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Jun

2011

Lord Jesus, remember me

– Lord Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingdom. I know that I have broken God’s laws and that my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry. Please forgive me. I do believe that You are the Christ, the Son of the Loving God, that you died for my sins. I believe that you resurrected from the dead, that you are seated in heaven at the Father’s right hand as Lord of all creation, and that you are coming again. I call upon you as Lord of my life. Fill my heart with Your Holy Spirit. From this day forward I will confess you as my Lord and Savior. Amen. –

A prayer of Salvation

Journal,

The thief on the cross did not have time to find a church, to get baptized, to do good works, or undo any of the sins of his life. He was about to die. On the cross between him and another thief was Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Here is how it went:

“One of the criminals who were hanged there was hurling abuse at Him, saying, ‘Are You not the Christ? Save Yourself and us!’ But the other answered, and rebuking him said, ‘Do you not even fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed are suffering justly, for we are receiving what we deserve for our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.’

“And he was saying, ‘Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!’ And He said to him, ‘Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.’” (Luk 23:39-43)

The reason the thief on the cross would enter paradise is that he was placing his faith in the Man who was hanging on the cross. The thief would enter paradise the same way that all true believers enter paradise. He acknowledged faith and trust in the Lord when he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!”

One struggle that often confronts new believers has to do with realizing the life that is given us in the new covenant. I have often shared that when believers try to measure their walk with the Lord by the Old Covenant laws it can actually hinder the flow of grace in their life. The new covenant includes a life cause that had never been known to man.

It all has to do with…

The Life Atonement

In all the former covenants there was no spiritual atonement. All the Old Testament sacrifices could do was serve as reminders of sin and of man’s need of a Savior. The Bible says that these sacrifices could never make the worshipper “perfect in conscience.” (Heb9:9)

In the Old Testament sacrifice the one offering the sacrifice was exchanging his life for the life of the animal. The sacrificed animal was taking the place of the sacrificer. But all the sacrifices under the Law could never take away sin. They served as a reminder and a shadow of the great sacrifice to come. In the Old Testament sacrifices the gospel of Christ was being set forth.

What of the cross? It was on the cross that Christ offered himself as an ‘eternal’ sacrifice for all sin for all time, and through His atoning blood, the believer is given a cleansed conscience. Rather than having a heart that would continually remind the believer of the condemnation of sin, the blood-sprinkled heart would now speak of grace and righteousness.

The moment a person becomes born again, they are made aware of a new life principle at work. The born from heaven believer has a new relationship with God. His conscience has been cleansed. The former things have passed away.

Paul said it this way:

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” (2Co 5:17-19)

None of this means that a new covenant believer is incapable of sin. What it means is that the new covenant believer’s life has been exchanged for the life of Jesus. The new believer now remains under the influence of the atonement of Christ.

This also means that the heart and soul of a new covenant believer has undergone a nature change. Where sin was his natural state, now sin becomes an unclean thing to this new believer. O yes, he can sin but he can never be comfortable in sin. Sin is now contrary to his new nature.

Another way of saying this is that the new believer now represents Jesus on the earth, and Jesus represents the new believer in heaven. Both the apostle John and the apostle Paul confirms this.

“By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He [Jesus] is, so also are we in this world.“ (1Jn 4:17)

“For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” (Col 3:3-4)

Walking with a Cleansed Conscience

It is one thing to know we are saved by the sacrifice of Christ, it is altogether another to walk with a cleansed conscience. And so the new covenant has a built-in ‘spiritual-cleansing’ or ‘renewing’ factor that will never lose its power for cleansing. The apostles speak of this renewing and cleansing work of the Holy Spirit.

The word that relates to the cleansing and renewing is the word sanctification. When God saves us, we become ‘set apart’ from the world. (This is essentially what ‘sanctify’ means.) Anything that is sanctified means that it belongs exclusively to God. In this sense all believers are ‘God-possessed’ people.

And so we have from God the work of separation, of cleansing and of renewing.

Paul said,

“We do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.” (2Co4:16)

The term Paul used for ‘renewed’ is anikainoo. It literally means, ‘make new.’ Anikainoo carries the idea of spiritual restorations. Thus it can be said that the believer’s life is being made new day by day. This is the outflow of the life that has been given us in Christ.

Jesus described it this way:

“Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, “From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (Joh 7:37-39)

Back to the thief on the cross. In the new covenant there is …

No Salvation by Works or Personal Goodness

Just as the thief could be saved only one way, the apostles are careful to point out that we cannot be saved by anything that we could do or have done in our own power. The truth of our being saved by faith in Jesus Christ alone is taught throughout the New Testament. James explains how a person is born from above. He said,

“In this exercise of [God’s] will He brought us forth by the word of truth.” (James 1:18)

It is so important to understand this. You cannot work God’s will in your life. God works His will in your life. This is why even repentance can be said to be God at work in our hearts.

Paul added to this in saying,

“He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.” (Tit3:5)

Once again Paul is speaking of the new life renewal that the Holy Spirit continues to manifest in each believer.

Always keep in mind what Jesus said to the thief, ‘Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.’

Now let us talk about…

Full Fellowship

Again listen, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.” We need to know that the Lord always deals with us as blood redeemed people. When we make mistakes, or fall into a temptation, or stumble, or whatever the case may be, the Lord is able to restore us in full fellowship through the atoning blood of Jesus. The Bible says that nothing shall ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is found in Christ Jesus.

We drink from His cup. We sit at His table. We will always be with Jesus in heaven. The believer’s life cannot be separated from Jesus’s life.

In Hebrews, we hear,

“He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” (Heb7:25)

But it is more to this than restoration from sin. It is the very life of the new covenant that we need to learn about. Paul gave the finishing touch on how new covenant life works in a single statement. He said,

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now life in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Gal2:20)

Crucified with Christ

Yes, the thief was crucified with Christ. And the thief would forever live with Christ. When Christ arose from the grave, the thief arose with Him. When Jesus entered into heaven the thief entered with Him. When Jesus was seated at the right hand of the Father, the thief was seated with Him. And so was every believer in the new covenant.

When Paul said that he had been crucified with Christ, he is addressing a cardinal reality of the Christian faith. Listen to the apostle:

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Eph 2:4-7)

Where does all this leave us? It really depends on your standing with heaven. If you are not assured of your salvation, I provided a prayer at the beginning of this journal entry that you may want to use. It begins with the simple words of the thief on the cross and it includes those things that speak of the Lordship of Jesus.

Don’t place your salvation in some church membership, or on some emotional experience, on shaking the preacher’s hand, or how long you prayed at an altar. Salvation is based on one issue alone – Salvation is the change of Lordship. You are turning from the god of this world [Satan] and calling on the name of God’s beloved Son. The Bible plainly says that whoever will call on His name will be saved.

Why not take time for this song. It is titled, ‘Lord, Please Remember Me,’ by the Jackson Southernaires.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYF-2Y9-ogo

Be blessed,

Buddy

Jun

2011

To Die Without Christ

“So Pilate said to Him, ‘You do not speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You, and I have authority to crucify You?’ Jesus answered, ‘You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above;

“…for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.’” (Joh 19:10-11 NASB)

Journal,

The Jerusalem Sanhedrin represented the supreme leadership of world Judaism. When the chief priests and elders delivered Jesus over to the Roman authorities to be crucified, they set in motion a chain of events that would have negative effects on the Jewish people throughout their generations.

We see this beginning to take form in 70 AD, with the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem. Was the destruction of Jerusalem a judgment from God? According to the gospels, yes. And according to the Talmudic writings, also a yes. While the reasons given may differ, that it was a judgment from God was accepted early on.

