Goshen

The place called Goshen, in Egypt, plays an important role in Genesis 46 and 47. I think the spiritual place of Goshen also plays an important role in today's time and events.
As there was a great famine in Israel, Joseph instructed his newly reconciled family to come to Egypt, and settle in Goshen. He pointed out specifically that "every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians." (Gen. 46:34).
The word "Egypt" means in part "double straits (narrow place), enclosure, siege works, distress, bind, besiege, confine, cramp, shut in, show hostility, treat as a foe, to press upon, to compress, to overrun walls of defense". The spiritual place of Egypt is very confining, very oppressive, with a feeling that there is no where to turn, no options of escape. You are pressed in on all sides.
So, perhaps we can see why the Egyptians might find shepherds an abomination. The word "shepherd" is beautiful. It means to pasture, to tend, to graze, to feed, a companion, a special friend, to guard, to care for, to look upon with pleasure, to govern, to rule, to nourish, to feed, to delight in, etc. It is used metaphorically to describe God, and is indeed, one of His names, Jehovah Rohi, the LORD our Shepherd. A shepherd brings the flock or herd to a wide pasture to graze, and ensures a water supply, for cattle and flocks are always thirsty. They physically protect the flock, even at the risk to their own lives, against predators. A spiritual place that tries to confine and enclose, cramp and shut in, would find a true shepherd a great threat to its purpose.
God does not bring us to a place of death. He always brings us to a place of life. How can Egypt, especially as described above, ever be considered a place of life? Within the place called Egypt, God instructed His people through His servant Joseph, who was also a shepherd in his youth, as well as being a governor (shepherd) to Egypt to guide them through seven years of famine. Joseph instructed his brethren to abide in the land of Goshen in Egypt.
The word Goshen means "drawing near". Goshen is a place we come to, if we are wise and obedient, where even in times of pressing and besieging, it becomes a place where we can "draw near" to our Father God, our source of all things that pertain to life. In a place of Egypt there is nothing else that can deliver us, there is nothing  and no one else that can relieve us and restore us. Goshen is that place of drawing near where we can say, even in dire straits:
"The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in
green pastures;
He leads me beside the
still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of
righteousness
For His name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of death
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff,
They comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy
shall follow me
all the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house
of the LORD
Forever."
                              Psalm 23

It is necessary for us the dwell in the land of Goshen (drawing near), especially when we find ourselves in Egypt. Sometimes we cry out for our Father to draw near to us, but it is essential that we draw near to Him.
"But it is good for me to draw near to God;
I have put my trust in the LORD God,
that I may declare all Your works."            Ps. 73:28

"Assemble yourselves and come;
Draw near together,
You who have escaped from the nations."           Isa. 45:20

"And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back from your captivity..."
                                                                            Jer. 29:13-14

"...let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful."   Heb. 10:22-23.

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."          James 4:8

If we follow our Shepherd to the land of Goshen, where He is leading us, we will find our pasture and still water, even in the place of confinement and besieging.

Our Father has a place called Goshen.


"Draw Me Nearer"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teC0cmS_Y_o

"Lord, I thirst for You"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOC7XGmzFJg

"Pray"*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MC4kbteMLCg&sns=em

* Thanks to Fran B. for the song "Pray"
**Photo at the top of the page-Goshen area, Egypt

Garden

Garden
July, 2015

We can get a glimpse of the eternal will and purpose of God as we look at some scriptures dealing with gardens. Even as Adam's marriage to Eve (see "Marriage" post), and all of our marriages, are a type and shadow, a picture, of Christ's relationship with His Church-Bride, I think even the Garden into which the man and woman were placed, points us to a fascinating prophetic image of the Bride of Christ. The Bride has been kept veiled and protected, and, at most, we have had small glimpses of her. But it is now the time to see her more clearly. If we look under the veil, we can see the beauty, the anointing, and the importance of the Bride, not only to Jesus, but to our Father as well by looking at the prophetic picture of the garden. 

The first garden that comes to mind is the Garden of Eden in Genesis.

"The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed..."        Gen. 2:8

 

So, as we can see above, the man was not created in the Garden of Eden, but was put there after the Garden had been planted. If we do a word study of the underlined words of this above verse, we will find some remarkable things.

