297th Post Jesus Said Promises Made to His Followers Con't - Authority of the Holy Spirit Con't. - Acts 1:8.

Acts 1: 8
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Jesus spoke these words just before He Ascended into Heaven; and no longer was seen walking on the earth. He still appeared to His chosen from time to time, but did not appear to the masses publicly. If you look at the passage again, and read where they were to start witnessing, it happened just like Jesus asked them to do it. This was a form of prophecy, Jesus told them, and they together with the Holy Spirit's help got it done! How this was accomplished is written in the pages of Acts, and the rest of the Epistles. I will not go into more detail here, because we are only studying Jesus Words. Think about these words Jesus told them, they would be witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the world. Jerusalem, they were still hiding in the Upper Room, afraid they would be arrested and killed by the Jews or the Romans. This must have seemed like an unsurmountable task. It was before the Helper came, but with His help, They Got It Done!!!

296th Post Jesus Said Promises Made to His Followers Con't. - Authority of Holy Spirit Con't. - Act s1: 4.

Acts 1: 4
For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.
This was spoken by Jesus after His resurrection from the dead, and just before His Ascension into Heaven, from the top of the Mount of Olives. Jesus reminds them that they have to stay in Jerusalem to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit, that will come very soon now. Jesus reminds them that John the Baptist baptized with water, into the Baptism of Repentance. The Disciples will be Baptized with the Holy Spirit, and will be transformed through the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the power to change your life, to make you a person of God and not to continue being a person of the world. Baptism is not the power of the Holy Spirit, Baptism is an outward sign of the inward change that has already taken place. I believe too many people are Baptized, who have not made Jesus their personal Savior. The proof of this is in the lack of change these people show after Baptism. Jesus tells us by our fruits we will be known. I believe too many people allow themselves to be Baptized because they believe they are doing what God wants. Yes, God wants you to be Baptized, but for the right reasons and at the right time, otherwise it is a false Baptism. Is your Faith real or fake? Only you and God know the difference, and if you are a tare, He will deal with you! If you are a tare, and you know it, there is still time to become real wheat.

295th Post Jesus Said Promises Made to His Followers Con't. - Authority of the Holy Spirit Con't. John 16: 7 - 15 Con't.

John 16: 7 - 15 Continued. In verse 8 Jesus tells the disciples the main reason for His coming, He will convict the world the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment. Starting in verse 9 - 11, Jesus tells the disciples how the Holy Spirit will convict the world. Starting in verse 12, Jesus reminds the disciples that His time left for teaching them is becoming short, and He still has much to tell them. Jesus shows them His compassion, for He can see that they are in no shape to absorb anymore information at this time. In verse 13, Jesus gives them comfort that the Holy Spirit will come not only as Teacher but also as Guide. When you have a guide, they are right there with you every step of the way making sure you do not fall or get lost. The Holy Spirit will not speak on His own Authority but will speak whatever He hears. This shows that the Holy Spirit is part of the true line of Testimony. Jesus told them He did not speak on His Own Authority but on God the Father's, The Holy Spirit will not speak on His own Authority but on God the Father's and God the Son's Authority. God is the one supplying all the Power!! Jesus said a lot in these few verses, and John puts it in simple language, but the topic is very strong and complete. We can use these same teachings when defending our faith in the world today. You can not be a witness, you say. Jesus gave you some things to put into your witness kit today. Only you can make use of the equipment supplied, you can either choose to take it or go on without it. It is up to You!!

294th Post Jesus Said Promises to His Followers Con't. - Authority of the Holy Spirit Con't. - John 16: 7 - 15.

John 16: 7 : 15 Jesus with disciples in Upper Room, Maundy Thursday Night Continued.
Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they don't believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you of things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.
This was spoken by Jesus the night He was to be betrayed in the Upper Room. Jesus again tells them about the Helper that is to come, and He gives them even more information concerning the Holy Spirit and His power. Since I am running out of room again for this post, I will start to unlock this passage on next post.

293rd Post Jesus Said Promises Made To His Followers Con't. - Authority of the Holy Spirit Con't. - John 15: 26 - 27.

