I think everyone has their ideas on the Trinity and how it works, so here's mine. I hope you enjoy it.
Matthew 28:19
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
There are many verses in the Bible that show this concept of the Trinity. This particular verse in Matthew is a direct quote from Jesus himself. The word Trinity itself, does not appear in the Bible. It is a word that man came up with to describe the idea of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, although being three separate “beings” are yet still one in the same; three in one.
So how can God be three totally separate things and yet claim that he is one God? How can Jesus, the Son, claim to be God the Father? How can all three claim individually to have raised Jesus from the grave?
John 10:38
But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father [is] in me, and I in him.
Jesus makes this claim to be God numerous times and makes the claim to be God’s son numerous times, even under oath to the high priest.
Luke 22: 70-71
70. They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?” He replied, “You are right in saying I am.”
71. Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips.”
Ok, this is really getting confusing. Jesus himself claims to be God and also claims to be His Son. What about the Holy Spirit, will any verses help straighten out this conundrum?
John 14:26
But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you
John 15:26
But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, [even] the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
Wow, this really makes it clear. Clear as mud. If the Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity, being God, then why does the Father send Him in Jesus name? Or is it like in the second verse: Jesus sends Him from the Father? How about these verses?
John1:33
John says, And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
Luke 4:1
And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
Now we have Jesus full of the Holy Spirit because He descended on him and remained on him. It is still confusing, isn’t it?
Remember, if God is in the business of building a relationship with us then His claim of being God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, and they being all one should be something that we can relate to.
God is a relational God. I'll pick up on the next blog with this last paragraph.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Keep Your Word, Honor Your Promise
Going back to the rainbow promise in Genesis with Noah, was it not interesting to read to whom or what God made these promises? I think it was. Let me show you what I saw.
His first covenant was to mankind.
His second was to every living creature other than man.
Third, His covenant is between Him and the earth
And fourth, He made a covenant with Himself.
Why does God need to make all these covenants? I think it is because he wants to show us that he is a relational kind of God. He wants to relate to his creation, all of it, be it the land, animals or mankind. So why does he then also make a covenant with himself?
This is a very telling attribute of God to us. It shows us that he to is tempted and that he creates things to help him remember to keep his word. Like the beasts around the throne in the book of Revelations that cry out continuously, Holy, Holy, Holy and his friend Moses, who in the wilderness reminded him of his covenant with Abraham. This rainbow is also a reminder for him to keep his word, to honor his promise.
These three created reminders touch each of the God heads of God.
The rainbow is a reminder to God the Father, Elohim, the creator of the heavens and the earth.
Moses was his reminder to God the Son, Jehovah, our provider, the personal and relational side of God whom later came to earth as the Son of God, Jesus.
The four beasts and the four and twenty elders around the throne were his reminder toward God the Holy Spirit, the power of God, the Lord God Almighty.
God chose wonderful things to help him remember his promises: Nature, Gods’ gift to man and Man, Gods’ most treasured creation.
The spoken word, Gods’ most powerful weapon, used to create both nature and man and yet given freely to us so that we too can become, covenant keepers.
These are all reminders showing that we need to bring around ourselves people who can help us to be accountable for our actions and our words. They also remind us to live each day unto the Lord, forsaking our sins and judge ourselves being obedient to our faith, in doing so we choose the mightiest of our weapons, Gods’ saving Grace.
His first covenant was to mankind.
His second was to every living creature other than man.
Third, His covenant is between Him and the earth
And fourth, He made a covenant with Himself.
Why does God need to make all these covenants? I think it is because he wants to show us that he is a relational kind of God. He wants to relate to his creation, all of it, be it the land, animals or mankind. So why does he then also make a covenant with himself?
This is a very telling attribute of God to us. It shows us that he to is tempted and that he creates things to help him remember to keep his word. Like the beasts around the throne in the book of Revelations that cry out continuously, Holy, Holy, Holy and his friend Moses, who in the wilderness reminded him of his covenant with Abraham. This rainbow is also a reminder for him to keep his word, to honor his promise.
These three created reminders touch each of the God heads of God.
The rainbow is a reminder to God the Father, Elohim, the creator of the heavens and the earth.
Moses was his reminder to God the Son, Jehovah, our provider, the personal and relational side of God whom later came to earth as the Son of God, Jesus.
The four beasts and the four and twenty elders around the throne were his reminder toward God the Holy Spirit, the power of God, the Lord God Almighty.
God chose wonderful things to help him remember his promises: Nature, Gods’ gift to man and Man, Gods’ most treasured creation.
The spoken word, Gods’ most powerful weapon, used to create both nature and man and yet given freely to us so that we too can become, covenant keepers.
These are all reminders showing that we need to bring around ourselves people who can help us to be accountable for our actions and our words. They also remind us to live each day unto the Lord, forsaking our sins and judge ourselves being obedient to our faith, in doing so we choose the mightiest of our weapons, Gods’ saving Grace.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Glory is What Holy Looks Like
In upcomming blogs I want to show things of this world that help us to relate to the relational aspects of God, but in this instance we have a thing of this world that not only gives us an aspect of God, but also helps us to relate to each other. The rainbow. God uses the rainbow to express his glory, his radiance, the brightness that surrounds him. His glory is the expression of his ability to keep his word, a promise kept, it is this that shines so brilliantly about him. Often times his glory is manifest as a bright light that drives men to their knees but here we have a few instances where we see it as a beautiful rainbow.
Ezekiel 1:25-28
25. Then there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads as they stood with lowered wings.
26. Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man.
27. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him.
28. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.
Revelation 4:2-3
2. At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.
3. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne.
Revelation 10:1
Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars.
The rainbow is often times seen directly after a storm. It reassures us that Gods’ promise is true, that even though the storm may have been bad it cannot and will not destroy the whole earth. We are also comforted in knowing people who through difficult situations remain true to their word. Their actions are a rainbow in a stormy world. Do others see that in you?
Ezekiel 1:25-28
25. Then there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads as they stood with lowered wings.
26. Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man.
27. I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him.
28. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking.
Revelation 4:2-3
2. At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it.
3. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne.
Revelation 10:1
Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars.
The rainbow is often times seen directly after a storm. It reassures us that Gods’ promise is true, that even though the storm may have been bad it cannot and will not destroy the whole earth. We are also comforted in knowing people who through difficult situations remain true to their word. Their actions are a rainbow in a stormy world. Do others see that in you?
Sunday, July 25, 2010
A Covenant for Four
Did you notice to whom the covenant was with? Four different things. The number four in the Bible is an all encompassing number, like North, South, East and West, the four corners of the earth. God’s covenant was
First, to mankind.
8. And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
9. And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;
Secondly it was to every living creature other than man.
10. And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.
11. And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
12. And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
Third, His covenant is between Him and the earth
13. I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
14. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
Fourth, He made a covenant with Himself.
15. And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
16. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
17. And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.
The rainbow is the first sign that we have from God that proves his ability to keep his word and being true to his word, God has never destroyed the earth again by a flood. This ability of his to keep his word is what makes God, God. He chooses to create a covenant with us and he chooses to keep it no matter what. This ability to keep his word is what makes him Holy and as we are about to see, glory is what Holy looks like.
