Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Asa [Ā'să] - physician.


Asa 
[Ā'să] - physician.


1. The third king of Judah who succeeded Abijah. He was the great-grandson of Solomon (1 Kings 15; 2 Chron. 14-16). He was an ancestor of Jesus Christ (Matt. 1:7, 8).
The Man Who Was Good and Right
Asa is a marvel. In spite of the fact that his father was a sinful man and his mother a heathen woman, he yet shines forth as one of Judah's most godly kings. He is praised for his religious zeal which led him to reform the worship of the people. Because of his devotion to God he deposed his idolatrous mother - an astonishing act for an oriental.
Asa's heart toward God was like David's and such was the secret of his godliness in a foul environment. He is spoken of as doing "that which was good and right in the eyes of the Lord, his God." Some people are presumptuous enough to settle what is good and right in their own eyes. Asa, however, did not invent a goodness or righteousness he could adapt to his own convenience and ambition. He only wanted what was good and right in God's sight.
I. Asa prayed before battle. He did not shrink from war with the Ethiopians. Before meeting the foe he met God. "Lord, it is nothing with Thee to help."
II. Asa began upon a good foundation. It took courage and Asa "took courage, and put away the abominable idols." Our idols of fortune, fashion, popularity, self-indulgence, must be severely dealt with if we desire God's best. We can only be right with God and with one another when we are right about our little gods, and man-made idols.
III. Asa was victorious. Being right with God, Asa was honored of Him. His foes surrendered for they saw that his God was with him.
IV. Asa was impartial. The grandeur of this good king is seen in that he would not even allow his mother to keep an idol. So he ruthlessly destroyed the little royal shrine. What was wrong for the subject was also wrong for the queen. Thus horrible abominations had to be abolished. No wonder when Asa died, his people sorely missed and mourned him!
2. A Levite, son of Elkanah and head of a family of Netophathites (1 Chron. 9:16).

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Do all things without Complaining

Do all things without complaining and 
disputing, that you may become
blameless and harmless, children of
God without fault in the midst of a
crooked and perverse generation,
among whom you shine as lights in the
world.
      ( Philippians 2:14-15 *NKJV )


     As a Child of God you are now;"You are the light of the
world. ( Matthew 5:14 )  
For you were once darkness,
but now you are light in the Lord.  Walk as children
of light.                                 ( Ephesians 5:8 )

      
When we walk in God's Light our hearts become reflectors
 of His Great Light.  We become a beacon to others especially
 those who are still living in darkness.

     So,
Let your light so shine before men, that
they may see your good works and glorify your Father
in heaven. (Matthew 5:16)  
For by doing so we plant
seeds of faith in those who have lost their way, and  
I say
to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven
over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just
persons who need no repentance.  ( Luke 15:7 )

     Further; If we walk in the light as He is in the light,
we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of
Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.  
( 1 John 1:7 )
So it's a win, win, situation indeed.  

     Therefore,
Arise, shine; For your light
has come And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
Amen.


Monday, February 28, 2011

The Bible says, “I said, You are gods” – But is this entirely true?


