Category: Ministry



The Spiritual Nature of Jesus’ Words

The words of Jesus were sometimes misunderstood by His disciples and others.

Jesus "The light of the World," Heals a Blind Man

Jesus "The light of the World," Heals a Blind Man

This is because Jesus spoke in spiritual terms, of the things that He saw the Father accomplish, and of what He saw in heaven. His communication therefore, had to be in the form of parables:

And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”  He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’  But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. (Matthew 13:10)

Parables are comparisons, analogies and descriptions of spiritual truth. However, they are communicated in earthly terms so that we can understand their spiritual reality, which we cannot perceive:

Then His disciples asked Him, saying, “What does this parable mean?” And He said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that ‘Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand.’” (Luke 8:9-10)

Jesus "The Way, the Truth and the Life," Rises from the Dead

Jesus "The Way, the Truth and the Life," Rises from the Dead

The Purpose of Jesus’ Actions

It is only when we look at the purpose of Jesus’ actions that we begin to see God’s purpose for our own existence upon this earth. His actions reveal the heart of the Father to us, His children. Jesus’ purpose was to demonstrate the Fathers’ love. This being the case, everyone who earnestly seeks God with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength will seek to demonstrate this love as well, and in doing so become like Jesus.

‘And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. (Mark 12:30 )


The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

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The Prophesy of Christ is found in the Tabernacle

In our previous posting we laid out a plan that will help us to identify the nature of Jesus. The purpose of this is to get a better understanding of Jesus because we are called to do the works that He did, and even greater. The plan we presented identified one major task as being an adequate understanding of the proclamations that Jesus made about Himself. This then would be followed by presenting a case that God the Father supported these proclamations of Jesus with unmistakable miracles, and that they in fact, directly prove the truth of Jesus’ words.

Jesus "The Life," Raises Lazarus from the Grave

Jesus "The Life," Raises Lazarus from the Grave

Today we are going to extend this plan quite a bit as we plan to also present a considerable information pertaining to the Tabernacle of Moses. The reasons for this are present below, but for now let’s just say that the Tabernacle is prophetic of Jesus in every way.

Jesus, Moses Discuss the Fulfilment of Tabernacle Prophesy

Jesus, Moses Discuss the Fulfilment of Tabernacle Prophesy

By learning about it we will find that there are surprising revelations about the nature of Jesus. In addition, these revelations will help us in understanding the gospels about Jesus in more thoroughly. We will also gain a better understanding our own potential in Jesus.

From this point on we will present the reasons for our focus on the Tabernacle as a method for truly understanding Jesus.

To start with, God told Moses to build a Tabernacle so that He (God) could dwell on earth with men:

And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. (Exodus 25:8)

To this end, God provided Moses with the specifications for this Tabernacle:

According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it. (Exodus 25:9)

In addition, every detail of this specification can be found in scripture. In examining the artifacts produced from these specifications we will find that the Tabernacle and all of its components are prophetic of Jesus, who also came to earth to dwell with us. In essence, the Tabernacle is a model or a blueprint of the Christ who would come in human form thousands of years later:

But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. (Hebrews 9:11 – 12)

Jesus Sheds His Blood on the Cross

Jesus Sheds His Blood on the Cross

The scripture above is only a single reference to the correlation between the Tabernacle and Jesus. As we progress we will uncover that there is a direct correlation in every instance between them. We will find that the nature, attributes, functions and purpose of the Tabernacle precisely predicts the nature, attributes functions and purpose of Jesus the Christ.

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A Path toward Knowing Jesus


A Path toward Knowing Jesus

In our last post we communicated that we are all called to become like Jesus. We said that if we are to be followers of Jesus Christ then we will do things even greater than the things that He did. We are to be imitators of God.