First, to mankind.
8. And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
9. And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;
Secondly it was to every living creature other than man.
10. And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.
11. And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
12. And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
Third, His covenant is between Him and the earth
13. I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
14. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
Fourth, He made a covenant with Himself.
15. And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
16. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
17. And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.
The rainbow is the first sign that we have from God that proves his ability to keep his word and being true to his word, God has never destroyed the earth again by a flood. This ability of his to keep his word is what makes God, God. He chooses to create a covenant with us and he chooses to keep it no matter what. This ability to keep his word is what makes him Holy and as we are about to see, glory is what Holy looks like.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
The Glory of a Rainbow
The Glory of a Rainbow
I think this one is really neat. I am so impressed by God and the expressions he uses to relate himself to us. This one, to me, is like when you see someone and the smile on their face and in their eyes tells you at once that they are a genuine person, warm and kind.
God’s glory is like that. It speaks volumes of who he is at a single glance. It is the unmistakable reassurance that we can trust Him. To see his Glory unfold we get to start back in the book of Genesis.
Geneses 8:18-22
18. And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him:
19. Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark.
20. And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
21. And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
22. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
Geneses 9:8-17
8. And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
9. And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;
10. And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.
11. And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
12. And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
13. I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
14. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
15. And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
16. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
17. And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.
Here we have the end of the story about the flood. Noah and his family have just taken their first and last cruise and God is speaking to them about the experience. Paraphrasing, “Never again”, God says, “will I bring this kind of destruction to the earth and to prove that my promise is true I will put up and shut up. With this symbolic voucher, the rainbow, I do declare that my word is my bond.”
I think this one is really neat. I am so impressed by God and the expressions he uses to relate himself to us. This one, to me, is like when you see someone and the smile on their face and in their eyes tells you at once that they are a genuine person, warm and kind.
God’s glory is like that. It speaks volumes of who he is at a single glance. It is the unmistakable reassurance that we can trust Him. To see his Glory unfold we get to start back in the book of Genesis.
Geneses 8:18-22
18. And Noah went forth, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him:
19. Every beast, every creeping thing, and every fowl, and whatsoever creepeth upon the earth, after their kinds, went forth out of the ark.
20. And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.
21. And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done.
22. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
Geneses 9:8-17
8. And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
9. And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;
10. And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.
11. And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
12. And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
13. I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
14. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
15. And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
16. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
17. And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.
Here we have the end of the story about the flood. Noah and his family have just taken their first and last cruise and God is speaking to them about the experience. Paraphrasing, “Never again”, God says, “will I bring this kind of destruction to the earth and to prove that my promise is true I will put up and shut up. With this symbolic voucher, the rainbow, I do declare that my word is my bond.”
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Faith and Blood 101:5
5: Blood self-repairs the body using coagulation.
Blood comes from the marrow of your bones, where it is produced. It has in it the ability to heal wounds through a process called coagulation using platelets in the blood to begin the process. They in turn become fibrin stands that help to dam up the wound. Collagen helps the fibrin strand stick together to form a tissue that stops the bleeding and begins the healing.
Your faith has the ability to heal. Its power does not come from an external source, it comes from deep within you. Deep down in the inner most part of the man, in the marrow of the spirit. Down in that hollow spot that longs to be filled, filled with the presence of God. This unfilled area is designed by God but it is not altogether empty, actually not empty at all. It is filled with His voice, the voice of truth, calling out to your soul to seek its maker. It is this voice of truth that produces faith. I thought you said faith comes by hearing God’s word. I did. God’s word is truth and it abides in the marrow of the spirit, put there by God when you were created, but because of sin, you are born dead to this fact. Until you tell your “self” that it is no longer in control of you and give your life to Christ, you are living only with the measure of faith that was given to you at birth.
We often try to fill this hollow spot with the things of this world and find they are powerless to heal our broken heart. They are merely a band-aid to cover a wound that never heals. Thank God for that, for it is this continuous pain that keeps us looking for a healer, probing for an answer, searching for the truth.
Only Gods truth has the power to heal, it is the very essence of our faith, which was given to us by God. God’s word is the truth, it alone has the power to heal our spirit and save our soul. Our spiritual wounds are caused by disobedience and when we ask God to forgive us, we are using our faith in his word that he will thereby release the truth of his word, to work a miracle of healing.
John 8:31-36
31. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
33. They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
34. Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
35. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
36. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
This is a big statement, one that really opened my eyes. I was like the guys in verse 33. I knew the facts and was servant to the facts but guess what? The facts do not set you free. The truth sets you free, free indeed.
We can know all about God and his word. We can be a scholar of Biblical history and understand doctrines and eschatology. We can try to shove all this down into that hollow spot within us, even these blogs with all of its explanations and yet find we are powerless to stop the bleeding. Only the truth will set us free, free from our wounds. Only the Spirit of God can reveal Gods truth that is in us, to us. The Spirit of God is brought to us through God’s word, which enters by hearing and is grasped by our faith.
Blood comes from the marrow of your bones, where it is produced. It has in it the ability to heal wounds through a process called coagulation using platelets in the blood to begin the process. They in turn become fibrin stands that help to dam up the wound. Collagen helps the fibrin strand stick together to form a tissue that stops the bleeding and begins the healing.
Your faith has the ability to heal. Its power does not come from an external source, it comes from deep within you. Deep down in the inner most part of the man, in the marrow of the spirit. Down in that hollow spot that longs to be filled, filled with the presence of God. This unfilled area is designed by God but it is not altogether empty, actually not empty at all. It is filled with His voice, the voice of truth, calling out to your soul to seek its maker. It is this voice of truth that produces faith. I thought you said faith comes by hearing God’s word. I did. God’s word is truth and it abides in the marrow of the spirit, put there by God when you were created, but because of sin, you are born dead to this fact. Until you tell your “self” that it is no longer in control of you and give your life to Christ, you are living only with the measure of faith that was given to you at birth.
We often try to fill this hollow spot with the things of this world and find they are powerless to heal our broken heart. They are merely a band-aid to cover a wound that never heals. Thank God for that, for it is this continuous pain that keeps us looking for a healer, probing for an answer, searching for the truth.
Only Gods truth has the power to heal, it is the very essence of our faith, which was given to us by God. God’s word is the truth, it alone has the power to heal our spirit and save our soul. Our spiritual wounds are caused by disobedience and when we ask God to forgive us, we are using our faith in his word that he will thereby release the truth of his word, to work a miracle of healing.
John 8:31-36
31. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
33. They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
34. Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
35. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever.
36. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
This is a big statement, one that really opened my eyes. I was like the guys in verse 33. I knew the facts and was servant to the facts but guess what? The facts do not set you free. The truth sets you free, free indeed.
