Jesus sent out the disciples and gave them power and authority over all demons and to heal diseases. And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God, and to perform healing. As they went about the villages doing as Jesus instructed, Herod heard all that was happening; and was greatly perplexed, thinking that John the Baptist had raised from the dead.
When the disciples returned giving an account of all they did, Jesus took them with Him and withdrew to the city of Bethsaida. But the multitudes were aware of it and followed them. Jesus did not turn them away, yet He welcomed them and He began speaking to them about the kingdom of God and curing those who had need of healing.
As the sun began to set, the twelve disciples came to Jesus and told Him to send the multitude away that they may go into the surrounding villages to obtain food and lodging. But Jesus said, "YOU give them something to eat!" He had already given them POWER and AUTHORITY earlier in the day, but they didn't quite know how to use what was given to them. It seemed impossible to them, unless they should go and buy them all food as they only had five loaves and two fishes between them.
Jesus, seeing their faithlessness, decided to demonstrate for them how to provide for the people. He had them sit in groups of fifty. Then He took what He had, looking up to heaven, He blessed it and broke it. He kept dividing it and supplying it until everyone ate and was satisfied. They gathered up all that was left over and it equaled TWELVE baskets full!
Our God is One Who ENJOYS supplying ALL of our needs. We need to follow the example of Jesus. Do not despise what we have, for it will be a seed to sow and when we call it blessed, it will multiply until EVERY need is met. And there will be PLENTY leftover. That's God's will for us! He is the supplier, but it's going to take us using the authority He has already given us and walking in His power to get the job done!
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Friday, November 23, 2012
59. Luke 10:25-37 The Good Samaritan
When presented with the question, who is my neighbor?, Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan. It's a story we have undoubtedly heard many times and may feel like, yeah, yeah, be nice to neighbors, be kind to people, etc... But there is so much more here that the Lord wants to instill in us.
He said, " A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho; and he fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went off leaving him half dead. And by chance a certain priest was going down the road and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them, and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, 'Take care of him and whatever you spend, when I return, I will repay you.' Which one of these proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers' hands?"
So there where three different kinds of people described here. Two who were evil and beat up a man and stole from him. One who was a member of the clergy, but was obviously too heavenly minded to be any earthly good. A Levite, someone who let his difference of race and religion cause him to also pass by. And then a Samaritan, who was on an important journey of his own, yet had COMPASSION, That compassion caused something different to occur in his manner toward the beaten man. He lost his own time, money and comfort to care for him as though he were someone from his own family. He set up the man for healing and success when so much had been taken from him.
Having true compassion is never easy, but it's something the Lord is challenging us to develop in ourselves daily. We have a saying at VCC, "people need you when they need you." It's hardly ever a convenient time to reach out and meet the needs of others, but when we do we are walking in the mercy of Jesus. We are the only Jesus people will ever see this side of heaven. If we truly understand that, it will change our outlook on life and how we treat everyone around us. So, are we going to be people who BEAT UP, PASS BY or SET UP? If we make ourselves available the Lord will give us ample opportunities to show Him who we are.
He said, " A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho; and he fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went off leaving him half dead. And by chance a certain priest was going down the road and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them, and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, 'Take care of him and whatever you spend, when I return, I will repay you.' Which one of these proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers' hands?"
So there where three different kinds of people described here. Two who were evil and beat up a man and stole from him. One who was a member of the clergy, but was obviously too heavenly minded to be any earthly good. A Levite, someone who let his difference of race and religion cause him to also pass by. And then a Samaritan, who was on an important journey of his own, yet had COMPASSION, That compassion caused something different to occur in his manner toward the beaten man. He lost his own time, money and comfort to care for him as though he were someone from his own family. He set up the man for healing and success when so much had been taken from him.
Having true compassion is never easy, but it's something the Lord is challenging us to develop in ourselves daily. We have a saying at VCC, "people need you when they need you." It's hardly ever a convenient time to reach out and meet the needs of others, but when we do we are walking in the mercy of Jesus. We are the only Jesus people will ever see this side of heaven. If we truly understand that, it will change our outlook on life and how we treat everyone around us. So, are we going to be people who BEAT UP, PASS BY or SET UP? If we make ourselves available the Lord will give us ample opportunities to show Him who we are.
Monday, November 19, 2012
55. Matthew 3:13-4:17 Baptism & Temptation
"Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him. But John tried to prevent Him, saying, "I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?" But Jesus answering said to him, "Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." After Jesus was baptized the heavens were opened and the Spirit of God descended as a dove on Him and the voice of God spoke saying, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased." So it was for a sign for those witnessing of Who He was and that God had indeed sent Him!
After that time Jesus was led by the Spirit to the wilderness and was tempted by the devil. I have always loved reading this account. It shows that Jesus was completely human, like you or me. Having to deal with the enemy tempting Him. But the most wonderful part of this excerpt is that it teaches us how to be just as successful as Jesus when dealing with the enemy!