As we move forward, these postings we will present a number of the attributes of Jesus by looking at the several of components of His ministry. More specifically we will focus on the following areas:

The Proclamations and Declarations Made by Jesus

The key assertions that we will focus on are those about His identity. After all, in seeking to learn more about Jesus it would seem logical to first find out what He claimed to be. We therefore will examine the “I AM …” statements found in the Gospel of John to gain insight in this regard. However, since these statements do not prove that Jesus is who He claimed to be, we will look elsewhere for information that supports His claims.

Jesus Proclaims: "Today this scripture is fulfilled"

Jesus Proclaims: "Today this scripture is fulfilled"

God Verifies the Proclamations of Jesus

We will present scripture to support the above proclamations made by Jesus. In many cases we will present the actions of God the Father that support His Sons claims. These often take the form of miracles that demonstrate the truth of Jesus statements in terms that we can understand. Ultimately, it is the Fathers validation that truly identifies the nature and character of Jesus.

Jesus the Light of the World is Transfigured before His Disciples

Jesus the Light of the World is Transfigured before His Disciples

The Purpose of Jesus’ Actions

It is only when we look at the purpose of Jesus’ actions that we begin to see God’s purpose for our own existence upon this earth. His actions reveal the heart of the Father to us, His children. Jesus’ purpose was to demonstrate the Fathers’ love. This being the case, everyone who earnestly seeks God with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength will seek to demonstrate this love as well, and in doing so become like Jesus.

Mark 12:30   ‘And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.

Our next post will present the Tabernacle and its prophesy of the Christ as well as the spiritual nature of the words of Jesus.


The Unification of the Bride

Now let’s take another look at a scripture (that we introduced previously in: Preparing-the-Bride-of-Christ-for-Jesus) that foresees the coming of the bride and the bridegroom:

Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” (Revelation 21:2-5)

the bride of christ

This scripture tells us that the Tabernacle of God will be with men when the above scripture is fulfilled. Since we have identified Jesus as the living Tabernacle that came to earth (in the post: The-Tabernacle-is-Prophetic-of-Jesus), then the above scripture is referring to Jesus. This means that Jesus and the bride are together on earth and more importantly, that the bride is prepared for marriage.

The rest of the scripture communicates how the bride will be loved by Jesus. He will live with her and take care of her every need. He will take away all her sorrows and will make all things new, including her body, so that she can have life everlasting in Him.

Jesus is the husband who will provide and care for His bride. Each of us individually can be members of the body of the bride who is now preparing for the wedding feast. To do so we must be united as one in the spiritual body of the Bride and empowered by the Holy Spirit.  It should be exactly as Jesus prayed in the following scripture:

I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. (John 17:20-23)

Jesus in Prayer Geting Direction from the Father

Jesus in Prayer Geting Direction from the Father

This prayer of Jesus reveals His desire to be one with us (the bride) and the Father. His prayer will be consummated in His marriage to His bride.

Therefore, as we wait for the return of Jesus in glory we are to be busy perfecting the bride by continuing the work that He left us to do. By way of the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit the bride becomes like Jesus as her heart is conformed to His heart. As the bride speaks the word of God to others the body is matured as more followers are incorporated into the body. As the bride takes charge in the spiritual world the entire body is strengthened as the strongholds of the devil are broken. As the sick are healed and the spiritually bound are set free through the prayer of the bride the body becomes ready for ministry. As the forces of darkness are defeated more souls will turn to the true light of God.

As we finish this posting the Bridegroom remains seated at the right hand of the Father, patiently waiting for His bride to prepare the way of His return. This preparation can only be achieved when His bride has finished the work that He Himself started over 2000 years ago.


Preparing the Bride of Christ for Jesus

We introduced the Bride of Christ in a previous post (The-Bride-of-Christ-Revealed) and now attempt to expand on this subject a bit. Our understanding of the bride is critical because Jesus is coming back for His bride and therefore, we should do all that we can to prepare for this event. To this end an understanding who the bride is and knowledge of how to prepare for the second coming of Jesus is of primary importance to those of us who are truly seeking Jesus.

