Category: LOVE Church

LOVE Church

And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.

Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.  So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people.  And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.  ~Acts 2:42-46

“Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.  And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.  And great grace was upon them all.  Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.”  ~Acts 4:32-35

Prayer for the Power to Heal

Now, Lord, grant to Your servants that with all boldness we may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant, Jesus.  ~Acts 4: 29-30

Discipleship Rather than Evangelism by Lady of the Covenant (Christian Forum)

Taken from a post by Lady of the Covenant at Christian Forum:

Although, I agree that evangelism is apart of the great commission, it is not the actual great commission. Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”(Matthew 28:19-20)

I can’t speak for all of the Church, but most of the Church does not do this. To be a disciple means that you are like someone who is an apprentice, learning to do the things that your teacher does. Joshua learned to be a great leader like Moses, so he could take over when Moses was no longer with Israel. Elisha followed closely in the footsteps of Elijah, observing all that he did, so he would know how to do the things that Elijah did when he was no longer with him; and the 12 disciples followed Jesus everywhere He went, learning to do the things he did, and walk in his ways, so they could teach and do the things of Christ when He was no longer with them.

This is what it means to be a Christian; it comes from two Greek words:

  1. Christ- meaning “anointed one”
  2. -ianos- a suffix meaning “little”

The first disciples were called “Christians” by the Greeks because they looked like, acted like, and did the things that Christ did after He left. They were being called, “Little Anointed Ones” because people saw no difference in what they were doing, and how they lived, than the things Christ did and how He lived. Not only were they healing the sick, raising the dead, casting out demons, and preaching the gospel, but they were as loving and compassionate as Christ was as well, and they taught their disciples to do the same.

In church people are not really doing discipleship. They are evangelized and converted, then sit in a pew, listening to the pastor preach once a week. Most Christians do not read the Bible, or pray, or have any real connection to Jesus if they are not in a church. They recite a sinner’s prayer, and are assured of their salvation, knowing nothing about the gospel, other than what they may occasionally hear preached on Sunday, and that is not discipleship.

We are supposed to walk in the ways of Jesus doing what He did, and teach others to do the same. We are supposed to teach other people to obey everything He commanded us, but we do not. To be a disciple means to be in relationship. Moses and Joshua spent time together, Elijah and Elisha spent time together, and almost everywhere Jesus went, He took Peter, James, and John with Him. He was close to all His disciples, and spent time with them individually or in small groups, teaching them; so we should know that this is our pattern for how to make disciples as Jesus instructed.

Even the commission of the 72 disciples shows us that one-on-one discipleship/evangelism is preferred. Jesus sent two disciples to each house to preach the gospel to whoever would accept them, and He told them to stay the night at the house they went to rather than going from house-to-house:

“And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house.“(Luke 10:7)​

So this is my proposal to the Body of Christ, that we not only evangelize, but make disciples, and discipleship continues long after someone has accepted Christ. It is about teaching people to obey the commandments of Christ(not just the commandments to love God and our neighbor, even though that is the meaning of the Law), and that means that we need to learn the commandments and do them ourselves:

Here is a list of the New Testament Commandments

What are your thoughts and suggestions? How can we go about making disciples, rather than just adding numbers to the church?

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I personally think we should be in fellowship. That every member of the church should be in groups of 3, holding accountable the people who are in their group. Not only that, but making sure they are talking and spending time together outside of church, getting to know each other, and making sure that they are all edifying the body with their gifts. I would also think it’s a good idea to do placement tests(Myers Briggs personality test, 5 love languages test, and spiritual gifts test) to see where everyone should end up. I also think that church should be more communal, and an everyday thing, rather than just Sunday (and maybe Wednesday). Preaching can still be on Sunday, and Bible Study/Prayer Meeting on Wednesday, but the rest of the week should be focused on community, discipleship, and outreach(witnessing, feeding the poor, healing the sick, casting out demons, etc.).

I have been endued with His power. ~Selah

But the anointing which you have received of him abides in you, and you need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teaches you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, you shall abide in him [1 John 2:27].

