Servanthood

The term "Servant" in the New Testament usually is referring to a bond slave.   The freedom and liberty of a bond slave was subject to the authority of their Master. They were not at their own disposal but they were the Master's purchased property.   They were bought to serve the need's of their Master and be at their every beck and call.  True Christian service means that we first and foremost must come to the realization that we are not our own. 

" You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."  1 Cor 6:19  
We must give up our own will that the will of our Heaven Father be performed in and through us.   The life of Jesus Christ was characterized by his quality of unselfish servanthood.   He said " the Son of Man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. " Mark 10:45  He also said " O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Matt 26:39   
As we strive toward spiritual maturity we must not neglect this quality of servanthood because it is so important.  We should not be so focused on our own interests that we have no time to devote to the interests and concerns of others.
Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Phil 2:4    
If we want to be in Leadership then we must be willing to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ even when our flesh rises up and really doesn't want to do it.   This is why Jesus said " Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”  Matt 26:41    So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.  Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves. Phil 2:1-3  Have this mind among yourselves, which you have in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.  And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death on a cross.  Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory God the Father.  Phil 2:5-11  

If we are to grow and mature in a Christ-Like manner then it will require us to give of our time and our abilities and ourselves to our fellow Brothers and Sisters in the Lord.  
Our loyalty to our Master should be expressed in our service to ministering to the Saints.  Jesus is coming soon my friend and He will separate the sheep from the goats.  Then the King will say to those at His right hand, Come O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.  Then the righteous will answer him, Lord when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee?  And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?  And the King will answer them, Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me. Then He will say to those at his left hand, Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels;  Matt 25: 31- 46

Each day we live we have a choice to either live to serve ourselves which actually nullifies our capacity to live as a disciple of Christ or we can seek to live as servants out of our faith relationship with God and be a blessing to everyone that comes across our paths.  He who is greatest among you shall be your servant; whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Matt 23:11-12   
You cannot be great in God's kingdom if you refuse to humble yourself before the Lord and become as a servant to God's people.  Your "Greatness" is never to be based in your own power and abilities and position of honor and your title and prestige.  If you attempt to build your ministry on your own "Greatness" my friend you will be humbled by the Lord.  I can list many examples of men and women who had built what looked like mighty and prosperous ministries on their own "Greatness and Power and Prestige and Abilities"  but because they did not give God the Glory they were humbled and brought down.  Jesus solved the dispute of who would be the greatest. " And He said to them, The Kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you; rather let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For which is the greater, one who sits at the table, or one who serves?  Is it not the one who sits at the table?  But I am among you as one who serves. "  Luke 22:24-27 

The Brightness of Jesus

God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also.  Gen 1:16  

In July 2010, a team of astronomers at the University of Sheffield discovered one of the most massive stars ever.  They labeled it R136a1 and it is 265 times the mass of our sun and 10 million times brighter!  

Can you even begin to imagine how bright that is?     This star may have weighed as much as 320 times the solar mass of our sun in its birth.  It is burning itself off at the rate of 10 million times the luminosity of our sun.  It was born very heavy and its been loosing weight as it ages. 
I'm sure that they have come up with a more proper name for this star by now.   

He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Psalm 147:4

There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory.   1 Cor 15:41  
It reminds me of our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.   No one born under heaven has born witness to the light of God's Glory like Him.   Jesus said ," I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”  

Rev 22:16  His brightness is due to the massive density of the Glory of God within Him.  The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.  John 1:14  


Jesus rose from the dead and now is seated at the right hand of the Father and the Father has bestowed back upon him the Glory that He had before this world came into existence. But it is His desire that we behold his glory that He might give it to us because He said " Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. John 17:24  
The glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:" John 17:22  It is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Cor 4:6 

If the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?  For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.  2 Cor 3:6-9    

We all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.  2 Cor 3:18 

Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever. 
Dan 12:3

Signs of the Times

"And, in the 'Last Day's' of the Earth, before the Son appears in the Clouds of the air; the Earth shall go into travail, as a Mother giving birth...." We're at the beginning. The "Youth & Young" rule the governments of the globe. Morality is fast disappearing. Mocking and Scoffing at God and Godly people, is on the rise. The Culture now teaches; 'Don't marry, shack up instead'. Wickedness is considered 'right' while Moral Living is considered bad. "Wicked" has become a praise term in common language usage by the young. Full rebellion against the elders is the norm. Children are taught NOT to obey their parents. Disrespecting the established ways and elderly is now the norm. Abuse is on the rise because people have lost natural affection. The love of many has gone hard....even among church people and Pastors. 

