"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He
has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the
oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour " (Luke 4:18;19).
Those words read by Jesus, from the book of the prophet Isaiah
(Isaiah 61:1;2), in the synagogue of Nazareth, more than the fulfillment of a prophecy, it was also a word
of hope for those who remain captives.
Whatever it is, the addiction is a prison where Satan, the enemy of our souls hold his victims.
Alone is very difficult to obtain freedom, but as we read in the Bible, what is impossible for man is
possible with God (Mathew 19:26).
The "year of the Lord's favour" was established every fifty years, according to the law. On that year,
the slaves were released and their debts cancelled (Leviticus 25:54).
In the same way God can release you.
Today can be your "year of the Lord's favour"; the beginning of a new life should you repent of your
sins.
Ask God to forgive your sins and to turn you from evil, in the name of Lord Jesus and …
be free!
God Bless you,
Use the controls above to listen to the hymns, while reading the message.
Today we can see in everywhere people planning the Christmas Eve, or shopping and being ready
for that day.
Some legends, characters and symbols have been added to this celebration, sometimes distorting
the real meaning of Christmas, making that day to be used for commercial purposes, or just an
occasion to meet friends, eating and drinking.
Lets talk about some of them:
Santa Claus
In the 4th century, a bishop in Turkey who came to be called St. Nicholas was known for good deeds
involving children. His feast day on December 6 was celebrated throughout Europe until about the
16th century. Afterwards, he continued to be known in Protestant Holland. Dutch children would put
shoes by the fireplace for St. Nicholas or "Sinter Klaas" and leave food out for his horse.
Dutch immigrants brought the legend of Sinter Klaas to North America where he came to be known
as Santa Claus.
The Candy Cane
It was introduced in the 1880's by a candy maker in Indiana.
He wanted to make a candy that could represents the principles of
Christmas.
He used white pure sugar to show the sinless nature of Jesus.
The hardness of the candy represents Jesus as a solid rock, the foundation of the church and the
firmness of the promises of God.
The red stripes represents the blood of Christ shed on the cross.
The shape of the candy is a shepherd's staff (Jesus is the good Shepherd).
And finally, if we flip the candy cane around, we will get the letter J
Which is the first letter of Jesus' Name.
The Christmas Tree
Is a Christianized pagan custom that originated in Germany: settlers
Introduced it in America. It became popular during the nineteenth century, and then later spread to
Britain and Japan.
Gifts Exchange (Retail Madness)
Although the practice of gifts exchanging seems to be traditional in many countries, it was during
the II World War that merchants joined in an effort to increase the sales.
They have taken the gift motif from Saint Nicholas' Day and Epiphany and have used that combination
to supplant the meaning of Christmas.
They have instituted a secular sacrament of shopping, which pays no attention at all to the arrival of
Jesus who gave us His all.
But what really maters is the celebration Our Saviour Jesus Christ birth!
Customs and symbols were added to Christmas by people of different countries and cultures who
tried to insert their preferences into the event.
It's thought that Jesus of Nazareth was born in springtime and December 25th was chosen for the
celebration of his birth by a Pope, Julius I, in the 4th century AD.
His coming was predicted by the prophets like Isaiah and Micah, 8 centuries before it happens:
"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14).
"But you Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times" (Micah 5:2).
Surrounded by special events and signs, the baby Jesus brought from God the Father the greatest
and final opportunity for the mankind to be reconciled to God.
He lived a holy life, was member of a family like ours, had parents (although was conceived by the
Holy Spirit) brothers and sisters ("Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's
name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren't all his sisters with us?"
Matthew 13:55-56).
He was tempted in many occasions, suffered a terrible death, was buried and descended into hell
as we can read in Peter 3:18 ("For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous
for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,
through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God
waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built."), experiencing the horrible
felling of being distant of God.
Three days later He rose from the dead:
"But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he was seen by those who had traveled with
him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people" (Acts 13:31);
"…and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.
After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are
still living, though some have fallen asleep.
Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one
abnormally born" (1 Corinthians 15:5-8).
Actually, Jesus is God and came like a man because it was impossible for any other man to be an
intercessor before God.
Everything He did was obeying God The Father's will, who love us so much, as Jesus Himself
tell us in John 3:16:"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only
son that whoever believe in Him shall not perish but have eternal life".
So this is the message of Christmas and the real meaning and motive for celebration!
Jesus of Nazareth! The son of the Living God! Our Saviour and Lord! The salvation God provide us
through the forgiveness of sins by grace, for those who believe in Him and obey his commands.
Please feel free to share the contents of this page with others.
God is Eternal, Infallible, Unchanged, Loving, Powerful and Supreme, and so His Word!
What we read in the Bible is applicable to our lives today as it was in the past. Nothing has changed
since then and there is no doubt in my mind that God speaks to us today in the same way He did in
the past to the great prophets and disciples.
In Revelation 3:20, Jesus says: "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice
and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me".
He also speaks with us about His presence in Matthew 28:20: "and teaching them to obey everything
I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
God not simply created the world and let it go astray. It was not by His power and faithfulness,
planets would not stay still in their orbits, there would not be winter and summer … the entire
universe would be a chaos.
Unfortunately, there are a number of things that hide the presence of God in the vast majority of
human lives over the earth:
The felling of guilt
After Adam and Eve have sinned they tried to hide from God: "He (Adam) answered, "I heard you
(God) in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid" (Genesis 3:10).
The lies of the enemy
Satan does whatever he can, even using relatives or friends, to make men looks dirty and condemned,
to turn them away from God's mercy and love: "His wife said to him, "Are you still holding on to your
integrity? Curse God and die!" (Job 2:9).
The ignorance
God told Jonah about the ignorance of the people of Nineveh when He sent him to preach there: "But
Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from
their left …" (Jonah 4:11).
The wealth
Instead of thanks and glorify God for everything they have, instead, many people love their wealth:
"Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and
give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me".
At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth" (Mark 10:21)"
Other "gods"
Many people have other gods in their lives that divert their focus from God. This can be a hobby, their
job or even an extreme and exaggerated care for someone else: "You shall have no other gods before
[ besides ] me" (Exodus 20:3).
The fear of changes
When we surrender our lives to Jesus, we should expect changes. Jesus said to Nicodemus
(a member of the Jewish council): "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he
is born again" (John 3:3). Unfortunately we see churches tied to statutes and rituals, incapable of
preach the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ; there is no power in the messages, there is no
felling of the presence of the Living God, only a tenuous impression.
When God created Adam, he talked to him at least once a day. He wants we to talk to Him and not only
this, He wants to talk to us; to teach us, to provide for our needs, to love us and be loved!
He wants to have a close relationship with us and when things don't work like this, we should blame
ourselves.
God speaks through Paul in Hebrews 13:7-8: "Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God
to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday and today and forever".
Have you ever noticed when the children look around trying to find or see his or her parents? How
anxious they are? How frightened they are? How lost they look? So are we, living in a world deviated
from God, full of sin, plagues, violence and wars!
We have to look for God always, live in His presence, accept His mercy, receive His protection, and
be dressed for the battle: "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor
of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against
flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world
and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God,
so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done
everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the
breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from
the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish
all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which
is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints" (Ephesians 6:10-18).
God is speaking to you just now! Remember, God is unchangeable, but maybe you need to change
the way you live to enjoy the fullness of life. You just need be close to God!
Many times we fail to do something, we fail to enjoy an important moment in our lives, or we take wrong decisions because we let ourselves go for the wrong thoughts.
We feed the fear that the things we need, we want; things that are good for us, never come to happen or just be terminated; on the other hand, bad things, those which do not want even to hear about, things that scare us, we fear that will happen.
We take hasty decisions that bring us many problems in the future, all because we fail to obey God's will, to act in the easiest or simplest way for us.
In the Bible we read several episodes that rightly report that kind of attitude on the part of many servants of God.
The hesitation of Moses, the Elijah fear, the idleness and the consequent fall of David, are only three facts that we collect to exemplify how much we lose to counteract the holy and perfect will of God's.
Moses
Exodus 3
Moses and the Burning Bush
1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.
3 So Moses thought, "I will go over and see this strange sight - why the bush does not burn up."
4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am."
5 "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground."
6 Then he said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.
7 The Lord said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.
8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey - the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.
9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them.
10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."
11 But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?"
12 And God said, "I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain."
13 Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?"
14 God said to Moses, "I am who I am . This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' "
15 God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The Lord, the God of your fathers - the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob - has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.
16 "Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, 'The Lord, the God of your fathers - the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt.
17 And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites - a land flowing with milk and honey.'
18 "The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, 'The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the
desert to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God.'
19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him.
20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.
21 "And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed.
22 Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians."
Exodus 4
Signs for Moses
1 Moses answered, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The Lord did not appear to you'?"
2 Then the Lord said to him, "What is that in your hand?" "A staff," he replied.
3 The Lord said, "Throw it on the ground." Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it.
4 Then the Lord said to him, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand.
5 "This," said the Lord, "is so that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers - the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob - has appeared to you."
6 Then the Lord said, "Put your hand inside your cloak." So Moses put his hand into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was leprous, like snow.
7 "Now put it back into your cloak," he said. So Moses put his hand back into his cloak, and when he took it out, it was restored, like the rest of his flesh.
8 Then the Lord said, "If they do not believe you or pay attention to the first miraculous sign, they may believe the second.
