Jesus Works in Community

Jesus Works in Community

Culled from: Max Lucado Daily

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Acts 1:8”

None of us can do what all of us can do—Jesus works in community!

In 1976, an earthquake devastated the highlands of Guatemala. Thousands were killed and even more left homeless. Twelve of us from our college volunteered to help out during spring break. Most of us were ministry students. All of us loved to discuss theology. I can’t remember the list. But by the time we reached Guatemala, I’d discerned the faithful from the infidels. I knew who was in and who was out!

But our task turned rivals into partners. We were a team. We began to sing together. Pray together. It was Jesus’ plan all along. Jesus didn’t issue individual assignments. He didn’t move one-by-one down the line and knight each individual. He did, however, say in Acts 1:8, “You—all of you collectively—shall be my witnesses!”

 

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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Planted in the Word Of God

Planted in the Word Of God

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that
bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not
wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper
Psalm 1:3

If you are living according to the Word, abiding and delighting in the
Word, you are like a healthy tree planted by rivers of water. God has
fruit He expects you to bring forth in season. There are people He
expects you to help get saved and filled with the Holy Ghost. There are
lives He expects you to touch.

A tree has several parts: roots, trunk, branches, and leaves that keep
it alive, firm, and steady. The roots represent your spirit, and the
branches represent your body. If you are like a tree planted by rivers
of water, you are not going to have a problem spiritually or
physically.

The leaves of a tree represent the outward areas of your life your
money, your family, your job— everything you put your hand on. God says
that once you are successful, you will prosper all the days of your
life.

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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• Rain and rivers in Isaiah 30:20-28 (creationconcept.wordpress.com)

 

Lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil

Lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil

Luke 11:4 says: “”And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.”  When we pray, “Lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil”, we know that prayer invites God into our battles. Prayer also invites us into the place where God can deliver us. It brings us to the place where God’s hand is waiting to be extended. His hand is strong with deliverance and healing, and in the place of prayer it can be released. Many times when we don’t pray, God is bound and separated from our problems. It’s not that He wants to be separated, but when He is without our prayer to invite Him in, He is automatically separated. The phrase, “lead us not”, does not mean that we are asking God to avoid taking us somewhere, but it means, “God, open our eyes when evil is coming. Unveil to us the smallest schemes and plans of the enemy so that we may respond and change course. Give us direction, and show us how to turn from the course where the enemy has laid a snare in our path.” God wants to be involved, and His involvement is filled with counsel, wisdom, the leading of His Spirit, and direction for your life. At the end of a prayer life that believes and depends on God, there is victory and deliverance.

Be led by God!

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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God’s Truths Belong To His Children

God’s Truths Belong To His Children

Matthew 13:11, “He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.”

MATTHEW 13:1-13

The Greek word translated “mystery” here, means “something that could not be known by men except by divine revelation, but that, though once hidden, has now been revealed in Christ and is to be proclaimed so that all who have ears may hear it.”

God’s truths are hidden for His children, not from them. God has given an open invitation to everyone to receive the spiritual rebirth which entitles them to the revelation of these mysteries of the Kingdom. But as stated in 1 Corinthians 2:14, a natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God because they are spiritually discerned. Therefore, whoever rejects Jesus rejects the source of all wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:3), thereby reserving the deep things of God for those who receive Jesus and draw on His wisdom through the Holy Spirit. This also safeguards the laws of God, upon which all the universe is founded, from being appropriated and misused by Satan’s kingdom.

In context, Jesus is speaking about those who have revelation knowledge of the mysteries of God. They will receive even more revelation and will walk in the abundant life that Jesus provided (Jn. 10:10; 2 Pet. 1:3). Those who do not receive God’s revelation will lose whatever truth they do have and will go farther and farther into deception. God reveals His truths to us in stages and not all at once (Isa. 28:9-10). Therefore, as we walk in the revelation of what the Lord has already shown us, He will reveal more of His truths to us.

The truths of God are mysterious only to those who do not soften their heart by seeking God with their whole heart. As Jeremiah 29:13 says, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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Bread, Seed, and Fruits. God will increase the fruits of your righteousness

4 days of Evangelism Training in Southern California provided by LivingWaters Ministry. Obeying the great commission of Jesus Christ. "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to everyone" Mark 16:15 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Bread, Seed, and Fruits. God will increase the fruits of your righteousness

Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for
your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of
your righteousness
2 Corinthians 9:10

There are three things that are happening in your finances every day of
your life as you continue to follow God. First, He will “minister bread
for your food.” He will take care of all of your needs.

Secondly, He will “multiply your seed sown.” When you receive an
unexpected gift, the first thing you should do is check with the Holy
Ghost and find out what He wants you to do with it. This money is
earmarked for sowing. The money you receive is to not only come to you,
but to also go through you. The more money that goes through you, the
more money can come to you.

Thirdly, God will “increase the fruits of your righteousness.” In other
words, He will increase your personal harvest. Amen!

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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Are you the faithful steward?

Detail - Glory of the New Born Christ in presence of God Father and the Holy Spirit (Annakirche, Vienna) Adam and Eva are represented bellow Jesus-Christ Ceiling painting made by Daniel Gran (1694-1757). Post-processing: perspective and fade correction. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Are you the faithful steward?

