As Born-Again Spirit-Filled Christians we strive daily to be in the Church of Smyrna. The last thing we ever want is to be affiliated, in any way, with the Church of Laodicea. Those who fit into the Church of Laodecia will not be saved and will be cast into the Lake of Death. The other five churches have many issues to overcome but we can also have hope that the Lord will continue to guide us and forgive us as we choose to repent from our sins and walk with Him.
Jesus was put and trial and crucified because the religious authorities of his time hated that he did not always obey the religious laws. He called himself the son of God which was considered blasphemy. He defied the Sabbath ordinances or laws set by the religious leaders. Even today if Jesus were here on earth he would say “No” to some of the requirements of the laws and would choose between obeying the laws of a nation and the commands of God. He would follow His Father even though it may be breaking the human government law and he would still remain completely sinless. There are times we must make the same choices.
'When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. Or haven’t you read in the Law that the priests on Sabbath duty in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent? I tell you that something greater than the temple is here. If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” '
Matthew 12:2-8
We find in Romans 12 Paul was speaking of love and continued on in Romans 13 assuming a government is acting within its God-appointed parameters and in love. When it does not, other choices may need to be made by the individual Christian.
'Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. '
Romans 13:1-5
'Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings! '
Acts 5:29
'If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” '
Daniel 3:16-18
By the discernment of the power of the Holy Spirit we will know if the government is acting in love or in power. Adhering to government authority that tells us to do something contrary to scripture and contrary to God’s commandments is not sinful and we are not held to the authority of that government.
An evil government that persecutes and terrorizes the people has no authority in the lives of God’s people therefore honor and respect are not required.
https://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/the-fourfold-gospel/by-sections/jesus-defends-disciples-who-pluck-grain-on-the-sabbath.html
https://www.crossway.org/articles/should-christians-always-submit-to-the-government-romans-13/
https://research.lifeway.com/2018/07/13/did-jesus-break-the-law/
Psalms 91:14-16 says 14 “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. 15 When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” (ESV English Standard Version)
But......you know me and I am a word nut especially when it comes to scripture!
I looked up the King James Version which is supposed to be the closest English Version of the Hebrew words used in the Old Testament. The KJV version uses the word "deliver" in verse 14 and verse 15 while the above ESV version uses the word "deliver" in verse 14 and "rescue" in verse 15.
When we talked about this we
assumed the words were interchangeable but they are 2 different words in
Hebrew!
The first "deliver" (vs 14) is the Hebrew word "palet" meaning to slip out, cause to deliver, carry away, escape.
The second "deliver" is the Hebrew word "chalats" meaning to pull off, to depart, strengthen, to arm, to prepare, to deliver and equip for fight. This word "chalats" pertains to prepared and equipped armed soldiers ready for battle! Oh wow!!
Now I don't know how each of you feel about the power of these verses of the Lord God speaking to the believer but it really hit my spirit. These words are not the same and are not interchangeable. The first “deliver” in verse 14, the Lord is telling us that He will help us escape, carry us away. He says He will protect us because we love Him and He loves us. The second “deliver” (rescue in ESV) in verse 15, He is telling us that in times of trouble He will give us the armor, ammunition, and strength as His soldiers who are in a battle. Remember we talked about the spiritual battle going on right now. We can see it but those who live in the world are blinded to the things of the spirit. All they see is death and destruction which is why fear and anger are at such high levels today. They need that “mustard seed” of faith to open their eyes and their hearts.
Here is Deb’s version of these verses:
14 “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name.
15 When he calls to me, I
will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will “arm him, strengthen him, prepare him for battle” and honor him.
16 With long life I will
satisfy him and show him my salvation.”
P.S. We missed our sisters
who were either not feeling well or out and about spreading the word of God to their
families and friends! Our next meeting will be on July 10th and if
there weather is sunny and dry we should move out chairs outside!! I love you
all and pray the Lord blesses you each day till we see each other!
I am studying Revelation and began looking into the Nicolaitans. I was going to start a new thread but this one popped up but with very little study information.
