. I can not prove God’s existence to you, but you can prove it to yourself by tasting and knowing that the LORD is good.

WHERE TO BEGIN
First, you must allow for the possibility that a Creator God exists. Gen 1:1; Heb 11:6
Next, you need to understand that this Creator God is hiding Himself. Is 45:15
Also, you need to understand that anyone who seeks Him will find Him. Matt 7:7-8
But, you must seek Him with your whole heart. Psalm 119:2

HOW DO I SEEK HIM WITH MY WHOLE HEART?

Set apart sometime each day for the next 30 days. Begin by asking God to reveal Himself to you. Then read the bible verses below. Do this first thing in the morning and the last thing just before bed. Expect God’s word to begin to change you from the inside out. Notice it when you find yourself being more Loving, Joyful, Peaceful, Patient, Kind, Good, Faithful, Gentle and Self-Controlled. This change, from the inside out, (merely by getting the anointed word of God inside you) is your proof. If you didn’t notice a difference in yourself, then ask people around you if they notice a difference. You may be in for a big surprise. Think this is non-sense? Then try it and prove me wrong.

DAILY READING

Please God, reveal yourself to me.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Acts 20:21
(therefore) repent toward God and (have) faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Acts 4:12
for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

Gal 2:21
for if righteousness could be gained through the law, (then) Christ died for nothing.

Gal 2:16
(but we know) that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ,

James 2:26
(For) as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Matt 7:12
(Therefore) do unto others as you would have them do to you: for this is the sum of the law and the prophets.

2 Cor 10:5
(and) bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Jesus Christ;

Galatians 5:22-23
(and demonstrate) the fruit of the Spirit (which) is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Rom 1:16
(and be) not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one who believes.

Matt 28:19-20
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything (Jesus) has commanded you.

John 14:21
He who has My commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves Me. He who loves Me will be loved by MyFather and I too will love him and show Myself to him.

The Purpose of Prayer

2010-12-15T10:51:00.000-04:00

I have been struck recently by the phrase “The Power of Prayer.” In my humble opinion there is no power in prayer. The power that exists, exists solely in the Creator. Prayer is merely the way to tap into that power. The purpose of taping into that power is not so that we can get what we want. That would be us misusing His power for our selfish desires. The real purpose of prayer is to align our desires with His desires. That way we will be working with and for our Creator and not find ourselves working against Him.

Does this mean we can’t ask for things? Absolutely not! Our Creator wants us to bring our desires to Him. By voicing our desires in prayer we become aware of not only what we desire but also other possible out comes. We can then search these possible outcomes to find ways in which the Kingdom of God can be advanced. Advancing the Kingdom of God should be our priority, not advancing our own agenda. Pray then that God will put a desire in your heart to do what it is He wants done. Aligning our will with His will is the ultimate goal of prayer.

One Minute Devotional for Atheists

2010-12-14T15:21:00.004-04:00

I have decided to enlist Atheists to help me in my quest of encouraging Christians to read their Bibles. Hope you enjoy.

It Has Something to do with…

2010-08-21T08:18:00.004-04:00

We do not understand everything about why God heals sometimes and sometimes He does not? Why sometimes He heals instantly and other times He heals progressively? Why He heals often in response to one believer’s prayer or command and not at all to another believer’s prayer or command?

What we do know is that it has something to do with…

Prayer and Fasting

Matt 17:21

21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting."

NKJV

Believing in Christ

Mark 16:17-18

17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

NKJV

Acts 2:38-39

38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."

NKJV

Belief

Matt 17:19-20

"Why could we not cast it out?"

20 So Jesus said to them, "Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

NKJV

Faith

Matt 9:21-22

22 But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, "Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well." And the woman was made well from that hour.

NKJV

Matt 21:21-22

21 So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done. 22 And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

NKJV

Study

2 Tim 2:14-16

15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

NKJV

Memorizing Scripture

John 15:7-8

7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

NKJV

Obedience

John 14:23-24

23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.

NKJV

Dieing to Self

Luke 14:27-28

27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.

NKJV

Witnessing

Acts 1:8

8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

NKJV

Laying on Hands

Mark 16:17-18

NKJV

Asking in God's Will

1 John 5:14-15

14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

NKJV

Ask and Command

Matt 18:18-20

18 "Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

19 "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.

NKJV

Matt 21:21-22

21 So Jesus answered and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' it will be done. 22 And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

NKJV

For the Purpose of Increasing People's Faith

John 11:14-15

14 Then he told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead. 15 And for your sake, I am glad I wasn't there, because this will give you another opportunity to believe in me. Come, let's go see him."

NLT

Not for Your Own Glory

Luke 10:17-20

Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."

18 And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

NKJV

Your Part

Now you know your part. Stick to your part and trust that God has the big picture and He knows when the healing will do the most good and will heal right on time.

Rom 8:28-29

28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

NLT

Jesus as a Man, Operating With The Anointing of the Holy Spirit

2010-07-18T04:32:00.002-04:00

We know that Jesus is God.

John 1:1

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

NKJV

John 1:14

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. NKJV

So it is not surprising that God could do the miracles that Jesus did. What is surprising is that when Jesus left Heaven to come to earth, He left His Godliness there.

