John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."







Wednesday, September 23, 2015

21th lesson = God's Purpose in loving the Human Being





Perfect Man in Christ is a Fundamental Requirement.



The Stature of Perfect Man in Christ is a fundamental requirement to fulfill our duty here on earth; and not an option.

It is a commandment to walk in Christ as He walked here on earth in His Father. Jesus said: “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him”- John 14:20-21. There is an undeniable fact: More and more in our globalized world, the pursuit of excellence in communications and positions of perfection is a challenge for anyone who wants to achieve a higher level of professionalism. In a competitive world where good marketing staff may be the password for success, there is a need of the technical competence; combined with behavioral and emotional competence, including more enriching interpersonal relationships.

Furthermore, in the spiritual world it is no different; for those who are part of God's family, and are part of the Body of Christ, who should be announcing The Good News Of Love Of Our God of salvation for those who had been lost = that is, every human being. How would this professionalism be in the Kingdom of God? I am impressed by the words of Jesus and let them meditate here now. Jesus gives us a tremendous example how to be the best among all. Hallelujahs!! I believe that it is worth to quote the whole text here to obtain an overview of the subject. I marvel how Jesus taught, and we must learn from this from Him.

“1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples:
2 "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.
3 So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.
4 They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
5 "Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long;
6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues;
7 they love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them 'Rabbi'.
8 "But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers.
9 And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.
10 Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ.
11 The greatest among you will be your servant.
12 For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. "Matthew 23:1-12.

And... Lk. 22:24-30.

" 24 Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest.
25 Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors.
26 But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.
27 For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. (Bold is my emphasis)
28 You are those who have stood by me in my trials.
29 And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me,
30 so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. - Lk. 22:24-30.

Through the warnings of Jesus in this passage we see that in Gods' Kingdom, the goal is not to want to be the best in communication and marketing; as it is in the world of commerce in which anyone who makes the best advertisement is the victor. Jesus makes it very clear how the attitude should be in our heart, we are brothers serving the Master; the Christ. God is our Father, and as the apostle says we are ambassadors of the greatest. We are here representing God here on earth, the one who is the Greatest. And there is more, the GREATEST = GOD, lives within us and communicates through us. Jesus as He represented His Father here on earth gave us an example, as how to proceed, he washed the disciples’ feet. And afterward he told them they should serve each other.

“Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” - John 14:23 NIV.
"Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, keep my words: and my Father will love him, and come unto him and make our abode with him" - John. 14:23. KJV.

Let's study this a little bit here:

-       "Jesus spoke to the crowd and saying to his disciples." The teaching that he gives in this text is for the general crowd and his disciples.

-       "The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. So you must obey them and do everything they tell you”.  = Jesus was warning them that there are many people who are looking to have the church leadership, as well as the theological line that they prefer to apply, but he says that we should not be so. We shall obey the commandments of God, instituted in the Church of Christ. And when the servants of God teach us, we should do our best to obey the Word of God.

-       So you must obey them and do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. "Everything they do is done for men to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long; = This it is an alert that we must pay attention to and seek God to help us not err in this regard. When God reminds us that there are leaders within the kingdom of God acting wrong, and we should not do as they do, it is because the matter is serious. The Bible speaks of false prophets, speaks of wolves in sheep’s clothing. Jesus said in John 10 about the thief who comes to kill, steal and destroy. We must be careful whom we place as leaders in our churches. They must be proven as the Word of God says. They need to be approved to perform their functions in the church.

-       they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; = People who love to be served first at the communion, and the chairs of honour in the churches. Chairs that are placed for the elders and deacons and important pastors, should not be a dispute on them. There are people who fight for the best positions in the church. Jesus teaches us that we should not be as such.

-       “They love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have men call them 'Rabbi'. "But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers.” = Many pastors love to receive praises and greetings. Presently at the time of pursuing doctorate in theology and everything else to achieve a PhD, everything revolves around whoever can be best. Jesus draws our attention in this regard.

-       And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.

-       Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. = Titles are not sin, provided that they do not cause us to sin against your brethren. Jesus is the Master, and not us; we are his disciples and servants.

-       But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves.  Also a dispute arose among them as to which of them was considered to be greatest. Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who exercise authority over them call themselves Benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves.

-       But you are not to be like that. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves. You are those who have stood by me in my trials.

