Thursday, March 31, 2005

Today Our Daily Bread 2 John

2 John 1
Greetings
1 This letter is from John the Elder.
It is written to the chosen lady and to her children, whom I love in the truth, as does everyone else who knows God's truth—2 the truth that lives in us and will be in our hearts forever.
3 May grace, mercy, and peace, which come from God our Father and from Jesus Christ his Son, be with us who live in truth and love.
Live in the Truth
4 How happy I was to meet some of your children and find them living in the truth, just as we have been commanded by the Father.
5 And now I want to urge you, dear lady, that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but one we had from the beginning. 6 Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning.
7 Many deceivers have gone out into the world. They do not believe that Jesus Christ came to earth in a real body. Such a person is a deceiver and an antichrist. 8 Watch out, so that you do not lose the prize for which we have been working so hard. Be diligent so that you will receive your full reward. 9 For if you wander beyond the teaching of Christ, you will not have fellowship with God. But if you continue in the teaching of Christ, you will have fellowship with both the Father and the Son.
10 If someone comes to your meeting and does not teach the truth about Christ, don't invite him into your house or encourage him in any way. 11 Anyone who encourages him becomes a partner in his evil work.
Conclusion
12 Well, I have much more to say to you, but I don't want to say it in a letter. For I hope to visit you soon and to talk with you face to face. Then our joy will be complete.
13 Greetings from the children of your sister, chosen by God.

~ Lena's Comments~
The name "John" means, the grace & Mercy of the Lord. "The Chosen Lady" is probably – The Church, in symbolic meaning. Everyone who knows TRUTH, love the church……Ah a ah now…Yes, the church IS Christ’s Body. How can anyone love Christ separate from His Body? "Well, I do love Christ, but "the body" is another thing, there are loads of people there, hypocrites, liars, etc etc…" Yes, so what?" "But, But, But…? "But" nothing. We actually cannot say we love God if we do not love people. You know it does not mean love all that they do, right? God doesn’t even love what we do, but He does love us. There is a great difference, and that love makes the changes in us that we need, that love continues to draw us towards change. TRUTH and LOVE- Sisters of our faith walk. By His grace and mercy could we ever love those who oppose us and oppose God and oppose truth and our faith by the offenses they cause in us. Only by grace and mercy could we do and be this. It is grace and mercy that helps change me I’m a part of Christ’s Body Identifying with that imperfect Body, but thank God we are being perfected in Him. So many of us have had a subtle base taught to us, telling us love is based upon our performances. How good and "right" those performances are. THAT is so not the characteristic of God’s love. His love loves no matter. If I never perform, he loves me. If I never do "right" He loves me. If I never choose Him, He loves me! That’s the kind of love He’s asking us to love His body with. As we participate in this we will find this love healing an ailing Body. We will find this body being perfected in Love.

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

Today Our Daily Bread 1 Jn 2

Please Read this in this version…. WOW!!!
1 John 2: 1 - 29

1 I write this, dear children, to guide you out of sin. But if anyone does sin, we have a Priest-Friend in the presence of the Father: Jesus Christ, righteous Jesus. 2 When he served as a sacrifice for our sins, he solved the sin problem for good - not only ours, but the whole world's.
3 Here's how we can be sure that we know God in the right way: Keep his commandments. 4 If someone claims, "I know him well!" but doesn't keep his commandments, he's obviously a liar. His life doesn't match his words. 5 But the one who keeps God's word is the person in whom we see God's mature love. This is the only way to be sure we're in God. 6 Anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to live the same kind of life Jesus lived.
7 My dear friends, I'm not writing anything new here. This is the oldest commandment in the book, and you've known it from day one. It's always been implicit in the Message you've heard. 8 On the other hand, perhaps it is new, freshly minted as it is in both Christ and you - the darkness on its way out and the True Light already blazing! 9 Anyone who claims to live in God's light and hates a brother or sister is still in the dark. 10 It's the person who loves brother and sister who dwells in God's light and doesn't block the light from others. 11 But whoever hates is still in the dark, stumbles around in the dark, doesn't know which end is up, blinded by the darkness.
12 I remind you, my dear children: Your sins are forgiven in Jesus' name. 13 You veterans were in on the ground floor, and know the One who started all this; you newcomers have won a big victory over the Evil One. 14 You veterans know the One who started it all; and you newcomers - such vitality and strength! God's word is so steady in you. Your fellowship with God enables you to gain a victory over the Evil One. 15 Don't love the world's ways. Don't love the world's goods. Love of the world squeezes out love for the Father. 16 Practically everything that goes on in the world - wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important - has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. 17 The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out - but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.
18 Children, time is just about up. You heard that Antichrist is coming. Well, they're all over the place, antichrists everywhere you look. That's how we know that we're close to the end. 19 They left us, but they were never really with us. If they had been, they would have stuck it out with us, loyal to the end. In leaving, they showed their true colors, showed they never did belong.
20 But you belong. The Holy One anointed you, and you all know it. 21 I haven't been writing this to tell you something you don't know, but to confirm the truth you do know, and to remind you that the truth doesn't breed lies. 22 So who is lying here? It's the person who denies that Jesus is the Divine Christ, that's who. This is what makes an antichrist: denying the Father, denying the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has any part with the Father, but affirming the Son is an embrace of the Father as well. 24 Stay with what you heard from the beginning, the original message. Let it sink into your life. If what you heard from the beginning lives deeply in you, you will live deeply in both Son and Father. 25 This is exactly what Christ promised: eternal life, real life! 26 I've written to warn you about those who are trying to deceive you. 27 But they're no match for what is embedded deeply within you - Christ's anointing, no less! You don't need any of their so-called teaching. Christ's anointing teaches you the truth on everything you need to know about yourself and him, uncontaminated by a single lie. Live deeply in what you were taught.
28 And now, children, stay with Christ. Live deeply in Christ. Then we'll be ready for him when he appears, ready to receive him with open arms, with no cause for red-faced guilt or lame excuses when he arrives. 29 Once you're convinced that he is right and righteous, you'll recognize that all who practice righteousness are God's true children.
The Message
~ Lena’s Comments~
What kind of life was that? A love-life/ One who loves life and with the view of eternal life combats death in every-way and on purpose with the purpose of living as God’s friend, on purpose.
I believe I am seeing this- if my sins are forgiven, I owe the same forgiveness and grace to others. I understand the price of forgiveness and as He freely have up His life so I would live forgiven of my eternal debt, so should I release any captive of the same doom. Anti-Christs have been here ever since satan and his angels fell from heaven. They have been on a mission to bring others with them towards their eternal doom and suck them into their anti-Christ way of thinking, and to propagate their thinking as they commit and purpose to spread it throughout the world. Do you see why it is so hard for us to commit and purpose? And why we must commit and purpose ourselves to God? It is so true that when truth comes our way, even though we feel we may not have known it, we do know it, deep inside and we know where we belong, with God, serving Him and propagating His truth. You will know the truth and THAT knowledge and action will set you free.

