Showing posts with label Jerusalem. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jerusalem. Show all posts

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Left Behind: Glorious Appearing Chs 14-15

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Left Behind: Glorious Appearing Chs 14-15


Jesus Christ has appeared in the sky. Old men can run faster than Olympic running champions. The world is changing instantly. Ray picks the story up at this point. Join him now.




Left Behind: Glorious Appearing Chs 14-15



Left Behind: Glorious Appearing Chs 14-15

Monday, February 22, 2016

Left Behind Chs 12 and 13 GLORIOUS APPEARING

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Left Behind Chs 12 and 13 GLORIOUS APPEARING


The Battle of Armageddon has disintegrated into hysteria and suicide. Carpathia (the Antichrist) is fleeing in hysteria too. They are headed for Bozrah, and so are Rayford, Mac, and Abdullah. They want to see what Christ is going to do with the Antichrist and with Leon Fortunato. Ray picks the story up at this point. Join him now




Left Behind Chs 12 and 13 GLORIOUS APPEARING



Left Behind Chs 12 and 13 GLORIOUS APPEARING

Sunday, January 31, 2016

Left Behind ARMAGEDDON Chapter 22

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Left Behind ARMAGEDDON Chapter 22


In the fog of war, heroes die.


Ray picks it up at this point:


 


Left Behind ARMAGEDDON Chapter 22



Left Behind ARMAGEDDON Chapter 22

Left Behind ARMAGEDDON Chapter 21

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Left Behind ARMAGEDDON Chapter 21


Tsion is at the Temple Mount preaching and carrying an Uzi. The battle of Armageddon is about to besiege Jerusalem and Tsion feels duty-bound to defend the Holy City. Meanwhile, Rayford and Buck feel duty-bound to defend Tsion. Ray picks the story up at this point:

Left Behind ARMAGEDDON Chapter 21


 



Left Behind ARMAGEDDON Chapter 21

Friday, January 29, 2016

Left Behind ARMAGEDDON Chapter 20

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Left Behind ARMAGEDDON Chapter 20


Tsion has learned to use an Uzi. Now he has told Rayford that God is calling him to go to Jerusalem to teach and, if necessary, defend Jerusalem with his Uzi. Rayford disagrees with Tsion but knows there is no use arguing. Rayford helicopters Tsion there. Rayford lands the helicopter at the Temple Mount.


Ray picks the story up here:


Left Behind ARMAGEDDON Chapter 20



Left Behind ARMAGEDDON Chapter 20

Sunday, August 30, 2015

Left Behind: Apollyon Chapter 7

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Left Behind: Apollyon Chapter 7


Buck peeked in on Chloe before heading out with Chaim. She appeared sound asleep. “Do you mind driving?” Chaim asked. “It has been so long since I was allowed.”


“Allowed?” Chaim smiled wearily. “Once you become, how shall I say it, a personality in this country, especially in this city, you are treated like royalty. I cannot go anywhere unescorted. I was not even famous when first you did the cover story on me.”


“You were revered, however.” Chaim checked with his gateman, Jonas, for the latest word on Jacov. “Stefan?” Buck heard him say. Then something urgent and frustrated in Hebrew. Chaim directed Buck to the last stall in the garage, and Buck slid behind the wheel of an ancient sedan. “I don’t want everyone to know I am coming. The Mercedes is well known. You drive a stick shift, do you not?”


Buck feathered the throttle and quickly caught on to the vagaries of the manual transmission. He worried more about the bald state of the tires. “Any idea where we’re going?”


“Yes, I am afraid I do,” Chaim said. “Jacov is an alcoholic.”


Buck shot him a double take. “You have an alcoholic as your driver?” “He’s dry. Recovering they call it. But in times of crisis, he reverts.”


“Falls off the wagon?”


“I do not know that expression.” “It’s an old Americanism. Early in the twentieth century the Women’s Christian Temperance Union would roll the Temperance Wagon into town, decrying the evils of alcohol and calling on offenders to give it up and get on the wagon. When a sober man went back to drinking, it was called falling off the wagon.”


“Well, I’m afraid that is what has happened here,” Chaim said, pointing where Buck was to turn. As they moved into smaller neighborhoods with houses and buildings closer together, Buck began noticing things he hadn’t seen on the drive from Chaim’s to the stadium. Jerusalem had grown seedy. How he had loved to visit this city just a few years before! It had had its rundown areas, but overall it had been kept with pride. Since the disappearances, certain types of crime and lewd activity had sprung up that he never expected to see in public here. Drunks staggered along, some with their arms slung around ladies of the evening. As Buck drove farther into the city he saw strip clubs, tattoo parlors, fortune-telling shops, and triple-X-rated establishments. “What has happened to your city?”