Out of the ashes

Out of the ashes of smoldering Jerusalem would evolve a new Judaism that would have no likeness to the ancient worship of Moses and David. There would be no temple, no sacrifices, and no priesthood. The rabbis set about to fashion a new Judaism where they would become the exalted figures. This new Judaism took on the name of Rabbinical Judaism or Talmudic Judaism. It was to become an expanded continuation of the Pharisees. (The Sadducee and the priestly temple ministry disappeared in the destruction.)

The rabbi who carried the greater responsibility for the reinvention of Judaism was Rabbi Jochanan ben Zaccai. According to John Lightfoot, Rabbi Jochanan ben Zaccai knew Jesus and most certainly had encounters with the apostles. He was quite possibly one of the Sanhedrin members who held responsibility for the crucifixion of Jesus.

It is important to understand that Rabbi Jochanan ben Zaccai was one of the top religious figures in Jerusalem during the time of Christ and after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

Zaccai lived to be 120 years old. He held such an honored role in Judaism that he became known as the ‘Light of Israel, Pillar of the Right Hand, Strong Hammer.’ Zaccai was well acquainted with the Christian movement.

Rabbi Jochanan ben Zaccai escaped the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. And in setting about to help create a new Judaism, it was determined that the blood sacrifices were no longer needed, and that prayer, good deeds, and fasting were all that was needed to get God’s forgiveness.

The Death of a Rabbi

The Talmudic writings have a record of the death of Rabbi Jochanan ben Zaccai is. Here is a major religious leader who died without Christ.

“When R. Jochanan ben Zaccai was taken ill, his disciples went to visit him. As soon as he beheld them, he began to weep. His disciples said unto him, ‘O Light of Israel, Pillar of the Right Hand, Strong Hammer, why dost thou weep?’ He answered and said unto them… ‘Now when I am to be led into the presence of the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, who lives and is through all eternities, whose anger — if He is angry with me — is an eternal anger; whose fetters — if He will bind me — are everlasting fetters; and whose death — if He put me to death — is an eternal death; whom I cannot appease with words, nor bribe with money;

“… and not only so, but two ways open before me — the one leading to Paradise and the other to hell (Gehenna), and I do not know upon which of these two ways I shall be led, shall I not weep?‘” (Brachot 28b)

Zaccai had no sense of salvation. Religion cannot give what only God can give. The righteousness peace and joy of God’s kingdom comes from only one place and from one Person. They come from Jesus Christ and they are spiritual attributes (realities) of the kingdom of God’s beloved Son.

The Problem With the Golden Calf

Jesus did not come to give us a new religion. If fact He did not come to give us a religious system at all. Religion is what men do. Jesus came to give us a relationship with the heavenly Father. In our new relationship with heaven, the Holy Spirit places believers into ‘flocks’ that function as families. This is essentially what the Greek word for church means.

[ekklesía speaks of the called out, called together people of God; a body of spiritually free citizens who share in a common heavenly citizenship. These flocks would have pastors and other mature godly overseers who can offer guidance and teaching, but never in the sense of being overlords.]

Isn’t it strange how men go about to invent religions? The new Judaism held all kinds of strange notions about God. Much had to do with the self-honor that the rabbis placed upon themselves.

Like any religious system, this new Judaism had its power structure. The rabbis made themselves as the final voice of God. They were above the ancient prophets. This is why the new Judaism is often called Rabbinic Judaism. They even tell the story in the Talmuds how the rabbis outwitted God Himself.

Wherein is the problem? The problem is that people can become so caught up in honoring a religious system that the system itself takes on the form of idolatry. Their church becomes ‘the‘ church. They find salvation with ‘their‘ church and not necessarily with Jesus Christ.

Thus the golden calf of religion. This form of church idolatry takes on the idea of, ‘My church is the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through my church.’ (Don’t laugh. Church idolatry is very real.)

The greater sin

What makes the death of Rabbi Jochanan ben Zaccai even more dreadful comes from something that Jesus said to Pilate. Listen again to what the Lord said to Pilate about authority.

“You would have no authority over Me, unless it had been given you from above; for this reason he who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.” (Cf. John 19:10,11)

Did you catch it? Jesus said, ‘He who delivered Me over to you has the greater sin.’

Why would the Jewish leaders be charged with the greater sin but not Pilate or the Roman soldiers? It was because these leaders knew more about Jesus than they were putting on. Their rejection had to do with knowledge in having rejected Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Many of them knew better and yet they participated in the rejection.

Jesus set forth their great sin:

“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:?’ “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it. And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.

“When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them. When they sought to seize Him, they feared the people, because they considered Him to be a prophet.” (Mat 21:42-46)

The Man Who Knew Christ

Let’s see what distinguishes the death of Rabbi Zaccai from another leader who accepted Jesus as the Messiah of Israel? We know that the apostle Paul was formerly a disciple of Gamaliel and a violent persecutor of the church. This man came to know Jesus as his Lord and Savior. When Paul faced death, this is what we read about him:

“For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” (Cf. 2Ti 4:7,8)

Do you see the difference? Rabbi Zaccai was terrified. The apostle Paul was ready for his journey home. What made the difference? It all comes back to the atonement sacrifice. To reject the cross is to reject any hope of salvation. It is not as though Zaccai had no earlier warning. A special letter was sent to Jewish people by an apostolic writer not long before the destruction of the temple. It may have been written by Paul. Zaccai could well have been aware of it.

“For if we go on sinning [the sin of rejecting Jesus as Lord and Messiah] willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?” (Cf. Heb 10:26- 29)

As a minister of 45 plus years I’ve attended the last hours of various believers. These were precious moments. They had no fear. When it neared the time of passage it was as though they were already experiencing the heaven side of their passage. As for others — Well, I’ll leave that unsaid.

How about you? Will you die having rejected Jesus Christ as Lord of your life? Are you one of those ‘golden calf’ people who have replaced Jesus with a religious system.

Or, are you one of those who truly have a relationship with the Heavenly Father by way of His Son Jesus Christ?

Think about it. Again I ask, is Jesus Christ truly the Lord of your life?

Are you ready to turn to the Lord? Here is a prayer that can help you. Pray it from your heart…

“Father, I know that I have broken your laws and my sins have separated me from you. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn away from my past sinful life toward you. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”

If you prayed this prayer, please drop me a note. I will be happy to offer some guidance that can help you.

In Christ always,

Buddy

May

2011

Time for a Breather – Blog Studies Update

Readers,

Greetings from the Martin house.

Since I’ll be on the road for the next week and unsure about computer time, I thought it would be good to give an update on my blog. As of this morning so far this year I’ve had 40,089 page views. (Total of 71,201.)

The top twelve countries most represented in number of views are: (1) USA. (2) Russia. (3) United kingdom. (4) Canada. (5) Germany. (6) India. (7) Ukraine. (8) China. (9) Philippines. (10) Australia. (11) Japan. (12) Indonesia. (The views pretty much span the globe.)

If you are new to my on-line journal and would like to check those studies that have generated the most readership, here is a list of the top twelve studies in order of number of readers.