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

Today Our Daily Bread 1 Ptr 4 *****

1 Peter 4: 1 - 19
1 So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you are willing to suffer for Christ, you have decided to stop sinning. 2 And you won't spend the rest of your life chasing after evil desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God. 3 You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy – their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols.
4 Of course, your former friends are very surprised when you no longer join them in the wicked things they do, and they say evil things about you. 5 But just remember that they will have to face God, who will judge everyone, both the living and the dead. 6 That is why the Good News was preached even to those who have died – so that although their bodies were punished with death, they could still live in the spirit as God does.
7 The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. 8 Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. 10 God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God's generosity can flow through you. 11 Are you called to be a speaker? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Are you called to help others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then God will be given glory in everything through Jesus Christ. All glory and power belong to him forever and ever. Amen.
12 Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. 13 Instead, be very glad – because these trials will make you partners with Christ in his suffering, and afterward you will have the wonderful joy of sharing his glory when it is displayed to all the world. 14 Be happy if you are insulted for being a Christian, for then the glorious Spirit of God will come upon you. 15 If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other people's affairs. 16 But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his wonderful name! 17 For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin first among God's own children. And if even we Christians must be judged, what terrible fate awaits those who have never believed God's Good News? 18 And "If the righteous are barely saved, what chance will the godless and sinners have?" F17 19 So if you are suffering according to God's will, keep on doing what is right, and trust yourself to the God who made you, for he will never fail you.
FOOTNOTES:F17: Prov 11:31.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation,copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.,Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

~ Lena’s Comments~
This (suffering) is what I’ve personally been thinking about a lot lately. How willing am I? He was so willing. His love took Him all the way to victory, through excruciating pain, especially of the soul. What if when I receive Him and become a seed bearer of His words, someone I know or love does not believe in Him or know Him well enough to love Him also? What if they mock His name by rejecting His call on their and my lives? What if you love someone and they do not love back? (Think about how God may be feeling here) What if you give them the gift of life, the words of life and they do not want them? What if they see you as different now and want nothing to do with you? What if the enemy uses people to challenge you, as in defying you? What if your boss or boyfriend or husband does not allow you to do what promotes your spiritual growth, either knowing or unknowingly? What if you stand and stand and stand on the word and what you stood for never happens? What if you have forms of opposition come your way over and over again?-
Persecution arises for the Word’s sake (see the sower parable). Why does persecution arise? Because the Word is being made alive in us, and will bring spiritual change of rulership in the earth, and satan hates that. To him the sprouts of the Word in our lives are like weeds in his garden (satan is the god of this world). He will do his best to uproot them. THIS is why we must be solidly rooted and grounded in God’s Word. He may tug and pull, and blow a wind or try to flood us out with a storm, fire etc, but if we are rooted and grounded, he cannot have our faith. Our faith will have been tried and found true. Am I willing to have my faith tried? By fire? By storm? By persecution? By hatred for the Word in me? By opposition? Am I willing to suffer?
Somehow it seems if there is no suffering, maybe there is not much Word being tried…..Yet if we suffer we are made more then conquerors through Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. The victory in the end is truly one of an eternal nature, that we have kept our faith. THAT is really the main focus and point. The true battle stems from way way back when satan rose up against God. This is where it began.
Am I willing to be a part of God’s work in the earth to willingly rise up for and with God, and in so doing I automatically join combat against satan and his cohorts who have tried to withstand God. Am I willing to push back darkness in earth for God? Do I join His forces? If I do not join his forces I’m already assigned in satan’s.
We have to switch sides by a deliberate act of our wills and make it visible in the earthly spirit realm of who’s we are. I keep going back to if we are not Visibly FOR God we are Visibly against Him.
The spirit realm is way more visible to God, His angels, and satan and his angels, than what we are seeing and doing here. What we do here speaks out loud in the spirit realm. Ex.- If I watch junky programs on TV all day long and do not read or study my Bible except when I open it on Sunday or at cell group, I am placing a visible marker out there of who I am. This is why the Word says, what we do in secret God’s knows…yeah god (satan) knows too. IF I use foul Words at home with my family, yet at work or church I speak good words, I’m setting up a visible marker in the spirit realm of who I am and who’s I am. IF while alone, and in a hard or lonely place I take out the alcoholic beverages and have a few, where no one sees, or go out with the gang and have one where some see, I am showing God and satan’s cohorts who’s I am. Do I trust God or substances that the god of this world has set out there as substitutes for the true and living God in my life?
Mt 12:30 "This is war, and there is no neutral ground. If you're not on my side, you're the enemy; if you're not helping, you're making things worse. (Message)
"Whoever is not with me is against me. Whoever does not work with me is working against me. (NCV)
`He who is not with me is against me, and he who is not gathering with me, doth scatter. (Young’s Literal Translation)
Anyone who isn't helping me opposes me, and anyone who isn't working with me is actually working against me. (NLT)
"Anyone who is not for me is really against me; anyone who does not help me gather is really scattering. (Good News Translation)
He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. (American Standard V)

Luke 11:23 "This is war, and there is no neutral ground. If you're not on my side, you're the enemy; if you're not helping, you're making things worse. (Message V)
"Anyone who is not with me is against me, and anyone who does not work with me is working against me. (NCV)
In reading all of these translations and versions of this same passage, what do you see as common ground proof that we are with God? I see "gathering"/"working". If I gather, which has everything to do with the Lord’s harvest field, then I am WITH Him, if I do not gather, but rather even scatter (through offenses, or intolerance’s, or impatience, or lack of counting the cost, maybe not being developed in His God-kind of love, or maybe I’m hnot willing to be healed of past hurts, or not being willing...etc) I am against Him.
In the visible spirit realm I am known for who I am in what I do or do not do. I am known in the spirit realm way more than I think I am known here. In the spirit realm we cannot hide at all - ever. There are no walls, or clothes or masks. We are known by our hearts and the abundant actions that follow.

Rom 8:31 So, what do you think? With God on our side like this, how can we lose?

Monday, March 28, 2005

Today Our Daily Bread 1 Ptr 1

1 Peter 1: 1 - 25
1 I, Peter, am an apostle on assignment by Jesus, the Messiah, writing to exiles scattered to the four winds. Not one is missing, not one forgotten. 2 God the Father has his eye on each of you, and has determined by the work of the Spirit to keep you obedient through the sacrifice of Jesus. May everything good from God be yours!
3 What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we've been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, 4 including a future in heaven - and the future starts now! 5 God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you'll have it all - life healed and whole.
6 I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. 7 Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it's your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory. 8 You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don't see him, yet you trust him - with laughter and singing. 9 Because you kept on believing, you'll get what you're looking forward to: total salvation.
10 The prophets who told us this was coming asked a lot of questions about this gift of life God was preparing. 11 The Messiah's Spirit let them in on some of it - that the Messiah would experience suffering, followed by glory. They clamored to know who and when. 12 All they were told was that they were serving you, you who by orders from heaven have now heard for yourselves - through the Holy Spirit - the Message of those prophecies fulfilled. Do you realize how fortunate you are? Angels would have given anything to be in on this!
13 So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that's coming when Jesus arrives. 14 Don't lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn't know any better then; you do now. 15 As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God's life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. 16 God said, "I am holy; you be holy." 17 You call out to God for help and he helps - he's a good Father that way. But don't forget, he's also a responsible Father, and won't let you get by with sloppy living. 18 It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. 19 He paid with Christ's sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. 20 And this was no afterthought. Even though it has only lately - at the end of the ages - become public knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you. 21 It's because of this sacrificed Messiah, whom God then raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future in God. 22 Now that you've cleaned up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it. 23 Your new life is not like your old life. Your old birth came from mortal sperm; your new birth comes from God's living Word. Just think: a life conceived by God himself!
24 That's why the prophet said, The old life is a grass life, its beauty as short-lived as wildflowers; Grass dries up, flowers droop, 25 God's Word goes on and on forever. This is the Word that conceived the new life in you.
The Message
~ Lena’s Comments ~
Peter’s name represents revelation, and the 4 winds represent the whole earth, which represents people. Only those who have received understanding and revelation would go anywhere for God (even to their own neighbors). This person begins a commitment to Christ, but just as we do in marriage or any other commitment. At the time of commitment we do not know or understand what all is in store for us along the way, and so we may encounter things that would cause us to wonder about making it "all the way". The only way to "go all the way" is through revelation, finish the same way you started On the ROCK! This is so awesome and right along the messages God is trying to give us through our Pastors. Eternity and its work begins the day we turn our lives over to God, or as some say, we give our hearts to the Lord. THAT is when it begins. We had been taught wrongly, and so it is now time to be re-taught correctly. We not only give our hearts to Christ, we give it all, for His use now. Why? So that others , many many others may receive this same promise and assignment. God wants children, safe from satan’s doom and torment. We are the way that they can be saved in this hour we now live in. If we are deceived into thinking that a magical prayer saved us from hell’s fire, then we won’t live for Christ. We will be in torment later on when we find that so many people we could and would have influenced died the eternal death they would not have had to die had we given our lives for them. We must give our lives for others like He was oh so willing to do.
Wow, isn’t it enlightening that true faith would be that of a life that has been proven? Aren’t we all interested in proof? If we were to drive a car, we’d want it to be proven. If we drink or eat, we’d also want what we receive into our bodies to be proven. If we fly, we’d like for that mode of transportation to have been proven, and so the world wants us to have our faith tried, before they are "sold" on it. If we lose our faith over nothing and it costs nothing for us to keep, then what is its value to anyone else? We are the worth of His suffering, the cost was worth its value to Him. Isn’t it just oh so amazing that Christ endured all of the mental and physical torture and knowing full well the pathway, and knowing full well we would reject Him and His work, we would mock Him , we would scorn Him, put Him off etc. He knew this all by Divine revelation and yet continued through to the end, because of His great love for us. Also, knowing that maybe, someone would obey the Commission, someone would receive Him, and love Him, someone would do His will and help spread the life of His plan in the ages to come. He knew, Do we know Him? Who He is? Who He is and desires to be in us? For us? With us? Ask God for a living breathing, call to action doing type of revelation. He’ll get it to you, no matter what it takes.