Left Behind: Apollyon Chapter 7



Left Behind: Apollyon Chapter 7

Friday, July 17, 2015

Matthew 23 Audio Bible

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Matthew 23 Audio Bible


Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for theybroaden their [a]phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. Theylove the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues,and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men.But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers.Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10 Do not be called [b]leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ.11 But the greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.


13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven [c]from [d]people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. 14 [[e]Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation.]


15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one [f]proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of [g]hell as yourselves.


16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the [h]temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the [i]temple is obligated.’ 17 You fools and blind men! Which is [j]more important, the gold or the [k]temple that sanctified the gold? 18 And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing, but whoever swears by the [l]offering on it, he is obligated.’ 19 You blind men, which is [m]more important, the [n]offering, or the altar that sanctifies the [o]offering?20 Therefore, [p]whoever swears by the altar, swears both by [q]the altar and by everything on it. 21 And [r]whoever swears by the [s]temple, swears both by [t]the temple and by Him who dwells within it. 22 And [u]whoever swears by heaven,swears both by the throne of God and by Him who sits upon it.


23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and [v]cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!


25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full [w]of robbery and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also.


27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.


29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 So you testify against yourselves, that you are [x]sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. 33 You serpents, you brood of vipers, how [y]will you escape the [z]sentence of [aa]hell?


34 “Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, 35 so that upon you may fallthe guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteousAbel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the [ab]temple and the altar. 36 Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.


37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. 38 Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! 39 For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’”



Footnotes:


  1. Matthew 23:5 I.e. small cases containing Scripture texts worn on the left arm and forehead for religious purposes

  2. Matthew 23:10 Or teachers

  3. Matthew 23:13 Lit in front of

  4. Matthew 23:13 Gr anthropoi

  5. Matthew 23:14 This v not found in early mss

  6. Matthew 23:15 Or convert

  7. Matthew 23:15 Gr Gehenna

  8. Matthew 23:16 Or sanctuary

  9. Matthew 23:16 Or sanctuary

  10. Matthew 23:17 Lit greater

  11. Matthew 23:17 Or sanctuary

  12. Matthew 23:18 Or gift

  13. Matthew 23:19 Lit greater

  14. Matthew 23:19 Or gift

  15. Matthew 23:19 Or gift

  16. Matthew 23:20 Lit he who

  17. Matthew 23:20 Lit it

  18. Matthew 23:21 Lit he who

  19. Matthew 23:21 Or sanctuary

  20. Matthew 23:21 Lit it

  21. Matthew 23:22 Lit he who

  22. Matthew 23:23 Similar to caraway seeds

  23. Matthew 23:25 Or as a result of

  24. Matthew 23:31 Or descendants

  25. Matthew 23:33 Lit would

  26. Matthew 23:33 Or judgment

  27. Matthew 23:33 Gr Gehenna

  28. Matthew 23:35 Or sanctuary


Matthew 23 Audio Bible



Matthew 23 Audio Bible

Monday, July 13, 2015

Matthew 21 Audio Bible

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Matthew 21 Audio Bible


When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” This [a]took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:



Say to the daughter of Zion,
Behold your King is coming to you,
Gentle, and mounted on a donkey,
Even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”



The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them, and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their coats on them; and He sat on [b]the coats. Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road. The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting,



“Hosanna to the Son of David;
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord;
Hosanna in the highest!”



10 When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.”


12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. 13 And He *said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a robbers[c]den.”


14 And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He had done, and the children who were shouting in the temple, “Hosanna to theSon of David,” they became indignant 16 and said to Him, “Do You hear what these children are saying?” And Jesus *said to them, “Yes; have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babies You have prepared praise for Yourself’?” 17 And He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.


18 Now in the morning, when He was returning to the city, He became hungry.19 Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He *said to it, “No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you.” And at once the fig tree withered.


20 Seeing this, the disciples were amazed and asked, “How did the fig tree wither all at once?” 21 And Jesus answered and said to them, “Truly I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ it will happen. 22 And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”


23 When He entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?” 24 Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one [d]thing, which if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?” And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 26 But if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the [e]people; for they all regard John as a prophet.” 27 And answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” He also said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.


28 “But what do you think? A man had two [f]sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘[g]Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ 29 And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went. 30 The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They *said, “The first.” Jesus *said to them, “Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes [h]will get into the kingdom of God before you. 32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him.


