Portraits of Jesus 1

Who is Jesus Christ?  If you have ever been curious about him, who he was, what he did, and how any of it affects you, the first thing you need to do is to find out who he is. 

Growing up as a child, my dad made us go to church every Sunday.  I grew up knowing about Jesus, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that I actually knew him.  I always knew he came as a baby in a manger.  I knew he grew up and healed people and later died on the cross. I knew he rose from the grave and went back to heaven. I knew he promised to return again.  What I didn’t know was:  I didn’t know him like I knew my dad, my friends or other people.  It was more like I knew him the same as I knew any literary personality, or TV celebrity.  I knew he was real and not a figment of some ones imagination.

I didn’t fit the mold of a perfect Christian.  There were times I spent years not involved in the church world and lived life they way I wanted to.  I thought during this time about getting involved in the “church” again, but didn’t want to face the consequences.  I knew I had done things that the bible said not to do, and I didn’t want to face an angry God and his punishment for my “sins”.  I didn’t know Jesus.

So how do we learn to know Jesus the same as we know our best friend or a family member? How do we learn to know what Jesus likes, doesn’t like, what he wants and what makes him happy or sad? 

I’m going to post a series of short letters that will use the bible to and allow God to paint his own portrait of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 13:44  Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.  When I read this parable, I see the treasure as the knowledge of Jesus given to us in the bible (field).  The true Jesus, the real Jesus is hidden in bible from Genesis to Revelations.  If we search we’ll find.

For example, look at this parable in Luke:   Luke 15: 3-6  So He spoke this parable to them, saying: What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave he ninety nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?  And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.  “And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ 

This is a hidden treasure in the word and a beautiful portrait of Christ.  Human nature tells us, that if we had to leave our 99 and go after the one, we would be fearful for the safety of the 99, we would be angry for having to go after the one lost and we wouldn’t feel like rejoicing when we found it.  We would probably grumble and want to whip the lost one for running off and drag it back to the other 99.  But look how Christ handles this. He searches until he finds.  The sheep that ran off wasn’t looking for his redeemer, but the redeemer went looking for him/her.  Jesus rejoiced when he found the lost one.  He wasn’t angry at all he even picks the lost one up placing it on his shoulders to comfort it and carries it all the way back cheerfully.  And when he gets back, he calls all his friends to rejoice with him.  Just imagine this kind of love that Christ shows for all that belong to him, even the ones who occasionally get lost. 

America's Fun House

When I was a child living in Oklahoma City, there was a small amusement park called Spring Lake.  My favorite attraction was the Fun House.  Today while I was praying for America, I was reminded of it.

 

At the entrance of the Fun House there was a set of steps that moved back and forth horizontally as you attempted to climb them.  You might feel as though you were walking a straight path up the steps but in actuality your path was zigzagged and unbalanced, just like the path of many American Christians today.  They believe that they are walking the Christian walk, when in fact they are taking a deceptively crooked path.  Actions offensive to God, such as premarital sex, adultery and pornography have become so commonplace and accessible, that some Christians think these behaviors are the new norm.  Isaiah 26:7. The way of the righteous is smooth; O Upright One, make the path of the righteous level.

 

Once you manage to climb the fun house steps you gingerly go forward into a very large barrel which rotates as you attempt to walk through it.  Up feels like down and down feels like up.  Everything seems topsy turvy.  America has become confused as to what is up and what is down.  Abortion of an innocent baby is considered acceptable to many, yet the death penalty of a convicted murderer is cause for outrage.  Television show producers are quick to poke fun at Christians even to the point of mocking Jesus, yet rarely speak negatively of Muslims and Buddhists and Atheists because of their desire to appear ‘politically correct’ and ‘tolerant”.  However, somehow Christianity, unlike any other religious or non-religious group is exempt from the media and Hollywood’s efforts to appear ‘tolerant’ and is fair game to poke fun at and to ridicule.  Isaiah 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter

 

If you make it through the rotating barrel, then you arrive at the house of mirrors where reflections are distorted.  Proponents of the new ‘transgender’ wave, tell us that when we look at a transgender female, she is not a female but a male, and vice versa.  We are told by society not to believe our own eyes, but to believe what is wrong as though it were right.   And if we object, we are again labeled as not politically correct.  Another translation of Isaiah 5:20 reads  “They say that what is right is wrong and what is wrong is right; that black is white and white is black; bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter.”

 

Did you make it through the house of mirrors?  Great.  Now you are nearly done.  Just a small patch of wooden uneven undulating boards.  Be careful, because some of the boards move like waves and shoot out a powerful gust of wind when stepped on. Avoid those.  Ephesians 4:14 Then we will no longer be little children, tossed and carried about by all kinds of teachings that change like the wind. We will no longer be influenced by people who use cunning and clever strategies to lead us astray.