We can know all about God and his word. We can be a scholar of Biblical history and understand doctrines and eschatology. We can try to shove all this down into that hollow spot within us, even these blogs with all of its explanations and yet find we are powerless to stop the bleeding. Only the truth will set us free, free from our wounds. Only the Spirit of God can reveal Gods truth that is in us, to us. The Spirit of God is brought to us through God’s word, which enters by hearing and is grasped by our faith.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Faith and Blood 101:4
4: Blood has immunological functions, including the circulation of white blood cells and the detection of foreign materials created by antibodies.
Faith, through obedience, puts in a man the Spirit of God. The power in this Spirit delivers gifts that begin to immunize a man against the sicknesses of the world.
1 Corinthians 12:1-13
1. Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.
2. You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.
3. Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
4. There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.
6. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
7. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
8. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,
9. to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,
10. to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
11. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
12. The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.
13. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Paul gives us a list, in the book of Philippians, that encourages us to apply our faith, through obedience. It is a terrific example of our first four lists combined. It breathes into our spirit, it feeds our spirit, it removes the toxic things in our life simply by replacing them with life and it begins to build up your spirit man immunizing him against the ways of the world.
Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Faith, through obedience, puts in a man the Spirit of God. The power in this Spirit delivers gifts that begin to immunize a man against the sicknesses of the world.
1 Corinthians 12:1-13
1. Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.
2. You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.
3. Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
4. There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.
6. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
7. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
8. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,
9. to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,
10. to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
11. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
12. The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.
13. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Paul gives us a list, in the book of Philippians, that encourages us to apply our faith, through obedience. It is a terrific example of our first four lists combined. It breathes into our spirit, it feeds our spirit, it removes the toxic things in our life simply by replacing them with life and it begins to build up your spirit man immunizing him against the ways of the world.
Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Faith and Blood 101:3
3: Blood removes waste such as carbon dioxide, urea and lactic acid.
This one is very fun to understand. Its meaning is very powerful and extremely satisfying. We all concentrate so much on working out our faith and fighting the good fight that we forget to stand on the scales to see what we have lost. We do not look at the scales to bemoan our loss of weight but to rejoice. Obedience to Gods word weeds out disobedience in our lives. Sometimes it takes just as much faith to unbelieve something as it does to believe something new. Our faith not only builds up our new man but at the same time carries away the old man leaving it for the Langolears.
This one is very fun to understand. Its meaning is very powerful and extremely satisfying. We all concentrate so much on working out our faith and fighting the good fight that we forget to stand on the scales to see what we have lost. We do not look at the scales to bemoan our loss of weight but to rejoice. Obedience to Gods word weeds out disobedience in our lives. Sometimes it takes just as much faith to unbelieve something as it does to believe something new. Our faith not only builds up our new man but at the same time carries away the old man leaving it for the Langolears.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Faith and Blood 101:2
2: Blood supplies nutrients such as amino acids, glucose and fatty acid to all the organs and tissues throughout the body.
When your obedience is functioning properly then the word of God is being transferred to all the parts of the body. The word of God is learned in small bits and pieces, line upon line, precept upon precept, it is then absorbed into your spirit, strengthening your whole man both physically and spiritually.
Romans 10:18
But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound (the preaching of the word) went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.
Remember, in this case, you are the world.
Acts 18:8
And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.
The whole book of Acts is about how God supplies life through the obedient apostles to the rest of the world.
When your obedience is functioning properly then the word of God is being transferred to all the parts of the body. The word of God is learned in small bits and pieces, line upon line, precept upon precept, it is then absorbed into your spirit, strengthening your whole man both physically and spiritually.
Romans 10:18
But I say, Have they not heard? Yes verily, their sound (the preaching of the word) went into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.
Remember, in this case, you are the world.
Acts 18:8
And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.
The whole book of Acts is about how God supplies life through the obedient apostles to the rest of the world.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Faith and Blood 101:1
Faith is the evidence of things not seen. When we act on our faith through obedience we are showing God, man, and ourselves that we have hope, and our hope comes from the life of Jesus Christ. Jesus was obedient to his faith. His faith was the substance of things hoped for which was the joy set before him. His faith was the evidence of things not seen, salvation for the world, death, to life.
Now let us look at these nine basic functions of blood and see if they relate to faith in any way. Actually, we are just going to examine the first five. I could try to come up with some Bible verses to make the last four fit in some sort of fashion but it would just be me trying to come up with some Bible verses to make things fit in some sort of fashion. God has not shown me anything for those so I am not going to make something up. Maybe God will show you.
1: Blood supplies oxygen to the organs and tissues throughout the body via the red blood cells. These blood cells known as, hemoglobin, transport the oxygen, kind of like a piggyback ride. As the blood passes through the lungs it picks up the oxygen that the body needs, binds it to the hemoglobin then carries it to all the parts of the body.
Faith has its catalyst or ”hemoglobin” at work in your spirit man. It is called, obedience. The body gets its oxygen by breathing it in. Faith gets its “oxygen” by hearing it in.
Romans 10:17
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Oxygen is attached to the hemoglobin. The word of God is attached to your obedience. From this act of obedience God’s word spreads throughout your spirit, giving it life. If there is no obedience to God’s word, then the word of God falls on the hard path and the birds eat it up. Matthew 13:19. If there is no obedience then there is no life giving power in your spirit and your faith is basically dead. Worse than that, you, your spirit man, are basically dead.
Let me give you an example. When a person dies, do to suffocation, it is because there is no oxygen being supplied by the lungs to the blood. Most people who die in a fire, die because of a lack of oxygen, not by the fire itself. Substances other then oxygen can bind themselves to the hemoglobin; in some cases this can cause irreversible damage to the body. Carbon monoxide is extremely dangerous when absorbed into the blood. When combined with the hemoglobin, it irreversibly makes carboxyhemoglobin which reduces the amount of oxygen that can be carried in the blood and can very quickly cause suffocation.
Your spirit man operates in the same way. When it is deprived of the “oxygen” of God’s word it takes on the “Carbon monoxide” of the world and it dies.
When you allow the world’s views and words to attach themselves to your obedience it becomes disobedience. Disobedience then travels throughout your spirit bringing death.
James 2:20
But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
Here we see that your spirit man is much like your physical man when it is in a coma. It is not dead but there is no power, no activating functions. But God is a miracle working God and he has the power to resurrect the dead.
Now let us look at these nine basic functions of blood and see if they relate to faith in any way. Actually, we are just going to examine the first five. I could try to come up with some Bible verses to make the last four fit in some sort of fashion but it would just be me trying to come up with some Bible verses to make things fit in some sort of fashion. God has not shown me anything for those so I am not going to make something up. Maybe God will show you.
1: Blood supplies oxygen to the organs and tissues throughout the body via the red blood cells. These blood cells known as, hemoglobin, transport the oxygen, kind of like a piggyback ride. As the blood passes through the lungs it picks up the oxygen that the body needs, binds it to the hemoglobin then carries it to all the parts of the body.
Faith has its catalyst or ”hemoglobin” at work in your spirit man. It is called, obedience. The body gets its oxygen by breathing it in. Faith gets its “oxygen” by hearing it in.
