Church The Way It Should Be With My Friend Jesus (Part three)

A meeting with the Head of the church; the way it all began in homes under the Headship of Jesus Christ.

Walk in Unity

Ephesians 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Ephesians 4:13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Note in Ephesians verses 15 and 16; the head is Christ and everyone else makes up the body/church.

Do you think the only person talking in this picture is Jesus?

What does the body do? The body is knit together by what every joint supplies, to be effective every part does it's share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Wow! In the picture at the top we have a functioning vibrant body/church from which life flows to and from all members. Everyone is talking, hopefully one at a time, everyone is sharing and all are growing in an environment of love.

That doesn't look like any church I have attended on Sunday morning. Church today looks like this.

or like this

Could this be why the church today has lost its way? You don't even hear this in churches today.

John Calvin gave us pulpits and pews about 1545 A.D. in the government financed church of Scotland.

My apologies for digressing - lets get back to my friend Jesus.

The head of the body is I AM (Christ)

Exodus 3:14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

John 8:58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

Note: God the Father is Spirit

John 4:24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Note: God the Son (Christ) is the exact representation of the Father in bodily form

Hebrews 1: 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Amen

New Health Tip post added

My Friend Jesus (Part two)

Who is Jesus in His own words and words by the Father, by the Holy Spirit, by Angels, saints, men and devils. .

Jesus the Eternal Word

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

God’s Supreme Revelation

Hebrews 1:1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

Colossians 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

Reconciled in Christ

Colossians 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

Names, Titles and Characters of Jesus Christ linked to the Scripture reference.

Examples

Testimony borne to the Son by the Father, by Jesus Himself, by the Spirit, by Angels, saints, men and devils.

The Father, "My Beloved Son." Mat 17:5

Jesus Himself, "I am the Son of God." Jhn 10:36

The Spirit, "The Son of God." Mar 1:1

Gabriel, "The Son of God." Luk 1:35; 2:11

John Baptist, "This is the Son of God." Jhn 1:34

John, Apostle, "The Christ, the Son of God." Jhn 20:31

Paul, Apostle, "He is the Son of God." Act 9:20

Disciples, "Thou art the Son of God." Mat 14:33

Nathaniel, "Rabbi, thou art the Son of God." Jhn 1:49

Martha, "The Christ, the Son of God." Jhn 11:27

Eunuch, "Jesus Christ is the Son of God." Act 8:37

Centurion, "Truly this was the Son of God." Mar 15:39

Unclean spirits, "Thou art the Son of God." Mar 3:11

The Legion, "Thou Son of the Most High God." Mar 5:7

As we move forward in our study of Jesus Christ we will look in depth at many of these Scriptures to learn the interaction involved that brought about these titles and character references. 

How did Paul, the Apostle, know and state "He is the Son of God." in Acts 9:20?

Saul who became Paul was a very knowledgeable and a religious persecutor of those who believed in and followed Jesus. He was a man on a mission to stop this false teaching as determined by his religious training and expertise.

Saul with several associates was on such a mission traveling on the road to Damascus when suddenly he was:

Acts 9:3 And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:

4 And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

6 And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.

7 And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man.

8 And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.

9 And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.

Saul was engulfed in the Lord's light and fell to the ground helpless and he asked who art thou, stating  Lord? Obviously he was overwhelmed in God's light and powerless but he knew immediately it was the Lord. All who were with him heard Jesus speaking but did not see Him. Did Jesus have their undivided attention? YES

After three days Saul rose up and stated He is the Son of God in Acts 9:20:

Acts 9:20 And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God.

Saul's introduction to Jesus resulted in an astounding friendship between them. We don't all have a Damascus road experience but we can all have this friendship with Jesus if we'll spend time getting to know Him.

Friends generally know a lot about each other and that information is the basis that builds our friendship.

Friendship and association cautions

Proverbs 22:24 Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go:

James 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

Proverbs 20:19 He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; Therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips.

Proverbs 24:21 My son, fear the Lord and the king; Do not associate with those given to change;

Romans 12:16 Be of the same mind toward one another. Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own opinion.

My Friend Jesus Christ (Part one)

My friend and yours if you are a believer, how well do you know Him?

Image Credit

John 15:15 No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.

Friend defined

By King James Dictionary (KJD)

One who is attached to another by affection one who entertains for another sentiments of esteem, respect and affection, which lead him to desire his company, and to seek to promote his happiness and prosperity opposed to foe or enemy.

By Jesus Christ

John 10:15 As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.