 

Congratulations! You’ve made it to the end of the Fun House.  Did you come out unscathed or did you fall into sin and sinful thinking along the way?  Thank God for his mercy, because even if you did fall into some of Satan’s traps and tricks along the way, if you kept your faith, by God’s grace you are forgiven.  Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God

 

The very last step is to exit the Fun House.  There is only one exit, an unlit hole in the wall where a long slide waits in the darkness.  Grab a burlap sack, fling yourself out into the darkness, trusting that there is a light at the end.  John 1:5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

 

10/25/17

by Kristy Dewberry

Is America falling from Gods Grace

The following is a message my wife received while she was spending her daily alone time with Jesus.  I believe this message is for America, and something Americans need to hear so I am posting this here.         

·         While I was praying this morning this is what I feel God spoke to me.

People in America, both Christians and non-Christians, have lost or distorted their sense of shame.  Adultery, sex before marriage, homosexuality and transgender issues are becoming socially acceptable to the point that no shame is felt.  The only shame we feel regarding these sins, is not the shame of committing sexual sins, but the shame of ‘judging’ others for committing sexual sin.  Even the Christians who commit sexual sin, do not feel the shame they should.  They feel that since God has forgiven both future and past sins, they do not need to feel shame.  Thank the Lord that he has forgiven our sins, both past and future, but God is saddened when his children choose to forget his will for them.

Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

We are not to be conformed to this world.  The will of God is good and acceptable and perfect.  We should strive to be as God-like as we can be.  If and when we fail, we should feel shame and acknowledge to him that we know we have disappointed him.  Then, knowing that he has forgiven our sins already and that he redeems our life from the pit, we can continue on our path to righteousness, until our next stumble.

When she told me this message, Romans 1 immediately came to mind, so I’ve posted that scripture here.

Romans 1:16-32  King James Version (KJV)

¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

¹⁷ For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

¹⁸ For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;

¹⁹ Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.

²⁰ For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

²¹ Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

²² Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

²³ And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.

²⁴ Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

²⁵ Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

²⁶ For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

²⁷ And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

²⁸ And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

²⁹ Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,

³⁰ Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

³¹ Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:

³² Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Get the complete Bible for Free.  Comes in over 1000 languages.  Just download the app.

http://www.youverion.com

Free Bible App just click here

Never say NO to God

Psalms 14:1  The FOOL, hath said in his heart, There is no God.   The words There is, were added by the translator for clarification.  I think the better interpretation of this verse is to leave those two words out.   Reading the verse then comes out:  The FOOL, hath said in his heart no, God. 

Just take a look at Cain & Able.  They both knew what God expected of them.  Able believed and God accepted his sacrifice.  Cain “said in his heart no to God” and did the sacrifice his way. 

God gives us his word to let us know what is expected out of us.  We now live by faith in the Son of God, and not by sight.  John 1: 1 – 5  IN THE beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.  In him was life, and the life was the light of men.  And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not.  John 1:  14  And the Word was made 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.

Christ left his heavenly kingdom and came down to us on earth born of a virgin and without sin in his blood.  He gave his life as a selfless act in order to allow all people of the earth to be reconciled with God in spite of their sin.  The offer is good to this day and available to all who will believe and accept it.  Unfortunately, the vast majority of the earth’s population will say “No God,” and not accept it, and on the day of judgment will stand before God with no viable excuse for not accepting it.

Romans 1:  20 -22  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and God-head; so that they are without excuse. Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,

It’s easy to find out what God expects out of all of us, just by reading his Word to us from the bible.  You need no other books or translations, just the Holy Bible is all you need.  Everything you need for eternal life is right there.  This side of the cross, it is important for us all to study the books of the apostle Paul (Romans – Philemon & Hebrews).   God gave us Paul to be the apostle to the gentiles (us), and it would benefit us all to study what God gave him to give us.  Be diligent about this and do not be one that says No, God.

                                               

Gay marriage, can I or not biblically

It seems like the most popular topic in the news these days is gay-marriage and should it be allowed or not. 

What does God say about Gay marriage?  Should the Church approve of Gay Marriage?  Should Christians accept Gay Marriage?  What does the bible say about Gay Marriage?

Hopefully the scripture itself will answer these questions for us.

The purpose of this article is not to condone or condemn, but to give a scriptural perspective only.  Society will end up doing what society will do, and nothing will ever change that.  Morality based on any-ones definition, cannot be regulated by law, but only by ones heart as an individual.

If the gay community wants to join together, they will do that with or without any laws, but scripturally speaking, it is impossible for them to marry.  You can call it anything you want, but marriage.  Remember I am speaking from a biblical perspective.