The Rich are getting richer, while the Poor are getting poorer. Famine has spread across many parts of Africa. Wars and rumors of wars are continuous. Religious and Tribal Wars have increased. Pharmacao ~ Use of all manner of illegal and man made drugs are norm and constant. Earthquakes, Tsunamis rage across the Globe. 

Hurricanes worse than ever before seen are continuous. Multiple kinds of living creatures by the thousands at a time are dropping dead in mass all over the Globe. There are strange sounds roaring out of 'no where' in key places across the globe that no scientists can find the cause for; yet they are being recorded on film. Nations governments all across the Globe are in confusion because their economies are so intertwined, yet beyond control. 

The waters of the Globe are becoming so polluted that even across the USA health departments are now regularly advising citizens NOT to drink the "Cleaned" Tap water, because the chemicals and chlorine being used can't purify away all the particulates of feces and urine, manufacturing and pharmaceutical drugs being released in the rivers, streams, and lakes. 

Heart disease and other "Killer Diseases" are rampant . And still, people say, "Who is God?" "There is no God". "Who cares? Let's party hardy!" And all the time; the written words of the Messiah Jesus can be read across the "Gospels" foretelling the "Last Times". Yet people don't pay attention. Everything I've written is recorded in Bible Scriptures, warning people "Of that Generation in Time" so they can prepare their heart's and their lives for Jesus and Eternity. And so.....Strange storms rage, and shall continue. 

But! Those who know why, are to warn those who don't. That way, those who don't know why, can get themselves ready. Because: Jesus said: "WHEN you BEGIN to see these things happening across the Earth: LOOK UP! {meaning, look into the Heavens} For your REDEMPTION DRAWS NEAR!" .....peace

Connected with Jesus

I was recently faced with the fact that I was going to have to upgrade my computer.  My old computer refused to support the latest technology out there. 

I found myself upgrading my USB card to support 2.0 so that my webcam could function properly.   I found out by trial and error that if I don't push the card into place so that it is properly connected with the computer the computer will not recognize the newly installed hardware.  As Christians our sin (big or small) breaks our connection with God.  

Your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.  Isaiah 59:2  


All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23
But God shows His love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.  Rom 5:8 


When we loose our connection with God our soul dies.  


If you warn the wicked, and he or she does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity. Ezekiel 3:19 
The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. 
Ezekiel 18:20

When we loose our connection to God we are no longer recognized. 

Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’  But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’  There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.  Luke 13:26-28  

For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.  2  Cor 11:13 

Only God can repair that tiny connection and make it whole again. He does this through our act of repentance. 
Come, and let us return to the LORD; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. Hosea 6:1
Now, therefore,” says the LORD, “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”  Joel 2:12

If you study the life of Jesus he is constantly reaching out and attempting to restore that connection and bond with mankind. He broke the mold of the “Religious” and became a “Friend” of sinners.

When Jesus heard it, He said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” Mark 2:17               


You were once alienated and hostile in mind because of your evil actions. But now He has reconciled you by His physical body through His death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before Him ---if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith, and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard.

(Colossians 1:21-23). 


Jesus said , "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.  If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.  John 15:4-7

Resurrection Day

Jesus foretold his death and resurrection

"Then Jesus took the twelve on one side and spoke to them, “Listen to me. We are now going up to Jerusalem and everything that has been written by the prophets about the Son of Man will come true. For he will be handed over to the heathen, and he is going to be jeered at and insulted and spat upon, and then they will flog and kill him. But he will rise again on the third day.”

Luke 18:31-32

Death could not have any power over him because He said.

"I myself am the resurrection and the life,” Jesus told her. “The man who believes in me will live even though he dies, and anyone who is alive and believes in me will never die at all. Can you believe that?”  John 11:25-26 

Now if the rising of Christ from the dead is the very heart of our message, how can some of you deny that there is any resurrection? For if there is no such thing as the resurrection of the dead, then Christ was never raised. And if Christ was not raised then neither our preaching nor your faith has any meaning at all. 

Further it would mean that we are lying in our witness for God, for we have given our solemn testimony that he did raise up Christ—and that is utterly false if it should be true that the dead do not, in fact, rise again! For if the dead do not rise neither did Christ rise, and if Christ did not rise your faith is futile and your sins have never been forgiven. 

Moreover those who have died believing in Christ are utterly dead and gone. Truly, if our hope in Christ were limited to this life only we should, of all mankind be the most to be pitied! 

