Discipleship

This morning the Lord has me thinking about discipleship.  

One of the ladies from the Power of Twelve group recently stood before her church congregation and shared her story of coming to the Lord and the discipleship group she is in, which helped her find the Lord.  Truly find Him! What an beautiful and humbling thought that our little group helped to disciple her into the kingdom of God.

Jesus once told the priest, Nicodemus, that a person needs to be born again to enter into the kingdom of God.  Nicodemus was unable to understand what Jesus was saying because his faith was only spoken words from the Torah and was not a personal, real, spiritual relationship and friendship with the Lord.

John 3:5-6 (NIV)

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit."

The Apostle Peter was out teaching the people;

1 Peter 1:23 (NIV)

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

The Apostle Paul teaches the people;

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

When we truly seek the Lord, we find Him, but in order to truly find Him we need to be taught how to find Him.  Rarely does someone just stumble upon that realization without learning why He came, what He does for us, and how we are after we find Him.  As in any solid relationship or friendship it takes time and effort.  Always!

Take a marriage for instance.  There is the initial meeting and courtship that takes place.  After a period of spending time together, the couple decides they want to be together for the rest of their lives.  They enter into a marriage contract.  Then begins the relationship where they each find out who the other person truly is in the good times and the bad times.  They each devote themselves to the other as they learn about each other.  Unless they are devoted to the relationship, to each other, it will hardly ever make it in this world.  

Finding Jesus is like this.  The parable about the seed and the sower is a wonderful example of each person's walk with the Lord.

Matthew 13:3-8 (NIV)

Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

Only the seed that falls on fertile ground will grow a crop!  This parable is about each of us.  The seed is the word of God and our relationship with God.  The young woman who gave her testimony was sharing her experience of how she found the Lord, how she has been born again, and her love for the Lord now that she knows and understands her relationship with Him.  She is now sharing her love for Jesus with others.  She was one of the disciples in our Power of Twelve group and now she is a teacher to others.

Seed has sprouted and grown and now the crop of the Power of Twelve group is producing! Praise the Lord! 

The Women Who Followed Jesus

July 19, 2021

Why were there women with Jesus while he taught the people? Who were these women?  What was their role in the beginning of Christianity in a world where women played no important role other than produce heirs for their husbands and took care of the home?

When I began this journey with the Power of Twelve group I had heard the voice of the Lord tell me it would be "the women who would save the children, the grandchildren and thee great grandchildren."  I believe this is true for the women who walked with Jesus over 2,000 years ago.  Even then the women where in charge of rearing and teaching the children.  These women may not have had children of their own but they were allowed to speak with other women in the communities they traveled through.  Women were not allowed to do much along side of the men but they were allowed to hear the message Jesus proclaimed. In hearing the message of truth and love there were able to share this message with their sisters. They were allowed to disciple the women and share with them the message of salvation preached by Jesus.

Of course #1 is Mary mother of Jesus who knew who her son was. She knew he was the Son of God.  She knew the miracle of his birth. She saw him grow into the man who was the Messiah.  She followed her son, as her husband Joseph was not mentioned in scripture after they found Jesus preaching in the Jerusalem temple at age 12, therefore he most likely was no longer alive.  Jesus was her son.  She was his mother.  They were family.  In the beginning of his ministry his brothers, and possibly his sisters, were not following him.  In the scripture we hear Mother Mary is at the wedding in Cana;

John 2:1-2 (NIV) On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.

This, of course, is the story of his first miracle, turning water into wine, at the encouragement of his mother Mary.  Mother Mary would be there for the rest of his ministry.  

Mark 3:31-32 (NIV) Then Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived. Standing outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd was sitting around him, and they told him, “Your mother and brothers are outside looking for you.”

The last we hear of Mother Mary, from scripture, she is living with the apostles and her other sons.

Acts 1:14 (NIV) They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

In Luke we hear the names of #2 Mary Magdalene, #3 Joanna, #4 Susanna and many others.  These are women he had healed in one way or another.  They had seen and experienced his power as the Messiah and they were followers.  Regarding the words "many others" we can only speculate how many but the word in Greek means, "much, many, plentiful."