The Christian conception of marriage is a sacred union between a man and a woman that goes all the way back to Adam & Eve.  When the two join together they become one before God, and when they both give themselves over to God, then they also become one with God.  This is the way we were created to be, man plus woman plus God all becoming one with each other.

Man was created in the image of God.  Genesis 1: 27   So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him, male and female created he them. 

Genesis 2: 21 – 24    And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and the rib, which the Lord God had taken from  man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.  And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.  Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh.

In the above scripture we are told why marriage can only be between a man and a woman.  When God created Adam, he created him in his image, and Adam was originally created both male and female in one body.  God had created them as “one flesh” like the angels.  God later removed the female portion of Adam out of his flesh and created Woman also in his image, so the male would have a mate to populate the earth.  Adam knew that this Woman God presented to him had been taken from him, and he knew that the only way now the male could be complete, would be to union himself back with the female, and the two would become “one flesh” a complete being again. 

Once Eve was taken out of Adam, he was no longer a whole, but a half, and Eve was the other half.  When those two halves come together in marriage, they become a whole again. This is made very clear in the scripture itself.  Read Genesis 5: 1 – 2 very carefully.  This is the book of the generations of Adam.  In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.   This verse very plainly states that God created Man both male and female and called their name Adam.

Joining two Adams together or two Eves together does not make a whole.  They only become a whole when the half that was whole is reunited with the half that was removed.   Consider taking an orange and removing the juice from the inside.  You have two parts of the orange.  But if you wanted a complete orange, you couldn’t take the juice from two and mix them together and say “now I have a whole orange.”  Nor could you take the two empty orange shells and put them together without the juice.  

I hope this explains the biblical perspective of marriage, and why it must be between a male and female only.  Society can set laws governing the legal definitions of anything, but if your desire is to be united with Gods approval, then you must follow the biblical definition.

Why does this matter to God, you might wonder.  Everything in the old testament is a sign for the new.  Adam and Eve became one through marriage and brought forth children.  Jesus after his death on the cross was stuck in the side with a spear and blood and water flowed just as with birth.  The death of Jesus was the birth of the church (modern day Christianity), and the church is the bride of Christ. The union of marriage between a man and woman joining together as one is a sign of the church getting ready to join itself with Christ.

God wants you

Acts 13:33-34  God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.

Here God is telling us, that on the day he raised Christ from the dead, Christ became his begotten Son.  Christ died in his body just like people do every day.  But Christ was resurrected from the dead.  He was the first person to ever die, and be resurrected never to die again. The bible has stories of people who died and was brought back to life, but later they all died again. Christ did not, nor will he ever face death again.

Romans 1: 1-4  Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

Revelation 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood.

Christ became the begotten Son of God, when he gave his life on the cross, and God raised him from the dead.  Christ received a new resurrected body. 

This was a mystery (secret) held in the mind of the Godhead and never before revealed to the people, until he revealed it to the apostle Paul.  If we will dare to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord, God has made a promise to those that believe that they also will be resurrected from the dead and also become sons (children) of God. 

This does not mean, we’ll become Gods, but God has promised us to become his children in the next life after our corrupt bodies die.  Even better for those who believe and are still alive when God calls his new sons (and daughters), they will not have to face the death of their human bodies.

Paul says this to all who believe: 1 Corinthians 15: 50 – 54  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.  Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep (die), but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.  55) O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

The above promise God made to all those that believe, if you don’t accept Christ, you will not be part of this miraculous event.  All those that do believe, will at that point become children of God in the next world.

Galatians 3: 26 – 29  For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.  For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.  And if ye be Christ’s, then are you Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

This was the mystery that only Paul received from God.  It was not just for the gentiles, but also for the Jews.  It was the creation of the “Body of Christ”.   When we believe in Christ, we become part of that body.  God only knows when the body of believers will grow until it’s the size he is looking for.  When that happens, the trumpet will blow, and all the believers that have died will arise first and receive their new immortal bodies.  Then the believers that are still alive, will be caught up in the air to meet the Lord and the rest of the body, and that is when they will receive their new immortal bodies.

After this event, the seven year wrath of God will be poured out upon the rest of all mankind.  The unbelievers.  One fourth of the earth population will die within the first three and a half years.  The rest will perish in the second half.

All this happens after the body is called up, because the body is not called to wrath.

I Thessalonians 5:9  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ.

All it takes to be part of this body, is to believe.  Romans 3: 3 – 5  For what saith the scripture?  Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.  Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.  But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

Right now, the door is still open, and the Holy Spirit is calling.  Now is the time for salvation.  All it takes is to believe in Jesus Christ.  We know from historians, that the man Jesus Christ did live around that era, and was put to death.  Our calendars even verify his existence separating AD from BC.  The bible tells us that if we seek, we shall find.  Seek him today while there is still time.