• The LORD God planted- means He fastened or fixed the Garden into place
• He fastened a garden-  meaning an enclosed garden, a chaste woman, a bride.

An example of a garden being used to describe a  bride can be found in Song of Songs 4:12-15:

         "A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse,

          a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.

         Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates

          with pleasant fruits..."

• This Garden/Bride was fastened eastward- aforetime, antiquity, that which is before
• This Garden/Bride was fastened in antiquity, at the beginning, in Eden- pleasure, luxury, dainty, delight, finery.

So, this dainty, delightful Garden/Bride was fixed or fastened from the beginning, in antiquity. Into this Garden/Bride,

• the LORD God put- set in place, ordained, appointed, directed, made for a sign
• the man- mankind, human being, rubbed red, shown red, emit redness.
• that He had formed- pre-determined, pre-ordained, planned of divine purpose

This special being, Adam, was divinely purposed, even before he was created, to be placed in this Garden/Bride. For what divine purpose was he placed there? We can read that purpose in Gen. 2:15:

"Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to dress and keep it.

• The LORD God took the man- fetch, lay hold of, seize, take in the hand, marry, take a wife, carry off, be removed
• The man was put in the garden to dress it- to work, serve as a subject, to serve with Levitical service, to be led to serve.
• And he was to keep it- keep, guard, observe, give heed, protect, save life, treasure up, celebrate, keep (Sabbath, covenant, commands), perform a vow, preserve

The man was ordained and appointed for service in the same manner of the priesthood, in order to preserve and guard the Garden/Bride, to keep the commands and covenant of God regarding the Garden/Bride. He was physically and spiritually moved from one location to another in order to begin this service. The man was created and formed in a pre-determined divine plan for this important priesthood service.

What we can see is the importance of this Garden/Bride depicted in Genesis that caused the LORD God to fasten it onto the earth, and to appoint a priest to care for, preserve and protect it. The meaning of the Garden/Bride was important enough that when the man neglected to do the service that the LORD God had pre-ordained him to do, he was forced to leave the Garden/Bride, and he could never enter again. This is covered in mystery in many ways, but we can get a beginning glimpse into the divine purpose from scripture.

First of all, the Garden/Bride contained the three Persons of the Trinity. The Father and Son are present in the Garden/Bride, the Son being represented by the Tree of Life that was in the very center of the Garden/Bride. The cool Winds (Ruach) (Gen. 3:8) in the Garden/Bride represent the reviving and refreshing presence of the Holy Spirit. The Garden/Bride ushered in the presence of the LORD God for fellowship with the man.

The Garden/Bride of the Song of Songs mentioned above, is also described as containing very precious trees, plants, and herbs that were used in creating the anointing oil of the priests and kings, and also of use for medicinal purposes. In fact, in another garden of scripture, the Garden/Bride  in which Jesus prayed before He was crucified, was called "Gethsemane", which means an oil or wine press (also oil used for anointing), and also meaning a medicament or unguent, which is used for healing. It is, to this day, full of very old olive trees. All of these things paint a lovely picture for us of some of the qualities of the beautiful Garden/Bride.

The prophet Isaiah admonishes and encourages the people of God to extend their soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted so that they can then become lighted from within by the LORD, who will make them like a watered garden, whose springs of water will not ever fail (Isa. 58:10-11). That whole chapter of Isaiah gives us a further look into God's calling for us as that Garden/Bride. The Garden/Bride is a place of ministry, a place of comfort and healing to those who have need. A creative power, and a restoring and rebuilding purpose flows from the Garden/Bride, if she will walk in that calling of God as we see in the next verse (Isa. 58:12):

"Those from among you

Shall build the old waste places;

You shall raise up the foundations

of many generations;

And you shall be called the

"Repairer of the Breach",

"The Restorer of Paths to Dwell in".

 

The Bride in New Testament scripture plays a very important role in the earth, especially in End-Time events, and is a purpose and calling in every believer's life.

The Bride in the Book of Revelation plays a part with the Holy Spirit in calling and bringing the return of the Messiah to rule and reign on the earth (Rev. 22:17).

