Abraham and Sarah, awe and reverence, beauty of holiness, conversion of a Muslim to Christianity, glorified, rubbish, scroll, Simon Altaf, Summer garden, the lamb that was slain, winter garden

The Messiah’s Secret – The Calling of Nathanael

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The Messiah’s Secret – The Calling of Nathanael
Visual Aid. A garden with flowers.
When we see a garden in full bloom in summer, it’s hard to think that things lie hidden in the undergrowth.

It’s not until winter comes and the plants die back we can see what lies there.

(Removing the rubbish to reveal wind blown: plastic bottles, bags and other bits of plastic.)
Not all that has blown in the garden is rubbish there might be something there that we have lost. In the picture a silver cross and chain lost in the garden during the summer.
In our reading Nathanael did not think anything good could come out of Nazareth certainly not God’s promised Messiah. He soon was to find Jesus something very precious to him. Later he would learn that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. 

Some times we have to stand still and sift through our beliefs and remove some things that we have heard from other people and taken on board. We also may find again something in scripture that we might have lost.                                                                                   

Readings: Revelation 5: 1-10. John 1: 43 end.
The other week I was sifting out old CD’s to throw away when I looked at a CD with a name on it Simon Altaf and date Feb 2007. I thought I’ll check what’s it’s about before I bin it. I was glad I did look at the CD, it was Simon Mohammed Altaf’s testimony, Jesus had called him to follow him. 
He began by sharing his background, he grew up in Pakistan his family were Sony Muslims. and he was a committed Muslim. He said he had prayed every day for ten years that Allah would speak to him, but he heard nothing. He believed that there was a God and he wanted to know him.    
Mohammed said he became disillusioned with his religion and went on a Muslim website and began to talk to other Muslims. One day by accident, he read the heading of a blog, ‘Why I became a Christian,’ by a fundamentalist Muslim. After reading it he got in touch with him asking him all kinds of questions,  he started comparing the Koran with the Bible. He found out that Abraham had two sons, 2 heirs Ishmael and Isaac only Isaac was the son of the promise to Abraham. “But Abram said, O Lord God, what wilt thou give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said,”Behold, thou hast given me no offspring; and a slave born in my house will be my heir.” (Ishmael) And behold, the word of the Lord came to him,”This man shall not be your heir; your own son shall be your heir.” Genesis 15: 2-4.  
“And Abraham said to God, “O that Ishmael might live in thy sight!” God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.” Genesis 17: 18, 19. RSV Bible.  
Simon had not been taught about Isaac, he did not know about him until he read the Bible.                                                              
He studied both the Koran and the Bible for a period of time, but it was while he was at work he heard Jesus’ voice saying to him, ‘Follow me’ immediately in his thoughts he said, what about my family? Again he heard the voice say to him ‘Follow me,’ and so he did. It was at great cost to him, later his marriage was annulled under Muslim law, he lost everything of importance to him, but he could not deny Jesus.  

In our reading Philip after being found by Jesus was asked to ‘Follow him.”  He realised that Jesus was the one who Moses had referred to in scripture, Deut 18: 15 “The Lord will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brethren him shall you heed.” 
Philip then went and witnessed to Nathanael that Jesus was the one spoken of by Moses. Nathanael was cynical in his response, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth? Perhaps he thought that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem.  

Philip said to Nathanael, ”Come and see,” so together they went to find Jesus, they found him and as they walked towards him, Jesus said to Nathanael, “An Israelite indeed, in whom there is nothing false.”  Jesus discerned that Nathanael was honest, and open to seek the truth, a Godly man. Mohammed Altaf was open to seek the truth and there are many more people like him who are open to seek the truth. He became known as Simon Altaf.

Nathanael replied, “How do you know me?” Jesus said that he had seen him before Philip called him sitting under the fig tree. Jesus had seen him not in the flesh but in the eye of his Spirit. The Spirit of Jesus searching for the people who would become his disciples. Jesus and the Holy Spirit is searching today for people who are open to hear the good news.    

Jesus looking for the lost in the garden of the world.  
On Tuesday afternoon at open door a young woman came in full of trouble, I tried to help her by giving her what she asked for some food.  I asked if I could pray with her and she was happy for me to do so. My continuing prayer is that she will come to know Jesus and as a result make a fresh start.  

Nathanaels response, he declared that Jesus the Rabbi was the Son of God! and the King of Israel. 

Simon Altaf could identify the three in one God. 
Simon said that Jesus is God and as the Son of God he had the nature of God, and the Holy Spirit. Simon said that the Hebrew word for God is Yahweh. The Muslim’s name for God is Allah and they are not the same God. Allah is an impersonal god, transcendent meaning: superior and beyond reach, whereas Israel’s and the Christian’s God is a personal God, Yahweh, the true God. 

Nathanael had discerned for himself that Jesus was the Son of God, the Messiah from the scripture ‘Sitting under the fig tree’ which was the expectation of the peace and security with the coming of the Messiah and his kingdom. Zechariah 3: 10 “In that day, says the Lord of hosts, every one of you will invite his neighbour under his vine and under his fig tree.”  
The day speaks of Jesus return, bringing in his kingdom, a place that is described as full of peace and tranquillity, hence the term ‘sitting with your neighbour under the fig tree.’

On the evening of the day of his resurrection when he appeared to his disciples in the house at Jerusalem, Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you!” The kingdom in their midst, the peace of the Kingdom of God. John 20: 19.

But what spoke to me in Revelation 5  Jesus was being lifted up into a place of honour in his meekness and majesty receiving blessings from God. And we can relate it to his parable of the wedding feast, were he made the point on arrival not to sit down on the top table, in case someone more important came, but instead to seek the lowest place and so you might be lifted up and asked to sit on the top table. Luke 14: 7-11    

All heaven was rejoicing as Jesus was the one who would open the scroll., “Worthy is the lamb who had been slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honour and glory and blessing.”Rev 5: 12. The scroll that contains the information of the events leading up to his return to the earth and being identified by his suffering bearing the marks in his resurrected body of the lamb that was slain for forgiveness of all that stands between us and our Father God. All the rubbish that has separated us from our creator God is completely removed, all is forgiven.

We in our humanity saw no beauty before we knew him as our Saviour and Lord, but in knowing him, we see the beauty of his holiness, the greatness of his victory over the devil and his minions and his eternal reign over all things in heaven and on the earth. 

No other is worthy of our praise, in awe with reverence, we see the lamb in great humility being adored, revered, worshipped and glorified.                                                                                                                                                                
Ezekiel 34: 26, from the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another, revival, Shepherd, Showers of Blessing Daniel W Whittle, the law written in Jesus' heart, Two Boxes

The Messiah’s Secret – Showers of Blessings

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The Messiah’s Secret – Showers of Blessings

In  this morning’s service a short poem before we said sorry to the Lord our God for our wrongdoings. Two members of congregation involved: one saying slowly the poem while the other mimed it with the boxes.
Two Boxes
I have in my hands two boxes which God gave me to hold.

He said, “Put all your sorrows in the black and all your joys in the gold.”

I heeded His words, and in the two boxes both my joys and my sorrows I store.
But though the gold became heavier each day, the black was as light as before. With curiosity, I opened the black I wanted to find out why and I saw
 in the base of the box, a hole which my sorrows had fallen out by,
 I showed the hole to God, and mused aloud, “I wonder where my sorrows could be.”
God smiled a gentle smile at me. “My child, they’re all hear with me.”
I asked, “God, why give me the boxes, why the gold, and the black with the hole?” 
“My child, the gold is for you to count your blessings and the black is for you to let go.” 

Readings: Jeremiah 31: 7-14. John 1: 10 – 18.                                                                  
After the readings a Christmas Quiz followed by my short talk

The adverts on TV before Christmas do not tell us why we give gifts to each other. As Christians we recognise that the giving of gifts is to bless one another, it is in recognition of God giving his Son as a precious gift to the world and it is Jesus’ birthday.                                         
Mary and Joseph had been blessed by the visit of the shepherds bringing the message from the angels “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased.”  
Jesus as we know was the shepherd that Jeremiah had spoken of in the Hebrew Scriptures reading. Jeremiah prophesied great joy and peace as the Lord, the shepherd, came to redeem his people, gathering them from far and wide. Blessing them like a well watered garden, flourishing in the presence of their Saviour.

When Jesus grew up he declared God’s message of peace and a new beginning, he showered blessings on all the people who came to him from far and wide they received healing and miracles took place.
Even though these signs were evidence of Jesus being the Messiah, however, John records that the leaders of Israel did not recognise him.

But John wrote in verse 12 “Yet to all who receive him. To those who believe on his name he gave the right to become children of God.”