33 “Listen to another parable. There was a [i]landowner who planted a vineyard and put a wall around it and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and rented it out to[j]vine-growers and went on a journey. 34 When the [k]harvest time approached, he sent his slaves to the vine-growers to receive his produce. 35 The vine-growers took his slaves and beat one, and killed another, and stoned a third.36 Again he sent another group of slaves larger than the first; and they did the same thing to them. 37 But afterward he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the vine-growers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’39 They took him, and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 Therefore when the [l]owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?” 41 They *said to Him, “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons.”


42 Jesus *said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures,



The stone which the builders rejected,
This became the chief corner stone;
This came about from the Lord,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’?



43 Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a [m]people, producing the fruit of it. 44 And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.”


45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them. 46 When they sought to seize Him, theyfeared the [n]people, because they considered Him to be a prophet.



Footnotes:


  1. Matthew 21:4 Lit has happened

  2. Matthew 21:7 Lit them

  3. Matthew 21:13 Lit cave

  4. Matthew 21:24 Lit word

  5. Matthew 21:26 Lit crowd

  6. Matthew 21:28 Lit children

  7. Matthew 21:28 Lit Child

  8. Matthew 21:31 Lit are getting into

  9. Matthew 21:33 Lit a man, head of a household

  10. Matthew 21:33 Or tenant farmers, also vv 34, 35, 38, 40

  11. Matthew 21:34 Lit the fruit season

  12. Matthew 21:40 Lit lord

  13. Matthew 21:43 Lit nation

  14. Matthew 21:46 Lit crowds


Matthew 21 Audio Bible



Matthew 21 Audio Bible

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Matthew 4 Audio Bible

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Matthew 4 Audio Bible


The Temptation of Jesus


Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He [a]then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”


Then the devil *took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and *said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written,



He will command His angels concerning You’; and ‘On their hands they will bear You upSo that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”



Jesus said to him, [b]On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”


Again, the devil *took Him to a very high mountain and *showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and [c]worship me.” 10 Then Jesus *said to him,“Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and [d]serve Him only.’” 11 Then the devil *left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.



Matthew 4:2 Lit later became; or afterward became



  1. Matthew 4:7 Lit Again

  2. Matthew 4:9 Lit prostrate Yourself

  3. Matthew 4:10 Or fulfill religious duty to Him\


Matthew 4 Audio Bible


 



Matthew 4 Audio Bible

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Pentecost, the birthday of the Church by Grace Brown

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Pentecost, the Birthday of the Church by Grace Brown

Acts 2:1-24, 37-40 (RSV) 1When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.


Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. And they were amazed and wondered, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Par′thians and Medes and E′lamites and residents of Mesopota′mia, Judea and Cappado′cia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phryg′ia and Pamphyl′ia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyre′ne, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabians, we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.”


14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day; 16 but this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:


17 ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,

that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,

and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

and your young men shall see visions,

and your old men shall dream dreams;
18 yea, and on my menservants and my maidservants in those days

I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.
19 And I will show wonders in the heaven above

and signs on the earth beneath,

blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;
20 the sun shall be turned into darkness

and the moon into blood,

before the day of the Lord comes,

the great and manifest day.
21 And it shall be that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’


22 “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. 24 But God raised him up, having loosed the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.


36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”


37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to him.” 40 And he testified with many other words and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.  (Acts 2:1-24, 37-40)


Pentecost is one of the most significant days in history. It is the day God gave the law to Moses on Mt. Sinai. It is the day of the annual feast of first fruits of the wheat harvest. It is the day Jesus baptized his disciples with the Holy Spirit. It is the day the Holy Spirit empowered them for the work of the harvest.


Perhaps you can relate to harvest through one experience or another as I can. My grandma always had a garden. As a child I helped her plant it: leaf lettuce, cucumbers, peas, tomatoes, radishes, corn, carrots, zucchini, green beans, and more. After the garden was planted I checked it often. It seemed to take forever for the first shoot to push its head up through the soil. I rejoiced in each new young plant. (And I still do each spring as the plants reawaken to new life.) Then the plants would leaf out, bud, and flower. I waited with great anticipation for them to bear fruit, well vegetables. My favorite was green beans. From the time they were about an inch long I asked Grandma if they were ready to harvest yet. Everyday Grandma would say, ‘just a little longer, just a little longer.” Then the day finally arrived. I would enter her house and she would say, “I think some are ready today.” We would go out and check. Sure enough, some were ripe for the picking. The first fruits of the harvest always seemed to be the best. I was filled with excitement, joy, and thanksgiving because weather, critters, and other things could damage the plants. To have a good harvest was a true blessing.