9 But if they do not believe these two signs or listen to you, take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground. The water you take from the river will become blood on the ground."
10 Moses said to the Lord, "O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue."
11 The Lord said to him, "Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord ?
12 Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."
13 But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it."
14 Then the Lord's anger burned against Moses and he said, "What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he can speak well. He is already on his way to meet you, and his heart will be glad when he sees you.
15 You shall speak to him and put words in his mouth; I will help both of you speak and will teach you what to do.
16 He will speak to the people for you, and it will be as if he were your mouth and as if you were God to him.
17 But take this staff in your hand so you can perform miraculous signs with it."
Moses Returns to Egypt
18 Then Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, "Let me go back to my own people in Egypt to see if any of them are still alive." Jethro said, "Go, and I wish you well."
19 Now the Lord had said to Moses in Midian, "Go back to Egypt, for all the men who wanted to kill you are dead."
20 So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey and started back to Egypt. And he took the staff of God in his hand.
21 The Lord said to Moses, "When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.
22 Then say to Pharaoh, 'This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son,
23 and I told you, "Let my son go, so he may worship me." But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.' "
24 At a lodging place on the way, the Lord met moses and was about to kill him.
25 But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son's foreskin and touched Moses' feet with it. "Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me," she said.
26 So the Lord let him alone. (At that time she said "bridegroom of blood," referring to circumcision.)
27 The Lord said to Aaron, "Go into the desert to meet Moses." So he met Moses at the mountain of God and kissed him.
28 Then Moses told Aaron everything the Lord had sent him to say, and also about all the miraculous signs he had commanded him to perform.
29 Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelites,
30 and Aaron told them everything the Lord had said to Moses. He also performed the signs before the people,
31 and they believed. And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.
Elijah
1 Kings 19
Elijah Flees to Horeb
1 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.
2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, "May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them."
3 Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there,
4 while he himself went a day's journey into the desert. He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. "I have had enough, Lord," he said. "Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors."
5 Then he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, "Get up and eat."
6 He looked around, and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.
7 The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, "Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you."
8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.
9 There he went into a cave and spent the night.
The Lord Appears to Elijah
And the word of the Lord came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
10 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."
11 The Lord said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.
12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
14 He replied, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too."
15 The Lord said to him, "Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram.
16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet.
17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu.
18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel - all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him."
David:
2 Samuel 11
David and Bathsheba
1 In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king's men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.
2 One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful,
3 and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, "Isn't this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite?"
4 Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (She had purified herself from her uncleanness.) Then she went back home.
5 The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, "I am pregnant."
6 So David sent this word to Joab: "Send me Uriah the Hittite." And Joab sent him to David.
7 When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going.
8 Then David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house and wash your feet." So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him.
9 But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master's servants and did not go down to his house.
10 When David was told, "Uriah did not go home," he asked him, "Haven't you just come from a distance? Why didn't you go home?"
11 Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my master Joab and my lord's men are camped in the open fields. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and lie with my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!"
12 Then David said to him, "Stay here one more day, and tomorrow I will send you back." So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next.
13 At David's invitation, he ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk. But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master's servants; he did not go home.
14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah.
15 In it he wrote, "Put Uriah in the front line where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die."
16 So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were.
17 When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David's army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died.
18 Joab sent David a full account of the battle.
19 He instructed the messenger: "When you have finished giving the king this account of the battle,
20 the king's anger may flare up, and he may ask you, 'Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn't you know they would shoot arrows from the wall?
21 Who killed Abimelech son of Jerub-Besheth ? Didn't a woman throw an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?' If he asks you this, then say to him, 'Also, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.' "
22 The messenger set out, and when he arrived he told David everything Joab had sent him to say.
23 The messenger said to David, "The men overpowered us and came out against us in the open, but we drove them back to the entrance to the city gate.
24 Then the archers shot arrows at your servants from the wall, and some of the king's men died. Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead."
25 David told the messenger, "Say this to Joab: 'Don't let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it.' Say this to encourage Joab."
26 When Uriah's wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him.
27 After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.
2 Samuel 12
Nathan Rebukes David
1 The Lord sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, "There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor.
2 The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle,
3 but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.
4 "Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him."
5 David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, "As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die! 6 He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity."
7 Then Nathan said to David, "You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.
8 I gave your master's house to you, and your master's wives into your arms. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more.
9 Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.
10 Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.'
11 "This is what the Lord says: 'Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity upon you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight.
12 You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.' "
13 Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord." Nathan replied, "The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die.
14 But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the Lord show utter contempt, the son born to you will die."
15 After Nathan had gone home, the Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife had borne to David, and he became ill.
16 David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and went into his house and spent the nights lying on the ground.
17 The elders of his household stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he refused, and he would not eat any food with them.
18 On the seventh day the child died. David's servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they thought, "While the child was still living, we spoke to David but he would not listen to us. How can we tell him the child is dead? He may do something desperate."
19 David noticed that his servants were whispering among themselves and he realized the child was dead. "Is the child dead?" he asked. "Yes," they replied, "he is dead."
20 Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate.
21 His servants asked him, "Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!"
22 He answered, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, 'Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.'
23 But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me."
24 Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and he went to her and lay with her. She gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon. The Lord loved him;
25 and because the Lord loved him, he sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah.
26 Meanwhile Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and captured the royal citadel.
27 Joab then sent messengers to David, saying, "I have fought against Rabbah and taken its water supply.
28 Now muster the rest of the troops and besiege the city and capture it. Otherwise I will take the city, and it will be named after me."
29 So David mustered the entire army and went to Rabbah, and attacked and captured it.
30 He took the crown from the head of their king - its weight was a talent of gold, and it was set with precious stones - and it was placed on David's head. He took a great quantity of plunder from the city
31 and brought out the people who were there, consigning them to labor with saws and with iron picks and axes, and he made them work at brick making. He did this to all the Ammonite towns. Then David and his entire army returned to Jerusalem.
May God have mercy on us and help us in moment by moment, so that we can live lives to please Him.
Let's practice what we read in 1 Thessalonians 5:
16 Be joyful always;
17 pray continually;
18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Do not put out the Spirit's fire;
20 do not treat prophecies with contempt.
21 Test everything. Hold on to the good.
22 Avoid every kind of evil.
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.
1 Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.
3 Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil.
9 For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.
10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.
12 The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them;
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming.
14 The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.
15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.
16 Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked;
17 for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.
18 The days of the blameless are known to the Lord, and their inheritance will endure forever.
19 In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.
20 But the wicked will perish: The Lord's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they will vanish - vanish like smoke.
21 The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously;
22 those the Lord blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be cut off.
23 If the Lord delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm;
24 though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.
25 I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.
26 They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed.
27 Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever.
28 For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off;
29 the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just.
31 The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip.
32 The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, seeking their very lives;
33 but the Lord will not leave them in their power or let them be condemned when brought to trial.
34 Wait for the Lord and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
35 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a green tree in its native soil,
36 but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found.
37 Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace.
38 But all sinners will be destroyed; the future of the wicked will be cut off.
39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.
Although unfortunately, nowadays the passover be used as a pretext for selling chocolates, it has a very special meaning for Christians.
The first Passover celebrated by the Jewish people, had since Jesus sacrifice on the cross, a much broader scope, reaching all mankind.
The Passover of the Jewish people (or pesach, the "Time of Our Freedom"), is the celebration of the transformation of the twelve tribes descendants of the patriarch Jacob in a people, as well as their departure from Egypt toward the land promissed by God.
For Christians, however, Easter is the most important celebration, once it commemorates the resurrection of Christ. The sign and proof of the end of a period of time: the period of the Law, where men only would be saved fulfilling all the commandments laid down by
God (Matthew 11:13) and the beginning of a new time, the time of the Grace, in which God has provided salvation for us, the fulfillment of God's promises made by the prophets of Israel.
The birth, the life, the death and resurrection of Jesus, prove that He is the Messiah, the Christ of prophecies!
He was born of a virgin by the power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18-25 - Isaiah 7:14); He healed blinds, the lames and the lepers. He raised people from the death (Isaías 35:5-6) and taught God's justice (Isaiah 61:1).
As in the Jewish Passover, the lamb's blood delivered (saved) the Hebrew people from the angel of death (the plague of the death of the firstborn - Exodus 12), so also the blood of Jesus, the Son of God was shed once and for all, in favor of sinners, freeing them from eternal death, bringing them salvation (Hebrews 10:8-9).
Jesus death occurred at the time of the sacrifice of the lamb (Passover), so that everyone would understand that He was the Christ prophesied.
The destruction of the temple in the year 70 AD, also abolished the of sacrifices of lambs by the people of Israel, who did not accept the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
At the moment of Jesus death on the cross, the veil of the sanctuary in the temple of Jerusalem, which separated the "Holy Place" and the "Holy of Holies", was torn from top to bottom in two parts (Matthew 27:51) in order to show that from that moment on, men would have direct access to God through Jesus Christ.
Just as Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac in obedience to God (Genesis 22:2), God sacrificed His own Son by raising him three days later, demonstrating his great and wonderful love for mankind.
Jesus was buried for three days (as Jonah was in the belly of the fish - Jonah 1:17); thereafter rose, ate and drank with his disciples, was seen by over five hundred people (1 Corinthians 15:3-8) and after 40 days He ascended to heaven in the view of many (Acts 1:6-9).
Easter should be celebrated with joy, for it remind us the infinite love of God for us; the certainty of our salvation by His grace through the death and the ressurection of Jesus.