(1) Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment. http://buddymartin.net/blog/2009/11/mercy-triumphs-over-judgment/

(2)    Understanding Biblical Salvation. http://buddymartin.net/blog/2009/12/understanding-biblical-salvation/

(3)    Beware of the Godhood Lie. http://buddymartin.net/blog/2011/05/beware-of-the-godhood-lie/

(4)    Passing Through the Valley of Baca. http://buddymartin.net/blog/2010/01/passing-through-the-valley-of-baca/

(5)    Twisting and Turning in the Wind. http://buddymartin.net/blog/2011/05/twisting-and-turning-in-the-wind/

6)    The Secret of an Unfeigned Prayer Life. http://buddymartin.net/blog/2011/05/the-secret-of-a-unfeigned-prayer-life/

(7)    When the Temple Shuttered. http://buddymartin.net/blog/2011/05/when-the-temple-shuddered/

(8)    There’s a Promise Coming – Restoration. http://buddymartin.net/blog/2011/04/theres-a-promise-coming-restoration/

(9)    Miss You Mama. http://buddymartin.net/blog/2011/05/miss-you-mama/

(10) How Secure are You in Christ. http://buddymartin.net/blog/2010/03/how-secure-are-you-in-christ/

(11) Honoring God With Firstfruits. http://buddymartin.net/blog/2009/12/honoring-god-with-first-fruits/

(12) There Really Are Two Worlds. http://buddymartin.net/blog/2011/04/there-really-are-two-worlds/

A Servant of the Lord,

Buddy

May

2011

The Peoples of the Book

“But if a revelation is made to another who is seated, the first one must keep silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all may be exhorted.” (1Co14:30,31)

Journal,

In the above Scripture, Paul explains how prophetic exhortations were to take place in the assembly of the early believers. What many don’t realize is that the apostle has the Scriptures in view. It should be understood in this sense:

‘If a revelation from the Scriptures is made to another, let the first one listen. For all of you can prophesy (share a revelation from the Scriptures), so that all may learn and all may be exhorted.’

The early believers were well-instructed in that all true revelations from God, must have their resting place in the sacred writings.

Jesus said,

“‘These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.” (Luk 24:44-45)

This helps us understand what Paul had in mind when he said that Bible teachers must never exceed what had been written by the prophets.

“Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, so that in us you may learn not to exceed what is written, so that no one of you will become arrogant in behalf of one against the other.” (1Co 4:6)

The Bible of the early Christians

The Bible of the early Church was the same Bible used by the nation of Israel. The earliest believers simply studied Moses and the prophets. They did this in light of the new covenant.

You can imagine the activity of the Holy Spirit among the early believers in helping them draw from the sacred writings of Moses and the prophets.

Thus you have the adage, ‘The new is hidden in the old, and the old is revealed in the new.’ The theology of the early Church did not have the complexities that later came to dominate the Christian faith. Neither the apostles or the early Hebrew believers ever departed from the ancient creed of Israel.

Paul said,

“Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.” (1Co8:6. Paul is reflecting on the Schema of Israel. Cf. Deu6:4)

The tale of two people

The Church has long grappled with the issue of her relationship to a people known as Jews. The issue is not put to rest by quoting a Scripture such as,

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendents, heirs according to promise.” (Gal. 3:28,29)

This particular Scripture has to do with our salvation in Christ. It was never intended as an answer for the issue of the relationship of the Church and the Jewish people.

To properly address the question of the Church and the Jew, we must also couple redemption history with another statement found in the New Testament:

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Any study of redemption that ignores God’s love for the world will result in a distorted view of our salvation in Christ, and a distorted view of the Church’s relationship with the Jewish people.

Regardless of how little we may understand this, the record is clear. Adam’s life and nature became corrupted when he forsook God’s word. Sin is not simply something that men do. Sin is a principle of evil at work in the fallen race. This principle of evil passed from the generations of Adam until now. Sin includes every human on planet earth.

The man called Abraham

Here we leap across history and find a man called Abraham. Abraham is so important to the work of redemption that new covenant believers are called ‘the children of Abraham’.

“And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.” (Gal 3:29)

Through Abraham we have the history of a people who will include Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, David, Peter, James, John, Paul, and so on. (Yes, our very apostles were from the stock of Abraham.)

But God did not set aside the Abraham people because they were superior to any other people. Moses addressed this:

“It is not because your righteousness that the Lord our God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stubborn people.”

He went on to say,

“You have been rebellious against the Lord from the day I knew you.” (Cf. Deu8,9)

So, why did the Lord choose this people? The answer is, “For God so loved the world.”

From this people would come the Messiah. From this people would come a fledgling Church that would fill the earth with righteous fruit.

Everything God did in former times had the fall of Adam in view. Everything God does in redemptive history has the cross of Jesus Christ in view.

The sacred oracles

Paul asks the question;

“Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision?” (Rom3:1)

He then says,

“Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God.”

Being entrusted with the oracles of God meant that to the Abraham family alone God entrusted the writing of His sacred oracles. (This is one reason that the Koran cannot have been of God.)

These divine oracles were intended for all of humanity. In fact no other people group could ever produce such a book. The Bible from Genesis to Revelation is the only book under heaven that can give a record of history before it happens.

The world would not have known where and when the Messiah would be born had it not been for the prophet Micah and Daniel. Men from the east would not have journeyed so far to find the infant Jesus, had they not studied these ancient oracles.

A book of deliverance and salvation

The book spoke of the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world.

The prophet said,

“On that day the deaf will hear the words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see. The afflicted also will increase their gladness in the Lord, and the needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.” (Isa29:18,19)

Notice that it is the needy of mankind who will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. This reaches back to the truth we must not forget;

“For God so loved the world.”

Someone asked Paul that since that the Jews had largely rejected Jesus as the Messiah, does that not place the Gentiles before the Jews. After all the Gentiles were entering the Church in a large measure.

His response was,

“Not at all; for we have already charged that both the Jews and the Greeks are all under sin; as it is written, `There is none righteous, not even one, etc.” (Rom3:9,10)

Israel missed her appointment

Moses had much to say about this people who would take up the name ‘Jew’. For example he said,

“Would that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would discern their future!”

Moses reaches across history, and speaks of their scorning the Rock of their salvation; that they would be scattered among the nations. Then he says,

“In the latter days you will return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice.” (Deu4:30)

Now listen to Jesus:

“He saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another…

“… because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.” (Luk 19:41-44)

Israel coming to faith

The Jewish people need a Savior just as does all of humanity. Moses knew this. Peter knew this.

One day the Jewish people are going to look at the nail pierced hands of Jesus and ask,

“What are those wounds between your arms [hands]?”

The Lord will respond,

“Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.” (Zech. 13:6)

The prophet Isaiah lays out how Israel would reject her Savior. In Isaiah 53, we hear,

“But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell on Him, and by His scourging we are healed.”

Isaiah goes on to say,

“Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of. He us all to fall on Him.” (Isa53)

The mystery solved

The gospel began in the temple complex in Jerusalem. The Jews were given first rights. Yet through the years, Gentiles have entered the Church by droves and the Jews by trickles.

Is this how salvation history was purposed to work?

Paul said to the Gentiles believers,

“I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery so that you will not be wise in your own estimation that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written…

“The Deliver will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob. This is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.” (Rom11:25,26)

Paul says, after the gospel has penetrated all the nations and the full measure of salvation has been preached among the Gentiles, an interesting thing will happen. The nation of Israel will turn to Jesus with a full heart. Thus he says,

“[Then] all Israel will be saved.” [When Paul uses the term ‘Israel’, he speaks of a nation group.]

Keep in mind what Jesus said as He wept over Jerusalem,

“From now on you will not see Me until you say, `Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.'” (Mat23:39)

Jesus was weeping over a physical Jerusalem. This can only be fulfilled in a physical Jerusalem.

With this the prophets agree

God speaks through Hosea in saying,

“I will go away and return to My place until the acknowledge their guilt and seek My face.” (Hosea 5:15)

What guilt must they acknowledge? They must acknowledge that the Man of the cross was and is the true Messiah of Israel.

At some near point in redemption history the nations are going to make a collective stand against Jerusalem. It is in this time frame that the Spirit of grace will once again be poured out on Jerusalem.

“And in that day I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.” (Zech12:9)

Listen further – Zechariah 12:10 says,

“I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.”

The greatest revelation of all is that they will know that Jesus Christ is Yahweh incarnate.

The Lord spoke through the prophet:

“They will look on Me whom they have pierced.”