Yet all who receive Jesus become children of God,

That means for anyone today, who is seeking God will find him in Jesus. In faith we simply ask him into our heart, and he will come in. Jesus has promised that those who ask in faith and love, he and his Father will come and make their home within them. John 14: 23.

In John 1 verse 14 ‘The word made flesh,’ Jesus the living word, established Jeremiah’s new covenant in himself. Jesus had the very nature of God, grace and truth. 
Further on in Jeremiah chapter 31 verses 33, 34. The New Covenant.
 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each man teach his neighbour and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all. know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
The law was written in Jesus’ heart, we recognise this when he healed people on the Sabbath Day. The Pharisees and Sadducees suggested he was engaging in sin by healing on the Sabbath Day. But Jesus said that it was right to do good on the Sabbath Day. Matthew 12: 12.
Love has no boundaries in doing good, and feels how God feels about sin. 

We have entered into new covenant where God has written his law into our heart so we can discern what God would have us do in a situation. When we get things wrong, we say sorry to God and he remembers our sin no more.

Having received Jesus we are being blessed by him.
John 1:16 “ From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.”
Personal blessings that follow coming into the Lord’s family, we receive kindness, helping one another and sharing God’s love.
Ezekiel prophesied “And I will make them and the places about my holy hill a blessing; and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing.”

Expounded in a well known hymn by Daniel W Whittle
1.       “There shall be showers of blessing: 
           This is the promise of love; 
           There shall be seasons refreshing, 
           Sent from the Saviour above. 
Chorus:
           Showers of blessing,
           Showers of blessing we need;
           Mercy-drops round us are falling,
           But for the showers we plead. 
Every Christian experiences mercy drops personal blessings from God in both living out our lives in the world and in the church. The showers in the hymn are a prayer in song in order to bring revival. Our prayer is for the Lord to send prolonged showers to bring many people to faith.                 
 Visual Aid             Weather Report for week. 
In our region of Lancashire we have a high rainfall. 
The 5 day weather forecast for 4th – 9th January 2015.

 ‘Each day there will be showers especially in the North West of England, the showers will be prolonged later on in the week. 


We have had showers of blessing from the Lord in the 1800’s there was a mini revival at Stacksteads and over the last twelve years there has been a mini revival among the Church youth in bringing young people to Christ.  

2. There shall be showers of blessing . 
    Precious reviving again; 
over the hills and valleys, the sound of abundant rain.
                
How we long for people in our community to seek God like the shepherds and the wise men went to find the Christ-child, for them to know that God really does exist and has shown us his love for us all in Jesus. 

3.    There shall be showers of blessing; 
       Send them upon us, O Lord;   
       Grant to us now a refreshing,  
       Come, and now honour Thy Word.  
We have a Saviour who is able to do exceedingly more abundantly than we ask or think, through his very great and precious promises”  

4.   There shall be showers of blessing:
      This is the promise of love; 
      There shall be seasons refreshing, 
      Sent from the Saviour above.
Paul in his second  letter to the Corinthians 1: 20 “For all promises find their “Yes,” in Jesus.”    And in his letter to the church at Ephesus 1:3 “Blessed be the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessings in heavenly places.” The Lord Jesus keeps his word to us and will fulfil his promises to us.                                                                                               
5       There shall be showers of blessing:
         Oh, that today they might fall, 
         Now as to God we’re confessing,  
         Now as on Jesus we call! 
As we confess our faith to those who don’t know God, we call on Jesus to confirm his promise to them that all who call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.  Romans 10: 9.10.                                                                                                                                                                            
6.    There shall be showers of blessing,
       If we but trust and obey;
      There shall be seasons refreshing, 
       If we let God have His way.   
The response to this verse is personal to each of us. 

Prayer   
Heavenly Father, thank you for the New Covenant in Jesus and for the gift of Jesus and your Holy Spirit dwelling within us. The shepherds went to Bethlehem to find the babe and as the wise men sought to find Jesus by following a star. Our earnest desire is for your blessings showered upon our community as you put on people’s hearts to seek you. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Following talk we sang Daniel W Whittle’s Hymn ‘Showers of Blessings.’ and the service continued with Creed and prayers. Invitation offered for prayer at conclusion of service.        

Peom taken rom ‘A Barrel of Fun’ by J John and Mark Stibbe, Monarch Books.
(For a more expounding of the word go to: my blog www.messiahs-secret-revealed.co.uk)                                                                                                    

                                                                                                                              
assurance given by the Holy Spirit, Christ formed in us, Christ is born, christmas pudding, Formed in Mary, holly bears a berry, presence of God within us, Rooted and grounded in love, Rosetta Meteor

The Messiah’s Secret – Christ Born in us

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The Messiah’s Secret – Christ Born in us

 

The  Christmas Pudding originated in the 15th Century The pudding is composed of many dried fruits held together by egg and suet, sometimes moistened by treacle or molasses and flavoured with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and other spices.
A plate with different spices on it was passed around in order to taste and guess what the spices were: Ginger from Southern China. Cinnamon from Sir Lanka, Nutmeg from Indonesia etc.
 
The fruits of God’s creation, the fruits and spices reminds us of Christ’s church with its diversity of people across the world, the egg flour, milk and molasses the many good gifts that God has given to us as we work together in making Christ known.

What is the most important gift?  The most important gift is of Jesus. 

The holly on top of the pudding, symbolising the crown of thorns and the red berries Jesus’ blood shed for the forgiveness of our sin and the gift of eternal life. So we remember what these things mean to us as Christians in the carol, ‘The Holly and the Ivy”.
“The holly bears a berry as ripe as any blood and Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ to do us poor sinners good.” Mary giving Jesus his humanity and God his Father giving Jesus his divinity. 
 
 Luke 1: 26-38.  Romans 16: 25-27
 
If we extend that picture of the pudding to the universe to the millions of stars and planets. The way everything exists and works in the universe can only give emphasise to the existence of the presence of God.  
 
Space exploration has recently been in the news: the European spacecraft on 12 Nov landed on the Rosetta meteor after 10 years of travelling through space. The scientists had calculated the route, the speed the spaceship required to resist the pull of gravity as it passed close by planets, they knew the laws that govern the Universe, the laws put in place by God.
 
Just like the Rosetta meteor scientists knew its orbit 10 years before.  God did not chose Mary at random, we can be pretty sure that her life had been prepared by God on a designated path, which was unknown to her.
 
In our reading Archangel Gabriel came from where he stood in the presence of God to the home of Mary where he made two announcements: the first that Mary would give birth to the Son of God and the other announcement her cousin Elizabeth was 6 months pregnant.  Verse 36  
 
Archangel Gabriel’s role he was God’s messenger, his greeting “Hail, O favoured one, the Lord is with you!”his greeting  troubled Mary, Gabriel gave her assurance by saying, “Be not afraid, Mary you have found favour with God.”   
 
Mary perhaps was apprehensive at what being favoured would mean. Gabriel went on to say that she would be the mother of the Christ, she would bear the Son of God.  
Mary up to that moment was a young girl engaged to be married to Joseph. Her immediate reaction was “How can this be, I have no husband.” Mary was given assurance that God would be the Father.  God his Father gave him his seed implanted in Mary’s womb Jesus developed and was nourished by Mary supplying his food from the ambilcul cord.
 
Gabriel a high ranking angel ministered to Mary comforting her saying that God had favoured her from among women and that nothing was impossible for God.  
Many years before Gabriel ministered to Daniel the prophet when he gave him the interpretation of the vision of the last days, he gave Daniel strength, wisdom and understanding of the vision.  
 
Today that role comes from the Holy Spirit John 14: 16, 17. “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor to be with you for ever the Spirit of truth. The world can not accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”  
 
The ministry of the Holy Spirit reveals Jesus
Mary conceived the Son of God by the power of God and we accept this truth by faith. For God is not under any law: the laws of the universe or the laws of nature. Our God is an awesome God. 
 
 In the discussions on Thursday’s Advent study Mary said ‘Yes’ to bear the Christ-child, Christ was to be formed in her. We too are called to be Christ bearers. To say, ‘Yes’ to him being formed in us.” 

