The Spiritual Sense
(Rev 1:10, Rev 4:2)
God is Spirit(Jn 4:24).
He created spiritual beings and the spiritual world.
He has fellowship only with those who have spiritual sense, and inspires them.
Faith is knowing Him and longing for Him(2Co 13:14).
The life of this faith is eliminating all things that hinder in order to be inspired by the Spirit.
All living things have senses.
Animals sense changes in the environment,
Find food, defend themselves and survive.
Plants are sensitive to light and temperature.
Humans have five senses that allow them
To perceive and recognize, and behave accordingly.
Furthermore, they can maximize these senses to develop and utilize technologies,
While some use them to discover, invent and create.
When living things lose their function to sense, it is death for them.
When the living being loses his spiritual sense, it is eternal death for them.
Because Adam ate the forbidden fruit
Following his fleshly senses by impulse of(Ge 3:4-6).
Consequently, his spirit died and lost its sense(Ge 2:17), cut off from God(Ge 3:23).
The worthlessness of men without spirit was demonstrated
When God washed away all men of flesh that He created(Ge 6:1-7).
All but two of the Israelites who left Egypt died in the desert(Ge 32:4; Nu 14:35)
Because they lost their sense of direction even though
As the people of God they were supposed to be led by the Spirit of God.
The sanctuary built under the direction of the Spirit of God(1Ch 28:12)
Reminded them this and let them long for it(Ps 84:1-12),
While the prophets, who spoke when the Spirit of God came upon them,
Rebuked them for going astray(Eze 11:5).
Yet the false prophets who spoke on their own accord tempted them(Eze 13:2-3).
God chose men whose spiritual sense was remarkable
Regardless of their age, occupation or knowledge -
Such as Samuel, Jeremiah, David etc.(1Sa 3:10; Jer 1:6-7; Ps 51:1-19) - and
Had them write the scripture.
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days(Jn 2:19-20), because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body
He would make a way for men to be born of water and the Spirit(Jn 3:3-8) and
Have fellowship with the Father by giving them spiritual sense.
He is the Son of God, the Word that became flesh by the Spirit(Mt 1:18; Jn 1:1, Jn 1:14).
Thus, He worked by the Spirit during His public life(Mt 3:16, Mt 4:11, Mt 12:28).
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
1. Humbled Himself to the point of death and finished the work He came to do as the Son of Man(Php 2:6-11);
2. Condemned the devil who, because of His pride, lost his sense of direction(Is 14:13; Eze 28:17; Jude 1:6); and
3. Redeemed Adam's sin and sprinkled His blood to souls to give life to them(Lev 17:11; Mt 20:28).
He rose and
Ascended to the heavenly throne.
The Holy Spirit comes only to
The souls born-again by the blood of Jesus and
Has fellowship with them and the church.
The man who is in Spirit on the Lord's Day and
Has the ear to hear a loud voice like a trumpet(Rev 1:10)
What the Spirit says to the churches(Rev2-3)
Sees heaven and the One seated on its throne(Rev 4:2).
He knows the deep things of God(1Co 2:10-14), and
Discerns good from evil, righteousness from unrighteousness,
Truth from false, the way to live from the way to die.
And finally, from the Spirit he will reap eternal life(Gal 6:8).
God uses men with spiritual sense such as
David, Jeremiah and Paul, who are
Extremely sensitive to sin and
Know their own inabilities.
Therefore, all their lives they repent in tears and
Never cease to pray for they are truly humble.
O Lord,
Let me be humble and have an acute spiritual sense so that
I would never become numb about sin.
Let me be on my knees and pray for my inabilities and ignorance.
Let my tears never run dry!
Amen.
To Whom Will You Commit Your Soul?
(Lk 23:44-49)
God is the Lord of faith.
What He speaks He surely acts(Nu 23:19) for
Nothing is too hard for Him(Ge 18:14).
Faith is trusting God and
The life of this faith is committing to Him my precious things, my life and even my problems, in order
to commit my soul to Him in the end.
By their self-confidence,
People in the world trust their precious things to others:
Money to banks, wealth to managers, mishaps to attorneys,
Government to politicians, children to schools or daycare, and
Bodies to hospitals.
However, the most important and pressing issue
To resolve before death is to whom one will commit his soul,
Since, if it is not resolved, that soul will become a demon and the result is hell.
In the beginning God committed to Adam the Garden of Eden(Ge 2:15).
But deceived by the devil, Adam sinned and
God lost trust in all men and they in Him(Ge 2:17, Ge 3:4-6, Ge 3:24).
The Bible, however, tells the history of
Restoring this relationship between God and men by faith.
Noah built the ark and his family was saved, becoming an heir of faith(He 11:7);
Abraham left his home to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance(He 11:8), and
Believing that God could raise the dead He gave his only son and
Isaac his own life as a burnt offering(He 11:9);
Jacob sent ahead across the river all his possessions and
Left them in the hands of God(Ge 32:13, Ge 32:22-23), and
When he crossed the river with the name Israel,
He was rather welcomed by his brother(Ge 32:38, Ge 33:4), later
Safely camping in Canaan(Ge 33:18).
Before Israel went to Egypt looking for food because of the famine,
God sent ahead Joseph to prepare food(Ge 47:6; Ps 105:16).
Moreover, before they entered the desert, God spread a table for them there(Ps 78:19).
The sanctuary reminded them that
They were to trust in God alone(Pr 14:16; Is 26:3).
Thus, the prophets rebuked them when they looked to Egypt for help instead(Is 31:1).
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days(Jn 2:19-20), because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body
He would go ahead to the Father's house to prepare a place for souls of all men(Jn 14:3).
To those who trusted in God, He said to also trust in Him(Jn 14:1), and
Showed the miracles of two fish and five loaves of bread,
The wedding banquet in Cana, the storm etc.
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
1. Completed the work entrusted to Him and committed His soul to the Father(Jn 10:18; 1Pe 2:23);
2. Judged the devil the father of lies(Ge 3:4; Jn 8:44); and
3. Redeemed souls and tore His flesh, opening up the trust-relationship between God and them(He 10:20).
He rose and ascended to the heavenly throne, and
He is the Lord of faith(He 12:2).
The Holy Spirit enters the souls born again through the blood of Jesus and
Seals their faith(2Co 1:22).
He lets them commit their souls
Into the hands of the Father when they die(Lk 23:46), and
In the church where the Holy Spirit oversees,
In the word of His grace while they are alive(Ac 20:28-32).
The men of the Spirit are
Those who send ahead to the Father's house
The talent, time, materials etc. entrusted to them(Mt 25:14).
Furthermore, they commit their problems into the Father's hands by praying, for
When their souls cross the river of death
They long to be welcomed by the Lord of faith Jesus who went ahead of them.
O Lord,
When we leave this world
Let not one of us be told, "I do not know you and be turned away.
Even if it is tonight,
Father, receive my soul! Amen.
Only Jesus
(Mk 9:8; 1Ti 2:4-7)
God is the only one God(Dt 6:4).
There is only one Only Begotten Son(Jn 1:18), and
There is only one Mediator(1Ti 2:5).
Religion is man's effort to study gods and, thus,
Arrives at polytheism etc.
Faith, however, is acknowledging the only one God, the only one Mediator(Jn 17:3; 1Ti 2:5), and
The life of this faith is confessing this and declaring it until the end.
In the spiritual heaven
Satan wanted to make himself like God(Is 14:14),
Because of which he was thrown into Hades(Is 14:15).
Deceived by Satan, i.e., the devil
Adam ate the forbidden fruit also wanting to be like God, and sinned.
Consequently, all men became destined to follow the devil to hell(Mt 25:41).
Nevertheless, God brought out the Israelites from Egypt where
They had been stained by gentiles gods and
Gave them the Law in the desert.