In each Christian there is a strong desire to please God and this is why we are always looking for a
way to do it.
Sometimes we get frustrated because we don't feel completing our goal usually because most of
times we are trying to give something to God, what is impossible.
Anything we are or we have, was created and maintained by the Grace of God. Nothing we have that
was not freely given to us: "For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that
you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?"
(1 Corinthians 4:7).
Basically, what God requires from us, is our love and our faith, that is a result of His eternal and
wonderful love for us. Faith is to believe not only in His existence, but believe in His Word: "Why do
you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?" (Luke 6:46).
Besides, we are expected to dedicate to God the best that He has lend us or has given us to
administer. Everything we offer Him, must be done with love and it has nothing to do with the material
evaluation: "But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of
a penny. Calling His disciples to Him, Jesus said, I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into
the treasury than all the others" (Mark 12:42-43).
Sometimes it is not anything tangible; it can be a prayer of praise and gratitude, an hymn that we sing
from the bottom of our hearts or something we put on the service of Our Lord, but always on the
basis of faith:
"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe
that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him" (Hebrews 11:6).
I believe that our faith begin when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior; after that, God starts to
work in our lives in a wonderful way so that our faith can grow and be fruitful.
Unfortunately, when we are feeling well and everything looks fine, our natural inclination to sin shows
up: "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is
evil from childhood..."(Genesis 8:21) and make us to enjoy the momentum not giving thanks to God.
When difficulties knock our door, when we have health problems, we get sad and shaken, ignoring
or not being aware that God is in control of our lives and is always working for our good:
"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called
according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).
I know how difficult is to keep calm and tranquil when tempest winds strikes, but we must to
remember that: "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:20) and
so we must not fear.
God is the Supreme Creator of the Universe, Omnipotent and everything is submissive to His will.
So why we still gets scared? Because of our little faith: "He got up and rebuked the wind and the
raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. Where is your faith? He asked His disciples"
(Luke 8:25).
Many times the problem we face, although can even be touched, is a transient not a real and
permanent truth. Jesus is the Eternal Truth:"...Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the
life" (John 14:6).
How then we are supposed to stand firm in the middle of this conflict between reason and faith?
Well in the first place we cannot forget that: "So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is
unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18) and also:
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1).
Because God is a Wonderful and the only God and because He knows our weakness, He gave us the
guidance, step by step, of how we must act when facing problems they look impossible to be
solved:
1) The healing of a boy with an evil spirit: "What are you arguing with them about?" He asked.
A man in the crowd answered, Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that
has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the
mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they
could not.
O unbelieving generation, Jesus replied, how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up
with you? Bring the boy to me.
So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion.
He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.
Jesus asked the boy's father, How long has he been like this?
From childhood, he answered. It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can
do anything, take pity on us and help us.
If you can ? said Jesus: everything is possible for him who believes.
Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!
When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. You deaf and
mute spirit, he said, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.
The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse
that many said, He's dead. But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood
up.
After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, why couldn't we drive it out?
He replied, This kind can come out only by prayer and fasting" (Mark 9:16-29).
2) The dead girl and the sick woman: "Then a man named Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came
and fell at Jesus' feet, pleading with him to come to his house because his only daughter, a girl
of about twelve, was dying.
As Jesus was on His way, the crowds almost crushed Him. And a woman was there who had been
subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind Him and
touched the edge of His cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped.
Who touched me? Jesus asked.
When they all denied it, Peter said, Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.
But Jesus said, Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.
Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at His feet. In the
presence of all the people, she told why she had touched Him and how she had been instantly healed.
Then He said to her: daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace."
While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler.
Your daughter is dead, he said. Don't bother the teacher any more.
Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus: Don't be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.
When He arrived at the house of Jairus, He did not let anyone go in with Him except Peter, John and
James, and the child's father and mother. Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for
her. Stop wailing, Jesus said. She is not dead but asleep.
They laughed at Him, knowing that she was dead. But He took her by the hand and said, My child,
get up! Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something
to eat. Her parents were astonished, but He ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened
(Luke 8:41-56);
3) The resurrection of Lazarus: "So then He told them plainly, Lazarus is dead, and for your sake
I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.
Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples: Let us also go, that we may die with
him. On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany
was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort
them in the loss of their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet
him, but Mary stayed at home.
Lord, Martha said to Jesus, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that
even now God will give you whatever you ask.
Jesus said to her, Your brother will rise again.
Martha answered, I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he
dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?
Yes, Lord, she told him, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the
world.
And 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. When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus
had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met Him. When the Jews
who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out,
they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.
When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw Him, she fell at his feet and said, Lord, if you
had been here, my brother would not have died.
When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, He was
deeply moved in spirit and troubled. Where have you laid him? he asked.
Come and see, Lord, they replied.
Jesus wept.
Then the Jews said, See how He loved him!
But some of them said, Could not He who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from
dying?
Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the
entrance. "Take away the stone, He said.
But, Lord, said Martha, the sister of the dead man, by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been
there four days.
Then Jesus said: did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?
So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, Father, I thank you that you have
heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here,
that they may believe that you sent me.
When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, Lazarus, come out! The dead man came out, his
hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them: take off the grave clothes and let him go" (John 11:14-45).
When we read wonderful miracles like these, one can still has the terrible think that it happened only
because Jesus was in the world: it is not true! Peter (actually God through him) also raised the widow
from the death, after Jesus went to the Father: "Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was
taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and
other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.
Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the
dead woman, he said, Tabitha, get up. She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. He took her
by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called the believers and the widows and presented
her to them alive. This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord"
(Acts 9:39-42).
In our weakness, still we can say that Peter was special, he was a disciple of Christ. That is true, but
he was a man like ourselves, conceived like us, subjected to same temptations and sinner to the point
of deny Jesus for three times. Obviously I am not judging him; he was a great apostle of Jesus,
chosen to be the head of the church in Jerusalem.
He was present in the most important moments of the ministry of Jesus.
But still, he was a man, a sinner like us!
What I am trying to explain, is although Peter was a man like us, he could be used by God to perform
the great miracle we just read.
We also have to consider the word of The Lord to Peter: "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into
temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak"(Mark 14:38).
Through James, God tells us about Elijah: "Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it
would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years" (James 5:17).
Finally, unfortunately, there could come to our minds that what we ask to God, will be granted, since
is according to His will: "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything
according to his will, he hears us" ( 1 John 5:14). Well, lets consider what Jesus Our Lord tell us and
prove by all means, regarding to our lives: "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have
come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10).
Jesus never refuses to heal or to free or to save anybody: "For the Son of Man came to seek and to
save what was lost" (Luke 19:10).
His will is clear: He wants the best for us and that includes health, peace, happiness, holiness and a
heart turned toward Him. This is the General rule!
Exceptions can occurs, when there is a purpose that we ignore.
If that is the case, we can rest assured that God is in complete control of our lives, holding us in His
almighty and merciful hands.
God Bless you,
When we read the news these days, we remember the words of the apostle Paul in his second letter to Timothy: "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God having a form of godliness
but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them".
Definitively, men have decided to live their lives completely away from the teachings of Jesus, treacherously supported by laws and precepts created by men, which turn the moral principles upside-down.
In the USA, prayers, Bible and the Ten Commandments were taken out of the schools; based on the so-called "rights of privacy", mothers can kill their unborn babies if they decide so. Since 1973 approximately 43,000,000 human beings were deprived of the right to live in that country due abortion.
Just days ago, sodomy was decriminalized in some states and gays and lesbians are now lobbing for their "right" of same sex marriage.
I am very happy in learning that in the last two days (July 31, 2003 and August 1, 2003), the Pope John Paul II as well as the President Of The United States publicly criticized the union of gays as well as lesbians, combating "the good fight".
Much more than isolated acts of justice and high standard moral conduct, I am sure that they are being used by God according to His will.
The homosexuality is condemned by God, as we can clearly see in the Bible:
Leviticus 20:13
"If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable.
They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads".
Deuteronomy 22:5
"A woman must not wear men's clothing, nor a man wear women's clothing, for the Lord your
God detests anyone who does this".
Romans 1:21-27
"For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but
their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be
wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look
like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the
degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and
worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen.
Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural
relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with
women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other
men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion".
Having the scriptures in mind, let us then understand what is going on.
People, who lived their entire lives far away from God, in complete debauchery, ignoring His
commandments, now want to receive His blessings getting married in His Church.
At first It does not make any sense, but looking through the lenses of the Bible, we understand
that the real purpose of the enemy of our souls is to divide us and to stain the Church by means of so great heresy.
God want us as Christians, to do our part: to proclaim the truth, taking the sword, that is His Word,
engaging in this battle so that the Church could stand firm and clean, holding the holy principles
of the Gospel; to persevere in the missionary task of preaching the good news of salvation through
repentance of sin and the acceptance of Jesus Christ as Savior.
He wants us also, to remind those who are living in sexual immorality, parading their proud,
"the gay proud", what we read in the letter of Paul to the Galatians 6:7 "Do not be deceived:
God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows".
Don't stay away! Don't be silent! You will see that although the powers of darkness are already
fighting back in many countries, they once more will be defeated.
God cares for his people, those who acknowledge Jesus as "The Way, The Thrut and The Life";
He loves us and will keep His promise of preserve His Holy Church, The Bride, united and dressed
for the second coming of Our Lord.
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men
who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them,
because God has made it plain to them.