Phil 2:7

7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men;

ASV

Anoint – to put on as in oil.

Isaiah says that the Messiah would be ANOINTED with the SPIRIT OF THE LORD.

Luke 4:18-19

18 "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me

To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind,

To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD." NKJV

Therefore, He did not minister as the Son of God, but as a mere man anointed by the Holy Spirit.

If Jesus had been ministering as God manifested in the flesh, would God have needed to be anointed? Who is going to anoint God?

Peter confirms this.

Acts 10:38

38(even) Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. ASV

Here is the point, Jesus operated as a mere man anointed by the Holy Spirit. We are merely mankind anointed with the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:38

38 Then Peter said to them,"Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, we can operate just as Jesus did. Jesus even says so, very plainly.

Mark 11:24

24 Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them ASV

Mark 16:17-18

17 And these signs shall accompany them that believe: in my name shall they cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues;

18 they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall in no wise hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. ASV

John 14:12

12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater (works) than these shall he do; because I go unto the Father. ASV

Why can’t we operate as powerfully as Jesus? He was given the Holy Spirit without measure.

John 3:34

34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for he giveth not the Spirit by measure. ASV

Therefore, He healed ALL.

Matt 4:23

23 And Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of disease and all manner of sickness among the people. ASV

Therefore, by implication and by Philips example, we are filled with the Holy Spirit with measure.

Acts 8:7

7 For (from) many of those that had unclean spirits, they came out, crying with a loud voice: and many that were palsied, and that were lame, were healed. ASV

Some still argue that this is not for us today, but just for the Apostles that were with Jesus. If so they disagree with Peter.

Acts 2:39

39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." NKJV

Come Holy Spirit fill the hearts of your faithful

2010-04-24T09:27:00.007-04:00

This is what I see the Bible says about requesting, "Come Holy Spirit fill the hearts of your faithful."

Who does the Baptizing?
Luke 3:16
He (Jesus) will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

How do we receive the Baptism?
Luke 11:13
13 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

What is the sign of the Baptism?
Acts 2:4
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

The Holy Spirit was given to the Jews and to the Gentiles!
Acts 10:45-46
because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.

Is speaking in tongues for today or was it just in the beginning because there was no Bible written yet?
Acts 2:38-39
38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."

Is speaking in tongues ALWAYS present at the Baptism?
Acts 9:17-18
"Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." 18 Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.

Speaking in tongues is not mentioned in Paul's baptism, but did he eventually speak in tongues?
1 Cor 14:18
18 I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all;

Did they all speak in tongues?
1 Cor 14:4-5
5 I wish you all spoke with tongues,
No.

Could they all speak in tongues?
1 Cor 12:4
4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
Therefore, if you have the Holy Spirit, then you have all the gifts available to you.

I have the Holy Spirit, why don't I speak in tongues?
James 4:2-4
you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.

What is the purpose of speaking in tongues?
1 Cor 14:4-5
4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself

I know I have to ask and I know to ask so that I may be edified and thus live unashamedly for Christ so that others will be attracted to the Christ they see in me, now what?
Matt 21:22
22 And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."

Here is my take on how to say Come Holy Spirit fill the hearts of your faithful.

When you go into prayer, sing some praise songs, or pray some praise verses. Then ask God to bring into your mind any unconfessed sin that may block your communication with Him. Be still and let things come to mind. Confess them, ask for forgiveness, place them under the Blood of Jesus Christ, and then forgive yourself.

This may take a while: possibly, more than one prayer session. If the same sin comes to your mind again, then rebuke it by saying, I already confessed you. I am already forgiven for that one. Don't come back to my mind again.

Once your mind has calmed down and no more sins are coming to mind, then ask God who He wants you to pray for. Names of people should start to come into your mind. Pray for them as they come in.

This may take a while: possibly, more than one prayer session. Once the names stop coming into your mind, say Lord now I wish to pray but nothing more is coming into my mind, so I want to pray to You from my spirit.

Then (OK, I AM GOING TO SAY IT) begin to babble (THERE I SAID IT.) Yes, begin to babble.

Now I am going to take it by faith that the Holy Spirit will take my feeble attempts to be biblical by speaking in tongues and be able to edify me and magnify God with my efforts.

Just as when I asked Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of my life, I did not feel anything spiritual happen. I just trusted that the answer is YES.

Just as when I asked Jesus Christ to baptize me in the Holy Spirit, I did not feel anything spiritual happen. I just trusted that the answer is YES.

Then when I ask the Holy Spirit to edify me and magnify God through my speaking in tongues, I am trusting that the answer is YES.

So we may all say, Come Holy Spirit fill the hearts of your faithful.

Two Visions

2009-10-03T12:53:00.000-04:00

I received two visions this week. One while I was reading the Bible.

Matt 18:19-20

"Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." NKJV

A very familiar verse so I knew where it was going as soon as I started reading it. I only got as far as the words "two of you agree on earth" and the thought (not words in my ears, but thought in my mind) came to me. "WHICH TWO?" Then I saw a snap shot picture, like a photograph, of my two boys and me ages 17 and 15.

