KNOWING MESSIAH

by | Nov 30, 2016

KNOWING MESSIAH

Nothing else will bring your life greater joy and peace than knowing the One who knows you intimately.

Knowing the Messiah is the most important thing to living life abundantly. The word “know” indicates intimacy. The Bible actually says that eternal life is in knowing God and Messiah whom He sent. (John 17:3).

Nothing else will bring your life greater joy and peace than knowing God, the One who knows you intimately.

How do we know God? I encourage you to take the following steps and find out how. Great blessings will pour out into your life. That I can promise you!

Knowing Messiah

1. If I want to know Him I must study the Scriptures
2. I must be willing to spend time alone in prayer, meditation and worship of God – talking, listening to Him, allowing Him to speak
3. I must trust Him
4. I must obey Him – believe and do what He says
5. I must observe and record how God works in my life and in the lives of other people
6. I must be sensitive to what God is doing in the lives of others – why does He respond the way He responds – why did circumstances turn out the way they did – every person is a potential object lesson of knowing Messiah
7. I must turn away from self-centeredness
8. I must look for the evidence of Messiah in every circumstance in life
9. I must be willing to lay aside every single thing in life that competes with my love, loyalty and devotion for God

Here are some Scriptures to study to begin your journey:

As our Creator, God is King of all the universe. His Kingdom is an eternal Kingdom. He has a right to rule in our lives, but in our pride we exalt ourselves as King. This pride is one example of sin (imperfection) and sin separates us from God – who is perfect. By faith (trust, belief) God puts His Holy Spirit into our spirit and makes it come alive. (Romans 8:11) Having life in our spirit is what enables us to recognize and understand the truth about God’s Kingdom. It enables us to communicate with God and turn from our sin and live righteous and holy lives. The healing and cleansing that follows brings life and vitality to our lives.(Acts 3:19) This doesn’t happen automatically though.

God sent a manifestation of Himself/the Messiah to the earth. He and the Messiah were One. (John 10:25-30) This manifestation wasn’t the first time God had come to earth! See these scriptures for more examples: .(Genesis 11:4-7; Genesis 32:24-30) Messiah Yeshua/Jesus came to teach us about the Kingdom of God and to die on the cross so the sins of humanity could be forgiven (Matthew 1:21.)

To know Him is to know God (John 8:19; 14:7); to see Him is to see God (John 12:45; 14:9); to believe in Him is to believe in God (John 12:44); to receive Him is to receive God (Mark 9:37); to hate Him is to hate God (John 15:23); and to honor Him is to honor God (John 5:23).

Whatever you’re reading in the Scriptures remember to always pray before you read and ask God to teach you, by His Spirit what He wants you to learn about Himself, Messiah and His ways.

ONE ANOTHERS

by | Nov 27, 2016

ONE-ANOTHERS

www.perfect-word.org ©2014 Perfect Word Ministries

This series of scriptures teaches us how God wants us to relate to one another.
We suggest studying the Scriptures and discussing how you can apply them in your life with your Discipleship Partner or in a Group.

