"Jesus, The One and Only"

 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever." (Hebrews 13:8 KJV)

  "When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, "Don't be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look - I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave."" (Revelation 1:17-18 NLT) 

 There is more to this than we could ever imagine; yet even then, I doubt we would know just how amazing Jesus really is, was, and forever will be! When they were going to arrest Jesus in the garden, all He had to say, is, "I Am!" and instantly they all fell to the ground; as if He could have breathed and knock them off their feet. 

 When He came out to the disciples, walking on the water, it totally scared them, as they thought He was a ghost or a spirit. Yet, He can control everything, big or small, with just a word, even just a thought, as if even His imagination is enough to create something from nothing! 

 There was this one instance when He told His disciples to get in the boat, as He said, "We must go to the other side." As they went, Jesus slept, having a pillow beneath His head. It has been said, that the pillow He was resting His head upon, was actually cloths that were folded up, waiting to be put on someone who was on the other side of the lake. 

 As they entered into the center of the lake, a horrific storm overtook the ship, and the disciples were sure that they were going to die; but Jesus keep on sleeping, as if everything was going to be fine! Personally, I believe the powers of darkness were trying to stop Him, as the man He was about to help had legions of demons living inside of him. 

 This might not seem like such a spectacular thing to some; but Jesus knows everything! He controls the elements, down to the smallest practical, every atom that makes density into matter! Even though He came to this earth in the form of a man, He still was God, with abilities beyond all others; even the demons trembled at His commands...

"So they arrived at the other side of the lake, in the region of Gerasenes. When Jesus climbed out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out from a cemetery to meet him. This man lived among the burial caves and could no longer be restrained, even with a chain. Whenever he was put into chains and shackles - as he often was - he snapped the chains from his wrists and smashed the shackles. No one was strong enough to subdue him. Day and night he wandered among the burial caves and in the hills, howling and cutting himself with sharp stones. When Jesus was still some distance away, the man ran to him, and bowed low before him. With a shriek, he screamed, "Why are you interfering with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In the name of God, I beg you, don't torture me!""  

"The Mighty God!"

   "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." (Hebrews 13:8 NLT)

  "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6 KJV)

 Not that this is anything new or a secret, hidden in the Scriptures; because it has been put up on posters and shirts and all sorts of other ways to show, just who Jesus Christ is, was, and always will be: LORD! The funny thing is, that the religion I grew up in, their Bible translation has the word, "LORD," changed to "JEHOVAH." Thus, they proclaim this to be the main reason that their translation is true, and all others are false. 

 Back to my jail time and my new life in Christ; after I was saved, I felt led to make a crossword puzzle that had JESUS in the empty squares, going across and up and down, somewhat in the form of a cross. All the questions going across were from Old Testament verses; while those that went up and down were questions that came from New Testament verses. Not that I wanted to advertise it or anything; although I did make a few copies for a couple of my new brothers in Christ. Mainly, it was my way to study and confirm what I had just found out; and a way to try to remember all the verses that speak of the LORD of LORD,S and KING of KING'S; The Mighty Son of God! 

 Maybe you don't see the encounter that I had as something overwhelming; but to me, at that particular time, it was life-changing and the most important thing in my life! Believe it or not, but God kept putting men into my life that had some affiliation with the J.W.'s. Each and every one of them almost all said the same thing: "When I get out, I am going to go to my brother's church; but they call it the Kingdom Hall." You can only imagine my reaction to their statements. I instantly opened my Bible and showed them who Jesus really was and proved to them that He was, indeed, God! 

 One of the men I shared with got saved that Sunday morning at a church service. Surprisingly, we both had a visitation at the same time; me with my wife and grandfather; he with his brother and family. This area was not like the one at the other facility; there was glass walls between us and our families; while we pick up phones to talk to each other. I witnessed the new brother in Christ, as his family picked up their phone, he picked up his, and he instantly exclaimed, "I accepted Jesus into my heart today!" Immediately, they hung up their phone, turned their back to him, and walked out of the visiting center.

 When I got ready to consult him for what had happen, he had a very big smile on his face, saying, "I just had my first persecution for Jesus!" I was overwhelmed by his excitement and knew full well that I had a reason for being in jail! That night I called my wife and she asked me what was different about me; as her and my grandfather spoke to each other going back home, wondering what it was that made me so joyful. I explained to her the salvation I had received, asking her if she wanted it also; and then I led her in the sinner's prayer, and got saved over the phone. Not too long after, my grandfather also got saved, and I knew that jail was a blessing, not a curse! 