It seems the Nicolaitans may originally have been followers of Nicolas spoken of in Act 6:5 which makes sense to me since he is the only Nicolas in the Bible appointed to minister the word of Jesus and then something went wrong with his ministry.
Acts 6:5 - And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch,
Rick Renner has a very good and thorough explanation of Nicolas and the Nicolaintans and why, by the time Jesus spoke to John on Patmos, He expressed hatred for their deeds.
https://renner.org/article/who-were-the-nicolaitans-and-what-was-their-doctrine-and-deeds/
My feeling today is that the spirit of the Nicolaitans is firmly back in the churches that allow a compromise of the Word of God. Idolatry (money,power,greed, possessions), all sexual perversions, self promotion, self centeredness, self help, self ______ (you fill in the blank), no judgement allowed from fellow believers, basically lukewarm, politically correct Christianity. Of course a large part of the problem is the teachers and preachers at the pulpit who follow this Nicolaitan doctrine, beliefs and deeds.
Jesus did not vocalize hatred to much, but we know He hated what the Nicolaitans were doing.
More study information from Bible Gateway
https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/encyclopedia-of-the-bible/Nicolaus
Nicolaus
NICOLAUS nĭk’ ə lā’ əs
(Νικόλαος, G3775, conqueror of the people), the proselyte of Antioch chosen as
one of the seven men to serve the church in Jerusalem (Acts 6:5). The reference
to a proselyte meant that he was a Gentile who had become a convert to Judaism,
and subsequently to Christianity. Because his name was Gr., as well as the
others among the seven men chosen to distribute the food in the dole practiced
by the Jerusalem church, it has been supposed that the others were proselytes
also. It seems rather that they were all Gentiles, and the designation
“proselyte” applied only to Nicolaus meant that he alone had come to Christianity
through Judaism, the other six having come directly from paganism, or at least
not having been converted to Judaism. This, of course, raises the entire
question of circumcision and its importance in the Early Church. Because of a
due consideration for the importance of such Jewish practices even in the Early
Church, it has been most often assumed that all seven were either proselytes or
Jews using Gr. names.
Nicolaus was thought by the Church Fathers to have been the founder of the heretical sect known as the Nicolaitans (Rev 2:6, 15). Irenaeus excused him from responsibility for this by indicating that it was a misunderstanding of his teaching that had produced the Nicolaitans. Nicolaus, according to Irenaeus, had taught that “the flesh must be abused.” By this he had meant that the body must be buffeted to be kept under control. The Nicolaitans changed his teaching to mean that the flesh could be treated in any fashion, that the flesh was insignificant and of no concern. Thus a man could live in any fashion that he wished; all of which led to shameless immorality. On the basis of this teaching the followers of Nicolaus practiced all kinds of wickedness.
The Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary says that the name Nicolas is the same as Nicodemus. This does not prove out completely true to me.
To me there is a huge discrepancy in the definitions Nicolas - A Christian and Nicodemus - An Israelite.
Strong's Concordance G3530
Nikodémos: Nicodemus, an
Israelite
Original Word: Νικόδημος, ου,
ὁ
Part of Speech: Noun,
Masculine
Transliteration: Nikodémos
Phonetic Spelling:
(nik-od'-ay-mos)
Definition: Nicodemus, an
Israelite
Usage: Nicodemus, a member of
the Sanhedrin.
Derived From G3534 and G1218 and primary word G3529
Strong's Concordance G3534
nikos: victory
Original Word: νῖκος, ους, τό
Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter
Transliteration: nikos
Phonetic Spelling: (nee'-kos)
Definition: victory
Usage: victory.
Strong's Concordance G1218
démos: a district or country,
the common people, esp. the people assembled
Original Word: δῆμος, οῦ, ὁ
Part of Speech: Noun,
Masculine
Transliteration: démos
Phonetic Spelling: (day'-mos)
Definition: a district or
country, the common people, the people assembled
Usage: properly: the people,
especially citizens of a Greek city in popular assembly, but in NT, multitude,
rabble.
Strong's Concordance G3529
niké: victory
Original Word: νίκη, ης, ἡ
Part of Speech: Noun,
Feminine
Transliteration: niké
Phonetic Spelling: (nee'-kay)
Definition: victory
Usage: victory, a victorious
principle.
