Tag: god

The Body of Christ

Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians

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The book of Ephesians is another epistle written by Paul to the church of Ephesus. It is believed that Paul wrote this letter while in Rome, around 62 AD. We see that Paul reminds the church of Ephesus of the redemption of Christ through grace, and grace through faith. He reminds them that salvation comes through Christ alone, sola Christos. He makes clear t0 the church their mission to carry the gospel in the love (agape) of Christ, that we should love one another in Christ. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, the wall (sin)  that separated us from God, was broken down. Christ is the chief cornerstone of the church with the prophets and apostles and all members forming it’s foundation! To each Christian he has given spiritual gifts to spread the gospel! We should be imitators of God, walking in the ways of Christ, loving genuinely as Christ did. Walk in the light, be children of the light! Finally, put on the whole armor of God: the helmut of Salvation, the breastplate of Righteousness, the belt of Truth, the shoes of the Gospel, the shield of Faith and the sword of the Spirit.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says: “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.”
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

 

Video: The Church: God’s Workmanship, God’s Mystery: The Universal Fellowship, The Christian Walk, The Armor of God, Spiritual Warfare

Books: The Christian in Complete Armor: A Treatise of the Saints’ War …, Volume 1, Ephesians: A Jewish Perspective, The Armor of God

Articles: The Secret of Walking With God, Christianity Today

Web: Armor of God, Christian’s Armor

 

The Four Gospels Part III

Matthew 5-10, Mark 5-10, Luke 5-10, John 5-10

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In the third part of The Four Gospels, we will start with Christ’s greatest sermon, The Sermon On The Mount or The Beatitudes, continuing into the next chapters to read about Christ’s miracles, parables, and teachings ending in chapters ten.

Matthew 5-10: The Beatitudes, Raising the Ruler’s Daughter, Blind Man Healed, Demoniac Boy, The Rich Young Ruler.

Mark 5-10: Demoniac of Gadarenes, Raising the Ruler’s Daughter, Death of John The Baptist, Jesus Walks on Water, The Beatitudes, Blind Man Healed, Demoniac Boy, The Rich Young Ruler.

Luke 5-10: The Leper Healed, Jesus Lord of the Sabbath, The Beatitudes, The Servant Healed, Tribute to John The Baptist, Jesus Forgives, Jesus’ Family, Raising the Ruler’s Daughter, The Mission of the Twelve, The Mission of the Seventy.

John 5-10: The Son & the Father, Feeding the Five Thousand, Jesus The Bread of Life, Jesus Teaches In The Temple, The Woman Caught in Adultery, Jesus The Light of the World, The Blind Man Healed, Jesus The Good Shepherd.

Film: Jesus of Nazareth

Videos: The Sermon On The Mount, Confrontation in Galilee, Women of Mission, The Rich Young Ruler,

Books: God’s Not Dead, Man, Myth, Messiah, The Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes: Biblical Studies and Ethics for Real Life

Articles:The Beatitudes are Essential and Relevant Today,

Web:  Jesus: Philosopher & Apologist,

To Wrestle & Embrace

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The Book of Habakkuk

Habakkuk is the seventh of the Minor Prophets of the Old Testament. It is believed that he lived in the 7th century during the reign of King Josiah, before the Babylonian Captivity. The three chapter book begins with Habakkuk pleadingly asking God why He is showing him visions of the devastating judgments that are coming on Israel. Habakkuk sees all the evil in his country, and knows what is coming and questions God as to why this is happening if God was so good? God answers Habakkuk by telling him that He will bring justice and judgement on His people for their sins allowing the Babylonians to conquer Israel for the many years that it has continuously broken their covenant with God! But Habakkuk questions God again about Israel’s punishment of destruction by Babylon! That the Babylonians are men to have done evil in God’s eyes also, and surely God will not allow them to get away with their evil deeds! God responds again, saying that the Babylonians will come and do all that God said they would do, according to God’s will but that the Just shall live by Faith! God doesn’t endorse the evil things that the nations do, but will bring about their down fall! The last chapter Habakkuk gives a powerful prayer to God for the Final Judgment against all evil!

Video: Trusting God’s Goodness,

Books: Habakkuk,  The Books of Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah: With Introduction and Notes

Articles: Chart

Art: Habakkuk by F.O. Salisburry, BBC

The Shepherd & Prophet

The Book of Amos

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Amos was another prophet who lived before the Babylonian Captivity, in the time of Jeroboam of Israel and Uzziah of Judah, two years before a major earthquake took place. Amos is a breeder of sheep and a fig farmer, and was not part of the school of the prophets, used to the study of scripture. He lives in Tekoa, a town near Bethlehem and the Dead Sea. The Lord comes to Amos, a simple sheepherder or husbandman, to tell him what will come to pass, what judgements He will send against the ancient cities and cultures of the Near East. God pronounces judgements against Damascus, Gaza, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Ammon, Edom, Tyre, Moab, Judah and Israel. God also tells Israel that again, they have sinned, by worshiping idols, made offerings and sacrifices to God but neglected the poor and needy, and even sold people into slavery for money even though God delivered them from slavery out of Egypt! Amos prophesies God’s judgments against Judah and Israel, as well as the surrounding nations! That they will fall and never rise again! But once again God has Amos tell the people  to come to Him and repent of their sins because they broke the covenant relationship with God and they refused to listen to His prophets who brought truth! Like the prophet Joel, Amos’ last prophecy concerns the Day of the Lord and what will take place then. Also, Amos is also given a vision of locusts that come to devour everything! Amos is given other visions as well, The Summer Fruit, The Fire and The Plumbline.

Video: What’s the Story of Amos About? , Lord of All Nations,

Web: Seek The Lord and Live, Israel: The Vine, Fig & Olive Trees, Outline: Amos

Books: The Theology of the Book of Amos, Amos – The Prophet & His Oracles 

Art: The Hague, Amos Painting,

God Will Strengthen

The Book of Ezekiel

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The prophet Ezekiel is a priest who was born in Judah and was part of the group of people taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C.E. The book begins after he has spent five years in captivity in Tel Abib on the Kebar Canal near Nippur. At this time God gives Ezekiel visions of four creatures that looked like men with four faces each coming out of a whirlwind, they were awesome in appearance! Above these creatures came a bright rainbow with a throne, and on the throne sat God in his glory! God tells Ezekiel that he is sending Ezekiel to the Israelites in Babylon, just as God sends Jeremiah and other prophets to the people during the whole of the Babylonian Captivity.

Ezekiel’s mission was to admonish Israel of their sins, and turn them away from idol worship back to a covenant relationship with God! God clearly tells Ezekiel that he must tell the people that God is sad and angry because they turned away from God. That their captivity and soon destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple are caused by their own sins. A year goes by and God appears to Ezekiel again, transporting him to Jerusalem to see for himself the evil abominations that Israel is doing. Altars were set up all over the country to idols, priests offering incense to idols, women sitting in the gate of the Temple weeping for Tammuz, and worst of all, in God’s very Temple, men turned their back to the Most Holy, to worship the sun in the East! Keep reading!

Video: Worship: From Exile to Restoration, The Book of Ezekiel,

Books: Reviving Dry Bones, Baptized Paganism, The Archeology of Ancient Israel

Articles: Tekton Apologetics

Web: Topic: Whirlwind,