Luke 8: 1-3 (NIV) After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.

Other women followers identified in scripture are #5 Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph,  #6 the unnamed mother of the sons of Zebedee and #7 Mary the wife of Clopas.  There has been speculation for centuries that Salome was Zebedee's wife and that her sons were Apostles James and John, also called the "Sons of Thunder" by Jesus in Mark 3:17.

Matthew 27:56 (NIV) Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

John 19:25 (NIV) Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

I will not speculate on #8 Salome, and quote the scripture she is named in.

Mark 15:40 (NIV) Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome.

We also have more speculation on #9 the other Mary mentioned in the scriptures.  There are bible scholars who say there are 5 separate Mary's present during the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. Mary was a very popular Hebrew name derived from Miriam (Miryam), Moses' sister.

Matthew 28:1 (NIV) After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

The next women who called Jesus friend and teacher were #10 Mary of Bethany, sister of Lazarus and her sister #11 Martha, also sister of Lazarus.

John 11:1 (NIV) Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.

John 11:5 (NIV) Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.

John 11:28 (NIV) After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside. “The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.”

Lastly, I will mention #12 the sinful woman. Again, we had speculation from  Catholic Pope Gregory calling her Mary Magdalene, a prostitute and sinner.  This was recanted by the Catholic church in 1969 but the damage to Mary's reputation was done.  When reading this whole story in context, Jesus is dining with a Pharisee named Simon and this woman comes from the town where Simon lives. This woman was a local townswoman and Jesus forgave her sins.  I am sure she told everyone her story of forgiveness from then on.

Luke 7:37 (NIV) A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume.

I am going to stop at these twelve women even though we know there are many more unnamed women in the background of Jesus's ministry.  There have been studies throughout time that have shown that since the beginning of Christianity there have been more women that follow Jesus than men.  Women are the nurturers.  The teachers of the children.  The caretaker of the home.  It is the way the Creator made us.

We are here to save the children, the grandchildren and the great grandchildren.  It's what we have done and will continue to do until the end of time on earth.

This is why the Lord created our group, the Power of Twelve, in 2018.

Lesson on Truth

TRUTH - John 4:24 (NIV)

God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.

I always like to first get a real definition of a word into my brain before I begin to contemplate why the Lord chose this word for us to dwell on it. Here are the definitions from the dictionaries:

Truth is something that has been proven by facts or sincerity.

(I question sincerity which is a feeling or emotion. All the sincerity in the world does not make it the truth. I can sincerely say I am going to lose 20 pounds but if I don’t diet and exercise it won’t happen and that’s a fact.)

TRUTH

1) the quality or state of being true.

2) that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality.

3) a fact or belief that is accepted as true.

(I question acceptance which is a choice that can be altered at any time. I can accept another person into my life as a friend but if they gossip about me and hurt me I can choose not to be friends with them any longer. Fact is accepted because there is proof. Belief is based on faith and many people do not believe in or have faith especially a spiritual faith.)

True is being loyal, something that is real, factually correct, accurate or provable.

TRUE -

1) being in accordance with the actual state of affairs

2) conformable to an essential reality

(I question conformance which can also be changed or manipulated. People conform to their surroundings depending on the circumstances. This doesn’t make it real or fact it just means your gave in to whatever it was that was said or taught.)

3) fully realized or fulfilled

4) being that which is the case rather than what is manifest or assumed

5) in accordance with fact or reality

6) without deviation

7) without variation from type

8) truth

9) reality

The word truth and the word true are very closely associated and many times can be used interchangeably. Dictionary definitions tend to reflect the ideals of the writer, which doesn’t make the definition the actual truth. Truth #3 shows this with the remark “accepted as true” which we all know may not be the factual truth but skewed to look like truth. I believe someone once said, “If you repeat it enough, it becomes truth” and we know this is not true. Just because you say it is does not make it a reality. I believe that if something is true it is fact. It is real. It cannot be shaken by examination. It remains the same yesterday, today and forever. This would be the actual truth about it!

