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Welcome Again,

I welcome you again to another PathSeeker Weekly. I am glad to have an opportunity to be able to bring these Good News (Gospel) messages to the world. One of the few commands Jesus had given to us as His followers, is to go throughout the world spreading the good news and make disciples. Through a multiplication process the belief and following of Jesus Christ has grown and spread throughout the far reaches of the earth. From the earliest of missionaries like the apostles Paul, and Barnabas, to missionaries who place their lives at risk everyday in some of the most hostile anti-Christian nations in the world today.

Like weeks past I will begin with my main topic scripture reference Romans 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.
I am still on phase two of this verse which is “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. What I am trying to get to here is that transforming and renewal of your mind makes it possible for you to have access and be transformed to the Mind of Christ. I am taking key aspects of the character or the life of Jesus and focusing on these behaviors and teachings from Him and showing how you and I can become and help others to become like Jesus.

Last week the topic was how we can be like Christ and through Him be sheep and find sheep to come to the flock, God has sent Him to Shepherd over. This week I am going to carry on with this and go on to another part of the calling Christ has called us all into.

Matthew 9:36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 “Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

The harvest is ripe and God would love nothing more than for you and I to be able to go and bring in a bountiful harvest. Jesus sowed seed that sprout and has been carefully tended by those who have come before us. All of the goodness and truth that Jesus has handed down to us can be used today as the tools we need to be prepared and able to harvest or bring in new sheep to the shepherd. We can be as children of light and show the dark world who Jesus truly is.

Like Jesus has said here in these words “Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” Every day people face life threatening and even life taking oppositions in their efforts to carry the Word of God to people throughout the world. Everyday God hears prayers that fund and supply the needs of those in the foreign mission fields. God hears the prayers of those who are in danger for their lives and He also hears the joy of those who have been given a new life in Jesus from the words of one of His missionaries. God has not turned His back or given a deaf ear to those who have given their lives in the name of Jesus Christ. Instead God has given them the promise of an eternal life of joy and peace without the pain and suffering they had both witnessed and received. God has a place for all those who will call upon the name of Jesus.

God has a place for you to be use in this body He has prepared for Christ to be the head. Again I would like to point out what Jesus has said here “Therefore pray” . Jesus knows the importance of prayer. He also knows their is a plentiful harvest on the horizon and the workers are few. He knows the hands are missing fingers and feet are missing toes and all He is asking here is to pray that the body may become complete with enough fingers to gather and enough toes to carry the load. Jesus knows that whatever you ask in His name will be given unto you.

John 14:12 ” Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. 15 ” If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—17 “the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

If you believe in Jesus and keep His commandments He knows that anything you ask in His name, will be given unto you. God the Father will be pleased that you have listened to Jesus and believe that He truly is the Son of God. God has given Jesus the power over all (angels, demons, and even Satan our adversary):

Romans 8:38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Nothing can separate you from the love God has given you. All you have to do is, do as Jesus has commanded. Not what Moses commanded, not what the religious leaders of Jesus’ times had commanded, not what I or any leaders today command,  but what Jesus has commanded. Did you notice in John 14:12 that Jesus said if you believe in His works, you will be able to do even greater things. “…and greater works than these he will do”” Yet still He asks that you ask in His name and He will do it. Keep His commandments, ask in Jesus name to send workers for a harvest and He will.

notice Jesus said in John 14:16 Jesus says He will pray for God to send another helper. Can you believe that Jesus will pray for you to have help. He is not sending you out alone. He is sending you out with “the Spirit of truth”, not only to be with you and help. The Spirit of truth will live with you and He lives inside you. Wow a full time helper that knows the truth and will help you speak the truth.

Acts 4:13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.

Peter and John were not educated men, they were common everyday fishermen, they had no degree’s from college or any seminary training. But yet the Pharisee’s and Seduces were amazed at how courageous  and intellectually they spoke. The religious leaders remembered these men had been with Jesus. Not only had they walked and talked with Jesus, they now had something that lived with them and lived inside them. “The Spirit of Truth”. Jesus said He would not leave them alone and He did not. A few days prior to this particular verse The Holy Spirit came down upon those who were gathered and became what we know as the Day of Pentecost. Because of the Bible (Gods Holy Word) you too can walk with Jesus. The Spirit of Truth will give you the boldness you need to speak boldly the words of truth.

When it comes to questions and being prepared, please pray for workers in the upcoming harvest. Give the Spirit of Truth inside you the opportunity to speak.

Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

And

Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

In closing I would like to say, that it is my hopes and prayers that all who read this to please take this into account and test these words to the words of God. Allow the Holy Spirit to be your guide in all of your studies of Gods word. And please ask of and always remember, to have Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior

Use this link to read a simple prayer to open your hearts door and let Jesus in.

Please use the comments link below. I would like to hear your remarks to these messages.

*All scripture quotes are from the The New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible unless otherwise noted

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Welcome Again,

I am pleased to be able to be here again for another PathSeeker Weekly. I am more pleased to be able to bring to you a Gospel Message from Jesus Christ on a weekly basis. The very name of Jesus is light in times when hopes dim towards darkness.

I am still continuing with the main focal points within my main scripture reference of:

Romans 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.

Now here in part two of this verse “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” I have going over some of the aspects of the character of Jesus. When ever we take these aspects and the actions of Jesus and apply these things to our daily lives we are becoming transformed to the renewed mind of Christ.

1 Peter 1:16 because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

We have probably all heard this verse or some form of before in our lives. But this is one of the many keys of becoming like Christ and to be able to prove what is Gods will for your life. Christ was Holy in all the aspects of His life and it was His will to do the will of His Father. Before I get carried away here I would like for you to see this verse along with the context it was written.

NIV 1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” 17 Since you call on a Father who judges each man’s work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

Prepare your mind, v.13, …do not conform, v.14. This text is somewhat similar to the words written down by the apostle Paul in our main reference of Romans 12:2. Being holy is a not only a characteristic of Christ but is also a characteristic of God the Father. In verse 16 of the above text it says “for it is written:” These words were indeed written:

Leviticus 11:44-45 For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth.
45 For I am the Lord who brings you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.
19:2 Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.
20:7 Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God.