Romans 10:17
So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Oxygen is attached to the hemoglobin. The word of God is attached to your obedience. From this act of obedience God’s word spreads throughout your spirit, giving it life. If there is no obedience to God’s word, then the word of God falls on the hard path and the birds eat it up. Matthew 13:19. If there is no obedience then there is no life giving power in your spirit and your faith is basically dead. Worse than that, you, your spirit man, are basically dead.
Let me give you an example. When a person dies, do to suffocation, it is because there is no oxygen being supplied by the lungs to the blood. Most people who die in a fire, die because of a lack of oxygen, not by the fire itself. Substances other then oxygen can bind themselves to the hemoglobin; in some cases this can cause irreversible damage to the body. Carbon monoxide is extremely dangerous when absorbed into the blood. When combined with the hemoglobin, it irreversibly makes carboxyhemoglobin which reduces the amount of oxygen that can be carried in the blood and can very quickly cause suffocation.
Your spirit man operates in the same way. When it is deprived of the “oxygen” of God’s word it takes on the “Carbon monoxide” of the world and it dies.
When you allow the world’s views and words to attach themselves to your obedience it becomes disobedience. Disobedience then travels throughout your spirit bringing death.
James 2:20
But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
Here we see that your spirit man is much like your physical man when it is in a coma. It is not dead but there is no power, no activating functions. But God is a miracle working God and he has the power to resurrect the dead.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Hebrews 11:1
In our quick study of blood we did not touch on one aspect of this substance. It is a feature that cannot be seen, hidden in plain sight by God. We all know it but cannot see it or touch it. We can completely dissect blood into its parts even the elusive enzyme and can recreate in our laboratories every aspect except one, the one we cannot see, the one that separates us from being Gods. It is life. All the blood in the world will do no man any good unless there is life in it and only God has the power to place it. This simple truth, which should be so obvious to all, speaks loudly of the measure of faith that is in every man.
God wants us to have a relationship with him and this one concept, “faith”, is the beginning and the end of that relationship. It is so crucial to him that we have faith in who he is that he placed in each one of us our own personal ability to relate to him.
The unknown author of Hebrews gives us our very best description of faith and how we can personally understand it.
Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Blood is the substance of life. Without life, there is no hope. You can only have hope as long as you are living. When you are alive you have the ability to hope for a good job, a nicer car, a bigger house a closer walk with God and the list is endless but these kind of things can only be hoped for as long as you are living. When you are dead, you no longer have the ability to hope.
In the spiritual world, faith is our "substance of life", "our blood". Without faith, there would be no life and without life, there would be no hope. We have hope in God because he gave us the substance in which to hold it in, faith. God gives to every man a measure of faith so that he may have in him, hope. Without faith, all hope is lost. Without blood, all life is lost, so God gives to every man a measure of blood.
Blood is the evidence of things not seen. When we see blood, we know that something has life in it. We do not necessarily look at it that way because it is so much a given that it is second nature to us. For me, the only time I am ever brought to this point and have to consider it, is in the movies. Monster movies. Every time there is a new monster on the big screen, I am having to decide along with the actors how are we going to kill it? Where does its life come from? If it does not have blood than its life source is completely foreign to us. Other than the monster being a machine we have nothing in which we can relate to, just finding out that a monster bleeds puts hope in the script. In the movie, Predator, men are fighting a monster that they cannot see and in a blind fury of blazing guns, they are able to wound the predator. His blood is found on some of the jungle foliage and in this evidence, they gain hope. The main actor, Arnold Swartzanegger says something to the effect, “if it bleeds, we can kill it”. It was the blood, that gave them the evidence that there was life.
So we see that Hope is the thing not seen. The fact that we have hope for something is the evidence that we have faith to believe that it can come true and it is this faith, this substance, that hope dwells.
God wants us to have a relationship with him and this one concept, “faith”, is the beginning and the end of that relationship. It is so crucial to him that we have faith in who he is that he placed in each one of us our own personal ability to relate to him.
The unknown author of Hebrews gives us our very best description of faith and how we can personally understand it.
Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Blood is the substance of life. Without life, there is no hope. You can only have hope as long as you are living. When you are alive you have the ability to hope for a good job, a nicer car, a bigger house a closer walk with God and the list is endless but these kind of things can only be hoped for as long as you are living. When you are dead, you no longer have the ability to hope.
In the spiritual world, faith is our "substance of life", "our blood". Without faith, there would be no life and without life, there would be no hope. We have hope in God because he gave us the substance in which to hold it in, faith. God gives to every man a measure of faith so that he may have in him, hope. Without faith, all hope is lost. Without blood, all life is lost, so God gives to every man a measure of blood.
Blood is the evidence of things not seen. When we see blood, we know that something has life in it. We do not necessarily look at it that way because it is so much a given that it is second nature to us. For me, the only time I am ever brought to this point and have to consider it, is in the movies. Monster movies. Every time there is a new monster on the big screen, I am having to decide along with the actors how are we going to kill it? Where does its life come from? If it does not have blood than its life source is completely foreign to us. Other than the monster being a machine we have nothing in which we can relate to, just finding out that a monster bleeds puts hope in the script. In the movie, Predator, men are fighting a monster that they cannot see and in a blind fury of blazing guns, they are able to wound the predator. His blood is found on some of the jungle foliage and in this evidence, they gain hope. The main actor, Arnold Swartzanegger says something to the effect, “if it bleeds, we can kill it”. It was the blood, that gave them the evidence that there was life.
So we see that Hope is the thing not seen. The fact that we have hope for something is the evidence that we have faith to believe that it can come true and it is this faith, this substance, that hope dwells.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Welcome to the Studyof Blood 101
So, what about Faith? What is this evasive, hard to grasp substance that is in us all? What does it look like? Well in order to understand it we are going to have to take a basic course in Biology.
Welcome to the study of Blood 101.
Blood is a highly specialized circulating tissue consisting of several types of cells suspended in a fluid medium known as plasma. The cells that make up blood are: red blood cells, which carry respiratory gases and give it its red color, white blood cells, which fight disease, and platelets, cell fragments which play an important part in the clotting of blood.
There are nine basic functions of blood.
First, it supplies oxygen to the organs and tissues throughout the body via the red blood cells.
Second, it supplies nutrients such as amino acids, glucose and fatty acid to all the organs and tissues throughout the body.
Third, it removes waste such as carbon dioxide, urea and lactic acid.
Fourth, it has immunological functions, including the circulation of white blood cells and the detection of foreign materials created by antibodies.
Fifth, it self-repairs the body using coagulation.
Sixth, it has messenger functions, including the transportation of hormones and the signaling of tissue damage.
Seventh, it regulates the body pH.
Eighth, it regulates the temperature of the body.
Ninth, it has hydraulic functions.
The main components of the circulatory system are the heart, the blood, and the blood vessels.
Arteries bring oxygenated blood to the tissues (except pulmonary arteries), and veins bring deoxygenated blood back to the heart (except pulmonary veins). Blood passes from arteries to veins through capillaries, which are the thinnest and most numerous of the blood vessels and these capillaries help to join tissue with arterioles for transportation of nutrition to the cells.