 When I had that encounter with the possessed man in that hallway; and after exclaiming, "Praise the Lord!" after my early release denial; when I got back to my cell, the man who was reading my Bible said almost the exact thing that other man said. whose family had shunned him. After I looked up the verse I wanted to read, in Acts 19:13-16; I spent several hours showing him all the verses that show that Jesus is truly God.

 You must know something about that religion, which is actually a cult. They do not allow anyone to read the Bible on its own; everything is read through their Study Books, which reference Scriptures in the Bible. As they read out loud the lessons in the Study Books, there will be a Scripture reference, which someone will be called on to read that Scripture, and then they all confirm that the Study Guide is true. You really can't make this up! As a matter of fact, there teaching is, that if you read the Study Guides with the Bible, you will be in the light; but if you read the Bible alone, you will be in darkness. Truely a cult! 

 If I have offended anyone with that, I am truly not sorry; but I am truly sorry for you: Jesus is JEHOVAH, just in case you wanted to know: "The God who is Salvation"...

"Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also you are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I declared unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures: and that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: after that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time." (1 Corinthians 15:1-8 KJV) 

"The WORD of GOD" - Again

 "Remember them which have rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation." (Hebrews 13:7 KJV)

  "Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross." (Philippians 2:6-8 NLT)

 Now, for those that don't know, my testimony has really nothing special to it; but it is something that I will never forget! All my life up to the day I was saved, I knew a little about Jesus, I believed in God, and I believed that the Bible was true; however, what I lacked was knowing who Jesus really was, is, and always will be! 

 Some of you know my testimony; so, pardon me if I must tell it again. I was raised primarily off and on studying which the J.W. faith. I say off and on, because my mom and stepdad would always get drunk and have monstruous fights; so much so, that the organization knew about it, and our whole family would be disfellowshipped. So, we would have to move to another location, over and over, getting into the Hall of another fellowship, acting as if we were faithful witnesses. That was the sixties and early seventies; I seriously doubt that would work in this present day, which has everyone's life on display. 

 After I was discharged from the Navy, for dealing drugs on my ship; I met my wife in March of 1979; we had a son in December of 1979. I did work from time to time, but I also dealt drugs; quit a lot, enough to have all the drugs we wanted or could handle. But towards the middle of 1980, we had a deal go bad, as I sold 5 pounds of weed too undercover police officers. As soon as they said, who gets the money, and I took the cash, at least six squad cars should up, and thing got a little crazy.

 Long story short, it took about a year to get through the Court proceedings, and in May of 1981 I was sentenced to one year in the County Jail. I was given one month to get my affairs in order, and in the middle of June I turned myself over to the Los Angelos County jail. 

 I was sent to a place by Majic Moutain, where I did what I always did: Make money! I sold cigarettes, candy bars, and instant coffee; the coffee was my greatest deal, little tablespoon size bags for $5 each. You would be surprised how any inmates want a cup of coffee before going to bed at night. 

 Anywho, there was a real Church building on the compound; with a steeple and a bell; and there were services almost every day. But I was totally against organized religion; so much so, I remember praying one night about 50 yards away from that church; watching the men inside raising their hands and having worship. I started to cry, thinking that I was praying for them; but I found out later, I was praying for myself.

 During a Sunday visiting, I was spotted handing a fist full of money to my wife. Most men were getting money from their wives; so me giving her money was giving some the wrong impression. Later that day I was jumped and all had left was ten dollars; which was actually in my little New Testament Bible that I held onto, until I couldn't any longer. After that encounter, I didn't do anything about it; however, someone told the main office about it, and I was called up, over the Load-Speaker, "Norrup, come to the office." 

 I ended up being sent to another facility, because they thought that the guys who jumped me might think I ratted on them; which I did not do. However, the place I was sent to did not have a church! My guard was down, and I didn't expect to be threatened by organized religion in that place, at all.

 Yet, one Sunday morning, around the beginning of September, another Load Speaker came on, and the 90-year-old Chaplain was making a plea: "We have a great group down here in the cafeteria, and they have something very special to tell you men!" Well, that was probably my last call! I truly felt that I need to go; so I started walking down towards that cafeteria, which turned into a run.

 When I entered the room, worship had already started, so I stayed in the back, and just tied to be present. When worship ended, this black man approached the podium, taking off his watch. He held up the watch for all of us to see, and began to speak: "You see this watch? This watch tells me that somewhere out there, is a watchmaker; and I am here today, to tell you, that you, me, and all that we see, has a Creator, and that our Creator is Jesus Christ!" 