The keynote commandment was:
"You shall have no other gods before me(Ex 20:3).
Though they said they believed in the only one Lord God(Dt 6:4-5),
They made an idol of golden calf and
Sacrificed burnt offerings before it(Ex 32:4-5).
As a result, 3, 000 people were put to death(Ex 32:28).
Furthermore, when Korah and his followers complained about
God speaking to only Moses and Aaron,
They were all swallowed by the earth(Nu 16:3, Nu 16:31).
In the history of Israel,
The deciding factor for whether a king was a good king or an evil king(2Ch 11:5)
Depended on whether they built high places or destroyed them(2Ch 14:3) for
There was only one sanctuary(1Ki 8:13),
Only one high priest(He 5:1),
Only one atoning sacrifice to be given once every year(Lev 16:5) -
All shadows for the only one Only Begotten Son(He 10:1).
Because Jesus said that He and the Father are one(Jn 10:30), and
"Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days(Jn 2:19),
He was put to death by the angry Jews(Jn 10:39).
However, through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body
Jesus would mediate God and men for
He is the incarnate Word, the Son of Man, Christ(Jn 1:1, Jn 1:14; 1Ti 2:5).
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
1. Died to mediate, reconcile men to God and fulfilled the Father's will(Jn 10:17-18);
2. Condemned the devil who wanted to be like God(Is 14:12-15); and
3. With His blood redeemed all men and through His torn flesh tore down the sins of men so they can know God, go before God and become one with God(Rm 5:10; He 9:11-14).
He rose and ascended to the heavenly throne and Jesus is the only Ruler(1Ti 6:15).
The Holy Spirit whom He sent
Comes to the souls who received the name Y'shua and
Through His blood have been born again as children of God(Jn 1:12).
The men of the Spirit are those who believe that
Jesus is the only one Mediator, only one Redeemer and only one Defender:
1. The Mediator - between God and man(1Ti 2:5);
2. The Redeemer - He gave His life as a ransom(1Ti 2:6; Mt 20:28);
3. The Defender - in heaven He defends those on earth who have become righteous by faith and continuously shows mercy(1Jn 2:1).
Therefore, whether they live or die,
They do it for the Lord(Rm 14:8), and
They boldly go before the Father and cry out to Him(Rm 8:14), and
Boldly testify Jesus alone before men(Ac 4:8, Ac 4:13).
O Lord,
Let us remember no other name but the name Y'shua.
Let us speak only the name Y'shua this day.
Y'shua, You alone are my Mediator, my Redeemer and my Defender!
Amen.
God is the Blessed(1Ti 6:15).
Blessings come from Him and
To those who bless He inherits blessing.
Faith is believing that blessings are true and longing for them, and
The life of this faith is blessing others even if they are your enemies.
While everyone loves to be blessed,
There are some believers who long to be blessed by powerful servants of God.
The Bible tells us, however,
To bless others because whether the blessing we give rests or not
It will certain return to us(Mt 10:11-13).
The concept of blessing in the Old Testament was being fruitful:
During the creation, God commanded the fish, the birds, and the man and the woman
To multiply and be fruitful(Ge 1:20-22, Ge 1:28);
God also promised many descendants to Abram, a blessing(Ge 12:2; He 6:14).
For the lesser person is blessed by the greater(He 7:1, He 7:7),
He was blessed by the priest of God, Melchizedek.
As such, the Hebrew faith for blessing was quite strong, which can easily be seen in
The actions of the family members of Isaac
When he was about to bless his children before his death(Ge27).
With this faith, Jacob wrestled against an angel(Ge 32:36-39) and
Received the name Israel, and
Before his death he also gave blessing appropriate to each of the 12 tribes(Ge 49:28).
And before Moses died
He blessed the people(Nu 6:23; Dt 33:1).
The sanctuary reminded them that
God blessed in the name of Jehovah(Dt 21:5).
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days, because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body(Jn 2:19-22),
He would bless all souls and give the kingdom of heaven(Mt 5:3).
Hence, He performed miracles to multiply:
With five loaves of bread and two fish,
Filling up an empty boat with fish etc.
Yet He lived His entire life on earth with empty pockets.
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
1. Blessed all men and received the Father's blessing as His inheritance(He 1:2; 1Pe 3:9);
2. Condemned the devil, the origin of sin(1Jn 3:8); and
3. Without revenging men pleaded to the Father for their forgiveness(Lk 23:34).
He rose and sat on the heavenly throne, and
He is the Most High who, to this day, blesses.
The Holy Spirit comes to the souls who
Through the blood of Jesus have been forgiven, and
Lets them bless in the name Y'shua.
The men of the Spirit are those received
The blessing in the name Y'shua to possess the kingdom of heaven(Jn 1:12).
Therefore, even if they have no gold or silver
With the full measure of the blessing of Christ in their souls(Rm 15:29)
They bless whomever they meet.
Whether they are persecuted or tested(Rm 12:14; Jas 1:12)
They do not repay evil with evil, or insult with insult, but with blessing(Mt 5:10-12; 1Pe 3:9, 1Pe 4:14) for
Through the first resurrection(Rev 20:6)
In crowns of life(Jas 1:12)
They long to enter the Holy City(Rev 22:14),
The wedding banquet of the Lamb(Rev 19:9).
O Lord,
Though I have not much
I have the name Y'shua!
With this name let me boldly bless others, and
Even if I am unfairly treated
Let me never be resentful or curse,
But rather bless them sincerely. Amen.
God is He who sees(Ge 16:13).
He searches minds, hearts, words and deeds(Ps 139:1-2), and
He gives peace and life to the mind that is controlled by the Spirit(Rm 8:6).
Faith is knowing that the mind of my spirit is watched by Him and
The life of this faith is doing the work of the Spirit and having the mind of the Spirit at all times.
Man is a thinking being and, thus,
He lives by his mind.
While there are those who live for the moment following their fleshly senses,
There are those who think deeply of the meaninglessness of life(Ps 94:11; Ecc 3:20).
Then, there are Christians who think of heaven where their souls will go.
All men became burdened by
The price of sin in their spirit and curse in life(Ge 2:17, Ge 3:16-19), because
It was the result of the mind of their ancestor Adam who was
Deceived by the devil and wanted to be like God(Ge 3:4-6).
Furthermore, all but Noah and his family drowned in the great flood
As a result of the wickedness of their thoughts(Ge 6:5-7).
The commandment that Israel received from God was
For them to consider God(Ps 50:22).
By keeping the Passover, they remembered God who delivered them(Ps 78:42), and
By giving sacrifices every year in the sanctuary, they remembered their sins(He 10:3).
Thus, they remember the Lord, even in distance and
The temple was in their hearts(Ps 11:4; Jer 51:50).
The prophets warned them that
The continued disasters they faced was the fruit of their schemes(Jer 6:19),
But the Lord had in plan to give them hope and a future(Jer 29:11).
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days(Jn 2:19-20),
Because through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
He would reveal that He is the God who sees.
As such, He read evil thoughts of men(Mt 9:4, Mt 15:9):
He knew the evil thoughts of Judas who would betray Him and
The humanist thoughts of Peter who tried to oppose the thoughts of God(Mt 16:23).
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
1. Thought of the Father who sees even as He died(Jnh 2:7; Lk 23:46);
2. Judged the devil who said in his heart that he would be like God(Is 14:12-15; 1Jn 3:8); and
3. Paid the price of the sins of all souls and with His blood did a new work(Is 43:18-19; Mt 20:28).
He rose and sat on the heavenly throne.
The Holy Spirit comes to
Souls made new by the blood of Jesus and
Lets them fix their thoughts on Jesus(He 3:1):
Who He is, what He did and what He said,
Also His name, His kingdom, His body the church and the souls given to them etc.