John 15: 26 - 27. Jesus Still In Upper Room on Maundy Thursday Evening.
But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
This was spoken by Jesus on the night He was to be betrayed. This is the third mention of this Helper coming, and each time Jesus mentions Him, He tells them something new about this Helper.
In this passage, Jesus tells them that this helper will testify of Jesus, and will give strength to the disciples so that they also will be bold in their witness of Jesus Christ. I am writing this blog on Holy Saturday, the day after Good Friday, and right before Easter. The disciples were in the upper room hiding from the Jewish leaders and the Romans. Not a very good picture of people that will make a Bold Witness, in the coming weeks. This is the power of the Holy Spirit, He can transform you, and give you the power to become the person that God wants you to be. This is the whole reason you were born, to learn about this God and to have Him transform you and your life, through a personal relationship with you. Think of it the Creator of the earth and the universe, wants to have a personal relationship with you. All you have to do to start this process is to ask Him! Have you done this yet?? If not there is no better time than right now!

292nd Post Jesus Said Promises Made to His Followers Con't. - Authority of Holy Spirit Con't. - John 14: 25 - 26.

John 14: 25 - 26
And these things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things I said to you.
This was spoken by Jesus on Maundy Thursday evening in the Upper Room, the night He was to be betrayed. I believe that of the three persons of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, is the one most Christians know the least about. You are learning from these different passages in John, that Jesus told the disciples a whole lot about this Helper that was to come. Not only about His character, but His specific reasons for coming here. His character, He will never leave or forsake us, He will make the truth known to us; He will in dwell in us. All of the promises are very powerful. Then, you add to that, He will teach us all things, and bring to our remembrance all the things Jesus told them (the disciples) and us through His Word the Bible. You have to remember that at the time Jesus spoke these words, they were not written down yet. The disciples had to trust in their hearing and remembering only. We have Jesus' Words written down, so that we can re-read them anytime we want, this makes the Holy Spirit's power for teaching us that much stronger. Have you asked the Holy Spirit to help you understand God's Word? That is His job! He will, if you ask. Start getting to know the Holy Spirit better today!!

291st Post Jesus Said Promises Made to His Followers Con't. - Authority of Holy Spirit Con't. John 14: 16 - 20.

John 14: 16 - 20
And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live; you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.
This was spoken to His disciples on Maundy Thursday night in the Upper Room before Jesus was to be betrayed. Jesus as usual said a whole lot in not so many words, lets see if I can unlock this passage for you. Jesus is asking the Father to send a Helper to abide with them forever. This is huge. When Jesus walked the earth, He was limited to what He could do, by His physical body. When Jesus sent the disciples out by two's, Jesus could not go in all the different directions that the disciples took when they started their journeys. Jesus being human, could not dwell in the disciples hearts. The Holy Spirit, being Spirit, can in dwell who and where He is sent, and once He is sent one place. He can stay there and go somewhere else He is sent. The other huge promise is that He will stay forever, He won't leave you like orphans.

290th Post Jesus Said Promises to His Followers Con't. - Authority of Holy Spirit Con't - Luke 24:49.

Luke 24: 49
Behold, I send the Promise upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.
This was spoken by Jesus after His Resurrection but before He Ascended into Heaven. Jesus tells His disciples that He will send the Promise (Holy Spirit) upon them; but Jesus told them they need to stay in Jerusalem until you are endued with the power from on high. The definition of the word endue means to invest. Its usage here means to dwell within us. This is different than how the Holy Spirit acted in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament He would come suddenly and leave just as suddenly. When He comes to the disciples in the New Testament, He will come just as suddenly, but the difference is He won't leave as easy as He did in the Old Testament. Jesus will tell them later on that the Holy Spirit will never leave or forsake you. This statement is quite interesting, when you look at the pre-trib rapture. For the pre-trib to happen, the Holy Spirit has to leave. This is not completely true. If you look at Job in the Old Testament, God stayed where He was in Heaven when Satan was sifting Job. When Jesus was on the Cross and the place became dark from noon to 3:00p.m. God did not leave Jesus, but turned not to view His Son when He became Sin for us. If God didn't leave on these two prior occasions, I don't believe He will leave us during the pre-trib. If the Holy Spirit leaves, He will forsake someone. What do you believe??