That is ALL. Just the two words "which two" and a picture of my two boys and me.

This is MY interpretation of the meaning of what I saw.

If my two boys agreed that they would buy a new Mercedes Benz and drive to Southern California, would it happen? NO! So, which two must agree?

If my older son wanted to spend the night at a friend's house and the other did not agree, but I did. Would it happen? Yes! So, which two must agree?

The same thing goes for the younger son. So, which two must agree?

Here is the kicker! What if it was OK with me that my son spends the night at a friend's house, but my son never asks? Is it going to happen? No. Why? Because he didn't ask! It takes two to agree!

So what is the moral to the story? In the picture, I represent the Power or Authority, which in real life is the Holy Spirit, who is on the Earth.

My sons represent believers. Just because the believers agree, will not make it so. At least one believer has to be in agreement with the Holy Spirit and then it will happen.

The Holy Spirit will, however, wait for a believer to ask before He does something.

Therefore, ASK. ASK. And Keep Asking!!!

If it is in His will, it will be done, if not, then no harm, no foul. ASK!!!

My second vision was a one second video.

My wife and I have recently started attending a Pentecostal Church on Sunday evening, but still attend our regular Baptist Church on Sunday morning.

We have been taught that all believers have the right and the ability to speak healings. I remember reading a faith healer's book (Agnes Sanford, "The Healing Light") where she said that a headache is the easiest thing to cast out.

Well, I got a headache. Wow! Timely don't you think? Who is in control?

So I bound the headache in the name of Jesus and cast it out. IT LEFT!

I felt an empty place where it left (flashback to the man in the Bible who had a demon leave but came back to find him "empty") so I quickly prayed the "fruits of the Spirit" into the empty place and the empty place felt full again.

Immediately after that I got the vision.

I was in a grassy field. I was the size of my seven-year-old son. I was holding a big barreled, orange plastic bat and batting left handed, I am right handed.

A Father figure (assuming Jesus) was three feet away soft tossing a big fat soft ball sized plastic ball to me. I only saw His hands and from the knees down. It was like He was bent over to toss the ball softly in my direction.

I swung real hard and just clipped the top of the ball and it fell to the ground and slowly rolled back to Jesus' feet.

That was the vision.

My interpretation is that casting out a headache is like hitting a big plastic ball with a big plastic bat a whopping distance of three feet. As I grow and practice more, then I will be able to do more.

I wonder what hitting a grand slam home run, in the bottom of the ninth, of the seventh game of the World Series looks like in the Spirit world?

Leg Break

2009-08-13T20:11:00.001-04:00

If I am boasting, then let me boast about the Lord and what He has done, is doing, and continues to do in me.

Friday Dec 7, ’07; a day that will live in infamy. I was showing Aaron (age 15) some wrestling moves in the basement. Kateleigh (age 9) was watching. Each time we got up to start again Kateleigh would tell us we should take off our shoes. I was allowing Aaron to practice a takedown (not even struggling against him) when my shoe stuck to the carpet so my foot did not move as my body went to the floor and snapped my right leg, three inches above the ankle.

My first thought was a flashback to a college health class. The teacher told us if we wondered whether or not we have broken a bone then we probably did not. When you break a bone you feel and hear it “snap.” I knew I had broken my leg because I felt and heard it “snap.”

I grabbed my leg at the point of pain and felt my hand move the bone approximately 2” back into place. Broken was confirmed.

At this point I realized (second thought) I did not swear when the leg broke nor did a swear word even enter my mind. I think this is a grand example of the “renewal of the mind.” Before beginning to read the Bible on a regular basis, swearing was a very natural reaction for me. Just by reading the bible and spending much time in prayer, I find that I have changed from the inside out. I gauge this by observing what my initial (natural) response is to a traumatic or unexpected event; such as breaking a bone.

My third significant thought was not a natural one either. It comes from reaffirming, on a daily basis, a lesson I learned from Isaiah 45:7 “… I bring prosperity and create disaster: I, the LORD, do all these things.” Also Job 2:10 says, “…shall we accept good from God and not trouble?” Lastly, from the New Testament, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Only because I had affirmed this for years, now that bad had come my way, I was able to quickly say, “OK Lord, how are you going to bring glory to yourself from my broken leg. I thank You for my broken leg, please make me aware of how I may bring glory to You from this situation.”

Of course the natural question arises, “Why does God cause disasters?” The answer comes from John 9:3. “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” Now my job is to display the work of God in my life.

Preparation during the good times is key to being open to God’s will in the bad times. I highly suspect that giving this difficult teaching to someone who is going through tough times would cause it to not be well received.

I was able to speak the name of Jesus to the 2 emergency techs who rescued me from the basement. I was able to crack jokes in the ER and make the people in there laugh.

I was in the ER when my cell phone rang and it was my friend from Ghana, Africa. He said he felt something was wrong with us and so he needed to call. WOW! I handed the phone to Cindy and let her talk to him.

While talking with the ER doctor I asked if they were going to put me to sleep before they reset the leg because I knew it was going to be very painful. She said, “Of course, that was standard procedure.” Another doctor came in and was looking at my leg when all of a sudden he pulls the leg, turns my foot back into alignment with my leg and shoved it back into place.