As Isaiah prophesied about the Garden/Bride above, together with the Lamb of God, the Bride has a part in bringing forth the New Creation, even the descending of the New Jerusalem to the earth, "being adorned as a Bride for her Husband" (Rev. 21:2). And once again, the presence of God will dwell with men.

"God Himself will be with them and be their God." (Rev. 21:3). AMEN.

An important thing to note before we leave this topic: all of the gardens mentioned in the above scriptures were directly fed by living waters. A mighty river came from Eden to water that garden. The meaning of the word used here for "river" is to flow, to shine, to be radiant, to flow together, even describing a conflux of people, to give light, to be glad, to rejoice. It is the river of salvation, the river of the Gospel of Good News. After passing through the Garden/Bride, it became four mighty rivers that watered other lands. The Gospel of Salvation flows through the Garden/Bride, and from her, it is dispersed throughout other lands and peoples in all directions. The Garden/Bride of Song of Songs, and Isaiah 58 were both watered by springs and fountains within and without them. The Garden of Gethsemane, mentioned above, is beside the Kidron Valley, where a river flows during the rainy season. The Garden/Bride of Rev. 21 and 22 had a pure river of water of life running through her. Trees with healing leaves also grew in her. What are these waters mentioned here, but the written and living Word, Jesus (Jn. 7:37-38). The relationship between the garden and the water is a close one. A garden cannot be watered by water that is not physically touching it. It is necessary to keep ourselves close, even right next to, the source of our water if we wish to become that Garden/Bride. A garden far separated from its water source soon becomes a desert, a wasteland.

Although the first Adam failed to fulfill his priestly service, not only to the Garden/Bride, but to his own natural bride as well, the Second Adam, Jesus Christ, kept all that the Father had placed into His care and hands, and He kept them in, and by, the power of His Father's name (Jn. 17:12). He is very desirous of His Bride, and the coming Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

The beauty, mystery, purpose and anointing of the Bride of Christ is revealed by our Father even back in the Book of Genesis, and throughout scripture. It is ready to be revealed in us, to us, and through us. It is for us to seek it out, and unveil it.

 

Our Father has fastened a Garden/Bride in the earth.

 

"In The Garden"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jEllIaBdyM

 

"O Come, O Come Emmanuel"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPfdD3pBUig

 

"Comfort Ye, My People"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wZvpbBD75M

 

*Special thanks Pastor Ken S. for his encouragement and feedback, and to Fran B. for her thoughts and contributions to this post

 ** Photo at the top of the page-Garden of Gethsemane, Jerusalem, Israel

 

 

Hope

"The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore I will hope in Him."
                                                                   Lam. 3:24
"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord
Jesus Christ, our hope."                            1 Tim. 1:1

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life."
                                                                   Prov. 13:12