Baby Seth

Dear Ladies,
April called me this morning to tell me that her sister and brother came to the door to announce to her that Baby Seth went to heaven today.

Thank you for your prayers and support. April has an awesome and close family, but as with everyone who loses a loved one, they will also continue to need prayer support, and love from the Body of Christ.

Only God can bring the needed comfort at times like these.
Much Love In Christ
Lena B

Sunday, March 27, 2005

Today Our Daily Bread 2 Tim 4

2 Timothy 4: 1 - 22
1 And so I solemnly urge you before God and before Christ Jesus – who will someday judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom: 2 Preach the word of God. Be persistent, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. 3 For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to right teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear. 4 They will reject the truth and follow strange myths. 5 But you should keep a clear mind in every situation. Don't be afraid of suffering for the Lord. Work at bringing others to Christ. Complete the ministry God has given you. 6 As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. 7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. 8 And now the prize awaits me – the crown of righteousness that the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that great day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his glorious return.
9 Please come as soon as you can. 10 Demas has deserted me because he loves the things of this life and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus has gone to Dalmatia. 11 Only Luke is with me. Bring Mark with you when you come, for he will be helpful to me. 12 I sent Tychicus to Ephesus. 13 When you come, be sure to bring the coat I left with Carpus at Troas. Also bring my books, and especially my papers. F5 14 Alexander the coppersmith has done me much harm, but the Lord will judge him for what he has done. 15 Be careful of him, for he fought against everything we said.
16 The first time I was brought before the judge, no one was with me. Everyone had abandoned me. I hope it will not be counted against them. 17 But the Lord stood with me and gave me strength, that I might preach the Good News in all its fullness for all the Gentiles to hear. And he saved me from certain death. F6 18 Yes, and the Lord will deliver me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly Kingdom. To God be the glory forever and ever. Amen. 19 Give my greetings to Priscilla and Aquila and those living at the household of Onesiphorus. 20 Erastus stayed at Corinth, and I left Trophimus sick at Miletus. 21 Hurry so you can get here before winter. Eubulus sends you greetings, and so do Pudens, Linus, Claudia, and all the brothers and sisters. F7 22 May the Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you all.
FOOTNOTES:F5: Greek especially the parchments. F6: Greek from the mouth of a lion. F7: Greek brothers.
The New Living Translation
~ Lena's Comments ~
Contrary to religious cliché’s, our faith is not for keeping to ourselves, nor is it our own personal faith. Our faith was designed to be given to others, to make others hungry for faith, to cause other to be thirsty for faith, to enlighten others who have been in darkness, to heal them if they’ve already lived a life separated from God, others and even themselves. Our faith is alive and was designed by God to be copied and reproduced in others. I really believe a BIG part of the judgements that will be brought up either "for or against" us will have to do with whether we confessed Him before men or not. Whether we made the choice to be witnesses or not (and it is absolutely a choice, a matter of the most resistant ting in our lives – our wills). Why do you think the Psalm says a broken heart and a contrite spirit You have desired? He KNEW and knows our wills and how they fight us and fight the message and fight our pride and fight our purpose and fight God’s will and fight what is right for us in this world! He made us and he knows us WAYYYY better than we do. And even so much further behind this he knows what is at stake! The souls of men and women who so choose. Do not give up on people and bringing the example of faith to them, till they die, This is where the fruits of God’s Spirit is manifest in us and through us. It’s where the message we have both in our words and in our life force is concerned. Have enough LOVE to share your faith, enough JOY to be strong in faith, enough PEACE to be whole and make others whole- dwelling with them long enough and thoroughly enough to reach their hearts, Enough PATIENCE to be the same, every time they gaze upon your life- consistently the same, never giving up your faith for any reason. ENDURING all for the faith of Christ to be evident in others lives also. Enough KINDNESS to make others wonder and inquire about who you are in Christ, Enough GENTLENESS to feed others from what you’ve learned and bring them all the way through to fruition, growing THEM up in faith. Enough GOODNESS to believe God, for He alone is GOOD, enough FAITHFULNESS to defy all you’ve ever known and really commit yourself to God and His people. Enough Self-Control to be the example of Christ in the earth as God has designed you to be. This would be an awesome example of the blamlessness of Christ in us, His Spirit alive in us.

Saturday, March 26, 2005

Today Our Daily Bread

2 Timothy 3: 1 - 17
1 Don't be naive. There are difficult times ahead. 2 As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, 3 dog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, 4 treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God. 5 They'll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes they're animals. Stay clear of these people. 6 These are the kind of people who smooth-talk themselves into the homes of unstable and needy women and take advantage of them; women who, depressed by their sinfulness, take up with every new religious fad that calls itself "truth." 7 They get exploited every time and never really learn. 8 These men are like those old Egyptian frauds Jannes and Jambres, who challenged Moses. They were rejects from the faith, twisted in their thinking, defying truth itself. 9 But nothing will come of these latest impostors. Everyone will see through them, just as people saw through that Egyptian hoax.
10 You've been a good apprentice to me, a part of my teaching, my manner of life, direction, faith, steadiness, love, patience, 11 troubles, sufferings - suffering along with me in all the grief I had to put up with in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. And you also well know that God rescued me! 12 Anyone who wants to live all out for Christ is in for a lot of trouble; there's no getting around it. 13 Unscrupulous con men will continue to exploit the faith. They're as deceived as the people they lead astray. As long as they are out there, things can only get worse. 14 But don't let it faze you. Stick with what you learned and believed, sure of the integrity of your teachers - 15 why, you took in the sacred Scriptures with your mother's milk! There's nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another - showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way. 17 Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.
The Message
~Lena’s Comments ~
This made me think of how it is an enemy ploy against the strength of our faith, to cause us to be unhappy at home, or on the job or other relationships so we’ll look for satisfaction in other things and other people. We have to find our desires full in God, in Christ, or else we will be seeking to be satisfied by every offer that comes our way. If we "can’t get no satisfaction", we’ll always be dissatisfied and our enemy will continue to bring his offers to us over again and again to tempt us in whatever area we feel our needs are not being met by man. Why so down cast Oh my soul? Put your hope in God- not in your mate, or friends, or substances, or habits, or food, or shopping or your job etc, etc…Put your hope in GOD, for He is God ALONE. God’s word is the only true source of satisfaction, the only source of real truth. Believe the word, more than you believe in the ability of that cigarette or of that entertainment or of that one drink or even of that friendship, to satisfy your longing soul. The reason our souls have a continual longing, is to continually bring us to Him, closer and more regularly to Him.