-       And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me. Jesus desires us to be the same as he is. And the Father had conferred the kingdom unto Him, and he was conferring the kingdom unto his disciples. Therefore, we should not strive to be the biggest, but strive to serve one another.

Oh glory, Hallelujahs!! May God, the Eternal Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit be praised and exalted!

We are greater than Jesus’ employees; He chose, equipped and prepared us for this work. We are His ambassadors’, we represent Him here now on earth. After Jesus was resurrected He told his disciples: "Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you" - Jn. 20:21. Let's analyze this a bit. The same position that Jesus received here on earth by his Father He gave to the Church. He said, As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. It was Jesus who qualified us for the work He has sent us to do. It is not our character nor our skills and neither our knowledge gained in any university that qualifies us; but the Blood of the Lamb does.

No "human being" can be perfect on his own efforts, cannot even reach the stature of a perfect man on his own. It is Jesus who saves us, heals us, prepares us in the right way, leads us, equips us and Jesus uses us in accordance of his goodwill. Jesus sent us to do the same mission he had received to go after those who were lost. But, it is not us that do the work, but He does it through us. Paul writes to the Philippians that the One who began the good work in us will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ; Fl. 1:6,2:13. And also says that He operates both, to will and fulfill according to his good will God works this in the lives of each of us, we only need to accept it.

As you can see God has a purpose too high for each of us to live here on this earth. It starts here on earth and will continue there in glory with Him Eternal life begins here when we invite Jesus to be our Lord and Savior of our lives. J Jesus prepared his disciples so well that he did not forget any detail. Jesus warned the disciples that they would be persecuted like he was, and that none of us is more than the master. If he was persecuted, we will be also.. 

Mt 10:24-25 "A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household! "

§  The disciple is not greater than the master.
§  The servant is not above his master.
§  It is enough for the disciple to be like his master.
§  And it is enough for the servant to be as his Lord.
§  If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household.

Let us pause a bit here in this verse from Matthew 10:24-25. Let's look at these five important points that Jesus pointed out. The disciple is not greater than his teacher, and the servant is not more than his master. Have you ever meditated upon the fact that Jesus said this? If we analyze this situation, it is obvious that a disciple is not greater than the master, and why is it then that Jesus made this observance to his followers?

I truly believe in fact that God used lots of love as He called the human being to do this task of bringing the gospel to the unsaved. The Bible says that the angels desired to proclaim the gospel, but God gave it to the human being, (1 Pet 1:9-12). God had previously experienced a day where his creature wanted to rise above Him.

Isaiah 14:12-18
“12 How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!
13 You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain.
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High."
15 But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit.
16 Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate: "Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble,
17 the man who made the world a desert, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?"
18 All the kings of the nations lie in state, each in his own tomb.”


We read in Isaiah 14:12-18, the description how the morning star fell from the heaven. The chapter describes the fall of Lucifer, and according to verse 14 it says: “I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High”. Jesus knew the devil would tempt many of the followers and disciples to boast about the fact that God uses them. Jesus said that whosoever believeth in him would do greater works than he did. Jo. 14:12 "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father".

I believe that Jesus wanted to warn his disciples that the temptation exists; and it can happen for a person to feel the desire to be a top and high leader over the others, especially when God uses him a lot. When a person is honored a lot here on earth, the opportunity arises for him to become high headed. Jesus teaches us that we must remain humble just as he was.

He taught them also that, if they persecuted Jesus; they will also persecute us. Jesus sent the human being as the Father sent him, and He sent us to preach the gospel to every creation unto the ends of the earth. I believe Jesus was saying that the Church, the Body of Christ, would do greater things than He did when he was here in person. God has an eternal purpose with the human being He created in his image and likeness, hallelujahs.










 
                                                                                                                                In the Lord's Service 
I greet you in His Love
Antonina Penner.
Missionary
Masters inTheology..
 
ISBN- 978-0-9881063-1-4
Copyright 2012/11/26 by: “Ministério Visão de Águias”.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher


Saturday, September 5, 2015

20th lesson = God's Purpose in loving the Human Being

 

The Purpose to be Lived In the Stature of a Perfect Man?