The man of the Spirit knows that
He has citizenship in heaven(Php 3:20).
His mind is not on earthly or fleshly things(Rm 8:6; Php 3:19; Col 3:2).
Rather, he has his heart set on things above, spiritual things(Rm 8:5; Col 3:1).
Therefore, he repents quickly for humanist and evil thoughts(Jn 13:2; Rev 2:5),
Overcomes evil thoughts by the word of God(Mt 4:3-4), and
Takes captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ(2Co 10:5), for
When the Savior from heaven Jesus returns
He longs to have his lowly body be transformed to be a glorious body and
Enter heaven(Php 3:20-21).
O Lord,
Every minute of the day,
Whether we are suffering, lonely, sad or unfairly treated¦
Let us all fix our thoughts on Jesus alone and
Set our hearts on heaven.
Let there be peace!
And when You appear from there
Let us have the fruit of our spiritual mind and
See You face to face!
Amen.
God is the Lord of grace(2Ch 30:9).
He is seated on the throne of grace(He 4:16) and
To those who know grace He pours out even greater grace.
Faith is becoming His servant by grace, and
The life of this faith is about, though one is unworthy, submitting to Him and never leaving His sight until the end.
A lord or king has
The power to give or take away life.
Thus, those who have become his servants receive any command as grace for
They consider as grace the fact they can serve him closely.
The Christian view of all things(Rm 1:20) is that
They are not "nature but creation for
God commanded, "Let there be, and
All things were subjected to Him who subjected them(Rm 8:20).
Adam, however, submitted to the words of the devil and sinned.
Consequently, all men became his slaves(He 2:15; 2Pe 2:19).
After the Israelites, the chosen people of God, were
Delivered from the slavery under the Pharaoh and went into the desert,
They received the Law, the commandments, the spirit of slave(Is 10:1; Rm 8:15), and
Became bound under the Law(Rm 7:1-2).
While the tablets inside the testimony of the sanctuary were
Reminders of the fear they had of God,
The mercy seat above the testimony represented God's grace(Ex 25:17).
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days(Jn 2:19), because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
He would give His life and serve(Mt 20:28) for
He is the holy servant of God(Ac 3:13, Ac 4:27),
The incarnate Word(Jn 1:1-3, Jn 1:14),
The very nature God, who made Himself nothing and took the very nature of a servant(Php 2:6-8).
As He died, He said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
1. Willingly laid down His life and made Himself subjected to the Father's command and became obedient to the point of death(Jn 10:17-18; Php 2:6-8);
2. Condemned the one who challenged the throne of the Lord(Is 14:12-15); and
3. With His blood redeemed all sins of men and set them free from the slavery of the devil(Mt 20:28; He 2:15).
By the this, the Father was glorified and
He set the Son free from His chains(Ps 116:16; Ac 2:24) and
Seated Him on the heavenly throne of grace,
Giving Him the name above all names(Php 2:9-11).
The Holy Spirit comes to those who
Received the name Jesus and
Confessed that Jesus is Lord, and
Lets them know that they have been forgiven of their sins and set free from the chains.
The men of the Spirit are those who,
Because they love the Lord surrender their freedom and
Willingly become His servants(Ex 21:6; Dt 15:17).
Therefore, they consider all things,
Being called or sent, living or dying, as grace(Gal 1:15; 1Co 1:26) and
Serve without expecting any praise or reward as
They are just unworthy servants(Lk 17:10) for
It is their hope to
One day see the One on the throne and serve Him forever(Rev 7:15, Rev 22:3-4).
O Lord,
For we are insignificant beings,
We find it grace to be living closely to You by Your commands.
Use this unprofitable servant until the end! Amen.
God is self-existent(Ex 3:14).
Through Him, by Him and for Him all things were made.
God lets those who live by His grace live and
Lets those who put effort by His grace do things(Mt 25:29).
Faith is knowing all that one is as grace, and
The life of this faith is working hard so that grace may not be without effect.
When things go well, people credit themselves,
While when things do not go well, they blame others.
Those who are satisfied by themselves are proud,
While those who complain and blame others, their luck and even gods fall into despair.
This is the tendency of the sin that
Adam, the ancestor of all men, committed(Ge 3:4-6), for which
He blamed his wife and God(Ge 3:12-13).
Nevertheless, God warned of the judgment against the devil, the origin of sin,
Of the coming of the offspring of the woman(Ge 3:15).
The people of Israel are the chosen people of God.
Thus, He let them know that
God alone is self-existent(Ex 3:14) while men are not.
By grace, He sent Moses and struck Israel with many plagues,
After which Israel took the plunders of the Egyptian as they left(Ex 3:20-21).
After they survived the sword,
The Israelites found favor in the desert(Jer 31:2), as
It was a place where man can live
Not on his own but only by the grace of God(Dt 8:14-16).
The sanctuary(the golden vase and the mercy seat) reminded
For generations that, by the grace of God
They were delivered from the slavery of 400 years and
Survived 40 years in the desert.
On the other hand, the Law made them realize that
Man cannot wash away his sins on his own(Jer 2:22), that
Man cannot know God on his own, and
Let them despise themselves and repent(Job 42:2-6).
Misunderstanding the function of the Law(Rm 3:19), however,
The Pharisees amended regulations to the Law of Moses and
Led a self-righteousness movement(Lk 16:15).
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days, because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body(Jn 2:19-20),
He would let men live through Him for
He is before Abraham was born(Jn 8:56),
The Only Begotten Son whom the Father sent(Jn 7:28).
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
1. Fulfilled the Father's will that sent Him and commended His soul to Him(Jn 10:18);
2. Judged the devil who left his proper domain on his won(Is 14:12-15; Jude 1:6); and
3. With His blood redeemed all men and let them live by His grace(Eph 1:7).
The Father raised Him from the dead(Ac 3:15) and
Seated Him on the heavenly throne of grace -
He is the Lamb(Rev 22:3).
The Spirit of grace whom He sent(Ac 2:33; He 10:28) is
The gift of God given to those who want to believe and live(Ac 2:38), and
Lets them understand what God has freely given them(2Co 2:12).
The man of the Spirit is he who
Knows all things - becoming righteous, child of God, having faith and duties in the church,
Overcoming, receiving answers to prayer, having power etc - all that he is
As the grace of the Lord.
Therefore, he neither boasts about the things that he has,
Nor falls into despair because of his circumstances, for
God lets those who want to live by His grace live and
Lets those who put effort by His grace do things(Mt 25:29).
O Lord,
Without grace, I am the wretch of all wretches,
Without grace, I am the weakest, the most unable!
Let us all pray, preach and give devotion
By the grace of God.
Amen.
Our God is in heaven(Ps 123:1).
He is not limited by time, space or power, and
He has infinite joy, gladness, glory and happiness.
While people in the world seek false happiness through alcohol, drugs etc,
The religious promotes self-denial and asceticism to reach the state of selflessness.
All their efforts, however, lead to bewilderment, destruction and meaninglessness.
Faith is longing for the heavenly God and the heaven where He is.
The life of this faith is about selling all of one's possessions and investing in heaven(Mt 13:44).
Jehovah's Witnesses wait for the advent of earthly paradise and
The liberal Christian theology fights for the restoration of earthly paradise,
Both treating the kingdom of heaven figuratively.
The Bible, however, differentiates three heavens(2Ch 2:6; 2Co 12:2):
1. The heaven of the atmosphere(Ge 1:8);
2. The heaven of the universe(2Pe 3:7); and
3. The spiritual heaven that God created for the Son(He 1:2).
The latter is the heaven where
The most glorious and joyful feast takes places forever(Rev 21:1, Rev10-26).
Deceived by the devil who was cast out from heaven(Is 14:12-15),
Adam, the ancestor of men, sinned, and was
Banished from the Garden of Eden, the paradise-on-earth(Ge 3:4-6, Ge 3:24).