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I speak from the heart of a Christian believer, who knows for a fact that Jesus of Nazareth walked on the face of the earth at one point in time. This is a documented fact, written about in many religious and secular documents, a proven fact and not based on religious beliefs only. It cannot be said that he was never here just because some person said so. This is a reality. This is something that not one single person can refute. He was here.

There are many documented stories about Jesus in both religious circles and secular circles. These are the stories that, in a court of law, an attorney would call second hand knowledge, therefore it could all be true, there could be some truth to the story, or it could all be the creation of an imagination or a lie. There is no way to prove the story because the person who wrote the story was not actually there in the midst of the story or the person who wrote the story is no longer able to substantiate the story. This is where the person reading the story has to make a decision, based upon the facts in the story, and any other research, as to whether it is an actual, true account of the story or not. The reader must make an informed decision to believe it or not, based on proof or based on their own faith.

In the scripture John 4:24 it is talking about the Spirit of God. It is talking about those believers who worship God. It is talking about the spirit of the believer and their connection to what is the truth about God as spirit and about us as a spirit being. Only a believer can understand any conversation about the Spirit of God. Many, many people on this earth have never felt the spirit of God in their lives. They have never believed that God the Creator was anything or anyone who truly existed or still exists in reality. They only believe in what they can see, what they can touch, what they can hear. They only believe in a physical world and cannot fathom a spiritual world. They will never be able to experience the spiritual side of life because they have no proof there is a spiritual side to life. To them, something is reality or real only because it can be seen, touched, and heard. Something spiritual cannot be seen, cannot be touched, and cannot be heard, at least the majority of the time. I have heard God and I honestly believe it was an audible voice. Also, there have been several times I have felt the presence of God as well as the presence of evil, which I won’t go into right now except to say it was very scary and I verbally cried out to the Lord each time and he calmed my fears.

Ephesians 6:10-12

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

This is where it gets kind of tricky. Believers and non-believers are all searching for truth at one point in their lives. Why would a human being search for truth? I believe it is because they have a spirit that

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questions, “Why am I here? Why was I born? Why am I living? Where did I come from?” When searching for the truth of existence there are lots of questions that cannot be answered from a physical standpoint. The truth of our existence comes from a spiritual encounter. It’s a mystery how it all works but God always has a plan.

I Corinthians 15:51 (NKJV)

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—

When talking about truth with a believer regarding the Spirit of God, the believer actually believes, without a shadow of doubt, that God is real and exists in spiritual form. They do not require physical proof because it is a spiritual encounter. It is not of this world. Again, non-believers are spiritually unable to understand this. They still live only in physical world.

I could probably go on and on about this but I would want to talk about the liars who actually believe their lies about something. Back to the “say it enough and then you believe it” but in reality it is still a lie. Of course this kind of action is straight from the pits of hell and the master liar. God is never involved with deception or lies. That would only be from the evil one trying to manipulate the truth.

In winding this up, I only know that the real truth about Father God is that he is Spirit. He is not a human. Jesus was a human but he was also God. He was human and spirit and he was God and Spirit. When he left the earth to return to the Father all of his humanism was left behind. He then sent the Holy Spirit to be with us, the Spirit of God working in and through humans. The Holy Spirit of God is with every living person but many deny him. I believe the devil quenches anything holy and spiritual for many of these poor souls and they just go with him never looking at God for the answers. That’s a sad thought.

As believers we worship our God in spirit and in truth because our spirit knows the truth. God is real.

The Consequences of Sin

Friday, July 09, 2021
7:34 AM

This morning my scripture readings are in Samuel 11 and 12 speaking about King David and his adultery with Bathsheba, murder of Uriah and death of his innocent child.  It's the sad story of what happens to us and others when we sin. I shed a tear for this tiny infant who did nothing wrong yet never was allow to have a life.  David chose to sin and the path of that sin led to the child's destruction.   

