Jesus calls His twelve apostles to serve with Him during His ministry and to provide leadership for the church after His ascension. Twelve were probably selected because their number corresponds to the twelve tribes of Israel.
The terms apostle and disciple are often used interchangeably in referring to these men. But a disciple is a learner or follower, while an apostle refers to one who is sent with a special message or commission. The Twelve were definitely apostles; when Jesus called them He had a specific mission in mind for them-- to carry on His work after He ended His earthly ministry.
We know that we are ALL disciples of Christ. We are followers who are learning and growing in His Word and are representatives of Him as His body on the earth. Before He sent them out, it says in verse 1, that Jesus summoned His disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. This happened while they were yet disciples and not yet sent out with their mission as apostles! That means that while we, too are disciples the same authority has been given unto us and is to be used by us! Praise God! That is Good News, friends!
While we may not have received a commission from the Lord to go to a far off land to preach and heal the sick, we are ALL called to walk in the authority Christ provided for us and to help those closest to us to receive freedom from bondage and sickness! God is ever searching for those He can find who are willing to be vessels for Him to use. We are His hands on the earth, to reach out and let Him meet needs through us. And we must never forget, that while we are here on the earth, we are still a part of His body. As He is "seated in heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named..." (Eph. 1:20, 21) therefore we, too, are seated in that place!
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Monday, January 7, 2013
January 7th~Matthew 4
After Jesus was baptized by John He 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!
What are your thoughts about Matthew Chapter 4? Share with us here by leaving a comment :)
Friday, January 4, 2013
January 4th~Matthew 3
Matthew is the gospel written by a Jew, to Jews, about a Jew. Matthew is the writer, his countrymen are the readers and his subject is Jesus Christ. Matthew presents Jesus as Israel's promised messianic King. The phrase "the kingdom of heaven" appears twenty-eight times in Matthew but nowhere else in the New Testament. To show that Jesus fulfills the qualifications for the Messiah, Matthew uses more Old Testament quotations (almost 130) than any other book.
As a Jewish tax collector, Matthew writes to a Jewish audience to convince them that the King of the Jews has come. Everything about this King is unique: His miraculous birth and carefully prophesied birthplace, His flight into Egypt, His announcement by John, His battle with Satan in the wilderness, all support the only possible conclusion- Jesus is the culmination of the promises delivered by the prophets over a period of a thousand years. God's redemptive plan is alive and well!
Chapter 3 gives us the account of John the Baptist working hard to prepare people's hearts for "the kingdom of heaven". Jesus arrives from Galilee at the Jordan river coming to be baptized by John. After coming up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened and the Spirit descended upon Him like a dove and behold a voice out of the heavens said, "This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well-pleased."
What an incredible sign for all those witnessing! And a title is given that is unmistakable. Jesus' sonship did not begin on that day. He was already in Spirit because God is Spirit and Christ was the Son of God before He assumed a human body. But God wishes to express the sonship of Jesus. That He was begotten of God in a sense that no one else is. It is a title that shows equality. The Son of God is no less than God. Now Jesus is prepared to go forth and reveal all which is His Father, through Himself, His Son.
As a Jewish tax collector, Matthew writes to a Jewish audience to convince them that the King of the Jews has come. Everything about this King is unique: His miraculous birth and carefully prophesied birthplace, His flight into Egypt, His announcement by John, His battle with Satan in the wilderness, all support the only possible conclusion- Jesus is the culmination of the promises delivered by the prophets over a period of a thousand years. God's redemptive plan is alive and well!
Chapter 3 gives us the account of John the Baptist working hard to prepare people's hearts for "the kingdom of heaven". Jesus arrives from Galilee at the Jordan river coming to be baptized by John. After coming up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened and the Spirit descended upon Him like a dove and behold a voice out of the heavens said, "This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well-pleased."
What an incredible sign for all those witnessing! And a title is given that is unmistakable. Jesus' sonship did not begin on that day. He was already in Spirit because God is Spirit and Christ was the Son of God before He assumed a human body. But God wishes to express the sonship of Jesus. That He was begotten of God in a sense that no one else is. It is a title that shows equality. The Son of God is no less than God. Now Jesus is prepared to go forth and reveal all which is His Father, through Himself, His Son.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
We believe, as we endeavor to dig deep into the New Testament this year, we will be transformed by the Word of God! May the Word dwell in us and abide in us, richly, so we may attain all that Jesus so lovingly provided for us and walk in VICTORY in 2013!