Subsequently, all mankind struggled with the price of sin.
Presenting this spiritual state was
The slavery of Israel in Egypt, which was hell-on-earth
But God sent Moses and brought them out(Ex 3:7-10) to
The land which He promised to their father, Abraham, where
Milk and honey flowed “ the land of Canaan(Ge 12:7; Ex 2:24).
And the sanctuary reminded them of this.
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days(Jn 2:19-20), because
He was going to give not a land that will be burned up later but
Heaven to all souls for
He came as the Kingdom of heaven to judge the prince of the world(Mt 3:1; Jn 12:31).
In spite of this, the Jews who were only interested in the restoration of Israel, thus,
When Jesus disappointed them, they put Him to death.
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
1. Sprinkled His blood and received heaven, fulfilling the Father's will(Jn 10:17-18; He 9:21-24);
2. Judged the devil, the prince of the world(Jn 12:31; 1Jn 3:8); and
3. Redeemed all men, who were slaves of the devil, and made them the people of the kingdom of heaven(1Pe 1:18-19).
Jesus rose and ascended to heaven, and
Sat on the heavenly throne(Mk 16:19).
The Holy Spirit whom He sent comes to
To the souls who have become children of God through the blood of Jesus and
To the church(Ac 2:1-4) “ the kingdom of God on earth(Mk 9:1).
In His church that holds the keys of the kingdom of heaven(Mt 16:18-19),
Christians surpass the limits of time, space and power
Through worship, praise and the word, and
Discover joy, gladness, peace, glory and happiness(Mt 13:44).
Therefore, they sell all of their precious possessions and
Buy the kingdom of heaven “ and
Even become eunuchs for its sake(Mt 19:12).
O Lord,
Through worship, praise and the word,
Let us surpass the world and taste heaven.
Let us sow our earthly treasures for the kingdom of heaven and
Go out to the world and preach the gospel of the kingdom of heaven!
Amen.
God is love(1Jn 4:8).
He redeems souls with His blood(1Pe 1:17-18),
Saves souls born of His blood, and
Takes them to the kingdom of the Son He loves(Col 1:13).
Faith is loving the souls bought by His blood and
The life of this faith is keeping my soul in God's love and snatching souls from the fire to save them.
Love is the core of all religions, philosophies, morals, ethics etc.
Though the love of mankind that pursues
To eradicate sickness, achieve ecological preservation, freedom, civil rights etc, is
Praised as the most noble kind of love,
It is very rarely achieved.
Yet there are those, such as firefighters, who
Daily throw themselves into the fire and rescue others,
Carrying out love with their bodies.
The Bible is the story of God sending
His Only Begotten Son to save mankind
From the universe that will become hell, the lake of fire(Mt 25:41; 2Pe 3:7-13), and
Move them into the spiritual heaven, since
Adam, the living being made of both flesh and spirit(Ge 2:7), was
Deceived by the devil and sinned(Ge 2:17, Ge 3:4-6), because of which
All men had to pay the price of sin, the second death(Jn 5:29; Rev 20:14-15).
While the Law, which the Israelites received,
Revealed sin and put them under death(Rm 7:9-13),
It also commanded sin offering, where
The atoning sacrifice died and sinners lived by the sprinkling of blood(Lev 4:13-20).
The tablets inside the Ark and the atonement cover of
The sanctuary reminded them of this.
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days, because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body(Jn 2:19-21),
He would save souls from the eternal fire of hell(Mt 25:41; Mk 9:43-48) by
Becoming a ransom for them(Mt 20:28), for
He is the Word, the Spirit, God in the beginning(Jn 1:1, Jn 1:14) who
Came as the last Adam(1Co 15:44-48).
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
1. Revealed the love of the Father that gave His Only Begotten Son(Mt 27:46; 1Jn 4:10);
2. Judged the origin of sin, the devil(1Jn 3:8); and
3. Redeemed all men through His blood so they might receive the forgiveness of sin(Eph 1:7).
The Father raised Him in three days and
Brought Him into the kingdom of the Son He loves(Col 1:13).
The Holy Spirit lets Christians know
The love of God that redeemed their souls through the precious blood and
Gave birth to them as children through birth pains(Rm 5:5), and thus
The value of their souls.
The man of the Spirit
Loves his soul more than anything in the world and
Never does anything to harm his soul.
He keeps his soul in God's love(Jude 1:21), and
Puts every effort to snatch other souls from the fire and save them, for
He can neither go to hell
Nor see anyone else go to hell.
O Lord,
Awaken our souls and
Give us the heart to save souls so that
We can all escape this burning universe! Amen.
God is strong and mighty(Ps 24:8; Rev 18:8).
For He is strong, none can oppose Him.
With His mighty hand, He protects those whom He loves(Ex 32:11).
Faith is confessing one's weakness and trusting Him(Ps 39:4).
The life of this faith is receiving great power and overcoming any obstacle.
Fatalism or predetermination is unchristian because
Faith is not giving up before one's fate but instead overturning it:
Such as Jacob, who was born the younger of the two,
But gained birthright(Ge 25:33) and
Received the name Israel("struggled with God and overcame),
After wrestling with the angel(Ge 32:28).
Since angels have no flesh, they are in superior conditions than men are(He 2:16).
There is, however, no salvation for them when they sin; they receive no help.
Men, on the other hand, are weak because of the flesh,
Made a little lower than the angels(He 2:6, He 2:14-16), because of which
There is redemption for them when they sin; they can receive help.
The Israelites became the chosen people of God
Because they were the fewest of all peoples(Dt 7:6-8).
To such worms,
God gave many strong teeth to reduce hills to chaff(Is 41:14-15).
After they explored Canaan and
Saw how great and many the men there were,
All those who saw themselves as grasshoppers and
Became discouraged died in the desert(Nu 14:36-37),
While Joshua and Caleb who said they would swallow up the Canaanites
Entered the land(Nu 14:9).
In the battle against the Midianites and the Amalekites(Jdg 7:2-25),
A small number of 300 men defeated
Those who were as many as the sand on the seashore.
David, while as a young and ruddy boy achieved a great victory by
Killing the enemy, Goliath, with just a stone(1Sa 17:4-49),
Took a census of his men as a king and
Did evil in the eyes of God and consequently took a great loss(2Sa 24:15).
Nevertheless, the name Jehovah was
In the sanctuary and
Thus, it was the strength of Israel(Ps 68:35).
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days(Jn 2:19-21),
because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
He would give the name Y'shua as the strength of souls, for
He is the Word that was with the strong and mighty God in the beginning and
Came in flesh(Jn 1:1, Jn 1:14) and
Experienced the weakness of man(He 4:15-16), for which
1. He was loved by the Father(Mt 3:17); and
2. He was able to deal gently with those who were ignorant and going astray
(He 5:2).
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
1. Willingly became weak and died, confessing that the Father alone is strong
and mighty to save Him(Jn 10:17-18; He 5:7); and
2. Condemned the ruler of death and nullified his power(He 2:14); and
3. Bore the sins of men onto His body and set them free from their fate, i.e.,
death(He 2:14-15; 2Pe 2:24).
The Father raised Him and Jesus ascended the heavenly throne.
The Holy Spirit whom He sent comes
In the strong and mighty name Y'shua.
The man of the Spirit, therefore,
Never gives up before his own fate and
Never avoids his predetermination.
Whether they are tribulation, bondage, hardship, nakedness or even death,
He rather faces them head-on and overcomes them through prayers.
O Lord,
To us who are as week as worms
You gave the strong and mighty name Y'shua to overcome!
Rather than avoiding poverty,
Let us choose it.
Rather than fearing death,
Let us die!
This is the desire of worms such as we.
Amen.
God is the everlasting Father.
