Difficult Words

DIFFICULT WORDS

In our English language we have a lot of words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have a very different meaning. For example a common word that we use a lot is "there" that sounds the same as "their", but as we all know has a completely different meaning and use in a sentence. Another word that I have trouble with is "separate" and "separete", only one letter different but an entirely different meaning. I often feel sorry for the immigrants coming to Canada from various countries and are required to learn English before they can get a job. It is a very difficult language to learn, and even those of us who learned it as children because it is our "mother tongue" still have difficulty keeping it straight. These 2 illustrations that I used are only ones that I have difficulty with, but I'm sure there are lots more we could add to the list. And these are just in the normal way of communication, but consider some of the words we use to communicate spiritual or religious subjects, here is where I see more confusion as to what we mean by the words we use. 

It would seem that each denomination has a certain number of words or phrases they use that are unique to them. A few that come to mind are "transubstantiation" which is a term used in the Roman Catholic Church which means to them that in the celebration of the "Eucharist" the host and the wine actually become the body and blood of Christ. I assume this is based on the scripture (John 6:53-58) where Jesus was referring to something that happens when we are "born again" spiritually and Father adopts us into His family as His child. This statement was never meant to have a physical interpretation. The natural mind we are born with cannot understand the things of the Spirit (1 Cor 2:10-16), there is a huge difference between a "natural mind" and one that is controlled by the Spirit of God. Another phrase that is applied to certain people is "hyper-grace", meaning they have taken the Biblical meaning of grace beyond its limits and it has become "error". Some people have done the same thing with the word "faith" to make it into "hyper-faith". Any truth taken beyond its actual Biblical meaning can become error when it is taken "out of focus", so to speak, like a set of binoculars, until you adjust them into the proper "focus" all you see is a blur. As I understand it this can happen with certain words from the Bible, so we need to be aware of this and let the Holy Spirit lead you into all "Truth" who is Jesus (John 14:6)!!

Sincerely submitted.

Dave Jamer                                               22/08/13                                                                                                            

A Time To Ponder

A TIME TO PONDER 

This word "ponder" comes from a Greek word that means "placing together for comparison". It is used in (Luke 2:19) "But Mary keep all these things and pondered them in her heart". Just try to image how many things she would have to ponder about, since she met Gabriel the Archangel, one of the three highest created beings who shared the rule of the Kingdom of God with Father. It would seem that his responsibility was in the area of "Communications" between God and man, for example Daniel in the OT, and both Mary and Joseph in regard to the birth of Jesus the Lamb of God who took away the sin of the whole world, (Matt 1:20-21). Read the account of Gabriel coming to Daniel in response to the prayer of (Dan 9:20-28) and assuring him that his prayer had been heard and that he had been sent to give Daniel the answer to his prayer. Then of course the many incidents in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus must have left lots of things in her mind to "ponder".

As we consider the complete story of Jesus Christ the Son of God who left His position in heaven with the Father to come down to our sin-cursed earth to become the "Last Adam", or "Agape incarnate", or "Immanuel" (God with us), we can really appreciate His Self Sacrifice. He paid the supreme sacrifice of giving His life for a world that hated Him, "The Lamb of God" who died for the sins of humanity. We often hear discussions about who killed Jesus? Some blame the Jews, some say the Romans etc. but the truth is that no one "Killed Jesus", He gave up His life freely for all of us because of the Agape love of the Father, Son and Spirit. This was all in accordance with the cosmic plan revealed by God to Paul and expressed in (Eph 1:1-8) this was accomplished on the "old Rugged Cross" outside Jerusalem where He shed His blood for you and me. The true Gospel of the Kingdom that Paul preached and described so well in (1 Cor 15:3-6) explains the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus as the real core of the gospel that has not been clearly understood by many people. Certain church doctrines have made the "gospel" to be something other than the true thing. We hear of the "social gospel", the "prosperity gospel", the "Feel good gospel" etc. but be assured they are not the real thing. There is only one true Gospel of the Kingdom that Jesus mentions in (Matt 24:14), and anything else that claims to be "the gospel" is a counterfeit. There seems to be many of these counterfeits showing up in church circles lately, as we were told!!

Sincerely submitted.

Dave Jamer                          04/08/13   

CONSTANT UPGRADES

CONSTANT UPGRADES 

I was impressed by a devotional by Joe Stowell in Our Daily Bread (ODB) on Aug 18/13 that he called "Always An Upgrade" in which he said his wife Martie would often stop him on his way out the door to go to work and suggest his tie didn't match well with his shirt, or his slacks didn't go with his sports jacket or some other corrective improvement toward his outward appearance was needed. Apparently Joe usually took her advice, as most wise husbands would, since most wives are better equipped to judge such things. Then Joe switched to the topic of our inward character qualities, as compared to our outward appearance. And that is what I would like to draw your attention to in this article. As followers of Jesus our character should always match our outward behavior as a "citizen of God's Kingdom" because we are His "Ambassadors" (2 Cor 5:20) as Paul describes those who are "In Christ", or are "born again" believers. So we will look at a few passages of scripture that deal with our behavior based on our character. 