Sunday, December 30, 2012
95. 1 John 3:11-4:21 Love
There are so many great nuggets in this passage of scripture. Take some time to really study them out. In light of the tragic events of the past few weeks around our country and even, sadly, in our own neck of the woods, it seems fitting that we should end our study on love. For it is the most powerful force in all the universe. The love of God, that is, not natural, human love. And we are able to partake of it, because the Word of God says it has been "shed abroad in our hearts"!
The beginning of this passage starts off with recalling the account of the tragedy between Cain and Abel. Verse 11,12 "From this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should LOVE one another; not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil and his brother's were righteous." Verse 14 "He who does not love abides in death." Verse 16 "We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; as we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."
This was the excellent example we have to follow. That Jesus willingly gave up His life for ours! He saw value in His great sacrifice, because He saw value in us. We all have opinions; some for guns, some against guns, but the love of God is the only thing that can heal our land and fill the void within people's hearts. We need to see value in others.
We know that "faith works by love", therefore, if we are going to be good at "walking by faith", we will need to be equally as good at "walking in love". As the body of Christ, we are supposed to be recognized by our love walk. Chapter 4:7, 11 &12 says "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has beheld God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us."
Jesus is seated at the right hand of God. He is the head and we are His body. If we are His body and we are physically on the earth, then His hands are our hands. He needs us to continue His work and He desires to work with and through us. But we need to make ourselves available to Him. If we truly walk in love, we won't put our own needs first. We will find value in others and in meeting their needs. We are the only Jesus that people will ever see until He returns. How are we representing Him? Are we declaring His great love without even uttering a word?
There is so much for the people of the world to be fearful of. Terror is all around them, while we have the blessing to walk in perfect peace. Verse 18, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear." We have been given the great commission which can be summed up in loving others as ourselves. If we love, we will act and react differently. If we love, we will have compassion on others. If we truly love, we will share the Gospel! It's that simple. The Gospel will speak for itself, but it first needs somebody who will share it. Then the love of God can do the rest and transform lives!
The beginning of this passage starts off with recalling the account of the tragedy between Cain and Abel. Verse 11,12 "From this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should LOVE one another; not as Cain, who was of the evil one and slew his brother. And for what reason did he slay him? Because his deeds were evil and his brother's were righteous." Verse 14 "He who does not love abides in death." Verse 16 "We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; as we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."
This was the excellent example we have to follow. That Jesus willingly gave up His life for ours! He saw value in His great sacrifice, because He saw value in us. We all have opinions; some for guns, some against guns, but the love of God is the only thing that can heal our land and fill the void within people's hearts. We need to see value in others.
We know that "faith works by love", therefore, if we are going to be good at "walking by faith", we will need to be equally as good at "walking in love". As the body of Christ, we are supposed to be recognized by our love walk. Chapter 4:7, 11 &12 says "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has beheld God at any time; if we love one another, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us."
Jesus is seated at the right hand of God. He is the head and we are His body. If we are His body and we are physically on the earth, then His hands are our hands. He needs us to continue His work and He desires to work with and through us. But we need to make ourselves available to Him. If we truly walk in love, we won't put our own needs first. We will find value in others and in meeting their needs. We are the only Jesus that people will ever see until He returns. How are we representing Him? Are we declaring His great love without even uttering a word?
There is so much for the people of the world to be fearful of. Terror is all around them, while we have the blessing to walk in perfect peace. Verse 18, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear." We have been given the great commission which can be summed up in loving others as ourselves. If we love, we will act and react differently. If we love, we will have compassion on others. If we truly love, we will share the Gospel! It's that simple. The Gospel will speak for itself, but it first needs somebody who will share it. Then the love of God can do the rest and transform lives!
Thursday, December 27, 2012
82. Galatians 5:16-6:10 The Fruit of the Spirit
"Once we are established in the Holy Spirit, the fullness causes an overflow, an outpouring that reaches out to others. Through developing into the fullness of the indwelling, we learn to operate with the Lord Jesus Christ. He works in us HIS nature through the fruits of the Spirit- love, joy, peace, patience(long suffering), gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness(gentleness) and temperance(self-control)." Pat Harrison (Gal. 5:22,23).