The name Nicolas in Act 6:5 is G3532 derived from G3534 and G2004.
Strong's Concordance G3532
Nikolaos: Nicolaus, a
Christian, probably not connected with the sect bearing the same name (my note:
this is speculation and should not be a part of this definition)
Original Word: Νικόλαος, ου, ὁ
Part of Speech: Noun,
Masculine
Transliteration: Nikolaos
Phonetic Spelling:
(nik-ol'-ah-os)
Definition: Nicolaus, a
Christian, probably not connected with the sect bearing the same name (again my
note: this is speculation and should not be a part of this definition)
Usage: Nicolaus, a proper
name.
Strong's Concordance G3534 - see above definition
Strong's Concordance G2004
epitassó: to arrange upon,
i.e. to command
Original Word: ἐπιτάσσω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: epitassó
Phonetic Spelling:
(ep-ee-tas'-so)
Definition: to arrange upon,
to command
Usage: I give order, command,
charge.
G2004 is derived from G1909 and G5021
Strong's Concordance G1909
epi: on, upon
Original Word: ἐπί
Part of Speech: Preposition
Transliteration: epi
Phonetic Spelling: (ep-ee')
Definition: on, upon
Usage: on, to, against, on
the basis of, at.
Strong's Concordance G5021
tassó: to draw up in order,
arrange
Original Word: τάσσω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: tassó
Phonetic Spelling: (tas'-so)
Definition: to draw up in
order, arrange
Usage: (a) I assign, arrange,
(b) I determine; mid: I appoint.
My Notes:
Nicolaitans exalted and held in highest esteem the clergy over the people. The Catholic church, with the Pope, Cardinals, Bishops, Priests, etc. is an example of the Nicolaitan ideals. Nicolaitans also had an attitude of compromise, which is associated with Balaam. The churches today who allow homosexuality in it's pastors and members or any church than condones any sexual immorality is an example of Nicolaitan ideals. Any church that condones or compromises sin is guilty of Nicolaitan ideals.
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
"He who is in you", let's think about those words for just a few minutes. As Christians we believe that when we accept Jesus as our Lord that His Spirit comes and lives in our hearts, our minds, and our souls. He lives in us and through us as we walk with Him and learn His ways of living life here on the globe. Think about what a miracle that truly is. God the Father, The Creator of the Universe and everything else that existed at any point in time, comes to live in our bodies, our minds, and our spirits by way of Jesus the Son and by the infilling of the Holy Spirit. To me that is beyond my human comprehension and understanding but I know this is what true love is. A Creator who loves His creation whom He calls His "Little Children". I did not have a loving earthly father but I knew others who did. Their father was their protector, their guide in leaning the lessons of life, the one who was there for the joys and the sorrows of growing up. He was there for his child when his child needed anything. Father God is where this example of a father comes from. This is why he made man to rule over the earth. He was made to be a husband to his wife and a father to his children. He was made to be the leader of his family. The head of the house. Father God is our first father and an example of fatherhood in a family. We are the family of God the Father. And just as the genes of our earthly father are in us so are the spiritual genes of our Heavenly Father. This is why He lives in us! He is a part of us just as our earthly father is even for those who do not believe. Every single human being born had an earthly father. No exceptions. Jesus of Nazareth is the only human being who walked the earth that was born of woman and Spirit. Joseph was Jesus' father image on earth but his true Father was God. We are blessed with a Father who loves us and is a part of us!
As I was thinking and praying about this scripture and the word "greater" as the words great-greater-greatest came into my heart. When something is great it is wonderful, awesome, super, special. When something is greater it is more, more than just great. Then the word goes to greatest which is even more than greater. It is the greatest. It is the most of all.