He is from everlasting to everlasting(Neh 9:5).
He bears children through the spirit and nurtures them forever(He 12:9).
Faith is knowing Him and resolving to walk before Him(Ps 116:9), and
The life of this faith is always being watched over by Him.
Different from orphans,
Children grow up having their parents' attention and love.
Thus, they are not upset about their supervision and interference;
Rather, they are glad and relieved about it.
Though Adam hid from God after he sinned(Ge 3:8-11),
He soon realized that he could not hide before God's eyes.
Thus, he confessed his sin, and
Received the grace of the garment of skin(Ge 3:21).
Despite the fact that he was a sinner who killed his own brother(Ge 4:8),
Cain pleaded to God for he feared
To be driven away from God's presence(Ge 4:14).
Hence, he received the promise of God's supervision, protection(Ge 4:15).
The faith of Israel(Ps121) was in God who
Neither slumbers nor sleeps, who
Protected them with the pillars of clouds by the day and the pillars of fire by the night;
They believed that God saved them from danger and watched over their coming and going.
The Temple was where
The eyes of God were open toward day and night(1Ki 8:29) for
The name of God, Jehovah, was there and
He heard their prayers there.
Despite such, Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days(Jn 2:19-21), because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
He would give the name of the Father, Yeshua, for
He is the very nature God, the Word in the beginning, who
Humbled Himself and came in flesh(Jn 1:1, Jn 1:14; Php 2:6-8) to
Stoop down to watch over men(Ps 113:6).
Hence, even when He was away from the disciples,
He watched over them, and
When they were in danger, He rescued them immediately(Mt 14:31).
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
1. Died according to the Father's plan from the beginning(Jn 10:18); and
2. Condemned the devil the origin of sin(1Jn 3:8); and
3. Through the word of truth, His blood, gave birth to souls(Jas 2:18).
The Father raised Him up and Jesus ascended to the heavenly throne, and
He is the everlasting Father of souls.
The Holy Spirit comes to those who
Received His name, Yeshua, and have become His children and temple(Jn 1:12; 1Co 3:16), and
Watches their hearts and minds(Rm 8:27; 1Co 2:10-14).
He also comes to the church and appoints ministers and leaders
To protect the flock from savage wolves(Ac 20:28-29).
The men of the Spirit are those who
Choose to walk before the eyes of God and are
Watched over by the word(He 4:12).
Therefore, whether they are thrown into
The fiery furnace or the lion's den(Da3, 6),
They cry out His name and are saved -
From the beginning of the year to it end.
O Lord,
Even on my crumbling knees
I will always walk before Your eyes in this life.
Let me never forget Your merciful and compassionate eyes on me!
Amen.
God is everlasting.
His existence and His word are everlasting, and
He rewards with eternity to those who seize their opportunity.
Faith is longing for eternity(Ecc 3:11), and
The life of this faith is seizing one's opportunity by carrying out the providence following God's
schedule(Col 1:25).
The matter of man's success and failure depends on
Whether he seizes given opportunity or not.
Farmers seize the season while athletes seize their golden opportunity.
Hence, it is critical for
He who knows that he is a soul to seize his spiritual opportunity(He 6:7).
The Bible contains the story of
Those who seized their opportunities as well as those who missed them.
Abram pleased God who came to his home and
Received a son at the age of 100(Ge 18:3-10).
Furthermore, by carrying out the providence of giving his son as a burnt offering(Ge 22:1-18),
He received the blessing of taking possession of the gates of his enemies and
Became the blessing of all nations.
Jacob seized his opportunity to buy the birthright from his brother(Ge 25:29).
Though Esau, his brother, sought the blessing with tears afterwards,
He could bring about no change of mind(He 12:10).
While all people of Israel ran from Goliath out fear,
David, the young boy, risked his life and fought against the enemy and defeated him,
Thus becoming the king's son-in-law and a king himself later(1Ki17).
After the farmer Elisha took possession of the cloak of Elijah, the man of God,
He burned up his yoke of oxen and gave the meat to the people,
Becoming a great prophet(1Ki 19:19-21).
The sanctuary reminded the Israelites of
The everlasting God who rewards those who seize their opportunity.
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days(Jn 2:19-22), because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
He would reveal the everlasting God for
He is the incarnate Word in eternity(Jn 1:1, Jn 1:14) who
Came as the Son of Man to seize the opportunity
To use the brief time in flesh(Mt 20:28; Lk 13:32-33).
While there were those who seized their opportunity with Jesus and were blessed,
Such as Zacchaeus(Lk 19:8-10), the disciples(Mt 4:18-22), and the sinful woman(Mt 26:1-12),
There were those who missed the opportunity and were cursed,
Such as Judas Iscariot, the rich young man(Mk 10:22), and the five virgins(Mt 25:1-12).
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
1. Completely used up His time in flesh, His opportunity as the Son of Man, for the Father and received the eternal reward(Jn 10:17-18; He 1:2);
2. Judged the origin of sin, the devil(1Jn 3:8); and
3. By shedding the blood of redemption gave a second chance to souls.
He rose and sat on the heavenly throne.
He is the Lamb(Rev 5:6),
The Son of Man with the marks of having had time(Lk 22:69).
The Holy Spirit comes to
The souls born again through the blood of Jesus and
Lets them become spiritual and
Discern the works of the Holy Spirit(1Co 2:13-14).
Therefore, when given an opportunity,
The man of the Spirit never misses the opportunity
To encounter Jesus,
To serve Jesus and
To give dedication to Jesus.
Moreover, he leaves everything to follow Jesus and
Gives devotion by giving all that he has to live on(Mk 12:44) because
He never wants to miss the opportunity to
Enter through the gates of heaven.
O Lord,
I am so grateful that
I met You in this brief lifetime of mine.
Let us all trade our time in flesh, talents and all that we have to live on with eternity.
Let us be spent for eternity now so that
We can spend eternity with You in that day!
Amen.
A Servant of the Gospel of His Grace
(Ac 20:24; Col 1:23)
God is good(Ps 119:68).
He does what is good and
He gives what is good(Ps 85:12).
Faith is receiving the good news that comes from God and
The life of this faith is becoming a servant of the gospel of His grace to share in its blessings(1Co 9:23).
Everyone wants to hear good news:
Patients suffering from incurable diseases want to hear about new drugs;
Nations at war want to hear about their victory;
Those on death row want to heard about a clemency etc.
The good news that all men must hear, however, is the gospel of salvation(Eph 1:13).
All creation was made by the good God and
They were good in His sight(Ge 1:4, Ge 1:10, Ge 1:12, Ge 1:18, Ge 1:21, Ge 1:25, Ge 1:31).
Though Adam ate the forbidden fruit(Ge 2:17), The fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, and sinned(Ge 3:4-6),
It was for him to also know good and evil, i.e., life and death,
Like one of the Triune God, the Son(Ge 3:22; Mk 3:3) -
Hence, it was rather a good thing.
The Law that God gave Moses comprised of
Commandments and regulations regarding worship;
It is good(Rm 7:12) for one can know that,
Once the commandment came sin sprang to life and he died(Rm 7:9),
While he could be forgiven and live by making atonement for his sins(Lev 6:7).
The sanctuary materialized this and
Reminded that God is good.
On top of the testimony where the commandment was contained was
The atonement cover where forgiveness of sin was declared(Ex 25:21; Lev 16:2).
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again, because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body(Jn 2:19-22),
He would fulfill the prophecy and
Bring good news of great joy to all souls(Is 41:27; Lk 2:10).
The gospel is the Son of God coming in flesh,
His suffering in flesh and His word(Mk 1:1, Mk 8:35; Is 53:5, Is 53:8; 1Pe 2:24).
