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
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
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
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
The doctrine of baptism is very important to Christianity, and has a root also in the mikvah of Judaism. The mikvah in Judaism is a ritual cleansing that can be done daily, on Sabbath, and for special events, such as the bridegroom on the day of his wedding. The mikvah is a cistern deep enough for full immersion. Only living water can be used in the mikvah. That means that the water must come directly from a source of flowing water, such as a stream, river, sea, etc. The water cannot come from the tap, nor hose, nor be carried by man in buckets. This is a very interesting distinction between water that can carry and sustain life and water that does not. God, our Father, is characterized as "living water". From Jeremiah and Psalms, He is associated with kinds of living water.
"O LORD, the hope of Israel,
All who forsake You shall be ashamed.
Those who depart from Me
Shall be written in the earth,
Because they have forsaken the LORD,
The fountain of living waters.
Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed;
Save me, and I shall be saved,
For You are my praise." Jer. 17:13-14
"They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,
And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.
For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light." Psalm 36:8-9
Jesus identified Himself as, and with, living water (Jn. 4:10-11, Jn. 7:37-38). The term "living", not only refers to the water's ability to sustain life, but also has the meaning of prosperous life, giving life, reviving, refreshing, and restoring to life.
John the Baptist appears in the New Testament as a preacher of a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins (Mk. 1:4). He also identified Jesus as the Messiah, the Lamb of God who comes to take away the sin of the world, and Jesus, Himself, was baptized by John to fulfill righteousness. Most people can relate to John's teaching of baptism. They understand repentance and forgiveness.
Interestingly, Jesus points to something beyond this baptism of John. He gives this statement:
"Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."
Mt. 11:11
The Apostle Paul also points this out when he asks a question to a group of believers who had not heard of a baptism of the Holy Spirit:
"And he said to them, "Into what then were you baptized?" So they said, "Into John's baptism." Then Paul said, "John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus."
Acts 19:3-4
So, believers learned that there was a baptism that went beyond John's baptism. They were then baptized in the name of Jesus.
Jesus gives this instruction Himself to His disciples as He is ending His time with them on earth:
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." Mt. 28:19
When we are baptized, we are baptized into something, as Paul's question above indicates: "Into what then were you baptized?"
Believers understand that we are baptized into the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (Col. 2:12). But we should also understand that we are to be baptized into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is what makes these who are baptized in this way greater than John. They are being immersed into the Name of the Almighty. They are being baptized into the Living Water, the giver, sustainer, reviver, and restorer of life-YHWY, the life-giver.
Our Father is a baptizer.
"Baptized Into Your Name Most Holy"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vu_nSVxmNo
"Streaming water"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpO9xVvMcyU
Our Father has children who are born out of a prophetic knowledge and promise. In fact, this is the very foundation of who we are in our Father. In Romans 8:28-31, Paul is teaching that God foreknew those whom He called to be conformed to the image of His Son, Jesus. The Father prophesied us from that place in His foreknowledge. In Romans 9:6-8, Paul again talks about the difference between those who are born of the flesh, and those who are born from the prophetic promise of God, and who continue in that prophetic promise. He calls those born of the prophetic promise "children" and "seed". We have to understand our origins, in order to understand how we are to continue, and what is expected of us from here.
John 1:13 describes those who are the children of God as being born not out of the will of flesh and blood, but born out of the will of God. In Isaiah 43:1, 7, and 45:4, the LORD is speaking about a people called (called out with a loud voice, appointed, summoned) by name, and more importantly, called by His name, even before those people knew who God was. This is the "seed". Father called them forth prophetically. These are those who are called "Israel". As Paul taught in Romans 9, not everyone who calls themselves "Israel" are truly "Israel", but those born of and from the prophetic promise. Those not just born of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob by the flesh, but those of each subsequent generation called by God prophetically, and continuing to walk in that prophetic destiny and purpose. These are the children; these are the "seed".
"And if you are Christs's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."
Gal. 3:29
Those who have a knowledge of being children or seed of the Father, and His Kingdom, have a special challenge before them. Psalm 105 describes one of those who is a seed called by the Father-Joseph. He was called and appointed by the prophetic word of God. That same prophetic word and destiny tested Joseph, until that prophetic word or promise was fulfilled (Psalm105:19). What does this mean to us today, to us who have an understanding what it means to be the seed, called by the prophetic promise of God?
It means that the same prophetic word of promise will test us, as it tested Joseph. Before we see its fulfillment in its fullness, we will have seen many testings. The types of testings will be varied, but the ending of it produces the refining and maturity to which we have been called. The testing provides us not only with the head knowledge of the Father, but the experiential knowledge of Him that comes from walking through the testing of His prophetic promise. In Isa. 43:2, our Father assures us:
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flams scorch you."
The testing of the prophetic promise will also implant within us the "testimony" that is needed to minister to others, and teach others, in the time of their testing.