There are even different variations of this also from the words of Jesus and the apostle Paul:

Matthew 5:48 “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.

Be holy, be perfect, be an imitator these are all commands to be as God. Jesus came and gave us physical example of how it is to be as God. Jesus was tempted of the devil, He was beaten and could have felt as though God had deserted Him. Yet through all He faced He showed us how to be as God. Sure it is true Jesus was the Son of God and could actually do anything but He did not fail in showing us that even though we are human we can imitate Him. He also showed us, because of our inability to be perfect, just exactly what Grace and Forgiveness is all about.

John 8:3 Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 “Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” 6 This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. 7 So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” 8 And again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” These are words Jesus speaks to every one of us. Jesus knows we all sin and fall short of the glory of God ( Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ) and if were not for Grace non of us would make the grade. 1 Peter 1:18 tells us that were redeemed (bought for a price) not by silver or gold but by the very blood of Jesus. Jesus has paid the way for us all to be holy with His precious blood. The blood of Jesus has cleansed us from the disease that has been deteriorating our bodies since Adam and Eve sinned in the garden. Kind of like the way chemo-therapy is to remove cancer from a body but only His gift of cleansing cleans your body of all sin and death. We no long have sin within us we are made holy by Grace God has given you.

Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 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. 7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. 13 And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

Should we continue in sin and just let grace take care of it? Personally I would not want to take the chance. Two questions for example I ask men. Would you want to be sitting in a strip club when Jesus parts the clouds? Do you think He is going to take you with Him after finding you there? If you have know the truth of Jesus and His Grace and have called upon the name of the Lord, then you have been saved. But we are also told to be Holy as He is Holy after we have been saved. After being taught by Jesus with Him telling you that all you have to do is look a woman with lust in your eyes then you have sinned. you know that when Jesus parts the clouds and finds you in a strip cloud you are smack dab in the middle of sin. We are told that no sin will be able to go into Heaven. So if you are in the middle of sin I don’t figure you will go with Him. Then you will probably cry out and say, “what about grace? Grace comes before death, before resurrection. After you have been resurrected with Christ you should be as He is which is, Holy.

Daily we all sin. Even after being reborn with Christ in resurrection. Sin is just in our nature. But we can try to be holy, and this is something really amazing about God is that He knows and gives us a benefit of the doubt. All God wants of you is to strive to be perfect as He is perfect. Strive is to try with desire, desire to be perfect in all you do. Above all strive to be sinless, is what and all God expects.

There are two types of sin: knowingly sin and unknowingly sin. Do the best you can to avoid temptation which leads to knowingly sin. Confess unknowingly sin when it becomes known to you. And one day in judgment of your life you will be as Joshua.

Zechariah 3:1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. 2 And the LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?” 3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel. 4 Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.” 5 And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head, and they put the clothes on him. And the Angel of the LORD stood by. 6 Then the Angel of the LORD admonished Joshua, saying, 7 “Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘If you will walk in My ways, And if you will keep My command, Then you shall also judge My house, And likewise have charge of My courts; I will give you places to walk Among these who stand here.

In closing I would like to say, that it is my hopes and prayers that all who read this to please take this into account and test these words to the words of God. Allow the Holy Spirit to be your guide in all of your studies of Gods word. And please ask of and always remember, to have Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior

Thank you and God Bless,
Tommy Harmon

Use this link to read a simple prayer to open your hearts door and let Jesus in.

Please use the comments link below. I would like to hear your remarks to these messages.*All scripture quotes are from the The New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible unless otherwise noted

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Welcome again to the PathSeeker Weekly

Here at the PathSeeker we are excited to say we are getting more and more visits to our site. The one most exciting aspect to this is the facts we are bringing the Good News Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world. Jesus had told all to go out into the world teaching the gospel and this is only our small effort to do so. It is our hopes and prayers that who ever comes here can find Jesus for the first time or be encouraged by the washing of His word.

Romans 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.

I just can’t express enough the message found within this one verse of God’s holy word. Through the processes we have already covered though this makes finding Gods will a little easier. I know there is so much more than what I have already covered in the past. I hoping that with what is yet to come there may be more understanding in finding Gods will within our lives. As an overview avoiding conformation to the world and taking up citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven instead. By the transforming or renewal of the mind towards the mind of Christ. These two steps are very valuable to prove Gods acceptable and perfect will for our lives. Not just your personal life but the life of the body of Christ, His holy church

As Jesus taught while He was here You must be born again to see the Kingdom of God .

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

This is one of the things I can not stress enough and is the beginning of finding Gods will. Jesus said u must be born again. By accepting Christ as Lord and Savior is not merely enough. Many people today are deceived into believing they can accept Christ and that is enough. Even from many pulpits here in the Us today this deceptive message is being taught. I am somewhat liberal within the teaching I bring forth but the message I teach is about Gods grace and the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Jesus is not a lawful message but is a gospel of grace. Even though it is not difficult to become a part of the Kingdom of God there are still something’s that need to be meet. The action of becoming born again is the beginning of these actions. And becoming born again is a part of the cleansing Christ has offered through His blood He shed as the sacrifice for our sins. Becoming born again is not difficult. That is one of the wonderful things Jesus has enabled as part of His redemption. Becoming born again is a process like Jesus described to Nicodemus.

John 3:5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Becoming born again begins in the spirit. The spirit is driving force which believe it or not has a lot of pull the way the outer flesh part of someone to react. One of the things also not preached from many pulpits concerns the spirit which drives us. In the world today many do not perceive the Holy Spirit of God as a living Spirit. The word spirit and many automatically think Casper the friendly ghost or haunting and so forth, but do not understand the Holy Spirit of God as the a gift Jesus has promised. Many do not understand the spiritual battles fought in the heavenly realms.

Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

 It seems any more you mention the word demon and people are ready to hand you a straight Jacket. Spirits are as real as real can be. The spirits of demonic prescience are all still active just as they were when Jesus walked upon the earth. Our enemy, the evil one, has crept inside the church’s of today and within the culture we live. The desensitization of evil is one of the arrows within his arsenal and because of this in today’s western culture the majority of people do not even believe in evil forces.