For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature -
have been clearly seen , being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their
thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God
for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading
of their bodies with one another.
They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the
Creator - who is forever praised. Amen. Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts.
Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also
abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed
indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over
to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of
wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are
gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they
disobey their parents; they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not
only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them" (Romans 1:18-32).
Discipline and Grace
In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you
have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
"My son , do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son"
(Proverbs 3:11-12).
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his
father?
If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and
not true sons.
Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much
more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while
as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his
holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a
harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.
Therefore, "strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees" (Isaiah 35:3) "Make level paths for your feet"
(Proverbs 4:26), so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.
Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the
Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble
and defile many (Hebrews 12:4-15).
Two or three times in my life God in His mercy touched my heart, and twice before my conversion I was under deep conviction.
During the American war, I was surgeon in the United States army, and after the battle of Gettysburg there were many hundred wounded soldiers in my hospital, amongst whom were twenty-eight who had been wounded so severely that they required my service at once. Some whose legs had to be amputated, some their arms, and others both their arm and leg. One of the latter was a boy who had been but three months in the service, and being too young for a soldier. He enlisted as a drummer. When my assistant surgeon and one of my stewards wished to administer chloroform, previous to the amputation, he turned his head aside and positively refused to receive it. When the steward told him that it was the doctor's orders, he said: "Send the doctor to me."
When I came to his bedside, I said: "Young man, why do you refuse chloroform? When I found you on the battlefield you were so far gone that I thought it hardly worth while to pick you up; but when you opened those large blue eyes I thought you had a mother somewhere who might, at that moment, be thinking of her boy. I did not want you to die on the field, so ordered you to be brought here; but you have now lost so much blood that you are too weak to endure an operation without chloroform, therefore you had better let me give you some." He laid his hand on mine, and looking me in the face, said: "Doctor, one Sunday afternoon, in the Sabbath-school, when I was nine and a half years old, I gave my heart to Christ. I learned to trust Him then; I have been trusting him ever since, and I can trust Him now. He is my strength and my stimulant. He will support me while you amputate my arm and leg." I then asked him if he would allow me to give him a little brandy. Again he looked me in the face saying: " Doctor, when I was about five years old my mother knelt by my side, with her arm around my neck, and said: ' Charlie, I am now praying to Jesus that you may never know the taste of strong drink your papa died a drunkard, and went down to a drunkard's grave, and I promised God, if it were His will that you should grow up, that you should warn young men against the bitter cup.' I am now seventeen years old, but I have never tasted anything stronger than tea and coffee, and as I am, in all probability, about to go into the presence of my God, would you send me there with brandy on my stomach?"
The look that boy gave me I shall never forget. At that time I hated Jesus, but I respected that boy's loyalty to his Savior; and when I saw how he loved and trusted Him to the last, there was something that touched my heart, and I did for that boy what I had never done for any other soldier
I asked him if he wanted to see his chaplain. "Oh! Yes, sir," was the answer.
When Chaplain R. came, he at once knew the boy from having often met him at the tent prayer-meetings, and taking his hand said: "Well, Charlie, I am sorry to see you in this sad condition." "Oh, I am all right, sir," he answered. "The doctor offered me chloroform, but I declined it; then he wished to give me brandy, which I also declined; and now, if my Savior calls me, I can go to Him in my right mind." "You may not die, Charlie," said the chaplain but if the Lord should call you away, is there anything I can do for you after you are gone? " "Chaplain, please put your hand under my pillow and take my little Bible; in it you will find my mother's address; please send it to her, and write a letter, and tell her that since the day I left home I have never let a day pass without reading a portion of God's word, and daily praying that God would bless my dear mother; no matter whether on the march, on the battle-field, or in the hospital." "Is there anything else I can do for you, my lad?" asked the chaplain. " Yes; please write a letter to the superintendent of the Sands-street Sunday-school, Brooklyn, N.Y., and tell him that the kind words, many prayers, and good advice he gave me I have never forgotten; they have followed me through all the dangers of battle; and now, in my dying hour, I ask my dear Savior to bless my dear old superintendent. That is all."
Turning towards me he said: "Now, doctor, I ant ready; and I promise you that I will not even groan while you take off my arm and leg, if you will not offer me chloroform." I promised, but I had not the courage to take the knife in my hand to perform the operation without first going into the next room and taking a little stimulant myself to perform my duty.
While cutting through the flesh, Charlie Coulson never groaned; but when I took the saw to separate the bone, the lad took the corner of his pillow in his mouth, and all that I could hear him utter was: "O Jesus, blessed Jesus! Stand by me now." He kept his promise, and never groaned.
That night I could not sleep, for whichever way I turned I saw those soft blue eyes, and when I closed mine the words, "Blessed Jesus, stand by me now," kept ringing in my ears. Between twelve and one o'clock I left my bed and visited the hospital; a thing I had never done before unless specially called, but such was my desire to see that boy. Upon my arrival there I was informed by the night steward that sixteen of the hopeless cases had dies, and been carried down to the dead-house. "How is Charlie Coulson, is he among the dead?" "I asked. "No, sir," answered the steward, "he is sleeping as sweetly as a babe." When I came up to the bed which he lay, one of the nurses informed me that, about nine o clock, two member of the Y.M.C.A. came through the hospital to read and sing a hymn. They were accompanied by Chaplain R., who knelt by Charlie Coulson's bed, and offered up a fervent and soul-stirring prayer; after which they sang, while still upon their knees, the sweetest of all hymns, "Jesus, lover of my soul,: in which Charlie joined. I could not understand how that boy, who had undergone such excruciating pain, could sing.
Five days after I had amputated that dear boy's arm and leg, he sent for me, and it was from him on that day I heard the first gospel sermon. "Doctor," he said, "my time has come; I do not expect to see another sun rise; but thank God, I am ready to go; and before I die I desire to thank you with all my heart for your kindness to me. Doctor, you are a Jew, you do not believe in Jesus; will you please stand here and see me die, trusting my Savior to the last moment of my life?" I tried to stay, but I could not; for I had not the courage to stand by and see a Christian boy die rejoicing in the love of a Jesus whom I had been taught to hate, so I hurriedly left the room. About twenty minutes later a steward, who found me sitting in my private office covering my face with my hand, said: "Doctor, Charlie Coulson wishes to see you." "I have just seen him," I answered, "and I cannot see him again." "But, doctor, he says he must see you once more before hoe dies." I now made up my mind to see him, say an endearing word, and let him die; but I was determined that no word of his should influence me in the least so far as his Jesus was concerned. When I entered the hospital I saw he was sinking fast, so I sat down by his bed. Asking me to take his hand, he said, " Doctor, I hove you because you are a Jew; the best friend I have found in this world was a Jew." I asked him who that was. He answered: "Jesus Christ, to whom I want to introduce you before I die; and will you promise me, doctor, that what I am about to say to you, you will never forget?" I promised; and he said: "Five days ago, while you amputated my arm and leg, I prayed to the Lord Jesus Christ to convert your soul."
These words went deep into my heart. I could not understand how, when I was causing him the most intense pain, he could forget all about himself and think of nothing but his Savior and my unconverted soul. All I could say to him was: "Well, my dear boy, you will soon be all right." With these words I left him, and twelve minutes later he fell asleep, "safe in the arms of Jesus."
Hundreds of soldiers died in hospital during the war; but I only followed one to the grave, and that one was Charlie Coulson, the drummer boy; and I rode three miles to see him buried. I had him dressed in a new uniform, and placed in an officer's coffin, with a United States flag over it.
That boy's dying words made a deep impression upon me. I was rich at that time so far as money is concerned, but I would have given every penny I possessed if I could have felt towards Christ as Charlie did; but that feeling cannot be bought with money. Alas! I soon forgot all about my Christian soldier's little sermon, but I could not forget the boy himself. I now know that at that time I was under deep conviction of sin; but I fought against Christ with all the hatred of an orthodox Jew for nearly ten years, until, finally, the dear boy's prayer was answered, and God converted my soul.
About eighteen months after my conversion, I attended a prayer-meeting one evening in time city of Brooklyn. It was one of those meetings when Christians testify to the loving kindness of their Savior. After several of them had spoken, an elderly lady arose and said "Dear friends, this may be the last time that it is my privilege to testify for Christ. My family physician told me yesterday that my right lung is nearly gone, and my left lung is very much affected; so at the best I have boot a short time to be with you but what is left of it belongs to Jesus. Oh! it is a great joy to know that I shall meet my boy with Jesus in heaven.
My son was not only a soldier for this country, but also a soldier for Christ. He was wounded at the battle of Gettysburg, and fell into the hands of a Jewish doctor, who amputated his arm and leg, but he lived five days after the operation. The chaplain of the regiment wrote me a letter, and sent me my boy's Bible. In that letter I was informed that my Charlie in his dying hour sent for that Jewish doctor, and said to him "Doctor, before I die I wish to tell you that five days ago, while you amputated my arm and leg, I prayed to the Lord Jesus Christ to convert your soul.
When I heard this body's testimony, I could sit still no longer. I left my seat, crossed the room and taking her hand, said "God bless you, my dear sister; your boy's prayer has been heard and answered. I am the Jewish doctor for whom your Charlie prayed, and his Savior is now my Savior."
MD. M. L. Rossvally
God Bless you,
Finding Peace With God.