One of the best scripture passages I can think of for defining our behavior would be the third chapter of Paul's letter to the Colossian church. In the NLT version the heading for chapter three reads "Living the new life", and verses 1-17 are full of lots of instructions to individual believers, then from 18 to the end of the chapter it reads "Instructions for Christian Families". Paul starts the chapter with "Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand". In verse three he continues with "For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God". Then in verse five we read "So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don't be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshipping the things of this world". In verses 12-14 we read "Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts". From these verses I trust we can all see that there is much more to living a life that will please the Father than just "accepting Jesus" and going to heaven when we die!!

Sincerely submitted.

Dave Jamer                                              24/08/13

                                                                                     

Snowflakes

SNOWFLAKES 

Snowflakes are beautiful, uniquely crafted ice crystals, and they tell us no two are exactly alike. In a typical snowstorm here in Canada probably consists of multiplied billions that fall from the sky in a few hours. They can transform a bare bleak Dec. forest into a "Christmas Greeting Scene" within a few hours by covering trees and bushes, because they "stick together". Snow can be made into "snow balls" and "snowmen", or cover hills to accommodate sliding or skiing, or create drifts that can shut down whole cities and airports for days. They are truly amazing little things, and also are similar to individual little human individuals when they "stick together", like their Creator intended for them to do. We were never intended to live in "isolation" but to work together to be a great force for God to promote His Kingdom being established here on our planet. The Apostle Paul declares we are to be "one body with many parts", read (1 Cor 12:12-31) for details of how we as "followers of Jesus" should "stick together". 

The OT prophet Isaiah stated in (Is 53:6) "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, everyone to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all". This statement from scripture tells it like it is, there are no exceptions, and the Apostle Paul expands on this truth (Rom 3: 9-31). So every human who was born as a descendant of our first parents Adam and Eve, who introduced the sin of Lucifer/Satan into our world by listening to his lies and disobeying the one commandment their Creator gave them sinned. This caused our world that was created "perfect" by our Creator, to become "fallen". Then the plan of God was put into action, by allowing the Son Jesus to become "Agape Incarnate" as the "Eternal Seed" to be placed in the womb of a Jewish virgin named Mary of Nazareth to produce a human body for Jesus. Now when ever anyone responds to the promptings of the Holy Spirit to "receive" Jesus Christ the "Last Adam" as their Lord and Savior, they are "born again" by the Spirit of God (John 3:1-8), and Father adopt them into His Eternal family. At this time they become a member of the Church that Jesus has been building here on earth for some 2000 years. This "Biblical Church" goes under the title of the "Body of Christ" which is like tiny snowflakes that are meant to "stick together" to accomplish the task of extending the Kingdom of God on our planet. This task is referred to as "The Gospel of The Kingdom", and all God's children have an active part to play and it demands that we work together!!

Sincerely submitted.

Dave Jamer                                  28/06/13                                                            

What About Hell

WHAT ABOUT HELL?

 We don't hear much about hell lately, and a lot of people believe that a "God of Love" would never send a person to hell, even if there is such a place. The Bible clearly speaks about a place called hell, and Jesus mentioned it more times in the gospel accounts that he does heaven. So we can be sure hell is a "real place" that people will go to if they refuse to accept the truth about what Jesus accomplished on the Cross of Calvary, when He shed His precious blood as the "Lamb of God". Read your Bible which is the Word of God, and every word it contains is true from cover to cover. When I read scriptures like (2 Thess 1:7-9) from the Apostle Paul who was a faithful servant of Jesus, I know he must be talking about the same place of "eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord" that Jesus mentioned. Check (Luke 12:4-5) for example to see the other side of our loving Father, who loves us all but because He is a righteous judge of those who truly fear Him, He must have a place for those wicked persons who don't fear and obey Him. Otherwise how could He be the perfectly righteous Ruler that we know Him to be?

Recently I was reading #74 from Bob Mumford's book Mysterious Seed, that he called "Difficulty of Being a Fallen King". He was dealing with the "fall" of out first parents Adam and Eve who were created to be the king and queen of creation,  under God. Bob started by quoting (Gen 3:20-24) about their fall into sin following the serpent's lies, and disobeying the single commandment their Creator had placed on them. Then I had occasion to read (Rev 21:1-7) which tells of the description by John of the "New Jerusalem" coming down from heaven dressed like a bride. Then in verse 8 he continues with "But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death".