The verse in 1 John says that "He who is in you is greater" and greater than he who is in the world. The one in the world of course is the evil one who wanders around the earth looking to kill, steal, and destroy the little children of God. The evil one is looking to spiritually kill, steal and destroy what The Father has for His little children. His everlasting love and life in a family of love. The Father gives us strength for the day to defeat what the evil one tries to do in our lives to make us doubt, falter, and deny. The evil one does not want you to know and understand that God is greater than he is but this is the truth. Jesus beat the devil at the cross. The price of all sin was paid for at the cross of Jesus. Jesus was the ultimate price, the last sacrifice for sin. It is over. I guess the devil is not as smart as he thinks he is and did not get the message. He has no authority over the little children of God. Since the beginning in the Garden he has not quit trying to lead God's little children away from their Father in whatever way he can. We always have to remember and know that not only is our God great but He is greater! Greater than the one in the world. It's that simple.
The Greatest God is greater than whatever the evils in this world can dish at us.
For a visual imagery the Lord dropped this. The Oregon Coast Range of mountains shows how great the Creator is. If you stand up on one of the highest peaks of this range you can see thousand s of acres of forest and mountains from the valley to the ocean. How great is our God! But off in the distance is the Cascade Mountain Range with higher peaks! Standing on those peaks a person can see even farther from the ocean to the eastern desert part of the state. This range of mountains is greater than the other. We can now move to thoughts of the Himalayan Mountains. The highest mountains in the world are located there. Imagine what can be seen from the tallest peak. These represent the greatest.
We have a God who is great, greater and greatest. He has proven it by being a Father to the fatherless and by coming to live with and in all who call out to Him and follow Him. It's all about love. True love. God knows we have to live our lives here on earth with the evil one constantly trying to hinder us and lead us astray. This verse reminds us we have a Father that is greater than the evil one and has taught us how to resist and trample into the dirt whatever the evil one tries.
Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. This is truth for all the little children of God.
Psalms 95:3 - the Lord is the great God, And the great King above all gods.
John 15:13 - Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
I Corinthians 13:13 - And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
Tuesday, February 22, 2022
In my bible study of King Solomon I ran across this scripture from II Chronicles 7:20 that stopped me to search the meaning and history. These same words are repeated three times in scripture in Deuteronomy 28:37, I Kings 9:6-7, and II Chronicles 7:20 by three different writers of the Books. Moses was the author of Deuteronomy. Jeremiah is believed to be the author of I Kings. Ezra is believed to be the author of II Chronicles. Both Jeremiah and Ezra wrote God's words to King Solomon during his reign of Israel. The repetition of these words is what struck my spirit today. He warns the Kings and Jewish nation that if they do not follow His statutes and commandments they will become a ridiculed people. They will be laughed at, mocked, held in low esteem, an object of horror thrown out of their Promised Land by the very God who brought them to the land of milk and honey. Stories of their fall from favor and great demise will be told throughout the world forever.
II Chronicles 7:20
(NKJV) then I will uproot them from My land which I have given them; and this house which I have sanctified for My name I will cast out of My sight, and will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.
(NIV) then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples.
(NLT) then I will uproot the people from this land that I have given them. I will reject this Temple that I have made holy to honor my name. I will make it an object of mockery and ridicule among the nations.
In the context of this scripture God is speaking to King Solomon and warning him not to fall away from the statutes and commandments of God and to live a life according to the laws God gave to the Tribes of Israel through Moses. This exact same warning had been spoken by Moses to the Israelite's almost five centuries earlier.
Deuteronomy 28:7
(NKJV) And you shall become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword among all nations where the Lord will drive you.
(NIV) You will become a thing of horror, a byword and an object of ridicule among all the peoples where the Lord will drive you.
(NLT) You will become an object of horror, ridicule, and mockery among all the nations to which the Lord sends you.
I Kings 9:7
(NKJV) then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them; and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight. Israel will be a proverb and a byword among all peoples.
(NIV) then I will cut off Israel from the land I have given them and will reject this temple I have consecrated for my Name. Israel will then become a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples.
(NLT) then I will uproot Israel from this land that I have given them. I will reject this Temple that I have made holy to honor my name. I will make Israel an object of mockery and ridicule among the nations.