Many preacher's today teach that we are gods, or little gods, based on the incorrect interpretation of scripture.  Some are very subtle in the way they teach this message, others come out right and just say it.
The verse they will show you to try prove their point is John 10:34 ”Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”’?
But let me explain what Jesus really meant:
Jesus was in dialogue with the Jews of His day and quoting from the Old Testament Psalms, saying:  “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”’?  The Jews wanted to stone Jesus for calling God His Father and making Himself equal with God.  So Jesus quotes Pslam 82 to them to show the distinction between himself and those in Pslam 82 who were called ‘gods’.  
Pslam 82 was written AGAINST certain unjust rulers in Israel’s history.  Men of high distinction (Judges/Rulers) were almost seen as gods because of the power they wielded over the nation.  The problem is these men were UNJUST.  Verse 82:2  says:  ”How long will you judge unjustly, And showpartiality to the wicked? and verses 6-7 say,  6 “I said, “You are gods, And all of you are children of the Most High.”  7 But you shall die like men,  And fall like one of the princes.”  So these rulers are not gods, they were given this name by mere men, but were they still children of God?  Yes.  But they will die like everyone else.  So the point Jesus was making was that if unjust rulers can be called gods (by men), how can the Jews who wanted to stone Him object to Him saying that he was the Son of God?
Can you see how easily scripture gets twisted and the next minute you have men and women running around teaching New Age teachings under the banner of Christianity.
BEWARE of ANYONE who tells you that you can be a God or Christ.  When you become a born again Christian you grow to become more Christ-like, you DO NOT become like Christ or a Christ or anything Divine for that matter.  However in Charismatic churches you do; you become a little god - ‘Faith’ becomes an actual force that you wield at your command as you speak things into existence.  This is totally and utterly occult.  The New Age religion believes in something similar, that each person is a god/goddess, they just have not realised it yet – a god trapped in a human body part of a huge cosmos – trying to turn the world into one spiritual tower of Babel.
THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD:
1. Deuteronomy 4:35,39 — Unto thee it was shown, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him. (39) Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.
2. Deuteronomy 6:4 — Hear, O Israel: The LORD thy God is one LORD. [Note in Mark 12:28-34 how Jesus and a Jewish scribe he encountered understood this text.]
3. Deuteronomy32:39 — See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.
4. 2 Samuel 7:22 — Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God; for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
5. 1 Kings 8:60 — That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else.
6. 2 KINGS 5:15 — And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel; now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant.
7. 2 Kings 19:15 — And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.
8. 1 Chronicles 17:20 — O LORD, there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
9. Nehemiah 9:6 — Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou has made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.
10. Psalm 18:31 — For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God?
11. Psalm 86:10 — For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.
12. Isaiah 37:16,20 — O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: thou has made heaven and earth. (20) Now therefore, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the LORD, even thou only.
13. Isaiah43:10,11 — Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no savior.
14. Isaiah44:6,8 — Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. Fear ye not, neither be afraid; have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.
15. Isaiah 45:21 — Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time: who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Savior; there is none beside me.
16. Isaiah 46:9 — For I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me.
17. Hosea 13:4 — Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me; for there is no savior beside me.
18. Joel 2:27 — And ye shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed.
19. Zechariah 14:9 — And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one.
20. Mark 12:29-34 —And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any question.
21. John 17:3 — And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
22. Romans 3:30 — Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
23. 1 Corinthians 8:4-6 — As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one. For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
24. Galatians 3:20 — Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.
25. Ephesians 4:6 — One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
26. 1 Timothy 1:17 — Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
27. 1 Timothy 2:5 — For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
28. James 2:19 — Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Most Asked Questions.. About life in Heaven!


 The following are questions and answers to questions that


 are ask quite often about our life in Heaven.  I hope that it will
 answer many of your questions, and Minister to you as well.

 Most Asked Questions...

1. ( Q ) Will we know our loved ones in Heaven?  What if they
 are unsaved, will we still see them?

2. ( Q )  What about our beloved pets, are there any animals
 in Heaven?   Now if you are thinking No Way, you might
 be in for a surprise indeed!

 ( 1 )  The answer to question number one lies in the Book
 of Ezekiel, Chapter 44.  For the last Ten Chapters of
 Ezekiel are dealing with our life after Christ returns!  You will
 find more about the end time in those Ten Chapters than in
 the entire Book of Revelation.

 Now, we are dealing here with God's Word on the
 third or deepest level, for those with spiritual eyes to see, and
 ears to hear.  Remember when reading those last 8 Chapters
 of Ezekiel that you are dealing with the future not the present!

     In the 44th Chapter God is telling Ezekiel
 about the future Temple and the rules for His Elect!
 Now it is written; Yet they shall be ministers in 
My sanctuary, as gatekeepers of the house 
and ministers of the house; they shall slay the
burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people,
and they shall stand before them to minister to
them.                                 ( Ezekiel 44:11 )

 THEY "They [ that's you ] shall not defile themselves
by coming near a dead person. [ Spiritually dead ] Only
for father or mother, for son or daughter, for 
brother or unmarried sister may they defile
themselves.                      ( Ezekiel 44:11 )
 Thus it should be obvious that we will know our mother
 and father, brother and sister, and also our dear friends
 in Heaven.

 ( 2. )  The answer to question number two may be found in
 Book of Isaiah, where its written; The wolf also shall 
dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down 
with the young goat, The calf and the young 
lion and the fatling together; And a little child
shall lead them.                    ( Isaiah 11:6 )

 The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young
 ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall
 eat straw like the ox.    
                                                ( Isaiah 11:7 )

 Again, we are obviously dealing with the future here, thus
 after the return of Christ.  However it proves that there are
 animals in Heaven also.  After all, when you think about it,
 they are also God's Creation!  Therefore if He didn't love
 animals they would not exist on the Earth right now!