Jesus is formed in us by the power of God through faith in Jesus and, the truth is borne out in our witness that Jesus dwells within us in Spirit, we are born of the Spirit of God.                                                                                                                                     
Paul in his letter to the Ephesians 3: 16-19. “That according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with might through the Spirit in the inner man, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith: that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with the fullness of God.” 
 We are strengthened by Jesus’ presence within us, we are rooted in the Spirit of his love, God is love there are no boundaries: the breath, depth, width and height of God’s love, even surpassing knowledge.
The Holy Spirit gives us assurance – my mother was constantly needing assurance concerning the Holy Spirit, she had doubts whether she was filled with the Holy Spirit. I could see and hear the Holy Spirit in my mother and I would say to her  “Ask the Lord to give you assurance” and he did, time and time again. If you dear reader need the Lord’s assurance of the Holy Spirit and Jesus’ living presence within you, “Simply ask!” “Heavenly Father, please confirm your presence in my life, in Jesus’ name.” “Come into my heart Lord Jesus there is room in my heart for thee.”
We are grounded with the understanding of how to apply the love of God in any situation we are faced with.  Grounded in Jesus’ teachings like the Good Samaritan, the Samaritan applying the love of God, breaking down religious barriers between the Jews and the Samaritans who were hostile to each other and showing compassion on the man beaten by the robbers applying ointment to his wounds and his generosity paying the Inn keeper for looking after him. We also from the parable note the promise of the Samaritan’s return to pay any excess to the Inn keeper, which spoke of Jesus’ return, his second coming.
 
Terry last month gave thanks in the service for the way he knew he was being upheld by the presence of the Lord, Terry is rooted in Jesus and the prayers of fellow Christians we applied the Spirit’s love in bringing him to God’s throne of grace in prayer for his situation to be blessed as he underwent surgery.
 
If we feel we need strength and understanding to face tomorrow or direction in a situation, or for someone else, then expect the Holy Spirit, Christ in us to respond to our need, as God our Father loves us.

Prayer    
Father God, forgive us when we have doubted your presence within us, may we be strengthened with the might of your Holy Spirit and grow in understanding of some of the mysteries that surround Jesus, so that we can enlighten those in darkness., especially those we may come in contact with over Christmas.
In Christ our Saviours name, Amen                                                                                                                                                   
(Angels continue to minister to people today) The Church of England Advent Wreath Course 
addiction, deck of cards, dice, for I do not do the good I want but the evil I do not want is what I do, gambling

The Messiah’s Secret – The Prodigal Son

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The Messiah’s Secret – The Prodigal Son


 “For God sent his Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” John 3:17. 
When I was a teenager I had a horse an ex-steeplechaser ‘Cherry Brandy’, and my friend with her ex-race horse we occasionally had races in a field galloping alongside the buses on the road. There was no prizes for the winner, it was just good fun.

One of my Bible concordances the author has worked out the odds on prophesies fulfilled.  


In Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible page 731 he worked out the odds concerning prophecy:”Each detail of a prophecy doubles the chances of the prediction not coming to pass. For instance, a prophecy with one detail has one chance in two of fulfilment – it will be fulfilled or not fulfilled.  A prediction with two details has one chance in four of coming to pass. This shows how impossible it would be for many of the lengthy prophecies of Scripture to be fulfilled apart from divine power. The following table of progression to determine the chances of fulfilment of each prophecy, comparing the number of details with a like number in the first row of figures.
One prophecy may contain a number of details.

This prophecy below has 9 details one in 512 chances of being fulfilled.

 “For unto us a child is born,(1) a son is given;(2) and the government shall be upon his shoulder,(3) and his name will be called “Wonderful Counsellor,(4) Mighty God, (5)Everlasting Father,(6) Prince of Peace.(7) Of the increase of his government there shall be no end,(8) upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom, to establish it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and for evermore.(9) The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.” Isaiah 9: 6, 7.                                                     
1 . .in . 2  chances of being fulfilled  
2 . .      4                                         
3 . . . . .8  
4 . . . . 16   
5 . . . . 32 
6 . . . . 64 
7 . . . . 128
8 . . . . 256
9 . . . . 512

6 fulfilled by Jesus :  Luke 1: 31. 2:7

    2.  Luke 2: 21
    3.   Matthew 2: 2
    4. John 15: 26. 16: 12-15
    5.  John 5: 19-24
    6. John 20: 21
    7.  Revelation 1: 8            (future) 
    8. Revelation 19: 15, 16.     “
    9. Revelation 11: 15           “

  Gambling for money can be a terrible addiction.
  Slavery to addiction
A Slave – A person who is the property of another.   
A person becomes the property of the addiction – gambling.   
Someone who is addicted to gambling will soon find out that they have lost the ability to stop gambling. When the supply of funds dries up and their debts increase, all their dignity, self worth diminishes also and in most cases their immediate family and friends distance themselves from them.   

In the Bible the parable of the ‘Prodigal Son’  
Jesus put emphasis on the son who gambled away his inheritance of money before his father’s death. He cut himself off from his family to lead a life of loose living, we read he squandered all his money. He probably did what many would do today, spending money on clothes, cars, treating his new friends with gifts and parties and probably would gamble and drink too much. He would frequent the arcade with its slot machines, and gambling at the casino. 
When he had spent all he had, his friends left him, and he had nowhere to go. 
In present day circumstances he ended up broke, he couldn’t afford to rent a room, and he found himself going hungry. His situation grew worse and he was too ashamed to beg on the streets.  
Jesus said that he remembered his father and his brother at home. He came to his senses, he saw his error and so that what united them as a family, the love of the father, he decided to return home. Luke 15: 11-17 

When a person with an addiction decides for themselves to get help, that is when the journey to being set free from addiction begins. Gamblers Anonymous will help people to see a way forward and give them the help that is available: debt counsellors, marriage guidance, group therapy etc.  


Jesus setting a person free from their addiction.   
The Roman soldiers gambled with dice as to who would have Jesus’ garment. This garment was made out of one piece of cloth that was too good and difficult to divide up between them, so they gambled for it. John 19: 23, 24.  

Wearing a garment a covering for sin 
In the Book of Genesis Moses inspired by the Holy Spirit wrote of Adam and Eve disobeying God when they ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. As a result Adam and Eve covered their flesh with fig leaf aprons. In the story God saw what they had done, so he provided clothing to cover Adam and Eve’s naked bodies with the skin of animals. Animals lives were taken by God to cover their sin. 
From that time human beings have been addicted to continue knowingly to sin, and like any addiction, will power alone or keeping a set of rules cannot stop an addiction. 
Paul’s words typify addiction in his letter to the Romans. “So then it is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells within me . . . . . for I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.” Romans 7: 17, 19.                                                                                             
The journey to the cross begins, it’s a journey of faith. Reaching out to God the Father through Jesus’ teaching, his parable teaches us that God is an understanding Father, very often he has to wait to we come to the end of ourselves and as we do God hears our cry for help. Jesus has borne our addiction on the cross, believe it, have faith in him, many have and as a result received the Father’s love in forgiveness and have been able to turn away from the addiction, as it had no longer the hold over them.

Scriptures that speak of Jesus humanity and divinity
“Jesus emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross.” Philippians 2: 7.

“If we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. For we know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” Romans 6: 8-11

The journey of recovery needs the practical help along with caring friends and family. It is a hard road where temptations come and have to be dealt with. A man overcoming gambling at cards took a different look at a pack of cards after he heard this story:

 “A young soldier was in his bunkhouse all alone one Sunday morning in the desert. It was quiet that day; the guns and the land mines for some reason hadn’t made a noise. The young soldier knew it was Sunday, the holiest day of the week. As he was sitting there, he got out an old deck of cards and laid them across his bunk. 


Just then an army sergeant came in and said, “Why aren’t you with the rest of the platoon?” The soldier replied, “I thought that I would spend some time with the Lord.” The sergeant said, “Looks like you’re going to play cards.” The soldier said, “No sir, you see, since we are not allowed to have Bibles or other spiritual books in this country, I’ve decided to talk to the Lord by studying this deck of cards.” 
The sergeant asked in disbelief, “How will you do that?” 

                                                       
“You see: “The Ace reminds me that there is only one God. The Two represents the two parts of the Bible: Old and New Testaments. “The Three represents the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. “The Four stands for the four apostles: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. “The Five is the five bridesmaids that had enough oil in their lamps. “The Six is for the six days it took God to create the heavens and the earth. “The Seventh is for the day God rested after working the six days. “The Eight is for the eight day, the day the risen Jesus appeared to his disciples. “The Nine is for the lepers that Jesus cleansed of leprosy but who didn’t say ‘thank you’. “The Ten represents the Ten Commandments. “The Jack is a reminder of Satan – an angel who rebelled and now is the nave of hell. “The Queen stands for the Bride of Christ, the church. “The King stands for Jesus, for he is the King of Kings. “When we count the dots on all the cards, I come up with 365 total, one for every day of the year. “There is a total of 52 cards in a deck; each is a week, the 52 weeks of the year. “The Four suits represents the four seasons: spring, summer, fall and winter, ordained by God. “Each suit has thirteen cards; there are exactly thirteen weeks in a quarter. 

“So when I want to talk to God, I just pull out this old deck of cards and they remind me of all that I have to be thankful for.”