Hosea also lays out the great substitution doctrine of Christ:

“Come, let us return to the Lord. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us. He will revive us after two days; He will raise us up on the third day, that we may live before Him. So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord. His goings forth is as certain as the dawn; and He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth” (Hosea6:1-3)

A beloved enemy

So again, what relationship does the Church have with the physical race of Abraham? Paul said,

“From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.” (Rom11:28)

But how can we the Church have a beloved enemy? Strange isn’t it.

What other reason can there be for this strange attraction Christians have for the Jews? And I might add, vice versa. Did you know that more Jews have converted to Christianity in the last half of this past century than in all the former nineteen centuries put together?

What did Moses say in this regard?

“When you are in distress and all these things have come upon you, in the latter days you will return to the Lord your God and listen to His voice. For the Lord your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.” (Deu4:30,31)

Paul gets very specific in saying that the Jews will be given a covenant of forgiveness at the second coming. He says their acceptance will be life from the dead.

“They did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles [all the nations], to make them jealous.” (Rom 11:11)

Such a mystery. And to think that we are at this moment seeing redemption prophecy fulfilled.

Oh yes, it began in Jerusalem and it will end in Jerusalem.

Listen to Mark Lowery as he sings, ‘Mary did you know’

In Christ always,

Buddy

May

2011

The Secret of a Unfeigned Prayer Life

“When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

“But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” (Mat 6:5-6)

Journal,

There was a man in England named George Muller who cared for thousands of orphans. He kept a prayer diary. Muller recorded over 50,000 specific prayers that had been answered. The strange part is that Muller never took up offerings. He would only accepted unsolicited free-will offerings for his care of the orphans. He felt that these gifts had to be from the heart or he did not want them.

It was not always that way. Before he met Jesus, George Muller was a drunk, a liar, a thief, and spent time in jail. Naturally the Lord was not pleased with his life. And so he truly did come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as his own Lord and Savior.

But why did George Muller decide to never let his needs for the care of the orphans be known to anyone other than his staff? It was because Muller took God at His word. He was what we would call a radical believer.

It was George Muller who gave me the inspiration to raise up a ministry to be called Christian Challenge International, on the same basis of taking God at His word. The ministry was to be built on prayer alone. To this day we still do not take up offerings. I have found that God is a man of His Word.

Let’s talk about how prayer and faith work together.

The simple secret

The word ‘unfeigned‘ speaks of something that is not pretended; sincerely felt or expressed. Jesus gave a simple secret to an unfeigned prayer life. It can be found in the background for what we call, ‘the Lord’s prayer.’ The bottom line is that everything about faith and prayer will always rest upon a believer’s personal relationship with the heavenly Father.

George Muller actually based his prayers on a single Scripture, where the Lord said,

“I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide and I will fill it.” (Psa81:10)

This passage became Muller’s challenge to faith and to believing. Sometimes it only takes one passage to change our whole course of life. The point at hand is that our prayer life has to be intensely personal. As sons and daughters of God, our interchanges with heaven should always be on a heart level.

And this brings us to…

The secret of being personal

Everything in the new covenant is personal. Each new birth from above is personal. What Jesus was teaching is that prayer and God’s Word is the connection between the believer and the heavenly Father. You can have all the people in the world praying for you, but until it reaches the level of being personal, the results will not always be satisfying.

For the individual believer, the real issue is always singleness of heart. And this brings me to the most important element in prayer. It has to do with the living Word of God. This is the heart lesson of John 1:1:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (Joh 1:1)

The point is that God doesn’t answer our prayers because we pray loud and long. Some people have the idea that we have to ‘pray through’ to something, as though our long prayers will eventually attain God’s attention. We are the very children of God. We have His full attention every moment of every day. We belong to the family of God. Prayer should be as natural to a child of God as breathing.

Paul said,

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, …

“… so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

“Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” (Eph3:14-21)

The secret of divine communication

The foregoing Scriptures by the apostle Paul, lays out the very heart of our childhood in Christ. We have a loving Father who has caused us to be born of His very Spirit. The prophet of old said that our Father longs to be gracious to us.

Listen:

“Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.” (Isa 30:18)

The secret is in divine communication. We speak to God in prayer. He speaks to us largely through His Word. Who do you think needs to do the most listening? You can do hours in prayer and carry out very little. Why is that? It is because the Lord wants to place answers in your heart and He does this by speaking to us through His Word.

This is why David said,

“Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law.” (Psa 119:18 –The Hebrew for Law – Torah – speaks of divine communication and instructions.)

How can we have a proper prayer life if we never hear from God. It is on the basis of divine communication that we begin to understand where our faith really comes from. Paul said that our faith is the result of Christ communicating to our hearts. Jesus said it thus,

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (Jn10:27)

Paul said it this way:

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Rom 10:17)

Thus we have…

The very secret of a living faith

The faith we are called to live by is not something that we conjure up. It is not a matter of working five principles of this or seven principles of that. We have a living faith and this living faith is a matter of the very heart of God. Faith is God’s heart speaking in our heart.

Read very carefully what the apostle had to say about the deep of God:

“For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

“But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ.” (1Co 2:11-16)

Did you catch a primary reason the Lord has given us the Holy Spirit as His indwelling presence in our hearts?

— So that we may know the things freely given to us by God … not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. —

The Spirituality Secret of Prayer

Let me share three reason why we should be devoted to prayer.

First of all, prayer is balm for the soul. It is not merely a matter of who you are praying for. The one who receives the greatest benefit is the person praying. Balm speaks of God’s healing medicine. It is in prayer that our souls become settled with God’s peacefulness.

A second reason is that prayer actually gives the believer power over temptation. A simple prayer under the influence of the Holy Spirit is worth more than a thousand rote prayers. Jesus said to the disciples,

“Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mt26:41)

The third reason is that prayer puts us on God’s page. In all our teachings on our security in Christ, and of God’s love for us, we must take care that we do not neglect our part in the walk of faith. Knowledge by itself can cause a person to lose their spiritual bearing and become prideful. We must always be on God’s page.

Jude to this:

“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.” (Jude 1:20,21)

Where Jude says, “praying in the Holy Spirit,” he is telling us to pray under the auspices or the influence of the Holy Spirit. This kind of praying simply speaks of Spirit guided prayers.

The secret of guided prayer

The disciples asked the Lord to teach them how to pray. Why did they ask this of Him? After all these Hebrew men had been schooled in proper prayers. They ask Jesus this question because they had never seen anyone pray the way Jesus prayed, with such intimacy and presence. They could see that the Lord had a wonderful and loving relationship with the heavenly Father. They wanted that same relationship

Were it not for the Holy Spirit we would be left drifting about in the land of prayer with little knowledge of what we should be praying for. Nor does this mean as some teach, that praying in the Holy Spirit means to pray in an unknown language. That is a grave misunderstanding of what praying under the influence of the Spirit really means.

God sent the Holy Spirit into the church to be the divine administrator of all that pertains to God’s family and to kingdom business. This is why Paul said,

“For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Rm14:17)

Having the Spirit of the Lord in our hearts is the awesome treasure of the new covenant. Jesus said,

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” (Jn14:26)

The Holy Spirit is our spiritual tutor. He even works repentance in us by reminding us of that is right in the sight of God. This is why Jesus said,

“But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” (Mat 6:6)

He also said we should not pray using loud noises and continual repetitions. He explained why we do not need to pray like heathens;

“For your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”

There is much more to be said about prayer in the new covenant. It seems that George Muller found the secret of prayer. Have you found the secret?

Feel free to offer your thoughts or ask questions. Please let me know if this short instruction on prayer has helped you.