In today's world, so much is said and done, and even taught, in order to try to destroy the hope in men's hearts. But the word of God tells us to hope-not just to hope in anything, or anyone, but to hope in Him. The word "hope" in scripture is described by twelve different Hebrew words. Twelve is the number of God's government and authority. Each of these meanings of the word hope gives us a facet of the power and importance of the living hope inside each one of us.
The first use of the word "hope" is in the Book of Ruth. How much Ruth needed to hold fast to the hope she had received when she learned about the God of her Hebrew inlaws. This word is "Tikvah". It is the kind of hope that binds and fastens like a rope. It is about tying something together for strength. Ruth ties herself to her God, and His people:
"Entreat me not to leave you,
Or to turn back from following after you;
For wherever you go, I will go;
And wherever you lodge, I will lodge;
Your people shall be my people,
And your God, my God.
Where you will die, I will die,
And there will I be buried.
The LORD do so to me, and more also,
If anything but death parts you and me."
                                                  Ruth 1:16-17
How Ruth's life, and all history, were changed by this hope.
The second meaning of hope in scripture is "Mikvah", found in the Book of Ezra.
This hope includes a meaning of a collection, a congregation, a gathering, a host, a company. Ezra begins a re-awakening of the returned captive exiles, from a group of toilers, to a congregation of God, whose hope in Him withstood the lies and plots of the enemies around them. He came to Jerusalem "according to the good hand of his God upon Him, having prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel (Ezra 7:8-10). This is the kind of hope that causes you to not only hear the Word, but to do it, and strengthens all around you to do likewise.
The third, fourth and fifth words meaning "hope" are found in the Book of Job. These are the most numerous occurrences of the different words meaning "Hope". Certainly, of what we know of Job's story, we can understand why God poured out the revelation of hope to him so thoroughly. He needed it. The three words of hope in this book are "Yachal, Kehsel, and Towkheleth". These three can be summarized as meaning to wait, hope, tarry, to wait in expectation, to be strengthened in the most inward parts: loins, kidneys, bowels, until it is a part of you. To wait, even if looking foolish and stupid to others who mock your hope.
The next two words for hope are found in the Book of Psalms, and how their meanings go to the heart of that book! The words are "Behtak and Saver". These words mean security, safety, without fear, to inspect, examine, wait for, dig out, explore, compare.
"How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.
With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments.
I will meditate on Your precepts,
and contemplate Your ways.
Open my eyes that I might see wondrous things from Your law."
                                                      Psalm 119
"I will love You, O LORD, my strength.
The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in Whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."
                                                      Psalm 18
The next word meaning "hope" appears in the Book of Proverbs, the book of wisdom. This is the word "Khasah", which means to seek refuge, flee for protection, confide in, hope in, even under extreme circumstances such as when dying. Unlike others, we have hope in the time to die, and we have hope when others have falsely proclaimed the time of death over us. This hope is the very wisdom of God.
"The wicked is banished in his wickedness,
but the righteous has a refuge (hope) in his death."
                                                       Proverbs 14:32
Our next word for hope appears in Ecclesiastes. This book, written by a world-weary King Solomon, having seen and done all in his life, still expresses the hope that comes from his confidence and trust in God. It is the word "Bittakhon". Its meaning is also expressed in these words:
"I know that whatever God does,
it shall be forever.
Nothing can be added to it,
and nothing taken from it.
God does it, that men should fear before Him."
                                                      Eccl. 3:14
The next word "Ya ash" is found in Isaiah 57. It may sound strange, but it means despair, to be desperate, to be without hope, to be in vain. Isaiah is prophesying to those who have a false confidence, a false hope, relying upon their own wealth and strength instead of the true foundation of hope, which is God. They think God will continue to hold His peace, and this is where they have placed their "hope", which is not hope. He is speaking to those who trust in the world, which is passing away, rather than the One who is our source and our rescue.
The last two words for hope are "Mivtak" and "Makaseh", and both are first mentioned in the Book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah is a prophet who cries and preaches for repentance to God's own people because he sees destruction coming. The people of God prefer to listen to the false prophets who tell them that all will be well. The false prophets tell the people that they can put their hope in the fact that they are the chosen people of God. They remain comfortable in their sins and idols. Jeremiah tries to tell them that their hope and confidence should not in their position, but in the One who is their trust, confidence and security, their refuge from the coming storm, and danger. He prophesies that even after the destruction and desolation comes, there will be a hope:
"For I know the thoughts that I think towards you says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."
"Thus says the LORD: Again there shall be heard in this place-of which you say,"It is desolate, without man and without beast"- in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem that are desolate without inhabitant and without beast, the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, and the voice of those who will say:
"Praise the LORD of hosts,
For the LORD is good,
And His mercy endures forever..."
                                                       Jeremiah 29:11, 33:10-11


Our Father is hope.


"Everlasting God (We Set our Hope)"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG_ofDL9BpE

