Mrs. B is now with Christ

Ann Bartsch was born in 1947 in Dallas, Texas.  She died in Rimrock, Arizona, on September 27, 2019.

Young Ann was a compliant daughter, an attentive church member, and an excellent student. She tried hard to be good, but was unable to stop doing and saying wrong things.  She knew her lying and harshness deserved God’s judgment forever in hell, but all efforts to improve herself failed.

When she met Jesus at age 27, her life was dramatically changed. She learned that Jesus’ death completely atoned for all her sins.  His resurrection meant she too could “walk in newness of life.” Released from guilt and reconciled to God, Ann now loved to talk with Him, feed herself with the Bible, and tell other people how they too could be rescued simply by turning from their sin and trusting in Jesus alone as the source of their acceptability before God.

Ann was burdened by physical suffering for over half her life.  But she ministered to people around the world via Internet. Now freed from her frail body, she can undistractedly enjoy and serve the One whom she loves.

 She was preceded in death by both of her parents. She leaves behind her sister Linda and brother John; her husband of 43 years, Ward; her sons Brent (Catherine) and Daniel; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, and many “adopted” sons and daughters around the world.

To read a more detailed biography, click here.

 To share memories, click here.

 Memorial services will be held at Cottonwood Bible Church on October 19, at 3:00 PM.

 In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to HeartCry Missionary Society.

Seed : prayer, planting and harvest

I'm concerned that the lack of evidence of powerful prayer in the church is related to the lack of spiritual hunger and thirst for the written word of God.

Paul wrote these instructions to his elder and church planter Timothy; 

2 Timothy 3:14-17 ESV; But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. "

When tempted by Satan ( in the wilderness after a 40 day fast ) to use His divine power to feed Himself, Jesus instead quoted :

Matthew 4:4 (NASB) 4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.'"

Jesus is the Living Word come down from heaven. 

Here are some things Jesus said about the Word:

John 17:3, 6, 8, 14, 17, 20-21 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. ESV 

The response of someone who has been regenerated ( born from above ) is they are "set apart" from the world. The person becomes relational with God. There is no eternal life unless a person knows God in the way Jesus describes. Truth is found in the Word of God. 

Luke 8:11 (ESV) 11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

Matthew 13:24 (ESV) 24 He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field,

Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” 

How can anyone obey this command and NOT use the full counsel of the Word of God?

The apostle Paul wrote :

1 Corinthians 3:6 (ESV) 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.

Paul also wrote :

Colossians 4:2-4 Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. "

Notice that Paul did not ask for the anointing of the Holy Spirit or something like that so he could perform signs and wonders. God did bless Paul and signs and wonders got the attention of the people. But Paul asked something else here. 

Many of the readers of my blog are familiar with the "armor of God" passage from Ephesians 6. 

Have you noticed what is the "sword of the Spirit"? Is it some kind of mystical direction gained from "listening prayer"? 

Let the Word speak for itself:

Ephesians 6:10-20 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. " 

Again Paul speaks of the need for the word of God as the primary means of spreading the gospel.

Notice that the purpose of putting on the armor of God is to make possible the furtherance of the gospel by speaking boldly and accurately the Word of God. 

Nothing is mentioned about diseases or lack of finances - the battle seems to be against the demonic powers that try to put a gag order over the proclamation from the Word of God.

The Bible has been corrupted; too many translations: irrelevant for all or any cultures. You can think of others.

Do you believe illiteracy is caused by poverty ? No my friend. 

Some last thoughts :

Recorded in the synoptic gospels :

Matthew 24:35 (ESV) 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

Mark 13:31 (ESV) 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

Luke 21:33 (ESV) 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

So what should we do with the "seed" of the Word of God? And "prayer "? 

Why not start like I did this year and repent for neglecting the word of God and asking God to prepare my heart for the engrafted Word?

Then purpose to plant the word by praying word saturated prayers and sharing the gospel using the word of God.

Two photos: 

One is the shadow of my wheelchair and between the spokes lying on the driveway is a small seed.

The other photo is a shrub called the desert bird of paradise that grew out of a seed like that on the driveway.

I had to plant and water and study carefully where and when to plant the seed to get it to grow.

The seed on the driveway is never going to produce a plant .

Like many who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ , there will be no evidence that they truly loved the word of God.

War Cry

https://youtu.be/kyxZdpL-xeU

Dear Friends 

Above is a message from Pastor Matt Chandler about prayer.

In addition to the scriptures in the you tube consider this one : 

Galatians 4:19 Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labor pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives. NTL

For those of you who are mothers who gave birth via the birth canal ( or attempted this) , you understand "labor pains "! 

I live in the state where the legendary Apache Indians are even today living . They had a time of preparing to go to war against other tribes or foreigners who came to their areas -

The preparation included a war song .  

I'm not recommending this- but I do want to prick your conscience a little. We are in a war. The issues are not political or economic or even social.

 Here is  a link to a Paul Washer video.

https://youtu.be/GB1dB38zmGg

When is the last time you spent all night travailing in prayer ? An hour? 15 minutes ? 

When is the last time you cried with deep belly wrenching sobs over the millions who daily go to eternal punishment in a literal hell? I'm not talking about something that is worked up by emotionalism ; rather when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you truly care about the reputation- the glory of Jesus -

 

Are YOU growing spiritually? Do you even care or know what this means? 

John 12:25 Those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing for their life in this world will keep it for eternity. NLT 

Let down your nets ...

The gospel of Luke records in chapter 5 verses 1-11 the remarkable story of how Jesus called His first followers.

The story begins as Jesus is by the lake of Galilee early one morning teaching the crowds about God from the scriptures.

The crowds were really pushing against Jesus who noticed some fishermen on the beach washing out their nets from what had obviously been an unsuccessful night of fishing.

The two boats were in the water near the shore.

Jesus got into one of the boats whose owner was named Simon and asked Simon to row out a little into the sea where Jesus continued to teach the crowd.

After Jesus finished teaching the crowds, Jesus makes an unusual request of Simon.

Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch!

Now you and I are probably a lot like Simon. Listen to what Simon replied:

"Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at Your Word I will let down the nets."

I think perhaps Simon thought the new Rabbi should stick to explaining the Torah and religious things. Simon knew fishing and some times no matter how hard or long you work, the fish aren't going to be where the nets will capture them.

After Simon let down the nets there were so many fish that Simon had to yell for the other boat to come out and help as the net was tearing apart !! 

Seeing this miraculous catch of fish, Simon you would think might have exclaimed to his friends: Wow look at this!! Jesus, You've made my day- would you like to become one of my fishing partners ? 

But this was not the response of Simon.

Instead Simon got on his knees and said: 

Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.

Jesus told Simon and his two partners who had come to help with the catch:

Do not be afraid, from now on you will be catching men.

When they had reached the shore with this huge catch of fish, the men left everything and followed Jesus.

Today as I was meditating on this story , I reviewed in my mind the many times I have been out fishing for men and come back with none who have done like I did 40 years ago when I too fell at the feet of Jesus and said I am a sinner ; and Jesus didn't believe that was the way I would remain and spoke the words that set my heart aflame : follow Me, Ann. I came to save sinners.

I'm continuing to let down my net. Jesus is in the boat.

Here is how I pray over the names of the people over the last ten years I have met on the social media: the words of Jesus.