From:  http://stronginfaith.org/article.php?page=50

Christians belong to and are related to the anointing-[Χριστος Christos]. Jesus Christ told the disciples to stay in Jerusalem, “until you are endued with power from on high” [Luke 24:49]. A disciple must be endued or clothed in power to do what Jesus has called us to do. The Greek word for the English word power is δυναμις dunamis. A believer must have power to fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus Christ [Luke 24:47, Matthew 28:18]. Jesus instructed the Seventy, “heal the sick there, and say to them, the kingdom of God has come near to you” [Luke 10:9]. Jesus also said, Jesus said, “he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also” [John 14:12, Supernatural Acts of the Disciples]. “You shall receive dunamis power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” [Acts 1:8].

And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you [Luke 10:17-19].

Our Senses and God

There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.  ~Mark 7:15

As I was breathing in essential oils, as I do before every meditation, God occurred to me in thought.  As I breathed in the soothing, healing, intoxicating aroma of the blood of plants which He has made, and which He has imbued Himself into as by His essence being in every living cell, and as it went directly into my brain, I realized I was literally breathing God in.  God, via his wonderful and miraculous way was infiltrating my very being, as deeply physically as possible; not just my physical brain, but crossing over into my mind as well, having effect upon my emotions.

I began to consciously consider the senses He has given to us, but to consider them in context to Him and doing His work.  Some of our senses are passive and some of our senses are active.  Some perceive and others partake, and some do both.  I have ordered them from passive to active:

  • Ears:  Most passive.  Can only take in data, but can be very attuned to their surroundings when trained, as exemplified by how a blind person hears better than a sighted person.  My ears are very adept at hearing emotion in the person I am listening to.  I would go so far as to say my ears are my most sensitive sense.
  • Nose/Breath:  Very passive.  Although the nose can express itself by snorting or snotting or breathing out as in a whisper.  The nose can tickle or offend, basically.  Some have a very heightened sense of smell.  The nose is also a direct line into the brain as mentioned before, so what we put in our nose can bring us immediately unto God or leave us sick (as when we breathe toxic fumes).
  • Eyes:  Mostly passive but can also be an active sense.  What we put our eyes on and view can profoundly affect us, and what we view can also profoundly affect a living subject, even an animal.  When two living and breathing creatures’ eyes meet, there is the sensation that soulfulness can flow between them, giving meaning to the saying that the ‘eyes are the windows of the soul’.
  • Touch:  Equally passive and active.  Touch can hurt us or heal us.  Our touch can hurt or heal.  We can feel immense pleasure or immense pain via our skin, and all the nerve cells contained therein.  We are covered in skin on every part of our body making our entire body either a sensory perceiver, but also a sensory giver.  Abuse often involves touch, but not always, and love-making almost always involves touch.
  • Taste/Mouth:  Passive and potentially the most active in the form of our words.  Even when we cannot touch or see someone, we can speak or express ourselves with words (on a screen for example).  Our sense of taste is passive, but our tongue can also be very active, especially in the realm of love-making.  Our mouth can hurt by biting or by the use of hurtful words, or give excessive pleasure via words or sensual touch as in kissing or love-making.  As James says:  “And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defiles the whole body and sets on fire the course of our nature; and it is set on fire of hell.”  ~James 3:6  Our tongue and the words issued from our mouth are, perhaps ironically, the most active sense we have.  We consider communication the most important component of relationships, which is interesting because the two,  language and communication, go hand in hand.  If we cannot communicate with each other, we cannot live out that second commandment which is so important!  If we do not have words, we can then have touch, but touch is not as ideal as words, as explained here.  Even when we lose sense of touch, or cannot be near our loved ones, we can still feel elated communicating with them!  Isn’t that a telling mark of God’s intent with His people?  All of us can connect with God just by thinking.  But the way we love each other is most easily done with our mouth and with our words.

 

So most of our senses are passive; given to us by God to experience the world He has given us and the people He has put us with.  We have control over what we perceive to a certain extent, as illustrated by what we search for and view online.  Jesus also said that a man who looks upon a woman with lust in his heart has already committed adultery with her.  We can use our God-given perception devices to become closer to Him and our fellow human beings, to gain more knowledge of God and each other.  But we can also allow them to distract us from God and knowing each other in the right way.

Our active senses are essential for sharing the love among each other.  We can show God we love Him by our acts and by just passively thinking about Him, because He is in our head, infused in every cell of our body!  He knows what we are thinking every moment of our lives.  But our active senses allow us to connect to each other.  They are His gift to us to share (hopefully) love with each other to fulfill His second most important Commandment:  To love our neighbor as ourself.