John 10:17 “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.

John 13:37 Peter said to Him, “Lord, why can I not follow You now? I will lay down my life for Your sake.”

John 13:38 Jesus answered him, “Will you lay down your life for My sake? Most assuredly, I say to you, the rooster shall not crow till you have denied Me three times.

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

1 John 3:16 [ The Outworking of Love ] By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Based 1 John 3:16 how many friends do you have?

• Would you die for them?
• Would they die for you?

Based on KJD how many friends do you have? 

Your list probably grew using the KJD definition but are they really your friends or are they acquaintances?

Acquaintance defined

By the KJD

A person or persons well known usually persons we have been accustomed to see and converse with sometimes, persons more slightly known.

Many we might refer to as friends in reality are acquaintances, such as in this case. 

Psalm 55:12 For it is not an enemy who reproaches me; Then I could bear it.

Nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me; Then I could hide from him.

13 But it was you, a man my equal, My companion and my acquaintance.

14 We took sweet counsel together, And walked to the house of God in the throng.

Psalm 55:12-14 resembles church in America during the 21st century to me. I haven't attended for years because of experiences similar to what the Psalm says and from what I hear many are experiencing the same.

I never gave up on God, He is my friend and worthy of my praise and devotion. 

I am going to share who Jesus is in the next few posts and what the real church looks like. 

The real church doesn't have any of the following:

• Pews or chairs lined up in neat little rows
• No pulpit
• No pastor
• No director of music
• No elders
• No deacons
• No extravagant entertainment auditoriums
• No Sunday morning meetings
• In fact it doesn't even have a church building

Real church is a functioning body of brothers and sisters under the headship of Jesus Christ meeting in homes.

   

Prophetic Warning Out of Israel

In Noah's day God cleansed the Earth of Evil Violence by water; the forthcoming cleansing will be by fire!

In the days of Noah a flood

Genesis 6:13 And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. (In the Hebrew - I will destroy them 'from' the earth)

'Hamas' in Hebrew means violence

I knew that the Hebrew word hamas meant violence before all the recent anti-Israel terrorism. What I did not know was how many times the word hamas appears in the Hebrew Bible, and what the Bible says about the fate of those who carry out hamas/violence against the people of Israel.

Hamas appears 68 times in the Hebrew Bible/Scripture. I would not want to be in the shoes of a Hamas terrorist.

Some theologians believe that the anointed cherub in Ezekiel 28 is a reference to Satan. If this view is correct, then according to Ezekiel 28:16, it was hamas in the midst of this cherub that caused the Lord to cast him out of the mountain of God. (Learn more here)

Israeli News Live - Hamas Prophetic Sign (December 29,2014) Watch now

This next cleansing by God will be by fire

Isaiah 45:22 “Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.

Pray for All Men


1 Timothy 2:1 Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, 7 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

Now is a time to draw close to God, to abide in Him, to repent and receive His gift of eternal life.

Life as we know it could be radically different tomorrow - please get your house in order today!

Jesus was born on December 25th

How do we know?

Image credit

Christmas is not a pagan holiday as many claim, it is in fact Jesus's real birth date.

Second century documentation: 

By

Around 200 C.E. Tertullian of Carthage reported the calculation that the 14th of Nisan (the day of the crucifixion according to the Gospel of John) in the year Jesus died was equivalent to March 25 in the Roman (solar) calendar. March 25 is, of course, nine months before December 25; it was later recognized as the Feast of the Annunciation—the commemoration of Jesus’ conception. Thus, Jesus was believed to have been conceived and crucified on the same day of the year. Exactly nine months later, Jesus was born, on December 25.

“Therefore our Lord was conceived on the eighth of the kalends of April in the month of March [March 25], which is the day of the passion of the Lord and of his conception. For on that day he was conceived on the same he suffered.” 


The rationale was innocent enough, just add nine months to date of conception to determine when He was born and it lands on December 25th.  It’s that simple. Paganism had absolutely nothing to do with it. (read the full article)

Take an in-depth look at the record here.

But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Matthew 1:20-21 NKJV

Rejoice He Lives and He is the reason for the season!

Rainbows and the Lord's Return, is there a connection?

God gave us the rainbow as a sign of His promise to never flood the earth again after Noah's flood.

Genesis 9:13 I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.

Genesis 9:14 It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud;

Genesis 9:16 The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”

The Lord's Return will coincide with a return too; 'as it was in the days of Noah'.

Luke 17:26 And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:

Before the flood in the days of Noah there was no rainbow, only after the flood.