As I read and studied the words "proverb and byword" I began to understand why the Jewish people, the nation of Israel, the Tribes of Judah, the Hebrews, the Chosen People of God, are ridiculed and harassed today. God warned them not to fall away from His statues and commandments. He had set them aside as a people of His very own. He had called them out of slavery and bondage and shown them life with Him was miraculous and worthy. He loved them dearly but they did not love Him in return. They loved themselves more. They wandered off into the world and the evils of the world. After all He had done to save them and care for them, they turned their backs on Him. Then they crucified His son, the Messiah that God sent to save the Jews and Gentiles. The Jews did not want a passive, peaceful Messiah. They wanted someone to come in and kill their enemies. They wanted a ruler who would bring peace to the land after he had killed their enemies. But as it turned out they were the Messiah's enemies. The religious snakes and vipers, the Pharisees and Sadducee's that lead the Jewish people were far from the statutes and commandments of the law of God. They made the common people hold to all the laws yet they did not. Greed and power for these leaders were at the top of their own selfish purposes. When they crucified Jesus, one of their own Jewish people, they become more of a "proverb and byword" to the world. They sealed themselves into a lifetime of ridicule and mockery before the whole world.
Today the nation of Israel is strong and powerful even while living in a land constantly torn by war and killing. What is left of Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem has been taken over by Islam and serves as a worship center for their false religion. They mock and ridicule the Jewish people right in front of all the world by being in control of what is left of this sacred Jewish temple. All of their neighboring nations ridicule and hate them. They mock them and torment them just as the scriptures say would happen. The Jewish people are still looking for a killing, fighting, warrior Messiah who will never come. When they rejected Jesus as Messiah they rejected Father God. They are still fighting against the Father who warned them to worship and serve only Him or suffer the consequences of their unbelief.
From my studies of Revelation I believe that only during the Tribulation years will the spirits of the Jewish people finally wake up and see Jesus as Christ. The truth will be revealed to the Israelite's when Jesus Messiah comes back for the final battle for the souls of mankind. They will kneel before Him as will all unbelievers of the world. The final Judgement will be upon them.
Lord have mercy.
We are like old furniture that needs to be restored and made new again.
We are like the ore that contains gold. It needs to be heated over and over again until the gold becomes pure.
Sometimes we forget how precious we are to God. We are his chosen child. Throughout the years there was something pulling at our hearts and our spirits. It was the call of the Creator. I AM! The God of the Universe. Sometimes we find it hard to believe He would want someone as faulty and impure as us. The devil is the one who puts the doubts in our minds and tells us we are not good enough for the love of God. This is the biggest lie of all!
If we can ‘hear the call’ of God we can certainly believe and have faith that God chosen us because He loves us! He is never wrong.
Matthew 11:15 (NKJV)- He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
Matthew 13:9 (NKJV)- He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Mark 4:23 (NKJV)- If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Mark 7:16 (NKJV)- If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Mark 4:9 (NKJV)- And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Deuteronomy 29:4 (NKJV)- Yet the Lord has not given you a heart to perceive and eyes to see and ears to hear, to this very day.
Matthew 13:43 (NKJV)- Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
Psalms 10:17 (NKJV)- Lord, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear,
Ezekiel 12:2 (NKJV)- “Son of man, you dwell in the midst of a rebellious house, which has eyes to see but does not see, and ears to hear but does not hear; for they are a rebellious house.
Luke 8:8 (NKJV)- But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
Psalms 17:6 (NKJV) - I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God; Incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech.
Isaiah 55:3 (NKJV) - Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; And I will make an everlasting covenant with you— The sure mercies of David.
~ A PECULIAR PEOPLE ~
Our ladies Power of Twelve group is focusing on the word "chosen" this month. I reminded them that when the Lord began the group in 2018 we were all "chosen" to be a part of this plan of the Lord as well as His kingdom! The scripture reference for the word is;
Matthew 22:14, "For many are called, but few are chosen."
Each month I search scripture for added verses with the word. This led me to another scripture with the word "chosen" in it,
I Peter 2:9, (KJV) "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people,".
But it was the word peculiar that stuck in my spirit. Why are we a peculiar people? Why does God choose peculiar people to be his own special, chosen possession? I dive off into Hebrew and Greek translations and definitions, searching scripture, and asking the Holy Spirit to help me understand why we are a peculiar people in His eyes.
