Satan and the the Devil. Two

Job and Jesus, knew Suffering!

This comparison between two men and Satan is of great value to all believers who are suffering today, in hostile environments, bad neighbors, difficult Churches and religious persecution that involves violent attacks.

It is hard to be a follower of Jesus, it is hard to love and forgive at time those that seek you both physical and mental harm?

Job was innocent, but his friends did not comfort him but rather find ways to make him believe he had sinned. Jesus was insulted and attempts to trap Him with words was a daily toll, both men suffered pain and rejection but both made it through.

They show to us a way and an understanding more so Jesus of all that we have gone through, He too did for us. Job was rewarded for his faith with prosperity, Jesus with sitting on his Fathers throne and we who press on and win the crown Salvation Eternal!

Job 1:8-12, 20-22, 16:12, Isaiah 53:3, Mark 8:31, Ephesians 1:20, Hebrews 11:35-39.

Apostle and Disciple Peter.

‘Don’t be Afraid Peter!

Jesus sums up Peter in that he was dominated by fear or himself and of others, from sinking on the water to the rooster crowing to being pulled up by Paul.

We see fear, we see zeal and weakness and we see hypocrisy a bit like us all who claim to be something that when challenged may fail to our own thorn that slows us down and that God will not remove?

It is hard to be a believer Jesus, as it was with Peter a great preacher after Pentecost that lead many to faith, the writer of two fantastic letters in the New Testament, a man that Jesus said Ekklesia would be built on and that does not mean Rome as some like to think.

Matthew 8:28, 16:18, Mark 14:72, John 21:15, Acts 2:38-40, Galatians 2:12, 1 Peter, 2 Peter.

Mark 16! Part-Two.

Great Spiritual powers Displayed?

Many Christians today have grown dismissive of the impossible, of the power of healing and many other areas that seem to be very controversial when related to the work of the Holy Spirit within the believer!

Many are to comfortable in the Bible lesson preaching and not active in evangelism or sharing their faith, some of us have become lazy believing once we are saved we will just hang around in Church until Heaven?

These verses reveal the power of God at work in all believers who are open to serve Him and shows us that we are a protected people!

Yes we will suffer at times and be rejected by a hostile world that ridicules all that challenges its desire for sin and dishonesty, but in these last words in the gospel of Mark we are commissioned to go into community, work, family and share what God, what Jesus has and is and will be doing for us?

Mark 16:9-20, (17-18), Acts 28:3-5, 1 Corinthians 12:9, 28-30, James 3:8, Revelation 22:2.

Mark 16! Part-One.

The last twelve Verses?

Most believers do not see these technical sections of the scriptures, most denominational teaching cover them up for the lay Christian and since the Apostle Paul warned us about not getting into these arguments it is perhaps wise!

But as one grows and starts to preach and teach we learn some knowledge that can be troubling or debatable for those who like to question the context of the Holy Scriptures and the languages that they have been written in?

On reading these twelve verses, there is a different style to them from the rest of the Gospel of Mark and early Greek transcripts do not have them but that does not mean that they should not be there!

What they reveal is unbelief amongst the Disciples to Jesus rising from the dead and this is a understood state of mind, since most fled in fear from the garden when Jesus was arrested, even one in his birthday suit!

The others is of events that are related to the forty days that Jesus spent on the Earth in Israel between His resurrection and His Ascension!

Mark 16:8-20, Mark 14:52, John 20:15, 25, Acts 1:1-11, 1 Timothy 6:4, Titus 3:9.

Virtual Church?

Thinking outside the Box!

We take too much for granted in the western world when it comes to Christianity, we believe up to this point that we were safe in our established traditionalism? But a minute bug has ended our ability to fellowship to break bread and to gossip, if not pray together!

Now in quarantine we have the Internet, various mediums of communications through Android and Apple systems and yet no one has come up with a virtual Church app?

We have almost virtual everything else, so why not meeting together and facing the real challenges of daily life?

It is not really known how long these lockdowns and re-lockdowns will continue for? Some unwise people are chancing it and it may be to their hurt and suffering if not death! Hope in God now comes to play and so does that personal relationship that some of us like to talk about, but might not really have?

1 Chronicles 29:15, Job 4:6, 5:16, Psalm 25:5, 42:5, 71:14, 119:114, Matthew 18:20, Acts 24:15, 1 Corinthians 14:27, 29, 2 Corinthians 1:7, Colossians 2:17, Hebrews 10:1.