("Touching Incidents and Remarkable Answers to Prayer" By S. B. SHAW - Grand Rapids, Michigan,
USA. S.B. SHAW, PUBLISHER,1188 S. Division St. Copyrighted by the author - 1893)
Good Morning
When you wake up this morning, I had prepared the sun to warm your day and the food for your nutrition. Yes, I have provided while you were still sleeping.
I would love to hear you to say "Good Morning" to me, but you didn't. Well, you were so hurried…I forgave you.
The sun raised, the flowers exhaled their perfume, the morning breeze followed you but you didn't realize that I had prepared all that for you.
Your family smiled, your friends greeted you, you worked, studied, had a trip, close deals, reached victories but didn't realized that I was helping you and much more I could have done if you allowed me to do so. I know you are always in a hurry then I forgave you.
You read a lot, heard many things, watched yet more, but had no time to listen to My Word.
I tried to talk to you, but you never stopped to listen. I tried to advise you but you not even have considered this option.
Your eyes, your thinking, your words would be better; the evil would be smaller and the good much greater in your life.
You have worked, earn money and all could be better yet if you had let me help you more; once more you have forgotten me!
By the end of the day, you came back home. I sent the moon and the stars creating a beautiful scenario just to remember my love for you.
I want you to know that I am someone Who knocks your door everyday, always making the same question: "Do you have a place for me in your home, in your life, in your heart? I am present on these lines, which you out of curiosity just have read; I am Jesus Christ and I only want to be your friend and also that you accept me as your Lord and Savior: "That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord', and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9).
God Bless you,
Halloween has every appearance of evil, yet some Christians celebrate it.
Why? Historians, anthropologists, encyclopedias and the media tell us that
Halloween and its traditions are rooted in witchcraft and Satanism.
Why don't all Christians see this? Can they not see the houses decorated with
witches, demons, ghosts, vampires, sorcerers, devils, death, mutilation
and horror? Can they not discern that celebrating Halloween is out of the
question for a Christian?
Of course they can. But level of spiritual discernment is not the problem
when Christians continue celebrating a day devoted to Satan.
What's at issue is obedience, and their unwillingness to suffer shame and ridicule
for refusing to celebrate a popular holiday.
If you are a Christian who
says that Halloween practices are "harmless," have "lost their original
meaning" and are "just some fun for the kids," this letter is for you. If
you beg to differ, take issue with the sources cited, especially God's
word, the Bible.
Origin Of Halloween Is Evil Rooted In Paganism
"For the ancient Celts it [Halloween] was Old Year's Night, and the night
of all the witches." [Dunkling, Leslie. A Dictionary of Days. New York:
Facts on File, 1988. p54.]
"Halloween . . . is derived from the rites of the druids celebrating the
day of Saman, when the Lord of Death called together the souls of the
wicked who had died during the past year. The theme of the harvest, which
runs through modern Halloween celebrations, comes from both the old
druidic celebrations and the old Roman festivals in honour of Pomona,
goddess of fruit, which were brought to Britain during the Roman
occupation." [Collier's Encyclopedia, Vol 12. New York: Macmillan, 1991.
[p192.]
"Halloween was thought to be the most favourable time for divination
concerning marriage, luck, health, and death. It was the only day on which
the help of the devil was invoked for such purposes." [The New
Encyclpedia Britannica, Vol. 5. 15th ed. Chicago: Encyclpedia
Britannica, 1992. p646.]
"According to a medieval Irish document, the Druidic priests burned live
children on the Samhain fire [precursor to present-day Halloween bon
fires] to gain favour of the gods they worshipped." [Halloween: Trick or
Treat? Pagan Invasion: Vol 1. Jeremiah Films Inc, 1991.]
Halloween: Trick or Treat?
All of today's seemingly innocent Halloween customs have their origin in
the ancient Celtic Day of the Dead.
Trick-or-treating is from Celtic tradition, where people gave food in
exchange for blessings from spirits of the dead. Failure to supply
treats would result in demonic retaliation.
Jack-O-Lanterns grew out of the Celtic tradition of carving the faces
of demonic spirits on turnips and, later, pumpkins.
The World Book Encyclopedia says that the apparently harmless
lighted face of the Jack-O-Lantern is actually an ancient symbol of a
damned soul.
Candle-lit pumpkins or skulls at a home once signified that the
occupants were sympathetic to Satan and therefore received mercy
by trick-or-treaters on their Halloween rounds.
Bon fires stem from the Druidic ritual midnight fires in which adults
and children were thrown into huge fires while the celebrants danced
around them in demonic fits of abandon.
The Druids believed that black cats were reincarnations of the evil
dead and were possessed with supernatural power and knowledge.
Halloween Today
While Halloween is largely a secular holiday, true witches and
followers of witchcraft still preserve the early pagan beliefs and
consider Halloween a sacred and deadly powerful time."
Glenn Hobbs, a former Satanist, says that children all over the world
are sacrificed on Halloween night during Satanic rituals. He
witnessed child-sacrifice as a boy.
Detective Kurt Jackson, of Beaumont Police Department in the
United States, confirms that humans are sacrificed every year on
Halloween.
There are confirmed cases of women who were used by Satanists as
"breeders" of children who were later sacrificed to Satan.
Halloween is the one time of the year when Canadian and American
community service organizations warn that children and animals are
most likely to be abducted. [Halloween: Trick or Treat? Pagan
Invasion: Vol 1. Jeremiah Films Inc, 1991.]
Conclusions About Halloween
"You are to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but
rather reprove them" (Ephesians 5:11).
"You are to abstain from all appearance of evil (1Thessalonians 5:22).
You are to keep no company with people who call themselves Christians
while living in open sin" (1Corinthians 5:11).
"You are to have no fellowship with devils" (1Corinthians 10:20).
"You are to withdraw yourself from every brother that walks disorderly"
(2 Thessalonians 3:6).
Any non-Christian you care to stop on the street will tell you that the
energizing person behind Halloween is not God. Surely no Christian can say
that he or she celebrates Halloween "as unto the Lord".
Any Christian who celebrates a day that is consecrated to Satan, sins !
Will you obey God's Word? Will you have nothing to do with Halloween, but rather reprove it?
It is our desire that the references and opinions here quoted, could bring you enlightenment
on this subject.
Who in their infancy, at least once did not feel humiliated by other children, not wanting to participate in any play, which our parents had forbidden us to play?
Have you ever feel diminished by a friend simply because you do not partake of something considered "common or unexceptional" by others; things that were (or are) against our standards or beliefs?
Such is the life of God's people in this world. People think we are different, boring; often do not wants us around, because we will spoil their pleasure when they are doing what we reproach.
What the world offers us satisfies the flesh, but not the spirit, and as the flesh perishes, so its pleasures are ephemeral.
The Word of God teaches us that we must live by the spirit:”So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other” (Galatians 5:16-25).
In today's world full of evil, danger, disease, pests, natural disasters and wars, we can easily feel trapped, scared, sad and hopeless.
When we watch the television news today, we aknowledge the brutal crimes perpetrated in our cities: children killing parents, parents killing their children; corruption, sex without commitment, demoralization of the marriage, the end of morality and good conduct; terrorist attacks, the implementation of laws that punish the righteous ones and privileges the injustice.
How to endure this? How to live in this dark world, without being tainted or being hurt. How to stand firm on the faith?
We must remember that we live in the end times and pay attention to the words that Paul wrote to Timothy, inspired by God: “ But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth—men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone. You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (II Timothy 3)..
We must stand in our way of life, following the gospel of Jesus, fighting every day, the "good fight of faith."
Shortly before his crucifixion, Lord Jesus interceded for us, praying to the Father: “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it”(John 17:6-16).
Therefore, we can count on the help and protection of God for our lives, never forgetting also the following words of Jesus :“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).
This is God's answer to our question, the title of this message: we are to live according to His Word, and enjoy the abundant life He wants for us, in the certainty of His protection and blessings that come through His infinite love for us and the intercession of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
Because God love us and always wants to help us to live according to His will, for our own good and for His Glory, He provided these marvelous instructions and words of encouragement, as we can see in:
The letter of Paul to the Thessalonians (4:1-12):
Living to please God
Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.
For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you.
For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
As well in the first letter of Peter (3:8-22 and 4:1-19):
Suffering for doing good
Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For:
"Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil" (Psalm 34:12-16 ).
Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened" (Isaiah 8:12).
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.
Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being
built.
In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also - not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand - with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.
Living for God
Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin.
As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do - living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.
They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you. But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.
The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
Suffering for being a Christian
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
And, "If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?" (Prov. 11:31)
So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been
born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love"
(1John 4:7-8).
"Love is patient , love is kind . It does not envy , it does not boast , it is not proud . It is not rude ,
it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in
evil , but rejoices with the truth . It always protects , always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres"
(1Corinthians 13:4-7).
"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong
or a clanging cymbal . If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge ,
and if I have a faith that can move mountains , but have not love , I am nothing. If I give all I possess
to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing" (1Corintians 13:1-3).
"This is how God showed his love among us : He sent his one and only Son into the world that
we might live through him . This is love : not that we loved God , but that he loved us and sent his Son
as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us , we also ought to love one
another . No one has ever seen God ; but if we love one another , God lives in us and his love is made
complete in us.
We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen
and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world . If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us .
God is love . Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete
among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like
him.
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.
The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says,
"I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he
has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever
loves God must also love his brother" (1 John 4:9-21).
Jesus said: " Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
mind and your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments"
(Matews 22:37-40 ).