 That was it! My world was turned upside down in a second! As soon as he said that I envisioned Jesus on the cross, and my heart was broken in half! I said to myself, "What! My Creator was hung on a cross, to die for my sins!" When he asked for those who might want to be saved to raise their hand, I lifted both hands up, as if I was doubly ready to be saved! From then on, my favorite verse in the Bible was John 1:1...

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1 KJV)

"The WORD of GOD" - Two

 "Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation." (Hebrews 13:7 KJV)

  "A third time he asked him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, "Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you." Jesus said, "Then feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were young, you were able to do as you liked; you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and others will dress you and take you where you don't want to go." Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, "Follow me."" (John 21:17-19 NLT)

 Not that I haven't shared this before, because it has been shared several times over; but the power of God's Word is more powerful than we could ever imagine! If you know Peter's beginning, there is the same calling he received then, "Follow Me," as he received before Jesus left. There is a serious question, as far as I am concerned, which involves several Bibles that highlight Peter and Andrew as the first two disciples. I beg to differ, but it was Andrew and John that first followed Jesus; Andrew left where Jesus was staying, to go find his brother, Peter; while John stayed with Jesus, throughout the day. 

 I know, sometimes I can be a nut! But the whole matter of John's standing was never his desire to be first; but he definitely was the last one to go! John did not highlight who he was, throughout his Gospel message; not until the very end; throughout his message he referred to himself as, "the disciple Jesus loved." Some will stretch this into something it is not; because I fully believe that John had a real tuff life, before he became a disciple of John the Baptist. He and his brother were called, "The sons of thunder," which would make them out to be men with a history.

 Anywho, this is my understanding, and I am going to stick to it, regardless of what others might say. This is not only one of the most important Books in the Bible for a new believer to start with, but it is also the sharpest tool in the shed! John does not hesitate to show that Jesus is God; from the very beginning to the very end, he makes the case: Jesus is God...

"Peter turned around and saw behind them the disciple Jesus loved - the one who had leaned over Jesus during supper and asked, "Lord, who will betray you?" Peter asked Jesus, "What about him, Lord?" Jesus replied, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me." So the rumor spread among the community of believers that this disciple wouldn't die. But that isn't what Jesus said at all. He said, "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?" This disciple in the one who testifies to these events and has recorded them here. And we know that his account of these things is accurate. Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written." (John 21:20-25 NLT) 

"The WORD of GOD"

 "Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation." (Hebrews 13:7 KJV)

  "But not everyone welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, "LORD, who has believed our message"? So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. But I ask, have the people of Israel actually heard the message? Yes, they have: "The message has gone throughout the earth, and the words to all the world."" (Romans 10:16-18 NLT)

 If you are wondering about yesterday's message, the reason it seemed a little dark is the dream I had while I was in the hospital. It was about the infection in my leg, as I dreamt that they had to cut my leg off, in order to stop the infection from spreading. When I woke up from the dream, I prayed to the Lord that His will be done; that no matter what needs to happen, I was ready to receive it as a blessing, not a curse. 

 As I shared that verse from Ephesians at the end of my post, there was a portion of the beginning of the verses which said, "The Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth." The reason I wanted to bring this up, was that the Bible also says that Jesus was the Creator of heaven and earth; and again, the Bible also references that the Spirit also had a role in creation: Genesis 1:1-2. 

 There is only One GOD! Which many truly do not understand! When God was going to create man, He said, "Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us." (Genesis 1:26a NLT) There are several ways that this can be explained, the simplest one is that God is three in One: Father, Son, and Spirit! How hard is that to truly understand, because we too were created to be three in one: body, soul, and Spirit! Notice that I capitalized the word, Spirit; because when Adam sinned in the garden, that Spirit part of him was no longer in Adam; the death that God had warned him about did happen!

 When God said, "You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden - except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat of its fruit, you are sure to die."" (Genisis 2:16 NLT) From that time when they ate of the forbidden fruit, mankind had been looking for the Redeemer that would come and restore the Spirit; making them whole again!

 In case you didn't know, that already happened! Jesus Christ is that Man...

"In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. 

"God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. The one who is the light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 

"He came into the very world he created, but the world did not recognize him. He came to his own people. and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn - not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son." (John 1:1-14 NLT) 

"No Fear!" - Here!