The New Jerusalem - The Bride of Christ

The New Jerusalem - The Bride of Christ

We as Christians must all seek to be a part of the bride of Christ. Doing so means that we all become a part of something much bigger that ourselves. We become a part of the collective body of all the saints who followed and worshiped Jesus. By becoming a part of this body we become eligible to also become one in marriage to Jesus and to live forever in His care. This is the ultimate goal of regaining the garden and dwelling there with God in the cool of the day.

But are we ready? Are we even members of the bride? If so, are we ready for the marriage feast? Has the pathway for our Lords return been made straight? Is the bride of whom we are a member matured and ready for this most scared union with God?

On an individual basis we must examine our lives to determine if we have done the things that Jesus did when He walked the earth? Did we say the things that He did? Have we emulated His life in everything that we do? Have we achieved the individual purity and holiness required to being a part of the bride?

In doing these things the body of Christ (which is the bride in waiting) grows and matures. Jesus has sent us to prepare a way for His return. He has put us in charge of His ministry and He wants us to finish the work that He started. It is in the completion of this work that the bride is matured. Only when the bride has sufficiently matured will the bridegroom come for His bride.

Now let’s take a look at a scripture that foresees the coming of the bride and the bridegroom:

Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” (Revelation 21:2-5)

The New Jerusalem is the bride of Christ in this passage. Firstly, she is adorned as a bride and is seen coming down from heaven. She therefore is the body of all the saints of Jesus. As Jerusalem is a city comprised of many people, so the New Jerusalem (the bride) is comprised of God’s saints.

The scripture above also communicates that the Bride is adorned for her husband and therefore she has prepared herself for the wedding feast. On an individual basis this adornment is initiated as we are cleansed in the Blood of our Lamb Jesus on the cross (Jesus-is-the-Way).  It is completed by the washing in the water of His word (Jesus-the-Brazen-Laver), which matures us as we seek to become like our Lord (Becoming-like-Jesus-the-Way). Finally, our adornment comes by being victorious in the spiritual warfare of Jesus (Jesus-is-the-Golden-Altar-of-Incense). In achieving this we enter a closer relationship with God where as we are empowered to know our mission and pathway, as we develop a familial relationship with the Father and as we bring down the evil strongholds of the devil with our prayers (The-Victory-of-Jesus-Empowers-Us). Once we have entered into this relationship of empowerment we can stand before the Lord adorned with the good works done in the name of Jesus His Son. It is at this time that we become ready to move on to the next level of relationship with God, a relationship of covenant (Jesus-is-the-Ark-of-the-New-Covenant). It is in the covenant relationship that the bride and the bridegroom can become one.


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The Morning Star Rising on the First Day

INSIDE THE BRIDE OF CHRIST

One day, church friends of ours introduced us to a prayer group that they knew about. It was being hosted by another couple who attended our church. During this meeting, I had the experience of hearing a series of phrases over and over again in my mind. I wanted to memorize these words and the repetition helped me do this. In also experienced thoughts and memories that were not mine. Somehow I knew that these thoughts were from the mind of the bride of Christ. It was as if I lived inside her mind. The following passages describe this experience to the best of my ability. I have also inserted relevant scripture to help in understanding this passage:

The New Jerusalem - The Bride of Christ

The New Jerusalem - The Bride of Christ

We were alone in a beautiful room. It was a quiet time; a time of preparedness, for there was to be a great event of which none can compare. There was joy and happiness. There was anticipation, for we are the source of celebration. We are the focus of attention. There is no sound in the room, just the song of rustling linen.

And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints (Revelation 19:8).

The quiet is good for reflection upon the images of the old world. There were trials, tribulations, and threats of war. In looking back, there were wars, earthquakes, storms, floods, disease, famine, pestilence, and sin. The earth was fouled. There was war with Satan, and then the victory of souls. Eventually, confrontation came with the beast and the final victory—the deliverance and unity of the saved.

Violence in Heaven

Violence in Heaven

We are a new creation! We are the culmination of saved Souls.

but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head; Christ; from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love (Ephesians 4:15-16).