Titus 3:3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Our old spirit was a spirit of the world. A wonderful thing happened, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit just as He had promised.

John 14:16-21 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever– 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. 19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

The spirit inside us accepts the Holy Spirit from the time we accept Jesus into our lives. The Holy comes gives the washing of our sprit and and the renewing of transformation to become citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven . A cleansing takes place that begins to transform and renew the spirit within us. Coupled with the Holy spirit we become transformed into holiness with God.

Why does Jesus tell us we can not see the Kingdom of Heaven unless we are born again?

1 Corinthians 3:11-17 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. 16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

1 Corinthians 4:5 5 Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one’s praise will come from God.

Moses had worn a veil to hide the radiance of the glimpse of Gods glory. Because his face had such a shine from the bright radiance. The text goes to say that not only was the radiance of Moses’ face block by the covering of the veil but also the personal meeting with God even through the reading of the Law of Moses. The law of Moses Is legalistic and does not show all of Gods glory. There was a veil in the tabernacle that prevented everyone from entering within the Holy of Holies which housed the earthly presence of God. As the text says even as the law of Moses was read their minds were still blinded to the fullness of Gods glory which is found In Jesus Christ.

Just as after Jesus drew His last breath upon the cross the veil within the temple was torn and taken away. Through the resurrection of Jesus a new covenant with Jesus as high priest has been established. Still however to this day their is still a veil which covers the heart of those as the Law of Moses is read. Only the saving grace of Christ can remove the veil from the heart, as when one turns to the Lord the veil will taken away.

John 4:24 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Now we know the Lord the is spirit and Jesus in a conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well. With the incoming of the Holy Spirit within your life and the renewing of the sprit inside you, the togetherness with the Lord has become possible. When the Holy Spirit removes the veil all of Gods mercy and grace is shown instead of 

The joining of the spirit inside and the Holy Spirit brings forth the ability to worship in spirit and in truth. The joining of the sprits enable us to see the Kingdom of God through unveiled eyes enabling the opportunity to walk with the Spirit of God

In closing I would like to say, that it is my hopes and prayers that all who read this to please take this into account and test these words to the words of God. Allow the Holy Spirit to be your guide in all of your studies of Gods word. And please ask of and always remember, to have Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior

Thank you and God Bless,
Tommy Harmon

Use this link to read a simple prayer to open your hearts door and let Jesus in.

Please use the comments link below. I would like to hear your remarks to these messages.

*All scripture quotes are from the The New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible unless otherwise noted

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Welcome Again, to another PathSeeker Weekly.

In the spring of a new year all around you everywhere you look  you can see the evidence of new life beginnings in nature. Trees are full of blooms and new buds of life. During this time of new life and beauty I would like to speak this week of how we are like the trees and are able to be fruitful with the likeness and rebirth of ourselves through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I am still focused on the ongoing study of:

Romans 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.

By not conforming to the world, you have been given the chance to be transformed through the resurrection with Christ to become children of God and Brothers and Sisters of Christ Himself. Like nature that bears witness to the creation by dying to old growth, we too as Christians have been given the chances to die to our own past old growth and replenished with the new life of Christ. Resurrected and transformed physically and spiritually towards the mind of Christ.

John 15:1 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 “You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 6 “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 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.

One of the steps of becoming Christ like or acquiring the mind of Christ comes from pruning. Jesus is the true vine, and God the Father is the vinedresser. Jesus allowed God take or prune from Him everything about Him that was unfruitful so He Himself could become even more fruitful and Holy towards God the Father. Jesus was truly connected with God. He was connected in a way that everything He did, He did not do for Himself but for the approval of His Father. As a child He said to His human parents” Luke 2:49I must be about My Father’s business? He said other things all the time like:

• Matthew 11:27 “All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.

• John 6:38 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.

• Luke 22:42 “…Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”

• John 10:30 “I and My Father are one.”

• John 3:35 “The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.

The entire ministry of Jesus was revolved around connected and bearing fruit for God the Father. All of what He did, He did first to show His love for the Father and second to show His love for His neighbor as Himself. This why He is able to say that: “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” Just as Jesus was connected to the vine of God we are connected to Him. Like He would be unable to bear fruit without God, we are unable to bear fruit with out Jesus. Because He is connected to the vine of God, we are also connected to God.

God is the vinedresser, the one who prunes away what is dead and useless. He can take and use Christ to be the sprout from which all living and fruitful branches come. When you accept Christ you become connected to the same vine as a branch that has it roots deeply rooted to God the creator of all things. Jesus has taken what God has pruned from you, what is dead and unfruitful, and taken the waste and thrown it into the fire. Jesus has allowed the way for you to be reborn or transformed through resurrection into new life and fresh growth just as nature does during the transition from the death of winter to new life in spring.

Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Sin is death, it is unfruitful, and it is from roots that come from means other than life. Last week I discussed how Jesus had taken the keys of death and Hades. How through death with Him on the cross you share in His resurrection of new life as a new born again child of God. Now you are a new branch grafted onto the vine of life. All disease and death that has kept you in the dark and unfruitful has been cut, removed and thrown into the fire. Now you take upon yourself the new life force which waters from the springs of life and roots are deeply planted besides these still healing waters. Now you are able to produce fruit that will ripen and produce seed to carry on the very Good News (Gospel) of life with Jesus Christ.

Jesus said “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” Take Jesus’ words abide (live) in them and what your heart truly desires will be done for you. Take His words, be like Him, do what it is that God wants for you to do. Allow God to take from you what is not right. Become like Christ, be His disciple, learn from Him and let His words guide you towards the path He has for you to travel. “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

When Jesus walked and talked here on this earth he had with Him a following of students “Disciples”. They spent their time with Him listening and watching everything He had done. Disciples would here or see a teacher and admire what the Teacher would do or say. The disciples would learn his ways and pattern their lives to be more like the teacher or Rabbi (which means teacher). Disciples would later on be able to teach and spread the words or teachings of the one from which they had learned. The disciples of Jesus had not only learned and could teach what they had learned from Him. They also received the abilities to the wonderful things He had done by allowing Him to become their true hearts desire just as He had come to do the desire of God.  There was still one characteristic the early disciples had that was a characteristic of Christ and is still one of the characteristics of Disciples of Christ today, to bare fruit.

