January 7, 2014

journey on 2014: In this you rejoice

1 Peter 1

English Standard Version (ESV)

Greeting

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood:
May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

Born Again to a Living Hope

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

Called to Be Holy

13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;


 24 for
“All flesh is like grass
    and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
    and the flower falls,
25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
 

January 6, 2014

2014: a year of giving up

Count The Cost and Journey On in 2014

Luke 14
25 A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, 26 If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. 27 And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.
28 But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? 29 Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. 30 They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’
31 “Or what king would go to war against another king without first sitting down with his counselors to discuss whether his army of 10,000 could defeat the 20,000 soldiers marching against him? 32 And if he can’t, he will send a delegation to discuss terms of peace while the enemy is still far away. 33 So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.  
cost of the kingdom of God
cost of the kingdom of God
34 “Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? 35 Flavorless salt is good neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown away. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!
Luke 18 
26 Those who heard this said, “Then who in the world can be saved?”
27 He replied, “What is impossible for people is possible with God.”
28 Peter said, “We’ve left our homes to follow you.”
29 “Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, 30 will be repaid many times over in this life, and will have eternal life in the world to come.”

January 4, 2014

journey on: see the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love

Zechariah 9:10-12

New Living Translation (NLT)
10 I will remove the battle chariots from Israel
    and the warhorses from Jerusalem.
I will destroy all the weapons used in battle,
    and your king will bring peace to the nations.
His realm will stretch from sea to sea
    and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth.
11 Because of the covenant I made with you,
    sealed with blood,
I will free your prisoners
    from death in a waterless dungeon.
12 Come back to the place of safety,
    all you prisoners who still have hope!
I promise this very day
    that I will repay two blessings for each of your troubles. 

“I will confirm my covenant with you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation. This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
Genesis 17:6-8 (in Context) Genesis 17 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

“Today I call on heaven and earth as witnesses against you. If you break my covenant, you will quickly disappear from the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy. You will live there only a short time; then you will be utterly destroyed.
Deuteronomy 4:25-27 (in Context) Deuteronomy 4 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
2 Kings 8:19
But the Lord did not want to destroy Judah, for he had made a covenant with David and promised that his descendants would continue to rule, shining like a lamp forever.
2 Kings 8:18-20 (in Context) 2 Kings 8 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
 
Then they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their ancestors, with all their heart and soul.
 
Nehemiah 1:5
Then I said, “O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands,
Nehemiah 1:4-6 (in Context) Nehemiah 1 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
 
Psalm 103:17-18
17 But the love of the Lord remains forever
    with those who fear him.
His salvation extends to the children’s children
18     of those who are faithful to his covenant,
    of those who obey his commandments!

January 2, 2014

concluding words from an apostle: our conscience is clear, our strength comes from God’s grace

Hebrews 13

New Living Translation (NLT)

Concluding Words

13 Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters.Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.
Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery.
Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said,
“I will never fail you.     I will never abandon you.”
So we can say with confidence,
“The Lord is my helper,     so I will have no fear.     What can mere people do to me?”
Remember your leaders who taught you the word of God. Think of all the good that has come from their lives, and follow the example of their faith.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. So do not be attracted by strange, new ideas. Your strength comes from God’s grace, not from rules about food, which don’t help those who follow them.
10 We have an altar from which the priests in the Tabernacle have no right to eat. 11 Under the old system, the high priest brought the blood of animals into the Holy Place as a sacrifice for sin, and the bodies of the animals were burned outside the camp. 12 So also Jesus suffered and died outside the city gates to make his people holy by means of his own blood. 13 So let us go out to him, outside the camp, and bear the disgrace he bore. 14 For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.
15 Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name. 16 And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.
17 Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.
18 Pray for us, for our conscience is clear and we want to live honorably in everything we do. 19 And especially pray that I will be able to come back to you soon.
20 Now may the God of peace—     who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep,     and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood— 21 may he equip you with all you need     for doing his will. May he produce in you,     through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him.     All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.
22 I urge you, dear brothers and sisters, to pay attention to what I have written in this brief exhortation.
23 I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released from jail. If he comes here soon, I will bring him with me to see you.
24 Greet all your leaders and all the believers there. The believers from Italy send you their greetings.
25 May God’s grace be with you all.


____________Verse of the Day
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!        2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT
 

January 1, 2014

journey on: to undeserved favor - grace, grace, grace!

The last sermon 2013 and first sermon 2014 he heard for the over-midnight service by watching online a recorded Sunday worship (due to time zone difference he does not watch live) is all about getting rid of the trash in our lives. The watchman admitted that this was truly most appropriate for this spring cleaning day for him!
Pastor Sandra Kennedy aptly titled the subject, “God is the Redeemer not the condemner”. It is about getting rid of our daily trash. She said God has paid for the trash collector, but each man must take out his or her own trash. We cannot let the trash stay in the house and go out. Because when we come home the trash is still there and stinks! She opened her preaching by quoting from NLT Bible Isaiah 43:25, Micah 7:19, then Jeremiah 29:11, 31:33, 37, Psalm 103:8, Hebrews 1:3, 2 Corinthians 5:17. Pastor Kennedy warned that the devil is the condemner. If anyone condemns, he is walking with the devil. God is Redeemer!
Here is a summary of the action steps we each need to take to get rid of our personal trash:
  1. be specific about our trash (sins). name them and claim them.
  2. allow God teach us something from it.
  3. allow God have our past: forgive, heal, pour oil and wine.
  4. forgive ourselves. (God has forgiven us and there is no record of it.)
Do start our new year 2014 right by hearing God right. Here is the last message for 2013 and the first one on this first day of the new year!
http://view.liveindexer.com/ViewEmbedResizeCC2.aspx?ccEnabled=false&autostart=true&indexSessionSKU=i8mIsipYweI6PFo4Pu3dkw%3D%3D
http://hosted.earthchannel.com/WholeLife/tabs/sundays.php#