First of all it said that Jesus fasted for forty days. When one is fasting, you become naturally hungry, but more spiritually attuned. Jesus had a lot of time alone, separated unto His Father to commune with Him and become strong in His inner man. The devil tried to be crafty and tempt Him with scripture, yet he did not comprehend that Jesus WAS the WORD. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us! How did Jesus defeat the enemy? By simply quoting the ALL-POWERFUL Word of God right back at him. How can we defeat the enemy? The very same way! When we spend time depositing the Word into our hearts and when we come up against diverse trials it should be the first thing that comes to mind and should come out of our mouths! I once heard it said, when the strong man is robbing your house, that is not the time to go to your weight bench and get strong enough to take him down. We must feed on the Word and exercise our faith muscles daily. Then we will be ready for anything. After all, we are only called to stand our ground. The battle belongs to the Lord and He already OVERCAME. We are called MORE than conquerors!
Saturday, November 17, 2012
54. Luke 3:1-20 John the Baptist
The Lord revealed His word to John, son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. He then came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins; as it was written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet.
So John is faithful to do his part of the plan to prepare people's hearts to receive Jesus as their Savior. But the people began to wonder in their hearts whether or not John was the Christ. John answered and said, "As for me, I baptize you with water, but One is coming Who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."
Jesus is the One Who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. There are two purposes for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. One is for the indwelling of the believer and the other for the outpouring to help others! Once we are established in the Holy Spirit, the fullness causes an overflow that reaches out to others. Then we learn to operate with the Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus can accomplish His plan on the earth through us!
The purpose of the fire is for the harvest! If we are baptized with fire, that literally means that He will IMMERSE us in FIRE! That is empowerment to do all we are called to do. Fire burns up all that is impure and leaves the finest substance to remain. When we get re-fired, we'll get into the race. And revival is our race.
So John is faithful to do his part of the plan to prepare people's hearts to receive Jesus as their Savior. But the people began to wonder in their hearts whether or not John was the Christ. John answered and said, "As for me, I baptize you with water, but One is coming Who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."
Jesus is the One Who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. There are two purposes for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. One is for the indwelling of the believer and the other for the outpouring to help others! Once we are established in the Holy Spirit, the fullness causes an overflow that reaches out to others. Then we learn to operate with the Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus can accomplish His plan on the earth through us!
The purpose of the fire is for the harvest! If we are baptized with fire, that literally means that He will IMMERSE us in FIRE! That is empowerment to do all we are called to do. Fire burns up all that is impure and leaves the finest substance to remain. When we get re-fired, we'll get into the race. And revival is our race.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
53. Luke 2:1-40 Birth of Jesus
As Mary and Joseph journey from Nazareth to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, the days were complete for Mary to give birth. Christ, our Savior, was born and she wrapped Him in cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
In that same region, angels appeared to shepherds who were keeping watch over their flocks by night. They told them not to be afraid, for they had brought them GOOD NEWS! They made their way to the manger and told Mary and Joseph all that the angels had shared with them. All who heard it wondered at the things they said. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.
The phrase "treasured all these things" is seen more than once in this chapter. What does it actually mean "to ponder". Ponder means, to think about something carefully, especially before deciding or concluding. Therefore Mary thought very carefully about all the things which were spoken over her newborn baby boy. The words of good news and the plan God had for Him. She did not respond by shouting it all from the rooftops, but rather accepted them in a quiet manner and treasured what was told to her in her heart of hearts.
In our country especially, we are very blessed to have the Word of God in all fullness and readily available to us. We have heard many good sermons and teachings and can even turn on the television to certain channels and at any time of day hear encouraging teachings from the Word of God. But do WE treasure in our hearts all that we have heard? Or when God gives us a word of direction for our lives or answers our prayers for wisdom do we blab it all for any ole person to hear it? How we need to have the same attitude as Mary. To ponder carefully how each word we hear can be applied to our lives. And to highly esteem the Word of God and never take it for granted. It is our greatest treasure in this life!
In that same region, angels appeared to shepherds who were keeping watch over their flocks by night. They told them not to be afraid, for they had brought them GOOD NEWS! They made their way to the manger and told Mary and Joseph all that the angels had shared with them. All who heard it wondered at the things they said. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.
The phrase "treasured all these things" is seen more than once in this chapter. What does it actually mean "to ponder". Ponder means, to think about something carefully, especially before deciding or concluding. Therefore Mary thought very carefully about all the things which were spoken over her newborn baby boy. The words of good news and the plan God had for Him. She did not respond by shouting it all from the rooftops, but rather accepted them in a quiet manner and treasured what was told to her in her heart of hearts.
In our country especially, we are very blessed to have the Word of God in all fullness and readily available to us. We have heard many good sermons and teachings and can even turn on the television to certain channels and at any time of day hear encouraging teachings from the Word of God. But do WE treasure in our hearts all that we have heard? Or when God gives us a word of direction for our lives or answers our prayers for wisdom do we blab it all for any ole person to hear it? How we need to have the same attitude as Mary. To ponder carefully how each word we hear can be applied to our lives. And to highly esteem the Word of God and never take it for granted. It is our greatest treasure in this life!