John 6:44 ESV

No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him ; and I will raise him up on the last day.

Father God, it's for Your own glory that You have given to sinful man the gift of eternal life- to know You and your eternal son Jesus messiah. 

Call now the souls I see in my prayers from Algeria, Sudan, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, China, Gaza, Syria, Iraq and Egypt.

May the light of the knowledge of the glory of of God as seen in the face of Jesus messiah shine on these my friends! 

May they hear the good news about the God who calls, saves and sets apart those who are His.

Thank you Jesus for living a perfect life of obedience to the will of God, taking on human flesh, dying as a sin offering for my sins , resurrecting to new life and calling me to life from the dead.

My gratitude for these free Bible images to this ministry.

The Night the Power Dropped- are you Prepared?

Last night I had just sat up on the side of the bed and felt like I was going to throw up when the room went dark- no warning! And plunged into black so dark a person can't see one's hand in front of one's face!

My husband had been talking about the news that's circulating in my country that iISIS is plotting a major attack on the antiquated power grid system in my nation.

Several months ago "vandals" - never identified- disabled a major telephone feed and all communication exception being the old dial phone was dead for more than 6 hours. Even the 911 system didn't work and a person had to have the old emergency number to call assuming one had an old dial phone. We have the phone but not the number.

Everyone knows that this was some kind of terrorism that was quickly sanitized as a prank from some person . 

This was a great time to reflect as there couldn't be interruptions by phone or Internet as our internet is DSL based.

So back to last night 😊. There was a lot to think about then also.

I was thankful that Ward was with me and I had my flashlight on the bed next to me and grabbed it - also my tracfone worked and I had signed up for the emergency alert program.

Daniel was about a mile away teaching the story of the earthquake that hit Phillipi while Paul and Silas having been beaten and jailed for upsetting the profitability of a demon possessed girl - set free in the name of the Son of God, Jesus Christ- these two followers of Christ Jesus were singing praises of Jesus the savior and true God (the Word made flesh) and encouraging the other prisoners -

So I used my phone to text Daniel- power is out- how about you? His power was on - I asked for the number to call to report the outage to the power company and Daniel gave me the website for APS. My husband has the router on a battery backup so I had internet for nearly an hour. I wrote down the number and my husband goes to call and to look for more flashlights.

We learned that about 1000 homes were in the dark and a line was down and travel restrictions on one of the roads between where Daniel is and our house.

I'm very thin and my feet had been cold all day.

I'm adjusting my attitude toward "what can I glean from this experience other than I should be more like Paul and Silas?"

I remembered Daniel's Bible study of Psalm 2 last Saturday and I got excited! 

How so?

Psalm 2 is written by David 1000 years before the birth of Jesus and talks about the type of things happening in the world that we have now-

The raging of the nations against the begotten Son of the Lord .

Daniel brought in passages from the book of Acts of the apostles and the Revelation written by the apostle John at the end of his life while a prisoner of Christ Jesus by order of the Roman government banished to Patmos since no one could stop John's testimony that Jesus is the one savior from sin and the mediator between Holy God and sinful man. Not the emperor of Rome who had declared himself to be god.

The Revelation speaks of the fulfillment of Psalm 2.

In Acts 4 Peter and John are arrested for saying that the man who was healed (by faith in the name of Jesus Christ) from lameness and dancing around in the temple and Peter is saying that there's no other way to be saved (Acts 4:12)- Peter quotes from Psalm 2- 

Let's look at what is so exciting to me ! 

Here is the beauty of studying the Bible for what it is - One Message- 

Please take time to read Psalm 2, Acts 4 and Revelation 2 the church of Thyatira, verses 24-27.

Revelation 2:24-27 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. Only hold fast what you have until I come. The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father." 

Do you see any of the same words or phrases?  Note who is doing the speaking . Note especially about the nations and what is going to happen with the nations who refuse the rule of the begotten Son. In Acts 4, the Holy Spirit through Peter clearly identified the son of Psalm 2 as Jesus Christ.

Also in the Revelation notice chapter 19. The return of Jesus Christ is as follows :

Revelation 19:6-8, 11-16 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out,“Hallelujah!For the Lord our Godthe Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory,for the marriage of the Lamb has come,and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”—for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. "

Ok here is how I am putting this together. God the Father reveals to King David about a coming King - begotten by Gpd and called the Son , anointed One, who will rule all the nations (including the nations who think they're going to have their own way about Who is God's appointed King).

This King will receive all the nations as His inheritance from the Father. 

God warns that if a person wants receive the penalty of rejecting the rule of this new King, they will perish ( go to the lake of fire for eternal torment and punishment).

Go now to 1000 years later and Peter is speaking to the Jewish religious leaders some of whom don't believe in the resurrection of the dead. 

A great miracle had just occurred and a man who had never walked in over 40 years was cavorting around like a new born calf- and after a night in jail, Peter and John were giving testimony that the miraculous healing was from the power of the name of the Jesus that had been crucified at the insistence of the Jewish religious leaders - AND this Jesus is none other than the One unique, one of a kind Son this Jesus of Nazareth, the King of Psalm 2. 

This must have infuriated the religious leaders who noticed that the disciples were uneducated men ( not schooled in the rabbinical schools) and had "been with Jesus ". 

They ordered them to stop doing anything in the name of Jesus.

The believers heard the story after the two disciples were sternly warned to stop teaching about the King.

Instead of cowering in fear they rejoiced and prayed for greater boldness to continue speaking the Word of God.

Read the rest of the story in Acts 4 and think about the part in Revelation 2 and 19.

The believers who are alive between now and the return of King Jesus have a great work to do! Keep proclaiming this Jesus of the Bible !

In our day of "tolerance " and syncretic religious groups, it's not a popular thing to affirm what Peter said : NO OTHER NAME by which men must be saved-Acts 4:12.

Ask yourself: what Jesus do you follow ? How do you proclaim His message ? The return of Jesus will occur just like the lights going off - no warning- Revelation 19 says that the Bride of Christ is getting prepared by the righteous deeds of the saints , clothed in pure linen and ready to rule and reign with Christ.

Are we nearly at the time to see Faithful and True ride in with the armies of heaven and remove those who have arrogantly thought they are taking over the world? Will the ISIS conquer in the name of their God ? 

Or will the Son of psalm 2 - the one who is coming to Zion to rule all the nations- on his way back to judge the world? 

Warn them of the coming judgment! Be faithful until death to testify before anyone who is this Jesus you are following! 

2016 New Year's Resolutions

1 Corinthians 2:2 (NIV) 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.

Greetings and may the God Who upholds all things by the word of His Power, the Lord Jesus Christ, grant you grace for each day He grants you life.

The above scripture are the words of the apostle Paul and are best understood in the context of chapter 1 and keep reading. Please take a few minutes and read to understand why Paul was determined to know nothing among the Corinthian believers but Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

I want to share about "resolve " or "determination " and the relationship between resolve , the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), and intercessory prayer. We are all commanded to pray. All prayer along with the Word of God are the only offensive weapons mentioned in Ephesians chapter 6:10-20. 

We will look at 3 people: Moses , Jesus the eternal Son of God and Paul. We will also look at some scripture about the first century believers.

This year I encourage you to study afresh the life of these people in the Bible.