Overcomers
Christians are not immune to addictions, often when we are venerable, in a moment of weakness temptations come to us, but with the Lord’s help we are overcomers, as we bring it to the cross and leave it there. We are on the victory side of the cross in our resurrection with the risen Lord, so we pray for Christ’s victory over addiction of any sort, we are the redeemed, set free by faith in Jesus that he is able to do above all we ask or think and by his grace which is undeserved giving from God in his love for us will set us free. Also true Christian friends coming alongside praying and giving practical support will make us overcomers.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent his Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” John 3: 16,17. 

Garments of Salvation and Praise. 
Isaiah prophesied salvation, deliverance in the form of a robe of righteousness. Isaiah 61: 10
In the parable the lost son after being greeted by his father he was given a robe to wear. How gracious our Lord God is in honouring his returning son. No malice or punishment just pure holy love. Luke 15: 22

Prayer. 
Help me Lord to say sorry to you and the people that I have hurt and the people that I blame for my addiction. I turn to Christ my redeemer and Saviour to set me free from its grip and hold over me. I have no strength of my own to conquer it, so I look to you Jesus who has borne it for me on the cross and in death redeemed me from it. I thank you Jesus with all my heart. In Jesus’ name. Amen                                                                                                                               
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The Messiah’s Secret – Fulfilment of Prophesies

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The Messiah’s Secret – Fulfilment of Prophesies 

The parable of the talents is not so much about money. It’s about Jesus leaving them at his ascension and his disciples being trusted to use their God given ability (talents) to tell people about Jesus and it’s the same for us today
Verse 15, “To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability.” Using our ability God’s gifts to tell people about Jesus
 
The Apprentice
Three teams to promote the Bible.

The task: each team takes one of these three Christian items to hand out: Comic strip, Christmas Cards, Book Markers.

Each person in the congregation can only receive one of these three things.

You will have only 3 minutes to complete the task.
The team that distributes the most, when the egg timer fills the lower bottle, is the winner.
Second – this team come back next week
and the third team will be fired. This team give their item to the winning team.

The parable of the Talents informs us that Jesus expects us
 to be actively contributing to the work of making Him known
in expectation of his return to the earth.

Readings: Matthew 25: 14-30. 1 Thessalonians 5: 1-11
The Apprentice game was about working as a team everybody having apart to play whether in producing the handouts or in offering it to people as a gift. The gift is the message in our readings this morning it speaks of Jesus at some point in the future returning to the earth.
In the Bible we find prophesies that indicate that Jesus’ return is nearer than we think and one of those prophesies is in the process of being fulfilled .
In Luke’s gospel Jesus pointed to a time when he said, “Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” Luke 21. 24 
Many Christians believe that this prophecy was fulfilled in 1967 after the 6 Day War when after Israel took over Jordan’s eastern half of the city. Israel controlling Jerusalem after a gap of 2,000 years.    

However, today many more Christians believe that this prophecy was fulfilled only in part in 1967. The times of the Gentiles continues until Jesus returns.  
Romans 11: 25, 26. “Hardening has come upon part of Israel until the full number of the Gentiles comes in, and so all Israel shall be saved; as it is written, The Deliverer shall come from Zion and he shall banish ungodliness from Jacob.”                                                                                                                                       
This hardening of Israel’s heart, is their rejection of Jesus as the Christ that will persist until Jesus returns, so this is the period of time we are in now, it is linked with other prophesies that lead us to understand that Israel has to control Jerusalem until Jesus returns.
According to Zechariah Israel’s present day defence of Jerusalem is described as a great stone like the heavy stone that grinds the corn. 
 Zech 12: 2, 3. “On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples; all who lift it shall grievously hurt themselves.” Meaning that Israel is using a strong hand against their enemies, as we have seen over the last few years in the contention between Israel and the Palestinians.                                                                                                                                                 
Since the 1970’s there have been numerous attempts to bring a peaceful settlement between Arab, Jew and Palestinian. On Wikipedia which is an on line encyclopaedia The website ’Israeli – Palestinian peace process’  summarises the peace initiatives and treaties up to the present day: like the UN resolution 242 November 22nd 1967, The Oslo Accords, Camp David year 2,000 and the ‘Road Map’ for peace.
During this time some agreements have been made making process towards peace. The website concludes on a positive note there are people on both sides involved in Joint economic effort and development.
But prophesies indicate that Israel will find no true peace until Jesus returns
Zechariah 14: 2-4 “I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city. Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. On that day his feet will stand on the mount of Olives.”
We are living now in the time that is leading up to where Jerusalem will be surrounded by the armies of nations and Israelis will flee to the mountains and only a remnant will remain. 
Jesus calls the church to watch, be ready for when this sign is being fulfilled.
“When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you know that its desolation is near.“ Luke 21: 20  
As Paul wrote we who are in the light and are awake to this prophecy. Paul assured the Christians at Thessalonica, we are not destined to be involved in this battle at Jerusalem
Paul had informed the Thessalonians that Jesus will call out his body of believers to meet with him in the air, before he returns to the Mount of Olives. This meeting is were both those who have died in faith are awakened and those who are alive, in the light, all will come together at this awesome event and meet Jesus face to face.
After this takes place when Christians are taken out from the earth, people who come to faith they will go through  the tribulation, this period of time when the tension will build up  between the nations against Jerusalem and those who come to faith during this time will suffer.
So, this is when the times of Gentiles are fulfilled, when the full number have come to faith. Jesus will return and take up the fight with the remnant of Israel and Jesus the Christ defeats the nations that will be lead by the antichrist against Jerusalem.                       

To conclude: At God’s timing Jesus will call out his church before this battle takes place and he will call when we least expect, so we must be ready, the sign of Jerusalem no longer being trodden down by the Gentiles is quite significant and so we can be sure that God will bring this prophecy to its full conclusion.

34 prophesies were fulfilled in one day, on the day of Jesus crucifixion, so we can rejoice with the angels as they watch with great anticipation as these events unfold, looking and expecting Jesus to call out his church.


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The Messiah’s Secret – Jesus Reigns

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The Messiah’s Secret – Jesus Reigns                                        

Evening Lectionary – Daniel 7: 1-18. Luke 6: 17-31.
Anglican Nun Sister Irene Mary would say to me, “Dorothy pray for God’s kingdom to come,” referring to an actual kingdom on the earth.  (picture taken 1995 at lake Windermere after Sister’s group visit to Rydal Hall in the Lake District)

The link between the two readings: Daniel 7: 18 “The saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever and ever.”  And in Luke 6 Jesus was preparing his disciples for the coming in of God’s Kingdom, which had been prophesied by most of the prophets like Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel and Zechariah.                                                                                         
Therefore the news of the kingdom being established was not unexpected. John the Baptist and Jesus preached a baptism of repentance in preparation of the coming in of God’s kingdom. “The time is fulfilled,” he said. “Repent, the Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the good news!” Mark 1: 15.
In our reading the prophetic word was directed at his disciples Jesus spoke of the changes that his teaching would bring:
They would be blessed for coming to him in their poverty, poverty of spirit, under law they did not know God in a personal way, but through having faith in Jesus they would know Jesus as Lord and be with him in his kingdom.

They would be blessed for coming to him being fed from his expounding of the Hebrew Scriptures and they would become rich in spiritual riches taking out the Kingdom message, as they brought people to faith in him, with signs following his word.
Jesus prophesied that the message would fall on deaf ears; many of the Pharisees were sceptical. An example when Jesus healed the man who had been born blind, the Pharisee disputed that the man had been blind at all. John 9: 2.
(God had allowed this man to be born blind. God allowed Job to be tempted by Satan)
The other week I heard of a lady who was healed of her blindness by prayer. Her optician who later examined her eyes confirmed her healing, but he was amazed as he saw behind the eye the scarring of glaucoma that should have still prevented her seeing anything at all, but she could see perfectly.
The Pharisee wanted evidence from the man’s parents. In the interaction that followed, in verse 22, “His parents said this because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should confess him to be the Christ, he was to be put out of the synagogue.”                          
So we learn from this that those who followed Jesus believing that he was the Christ were excluded from the synagogue as Jesus had predicted.
Luke records that Jesus said to love your enemies; this was contrary to Jewish rules then, as it still is today. The Law “an eye for an eye” to mean to replicate what has been dealt out to them as a punishment.  Whereas, under the New Covenant. Luke 6: 31 “As you would wish that men would do to you, do so to them.” 
God knew that the only way for this to happen to treat others as you would want them to treat you was through the renewing of the heart. Through a person repenting in accepting Jesus dying for their sin and all that stands between us and God on the cross, as a result knowing Jesus as Lord and Saviour.                                                    
We have the assurance of the Biblical prophesies concerning the kingdom of God coming true, without them being dependant on us.
One day all will recognise Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah. 
Daniel, Zechariah and Apostle John’s Revelation prophesied that the Messiah would establish the kingdom of God. 