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

As you abide in Christ, the fruit you bare is fruit of the most flavorful and useful for nourishment. The fruit you bare not only are of use but also bare witness as to whom you have placed all trust. God has pruned or removed from you the desires of the flesh and has given you life from the one true vine of Jesus. Through belief of Jesus as Gods one and only Son and have died to fleshy desires, you have become grafted to the vine with Christ. You are now able to put forth the same fruit as Christ. Fruit that loves, full of joy and peace, from Christ you can withstand longsuffering, show kindness and withstand evil by self-control. Christ is your strength because He waters from the springs of life. You are able to do and withstand troubles because you are connected with Him. You can bare the fruits of the spirit because they come from the root of the vine which is rooted in Christ.

Still there is one thing about fruit that is so wonderful. Inside of fruit is a seed. The fruit you have become is also able to give away itself as a seed. In side you is a seed which has all the characteristics of Christ. Inside you the seed has the life giving force Christ has given to you. You can take this seed and plant it in soil and Christ and the Holy Spirit will nurture this seed into life of another new creation. Jesus wants us to be able to take and go forth and make new disciples. Plant them; feed them nourishment from the Word of God.

Since God has removed and destroyed the dead and dying branches from you. Show the world the vine of life, by your fruits. Drop and scatter seeds throughout the world. Remember these words from Jesus in no matter what situation arises;

“If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.”

Thank you and God Bless,
Tommy Harmon

Use this link to read a simple prayer to open your hearts door and let Jesus in.

Please use the comments link below. I would like to hear your remarks to these messages.

*All scripture quotes are from the The New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible unless otherwise noted

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Welcome Again,

This is a new week and again a new segment along this Path Christ has begun for us. I hope and pray all is well and that you are traveling with Jesus as your guide. As PathSeekers with Jesus we travel just as the first disciples. We listen and hear, watch and see from the greatest teacher of all times. From what He says we apply to ourselves and from what He shows us we are able to increase our Faith.

Romans 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.

This particular verse is still the basis of what I am trying to cover in this group of studies. I have gone over and have tried to point out some of the trappings of the way, we as individuals and together as a church are easily deceived into conformation to this world, which is the first part of this line of scripture. As a simple reminder of what I am meaning by this I would like to share:

1 John 1:5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

A few weeks ago I began on the second part of the main scripture reference. Which is: “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. I have pointed out before that we need to be transformed to having the Mind of Christ. First I believe we need to get to know Jesus, not just on the basis of Sunday School lessons, or by what we receive as a driver’s license description, but to really get to know Jesus. There is no other way to transform towards His mind or ways of thinking without getting to know Him personally first.

Matthew 16:13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” 14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

Jesus asked his disciples first who do “men” say that I am. The reply was that men who did not really Jesus assumed He was just a copy or a return visit of one of the prophets of old. But then Jesus turned asked them “But who do you say that I am?” And the reply was of a higher placement of who He truly was, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” This was the reply of the ones who truly knew Him. The ones who walked and talked and listened to what He had to say on a daily basis. The disciples knew who He was because they knew Him at the very personal level of hearing and seeing all that He had done. Everyday that passed he taught and showed them the miraculous wonders that only the Son of God would be able to do. Their faith was increased as they were PathSeekers walking the Path with Jesus.

A quote from *John MacArthur NKJV Study Bible elaborates on verse 17: “flesh and blood has not revealed this to you. Christ’s messianic claims had always been subtle illusions to OT prophecies combined with miraculous works that substantiated those claims. Never before had He explicitly taught Peter and the apostles the fullness of His identity. God the Father had opened Peter’s eyes to the full significance of those claims, and revealed to who Jesus really was. In other words, God had opened Peter’s heart to this deeper knowledge of Christ by faith. Peter was not merely expressing an academic opinion about the identity of Christ; this was a confession of Peter’s personal faith, made possible by a divinely-regenerated heart.”

It was from an in-depth, personal, daily relationship, in which God was able to show Peter who Jesus truthfully was. It was not anything that someone had taught him but instead it was from being with Him and able to see from the heart as to who and what Jesus was here to do. From within His heart Peter was able to regenerate a faith in which Jesus later had told him;

Matthew 16:18 “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

From having a “divinely-regenerated heart” God enables you the ability transform your mind towards the mind of Christ. Like the word transform defines as “change” so does regenerate also. With a heart willing to grow in faith, the mind is able put this newly transforming faith into action enabling you to be Christ like.

I could go on and on writing an exhaustive list of the aspects of the character of Jesus. Jesus became flesh so we may see for ourselves as to what the Christ should be.

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.

Jesus is a light to a dark and troubled world. He is as salt, in the way salt adds flavor and is as a preservative. He is as water from a spring that never runs dry and has the ability to quench your thirst no matter how parched or dry you may be. One of the most important aspects for us as being of human nature was the way, He, the “Word” became flesh.

Philippians 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

We all know Jesus faced every obstacle we all face as part of our human nature. He faced every desire of the flesh you and I face as well on a daily basis. Even after spending forty days alone in the wilderness fasting and praying, He was tempted face to face with the devil. The faith in action is the weapon Jesus used to defeat the devil in his trickery, faith in the Father and the very word of God as the sword to defeat him. (Ephesians 6:17…and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God Jesus as the Word became flesh so that we too could see with our own eyes the actions of faith. He became flesh so we may able to see what all we are to be imitators of. Just as the reply (at the age of twelve) He gave His parents after they realized they had left Him behind at the temple.

Luke 2:49 And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”

We too should be about our Fathers business and be as children of God. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus constantly reminded us that He was here to do the Fathers business. He said repeatedly He was here to do the will of the Father and as a last confession to His faith in God, He said “not my will but your will be done”.