The Scriptures teach us to render true judgment to one another (Zec.7:9)
The Scriptures teach us to show loving-kindness to one another (Zec.7:9)
The Scriptures teach us to show compassion to one another (Zec.7:9)
The Scriptures teach us to not speak against one another (Ja.4:11)
The Scriptures teach us to not grumble against one another (Ja.5:9)
The Scriptures teach us to confess your sins to one another (Ja.5:16)
The Scriptures teach us to be praying for one another (Ja.5:16)
The Scriptures teach us to be hospitable without grumbling to one another (1Pe.4:9)
The Scriptures teach us to exhort one another every day (Heb.3:13)
The Scriptures teach us to provoke one another to love and to good actions not forsaking the gathering
of ourselves together (Heb.10:24)
The Scriptures teach us to diligently oversee one another so that no one will fail to partake of the unmerited
favor of God (Heb.12:15)
The Scriptures teach us to serve one another through love (Ga.5:13)
The Scriptures teach us to carry the burdens of one another (Ga.6:2)
The Scriptures teach us to encourage and build up one another (1Th.5:11, cf. Ro.14:19)
The Scriptures teach us to have the same anxiety for one another (1Co.12:25)
The Scriptures teach us to greet one another in a holy kiss (2Co.13:12, cf. 1Pe.5:14, Ro.16:16)
The Scriptures teach us to go before (or outdo) one another in showing honor (Ro.12:10)
The Scriptures teach us to not judge one another (Ro.14:13, cf. Jn. 12:47-48)
The Scriptures teach us to have the same mind toward one another (Ro.12:16, 15:5)
The Scriptures teach us to receive one another, as the Messiah also received us (Ro.15:7)
The Scriptures teach us to teach and warn one another [speaking] in melodies, and praises, and spiritual songs
(Col.3:16, Ep. 5:19, cf. Ro.15:14)
The Scriptures teach us to bear with and forgive one another in love (Col.3:13, Ep.4:2, 4:32)
The Scriptures teach us to become kind and tender-hearted to one another (Ep.4:32)
The Scriptures teach us to submit yourselves to one another (1Pe.5:5, Ep.5:21)
The Scriptures teach us to count one another higher than yourselves (Ph. 2:3)
The Scriptures teach us to love one another, intensely out of a pure heart (Jn.13:34-5, 1Pe.1:22, cf. 1Pe.4:8, 1Thes.3:12, 4:9)
The Scriptures teach us to tenderly love one another in the love of brothers (Ro.12:10)
The Scriptures teach us to owe no one anything, except to love one another (Ro.13:8)

How will you apply these scriptures in your relationships with others in the Body of Messiah?  Be specific.

OVERCOMING SIN

by | Nov 25, 2016

Overcoming Sin

 

We must know the truth of what God’s Word says about our position in Christ so that we can have victory over issues in our life where the devil tries to trick us into believing lies, which result in sin.
Romans 5:20-21

God’s whole purpose in the plan of salvation was to save us from sin.
Romans 6:1-11

If we died with Christ we believe that we will also live with him. Christ was raised from the dead and cannot die again. Death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

The words “we will also live with him” refer to an experience of resurrection life here and now. There is a future resurrection and the same union of the believer with Christ that we have been talking about is a guarantee of it. But that is not what these verses are about. They refer to Jesus’ passage from a world where death reigned to the sphere of resurrection life. They refer to our passage from the reign of death to the reign of grace, to a present resurrection. This is what Paul said of himself in Philippians, where he wrote, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection” (Philippians 3:10). He meant that he wanted to be victorious over sin.

This is the first time Paul urges his readers to do anything in the book of Romans. The Greek word for “count” in this verse is “logizomai” which is important because it means something that is reality, that is, with things as they truly are. It has nothing to do with wishful thinking. Paul’s starting point for exhorting us is counting as true what God has Himself already done for us. Sanctification begins with knowledge. The first step in growing in holiness is counting as true what is in fact true. Sanctification is knowing that God has taken us out of Adam and has joined us to Jesus Christ and then beginning to live that way. The secret to a holy life is believing God.

Colossians 2:9-15

“Triumphing”

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When Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, He won the victory over the devil once and for all. The completeness of what Jesus accomplished for us is not clearly understood by many Christians today and as a result they spend an excessive amount of their life fighting a war that has already been won for them. God isn’t asking us to win the war again over the devil – that’s ancient history. He wants us to believe what truly happened 2000 years ago and use that victory in our daily lives to keep the devil in a bound condition. That is what triumphing is all about. By disarming the powers God took the devil’s guns away from him and stripped him of his ability to do what he had formerly done to the human race. Then God boldly and publicly showed that satan is no longer allowed to ravage mankind, provided we will accept Christ and His finished Work in our lives and live on God’s terms.

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Paul takes his language here from the Roman customs of that time. When a Roman general defeated his opponent in war, the Roman Senate arranged a triumph for him upon his victorious return to Rome. A giant procession was organized, led by the conquering general. He was dressed in all his finery and placed in a magnificent chariot pulled by 2 beautiful white horses. The defeated general and all his underlings who had survived the war were stripped naked, bound and chained to the back of the conquering general’s chariot. This was purposely done to show the people they had nothing to fear from this defeated enemy from that time on. The procession then advanced through the streets of Rome as the citizens cheered the winning general. After his chariot passed by, cheers turned to shouts of derision for the conquered for who followed. People insulted them, spit upon them and hit them with rocks; absolutely humiliating this enemy who had had the gall to believe he could defeat the mighty Roman empire.