3 Views on the Reign of the Messiah. Revelation 20: 
Eyre & Spottiswoode Bible page 1884  1-15

Post Millennium
Holds that the millennium is a period of world history in which the reign of Christ has been established through His church which is destined to conquer the world with the gospel, and at the end of this golden age Christ will personally return to earth and inaugurate a new heaven and a new earth.
A – Millennium
A – Millennialist denies that there will ever be a literal earth-rule of a thousand years, either before or after Christ’s return. By some the thousand years are taken to be simply symbolic of eternity (although verse 5 poses a serious problem for this view), and the only reign spoken in this passage is an eternal heavenly reign. Christ’s return to earth will simply usher in the “new heaven and the new earth” and His only eschatological rule will be celestial, not in this world. By others the one thousand years of Christ’s reign are taken to be the period between the first and second comings of Christ.
Pre-Millennium
Looks for the return of Christ to earth at the beginning of a literal, thousand year reign upon the earth when “the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of God as the waters cover the sea” and all the nations of mankind will be completely subservient to the Lord Jesus. At the end of this period Satan will be released again in order to stir up the secretly rebellious portion of mankind to a final open revolt against God (verses 7 – 9). After a second “Armageddon” the new heavens and the new earth will be ushered in.

I take the Pre-Millennium View 

Jesus reigns on the earth Revelation 11:15-19. “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ.” 

Zechariah 14: 4 Jesus returns to the Mount of Olives., verse 5 “And the Lord shall come with his saints” verse 9 “And the Lord shall be king over all the earth, in that day there shall be one Lord and one name.”                                            
Daniel 7: 13. ”I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the son of man and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.” And to him was given dominion and glory and kingdom that all peoples, nations and languages should serve him.
In Revelation 19: 13-16. When Jesus returns with his heavenly armies, he will rule the nations with a rod of iron.
Psalm 2: 4- 11 says this: He who sits in heaven laughs; the Lord has them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying,” I have set on my king on Zion, my holy hill.” I will tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to me, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron, and dash to pieces like a potter’s vessel. Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, with trembling kiss his feet, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way; for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”
According to John in Revelation all the people living on the earth will serve him he reigns for a thousand years and then Satan is let loose for a period of time, before the final judgement at the White throne by God the Ancient of days.                                 

Jesus will Return
We have the assurance of the Biblical prophesies coming true, without them being dependant on us to bring them about. 
                        —————————–
Continuing with more evidence in scripture of the ruling rod of iron.
The Messiah’s Secret Revealed.

In 1996 I was having my afternoon cup of tea when I was rocked in the chair. My thoughts were on the pottery orders that I was preparing. I put transfers of flowers, Biblical texts on china beakers and then fired them in my kiln. The words that came to mind, ‘The disciples were setting up the kingdom of God at the beginning of Acts.” Two weeks later I woke up with the words, ‘Jesus could only be received as the Messiah after his death, resurrection and Ascension.’ The two words came together The disciples were setting up the kingdom of God in anticipation of Jesus’ return with the angels of God. The calling of the Messiah was a national calling. I had never heard of this before, I had been brought up to believe that the time for the Jewish people to receive Jesus as their Messiah was before he was crucified. 

The Ruling Rod of Iron of the kingdom of God 
On the evening of the Day of Jesus’ resurrection Jesus came into the house, the room where his disciples were gathered and he breathed on them the Holy Spirit and gave them his authority to forgive or retain the sins of people, this was the ruling rod of iron in association with setting up the kingdom in preparation for Jesus’ return, and was fulfilled in Acts 5 Annanias and Sapphira lied over the proceeds from the sale of their land to Peter and both in turn fell down dead at Peter’s feet.
Jesus had told them in several parables that he was about to leave them and they were left to be about their master’s business until he returned. Parable of the talents.Matthew 25. 15. The nobleman who went away. Luke 19:11-27

The disciples were expecting Jesus to return soon after Pentecost. 
Peter spoke to the crowd at Solomon’s Gate, ” I know that you acted in ignorance as did your rulers. But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled. Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the establishing all that God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old. Moses said, “’The Lord will raise up for you a prophet from your brethren as he raised me up. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. And it shall be that every soul that does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people. And all the prophets who have spoken from Samuel and those who came afterwards, also proclaimed these days.”Acts 3: 17 end
The Jewish leaders and people had acted in ignorance when they handed Jesus over to the Romans with the charge of blasphemy and making himself a king. The prophets had prophesied the suffering and death of the Messiah. If they would repent and turn to Jesus accepting him as their Messiah he would return and bring in the times of refreshing the restoration of the throne and land of King David and Abraham.   Moses had prophesied the Messiah would be a prophet who had the ruling authority to lead and make judgements over the nation. Jesus himself hoped to return soon after his ascension when he said, “There are some standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom  of God has come with power.” Mark 9: 1. 
Jesus will return and establish his kingdom on the earth.
We have the assurance of the Biblical prophesies coming true, without them being dependant on us to bring them about. 
                                                                                                    
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The Messiah’s Secret – The Great Commission

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 The Messiah’s Secret – The Great Commission

“Remembering before God and Father your  work  of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 1: 3

Thessalonians 1: 3  is linked with this verse Chapter 5: 8 Breastplate of faith and love. The Helmet of the hope of salvation

Visual Aid – Breastplate of faith and love
In the Old Testament the chief priest wore on his chest a breastplate. 
On it were 12 precious stones each stone represented one of the tribes of Israel. This meant that the people belonging to the tribes the 12 sons of Jacob were close to the heart of the chief priest.                           
Breastplate of faith and love covering our heart, it speaks of our close relationship with God.(A child came forward and we put on the breast plate firstly the heart shape and other children put on the other words and pictures) 
Our faith in Jesus and of the Lord’s love for us. We are so precious to God that nothing can separate us from God’s love for us. 
“For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8: 27-29                                                        
God created us and he also in his love gives to us his joy, love and peace. (put on breastplate love, joy and peace)
The Lord our God surrounds us with all that we need to live: water, air ( the wind blowing trees) and food.

Visual Aid – The helmet the hope of our salvation
The high priest wore a helmet made of linen cloth on it was a few words ‘Holy to the Lord’ his life was dedicated to serving God.              
The Christians crown– Greek word stephanos which translates, the crown given to a victor, like an athlete who has won a race, the Christian who faithfully serves the Lord our God. (place on the head of the child the crown)                                        
 ‘Salvation’ means that we have received the gift of Jesus into our heart.          
Our hope is that we will continue always have Jesus in our heart until the day we die. (place on the crown the rosette)

The breastplate means that nothing can separate us from God’s love.
The helmet of hope looking towards our heavenly home that God has provided for us. 

1 Thessalonians 1: 1-10. Mark 16: 15-20   RSV Bible                   

Paul wrote this letter from Corinth after he had been updated by Timothy on the progress of the Thessalonica church.  
On Paul’s second ministry tour he teamed up with Silas they went from Philippi to Thessalonica.  In Acts 17 we read that on arrival they went to the synagogue where following the custom of visiting Jews they were invited to speak. Paul told those present: the Jews and the God fearing Greeks the message of the suffering and resurrection of Jesus. Paul argued with them for three weeks from the scriptures proving that Jesus was the Christ. 
The Messiahs Secret Revealed 
The Messiahs calling was a call to the nation to repent and the Messiah would return. Peter explained that they had acted in ignorance, not realising that the Messiah had to suffer and die and be raised from the dead and ascend into heaven before the nation could receive Jesus as the Messiah. Acts 3: 17 – 21
I was taught by the church that the time for the Jewish people to accept Jesus as the nations’ Messiah was before Jesus’ death. 

Many of the Greeks and leading women believed and this caused jealousy among the Jews.  
Paul sent Timothy to build up their faith and to encourage them so that they were not moved away by the controversy coming from the unbelieving Jews. Thessalonians 3: 2, 6.                                                                                        
Paul pointed out to the church that they would encounter opposition. 3: 4. “For when we were with you, we told you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction; just as it has come to pass.”
When we look at the Gospel reading Jesus prepared his disciples before he commissioned them by reminding them of their unbelief and hardness of heart when they first heard of Jesus’ resurrection from the women.
“Afterwards he appeared to the eleven themselves as they sat at table; and he upbraided them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who saw him after he had risen.” Mark 16: 14. 