Jesus told the religious leaders point blank “you do not know me because you do not know the Father”. Through the life of Jesus we are able to know the Father because of the “Word” we can get to know Jesus. He also said that if you know the Son you will also know the Father. Look at yourself or at family, generally for the most part the son of a family usually resembles the dad, not just in looks but also in his actions. Usually whenever a dad was a good athlete so is the son, if the dad is rocket scientist so is the son. But yet Jesus was the Son of God and even though He was made flesh his hearts desire was to do the will of His Father.

So who is Jesus? Ask God and He will show you. Walk with Jesus and He will teach you, talk with Him and He will tell you, watch Him and He will show you. Just as God enabled Peter with a divinely-regenerated heart to enable him to know Jesus as the Christ. God will do for you. Be like Jesus and do the will of the Father and you like Peter will hear:

Matthew 16:18 “And I also say to you that you are    “Your Name”     and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Thank you and God Bless,
Tommy Harmon

Use this link to read a simple prayer to open your hearts door and let Jesus in.

Please use the comments link below. I would like to hear your remarks to these messages.

*All scripture quotes are from the The New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible unless otherwise noted

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Welcome Again,

I will of course begin with the main scripture reference for this on going study. those of you who have been following this weekly message should pretty well have this memorized by now. For those who are here for the first time don’t feel bad for not knowing because I try to post it here to start with every week.

Romans 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.

I am still zeroing in, here now, on part two of this scripture reference. “…but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” This week the characteristic of Jesus I want to discus is how through His daily conversation He used His gospel message to save those who heard Him would be saved from an eternity of the fiery pits of Hell. We have all heard the expression of “selling ice water in hell” or “people in hell want ice water”. Well Jesus used His message of gospel to quench or put out the fire of hell from your very life.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

I want to begin here with probably the most known verse in the bible. Nearly everybody has learned as a child in Sunday School, or have seen signs during sporting events “John 3:16“. I want to point out that although this verse is the most quoted it also comes complete with more when used with its context. What a great thing it is to know God loved us all enough to send Jesus to save us from a life in the eternal pits of hell. Unlike the message preached by some, Jesus did not come here to condemn us. We all were already condemned because of the way sin had entered into the world through Adam and Eve. Sin had been incorporated as a natural order of our lives from the beginning.

Jesus did not come here to condemn us through what has been in our nature from birth. Instead he came to save us from the fire that has been burning inside us all from birth. By belief in the very name of Jesus as God’s son, His blood is the ice water that has used to put out the fire that has been burning within your very life. Jesus came as a Spring of Life to quench the thirst of the world. Just as Jesus spoke and taught the Samaritan woman while drinking at the well, of a new way to worship God. A new way that for all who thirst could have their thirst quenched and all throughout the world would be able to come to God in the same way.

John 4:5 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12 “Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?” 13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 “but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” 15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”

Jesus is offering His life to us as the water from the spring that never runs dry. He is offering His life to us as a drink of water that quenches an unquenchable thirst. And He is offering His water to everyone in the world, not just the chosen children of Israel from the old testament of the Bible, but to everyone who will call on His name.

Water is a necessity of life. Everything here on this earth depends upon water as a life giving force. From the ground to produce grass for cattle, to the very same cattle to become the beef on your dinner table. Just as fish depend completely on water we also have to have water to sustain our lives. Jesus is offering to us water that quenches thirst for eternity.

Just right the opposite of life giving water is the eternal consumable fire that awaits the devil and all evil. Throughout the bible, there are scripture references of how God will use fire to cleanse the world of evil. The burning of the chafe after the wheat has been separated, the casting away of unfruitful branches after being pruned from the vine. I would like to share with you a parable from Jesus:

The Parable of the Tares

Matthew 13:24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 “but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 26 “But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 27 “So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28 “He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ 29 “But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 30 ‘Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ “

After all the crowds had left, His disciples asked Jesus to explain what was meant by His Parables

The Parable of the Tares Explained

Matthew 13:36 Then Jesus sent the multitude away and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” 37 He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 “The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 “The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 “Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 “The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 “and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 “Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

Our enemy the devil has nothing more to do than to place temptation, evil, and self gratification within our lives.

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

He is after your life to spend the eternity that awaits him and his in the eternal lake of fire. He knows his fate, he knows Jesus arose from the grave with the keys of life and death. He knows he has been defeated, but he wants to take you and as many others as possible with him.

Still for you and me there is hope. There is away to have the eternal fire that awaits you to be extinguished. All it takes is to drink from the life giving water which flows from Jesus Christ. All it takes is to do as He had said:

John 14 “but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.

The ice water sent to quench the thirst that is within us all.

Thank you and God Bless,
Tommy Harmon

Use this link to read a simple prayer to open your hearts door and let Jesus in.

Please use the comments link below. I would like to hear your remarks to these messages.

*All scripture quotes are from the The New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible unless otherwise noted

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Welcome again,

I am pleased to be able to be here again with a new message to bring to you. I am also grateful to know that there is become a large number returning here each week to read these messages of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the opportunity to take the Gospel through out the world, that I feel blessed in doing so. I would like to have feedback from all, so I would be able to tell others of how God is working in your life.

Romans 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.

For those who have been here for the duration of this study, you should know this by now. But for first timers I must say that this is the base scripture reference I am using for this ongoing study. In the first part of this verse, conformation to the world is a problem we as individuals and the organized churches of not just today but in the beginnings of Christianity. In previous issues of these messages I addressed just a few of ways we fall into a world view of life instead of a Godly view. Here lately I have covering some of the aspects of the character of Jesus in order to see what we need to do within ourselves to be transformed into the renewed mind of Christ.

Jesus has been called “the author of our souls”. Physical and spiritually we are and carry the characteristics carried to all from Adam. Jesus had came and rewrote the way for us to changed, reborn and renewed into becoming children God would love. The life Jesus lived was documented through the Gospels of the apostles who walked spent their every available moment become His disciples. Jesus lived His life in a way to show us how to become holy and pleasing to God. but more than showing us He opened the door in which we could enter into the throne room in which God sets in His Heavenly kingdom.

Through the sacrifice Jesus paid for us with His Life, He became the High Priest through His life of holiness.