Moses , Jesus and Paul  were specially prepared to take a part in  the plan of the Father from the beginning - the plan to display the glory of God among His creation through the redemption of human insurrectionists ( terrorists) against the creator God - humans such as myself and you, my reader.

I  noticed these things in common among these three men. 

They were humbled ( Moses and Paul) or humbled themselves ( Jesus who has always been submitted to the will of the Father ); 

They suffered persecution both from the ones they were sent to help and the enemies of the cross ; 

They were focused on the reputation of God among the nations and not their own will or ways ( they submitted themselves fully to the Father even unto death);  

They were steadfast and persevered in all kinds of adversity. 

They lived separated from the world's enticements. 

They turned down fame and fortune for what Paul says is " reality " - the things not seen.  ( 2 Corinthians 4:18).

What fueled this resolve or determination? What can we learn for ourselves?

First , realize that life is not centered around ourselves. Creation exists for the glory of God . The gospel of Jesus Christ will be the theme song at the marriage feast of the Lamb.

Here are a few key scriptures that give us a glimpse into what forges the character of determination.

Jesus example :

Hebrews 12:2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

Notice: JOY set before Him ? Bringing honor to the Father by becoming a willing sacrifice for sinners and thereby bring many sons to glory is what Jesus kept focused on doing. 

What brings you joy ? 

Luke 9:53 But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem."

Going through Samaria Jesus encounters some hateful people but Jesus was set to go to Jerusalem to first weep for those who rejected Him and then die for sinners. How about us? Are we faithful to continue proclaiming the gospel? 

Paul's example :

Philippians 1:19-26 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again."

 

How can we effectively continue to work with young converts to assure their progress and joy in the faith? 

Here are some ideas I hope to do this year : 

Purpose to ask others what they are struggling with. 

Encourage others to memorize and meditate on scripture and be available to practice the verses aloud with each other.

Encourage others to make praise in song (such as Colossians 3 describes) part of every day- this is with other believers even if only those who live in your home. If you live alone find out who wants to sing along! 

Volunteer to do something practical for a brother or sister- keep aware of what kindness you can demonstrate.

Please write me YOUR ideas on this matter.

Moses example:

Deuteronomy 9:14 Let me alone, that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven. And I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than they.’ 

Please read all of chapter 9. 

Exodus 32:31-34 So Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Alas, this people has sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold. But now, if you will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written.” But the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book. But now go, lead the people to the place about which I have spoken to you; behold, my angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them.” 

Please read all of chapter 32. This is just one of many accounts of Moses making intercession for the apostasy of the Jewish people. 

There seems to be worldwide confusion about Who is God and how does Jesus show us the way to God. Much intercession is needed and bible based teaching among new converts. The old man must be put to death and the new man in Christ Jesus put on.

Is there any old man still in control of your life? I know my old man often tries to boss me around.

Accountability to others is essential to show us the areas we may not know are rooted in the old sinful nature.

Let's turn to the example of first century believers and how they showed resolve and determination.

The beginning of the church happened at the time of the feast of Pentecost, 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus Christ and ten days after His going back to heaven.

We read in the Acts of the Apostles:

Acts 1:12-14 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away. And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. " 

The expression "with one accord " is very meaningful: from a concordance the Greek word means :

1. with one mind, with one accord, with one passion

   A unique Greek word, used 10 of its 12 New Testament occurrences in the Book of Acts, helps us understand the uniqueness of the Christian community. Homothumadon is a compound of two words meaning to "rush along" and "in unison". The image is almost musical; a number of notes are sounded which, while different, harmonize in pitch and tone. As the instruments of a great concert under the direction of a concert master, so the Holy Spirit blends together the lives of members of Christ's church.

Here are some other ways we see the early church, their prayer life and the effect on the spread of the gospel: 

Acts 2:42-47 tells the story of the early converts from many different places who were in Jerusalem for the celebration of Pentecost. We can learn much from the joy and self sacrifice of these people. They were studying the teachings of the apostles and praying together. Some may have settled to live in Jerusalem but perhaps many returned to their own country.

Another time the Apostle James was arrested and beheaded and since this pleased the people, Peter was also imprisoned and was to be executed the next day. We read about an incredible prayer meeting in Acts 12. 

Please take time to read the Acts of the apostles and write down ideas you have about how to be a bold witness and how to pray for others who are wiling to suffer persecution.

Applications 

What are some things you need to resolve this year ? 

What things are getting in the way of you fulfilling the plan of God to use you to fulfill the great commission? (Matthew 28:18-30)?

What is your plan to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ?(2Peter3:18).

 To be both discipled and to help disciple others? 

Are you in need of accountability to another person in order to stay on course   ?

Do you have a prayer partner ? 

Have you lost your first love for Jesus? 

I'd love to hear from you. I'm a fellow pilgrim on my way to the celestial city.

New Wine , Old Wineskins

The first death occurs when God provides animal skins to cover the shame and guilt of the humans who were now under the curse of God.

Justice is swift and sure from God. Adam and Eve weren't allowed to plea bargain for a lesser sentence. 

But was this the FIRST death?

The innocent animals in place of Adam and Eve?

Didn't God say to Adam : in the day you eat of the forbidden fruit, you will surely die?

Yes . But they don't die physically for many years.

So the first death was the spiritual death of Adam and Eve. 

Because they trusted in  their own reasoning instead of the words of God, they died spiritually and lost communion with the Lord.

The only way that Adam and Eve escaped physical death on the day they ate the fruit was because of what God did on their behalf.

God is always the initiator in a rescue mission. 

Neither Adam or Eve called out to God during any part of their sin. They didn't say sorry or ask for pardon.

They shifted the blame to God , one another, or the serpent.

They refused to admit that they disobeyed God by misusing the freedom of choice given by God.

They should have been grateful for life and happy in their freedom, but freedom to choose does not bring happiness when bad choices are made.

Satan offers a counterfeit freedom that promises a person the freedom to define and live by their own rules.

God however says freedom is the power to do as God determines; not to do as we wish.

All people are worshipers- 

False worship occurs when a person's self is a god;  the true God is worshipped 

, but in a false way;  or worship of gods other than the God revealed in the Word of God.

The inerrant Holy Bible reveals truth concerning man's sin, God's holiness, and the justice and mercy that comes from grace alone.

The blood of animals only covered the sin, the blood of an innocent animal had no power to open the way back to the tree of life. Death remained.

No amount of self effort, including good deeds , religious rituals such as prayers, alms giving to needy people, or fasting can cancel the certificate of death that has been issued to each person born since Adam.

But God- ----

Remember the promise made to Eve? From her seed would be born One Who could legally cancel the death sentence and give new life - undo the works of satan - but the way seems incredibly radical.

Our own attempt to earn our freedom from the chains of sin only strengthens the chains- pride insists that we can better ourselves.

Angels can't rescue us- without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin.

Hebrews 9:22 (NASB) 22 And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

This leaves only one way-

God the just must also become the justifier!

The one thing that God could not put on display before Adam sinned was the mercy and grace of God.

All of the attributes of God have existed eternally- mercy didn't come into existence after man disobeyed the Holy God.

God doesn't need to give Himself mercy ; God chose to show mercy to the humans He selected from before creation.

God Himself  would exact justice for man's sin from the seed of the woman.