But the glorious fact is that Christ did rise from the dead: he has become the very first to rise of all who sleep the sleep of death. As death entered the world through a man, so has rising from the dead come to us through a man! As members of a sinful race all men die; as members of the Christ of God all men shall be raised to life, each in his proper order, with Christ the very first and after him all who belong to him when he comes. 1 Cor 15:12-23

But perhaps someone will ask, “How is the resurrection achieved? With what sort of body do the dead arrive?” Now that is talking without using your minds! In your own experience you know that a seed does not germinate without itself “dying”. When you sow a seed you do not sow the “body” that will eventually be produced, but bare grain, of wheat, for example, or one of the other seeds. God gives the seed a “body” according to his laws—a different “body” to each kind of seed.

Then again, even in this world, all flesh is not identical. There is a difference in the flesh of human beings, animals, fish and birds. 

There are bodies which exist in this world, and bodies which exist in heaven. These bodies are not, as it were, in competition; the splendor of an earthly body is quite a different thing from the splendor of a heavenly body. The sun, the moon and the stars all have their own particular splendor, while among the stars themselves there are different kinds of splendor.

These are illustrations here of the raising of the dead. The body is “sown” in corruption; it is raised beyond the reach of corruption. It is “sown” in dishonor; it is raised in splendor. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. As there is a natural body so will there be a spiritual body. 1 Cor 15:39-50

It is written, moreover, that: ‘The first man Adam became a living being’.

So the last Adam is a life-giving Spirit. But we should notice that the order is “natural” first and then “spiritual”. The first man came out of the earth, a material creature. The second man came from Heaven and was the Lord himself. For the life of this world men are made like the material man; but for the life that is to come they are made like the one from Heaven. So that just as we have been made like the material pattern, so we shall be made like the Heavenly pattern.

For I assure you, my brothers, it is utterly impossible for flesh and blood to possess the kingdom of God. The transitory could never possess the everlasting. 

“Men and brother-Jews, I can surely speak freely to you about the patriarch David. There is no doubt that he died and was buried, and his grave is here among us to this day. But while he was alive he was a prophet. He knew that God had given him a most solemn promise that he would place one of his descendants upon his throne.
He foresaw the resurrection of Christ, and it is this of which he is speaking. Christ was not deserted in death and his body was never destroyed. ‘Christ is the man Jesus, whom God raised up—a fact of which all of us are eye-witnesses!’ He has been raised to the right hand of God; he has received from the Father and poured out upon us the promised Holy Spirit—that is what you now see and hear!  Acts 2:29-35

  “People in this world,” Jesus replied, “marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy of reaching that world, which means rising from the dead, neither marry nor are they given in marriage. They cannot die any more but live like the angels; for being children of the resurrection, they are the sons of God. But that the dead are raised, even Moses showed to be true in the story of the bush, when he calls the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’. For God is not God of the dead, but of the living. For all men are alive to him.”  Luke 20:34-38

Yet every advantage that I had gained I considered lost for Christ’s sake. Yes, and I look upon everything as loss compared with the overwhelming gain of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord. For his sake I did in actual fact suffer the loss of everything, but I considered it useless rubbish compared with being able to win Christ. For now my place is in him, and I am not dependent upon any of the self-achieved righteousness of the Law. God has given me that genuine righteousness which comes from faith in Christ. How changed are my ambitions! Now I long to know Christ and the power shown by his resurrection: now I long to share his sufferings, even to die as he died, so that I may perhaps attain as he did, the resurrection from the dead.   Phil 3:7-11  

  

I saw the souls of those who had been executed for their witness to Jesus and for proclaiming the Word of God—those who never worshipped the animal or its statue, and had not accepted its mark upon their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were over.) This is the first resurrection. Happy and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! The second death cannot touch such men; they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him for the thousand years. Rev 20:4-6 

How to Pray

Have you ever been accused of being a "Nag"?   When you nag you consistently communicate by finding fault or complaining in an irritating, wearisome, demanding, and relentless manner.  This type of communication often pesters, annoys, inflicts pain, discomfort, distress, and depression and even gives headaches to the loved ones around us. 
In a marriage this personality trait is not a good one to have but in our spiritual walk with the Lord this quality is good to have because when we loose our hope and trust in the Lord the first thing that happens is we stop seeking him and asking Him for His help and guidance.   