Hebrews 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

In different ones of theses studies I have already discussed how the religious elite or priest before and during the time of Jesus’ life here on earth placed laws and standards upon Gods people that were so far out of reach that they were the only ones who could live up to their standards. As a matter of fact the man Jesus was beneath them. But they had angered God in such away that He knew He had to show a better way. The better way came through the life of His one and only Son, Jesus Christ. the life Jesus lived was no different from the life we all live today. He faced all the same temptations and fears, and He even faced scorn and ridicule from the high and mighty preachers and teachers of Gods word. But God had a plan in action through the life of Jesus.

According to the book of Hebrews Jesus fulfilled the plan and enabled for us the way to God without the need of an earthly priest.

Hebrews 5:1 For every high priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2 He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also subject to weakness. 3 Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for himself, to offer sacrifices for sins.

The trouble with men of human nature as priest is that they too are susceptible to temptation and sin as well.

1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

No matter how good or some kind of super Christian you may think you are, you are at risk. This is also one of the reasons why Christ had to do what He did for us. We were in need of a High Priest, a high priest above reproach. Jesus faced everything we do and He arose to defeat all that Satan could deliver against Him. Jesus became a high priest in which He had no need for further sacrifices. The sacrifice He paid for not only covered Himself as priest but covered us as our sin offerings.

In the world today we are facing the same issues God had disliked. men are making themselves priest over what is supposed to be body of Christ. There are divisions in what is to be one temple. There are divisions in what is to be one sacrifice for all who will come. Mankind has taken over what God has given freely as Grace.

A problem I thought was only taking place here in the United States is really a world wide event. Born again Christians are leaving the churches. Born again Christians are finding ways to connect to the body of Christ without having to deal with the back biting hypocrisy that has filled organized churches. There are mission fields everyday that fall prey to the enemy we have allowed within the church. People see what is visible. People see the hypocrisy, the judgment cast upon them from other members who believe they are some kind of super christian.

The enemy the devil has put forth a campaign to bring the body of Christ to its knees. Through out the church today mankind has been searching for ways to defeat the enemy, all the while having the weapons we need at our disposal. We have let the enemy in and are defeating ourselves through selfish and judgmental intentions.

We need to fall on our knees and pray to the High Priest who was placed by God. We need to remove the veil and let the masses into Christ. We need to obey the commands Christ had given us and love the Lord God with all our hearts and souls, and love our brothers as ourselves. Christ has forgiven and placed our sins as far as the east is from the west. What He has done for you and me is a miracle within its self, and we should offer the same life-giving miracle to all who come not just whom we please.

Before I close here today I want to offer a prayer to our High Priest :

Our most High Priest,

We bring unto your presence a prayer of sacrifice. We ask that we may enter within your holy presence. We bring to you today a prayer of repentance. We ask that your grace forgive us of our sins. We ask here Lord that your holy body come together as a functioning part of life as we see it. Together we can withstand all the attacks the enemy can throw our way. For it was written that “a house divided can not stand”. Our bodies a re the temple we use to worship and honor you. But you have made the way for us to bring our bodies together and become one body with you as the head over all. Jesus you opened doors that could never be opened except by acceptable sacrifice. You have offered your body as the sacrifice to once and for all. Please Lord allow us to be able to extend your sacrifice to all of whom you call and whom you welcome in. It is not our place to choose who should come, the choice is yours. Yours alone.

The love you have extended unto each of us, let us extend to all. Teach us not to be choosy as to who is chosen. Teach us to not hold some ones past as a way of showing favoritism. We are all created equal in the image of God we were created, we all have a past life of sin and we have all as Christians have received a new birth through Jesus. Teach us to see past the external and seethe heart of those who come.

Lord we ask these things in the Name of Jesus.

Thank you and God Bless,
Tommy Harmon

Use this link to read a simple prayer to open your hearts door and let Jesus in.

Please use the comments link below. I would like to hear your remarks to these messages.

*All scripture quotes are from the The New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible unless otherwise noted

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Welcome again, This week I am breaking away from the on-going study to bring recognition to the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This is a happy and glorious time of the year when we bring our gifts to lie at the feet of Immanuel (God is with us).

NKJ John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  

 John 3:16 is probably the most quoted passage of scripture on peoples minds. From the earliest days as children in Sunday schools across the world, the verse is used as the beginning of the Christian faith. Today I am using this verse as the beginning of this season of celebration of the birth of Jesus.

God the Most High, God the Creator of all living things, God who is the Great I Am, had sent to this earth His one and only Son to become Immanuel. Immanuel is a name with a very important meaning. Now, God is not some far away out of reach God. Now, God is with us, which is the meaning of the name “Immanuel”.

The Father of heaven and all the earth has sent His Son to be with us. Jesus did not come to this earth in all the splendor and glory on would expect of a Son of God. 

From the most humble of beginnings Jesus, came to earth as a baby. Jesus was not born into the wealthiest families; instead he was born into the family of a simple carpenter. Amidst all the gossip and scorning, the mother of Jesus was ore than likely the center of conversation around the city well and market places. In fact the only truly spectacular divine intervention to the coming of God’s Son was the Immaculate Conception, which enabled God’s Son to born of a woman. Jesus was born, not in the John’s Hopkins of hospitals or the Mayo clinics of the days; instead He was born in a stable with the sheep, goats, cattle or whatever other animals. There was no huge celebration of a new baby being born just the gathering of a heavenly host of angels and of lowly shepherds to witness this great event for both heaven and earth.

God loved us all within the world that He sent His very own Son, so we may all live and not perish within all the sin and torture of gods of this world. God did not send Jesus here to condemn us as Satan or better named “The Accuser” has condemned us. Instead it is through the life of Jesus, the Messiah, our Deliverer through Salvation by which we are saved.

Let us as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, this season remember that is the need of a good and loving God. We have a Savior of who deserves all the glory and praise we have to offer. Let us be thankful our Father in Heaven has loved us enough to provide us a way of eternal life with Him. And above all I ask that you remember Jesus is Immanuel, still today right here with us each and everyday.

