Christian Paradigm Shifts

This is an older post that I thought I'd share again.... Some of you may be familiar with the following verse - For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16) . You may have seen it on a billboard or at a football game. Maybe you have read it in your Bible. Whichever way you have come across this verse, it is a wonderful truth to be taken to heart. The Gospel of John talks about the world (Greek - Kosmos) 73 times. The basic themes are that Jesus made the world, He came to save the world, and His Kingdom is not of this world. Jesus made stars and calls them by name (Psalm 147:4) and the earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it (Psalm 24:1).  He saved the world by offering Himself as a sacrifice on the cross at Calvary (Hebrews 7:27). This allows people the opportunity to be part of His kingdom - His way of doing and being - ...

1 John is all about having an authentic relationship with God. God knows all about us. EVERYTHING about us. The amazing thing is that he still loves us! 1 John 3:1 KJV states, "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God..." To behold means to look, see, perceive, and understand. We need to be fully aware of the Father's love for us. If we have repented and put our trust in Jesus for salvation, God calls us his child. He calls us to understand His tremendous love for us. Ephesians 3:18-19 describes that love. A love that is immeasurable. Paul says, "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". We can't define God's love, but we can behold,...

 John wrote his letter with fellowship in mind. Today, in the minds of most Christians, fellowship means gathering around food. While there is nothing wrong with this type of fellowship, the Apostle John means something a little bit different. The Greek word for fellowship is koinonia, which means partners and partakers. We are to be partners and partakers with the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.  That fellowship then extends to other believers in the faith. The Amplified version puts it this way ~ What we have seen and [ourselves] heard, we are also telling you, so that you too may realize and enjoy fellowship as partners and partakers with us. And [this] fellowship that we have [ which is a distinguishing mark of Christians ] is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah). I love that!! Our fellowship with the Father and Jesus is a distinguishing mark!!  Our distinguishing mark should mean that we are noticeably different. We are...

God is my Rock, my Fortress, my Deliverer, my God, my Strength, my Shield, my S alvation, my High Tower. ~ Psalm 18:1-2 "While God is the owner and possessor of all things, He freely invites us to be possessive over Him as we desire." ~ Beth Moore I would like to share two videos. The first is by Wendy Pope ( www.wendypope.org ) on January 6 2011. She encourages women to remember what the Lord has done for each and every person who has put their trust in Jesus. The second video is the song "Jesus is Mine" by Alvin Slaughter. Remember all the day long to sing your song ~ Jesus is mine, Jesus is mine, everywhere I go, everywhere I be; oh Jesus is mine.

 Courtesy of  ChristArt.com "Jesus knew the that the Father has put all things under His power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God." John 13:3 Jesus relationship with His Father meant everything to Him. Jesus came to do the will of the Father [John 6:38]. He only did what the Father instructed [John 14:31]. He came to convey the love of the Father to us [John 15:9]. Everything the Father has belongs to Jesus, too [John 16:15]. Our relationship to the Father should also mean everything to us. We, too, should do the will of the Father [Matthew 6:39]. We, too, should only do what the Father instructs us to do [1 John 2:3]. We should convey the love the Father has for us to others [John 15:12]. Everything the Father has given to Jesus belongs to us, too [Romans 8:17]. If we have repented and put our trust in Jesus for salvation, we are children of God. You are a daughter of God. I am a daughter of God. You and I have been given the Spirit of...

Before I begin my blog post today, let me state that I believe in the complementarian position between men and women. Each have differing biblical roles and responsibilities. Men and women are not meant to compete with each other. They are meant to complement each other. Jesus interacted with women. He still interacts with women. He values women. He sees their role as important. Let's look at a few women Jesus interacted with and how He impacted their lives. Jesus brought tenderness and compassion to Mary when she was weeping for missing Savior. He turned her mourning into joy. He brought affirmation to the Mary and Martha. He affirmed Mary by stating her worship was not a waste of time. He affirmed Martha by stating her service was important, it just wasn't something to fret over. For the woman who anointed Jesus for his burial He offered acceptance and commendation. He told everyone at that banquet her story would continually be told. For the Samarita...