My body was in full pain. I could feel my toenails, I could feel my hair, and I could feel pain surrounding my body out to about 3 inches from my skin. I sat up and screamed at the top of my lungs.

My mind however was still having fun. My first thought was, “I wonder what the people down the hall are thinking about all this noise I am making.” Then, “Cindy will never be able to hold that ‘birth pain’ thing over my head again.” At this point the doctor says, “the pain should begin to subside in about 10 to 15 minutes.” Now I am thinking, “that is a piece of information I really didn’t need.”

At some point they brought the x-rays in for us to look at. The Tibia was broken in two, very clean break. The Fibula was broken in two places. I was admitted to the hospital for surgery the next day.

At 6 am, the surgeon came in. I was awake but not expecting anyone. He says, “How are you doing today?” I replied, “I am good.” He said in a very shocked voice, “that is not what I heard.” Then proceeded to tell me all the things wrong with my leg. My mental response, this is a guy who doesn’t understand the concept of Peace during adversity. Then he told me about the things he was going to do to fix my leg. My mental response, this is a guy who needs to hear about Jesus as the Healer.

When he finished speaking he ended with, “Do you have any questions?” I said, “Yes, could we pray over this?”

I might as well have taken both hands, and with the full force of my body, shoved him in the chest. He flung backwards and had to take a step backward to keep from falling down. He stuttered to find words to say and finally ended with, “I guess so.”

I placed my hand on his and prayed. I don’t remember what came out of my mouth, but I remember praying in my head that God would give me the words that this man needed to hear.

When I finished, he said the surgery was scheduled for 9 pm and sometimes it gets moved up. The thought flashed through my mind to say, don’t worry the Lord will move it up. Within 2 seconds he had bolted for the door and my chance was gone. I have never given a word of prophecy before and don’t know that I should have that time. Within 2 minutes he stuck his head back in the door and told me they had moved it up and I would be going in at 5. Then gone again. Then the thought came to me that I had been given another chance, but the thought didn’t come to me until after he left. One minute later the nurse came in and told me that it was moved up again and I was going down in one hour. My first chance at prophecy and I was a total “no show.”

The rest of my stay I focused on being the best patient I could possibly be. Unfortunately, the IV I had kept running right through me and every two hours I had to call the nurse’s aid to help me go to the bath room. I felt like such a burden. Then I noticed that they started checking on me every hour or so. I can’t prove it but I got the feeling they enjoyed being in the room with me and were looking for reasons to help me because there were other people on the floor they really didn’t want to go see. Don’t know for sure, but I do know that I got great service from the nurses and the nurse’s aids.

When Word of Faith Movement meets Chronic Illness

2009-02-27T05:24:00.012-04:00

I recently heard a sermon by a charismatic individual that suffered a vocal chord injury in 1992. Here are the highlights of his sermon.

- When this injury occurred his professional life, his personal life, his theology, his relationships, his family, everything was traumatized.

- He began to battle depression.

- He struggled with James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials.

- After years of living with the pain of the injury, he asked the Holy Spirit for the meaning of verse 2. He was given verses 3 and 4.

- James 1:3-4 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But let endurance have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.

- He defines endurance as "faith sustained over time in the midst of distress/pain."

- He defines perfect and complete, lacking nothing as "being the image of Jesus Christ."

- When he realized that endurance has a most wonderful purpose, he was immediately filled with Joy.

- He admits that the endurance did nothing to cure his vocal chord injury, but it transformed his personality into a more joyful person.

- He admits that the completion of the work of transformation will not be complete until he sees Jesus face to face.

That was his message.

I don't know what his earlier theology was, that was traumatized by this injury, but I suspect it included some form of "God always wants His children to be healthy."

That theology was changed into "Sometimes God uses sickness, disease, and illness to produce a good work in His children."

I would like to offer a third possible theology.

I am not saying that the first two theologies are not biblical. There are many a pastor out there who make the biblical case for " God always wants His children to be healthy."

Also, this man made a great biblical case for "Sometimes God uses sickness, disease, and illness to produce a good work in His children."

I shall use the Bible as well to support my concept that I will call "God is in control."

- Isa 45:7 I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the LORD, do all these things.

- This is the verse where I first discovered the idea that God is in control of the good things and the bad things that happen to us.

- There are many more to support the idea, but I will list only one more here.

- Job 1:21 The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.

- If God causes the bad things to happen then this begs the question, "Why?"

- My answer came from the Westminster Catechism. It says, "The chief aim of man is to glorify God."

- In the good times and in the bad times, we are to glorify God. That is exactly what Job did. "Blessed be the name of the LORD."

- Which is the better testimony: One who praises God when things are going great or one who praises God when things are going bad?

- I suggest that we view any bad things in our lives as opportunities from God to give Him glory during a bad situation. Just like James 1:2 from above, "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials." Why? Because it is an opportunity to give glory to God when your testimony will be most valuable.

My major problem with the first two theologies is that the emphasis is on the SELF. God wants ME to be healthy at all times. God wants ME to endure so that I may be perfect.