Luke 12:42 “And the Lord said “who then is that faithful & wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?”

God needs people whom He can work with to get His Will done here on earth. He needs someone who will be faithful and act on His Word. Someone who is alert to the move of the Holy Spirit, knows His Word and will be obedient to it. God needs people He can count on, whom He can trust over His household.

Are you the faithful steward?

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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God’s Love

Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglican Church http://www.stjohnsashfield.org.au, Ashfield, New South Wales. Illustrates Jesus' description of himself "I am the Good Shepherd" (from the Gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 11). This version of the image shows the detail of his face. The memorial window is also captioned: "To the Glory of God and in Loving Memory of William Wright. Died 6th November, 1932. Aged 70 Yrs." (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

God‘s Love

God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.

Romans 5:5, NIV

Did you know that you are God’s special loved one? Why would He love you so? Maybe it’s because when you abide in Christ you are so saturated in Jesus that when God looks at you, He sees His own precious Son and envelopes you in His love for Jesus’ sake!

As you and I develop and grow in this love relationship with God, abiding with Him through meaningful prayer and Bible reading, getting to know Him on a deeper level as we live out what we say we believe, He fills us with Himself. And “God is love” (1 John 4:16, NKJV). As you and I are filled with God, we will be filled with His love, not only for Himself, but for others – which includes our spouses or the incompatible people with whom we are struggling. God has promised to pour out “His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.”

Blessings

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins

4 days of Evangelism Training in Southern California provided by LivingWaters Ministry. Obeying the great commission of Jesus Christ. "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to everyone" Mark 16:15 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins

 

Take Out the Plank

There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.
Ecclesiastes 7:20

When was the last time you knelt and asked God to forgive your sins? Yesterday? Last week? Last month?

Are you in need of forgiveness today?

We live with sin every day. We see it on TV, in movies, in our neighbours, friends, co-workers and family. Sin is usually easy to spot in others, but with all of the exposure we have to sin, we frequently become blinded to our own sin.

You may have told a little white lie to your boss about being sick when you took the day off or accepted more change than you were due when the cashier handed you too much by mistake. Maybe these things didn’t even feel like sin at the time.

Luke 6:42 asks how you can offer to remove a speck from your brother’s eye “When you yourself do not see the plank in your own eye?” We all need to remove any planks in our eyes in order to see clearly.

Right now, ask the Holy Spirit to show you anything you’ve done wrong. Confess these things to God and ask for the forgiveness that can only come from Him through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Further Reading

• Psalms 32
• Psalms 86:5
• Matthew 7:3-5

God Bless,

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you

Detail - Glory of the New Born Christ in presence of God Father and the Holy Spirit (Annakirche, Vienna) Adam and Eva are represented bellow Jesus-Christ Ceiling painting made by Daniel Gran (1694-1757). Post-processing: perspective and fade correction. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you

John 15:12, NIV

In the Old Testament, the meal offering consisted of fine flour that was ground to powder by being placed in a round hole, where it was grated by a square pestle. The flour was then mixed with oil, which represented the Holy Spirit. The oil and flour, thoroughly mixed together and offered to God, was a picture of a totally consecrated life.

Sometimes God puts us with someone whom He uses to grate us. For instance, perhaps you are very generous with your money, and you are married to someone who is so careful, he or she is almost stingy. Or perhaps you are very quiet, and God has put you on a committee with someone who talks nonstop. Or worse, perhaps you are a nonstop talker and you are on a committee with another nonstop talker! Instead of avoiding those with whom we are incompatible or just tolerating them, Jesus commands you and me to love them. And as we obey His command, He will use that person to grind off our sharp, impatient, un-Christlike edges.

Blessings

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty

Česky: Kříže – symbol utrpení Ježíše Krista a jeho ukřižování (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty

 

 

Caricature God

 

READ: Exodus 34:1-9

The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty. —Numbers 14:18

Caricature artists set up their easels in public places and draw pictures of people who are willing to pay a modest price for a humorous image of themselves. Their drawings amuse us because they exaggerate one or more of our physical features in a way that is recognizable but funny.

Caricatures of God, on the other hand, are not funny. Exaggerating one of His attributes presents a distorted view that people easily dismiss. Like a caricature, a distorted view of God is not taken seriously. Those who see God portrayed only as an angry and demanding judge are easily lured away by someone who emphasizes mercy. Those who see God as a kindhearted grandfather will reject that image when they need justice. Those who see God as an intellectual idea rather than a living, loving being eventually find other ideas more appealing. Those who see God as a best friend often leave Him behind when they find human friends who are more to their liking.

God declares Himself to be merciful and gracious, but also just in punishing the guilty (Ex. 34:6-7).

As we put our faith into action, we need to avoid portraying God as having only our favorite attributes. We must worship all of God, not just what we like. —Julie Ackerman Link

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—
Oh, Thou blessed Trinity:
One in essence, yet three persons—
Thou, our God, we worship Thee. —D. De Haan

All-powerful, merciful, wise, and just is the God in whom we trust.

May the LORD bless Nigeria, American and Israel and take care of us; May the LORD make His face shine upon us, And be gracious to us; May the Lord lift up His countenance upon us, And give us peace, In Jesus Christ Name, we pray! Amen!

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