Friday, November 9, 2012
52. Luke 1:1-80 Gabriel's Message
I always enjoy reading the account of the details of Christ's coming and His birth! How exciting that God's wonderful plan, that had been in motion since before the foundation of the world, was manifest. How exciting to have been alive during that time. To have been Elizabeth and carry John the Baptist, who would, as a forerunner, prepare the people's hearts to accept Jesus as their Savior. How John's life was set apart from before his birth and he was filled with the Holy Spirit even while in his mother's womb. The Lord always prepares us for the task at hand and equips us to do all He's called us to do!
Oh, what a blessed woman to be Mary, the mother of our sweet Savior Jesus! What remarkable and unfathomable things the angel Gabriel shared with her. In those days a woman's reputation was all she had. Without a man to care for her and represent her in the world, she had no standing whatsoever. Yet, what great faith she possessed at such a young age. Faith is always positive, it ALWAYS answers YES! Gabriel encouraged her with the word saying, "Nothing will be impossible with God." And Mary's response was, "Behold, the bond-servant of the Lord; be it done unto me according to your Word." She never questioned it, but simply received it!
Oh, that we could follow Mary's example of faith! The Lord may not have spoken in a supernatural way to you concerning your future or the plan He has for you. But He has already spoken His great plan through His written Word. Every promise in there is Yes, and Amen for YOU! Take Him at His Word today. Say, by faith, yes, I believe, be it done unto your servant according to Your Word! And you will live the most wonderful life you could ever imagine! You have dreams and He is the One Who placed them in you! He wants you to have all the desires He has placed in your heart!
We trust you are enjoying studying these great stories together! Let us know what your thoughts are!
Oh, what a blessed woman to be Mary, the mother of our sweet Savior Jesus! What remarkable and unfathomable things the angel Gabriel shared with her. In those days a woman's reputation was all she had. Without a man to care for her and represent her in the world, she had no standing whatsoever. Yet, what great faith she possessed at such a young age. Faith is always positive, it ALWAYS answers YES! Gabriel encouraged her with the word saying, "Nothing will be impossible with God." And Mary's response was, "Behold, the bond-servant of the Lord; be it done unto me according to your Word." She never questioned it, but simply received it!
Oh, that we could follow Mary's example of faith! The Lord may not have spoken in a supernatural way to you concerning your future or the plan He has for you. But He has already spoken His great plan through His written Word. Every promise in there is Yes, and Amen for YOU! Take Him at His Word today. Say, by faith, yes, I believe, be it done unto your servant according to Your Word! And you will live the most wonderful life you could ever imagine! You have dreams and He is the One Who placed them in you! He wants you to have all the desires He has placed in your heart!
We trust you are enjoying studying these great stories together! Let us know what your thoughts are!
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
51. John 1:1-18 The Word Became Flesh
Jesus did not start at His birth! Think about it. John 1:1,2 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word WAS God. He was in the beginning with God." The word, 'word' is actually translated Christ.
All things came into being by Him and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being! The Word became FLESH and dwelt among us, PRAISE GOD! And we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth!
The Lord even gave John Holy Spirit knowledge of Jesus and he then bore witness of Jesus and His ministry. Verse 12 says, "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name." This means that you can believe in Jesus without actually receiving Him. You must do both. Then "For of His fulness we HAVE all received and grace upon grace.For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ". Thank God that grace is not just a lovely word, it is actually a person, the person of Jesus Christ! Grace has already been provided and therefore we ALL can receive everything that grace affords us. The law showed us that we need grace and Jesus gave it to us when He took our place at the cross!
Verse 18 teaches us that in order to know the very nature of God, we only need to look to Jesus' life while on the earth. He is the most perfect representation of His Father. We never have to wonder what our Father God is like or what His intentions toward us are. We only need to read that everywhere Jesus went, the Word says, He went about doing good, teaching, preaching and healing ALL who were oppressed! This is still God's heart today and the mandate all believer's need to carry on; for while we are in the earth, WE are His body!
All things came into being by Him and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being! The Word became FLESH and dwelt among us, PRAISE GOD! And we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth!
The Lord even gave John Holy Spirit knowledge of Jesus and he then bore witness of Jesus and His ministry. Verse 12 says, "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name." This means that you can believe in Jesus without actually receiving Him. You must do both. Then "For of His fulness we HAVE all received and grace upon grace.For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ". Thank God that grace is not just a lovely word, it is actually a person, the person of Jesus Christ! Grace has already been provided and therefore we ALL can receive everything that grace affords us. The law showed us that we need grace and Jesus gave it to us when He took our place at the cross!
Verse 18 teaches us that in order to know the very nature of God, we only need to look to Jesus' life while on the earth. He is the most perfect representation of His Father. We never have to wonder what our Father God is like or what His intentions toward us are. We only need to read that everywhere Jesus went, the Word says, He went about doing good, teaching, preaching and healing ALL who were oppressed! This is still God's heart today and the mandate all believer's need to carry on; for while we are in the earth, WE are His body!
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