In my theology, the emphasis is on glorifying God for the benefit of whoever is watching me. Who is around to see my distress so that I may witness to them for the purpose of the salvation of their souls.

I pray that God will lead you to an answer that gives you His Peace and Joy in the midst of your distress and pain.

If You Want a Perfect World, Then You Need to Be Perfect

2008-12-14T06:34:00.000-04:00

Nobody would argue that this world is perfect. It seems that most people are working at making it a better world with the understanding that we can't make it perfect.

To make a perfect world would take something superhuman. Something like maybe, a Perfect God. A perfect world run by a Perfect God would only be inhabited by perfect people.

Can you be perfect and therefore qualify? Me neither.

Then how could I possibly get in? GRACE!

The Grace of a Perfect God bestowing undeserved blessings upon me.

What does He want in return for such a wonderful gift? Just believe that He exists, that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die as payment for your sin, and to TRUST Jesus to cloth you in His Righteousness so that you can be perfect in the eyes of The Perfect God.

Perfect!

What To Do To Relieve Stress

2008-11-13T08:52:00.002-04:00

Let's talk about what to do to relieve stress.

The first step in solving any problem is to accurately define what the problem is!

My favorite definition of stress is the difference between what you can do and what is required of you to do.

So how do I apply this for stress relief?

When I feel stressed, instead of being overwhelmed by it, I define it.

Example: I am traveling in my car and I can't get where I need to be in the time I need to be there.

What is required? Me be some place on time.

What can I do? Get there later than that.

The difference is my stress.

Solution: I call whoever is waiting on me and change the time that I will be there and the stress goes away!

Way too simple? Sometimes the simpliest solution is the best.

Lets apply this to money. Instead of just being stressed over the money let's define the problem.

Define the money going out.

Define the money coming in.

The difference is your stress level.

Now attack the stress by finding out how to either increase the coming in or decreaseing the going out.

The solution is not always easy to apply, but at least now we have defined it and know where to attack it, instead of just sitting there and being attacked by the stress.

Now that you know what to do to relieve stress, go and give it a try.

My Values in American Society

2008-10-29T11:09:00.005-04:00

Voting according to how a candidate stands on issues is important, but I think how they stand on values in American society today is more important.

Four years is a long time and the issues will change, but the values of the candidate should not change. Decisions on the current issues and the emerging issues should be guided by the same value system.

So I have decided to announce today that I will NOT be running for the office of President of the United States, but if I did, these are the values in American society today that I would take with me.

1. Jesus is the ONLY way to God!

2. Life begins at conception.

3. Don't spend more than you make.

4. Walk softly and carry the biggest stick.

5. The Consitution is the law of the land. If you don't like it, then change it, BUT don't ignore it.

Now, those seem pretty obvious to me, but for some reason Washington D.C. (on BOTH sides of the isle) keeps making laws and rules that violate all of the above values in American Society.

I have read the end of The Book and it says that we as a people fail miserably. So far I think we are right on track to do just that.

So what are your values in American society?

Oprah Jealous God | Bill Maher

2008-10-21T23:07:00.001-04:00

Bill Maher and Oprah have a common problem. They are both hung up on the Bible verses that say, "God is a jealous God."

The problem is due to the way the negative connotation of the word "jealous" is predominate in our society today. However, there is a positive and a negative side to the word. Both sides are noted in scripture.

In Gal 5:20 jealousy is listed as an act of a sinful nature.

In 2 Cor 11:2 Paul refers to a jealousy for others, indicating a relationship that he is zealous to keep.

So the word "jealous" actually means an exclusive single-mindedness of emotion which may be morally blameworthy or praiseworthy.

The good or the bad connotation is dependent upon whether the object of the jealousy is the self or a cause beyond the self.

If the object is the self then envy is the rusult.

If the object is a cause beyond the self then the result is a single-minded persuit of a good end.

An example would be the marriage covenant, where a jealousy for the exclusiveness of the relationship is a necessary condition of its permanence.

Howie53's response on YouTube says it way better than I.

Howie53 Gets It Right

Jesus With The Poor

2008-10-07T08:43:00.000-04:00

Jesus with the poor is the source of the greatest spiritual revelation of the meaning of a scripture given to me. In Luke 12:33 Jesus says, "Sell your possessions and give to the poor."

You might immediately think this is the story of the rich young ruler, but it is not. If you go back to verse 22, you will see Jesus is addressing His disciples.

If He is addressing His disciples and I want to be a disciple then He is addressing me. So I began to think, what do I possess? I own a coat, a car, my kid's clothes, etc. These are things we need. Renting them is not an option.

On the surface this looks like a stupid statement, but the Jesus I know does not make stupid statements. There must be more to this than I am seeing.

I began to read commentaries and really try to think this through, but nothing could resolve this statement into a logical, meaningful message.

I ran across the story of Tolstoy, who was a wealthy Russian who converted to Christianity and sold all his stuff and gave it to the poor. After a short while the poor had consumed everything and all was gone. Also, the employees of his old farm were all miserable because the new owners were not as benevolent as Tolstoy.

I did not find meaning, I found proof! This is a stupid statement!

Jesus with the poor.