The King James Version uses the word "peculiar" while some of the other versions use the words,
"special
people",
"special
possession",
"God's
own people",
"God's
instruments",
"God's
special treasure".
(Sorry, this is where my English transformational grammar classes in school get the better of me! Verbs, adverbs, adjectives, nouns, pronouns, etc. Please bear with me. )
I am picky about the translation of certain words in the Bible and feel the need to dig into why God uses certain words in His inspired word to His people. I looked up the word in the Hebrew language which is what the Jewish people spoke and wrote in in the Old Testament. "Peculiar" in the Hebrew language of the Old Testament is the word "segullah" which means peculiar treasure, special, jewel, particular treasure.
Deuteronomy 26:18 uses the word peculiar. "and the LORD hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments".
The New Testament was originally written in Greek then translated into English. The word "peculiar" in 1 Peter 2:9 is the Greek word "peripoiesis" and I am not going to try to pronounce it. The definitions of Greek peripoiesis include, "acquisition, preservation, obtain, peculiar, purchased, possession, saving". But it is only the word "peculiar", used in the KJV, which has another tiny Greek word tied to it as a primary preposition (word before). In Greek it would have looked like this when translating "peculiar" in 1 Peter 2:9 - eis peripoiesis. (εἰς περιποίησις actual Greek language).
The Greek word is spelled "eis", pronounced "ice". The Strong's Concordance definition of "eis" is a little word packing a lot of definition. Among the Strong's definitions for this little primary preposition "eis" are these;
to
or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or purpose
result,
(abundant-)ly,
among,
before,
+
continual,
+
far more exceeding,
in
(among, at, unto, -so much that, -to),
to
the intent that,
+ of
one mind,
(so)
that,
therefore(-unto),
throughout,
til,
Until
with.
Greek: eis peripoiesis. εἰς περιποίησις
My
English translations: Abundantly preserved. Continually treasured. Saved possession.
Among the purchased. Therefore acquired. Obtained into His Royal Priesthood.
Oh, my I could go on with all of the different Holy Spirit translations!
We, who know the Lord God and follow His teachings, are a peculiar people. A special treasure. A chosen generation. Something different than what the world offers. We think differently. We speak differently. We believe differently and rightly so! We are not of this world once we choose to heed the call of the Creator. Once we feel in our spirit that we need what He has to offer. Once we decide to leave the world behind and follow His path. Once our heart and spirit becomes one with Him. Peculiar. Special. Treasure. Jewel. Preserved. Saved.
What a life change for any person who has been chosen to be one of God's peculiar people! Being chosen is one of our greatest gifts from a Father who loves and adores His peculiar people.
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!
I’ve always thought that someone who gets up with a testimony before the congregation should give a brief bio so that you all don’t think the person is just some back row pew sitter that all of a sudden has something to say, but in many cases that is just what happens. My thought is that more than half of you see me in that light since most of the time I do not have anything to say at the front of the church these days. There was a time when I was on the worship team or leading worship when I did more in front of the church congregation. That was before many of you were a part of this fellowship but there are many that do know my history with this church. First I will give you a little bio of my life and walk with the Lord for the past 4 plus decades.
I have been in church all of my life because of my beautiful little mother’s faithfulness. I was baptized in the Methodist Church, then baptized in the Catholic Church and then baptized in the river.
I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior in 1975 in a bible study and then went about living my worldly life only turning to him when life fell apart time after time.
I was filled with the Holy Spirit in 1980 but have been far from walking in the Spirit many, many times since then.
Jerry and I met and married in 1983 and have been committed to this church since the beginning in 1985 when several families started meeting in Alan and Tonchita’s basement. We raised 4 out of 6 children in this church. His 2 were our on their own when we married. We raised my 2 children from my first marriage and his deceased sister’s 2 children.
In the mid-2000’s I began what I will call “My Walk in the Desert” period which started when:
1) in 2004 and 2005 the adult children along with the grandchildren moved a long way from this area to other parts of the state leaving no family members nearby,
2) my mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2006 and passed away a couple of years ago in 2016 from Alzheimer complications. Her last 3 years she was in a memory care facility under total care not knowing any one or any thing.