Friday, March 25, 2005

Today Our Daily Bread

2 Timothy 2: 1 - 26
1 So, my son, throw yourself into this work for Christ. 2 Pass on what you heard from me - the whole congregation saying Amen! - to reliable leaders who are competent to teach others. 3 When the going gets rough, take it on the chin with the rest of us, the way Jesus did. 4 A soldier on duty doesn't get caught up in making deals at the marketplace. He concentrates on carrying out orders. 5 An athlete who refuses to play by the rules will never get anywhere. 6 It's the diligent farmer who gets the produce. 7 Think it over. God will make it all plain.
8 Fix this picture firmly in your mind: Jesus, descended from the line of David, raised from the dead. It's what you've heard from me all along. 9 It's what I'm sitting in jail for right now - but God's Word isn't in jail! 10 That's why I stick it out here - so that everyone God calls will get in on the salvation of Christ in all its glory. 11 This is a sure thing: If we die with him, we'll live with him; 12 If we stick it out with him, we'll rule with him; If we turn our backs on him, he'll turn his back on us; 13 If we give up on him, he does not give up - for there's no way he can be false to himself.
14 Repeat these basic essentials over and over to God's people. Warn them before God against pious nitpicking, which chips away at the faith. It just wears everyone out. 15 Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won't be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple. 16 Stay clear of pious talk that is only talk. Words are not mere words, you know. If they're not backed by a godly life, 17 they accumulate as poison in the soul. Hymenaeus and Philetus are examples, 18 throwing believers off stride and missing the truth by a mile by saying the resurrection is over and done with.
19 Meanwhile, God's firm foundation is as firm as ever, these sentences engraved on the stones: God knows who belongs to him. spurn evil, all you who name God as god. 20 In a well-furnished kitchen there are not only crystal goblets and silver platters, but waste cans and compost buckets - some containers used to serve fine meals, others to take out the garbage. 21 Become the kind of container God can use to present any and every kind of gift to his guests for their blessing.
22 Run away from infantile indulgence. Run after mature righteousness - faith, love, peace - joining those who are in honest and serious prayer before God. 23 Refuse to get involved in inane discussions; they always end up in fights. 24 God's servant must not be argumentative, but a gentle listener and a teacher who keeps cool, 25 working firmly but patiently with those who refuse to obey. You never know how or when God might sober them up with a change of heart and a turning to the truth, 26 enabling them to escape the Devil's trap, where they are caught and held captive, forced to run his errands.
The Message
~Lena's Comments ~
Boy, isn’t that a great translation? "Hits the nail on the head". The religious mind leaves the Word of God to others, makes suggestions from the Word and counts the word as an option we may one day consider. God has chosen ALL of us to the ministry of reconciliation, reconciling those who crucified Him to Him. Again I quote, many are called, and few are chosen. Meaning the same call goes out to all, but a few choose to take it as serious God-business and answer and actually do what His word is calling for in each of our daily lives. Notice in vs. 1 how it says throw yourself? This is evidence of God’s gentlemanly nature, He oh so wants us to, but will not make us, because He desires a true response of reciprocated love from His people, not a people who obey because He made them to obey. We decide to throw ourselves into His work, because we gain such a love for Him (Love God) and a love for His (Love People) that we have to, because our hearts strongly take us there. We’re under command because we understand His great love and cannot and will not let His actions go to waste.
The use of words is so important. Our mouths should really be given over to the use of the furtherance of the gospel; that’s it. Does what I say promote Godliness in another? Does it stir up a hunger and a thirst for God? Do I leave room for more of God and less of me, or did I leave a strong scent behind of who I am in my own self-life? What are people remembering about me when I walk away? What are they remembering or saying about Him, when I’m no longer standing there?
Firmness and patience help work the work of God. Why would I be patient at all? I have to look at everything in Eternal light. If my impatience pushes someone away from Christ, or even me for that matter, have I succeeded to win or consolidate or disciple or send them? Have I been able to impart purpose at all? What if they are unfair and obnoxious? Think eternal thoughts once again, will my impatience with that behavior they display work the work of God that He desires to work inside of them, or will it further prevent the possibilities of change in them? Love covers a multitude of sins and also draws a person from where they are to where they will be.
I’ve so got to learn that it is NOT about how they make me feel, and it is so about whether the word has been given a place through my actions towards the person that God loves and Christ died for.

Thursday, March 24, 2005

Today OUr Daily Bread

1 Timothy 1: 1 - 20
1 This letter is from Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, appointed by the command of God our Savior and by Christ Jesus our hope. 2 It is written to Timothy, my true child in the faith. May God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord give you grace, mercy, and peace. 3 When I left for Macedonia, I urged you to stay there in Ephesus and stop those who are teaching wrong doctrine. 4 Don't let people waste time in endless speculation over myths and spiritual pedigrees. F1 For these things only cause arguments; they don't help people live a life of faith in God.
5 The purpose of my instruction is that all the Christians there would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and sincere faith. 6 But some teachers have missed this whole point. They have turned away from these things and spend their time arguing and talking foolishness. 7 They want to be known as teachers of the law of Moses, but they don't know what they are talking about, even though they seem so confident. 8 We know these laws are good when they are used as God intended. 9 But they were not made for people who do what is right. They are for people who are disobedient and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who murder their father or mother or other people. 10 These laws are for people who are sexually immoral, for homosexuals and slave traders, for liars and oath breakers, and for those who do anything else that contradicts the right teaching 11 that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God. F2
12 How thankful I am to Christ Jesus our Lord for considering me trustworthy and appointing me to serve him, 13 even though I used to scoff at the name of Christ. I hunted down his people, harming them in every way I could. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief. 14 Oh, how kind and gracious the Lord was! He filled me completely with faith and the love of Christ Jesus. 15 This is a true saying, and everyone should believe it: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – and I was the worst of them all. 16 But that is why God had mercy on me, so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. 17 Glory and honor to God forever and ever. He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen.
18 Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they give you the confidence to fight well in the Lord's battles. 19 Cling tightly to your faith in Christ, and always keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked. 20 Hymenaeus and Alexander are two examples of this. I turned them over to Satan so they would learn not to blaspheme God.
FOOTNOTES:F1: Greek in myths and endless genealogies, which cause speculation. F2: Greek a stewardship of God in faith.
The New Living Translation
Holy Bible, New Living Translation,copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.,Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved
~ Lena's Comments~
In the G-12 there is a saying, "He’s His Timothy". It’s kind of like saying he’s your true child of faith. Your spiritual son because of and in and all about faith. He’s not just a friend, he’s closer than a brother, he’s a son. This is so important that we content for the truth of faith, not argue, but in the spirit pull down arguments, or let’s say it this way- the power of those who disagree with God. That means we endeavor to walk in agreement with God’s word ourselves and in so doing we pull down any potential for argument, against us. We who were once divided against God are now working FOR God. The law was good for its intended use, but as with everything, satan will take what is good and pervert it and abuse it. Don’t let that evil religious spirit use you as a participant in its abuses. When a person’s heart is right with God through the blood of His Son, he stands before God with the blood speaking on his behalf, judged by God’s law of love. Why do we allow our religious thinking to judge him otherwise? Because we want to put ourselves in a more powerful influential place than they are in, Brother – humble thyself and go pick that brother UP from underneath, This is the heart and power of submission, humility and service. Th\ese actions wants to so see others succeed along with us, not us instead of them. The true heart of God our Father is to hunt people down for the opportunity to show love, not to hurt their faith, but to help mold it by the copy given us to live and reproduce. People learn much better by example. We are the examples. Mercy TRIUMPHS over judgement! Ever had a prophetic word or a word you know is yours from God? Stand firm on it, believe it, act upon it, ask God for the next steps on it and Live out the manifestation of the word. You become the manifestation of the word. You are the word made flesh!

Wednesday, March 23, 2005

Baby Boy Seth Owen Update

Dear Awesome Godly Prayer Warriors,
April called this morning with an update on Baby Seth.
She said
*He is on the ventilator and if he is not able to come off of it within 48 hrs, they feel he'll not be able to come off - BUT GOD !!!
* They give him a 50% chance of survival - BUT GOD !!!
PS 60:12 Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.
Ps 108:13
Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies. AMEN !!!
Isaiah 53:1, 5
1 Who hath believed our report ? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? .....5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Let's Choose to Believe GOD ~ Faith is pleasing to Him.
BUT GOD !!! Have Faith in GOD.
Arise Oh Lord and let all enemies be scattered and flee away, especially God's enemy of death.
We SPEAK and PROCLAIM LIFE over SETH- LIFE ! In Jesus' name !