Pray at all times with every kind of spiritual prayer, keeping alert and persistent as you pray for all Christ’s men and women. Ephes 6:18 
"And he told them a parable, to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said," In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor regarded man; and there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, Vindicate me against my adversary. For a while he refused; but afterward he said to himself, Though I neither fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow bothers me, I will vindicate her, or she will wear me out by her continual coming."  And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not not God vindicate his elect, who cry to Him day and night?  Will He delay long over them? I tell you, He will vindicate them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man comes, will He find faith on earth?"  Luke 18:1-8
  
Jesus is telling us that we don't have to be a nag when it comes to our prayers but we are to be persistent and steadfast in them because we are His chosen ones and our Heavenly Father will vindicate us quickly.    
" You are chosen to be my servant and a witness to what you have seen of me today, and of other visions of myself which I will give you. I will keep you safe from both your own people and from the Gentiles to whom I now send you. I send you to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, from the power of Satan to God himself, so that they may know forgiveness of their sins and take their place with all those who are made holy by their faith in me." Acts 26:4-5
"And by these chosen people I mean you and me, whom he has called out from both Jews and Gentiles. He says in Hosea: ‘I will call them my people, who were not my people, and her beloved, who was not beloved’. ‘And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them, You are not my people, there they will be called sons of the living God’."  Romans 9:24-26

But when you pray, go into your own room, shut your door and pray to your Father privately. Your Father who sees all private things will reward you. And when you pray don’t rattle off long prayers like the pagans who think they will be heard because they use so many words. Don’t be like them. After all, God, who is your Father, knows your needs before you ask him.   
Matthew  6:6-8
Base your happiness on your hope in Christ. When trials come endure them patiently, steadfastly maintain the habit of prayer.  Romans 12:12.   And He said to them, Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him; and he will answer from within, Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything? I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him whatever he needs.  And I tell you, Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?  If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?  Luke 11:5-12   

Here we see that if we have the simple faith of a child we can receive what we ask for so Jesus is telling us to ask our Heavenly Father because He loves us and He wants to give us good gifts.  One of the greatest gifts that He could ever give to us is the Holy Spirit so if you have not experienced the wonderful joy of being filled with Holy Spirit simply ask your Heavenly Father and He will give you this gift today.    And Jesus answered them, Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and never doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, be taken up and cast into the sea, it will be done. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.  Matthew 21:21-22 
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you receive it, and you will. Mark 11:24
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God who gives to all men generously and without reproaching, and it will be given him.  But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways, will receive anything from the Lord.  James 1:5-8

Just as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so go on living in him—in simple faith. Grow out of him as a plant grows out of the soil it is planted in, becoming more and more sure of the faith as you were taught it, and your lives will overflow with joy and thankfulness. Col 2:6

 

Fixing God's Temple

If you have ever owed a home then you know that there is always the possibility of something breaking or malfunctioning.  It may be the furnace, the sink, the toilet the roof and the list goes on and on.  If its not one thing then its another.  Oh the joy of home ownership!   What happens when something breaks ?   We have to make a trip to the hardware store and purchase that part that we need to repair it.  With a faucet they sell these faucet kits. With a roof they sell shingles.  With a toilet they sell these toilet repair kits.   Each item requires its own little repair kit to fix it.  These repairs can be time consuming and expensive.   

What happens when your spiritual house gets broken?  Then bible says that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  When something breaks within us it makes it difficult for the Holy Spirit to dwell within us.   

Do you not know that you are God's temple and the God's Spirit dwells in you?  1 Cor 3:16  God who made the world and all things therein, seeing that He is Lord of Heaven and earth, dwells not in temples made with hands.  Acts 17:24 

Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God.  You are not your own;  you were bought with a price.  So glorify God in your body.   1 Cor 6:19-20   

How do we know something is broken within us?  The Holy  Spirit will tell us.   He acts like a smoke alarm.  If the building is on fire He will sound the alarm within you.  He does this in differently in each person.   One person may feel very grieved while another person may feel feel their stomach quivering while another person may not be able to sleep at night and they just don't know why.  God has a way of getting our attention.  He knows how to bring things to the surface that we are trying to excuse and deny through our own self deception.   Sin is self deception.   But the wages of sin is death.  Sin always looks pretty and feels good and seems so right for that moment in time but wide is the road of destruction for your soul.  
For what partnership have righteousness and iniquity?   Or what fellowship has light with darkness?   What accord has Christ with Be'lial?  Or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?   What agreement has the temple of God with idols?  For we are the temple of the LIVING GOD; as God said, I will live in them and move among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  Therefore come out from them, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch nothing unclean; then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.  2 Cor 6:14-18  

The Holy Spirit will fix the breaks within us if we allow Him to do the work.  He will not force Himself upon us.  We have to allow Him to fix the problem.  Some repairs will take more time than others.  If there has been a break from our childhood it takes extensive workmanship on the Holy Spirit's part.  Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, and make holiness perfect in the fear of God.  Just as you once yielded your members to impurity and to greater and greater impurity, so now yield your members to righteousness and sanctification.  Rom 6:19     Now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the return you get is sanctification and its end, eternal life.  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Rom 6:22-23
May the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all men, as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.  1 Thess 3:11-13