Middle East Peace Update Report

Beatitudes: "Blessed Are Those Who Are Persecuted"

 

 

This is the last blog in my series on the Beatitudes. We end today with Matthew 5:10-13:

“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

One of Strong’s definitions for persecuted in this verse is: “to make to run or flee, put to flight, drive away.”

Persecution is simply opposition from the devil to try and prevent us from doing the will of God.

Anyone who follows Christ will be persecuted. Jesus said, “Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also” (John 15:20).

Beatitudes: "Blessed Are the Peacemakers"

 

 

We continue our series on the Beatitudes with Matthew 5:9:

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.”

God calls us to walk in peace with each other. But as we look around, it’s clear to see that we do not live in a peaceful world. From the beginning of time, the devil (Satan—our real adversary) has worked to turn us against each other. Though God wants us to be peacemakers, we are not to be at peace with the devil. We are instructed to stand against him.

I used to question why Jesus instructed us to resist the devil, but not to resist an evil person.

“But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. … You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.”

Matthew 5:39, 43-45

God showed me that we are not in a battle against people. We are in a spiritual battle against Satan and his army. We cannot fight this spiritual battle with carnal weapons. We need spiritual weapons (Ephesians 6:12).

The Hosea 6 Prophecy: Mystery Revealed

There is a a common train of thought that most of the Church Fathers have discussed and believed in. It is the "one" day equals a "thousand" year theory and it is very interesting.

It goes something like this and it is based on 2 Peter 3:8 and Psalm 90:4 . One of God's days is a passing of 1,000 of earth's years. Another way to look at it is like this, because God lives outside of time we would have to live 1,000 earth years to have gone through a 24 hour cycle in God's realm or one of His days. It's an amazing thought when you think about.

This may be why God can be so patient with us. What may seem like a long time to you and me is but seconds to the Lord.

So Hosea 6:1-2 says this; "Come, and let us return to the Lord; For He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight."

To really see the FULL context of this read Hosea 5 and then read Hosea 6. It really helps to bring this idea alive. The end of Hosea 6 is referring to the 1,000 reign od Christ our Messiah.

The thought here plays out like this. Israel was banished from the land in 70 A.D. just like Yeshua our Messiah said would happen in Matthew 24. The Jews were without a homeland for just about  2,000 years. In God's time reference this would have been only two heavenly days. The third day would then represent a glorious day, the millennium reign of Messiah on earth in Jerusalem. The third day is the millennium because the Jews, at that time, will be the light of the world during that era.

Let's not forget this scripture:

Beatitudes: "Blessed Are the Pure In Heart"

We continue our series on the Beatitudes with Matthew 5:8:

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Do you long to see God? Do you long to hear His voice? Do you long to know Him more? Do you long to understand His will for your life?

God wants us to know Him. He wants us to hear His voice. He wants to reveal His will for our lives. But the only way we can be close to God is through a purified heart.

So how do we get a purified heart?

Beatitudes: "Blessed Are the Merciful"

 

We continue our series on the Beatitudes this week with Matthew 5:7:

“Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”

James 2:12-13 instructs us:

“Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!”

This is a strong command. If we are not merciful to others, we will not be shown mercy.

Why does God instruct us to be merciful? Because God has given us mercy. We have sinned against Him immeasurably more than anything anyone could ever do to us. When we realize how much mercy God has given us for our wrongs, we have no excuse but to be merciful to others. Those who understand how much they have been forgiven for will have a merciful heart toward others.

Beatitudes: "Blessed Are Those Who Hunger And Thirst For Righteousness"

 

We continue our series on the Beatitudes this week with Matthew 5:6:

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

Do you hunger to live a life pleasing to God? Do you seek Him daily as a greater necessity than food and water?

If we desire to live for God and seek Him with all our hearts, why do we sometimes feel unfulfilled? The amplified version for Matthew 5:6 says:

 “… for they shall be completely satisfied!”

I believe one of the main reasons we aren’t completely satisfied in our walk with Christ is because we set too high standards for ourselves. We expect more from ourselves than God does. We set the bar at where we think we are acceptable to Him. And the more we grow, the higher we raise that bar.

