Blog 07-30-2010

Friday

PRaP 07-30-2010

 

250 Events In the Life Of Christ / A Harmony Of The Gospels Part 19

“John The Baptist Declares His Mission”

John 1:19-28

 

¹⁹Now this was John’s testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. ²⁰He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Christ.^[a]”

 ²¹They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”
      He said, “I am not.”
      ”Are you the Prophet?”
      He answered, “No.”

 ²²Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

 ²³John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’ “^[b]

 ²⁴Now some Pharisees who had been sent ²⁵questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

 ²⁶“I baptize with^[c] water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. ²⁷He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

 ²⁸This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

 

The very next day after John proclaims his mission Jesus shows up to be baptized by him and fulfills his mission.  Not long after that, John the Baptist was beheaded.  John lived his entire life in wait for these things to come to pass.  Think you could wait an entire lifetime to fulfill your destiny?  Especially knowing what it is the entire time?  John lived his life as to see that he didn’t mess things up by living in the desert and staying away from fermented drink and the food he ate was locust and wild honey.  I would be wanting some meat right about then for sure.  I’m not sure about the Locust he consumed but wild honey is God’s perfect food.  It is the only food besides spam that doesn’t have a shelf life.  It doesn’t go bad ever!  Look up honey on the Internet and read about all the stuff it is good for.  That reminds me, be kind to your local honey bee and buy honey from your local supplier.

 

Don’t forget Sunday 12:00pm cst “To Be or Not To Be”

 

Peace and Agape Love,

Pastor Steve

Blog 07-29-2010

Thursday

PRaP 07-29-2010

 

Before we start, there will be a live church service this Sunday at 12:00pm Central Time (1:00 est, 10:00a pst, 6:00pm UK) on c2C Ministry Radio and TV, “To Be or Not To Be”

 

250 Events In the Life Of Christ / A Harmony Of The Gospels Part 18

“Satan Tempts Jesus In The Desert”

Matthew 4:1-11

Mark 1:12-13

Luke 4:1-13

 

¹Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. ²After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

 ⁴Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’^[a]”

 ⁵Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶“If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
   ” ‘He will command his angels concerning you,
      and they will lift you up in their hands,
   so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’^[b]”

 ⁷Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’^[c]”

 ⁸Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹“All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

 ¹⁰Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’^[d]”

 ¹¹Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

 

Why do you think that Jesus had to be tempted in the desert?  Why is it that He was offered all the things of the world?  Jesus could have gained all things of this Earth but denied them all.  He would have had reign over everything that we can see, touch, feel, smell, or own yet Jesus denied them.  Could you do that?  Could you tell the devil no I have something greater than this waiting for me in my Fathers house?  Many have failed this test and have chosen the World over the blessings of the Father in heaven.  They have bowed their knee to things of this world and have surrendered their lives over to satan himself.  For those of you that have done this there is still hope as long as you have a breath of life in you all of this can be changed and that information makes the enemy very angry.  If you repent of your sin and give away all the ill-gotten riches your life can be saved.  You may think you can’t do that but if you give your life to Christ and are obedient He will give you more blessings greater than what you have now.  What He gives you no robber can steal, no rust can destroy, no fire can consume, and no moth can eat.  Jesus went through the temptations He did so that we have no excuse because through Jesus Christ we can do all things and all things will be used for the glory of God.

 

Peace and Agape Love,

Pastor Steve

Blog 07-28-2010

Wednesday

PRaP 07-28-2010

 

250 Events In the Life Of Christ / A Harmony Of The Gospels Part 17

“John Baptizes Jesus”

Matthew 3:13-17

Mark 1:9-11   

Luke 3:21-22

 

¹³Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. ¹⁴But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

 ¹⁵Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

 ¹⁶As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. ¹⁷And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

 

That must have just blown John’s mind when He saw Jesus coming and was told he is the one to baptize Jesus.  WOW! What an honor to be chosen to fulfill a task like that and then to be witness to the LORD coming down like a dove upon Him and hear His voice, oh man how awesome would it be to have been there?