 "So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." (Hebrews 13:6 KJV)

  "In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us." (2 Corinthians 1:9-10 NLT)

 To truly understand what they are meaning to say, the word, "boldly," is not something that looks like bragging, but is more about confidence and to exercise courage. We have this ability to do this, only by giving everything to the Lord, by surrendering all, even if all means our very lives! Honestly, it is really the very best way to deal with whatever it is that you are going through: think of the worst thing that can happen, and then, say to the Lord, "Whatever you will, Lord, I am ready!" 

 That might sound a little difficult for some, but once you determine in your heart to except whatever the Lord allows to happen, boldly isn't really something that needs to be said, but it becomes something that is demonstrated in the peace and joy that is expressed; making people know that you are not afraid of what might happen, no matter what. 

 This is a really good illustration in the way they said, "We expected to die," as shown in the letter to Corinth. Expect the worst but pray that it is for best! God is always Good...

"When I think of this, I fall to my knees and I pray to the Father, the creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God." (Ephesians 3:14-19 NLT) 

"No Fear!"

 "So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." (Hebrews 13:6 KJV)

  "Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego replied, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn't, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up."" (Damiel 3:16-18 NLT)

 This is my favorite illustration of what it is like to have no fear of what man can do to me; as it was, when I first heard this message, I was in jail and getting ready to have a hearing for my early release. After I got saved, everything changed, even though I was locked down, I still felt free. Everything was all about me knowing Christ more and sharing all that I could with anyone that the Holy Spirit led me to.

 I was set back to L.A. Jail to have an early release hearing and waited in the hall to be called in for my hearing. As I sat there, minding my own business, and alone, two big guards were bringing a man down the hallway, who was obviously either crazy or possessed; shacked hands and feet, with chains wrapped around his waist. 

 As they started to approach the area I was sitting, I just looked down at the ground to avoid eye contact; when suddenly, they stopped, all three of them, right in front of me. I couldn't help but look up; and as soon as I made eye contact, the possessed man said, "I know Jesus too!" and then they just started going down the hall. 

 I really didn't know what just happened, except that I didn't have a sign on me or a Bible in my hand; I left my Bible on the bunk in my holding cell. After being denied early release, I exclaimed, "Praise the Lord!"; which caused my wife and my boss to look at each other, as if something was wrong with me. 

 When I got back to my cell, there was another inmate in the cell who was reading my Bible, who asked, "Is this your Bible?" I told him it was, and that I needed to look something up, so he handed it to me. I told him what I encountered in the hallway, and that I knew that there was a Scripture that explained this crazy encounter...

"A group of Jews was traveling from town to town casting out evil spirits. They tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus in their incantation, saying, "I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, to come out!" Seven sons of Sceva, a leading, were doing this. But one time when they tried it, the evil spirit replied, "I know Jesus, and I know Paul, but who are you?" Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, overpowered them, and attacked them with such violence that they fled from the house, naked and battered." (Acts 19:13-16 NLT) 

"Being Content" - To

 "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13:5 KJV)

  "Then he said, "Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own."" (Luke 12:15 NLT)

 Sorry for the last couple days of nothing! I was in the hospital again and did bring my laptop with me; mostly because I just was focused on getting well enough to get back home, as soon as possible. Really don't want to go into all the details; but I did have a dream that my left leg was cut off below the knee! Glad that hasn't happened yet; but if this Cellulitis doesn't go away, it might actually happen. 

 However, I am really not all that worried about anything, not even that crazy dream. Everything is in God's hand, and whatever happens, I truly believe it is all going to be okay; no matter what, we are never forsaken, and He will never leave us! 

 I have this picture frame on the wall above my coffee bar, "Footprints in the Sand". If you know what this is talking about, it should remind you that even when you feel alone and don't feel as though the Lord is walking with you, it is because He is carrying you, and you don't even know it! 

 For some, that might sound foolish and hard to believe. But when we go through the fire, whatever that might be, He holds you in His hand and protects you; most of us don't even realize how or what gets us through! That is something many don't realize, because when they get through whatever, we sometimes forget to thank Him, praising Him for all that He has done!

 This thing about being content is really more about being satisfied with want you have or have not; even if what you have might be something that you do not want or is something that isn't exactly pleasant to deal with. It is really easy to see others that don't have the same displeasure, wishing that were you; but in this world, every one of us should remember that we will have trials and tribulations; but no matter what, we are 100% safe and secure...

"Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I and glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12"8-10 NLT) 

"Being Content"

 "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13:5 KJV)

  "Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can everything through Christ, who gives me strength." (Philippians 4:11-13 NLT)

 Truth be told, I only get to hold and kiss my wife; which has been that way since August the 12th 2003. So, if you were wondering why I didn't add anything to that verse from yesterday, it is just not my favorite thing to think about. 

