This morning at our Sunday service, we were in worship praising our Lord, when my attention was diverted to this picture in my mind. I saw a beautiful Christmas tree with clear bright lights decorated with bright colored ornaments and ribbons. Christmas was over and all the Christmas wrapping were piled around the tree. Everyone was enjoying their Christmas gifts, looking for the batteries to run the toys. But way under the tree there remained a small box, wrapped in white with a very large red bow. It had been forgotten and was still waiting to be opened, but no one seemed to be aware of it. Everyone went on enjoying their many gifts. I said to myself, "Lord, I don't understand this vision?"
As I still watched this vision, the present began to unwrap itself. First the ribbon undid itself off and then wrapping paper came off. Then the lid of the box started to lift up and a BRILLIANT light began to appear. The light grew brighter and brighter until it filled the room. I was amazed that at its brilliance and asked, "Lord What are you trying to show me?"
"My daughter," He said, "I am under every Christmas tree, but many do not take the time to unwrap me. The small white box wrapped in a red bow is ME!! Tell my people I want them to unwrap me too! Many look at Me and admire Me , but leave me under the tree! They know about me, but they don't know ME!, because they haven't unwrapped Me. I am calling my people into a deeper intimacy. I desire their fellowship and have so much more to share in My Word with them. I AM THE WORD, MADE FLESH AND STILL THE LIVING WORD TODAY!"
I truly believe that the Lord is about to do something new in the church, if we will repent, come out of the world and be true ONLY to Him. Our God is amazing and He has many gifts He desires to give to His children, if only we would receive them. The world has nothing to offer us, but we have much to offer the world in the gracious love and forgiveness of our Lord. With the world growing more and more dark every day, as believers, we carry within our souls the LIGHT OF THE WORLD. May we, as God's people, this coming year seek to intimately know our Lord more and more. He is waiting for us to draw close to His heart and to receive more of Himself so that we may reveal Him to this dying world. "May His Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven"
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013
Friday, December 28, 2012
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Born to Die
For the past three weeks the phrase, 'Unto us a child is born and unto us a SON is GIVEN" has been running through my mind. I have read it, sung it and shared it. It has been on Christmas cards and in songs on the car radio. Christmas is a joyful season of year, to celebrate the birth of our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ.
"Lord," I said, "I love all the singing and the songs, but, I sense that there is something more that You would like to share with me this Christmas." And indeed there was something, MUCH more.
I have felt, just a 'pinch' of what the Father might have felt when He had to forsake His Son on Calvary. But, I had never really thought very seriously how the Father must of felt when His son was born. In my world, when a baby is born there is great rejoicing and anticipation of its future. But, to deeply feel the Father's heart the day His Son was born, caused me to ponder these thoughts.
"That day, Father,when you saw your only begotten Son lying in the manager. He wasn't just a baby. He was your Son. On that day, you saw the fulfillment of Psalm 40:6-8 saying 'Sacrifice and offering, you have not desired, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. Then I said, behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me: I desire to do your will, O my God, your law is written in my heart.'" Then later in Hebrews 10:5-7, the writer quotes again Psalms 40:6-8, but this time God adds "Sacrifices and offering you have not desired, but a BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME. In burnt offering and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, "Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book". Jesus Christ was the only BABY EVER BORN TO SUFFER AND TO DIE!
Christmas is meaningless without the whole story. Lord Jesus Christ, God Almighty, one with the Father and the Holy Spirit, humbled Himself to become a human being, to live a perfect life where Adam had failed. I believe that the baby in the manager was not only the Son of God, but the Son of Man. When Jesus humbled Himself and became a man, He gave up His rights as the Son of God, to IDENTIFY with mankind. Mankind was lost. Adam had failed. The world was under condemnation and there was no escape from judgement. There was NO other way to redeem man, (you and I) back to our Father, except for Jesus to exchange His righteousness for our unrighteousness, by taking our sin upon Himself. "For He who knew no sin became sin for us" " It is finished," was His cry.
There is no greater LOVE in this whole world than the love of the Father and His Son Jesus. Their great sacrifice for each other brought about our salvation. Today, Jesus still relates to us as the Son of Man. He alone knows each of us personally and desires a deeper relationship with Him. Because Jesus (God) became man He can relate to all our infirmities, joy, and suffering. He experienced life here on earth, as we know it.
It is so easy to caught up in all the Christmas activities and never take the time to ponder that the babe laying in the manager is Jesus, a BODY PREPARED , and a FATHER'S LOVE GIVEN FOR SIN OF THE WORLD; A BABY BORN TO DIE.
"Lord," I said, "I love all the singing and the songs, but, I sense that there is something more that You would like to share with me this Christmas." And indeed there was something, MUCH more.