Today Our Daily Bread 1 Thess 2

1 Thessalonians 2: 1 - 20
1 You yourselves know, dear brothers and sisters, F4 that our visit to you was not a failure. 2 You know how badly we had been treated at Philippi just before we came to you and how much we suffered there. Yet our God gave us the courage to declare his Good News to you boldly, even though we were surrounded by many who opposed us. 3 So you can see that we were not preaching with any deceit or impure purposes or trickery. 4 For we speak as messengers who have been approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He is the one who examines the motives of our hearts. 5 Never once did we try to win you with flattery, as you very well know. And God is our witness that we were not just pretending to be your friends so you would give us money! 6 As for praise, we have never asked for it from you or anyone else.
7 As apostles of Christ we certainly had a right to make some demands of you, but we were as gentle among you as a mother F5 feeding and caring for her own children. 8 We loved you so much that we gave you not only God's Good News but our own lives, too. 9 Don't you remember, dear brothers and sisters, how hard we worked among you? Night and day we toiled to earn a living so that our expenses would not be a burden to anyone there as we preached God's Good News among you. 10 You yourselves are our witnesses – and so is God – that we were pure and honest and faultless toward all of you believers. 11 And you know that we treated each of you as a father treats his own children. 12 We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For he called you into his Kingdom to share his glory.
13 And we will never stop thanking God that when we preached his message to you, you didn't think of the words we spoke as being just our own. You accepted what we said as the very word of God – which, of course, it was. And this word continues to work in you who believe. 14 And then, dear brothers and sisters, you suffered persecution from your own countrymen. In this way, you imitated the believers in God's churches in Judea who, because of their belief in Christ Jesus, suffered from their own people, the Jews. 15 For some of the Jews had killed their own prophets, and some even killed the Lord Jesus. Now they have persecuted us and driven us out. They displease God and oppose everyone 16 by trying to keep us from preaching the Good News to the Gentiles, for fear some might be saved. By doing this, they continue to pile up their sins. But the anger of God has caught up with them at last.
17 Dear brothers and sisters, after we were separated from you for a little while (though our hearts never left you), we tried very hard to come back because of our intense longing to see you again. 18 We wanted very much to come, and I, Paul, tried again and again, but Satan prevented us. 19 After all, what gives us hope and joy, and what is our proud reward and crown? It is you! Yes, you will bring us much joy as we stand together before our Lord Jesus when he comes back again. 20 For you are our pride and joy.
FOOTNOTES:F4: Greek brothers; also in 2:9, 14, 17. F5: Some manuscripts read we were as infants among you; we were as a mother.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation,copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.,Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved
~Lena's Comments~
Motivation goes a long way with people. Paul is telling his motivation. #1 to please God, #2 His love for people. Both of these follow the two greatest commands, not 2 greatest suggestions as we sometimes regard them, but 2 greatest commands. Love God, Love people. These actions are actions only one who has the true heart of God inside and alive within them could be or do. God’s heart is that of a Father ( not in comparison to men of earth and their good attempts or even their weaknesses, or possible neglect, etc.) Another descriptive attribute is that of Mother, one who’s will is to feed and make sure there is nourishment given and received to promote growth of the body. Mothers are adamant about this kind of thing, and if anyone cares, it’s truly a Mother. God designed Mother’s and Father’s hearts to be a true reflection of His heart towards human people. Yes there have been perversions, But GOD set it up in a pure undefiled way.
God so desires that we as spiritual parents to people on earth, would nurture and feed and care for and protect His offspring as pictures of who He is and what He desires in the earth. THIS is what He trusts us with. Can you imagine God leaving His kids off at your house for a period of time and He returns and asks how it went? That’s pretty much what life here is about, Stewardship. If we choose not to steward, we’ll be giving an account of it later, because He entrusted us with His most prized possessions. His Son & His people, who He wanted to present and give His Son to. Ya know whether we accept this mission or not, it has been given each of us by God and He has trusted us to do it.
Many times people have become parents whether they "planned" to or not. Even if they didn’t want to be parents, they still had a child to raise and care for and will stand before their government, society, and God for their place in that parenting. The more people are born the more need there is and will be to nourish and cherish for God. We may feel it is an overwhelming thought now, think of how many are being born daily in the earth and of how many pass on daily not having been nourished. Each birth is another opportunity to Love for and with God. WOW, our hesitation is really limited to our own healing from the perversions of life and the stewardship men have had over us. We have to break out of that mindset and Love anyway, Live for God anyway, Nurture, Father, Mother, Steward anyway. This is when God wins and we triumph over our enemies. IF we don’t or won’t , we are still living in the hurts of the past and refuse to see that the cross was good enough for us, to heal and cleanse us and bring us to a place of giving. God loves a cheerful giver (of life)
Satan is God’s enemy, he is also a father – of lies, of deceit, of enmity with God. He hates God and His image ( which is us in the earth, especially those who will be stewards on purpose) Once a person gets ahold of the insight of their own participation with God’s enemy they will rise up ready to fight against the forces that try to prevent God plan from coming to pass in the earth. They who have a glimpse of understanding, will boldly wield the sword of the spirit to posh back the forces of evil, rather than inviting them in.
Definition of satan:
adversary (one who opposes another in purpose or act), the name given to
the prince of evil spirits, the inveterate adversary of God and Christ
he incites apostasy from God and to sin
circumventing men by his wiles
the worshippers of idols are said to be under his control
by his demons he is able to take possession of men and inflict them with diseases
by God's assistance he is overcome
on Christ's return from heaven he will be bound with chains for a thousand years, but when the thousand years are finished he will walk the earth in yet greater power, but shortly after will be given over to eternal punishment
a Satan-like man
See, satan is the god of this world and the father of lies, if we do not on purpose join God’s work in the earth and obey and accept His missions and commissions we have not changed sides at all. In fact God says those who are not ( deliberately ) with me with a sense of purposeful plight, are in fact against Me. What is God’s work? GO-ing and Fathering and Mothering for God. Anything else, is just a religious work, or a flesh work.

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Today Our Daily Bread Col 1 :9-29 & 2 :6-10

Colossians 1: 9-29
So we have continued praying for you ever since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you a complete understanding of what he wants to do in your lives, and we ask him to make you wise with spiritual wisdom.
10 Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and you will continually do good, kind things for others. All the while, you will learn to know God better and better.
11 We also pray that you will be strengthened with his glorious power so that you will have all the patience and endurance you need. May you be filled with joy, 12 always thanking the Father, who has enabled you to share the inheritance that belongs to God's holy people, who live in the light. 13 For he has rescued us from the one who rules in the kingdom of darkness, and he has brought us into the Kingdom of his dear Son. 14 God has purchased our freedom with his blood F3 and has forgiven all our sins.15 Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before God made anything at all and is supreme over all creation. F4 16 Christ is the one through whom God created everything in heaven and earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see – kings, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities. Everything has been created through him and for him.17 He existed before everything else began, and he holds all creation together.
18 Christ is the head of the church, which is his body. He is the first of all who will rise from the dead, F5 so he is first in everything. 19 For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, 20 and by him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of his blood on the cross. 21 This includes you who were once so far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions, 22 yet now he has brought you back as his friends. He has done this through his death on the cross in his own human body. As a result, he has brought you into the very presence of God, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.
23 But you must continue to believe this truth and stand in it firmly. Don't drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed by God to proclaim it.24 I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am completing what remains of Christ's sufferings for his body, the church. 25 God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his message in all its fullness to you Gentiles. 26 This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to his own holy people. 27 For it has pleased God to tell his people that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. For this is the secret: Christ lives in you, and this is your assurance that you will share in his glory.
28 So everywhere we go, we tell everyone about Christ. We warn them and teach them with all the wisdom God has given us, for we want to present them to God, perfect F6 in their relationship to Christ. 29 I work very hard at this, as I depend on Christ's mighty power that works within me.