"Love does no harm to its neighbor . Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law" (Romans 13:10).
"The goal of this command is love, which comes from a sincere faith , a pure heart and a good
conscience" (1Timothy 1:5).
Who is this person so venerated, so idolized by multitudes around the world? What the Bible teaches us about her? Did she perform miracles? Was (or is) Jesus subjected to her will?
Lets examine the Scriptures to understand who really Mary is!
The first reference we find in the Bible mentioning her by her name, is in Matthew when the genealogy of Jesus is described:"A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham" (Matthew 1:1);"... and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife" (Matthew 1:6); "... and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ" (Matthew 1-16). So, we must acknowledge the fact that was Joseph and not Mary who was from the lineage of the king David from who the Messiah was to come:" A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit" (Isaiah 11:1).
The prophet Isaiah also prophesied: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14).
We also read: "This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: "His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:18-23).
She was the right person chosen by God, in the right time at the right place, with the virtue required to bear and to nurse the Messiah.
Her mission was accomplished when Jesus was born!
Every time she is mentioned in the Bible, she is portrait as someone who Jesus loved very much and was treated with respect, but in anywhere she was given a special status or authority that could lead us to think that she can intercede for us.
Also, Mary performed not even one miracle!
In fact, Jesus said:" I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he" (Matthew 11:11). It includes Mary!
When Jesus was twelve years old, he went with Joseph and Mary to the Passover Feast in Jerusalem but did not came back with them preferring to stay in the temple:" When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you." "Why were you searching for me?" He asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he was saying to them" (Luke 2:48-51).
Then can we conclude that Jesus was (is) subjected to Mary's will? Absolutely not!
Setting an example to everyone as Jesus always did, he was obedient to His parents: that's all!
Jesus came into the world in obedience to the will of God the Father and was obedient to the point of death:" Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:5-11).
Besides, when Jesus performed His first miracle, at Cana in Galilee, we find that Jesus kindly rebuked Mary who was subjected to Him:" 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. When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine." "Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied, "My time has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you" (John 2:1-5).
In more than one occasion, Jesus established the importance of His earthly family (including Mary), in the context of His mission:" 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." "Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked. Then he looked at those seated in a circle around him and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother and sister and mother"(Mark 3:31-35).
Other important aspect to be considered about Mary is that many deny the fact that she had other children, after Jesus was born, like any other woman, all sons and daughters of Joseph her husband:"Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?" they asked. "Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren't all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things? " (Matthew 13:54-56).
Finally, I would like to clarify, based on the Scriptures, that only Jesus Christ is the mediator between men and God the Father:" For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men-the testimony given in its proper time" (1 Timothy 2:5-6).
Also Jesus taught His disciples:" Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:5-6).
I am sure that if Mary could send us a letter from heaven, she would explain all these things (much better than I) to avoid people to walk in a way that certainly will not take then to haven!
The New Year should be a time of reflection for all of us - to ponder the plans and goals we set for ourselves in the previous year in relationship to where we are at now.
How well did you do? Did you succeed in the things you set out to do or did you find yourself coming up short?
People want to do what to please them, to reach their goals, but many times forget to thank God for the blessings received during the past year and worst yet, do not ask God to make His sovereign will be done in their lives.
Whatever your plans, goals and desires, never forget to always put God as the leading figure, the basis, the foundation of building and maintaining your life.
We usually hear a lot about New Year's resolutions which are usually broken in a matter of weeks.
Many people are very pessimistic about the whole issue of making resolutions, and rightly so, because so many good intentions are followed by a history of past failures.
Begin the New Year meditating on these encouraging Bible verses chosen to inspire a fresh new walk with God and a deeper commitment to living the Christian faith.
Forgetting the Past
Philippians 3:13-14
13 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Hope for the Future
Jeremiah 29:11
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.
Each New Day is Special
Lamentations 3:22-24
22 Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
24 I say to myself, the Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.
God's Timing is Perfect
Ecclesiastes 3:11
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
Observe the Word o God, when facing the New Year:
Psalm 37
1 Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong;
2 for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.
3 Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
4 Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this:
6 He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
8 Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret - it leads only to evil.
9 For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.
10 A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found.
11 But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.
12 The wicked plot against the righteous and gnash their teeth at them;
13 but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he knows their day is coming.
14 The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.
15 But their swords will pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken.
16 Better the little that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked;
17 for the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.
18 The days of the blameless are known to the Lord, and their inheritance will endure forever.
19 In times of disaster they will not wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.
20 But the wicked will perish: The Lord's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they will vanish - vanish like smoke.
21 The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously;
22 those the Lord blesses will inherit the land, but those he curses will be cut off.
23 If the Lord delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm;
24 though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.
25 I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.
26 They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed.
27 Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever.
28 For the Lord loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off;
29 the righteous will inherit the land and dwell in it forever.
30 The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just.
31 The law of his God is in his heart; his feet do not slip.
32 The wicked lie in wait for the righteous, seeking their very lives;
33 but the Lord will not leave them in their power or let them be condemned when brought to trial.
34 Wait for the Lord and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you will see it.
35 I have seen a wicked and ruthless man flourishing like a green tree in its native soil,
36 but he soon passed away and was no more; though I looked for him, he could not be found.
37 Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace.
38 But all sinners will be destroyed; the future of the wicked will be cut off.
39 The salvation of the righteous comes from the Lord; he is their stronghold in time of trouble.
40 The Lord helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him.
This is a very important subject, who requires reading and meditation; it requires the help of the Holy Spirit and an open-heart ready for His revelation.
What is salvation? Salvation is the forgiveness of sins throughout faith, by the Grace of God, showed by sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Due the profound felling of guilt, also because our insensitiveness and ignorance, we cannot accept the fact that salvation is a blessing of God; we cannot get it through deeds or even by following the Law.
God is His endless love, has sacrificed His Only Son to grant us this magnificent blessing.
Is it possible to explain this so great love? No. This is the true love, the one we can’t find in this world, unless when experiencing the acts of God.
Also, it is important to note, the dangerous tendency we have to consider ourselves somehow better than others; now we are talking about faith and human behavior.
For better understanding of this complex matter, we decided to split it in parts.
1) God does not show favoritism and offer salvation to everybody:
In the book of Mark 16:15-16 we read:
15 He said to them: Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.
16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
In Acts 10:33-48 we read:
33 So I sent for you immediately, and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us.
34 Then Peter began to speak: I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism
35 but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.
36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.
37 You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached
38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
39 "We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree,
40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen.
41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen - by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.
43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.
45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.
46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said,
47 Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.
48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.
2) God convicts men of their sins, thru the Holy Spirit:
We read in John 16:7-11:
7 But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
8 When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment:
9 in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me;
10 in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer;
11 and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
In John 1:9-13:
9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.
11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God
13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God
3) Nobody convicted by the Holy Spirit, those who God gave to Jesus, will lose the salvation, except for his own will:
1 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.
2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.
6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of who are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles,
8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
4) We cannot consider ourselves better than other people because the receiving of salvation:
Jesus tells us in Luke 13:1-5:
1 Now there was some present at that time, who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.
2 Jesus answered: Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?
3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.
4 Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them - do you think they were guiltier than all the others living in Jerusalem?
5 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.
In Isaiah 1:9 (also in Romans 9:29) we read:
9 Unless the Lord Almighty had left us some survivors, we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah.
Luke 18:10-14 tells us these words of Jesus:
10 Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: God, I thank you that I am not like other men - robbers, evildoers, adulterers - or even like this tax collector.
12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.
13 But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
14 I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
5) How to understand the salvation, acknowledging the sovereignty of God?
As we read in Exodus 33:19 (God talking to Moses):
19 And the Lord said: I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
Although, we must consider what we read:
In Romans (10:11-19):
9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
11 As the Scripture says: Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.
In John 3:16:
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
In Matthew 15:22-28:
22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.
23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him: Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.
24 He answered: I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.
25 The woman came and knelt before him. Lord, help me! she said.
26 He replied: It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs.
27 Yes Lord, she said, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table.
28 Then Jesus answered: Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted. And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
In order to receive the salvation, we need to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, The Son of God that came to the world to rescue those who were lost; to accept His sacrifice in our behalf, in our place; believe in His Words and live according to His teachings.
We got to believe that God raised Him up from the death and also, proclaim that: Jesus is Lord!
We invite you to meditate in the following verses of the Scripture:
Luke 19:1-10:
1 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through.
2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy.
3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd.
4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.
6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
7 All the people saw this and began to mutter: He has gone to be the guest of a 'sinner.'
8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord: Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.
9 Jesus said to him: Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham.
10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.
Romans 10:9:
9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God, raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
So, If you did not receive yet, Jesus Christ as your Savior, we would like to invite you to take this decision now!
Doesn't matter who you are, your age, your past or your present; whether you are rich or poor; a very important people in our society or not.
You are indispensable for God! He gave His Only Son, so that you could be saved and live an abundant life of peace, love and communion with Him, now and forevermore.
Now, pray! Talk to Him wherever you are. Ask the forgiveness of your sins; He is besides you. You cannot see Him, but He is there ready to save you.
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."
3 Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you make the Most High your dwelling - even the Lord, who is my refuge -
10 then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 "Because he loves me," says the Lord, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."
We wrote this message to help those who visit us, to understand the teachings contained in the Bible, about the soul, the spirit and the Holy Spirit. It is important for us to know that the Lord Jesus lives in us, delivers us, guides us, protects us and saves us.