It was received as good tidings by
The poor, the prisoners, the sick, the prostitutes and the tax collectors(Mt 4:23; Lk 4:18), who will
Enter the kingdom of heaven first(Mt 21:32).
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
1. Fulfilled the Father's good work and sent Him the good news of victory(Ge 3:22; Is 40:9; Jn 10:17-18);
2. Judged the enemy, the devil(Is 14:12-15; 1Jn 3:8); and
3. Filled souls with good things, i.e., the blood of redemption(Ps 107:9).
He rose and sat on the heavenly throne of grace prepared for Him(He 1:2), and
Became the Father's joy forever(Mt 3:17).
The Holy Spirit whom He sent comes to
Those who received good news and
Proclaims the gospel to the world.
The content of the gospel is:
1. The righteousness by faith(Gal 3:8, Gal 3:11);
2. Salvation from sin, death and hell(Rm 1:16);
3. Born-again by the imperishable seed(1Pe 1:23-25);
4. Co-heirs with Christ(Eph 3:6); and
5. The resurrection of the body(Jn 11:25; 2Ti 1:10).
A servant of the gospel(Eph 3:7) is he who
Heard the greatest news of joy of his life as grace(Ac 20:24) and
Has the eternal gospel(Rev 14:6).
Therefore, he risks his life in preaching the gospel(Ac 20:24; Rev 20:4), for
In the Law, not keeping it was woe while
In the gospel, not preaching is woe(2Ki 7:9; 1Co 9:16).
He puts every effort to become the first fruit on earth(Rev 14:6, Rev 20:5) and
Participate in the first resurrection, i.e., the blessings of the gospel(1Co 9:23), and
No muzzle will be put on his lips(1Co 9:7-14).
O Lord,
I have heard the greatest news of joy of my life!
In doing the greatest good - the work of giving life to souls(Mk 3:4) -
Let me not spare anything, even my life. Amen.
God is He who always is(Rev 4:8).
He is present everywhere(Ps 139:8), and
He is present in every moment.
Faith is acknowledging His presence, and
Faith life is returning to where one is supposed to be, even if it means death.
If a worldly man knows where he ought to be,
Whether a student, a worker or a soldier,
How much more important would it be for
My soul to be where it ought to be.
Forgetting such is misery - it is sin.
Deceived by the devil, who
Forgot his proper position and tried to be like God, and
Thus, was cast out of heaven(Is 14:12-15; Jude 1:6),
Adam sinned and was banished from the Garden(Ge 3:4-6, Ge 3:24).
Nevertheless, by responding to God's questioning of his whereabouts,
Adam was clothed in the garment of skin - a sign of future grace from God(Ge 3:21).
When God called,
The men of faith, such as Abraham and Moses,
Answered, "Here I am(Ge 22:1; Ex 3:4), for
They acknowledged God's presence, the fact that He was there.
The sanctuary where the name of the Lord God(Ex 3:13-14) was
Reminded the Israelites the presence of God,
The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob(Ex 3:6), who was
With Moses and brought them out of Egypt(Ex 3:12).
Yet, there were those who were in places that
Displeased God and thus were cursed:
Balaam who loved the wages of wickedness(Nu 22:34; 2Pe 2:15); and
Saul who went to seek a medium(1Sa 28:6-8).
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days(Jn 2:19-20), because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
He would reveal the physical presence of God, for He is
The incarnate Word who was with the Father in the beginning(Jn 1:1, Jn 1:14),
He who was and is and is to come(Rev 4:8), and
He who is before Abraham was born(Jn 8:58)
Though those who met Jesus(Mk 4:36-41; Jn 4:7-10)
Did not understand Him at the time,
They were the luckiest men in history for in their brief lifetime,
They encountered God who is present.
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
1. Willingly lowered His position and lifted the Father up(Php 2:6-8);
2. Judged the devil who left his proper position(1Jn 3:8; Jude 1:6); and
3. Redeemed the sins of men and made a way for souls to return to the position where they ought to be(Mt 20:28).
Jesus rose and sat on the heavenly throne -
His eternal dwelling place(Jn 14:2).
The Holy Spirit comes to the souls who
Received the name Y'shua and
Lets them know where they ought to be:
The church while they are alive in the flesh(Mt 18:20);
Paradise after death; and
The Father's house after resurrection.
He also lets them repent for being with the worldly(Rev 2:12-16).
The men of the Spirit,
Therefore, participate in all gatherings, such as
The Lord's Day worship and home-group meetings,
Even if they are persecuted, they preach the gospel for
Where the name Y'shua is the presence of God,
Where their souls ought to be.
They hope to be taken up when the Lord returns and
Dwell in His presence forever(Jn 14:3).
O Lord,
Let us return to our first love, first zeal and first passion!
Let us kneel in the Garden of Gethsemane and
Preach even if we are called "Jesus freaks, because
That is where our souls ought to be, where our souls belong!
Amen.
Knowing Grace
(1Co 2:12)
God is the God of grace(Ps 103:8; 1Pe 5:10).
He wants to be gracious to all(Jer 32:18; Mt 5:45), and
He freely gives the best(Mt 7:11).
Faith is knowing what grace and its value are, and
The life of this faith is considering eternal life given by grace to be more precious than breath(Mt 16:24).
Grace refers to God's gift, what He freely gave.
While some treat it as unimportant, thus, easily forget about it,
Others, when tempted, easily toss it away.
The difference between receiving grace or not is
That between heaven and hell;
The difference between knowing grace or not is
That between heaven and earth.
It is, therefore, important to examine whether one truly knows grace or not.
Because God wants all men to receive grace,
He gave in stages:
1. All things - to whomever - for breath(Rm 1:19);
2. The Only Begotten Son - to believers - to give eternal life(Jn 3:16).
Deceived by the devil,
Adam sinned(Ge 2:17, Ge 3:4-6), because of which
The flesh of all men would return to dust after their death(Ge 3:19),
While the spirit would be thrown into the second death, the eternal death(Rev 20:14).
The men who found favor in God's eyes in the Old Testament were:
Noah and his family who were saved from the flood(Ge 6:18-19); and
Lot and his family who were saved from the destruction of Sodom(Ge 19:19).
For they found favor in God's eyes,
The Israelites put the blood of the Passover lamb around the door frames(Ex 12:7-13) and
God delivered them from death that reached the entire land of Egypt.
The commandment that God gave them after their exodus
Promised them longevity in the land that God gave them(Ex 20:12).
The mercyseat(the atonement cover) inside the sanctuary(Ex 25:10) and
The golden vase of manna that reminded them of God's grace in the desert(Jer 31:2)
All reminded them of the God of the life of the flesh(Nu 16:22) and
The fact that there is life in the blood(Lev 17:11).
Thus, sacrifices were always present in the Temple of Jerusalem.
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days(Jn 2:19-20),
Because through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
He would give not longevity of the flesh but
Eternal life to the spirit for
He is the Son of God who brought life inside His flesh(Jn 5:24-26),
The bread of life that God graciously gave(Jn 6:33-35).
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
1. Laid down His life for the heavenly throne that God wanted to give Him(Jn 10:17; He 1:2);
2. Judged the devil, the ungrateful Satan(Is 14:12-15; Eze 28:12-17); and
3. Absorbed the price of Adam's sin, eternal death, into His body for three days, and sprinkled His blood on all men to give grace to them(He 2:9).
He rose and ascended to heaven, and
Sat on the throne of grace(He 4:16).
The Holy Spirit lets believers know
What God has freely given them(1Co 2:12):
Before the universe was made,
Before man was made,
Before Adam sinned,
Before the creation,
God decided to make men, not angel,
The objects of His favor(He 2:14-16).
Those who know the grace of God
Not only by knowledge or experience,
But by the Holy Spirit
Consider the Only Begotten Son, the death of Jesus, the blood of Jesus,
As grace, as the best, the most precious, the costliest gift.