The purpose to be lived with God is very high, it is to fulfill the mission He has given us. Jesus said: "As the Father sent me I send you." This is the purpose to be lived the fact that we see God always ensures success in all situations for his children. The Love of God is always watching and protecting us in every circumstance of life. Jesus came to bring us life in abundance, and God wants us to enjoy this life here.
Many people complain because they do not receive all these promises. The promises are for those who receive Jesus and believe in him (John 1:12). Can you already understand what the mission of Jesus was here on earth? Jesus says that just as the Father has sent me, I send you. Being sent by Jesus is to fulfill a very high mission; to announce "God is Love" to all human beings. The purpose is to reach every human being and fish them into His kingdom. Jesus said I will make you fisher of man. God wants to see our life fulfilled to the end, and He wants to see us happy, in “God is Love” so that we can reach the highest perspective that comes from the Throne of God. Gad made us, created us to have a Loving Relationship with us for all eternity in His Kingdom; protected from all evil.
If God did not have a very high purpose in the creation of the human being, he would not have created him in His Own Image and Likeness. God first created the entire universe, he made all the vegetation on the land to produce food for the animals and for the human being HE was about to create. But, only the human being was created in the image of God and His likeness. The human being is created in a special way, God had intended to have an eternal relationship with this being that he created. This is evidenced by the fact that he did not spare His Own Son to save the human being when he fell from Gods grace. The purpose to be lived is to reach the stature of a perfect man to fulfill the sending of the human being by the Lord Jesus.
The Great Commission according to Mathew 28:16-20:
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.
17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
According to Mark 16:14-20
14 Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.
15 He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.
16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
17And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;
18they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."
19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God.
20 Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.
What is the Purpose to be lived in the Stature of a Perfect Man? I do believe that base on the two Scriptures stated above we can say that the Purpose to be lived is to obey in the call Jesus has given us. Going therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely we can know that Jesus is with us always, to the very end of the age. And we need to believe that what Jesus said happens and that He fulfills His promises, as we walk upon this Promises. Jesus whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In the name of Jesus we as well will drive out demons; we will speak in new tongues; we will pick up snakes with our hands; and when we drink deadly poison, it will not hurt us at all; and we will place our hands on sick people, and they will get well. Yes, based upon the promise of Jesus we need to take our stand. It is His Word and He sent us as His Father sent Him.
 
God is preparing the Bride of Christ here on earth, the beloved Church that He is building in Christ Jesus. One day Jesus will come to pick up His Church. In Revelation we read that we will celebrate the wedding of the Lamb, and we will be the Bride. Together with Him we shall reign for all eternity over the entire universe and everything that God has created, that what now with these eyes we cannot observe or see. Our mind has not the capacity of understanding everything at this point. But, one day we will see and understand as we are seen and understood by him, God.
"By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me" - Jn. 5:30.
Jesus did not come to do his will but the will of His Father who is in heaven. Jesus teaches us to be the same way and seek the will of the Father who is in heaven. In the next chapter we will see that he teaches, as the Father, who lives, hath sent me and I live by the Father. He goes on to say in that verse: “Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me” - Jn. 6:57. This fact is the purpose to be lived in the stature of a perfect man that Jesus compares the fact that he lived by the Father So it is with us, who feeds on Him, Jesus, will live by Him.
The mission that Jesus the Christ had was to be the Messiah who would restore the life of the human being to a higher level than it was before the fall there in the Garden Eden. Jesus gave the right to become Children of God, for those that believe in His Name. "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--” - Jn. 1:12. Jesus came and died for us and fulfilling His mission and also sent those who received Him to continue His work earth. Jesus said that He would go and prepare a place for us to live with Him in Heaven. "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am" – Jn. 14: 2-3 - NIV. In the KJV it says “mansions”, and NASB says “dwelling places”.
Jesus makes a point of explaining to his followers, his disciples, that in his Father's house are many dwelling places, or lots of room for everyone who wants to be with Him in heaven. These dwelling places have been prepared for those who will live there with Him.
The Eternal Purpose to be lived with God the Father is to be with Him in glory where He has prepared a dwelling place for us; homes or mansions. Does not matter what name we give it, I think if this universe in which we live is already so beautiful how much more will heaven be? We are unable to understand with our mind the dimension of the life that we will have with God the Father and Jesus Christ in glory over there, but we know that "God is Love," is preparing something beautiful for us.
 
 
 
In the Lord's Service 


I greet you in His Love
Antonina Penner.
Missionary
Masters inTheology..
 
ISBN- 978-0-9881063-1-4
Copyright 2012/11/26 by: “Ministério Visão de Águias”.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher
 

Rev. Billy Graham