In Christ always,

Buddy

May

2011

Twisting and Turning in the Wind

“As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ.” (Eph 4:14-15)

Journal,

In this entry, I want to share how certain heretical teachings can be based on either a misunderstanding of the Scriptures or by stark misrepresentation.

Then you have the issue where a false doctrine is the calling card of false prophets and teachers. It is not my purpose to judge anyone in this entry as a false prophet. However, it is important for God’s people to be able to judge things for themselves. Jesus told us to judge with righteous judgment.

With regard to heretical teachings, David said it well enough –

“He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many will see and fear and will trust in the LORD. How blessed is the man who has made the LORD his trust, and has not turned to the proud, nor to those who lapse into falsehood.” (Psa 40:2-4)

David compared the miry clay with ‘those who lapse into falsehood’. Paul speaks of this as the trickery of men by craftiness in deceitful scheming, or, as, ‘winds of doctrine’. He is using the ‘wind‘ illustration in a Hebrew Biblical sense. The idea is of clouds and winds that make a promise of rain, yet produce nothing but disappointment. The boast works on the emotions, but are a mere illusion.

Hence –

“Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of his gifts falsely.” (Pro 25:14)

What are winds of doctrines

Winds of doctrine are teachings that twist and turn the Scriptures to make them mean something that they don’t mean. Most believers at one time or another have accepted a teaching that was not true to God’s Word. This generally comes from immaturity. But believing a falsehood can also come from a defiant attitude. This is where a person has made a choice to believe a lie. Thus they become snared by darkness.

At this point, it is important to point out how the charismatic movement that began in the early 60s, has become a breeding ground for heretical teachings. Through the goodness of the Lord, a great many true believers have escaped from that movement of ‘pyramid teachers’ by personal soul-searching and by a proper study of Biblical doctrine.

The term ‘pyramid teachers’ is a keynote. Most often a heretical teaching begins with a well-recognized, big-name, noted charismatic teacher. It then filters down the ranks until all the teachers in that movement are parroting the false doctrine. The thinking is, ‘How could so-and-so be wrong about anything. He is a chosen instrument of God.’

Here are some but not all of the proponents of this teaching. These quotes are not taken out of context.

“You don’t have a god in you, you are one.” (Kenneth Copeland) “… You are a little god running around.” (Benny Hinn) “I’m a god and you are a god.” (Jim Jones) “You are as much the incarnation of God as Christ was” (Kenneth Hagin) “Until we comprehend that we are little gods, we cannot manifest the kingdom of God.” (Earl Paulk) “I am a little god! Critics, be gone!” (Paul Crouch, TBN)

The godhood heresy is based primarily on two Scriptures portions. The problem is that both these portions are removed from their cultural and Biblical context.

First, the Psalmist Asaph wrote,

“I said, ‘You are gods, and all of you are sons of the Most High.” (Psa 82:6)

Then we have this from the New Testament:

“The Jews answered Him, ‘For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.’

“Jesus answered them, ‘Has it not been written in your Law, “I SAID, YOU ARE GODS”? If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’”? (Joh 10:33-36)

The heresy twist follows this line of thinking – All Christians are gods. The Bible says that we are ‘little gods’ on this planet. We are made in the image and likeness of God, and thus we are ‘little gods.’

Keep in mind this adage…

A text taken out of context is a pretext

Nowhere in the Bible does it say that we are little gods. We are sons and daughters of God. Even those terms have to be placed in their proper understanding. So what was the Psalmist Asaph’s point and why did Jesus quote from him? Good questions. The answer is not as difficult as it may seem.

The context of Psalm 82 has to do with the ‘rulers‘ of Israel. Verse 1 says, “God takes His stand in His own congregation; He judges in the midst of the rulers.” (The word for ruler here is ‘elohim‘.)

The rulers in Israel were given a dignity by God to represent Him in Israel. Verses 2 through 4 are charges against these unjust rulers.

“How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah. Vindicate the weak and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and destitute. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.” (Psa 82:2-4)

Then we have the Lord’s answer for these unjust rulers who held a certain God-given dignity.

“They do not know nor do they understand; they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. I said, ‘You are gods, and all of you are sons of the Most High. ‘ Nevertheless you will die like men and fall like any one of the princes.'” (Psa 82:5-7)

The ‘all of you’ remains in place for Israel’s leadership. Their role as ‘rulers (elohim)’ had well gone to their heads. They loved being held in high esteem. They loved the acclamations. They loved to boast on their higher status as ‘the‘ rulers who represented God. What does the Lord say? You are no different from any other person. You are going to fall and die like any other person of high rank.

Why did Jesus use the Asaph quote

Thus we have the key to why Jesus quoted from Asaph. Two issues are in view.

(1) During the time of Jesus, each city had its own Sanhedrin, and then all Israel was under the rule of the Great Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin continued to use Asaph’s ‘elohim‘ statement for their placement in Israel’s society. They alone had the status of representing God. They alone were the elohim of God. (By the way, the term ‘elohim’ is a generic term. It can be translated other than as ‘god.’ – gods, judges, angels.)

(2) Secondly, Jesus turned their boast on their own head. Listen: “If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God.'”?

Did you catch what Jesus was saying to the rulers? If you are going to say that I am blaspheming, then you must also take this charge to yourself. What you charge Me with, would also make you a blasphemer. He caught them in their own foolishness. This is one reason that the Jewish rulers hated Jesus. They could never outdo His wisdom.

What is the point of all this

The point is that the ‘we are gods’ heresy is doing the very same thing today that it did during the time of Asaph and the time of Jesus. It is pride-centered, egotistical based, and creates an attitude of self-righteousness in those who take to themselves these teachings.

The point is that there are a lot of hurting believers coming out of the Charismatic movement. They have been damaged by heresy. The ‘we are god’s’ is only one of many heresies found there. The teaching that, ‘we can create with our words’, that ‘we are messiahs on the earth’, that, ‘Jesus was rich and wore designer clothes’, that, ‘any form of sickness is always of the devil’, and on and on and on, are all teachings that run contrary to the truths of God.

Heresies do not bring true freedom into a child of God’s life. They do just the opposite. They end up as bondages.

It is as I said at the beginning of this entry –

“…heretical teachings can be based on either a misunderstanding of the Scriptures or by stark misrepresentation. … It is important for God’s people to be able to judge things for themselves. Jesus told us to judge with righteous judgment.”

While you think about these things, please take time to listen to Michael W. Smith, as he sings, ‘Draw Me Close to You.’

In Christ always,

Buddy

May

2011

Miss you Mama…

“Upon You I was cast from birth; You have been my God from my mother’s womb.” – Psalm 22:10 NASB

Journal,

This entry is based on a mother’s day post that I made last year. Can’t really make much improvement. A child’s love for mama has no boundaries. Only God’s love can be greater.

It should go without saying that I miss my mother greatly. Mama went to be with the Lord on Easter Sunday morning, 2005. She was eighty-five years young.

Where did the time go? Mama went to be with the Lord, six years ago. Seems like yesterday.

Well, now we four children are left with our memories. But such memories they are. Actually reminiscing can be a lot of fun when you reach the age of grandpa and great-grandpa. Yep, this August I will be 71 years old. In my figuring it won’t be too long before I get to see mama again.

In the meantime let me share a bit of insight on God’s greatest gift to the man, our mothers and our wives.

The woman in your life

The sage said,

Mama in her mother's arms. Cir 1921.

“Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun; for this is your reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun.”

Peter also brings this to bear. Listen carefully;

“You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.” (1 Pe 3:7)

Mama - Young unmarried. Cir 1934

Here are the lessons:

(1) The woman is a weaker vessel. (Physical strength. God made her that way. )

(2) The woman is to be honored as a fellow heir the grace of life. (Not as an inferior person.)

(3) The man’s prayers will not be answered if he fails to take these instructions to heart.