Most people tend to think of this time as a return to mans sinful rebellious nature as it was in the days of Noah, many believe sin is as out of control today as in Noah's time, so why hasn't the Lord returned?

Even with all of the rebellion today we are still missing some of things that existed in Noah's time, such as:

Where are the giants?

Genesis 6:4 There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

Where are the sons of God, those who left their first estate?

The sons of God, the angels who left their first estate, heaven, saw the daughters of men and had sex with them and their offspring were giants.

Here we have two dimensions, the heavenly realm and the physical realm of men, who could obviously see and interact with each other.

 Genesis 6:1 Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.

3 And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”

Adam and Eve saw and talked with God, they also saw and talked with the serpent, Satan, who tricked them, through Eve, to eat the forbidden fruit.

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”

4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

Where are the cherubim?

Genesis 3:22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

What is missing today that was part of Noah's day? 

Spiritual and physical dimensions had no visual or physical separation in Noah's day. Today you cannot see into and interact with other dimensions except as God provides when He shows His people things in the spiritual realm, through visions, dreams, angelic visitations, and so forth.

The rainbow appears after the flood as God's promise and that which was visible before the flood is no longer visible.

Will these things be visible as 'in the days of Noah' in the near future? 

I think they will be for it to be as, 'in the days of Noah'. What will happen when God allows the interaction once again between dimensions? Nothing good for those outside of the Lord's protection, that is why He flooded the earth and protected only Noah's family and the Ark.

Is the rainbow connected to the separation of dimensions? 

Some think it is. If you have an inquiring mind and want expand it I highly recommend you read this for more on the rainbow connection.

IMPORTANT FLASHBACK AS NEW RAINBOWS WITH STRANGE COLORS FORM!

Rainbow Hacking - HAARP, Chemtrails, Terraforming, Cloud Seeding...

Posted: 09 Aug 2012 11:48 AM PDT

By Aaron Hermann ( Revelation of Babylon blog )

Be blessed and enjoy this fascinating read.

  

What Does it Mean to be Christian? Would People Recognize Christ in You by Your Actions?

Millions claim to be Christian but how can you tell the difference between real Christians and those who just exploit the title?

Is this man a Christian?

The Pope in Israel

What about this guy is he a Christian?

Or these two?

Jesus Says:

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

John 11:25 NKJV

He is the resurrection and the life, have these people pictured above believed in Him? Only the triune God knows for sure in addition to those pictured.

The Living Word, Jesus, tells us how to discern a real Christian from deceivers.

1 John 4 New King James Version (NKJV)

4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. 6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

Matthew 7:15 [ You Will Know Them by Their Fruits ] “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

Matthew 7:16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?

Matthew 7:20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

Jesus also says:

Luke 6:30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. 31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.

32 “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36 Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

In real life what do 'fruits' look like?

Example 1 - a camping trip:

You arrive at your favorite campsite late after a long drive from the city. You find one of the following two scenarios:

1. The campsite is trashed and there is no firewood. 
   
2. The campsite is ready - complete with firewood. 
   

Which scenario might point to a Christian based on the Scripture? (Scenario 2)

And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.

Example 2 - a trip to the laundromat:

You arrive at your favorite laundromat, wash your clothing and find one of the following two scenarios when they are ready for the dryer:

1. A full lint trap. 
   
2. A clean lint trap. 
   

Which scenario might point to a Christian based on the Scripture? 

(Scenario 2)

And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.

Example 3 - Black Friday TV shopping:

 

You arrive at your favorite retailer looking for just the perfect TV. One of the following two scenarios are part of this shopping experience:

1. You have picked the TV of your dreams and... 
   
2. You have picked the TV of your dreams and check out. 
   

Which scenario might point to a Christian based on the Scripture? (Scenario 2)

And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.

What does it mean to be a Christian showing the fruit of the Spirit?

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Colossians 3:12 [ Character of the New Man ] Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;

Ephesians 4:2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,

Luke 6:30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. 31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.

The three examples above are just indicators; those who are filled with Christ's love consider others feelings, needs, and desires, they will fit scenario 2, those who are of the world will fit scenario 1, they are completely self centered.

How many good Samaritans do you see in today's world?

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

Luke 10:25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”

27 So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”

28 And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”

29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ 36 So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?”

37 And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

Why do so many who claim to be Christian behave like those in the Scenario 1 examples?

A couple reasons:

1. Most don't hear this preached from the present day U.S. church pulpits. 
   
2. Many are not paying attention. 

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.