James 1
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
6 But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
7 That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
Every human being has a soul, which gives him the breath of life and their spirit takes pleasure in the things of the flesh.
When we give ourselves to Jesus, he gives us the Holy Spirit, who comes from God and who starts to govern our lives.
The Holy Spirit of God convicts us of sin, forgives us, cleanses us, sanctifies us, and ultimately gives us eternal life.
Our spirit no longer governs our attitudes, our pleasures our life.
It is God who graciously gives us his Spirit so that we may have peace, joy in living, and assurance of eternal life.
As the time for his crucifixion approached, Jesus comforted his disciples by promising them the Holy Spirit:
John 14
Jesus Comforts His Disciples
1 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.
2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
4 You know the way to the place where I am going."
Jesus the Way to the Father
5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"
6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."
8 Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us."
9 Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
10 Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.
11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.
12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
13 A nd I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.
14 You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command.
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever
17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you (Jesus was physically living with them) and will be in you (the Holy Spirit - after Jesus' death and resurrection).
18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.
20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.
21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?"
23 Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him (through the Holy Spirit).
24 He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
25 "All this I have spoken while still with you.
26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
28 "You heard me say, 'I am going away and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.
29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.
30 I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me,
31 but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me. "Come now; let us leave".
Paul shows us how the Holy Spirit of God works in our lives, transforming us, giving us a new birth, a spiritual birth:
Ephesians 2
Made Alive in Christ
1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.
4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved.
6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God
9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
We received the abundant life that Jesus came to bring us and more than that, eternal life and the right to be considered as children of God:
John 1
12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God
13 children born not of natural descent,[c] nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
Paul also tells us about life by the Spirit:
Romans 8
Life Through the Spirit
1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,
2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man,
4 in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;
7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so.
8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.
11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
12 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation - but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it.
13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,
14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
15 For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."
16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.
17Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Future Glory
18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.
20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope
21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has?
25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
More Than Conquerors
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?
32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.
34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died - more than that, who was raised to life - is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
36 As it is written: "For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered."
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
May God bless you; we hope that this beautiful message from God can penetrate into your heart and bear fruits, fruits of the Spirit and that wherever you would be, the light of Christ may shine.
Those who would receive the Lord Jesus into their hearts and obey His commandments will receive the Holy Spirit; they will come out of darkness into light, from death into life and eternal life!
The Armor Of God (against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms)
11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Ephesians 6
What God Teach us here? What must we do?
1) Hold on the truth; never lie.
2) Be righteous in all matters; practice justice.
3) Always fight for the peace of God prevails.
4) Hide in the faith. Faith in the power, the mercy and the love of God for us.
5) Keep in our minds the certainty of our salvation.
6) Use the Word of God to fight the doubts and the fear, which are the weapons of the enemy.
7) Pray at all times in the Spirit. To pray in the spirit is to let our heart talk with God. Do not try to rationalize our prayers, for as we read in Romans 8:
26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
In The Gospels of Matthew chapter 24, Mark chapter 13 and Luke chapter 21, Jesus teaches His disciples about the signs of the end of the age.
We have to be careful interpreting the facts related to the end of age i the Bible, because times often intertwine.
The book of Revelations describes things which have been already happened and others which are coming.
The End Of Ages, actually begins with the first coming of Jesus.
Let's take a look at chapter 21 of the gospel of luke:
5 Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said,
6 "As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down."
7 "Teacher," they asked, "when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?"
8 He replied: "Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and, 'The time is near.' Do not follow them.
9 When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away."
10 Then he said to them: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
11 There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.
12 "But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name.
13 This will result in your being witnesses to them.
14 But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves.
15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death.
17 All men will hate you because of me.
18 But not a hair of your head will perish.
19 By standing firm you will gain life.
20 "When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near.
21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city.
22 For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written.
23 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people.
24 They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
25 "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea.
26 Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.
27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
29 He told them this parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees.
30 When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near.
31 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
32 "I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
34 "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.
35 For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth.
36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man."
Analysis of the text:
In the eighty verse, Jesus predicts the appearance of false Messiahs and false predictions of the end of the world. One of the most recent news we had was that related to the Mayan calendar, which provided, according to some scholars, the end of the world would occur on December 21, 2012.
In verse 10, Jesus warns us to the occurrence of wars involving nations. In the last century there have been two world wars.
The first one began on July 28, 1914 and ended on November 11, 1918. Something unprecedented that led to the death of approximately 20 million people.
On September 1, 1939 a new world war began in Europe and extended to all continents. It ended August 15, 1945 with the surrender of Japan. In this war, about 78 million people died.
We also know that today would be impossible the outbreak of a third world war, because it would mean the destruction of the planet earth, so many and so powerful are the weapons stockpiled around the world.
In verses 12-19, Jesus is referring to the persecution that followed his death and resurrection, when the church was persecuted. Because of this, Christians who had been scattered preached the gospel wherever they pass, as Jesus had commanded in Mark 16:15-16:
15 He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.
16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
In verse 6, Jesus talks about the destruction of the Temple built by Solomon, by the forces of General Titus, son of the Roman
Emperor Vespasian in 70 AD.
This was a result of the siege and subsequent invasion of Jerusalem, to which Jesus refers in verses 20-24.
Flavius Josephus, was born in the year 37, and died in the year 100 of our era. He was also known by his Hebrew name, Yosef ben Matityahu ("Joseph son of Matthias'). In his book "The War of the Jews", he narrates how the jews were killing each other in Jerusalem, for a piece of bread.
The historian also tells the terrible story of a mother who cooked his own son whon was beeing nursed and ate him. It reminds us what Jesus said about the mothers who were breastfeeding at the time, in verse 23.
Also because of this war and subsequent destruction of Jerusalem, the Jews were dispersed throughout the world and Israel ceased to exist until May 14, 1948, when the modern state of Israel was proclaimed.
On this date, "the times of the Gentiles", were completed as prophesied by Jesus in verse 24.
In verses 20-23 Jesus warned the Jews not to remain in Jerusalem; who was out of the city must not go in and whoever was inside the city walls should leave.
Actually, three radical parties in Jerusalem were fighting for power, attacking each other what led to the death of priests as well as people from other countries who came to worship there.
Josephus mentions in his work:
"There were just people who came from the ends of the world to worship God in that holy place, fall like dead, victims, with their blood bathing the altar, worshiped not only by Greeks but also by the most barbarous nations. You could see the blood running in rivers of both injured bodies of the priests and others; citizens as foreigners, from whom that holy place was full."
The three parties rebelled against Rome and its leaders and members did not allow the people to leave the city walls.
Anyone who tried to escape were killed. Of those who escaped, many were gutted by legions of Syrian soldiers and Arabs, who have discovered that many Jews were swallowing jewelry to take with them beyond the walls. They relied on the protective measures given to prisoners and gave themselves up to the Romans.
Such barbarity shocked even the general Titus, who ordered the Rome soldiers to surround and kill them all, but he saw that their number was greater than the prisoners who had been disemboweled, reconsidered and rebuked them saying that if someone made of new such barbarity, would be executed immediately.
In verse 25, Jesus talks about the signs in the sky, the stars, and the fear of men against the sea.
Recently (2004), the world was alarmed with the tsunami that destroyed entire towns in Indian Ocean countries.
After that was created a system to detect tsunamis when occurs an earthquake, but people are frightened by the roaring of the sea.
There are lots of signs in the heavens these days: asteroids are closing to the Earth, discoveries of celestial bodies and birth of stars are being detected everyday.
In the statements contained in verses 32 and 33, we believe that Jesus was referring to the persecution of Christians and the war against the Romans. That generation, of course not all people saw with their own eyes the prophecy being fulfilled.
In the last verse, Jesus warns us to remain alert and vigilant, for His second coming will surprise many.
What happened recently in Russia, when a meteorite struck the central region of the country, gives us a taste of what will happen in the end times, as we read in Revelation 16:21:
“21 From the sky huge hailstones of about a hundred pounds each fell upon men. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible.”.
If all these signs were not enough, we see around us and the rest of the world, the rebellious behavior of the people against God and everything that relates to Him.
Christians are persecuted by other religions and even by governments, which clearly oppose the sovereignty of God.
Instead of repenting of their sins and seek God's forgiveness, challenge him, blaspheme and direct all their hatred against the one who has created a wonderful world, with no disease, no pests, no wars, no suffering, no tears, no hunger, no pollution ... without death.
Men are definitely banishing God (The Lord) of their life. Eager to satisfy their flesh, their ambitions and evil, surrendered to the enemy, the devil.
Yet, God in His infinite mercy, even after seeing His Son to die on the cross an excruciating death, continues to sustain this universe, the life on this planet; every morning renews his blessings giving time for man to repent of their sins and turn to Him; to accept the only chance they still have of salvation, the Lord Jesus.
If you're not sure of your salvation, if you live away from your Creator, this is the time to surrender to the Lord Jesus.
He is waiting with open arms as we read in Revelation 3:20:
“20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me”.
Also in Isaiah 55:6-7, we read:
“6 Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardono".
With the proliferation of so-called "evangelical churches" without a real and effective coordination and guidance of those who should ensure the correct preaching the Gospel of the Lord Jesus, we see with great sadness that the Bible is no longer the operating life of the Christian.
What was once reviled by Christianity, is now proclaimed to the four corners and only serves to increase the profit of a few badmen who are not shepherds of the flock, but wolves who devours the sheeps. They do not serve God, do not feed the sheep, on the contrary, shear their wool, eat their flesh, drink their blood and destroy the flock.