 Being content is something that is learned, as Paul puts it. It is something that doesn't just come upon us; is something that requires training and acceptance that it is what it is. At least that is my feeling on that...

"Yet true godliness and contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can't take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content." (1 Timothy 6:6-8 NLT) 

"The Undefiled Bed"

 "Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge." (Hebrews 13:4 KJV)

  "When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God." (Galatians 5:19-21 NLT) 

 Sorry for being so late, but I had a little food poisoning yesterday; and it was pretty rough. Cold sweats, and shaking profusely; it was something that I hardly ever encounter. Not sure if it is over; but one thing I know, I feel like going back to bed! That said, I will most likely never again buy Black & Blue hamburger patties!  

 When my wife and I were doing our 6 months of marriage counseling, I must confess, there really was a whole lot of stuff going on with that lesson. We learned things like, our bodies will no longer be our own, but they belong to one another. If you don't know what that means, it pretty much means if you say you have a headache, that doesn't count. 

 There were other things about pleasing one another in other ways, if that is what it takes; if your body is not your own, then you must give yourself to one another. There were several books we had to read about these things; some of which I was not so sure about; but we had to do it anyway. 

 There are several Pastor's that will tell you that the Song of Solomon is basically a book that tells us that the bed is undefiled, that what a husband and wife do in their bed is up to them, that they can do whatever they want, because it is their bed...

"If you are wise and understand God's ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom." (James 3:13 NLT)

"To Bind Together"

 "Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body." (Hebrews 13:3 KJV)

  "Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace." (Ephesians 4:1-3 NLT)

 It might seem like a really big shift, but in light of what we started with, those four words: "Let brotherly love continue," this is made to be a way to understand what it means to be one body! With all honesty, I must confess, I sometimes forget how important it is to not neglect feeling the pain of others that might be wrongly persecuted or suffering for believing in our Lord, Jesus Christ. 

 I can recall a conversation I heard on the radio, one about current day martyrs in the country of Iran. The brother that was sharing about what was going on, said that the Christian churches are large in his country, because they are persecuted daily. The way that he put it, was that they were much more serious about their faith in Christ, then many other Christians that don't have persecution; because they have no worries about being arrested or killed for their faith, they take going to church for granted!

 There are many more countries that do not allow Christians to bound together in churches; many have secret places where they hide and fellowship undercover. The wedding and funerals are performed, as to have fellowship together. Some people pretend to die or get married several times over; at least that is what I have heard. Imagine if that is what might happen to us, here in the United States! 

 That doesn't mean it can't happen here, because it surely can! And, by the way things are looking, there is the possibility that our freedoms will soon be over. Once they take away our rights to worship and have churches that teach about Christ and right living, I pray that this new generation will be serious also; even to the point of being arrested or killed.

 Better yet, I pray that the Lord will come and take us all out of here, soon and very soon...

"But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control." (Philippians 3:20-21 NLT)  

"Angels Unawares" - 2

 "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." (Hebrews 13:2 KJV)

  "The LORD appeared again to Abraham near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. One day Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent during the hottest part of the day. He looked us and noticed three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he ran to meet them and welcome them, bowing low to the ground." (Genesis 18:1-2 NLT)

 As crazy as those things I said yesterday seem, they are absolutely true; I shared them only to let it be known that there really are angels all around us; most of which we are totally unaware of, even though they are there. However, I have had encounters with some, that were just like you and I, who just show up and for whatever reason spark up a conversation; leaving without me even knowing which way they went. Whether or not they were angels, I can't really say. But what I do know, is that they really do exist and they do, some way or another, work in and through portions of our lives.

 In this, regarding Abraham's fellowship with these three strangers; one of which was none other than Jesus Himself; there were two of which that were angels. If you know the Scriptures well enough, then you would remember that part of their visitation concerned Sarah; while after their meal, the LORD asked, "Should I hide my plan from Abraham?"" (Genesis 18:17)

 We should all know what that was about, because the two angels that were with Him turned and headed toward Sodom; while Abraham started bartering with the LORD about sparing the righteous. Whatever it was that Abraham trying to do, it was for the sake of his nephew Lot, who lived in Sodom. You should all know the rest of that story, because angels do rescue people; this much I am absolutely aware of... 

