Posts

Showing posts from January, 2023

Who Is Jesus? Chapter 59 - - The Holy Spirit is Given

Image
  Who Is Jesus? Chapter 59 - - The Holy Spirit is Given After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to many of his followers over a period of 40 days, proving it was really him and that he was truly risen from the dead.  Jesus gave them understanding of the Prophesies from the scriptures, about his birth, life, death and resurrection. Jesus then instructed them to wait for the Promise of the Holy Spirit that the prophets had proclaimed, and that they were to go forth in His name, with boldness, in power, preaching, teaching, healing the sick, and casting out evil spirits. As Jesus departed from them in a cloud ascending into heaven, angels proclaimed this same Jesus that you see going up into heaven shall one day return in glory as you have seen him go up. So,  in obedience to Jesus, His followers went to Jerusalem to wait and pray, in an upper room with about 120 others including Mary the mother of Jesus and his brothers. It was the time of the Jewish Feast of Harvest as we now

Retaliation does Not Pay

Image
  Retaliation does Not Pay True story: Happily, as a 5-year-old girl, I skipped down the sidewalk until a bump in the sidewalk, caused me to fall and I skinned my knee and hurt my pride. How does the mind of a young child work? Sometimes the young innocent mind – a mind without wisdom due to inexperience and learning, and not using good old common sense, which is often learned later in life as a person matures. Anyway, in my young mind, I was hurting from the fall and blood all over my knee, and it was all the sidewalk's fault. I decided to retaliate and teach the sidewalk a lesson. I would hit the sidewalk because it needed a good slap for causing me to fall and skin my knee.   I decided to punish the offender with “pay back.” So, I raised my hand and brought my hand down with a good hard slap to teach the sidewalk not to hurt me again. Ouch that stung and really hurt me like crazy. I did not understand. I was trying to injure the offender, but only ended up hurting

Who is Jesus? Chapter 58 Jesus Gives the Great Commission

Image
  Who is Jesus? Chapter 58 Jesus Gives the Great Commission Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 For I passed on to you the most important points that I received: Jesus, The Messiah died for our sins according to the Scriptures, he was buried, he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures — and is still alive! — and he was seen by Peter, Cephas, and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 brothers at one time. Next, he was seen by James, then by all the apostles, and finally he was seen by me. Today we will retell the events leading up to the Ascension of Jesus and His return to heaven. After his suffering death and burial, Jesus presented himself alive to many, showing them proofs, for  forty days  as He explained about the kingdom of God. Forty days had gone by, so when a large group had come together on the mount of Olives, they asked Jesus, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for

Who is Jesus? Chapter 57 Jesus asks “Do you Love Me?”

Image
  Who is Jesus? Chapter 57 Jesus asks “Do you Love Me?” Today we are retelling more of the times during the 40 days after his resurrection that Jesus appeared to many of his followers:  Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene as she wept outside the empty tomb. Jesus asked her why are you weeping? She replied, they have taken my Lord and I don't know where he is. Then Jesus called her name “Mary,” and she dried her eyes to get a better look and realized this was Jesus.   She was so excited and happy that she wanted to bow down and kiss his feet, but he told her, please don't touch me, because I have not yet appeared before my Father. This was because Jesus had just risen from the dead, and according to the sacrificial laws, he needed to present his blood before God the Father as evidence that the new covenant was now in effect. Mary was overjoyed that Jesus was alive, and she ran to tell the others, I have seen the Lord. But they did not believe her and considered her as

Who is Jesus? Chapter 56 “Doubting Thomas”

Image
Who is Jesus? Chapter 56 “Doubting Thomas” See my Hands and My Feet and My Side The Gospel of John is the only book that records the happening of Thomas and his doubts.  It is interesting to notice that all the disciples and followers were slow to believe and even prior to the crucifixion, they could not grasp all Jesus was telling them about his death and resurrection in three days.  Although the 12 apostles were prominent and spent more quality time with Jesus, there were many others who Jesus gave special assignments. At one time Jesus sent out 35 teams to teach, heal and cast out demons. This was a total of 70 anointed followers sent out two by two. When they returned, with tremendous reports, Jesus told them not to rejoice in their success of demons being subject onto them, but to be happy that their names were written down in heaven. Jesus knew the prideful heart of man, and how easy it is for man to consider the success was “all mine,” and not credit the power given t

How my Pastors Taught me to Give

Image
  How my Pastors Taught me to Give Two True Stories about Giving to the Lord. Many years ago, our children were teenagers, and we had added a room addition to our growing home, with the walls covered with plasterboard, and the nail holes dotted with some builders paste cover up. We were too busy to finish the room and t he walls looked like poka-dots for wallpaper. One day we had some folks over for refreshments, and our pastor noted our dot-colored walls.   A few days later, we received a phone call from Pastor Gene asking if anyone would be home and could he come over for a bit. Or course, come on over we said.  Soon, he arrived in white overalls, a cap on his head and a bucket of undercoat paint with a roller pan and brush. Pastor said, The Lord told me to come over and gift you a few hours of labor. So we opened the door and welcomed him in. Pastor worked and gave it his best shot and soon our walls had the first coat of paint ready for the topcoat in a few days.  Now the dots

Who is Jesus? Chapter 55 Jesus said, “See the Nail Prints in my Hands and Feet”

Image
  Who is Jesus? Chapter 55 Jesus said, “See the Nail Prints in my Hands and Feet” Reviewing that on the road to Emmaus, Jesus walked and talked with two of his two followers but they did not recognize him. He asked them why they were so sad and they told him all that had happened. Jesus began to explain from the Scriptures that this all was prophesied many years ago, and the two men wondered. Still they did not recognize Jesus. Finally they stopped at the hotel and Jesus acted as if he was going to travel further, but they requested that he stop and have a meal with them. As they ate, Jesus took the bread and blessed it, and the two men were amazed. Suddenly their eyes were opened to recognized him. Then to their surprise, He disappeared right in front of them, As they pondered all this; they decided not to spend the night in the hotel, but to return as quickly as they could to Jerusalem to tell the others. They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while

Who is Jesus? Chapter 54 Jesus appears on the Road to Emmaus

Image
  Who is Jesus? Chapter 54 Jesus appears on the Road to Emmaus Reviewing that Jesus was crucified, and buried, but on the first day of the week, the women; came to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus, but the stone had been rolled away. Two angels who looked like normal men, except they were dressed in dazzling white clothing; said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And the women remembered the words of Jesus, so they ran telling all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.  But they considered the women being foolish, and they did not believe them. That very day two of the followers of Jesus were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem,  and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened.  While they