Our sins have consequences.  Those consequences can surface quickly or they can surface some time later in life.  Sin that is committed and exposed quickly can lead to repentance and forgiveness.  Sin that is committed and hidden for periods of time can surface at unexpected times and cause havoc in the lives of the sinner and the lives of the people closest to the sinner.  A sin committed, admitted, repented from, forgiven of, is the easiest way for us to learn.  The Father cannot forgive us until we come before Him and ask for that forgiveness.  How can we learn to "Go, and sin no more" if we do not admit our sin?  We cannot.  Hidden sin sits inside us to fester and boil like gangrene. Eventually, left uncared for and untreated, it will lead to death.

David knew he had sinned.  He knew he lustfully took another man's wife. He knew he was responsible for the death of Bathsheba's husband, Uriah.  He knew the mess he had made for himself and for Bathsheba.  He cried out to the Lord for forgiveness and mercy during the days while the baby was suffering from an illness after his birth.  David knew that when the baby died the Lord had said, "No, I will not and cannot spare this child."  The decision and consequences of David's sin had been decided and an innocent child paid the price.

Fast forward thousands of years, and innocent babies are still paying the price for the sins of their father's and mother's.  Today as I write this, I am reminded of the cost.  Over 62 million unborn children have died from abortion in the United States alone, since 1973 when abortion was deemed "legal" in the United States.  Each one of the lives of these millions of babies laid in the hands of their father's and mother's. The choice was made and those lives were terminated.  Just as in David's life, murder was the sin.  Just as in David's life, repentance can lead to forgiveness.  Just as in David's life, the consequences are carried throughout the rest of life.  Not one single woman can forget the aborted child regardless if she is a believer or a non-believer, she remembers.  She may not have walked with the Lord at the time of the choice but once she found a relationship with Him, the death of the child tore and tears into her heart.   She is only able to live with the choice, knowing that the forgiveness and mercy of God is there though the heartache will never go away.  The innocent child paid the ultimate price for her sin.

I can say all of this because I too had to make a choice in 1973 to have the child out of wedlock or end the life of that child to make my life easier.  I was 18 years old.  I have no idea how different my life would have been had I chosen to abort my child.  It would have been a completely different life.  Many, many people in my life would not be here today.  My heart breaks for each woman of God who made the choice to abort her child.  She lives with that choice and it never goes away.  Forgiveness is one thing but forgetting is totally different.  The face of that child will haunt every single Godly woman and I am sure that many of the father's are also haunted by the choice to end their child's life.  We learn to live with the consequences of our choices but we always remember. Those who forget are doomed to repeat the sin in one way or the other.

King David was selfish and took what he wanted without thinking of the lasting consequences.  He was a man of God and the Lord had blessed him in so many ways before this horrific sin of the murder of Uriah was committed.  After the sin and forgiveness he was still blessed by the Lord.  He made other mistakes, committed other sins but continually returned to the Lord for forgiveness, guidance, and wisdom until his death as an old man. 

Psalm 139:7-8 (NKJV)
Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.

Job 34:21-22 (NKJV)
For His eyes are on the ways of man,
And He sees all his steps.
There is no darkness nor shadow of death
Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.

Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV)
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; Because of the steadfast love of the Lord, we are not cut off; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Like David, we can ask the Lord for mercy from the consequences of our sin.  We can ask that He spare others from the consequences but need to be prepared for whatever His answer may be.  We can repent, pick up the pieces of life and "Go, and sin no more".  We can more forward toward what is ahead, the prize of eternal life with Him, without spot or blemish, but only by the covering of the blood Jesus at the Cross.  We must always remember that in this life we will suffer the consequences of our actions and our choices and others in our life will also bear those burdens.

Galatians 6:1-2 (CEB)
Brothers and sisters, if a person is caught doing something wrong, you who are spiritual should restore someone like this with a spirit of gentleness. Watch out for yourselves so you won’t be tempted too. Carry each other’s burdens and so you will fulfill the law of Christ. 