Not satisfied of introducing popular beliefs within the church, they preach shamelessly, heresies and pagan ceremonies. Held what they call "Worship Services". Who they worship? Certainly not God!
Herbs baths, prayers against evil eye and woodoo; special services to promote the sale of books and cds.
It is deplorable, a shame!
They call themselves bishops, apostles, missionaries and pastors, when in fact they are criminals who should be prevented from proclaiming so many lies and imprisoned for up to enjoy the goods of those who often desperately seek help in these places.
They introduce people of the world into the churches covered of sins, vices and evils. Those people did not experience repentance yet they are brought into the churches as they are. To them is taught things like: "God is a father of all!", "I can do everything through him who gives me strength","no harm will come to your tent!","God is Faithful!","God gave me this (the car)" and so on.
Where are evangelistic services, the preaching in public places where we would see people in tears, giving their lives to Jesus? How new members are accepted in the churches today? Just like a neighbor or maybe as a domestic worker coerced by their employers members of the church?
And what about the wedding ceremonies? Even pregnant marry wearing a wreath and veil, without repentance for the sinful act, without any sorrow, as if they had done nothing wrong.
Sorry for the vehemence, the strong words, but the Church of the Lord Jesus can not remain silent before such distortion, so much sin, so much destruction.
Notice that people who have not repented and accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior are often accepted as members of the church, bringing with them, their sin, their wrong way of life to inside the church contaminating the environment.
Girls are misguided, young people start to dress like youth of the world, with short clothes, drooping pants, long hair well as dealing with new "friends" or "brothers" who smoke, drink, or worse, are addicted to marijuana or crack.
Recently I listen to a sermon in a traditional church, where the pastor, a young fellow, son of a church member, did not use the Bible to preach, but a famous magazine.
Young people, ocasionally, marry the wrong people and begin the new family full of problems and ambiguities, what make them who had a life ahead to serve their God, to become unhappy and useless in the work of the Lord.
After the marriage they often stop attending church and raise their children away from the fear of God.
We know that once the married we can not remarry. Sometimes, the non converted spouse return to the world, leaving behind a dismembered family, united in Christ a litle while before.
In short, what we are saying is that we, as part of the church, must return to our first love: return to Jesus! Read the bible, meditate on God's Word; apply its commandments and teachings to our lives; preach the gospel of repentance, true peace, truly abundant life and not the false "prosperity gospel."
We pray that God in His infinite mercy, separate his chosen ones and protect them from these ravening wolves that are attacking the Church of the Lord, because their main goal is to break the church unity and destroy it.
God Bless you,
Finding Peace With God.
Please read:
2 Peter 2
False Teachers and Their Destruction
1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them - bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. 4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment; 5 if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; 6 if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7 and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men 8 (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard) - 9 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment. 10 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; 11 yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord. 12 But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish. 13 They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. 14 With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed - an accursed brood! 15 They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness. 16 But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey - a beast without speech - who spoke with a man's voice and restrained the prophet's madness. 17 These men are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. 18 For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity - for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. 20 If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. 21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. 22 Of them the proverbs are true: "A dog returns to its vomit,"and, "A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud."
Revelation 2
To the church in Ephesus
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5 Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. 6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
To the Church in Pergamum
14 Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality. 15 Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Repent therefore! Otherwise, I will soon come to you and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
Revelation 3
To the Church in Philadelphia
11 I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. 12 Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name. 13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
To the Church in Laodicea
14 "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. 19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. 21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
Why not always we can see the Lord working a miracle in our lives? Why sometimes things don't go the way we expect them to go?
Well, there could be many reasons: most of the times it happens because of sin, lack of faith, wrong motives and the fulfillment of God's time.
People try harder and harder to reach their goal, expecting to receive the favour of God at once but what they get sometimes is frustration, deception and sorrow.
We got to understand that God cares for the well being of his children and has provided in advance for all our needs.
The focus of our lives must be Him. Jesus said: "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:33)".
He also teaches us: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7)".
Maybe you will ponder that you are already doing all this, but probably one thing you are missing: to consider the time of God!
When Daniel was trying to understand what Jeremiah wrote about the desolation of Jerusalem: the answer came to him after three weeks of intense prayers and fasting: "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them (Daniel 10:12)".
When the disciples asked Jesus about the end of ages, He gave them some hints, but also said: "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father (Matthew 24:36)".
Peter also wrote: "But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day (2 Peter 3:8)".
If you are praying and you can't see the blessing coming, be patient. Believe that God is awesome and love you so much that even gave His only son to die on the cross to save you and to give you blessings greater than you can imagine: "I tell you the truth," Jesus replied, "no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields-and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life" (Mark 10:29-30)".
So when you pray, be patient because the blessing is coming in time, the time of God.
We have already wrote another message about Mary, but we were compelled to add some more information about the cult to Mary.
The purpose is in no way to offend other people's beliefs or to antagonize people or religions, but to bring to the surface, to the debate, real facts as subsidies to those who seek the truth and who sincerely want to worship the Father in Spirit and Truth.
At the Council of Ephesus, year 431, they decided to call her "Mother of God":
This complete absurdity denies the eternity of God.
Revelation 22:
13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.
That pronouncement, places the creature above its creator.
At the Lateran Council, year 649, they proclaimed the virginity of Mary:
However, the Bible states that Joseph only cohabited with his wife Mary after the birth of Jesus.
Matthew 1:
18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" - which means, "God with us." 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Mark 6:
3 Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us? And they took offense at him.
Known Christians like Irenaeus, Tertullian, Eusebius, Epiphanius, Hegesippus, Helvídeo confirmed that Mary had other children in their marriage with Joseph.
Paul says, in his first letter to Corinthians 9:
4 Don't we have the right to food and drink? 5 Don't we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord's brothers and Cephas? 6 Or is it only I and Barnabas who must work for a living?
Besides, what is the problem of getting married and having children? Marriage was instituted by God and having children is an order of the Creator.
At the Ecumenical Council of Nice, 787, the cult of Mary was instituted:
To explain the cult of Mary, the Jesuits say that "women are a great instrument, they are the key to entering families, they can get great committees, feasts become pompous and help the Church administer the commoners."
The Cult of Mary is directly opposed to what God commands:
Exodus 20:
3 You shall have no other gods before me. 4 You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.
Deuteronomy 4:
16 so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman.
The dogma of the Immaculate Conception:
Pius IX decreed this heresy in 1854, establishing that Mary lived a life completely free from sin. We know that only Jesus lived in this world sinless.
Hebrews 4:
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin.
The Assumption of Mary:
Almost a hundred years later, in 1950, based on a legend of 15 centuries ago, Pope Pius XII decrees the Assumption of Mary.
Since then, the Catholic Church has taught this belief as a dogma: Mary "at the end of the course of her earthly life, was carried body and soul into heavenly glory," once more, without any biblical support.
The Ave Mary
It is completely antagonistic to what Jesus teaches us:
John 14:
6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
1 Timothy 2:
5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all men - the testimony given in its proper time.
The so called "Our Lady of Aparecida":
In Brazil, in 1717, in Aparecida do Norte, Jose Alves, Domingos Garcia and Felipe Pedroso "fished" in the Paraíba River an image of Maria in two pieces.
Father Vilela wasted no time and made a chapel; candles were burned, creeds were encouraged and a church emerged.
More deception and simulation! They built a basilica where they collect fortunes with percentages for bishoprics and The Vatican.
So great was the "success", that on July 16, 1930 Pope Pius XI declared "Our Lady of Aparecida", the patroness of Brazil.
The Deadly Sin:
Idolatry got to the point of a mortal sin, when one hears talk of Mary as part of the Holy Trinity (Abyssus Abyssum invocat).
God bless you,
Finding Peace With God.
Wrath, Righteousness, Peace And Joy
God's Wrath Against Mankind (Romans 1:18-32)
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness,
19since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.
20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools
23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.
25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator - who is forever praised. Amen.
26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.
27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.
28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.
29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,
30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;
31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.
32 Although they know God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.
God's Righteous Judgment (Romans 2:1-4)
1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.
2 Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth.
3 So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment?
4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?
Righteousness Through Faith (Romans 3:21-31)
21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.
22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference,
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished
26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith.
28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.
29 Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,
30 since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.
31 Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.
Peace and Joy (Romans 5:1-11)
1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
3 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
4 perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!
10 For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!
11 Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
God Jesus Holy Spirit love peace finding peace with God salvation cross life sin addiction Christmas Close To God Cripled By Your Thoughts Disappointed Angry With The World Faith Easter Gay Proud God's Faithfullness godlessness Good Morning Halloween How To Live Living A Christian Life Love Mary New Year Salvation Secured In The Lord The Armor Of God The End Of The World The Evil That Encircle the Church The Time Of God The Worship Of Mary Wrath Righteousness Peace And Joy
God Jesus Holy Spirit love peace finding peace with God salvation cross life sin addiction Christmas Close To God Cripled By Your Thoughts Disappointed Angry With The World Faith Easter Gay Proud God's Faithfullness godlessness Good Morning Halloween How To Live Living A Christian Life Love Mary New Year Salvation Secured In The Lord The Armor Of God The End Of The World The Evil That Encircle the Church The Time Of God The Worship Of Mary Wrath Righteousness Peace And Joy