289th Post Jesus Said Promises to His Followers Con't. - Authority of the Holy Spirit New Section Comment.

We have already discussed the Holy Spirit before, but now we are going to look at the Holy Spirit, from the aspect of being Promised to His Followers and the Authority of the Holy Spirit. This is an aspect, I believe the Church, does not spend enough time on. We know Jesus sent Him to be our Helper, but what exactly does that mean?? It the study of the Words of Jesus, we get different views of the Holy Spirit. I think this is a good thing, because it makes us broaden our knowledge of these different subjects. I am a Sunday School teacher, and when I get questions from my students about saving their lost family members, I ask if they are using our secret weapon? They look at me strange and ask what is that? I tell them that it is the Holy Spirit's job to turn on our spiritual switch that is inside everyone of us since the time of Noah. The Holy Spirit is also responsible for the condition of our hearts, He is the only one who can change a heart of stone, not able to receive the seed of God's Word, to a fertile soil in which that seed can grow and mature. To prove the point, have you ever tried to witness to someone who has a hard heart?? You can talk to them until you are blue in the face, and they will never come to Christ. This is because, contrary to popular belief; it is not you that brings someone to Christ!!! The Holy Spirit may use you, but you did not do it, the Holy Spirit worked through You!!! This is so we can not boast, Paul spent a lot of time trying to keep people from puffing up!

288th Post Jesus Said Promises To Followers, Authority Con't. - John 15: 16

John 15:16 Jesus spoke this in the Upper Room on Maundy Thursday evening.
You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
Jesus spoke these words to His disciples just before He was to be arrested. This is a hard concept for most Christians to grasp, because it seems to fly into the face of their belief in free choice. It is easy to come to because they believe that God's Will and and our free choice are contingent on one another. God does not wait around for us to make a move and then He moves depending on what our move was. God's Will is constant, it is our will that changes as we get to know God better. Free choice is always there, because we can either do as God commands, or do something else. As we grow in our relationship with God, our willingness to do the will of God increases, so we change our will to match that of the will of God. Before you were chosen, you were in the world and thought as the world thinks. You were living contrary to God, because you did not know any better. God chose you, and started to tell you what His Will is. He did this through reading the Bible, going to Church and attending Bible Studies. You still have the free choice to do or not do according to what you learn. Are you living for God? It is not too late to start.

287th Post Jesus Said on Promises to His Followers Con't. - Authority Con't. Luke 10: 18 - 20

Luke 10: 18 - 20
I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.
Jesus spoke these words about 1.1/2 years into His earthly Ministry. Jesus says that He witnessed Satan falling from heaven. This is confirmation that Jesus existed before the world was created. This is a reference to Isaiah 14:12. When you look at Genesis Chapter 3 the fall of man, the devil is already working in his capacity of causing people to sin. This means the devil must have been thrown out of heaven before this took place. Jesus gives His follower's authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and all power of the enemy, and nothing by any means will hurt you, or cause you to lose your salvation. There is talk that Christians can be demon possessed, this is completely false! This passage proves it along with 1 John 4:4, "The One who is in you is greater than the one in the world." We have the power to cast out demons in the Name of Jesus!
We are not to dwell on this power, but that our names are written in heaven. This means "THE BOOK OF LIFE!!" This is a great promise indeed.

286th Post Jesus Said Promises to His Followers Authority Con't. - Mark 16: 16

Mark 16:16
And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.
This was spoken by Jesus soon after He rose from the dead. This passage comes from a group of passages from Mark, that were not part of the original manuscripts. Though not sure if Mark wrote it, it appears in our Bible because these verses have passed the authenticity requirements to be included in our cannon (Bible). This is prophecy of Jesus, saying how you can identify His followers after Jesus left the earth. Most of these statements have already been fulfilled in the ministries of the Apostles. Drinking of anything deadly, is not supported in the Bible, but there are other writings that say some believers did do this. Could these prophecies be still open? It is possible. There are Old Testament prophecies that are 90% fulfilled, but are still waiting to be totally fulfilled. New Testament scholars would call these fully fulfilled. We won't know for sure until the End of the World. What do you believe??