The harvest always begins with a seed. The apostle John wrote of Jesus speaking with a Samaritan woman from Sychar. As the woman heard Him speak to her about her life circumstances she recognized Jesus as a prophet. As they spoke further about the worship God desires, she recognized these were things the Messiah would teach and she asked about the Messiah. Jesus declared to her He was the Messiah. She went into Sychar telling the men, “Jesus told me everything I had ever done” and asking, “Could this be the Messiah?” A seed was planted in the minds and hearts of the men. They headed out to Jesus to see for themselves.


As the men came, Jesus said to His disciples, “Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? I tell you, lift up your eyes and see how the fields are already white for harvest. He who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor; others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.” The harvest was plentiful in Sychar, many people believed in Jesus, the Messiah. (John 4:4-42)


John the Baptist said of Jesus, 11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the granary… (Matt 3:11-12)


Here in Acts 2 it was Pentecost, the disciples were in Jerusalem celebrating the feast of first fruits and waiting with anticipation Jesus’ promise of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.


At one point, Jesus had told his disciples he was going to die and they were grieved. But, Jesus encouraged them saying, “I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counselor (the Holy Spirit) will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.  And when he comes, he will convince the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:  concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.” (John 16:7-15)


It may not sound like it, but Jesus was talking about the harvest. You see, it’s only when we, our families, friends and neighbors know we are all sinners, it’s only when we know we are bound for hell because of our sin, it’s only when we know Jesus, the only righteous one, paid the penalty demanded for our unrighteousness thoughts and acts through His death, it’s only when we know Jesus’ death obtained for us forgiveness and new life with God, it’s only when we know and accept these truths for ourselves that we, our families, friends and neighbors can experience the thanksgiving, joy, and excitement of being a part of the harvest. We become part of the first fruits of eternal life, to the glory of God. It is the Holy Spirit who works this harvest in our lives, who reveals these truths and more to and through us.


Jesus went on to say, “When the Spirit of truth (the Holy Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for He will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that He will take what is mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:13-15)


The prophet Joel said: “And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit (the Holy Spirit) upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; yea, and on my menservants and my maidservants in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth beneath, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and manifest day. And it shall be that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ (Acts 2:17-21).


When we are saved, when we believe and accept Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead obtaining for us forgiveness and eternal life, the Holy Spirit enters our lives. On Pentecost, the festival of first fruits, Jesus baptized the disciples with the Holy Spirit. The disciples preached the gospel as never before resulting in a harvest of 3,000 people joining the ranks of the first fruits, the forgiven, thankful, joyful people of God.


The Holy Spirit works this harvest in us and then through us here where we are to bring in the harvest of people for God. Some may plant, some water, some harvest, but it is the power of the Holy Spirit that makes us grow and bear fruit and brings people to eternal life.


So, where do you stand? Do you know you are a sinner, condemned? Do you believe Jesus died for your sins? Do you accept for yourself Jesus’ death paying the penalty for your sins? Do you believe Jesus rose again from the dead gaining eternal life for you when you believe? Have you received the Holy Spirit and the new life and fruitfulness He brings? 


If you have, now is the time to renew your commitment to Him, thanksgiving, and praise for His work in and through your life.


Pentecost, the Birthday of the Church by Grace Brown


 


 


 



Pentecost, the birthday of the Church by Grace Brown

Thursday, December 18, 2014

Exodus "A magnificent motion picture" Ray

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In 1947 the United Nations gave the Jews worldwide a barren sliver of desert that would become modern day Israel. The Bible prophesied that the Jews towards the very end of time would return from all over the world to Israel. Even the terrible treatment the Jewish people received as they came didn’t at all stop their exodus to their homeland.


The Bible also prophesied that the Jewish people when they returned to Israel would turn a barren desert into a land flowing with milk and honey. The United Nations had given the land of Israel to the Jews, but it was a barren desert where almost no one would ever want to live. The Jews didn’t hesitate. Soon they had turned that little sliver of land called Israel into a land full of fruit trees and wonderful place to live. Hamas and Fatah hate them for this, as do the Muslim terrorists. That is why the Muslim dream is to destroy Israel and all of the Jews who live there.


This movie is not only marvelously filmed and full of great acting, but it is a powerful biography. What you’ll see is dramatized, but this actually happened. –Ray


Exodus



Exodus "A magnificent motion picture" Ray