(4) None of this takes away from the differing roles of the man and woman. The apostles were careful in this area to let us see how God’s original purpose has never changed.

Mama's first born - 1936 (Bertie)

Created in the image of God

Adam was created first and had covenant responsibility for the family of humankind. But in his relationship to Eve, Adam was not to be without Eve, and Eve was not to be without Adam. Each had a role to fulfill.

Each had gifting that were theirs in particular. Each was given nature traits that belonged to them alone. It would take both Adam and Eve to fully express what the term ‘image’ really means.

Since we know that Adam was given covenant headship, let’s look at what Eve’s role was in relationship to covenant.

Here again we need to see the bigger picture. There are mysteries in the Adam-Eve story that reflect on the total of God’s eternal story. I’ll skim just a bit.

Genesis 2:20, says,

“…there was not found a helper suitable for him.”

Two words are important. Helper is the word ‘ezer.’ This word is similar in some respects to the Greek word, parakletos. As you know ‘parakletos‘ is applied to the Holy Spirit. Jesus said,

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever.”

Someone who brings freshness

Mama in late 40s

Then we have the word ‘suitable.’ This is also an interesting word. Listen carefully men — Neged literally means ‘in front of’, ‘in sight of,’ or, ‘opposite to.’

It means she is to be ‘before‘ your face. (Not ‘in’ your face.) So Adam needed someone whose giftings were companion giftings, to make up for His own lack in areas. Yes, the Lord also designed Adam where he could not be a lone ranger.

Next we find the Lord putting Adam into a deep sleep. The Hebrew term for ‘deep sleep’ is not often used. It is close to a death word, in which consciousness of life is not present. This is the word used for Abraham’s sleep where he sees the flaming torch and smoking oven.

1954 - Bonnie in arms and Julia

Here is where we see some of the wonderful mystery of Christ and the church, but also the wonder between a godly man and his wife. (Learn this men, and you will learn how to enjoy life with the woman who you love.)

The Triple lesson

Let’s follow this triple lesson. God presents Eve to Adam. God presents the Church to Christ. God presents the wife to the man.

All this is contained in the Adam-Eve story. But notice one thing in particular. God required Adam to die before He would give him Eve. This is so important to understanding how God’s giftings of maleness and femaleness work. It is never a matter of submerging one’s life under another. It is a matter of merging of lives, where both lives count, but neither is to be without the other.

Mama in the 60s

“The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.”

Do you see the beauty in this. God fashioned the woman himself. He didn’t fashion her from the earth. He actually took a part of Adam, and fashioned Eve from that part. (Not the head or toe, but from the heart area.)

The very first words that Eve hears, are the words of Adam ‘sanctifying her to himself.’ Here is how Adam sanctified Eve. He looks at her, and says,

“This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of man.”

(Apply this to Christ and the church and get excited. We are the body of Christ. We are bone of His bone. Flesh of His flesh. He doesn’t fill us full of fear. He sanctifies us by driving our fears away.)

Sanctified love

But there is more to the story of sanctifying Eve. The Lord made her to be more fragile than Adam, and yet with powerful gifting that were hers alone. Therefore Adam was put in a place where he had to recognize Eve as God’s special gift to him. This meant he had to draw her back to himself, and she needed to hear him do so.

Husbands, it is so important that you learn to affirm your wife to yourself. (Holds true with the wife also.) Even in nature, God designed the male to be the one who courts.

To sanctify Eve, Adam had to drive away her fears. This is exactly how Christ sanctified the church to himself. John said that perfect love casts out fears.

Let me add just two more items. Coming back to the image of God. There is a sense in which the woman can serve as a type of the Holy Spirit. This is especially true when you consider her nature and gifting.

There is also a sense in which the man serves as a type of God’s Word. Both are needed for life. (The woman provides the womb and egg. The man provides the seed. Just something to think about.)

The Word without the Spirit can produce legalism. The Spirit without the Word can produce instability. Perhaps this is why Jesus said,

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” (John 6:63)

Finally, when it comes to covenant issues, there is no stronger spiritual working power on this planet than a man and his wife who are in spiritual union. All the promises that relate to ‘two’ people doing something, find their greatest impact in the godly marriage.

And on to the love of a mother

Yes indeed, I loved and still love my mama. She was the one who taught me to pray the little child’s prayer of, ‘Now I lay me down to sleep.’

She was my confidant and the one to whom I could open my heart and she with me.

And so to all my readers I leave this precious Psalm with you:

“O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor my eyes haughty; nor do I involve myself in great matters, or in things too difficult for me. Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child rests against his mother, my soul is like a weaned child within me. O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forever.” (Psa 131:1-3 NASB)

And to all you women in we men’s lives. We love you more than words can say.

Here is your song, ‘This Amazing Love.’ – By a twelve year old girl.

Always in Christ,

Buddy

May

2011

Beware of the Godhood Lie

“Her prophets have smeared whitewash for them, seeing false visions and divining lies for them, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,’ when the LORD has not spoken.” (Eze 22:28)

Journal,

It is the immature believers who become potential prey for spiritual mishandling and psychological abuse. This is why it is so important for believers to grow in the Lord. In this growth comes spiritual discernment. Discernment is a thing of the knowing heart.

The mature believer has learned to pay close attention to the ‘cautions‘ of his own spirit. A believer’s intuition alerts him to things that are not right. (Has nothing to do with rational processes.)

But where the immature believer gets in trouble is when he overrides the cautions in his heart. Often this overriding comes from, ‘Something must be wrong with me. Everyone else thinks this is of God.’

The longings of the heart

The problem is that we humans long for spiritual realities. But there is a problem. Since the fall of Adam, humanity entered into Adam’s state of spiritual disrepair. Moses speaks of this as a defect.

Listen to Moses:

“They have acted corruptly toward Him, they are not His children, because of their defect; but are a perverse and crooked generation.” (Deu 32:3-5).

When a person turns to the Lord, they enter into a new expression of being as a believer. However, there is still work yet to be done to repair what had been lost in the fall of Adam. The Bible speaks of this work as ‘the renewing of our mind,’ or, ‘the transforming life’. A place to begin is in understanding what the Bible means by ‘the lie.’

We need to go back to…

The lie that caused man’s disrepair

The original lie that Satan used on Eve can be considered the mother of all lies. Understand this and you are on your way to realizing how this same lie is making its rounds in certain movements today. The lie is the ‘godhood’ lie. Let’s see if you can pick up on it.

Concerning the forbidden fruit, Satan said to Eve,

“You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, [you will be a god] knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4,5)

The godhood lie was Adam and Eve could be exactly what God is. They themselves would be gods. They could do all the things that God does.

The godhood lie is found in one form or another through the history of the human race. Roman Emperors were worshipped as gods. The Pharaohs considered themselves to be gods. The emperor of Japan was considered a god. Hinduism is a major player in the godhood lie as well as is Mormonism and new age teachings.

Today this very lie is being ‘subtly’ promoted by well-known charismatic speakers. I use the term ‘subtly’ because the lie is covered in Biblical language. It is insidious to the degree that it literally undermines the Lordship of Jesus Christ. If we can do everything Jesus does, then why do we need Jesus. (Think about it.)

A form of mind control

A lie is a deception at work. A deception is a form of mind control. One Hebrew definition for the term deception means, ‘to steal the heart.’

While the Bible says that God cannot lie, Jesus tells us that Satan’s primary calling card is lying. Satan’s main mode of operation is defined, ‘power and signs and false wonders, and all the deception of wickedness.’

Lying wonders do not do away with the true miracles and workings of God. But the miracles of God are always in a form of bringing glory to Jesus Christ, and not to a man.