In other words, our success in life is directly tied to 'walking in the Spirit'. If we are called to live by the Spirit, then we need to WALK by the Spirit daily! There are works of the flesh and fruit of the Spirit and they are at constant war with one another. But when we walk by the Spirit, we will not carry out the desires of the flesh (verse 16). The desires of our outer man are in direct opposition to our inner man. Our spirit man is the part of us which has been made new and alive unto God. We need to follow after our spirits.
We are a generation to whom much has been given. We have had wonderful men and women of God who have taught us how to walk by faith. We have been taught how to stand upon the promises of God for healing, prosperity and victory in our lives. And Praise God, for those are good things, but He has a job for us to do and it will only be accomplished by walking in the Spirit daily and obeying all that His Spirit tells our spirits to do. Remember we learned that the Word and the inward witness of the Holy Spirit are the main ways that the Lord communicates with us. We need to learn how to FLOW with the Spirit in order to get done all that God has in His plan.
Kenneth Hagin prophesied, "But as you walk with the Lord, as you prepare your heart, as you feed upon His Word, as you listen to what the Spirit of God says, your heart shall be prepared and your mind will be changed until you will FLOW in the supernatural as naturally as a bird will fly in the air. And you will FLOW in the supernatural as naturally as a fish will swim in the water. And you'll FLOW in the supernatural as naturally as you will breathe the very air."
We want to get to the point where we will not even be conscious of using our faith because it will just be so natural and normal to walk in the Spirit. As we have learned to walk by faith, we now must be FAITHFUL. God is looking for those who are FAITHFUL in these last days to get the job done. Walking in the fruit of the Spirit is a blessing to us, but it is not there so we can live a comfy, cozy life all to ourselves. We have been equipped to reach out to others and change lives! We have the very power of God working in and through us so that we can OVERFLOW unto those around us! There is a definite FLOW to following the Spirit of God. In order to hear His voice and leading we must spend time with Him, praying in other tongues and practicing the presence. Like 'rivers of living waters' flowing from our bellies, the Lord desires to teach us how to flow with Him. The water's good, JUMP ON IN!
In other words, our success in life is directly tied to 'walking in the Spirit'. If we are called to live by the Spirit, then we need to WALK by the Spirit daily! There are works of the flesh and fruit of the Spirit and they are at constant war with one another. But when we walk by the Spirit, we will not carry out the desires of the flesh (verse 16). The desires of our outer man are in direct opposition to our inner man. Our spirit man is the part of us which has been made new and alive unto God. We need to follow after our spirits.
We are a generation to whom much has been given. We have had wonderful men and women of God who have taught us how to walk by faith. We have been taught how to stand upon the promises of God for healing, prosperity and victory in our lives. And Praise God, for those are good things, but He has a job for us to do and it will only be accomplished by walking in the Spirit daily and obeying all that His Spirit tells our spirits to do. Remember we learned that the Word and the inward witness of the Holy Spirit are the main ways that the Lord communicates with us. We need to learn how to FLOW with the Spirit in order to get done all that God has in His plan.
Kenneth Hagin prophesied, "But as you walk with the Lord, as you prepare your heart, as you feed upon His Word, as you listen to what the Spirit of God says, your heart shall be prepared and your mind will be changed until you will FLOW in the supernatural as naturally as a bird will fly in the air. And you will FLOW in the supernatural as naturally as a fish will swim in the water. And you'll FLOW in the supernatural as naturally as you will breathe the very air."
We want to get to the point where we will not even be conscious of using our faith because it will just be so natural and normal to walk in the Spirit. As we have learned to walk by faith, we now must be FAITHFUL. God is looking for those who are FAITHFUL in these last days to get the job done. Walking in the fruit of the Spirit is a blessing to us, but it is not there so we can live a comfy, cozy life all to ourselves. We have been equipped to reach out to others and change lives! We have the very power of God working in and through us so that we can OVERFLOW unto those around us! There is a definite FLOW to following the Spirit of God. In order to hear His voice and leading we must spend time with Him, praying in other tongues and practicing the presence. Like 'rivers of living waters' flowing from our bellies, the Lord desires to teach us how to flow with Him. The water's good, JUMP ON IN!