Jesus loves us the same way the Father loves Him. Jesus commands us to remain in that love. He wants us to obey his commandments as a sign of remaining in his love. He wants our joy to be complete. He wants us to love others as He has loved us. [John 15:9-12] The Message states it this way: "I've loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you'll remain intimately at home in my love. That's what I've done—kept my Father's commands and made myself at home in his love. I've told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you." Jesus' love is complete. It is true. It is pure. It is never failing. We can draw on that love to give us the strength to love others, even those that may seem "unlovable". In order to rely on this love, we must remember that without Him we can do noth...

Today's lesson is about having more of the Spirit. There are two keys to having a victorious life - having a continual relationship with God through His Word and being filled with the power and life of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our Comforter, Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby [John 14:16]. He searches the deep things of God so that we can understand what God has freely given us. He helps us to make right judgements [1 Corinthians 2:9-14]. The Holy Spirit dwells inside every believer of Jesus Christ [Romans 8:9].  We have the fruit of the Spirit. According to Galatians 5:22-23, ... the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge]. Do I rely on the H...

Today's lesson is about Jesus. Many consider Him to be a good man or a great prophet. But He is so much more than that. He is Messiah. He is the eternal Son of God who came in the flesh to redeem mankind. Jesus boldly declares, "Before Abraham was, I AM.!" - John 8:25 Jesus made seven I AM statements in the Gospel of John. He said - I AM the bread of  life, I AM the light of the world, I AM the gate, I AM the Good Shepherd, I AM the resurrection and the life, I AM the way, the truth, and the life, and I AM the true vine. For those who believe in him they will never walk in darkness, they will be saved, they will be protected, they will never die, they will know the Father, and they will bear much fruit. In Galatians 3:6-9, 14 we read that God announced the Gospel in advance to Abraham. God told Abraham that "All nations will be blessed through you". Jesus is the blessing who was to come. Jesus is everything. He is the self-existent and self-sufficient on...

The other day I blogged about Jesus' first miracle at the wedding at Cana. I shared how the couple would have been embarrassed that they ran out of wine. At His mother's request Jesus changes the water into wine. I came across this video today on the significance of wine at a Jewish wedding. Very interesting, indeed. The speaker talks about how in marriage each person can act separate and as a cluster of grapes or the couple can come together to make something new of value...wine. Enjoy!

Today's lesson is about the wedding at Cana from John 2:1-11. This is the place where Jesus performed the first miracle of His public ministry. Jesus, His mother, the servants and the disciples were present. The wedding hosts had invited Jesus to this wedding. He probably knew the bride and groom very well. Jesus' mother declares that they have run out of wine. To run out of wine would have been a tremendous embarrassment to the couple. Therefore, Mary tells Jesus that they have run out of wine. He replies, "Woman, why are you saying this to Me?”. His mother calls the servants over and tells them, "“Do whatever he tells you.” Jesus tells the servants to fill the ceremonial washing jars with water. There were 6 of them which held about 20-30 gallons. They did as they were told. Jesus then told them to "...draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so. The master of the banquet, who did not know the origin of the wine, marvelled at the qual...

Jesus did many things. In fact, John uses hyperbole to describe the many things -  "that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written." [John 21:25] John wrote his Gospel for the express purpose so we would believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing in His name we would have life [John 20:3]. John, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, carefully selected every word written in his gospel. John was an evangelist. He wanted the people to hear the Good News of the Gospel. He knew that salvation happens when one believes who Jesus is and acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God who came to take away the sins of the world. John's focus is on belief. He uses the word "believe" [pisteuo] 98 times. His goal is to have the reader believe or place their trust in Jesus Christ. Belief is important because it is through believing that we become the children of God. John 1:12 says, "Yet to all who recei...

In the last lesson we saw the apostle John living a life of obscurity in Ephesus. He gave up looking for fame and notoriety. He sought the one who loved him dearly. After all, he was the "beloved disciple". The theme of John's gospel, his epistles, and Revelation center on a common theme - to love and be loved. This was John's main purpose for living. I want this to be my purpose and passion, too. I want Jesus to become the main focus of my life. I love the quote by Augustine - " You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you." The Psalms declare -  "Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him." [Psalm 62:1] Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." [John 10:10] The Greek word for full is perisson which means "over and above, more than enough......generally superabundant...much, great." Jesus wants us to have a great life! But we sh...