Coming back to Satan as a liar, Jesus spoke to a certain group who were religiously serving Satan, though they would certainly deny this. They were willing to believe in Jesus, but it had to be on their terms, and not on the terms for who Jesus really was.

Listen:

“Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word.

“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him.Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (Joh 8:42-44)

Self-deification

The godhood lie today is a form of self-deification where humans are made to be god-men. The godhood lie will culminate with the appearance of antichrist. (2Th2:4)

“Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.” (2Th 2:3-4)

Noted godhood teachers

Here are sampling of noted teachers of the past and of today who have promoted the godhood lie. To you in the ‘Word of Faith’ camp, I have a special caution for you. Beware! Beware!

– The Original Lie Seen –

“You don’t have a god in you, you are one.” (Kenneth Copeland, “The Force Of Love”, audiotape #02-0028, Kenneth Copeland Ministries.)

“I am a ‘little messiah’ walking on earth.” (Benny Hinn, “Praise-a-thon Program” on TBN, broadcast.)

Joseph Smith – considered a prophet of the Mormon Church, said: “As God is, man shall become.”

Shirley McClain proudly declared: “I am God. I am God. I am God. I am God.”

Jim Jones (the infamous murder of the Jonestown massacre) – “You are what Jesus was. Jesus said that every human being was a god. It is written that you are gods. I’m a god and you are a god.”

Margot Adler – “We are as gods and might as well get good at it.”

Benny Hinn – “Don’t say you have Jesus. You are everything he was, is and shall be.”

“When you say, ‘I am a Christian, you are saying I am a little Messiah walking on the earth. May I say it? You are a little god running around.” – Benny Hinn

“You are as much the incarnation of God as Christ was….The believer is as much an incarnation as was Jesus of Nazareth.” (Kenneth Hagin, “Word of Faith.”)

“Adam and Eve were placed in the world as the seed and expression of God. Just as dogs have puppies and cats have kittens, so God has little gods; we have trouble comprehending this truth. Until we comprehend that we are little gods, we cannot manifest the kingdom of God.” (Earl Paulk, “Satan Unmasked”)

“I am a little god! … I have His name. I’m one with Him. I’m in covenant relation. I am a little god! Critics, be gone!” (Paul Crouch, TBN).

“God made animals and didn’t have the foggiest idea what they were … He brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them. … Adam was a speaking spirit like God is.” (Duplantis has Adam creating life in the animals and not God.) See YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DDYyym5tD20

End time delusions

I want to be kind in saying that there are men and women who get caught up in the convolution of all the Charismatic error because of their own lack of understanding of the Scriptures. This may even be true for some of the noted charismatic teachers.

These people often come to their senses and began to recognize that much of what they are involved in is super charged flesh. The Lord in His goodness can help these misguided souls to find their way out of the quagmire of deception.

For the sake of my readers who are concerned over how to spot someone who may be operating under a spirit that is not of God, there are certain common traits to look for. (I’ve provided Scripture resources for your study.)

Place your cursor over the Scripture reference and it will appear.

Things to beware of:

(1) People with an arrogant boastful spirit. Pride is always a major working factor in a demonic deception. Cf. Dan7:11; James3:15,16.

(2) Counterfeit gifting. Sorcery manifests itself as a form of spiritual mind control, and in a way of fortune-telling. Cf. Acts 8:9-11; Matt7:21-23.

(3) Sensual and fleshly exhibition with no true reverence or respect for holiness. 2Pet2:2,3.

(4) The preaching of a false Jesus that does not Biblically agree with true character of the Son of God. Cf. 2Co11:4,13-15.

(5) The preaching of a gospel that is not in full accord with God’s testimony as given in the New Testament. Cf. Gal1:6-9; 1Tim6:3-6.

(6) Lifting up personalities who claim to be modern-day apostles and prophets, and, who, in turn, claim authority equal to that of the Bible apostles and prophets. Cf. Eph2:19,20; 2Co11:12; 1John2:6.

(7) Where the preacher uses language that equates himself with God; where he boasts of godlike abilities; where he preaches an earthly prosperity message; where he claims powers of creation, and such like. And it is all done in the name of Jesus.

A true walk of faith

The only remedy for our disrepair is to come to God’s Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus said,

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”(John 10:10)

And for you are still in fear about your walk with the Lord, keep in mind the great Shepherd promise:

Jesus said:

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (Joh 10:27-30 NASB)

Be encouraged. The love of the Lord belongs to you.

As is my custom, I must leave with you an uplifting song. Listen to the Lord. He wants to speak to your heart.

The Hoppers – I’m a Citizen of Two Worlds

In Christ always,

Buddy

May

2011

When the Temple Shuddered

“And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed His last. And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. When the centurion, who was standing right in front of Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!’” (Mar 15:37-39)

Journal,

When Jesus breathed His last, the veil of the temple was torn. There was also an earthquake, and according to some sources, the foundation of the temple shifted. In this entry I wish to concentrate primarily on the significance of what happened in the temple during the crucifixion of Jesus.

Before the torn curtain, darkness had filled the land from noon to 3 o’clock. The ninth hour (3 pm) was the time of the incense offering. A priest and his attendants would be in the holy place.

The priest would not have heard the voice of Christ on the cross, nor the mockery of the chief priests and scribes, who were chiding Jesus, in saying,

“He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the king of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him.” (Mat27:42)

But this moment was the deepest of sorrows for Jesus. And it is here that we hear the saddest words ever to be recorded by a human pen, when Jesus cries out,

“My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?”

At the moment of the cry, what the priest in the temple saw must have left him quaking. Hearing the sound of tearing, and looking up, the priest saw the vast curtain beginning to rend, starting at the very top.

Historical background

Let me share some historical background on both the curtain and the happenings in Israel during the time of Christ. This would explain any nervousness that the priest would have had.

First the curtain – The curtain was awesome in itself. It was 80 feet high, and as thick as the width of a man’s hand. (According to Josephus and later rabbinic authorities.)

Another point of interest is that the curtain had changed in appearance from the original pattern given Moses. The tabernacle curtain had cherubim embroidered in it. But the curtain in Herod’s temple had the heavens themselves embroidered on it. It was like looking at the sky. So when it began to tear, the priest would have thought of the rending of the heavens. And this is truly what was happening.

Strange things happening

There is more. According to the Talmud and Josephus, strange things had happened during that time period. Josephus said that the eastern gate, which was made of brass, and which took twenty men to close, would open and close on its own accord.

The Talmud speaks of something similar. It says that forty years before the destruction of Jerusalem, the temple doors would open and close on their own, and you could hear voices coming from within. Forty years before the destruction of Jerusalem was when Jesus took up His Messianic anointing. The Master of the Universe walked the land.

Evidently the temple was becoming a scary place. The priest would have reason to go about his duties with some nervousness. But nonetheless, it happened. He looked up and the vast curtain began to tear. The floor began to shift and shake.

It was as if God were saying, “This is it! No more! There will be no more separation! No more blood sacrifices! No more!!!” It was as if the temple itself was rending her garments. She shuddered.

What is the wonderful secret in all this? It was all about God and man. God has been reconciled to all of humanity. Thus, every person on this planet, saint or sinner, has the right to call on the name of the Lord, and be saved. Sin was dealt with in Christ. Not simply the sins of the saints. All the sins of the world were taken to the cross in Christ.

When love walked the earth

Through the fall of Adam, the human race came into league with Satan. But that did not mean that God stopped loving humanity. The Bible is a record of redemption. It is also the story of God’s love for humanity.

When Jesus came into the earth, it meant that He had to leave heaven with all its glory and splendor, and to come into a world that was enshrouded in sin.

Sin was our clothing. Did He come in anger? Did He come with vengeance in His heart? No. He came with a heart full of the Father’s love.