I believe that is why Jesus said that it is what comes OUT of a man that defiles him, because we have been given power with our bodies to love each other, but also to harm each other.  What comes out of  each and every one of us has the power to either defile man and his neighbor, or glorify God.

 

 

I pray I use my senses you blessed me with Lord, for good only, and to promote Your Love in the way You intend.  Amen.

The Holy Trinity

It takes obedience to the Law and the Prophets,

Along with grace through faith in Jesus Christ,

To bring us unto God; to know His Divine Will and Living Word.

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Paul argues that being obedient to the Law is not the means to salvation, but that is is faith through Jesus Christ that brings justification unto God.  He points out that otherwise, works would be enough for salvation, and that since all men are sinners, no matter how obedient to the Law we are, we will always fall short of attaining God’s Realm.  He quotes scripture in Genesis relating how,

“He [Abram] believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.”  ~Genesis 15:6

This is true, indeed.  It takes faith and belief in God, and His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, as our Lord Messiah to attain true everlasting salvation.

But scripture also says eleven chapters later that the LORD appeared to Isaac and blessed him by restating the covenant that He had made with his father, Abraham:

“…I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”  ~Genesis 26:4-5

This shows that it is not just due to faith and belief that we, and our descendants, are blessed by God, but that it is very much due to obedience that we, and our descendants, are blessed by God on earth.

This raises the question as to whether faith in Jesus Christ provides us with eternal life, and obedience to God provides with abundant blessings while we live out our earthly lives.  Indeed, the Old Testament did not speak to heaven, though it did speak about having plenty for our generation, and the generations to follow, if we loved God, obeyed Him, and had faith in Him.

Some Christians seem more concerned with attaining salvation in Heaven, while flouting God’s Law here on earth.  What does this mean?

I think it is obvious that both a grounding and foundation in God’s Law and commandments, along with  faith and belief that Jesus Christ is our Lord Messiah, which enables us to have flourishing lives here, and in the afterlife, are important.  Why, as God’s Chosen Ones, have we argued the importance of one over the other for millenia?

I personally want to please God, love Him, and know Him more than anything.  In practicing this, I want to know His ancient Law, as well as live by the example His Son gave.  I am saved forevermore by faith in Jesus’ sacrifice to me on the cross, but I am also living a righteous life under God’s Law, and will be blessed by Adonai Elohim for doing so.

I do not desire to forego either one of these.  Do you?

Psalm 19, a Psalm of David~

The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;
The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;
The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold,
Yea, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
Moreover by them Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward.

Who can understand his errors?
Cleanse me from secret faults.
Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins;
Let them not have dominion over me.
Then I shall be blameless, and I shall be innocent of great transgression. ~Psalm 19:7-13

The Holy Trinity~

to Love God

to Obey His Law

to have Faith in Him through Jesus Christ

“For if you carefully keep all these commandments which I command you to do–to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, and to hold fast to Him—  then the Lord will drive out all these nations from before you, and you will dispossess greater and mightier nations than yourselves.”  ~Deuteronomy 11:22-23

My First Sermon at Advent

As we approach the time of the year when we, as the children of God, celebrate His greatest gift to us, His Son, Jesus Christ, it is an appropriate time to consider the spiritual climate in and around the holy Promised Land during this time.

God revealed Himself to man from the very Beginning, when He first created man in the form of Adam.  Adam then fell away from God, and over time, God became sorry that He had made man, and He decided to flood the earth, saving only Noah and his family.  Noah was a just man, blameless in his generations, and he walked with God.

By ten generations along, however, things were very bad again, and pagan polytheism was prolific throughout the fertile crescent, and especially surrounding Egypt and Babylonia.  Here Abraham heard the voice of God telling him to move into Canaan, the Promised Land, and that God would give all the land Abraham could see to him and his descendants forever.  Abraham then begat Isaac, and Isaac then begat Jacob, and Jacob’s twelve sons became the leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Joseph, Jacob’s favorite son of Rachel, was sold by his jealous brothers into slavery and carted away to Egypt.  Famine drove the Hebrews to Egypt for food, and eventually they all became enslaved by a cruel pharaoh.  Moses, a Hebrew baby orphaned into Pharaoh’s household, heard the voice of God telling him to lead his people out of captivity and into the Promised Land of Canaan, as He had promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob so long ago.