We are one being comprised of many in the perfect image and likeness of God, assembled like the atoms of the bodies we once knew.

For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12).

There is great unity and power in the new creation.

Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal (Revelation 21:9-11).

There is ecstasy in the bride. Every soul that exists in the bride shouts with joy, for we all know that we confessed Him. We all know that we changed our sinful ways for Him. We all obeyed His commandments, and we all loved Him. We are so united when we think of Him.

How many times did He forgive us? How many times did He heal us? How many times did He save us from evil or keep us from harm? How endless is His love? Truly, this is our hour. The preparation is complete.

Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready (Revelation 19:7).

Someone knocks at the door. It is the Father, and He is beaming. He holds out His arm, we take it and walk arm in arm. We enter the great hall where the floor is as a single dark green emerald.

And He who sat there was like a jasper and a sardis stone in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, in appearance like an emerald (Revelation 4:3).

In this room, the pews are crystal,

Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal (Revelation 4:6),

the walls are gold, and there is no ceiling, just the sky. The seats are filled with the winged angels, dressed in white. They are all gazing at us while singing the wedding song in seven-part harmony. We look for Him, but the aisle is too long to see the end. We walk, and we walk.

We see Him! JOY! JOY! He is very handsome as He smiles a big smile, and we see heaven in His eyes. We keep walking, and then we are there. The Father presents the bride. Jesus holds out His hand. Our heart sings as we take His hand. The angel, Gabrielle, conducts the ceremony, but we can think of nothing but Him. We say, “I do.” We hear, “You may kiss the bride.” Anticipation! He comes closer, facing us. He lifts the veil, draws closer and embraces us.

Cheers and celebrations! We turn to face the assembly. We walk down the aisle. The angels are delirious. They sing, they fly, and they cause great explosions in the sky. A new, larger sun rises over the altar behind us.

“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.” And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires let him take the water of life freely. (Revelation 22:16 -17)

Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega

Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega

A new world awaits us.

During the prayer circle, I prayed these words out loud. These are the thoughts and words that I received from God and spoke in prayer at the meeting that day. Despite having spoken these words, I had no previous knowledge of their foundation. I did not know anything about the bride of Christ. I had no idea what I was doing or experiencing.

When it came my time to pray, I had simply repeated the words that God had given me just moments before. I also thought that they were special enough that I wrote them down when I got home. Not immediately, but over the course of several years I began to see how all the pieces of the puzzle fit together.

To learn more about what happened after this check out my book entitled “Possess the Vision.” It can be found at Amazon.com by simply entering the book title.

Read the truly amazing life story about how the forces of good and evil battle over a man and the vision that God gives him. Joseph W. Gordon’s Possess the Vision (Xulon Press, $12.95, 140 pages, ISBN 1-59781-205-6) tells about the mysterious spiritual experiences that occur throughout his lifetime.


Possess the Perfect Faith of Jesus

We as Christians certainly know that with God all things are possible. We can win every battle, and defeat every enemy because there is nothing that is impossible with God.

The Walls of Jerico fall Befor the Ark

The Walls of Jerico fall Befor the Ark

In addition, God has placed a dream in everyone’s heart that relates to their mission and or purpose on this earth. Follow this dream by overcoming the reasons that it cannot be achieved. It is not your capability that matters, but God’s. Ensure that your have been prepared just as Jesus prepared the seventy, and then step out in faith, not being concerned about what you do not have or cannot do, but rather rejoicing, knowing full well that through Jesus you are empowered to do the impossible.

All He needs is your perfect faith, prayer, and courage that preclude doubt.

The Power of Prayer

The Power of Prayer

Your faith must be so strong that it has been converted to knowing, and as a result eliminate even the entertainment of fear. Do not doubt or be afraid because these are indications of a lack of faith. To reinforce this statement, remember that Peter was able to walk upon the water until he considered the winds and the waves that rose up around him.

