Wednesday, September 23, 2009

A Now Word!

Jesus’ 5th Saying on the Cross

John 19:25-27 25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdelene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, “Woman behold thy son!” 27 Than saith he to the disciple, “Behold thy mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.

I always thought this was somehow a little strange. Why would Jesus do this? Did He need to? Mary and Joseph had four other sons and at least 3 daughters! And do not be fooled they were raising their children in an Orthodox Jewish home, adhering to all the Laws and honoring God. Hebrew men take responsibility for their widowed Mothers!

How do we know there were other children after Jesus? Let’s look to the Word of God.

In Matthew 13:55, 56 55 Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?
56 And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things?

Jesus has all these family members and what? So—where are they? If they were there that day at the cross, it is not recorded.

Does this mean that Jesus didn’t trust Mary’s other sons to take care of her? They were all devout Jews! They would surely take care of their mother! And we see throughout the gospels—Mary and the brethren—so we can surmise that they already were taking care of her. Jesus was about His Father’s business since He was 12.

So here it is. Jesus’ family members are not there while he is being crucified! Were that ashamed? Did they believe he was the Son of God, the Anointed One? Did they believe like the Pharisees, when they said in Mt.27:42 “He saves others, himself He cannot save.”

Were they angry because He spoke against the Sanhedrin and the rulers of God’s people?

Let’s look into this:
In Matthew 10:34-36 it says, 34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.

We also find in Psalms 69:8, 9: 8 I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children.
9 For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.

Now because Jesus fulfilled all things that He spoke and that God spoke, it is no wonder that these scriptures are clearly evident in his own life.

We know from the Word that Jesus and his family obeyed the Laws of Moses and celebrated all the Feasts of the Lord. So it stands to reason that if his the siblings of His own household, those reared in the same home, did not even come when he was being crucified—it is because they were at variance with him.

I submit to you this day that the Bible is the Word of God and is Light, Life and Truth. But that means that it is also SPIRIT.

RELIGION! It stifles the Spirit of God! When you have religion, you know that there is a God, you feel like if you do all the right things you might be able to please God. But you can be doing all the right things for all the wrong reasons.

And it has always been a problem! When the Spirit of God spoke to Simeon and told him he would not die until he saw the salvation of God’s people come in the flesh, Simeon knew the time was soon.

He was a religious leader in the same time frame as the Pharisees and Saducees. And Simeon knew the Lord when he saw him at 8 days of age, without the benefit of miracles and signs. How?

Because of the Spirit of God! He had a relationship with God and not just religion! Let’s look at the religious leaders that were around at the same time as Simeon was preparing his heart to receive the salvation of the world:
1) There was the voice of one crying in the wilderness. John the Baptist. But was he a recognized leader in the church? NO. Jesus said John was of the Spirit of Elijah.
a) there were those who believed in John’s message and were his disciples. They were out there laboring with him in the wilderness.
b) These people heard the Spirit of the Lord to know that the Messiah was coming
c) They were to prepare the Way of the Lord in their hearts and as many of the people as they could reach.
d) REPENTANCE is how this is done and ewhen you are walking in repentance, the Spirit of Elijah is upon you too.
2) THEN there were the other religious leaders of God’s people: they were formally recognized as leaders
a) They had their own agendas and did not hear the Spirit of the Lord to know that the Messiah was coming! They did not tell the people to repent! They weren’t repenting either. (But the timeline of Cyrus told them clearly that the Messiah was due to arrive in their time.)
b) They had traits that were not of God, such as:
1) Hypocrites, actors, wanted to be the focus at gathering and in the streets
2) Wanted to have places of honor and be called Master and wear special clothes that set them apart from the people.
3) They felt they were elite and better than the “little people”.
4) They oppressed the people, taking the offerings to give them a cushy lifestyle. Forced others to work and they would not do physical labor
5) They made false vows because they swore by the gold of the Temple showing their hearts to be materialistic, involved in idol worship of gold and what it buys!

So, maybe Mary and Joseph’s sons and daughters had religion as laid out for them by the Pharisees and Saducees and Scribes.

So I submit to you today—That is Dead Religion! If you want the resurrection power of Jesus Christ to be in your life you must go to the cross!