Colossians 2: 6-10
2:6 And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to live in obedience to him. 7 Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him, so you will grow in faith, strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with thanksgiving for all he has done.8 Don't let anyone lead you astray with empty philosophy and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the evil powers of this world, F7 and not from Christ. 9 For in Christ the fullness of God lives in a human body, F8 10 and you are complete through your union with Christ. He is the Lord over every ruler and authority in the universe.
FOOTNOTES:F3: Some manuscripts do not include with his blood. F4: Greek He is the firstborn of all creation. F5: Greek He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead. F6: Or mature. F7: Or from the basic principles of this world; also in 2:20. F8: Greek in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation,copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.,Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved
~ Lena's Comments ~
Continued sincere prayer that originates from the motivation of the true love of God inside of us, is a real sign of love and genuine concern. If I take time to pray for you, I care about you enough to give my time for you. If I give my time for you I may also give my time to you in relationship. It is an expression of love. Ever heard,,,"I wouldn’t give them the time of day?" Think about it. What is truly important here on earth? Living. Then taking that a step further- Living with and for God, fulfilling the Why of Why we are Living here. This prayer covers all of that and is an example of the true cry of a heart that holds genuine concern for people to know and fulfill their purposes in Christ. The good and kind things are not really "things" in general, "They" are giving of the spiritual "things" that will help others grow in Christ. How many times in life are we easily and readily willing to give things away, but we with hold the gospel message and the words and life force it wold take to help another come to the saving KNOWLEDGE of Christ (meaning making Christ their Lord from now on)? Not just showing someone the Savior. When we get a true revelation of what He has done for us and the price that was paid for this message and how we live in a country where we can boldly proclaim and live it on a day to day basis; we will rise up and take back the time that has been stolen from the world by holding us back. Through Him and FOR Him, that’s us ! It’s like truth was told you and even solidified in you, BUT you have to keep truth or it will be stolen from you, Truth is a relationship that must be maintained. ALL of us have this same responsibility as Paul had with the gospel, to live and believe it and proclaim it by the proof of our lives and the boldness of our speech. Think of the word Response- ABILITY, My ability to respond – I can DO ALL things through Christ who strengthens me. If sin has left me with an in ability to respond to God call, he made provision- repent and be forgiven. If mindsets have kept me, then change them by the word. If heartbreak and bondage has, then be free from the bondage. The Cross and the suffering of Christ for me paid for all of that and restored the ability for me to respond! God commands response. If I do not respond even to be healed, so that I can respond, there will be an awful price for me to pay later on. See we cannot pay that price and God knows it and He does not want us to pay it, but satan does, because he’s gonna pay it and wants us to along with us. We also need a revelation of the price this is and how serious the cost of rebellion will be.

Monday, March 21, 2005

Today Our Daily Bread Phil 4

Philippians 4: 1 - 23
1 Dear brothers and sisters, F12 I love you and long to see you, for you are my joy and the reward for my work. So please stay true to the Lord, my dear friends. 2 And now I want to plead with those two women, Euodia and Syntyche. Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement. 3 And I ask you, my true teammate, F13 to help these women, for they worked hard with me in telling others the Good News. And they worked with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are written in the Book of Life
4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again – rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. 6 Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. 8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and heard from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you.
10 How grateful I am, and how I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but for a while you didn't have the chance to help me. 11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or little. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need. 14 But even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty. 15 As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. 16 Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once. 17 I don't say this because I want a gift from you. What I want is for you to receive a well-earned reward because of your kindness. 18 At the moment I have all I need – more than I need! I am generously supplied with the gifts you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable to God and pleases him. 19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.
20 Now glory be to God our Father forever and ever. Amen. 21 Give my greetings to all the Christians there. The brothers who are with me here send you their greetings. 22 And all the other Christians send their greetings, too, especially those who work in Caesar's palace. 23 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
FOOTNOTES:F12: Greek brothers; also in 4:8. F13: Greek true yokefellow, or loyal Syzygus.
The New Living Translation
Holy Bible, New Living Translation,copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.,Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

~Lena's Comments~
We are all representatives of the Lord Jesus, and of one another as we yoke together in the work of God’s kingdom. It’s good to be a part of a "team" and represent someone. If we do not think and act this way, we may find ourselves behaving differently. If we believe we are ambassadors for God, we will have a sense about us that will actually keep us from evil and make us intent on purpose, His purpose!
As we are in this earth, we have to find a focus, some purpose greater than we see ourselves and FIX our mind on it with immovable thoughts. Yesterday, I was listening to Pastor Fred read and speak, he skimmed by a passage referring to the voice we heed, and the voice of the word of God. We speak about this in our Cell meetings. There are SO many voices to heed. If we do not find one to focus on we can be like fans of a tennis match – back and forth, back and forth. So as we’ve all heard before, I think of Jn 10– "My sheep hear My voice and the Voice of a stranger they will not follow…" We pray that, recite that & believe that. Somehow I’d always seen it as – the other voices will somehow be quieter, maybe by adding so many choices of God’s word that we’ll then not hear those but listen to His. That’s true, and today I also saw, that if I do not turn or tune or incline my ear to them, giving my ear to them, I’ll not follow them either. That is also how worry stops, by not heeding it’s voice.
That we would give our resources into the lives of the work of Christ shows that we believe in and support it. Giving of our resources into the lives of others, shows we are willing to come outside of our own sphere of care and concern and even faith and that we are willing to increase another’s faith. Giving is a sign of maturity. Especially giving of one’s self. For each person this can be different, for one giving of their time would be the most expensive gift that would express the willingness to come outside of one’s self. For another that would be money, etc…God LOVES a cheerful giver

Sunday, March 20, 2005

Today Our Daily Bread

John 17: 1 - 26
1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. 2 For you have given him authority over everyone in all the earth. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. 3 And this is the way to have eternal life – to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. 4 I brought glory to you here on earth by doing everything you told me to do. 5 And now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.
6 "I have told these men about you. They were in the world, but then you gave them to me. Actually, they were always yours, and you gave them to me; and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything I have is a gift from you, 8 for I have passed on to them the words you gave me; and they accepted them and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me. 9 "My prayer is not for the world, but for those you have given me, because they belong to you. 10 And all of them, since they are mine, belong to you; and you have given them back to me, so they are my glory!
11 Now I am departing the world; I am leaving them behind and coming to you. Holy Father, keep them and care for them – all those you have given me – so that they will be united just as we are. 12 During my time here, I have kept them safe. F76 I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold. 13 "And now I am coming to you. I have told them many things while I was with them so they would be filled with my joy. 14 I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not. 15 I'm not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. 16 They are not part of this world any more than I am.
17 Make them pure and holy by teaching them your words of truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. 19 And I give myself entirely to you so they also might be entirely yours.
20 "I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me because of their testimony. 21 My prayer for all of them is that they will be one, just as you and I are one, Father – that just as you are in me and I am in you, so they will be in us, and the world will believe you sent me. 22 "I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are – 23 I in them and you in me, all being perfected into one. Then the world will know that you sent me and will understand that you love them as much as you love me.
24 Father, I want these whom you've given me to be with me, so they can see my glory. You gave me the glory because you loved me even before the world began! 25 "O righteous Father, the world doesn't know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. 26 And I have revealed you to them and will keep on revealing you. I will do this so that your love for me may be in them and I in them."

FOOTNOTES:
F76: Greek I have kept in your name those whom you have given me.



The New Living Translation
Holy Bible, New Living Translation,
copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.,
Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

After Pastor Fred’s message today I’m reading and praying this so differently. I find myself praying as though I am who He is in the earth, on the same mission with the same Destiny and purpose. I’m so full today of a sense of Who’s we are and why. This sense of purpose makes me want to pray and be a bold witness more than ever. I so want others to get this same realization and have their lives full of purpose that saves and keeps them and leads them aright for the rest of their lives, and the reason for their lives. I really feel Jesus was desperate or rather deliberate in this prayer. He wasn’t just throwing it out there. He was crying out from then till now. This was a long term and far reaching prayer.