Special Christmas Prayer

To the most Holy and Loving Father, I come to bring to You a gift of Thanks. All I have to offer you as a gift are these words and my life, just as You had so graciously offered Your one and only Son, Jesus. As I take the time here today to remember the birth of Jesus as my Savior, I also think of the life I would have as being alienated from You. You gave Jesus as the offering for my sins so that I could be with You for eternity. Again I shamefully say that all I have to even closely offer You as a gift for the gift You have given me is the life I have. I ask that You forgive me of my sins and shortcomings and allow me to give You the worship and praise fitting for a mighty and just God. You are most Holy and I thank You for the Gift of Jesus Christ.

In Jesus name I pray

This Christmas season let us remember to true reason for the season and give to someone else the gift God has to given to you. The gift of His Son, Jesus Christ, Immanuel

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Welcome Again,

As PathSeekers of Jesus Christ we are traveling the path to be like Jesus, be like minded and allow Jesus to be the primary characteristic of our lives. Acquiring the mind of Christ is a part of our ongoing daily path to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind”, which is the second part of our key scripture reference of this study.

Romans 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.

We have already discussed joining Jesus in crucifixion and resurrection. And I also discussed connecting to the true vine and allowing the vinedresser to trim away all that is unfruitful. This week I want to discuss the characteristic of Jesus as the “Good Shepherd

John 10:11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

Here in this passage of scripture (John 10:1-18) Jesus is giving Himself a title that goes back to an Old Testament reference. Through the prophet Ezekiel, God spoke of the mistreatment of the shepherds (religious leaders) towards the offerings offered and of how they deceived the people. God also spoke of how someday He would send a new shepherd who would use his life as a sacrifice for all the sheep (people) who were within his flock.

Ezekiel 34:1: And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD to the shepherds: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks? 3 “You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool; you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the flock. 4 The weak you have not strengthened, nor have you healed those who were sick, nor bound up the broken, nor brought back what was driven away, nor sought what was lost; but with force and cruelty you have ruled them. 5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the beasts of the field when they were scattered. 6 My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and on every high hill; yes, My flock was scattered over the whole face of the earth, and no one was seeking or searching for them. 7 Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: 8 as I live,” says the Lord GOD, “surely because My flock became a prey, and My flock became food for every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, nor did My shepherds search for My flock, but the shepherds fed themselves and did not feed My flock — 9 therefore, O shepherds, hear the word of the LORD!” 10 Thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I am against the shepherds, and I will require My flock at their hand; I will cause them to cease feeding the sheep, and the shepherds shall feed themselves no more; for I will deliver My flock from their mouths, that they may no longer be food for them.”

God was angry; He had mercy for His people because they were taken advantage of and led astray. The people did not have proper leadership or guidance they were truly like sheep without a shepherd. But God did have a plan that would take the power of leadership from the selfish, self- righteous and self-centered religious leadership that was in power. God knew there would need to be a way for His people to have the leadership and to be cared for through sacrifice. God placed this plan into motion trough the life of Jesus.

Ezekiel 34:11 For thus says the Lord GOD: “Indeed I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock on the day he is among his scattered sheep, so will I seek out My sheep and deliver them from all the places where they were scattered on a cloudy and dark day. 13 And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land; I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, in the valleys and in all the inhabited places of the country. 14 I will feed them in good pasture, and their fold shall be on the high mountains of Israel. There they shall lie down in a good fold and feed in rich pasture on the mountains of Israel. 15 I will feed My flock, and I will make them lie down,” says the Lord GOD. 16 “I will seek what was lost and bring back what was driven away, bind up the broken and strengthen what was sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong, and feed them in judgment.”

Jesus came and made His declaration of Ezekiel 34 in John 10

John 10:1 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them. 7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

Jesus rephrased what He had originally said here in order that those listening might begin to understand what He was intending to say. He went on further to say:

John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.12 But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. 13 The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. 15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. 17 Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. 18 No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

When Jesus made this statement, “I am the good shepherd”, you can understand why He received the reactions from all who were there when He had said this. From the context of this line of scripture (John 10) there were both average people and religious leaders present. You can also understand both the joy of the people and the fear of the religious select by this statement of Jesus. All who were present had read and heard the writings from God through the prophet Ezekiel. From this Old Testament text you can also see as to why Jesus said and had the harsh feelings toward the religious leadership.

This woe, against the Pharisees and Sadducees (the religious leaders of the time) was also voiced from the man who was sent as the forerunner of the Christ. John the Baptist was just this man, he was in the desert preaching “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” People would come from cities all around to hear him and repent of their sins and be baptized by him in the Jordan River

Matthew 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, 9 and do not think to say to yourselves, We have Abraham as our father. For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

John the Baptist was warning them of the same fate and judgment from which they had all been warned of from Ezekiel. Yet He still offered them same chance of repentance and baptism. He spoke of how their elite blood line of decedents from Abraham did not amount for their own self-righteousness. God would take whomever He chooses to be His people through repentance not just because of family bloodline. John also warned them that even now they were about to be punished and replaced by a better priest for all of Gods people.

Jesus faced several confrontations from the Pharisees and Sadducees, Himself. Besides the declaration of John 10, Jesus also at another time addressed them. He spoke of their wrongs and gave a small list of woes that did await them.

Matthew 23:1 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, 2 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses seat. 3 Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. 4 For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 5 But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. 6 They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, 7 greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, Rabbi, Rabbi.”

WOES

• 13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.
• 14 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.
• 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte [convert], and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.
• 16 Woe to you, blind guides, who say, Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.
• 23 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.
• 25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence.
• 27 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
• 29 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.

Does this not sound familiar? Does this not sound like the way Ezekiel spoke of the shepherds in the scriptures 1-10 above mentioned? Still in John 10, Jesus said “I am the good shepherd.” Jesus was about to fulfill what God was describing through Ezekiel in verses 11-16.

There is still even more to this original message from God in Ezekiel. Not only did God mention He would replace the shepherds of that time with His own true shepherd and enable His flock to safe and well fed. But He had things to say to His flock as well.

Ezekiel 34:17 And as for you, O My flock, thus says the Lord GOD: “Behold, I shall judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and goats.18 Is it too little for you to have eaten up the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the residue of your pasture — and to have drunk of the clear waters, that you must foul the residue with your feet? 19 And as for My flock, they eat what you have trampled with your feet, and they drink what you have fouled with your feet.” 20 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD to them: “Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat and the lean sheep. 21 Because you have pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, and scattered them abroad, 22 therefore I will save My flock, and they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. 23 I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them — My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24 And I, the LORD, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the LORD, have spoken.”