That child is the one called Jesus of Nazareth; begotten of God, not created or born of the will and sexual Union of a man and woman; the Holy One of God left the perfection of heaven, wrapped Himself in human flesh, born of a daughter of Eve yet with no sexual Union with a man or with God.

Jesus is the God/Man, the only person born of a woman who had not become pregnant by the seed of a man.

A virgin.

Thus Jesus was born free from the sin nature transferred through Adam.

So Who is Jesus? One day every tongue will confess Jesus is the eternal Son of God, the redeemer, the sin bearer for all who repent and place their trust in Jesus alone for their rescue from eternal death and punishment in hell fire.

What makes Jesus able to forgive sins and resurrect the dead? Isn't Jesus just another prophet sent from God?

No.

Jesus lived a perfect life as a man. No prophet ever said that about themselves.

What do I mean "perfect "? 

The Jewish laws reflect the character of God- what God is like. For example Moses wrote the commands of God and one commandment says don't tell lies. Why not? 

Because God cannot lie.

So Jesus never told a lie. That's more than I can say, how about you? 

The perfection God demands includes more than a list of "do this" and "don't do that ".

God demands that we do nothing but what we see the Father doing - no self will , no seeking identity or dignity from others or the things we can accomplish.

Jesus said, " I and the Father are One". 

That's perfection; willing submission to the will of God.

Can't all religions make it possible for people to submit to the will of God?

No, remember death is separation from communion with God. 

A person must first be brought back to life before the person can be restored to relationship with God.

Who can give life but God alone? And even if a person's good deeds could cancel out the bad deeds , would that deliver from the power of sin ? 

Jesus did more than take the penalty for sinners.

Jesus sets us free from the power of sin.

Jesus transfers us to a new kingdom of holiness . 

We are delivered from the kingdom of satan, the kingdom of darkness.

The prophets had written that one day God would enact a new covenant in which the law of God would be written on hearts of flesh and not stone tablets.

Every person with this new heart would know God. 

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. - Jeremiah 31:33

And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." - Jeremiah 31:34

So how do you get a new heart ?

You must repent of your sins, trust Jesus alone for forgiveness and a new heart.

Jesus explains in John chapter 3 this is a new birth from above . 

We receive a new identity and are called children of God. The perfection of Christ becomes our identity. Because the Father is well pleased with the Son, all who have become children of God are acceptable in the Beloved.

 

Jesus told about why a person can't just add Jesus to their old life.

Here's the way Jesus told the story. Everyone in the first century understood the meaning.

Matthew 9:17 (ESV) 17 Neither is new wine put into old wineskins. If it is, the skins burst and the wine is spilled and the skins are destroyed. But new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved."

Here is the message Jesus came to bring.

1.God is Holy and perfect in morality.

2. All humans fall short of the perfection that God requires to be in His presence.

3. Jesus is the eternal Son of God, one in essence with the Father and the Holy Spirit. If you get stuck trying to understand how God is One essence yet three persons please don't stop here.

Jesus is the One born from a woman, lived as a man who was tempted to rebel against the will of God, yet always obeyed the Father.

Jesus lived the perfect life we can't.

Jesus died as a perfect and a willing sacrifice in place of sinful man.

God put on Jesus His wrath against sinners. Because Jesus had no sin of His own Jesus was resurrected from the dead.

Several times before His death Jesus told the disciples and others that He was to die and on the third day rise from the dead.

Here is one place.

John 10:14 (ESV) 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,

John 10:15 (ESV) 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.

John 10:16 (ESV) 16 And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.

John 10:17 (ESV) 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again.

John 10:18 (ESV) 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father."

4. Responding to the above message.  Jesus is either a lunatic and all of the apostles and the other eyewitnesses of His resurrection were even worse lunatics because with the exception of John all the other apostles and Paul  were put to death for spreading the news we call the gospel.

Or Jesus is the person foretold in Genesis 3:15 and then throughout the remainder of the Old Testament.

Read the four gospels. Ask God to open your eyes and trust that God wants to save sinners.

Here is what Jesus said sinners (including you and me) need to do:

Mark 1:14-15 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” 

Contact me with your questions about anything you don't understand.

Why did God call my name? 

To restore me to communion with Himself and to begin the process of once again imaging His glory.

Many years later I read the answer to how God brings the lost sinner back to Himself. 

God continues to call lost sinners. 

Maybe He is calling you? 

John 10:27-30 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.” 

Whose Fault?

Last post in "The Call" we

left our story with the guilty couple banished from Paradise and restricted from returning to eat of the tree of life.

We discovered that it was the serpent who lied and deceived the woman.

Rebellion against the command or law of God did indeed bring about a broken fellowship with God , the loss of the image of God's moral purity , and the consequence of death.

We use the word "sin" to describe living out side of the authority or rule or boundaries of God. Sin  includes any area of our lives  including our thought life as well as our actions.

You see mankind was not created capable to decide for themselves what things are good.

Mankind is dependent upon God to know even what things are good.

Last post we saw that God came to Adam and Eve to begin the process of reconciliation.

God's justice demands that all insurrection against the will of God is punished by death.

Man's insurrection was an act of treason against the kingdom of God.

The choice to obey the voice of satan ( the angel Lucifer who had staged an unsuccessful coup attempt in heaven) meant that Adam had chosen the kingdom of darkness.

Things look hopeless for the human race.

But remember the animal skins? 

And the promise to the woman about a man child to be born without a human father?

And this son would be able to rescue mankind from the kingdom of darkness and bring into the kingdom of heaven.

Before we discuss the rescue plan, I think many of you are not believing the truth about sin.

By that I mean how God thinks about sin, and how much we are under the power of death and sin even from birth.

Adam and Eve were created morally innocent, but they were not righteous in themselves. God had blessed them and told them to rule over the earth , to multiply the holiness of God on the earth by having children who would love and obey God. 

In addition God had given the man authority over the woman and the garden to protect them. 

Adam was to ask God how to live and never want to know how to live and not need God. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was a test of Adam's relationship of dependence upon God and Adam's love for God as  shown by his glad obedience to God.

Adam and Eve were righteous ( without blame) as long as they obeyed God.

It took how many wrong things before the couple had to leave the perfect paradise of the garden of Eden? 

ONE! They ate some fruit from a tree they had been forbidden to eat thereof lest they die.

Allow me to return to the period of my life when I heard god call my name;

 this is about age 4. 

One day  I heard my dad's angry voice talking with my sister;  dad was getting ready to discipline my sister for something dad said she had done.

Someone had used something sharp and scratched on the front of a dresser drawer my sister's name ; this beautiful maple dresser had several drawers. One drawer was for my sister's clothing, another drawer was for my clothing.

My sister kept denying that she had done this. Then she was disciplined . She kept crying and said , daddy, I didn't do it. Now my dad was even more angry because he thought my sister was telling a lie. However dad realized she had already been punished.

Why would she tell a lie?

So my dad came to me and I was terrified. Dad asked me if I had done this. I didn't answer.  Dad then said just tell the truth and you won't be disciplined. So I confessed that yes I had done this.

My dad was shocked. No one thought I could read or write.

My older sister had been teaching me to read and to write the alphabet. I was not yet in school. 