Sunday, December 23, 2012
81. Romans 8:1-39 Life Through The Spirit
Our success in our Christian walk is largely related to the time we spend with, and the development of our relationship with, the Holy Spirit within us. When we become born again, the Spirit Himself comes to dwell within us. Previously, we mentioned where Jesus tells the disciples that it is to their advantage that He leaves the earth and takes His place at the right hand of God the Father. In this way, He is ever present before the Father, not ceasing to make intercession for us. And then He could send the person of the Holy Spirit to make His abode in each of us.
We talked about the amazing benefit to receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit as in Acts chapter 2. Then we can have the leading, guidance and building of our spirit man because of the Holy Spirit within us. Romans 8 begins to teach that we need to develop our spirit man and renew our minds because the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death! Praise God!
We know that we are a spirit being. That is our true self. We have a soul, which consists of our mind, will and emotions and we live in a body. Because our spirits have been made new and alive unto God, we are no longer to constantly consider our flesh. Verse 5 says that "those who are according to the flesh set their minds on things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. We are now called to think and live in a higher state. One where the Holy Spirit Himself desires to govern us and bless others through us, we being abundantly blessed in the process.
The gift of speaking in other tongues when we are filled with the Spirit is another blessing in our lives. When we pray in other tongues we are praying perfect prayers! Verse 25 "The Holy Spirit helps our weakness: for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He Who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." Praise God! How many of us could use a prayer partner Who knows exactly what's coming up around the bend and can pray out all the bumps in the road before us!!! That's Who we have living on the inside of us!
Oh, that we would get a daily revelation of the life-giving POWER which resides within us! It would constantly give our attitudes and theology an adjustment! Verse 11 says "But if the Spirit of Him Who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in YOU, He Who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life (quicken) to your mortal bodies through His Spirit Who indwells you!" Wow! That is another AMAZING benefit of having the Spirit dwell in us! Think on that for a bit. The all-powerful, Holy Spirit, Who raised Jesus from the grave, Who healed Him of every disease known to mankind which was placed upon Jesus for our healing when He was crucified, lives in YOU and ME!!! The more we gain understanding of that truth, sickness can no longer attach itself to our bodies. How can it dwell there when the Giver of Life itself makes His home there? If we remind ourselves and draw upon that power, it is there to drive out every symptom that would try to come against you!
Spend time everyday praying in the Spirit and communing with Him in this special way! It is one of God's greatest gifts to you and me.
We talked about the amazing benefit to receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit as in Acts chapter 2. Then we can have the leading, guidance and building of our spirit man because of the Holy Spirit within us. Romans 8 begins to teach that we need to develop our spirit man and renew our minds because the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set us free from the law of sin and death! Praise God!
We know that we are a spirit being. That is our true self. We have a soul, which consists of our mind, will and emotions and we live in a body. Because our spirits have been made new and alive unto God, we are no longer to constantly consider our flesh. Verse 5 says that "those who are according to the flesh set their minds on things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. We are now called to think and live in a higher state. One where the Holy Spirit Himself desires to govern us and bless others through us, we being abundantly blessed in the process.
The gift of speaking in other tongues when we are filled with the Spirit is another blessing in our lives. When we pray in other tongues we are praying perfect prayers! Verse 25 "The Holy Spirit helps our weakness: for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He Who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." Praise God! How many of us could use a prayer partner Who knows exactly what's coming up around the bend and can pray out all the bumps in the road before us!!! That's Who we have living on the inside of us!
Oh, that we would get a daily revelation of the life-giving POWER which resides within us! It would constantly give our attitudes and theology an adjustment! Verse 11 says "But if the Spirit of Him Who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in YOU, He Who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life (quicken) to your mortal bodies through His Spirit Who indwells you!" Wow! That is another AMAZING benefit of having the Spirit dwell in us! Think on that for a bit. The all-powerful, Holy Spirit, Who raised Jesus from the grave, Who healed Him of every disease known to mankind which was placed upon Jesus for our healing when He was crucified, lives in YOU and ME!!! The more we gain understanding of that truth, sickness can no longer attach itself to our bodies. How can it dwell there when the Giver of Life itself makes His home there? If we remind ourselves and draw upon that power, it is there to drive out every symptom that would try to come against you!
Spend time everyday praying in the Spirit and communing with Him in this special way! It is one of God's greatest gifts to you and me.
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