285th Post Jesus Said on Promises Continued Authority - Matthew 16: 17 - 19

Matthew 16: 17 - 19. Jesus with disciples at Caesarea Philippi.
Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
This was spoken by Jesus two years into His earthly Ministry. There is a lot of teaching on this passage, and a lot of talk of what Jesus meant about upon this rock. Some feel that the rock stands for faith. Some people believe that the rock stands for Peter himself. At Pentecost, Peter takes charge as shown in Acts chapter 2. Peter also tells Ananias and Sapphira that they have cheated the Holy Spirit, Acts Chapter 5. If you know anything about the seals of the Apostles, Peter's seal or shield has the two keys on it symbolizing the keys of heaven. I don't see this confirmation for the stance on faith. Jesus tells the disciples that His Father picked Peter, and the word Peter means "rock" in Greek. Jesus continues that the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. Why would Jesus rapture His Church before Satan was the strongest? Does not seem to make sense. These are not my words but Jesus's, I think He should know, don't you??

284th Post Jesus Said on Promises to His Followers - New Section Comment

We have just finished talking about the Kingdom of God. I hope that these blogs have given you something to think about, and maybe even taught you something more about the Kingdom of God. We are going to focus on the Promises Jesus made to His followers. Like the people in the Old Testament, God gave them solid promises that they could count on. And like the people of the Old Testament, we sometimes doubt, whether these promises will ever come true or not. This shows that we are just like Adam, we can become weak, and doubt at any moment. Promises are God's way of giving us hope. It is interesting that we should be starting this new section looking forward to Palm Sunday and the Passion of Jesus Christ. Jesus death and resurrection is the greatest Promise and Fulfillment there is. With this, Jesus gave us proof, that His Words have power, and if He makes a Promise, you can count on it. Who else can you say that about?? When you start to doubt Jesus, remember that He Rose from the Dead!!! That is quite something! This is just one of the many promises Jesus made to His followers, and we will be looking into them one by one in the coming blogs of this section. It is my hope that these blogs have broadened your understanding of Jesus and strengthened your belief. Jesus truly loves and cares about each and everyone of you. God Bless You.

283rd Post Jesus Said on the Kingdom of God Con't. - Perceiving the Kingdom Con't.

Matthew 13: 11 - 17; Mark 4: 11 - 12, 4:25; Luke 8:10, 18 continued.
Jesus had just told the parable of the Talents, the disciples asked for Jesus to explain the parable to them. Jesus told them that like the servants made a choice to do something with their talents, so do the people listening to His words. They can either take them to heart and put His words into practice, or they can just sit and listen and be entertained by what takes place, and not be moved to really follow Jesus. To understand the difference, you need to know the Gospels and understand why the crowd could wave their Palm Branches with shouts of acclamation one day, and wave their clenched fists and yell curses at Jesus, less than a week later. They saw, but did not see, they heard but did not understand. The disciples saw and had Jesus to explain things to them. We have the Holy Spirit to help us to see and to understand. Just like the disciples, we sometimes need someone to explain God's Truth to us. If you ask God through the Holy Spirit to open your eyes, He will do so. Man can lie to you, God can not! If you seek the truth, you will find it!

Now the last part of this passage, talks about the people in the Old Testament, they heard or read the promises, they understood and believed; but they died before God could fulfill the prophecies. These people would be jealous of the disciples because they could actually see and hear and understand. Do you believe yet??

282nd Post Jesus Said on the Kingdom of God - Perceiving the Kingdom

Matthew 13: 11 - 17; Mark 4: 11 - 12, 4: 25; Luke 8: 10, 18
Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever, has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore, I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: "Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them." But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
This was spoken by Jesus about 1.1/2 to two years into His earthly ministry. Right after the disciples asked why Jesus spoke in parables. They had to have Jesus explain the parables to them each time Jesus spoke them. Jesus said a lot hear, and this may take several posts to explain this passage. Continued next post.