Saturday, March 19, 2005

Better Later Than Not at All Today Our Daily Bread

Mark 11: 1 - 33
1 And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples, 2 And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him. 3 And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither. 4 And they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met; and they loose him. 5 And certain of them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt? of what type of personality trait is this "colt"? But a Donkey, a young rebellious donkey. If related at all to a person's temperment, it might be sending the disciples to loose people from having and continually exercising this type of temperment. What we consider a "tamed" animal would be one who yeilds to the way of the Master and we are far higher than any animal.6 And they said unto them even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them go. 7 And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him. 8 And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way. 9 And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: 10 Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest. 11 And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany They went to church services together here with the twelve.
12 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: remember the verse which says. MY meat and drink is to do the will of Him who sent Me? and also the verse that says. I have food you Know not of? This is what He was hungery for here also. Some think there is a harcest time and season- true, but for God's kingdom, Harvest is at all times and in all seasons and God Himself is hungering and looking for the fruit of this all time harvest. 13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet. 14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it. 15 And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; 16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. 17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all F34 nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves. 18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine. 19 And when even was come, he went out of the city. 20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots. 21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away. People sometimes wonder why their wells are dry and they do not succeed or only succeed up to a certain point...could be if we work for His harvest, ours will come in? or if not, ours won't! What is faith for anyway? Things? That we'll have a peaceful happy blessed life? Yes, I suppose all of those are true, but I see faith in a different and considerable light. Having faith for the seed that brings life, for the harvest, for Souls ! The rest we spend so much time having faith "in" WILL be ADDed. Our faith really truly needs to be IN GOD, not things, or news, or circumstances and how things look, or even in our ability to do what is good or bad or how much we can get. It has to be in a relationship with God. The highest faith would be knowing what God wants in the earth, and believing Him that it will be able to be done, and at least a bit of it through me/us.
22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have F35 faith in God. 23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. 25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
27 And they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was walking in the temple, there come to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders, 28 And say unto him, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things? 29 And Jesus answered and said unto them, I will also ask of you one question, F36 and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? answer me. 31 And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did ye not believe him? 32 But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed. 33 And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things. Jesus answered a trapping question with a question...cool tactic, huh?
The King James Version (Authorized)

Friday, March 18, 2005

Today Our Daily Bread Acts 17

Acts 17: 1 - 34
1 Now Paul and Silas traveled through the towns of Amphipolis and Apollonia and came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As was Paul's custom, he went to the synagogue service, and for three Sabbaths in a row he interpreted the Scriptures to the people. 3 He was explaining and proving the prophecies about the sufferings of the Messiah and his rising from the dead. He said, "This Jesus I'm telling you about is the Messiah." 4 Some who listened were persuaded and became converts, including a large number of godly Greek men and also many important women of the city.
F88 5 But the Jewish leaders were jealous, so they gathered some worthless fellows from the streets to form a mob and start a riot. They attacked the home of Jason, searching for Paul and Silas so they could drag them out to the crowd. F89 6 Not finding them there, they dragged out Jason and some of the other believers F90 instead and took them before the city council. "Paul and Silas have turned the rest of the world upside down, and now they are here disturbing our city," they shouted. 7 "And Jason has let them into his home. They are all guilty of treason against Caesar, for they profess allegiance to another king, Jesus." 8 The people of the city, as well as the city officials, were thrown into turmoil by these reports. 9 But the officials released Jason and the other believers after they had posted bail.
10 That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the synagogue. 11 And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul's message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to check up on Paul and Silas, to see if they were really teaching the truth. 12 As a result, many Jews believed, as did some of the prominent Greek women and many men. 13 But when some Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God in Berea, they went there and stirred up trouble. 14 The believers acted at once, sending Paul on to the coast, while Silas and Timothy remained behind. 15 Those escorting Paul went with him to Athens; then they returned to Berea with a message for Silas and Timothy to hurry and join him.
16 While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was deeply troubled by all the idols he saw everywhere in the city. 17 He went to the synagogue to debate with the Jews and the God-fearing Gentiles, and he spoke daily in the public square to all who happened to be there. 18 He also had a debate with some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers. When he told them about Jesus and his resurrection, they said, "This babbler has picked up some strange ideas." Others said, "He's pushing some foreign religion." 19 Then they took him to the Council of Philosophers.
F91 "Come and tell us more about this new religion," they said. 20 "You are saying some rather startling things, and we want to know what it's all about." 21 (It should be explained that all the Athenians as well as the foreigners in Athens seemed to spend all their time discussing the latest ideas.)
22 So Paul, standing before the Council,
F92 addressed them as follows: "Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious, 23 for as I was walking along I saw your many altars. And one of them had this inscription on it – 'To an Unknown God.' You have been worshiping him without knowing who he is, and now I wish to tell you about him. 24 "He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn't live in man-made temples, 25 and human hands can't serve his needs – for he has no needs. He himself gives life and breath to everything, and he satisfies every need there is. 26 From one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand which should rise and fall, and he determined their boundaries. 27 "His purpose in all of this was that the nations should seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him – though he is not far from any one of us. 28 For in him we live and move and exist. As one of your own poets says, 'We are his offspring.' 29 And since this is true, we shouldn't think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone. 30 God overlooked people's former ignorance about these things, but now he commands everyone everywhere to turn away from idols and turn to him. F93 31 For he has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man he has appointed, and he proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead."
32 When they heard Paul speak of the resurrection of a person who had been dead, some laughed, but others said, "We want to hear more about this later." 33 That ended Paul's discussion with them, 34 but some joined him and became believers. Among them were Dionysius, a member of the Council,
F94 a woman named Damaris, and others.
FOOTNOTES:F88: Some manuscripts read many of the wives of the leading men. F89: Or the city council. F90: Greek brothers; also in 17:10, 14. F91: Greek the Areopagus. F92: Or in the middle of Mars Hill; Greek reads in the middle of the Areopagus. F93: Greek everywhere to repent. F94: Greek an Areopagite.
The New Living Translation
Holy Bible, New Living Translation,copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.,Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
~ Lena's Comments ~
I think this is just awesome that Paul used his practiced custom as a tool of the Gospel message. He used the religious meeting to spread the understanding of God’s word in what was the church of that day. Notice he converted religious people. Some say, yeah they are saved. This may really mean, yeah they are religious, BUT do they KNOW Jesus, and who he is in the word of God? I also find it interesting that persecution over the newfound understanding of God’s word was both from the world and of the "church" and that the city counted it a disturbance rather than a blessing! I’ve felt many time to have been in this same state in sharing my faith or bringing light to people. The enemy would like to do all He can to turn the message around and actually pervert what is being shared. It has a LOT to do with open-mindedness or closed-mindedness. Open-minded people want to know and will be willing to prove what they hear, either by their life force or the further search of the word of God. Notice again the phrase – "the BELIEVERS, acted at once"…..Immediate action precedes those who truly believe.
Why would Paul be deeply troubled by idols? Because the idols were a representation of the condition of the faith and worship and attention the people of this area had their sights on, and Paul knew, as we also know that those objects would never be able to satisfy the people’s needs for truth and true love. Paul knew who and what can only satisfy any longing soul. The idols showed the longing souls, or they would not have been around. Paul was determined, as we also must be, to see beyond into the inward parts of the person who was calling out for truth. He wanted to introduce them to truth Himself, the Lord Jesus.

Thursday, March 17, 2005

Prayer Request - April's New baby Nephew

April's Brother Anthony & Sister -in-law Miranda, had their little baby boy Seth Owen last night.
He was due in May, but was scheduled to be induced or taken at the beg. of April because of his need for surgery on his heart soon after he'd be born. His Rt & L ventricles are both going into the heart, rather than one going in and the other out.
The Dr's thought he'd probably be about 4-5 lbs at birth and would need to be watched to see how strong he was for surgery.
His birthweight was 5 lbs, 10 ozs. !!! and he came early- Praise the LORD.
They do plan surgery sometime next week or so.
April said they found he also has 2 small holes in his heart, which turn out to be beneficial in this situation, allowing a type of ventilating system of sorts.
Anyway, please pray for Seth and for his family, including 4 year old sister Marissa, whom will all be so looking forward to bringing their healthy baby boy home to Edgewater as soon as is even miraculously possible!
God Bless you,
Lena

Cell Announcements

The One becomes Two ? Or the TWO become One???
Which ONE??
If anyone wants- comments on that ONE are welcomed here!