Today's lesson is about the Apostle John and his  days of obscurity. In Acts 12:2 it tells of the death of James, John's brother. This is the last time we hear of John. While the book of Acts mentions the many exploits of Peter and Paul, there is very little mention of John. His ministry work does not get much attention. Many historians believe that John moved to Ephesus and even travelled to Rome at some point during his lifetime. R. Alan Culpepper states, " While the New Testament never mentions the activities of the Apostle John in his later years, early Christian writers, though not unanimous, furnish strong evidence that he spent several decades in residence in Ephesus. Ephesus was the place where people worshipped gods and goddess. The most important goddess was Artemis [or the Roman equivalent, Diana]. She was the goddess of fertility. The people built a temple in her honor. This temple was one of the wonders of the ancient world. The city's commercial and re...

Today's lesson is about Paul's interaction with the disciples after his conversion. In Acts 9, the disciples react to Paul's attempt to visit with them. They were afraid that he was not really a disciple. They thought he was only pretending. The reason for this was Paul's reputation. He persecuted the church. He was breathing out murderous threats. He consented to the death of Stephen. While on his way to arrest believers in Damascus, Paul had a conversion experience. About 14 years later, Paul and Barnabas come to Jerusalem to get advice from the apostles. They wanted to know if the Gentiles needed to be circumcised, as some were falsely teaching. This time John is present. John is described as being a pillar of the church. Paul states that "James, Peter, and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship. [Galatians 2:9] Let's take a look at the men gathered in this meeting: 1. James, Jesus' half brother, was a...

The focus of today's lesson is the Apostle John and the tragedy he experienced. Acts 12:1-10 ~ It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him. The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and ...

Acts 8:14-17 ~ When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. As we learned in John 4. The Jews and the Samaritans had no dealings with each other [John 4:9]. The Jews would even avoid traveling through Samaria. This hatred went back to the days of exile. When the northern kingdom was exiled to Assyria, King Sargon repopulated the area with captives from other lands. The intermarriage of these foreigners and the Jews who had been left in the land complicated the ancestry of the Samaritans. The Jews hated the Samaritans and considered them to be no longer "pure" Jews. Jesus, however, had no such bias. [NKJV Nel...

Today, in Acts 3, we meet Peter and John about to enter the temple for afternoon prayer. They see a beggar, who has been crippled from birth [a better translation would be "from the womb"]. This man was taken to the temple on a daily basis. This crippled man called out to them -  "When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money." Peter and John did not rush past this man to get to their prayer meeting. The Holy Spirit met the man's need through them. Sometimes we can rush right by the hurting world. We get so caught us in our own lives without taking a moment to see those in need. Something happened in my life recently which brought this to my attention in a very applicable way. I was heading to work listening to my local KLOVE station. My daughter was with me. We were singing along to the tunes when the song Give Me Your Eyes by Matthew West came on. I was pointing out to my daughter about the hurting world and how much they n...

Today's lesson was on the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost [Acts 2]. Jesus, right before He ascended into heaven, had told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem to receive the promised gift. He said, "...in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." What is the purpose of the Holy Spirit? Jesus tells the disciples, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you.; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. [ Acts 1: 8]" The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to empower us to be witnesses for Jesus.  What does this truly mean? The Apostle Paul, in 2 Corinthians 4:7, states that we have this treasure [the Holy Spirit] in earthen vessels. The goal of this is to show that the all-surpassing glory is from God and not from us. I am a believer in Jesus. I have the Holy Spirit living inside of me to empower me to follow God and live in service to Him. I have the power...

Today's lesson is about Jesus' third post resurrection visit with the disciples. This is from John 21:1-25. Jesus cooked breakfast for the disciples after their long night of fishing. By the way, I love this event. Can you imagine the resurrected Lord cooking you breakfast?  It was a tremendous display of love and service. What an amazing sight it must have been!! During breakfast, Jesus begins to ask Peter about how much he loves Him. He asks him the question three times. Each time He asks, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter responds, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” After the third time of Jesus inquiring of Peter's love, Peter feels hurt. But Peter is now restored to fellowship with the Lord. Jesus goes onto discuss the manner of Peter's death and how his death would glorify God. Well this brought up a question for Peter. Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one wh...