Rejection and suffering part of the commission
Paul through his unbelief caused suffering to Christians, he had arrested many Christians and put them in prison, before he became a follower of Jesus.                                 
Between 16 and 27 years old I did not appreciate the gospel message from Christians. After my first child was baptised I took up my faith again and on many occasions I witnessed to my relations and they ignored me and at work some people distanced themselves from me after I had shared my faith with them. My sister eventually responded and she was filled with the Holy Spirit at her children’s baptism.         

‘Living Waters’ by Chinese Pastor Brother Yun. The Chinese house church confirmed this view, the Henan Province Church sent 17 Christians to Sen Province.
 Time and time again they returned beaten and bruised and on numerous occasions arrested and put in jail, but Brother Yun wrote that eventually the people began to respond until the whole of the province became Christian. 
In many situations rejection and suffering go before conversion.                                                                  
In Thessalonians Chapter 1: 3 Paul was encouraged by their work of faith, labour of love and their steadfastness of the hope in Jesus. 

These three things had inspired Paul: faith, hope and love. 
The Thessalonians were steadfast in faith against the opposition.They had faith to move the mountains of discouragement, they rejoiced  in their suffering and nothing could separate them from the love of God. And they hoped for Jesus’ return.                                                                                                                                 
Paul wrote in verse 10 about the hope of Jesus return it will happen when we least expect and it’s before the day of wrath, when Jesus will defeat the Antichrist. John recorded in Revelation 3: 10,11. “Because you have kept my word of patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming upon the whole world, to try those who dwell upon the earth. I am coming soon; hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. Those who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God;”
Jesus said he could come at any time, don’t allow anyone to discourage or persuade you to turn away from your faith in Jesus.

These three things for us today Faith, hope and love
The most wonderful gracious gift is to bring a person to faith in Jesus. For them to receive our words as from God and turn to Christ and walk with him in their heart, and as a result signs will follow.
The signs from the Thessalonians they turned away from pagan worship to worship Jesus and this news went through Macedonia and Greece.
Today, changes that take place for some can be dramatic or for some it’s a gradual thing being inwardly convicted to get right with God. 
Last week on Friday and Saturday I heard at CAPs Christians Against Poverty Training days  many people are coming to faith as they respond to the help they receive in becoming free from debt by the expert free guidance from CAPs  and finding a job through CAPs Jobs Clubs. Lives are being transformed by the love of God and the excellent service and kindness of Christians giving up their time in serving the needs of others in their communities.  

Do not lose hope? What causes us to lose hope it maybe through Anxiety, exhaustion, failure and suffering of some kind?
I heard last Thursday evening at the Bury Bible Society Action Group with Rossendale Annual Conference Canon Noel Proctor in his address mentioned his own suffering: after the Strangeways Prison riots combined with the death of his wife he was completely devastated and shattered. He felt that he had lost hope in everything: his Chaplaincy work had taken a beating and his grief for his wife left him a broken man, something he had ever experienced before.  
In his despair he brought it all to the cross and prayed for the Lord forgiveness and healing and the Lord heard his prayer, he was renewed in receiving a fresh touch of the Holy Spirit, he said that his faith had grown he was stronger now than it was before.                                                                    
In Noel’s testimony we can see those three things: love, hope and faith. 
The love of God that would not let him go and the hope that was rekindled through his faith in Jesus’ cross. He clung to the old rugged cross knowing that some day he will exchange it for a crown.                        

Finally Paul wrote that the greatest of the three is love.  
God’s Love that reaches out through the message that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead and to everyone who believes he will give eternal life.  Even though at first it may be rejected through unbelief. The Lord will still stand and wait knocking on the door of a person’s heart to let him in.                                                   
The love that would not let Noel go in his state of hopelessness, the bonding between the Lord our God and ourselves it’s like super glue. When super glue first came out people had to have items surgically removed from their hands etc. 
How Paul understood that nothing can separate us from the love of God.
 “For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 
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The Messiah’s Secret – The Crimson Worm

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The  Messiah’s Secret  – The Crimson Worm.

 
(picture taken from our hay field overlooking town of Haslingden, Rossendale )


This year our summer in the North of England has been the warmest that we have had for a long time. It has been so warm that I had to sit in the shade especially hay making in June, however, we didn’t erect a shelter).

In the Middle East the temperature reaches over a hundred degrees especially in the region where the city Nineveh was located on the eastern bank of the Tigris river opposite the modern city of Mosul in Iraq.

Young people’s talk.  
Jonah the prophet was called by God twice  to take a message to the people of Nineveh. In our reading we find that this is the second calling and this time Jonah responded. He went through the streets proclaiming,“Yet forty days, and Nineveh will be overthrown.” Afterwards he found a place to sit and watch over the city, where he built himself a shelter.(A child came and sat on a chair in front of the picture of a shelter.)


It was very hot: the sun shone (hold up the sun) and the wind blew.(hold up the picture of the wind)

Overnight a plant appeared and it protected him from the heat of the sun’s rays, and the sultery wind blew 
God sent a worm, which was not like the worms we find in the soil.It was round and scarlet in colour and about the size of a small pea. The worm ate the root of the plant. 
(Tolaath – from the same root, refer to the cochineal insect. Unger’s Bible Dictionary. Coccus ilicus. Scarlet worm. Biblehub.com)
When it is time for the female to lay her eggs, which is only the once in a life time, she climbs onto a tree and lays her eggs under her body. 







The eggs are  protected by her crimson shell . When the eggs hatch the mother dies and the  young worms feed on their mother. 
She gives her life to create new life which speaks of Jesus dying for us so we might live for ever.
Jonah liked the plant and was angry that it had died.
God was teaching Jonah that just as he liked the plant and felt sorry for it. God loved the people of Nineveh and took pity on them.
God says to us, I love all the people in the world even those who don’t know me yet and God wants us to tell people about His love for them.

Readings Jonah 3: 10. 4: 11. Matthew 20: 1-16.                                                                 

The prophet Jonah was called by God twice to go to the city of Nineveh with a message
The two calls are quite different in their content. The difference lies in the change of one single word. The word ’against’ in the first call was to ‘preach against’ the city, in the second to ‘preach to it’ the message. The first of Judgement, the second a message of grace and mercy which resulted in repentance and salvation for the Gentiles.

On the first occasion, Jonah disobeyed; on the second he fulfilled. Between the two calls, Jonah had a most gruesome experience, dying in the stomach of the whale, and then being miraculously resurrected and deposited on dry land.                                                                            
In our reading after Jonah’s second call he was given a message that he clearly believed that God would bring judgement on the city, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh will be overthrown.” But the King and people of Nineveh believed him and they repented.                                                       
Jonah was displeased, and being a prophet of Israel, he was worried about his reputation.
Even though he knew that God was merciful and not easily angered. The outcome was not how he had discerned it, Jonah wanted to die, his pride had been injured, he had not expected the city to repent.

We read in verse 10. God had changed his mind about destroying the city of Nineveh. “When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God repented of the evil which he had said he would do to them; and he did not do it.”
God had pity on the people of Nineveh even though they were enemies of Israel, God saved them from destruction as they repented from their heart. “All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out.” John 6: 37

The visual aid revealed that God was showing Jonah his love for all the people who he had created. And he was showing future generations the way of faith and grace, illustrated through the plant and the worm.

Many Biblical scholars see this as depicting Law and Grace
The plant that sprang up was the law and the worm that ate the root of the plant represents the new covenant by faith and grace in Jesus.
The plant represents Jonah’s reliance upon himself: when he built his shelter and his pity for the plant which really was in fact his self pity at being left without the plants shade .And his pride, his self esteem had been injured, having discerned the message as a word of condemnation that was punishable under law.

Jesus’ parable. The labourers were under law who had worked all day had expected more than what was agreed with the vineyard owner. The denarius represents Salvation and a day represents a life time.  Those who Jesus described as ‘the last first and the first last were under grace. Jesus is both the last and the first. When John saw Jesus, “I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand upon me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18. And the living one; I died, and behold I am alive for evermore.” Revelation 1:17, 18. This as I understand it,( in verse 12) makes us all equal in Christ as Paul wrote in his letter to the Colossians,  “And have put on the new nature, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Sythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all, and in all.” Colossians 3: 10,11.

The crimson worm under grace was a prophecy relating to the Christ,.  Psalm 22: 6-8.  “But I am a worm, and no man; scorned by men, and despised by the people. All who see me mock at me, they make mouths at me, they wag their heads; He committed his cause to the Lord; let him deliver him, let him rescue him, for he delights in him.”                                                                                         
The Psalmist prophecy was fulfilled when the passers by along with the chief priest and scribes mocked and wagged their heads at Jesus on the cross saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself.” In Mark 15: 29-32.                                                                                                                   
In Paul’s letter to the Romans he  wrote, “ the wages of sin is death”
Jesus bore all sin upon the tree and died and God delivered Jesus from sin that leads to death. Three days later God raised Jesus up from the grave.

