Paint

Many today are have attempted to paint over their valuable piece of furniture with high gloss paint. ..that paint is destined to bubble up and peel off eventually , especially when heat is applied.
The only way our beautiful handcrafted piece will make it to show, is if it were completely stripped down to the bare wood first , then have a brand new finish applied.

In the same way Christians attempt to mask over their existing lives with religion ,..but underneath that are wearing the same old coat of paint. They are essentially unwilling to strip away all of their pre-existing life as they know it. They want to get by , by adding Jesus to who they already are, ...re-inventing their own Jesus to suit them.

God requires a drastic and stark stopping to the course of life we're on, coming to the crossroads of brand new knowledge, and totally beginning fresh; starting over.
But the bible says "because they have no changes,..therefore they fear not God" But we are actually powerless to effect the kind of change God requires. This is where the gospel of Jesus Christ has it's meaning and reason. It's Jesus saying "without Me, you can do nothing"

Many people have a head knowledge of God its but seldom do you find someone that has a heart knowledge of him,..but going a step further with that,...the way you get "heart knowledge",..is to have Him in your heart in person.
I can say "I have so & so always in my heart",....but this is different
This is actually another person living in you
Jesus didn't say,,"I'm leaving,...think of Me and I'll be there in spirit,..your memories of Me will always be with you".....no, He said,..."look,..I'm standing at the door out here!!...its getting cold,...can I COME IN PLEASE?"

What's better ,..carrying around a photo in my wallet of my dad,....or walking up to you with my dad beside me holding my hand?...which gives a better impression of who He is?
If you are not intimately acquainted with Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour, He is available to take your call.

Just pray here and now, its not something you can put off. "Jesus please forgive me of my sin, show me who you are and teach me the significance of your sacrifice for me on the cross, your death, and Resurrection. Make me brand new by your Spirit , and come into my heart., in your name i ask, amen"

If you prayed this prayer just now, all the angels of heaven are throwing a party on behalf of just you. Welcome to the family.

snap,crackle,pop

Any of you guys have those little plastic cupies in the silver tray for communion in church?....i thought today about these people who crack them after they've tossed back the juice....now,..being one known at times to crack his knuckles, and even blow spit bubbles,...i refrain from those exercises at least during the solemn moments of comunnion. if we passed out bubble wrap around the bulletins or tithe envelopes or something,.what do you think you'd be hearing as you are trying to focus in your prayer about God's sacrifice and crucifiction....just a thought....;))

go to the ant....consider her ways and be wise

If you went out and began speaking to the ants on the ground, they would not hear you. but if you could somehow project an image of yourself down to them, and from the body of an ant, communicate to them, transmitting your thoughts and words from where you are, down to them in their language, you could reach them. but what would you talk about? ..........you would still be where you are, the base station you're transmitting from. but for them , this remote control ant that they see and hear would be you as well. you would effectively be in two places at once.
or if you broadcast a television signal of your image, or if you say "i have so & so on the phone",..they arent really ON the phone, it's their voice waves coming through an audio signal.
Jesus is the transmission of God to US on our level. . He was one of us, and yet He was and is, God. John 1 says "the Word (logos) was God, was made flesh, and dwelt among us." "word" here means "divine expression". ..the fullness of the Godhead bodily. divine "transmission"...divine "projection".
1 timothy 3:16 "without controversy.. God was manifest in the flesh" (Paul never met the people of yahoo chatrooms) 2 corinthians 5:19 "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto HImself"
and in 2 corinthians 4:6, we have paul saying "God made light in the beginning, and then made light shine in our hearts,...to enlighten us about the nature of God...in the face of Jesus Christ"
obviously the ant illustration doesnt carry across 100%. point by point. illustrations usually dont. they dont have to. ants are not made in our image, neither did we create them. The transmission of God was more than a projected signal, His Spirit was imparted. and lives with us here today.
Its kind of fun attempting to explain the concept of the trinity, but here on earth we cannot fully understand heavenly mysteries. only in part. if you COULD get into the ant's world, could you get them to understand the world series?,..jimi hendrix music, or the stock market?...heck i dont even understand the stock market.