Isaiah 43:25 (NLT)

25 “I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake     and will never think of them again.

Micah 7:19 (NLT)

19 Once again you will have compassion on us.     You will trample our sins under your feet     and throw them into the depths of the ocean!

Jeremiah 29:11

New Living Translation (NLT)
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah 31:33

New Living Translation (NLT)
33 “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.

Jeremiah 31:37

New Living Translation (NLT)
37 This is what the Lord says: “Just as the heavens cannot be measured     and the foundations of the earth cannot be explored, so I will not consider casting them away     for the evil they have done.     I, the Lord, have spoken!

December 31, 2013

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

Words: John­son Oat­man, Jr., in Songs for Young Peo­ple, by Ed­win Ex­cell (Chi­ca­go, Il­li­nois: 1897).
Music: Edwin O. Excell (MI­DI, score).
When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Refrain
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.
Refrain
When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings. Wealth can never buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.
Refrain
So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be disheartened, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.
Refrain

Ephesians 1:3-6  (NKJV) Redemption in Christ
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
_______________________
HYMN HISTORY:   Rev. Johnson Oatman, Jr., was one of the important and prolific gospel song writers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He was born near Medford, New Jersey, on April 21, 1856. As a child he became acquainted with the hymns of the church through the singing talents of his father.
At the age of nineteen Oatman joined the Methodist Church and several years later was granted a license to preach in local Methodist congregations. Though he wrote over 5,000 hymn texts, Oatman was busily engaged throughout his life in a mercantile business and later as an administrator for a large insurance company in New Jersey. Other gospel favorites by Johnson Oatman include “Higher Ground, and “No, Not One!” (http://hishymnhistory.blogspot.com/2012/11/count-your-blessings.html)

December 29, 2013

All about the Spirit of Christ

Today it is all about Christ, the Spirit of Christ Jesus, the Son of God.
  1. Matthew 3:16
    When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.
    Matthew 3:15-17 (in Context) Matthew 3 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
  2. Matthew 4:1
    [ Satan Tempts Jesus ] Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
    Matthew 4:1-3 (in Context) Matthew 4 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
  3. Matthew 10:20
    for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
    Matthew 10:19-21 (in Context) Matthew 10 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
  4. Matthew 12:28
    But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.
    Matthew 12:27-29 (in Context) Matthew 12 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
  5. Matthew 12:31
    [ The Unpardonable Sin ] “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.
    Matthew 12:30-32 (in Context) Matthew 12 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
  6. Matthew 22:43
    He said to them, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying:
    Matthew 22:42-44 (in Context) Matthew 22 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
  7. Mark 1:10 And immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Mark 1:9-11 (in Context) Mark 1 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
  8. Mark 1:12
    [ Satan Tempts Jesus ] Immediately the Spirit drove Him into the wilderness.
    Mark 1:11-13 (in Context) Mark 1 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
  9. Luke 2:27 So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, Luke 2:26-28 (in Context) Luke 2 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
  10. Luke 4:1
    [ Satan Tempts Jesus ] Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
    Luke 4:1-3 (in Context) Luke 4 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
  11. Luke 4:14
    [ Jesus Begins His Galilean Ministry ] Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region.
    Luke 4:13-15 (in Context) Luke 4 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
  12. Luke 4:18
    The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
    Luke 4:17-19 (in Context) Luke 4 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
  13. Luke 10:21
    [ Jesus Rejoices in the Spirit ] In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.
    Luke 10:20-22 (in Context) Luke 10 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
  14. John 1:32
    And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.
    John 1:31-33 (in Context) John 1 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
  15. John 1:33
    I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’
    John 1:32-34 (in Context) John 1 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
  16. John 3:5
    Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
    John 3:4-6 (in Context) John 3 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
  17. John 3:6
    That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
    John 3:5-7 (in Context) John 3 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
  18. John 3:8
    The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
    John 3:7-9 (in Context) John 3 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
  19. John 3:34
    For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.
    John 3:33-35 (in Context) John 3 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
  20. John 6:63
    It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
    John 6:62-64 (in Context) John 6 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
  21. John 7:39
    But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
    John 7:38-40 (in Context) John 7 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
  22. John 14:17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. John 14:16-18 (in Context) John 14 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
  23. John 15:26
    [ The Coming Rejection ] “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
    John 15:25-27 (in Context) John 15 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations
  24. John 16:13
    However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
    John 16:12-14 (in Context) John 16 (Whole Chapter) Other Translations

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