Through great signs and wonders from God, Moses led his people out of captivity into the wilderness.  And there, on Mount Sinai, He made a covenant with Moses, which we call the Ten Commandments; that as long as the children of God obeyed his Law, God would deliver them into the Promised Land.  Moses led the Hebrews in the desert for forty years, as a nomadic people, and is considered the greatest prophet to ever live.

But still, idol worship and depravity plagued man, and evil prowled around like a hungry lion.  As God’s children coalesced into a nation of Israelites, they were influenced by the surrounding culture and fell victim to societal and spiritual corruption more than ever before.  Israelite kings, prophets, and even Priests broke God’s commandments; practiced idol worship, even naming their own children after Baal, a pagan idol; and practiced elitism by interpreting and enforcing the Law so strictly that it was impossible to follow!

Around this time, Isaiah prophesied, “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel [God with us].  Curds and honey he shall eat, that he may know to refuse the evil and choose the good.”  ~Isaiah 7:14-15.

Hundreds of years passed and then God made good on His message, and sent Jesus, the Great Messiah, to our rescue.  Messiah means savior.  Jesus’ coming was prophesied by all the great prophets and was foretold by angels:

“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s namewas Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.  Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.  And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?”

 And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.  Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.  For with God nothing will be impossible.”

 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.”  ~Luke 1:26-38

 

God desired to redeem us yet again from our debauchery and sinfulness by showing us that living just for God meant living humbly and simply, as Jesus lived.  As opposed to the Pharisees of the time, it meant not exalting yourself, but debasing yourself for God’s purpose, whatever that might entail, even if it means death, as Jesus showed.  It means that being innocent like a child is necessary to obtain the kingdom of heaven, versus being a corrupt holy high Priest, as Jesus taught.

Jesus demonstrates to us that a man can stay righteous and pure.  That life is not easy, but living for God and the kingdom of heaven is worth it.  Jesus avoided temptations and taught the devil the Law in the process!

As we reflect near this time of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, it is important to know that Jesus’ perfect blood made a perpetual, everlasting atonement for us and for our sins.  He knew his mission was Divine and that God wanted him to sacrifice himself for the sake of mankind.  And he willingly did this.  For us.  What amazing love for us and for God, his Father.  He didn’t want to die.  He asked that this cup be passed from him, if there was any way.  But there wasn’t.  Jesus’ birth prevented our everlasting death.  His death gave us everlasting life.  Moses gave us the Law but Jesus needed to come to give us grace and Truth in God.  Amen.

The Three Branches of God

GOD [Holy Spirit]

The LAW                                                                                                                                                                                                                         JESUS

The three branches of God is not unlike our system of government:  the executive branch (president), the legislative branch (the law), and the judicial branch (making sure the law does not abuse its power).  When we falsely think of the trinity as God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit we miss a crucial part of the system–the real trinity–which is God’s Holy Spirit [or rhema the Living Word of God], the Law from the Prophets, and Jesus’ message of God’s Love and grace.

Currently, it is popular in modern Christianity to ignore the Law, which makes it impossible to be obedient to God.  It takes more than the New Testament, Jesus, or the concept of the three-in-one trinity to keep us in God’s good graces.  It takes obedience, love, and faith.  Obedience comes in the Law of God, laid out in the Old Testament Torah, and to a lesser degree, the major Prophets.  Jesus brings us the love [and with it, grace] of God and enables us to see the forest, not just the trees.  And faith comes from knowing our God, and having His Holy Spirit move through us.  All these are necessary for Truth!  We cannot find God’s Truth by simply having one or even two facets of this, which is what we have when we adhere to the false concept of the traditional trinity as laid out by the Council of Nicaea.

The very reason the US government is set up like this is to keep the branches in balance.  Law without Love is what we had with the Pharisees and Sadducees.  The Holy Spirit without the Law or Jesus can leave us seeking God, yet sinful.  And Jesus’ Love without the Law can lead us into a false sense of security, and to act out of false doctrines.

We need all three facets of God’s Truth to be holy and pure.