There you have it, in a nutshell, one of the most common attributes related to every human being that has ever walked the earth. Hidden, just beneath the skin, is this mystery understood by all to be the reason we are “alive”. Its importance to everyday life is paramount yet unless we are studying it or have our awareness of it heightened do to illness we probably rarely think about it yet even the most non-understanding of us realizes that the lack of blood in the body results in death.
Welcome to the study of Blood 101.
Blood is a highly specialized circulating tissue consisting of several types of cells suspended in a fluid medium known as plasma. The cells that make up blood are: red blood cells, which carry respiratory gases and give it its red color, white blood cells, which fight disease, and platelets, cell fragments which play an important part in the clotting of blood.
There are nine basic functions of blood.
First, it supplies oxygen to the organs and tissues throughout the body via the red blood cells.
Second, it supplies nutrients such as amino acids, glucose and fatty acid to all the organs and tissues throughout the body.
Third, it removes waste such as carbon dioxide, urea and lactic acid.
Fourth, it has immunological functions, including the circulation of white blood cells and the detection of foreign materials created by antibodies.
Fifth, it self-repairs the body using coagulation.
Sixth, it has messenger functions, including the transportation of hormones and the signaling of tissue damage.
Seventh, it regulates the body pH.
Eighth, it regulates the temperature of the body.
Ninth, it has hydraulic functions.
The main components of the circulatory system are the heart, the blood, and the blood vessels.
Arteries bring oxygenated blood to the tissues (except pulmonary arteries), and veins bring deoxygenated blood back to the heart (except pulmonary veins). Blood passes from arteries to veins through capillaries, which are the thinnest and most numerous of the blood vessels and these capillaries help to join tissue with arterioles for transportation of nutrition to the cells.
There you have it, in a nutshell, one of the most common attributes related to every human being that has ever walked the earth. Hidden, just beneath the skin, is this mystery understood by all to be the reason we are “alive”. Its importance to everyday life is paramount yet unless we are studying it or have our awareness of it heightened do to illness we probably rarely think about it yet even the most non-understanding of us realizes that the lack of blood in the body results in death.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
The Seed of Mustard is Life
Sorry I missed a few days, I was moving.
I love to watch TV evangelist Joyce Meyer. Her testimony about quitting cigarettes shows the progression of obedience in her life and how she had to work it out on a daily basis to reach the goal of her faith. She believed she needed to quit smoking and had faith she could do it with God’s help but from that point on she had to obey. No matter how hard it was to quit it did not require more faith, it required more obedience.
In our lives, as we learn to obey, our faith, which is in God who is the “author and finisher of our faith” Hebrews 12:2, becomes easier to listen to. Doubt, faith’s opponent, begins to wane thereby allowing our faith to wax full. Is this our faith growing? Are we acquiring more faith? Is it like the mustard seed, which grows into the largest of garden plants and the birds of the field rest in its branches? It does seem that our faith grows but are we really growing more faith?
What I see is this. Life. The seed of mustard is life. This particular life, we call a mustard seed. No matter how this seed changes in form, size, color and shape it is still life. God says that he knows us before we are even born. It is this knowing of who we are, the real us, that he sets out to reach on the cliff to save. It does not matter how we change once we are born, how we feel or smell or look, God still sees us as who we are. Who we are did not change, did not grow.
Our faith is like life. As we obey our faith, it manifests itself for us to see and for others to draw near to, but it is still that measure of faith.
There is though, an opportunity to gain extra faith. The Holy Spirit gives gifts and one of the gifts of the Spirit is Faith. It is given to someone to whom God knows who will be meeting a challenge and will need supernatural faith to activate supernatural obedience in order to accomplish His will in some area. Who gets this booster shot? My guess is its people who already are obedient to the faith they have. Who received the extra talents?
I believe David in the Old Testament was given this gift when he saw the situation between the Philistine Goliath and the children of Israel. He had been obedient to God in other areas of life so God thought he could count on David to obey a greater measure of faith, which positioned him against someone practically twice his size. David did not have to go through baby steps 1,2,3 of obedience, no he rather charged straight to 10. Just as his faith caused him to obey, his obedience caused his faith to succeed. Both God and David won that day.
I love to watch TV evangelist Joyce Meyer. Her testimony about quitting cigarettes shows the progression of obedience in her life and how she had to work it out on a daily basis to reach the goal of her faith. She believed she needed to quit smoking and had faith she could do it with God’s help but from that point on she had to obey. No matter how hard it was to quit it did not require more faith, it required more obedience.
In our lives, as we learn to obey, our faith, which is in God who is the “author and finisher of our faith” Hebrews 12:2, becomes easier to listen to. Doubt, faith’s opponent, begins to wane thereby allowing our faith to wax full. Is this our faith growing? Are we acquiring more faith? Is it like the mustard seed, which grows into the largest of garden plants and the birds of the field rest in its branches? It does seem that our faith grows but are we really growing more faith?
What I see is this. Life. The seed of mustard is life. This particular life, we call a mustard seed. No matter how this seed changes in form, size, color and shape it is still life. God says that he knows us before we are even born. It is this knowing of who we are, the real us, that he sets out to reach on the cliff to save. It does not matter how we change once we are born, how we feel or smell or look, God still sees us as who we are. Who we are did not change, did not grow.
Our faith is like life. As we obey our faith, it manifests itself for us to see and for others to draw near to, but it is still that measure of faith.
There is though, an opportunity to gain extra faith. The Holy Spirit gives gifts and one of the gifts of the Spirit is Faith. It is given to someone to whom God knows who will be meeting a challenge and will need supernatural faith to activate supernatural obedience in order to accomplish His will in some area. Who gets this booster shot? My guess is its people who already are obedient to the faith they have. Who received the extra talents?
I believe David in the Old Testament was given this gift when he saw the situation between the Philistine Goliath and the children of Israel. He had been obedient to God in other areas of life so God thought he could count on David to obey a greater measure of faith, which positioned him against someone practically twice his size. David did not have to go through baby steps 1,2,3 of obedience, no he rather charged straight to 10. Just as his faith caused him to obey, his obedience caused his faith to succeed. Both God and David won that day.
Friday, July 9, 2010
An obedient heart
Together, faith and obedience, give us the formula for dunamis power, “dynamite”, the power to change death into life. God is full of faith and he acts upon it. This is how the whole creation story takes place. It is a word being obedient to faith and faith speaking that word knowing it would be obedient. It is this faith that is in you and me, a measure given to all men and it waits for an obedient heart to work out its’ salvation.
This is a “wave your hands in the air and yell at the top of your lungs” exciting kind of concept. It will carry you into battle by raising your adrenaline, but it will not sustain you nor will it give you victory, so do not go charging off just quite yet. First comes practice, starting with the everyday things that God has called us to be obedient to, such as your parents, your teachers, and your boss. This everyday obedience is your walk with God. The parable of the talents comes to mind here.