I have felt, just a 'pinch' of what the Father might have felt when He had to forsake His Son on Calvary. But, I had never really thought very seriously how the Father must of felt when His son was born. In my world, when a baby is born there is great rejoicing and anticipation of its future. But, to deeply feel the Father's heart the day His Son was born, caused me to ponder these thoughts.
"That day, Father,when you saw your only begotten Son lying in the manager. He wasn't just a baby. He was your Son. On that day, you saw the fulfillment of Psalm 40:6-8 saying 'Sacrifice and offering, you have not desired, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. Then I said, behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me: I desire to do your will, O my God, your law is written in my heart.'" Then later in Hebrews 10:5-7, the writer quotes again Psalms 40:6-8, but this time God adds "Sacrifices and offering you have not desired, but a BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME. In burnt offering and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, "Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book". Jesus Christ was the only BABY EVER BORN TO SUFFER AND TO DIE!
Christmas is meaningless without the whole story. Lord Jesus Christ, God Almighty, one with the Father and the Holy Spirit, humbled Himself to become a human being, to live a perfect life where Adam had failed. I believe that the baby in the manager was not only the Son of God, but the Son of Man. When Jesus humbled Himself and became a man, He gave up His rights as the Son of God, to IDENTIFY with mankind. Mankind was lost. Adam had failed. The world was under condemnation and there was no escape from judgement. There was NO other way to redeem man, (you and I) back to our Father, except for Jesus to exchange His righteousness for our unrighteousness, by taking our sin upon Himself. "For He who knew no sin became sin for us" " It is finished," was His cry.
There is no greater LOVE in this whole world than the love of the Father and His Son Jesus. Their great sacrifice for each other brought about our salvation. Today, Jesus still relates to us as the Son of Man. He alone knows each of us personally and desires a deeper relationship with Him. Because Jesus (God) became man He can relate to all our infirmities, joy, and suffering. He experienced life here on earth, as we know it.
It is so easy to caught up in all the Christmas activities and never take the time to ponder that the babe laying in the manager is Jesus, a BODY PREPARED , and a FATHER'S LOVE GIVEN FOR SIN OF THE WORLD; A BABY BORN TO DIE.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Where is the Power to Witness?
Is it possible that we as believers could quenched the Holy Spirit and drive many people away from the GOOD NEWS of the gospel? The gospel is a PERSON, the person of Jesus. Only the Holy Spirit can make Him known. Without the Holy Spirit we will never understand Scripture, the world, or ourselves in it. He is a PERSON and should be acknowledged just as we do the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is GOD also, and He was sent back to the church to be a testimony of Jesus' resurrection; to reveal Jesus to those who believe, and to live His life through the person of the Holy Spirit in the church (His body).
Acts 1:4 says "And while staying with them He ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which he said, "You heard for John baptized you with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not may days from now." Later on in Acts 1: 8 Jesus explains the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the reason for it. He says," And you will receive POWER when the Holy spirit has come upon you, and you will be MY WITNESSES in Jerusalem, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
"To the ends of the earth", does it means for the church today here in America and in all Nations? We have to ask ourselves where is the power to witness the resurrection of our Lord? We talk about Jesus. We confess we are sinners and need a Savior. We believe that Jesus died for our sin and by faith we are born again. We have all our doctrines lined up, but, do we believe that the Holy Spirit is a PERSON too, and very much a part of our salvation experience?
John 16:12-15 Jesus says, "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth (Holy Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on his own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine, therefore I said He will take what is mine and declare it to you." Right here, Jesus is not talking about some 'spirit blowing in the wind!', but a PERSON, The THIRD PERSON OF THE GODHEAD. He has a mind, will and emotions, like we do.
As it was once explained to me, "Dottie,if you were immersed in the water of baptism to identify with Jesus' death, then why would you not, as believers, desire to be immersed in the Holy Spirit into His resurrection? It made so much sense. The baptism of the Holy Spirit did changed my life. It set me free to worship the Lord in ways I never experienced before. I now realize, that I had the Holy spirit when I was born again, but the Holy Spirit didn't have ME! I have to confess, I was saved, but honestly, I was afraid of the supernatural life the Lord wanted to released through me.
Today, I believe that the Holy Spirit is waking up the church once again to believe and receive Him into our hearts, and relate to Him as a person. The Holy Spirit is not just a concept. He is real and active, and the ONLY one able to testify that Jesus is alive, resurrected and living His life through His body, the church. Great days are ahead for God's people, as long as we let the Holy Spirit witness Jesus' resurrection, like He did at Pentecost, and glorify His name through our lives..