281st Post Jesus Said on the Kingdom of God Con't. - Mark 9: 39 -40

Mark 9: 39 -40; Matthew 12: 30; Luke 9:50, 11:23
Do not forbid him, for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me. For he who is not against us is on our side.
This was spoken by Jesus about 1.1/2 to two years into His earthly Ministry. This is a difficult passage for us to understand and has been miss taught in the past. John comes up to Jesus to tell Him that someone was working miracles in Jesus name, who was not a disciple. John went on to say that he asked the man to stop but could not make him. This was spoken by Jesus right after His talk about the devil would not cast himself out, so Jesus could not be working on behalf of the devil. This was spoken by Jesus in response the Pharisees claim that Jesus was casting out demons in the name of Beelzebul. This passage should go hand in hand with "Lord, did we not cast out demons in your name?" Notice Jesus says "for no one who works a miracle in My name can soon afterward speak evil of Me." This shows that a person could be able to do these things, and then sometime later stop walking with God or Jesus. Apostasy is a real situation, and the Bible teaches about it. Saying that this can not happen is not the truth as far as the Bible teaches. If you are working the will of the Lord, you may ask God to perform miracles through you. You have to be connected to the vine in order to do this. This is clearly taught in John Chapter 15.

280th Post Jesus Said on the Kingdom of God Con't. - Mark 3: 33 - 35

Mark 3: 33 - 35; Matthew 12: 48 - 50; Luke 8: 21 Jesus earthly family visits Him.
Who is My mother, or My brothers? Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of God is My brother and My sister and mother.
This was spoken by Jesus about 1.1/2 to two years into His earthly Ministry. Jesus is teaching in a room and He is told His mother, brothers and sisters are outside, wanting to talk to Him. Jesus then speaks the passage written above. At first glance, this looks and sounds like Jesus is not interested in them. Jesus tells the people in the room that they are His family. Jesus says that because they are learning how to be doer's of the Word. At this time Jesus' natural family did not believe He was Who He said He was. Mary, His Mother, believed because of all that had happened to her since the Angel Gabriel came to her, announcing Jesus' Birth. Some Christians believe that Jesus had no natural family other than Mary and Joseph, his earthly parents. This passage proves this not to be the case, along with the Epistles of James and Jude, that were written by Jesus' step brothers later and are part of our Bible. To be a member of the Kingdom of God, does not depend on what earthly family you have, this differs from what the Jews believed at this time and may still believe. You have no control over which family God chose for you. We all have to come to Jesus on our own. Coming from a believing family can make this path easier, or harder, depending on how you perceived God under the family's teaching. We all have to come to Jesus on our own, no one can come for us. Have you come yet??

279th Post Jesus Said on the Kingdom of God Con't - Matthew 20: 25 - 28

Matthew 20: 25 - 28; Mark 10: 42 - 45; Luke 22: 25 - 27.
You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave-- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.
This was spoken by Jesus toward end of His earthly ministry. Jesus is reminding his followers that they are living during the time of the Gentiles. The time of the Gentiles started with Nebuchadnezzar's destroying Solomon's Temple and taking what was left of Israel to Babylon as slaves. The time of the Gentiles will end with the anti-christ declaring he is god, and all must bow down before him! If you look at the history of this time from the 680's B.C. until the time of Jesus, the Gentiles have been in charge of Israel; the Gentiles have never let the Jews forget who was in power and control. Jesus was making the point that the Gentiles are the way of the world. Jesus has been trying to teach His follower's, there is a different road to walk and different standards required to walk on this road. If you are to walk in the way of God, you must serve, not be served. This is totally different from what the world teaches. This value has no value in the world.

278th Post Jesus Said on the Kingdom of God Con't. - Matthew 20: 23

Matthew 20:23; Mark 10: 39 - 40; Luke 12: 50.
You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with; but to sit on My right and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.
This was spoken by Jesus late in His earthly ministry, Jesus was asked by James and John's mother to allow James and John to sit on the right and left hand of Jesus at the feast in Heaven. The mother asked for this because she was looking out for the welfare of her children. Mother's still look out for their children today. Clearly they were not ready for Jesus' answer. He tells them they will indeed drink My cup. This means they will be persecuted for their faith in Jesus, and one will even have to pay with his life. Now why did Jesus say the request to sit on the right and left was not His to give. Jesus being God should be able to grant this request. Those of you that were lucky enough to grow up in a strong family atmosphere, know that being part of a family, means being part of a hierarchy. This means that when you are in your parent's house, you must abide by their rules. Jesus clearly is saying that Heaven is His Father's House and He is in charge. This is another proof that the Trinity exists, you see two parts here. They clearly are one but have separate duties.