The challenge ahead of us is to not lose hope, to not lose faith, to not let go, or turn back from the very prophetic promise that called us by name, by HIS name, to begin with.
Our Father has seed from His prophetic promise.
"Have You Been Tried in the Fire?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbi3hG9ZZLY
"A Child of God"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3r3JAV2r208
There is an account in scripture in Mark 14:1-10, that takes place just before Jesus is taken for crucifixion. Jesus has been ministering publicly for about three years at this point, with a widespread reputation for miracles, teaching, even raising the dead. It is the time of the Passover Feast. This feast is one of the most solemn and awesome of the feasts. This feast commemorates the great, yet, terrible night when the LORD God miraculously protected the Israelites from the destruction of the Angel of Death that was dispatched to bring death to all of the first born of Egypt. This was the last plague loosed upon Egypt in order to break the bondage of God's people. Lamb's blood was painted on the doorposts and lintels of the homes of the Israelites, so when the Angel of Death came, he would pass over those homes, and not bring the judgment of death to that household. The Israelites left Egypt that very night.
In the account in Mark 14, however, the hearts and minds of the religious leaders of the time were not upon the coming Passover and all of its preparations. Instead, their thoughts were of taking Jesus, and putting Him to death by any means necessary-even if it meant using deceit and trickery (Mk. 14:1). Though they were making their plans, they felt those plans should be held until after Passover, so there would not be an uproar among the people. This was the mind of the religious elite.
Also in this passage, there is a man named Simon. He is described as a leper. Leprosy was a disease that caused the sufferer to be quarantined from society. The person was considered to be unclean, and the disease was incurable by natural means. The priests had been appointed by God to cleanse the disease, but evidently, at this time, there were those who had not been cleansed from it. Luke 7:36 also tells us that the man, Simon, was also a Pharisee, who were taught to believe in miracles, and even resurrection from the dead. This man invited Jesus to his house for supper. Jesus accepted the invitation. There were probably not many who would eat with a leper. Simon had an opportunity for healing and deliverance in his home that day. But something happened that caused Simon to miss His opportunity with Jesus. During the meal, a woman of sinful reputation came into Simon's house and began to humbly minister to Jesus using a costly anointing oil. Jesus accepted her ministry. This was a problem for Simon. He knew the woman's past and decided that Jesus could not possibly be sent from God, if He did not know who this woman was, and allowed her to touch Him. A man who had desperate need, and was an untouchable himself, decided Jesus was not the person Simon thought He should be. However, Jesus points out to Simon, that Simon's rejection had come long before the woman entered his house. Jesus points out that Simon had not treated Jesus with even the common politeness one would show a guest: greeting with a kiss, and providing the washing of the feet. He pointed out to Simon that this woman labeled a sinner, had washed His feet with her tears, and dried them with her hair. She then anointed His feet with the costly oil. She knew who her Master was, and Simon had not accepted Jesus as Master, or Lord.
This passage also describes others at the table, and their thoughts. Luke 7 tells us that they questioned how Jesus had the authority to forgive this woman's sins. Mark 14 tells us that this group resented the fact that such costly oil was used by this woman on Jesus's feet. They called it "a waste" in Mt. 26:8 version of this event. Why didn't she sell the oil and give the money to the poor? That would be the righteous thing to do, in their opinion. The Mt. 26 account tells us that the ones with these thoughts were Jesus's own disciples. One of the disciples, Judas, even decided at this point that he would inquire how he could turn Jesus over to the religious authorities. He was looking for a reason to do so, and this event gave him the justification he wanted.
The headship, or Lordship of Jesus was just as difficult for His disciples to accept, as it was for Simon the Leper, or the religious authorities of the time. Isn't this surprising? They were eye witnesses to all that Jesus had done, but were still offended by His headship or authority over them.
I think that is very much the case today, as well. Even we, His disciples, sometimes look for the opportunity, the justification, to reject His headship in order to keep our own. We look for the opportunity to reject the headship of the appointed shepherds over our lives for the same reasons. God has said in scripture that this rejection is not really against our spiritual fathers and shepherds, but against Him. Jesus said those who rejected Him, were really rejecting His Father, Who sent Him.
This is one of the great challenges that we who think of ourselves as disciples face in our spiritual walk. Who do we say Jesus is, and do our actions support this truth that we believe? Do we really accept the headship of Jesus, and of the Father, or will circumstances reveal what we really think regarding this?
Will others, more humble than ourselves, expose by their worshipful love for Jesus, the feelings that are really in our hearts and minds? When their example is held up to us, will we have feelings of shame and regret for our own hardened hearts, and prideful spirits? It's tough to face and deal with, but we should never stop looking at this, examining our own hearts.
Our Father is Headship.
"Lord, I Need You"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gS9e0nxHP-w