Beatitudes: "Blessed Are the Meek"

This is the third blog in my series on the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-7. This week we move on to Matthew 5:5:

“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” 

What does it mean to be meek? Strong’s concordance defines meek in this verse as mildness of disposition, gentleness of spirit. People often view meek as weak-willed, someone you can easily walk over. Yet true meekness isn’t weak at all. True meekness is power under control.

Beatitudes: "Blessed Are Those Who Mourn"

Source: Wikipedia

This is the second blog in my series on the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-7. This week we move on to verse 4:

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

There are many things in this world that can weigh down our hearts. We will focus on the five main depressors that bring us down, and how we can receive comfort in the Lord.

Depressor: The Devil

Our adversary, the devil, pursues to steal, kill and destroy everything God has given us. The Bible says, “…But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short. ... Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring—those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus” (Revelation 12:12, 17).

Comforter: God’s Word

When I am being attacked by the devil, I find great comfort in God’s Word. When Jesus was tried and tempted by the devil, He sent the devil fleeing by tearing down his lies with the Word of God (Matthew 4:1-11).

The lies the devil throws at us are like weights. He can’t force us to hold on to them. We have a choice to receive them. The more lies we believe the heavier they weigh us down. The Word of God exposes the devil's lies. Once exposed, we can let go of those weights and refuse to take hold of them again.

Beatitudes: "Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit"

Source: Wikipedia

I am starting a series today on the Beatitudes Jesus taught in His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:3-12. The series will run here every Tuesday for eight weeks. Today we start on verse three:

 Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

I used to think that poor in spirit meant saddened and downcast. I thought it meant we are to feel down because we are sinners.

The Amplified Bible explains the true meaning of the poor in spirit:

Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous-with life-joy and satisfaction in God’s favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the poor in spirit (the humble, who rate themselves insignificant), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!

The poor in spirit are the humble. The humble are not downcast or saddened; they are filled with the joy of the Lord. The humble, those who rate themselves insignificant, seek to lift Christ up instead of lifting themselves up. The humble live to make Christ known, not to make themselves known.

I read a sign once that said, “It’s better to be faithful than to be famous.” We are to strive to be faithful, not strive to be popular with the world.

One thing at a time!

Source: Bing Images

 

We live in a fast paced, demanding world. It seems like everyone you talk to has too much on their plate. God’s called me to homeschool my four children and write. Life can get pretty overwhelming with my kids’ activities and writing if I try to take on too many demands at once.  If you have kids, don’t you feel overwhelmed when they demand your attention all at the same time?  I can’t count how many times I’ve said to my kids, “One thing at a time! There’s only one of me!”

Regretfully, I’ve said the same thing to God when I’ve been overwhelmed and burdened with ministry or family needs. But God reminds me that His burden is light. When I’m overwhelmed, I’m carrying my own load, not His.

Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30

Breastplate of Righteousness

Yesterday I released a devotional book on the Armor of God, titled "Armor of Light: A 7 - Week Devotional on Ephesians 6:10-18." I wanted to share this excerpt with you from week two about putting on righteousness.

Breastplate of Righteousness

 … with the breastplate of righteousness in place

 ~Ephesians 6:14

 

 

    Ephesians 6:14 instructs us to put on the breastplate of righteousness. The Amplified Bible explains righteousness as: “integrity, moral rectitude, and right standing with God.”

Job said he put on righteousness as his clothing (Job 29:14). When we receive Jesus, His righteousness is imputed to us. We then have a choice to continuing wearing His righteousness or return to wearing our unrighteousness.

 

I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

—Isaiah 61:10

The Rapture and The Resurrection

Happy Resurrection Day!

Today's report is a dual report. I was asked by my wife to put together a simple Bible study on the rapture of the church that she could e-mail out to friends. I felt like this study would make a great report for an event that I believe the Bible tells us is in our futures as believers in Yeshua The Messiah. 