"You Are My Hope"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG_ofDL9BpE

"As the Deer"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG_ofDL9BpE

Creator

The Apostle Paul warns us in scripture that in the Last Days, men will disregard God as our Creator, and, as a result, the humanity and character, the soul of man, will change. In Romans 1:18-25, Paul says that the truth of the invisible attributes of God were clearly seen and understood through the creation, even His eternal power and Godhead, but men chose instead to suppress this truth, even exchanging the truth for a lie. Choosing the lie instead caused their thoughts and hearts to be darkened, and removed thankfulness from their character. Their very character would become twisted and perverse, valuing the things which were created rather than the Creator. This twist of character rules every aspect of their lives.
Even as we will look back at the Creation as told in Genesis, we will see that the desire of man was to remove the power of God from their lives.
Looking at Gen. Ch. 1, which contains 31 verses, God connects His Name with the creation process 32 times. He emphatically declares by this that we cannot separate His Name from the act of creation. Nowhere else in scripture does He state His Name as frequently. The Name we are introduced to is "Elohim", which is a plural used as a singular, indicating the plural nature of the Godhead. "Elohim" means "Judge, Ruler, Divine One". This is the first revelation of God's character that we receive in scripture. We are familiar with the fact that God spoke the Word, and creation manifested. John Ch. 1 tells us that Jesus was this Word, and was present at this creation. In Rev. 3:14, Jesus identifies Himself as "the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning (Principal, Head) of the creation of God".
However, before the Word was even spoken that would establish creation, something else occurred which requires our notice for its importance.
There existed a great dark emptiness, having the depth of an abyss or pit, even as the measure of the deepest depths of the oceans. Over this great oppressive emptiness and darkness, the Spirit of God moved (Gen. 1:2). The word used for "moved", means to be moved by an extreme emotion, to cherish, to soften or enfold by intense love. Before even the Word went forth, this vast dark emptiness was enfolded by the love of the Spirit of Elohim. The power of creation began in love, intense love. Jesus described these same feelings in the New Testament as He looked upon Jerusalem. At one point, He was moved so deeply that He wept (a wailing, mournful lamentation). He was moved so deeply be the great love that He felt. In Mt. 23:37, He declares over Jerusalem that He had so desired to enfold it, that same enfolding love as mentioned above, as a hen enfolds her chicks under her wings, but He was refused.
As we move into Ch. 2 of Genesis, Elohim reveals His Name as LORD God, or YHWH Elohim. In Exodus, LORD God describes His Name of YHWH as meaning "I AM THAT I AM". It means "existing One, to be, become, come to pass, to be done, to be finished." His Name describes His power of existence, even eternal existence. The Name goes on to mean "to breathe, to live, the breath of every living creature. His Name revealed here identifies the truth of the fact that He IS existence and life. Finally, included I the meaning of "YHWH" is a deep emotion-to wait longingly, wish, sigh, desire, to dwell. We can feel here His deep love and desire towards His creation, and His great longing to extend His power of existence around Him. There is no existence of life apart from Him. He IS existence and life. This is not a removed, remote Creator. Yet man does not understand the foolishness of attempting to separate himself from this Spirit of Life. There is no life apart from the Divine Source, YHWH Elohim.
The lie that man chooses to accept, instead appears in Gen 3. As Satan, a spirit disguised as a creature, approaches Eve, his first words to her show that he rejects the revelation of the Name YHWH Elohim. He asks Eve, "Has God indeed said...?" Eve answers him, following the example of rejecting the new revelation of LORD God's Name saying, "God has said...". Satan wants to convince Eve that she can live and exist independently of LORD God. He assures her "You will not surely die". But Eve was dead the moment she separated herself from the living power of the revelation of the Name "YHWY" or "LORD". The forbidden fruit didn't kill her, her own rejection of the life-giving existence killed her. She chose the same lie that man in the Last Days chooses.
In the Last Days, man rushes headlong into this same rejection in a desire to claim that they live independently from God as their Creator, but they are already dead. Their only hope is to become reconciled back to the Life-giver, and Life-sustainer through the redemption of Jesus. Jesus said... "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives, and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (Jn. 11:25-26). And Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life... (Jn. 6:35). And He said to me, It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts." (Rev. 21:6).
YHWH Elohim, the LORD God still wishes to enfold us in His Spirit of deep love and life. Even as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. Let us be reminded of this precious truth, and CHOOSE it.

Our Father LORD is Creator.

"God is Our Creator"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJ07nvfArc0