Now let's think about this story. What was going on in my head that I would take a bobby pin and scratch and  ruin the finish on the front of a dresser drawer ~ not my drawer - but my sister's drawer. Her name on her drawer.

What other choices might I have made? Well I could have  asked  for a piece of paper and a crayon and practiced  writing my letters on paper. Or I could have scratched my name on my drawer; my name was shorter and easier to write. Or as soon as daddy  started talking to my sister,  I could've gone in the room and said , no , daddy , she didn't do it. I am guilty. Don't punish her.

So was this simply a childish mistake?

No.

Spilling milk is a childish mistake.

Thinking I could jump off a wall and fly like Superman is childish foolishness.

But I made the choice to let my sister be punished for something I did that was wrong.

Why did I do such a thing? 

My older sister was always very kind to me.

Let's look at my story and think about what we learned from the Genesis account of sin.

After Adam's  disobedience, Adam was no longer pure ; Adam had a sin nature. From now on Adam would not be capable of living a pure life.

Through Adam's sin, the default setting for all of mankind was set on self gratification and rebellion against the authority of God.

The Bible says that there is none who do right, no not even one.

Romans 3:10 (NASB) 10 as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;

Romans 3:11 (NASB) 11 THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD;

So why did I do something like that? I was born in sin. I was born a sinner. I did a bad thing because I am not a good person.

But I didn't know that I had a black heart; it would be twenty three more years before I was rescued.

I would be surprised to learn of Someone Who was also punished unjustly for what I had done wrong. 

But He chose to take my punishment; my sister didn't willingly take my punishment.

I would find out who had called my name and what He wanted.

Next blog look for how can the dead be raised to life? 

What is the meaning of the first thing Jesus taught " repent and believe the gospel "? 

Kept by grace alone.

http://youtu.be/ebliEq3yMxU

The Call

Welcome

I have not posted in a few months. 

Today I want to continue the story we began in November called Paradise.

To do this please follow me back to a very early personal memory.

When I was about 3 years old, my family moved from a small east Texas town to a 74 acre farm about five miles from town.

I had many experiences there that helped shape who I am today.

One afternoon when I was playing by myself, I guess my older sister was at school and my little brother asleep or not inside the house- just myself and Mom, I heard my name being called. "Ann". I heard it a couple of times.

So I went to find my mom and ask her why she had called me. 

Mom looked at me and said, "I didn't call you."

Well, many years later I discovered who had called me and why.

Let's return to the story of the first humans, Adam and Eve.

Now the serpent was more crafty or subtle than any of the beasts that the Lord God had made.

And the serpent said to the woman, "Did God actually say 'you may not eat of any of the trees of the garden'?"

The woman replied to the serpent ,"We may eat of the trees of the garden, but God said ,'you shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die'."

But the serpent said to the woman, "you will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves  together to cover themselves.

The man and the woman heard the sound of the LORD  God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid themselves  from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 

And the Lord God called out to the man and said to him, "where are you?"

The man said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself". And God said, "who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?"

Then the man replied, "the woman you gave to be with me – she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate."

So the Lord God asked the woman, "what is this you have done?"

The woman said, "the serpent deceived me, and I ate."

The Lord God said to the serpent, "because you have done this, cursed are you more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you will go, and dust you eat all the days of your life; and I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel."

To the woman God said, "I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth, in pain you will bring forth children; yet your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."

To the man God said, "since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit  I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.

The ground will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. You will eat bread by the sweat of your brow until you return to the ground, since you were taken from the ground. For you are dust and you will return to dust."

Adam named his wife Eve because she was the mother of all the living. 

The LORD God made clothing out of animal skins for Adam and his wife and he clothed  them.

The LORD God said, "since man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil, he must not reach out, take from the tree of life, eat, and live forever."

So the LORD God sent him away from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.

The LORD God drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and the flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

This story is found in the Bible in Genesis chapter 3.

To understand this story we need to know what happened prior to the story.

God is the Creator of all things.

Everything God created was good.

God created angelic beings who served God in heaven as spirit beings.

Angels are not made in the image and likeness of God.

God created the man from the dirt and from the side of the man, God made the woman.

Both are created in the image of God. Both have equal worth before God.

If you remember from previous posts, the man, named Adam, by God, had been given a command about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Simply don't eat thereof for  in the day you eat it you will die.

The woman had not yet been created when God told Adam about not eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

The man and the woman were created naked and were not ashamed.

Nakedness in the Bible meant to be known and so known that you were vulnerable. 

Would you still love me if you knew how I truly am? 

God both knew and loved the man and his wife; they were morally innocent and had nothing to be ashamed about in the presence of God or one another.

In the cool of the evening God would come to earth and have intimate fellowship with His own image bearers.

Let's look carefully at our story for today. The serpent first talked with whom?

The serpent actually only talked with the woman , Eve.

Where was Adam, her husband?

He was with her and heard the entire conversation.

Over whom did Adam have jurisdiction or who was under Adam's authority?

In the Bible if a person gives a name to someone or something that person is under the authority of the one who gives the name.

God named Adam. However Adam named the animals and Adam gave the name Eve to his wife.

Whose authority was the serpent under? Certainly under Adam's.

What reason might the serpent have had to talk with the woman and not talk with Adam?

What was the serpent's  reason for talking to the woman about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?

The serpent tried to do two things - first to show that God is not good and secondly to show that God is not great or sovereign.

How did the serpent put doubts in Eve's mind about the goodness of God?

I hope you are looking in the story to find the answers for yourself.

The serpent said nothing about the tree of life which was also in the middle of the garden and which was not forbidden to eat.

The serpent implied that God was withholding something good from Adam and Eve because the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil would make them like God.

But they were already created in the image of God!

They already were superior to the Angels and to the animal kingdom.

They already had unbroken fellowship with God with nothing to hide from God or from one another - they were morally perfect in every way.

The freedom to choose does not always bring the happiness we might expect.

In the story this one act of disobedience of eating a piece of fruit that must've tasted good and looks good brought shame and guilt.

They did not become better - instead now they were morally defiled.

Spiritually they died. Communion with God was broken.

They came up with an idea of using fig leaves  to try to cover their shame.

Where was God when this took place? Did God know anything about this?

Yes of course God is everywhere present and God knows and sees everything.

What happened when the couple heard the sound of the Lord God in the garden that afternoon?

They ran and tried to hide behind some trees.

God came to Adam and said to the man "where are you?" 

Adam replied, "I was afraid because I was naked so I hid myself."

Now isn't that strange? Adam had put the leaves on his body and on the body of his wife  so they would not feel any shame. But in the presence of God both of them were terrified. It seems the fig leaves were not adequate to protect them from God's penetrating gaze upon their guilt and shame.

"Who told you that you were naked?" God asks Adam.

When did Adam become naked? He was created naked and before his disobedience, his nakedness- his being known by his wife or by God didn't bother him.

You see guilt and shame are first on the inside - they are not on the outside.

This is why nothing we can do can cover our nakedness; no good works or religious rituals or many prayers or acts of kindness- we still are afraid that if God of other people really knew us, no one could love us.

Did God know where they were? What was the reason that God called to the man? After all it was the woman who first took the fruit and ate and then gave to her husband. But God didn't talk first to the woman about this act of disobedience.

God comes to Adam so Adam can explain the reason why he disobeyed.