Matthew 25:14-29
14. For the kingdom of heaven is…
I have to stop right here for just a second and clarify something. The Kingdom of Heaven is not where you go when you get old and die. When death happens, you go to heaven. No, here we are talking about the Kingdom of Heaven. This is a government or a governing mindset. It is the way you govern your “self”. It is not a place or something you can hold or touch.
Romans 14:17
For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
It is in the “Holy Ghost” because you cannot on your own, have righteousness. You also will not have peace and even though you may be happy, there is no joy outside of a relationship with Jesus Christ.
14. For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
15. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
16. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
17. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.
18. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.
19. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
20. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
21. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
22. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
23. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
24. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
25. And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
26. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
27. Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
28. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
29. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
If you are obedient to what God has given you, then you will begin to realize even more, what God has given you. If you are not obedient to what God has given you, then that which you have, will be lost. You see, it is your obedience that you should be asking God to help you with not that you can have more faith. Believe it or not, you do not need more faith, you have plenty. We see this “measure of faith” as being like the grain of a mustard seed, actually less because we are seemingly powerless to overcome or to be over comers.
Matthew 17:14-21
14. And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,
15. Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.
16. And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.
17. Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.
18. And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.
19. Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
20. And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
21. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
Did you see in verse 17 how Jesus described the people? They were faithless and perverse. What does that mean, perverse? The Strong’s Concordance says it means to turn away. I think that means to be disobedient, don’t you? Then to the disciples, Jesus says, if you want to have this kind of faith you have to be obedient to prayer and fasting.
OK, I am sure you have the picture, no need to beat a dead horse. We all need to work on our obedience to God. It is diabolically against our sin nature but at least at this point we know that at every place where we are tempted to disobey we can choose grace to overcome our “self” and become more than conquerors.
This is a “wave your hands in the air and yell at the top of your lungs” exciting kind of concept. It will carry you into battle by raising your adrenaline, but it will not sustain you nor will it give you victory, so do not go charging off just quite yet. First comes practice, starting with the everyday things that God has called us to be obedient to, such as your parents, your teachers, and your boss. This everyday obedience is your walk with God. The parable of the talents comes to mind here.
Matthew 25:14-29
14. For the kingdom of heaven is…
I have to stop right here for just a second and clarify something. The Kingdom of Heaven is not where you go when you get old and die. When death happens, you go to heaven. No, here we are talking about the Kingdom of Heaven. This is a government or a governing mindset. It is the way you govern your “self”. It is not a place or something you can hold or touch.
Romans 14:17
For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
It is in the “Holy Ghost” because you cannot on your own, have righteousness. You also will not have peace and even though you may be happy, there is no joy outside of a relationship with Jesus Christ.
14. For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.
15. And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.
16. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.
17. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.
18. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord's money.
19. After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.
20. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
21. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
22. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them.
23. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
24. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:
25. And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
26. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
27. Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
28. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
29. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
If you are obedient to what God has given you, then you will begin to realize even more, what God has given you. If you are not obedient to what God has given you, then that which you have, will be lost. You see, it is your obedience that you should be asking God to help you with not that you can have more faith. Believe it or not, you do not need more faith, you have plenty. We see this “measure of faith” as being like the grain of a mustard seed, actually less because we are seemingly powerless to overcome or to be over comers.
Matthew 17:14-21
14. And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,
15. Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.
16. And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.
17. Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.
18. And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.
19. Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?
20. And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.
21. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
Did you see in verse 17 how Jesus described the people? They were faithless and perverse. What does that mean, perverse? The Strong’s Concordance says it means to turn away. I think that means to be disobedient, don’t you? Then to the disciples, Jesus says, if you want to have this kind of faith you have to be obedient to prayer and fasting.
OK, I am sure you have the picture, no need to beat a dead horse. We all need to work on our obedience to God. It is diabolically against our sin nature but at least at this point we know that at every place where we are tempted to disobey we can choose grace to overcome our “self” and become more than conquerors.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Faith, a Blood Brother
I ended a blog a few times back with "Faith, I wonder what that looks like?" Since the world and everything in it is patterned it only makes sense to me that it speaks of the things of God and his "mysterious" wisdom. So I look for things in the obvious that can help explain the mysterious. I ask "What does that look like" because there are most likely several things patterned the same way.
I look for the things of God in everyday life because that is where he has hidden them, out in the open. We cannot see the forest because of all the trees. God wants to have a relationship with us so he does just that, he meets us wherever we are with all his boldness and subtleties. The whole world speaks of his majesty. The things of this earth help describe the attributes of God. The Parables of Jesus were earthly stories that we can all relate to, that give us insight into the heart and mind of God.
Faith is no different and yet we put it on a high pedestal then scratch and claw at it crying our eyes out to God so that maybe, in just some way, he might pour out on us some little drop that will cause us to become “super someone”. We do not need more faith in order to act out what God has called us to, what we need is, to obey what we already know to do, to put our “self” to death and tell pride to take a hike.
I am not just preaching to the audience and choir here so do not think that I am wagging my finger everyone else. I have three fingers pointed back at me also.
Referring to the scenario when you were standing on the cliff about to go over and God is reaching out his hand to save you. In that moment when you realized that you were a sinner and that there was no hope and you saw God’s hand of mercy and his gift of grace, did you cry out to God to give you more faith? No, you cried out to God to save you and he did. This life changing and powerful event in your life did not require of you any more faith than what you already had.
It is the man, who is full of pride and unbelief that requires God to give him faith. This man is poised to fall and through circumstances, maybe because of a friend or family member, he has been brought to the realization that there is a God whose outstretched hand is reaching for him. He sees the truth and states, in no certain terms, that what he sees he does not believe and that he will not apply “his” faith to this answer. Is it a lack of faith, or is it an overabundance of pride and unwillingness to obey the calling that keeps him from releasing his grip on himself, that keeps him from being saved?
God said that he gives to every man a measure of faith. Did God slight this man? No, the devil and the things of this world have slighted this man.
The difference between you and this man was obedience. You acted on your faith and he refused. Obedience and faith are blood brothers. Faith is a gift from God to you and obedience is a gift from you to God. Everything about God, from his unfathomable aspects to his relational characteristics, is there because of his obedience. It is obedience that we need, not more faith.
It is this misunderstanding of faith that causes us not to be able to see our neglect toward obedience. When Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane crying out to God for another way to accomplish His will, he did not ask for more faith to accomplish what God had asked him to do, no he simply resigned himself to the task by obeying.
Luke 22:42
Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
So it is in these words by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “How can we have faith if we do not obey and how can we obey if we do not have faith?”, that we see that these two blood brothers are inseparable.
I hope you enjoy these next few weeks on the subject of Faith. I know it was very interesting for me to discover and so I hope it is for you also.
I look for the things of God in everyday life because that is where he has hidden them, out in the open. We cannot see the forest because of all the trees. God wants to have a relationship with us so he does just that, he meets us wherever we are with all his boldness and subtleties. The whole world speaks of his majesty. The things of this earth help describe the attributes of God. The Parables of Jesus were earthly stories that we can all relate to, that give us insight into the heart and mind of God.