And this is why John 3:16,17 will always be the key message in the Bible. It says,

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”

Jesus had to be born as a human. And so He was. Thus we have the mystery of the incarnation. Jesus was the only human ever to walk this planet in whom Satan had no power or authority over. Satan knew that somehow he must get Jesus to sin. But it never happened. Jesus was perfect in all His ways.

The message of the garden

Oh yes, Satan never forgot the message of the garden —

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise Him on the heel.” (Gen3:15)

Jesus could have went back to heaven any time He desired. But He didn’t. He walked in our sinful world. He put his arms around sinful creatures. He rebuked the religious leaders for their hardheartedness, and gave nothing but love and acceptance to the most sinful of us all. It still works that way today.

But all this wasn’t entirely new. God’s plan of redemption had been laid out by His holy servants of old, the prophets. In fact the Bible unfolds around God’s Son and the work of the cross.

Hear what the prophet David had to say…

When mercy and truth met together

Somehow mercy and truth had to meet together. Somehow righteousness and peace had to kiss one another. Somehow heaven and earth had to be reconciled. Somehow there had to be the ‘one’ sacrifice that would take away sin forever. And the sacrifice had to be so perfect that it would remove all the sins of all of humanity, for all time. And somehow, this sacrifice had to become the way for man to return to God.

The Psalmist also spoke of this. He said,

“Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, that glory may dwell in our land. Lovingkindness and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Truth springs from the earth, and righteousness looks down from heaven. Indeed, the LORD will give what is good, and our land will yield its produce. Righteousness will go before Him and will make His footsteps into a way.” (Psa 85:9-13)

Listen to the words —

‘Truth springs from the earth.’ This is Jesus born of a woman.

‘Righteousness looks down from heaven.’ The voice from heaven said, ‘This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”

‘Righteousness … will make His footsteps into a way.‘ The footsteps of Jesus took Him from the cross and to His rightful place in heaven. His footsteps are now our footsteps.

There is so much more to be said.

But then, maybe this song pretty much says it all.

Take time to listen to John Starns, ‘Love Grew Where the Blood Fell.’

In Christ always,

Buddy

Apr

2011

There’s a Promise Coming – Restoration

“Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.” (Act 3:19-21)

Journal,

The eyes of the world are on the Middle East. We are seeing a conflagration (uncontrolled fire) working its way out from the regions of ancient Babylon. The heat is intense in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Israel, Somalia, Egypt, Syria, Libya, not to speak of all the ‘***istan’ nations of the former Soviet Union. Keep in view that all these nations with the exception of Israel, are Islamic.

So much for all the diatribe on Islam being a religion of peace.

The apostle Peter told the Jewish people that Jesus had been received into heaven and would stay there, but would send times of ‘refreshing’ [special moves of the Holy Spirit] until the period of restoration of all things.

What did he mean by the term restoration? The Greek term ‘apokatastasis‘ means a restitution of a thing to its former condition. This expression denotes the times when the ‘fullness of the Gentiles’ is completed, and the conversion of the Jewish nation is at hand.

This was a primary concern for the Lord’s Hebrew apostles. Jesus clearly taught that the kingdom of God would be taken away from the nation of Israel until the day came when they would say of Him, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”

In Acts 1:6, they asked Him,

“‘Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?’ Jesus responded, ‘It is not for you to know the times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority.'”

The clock is ticking

This is why May 14, 1948 is so important to redemption history. Israel lost her nationhood in the year 70 a.d. She was brought forth again as a nation in 1948, and took her place among the nations. Thus we have Isa66:8 fulfilled;

“Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? As soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her sons.”

Then we have this from the Lord:

“And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles [other nations] until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” (Luke 21:24)

Some like to think that a nation being brought forth all at once has to do with the church. However, this does damage to the prophecy. Notice carefully that it is not simply a nation, but also a land that will be born in one day. The Hebrew for land [’erets] speaks of the earth. The land took on the name Israel on May 14, 1948, and land of Israel once again took her place among the nations of the world.

Without laboring this too much we also need to understand that the nation of Israel today is not the nation she is going to be. The Jews returning to the land is at the heart of Old Testament prophecy. Yet Israel today is largely secular, with Talmudic Judaism in charge of her religious affairs. The fact that Israel is largely secular is not a bad thing in comparison to the Christ-hating Talmudic religion.

(Most Jews do not hate Jesus. There are even Jewish-Christian churches and synagogues in Israel. According to my sources, the number one topic of discussion among Israelis today is about Jesus. The Lord is stirring their hearts. Any hatred towards Jesus and Christians comes largely from Orthodox-Talmudic Judaism.)

The mystery of the dry bones

When God spoke to Ezekiel about the dry bones, it had to do with the restored captivity of that time. However, it had a deeper meaning that would reach forward to the day when Israel turns to Jesus, and call upon Him as their Lord and Savior..

“He said to me, ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ And I answered, ‘O Lord GOD, You know.’ Again He said to me, ‘Prophesy over these bones and say to them, “O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.”’

“Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones, ‘Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life. ‘I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the LORD.'” (Eze 37:3-6)

Now lets combine two Scriptures, one from the old and the other from the new. Both with the same goal.

First Zechariah 12:10:

“I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me [This is Yahweh speaking] whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him [Jesus the crucified One], and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him [Jesus] like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.”

Now Romans 11:25-27:

“For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery — so that you will not be wise in your own estimation — that a partial hardening has happened to Israel [the Christ-rejecting nation group] until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved [nation group looks to Jesus]; just as it is written, ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob. This is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.'”

The sins of the Christ-rejecting Israel can only be taken away when they come to faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ.

The message to Israel has never changed. When Peter addressed the Jewish leadership, this is what he said:

“He [Jesus] is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone. And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Act 4:11-12)

No one can ever be saved aside from receiving Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as both Lord and Savior. There are no exceptions.

A house restored

Let’s come back to what Peter said about the times of restoration:

“…that He [the Father] may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.” (Acts 3:20,21)

The Greek term for ‘period‘ is chronos. It speaks of a particular time or space or season of events.

The Greek term for ‘restoration‘ is a double compound. It is only used here. But interestingly enough it is also used by Flavius Josephus for the return of the Jews from captivity, and for the restoration of the year of Jubilee. That is the how the term was understood during the time of Christ.

The period of refreshing and restoration that Peter speaks of has a dual focus. It includes the Church being refreshed during her journey on heart. And while the Church is being prepared for her departure, the Jewish people are being gathered to the land of Israel to fulfill her prophesied purposes. Hence, God is working with the Jews and with the Christians.

For the Jew there is a period of tribulation they must endure before the Savior comes out of Zion. The Bible also gives place for a pseudo-Church during the last hours of this age. (Pseudo refers to something that appears to be true but is not. A false pretender.)

The true church refers to those who are inborn of the Spirit and will not follow anyone other than Jesus, in spite of signs and wonders. The true Church will make her departure from the earth at the proper time. The pseudo Church will follow after lying wonders.

Tears for Jerusalem

Let’s listen to some of the last words that Jesus spoke over Jerusalem.

“When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, ‘If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.” (Luke 19:41-44)

And again,

“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. Behold, your house is being left to you desolate! For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me UNTIL you say, ‘Blessed is He [Jesus] who comes in the name of the Lord.” (Matt23:37,38)

So, will the kingdom of God be restored to Israel? Will Israel really turn to the Lord Jesus and become part with His people? Can it be proved by the Scriptures? I believe it can. For your extra study consider these Scriptures: Isaiah 1:26; Jeremiah 23:3-6; Hosea 3:4,5; 5:15; 6:1-3.

That’s it for now.

Here is your song. Let the Lord refresh your heart. ‘There’s a Promise Coming Down’ by Joy Gardner…

Blessings,

Buddy

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