Again here is a path that God has put someone on to fulfill His Perfect will and John was blessed for his obedience by being in the presence of God and to have touched His Son in the ultimate obedience of Baptism to fulfill all righteousness.  How awesome that must have been, I get chills just thinking about that day.  In my minds eye I can see all the people gathered around and John preaching and teaching about Jesus and then Jesus appears over the top of the hill and in His awesome glory told John that he was the one to Baptize Him.  I don’t think I could have kept my composure long enough to actually do it.  I get so emotional just thinking about John doing it much less if I had the opportunity.  I look forward to the day that I will walk with Jesus in first person and we can discuss things I don’t understand and He can reassure me of things to come.  I hope that you have the ability to come with us and walk and talk and listen to the Great Teacher as He teaches.  If you would like a reservation to join us all you need to do is accept Him as your Lord and Savior and be obedient in His ways while you are still breathing here and you are in.  If you need help with that feel free to drop me an email at prap@c2cministry.org and I will share what I know.

 

Peace and Agape Love,

Pastor Steve

Blog 07-27-2010

Tuesday

PRaP 07-27-2010

 

250 Events In the Life Of Christ / A Harmony Of The Gospels Part 16

“John The Baptist Prepares The Way For Jesus”

Matthew 3:1-12

Mark 1:1-8

Luke 3:1-18

 

 ¹In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the Desert of Judea ²and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” ³This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:
   ”A voice of one calling in the desert,
   ’Prepare the way for the Lord,
      make straight paths for him.’ “^[a]

 ⁴John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. ⁵People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. ⁶Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

 ⁷But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. ⁹And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. ¹⁰The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

 ¹¹“I baptize you with^[b] water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. ¹²His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

 

The voice of the one calling in the desert, John the Baptist, an amazing ministry of God to say the least.  Knew from birth the plan of God for his life and until the appointed time stayed hidden from the world living in a cave in the desert eating locust and honey.  What a life!  John stayed away from fermented drink and was kept apart from the world that he may fulfill his destiny as the one who cleared the path for Christ to be known.  What is your path?  God gives us all a purpose in life, a path that defines who we are in Him.  Have you located your path yet?  Is your path like Johns path?  A voice in the desert speaking out about the One who has come and is coming again?  Is your path like Peter to begin a church by faith alone stepping out onto the water to walk with Christ to shore?  Maybe you are Saul that is about to be Paul?  No matter what path our LORD has chosen for you it must be fulfilled.  That nagging ache in your heart that you are supposed to be doing something and yet you don’t want to because it is going to be a difficult journey and you will run into many kinds of hardships in the process.  Gee if it were easy everyone would be doing it.  Don’t miss out on the planned blessings in your life because you think it is too hard.  Jesus says: Matthew 11:28-30; 28″Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Notice in verse 29 the words “learn from me”, shows that Christ is calling us to listen and learn from Him the right way to handle this path, don’t you think?

 

Peace and Agape Love,

Pastor Steve

Blog 07-26-2010

Monday

PRaP 07-26-2010

 

250 Events In the Life Of Christ / A Harmony Of The Gospels Part 15

“Jesus Speaks With Religious Teachers”

Luke 2:41-52

 

⁴¹Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. ⁴²When he was twelve years old, they went up to the Feast, according to the custom. ⁴³After the Feast was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. ⁴⁴Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. ⁴⁵When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. ⁴⁶After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. ⁴⁸When 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.”