277th Post Jesus Said on the Kingdom of God Con't. - Matthew 19: 28 - 30 Con't.

Last post I was stating that their are many facsimile Christians, these are the ones for what ever reason, don't believe one or more of the truth's laid out by Jesus. They look like Christians in every other way though. These are the most dangerous, because they lead innocent people away from God. God says "He will judge them, and He will!" Don't take anything I write here as Gospel, check it with the Word of God. Make sure I am speaking correctly. Be a Berean (Acts 17:11), and check my words against the Bible. The God I try to talk about is the one of the Old and New Testaments, Alpha and Omega, and is spoken of throughout the whole Bible, not just the New Testament! The next part of this passage seems to be talking about missionaries. The Bible warns us about false teachers and false doctrines that will come in the last days. Jesus Himself was living in the "Last Days", that is why the early Christians were looking for Christ to return soon. They totally missed what He said about watching the signs. If Christians are watching for the signs, like they are supposed to, they would not be listening to all the hype about the upcoming end of the world. When those dates come and go, this blog will still be here. I can say this with confidence because I believe Jesus when He said "I did not come to do away with the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill, every yot and tittle will be fulfilled before the end."
I Believe Christ, Do You??? To be a missionary like Jesus mentions, you must be bring all the same Gospel, not some form or most of it. One God! One Word! One Truth!!!

276th Post Jesus Said on the Kingdom of God Con't. - Matthew 19: 28 -30.

Matthew 19: 28 - 30; Mark 10: 29 - 31; Luke 18: 29 - 30, 22: 30.
Assuredly I say unto you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
This was spoken by Jesus toward the end of His earthly Ministry. Many promises were made here, and many of the promises have been claimed by others, who Jesus was Not Talking To!! Lets look at this passage and see what it says. When Jesus says you who followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Jesus is talking to the disciples only. Many Gentiles think they are going to be sitting in these thrones. How can a Gentile, who is not familiar with Jewish Law expect to judge Israel? There is only One Faith, One God, and One Jesus! There are many facsimile Christian religions out there, that are trying to pass themselves off as the true thing. A facsimile is not an original, and will never be. This is a bad place to leave off but I have run out of room. Will continue next post.

275th Post Jesus Said on the Kingdom of God Con't. - Matthew 18: 3-4

Matthew 18: 3 - 4; Mark 10: 15; Luke 18: 17
Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
This was spoken by Jesus toward the end of His earthly ministry. Part of unlocking this passage is to look at the beginning of Matthew chapter 18. The disciples just came up to Jesus to settle their argument concerning which of them is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. I would think that this hurt Jesus very much. They had been living with Him and listening to His teaching and witnessed all of His miracles, now they come up and ask which of us is the most important. Jesus grabs a little child puts him in the center of the disciples and then tells them, they need to become like this little child in order to become great in heaven. This means we are to have a child like faith. Children believe their elders without question. This is why causing one of these little ones to go astray carries such a large penalty. When we are in the world, we are to become as puffed up as possible. The Kingdom of Heaven rewards those who humble themselves the most. Humility does not mean weak, it means having complete control over yourself, that you seldom lose control of yourself. Jesus is your model and He is a tough act to follow. Jesus being God, could have vaporized anyone at anytime, but He chose not use His awesome power. That is incredible. Are you child like??

274th Post Jesus Said on the Kingdom of God Con't. - Matthew 11: 11 Con't.