"High Praise"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJ07nvfArc0

Body

In the Book of Hebrews, a verse describes Jesus' entry into the world:
"Therefore, when He came into the world, He said:
"Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, "Behold, I have come-
In the volume of the book it is written of Me-
To do Your will, O God."
                                                           Heb. 10:5-7
In the above verse, the word "prepared" means to be fit, sound, complete, to mend what has been broken or rent, to repair, to equip, put in order, arrange, to perfect The root word it comes from contains a prefix that denotes motion or diffusion or direction from the higher to the lower. God Himself, prepared this body above, and Jesus brought it downward to the earth below when He came.This definition can very well describe the Body of Christ made up of His believers, as well. I would like to suggest that it IS the same-that the body that the Father prepared for His Son, as He entered the world was also a physical, fleshly body that includes us. I think there is only one body that pertains to Christ. The scriptures also say this:
"For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit, we were baptized into one body...For in fact, the body is not one member, but many."        
"But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased."
"Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually."
                                                                       1 Cor. 12:12-14, 18, 27
These verses, and the verse from Heb. 10 above, tells us that God prepared the body as He pleased for His Son.
In Ephesians, we are described in the following manner:
"...the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him, who fills all in all."
"There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling."
"For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones."
                                                                       Eph. 1:22-23, 4:4, 5:30
The last verse above, tells us that we are not just His spiritual body, but we were incorporated into His actual physical body, even, as stated in the Heb. 10 verse, a body prepared and fitted together before Jesus entered the physical earth. When Jesus ministered in the earth, He wore us. When He was tried and suffered, He wore us ("...inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's suffering" and "...the fellowship of His sufferings"). When He was crucified, He wore us ("I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;..." and "...made conformable unto His death..."). When He was buried and He rose from the dead, He wore us ("buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him...") . When Jesus ascended to His Father after His resurrection, we ascended with Him ("...I am ascending to My Father, and your Father, and to My God and your God..." and "...when He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men"). When He was seated at His Father's right hand in the heavenly places, we were seated with Him (...and made us sit together in the heavenly places with Christ Jesus.").
Jesus said to His disciples, "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear My voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd." Jn. 10:16.
Jesus didn't say that He will have other sheep, but He says, "I have", in the present tense.
As Jesus described our then presence with Him to His disciples of that day, He said "them also I must bring...". The word bring used here means: to lead, take with one, lay hold of and this way to bring to a point of destination, lead by accompanying to a place, attach to one's self as an attendant.
Isn't it interesting that the word bring means to physically attach someone to you in order to lead them to where they have to go? And Jesus described us in this manner to His disciples of that day.
In the above verse, Jesus also says "..other sheep I have...". The word have used here means: to have (hold) in the hand, in the sense of wearing, used of those joined to any one by the bonds of natural blood or marriage, to adhere or cling to, to hold one's self to a thing, to be closely joined to a person. Again He uses a term of physical connection, even "wearing". And of course, there is the having through marriage, interestingly included in this word meaning.
Even as Adam described the woman as being of his flesh and bone, so we are described as being flesh and bone of and from Jesus in the above verse, Eph. 5:50. The Hebrew phrase "flesh and bone", originally used as Adam's description of the woman in Gen. 2:23 means:
"bone" (atsam)- vast, numerous, mighty
"flesh" (basar)-bear tidings, publish, preach, gladden with good news, announce salvation as good news.
The very word "body" in the Greek of the New Testament is the word soma, which comes from the root word sozo, which means "to save, to rescue from destruction."
I saw an amazing thing in the Spirit. The Father took me to Isa. 6:1, where Isaiah tells of his vision of the LORd (Adonai). He describes the Lord as sitting on a throne, high and lifted up. The train (hem of His garment, of a high priest's robe) of His robe filled the temple.What I saw was the LORd, from far above and slightly behind, walking down the center aisle of a huge Temple, or cathedral. He wore a very long train that ran all the way down the long aisle behind Him. It was white, like a bridal train, that was attached at the back and top of the LORd's shoulders. As I zoomed in closer, I saw that this white train was really made up of people wearing white. I could see their heads. Many, many people made up this living train of His robe.
He was wearing us. We were physically attached, or joined, to Him as His train in the above vision.
We cannot be separated from Christ, because we are part of His Body, fitted to Him by His Father. Where He goes, we go (Rev. 14:4). What He speaks, we speak. We are not us, we are Him.

Our Father has prepared a Body.