This is the part of what Jesus was meaning in John 10:14-18. Jesus gave an even more in-depth description of what God was saying here in Mathew 25:31-46. This is a line of scripture I have discussed previously in one of these studies titled “Are the Signs of the End Times a Reason To Worry?” Like God (in Ezekiel 34), Jesus was explaining as how He would be with God at time for judgment and separate the goats from the sheep. A time when those who are truly children (sheep) are separated from the hypocrites (defines as: play actors) (goats).

Also in John 10, Jesus mentioned something else in verse 16. What other sheep? How does He plan to gather them? Until now (in the context of scripture) it was the Jewish people decedents of Abraham who were thought of to be “Gods people”. But with Jesus in His declaration, Jesus said there was other sheep and He must bring them in. The gentile people (considered all who were not Jewish) were the new sheep Jesus was inviting into His sheepfold. Like God, had desired for Jonah the prophet, to do and go to the people of Nineveh and offer them forgiveness and redemption. Jesus had chosen to send His Gospel message throughout the world through His apostles and disciples. The desire of Jesus here is for sheep from throughout the world to come and join the flock He has established. To all be as “one” with Jesus as shepherd o lead over all.

What of this covenant with Abraham and his decedents?

Abraham indeed was to become the Father of many nations. Not just the one Jewish nation as the way the religious leaders of the time were proclaiming. Many nations throughout the world God had created. God did not create just one small corner of the world He created an entire world and the entire universe. Through “Faith” Abraham became the father of many nations. Through “Faith” we all can become children of God. This is why we, through “Faith” as Christians need to take the command of Jesus:

With Jesus as the “keeper of the gate” as “the true shepherd”, we have given the acceptance to be sheep under the leadership of the shepherd supplied by God. One of the reasons why this characteristic is important in acquiring the mind of Christ through renewal of your mind is with Christ as shepherd you will have safety in greener pastures and you will not be alone for there are other sheep of the same flock their with you.

Thank you and God Bless,
Tommy Harmon

Use this link to read a simple prayer to open your hearts door and let Jesus in.

Please use the comments link below. I would like to hear your remarks to these messages.

*All scripture quotes are from the The New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible unless otherwise noted

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Welcome again to The PathSeeker Weekly,

  I hope and pray all is well with you. I also I hope I can be of some help to shed a light today in the life God has given you.  As it was written, we may live here on this world but we don’t have to live in it. I mentioned before Jesus had said that were are and can live in the Kingdom of God right here and right now. The Apostle Paul also wrote that even though he may a Jewish and Roman citizen, but his true citizenship is in Heaven.

I have been using the scripture of Romans 12:2 as the center of this series of messages. Romans 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. If you have been keeping up with this you know what I am discussing, but if you are reading this for the first time I invite you to view the archives and catch-up to where we are now. As a quick insight of what we have been discussing, I will do a short recap. I have trying to point out some of the trappings we often fall into concerning the first segment of this particular verse: And do not be conformed to this world  I have already mentioned here today we may live here on this world but we don’t have to live in it. There are many different deceptions and misconceptions our enemy uses to fool or trick us as Christians to live in this world, causing us to conform to this world.

Now I ready to go forward to the next segment of this verse and spend some time over the next several weeks covering but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. First I would look at a couple of these words in particular. To be transformed is a word which means to change. Not only is there change but to change is a process like a metamorphosis. 

A caterpillar is transformed through a process of entering into a cocoon and transforming into a butterfly. The caterpillar doesn’t just decide it wants to become a butterfly and then poof he is one. Instead it has to go through a metamorphosis, a transformation. Another example from nature would be that of a frog and its transformation from tadpole to adult frog. The main difference between these two illustrations is the caterpillar is hidden from view during transformation within a cocoon, while the tadpole is transformed to a frog it is transformed before your very eyes over a period of time.

These are great examples of our transformation of becoming as Christ or Christ like. During a transformation of living in the realm of the prince of this world we are transformed towards the mind of Christ through the renewing of your mind. Here is the second word I want to emphasize, . This word renewing again has a meaning of change. Also renewing or to be renewed is a process not necessarily a quick transformation.

You may hire a carpenter to come into your home and remodel every room inside. While you live there you can see the transformations taking place within. Immediately  the very first day you can see the changes taking place, as soon as the carpenters begin work these is a demolition of some sorts as walls may be torn out or the floors uncovered to reveal the innermost structure of the home. This original stage of the process often looks ugly and a large mess visible and whatever damage that has occurred through deterioration is revealed. During the next stage the mess is cleaned up, the structure has been repaired and new changes begin to take place. Over the period of time everything has been repaired a renewed to a state of a new look and design. Then you have a renewed home.

The man Jesus who lived here and later became known as the Son of Man. Was born into the home of a carpenter and worked as a carpenter during the early years of His life here on earth. Then as well as being a part of the creation, Jesus also is the most important part of our rebuilding or renewing part of our lives. Jesus explained this to Nicodemus:

John 3:1 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him. 3 Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God 4 Nicodemus said to Him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God .. 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.

Still there is one more important aspect to this segment of this verse, and that is where the transformation and renewal is to take place. The Mind. Through out the bible, the mind is referred as the where all good or evil deeds begin to sprout and take root. It is the mind where Peter says to take action.

NIV 1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Ephesians 4:17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart; 19 who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Here in verse 23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Again we find this word renewed used as the means to put on the new man which was created according to God. Just as Jesus explained to Nicodemus, God wants you to put on the new man which was created according to God.

Over the period of the next several weeks I plan to cover and try to help not just you but me as well to acquire the mind of Christ.

Philippians 2:5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Thank you and God Bless,
Tommy Harmon

Use this link to read a simple prayer to open your hearts door and let Jesus in.

Please use the comments link below. I would like to hear your remarks to these messages.

All scripture quotes are from the The New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible unless otherwise noted.