"So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn't realize it was actually happening. They passed by the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him. Peter finally came to his senses. "It is really true!" he said. "The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders had planned to do to me!"" (Acts 12:9-11 NLT) 

"Angels Unawares"

 "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." (Hebrew 13:2 KJV)

 "The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate. Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck on the side to awaken him and said, "Quick! Get up!" And the chains fell off his wrists. Then the angel told him, "Get dressed and put on your sandals." And he did. "Now put on your coat and follow me," the angel ordered." (Acts 12:6-8 NLT)

 Nobody can tell me that angels aren't real; having had some experience, some which were hard to figure out, and some which were hard to believe, even though they were happening. Once, when I was about 15 years old, I was crossing the street to meet my girlfriend; darting across the street, I didn't notice a car was coming at me, as I sprinted over an island that separated the street. She yelled out to me, saying, "Watch out!" and immediately I was able to somehow stop in mid-air, just for a brief second, as the car slightly brushed by me. She was astounded, saying, "How did you do that?" I told her I didn't know how, but it must have been my guardian angel that stopped me.   

 There have been several other encounters, over the years. One that I remember was the most long-lasting encounter, which I believe was actually spiritual warfare, taking place in my own house. It was during Covid, when I was praying with my wife, because her mother and stepdad were dealing with it, and we were praying for them to be healed. 

 As I it was, I was also dealing with a verse that was going to be part of my blog post the following morning, it was the one where the man Jesus healed at the pool of Bethesda, and his answer to the Jewish leaders, as he carried his sleeping mat in the Temple, on the Sabbath. There was something I felt was important in the way he answered their demand, "You can't work on the Sabbath! The law doesn't allow you to carry that sleeping mat!" 

 For at least 5 to 10 minutes, I keep reading his answer over and over to me wife, saying his answer again and again, "The man who healed me told me, 'Pick up your mat and walk.'" After about the 8th or 10th time I read it, my wife looked at me, as if I was nuts, and I immediately figured it out. Jesus said to the man, "Stand, pick up your mat, and walk!" I know it sounds a little over-the-top, but for the rest of the night, until about 2:30 am, things were going crazy in my house! 

 I have shared on this before, but there is a Rabbit Air machine in the room, which is programed to respect the darkness; which means, if the lights are off, the machine does not light up. This thing was not only lighting up, but it was going full on, and the sensor light was bright red! Over and over, it kept happening, especially when I would call out for Jesus to help. My dog was in the next room, in his kennel, and I could hear him whimpering, as if he was scared. 

 At 2:30 I decided to say enough is enough and decided I needed to get some sleep. I pretty much didn't care anymore and spoke out, saying, "You guy's fight it out, I'm going to sleep!" At 4:00 I woke up and went into the living room to pray and start my blog. In that room there are three of the Rabbit Air machines, and each of them were breathing, one at a time; one would breathe, then the next would breathe, and then the next; all three taking their turn, for at least 10 minutes or so.

 I was wondering if I should even complete what I was going to do; because it was concerning the answer of that healed man, and the answer Eve gave to the devil about the fruit which was forbidden...

""Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden," the woman replied. "It's only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, 'You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die."" (Genesis 3:2-3 NLT) 

"Brotherly Love" - Too

 "Let brotherly love continue." (Hebrews 13:1 KJV)

  "As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, "The time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory, and God will be glorified because of him. And since God receives glory because of the Son, he will soon give glory to the Son. Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. And as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for me, but you can't come where I am going. So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples."" (John 13:31-35 NLT)

 Wow, that was hard to type! I couldn't help but think of the post from yesterday, the 'give' and 'receive' that Jesus mentions over and over, in so many ways; it just made everything so clear and incredibly easy to understand. Our obedience brings blessings; the more we love, the more we are loved...

"I am writing to remind you, dear friends, that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but one we have had from the very beginning. Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning." (2 John 1:5-6 NLT)  

"Brotherly Love"

 "Let brotherly love continue." (Hebrews 13:1 KJV)

  "Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another." (Galatians 5:25-26 NLT)

 There are so many illustrations in the Bible that we can find to make mirror this verse, "Let brotherly love continue," I can think of at least twenty right off the top of my head. I picked these two verses from Paul's thoughts in Galatians, because it is the Holy Spirit that is the power within us to love one another, as we should. 

 There are four words in this short verse; two of which are completely the same: "Let," and "continue." I think this makes perfect sense, because there is forward movement to do what the Spirit says, and the follow-through to make it happen! In other words, there are two sides working together as one: the power of God and the action we carry out...

"But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are just fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don't obey it, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don't forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it."  (James 1:22-25 NLT)