If we don't believe in a place for these kinds of people to spend eternity, where do we expect a loving God to send them when they die? They certainly would not fit comfortably into John's description of heaven unless they were born again and adopted by Father into His family and become citizens of heaven, would they? How else could a loving God respond to these wicked people who refuse to believe in and accept Jesus Christ as their one and only Lord and Savior?

Sincerely submitted. 

Dave Jamer                                               16/07/13  

A Biblical Overcomer

A BIBLICAL OVERCOMER

In (Rev 21:1-7) we read a very encouraging message to followers of Jesus in the present world. Then in (1 John 4:4, 5:4; Rev 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21), all these verses refer to the victory to be had by those who are called to overcome obstacles in this life. So it would appear that every person who has believed in what Jesus has accomplished for us on the Cross of Calvary, and have accepted Him as Lord and Savior is now an adopted child of our Father God, and will have a wonderful life in the future, "IF" they are an "overcomer". Does this sound like it depends on a life of religious works, trying by your good works to earn your way to heaven? No definitely not! Salvation is a gift of God and not by works (Eph 2: 8-9) clearly states that, so these works accredited to those who overcome must be those that are associated with verse 10. Paul here clearly states "For we are God's Masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.

Being an overcomer in our resurrected life with Jesus has nothing to do with any type of good works we might try to do to earn God's approval, these are simply "dead works" (Heb 6:1) NKJV, and have nothing to do with salvation. Many church attendees who have little or no understanding of Bible truth often are under the illusion that their religious deeds are being laid up in heaven somewhere to their account, something like monthly deposits in a bank account gradually accumulate to increase your estate. There is absolutely no truth to that false information, that many sincere people are depending on for their life in heaven in their "mansion" that Jesus has gone to prepare for them. It never ceases to amaze me how much false information some people are depending on for their existence in eternity. God has made the good news of the gospel so simple in the Bible, that even a child can understand it if the [Agape] of their Creator is explained to them. Here is a good quote from the ODB devotional today by Randy Kilgore, "When the trials of today seem more daunting than your strength, let the Lord show you the end of the story when you will be in His presence forever". He finished with the following words from an old hymn. "Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the strife will not be long; this day the noise of battle—the next the victor's song. To him that overcometh a crown of life shall be; he with the king of glory shall reign eternally". Randy ended with this line "For hope today, remember the end of the story-eternity with God"

Sincerely submitted.

Dave Jamer                                          15/07/13                                                                               

THE PROMISED HELPER

THE PROMISED HELPER

One of my favorite passages of scripture is found in the gospel of John chapters 13-17, starting with Jesus washing the feet of His 12 disciples and ending with the rather lengthy pray of Jesus to His Father. Here is where we see clearly as Jesus realizes His time on earth in His physical body is approaching the end; He tries to prepare his disciples for the soon coming events that must happen in order to fulfill the "cosmic plan" that was made in "eternity past" before creation. This plan included the words of God recorded by Moses "Then God said let us make human beings in our image, to be like us" (Gen 1:26) NLT. This plan included the Son Jesus coming down to earth as "Agape Incarnate" to redeem the result of the "fall of Adam" into sin. This required the death of a perfect "sinless man" like the First Adam was when he was created, before God's enemy lied to Adam and his wife Eve, and they believed his lies and disobeyed the only command of their Creator, about not eating the "forbidden fruit" of the tree of good and evil. See particularly (John 16:7-11) where Jesus told them what this "Helper", the Holy Spirit would do when He came to replace Jesus. 

Jesus clearly explained to His disciples how their lives would be different after He returned to be honored by Father after He completed His assignment that He was sent to earth for. After He arose from the tomb on the third day, He remained for 40 days before ascending to heaven spending time with the disciples, and telling them to stay in Jerusalem "until" they received the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-11), and as this scene was recorded by Luke to explain what was happening on earth, King David had already given us the scene in heaven. See (Psalm 110:1) for a description of His arrival in heaven. Because God has always existed in eternity He knows the past, present, and future events as happening "now" because of "perfect foreknowledge". Once we understand this supernatural ability of God, it helps to explain how certain passages of scripture start to make sense. That is why we need a "spiritual mind" as Paul explains in (1 Cor 2:9-16), and when we are born again spiritually and Father adopts us into His family and gives us the gift of His Holy Spirit as a seal of this transaction, He abides with us permanently from that moment on. We are then a citizen of heaven having received "eternal life" and will be assured of spending eternity in the New Jerusalem that John saw coming down from heaven (Rev 21:1-7)!!

Sincerely submitted.

Dave Jamer                                            29/07/13