Therefore, they never lose His grace,
Even if it means losing their breath.
O Lord,
I can lose my family, my possessions...even my breath.
But I can never lose Your precious blood that You gave tearing Your flesh!
I have truly received grace.
Let all You have given me also know this grace!
Amen.
God is Spirit(Jn 4:24).
He makes relationship through the Spirit(Jas 1:18; 1Co 12:3), and
He works through the Spirit(1Co 12:6).
Faith is acknowledging Him and receiving the Spirit of God.
The life of this faith is sustaining the fullness of the Spirit until the last breath of one's flesh(Eph 5:18).
God has the attribute of filling up all things:
After God created the spiritual heaven, He filled it with angels(Rev 5:11);
After He created the universe, He filled it with all things(Eph 1:23); and
After He made the flesh of man with dust,
He filled it with the breath of life and the man became a living being(Ge 2:7), In order for God to fill it with the Holy Spirit(Jn 20:22).
Deceived by the devil,
Adam sinned, however, and
Sin and death entered the spirits of all men.
The Israelites were chosen as the people of God(Dt 7:6, Dt 14:2) and
God led them by His spirits(1Sa 16:15):
"The Spirit of God(Ge 1:2; Nu 24:2);
"The Spirit of the Lord(Jdg 15:14);
"The angel of the Lord(Ex 3:2);
"The Holy Spirit(Ps 51:11; Lk 1:15, Lk 1:41, Lk 1:67).
These all refer to angels(Ac 7:35, 53) and
They did not enter the spirit of man
But rather came upon them briefly(Lk 2:25-27).
The tablets inside the ark of the sanctuary
Reminded them of their special relationship with God.
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days(Jn 2:19-21),
Because through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
He would make an eternal relationship with souls.
Though His flesh is the incarnate Word(Jn 1:1),
The Spirit of Christ(Rm 8:9), the Spirit of the Sonship(Rm 8:15),
When He came in flesh He received the Holy Spirit(Mt 3:16), after which He began His public life.
Filled with the Holy Spirit,
Jesus was led to the desert and defeated the devil(Mt 4:1; Mk 1:12),
Drove out demons(Mt 12:28), taught disciples(Ac 1:1-2) and
He was always full of joy(Lk 10:21).
The Holy Spirit promised by Jesus for believers(Jn 7:38-39)
Enters the spirit(Jn 14:17), never leaves(Jn 14:16) and
Works without limit like a river of life(Jn 3:34).
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
1. Emptied Himself completely and fulfilled the Father's will(Jn 10:17-18);
2. Condemned the devil who separated men from God(Ge 3:4); and
3. With His blood redeemed souls(Mt 20:28).
In three days, Jesus was raised from the dead by the Holy Spirit(Rm 8:11), and
He commanded, "Receive the Holy Spirit(Jn 20:22; Ac 1:4).
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, the Spirit truth, the Counselor(Rm 8:9; Jn 15:26), who
Comes to only believers to have relationship with them(Jn 14:17), and
Lets them be filled with Him.
Being filled with the Holy Spirit refers to
Being filled with the person of God, with His attributes - i.e., to be like Jesus,
To be changed.
The men filled with the Holy Spirit
Put every effort to sustain the fullness of the Spirit.
Therefore, they do not:
Put out the fire of the Holy Spirit(1Th 5:19),
Disobey the Holy Spirit(Mt 12:32; Gal 5:17) or
Let the Holy Spirit grieve(Is 63:10).
Instead, they sing praises(Eph 5:18-21), always gives thanks and
Fear God and His word(Jn 12:48).
Without ceasing they boldly testify Jesus(Ac 4:8, Ac 4:30, Ac 6:5, Ac 9:17)
Until they are harvested as the firstfruit of the Holy Spirit(Rm 8:23)
On the day the Lord returns.
O Lord,
There is only one thing we must do -
To be filled with the Holy Spirit!
Let us give off the fragrance of Jesus!
Amen.
God is love(1Jn 4:8).
To love, He made soul(Ge 2:7),
For the souls He loves, He prepared heaven(Jn 14:2) and
To save the souls He loves, He sent His Son(Jn 3:16).
Faith is knowing the value of one's soul and
The life of this faith is loving one's soul and also loving others' souls.
During the six days of creation,
By His word, God made all things according to their kinds.
While God keeps them until
He burns them all up by the same word(2Pe 3:7-10),
He wants to preserve souls eternally and give life to them,
For they were made for Him to love.
In spite of that, Adam was deceived and sinned.
As a result, he was banished from the Garden and
God placed a flaming sword around it(Ge 3:24) to Demonstrate the reality of all men - i.e., they became runaway, lost souls.
God gave the Law to the Israelites and
Increased their suffering(Is 38:17) so that,
Before they are thrown into the eternal destruction following the devil(Mt 25:41),
They could be caught and torn by thorn bushes(Hos 2:5-8) and
Finally return to God(He 2:5-8).
The sanctuary was a reminder for them
To return to God.
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again(Jn 2:19), because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
He would show the Father's love for all souls(Jn 3:16; 1Jn 4:8-9) for
He is the Only Begotten Son, the incarnate Word(Jn 1:1, Jn 1:14), and
He came as the Son of Man to
Seek and save what was lost(Lk 19:10).
When He died, He wore a crown of thrones(Mt 27:29) and
His flesh was caught and torn by the nails and the spear(Jn 19:18, Jn 19:34).
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
1. Fulfilled the Father's love and was amazed by it(Mt 27:28; 1Jn 4:10);
2. Condemned the origin of sin(1Jn 3:8); and
3. With His blood redeemed men and fulfilled the requirement of the Law, opening a way for lost souls to return to the Father(He 10:19-20)
Jesus resurrected and
Ascended to the Father's house.
The Holy spirit came to
Whoever knows that they are souls and
Receives the precious blood of Jesus(Jn 3:16; 1Pe 1:18-19), and
He lets them know deep things of God and of their souls(1Co 2:10-11).
The man of the Spirit is he who
Knows that he is a soul loved and, thus,
Cherishes, prioritizes and loves his own soul, and
Overcomes all things(Rm 8:31-39).
He also see not men or their appearances but souls and
Loves them all(Mt 5:44).
Therefore, he willingly chooses
To worship, serve, dedicate, preach and even be martyred -
Until he returns to the Father's house.
O Lord,
If even a wicked father loves his own son,
How much more for the love of God who gave
The Only Begotten Son and traded Him with my soul!
I am amazed and amazed.
How precious is my soul - my beloved soul!
Let me live only for my soul. Amen.
God is true(Rm 3:7).
There is neither falsehood nor change in God(He 6:17-18; Jas 1:17),
Thus, He cannot be tempted by anyone nor does He tempt anyone(Ac 5:3; Jas 1:13).
Faith is acknowledging Him and
The life of this faith is repenting and putting effort to never be deceived and never deceive.
While religions promote living truthfully and emulating a role model,
The role model himself does not know where he comes from and where he is going.
Hence, putting effort to emulate such and teaching itself is all being deceived and deceiving others.
The Bible says that, because of sin all men are destined to be destroyed.
The beginning of sin is being deceived and
The attribute of a sinner is also being deceived:
In heaven, the archangel Lucifer deceived himself and sinned, because of which he was thrown down to the earth(Is 14:12-15);
On earth, he deceived Eve to sin(Ge 3:4); and
Eve deceived Adam to disobey(Ge 3:6).
God gave the Israelites the commandment, which Warned them that there is no other true god but the Lord God,
Thus, they were to not be deceived(Ex 3:3; Lev 19:11, Lev 25:14).
Consequently, those who were deceived were surely punished.
And the tablets inside the ark of testimony reminded this.