"I See the Lord"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebzoET4XIj8


                                                                                                   

Eucharisteo

The title of this entry, "Eucharisteo", refers to a Greek word translated as meaning "thanks".
One of the scripture passages where this word can be found is in 1 Cor. 11:23-24:
"For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you: that the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "Take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me."
Many churches call the table of the Lord "the eucharist", from this Greek word meaning "thanks".The Apostle Paul, who was not present at what we call "The Last Supper", received a revelation from the Lord, that showed Paul what had occurred the evening that Jesus was betrayed, arrested, tried, and executed.
Paul makes sure to tell us that this was the night of Jesus' betrayal, not only by Judas, but by all men, Jew, Gentile, and even His own disciples. Even so, Jesus, knowing what awaited Him, took the Passover Seder matso, and broke it apart. As He saw the broken pieces that represented His soon to be broken body, He gave thanks-euchristeo. Eucharisteo means "to be grateful, to feel thankful, to give thanks". The root word it comes from "eucharistos" means to  find something agreeable, or pleasing because of graciousness, kindness, and benevolence shown to one's self.
It is very powerful that Jesus looked at the broken pieces and felt thankful for the kindness and benevolence that He felt in that moment. It takes a spiritually perfect and mature being to thank God, and feel His graciousness for the broken pieces of one's self. To look with thanks at those broken pieces as being precious, the vessels of the glory of God, is a powerful spiritual principle. This attitude is again shown in Heb. 12:2"
"...looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy (joy, gladness, rejoice exceedingly) that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
In the broken pieces, the betrayal, the torture, the false accusations, the suffering of death on the cross, which were to soon be upon Him, Jesus felt joy and thanks, because He could see the joy and victory to be brought by His Father beyond it.
How many of us, looking at the broken pieces of ourselves, broken bodies, broken health, broken families, broken finances, broken hearts and broken hope, feel and express thanks, seeing the promise of the glory of God in the midst of those broken pieces. Most of us are looking for whom to blame, human or devil.
It is true in scripture that not only did humans reject and crucify Jesus by act, but powers of spiritual wickedness actually spurred the crucifixion (1 Cor. 2:8). So Jesus could certainly lay blame on Satan, as well as the humans involved. And yet, He felt thankful. He felt the graciousness of His Father.
One might argue and say, "Well, that's Jesus, because He knew He would experience the victory of the resurrection." But Jesus is OUR resurrection as well. Are we not also to look at the broken pieces, and see the glory and graciousness of our Father, and give Him thanks, to FEEL thanks? Isn't this one of our greatest spiritual weapons? Wouldn't it be true to say from this, that the seed of resurrection in the midst of the broken things in our lives is the knowledge that our Father is ever gracious to us, and to give Him the thanks for it?
We see much the same thing in the Book of Job. Job's life had been broken into pieces. He sat amongst the broken shards of pottery, which he used to scrape his painful boils. He had been cast out from his previous life of honor and respect. He had nothing left, except his life. He looked at these broken pieces of his life and mourned, trying to understand the reason. He mourned to the point of regretting that he was ever born to experience this sorrow. God delivered Job by revealing His glory to him. Line after line of scripture is the Father giving examples to Job of His power and glory. Did God do this just to scold Job, or to make him feel stupid on top of everything else? No! God was ministering to Job. Job had to see these things in his soul. He had to see this in his spirit. His life depended upon him seeing what His Creator was revealing to him. Finally, Job was able to look past those broken pieces of his life, and see the great glory of God. This knowledge and experience frees him, delivers him, restores him.
Perhaps this is one of the reasons Jesus gave the special revelation of the Last Supper to Paul. Paul went through so many trials and challenges in his ministry of the Gospel. He recounts betrayals and physical tortures and rejections, as well as the frustration of the churches not understanding the depths of the love and power of Christ. Perhaps Paul might have felt that so much for which he had labored was broken. But Jesus held up His own example to Paul to show him a great truth, and principle that would strengthen and sustain Paul.
Later in the 1 Cor. 11 scriptures, Paul is talking about the Church, the Body of Christ in context of this Last Supper of Christ, and says "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup." Most of us prefer to examine others. It is much easier, and we see so much more clearly when we are examining someone else. But failing to examine and see what the Lord is revealing to us about ourselves, about His Body, causes some of us to be sick, and even to "sleep". 
Let's examine our own hearts, and let just one of the things we might examine be how we look at those broken pieces, and let us be convinced that the glory of God can be found in the pieces, as well as the promise, power and hope of resurrection. Let us feel thankful to our Father for all that He is.

