Monday, March 31, 2014

A JEW to a GENTILE

"Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by REVELATION from Jesus Christ. For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. But when GOD, who set me apart from birth and called me by His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the gentiles, I did not consult any man, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus. Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days. I saw none of the other apostles, only James, the Lord's brother. I assure you before GOD that what I am writing you is no lie. Later I went to Syria and Cilicia. I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. They only heard the report: 'The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.' And they praised God because of me. Fourteen years later I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. I went in response to a REVELATION and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles....As for those who seemed to be important - whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not judge by external appearance - those men added nothing to my message. On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter had been to the Jews. For God, who was at work in the ministry of Peter as an apostle to the Jews, was also at work in my ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles. James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me.....When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong. Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group. The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray. When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, 'You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs? We who are Jews by birth and not 'Gentile sinners' know that a man is NOT justified by observing the LAW, because by observing the LAW no one will be justified. IF while we seek to be justified 'in Christ', it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! If I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I am a lawbreaker. For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ 'lives in me'. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing." GALATIANS 1:15 - 3 ~ One of the great lessons in the Old Testament is that before you can be victorious in a physical battle, you must win the spiritual war. That war is won, in a huge way, through honoring the Passover! Today our position in Christ is settled. Our throne rights have been given. We only need accept the mighty power available to us. We submit to His strength in our weakness. Our faith in the Holy unseen, indwelt Spirit ~ and our surrender to the same gives us His peace. As we are "heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ" Romans 8:17. God has protected us and He has "raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places IN Christ Jesus." Ephesians 2:6. As you are obedient to GOD with your Passover offering, the Father has promised His extraordinary blessing. "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way." Ephesians 1:17-23 God said to the children of Israel after they observed the Passover "I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land. And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword." Leviticus 26:6 When we ASK Jesus to come into our hearts, and be the LORD of our lives, HE does by giving us the Holy Spirit. God's holy word was dictated through those He chose, by the Holy Spirit, that we could come to know Him, love Him, trust Him, believe in Him, come to Him because He is the Creator, the Source, the Power and Ruler of all the universe. When a believer hears about the 32 year old Iranian, Pastor Nadarkhani, who became a Christian when he was 19, who was convicted by Muslim authorities in Iran of apostasy and sentenced him to death, as Christians we trust that Jesus is on the throne, in charge and aware of Pastor Nadarkhani's faith and sacrifice. Regardless that a Iranian court determined that because Nadarkhani has Islamic ancestry, in God's eyes he is without blemish. When the innocent was asked to recant his faith in Jesus Christ, he declined. Pastor Nadarkhani's attorney quickly denied the false report that he would be released. Once the decision is made, Nadarkhani's execution will be done without a world press release. Confirmation of his death will take weeks. Pastor Nadarkhani's devout faith in Jesus Christ was his demise. Facing death, this man held onto the truth, and his faith in Jesus Christ. Pray for his surviving family and his bold attorney. May we all hold tightly to Jesus when we are persecuted. "And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, the LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valor. ~ When Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, ALAS, O LORD! ~ And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die" Judges 6:12-23 - The History of the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem was the location of two temples of God's chosen people. The Temple Mount was the centre of ancient Jewish worship. Jews and Christians believe that God said, therefore God will return to this location. The Temple is the physical "footstool" of God's presence, where according to His word, a Third Temple will be built there in the future. God will destroy the current Al-Aqsa Mosque which now is known as the golden dome.