Though they put effort to keep the commandment and
Gave sacrifices for their sins, however,
They still had sin in their spirit for these were all shadows of the true things to come(He 10:1).
Hence, they were being deceived.
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days(Jn 2:19),
Because through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
He would judge the false and reveal that He is the true God(Jn 12:31) and that
His testimony is true and that He cannot lie for
He knows where He comes from and where He is going(Jn 8:14):
He came out of the bosom of the true Father(Jn 1:14);
He came to die(Mt 16:21); and
He was going to resurrect in three days(Mt 16:21).
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
Laid down His life according to the Father's true word(Jn 10:17-18);
Judged the father of lies, the origin of sin(Jn 8:44, Jn 12:31; 1Jn 3:8); and
With His blood redeemed the sins of men and set them free from the false teacher(Mt 20:28; He 2:15).
He rose, just as He said He would(Jn 11:25), and
Testified that His words are true and that He is the truth.
The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, comes to
The souls who received the blood of Jesus and
Fills up those who repent(Ac 2:37-42).
Repentance is for being deceived:
For disobedience(Tit 3:3);
For hating - not forgiving(Tit 3:3);
For following the counsel of the wicked - the fleshly man, the hopeless man(Ps 1:1; 1Co 15:33);
For deceiving oneself - hearing but not doing(Jas 1:22-23);
For being proud - considering oneself to be something(Gal 6:3); and
For not keeping a tight rein on one's tongue - false holiness(Jas 1:26, Jas 3:5-6).
The man of the Spirit knows that
He has been deceived and deceiving and
He is cut to the heart and repents truthfully.
Thus, filled with the Spirit
He puts every effort to only speak the true words, the truth, the gospel.
O Lord,
We thought it was our thoughts, our hearts but
We deceived our loved ones and we deceived ourselves!
Let us be filled with the Spirit and
Never be deceived and never deceive again!
Amen.
Our God is the one God(Dt 6:4).
His glory, authority, power and will are one and
He is one Lord to all(Rm 10:12).
While religions name and serve many gods and lords in the world(1Co 8:5),
Faith is knowing that there is only one God(1Co 8:4) and
The life of this faith is putting effort to become one with God.
Though there were many spirits during the creation(Mal 2:15),
God breathed the breath of life into only one man and made him a living being(Ge 2:7) for
The one God planned to have relationship with all-in-one.
Until the end of the flood(Ge 11:1-9),
There was only one language in the world, because of which
The hearts of sinners were unified as one and built a city and a tower,
Opposing God's dispensation of dispersion.
Thus, God confused their language and scattered them.
It was predestined that, when the times reach their fulfillment(Eph 1:9-10),
All things in heaven and earth would be brought together in Christ.
God gave the Law to the Israelites and
Instilled in them the faith in the one God(Dt 6:4) and
They did not tolerate anyone who served any other gods.
The tablets inside the ark of the sanctuary
Reminded them this.
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days, because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body(Jn 2:19-21),
He would unify all things for
He is the incarnate Word with the Father in the beginning(Jn 1:1, Jn 1:14, Jn 1:18),
The very nature God(Php 2:6),
One(equal) with God(Jn 10:30).
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
Fulfilled the Father's plan from the beginning to unify all things and finally became one with the Father(Jn 10:17-18; Php 2:6-9);
Condemned the divider(1Jn 3:8); and
Tore His flesh and shed His blood, becoming one mediator between God and men(1Ti 2:5), so they be one with God.
He rose and ascended to the heavenly throne and
Became one Lord(Head)(Lk 24:51),
Bringing all things in heaven and on earth together under Him(Eph 1:9-10).
The Holy Spirit came in the name Y'shua and
Built the body of Christ, the church on earth where
The souls born of His blood can enter through baptism(Rm 6:3-5).
And He governs the church(Ac 20:28; Eph 1:21-22).
The church is the body of Christ, made of many parts(1Co 12:12-31),
The gathering of those who have different thinking, knowledge, experiences etc.
The men of the Spirit are those who
Know that they are members of His body(Eph 4:4-6).
Therefore, they edify the body of Christ(Eph 4:11-13) and
Become one in one faith, one hope through one Spirit(Eph 4:14-16),
Putting every effort to serve one Lord, one church on earth
So that they would become one with the groom Christ when He returns.
O Lord,
Through the Holy Spirit
Let our family become one and
Let our church become one! Amen.
God does not change(Jas 1:17).
His essence never changes(Mal 3:16).
His word never changes(Is 40:8; 1Pe 1:24-25), and
His glory never changes(Ps 104:31).
Faith is acknowledging Him and putting effort to be transformed by Him.
The life of this faith is totally transforming, as a caterpillar does and becomes a butterfly(Rm 12:2).
While the world and its civilization are all changing quickly,
There are things that never change:
Man's life, aging, illness and death, that is,
Returning to dust(Ge 3:19), and
Every inclination of man's thoughts being only evil all the time(Ge 6:5), and
This is all according to the word of God.
Deceived by the devil, Adam sinned and
All men became slaves of the devil, bound for hell with him(Mt 25:41; 2Pe 2:19).
After God sent Moses and
Delivered the Israelites out of their slavery of 430 years in Egypt:
They became God's people(Ex 6:7);
They received the Law;
A people without land was born(Eze 44:28)
Their status changed(servants of the pharaoh --> servants of God)(1Co 10:1-2);
Their action changed(serving the pharaoh --> servant the Lord God);
Their pride was in knowing the name of God, circumcision, the temple etc;
Their belonging changed(Egypt --> a kingdom of priests, a holy nation)(Ex 19:6); and
Their goal was to possess the Promised Land.
The tablets inside the ark
Reminded them of such transformation.
Jesus said, "Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days(Jn 2:19), because
Through the death and the resurrection of the temple of His body,
He would reveal that He is the unchanging God for
He is the very nature God(Php 2:6),
The incarnate Word from the beginning, the glory of the Only Begotten Son(Jn 1:1, Jn 1:14).
As He died, Jesus said, "It is finished(Jn 19:30), declaring that He:
Died according to the Father's word and testified that the Father alone is unchanging(Ge 2:17; Jn 10:17-18);
Condemned the corrupted angel(Is 14:12-15; 1Jn 3:8); and
With His blood redeemed those who by nature were objects of wrath so they could be transformed(Eph 2:3).
The resurrection of Jesus is the proof that
He is the God who is alive forever, who does not change or decay(Lk 24:39; Ac 13:37; Rev 1:18).
The Holy Spirit whom He sent
Comes to those whose souls have been transformed by the blood of Jesus and
Lets them continually be transformed.
Transformation occurs in two stages:
Born-again - one-time change - the change in essence - "changed - by the blood of Christ;
Sanctification - continuous change - physical change - "changing - by the word of Christ.
Paul's transformation is an excellent example:
Self-righteous --> sinner(Php 3:5-6);
Sinner --> justified(Rm 3:24);
Born-again --> his essence was changed(Jn 3:5);
His status changed(a persecutor of the gospel --> a witness of Jesus)(Ac 9:1-2, Ac 9:22);
His actions changed(a persecutor --> the persecuted)(2Co 4:8);
Pride changed(he was proud --> he became humble)(Php 1:20; 1Co 15:8);
His belonging changed(a descendent of Israel --> a citizen of heaven)(Php 3:5, Php 3:20);
The goal of his life changed(decaying glory --> resurrection)(Rm 8:21; Php 3:11).
The man of the Spirit,
Considers all he thought was gain as rubbish and
Presses on towards the goal of resurrection,
In order to be lifted up when the Lord Jesus returns to the air(Php 3:20-21; 1Th 4:15),
O Lord,
Though we are
By nature children of the devil and
By character less than a worm,
You give us a chance to be transformed - thank You!
We all want to fly away like butterflies when You return so
Help us be transformed. Amen.