The scarlet worm that God used to illustrate his grace.
The female worm firmly attaches herself to the tree and dies, so that her young feed on her and take up their new life from their mother.
Three days later the worm changes colour from scarlet to white, it speaks of death, resurrection and ‘Christ in us.’ 
             
 In Paul’s letter to the Galatians,  “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in my flesh I live by faith in the Son of God.” Galatians 2: 20.  God calls us to die to sin and self. We feel how God feels about sin and were we once relied entirely on ourselves in every aspect of daily life, we now look to Jesus.

The scarlet worm continues to bless us after her death:The dead worm’s  white wax was scraped off the tree to used for polishing wood, it’s called shellac
The crushed worm was once used to make medicine to regulate the heart beat and its’ colour was used as dye.


Prophesies for the end time in John’s Book ‘Revelation.  
Jesus blesses us in many ways: we  have fellowship with the Trinity Father, Son and the Holy Spirit and other Christians. Now as we pray we find that Jesus is guiding us, watching over us. Jesus relies on us to serve him through the things he calls us to do like telling people about the prophesies that are leading up to the ‘Great Tribulation’ great in the sense of being a great catastrophe. This ia a warning to the world that John wrote about in Revelation 7: 14. 18:9. Matthew 24. 
 It’s part of the churches ministry to make this prophecy known in order to bring nations to repentance.                                                      
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The Messiah’s Secret – Visions and Dreams

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The  Messiah’s Secret – Visions and Dreams                                                         

A Prophet to a Nation
Christian Mary Whitehouse spoke out against the permissive society in England in the sixties and seventies. Rev Gerald Moate said at her funeral service said “Her achievements and failures, her prophetic vision and personal limitations have been well documented.” Mary campaigned to ‘Clean up TV.’ The 9pm watershed to protect children from adult material on TV. The watershed was introduced as a direct result of Mary Whitehouses’ campaign.

The prophet Ezekiel
 Ezekiel’s name means “God will strengthen” He was strengthened by God to be a sign to Israel. Ezekiel found the hardest part of being given a prophetical vision was speaking it out, any prophecy is open to scrutiny as a result it won’t be necessarily be acted upon. Ezekiel 12: 11.                                                                                                     
Ezekiel’s visions at Chebar in 593 BC were powerful as they showed the glory of God and spoke of judgment.  
The interpretation: God resided in the temple, but because Israel was a rebellious people God would leave his temple.                                                                                           
Ralf Alexander in his book ‘Ezekiel’ “The Mosaic covenant was a conditional covenant. If the nation of Israel obeyed the stipulations of this treaty, she would appropriate the blessings of Yahweh, which were intimately connected to the possession of the land of Canaan and its fruitfulness. On the contrary, if the people disobeyed this law, they would experience the cursing of God which would be manifested by their expulsion from Canaan and the desolation of the land.” Deuteronomy 27: 28.
The false prophets who had hardened their hearts could not hear what God was saying so we read they spoke from their own human spirit. 
They said that there was no call for alarm in their day. Ezekiel 13: 3                                                                                                                                         
Ralph Alexander in his book ‘Ezekiel’ wrote, “There were those who spoke against Ezekiel’s visions through a proverbial saying that was circulating Jerusalem at the time which declared: “The days are prolonged and every vision failed” this judgment was in the distant future” Ezekiel 12: 21

Ezekiel again heard from God, he was instructed to go and shut himself in his house where God would not allow him to leave the house and speak with anyone, unless God himself gave the words for Ezekiel to speak.

“But the Spirit entered into me, and set me upon my feet; and he spoke with me and said to me, “Go, shut yourself within your house. 25 And you, O son of man, behold, cords will be placed upon you, and you shall be bound with them, so that you cannot go out among the people; 26 and I will make your tongue cleave to the roof of your mouth, so that you shall be dumb and unable to reprove them; for they are a rebellious house. 27 But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God’; he that will hear, let him hear; and he that will refuse to hear, let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house.” Ezekiel 3: 24-27.                                                                                                           Ezekiel’s dumbness was a sign to Israel   
In Chapter 24 the people asked him for the meaning of the visions. Ezekiel was given the words to speak, “Say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will profane my sanctuary, the pride of your power, the delight of your eyes, and the desire of your soul; and your sons and your daughters whom you left behind shall fall by the sword.” Ezekiel 24: 21.                                                                   
 Seven years later in 586 BC the prophecy was fulfilled when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Solomon’s temple. God released Ezekiel from saying nothing. His message changed to one of hope and restoration of Israel.

A sign to Israel    
Zechariah the father of John the Baptist while at the hour of prayer in the temple saw in a vision an angel who spoke to him, telling him that God had heard his prayer for a child and they would have a son who they must call John. Zechariah could not speak afterwards. His speech returned after John’s birth when he announced his name. This was sign to draw attention to John’s ministry of bringing people to repentance in preparation for the coming in of God’s kingdom.                                                                                                   

Another sign   
Jesus’ miracles and healing were signs that God was calling the nation to see what God was doing.  
In our Gospel reading Mark 7: 24-37 Jesus demonstrated that he was more than just a prophet. He released unconditionally the man who was deaf and had a speech impediment and the demon possessed daughter of the Canaanite woman by the power and grace of God.  

At Pentecost the fulfilment of the prophet Joel’s prophecy. 
 “And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams; yea, and on my menservants and my maidservants in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy.”        

During my Reader training I was linked with St John Baxenden for a year. The Lord confirmed to the fellowship at St John’s that they were moving in the right direction when a well respected member of the fellowship was given a vision. It was of a bridge linking the church with the community.
As I understood it was a vision to encourage them. The Lord was upholding and developing the ministry between the church and the local community.

Christians are given a vision that brings them to faith like Paul on the Damascus Road. 

Mrs Paris saw a vision of Jesus at work. 
On our way home after a meeting Mrs Paris the wife of one of the Wardens at Christ Church Walmersley shared with me her vision of Jesus. Many years before while at work Jesus stood at the side of her sewing machine in front of her. She said it happened so quickly and in a moment he was gone. This dear lady so quiet and gentle, unassuming and sincere in her faith, she had a wonderful experience and her faith took on substance. 

John the Apostle’s Revelation. 
John the Apostles’ visions on the Isle of Patmos. In Chapter 4 he described God’s throne giving similar descriptions of the living creatures in Ezekiel’s account, but John does not see any wheels. He saw the door was open and there are 24 elders around the throne worshipping the Lord our God.
In chapter 7 the Lamb is on the throne surrounded by thousands of Saints wearing white robes and holding palms all praising God and the Lamb.
John’s vision is a message of assurance that reveals that heaven’s door is open to all believers. Our future is assured in Christ that whatever our circumstances we are to keep looking forward to our eternal life in Christ. 

Dreams. 
Joseph in the Hebrew Scriptures was given dreams from God and he also had the interpretation of dreams. Joseph shared his dream with his brothers, “Behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf arose and stood upright; and behold your sheaves gathered around it, and bowed down to my sheaf.” His brothers were not pleased they like Joseph knew the interpretation, “Are you indeed to reign over us.” 
Joseph had another dream and he told his brothers his dream, “Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” His brothers dismissed his dream. Joseph’s dreams were prophetic and they came to their fulfilment when he became governor of Egypt and his family came to Egypt in the famine and came before him seeking grain. Genesis 37: 5-11. 42: 6. 

Another kind of dream 
The famous words of Martin Luther King, ‘I have a dream today.’ 51 years ago on the 28th August 1963.                                                                                                                                               
Mahalia Jackson shouted from the crowd, “Tell them about the dream Martin.”  

“I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; “and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.” Isaiah 40: 4. 
“This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.
With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.   
With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.” 

Martin Luther King like all prophets have a difficult path to follow and we know that he saw his dream realised in 1964. He was assassinated on 4 April 1968. But Martin Luther King will go down in history as a man who had a dream fulfilled.

The prophet’s calling to speak out in the face of opposition is indeed a hard path to follow. The harder the message to give the more important the message and we have the assurance that God will strengthen his prophet and his word will not return empty. Be patient and trust in the Lord.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
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The Messiah’s Secret – A Heart Transformed. A Wild Rose to Illustrate the Body of Christ

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The Messiah’s Secret – A Heart/soul Transformed – body, soul and spirit.    
A wild rose to illustrate the body of Christ.

   In  Song of Songs 2:1 in the RSV Bible there is a reference to the Christ as a rose ‘the rose of Sharon.’  Roses we use as a symbol of love. The cultivated rose was developed by the Chinese 200 years ago.