Back to Mary. She is at the cross, yes—but to watch Jesus suffer and die! Jesus knew she needed more and He was determined to make sure that she got it!

She had to die to herself. This is a difficult thing to do. She needs help to do it! She even had to die to what she thought God was going to do with her son!

Now let’s look at this more carefully. Jesus looks down from the cross in the midst of His pain and agony—each breath a tremendous labor, and says, “Woman, behold thy son!” This is a dying statement and according to Jewish beliefs, carried a great deal of weight! It STILL carries a great weight in most cultures today.

You know that His mother was going to listen to her dying son, her eldest son! Yes she was! And what was Jesus doing?

I believe Jesus was providing a Spiritual teacher for His mother. He was making sure that she would understand the ways of the Spirit of God. And He was positioning her to receive…
She needed to be there in the Upper Room on the day of Pentecost! Do you think her other sons would get her there? Maybe not!

When Jesus came back from Heaven, after providing the perfect sacrifice and applying His perfect blood to the Mercy Seat in Heaven—do you think that He showed himself to his family? Did they recognize Him? We don’t know. The Word doesn’t say…
But His disciples saw Him. More than twice…

So Jesus was putting His mother into the hands of one who would make sure she would get the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and Fire! John was the spiritual disciple. He had the prophetic eyes for life. Jesus put His mother into his hands. Into the hands of John the Revelator!

She needed to receive the Spirit of God! And so did her children! It wasn’t enough to know who Jesus was! She of all people knew that He was the Son of God! She risked being stoned to death by her own people because she was pregnant while only engaged to Joseph! So She KNEW!

She needed more than just knowing. More than knowing the Laws of God and the religious practices based on those laws! They do not save us!

But I tell you when the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary a deposit was made. It was the fullness of the god-head bodily. You can read that in Ephesians. Oh yes and He is the Son of God!

Jesus’ family was not saved! However they were familiar with Him, maybe too familiar. You can be born into a Christian home and not be saved. Let’s look at His family a little more…

His family was around when John the Baptist, their cousin, was put into prison, and Jesus did nothing. They saw Jesus hanging around with publicans and healing Centurian’s servants, and lepers and the unclean. Eating and drinking with tax collectors. John was beheaded and Jesus did nothing. Maybe they thought His ministry was too extreme…we don’t know. All we know is they did not stand beside Mary at the cross.

Yea! His good family was probably home preparing for the Passover Feast! They didn’t realize that the Son of God is the Passover Lamb!

Oh don’t miss this folks! Without the Spirit of God behind the works you do they are dead works! Without the Spirit of God within the Word of God it cannot bring the resurrection power we all need to have eternal life! I mean the eternal life of our soul!
(Our spirits are made alive when we receive the Lord into our hearts.) But I submit to you this day that there is more! Now that you are familiar with Jesus—GO further!

I submit that there is a Baptism of Fire! The Spirit of God is still moving as He did when He came to the disciples on the Day of Pentecost! And when He came upon Jesus in the tomb! YES! The same Spirit!

So, if you are sick and tired of following blind guides, hypocrites, and materialistic elitists, then come to the cross and repent!

You too can become a disciple laboring in the wilderness and the Spirit of Elijah will be with you too! Repent of religion!

OK. Now there is one more thing. In John 19:28 the next verse after the 5th saying, it says, After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.

ALL THINGS were now accomplished! His family and loved ones were now positioned to receive the Holy Spirit!

Turn over to Acts 1:14. Let’s read it, These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brethren.

So now we see Jesus’ planned positioning of Mary who also brought along the brethren. We can be sure that the disciples told Mary how that Jesus rose from the dead. The incidents we can all read regarding the resurrection and how He ascended right before their eyes! That would do it for most people!

I believe the brethren were persuaded by the testimonies of the Apostles and their Mother. (remember, no one on Earth knew more than she who He was!)

Prepare your heart! Get into position for you and your family to receive the fire! Bring the fire to as many people as possible! Prepare ye the Way of the Lord! Receive His Spirit for resurrection POWER!