Have you eaten from the tree that I told you not to eat thereof?

God had said they would surely die if they ate from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But they didn't die at least physically they didn't die. However spiritually they were dead.

Adam does not answer "yes" or "no" if he had eaten from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil ; he just says the woman , God, that you gave to me , she gave the food to me and I ate. Here we see the first evidence of blaming someone else for something that was done in disobedience to the command of God.

This was not just a lapse of memory. The act of eating the fruit for Adam was clearly rebellion against what God had commanded.

The woman didn't do any better when God questions her : what is this that you have done? 

The woman simply said that the serpent deceived me and I ate.

Neither Adam nor Eve seemed to think it was a big deal what they had done.

However each of them brought the curse on the earth and on their relationship with God and on their relationship with one another and that which they were created to do : the woman to bear children and the man to take care of the ground -now those things had a curse on them.

What other results do we see from the man's choice to exercise his own will in place of the will of God?

Satan, the deceiver, is using the body of the serpent to try and pursuade the humans to reject the authority of God to tell them how to live.

God puts a curse on the serpent and says there will be continual hostility between the offspring of the serpent and the offspring of the woman.

However God makes a promise to the woman that one day there will be a man child born from the woman who will crush the head of the serpent and the serpent will bruise the heel of this man child.

God also makes coverings of animal skins for Adam and his wife. He replaces their self effort to cover their sense of shame and guilt -( the fig leaves and the blame shifting) and, instead, God chooses to sacrifice an innocent animal in order to cover the disobedience of Adam and Eve.

What other choice might God have made? Of course to kill them. Instead the blood of the innocent animal was in place of the blood of Adam and Eve. You see the life is in the blood.

God speaks to himself actually saying now that humans have become like us we need to make sure they cannot eat from the tree of life and stay in this condition forever.

The condition God meant is he didn't want them to remain spiritually dead.

So God banished them from the paradise of Eden and put an angel to protect any attempt to return to the tree of life and eat from that tree. For one act of disobedience, the couple were kicked out of Paradise.

What can we learn from this story? And what does the story have to do with the voice I heard that called my name? God desires to have intimate fellowship with humans. God wants to restore the relationship that God once had with humans who are created to reflect the glory of God. 

The glory of God is His perfection of moral character. 

We call this the holiness of God.

After Adam disobeyed God , did Adam try to find God? No, it was God who came and called Adam's name ; this is true today . God, the father, calls the name of those that God is seeking to rescue from guilt and shame; from separation from God; from spiritual death - and to restore relationally as sons and daughters.

God wants to cover our shame and guilt.

How does God do this today? The next post we will talk about that and also what happened in my life as a result of hearing my name called. 

My mother had not called me; 

I knew it was God calling my name.

But why was God calling me by name?

Raindrops

Recently I was resting on my bed. It had been a rare, rainy day. Suddenly I glanced toward the windows and noticed that the lower half of the window had raindrops on the glass and screen.

The sun was illuminating the drops that were arranged like sentries guarding a city. No one drop was touching another drop.

No drops had run down the glass pane.

The drops sparked like diamonds. 

Absolutely stunning and beautiful.

"Thank You God!" I said in my head.

I had been feeling some sadness.

Then the sun disappeared and the drops looked more like fragments of broken glass.

Ouch! 

I reflected that my heart recently had been feeling like it was full of little sharp glass pieces.

Envy, bitterness, self pity to name a few.

I couldn't stop the rain but I could live in the Light.

I remembered a family I pray for who will be experiencing some rain on their windowpane this Christmas. 

The dad is in prison in a nation which tortures the prisoner.

The wife and two young children are allowed no contact with him.

He will be spending his third Christmas there.

Even though he is in a cold and dirty place where he suffers from internal injuries from beatings for proclaiming that Jesus is God's very own Son, born to die for sinners, this young man lives at the foot of the cross whose rays of light illuminate the raindrops on the windowpane of his heart.

He loves those who have beaten him and separated him from his wife and two children.

His decoration : a paper cross which the authorities threaten to remove from his cell.

And yes he is an American citizen. 

Yes, he would be released immediately if he renounced his belief in the Christ who is the Son of the Most High.

This year as you sing your Christmas carols, reflect on the price Christ paid for your freedom from the prison of sin and willful insurrection against a Holy God.

And if you would like to join me in continuing prayer for this family, write me a note.

Born that man no more may die! 

Lord Jesus, send the light of the glory of the gospel of God as seen in the face of Jesus Christ into the jail cell 

Warm my brother and fill him with the glory of God.

I choose to be with him in his suffering.

Paradise

 We saw that God made the man, placed man in a garden called Eden, and took from the side of the man some flesh and bone and fashioned it into a female or woman. God had named the man "Adam ."

How did the first couple meet? 

God brought the woman to the man. Adam didn't wake up, realize part of him was missing and say Hey God what's up? 

Neither did the woman call out to Adam ; no animal introduced them.

God presented the Bride to Adam. The couple were told that the man must leave  his father and mother and hold fast or cleave to his wife. They would become one flesh. 

We must wait to understand the full meaning of this marriage. 

However realize that Adam had no father and mother. God created Adam as the first human. From dirt.

I want to explain something about the way God revealed Who He is in the 66 books we call the Bible which just means Book. The Message might be a better way to think of this record written over a period of 1500 years by 40 authors all by inspiration from God the Holy Spirit.

Do you remember as a child when you first saw your shadow? 

A nice sunny day, a sidewalk, and you are walking on your head or your arm or you are ten feet tall! 

Of course I mean your shadow stretched out from you on the sidewalk, sometimes short and fat; other times elongated and skinny.

You saw the shadow of yourself was not you, but if your mom was looking for you and she saw only your shadow on the sidewalk, she would find you! 

In a similar way the Bible is full of events that foreshadow the actual event coming to pass.

Marriage will foreshadow something about man's relationship with God.

Back to the garden story.

Life in Eden was free from disease, natural disasters, or any problems in relationships.

The authority structure God had established was perfectly in place. Neither beast not man questions God about the way to live under authority. To review:

Everyone and everything is under the authority of God, the creator. The beasts and plant life are also under the authority of the man and woman. We're talking about obedience or who is boss.

Who established the laws of nature? Of relationships? Who has the right to have their own way? 

God doesn't think that way. God gave responsibilities and delegated jurisdiction to the man and his wife. All rights belong to God. 

Neither the man or his wife were to act independently of what God instructed.

In fact the man was warned that if he disobeyed God's command about eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the man would die. 

Man was in the garden where he could freely eat of the tree of life.

In the Bible the tree of life means eternal life. Man would never die if he would eat from this  tree.

One tree brings life. The other tree would bring death.

Animals knew from the instinct  God gave them how to live. Animals did not have the choice to disobey God.

Man was created to freely choose to obey or to disobey the commands of God.

This perfect place where the man and his wife lived in the presence of God and enjoyed everything being good, we call paradise.

Next post we will see what happens in the garden that changes everything for every human being born after Adam and Eve were created. All the descendants of this first couple will be in a different situation because of a choice that both the man and his wife made.

The view from my window

Today I took this photo looking north toward the red mountains where one year ago I spent almost the month of October in a rehabilitation care center. Some folks would never leave this unit alive. 

Others, like myself, were there to recover from a surgery or injuries.