John the Baptist's disciples were probably a little confused and surprised at Jesus' answer. Maybe you are also. The strong language John the Baptist used to describe the coming Messiah was taken from the Old Testament prophets. Jesus' answer to John's disciples was also taken from the prophets. There was a group of people called the Zealots, that were fighting Rome looking for this militaristic Messiah to come and help them. These people are still around in Israel today, but they are using the term "Zionist" to describe themselves today. Now go back and look at the passage chosen for today Matthew 11:11. Jesus raises John the Baptist to the highest level a man can have. Of all men, John the Baptist is the greatest! Jesus was not including Himself in that Statement. We know that, because Jesus said that he who is lowest in the kingdom of heaven is greater. Jesus was talking about angels and heavenly hosts, here. Jesus' position in heaven is described in Hebrews Chapter 1 & 2 where the author describes Jesus as being superior to the angels and heavenly hosts. By telling John's disciples other prophetic accounts of the Messiah, Jesus was assuring him, that He (Jesus) is the Messiah. Jesus knew John would understand His statements because of who John the Baptist's father was. Zechariah was of the line of Aaron and was a high priest, he would know all of the Old Testament Scriptures and he taught them to his son John. I hope this has cleared up any questions you might have had concerning this text.

273rd Post Jesus Said on the Kingdom of God Con't. - Matthew 11:11

Matthew 11:11 What Jesus said about John the Baptist.
Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
This was spoken by Jesus 1.1/2 to two years into His earthly ministry. Jesus is telling the people how important John the Baptist was and is. The people were a little confused as to who they should follow. By this time Jesus was showing a different side of this movement, then what John had showed. John the Baptist himself was starting to doubt, he sent two of his disciples to Jesus, to ask Him, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" This was asked by John the Baptist himself through his disciples. If you remember John the Baptist, talked about the Messiah and used apocalyptic language. Remember John said "I baptize with water, but the one who comes after me will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with Fire!" This is very strong language, all of it spoken of in the prophets. Jesus in turn speaks the passage for today, and then speaks to John's disciples privately "Go and tell John what you hear and see: the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have the good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by Me." The disciples were probably expecting a yes or no answer, and Jesus said this. I see I am running out of space again, so I will have to finish in next post.

272nd Post Jesus Said On The Kingdom of God Con't. - John 18: 36-37

John 18: 36 - 37. Jesus before Pilate.
My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.
This was spoken by Jesus on Good Friday morning during the time Jesus was being tried by Pilate.
Notice Jesus admits that His kingdom is not of this world, and this account seems to include the Romans and the Jews who would be responsible for His death. However, this is not exactly true, Jesus is the propitiatory sacrifice, because of our sins as humans have committed. To add to that, we have to remember that God Himself was also a responsible party. How is that possible? In the Garden of Eden, whose law did Adam break, that brought sin into the world? Since Adam was not strong enough on his own to say no to the devil, a stronger Adam had to fill the bill. This was accomplished through Jesus. Jesus could not be totally human, because Satan would be able to defeat him like he did Adam. Jesus could not be totally God either, because He would not fit the bill as our intercessor, unless He was also human. This is why the Virgin birth. The Messiah had to be both God and Man! With Passion Week coming up in the coming weeks, we have to understand the price Jesus paid, and why He can sit at the right Hand of the Father.
I will go into that in more detail, when we actually study what happened Good Friday through Easter.

271st Post Jesus Said on The Kingdom of God Con't. - John 8: 34 - 36

John 8: 34 - 36
Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you are free indeed.
These words were spoken by Jesus about two years into His earthly ministry. The key to unlocking this passage is understanding what Jesus meant by slave and son. If you are a slave to sin, you are living in the world, and not doing the work of the kingdom. We are all in this position, until we have met Jesus and decided to follow Him. If you have met Jesus, but have not made the commitment to follow Him, you are still a slave to sin.

If on the other hand you have met Jesus, and decided to follow Him, Jesus changes your position from slave to son. What does this mean? When you have been elevated in position, then responsibilities become yours. Just like in a household with your earthly family, responsibilities are placed on you in the form of chores. You are required to fulfill those as part of your being a member of that family. The same thing here. When we join God's Family, we are required to try to live according to God's rules and not the world's rules. Just like our earthly families, when we mess up we are not disowned, the same with God's Family. You can choose to leave, because you have free choice, but you won't be thrown out! This is what is meant by free indeed!! You ready to make the commitment yet?? Only you can make this decision. The sooner the better.

270th Post Jesus Said on Kingdom of God Con't. - John 8: 31 - 32.