For close to 50 years now I have walked with my sisters in their choice. My heart for the unbeliever who is tormented is greater than for those who believe in repentance and the forgiveness of sin.  One is lost but the other is found.  One is saved and the other is not.  I truly want the lost to seek and find the gift of salvation and forgiveness of sin offered by Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:10 (NIV)
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

My road was very hard because of the choice I made in 1973.  I continued to make many more mistakes as I matured and grew into adulthood but the Lord was faithful to carry me through and now at an old age can see His plans for my life and the life of my child.  She and I are walking testimonies of the power of God and the power of choice.  We are able to witness to others that even in the darkest moments, the Lord is with us and choices always have consequences.

Did Jesus Lose His Patience?

It seems that the older I get, the less patience for others and their lack of compassion and kindness.  It's not the little children, the teenagers, or the young adults that I have lack of patience for.  They are not experienced and have many lessons to learn in the years to come.  It is the adults I have little patience with.  Those who are 40, 50, 60 years old and older.  It doesn't matter if they are believers or unbelievers.  They should know better.  They should have some maturity. Their attitudes, their opinions, their selfishness, their actions towards others, this is what bothers me and causes me to lose my patience.

I am nowhere near perfect and I am sure others hear me and lose their patience with me.  I am an outspoken person and only at certain times can I keep my opinions to myself.  This is not one of those times.  I  fast lose my patience with people who are intelligent and old  enough to handle circumstance differently or say verbalize differently. 

Romans 12:12 (ESV) 

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Romans 8:25 (ESV) 

But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Ephesians 4:2 (ESV) 

With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

Psalm 37:7 (ESV)

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! 

1 Corinthians 13:4 (ESV) 

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant

Colossians 3:12 (ESV)

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,

Over and over the scriptures speak of how we are to be patient just as God is patient with us.  I know in my spirit that to lose my patience is not good.  I know that at times people have had to be patient with me as I learned my lessons in life.  For close to 7 decades I have learned patience.  Why am now losing my patience with others?  Why do I not want to be around certain people who exacerbate my patience?  Did Jesus lose his patience with people?

We read in scripture the story of Jesus in the temple turning over the tables of the money changers.  

John 2: 13-16 (KJV)

And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: and when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; and said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.

There is the story of a father whose only son was possessed by an evil spirit.  

Luke 9:40-42 (NKJV)

So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.” And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.

Then we have the storm at sea with the disciples crying out for help!

Mark 4:37-40 (ESV)

And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”

What about the story in the garden of Gethsemane?

Mark 26:37-38 (NKJV)

And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”

Mark 26:40 (NKJV)

Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour?"

Mark 26:43-45 (NKJV)

And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.

So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”

There are more stories of Jesus dealing with the faithless apostles, the hatred of the religious leaders, and the evilness of the hearts of human beings.  His patience had to be hanging by a thread many different times.  Even with all of the humanism he faced, he did not lose his temper.  

Over and over Jesus went to pray, alone.  Did he need to seek the Father to ask for patience?  Did he need to pour out his heart to the Father when the people and the apostles hammered him with questions, explanations, requests for healings and miracles?  Did he need to regroup after spending time with multitudes of people who only wanted something from him while he received nothing in return?  I believe he needed these times of solitude to regain his spiritual, emotional, mental and physical strength.

Matthew 14:23 (NKJV)

And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray.  

Luke 6:12 (NKJV)

Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

Mark 1:35 (KJV)

And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

Luke 5:16 (NASB)

But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.

As I think about my lack of patience with inconsiderate people I need to think about how the Lord handled this issue.  I need to find my place of solitude and ask the Father to refresh my spirit and my mind.  I need to find compassion for those who irritate me with their opinions, aggression, and uncompassionate attitudes.  I need to find that mountain top and pray!

Proverbs 3:21-22 (NLT)

My child, don’t lose sight of common sense and discernment. Hang on to them, for they will refresh your soul. They are like jewels on a necklace.

Proverbs 11:25 (NLT)

The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

Jeremiah 31:25 (NIV)

"I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.”

Lord Jesus, refresh my spirit and my mind so that I may speak your words into the hearts, minds and ears of those in my life or cross my path.  Amen.