3) my dad died unexpectedly in 2009,
4) Jerry was involved in a head-on collision in 2007 which caused an early retirement for him,
5) I quit the insurance company I had worked at for over 20 years to find a job with medical insurance since I lost that with Jerry's retirement,
6) I began a new job with the City.
These were a lot of new paths for me and I was very unsure where or what the Lord wanted from me. I was not sure of anything in my middle-age life.
In 2015 I started having severe stomach trouble and doctors could not find the cause and there were numerous tests showing nothing wrong.
Then on Thursday, July 26, 2018, I awoke to a spinning room and intense nausea, was taken to the hospital (by ambulance) and a later MRI showed a mass on the left side of my brain behind my ear. I was immediately take to OHSU (by ambulance) where a wonderful neurosurgeon removed it on July 29th. Miraculously the stomach problems were gone when the tumor was gone.
Medically wise, prior to then, 1980 was the last time I had been in the hospital and that was to give birth to my son. My new medical chart says I am "a 64 year old female with an unremarkable medical history,” which means there is really nothing to speak of, medically. I love to say I am unremarkable because I truly am!
But then during the days recovering in the hospital and the week after, I began to hear the Holy Spirit whispering in my ear about a new women’s ministry which became the Power of Twelve women’s group. My family thought I was nuts or at least still having issues with the steroids.
The plans came together quickly as the Lord showed me what he wanted me to do and it all came to fruition with my daughter Dena helping me layout how the women would be gathered, how the gatherings would take place, how the words would be chosen and many other details. The initial group of women invited to participate came from my 64 years of history with many local women. Many of the women are those who the Lord had me planting seeds in at different times during those years through family connections, work connections, school connections, friends, and church.
He made it as easy as possible for this ministry to come together and the plan can be used by any group of women, any church, anywhere.
Power of Twelve is a women’s encouragement group for 12 women of all ages (20 to 100) committed to meet once a month, for one hour, for one year.
The main reason the Lord called this group of women together is for reaching across the generations to “save the children, the grandchildren and the great grandchildren”. Those are his words, not mine.
The group leader should try to find four women seeking the Lord, four women who know the Lord but earnestly desire a closer walk and four women firmly planted in Him.
So far, this first group of the Power of Twelve women have met 5 times since last September. At the first meeting each woman brought a single word, with a single scripture using that word on a piece of paper and put them all in a jar. Each month we pull out a new word to focus on. We talk about the word and scripture and then go out for the month and use that word in our everyday lives to encourage our families and others. Our words have been LIGHT, COMFORT, THANKSGIVING, FORGIVENESS and HOPE. There are 7 more words in the jar waiting to be picked out one by one for the rest of the months. More than half of the women in this group do not attend any regular church but are seeking a greater knowledge of God and a closer relationship to him.
The tag line the Lord gave me was “Twelve Women – Twelve Words – Twelve Months, which has now been copyrighted.
There are actually 13 women total as the leader opens her home or gathering place and facilitates the meetings.
Also, since this all started I have been writing and documenting many different things that the Lord has impressed upon me to share in writing. So far he has not revealed just what I am to do with all of the writings.
The business end of Power of Twelve has also been taken care of as it is a registered non-profit organization with the state and federal government. The bylaws are written and have been submitted to the required governmental agencies.
The mission statement is:
Twelve Women. Twelve Words. Twelve Months.
The mission statement for the Power of Twelve is to bring a connection to the generations of women across this Christian Nation, the United States of America, to save the children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren by speaking the word of God into their lives and the lives of those around them. The good word, by one word can change hearts and lives of those around us. Choose. Your. Words. Wisely.
The USA Constitution is filled with God.
The USA motto is "In God We Trust"
The National Anthem is "God Bless America"
The Pledge of Allegiance is filled with God
America is the Land of the Free. Home of the Brave.
The Declaration of Independence is filled with God.
The scriptures for the Power of Twelve group are:
Joshua 24:15 - But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Jeremiah 29;11 - For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
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