Monday, September 21, 2009

A Love Song for the King

He Whispers to Me
He Whispers to me in the cool of the blackness.
He beckons me to rest in His arms and be quietly sure of His strength--
for my life,
my well being,
my best outcome.
I am 'His Song' He tells me--and my heart leaps like the gazelle runs.
Can I believe that?
I so desire it--Can it be?
He whispers again, "My covenant with you is written in blood...
Mine.
You can believe!"
Joy unspeakable and
full of glory
settles into all my dark and doubtful places...
All the years under the words of degradation
and disdain
which were spoken over me
are annihilated in that...
He chose me to be His beloved!
...And that
...He whispers to me

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Live What You Believe

If you really believe that the Lord is returning soon, are you living life as usual? OR are you more radical in your worship, your study of the Word of God, your dedication to His sayings and truths for your life?

Worship is so much more than a song. It is a lifestyle. It is believing that He is with you so much that you wouldn't watch something that He wouldn't watch. OR say something nasty because He can hear you. When you are alone, are you still living for Him? Are you doing things in secret that you wouldn't let other Christians know you are doing?

Are you loving the co-worker that despitefully uses you and ridicules you? Are you praying for them? Do you turn away wrath with a soft response?

Are you watching and loving movies that are calling evil good and good evil? Movies that glorify prostitution, like Pretty Woman. Or movies that do not honor the sanctity of life and even bring a clergyman into the decision to euthanise someone, like in Million Dollar Baby. Is your discernment wrapped in deception?

If a person has such a warped discernment to view these movies and say they are great movies, what can be said of their conscience?

Is that what is known as a seared conscience? Are we so desensitized to the Lord's ways that we are falling for the enemy's schemes to derail us?

So many movies and so little time...
STUDY THE WORD AND SHOW YOURSELF APPROVED FOR THE TIME IS SHORT.

I am not a religious believer, however, I really do believe that my Savior is returning soon and I am hoping that I will have a full lamp of oil to keep my light burning...AND I hope to inspire as many other believers to become ignited in their zeal for Him!

Also, please dear ones, know that the great falling away is in our midst. The worship of the Beast will more than likely come from the Charismatic faction of the Church. They are the ones who are looking for miracles and signs and wonders. (SO AM I !!!) But there is a deep ditch on both sides of the spiritual realm...(One side denies the beautiful things of the Spirit of God and the other side calls unholy things to be of God. Both are blasphemies.)

I have witnessed a worship leader get on the floor and slither like a snake. And everyone went on as usual. They believed it to be a manifestation of the Holy Spirit! Do not be deceived! That type of manifestation is not HOLY! But I submit to you that if you cannot discern between good and evil in a movie, you will have a difficult time in spiritual settings as well. (at that point we must ask ourself if we are in sin of some sort that we are able to be so deceived.)

II Thessalonians 2:9-12 shows us: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
There are false wonders being done in the Name of the Lord right now as I write this. How does the person performing these lying signs do all these things? By an angel. Yes. Most of these guys are telling at least this one truth, they are doing these things with angels.

AND we are called to judge the angels… Why? Angels are perfect and there is no room for error, so what angels are we to judge? Of course the fallen angels.
I Corinthians 6:3-4 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.

I beseech you therefore brethren, live a life of worship, walking circumspectly before the HOLY GOD! Remove sin far from you and ask Him for discernment. I believe that some people have the gift of discernment but never open it because of laziness, they just get their teachings from teachers, pastors et. al and not for themselves.

We must be lovers of the Truth. It is Jesus Himself remember.

I believe we are headed for very difficult times and the time is now to get on fire for God and Study to Show Ourselves Approved! Be blessed and walk out your salvation with fear and trembling. That is a love walk.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Beautiful are the Eyes of My Beloved

Good Morning! Here is a Love Song I wrote to the Lord--thought I would share it and maybe inspire someone else to write Him as well...

Beautiful Are the Eyes of My Beloved

Beautiful are the eyes of my Beloved

Flecks of colored notes play the song that beckons;

“Come deeper into the melody—realize
the magnitude of the depths of my love for you.

You are my accompanist
The oneness of our accord!

The harmony of our melodious soul’s composition
as we move into one another…

The journey is the movement of our song”

The Time Capsule That Changed Everything audio book

 I am working on getting a professional audio book for all those like me, who enjoy listening to an audio book while driving or relaxing. Le...