Christian Martyrdom!

Being a Christian?

We would never consider that believers in Europe, Australia or N-America could be martyred for their faith in Jesus and that only happens in Africa, Asia or the Middle-East?

That has been the traditional view now for some two hundred years or so, but it is changing and not with the obvious threat of terrorism but more closer to home with the ideals of unbelief and secular humanism?

Nations are now being pressured by image, by feelings and what is expected of us in not offending anybody except those who hold to the Christian faith! The reason being that the Holy Bible always proves true in the falseness of human idealism and it selfishness to oppose the truth?

We do not think that their are many believers today, who live in comfort would consider making a stance for Jesus? But there are equally many inner city believers who suffer more so for faith in Jesus and some may be murdered for a plethora of reasons that either the state and the police refuse to accept as Martyrdom!

Job 2:10, Psalm 43:2, 107:39, Philippians 1:29, 2 Thessalonians 1:5-6, 2 Timothy 1:8, 4:5, Hebrews 13:3, James 5:10, 1 Peter 2:19-20, 2 Peter 2:13, Revelation 18:15.

Coronavirus/COVID-19!

Helping people in fear and Panic?

This is where the Church comes into play in times like this, when one goes to get some soap in the local store only to find it all gone! One has to wonder has soap just been discovered by the masses, and what did they use before?

On a more serious note the media is causing more problems that solving a complex and unknown situation, special coverage but again fed dripped information to what is the truth? We should give thanks for the Holy Bible, since God is loving and merciful to all who trust in Him!

We have the opportunity to share our faith and talk to people, or we should not fear death if it would lead others to faith? Prayer is of great value but it must not be used as a sop to get out of preaching the truths?

Genesis 26:24, 2 Chronicles 20:15, Job 4:6, Psalm 46:2, Jeremiah 26:19, Matthew 10:28, Luke 12:5, Romans 8:15, Hebrews 11:7, 1 Peter 3:14.

Martyrdom?

The ultimate cost of faith in Jesus!

There will not be many in western society who will die this season for their faith in God, but in the rest of the world this is a daily occurrence?

Many convert from Islam in the west do face being murdered by their families, but the media has been told not to report this since they want to portray Islam as a religion of peace and staying on good terms with Arab friends!

Stephen was the first Christian Martyr, he was a man who was killed by others who knew the truth but refused to believe or repent, since they were comfortable in their religion! This is the same today with the world they are blinded by fear and stupefied by what they think is enough?

Acts 6:5-7:59, 8:1, 11:19, 22:10, Romans 1:32, 2 Timothy 3:16, Revelation 17:6.

The Incarnation!

A double Miracle.

This is another difficult area for many Christians the activity of God in the conception and birth into human flesh of His son Jesus.

We see the Holy Spirit being employed here in two powerful miracle of the divine, first that of the conception of a seed being placed in Mary’s womb and then the birthing and healing of that womb so that May did not loose her virginity to her husband Joseph!

Many people cannot fathom some of the language of the Churches, because for the lay person its is deliberately hidden as a mystery!

One has to wonder about the hypocrisy of Churches that deceive believers into thinking that men who do not marry, will know much about anything to do with woman or even care?

The veneration of Mary again can be misconstrued in that the Magnificat has been abandoned by most Protestants since the reformation to their loss?

Matthew 1:18, Luke 1:35, 44, 46-55, Genesis 28:14.

Believers Baptism?

A tough area of Contention!

Should a Born-Again believer be baptised or not?

Is it important to be baptised and do we have too be?

These and many more complex questions have been debated in Ekklesia over the last two-thousand years, and even today there is no clear understanding that is acceptable to all sides!

Many of the early Churches from three-hundred Ad to the time of the German Reformation of Martin Luther went with child baptism, since it was easier and pleased most? The Church from that time kept an exclusiveness on the Scriptures, through the clergy and the common man had to take the word or control as it was distributed with local superstitions and curses?

The most tremendous fact about baptism is that of the thief on the cross who entered heaven, without being baptised! This perhaps is the best clarification on the matter that are faith is on Jesus and focussed on how we are lead by Him and will follow Him doing, loving, caring and showing concern, while witnessing His truth to the dying world around us!

Luke 23:43. Romans 5:21, 1 Timothy 1:15, Hebrews 7:25, Revelation 2:7.