Revelation

The Revelation of Jesus Christ. Why is it called that?

Because Jesus is revealed there in a way the gospels do not show Him.

I have traditionally thought of Revelation as a three part book showing the 7 churches, the judgement of Israel, and the restoration of all things at the end. Seeing it as this apocalyptic book,..that reveals the end times. And yeah, It does.

Many people when they first become curious about the bible turn directly to the last book hoping to catch a glimpse of the end times and see prophesy foretold. Many of those folks see the metaphorical pictures and wild things going on and disappointingly put the bible down, when actually they should have turned first to the gospel of John to learn first about who Jesus is. And once they do , they then can see the glorious extent of who the Saviour really is in the closing pages of the bible.

Knowing that Revelation is full of prophesy is good, yet within the book itself is contained the verse "The testimony of Jesus, is the Spirit of prophesy" 19:10. Meaning the real intent of prophesy is to show us Jesus.

Not just to let us peek at the future so we can ooh and ahh.

We know that the real message of all of the bible is Jesus. Jesus Himself taught the two on the road to Emmaus a long study on how He's seen throughout scripture. No book though has a more powerful and awesome picture of Jesus than Revelation.

Every day it seems as I go into yahoo Christian chat rooms to spread the truth and light of our Saviour, I encounter the "anti-Jesus is God" and unitarian crowd. Aside from the constant presence of Muslims purveying their perversion of who Jesus is to them, I find myself wrestling daily with these people who are always in there (in among sound Christian brethren), kicking and screaming that Jesus cannot be God because of gospel verses that say He prayed to His Father and His Father was greater, and whatever, like a stubborn children refusing to accept that santa claus isn't really real.

These types fail to read in Revelation where Jesus is worshipped by hosts and saints and martyrs, glorified, high and lifted up. Here for a third time in one of John's books, He uses the term "Word of God" 19:13.

Verse 20:6 has "priests of God and of Christ", showing they are the same. Nowhere else in scripture will you find priests doing service to more than one figure. In 1:18 Jesus clearly is the one speaking, in 1:17 He's the first and last as in several places, the Alpha and Omega.

The gospels tell His story.....Revelation reveals His glory.

People who insist that the bible doesn't say He is God, have decided to throw out Revelation altogether, knowing it is the strongest place showing His deity. They say "Jesus is never worshipped as God", using only the gospels as reference where He is shown laying aside His glory and taking on Himself the form of a servant for His purposes. And overlooking Thomas's awesome comment by the way.

What a wonderful book revelation truly is. The only one a blessing is promised to the reader of. 1:3

It's dawning on me now that the reason Revelation is the last book in the bible is more than because of chronological placement, or for it's finality of times in it's content,...but because the real blessing is on those who can see the completion of the story of Jesus here.

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus.

Miranda

You have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer questions. Do you understand?

Anything you do say may be used against you in a court of law. Do you understand?

You have the right to consult an attorney before speaking to the police and to have an attorney present during questioning now or in the future. Do you understand?

If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you before any questioning if you wish. Do you understand?
If you decide to answer questions now without an attorney present you will still have the right to stop answering at any time until you talk to an attorney. Do you understand?
Knowing and understanding your rights as I have explained them to you, are you willing to answer my questions without an attorney present?



THE MIRANDA RIGHTS OF GOD

God has the right to remain silent, as we deem silence. He has told us already everything we need to know clearly, and continues to speak to those who's hearts are open. If we missed it by being distracted or disinterested or deliberately closing our minds and ears to it, then the silence we feel is our own choice.

We however must choose our words carefully , by our words we're justififed and by them we're condemned.

We're given the privilage by God's grace to have Jesus Christ stand in the gap for us, pray for us, defend us, and justify us. He is our Advocate, our High Priest, our Defender and Counseler.

No one can afford to pay for this divine representation, it is offered strickly "pro bono" therefore Jesus Christ the Righteous was appointed by the highest court.

If you seek to justify yourself in the flesh until your heart begins to condemn you, God who is greater than our hearts will bring His grace to bear, it's never too late to repent and acknowledge sin., and He is faithful and just to forgive us.