 ⁴⁹“Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” ⁵⁰But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

 ⁵¹Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. ⁵²And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

 

The last verse of this shows that Jesus was part man and part God; ⁵²Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men.  There would be no other way that He can relate with us if He didn’t have to go through the things we went through in childhood and adulthood.  Also this shows that Jesus was God; ⁴⁷Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.  He was 12 years old at the time and had no training to anyone’s knowledge.  Where did Jesus go to gain wisdom and stature?  His Father’s house, the Temple, same as it is for us today.  Where do we find all the answers we need to understand who Christ is?  Well His Word of course the Holy Bible, the infallible Word of God, the first and the last word, the beginning and the end of all things, the ultimate final authority in all things.  Is this important to know?  By all means it is important because how can one go through life not knowing these things.  Well you can go through life not knowing but wisdom and knowledge is the power we need to live the life promised in God’s word.  His words bring hope and faith and teachings of how we are to love one another and how Jesus paid for our shortcomings in life with His own life.  One other thing, ⁵¹Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them.  Even Jesus had to follow the directions of His parents in obedience.  So if you think He doesn’t understand your parents, you are wrong.  Jesus was a preteen once too.

 

Peace and Agape Love,

Pastor Steve

Blog 07-21-2010

Wednesday

PRaP 07-21-2010

 

250 Events In the Life Of Christ / A Harmony Of The Gospels Part 14

“The Return To Nazareth”

Matthew 2:19-23

 

¹⁹After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt ²⁰and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.”

 ²¹So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. ²²But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, ²³and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.”

 

Wonder why God didn’t just tell Joseph to go straight to Nazareth in the first dream?  I think that it was His plan all along to ease Joseph to Nazareth and also to see if Joseph would follow the direction that was given him in the dream.  Joseph did heed the promptings of the angel of the Lord which is a good thing for us, right?  I assure you that if Joseph had not followed the path that God had laid out, Jesus would still have made it to Nazareth and the prophecy would have still been fulfilled with him or without him.  You see when God has a plan for someone that He wants done, it will be done no matter if you like it or not.  Either you will be miserable because you haven’t fulfilled His plan for you or you will follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit and move in the path laid before you.  Thing is if you are supposed to be blessing someone and God has set you in a place to be the one delivering that blessing you are delaying someone else’s opportunity to bless others.  For He gives abundantly that we may give in abundance to others, so listen to those prompts and recognize His voice and accept the path that God puts you on and be a blessing to someone today.  It could be as simple as a kind word of hope.

 

Peace and Agape Love,

Pastor Steve

Blog 07-20-2010

Tuesday

PRaP 07-20-2010

 

250 Events In the Life Of Christ / A Harmony Of The Gospels Part 13

“The Escape To Egypt”

Matthew 2:13-18

 

¹³When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” ¹⁴So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, ¹⁵where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”^[a]

 ¹⁶When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. ¹⁷Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
 ¹⁸“A voice is heard in Ramah,
      weeping and great mourning,
   Rachel weeping for her children
      and refusing to be comforted,
   because they are no more.”^[b]

 

What a horrible time this must have been for the people of Bethlehem.  They say history repeats itself and here it is again with Herod killing children, specifically male children.  Back in Exodus a similar thing happened when the Pharaoh was afraid that the Hebrew people were growing too strong and began to fear they would be able to overpower him and his army so he ordered all the Hebrew boys to be murdered at birth.  It is a scary thought that there could be a single person in charge that could have the power to order the deaths of innocent children.  Oh wait, isn’t that what is happening in America today?  Not that one person has made this decision but a government has allowed the deaths of millions of unborn children.  Harsh reality for families that have gone through this and of the women who have chosen that option; it has been hell in their lives knowing what they have done.  For many, permanent scares remain because they do not think there is forgiveness for them.  Jesus was taken out of Egypt that he may live and be the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.  Not just for the general public but for ALL who seek Him.  If you have gone through this and need peace then Christ is the only answer for you.  There isn’t anything in this world that can take away the guilty feelings you have for the things we do except for the blood shed by Jesus Christ for all of us.  These leaders who continue to allow this type of murder to continue under their watch will have to answer for it.  Also if you find yourself in a situation like this having to make the choice of life for the unborn child in you then choose adoption for this child and allow them the chance to breath in life abundant.  Adoption is the option to murder.  Do not let anyone tell you that you do not have an option because you do!  Why the Holy Spirit turned this into a Pro Life discussion I do not know other than someone out there reading this is going to have to make the choice of allowing a child to live, or die prematurely.  All I can say to you is take it to the cross and repent.  It is up to you to choose life.