And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:28 – 31)

Jesus Pulls Peter From the Water

Jesus Pulls Peter From the Water

Do not pay any heed to the circumstances that blow around you because I say to you that the devil will most certainly build a storm around you just to break your faith. Know that these things are a part of your testing. Therefore, look for the impossible to be accomplished and know that your joy is not far away, for surly He will provide everything that is needed just as the night looks the darkest just before dawn. Believe perfectly and know that you will see the glory of God. Remember the words that Jesus spoke to Martha when Lazarus had been in the grave four days and his body was rapidly decomposing:

Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of him who was dead, said to Him, “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?” Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.” (John 11:39-44)

Jesus Raises Lazarus From The Grave

Jesus Raises Lazarus From The Grave

Jesus said, “Did I not say to you that if you would only believe that you would see the glory of God?” These words are applicable to every one of us today. I say to you, do not doubt, but only believe. Believe what God has put into your heart and step out in your faith knowing that your prayers will be answered!  Here is a promise from Jesus to every Christian:

So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.” (Mark 11:22-26)

Have perfect faith and show mercy to others and what you ask for in prayer will be given. Fear displays a lack of faith in God and is a fundamental tactic of the devil in separating you from your faith. The devil will make the wind and the waves of your life roar to dislodge you from your faith, just as he did to Peter when he walked on the water. Be determined to eliminate fear because it is only disruptive to your faith. So therefore, be bold in your expectations knowing that the impossible will be delivered to you.


Jesus Teaches by way of Parables

An interesting part of the ministry of Jesus is that He taught by way of parables. The word parable means to compare, and is most often presented in the form of a short story that demonstrates a moral or religious principle. Jesus used these techniques to communicate the spiritual messages that the Father gave Him to deliver.

Jesus Speaks to the Multitude

Jesus Speaks to the Multitude

These messages were delivered as parables because people have difficulty understand the spiritual realm. By using parables Jesus could communicate a story in earthly terms and yet communicate a spiritual truth. Let’s take a look at what Jesus said about His use of parables:

And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’“ (Matthew 13:10-14)

We have discussed this concept previously in our dissertation on who Jesus claimed to be. So, for example, Jesus said: “I am the Bread of Life that has come down from heaven.” The term Bread is used to describe a staple food source capable of supporting life. So, in this statement Jesus communicates that He is the spiritual food that leads to everlasting life. This means that if we take Jesus into our spirit and He becomes a part of us, that we will have achieved everlasting life. So, this statement is a parable because it uses the words “bread” and “life,” which are easy to understand, as an illustration to communicate the spiritual truth of who Jesus is.

Another interesting point is the frequency to which Jesus talked in parables. The disciples were constantly taking Jesus’ words literally (not spiritually) and misunderstanding His message. For example:

Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “It is because we have taken no bread.” But Jesus, being aware of it, said to them, “O you of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because you have brought no bread? Do you not yet understand, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up? Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up? How is it you do not understand that I did not speak to you concerning bread?; but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees. (Matthew 16:5-12)

The bottom line here is that Jesus was a teacher who communicated in an easy to understand manner. In addition, His words were supported by miracles that directly reinforced the truth of His message. For example:

And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35)

The miracle of the five loaves and two fish that fed the multitude reinforces His “I am the Bread of Life” statement.

And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.”  He said, “Bring them here to Me.”  Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children. (Matthew 14:17 – 21)

Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes

Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes

In addition, this miracle is a parable in itself as it demonstrates that we will have everlasting life in Jesus, who is the bread of God.

For everyone who seeks to be like our Savior Jesus, please understand that we may have to use parables to communicate the things that God has given us to communicate. In addition, we should expect that our words will be supported with power from on high, the way that they were for Jesus.


The Last Temptation of Jesus

Today we will address the last temptation of Jesus and will hopefully help to dispel a popular belief that the last temptation was Mary Magdalene.

Jesu and the Adulterous Woman

Jesu and the Adulterous Woman

In this post we will continue our series of presentations addressing the temptations of Jesus. Remember that our aim here is to gain insight into the realm of spiritual warfare and our goal is to help you to adequately prepare for the battles that surly will come your way.