Faith is no different and yet we put it on a high pedestal then scratch and claw at it crying our eyes out to God so that maybe, in just some way, he might pour out on us some little drop that will cause us to become “super someone”. We do not need more faith in order to act out what God has called us to, what we need is, to obey what we already know to do, to put our “self” to death and tell pride to take a hike.
I am not just preaching to the audience and choir here so do not think that I am wagging my finger everyone else. I have three fingers pointed back at me also.
Referring to the scenario when you were standing on the cliff about to go over and God is reaching out his hand to save you. In that moment when you realized that you were a sinner and that there was no hope and you saw God’s hand of mercy and his gift of grace, did you cry out to God to give you more faith? No, you cried out to God to save you and he did. This life changing and powerful event in your life did not require of you any more faith than what you already had.
It is the man, who is full of pride and unbelief that requires God to give him faith. This man is poised to fall and through circumstances, maybe because of a friend or family member, he has been brought to the realization that there is a God whose outstretched hand is reaching for him. He sees the truth and states, in no certain terms, that what he sees he does not believe and that he will not apply “his” faith to this answer. Is it a lack of faith, or is it an overabundance of pride and unwillingness to obey the calling that keeps him from releasing his grip on himself, that keeps him from being saved?
God said that he gives to every man a measure of faith. Did God slight this man? No, the devil and the things of this world have slighted this man.
The difference between you and this man was obedience. You acted on your faith and he refused. Obedience and faith are blood brothers. Faith is a gift from God to you and obedience is a gift from you to God. Everything about God, from his unfathomable aspects to his relational characteristics, is there because of his obedience. It is obedience that we need, not more faith.
It is this misunderstanding of faith that causes us not to be able to see our neglect toward obedience. When Jesus was in the garden of Gethsemane crying out to God for another way to accomplish His will, he did not ask for more faith to accomplish what God had asked him to do, no he simply resigned himself to the task by obeying.
Luke 22:42
Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
So it is in these words by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “How can we have faith if we do not obey and how can we obey if we do not have faith?”, that we see that these two blood brothers are inseparable.
I hope you enjoy these next few weeks on the subject of Faith. I know it was very interesting for me to discover and so I hope it is for you also.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
A sure conclusion, death. But wait, there's more!
I have this one more idea to present before I an get into Faith.
Imagine yourself standing on the edge of a cliff with your back to the crevice. Now lean back just enough to where one of your feet comes off the ground and gravity and the laws of physics begin to take over and you are hopelessly going over. Now stop right where you are. This is life. This is where you live. It is where we all have lived. Because sin entered into the world and the wages of sin being death, life is merely a footing lost with a sure conclusion, death.
But this is not where God wants you to live. He wants to set you on a sure foundation, a tried stone.
Isa 28:16
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
Zion is the capital of The Kingdom of God. So what is this foundation stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation that he has laid? The question should not be what is this but who is this? It is Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only tried stone on which we can stand. He is the foundation and only footing that is secure. His foundation is precious because it was bought with a price that no one could ever pay.
1 Peter 1:18-20
18. Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19. But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
20. Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
The person that believes in Jesus shall “not make haste”. I like the NIV version on this. It says
Isa 28:16
“the one who trusts will never be dismayed.”
Living a life with one foot on the ground and the other on its way over the edge is definitely a life of dismay. God knows this. That is why he sent his son Jesus Christ to die for our sins so that we could be saved. And what is it that we are being saved from? Certain death. And what is it that we are being saved to? Absolute life.
Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Here we see again God’s love toward us. He chose to rescue us before we ever knew that we needed rescuing. When did he decide to do this? Let us look in Ephesians.
Ephesians 1:4-5
4. According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
5. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Wow! Here again we see that we were in God’s plan way back when. He wants to have a relationship with us. One that is holy and blameless. And according to verse 5, we have been predestined. But who is it that is being predestined? Is it just a few or some certain select group that God is adopting to himself? Whom did he have in mind?
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Looks like everyone is predestined. So then why is it that some will die in their sins while others will receive everlasting life? Well let us take another look at what it is that God is offering us.
Ephesians 2:8-9
8. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9. Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Looks like God is offering us grace and it is a gift. Not a gift “from” God but the gift “of” God. So what does that mean? It is the gift that makes God, God. It is the attribute that sets him apart from all other gods.
Choice.
Let us go back to the cliff to where we are dangling. Here we are hanging between life and death. We look up to see God extending his hand toward us so that we can grab hold of it and be saved. But what is it really that God is extending to us? He is offering to us the most powerful gift that he has to give. A gift that if taken, can bring life into anything that is dead, dying or cursed. It is the gift of choice, God’s grace.
Imagine yourself standing on the edge of a cliff with your back to the crevice. Now lean back just enough to where one of your feet comes off the ground and gravity and the laws of physics begin to take over and you are hopelessly going over. Now stop right where you are. This is life. This is where you live. It is where we all have lived. Because sin entered into the world and the wages of sin being death, life is merely a footing lost with a sure conclusion, death.
But this is not where God wants you to live. He wants to set you on a sure foundation, a tried stone.
Isa 28:16
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
Zion is the capital of The Kingdom of God. So what is this foundation stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation that he has laid? The question should not be what is this but who is this? It is Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only tried stone on which we can stand. He is the foundation and only footing that is secure. His foundation is precious because it was bought with a price that no one could ever pay.
1 Peter 1:18-20
18. Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19. But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
20. Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
The person that believes in Jesus shall “not make haste”. I like the NIV version on this. It says
Isa 28:16
“the one who trusts will never be dismayed.”
Living a life with one foot on the ground and the other on its way over the edge is definitely a life of dismay. God knows this. That is why he sent his son Jesus Christ to die for our sins so that we could be saved. And what is it that we are being saved from? Certain death. And what is it that we are being saved to? Absolute life.
Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Here we see again God’s love toward us. He chose to rescue us before we ever knew that we needed rescuing. When did he decide to do this? Let us look in Ephesians.
Ephesians 1:4-5
4. According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
5. Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Wow! Here again we see that we were in God’s plan way back when. He wants to have a relationship with us. One that is holy and blameless. And according to verse 5, we have been predestined. But who is it that is being predestined? Is it just a few or some certain select group that God is adopting to himself? Whom did he have in mind?
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Looks like everyone is predestined. So then why is it that some will die in their sins while others will receive everlasting life? Well let us take another look at what it is that God is offering us.
Ephesians 2:8-9
8. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9. Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Looks like God is offering us grace and it is a gift. Not a gift “from” God but the gift “of” God. So what does that mean? It is the gift that makes God, God. It is the attribute that sets him apart from all other gods.
Choice.
Let us go back to the cliff to where we are dangling. Here we are hanging between life and death. We look up to see God extending his hand toward us so that we can grab hold of it and be saved. But what is it really that God is extending to us? He is offering to us the most powerful gift that he has to give. A gift that if taken, can bring life into anything that is dead, dying or cursed. It is the gift of choice, God’s grace.
Monday, July 5, 2010
The Pattern
I want to talk about faith but I need first to throw in this idea to help lay a foundation.