 

Peace and Agape Love,

Pastor Steve

 

Blog 07-15-2010

Thursday

PRaP 07-15-2010

 

250 Events In The Life Of Christ / A Harmony Of The Gospels Part 12

“Visitors Arrive From The East”

Matthew 2:1-12

 

¹After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi^[a] from the east came to Jerusalem ²and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east^[b] and have come to worship him.”

 ³When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ^[c] was to be born. ⁵“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
 ⁶” ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
      are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
   for out of you will come a ruler
      who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’^[d]”

 ⁷Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

 ⁹After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east^[e] went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. ¹²And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

 

Have you ever been in a situation like the Magi?  Had someone really excited about something and then they asked you to search it out and tell them where to find it?  Then in your gut you know that the person that was sending you to find something that it would be wrong to tell them where you found it because they were going to do something bad with it.  I have had a situation like that once and when I found what I was looking for I avoided that person at all cost and went a different way as to never see that person again.  Sometimes in life the wolf will hide himself in sheep clothing so he can fool you into thinking he is good when he is just looking to pounce on you or someone else that you may know.   Evil is out to kill, steal, and destroy anything and everything in life that is of Christ no mater the cost.  So we have to daily be careful out there and not fall into the trap of the evil one who is mad because in the end “WE WIN!!!” AMEN!!! And AMEN!!!

 

Peace and Agape Love,

Pastor Steve

Blog 07-13-2010

Tuesday

PRaP 07-13-2010

 

250 Events In The Life Of Christ / A Harmony Of The Gospels Part 11

“Jesus Is Brought To The Temple”

Luke 2:21-40

 ²¹On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived.

 ²²When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses had been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord ²³(as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”^[a]), ²⁴and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”^[b]

 ²⁵Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. ²⁷Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, ²⁸Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:
 ²⁹“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss^[c] your servant in peace.
 ³⁰For my eyes have seen your salvation, ³¹which you have prepared in the sight of all people, ³²a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”

 ³³The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. ³⁴Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, ³⁵so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

 ³⁶There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, ³⁷and then was a widow until she was eighty-four.^[d] She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. ³⁸Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

 ³⁹When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. ⁴⁰And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.

 

Not much more I can say about this but here is more proof that Jesus is the Christ and only Salvation for the world.  If you don’t seek Him then you perish in your sin it is as simple as that.

 

Peace and Agape Love,

Pastor Steve

 

Blog 07-12-2010

Monday

PRaP 07-12-2010

 

250 Events In The Life Of Christ / A Harmony Of The Gospels Part 10

“Shepherds Visit Jesus”

Luke 2:8-20

 

⁸And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ^[a] the Lord. ¹²This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

 ¹³Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
 ¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest,
      and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

 ¹⁵When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

 ¹⁶So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

 

Imagine you and some of your buds sitting at the fishing hole at night tending your catch and a great light comes from the sky and the glory of the Lord appears before you.  Now would you be a little afraid?  I bet you would drop whatever was in your hands and start running.  Or maybe be so curious as to what this light is you would freeze and be amazed?  These shepherds were the first traveling evangelists of the Good News about Jesus Christ.  What an important job they had.  Now more than 2,000 years later we still need shepherds to deliver this Good News and unfortunately some have convoluted the job to a money making thing so they can get rich and this so NOT what it should be.  There are still a few good shepherds out there doing it the right way and God will bless you for your work.  For those who choose to make it a business to earn money and make yourself rich you are missing the point.  God will bless those who bless Him, BUT it may not be in the way YOU think it should be.  Think about it and think about how you approach things.  You cannot hide behind the giving it away thing because God will bless the ones He deems fit to bless not the other way around.  When God says bless this person or that person then I gather you better do so and you shouldn’t expect anything in return.  Be like the shepherds tending their flocks by night, when you see the light be amazed and be blessed and be a blessing without expectation of anything in return from any man.  God will bless you that you may be a blessing to others.

 

Peace and Agape Love,

Pastor Steve