I was not expected to recover and was put on hospice. This means that I had around six months to live.

The severe osteoporosis of my bones had resulted in a broken leg.

But God had other plans for me.

I am like the Apostle Paul and wanted to fly to Jesus and spend an eternity thanking Jesus for opening my blind eyes so I might understand the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I know, now I'm sounding "religious " and you imagine me lighting candles or using some beads to count how many repetitions I have finished of a memorized prayer.

No. 

You see I can't begin to help you see beyond what God allows a person to know about Who is God, who is mankind and whatever has happened that we seem to have lost our way and just long for home- a home where there is peace and joy and we belong to a real Father.

But I can tell you about the mystery of the cross on which Jesus was crucified and died.

But I warn you, here is what God's Word, the Bible says about this event that for most of the world restarted  the way we record time. 

2014 AD means that number of years after the birth of Jesus Christ of Nazareth Israel.

Ok the cross:

1 Corinthians 1:18 (NASB) 18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

How can an instrument of death be the power of God? 

God will bring salvation to humans by means of a death to someone else? 

Yes! 

Do you ever read a biography of someone and the biography is written so that first you read the most important and shocking part of their lives in the first chapter, then the author flashes back to the beginning of the story? 

That's what I have done here. 

Was Jesus crucified? Did Jesus die so sinners might be forgiven and made right with God? Who killed Jesus? The religious leaders who screamed "His blood be on us and our children forever! We have no King but Caesar "? Or the Roman government that ordered Jesus crucified and wrote in three languages the crime for which Jesus was executed: writing on a sign above His cross "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews".?

No.

God the Father put Jesus , the Son, to death. 

Before you click "delete " read here:

Isaiah 53:2-12 For he grew up before him like a young plant,and like a root out of dry ground;he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men;a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows;yet we esteemed him stricken,smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions;he was crushed for our iniquities;upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray;we have turned—every one—to his own way;and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,yet he opened not his mouth;like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away;and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living,stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death,although he had done no violence,and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;he has put him to grief;when his soul makes an offering for guilt,he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,make many to be accounted righteous,and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors;yet he bore the sin of many,and makes intercession for the transgressors. "

This was written by a prophet of God hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus.

But did Jesus ever talk about His own death and how He would die and the reason for His death? 

The answer is YES.

But this is where we need to go back to the beginning. 

Next post we will go back to the beginning. God has kept me alive to share this message of what I call "Redemptive" Love.

What to Do When You’re Missing Chapter One

What to Do When You’re Missing Chapter One



Perhaps we all need this message

Two Sauls

I

Today we hear some discussion about what is meant to be a follower of Jesus . Does it mean someone who has trusted Christ to forgive their sins?

What about repentance?

Must Jesus be Lord? 

Is repentance necessary to be a follower of Jesus?

Let's look at the lives of two men.

Afterward we will look at the words of Jesus himself.

Please turn to first Samuel chapter 15. Prior to this time God had selected Saul from the tribe of Benjamin to be king.

Got himself has been the King; but the people demanded to have a king as did  the nations around them.

Saul was tall and rather good-looking and probably looked very Kingly.

1 Samuel 9:2 (NASB) 2 He had a son whose name was Saul, a choice and handsome man, and there was not a more handsome person than he among the sons of Israel; from his shoulders and up he was taller than any of the people."

Saul seemingly felt quite unqualified to be king.

1 Samuel 9:21 (NASB) 21 Saul replied, "Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak to me in this way?"

He even tried to hide from God.

1 Samuel 10:21-24 Samuel told each family in the tribe of Benjamin to pass by. Matri’s family was chosen. Then Samuel told each man in Matri’s family to walk by. Saul son of Kish was chosen.But when the people looked for Saul, they could not find him. Then they asked the Lord, “Has Saul come here yet?”The Lord said, “Saul is hiding behind the supplies.” The people ran and took Saul out from behind the supplies. Saul stood up among the people. He was a head taller than anyone else. Samuel said to all the people, “See the man the Lord has chosen. There is no one like Saul among the people.”Then the people shouted, “Long live the king!” 

In chapter 11 Saul learns of a threat to the kingdom ; through intimidating threats Saul brings a form of unity to put together an army which defeats the Ammonite enemy. 

To Saul's credit Saul gives God the credit for the victory and refused to punish those who doubted his ability to rule. Saul is anointed king a second time. All looks good !

1 Samuel 11:12-15 Then the people said to Samuel, “Where are the people who said they didn’t want Saul to rule as king? Bring them here, and we will kill them.” But Saul said, “No, don’t kill anyone today! The Lord saved Israel today.” Then Samuel said to the people, “Come, let’s go to Gilgal. At Gilgal we will again make Saul the king.” All the people went to Gilgal. There, in front of the Lord, the people made Saul king. They offered fellowship offerings to the Lord. Saul and all the Israelites had a great celebration. "

In chapter 12 the aging Samuel reviews the history of the people God chose to display His character to the idolatrous nations around them. God intended to be their king. But from fear the people demanded a king.

Samuel warned the people of the peril of refusing to fully obey God. 

1 Samuel 12:12-15, 19-20, 24-25 But then you saw King Nahash of the Ammonites coming to fight against you. You said, ‘No, we want a king to rule over us!’ You said that, even though the Lord your God was already your king. Now, here is the king you chose. The Lord put this king over you. You must fear and respect the Lord. You must serve him and obey his commands. You must not turn against him. You and the king ruling over you must follow the Lord your God. If you do, God will save you. But if you don’t listen to the Lord, if you refuse to do what the Lord says, he will be against you. The Lord will destroy you and your king. All the people said to Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God for us, your servants. Don’t let us die! We have sinned many times. And now we have added to these sins—we have asked for a king.” Samuel answered, “Don’t be afraid. It is true that you did all these bad things, but don’t stop following the Lord. Serve the Lord with all your heart. But you must honor the Lord. You must serve him sincerely with all your heart. Remember the wonderful things he has done for you. But if you are stubborn and do evil, God will throw you and your king away, like dirt swept out with a broom.” 

However in chapter 13 Saul makes his first mistake which cost him the privilege of passing on the rule over the kingdom to his family . 

Saul is waiting for Samuel to come and inquire of The Lord what to do to defeat the enemy; however when Samuel didn't come  in the prescribed time, Saul assumed the position of priest and offered the sacrifice. Before the sacrifice is burnt, Samuel appears shocked that Saul had taken matters into his own hands. Saul offered the lame excuse that "the people forced me to do it."

Actually it was fear because the people were scattering and not willing to wait for God's plan as Samuel would be able to ascertain.

Here are the Words from 1 Samuel 13. Notice God saw Saul's act as a heart problem. 

1 Samuel 13:8-14 He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and greet him. Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines had mustered at Michmash, I said, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the favor of the Lord.’ So I forced myself, and offered the burnt offering.” And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be prince over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.” 