The Pattern
Have you ever noticed how so many things in life that are completely unrelated are so strikingly the same? Take for instance, water. Water starts out as trillions of tiny raindrops that fall all over the globe. After they hit the ground, the water finds its way to the nearest creek then flows into a river and eventually winds up in the ocean. This, I am sure, is not news to you. But it’s the same thing with our roads. They start out as driveways, which connect to streets that turn on to highways, then merge into interstates. The circulatory system in our bodies works the same way. For the blood to return to the heart it begins in the microscopic capillaries that feed into larger and then large veins until they reach the pulmonary artery which connects to the heart.
So what is the big deal? What does that have to do with anything? Well I just find it interesting that the way so many things work in this world seem to come from the same idea, like a pattern. They relate to each other.
It is rather easy to come up with analogies to help describe something we are trying to get across because there are so many things that are similar in nature. This does not apply just to the physical world either. Every aspect of life be it governments, music, sports, business, religion, history even the family they are all basically the same in the way they are set up and how they run. Even spiritual knowledge is “line upon line, precept upon precept”. You have to start out with what you have or know and from there gather bits of information along the way building a river of knowledge and wisdom that flows through your life.
So the question that crosses my mind is this. Is the God of this universe who created everything and set it into motion, then created man, that being Adam, for the purpose of having a relationship with him, any different? Are the things that we relate to in our daily lives the same things that God relates to? If it is as it says in Acts 17:28a “For in him we live, and move, and have our being;” are we then not like God in the way we move and live and have our being? Now I do understand that “He is God and I am not.” as Steven Curtis Chapman sings so well in his song. I am not trying to build a case here to show that in some way or fashion we as humans, the creation, are equal to the creator. However I am trying to show the similarities of our relationships with others are not unlike what we should have with God and because of God and also show how his actions if manifested in our actions can give us the power to defeat Satan as he did through his son Jesus Christ who is our pattern.
The Pattern
Have you ever noticed how so many things in life that are completely unrelated are so strikingly the same? Take for instance, water. Water starts out as trillions of tiny raindrops that fall all over the globe. After they hit the ground, the water finds its way to the nearest creek then flows into a river and eventually winds up in the ocean. This, I am sure, is not news to you. But it’s the same thing with our roads. They start out as driveways, which connect to streets that turn on to highways, then merge into interstates. The circulatory system in our bodies works the same way. For the blood to return to the heart it begins in the microscopic capillaries that feed into larger and then large veins until they reach the pulmonary artery which connects to the heart.
So what is the big deal? What does that have to do with anything? Well I just find it interesting that the way so many things work in this world seem to come from the same idea, like a pattern. They relate to each other.
It is rather easy to come up with analogies to help describe something we are trying to get across because there are so many things that are similar in nature. This does not apply just to the physical world either. Every aspect of life be it governments, music, sports, business, religion, history even the family they are all basically the same in the way they are set up and how they run. Even spiritual knowledge is “line upon line, precept upon precept”. You have to start out with what you have or know and from there gather bits of information along the way building a river of knowledge and wisdom that flows through your life.
So the question that crosses my mind is this. Is the God of this universe who created everything and set it into motion, then created man, that being Adam, for the purpose of having a relationship with him, any different? Are the things that we relate to in our daily lives the same things that God relates to? If it is as it says in Acts 17:28a “For in him we live, and move, and have our being;” are we then not like God in the way we move and live and have our being? Now I do understand that “He is God and I am not.” as Steven Curtis Chapman sings so well in his song. I am not trying to build a case here to show that in some way or fashion we as humans, the creation, are equal to the creator. However I am trying to show the similarities of our relationships with others are not unlike what we should have with God and because of God and also show how his actions if manifested in our actions can give us the power to defeat Satan as he did through his son Jesus Christ who is our pattern.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Matthew 7:24-27
Matthew 7:24-27
24. "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
26. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
27. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
These last four verses are a summary of this chapter and the whole Mount Olive discourse itself. Time will tell the truths of the Kingdom of God. Those who believe and take action will find themselves standing firm on the solid rock principles of Gods word. Those who reject truth or fake a lifestyle of piety will in no way find ground on which to stand and all their accomplishments will come crashing down around them.
Time is the great equalizer and proves truths to be true and lies to be false. No one understood this more than Abraham himself. God said that he would create out of him a great nation and even in his old age when absolutely nothing could be seen that would confirm that this would happen, he still believed. For him the rains came down and the streams rose. The winds blew and beat against his conviction and no physical evidence was visible to the naked eye but God saw his belief and counted it unto him as righteousness. Abraham’s faith in God proved to be true.
Faith, I wonder what “that” looks like?
24. "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
25. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.
26. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.
27. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
These last four verses are a summary of this chapter and the whole Mount Olive discourse itself. Time will tell the truths of the Kingdom of God. Those who believe and take action will find themselves standing firm on the solid rock principles of Gods word. Those who reject truth or fake a lifestyle of piety will in no way find ground on which to stand and all their accomplishments will come crashing down around them.
Time is the great equalizer and proves truths to be true and lies to be false. No one understood this more than Abraham himself. God said that he would create out of him a great nation and even in his old age when absolutely nothing could be seen that would confirm that this would happen, he still believed. For him the rains came down and the streams rose. The winds blew and beat against his conviction and no physical evidence was visible to the naked eye but God saw his belief and counted it unto him as righteousness. Abraham’s faith in God proved to be true.
Faith, I wonder what “that” looks like?
Friday, July 2, 2010
Matthew 7:21-23
Matthew 7:21-23
21. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?'
23. Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
Jesus often spoke parables that were a slap in the face to the Priests and ruling parties of the day. This is such a case, as is much of his Mount Olive discourse when he sets the record straight with no ifs, ands or buts.
Just being a priest in the long line of Aaron or a teacher of the law does not give you right of passage into the kingdom of heaven. Only he who does the will of the Father who is in heaven be it priest, teacher or commoner. And who is it that will be doing the will of the Father? Those who, like Habakkuk, see the iniquity of sin and judge themselves. I'll show you what I see in Habakkuk later.
God had given the priest spiritual authority over his people in order to teach them the law. Other authorities were given them also such as the ability to drive out demons, perform miracles and to prophecy, but these gifts were no substitute for self-judging and repentance.
21. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?'
23. Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'
Jesus often spoke parables that were a slap in the face to the Priests and ruling parties of the day. This is such a case, as is much of his Mount Olive discourse when he sets the record straight with no ifs, ands or buts.
Just being a priest in the long line of Aaron or a teacher of the law does not give you right of passage into the kingdom of heaven. Only he who does the will of the Father who is in heaven be it priest, teacher or commoner. And who is it that will be doing the will of the Father? Those who, like Habakkuk, see the iniquity of sin and judge themselves. I'll show you what I see in Habakkuk later.
God had given the priest spiritual authority over his people in order to teach them the law. Other authorities were given them also such as the ability to drive out demons, perform miracles and to prophecy, but these gifts were no substitute for self-judging and repentance.
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