So I yelled at the Holy Spirit. He is supposed to be my teacher and I needed teaching. Immediately this thought came into my mind (not words in my ears, but a thought in my head), "God owns everything, we merely manage."

Putting these two thoughts together brings us a new question. If I am living as if God owns everything and I merely manage, then what is it I own that I need to sell? Nothing!

And if I am not living this way, then what is my instruction?

Sell what you think you own, because it has become an idol to you.

What do I do with the proceeds of the sale?

Give it away, so that you don't get tempted to buy something else that you think you own and fall back into the same idolatrous trap.

It is all about ownership. Who is in charge? Looking at the following verse Jesus says, "by doing this we will lay up treasure in Heaven." This is not a one for one exchange where the people who give the most on earth will get the most in Heaven. It is an attitude of how to live, which is equally available and equally beneficial to us all.

Jesus with the poor has educated me on the correct attitude toward giving.

Summary of the Bible, Genesis to Revelation

2008-09-28T16:22:00.003-04:00

Summary of the Bible, Genesis to Revelation

This Summary of the Bible, Genesis to Revelation was written to give a “big picture” view of the story of the Bible. In order to put all of the stories that you have already heard into one comprehensible story. I do not intend to tell the individual stories, but to tell the major story line of God’s chosen people. I will also include things not in the Bible itself that I think are interesting and also some memory tricks that I use.
“In the beginning God...” Then God created Adam and Eve. They had Cain, Able, and Seth. After a long period of time comes Enoch. After another long period of time, comes Noah. The story of the Tower of Babel is next. More than 1000 years later, comes Abraham.
Abraham is promised to be the father of a great nation. So it is from Abraham that the story of God’s chosen people began. Abraham had Isaac. Isaac had Jacob and Esau. Jacob’s name was changed to Israel, which means “wrestles with God.” Israel had 12 sons, which become the 12 tribes of Israel. The most famous son is Joseph. Joseph was sold into slavery, taken to Egypt, rose to number two, and brings the whole family of Israel (66 people) to Egypt to save them from the famine. Then Joseph dies and this concludes the book of Genesis.
The book of Exodus opens some 400 years later. We find the family of Israel no longer in a prestigious status. They have been taken as slaves. Now this next part is not in the Bible. I read it from a Jewish author, but it does explain the story somewhat. We know that the family of Israel was brought to Egypt in order to be saved from the famine, but where did they come from? They were living in the land that was promised and given to Abraham. So the Jewish people felt that the reason they were taken as slaves in Egypt was a punishment from God because they failed to return to the Promised Land after the famine was over.
Back to the story. Up to this time God has dealt with individual people, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc. But now we have for the first time (after a period of 400 years of silence), God revealing Himself to the masses in signs and wonders. Remember this, you will see it again. The signs and wonders are the plagues that God did to Egypt in order to get the Pharaoh to let His people go. Once released into the desert, God gives them laws, directions on how to build the tabernacle, how to do sacrifices, etc. Then they build all this stuff and we end the book of Exodus.
Leviticus has a bad reputation for being filled with laws. It deserves every bit of that reputation because that is exactly what it is.
Numbers has a bad reputation for being filled with census numbers. It does not deserve this reputation. There is a lot of plot development in Numbers. Numbers begins with a census that not only counts the men (estimates put the full number of people, including women and children, somewhere between 2 and 3 million) but organizes them into a cohesive group, capable of moving as one. Then they move from where God gave them the laws to the Jordan River and ready to enter the Promised Land in 11 days. They send out 12 spies. Ten of the spies come back too afraid to proceed. Two come back with confidence to proceed. The two are Joshua and Caleb. The penalty for not going into the Promised Land is to wander around in the desert for 40 years. They wandered for 40 years in a space that took them only 11 days to cross in the first place. They wandered until all persons over the age of 20 had died, with two exceptions, Joshua and Caleb. At the end of Numbers they have returned to the Jordan River and are ready to try it again.
Deuteronomy covers a period of 60 days. Thirty days Moses was giving speeches. He reminded the people what they have been through and encouraging them not to repeat the mistake that their fore fathers made. Moses dies and 30 days of mourning then Joshua takes the lead. This is the last of the five books of Moses, also called the Torah, the Law, or the Pentateuch. The rest of the Old Testament was mostly written by the Prophets. So when you see, in the New Testament, references to the Law and the Prophets, you will know they are referring to the Old Testament.