John 8: 30 - 31.
If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
This was spoken by Jesus during His third year of earthly ministry. What does Jesus mean here by using the word disciples? Jesus is calling them His followers, but He is calling them something else also. By following Jesus' example they are learning what it is to live for God, and not the world. They are making a break from what the world does and thinks, to what God wants done and thinks. This is a totally new concept, and is what separates the Jews from the Christians. The Jews started to believe in God according to their own understanding of the Word of God, instead of God's way of understanding. Jesus came to re-establish this understanding. People are still having trouble with this. This is why we have so many different views of who Jesus Christ really is. There is only one, and you must make sure you are following the right one. If you are truly seeking God, He will lead you to the right Church teaching the right message. This is what Jesus meant by you shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free. When you know the truth, you will be able to judge between sin and God. This is the beginning of truth, and the truth will set you free. Do you know who you are following??

269th Post Jesus Said on The Kingdom of God Con't- John 6: 65

John 6:65
Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.
This passage was spoken by Jesus about 1.1/2 years into His earthly ministry, just after the feeding of the 5,000 and His walking on water. Jesus was affirming to them that before a person can come to Christ, they have to be allowed by the Father. This is quite interesting for those people who are notching their guns, telling you how many people they led to Christ. Clearly here, Christ says no one can approach Me unless the Father allows it. If the Father is responsible, how can we take credit for it?? If God does all the work, why did Jesus tell the disciples to go out and preach the Gospel and Baptize them? Look at the command Jesus gave, we must preach the Gospel. How is that done, by speaking the Word of God, people hear it and then the Father allows them to be Baptized. I ask again, how can we take credit for this? When we teach or preach, we are speaking God's Words and truth, these are not our words but God's. By being part of the process, we are allowed to reap what the Father has sown and gathered. We need to remember it is God that does all of this and the credit should go to Him. Praise God!!

268th Post Jesus Said on Kingdom of God Con't. - My Comments on 2 previous blogs.

In the last several posts we have been discussing the Broad and Narrow way and the differences between the two groups of people. One finds, and the other gets left out. How does this happen?
A way to understand this is by looking at the Conversion of Saul/Paul on the road to Damascus. There are two ways of looking at the conversion of Paul. Paul as Saul (before his conversion), he was guilty of persecuting Christians as heretics. This is true, and Paul could have done the work for Christ in one of two ways. Paul could have done it out of guilt, understanding his sin and his inability to repay the debt he owed. Or, he could have done it out of Gratitude for God erasing this sin from his mind. Paul chose the latter. If he has chosen the former, he would have been plagued with doubt and unbelief. We have Christians who are in this camp. They are never sure they are good enough, or if they have done enough to erase the guilt they carry for their past life. Thankfully, Paul used the path of Gratitude. He never forgot, his old life, or where that lifestyle would have led him. He taught and continued to praise Christ for rescuing him from that past life. Do you see the difference? When you serve out of guilt, you serve in your own understanding, this is not of God and will not save you. If you do the work of God out of gratitude, your attitude is different and you are doing it for God instead of because of God. I hope this makes these concepts easier to understand. Do you believe out of guilt, or gratitude? Only you and God know your heart. There is still time to change if you need to.

267th Post Jesus Said on The Kingdom of God Con't. - Luke 17: 20 - 21.

Luke 17: 20 - 21.
The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, "See here!" or "See there!" For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.
This was spoken by Jesus toward the end of His earthly Ministry. This passage fits nicely with the previous post. Jesus says the Kingdom does not come with observation. This means, you can not see or comprehend it merely by hearing or seeing. You must be doing also, this is the only way to prove that it is indeed inside you. Many are doing, but not with God inside of them. These are the people spoken about in my blog yesterday. They have never actually made the commitment to follow Jesus. These are doing, because it looks good on my resume', or I have seen others doing likewise. Or I think this is expected of me. When you have the Kingdom of God within you, you do because you are doing for Jesus. This is totally different. When you do something for God it costs you something, maybe time, money, and always comes at a time that is not convenient. This is how you will know it is of God. If your work for God is not costing you anything, maybe you should take another look at the reasons you are doing what you are doing.
Where is the Kingdom of God for you? It should be in your heart! Only you can put it there!