At the end of this report is an article that I think you will really like. It's a good thought provoking article on the Resurrection by Dr. David Reagan. I hope you enjoy it.

The Rapture of The Church or the catching away into the clouds as some refer to it, is a sticking point for a lot in the body of Christ. Some say that it's shortsighted to think that we will not go through the Tribulation, while others say the Pre-Trib Rapture folks like me are just not going to be prepared when the worse comes. I must say however, because I believe in the Pre-Trib Rapture of the Body of Christ, Christ could return for us at any moment, this doctrine has always caused within me a sense of urgency to be all I can be in Christ our Messiah. I would say I'm more ready for the Lord's return then ever before in my 36 years of walking with Yeshua because of the study of Prophecy, End-Times and the Rapture.

 

The Passover and The Resurrection

Every year I delve into this subject and sometimes it upsets some Christians. Please keep in mind that this year my goal is to highlight the awesome fulfillment of the Jewish Celebrations by our Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus Christ).

Today the Christian church as a whole has lost, in most cases, it's awareness of it's Jewish roots. After all, most of the early believers were Jews and they practiced and observed the Jewish holidays. We need to also keep in mind, just because a Jew, like me, asks Yeshua into their lives, doesn't mean we stop being Jewish. In fact, once we put our faith in Yeshua (Jesus Christ) our Jewishness is more solidified than it was previously. This is why many of us who are Jewish and believers in Yeshua refer to ourselves as Messianic Jews. I would like to conclude this thought with this...those of us who are Jewish Believers in Yeshua, do not hold to our Jewishness as a way to elevate ourselves or to separate ourselves from our Gentile brethern, we hold fast to who God created us to be from birth because it brings honor and glory to the Lord Jesus because He is fulfilling His promises to the people of God just as He promised. We are part of that remnant that God has said He would establish in the Last Days. We praise Him for His kept promises to His Covenant People! 

We serve the greatest Jew that ever lived and is alive to this day!

Today we will highlight the meaning of what Yeshua accomplished through the Jewish Feast Days:

1. Exodus 12:3-6; April 10 the day the lamb without blemish was to be brought into the home of all Jewish households. Per the Jewish calendar and according to scripture Passover always ocurrs in the month of Nisan which is March-April. The sequence above is what we are stressing not the actual month. 
2. The Passover (Day of Preperation)
3. Feast of Unleavened Bread
4. The Feast of First Fruits

The image that I included above is a type of timeline of the progression of events we will discuss in this report.

We begin our journey with the report I wrote a few days ago about the Passover Lamb. On April 10th according to Exodus 12:3-6 all Jewish households were to choose a lamb without blemish and observe the lamb and interact with it for four days or until April 14th. For more details on this please click the link above.

Sin Series: Tolerating Sin

This is the third message in my series on sin in the church. Last week, I talked about not slandering our brothers and sisters who are caught in sin. I believe the reason many Christians are in bondage to sin is because we’ve tolerated sin by allowing the world to influence us.

Jesus said:

“Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.”

Luke 6:39-40

We’ve allowed the blind to lead us. We’ve allowed the world to be our teachers. We’ve invited in their morals and viewpoints by listening to their music, and watching their movies, their televisions shows, and their news programs. We’ve invited in their wisdom by learning from their schools, their counselors, and their books. As a result, we’ve carried their viewpoints and morals into our churches, our ministries, our books, our music, and our movies.

A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.

Galatians 5:9

 

Sin Series: Slandering The Church

 

Last week, I started this series on the bondage of sin that is weighing down the body of Christ today. I want to clarify that this series is not meant to criticize or condemn the body of Christ. The Lord is leading me to warn and inform of the dangers of sin, and open the door for His Holy Spirit to convict where necessary. Condemnation is from the devil to pull us deeper into sin. Conviction is from God to turn us to Him so He can lift us out of sin.

Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.

Revelation 3:19

This week, I want to focus on slander. There is so much slander going on in the church today, particularly toward our own brothers and sisters in Christ.  Have you noticed whenever a well-known preacher messes up, we are the first ones in line to throw a stone at them?

Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

James 4:11-12