I was thinking this would be a cool place to post cell mtg announcements.
So I will do that very thing, probably weekly

Our Tuesday Evening Multiplication Cell is MULTIPLYING!
On April 4th we will open our "sister cell". The times will be from 12-1:30p.m., with a possible time adjustment when Summertime comes our way.
I thank God for Charity Jackson and Laura Lewis who have answered the Call to be SENT out as a two-by-two. There's power in agreement.
Invite * Invite * Invite
to either
Tuesday Evenings (now) at 7:30-9p.m.
or
Monday Afternoons, beginning April 4th 12 noon - 1:30 p.m.
* We are looking for a Host Home for the new Monday Multiplication Cell. We're hoping it will be in CypressHead, any volunteers? Neh says "My people shall be volunteers" ! Amen ! We're also keeping our ear attuned to a childcare helper for the cell. See Charity if you have a good lead.

~Next Weds 3-23-05 is an UntoHim, Communion and Worship Service at church at 7 p.m. It is an awesome time. Please Don't miss it.

~Next Tuesday Women Alive w/ Pastor Phyllis 1-2:30 p.m. in the Main Rock Church Sanctuary. Awesome, Awesome teachings.

~On 3-29 and 3-30 There will be no services, due to Rock Church Academy's Spring Break. This will give families an opportunity to be away on vacation if they so desire.

~Wedding this Saturday (19th ) at The Rock Church at 2 p.m. Michelle Mueller and Sean McKinnin, all are encouraged to take an hr. or so to support congratulate the happy couple

That's about all for now folks.
Hope to see or at least talk with you soon.....

Today our Daily Bread

Acts 15: 1 - 41
1 Then some people came to Antioch from Judea and began teaching the non-Jewish believers: "You cannot be saved if you are not circumcised as Moses taught us." 2 Paul and Barnabas were against this teaching and argued with them about it. So the church decided to send Paul, Barnabas, and some others to Jerusalem where they could talk more about this with the apostles and elders. 3 The church helped them leave on the trip, and they went through the countries of Phoenicia and Samaria, telling all about how those who were not Jewish had turned to God. This made all the believers very happy. 4 When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the apostles, the elders, and the church. Paul, Barnabas, and the others told about everything God had done with them. 5 But some of the believers who belonged to the Pharisee group came forward and said, "The non-Jewish believers must be circumcised. They must be told to obey the law of Moses."
6 The apostles and the elders gathered to consider this problem. 7 After a long debate, Peter stood up and said to them, "Brothers, you know that in the early days God chose me from among you to preach the Good News to those who are not Jewish. They heard the Good News from me, and they believed. 8 God, who knows the thoughts of everyone, accepted them. He showed this to us by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. 9 To God, those people are not different from us. When they believed, he made their hearts pure. 10 So now why are you testing God by putting a heavy load around the necks of the non-Jewish believers? It is a load that neither we nor our ancestors were able to carry. 11 But we believe that we and they too will be saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus." 12 Then the whole group became quiet. They listened to Paul and Barnabas tell about all the miracles and signs that God did through them among the non-Jewish people. 13 After they finished speaking, James said, "Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simon has told us how God showed his love for the non-Jewish people. For the first time he is accepting from among them a people to be his own. 15 The words of the prophets agree with this too: 16 'After these things I will return. The kingdom of David is like a fallen tent. But I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up. 17 Then those people who are left alive may ask the Lord for help, and the other nations that belong to me, says the Lord, who will make it happen. 18 And these things have been known for a long time.' 19 "So I think we should not bother the non-Jewish people who are turning to God. 20 Instead, we should write a letter to them telling them these things: Stay away from food that has been offered to idols (which makes it unclean), any kind of sexual sin, eating animals that have been strangled, and blood. 21 They should do these things, because for a long time in every city the law of Moses has been taught. And it is still read in the synagogue every Sabbath day."
22 The apostles, the elders, and the whole church decided to send some of their men with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch. They chose Judas Barsabbas and Silas, who were respected by the believers. 23 They sent the following letter with them: From the apostles and elders, your brothers. To all the non-Jewish believers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings! 24 We have heard that some of our group have come to you and said things that trouble and upset you. But we did not tell them to do this. 25 We have all agreed to choose some messengers and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul -- 26 people who have given their lives to serve our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 So we are sending Judas and Silas, who will tell you the same things. 28 It has pleased the Holy Spirit that you should not have a heavy load to carry, and we agree. You need to do only these things: 29 Stay away from any food that has been offered to idols, eating any animals that have been strangled, and blood, and any kind of sexual sin. If you stay away from these things, you will do well. Good-bye. 30 So they left Jerusalem and went to Antioch where they gathered the church and gave them the letter. 31 When they read it, they were very happy because of the encouraging message. 32 Judas and Silas, who were also prophets, said many things to encourage the believers and make them stronger. 33 After some time Judas and Silas were sent off in peace by the believers, and they went back to those who had sent them. 34 35 But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch and, along with many others, preached the Good News and taught the people the message of the Lord.
36 After some time, Paul said to Barnabas, "We should go back to all those towns where we preached the message of the Lord. Let's visit the believers and see how they are doing." 37 Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them, 38 but he had left them at Pamphylia; he did not continue with them in the work. So Paul did not think it was a good idea to take him. 39 Paul and Barnabas had such a serious argument about this that they separated and went different ways. Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left. The believers in Antioch put Paul into the Lord's care, 41 and he went through Syria and Cilicia, giving strength to the churches.
Amos 9: 11-12
"The kingdom of David is like a fallen tent, but in that day I will set it up again and mend its broken places. I will rebuild its ruins as it was before.
Then Israel will take over what is left of Edom and the other nations that belong to me," says the Lord, who will make it happen.

New Century Version © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Word Publishing,
~Lena’s comments~
Wouldn’t it be cool if someone of the npn-circumcised "group" would say. You must be told to obey the Commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ, "Love God in a relational way, a personal way that leads to life and liberty away from religious bondage, and Love people the same way?" Even the very nature of their statement is against the characteristics of God. "Let’s Make them do this or that!" The fact that God our Father does not actually make us is evidence of His attribute of Love. He asks us. He is desiring relationship with us, when we respond to His loving requests, we are responding to our relationship with Him! No matter how hard the request, if our love is strong we’ll be able through the enabling of Love to Do what he’s asked, even if it were to the point of circumcision. But God really was looking for circumcision- of the spirit-man, of the heart and soul of man. To take off that which prevents us from seeing and knowing and coming into a deeper and closer RELATIONSHIP with Him. THAT is what He would ask to be CUT away! The LOAD he was speaking of was the oppressiveness of religious "do’s and don’ts". The law had shown man what he could never "do" without the power of God’s Spirit inside of him enabling him. The passage says he used words of encouragement and did all to strengthen their faith, not weaken it. We should be oh so deliberate in encouraging and strengthening the faith of others. Not faith in something, but faith in some-ONE!
The true heart of a Father is so reflected here with Paul’s desire to follow up and see how the new Christians were doing. It is not the way of God our FATHER to pray with someone and then leave them alone to themselves in their newly found faith.. God is very parental and wants us to raise His children in faith. You would check on a new baby often in our natural realm. It is sad to say that the marred family model in our culture has put an impression on these parental instincts, even when we lead someone to the lord. How we were or were not nurtured is not the point. The point is, how He nurtures and wants to teach us to be who He is in the earth. Now wouldn’t that thought change the earth alone?
Israel being a broken tent has all to do with what I was just writing. That we a people in this evil age, in this world have been marked and marred by the world and its ways. BUT the lord has called each of us out of its darkness and away from the effects of its lies upon us. He has come to heal us ( He was marred for us on the tree ), when we are at least heading towards the understanding of our healing and of His desire for us to be a healed people, torn away from our cultural captivity, He will reign in us and in the earth. We ARE the TEMPLE of GOD. He used to dwell in a tent, a tabernacle. BUT when he sent His Son, He dwelt in a man ( still a tent ) and when Jesus left earth, He said, wait for the Holy Spirit, because God wants to live in many many places in earth and go forth and be everywhere at all times in everyplace and situation through you, just as he did Jesus. That is God’s [pan for us to submit ourselves to, yield ourselves to. The indwelling of His Spirit in our "House", our "tent". We are the Temple of God, the dwelling place of God, the "Tabernacle of David". His will is to rebuild us, from whatever ruin we’ve been a participant in. He desires to repair us and use us as earthen vessels, FILL of life and light. That’s who we are!