Now finally we come to chapter 15. Perhaps you have heard "obedience is better than sacrifice". This is where we learn this. I encourage you to read this whole chapter.  Ask yourself these questions:

1. Did Saul understand God's command?

2. Did Saul have the resources to obey the Word of The Lord ?

3. What does Saul's disobedience show about his relationship of dependence on God? His lack of trust in God? 

4. Who did Saul honor at Carmel? 

1 Samuel 15:1-4, 7-26, 28 And Samuel said to Saul, “The Lord sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore listen to the words of the Lord. Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’” So Saul summoned the people and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand men on foot, and ten thousand men of Judah. And Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt. And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction. The word of the Lord came to Samuel: “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following me and has not performed my commandments.” And Samuel was angry, and he cried to the Lord all night. And Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning. And it was told Samuel, “Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself and turned and passed on and went down to Gilgal.” And Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed be you to the Lord. I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” And Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears and the lowing of the oxen that I hear?” Saul said, “They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to the Lord your God, and the rest we have devoted to destruction.” Then Samuel said to Saul, “Stop! I will tell you what the Lord said to me this night.” And he said to him, “Speak.” And Samuel said, “Though you are little in your own eyes, are you not the head of the tribes of Israel? The Lord anointed you king over Israel. And the Lord sent you on a mission and said, ‘Go, devote to destruction the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.’ Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord? Why did you pounce on the spoil and do what was evil in the sight of the Lord?” And Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” And Samuel said,“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,as in obeying the voice of the Lord?Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination,and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry.Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,he has also rejected you from being king.” Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. Now therefore, please pardon my sin and return with me that I may bow before the Lord.” And Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you. For you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.” And Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you. "

What evidence do we see that Saul does anymore than ask forgiveness (pardon)?

Why does God reject Saul even though Saul finally confessed he had transgressed God's command because he feared loss of the people's approval ?

(Hint: Who put to death Agag? Did Saul confess the wrong he did to the people ?) 

Did Saul repent? What would be the evidence of Saul's repentance? Biblical repentance is a change of mind about who God is, what is sin & my condition by nature ; repentance is not just being sorry for the wrong things we do. Doing good deeds to try to make up for sin is like sewing together fig leaves . 

1 Samuel 15:32-35 Then Samuel said, “Bring here to me Agag the king of the Amalekites.” And Agag came to him cheerfully. Agag said, “Surely the bitterness of death is past.” And Samuel said, “As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women.” And Samuel hacked Agag to pieces before the Lord in Gilgal. Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house in Gibeah of Saul. And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death, but Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king over Israel. "

We began by asking questions relating to biblical conversion. Let's look at the end of Saul's life. True conversion results in God & sinner being reconciled . This requires repentance which is the gift of God.  In chapter 16 God sends Samuel to anoint David to be the new king.

Here is what happens to Saul

1 Samuel 16:14 Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him. 

Several years pass by with this man in power . Now at the end we see what happens to those who despise the Word of God.

1 Samuel 31:1 1 Samuel 28:3-25 1 Samuel 25:1 Now Samuel died. And all Israel assembled and mourned for him, and they buried him in his house at Ramah.Then David rose and went down to the wilderness of Paran. Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the necromancers out of the land. The Philistines assembled and came and encamped at Shunem. And Saul gathered all Israel, and they encamped at Gilboa. When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets. Then Saul said to his servants, “Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, there is a medium at En-dor.” So Saul disguised himself and put on other garments and went, he and two men with him. And they came to the woman by night. And he said, “Divine for me by a spirit and bring up for me whomever I shall name to you.” The woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the necromancers from the land. Why then are you laying a trap for my life to bring about my death?” But Saul swore to her by the Lord, “As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.” Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” He said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul.” The king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a god coming up out of the earth.” He said to her, “What is his appearance?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped in a robe.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and paid homage. Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul answered, “I am in great distress, for the Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned away from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams. Therefore I have summoned you to tell me what I shall do.” And Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me, since the Lord has turned from you and become your enemy? The Lord has done to you as he spoke by me, for the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you this day. Moreover, the Lord will give Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me. The Lord will give the army of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines.” Then Saul fell at once full length on the ground, filled with fear because of the words of Samuel. And there was no strength in him, for he had eaten nothing all day and all night. And the woman came to Saul, and when she saw that he was terrified, she said to him, “Behold, your servant has obeyed you. I have taken my life in my hand and have listened to what you have said to me. Now therefore, you also obey your servant. Let me set a morsel of bread before you; and eat, that you may have strength when you go on your way.” He refused and said, “I will not eat.” But his servants, together with the woman, urged him, and he listened to their words. So he arose from the earth and sat on the bed. Now the woman had a fattened calf in the house, and she quickly killed it, and she took flour and kneaded it and baked unleavened bread of it, and she put it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they rose and went away that night. "

1 Samuel 31:1-6 Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers. Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together. "

Now let's turn to the New Testament and study about another Benjamite named Saul.

Here is the way Paul ( Saul) describes himself :

Philippians 3:3-6 For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. "

So what happened to Saul of Tarsus, a Roman citizen , well known & respected among the religious leaders , trained by the best teacher of the law ? 

He continues his biographical sketch as follows : 

Philippians 3:7-12 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. "

Paul speaks of Jesus making Paul "His own" and of "knowing" Christ Jesus . 

But how did this happen?

Again we read :

Acts 6:8, 13 Acts 7:52-56, 58-60 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.” Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And falling to his knees he cried out with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep. 

So Saul had heard the gospel proclaimed by the mouth of the church's first martyr, Stephen. Stephen was also an intercessor on behalf of Saul asking God to pardon Saul's sin of agreeing to the shedding of innocent blood & rejection of the gospel message . 

I wonder how many of us today would pray this way? 

Now Stephen's death actually increased Saul's desire to stamp out this heretical sect of Jesus is messiah followers. But God.,.

Acts 8:1-3 And Saul approved of his execution.And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. 

We pick up the story in chapter 9. After reading the next rather long Scripture please think about the questions at the end. What was different about the two Sauls?

Acts 9:1-22 But Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he went on his way, he approached Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven shone around him. And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.” The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he rose and was baptized; and taking food, he was strengthened.For some days he was with the disciples at Damascus. And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” And all who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem of those who called upon this name? And has he not come here for this purpose, to bring them bound before the chief priests?” But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. "

1. How did Paul encounter Jesus ? 

2. What was the result of seeing & hearing Jesus ? 

3. Later Paul would write more autobiography in 2 Corinthians. Paul's initial encounter with the glory of God resulted in physical blindness but spiritual sight. 

Here is Paul's description of what happens to all true followers of Christ . 

2 Corinthians 3:16-18 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. "

2 Corinthians 4:3-6 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 

The Old Covenant cannot save. Our good works cannot save or sanctify us. Trust , faith , or belief - in the work of Christ alone saves.  This is not mere intellectual belief that God the Son came to earth to die for sinners . 

This is not some mystical experience of Jesus . The face of Jesus is revealed in the scripture by the Holy Spirit . 

Both Sauls had pride; both thought they were righteous by their own efforts. 

King Saul : " I have done what The Lord God commanded ".

Paul : as to zeal , a persecutor of the church. 

King Saul heard the voice of God but lived to please others & make himself look good; 

But Paul heard the voice of Jesus and responded in repentance & trust. 

Jesus says regarding the kingdom of God:

Mark 1:14-15 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” 

Luke 9:23 (KJV) 23 And he said to [them] all, If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Please read my blog called The Glorious Godpel to understand what "repent" & "believe " mean . 

Will you die a King Saul or as the Apostle Paul? You may be a church member or even a pastor and not be a follower of Jesus .