Acts 1:4 says "And while staying with them He ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which he said, "You heard for John baptized you with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not may days from now." Later on in Acts 1: 8 Jesus explains the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the reason for it. He says," And you will receive POWER when the Holy spirit has come upon you, and you will be MY WITNESSES in Jerusalem, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
"To the ends of the earth", does it means for the church today here in America and in all Nations? We have to ask ourselves where is the power to witness the resurrection of our Lord? We talk about Jesus. We confess we are sinners and need a Savior. We believe that Jesus died for our sin and by faith we are born again. We have all our doctrines lined up, but, do we believe that the Holy Spirit is a PERSON too, and very much a part of our salvation experience?
John 16:12-15 Jesus says, "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth (Holy Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on his own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine, therefore I said He will take what is mine and declare it to you." Right here, Jesus is not talking about some 'spirit blowing in the wind!', but a PERSON, The THIRD PERSON OF THE GODHEAD. He has a mind, will and emotions, like we do.
As it was once explained to me, "Dottie,if you were immersed in the water of baptism to identify with Jesus' death, then why would you not, as believers, desire to be immersed in the Holy Spirit into His resurrection? It made so much sense. The baptism of the Holy Spirit did changed my life. It set me free to worship the Lord in ways I never experienced before. I now realize, that I had the Holy spirit when I was born again, but the Holy Spirit didn't have ME! I have to confess, I was saved, but honestly, I was afraid of the supernatural life the Lord wanted to released through me.
Today, I believe that the Holy Spirit is waking up the church once again to believe and receive Him into our hearts, and relate to Him as a person. The Holy Spirit is not just a concept. He is real and active, and the ONLY one able to testify that Jesus is alive, resurrected and living His life through His body, the church. Great days are ahead for God's people, as long as we let the Holy Spirit witness Jesus' resurrection, like He did at Pentecost, and glorify His name through our lives..
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Who is the Holy Spirit?
I often have people ask me "Who is the Holy Spirit? Why was He sent?" Honestly, I can't wrap my mind completely around the Holy Spirit either, but this I do believe, He was sent to call out a bride to receive Jesus' love and to prepare her to reign with Him forever and ever.
There is a story in Genesis 24, where Abraham calls forth his most faithful servant Eleazar to find a bride for his son Isaac. Eleazar packs many gifts for Isaac's future bride and starts out on his long journey. After many days, he stops at a water hole to water his camels. A beautiful woman, Rebeka was watering her camels also and offered some water for Eleazar's camels. He knew then that she was the one for Isaac.
To make a long story short, ( a story worth reading) Rebeka agrees to leave her father and mother's home and to travel back to Isaac. On the way home all Rebeka wanted to talk about was Isaac, "What is he like?What color is his eyes? How old is he? Is he serious or funny?" These might of been a few of her curiosities.
This beautiful love story in Genesis 24 is a picture type of the calling out of the bride for Christ. The Father after the resurrection and ascension of His Son Jesus, sent the Holy Spirit back to earth bearing spiritual gifts for His bride. You and I, the bride of Christ, are own our way back to Jesus, and the Holy Spirit continuously reveals more and more to us, who Jesus Christ is in us,and the gifts that He sent to enable us to manifest His glory..
You and I have no idea how much Jesus really loves us and wants us to be with Him. He is ready for His bride. Are we ready for our bridegroom? This is the work of the Holy Spirit to SET US APART from the spirit of this world, our sin and to join us to Christ our bridegroom. The Holy Spirit is faithful to finish the good work He has started. The gates of hell will not prevail against the church of Jesus Christ. I have read the back of the book and Jesus WON!
There is a story in Genesis 24, where Abraham calls forth his most faithful servant Eleazar to find a bride for his son Isaac. Eleazar packs many gifts for Isaac's future bride and starts out on his long journey. After many days, he stops at a water hole to water his camels. A beautiful woman, Rebeka was watering her camels also and offered some water for Eleazar's camels. He knew then that she was the one for Isaac.
To make a long story short, ( a story worth reading) Rebeka agrees to leave her father and mother's home and to travel back to Isaac. On the way home all Rebeka wanted to talk about was Isaac, "What is he like?What color is his eyes? How old is he? Is he serious or funny?" These might of been a few of her curiosities.
This beautiful love story in Genesis 24 is a picture type of the calling out of the bride for Christ. The Father after the resurrection and ascension of His Son Jesus, sent the Holy Spirit back to earth bearing spiritual gifts for His bride. You and I, the bride of Christ, are own our way back to Jesus, and the Holy Spirit continuously reveals more and more to us, who Jesus Christ is in us,and the gifts that He sent to enable us to manifest His glory..
You and I have no idea how much Jesus really loves us and wants us to be with Him. He is ready for His bride. Are we ready for our bridegroom? This is the work of the Holy Spirit to SET US APART from the spirit of this world, our sin and to join us to Christ our bridegroom. The Holy Spirit is faithful to finish the good work He has started. The gates of hell will not prevail against the church of Jesus Christ. I have read the back of the book and Jesus WON!
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