Our Father is our "Eucharisteo".

"To God Be the Glory"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RZTYDPavEY

Sons

Palm Sunday and Passover approaches, and so therefore also the coming of the time of the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus. The subject of "sonship" came to my mind at this time. You may wonder how or why that subject might be related to this time of year. I was wondering also, but I found a special truth that I needed to look at.
The Apostle Paul wrote about the importance of the sons of God manifesting:
"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God...because the creation itself shall also be delivered from the bondage of corruption (decay) into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now."
                                                                  Romans 8:18-19, 21-22
If we consider these scriptures using a word study, we find that all of creation is anxiously and persistently watching, with head outstretched, for something to happen. All creation is waiting in suspense, waiting to take hold of something with the hand, waiting to receive, embrace, make one's own, approve of this mysterious event. This event that all creation awaits is the revealing of something which up until this point, had been hidden, veiled. Events are even being set up that will reveal, remove, or rending the veil from, this which previously has been hidden. The things that have been hidden up until this point are the sons of God.
We may even be able to say that the rending of the veil of the temple when Jesus was crucified, not only meant that the separation between God and man had ended, but also, at that moment, the sons of God were being revealed-those who previously had been hidden behind a veil.
This is momentous for all of those who are dedicated to Jesus, and to our Father.
Later, in this chapter of Romans, Paul says:
"For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren."          Romans 8:29
The image we are called to and purposed to is the image of His Son. It is a "Sonly" position and purpose.
Many times our Father intervened directly, speaking audibly to declare the Sonship position of Jesus. We know that He did this when Jesus was baptized. He did it again on the occasion of the Transfiguration. It was the Sonship of Jesus that was challenged and then confirmed at the crucifixion:
"And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying "You who destroy the temple and build it in three days save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross...He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said "I am the Son of God."  Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with that same thing."                       Mt. 27:39-40, 43-44
All blasphemed Jesus over the same thing-His position as the Son of God: passers-by, chief priests, scribes, elders, even the criminals all rejected His Sonship. But, again, the Father intervened and upheld the Sonship of Jesus:
"So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God!"                                         Mt. 27:54
Those soldiers, who had previously beaten and mocked Jesus could have declared Him to be Messiah, Savior, and all of that would be, and is, true. But the Father, by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, had them make the declaration that Jesus was "the Son of God". This was the vital truth of that moment for all of us.
Since we know the importance and the scriptures regarding Jesus' Sonship and our sonship, why do we find it so difficult to think of ourselves as sons. Even Paul, though he revealed that sonship truth to us, referred to himself at the opening of his epistles, not as a son, but as a servant, a bondservant or slave, a messenger (apostle), and a prisoner. Paul, himself, revealed the truth that a slave and an heir (son), though they may start out the same in childhood, at the appointed time set by the father of the house, the son comes forth, and Paul says:
"Therefore, you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ."                                           Gal. 4:7
What can be clearer than that? Yet we have difficulty moving in that truth and mindset. There is an obstacle that continually tries to deny the manifestation of that sonship. Perhaps we continually refer to ourselves as servants out of a religious false-humility: "I am just a servant trying to do God's will." How sad that reasoning is, if true.
Does sonship mean that we do not want to "serve" God obediently? No. No one served our Father better, or more perfectly than His Son, Jesus. However, a son serves his Father from a different mind and heart and position than a paid employee (servant) or a slave.
The young man in scripture whom we call a prodigal, wanted to return to his father's house even as a servant, but we found out that his father did not welcome him back as a servant, but as a son, giving him a robe a ring and a banquet: 
"...for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found"...
                                                       Luke 15:24
 Abraham had a servant, a wonderful, loyal, outstanding servant, who was his heir, but he didn't want an employee as his heir. He wanted a son. He wanted someone of his own flesh, his own blood, his own spirit, his own name, as his heir. God understood this desire, and gave Abraham his miracle son. Our Father understood because He has this same desire, a desire for sons who serve Him not out of fear, nor for payment, nor for religious gratification, but in the love and oneness and shared heritage that a precious son shares with His Father.
All creation is waiting expectantly for God's sons to manifest. Paul says the time is now.

Our Father has many sons.

"Lamb of God"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPClih1HLPg