This morning if we can imagine that our church St Marys is like a rose and we are the petals, each petal is a member of St Marys and each and every one of us has been given gifts that contribute to the whole function of the body of our church.
In Paul’s letter to the Romans he mentions seven of the many gifts: prophecy, serving, teaching, counsellor, contributes, gives aid and acts of mercy.
 (place the name of a gift on each petal )
At the centre we have the stamens these bear pollen that are collected by the bees and in the process transfer pollen from one rose to another.
Jesus is at the centreof our church and his word and Spirit ministers to us and the good news is spread by us to people who we meet.
The beauty of a rose with its’ five petals, each joined at the centre When the petals individually begin to fall and die, the rose is transformed into a rose hip. (the pollen is removed and the petals are taken off, the rose hip is put in place.)
As Christians we find that Jesus calls us individually to faith in him and as we make that commitment we find the cross is where we die to self and to sin. As a result we are transformed within our hearts and minds we are a new creation in Christ.

The Rose Hip its’ benefits are well known: rose hip syrup contains an abundance of vitamin C, the seeds are used to produce rose oil, soap perfume and more rose plants.
St Mary’s Christians.
Like the rose we are beautiful in the eyes of God and the Lord our God has transformed our lives so that we produce the seeds of faith in Jesus that are full of goodness and bring forth new life as we tell our friends and family about Jesus.
Readings: Romans 12: 1-8.   Matthew 16: 13- 20

Jesus was born the Christ, he did not develop into becoming the Christ, he was born the Christ, just as he was born a king.
In Matthew’s Gospel we read God himself had revealed to Peter that Jesus was the Christ, it was not by him working it out from his own thinking, he was given thoughts coming to his mind from God the Father.
For St Paul it took a visionof Jesus on the Damascus Road for him to come to realise that Jesus was the Christ. Before he had been totally opposed to Jesus and his disciples and followers.  In his letter he wrote from his own experience that he had been conforming to the world’s thinking when he opposed Jesus, he was blind to the truth of his own scriptures until the veil was removed and the transformation, the renewing of his mind took place, as the Holy Spirit revealed to him that Jesus was the Christ. Acts 9.  

Paul and our transformation goes much deeper than a person changing their mind as to what they believe. We can’t transform ourselves, it happens through faith by God’s gift of grace.
On Tuesday a man came in church conspicuous by his dress and from his conversation he was of a religious group. Before he left he gave us a book Edited by Nathan Eddy and the Foreword was written by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, I researched it and found it was the product of Christian Science ‘New Thought.’ A teaching that trains the conscience by divine science.           
But from what I have observed over the years, the training when it ceases the person like the cultivated rose will revert to their old self. A cultivated rose left alone over a period of time will revert back to being a wild rose.
Many religions use techniques to bring to obedience, to control the body, soul and spirit:  transcendental meditation, yoga, Tie chi etc. They produce a calm, tranquil state of mind.
There are three things that make up a person: The body, soul and spirit. Thessalonians 5: 23.

The body has senses and emotions: touch smell hearing and sight. Emotions consist of a mixture of what makes us happy and content and what makes us sad and discontent.
The soul is quite often referred to as the ‘heart’ the part of our SELF our personality, will, conscious and our mind. Everything that comes to our mind, will and conscious goes through the soul. Every person’s soul is corrupted by our knowledge of good and evil since the fall. 
The spirit every one of us has been created with the human spirit, is the part of us were we have an awareness of God and have a desire to worship God. Archaeologists find artefacts associated with worship going back thousands of years.
Everything changed when people heard and believed in Jesus. God’s Spirit activated with our human Spirit and at the same time our soul was renewed and our body became aware of the holiness of God, so our body, soul and spirit are now one with God our Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
Paul in his letter to the Ephesians wrote, “We are made alive together with Jesus Christ and we are saved.” Ephesians 2: 5. John Newton wrote of God’s amazing grace, “Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost but now I’m found was blind but now I see.”

Christians have been changed like a car that has a new engine, the appearance of the car is the same, but with a new engine. Our appearance is the same, but the old state of mind has gone. 
              
Now we find that our own concerns take a back seat and we begin to think and feel about what concerns God our Father.
We will at times sarcoma to temptation, but when we do fall into sin through repentance we are forgiven and not brought under condemnation of Adam’s sin as we used to be. 1 John 1: 8.9.
The Holy Spirit distributes the gifts among God’s people. Each gift is linked with heaven where Jesus is and where we are ascended with him

Love triggers the gifts into use and our prayer enters heaven to the throne of God’s grace where we are seated with Christ. “Made us alive together with Christ. (by grace you have been saved;) And raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Ephesians  2: 6.

Tom Wright Study on James puts it this way, “Prayer must surround everything we do, whether we’re sad or happy, suffering or cheerful. Prayer that is based on the fact that the Christian stands at the overlap point of heaven and earth.” “The person praying stands with one foot on earth in the place of trouble, sickness and sin and with the other foot in the place in heaven of healing, forgiveness and hope.”
Tom Wright has given us an example that we can visualise of how it works, but we don’t have to attain this knowledge for our prayers to be answered.
The other Tuesday at the Bible study June witnessed her prayer being answered. It took place when her daughter rang and in their conversation her daughter mentioned about wanting to move house. June said she immediately thought of the empty house next door and later the same day she bumped into the Landlord outside her house and she asked him about her daughter moving into next door. He said, ‘ yes’ and also mentioned two other houses that she might like to consider nearby. June gave God the glory.
It’s the abundance of God’s grace.

Recently my sister told me of a man at her church who was unemployed and try as he did he could not even get an interview, so he asked the Pastor at my sister’s church to pray for him and within a week he had employers contacting him and more than one offer of a job. This man gave God the glory.
Getting our prayers answered does not depend on how we feel whether we’re in a good mood or a bad mood or how much we know (Gnosticism)about the Bible.
It simply depends on our love for and faith in Jesus.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………
The Messiah’s Secret Revealed continuing Matthew 16: 18-20
In our reading Jesus gave Peter the leadership of the church and confirmed his calling when John the disciple recorded Jesus’ words, when he said to Peter ‘feed my lambs’.  John 21: 15.
Simon Peter’s name meaning ‘rock’ Jesus chose him to lead the disciples beginning at Pentecost,  with one key Peter opened the door of Christ’s kingdom to the nation of Israel. Peter stood and addressed the crowd as ‘men of Judea’ and ‘men of Israel’. Acts 2: 14, 22.
Peter with another key had opened the door to the Gentiles.
Peter was staying at Joppa with Simon the tanner, the Lord gave him a vision of a sheet coming down from heaven and on the sheet where all kinds of creatures. 

The Lord in the vision told Peter to kill and eat. However, some of the creatures where unclean to a Jewish person. Peter cried out that he was forbidden by the law to eat anything regarded as unclean and he would not break the law. But the word came again telling him not to call anything common or unclean. Under law food had spirituality, a Jewish person was not allowed to eat blood and certain creatures. But here in this vision Peter was being taught by the Lord that food was clean and the Gentile people were not unclean. Two groups in the Bible The nation of the Jews and the nation of the Gentiles. Matthew 21: 43. Acts 1: 6.
Following this vision two men came to the house asking to speak with Peter. They informed him that they had been sent by Cornelius a Centurion who lived at Caesarea. In a vision an angel told him to send for Peter the disciple of Jesus.
Peter accompanied the men and when he arrived at Caesarea, he found Cornelius and his whole family had gathered. Peter told them about Jesus and as he spoke the Holy Spirit fell on them just as he had on the disciples. Acts 10

When the men of the circumcision Partyheard that Peter had been eating with Gentiles he was summoned to give an account of his behaviour. Peter shared with them the vision and the how the Holy Spirit filled the Gentiles when they heard about Jesus and afterwards they were baptised. 

Peter brought Cornelius and his family into the body of believers through faith and grace. Paul wrote that we are strengthened by the Spirit and our energy is in Christ. Ephesians 3: 16. Colossians 1: 29. 1 Peter 4: 11.

Peter’s vision fulfilled Jesus’ words that food had no longer any spirituality.
Mark recorded Jesus’ words, “Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not the heart, but the stomach, and so passes on? (Thus he declared all foods clean)” Mark 7: 18, 19.                                 
“Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings; for it is well for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by regulations about food, which have not benefited those who observe them.” Hebrews 13: 9.

Jesus words the bread of life, “Truly, truly, I say unto you, unless you eat of the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life within you.” Jesus’ sacrifice was the final sacrifice for food laws. Jesus went on to say “It is the Spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to you are Spirit and life.” John 6: 53. 63. Jesus’ risen body is a spiritual body, without blood. Luke 24: 39, 40.
                                  

By Dorothy Newton