Sunday, October 31, 2010

The Bible is full of Hebrew & Greek Idoms

The Bible is full of Hebrew & Greek Idioms which can make understanding God's Holy Word difficult in many verses throughout the Old & New Testaments. So today we will take a look at some of these Idioms to gain a better understanding of how much they can change the English meaning of some verses.
The following verses are a few examples of this: GENESIS 19:26, 
speaking of Lott's wife, "BUT HIS WIFE LOOKED BACK BEHIND HIM, AND SHE BECAME A PILLAR OF SALT."
(Pillar of Salt) meaning lifeless; stricken dead.
DEUTERONOMY 32:33   "THEIR WINE IS THE
POISON OF SERPENTS, AND THE CRUEL VENOM
OF COBRAS."
   
Meaning Pagan teaching; corrupt practices and slanderous
   actions.  In this verse Moses was speaking of Enemy Nations'
   like Sodom & Gomorrah, thus Nations which were cruel,
   immoral and corruptive!

2 SAMUEL 22:9   "SMOKE WENT UP FROM HIS
NOSTRILS;"
  
 
Idiom meaning very angry, enraged!
JOB 15:2   "FILL HIS BELLY WITH THE EAST WIND.
  
 
Idiom meaning he was proud, bragging, boasting.
PSALM 29:10   "THE LORD SITTETH UPON THE
FLOOD."
  
 
Idiom meaning that God is in control.  He crushes the armies
   of the enemy.

PROVERBS 23:34   "LIETH DOWN IN THE MIDST
OF THE SEA."
  
 
Idiom meaning Lost; in a dilemma; senseless; in doubt.
ECCLESIASTES 4:2   "CAST THY BREAD UPON
THE WATER AND THOU SHALL FIND IT."
  
 
Idiom meaning to give generously to charities and it shall be
   given back to you.
   Note:  Ecclesiastes, Chapter 12 is filled with Idioms in all most
   ever verse!

ISAIAH 2:10   "ENTER INTO THE ROCK, AND HIDE
IN THE DUST."
  
 
Idiom meaning take refuge in a cave; flee for your life.
MATTHEW 5:29   "IF THY RIGHT EYE OFFEND
THEE PLUCK IT OUT."
 
  
Idiom meaning If you have a habit of envying others, stop it.
MATTHEW 5:30   "CUT YOUR HAND OFF."
  
 
Idiom meaning to stop stealing!
MATTHEW 5:39   " WHOSOEVER SHALL SMITE THEE
ONTHY RIGHT CHEEK, TURN TO HIM THE OTHER
ALSO."
   
Idiom meaning Don't start an argument or fight.  Instead be
   humble.
MARK 14:22   "EAT MY BODY."
  
 
Idiom meaning Share my sufferings.  Make my teachings part
   of you.  Think of me when you celebrate the Passover!

MARK 14:24   "DRINK MY BLOOD."
   
Idiom also meaning make my teachings part of your life.  Be
   willing to suffer for my truth. Think of me when you celebrate
   the Passover!

MARK 16:18   "DRINK ANY DEADLY THING."
   
Idiom meaning live a clean life so if others attack your character
   no one will believe them!

   Each Book of the Bible is filled with such Idioms.
Especially Books such as Ecclesiastes, Daniel, Ezekiel and
Revelation, to name a few.  So the above is just a short sampling
of these type verses.

   For the deeper student of God's Word, you may purchase a
Book listing the meanings of many of the Idioms in the Scriptures,
Book by Book, at  Christian Bookstores.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

HONOR TRADITION — TELL BEDTIME STORIES


The telling of bedtime stories is a time-honored tradition. There isn’t a child out there who doesn’t enjoy having his mother or father read to him before bedtime. It’s a way to stay close and connected to your children. It also tickles their imagination and their love for books and reading. Bedtime stories often inspire children to be creative as they grow up.
There are a lot of stories to choose from.  Fairy tales and fables, and recently parents have taken to telling children’s bible stories. The Holy Bible is full of inspirational stories and great characters. If you want to emphasize on courage, tell the story about Daniel in the Lions’ Den. The story of Noah’s Ark points out that family should stay together despite adversities. Whatever virtue or moral value you want your child to learn, there’s a bible story that talks about it.

THE BOOK OF JOB


The first book of the Wisdom Books of the Old Testament, The Book of Job, follows God’s most faithful servant, Job, through a series of unfortunate events. God tests Job’s faith when he is told by Satan that Job is only faithful because God favors him. God then takes away all that he gave to Job; a family, a home, and riches. Job at first does not curse God, stating that he was brought into this world with nothing, and realized it all could be taken away. But when God then curses Job with sickness, he was then ready to curse God. It was Job’s friends who brought him through his despair, and in the end God gave back all he had taken from Job.
This is one of the more controversial texts of the KJV bible, as it suggests that, for no moral reason, Job’s faith was tested. However, this is also a tale of the importance of faith because had Job not cursed God, he would have proved Satan wrong.