We start with what might be a startling revelation to many people. You will not get help in the times of your testing. Why do I say this? Because even Jesus was alone when He hung on the cross:

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46)

The Crucifixion of Jesus

The Crucifixion of Jesus

This passage clearly demonstrates that Jesus was alone on the cross as He took the punishment of us all upon Himself. It is here on the cross that the final temptation came to Him. Let’s look at the scripture:

Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left. And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.'” Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing. Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left. (Matthew 27:38 – 44)

This was in fact the last temptation of Christ; to come down from the cross, to deny His identity and mission. The last temptation of Christ proposed that He give up on the forgiveness of our sin and our destiny in the kingdom of heaven. The last temptation of Christ was to ignore what the Father told Him about who He was and what He was to do. It taunted Jesus to give up on us as it was more trickery by the devil to defeat the mission of Jesus and to keep us in bondage.

In looking at this last temptation of Christ we must ask, what have we learned? First of all, we are responsible for not giving in to the temptation of the devil. In addition, we learned that we will be all alone when tested and that we are responsible for our choices. After all, how will God know that He can trust us if we do not make the choices that demonstrate the truth that Jesus has placed in us? Jesus had to be obedient to the Father even unto death. In being faithful to the Father Jesus proved that He was obedient and worthy to go on to the next level (to sit at the right hand of the Father).

The Ascension of Jesus

The Ascension of Jesus

Remember, resist the devil and he will depart from you.


The Second Temptation of Jesus

In this post we continue with our presentations addressing the temptations of Jesus. Remember that our aim here is to gain insight into the realm of spiritual warfare and our goal is to help you to adequately prepare for the battles that surly will come your way. Today we will address the second temptation of Jesus in the wilderness.

jesus-tempted-on-the-mountain

We will start by looking at a writing of Luke:

And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Luke 4:9-11

Again, this is more cunning trickery from the devil, who is not above using the Word of God to deceive Jesus into aborting His life as well as His identity and purpose. One key thing to remember is that God has always given us the freedom to choose. This is because love requires choice. God know that we can love Him only if we have choice. Everything else would be slavery. It was for this very reason that God gave us choice in the Garden of Eden. Unfortunately, we were decieved and our poor choice led to our seperation from God and our loss of our domain in the Garden. In the above scripture the devil was hoping that a poor choice by Jesus would result in His defeat as well.

So if the above scripture is true then what did Jesus have to lose by complying. First of all, it is never a good idea to do anything at the suggestion of the devil as he seeks to destroy you. Jesus came to the earth as a man with the intention of regaining what was lost in the Garden.

Adam and Eve in the Garden

Adam and Eve in the Garden

Since the dominion of man was lost by a man it would require a victory by a man to restore what was lost. The assistance of angels would not prove that man could resist the temptation of the devil and therin defeat him in spiritual warfare. Therefore, angels could not fight for Jesus. Jesus had to win the victory on His own initiative.

This axiom applies to us as well. When we are tested we will be totally alone also. There will be no help from angels, God or anywhere else. Think about it, If you’re not alone then who is being tested? How will God know that you are ready to go to the next level or not? Also consider that the angels only came to the support Jesus after His temptation, not during it. Jesus came to the earth as a man to defeat the devil. This battle was not one that could be won by angels but only by Jesus the man. Do not choose the trickery of the devil but rather, choose the truth of the word of God. This is exactly what Jesus did when He answered:

And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from Him for a season. Luke 4:12-13

It is up to us to defeat the devil and pass the test. Ever wonder why all of us are still here on earth if in fact, Jesus redeemed us from our sin? The answer is that we still have to choose. We have to choose between God and the devil, our own interests or the welfare of others, to love or to hate, life or death, light or darkness, and between good or evil. These are choices that we make everyday. Do not be fooled, stay the course to the end. The good news is that Jesus gave us power over all the evil of the enemy.