Summary of the Bible, Gensis to Revelation

The book of Joshua is then the story of Joshua leading the people into the Promised Land and driving out those who lived there. Here is a little known fact. The purpose of God’s chosen people was so that God could be revealed to other people through His chosen people. You can see this happen in stories like Rahab. She makes it clear that all were aware that God was with the Israelites and they were very afraid. Also, the Israelites were to convert other people from their pagan gods to following the Creator God. These converts were called Proselytes.
After they are settled in the Promised Land, they then need to be ruled over. This is done by a series of Judges. The first of the most memorable Judges is Deborah, because she is a woman in a male dominated society.
Then comes Gideon. Gideon is listed in the study Bible as a Judge for 40 years, but if you read the text you will find that he led a revolt against those oppressing Israel at that time. When the wars were over they offer Gideon a Judgeship and he turns it down. So how do we resolve this obvious contradiction? The answer lies in the translation of the word Judge. It more appropriately should be translated “leader”. So a Judge could have been a mayor, governor, general, etc. So after Gideon had finished being a general, they offered him the position of Governor and he turned that down.
The last famous Judge (in the book of Judges) was Samson.
Next comes the story of Ruth, who was alive during the time of the Judges.
Next come the stories in 1& 2 Samuel. Samuel is the last good Judge. One interesting thing about Samuel is that he dies in 1 Samuel 25. So why would they name 2 Samuel after Samuel? Well, the full text of Samuel was found on one scroll. So the whole document was referred to as Samuel. Because it was so big they decided to split it in half. Just as a memory trick, if it hadn’t been found on one scroll they would probably have named them the book of Samuel and the book of David.
The Israelites came to Samuel and pleaded for a king. So Samuel asked God for a king and God said that He wanted to be their King. But they continued to press Samuel for a king, so God finally says OK, I will give you a king, but you are not going to like it. So He told Samuel to anoint Saul of the tribe of Benjamin (you will hear this again later too) as king. Saul didn’t work out so good so God told Samuel to go anoint a son of Jesse. This turned out to be David. After Saul died in battle, David was made king. On his deathbed David handed the Kingdom over to Solomon, his son. When Solomon died the Kingdom of Israel was splint into a divided Kingdom. The Northern Kingdom was called Israel and the Southern Kingdom was Judah. So there were only three Kings that ever ruled over a united Israel.
More memory tricks. This is not exact but is useful for remembering where people are in which book. Mentally split 1 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, and 1 & 2 Chronicles into halves. In the first half of 1 Samuel the major character is Samuel. In the second half the major character is Saul. 2 Samuel is all about the reign of King David. In the first half of 1 Kings the major character is Solomon. In the second half of 1 Kings the major character is Elijah. In the first half of 2 Kings the major character is Elisha. In the second half of 2 Kings there is a list of kings both in the north and in the south, but no major character.
The end of 2 Kings has a lot of plot development. The Northern Kingdom of Israel was sacked and dispersed to other nations and intermarried with other races. They became known as the half-breeds or the Samaritans of Jesus’ day. That is why they were so despised by the Jews. The Southern Kingdom of Judah was sacked by Babylon and taken captive for 70 years. Then King Cyrus became king and allowed them to return to Jerusalem and Judah. An event that was prophesied by Isaiah (including the name Cyrus) about 150 years before it happened. You will find it in Isaiah 44:24-28. Thus ends 2 Kings.
Now we enter into 1 & 2 Chronicles. 1 & 2 Chronicles is a snapshot of everything we have talked about to this point. Back to the memory trick. The first half of 1 Chronicles is genealogy. Hidden in this genealogy is the Prayer of Jabez (Chapter 4). The genealogy ends with Saul. And then the second half of 1 Chronicles is about the reign of King David. So the first half of 2 Chronicles is about the reign of King Solomon. The second half of 2 Chronicles is about the divided Kingdoms and ends with King Cyrus releasing Judah.
Interesting to note is that after Solomon both the Northern and the Southern Kingdoms had 19 kings before being sacked. The Northern Kingdom almost exclusively had one King rise up and over throw the reigning king; killing the king and his family. The southern kingship almost exclusively was passed down from father to son.
Next comes Ezra. Ezra was a high priest who reinstituted the procedures used in Temple worship.
Next Nehemiah was more like a governor who rebuilt the walls around Jerusalem in order to protect the people and the newly rebuilt temple.
This ends the chronological story of the chosen people of God. The rest of the books in the Old Testament are located somewhere in this story.

Summary of the Bible, Gensis to Revelation

Esther lived during the Babylonian exile.
Job is probably a contemporary of Abraham or a grandson of Israel.
Psalms is a collection of songs written mostly by David.
Proverbs is a collection of wise sayings mostly by Solomon.
Ecclessiastes and Song of Solomon were more writings by Solomon.
Now we come to the prophets. There are 16 prophets; four Major Prophets and twelve Minor Prophets. The Major Prophets are Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. They are called Major Prophets merely for the amount of material they wrote.
The Major Prophets are split in half by a book called Lamentations. This book is composed of 5 poems that were recited by the people during the Babylonian Exile. Basically, they say, “We have sinned against God, please forgive us and restore us to the Promised Land.” These poems follow the book of Jeremiah, which will help you remember that Jeremiah wrote Lamentations.
Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel all prophesied during the Babylonian Exile. Daniel had 3 friends named Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, so the book of Daniel is where you find their story.
These Minor Prophets were all before the Babylonian Exile: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah. The last 3 Minor Prophets (Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi) were the only ones that prophesied after they had returned from the Babylonian Exile.
This ends the Old Testament.

Summary of the Bible, Gensis to Revelation

Now comes 400 years of silence followed by God revealing Himself to the masses through signs and wonders (sound familiar); which are the miracles of Jesus Christ. There are many things in this book that give one the impression that this book (which was written by over 40 authors over a period of 1500+ years) was written by one Person; which it was. It was written by the Holy Spirit. This is one of my favorites. Consider this. Did 12 individuals (who would not normally associate with each other) come together and recognize that it had been 400 years since Malachi? Therefore the timing would be perfect for them to write about a messiah that would reveal Himself through signs and wonders. Also, they would have this fictional messiah fulfill all the O.T. prophecies in a way that absolutely nobody was expecting. Finally, all of them would go to their death professing this truth, without one of them recanting. This seems extremely unlikely to me.
The New Testament opens with 4 Gospels (Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John). They tell the story of the life of Jesus Christ. Jesus corrected the definition of “God’s chosen people” from the descendents of Abraham to anyone who has a love for God and a love for other people, all other people. A careful read of the Old Testament will show that this was the true message of the Old Testament. Still the purpose of God’s people remains the same, to Glorify God and to encourage others to follow the Creator God, now made known to us through Jesus Christ.
Then Acts tells the story of how the Gospel spread from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria and to all the earth. It is in Acts that we get the story of Saul from the tribe of Benjamin (sound familiar, I don’t know that it means anything, but interesting). It is chapter 9 where Saul has his conversion experience. An interesting note is Saul’s name change to Paul. It is not the same kind of change like Abram to Abraham or Jacob to Israel. Those names were actually changes from one to the other. Saul to Paul was more of a cultural name change. Like someone named Jacque coming to live in the states and now going by the name James. It is the same name in two different cultures. It is not like Saul has a Jesus experience and Jesus changes his name, like what happened to Abram and Jacob.

Summary of the Bible, Gensis to Revelation

After Acts we have 13 letters written by Paul. It is from these letters that we get most of our doctrine. These letters are arranged in order of size: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus and Philemon. Hebrews is next. We don’t know who wrote Hebrews, which made the canonizing process interesting because Hebrews did not have the backing of an apostle.
James was written by the half brother of Jesus. Jesus’ brother was very active in leading the church in Jerusalem. James the apostle had already been martyred by this time. He was the first disciple to be martyred, but Stephen was the first martyr.
1 and 2 Peter were written by Peter.
1, 2, and 3 John were written most likely by the Apostle John. When reading the Gospel of John you see the word “believe” repeated several times. In 1 John the dominant word is “know”.
Jude was written by the brother of James, half brother of Jesus.
Revelation was written by the Apostle John and is the prophecy describing the return of Jesus Christ and the setting up of His eternal kingdom.

Summary of the Bible, Gensis to Revelation

The Thread

That is the story of God’s chosen people. Throughout this story there is a thread that runs continuously, which gives us the feeling that this is all one book. One book written by One hand. That thread is the Messiah. I will give but a few examples.
I will pick up the thread at Genesis 3:15. God gives us the first promise of a Messiah that will suffer (be struck on the heal) but will deliver a deathblow (crush his head) to satan. We are painted a beautiful and unforgettable picture of the substitutionary nature of the Messiah in the story of Abraham laying Isaac on the altar as a sacrifice. Jacob refers to the Messiah as the Redeeming Angel when he gives the blessing to Joseph’s sons. The Israelites are instructed to construct an Ark of the Covenant. The law was kept inside it and the lid on the Ark was called “the Mercy Seat.” During the ceremony the High Priest would sprinkle blood from the perfect lamb onto the Mercy Seat. Such beautiful imagery is already given that through the blood of the Perfect One comes mercy that will cover the law. Moses refers to Him as “a prophet like me.” David refers to Him as “my Redeemer.” Job calls Him, “my Vindicator.” Isaiah has 4 sections in his book called Servant Songs, where he talks about a suffering Messiah. Half of the book of Daniel is end time prophecies of the conquering Messiah setting up His eternal kingdom here on earth.
The Gospels of New Testament tells the story of the suffering Messiah in the flesh. Which is followed by how His story was spread throughout the world. The letters give us the “truths that we are to know” about the Messiah. The word doctrine means “teachings.” Then the Revelation tells us of the return of the same Messiah, this time as a Conqueror that will set up His eternal kingdom here on earth. The whole Bible then is about our Messiah, who is Jesus Christ.

Summary of the Bible, Gensis to Revelation

Critical Question

If Jesus is the fulfillment of this Messiah, why is it that the Jews don’t recognize Him? Near as I can tell the only reason they reject Jesus is because He did not set up His eternal kingdom. I learned something interesting when I audited a New Testament course at Campbellsville University. They said that before Jesus arrived on the scene, some of the Jewish Priests were beginning to teach that they were to look for two Messiahs. Their understanding of the scriptures was such that there must be a suffering Messiah and a conquering Messiah and they could not resolve the two into one Messiah. They were just too different. They did not understand the purpose of the suffering Messiah and would therefore look only for the conquering Messiah, the One that would set up His eternal kingdom here on earth.
How close they were to getting it. The New Testament then is the story of one Messiah and two comings. I heard one Jewish Priest put it this way. When the Messiah comes and sets up His eternal kingdom here on earth, we will ask Him, “Have you been here before?” Then we will know what to believe.

I hope you have enjoyed this quick Summary of the Bible, Gensis to Revelation.