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Applying this scenario to Christ’s victory over the devil, symbolically speaking, God put Jesus in the chariot and chained the devil and his demon hordes to the back of the chariot. And they are still there if we understand what God’s Word says.
Because we are “in” Christ, according to Romans 8:1-2, we are in the chariot with Christ Jesus, enjoying the spoils of winning the war! That is the reason we don’t have to beg God for what has already been accomplished. We aren’t’ standing on the sidelines, hoping a small part of the victory will rub off on us by chance. We are always triumphant in Christ! The reason some Christians have so much trouble with the devil and suffer assaults through fear, sickness, depression, sin and want is that they are believing the devil’s version of what their position is in Christ more than what God tells them about it in His Word.

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We are expressly commanded to “Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” The wrestling match or battle or spiritual warfare that we are engaged in today revolves around this area of deception or illusions which the devil uses to trick us into believing his lies about the situation instead of God’s Truth. When the devil tries to put his symptoms of fear and sickness on us, we need to battle them with the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.

When the devil says he’s going to kill us or our children, we say “No, you’re not because God’s Word says this and this. Now get out of here in the Name of Jesus!”

Keep the devil behind the chariot where he belongs! He will try to pull us out of the chariot with his tricks. In fact some Christians are bound behind the chariot and the devil is running loose in their lives, stealing, killing and destroying, because they don’t understand it is their right, as a child of God, to keep the devil in a constant state of bondage! The fact is that the devil is terrified of true disciples who stay in the chariot, believing God more than anything else.

Being in relationship with God means that He will continually be purifying us and showing us areas of sin in our lives.  In humility we’re to ask His Holy Spirit help us to be holy, as God is holy.  This continual work of sanctification is a process that we walk in our entire lives.

Part of our on-going battle against sin in our lives involves our recognizing the lies that we’re believing and replacing those with the truths found in God’s Word. Spend time with God today and ask Him what in your life He considers as sin.  Then ask the Lord to help you by the power of His Word and His Spirit to turn away from that sin. Let this be the pattern of your life.  God exalts the humble and draws them near to Himself.  In the nearness of God’s holy Presence sin melts away by the power of His infinite Love.

SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM

by | Nov 24, 2016

Seek first His Kingdom

In the book of Matthew, chapters 5 – 7 we read “The Sermon on the Mount.”  This is the longest piece of Yeshua’s teaching recorded in the New Testament.   In it we find truths about the blessings associated with the human condition, teachings on prayer, moral and ethical teachings, admonishments of who we are and how we’re to act in this world, and truths about Messiah’s position in relationship to the law.

There’s a profound depth of wisdom and richness in these teachings that nourish our spirits. They bring hope, guidance and comfort when read and applied to our lives. This proves that Yeshua was who He said that He was – God in flesh.

When God talks we’re to listen, right?  But do we?  How many times throughout our day do we hear God’s still small voice instructing us, but we ignore Him, choosing our own way instead?

I dare say we do this more often than not, and herein lies the reason that the world doesn’t know that we’ re Messiah’s disciples, or that Yeshua is in fact, the Son of God, and Savior of the world.

In the middle of the Sermon on the Mount, Yeshua gives some very practical help to reverse this trend. By heeding this instruction we’ll know God more deeply in the truth of who Messiah is, and we’ll experience profound blessings in all areas of our lives.  Do you want that?

Imagine no anxiety in your life.  Imagine a life of total peace, and no fear. Can you envision having all your needs met without striving after the common things of everyday life like food, shelter and clothing? You can live effortlessly and without struggle or concern.  What’s the secret?  Well, there’s no secret.  There’s only a discipline.  And that discipline is to seek God’s Kingdom and His righteousness first in everything that you do in life.

(Matthew 6:25-33)

What does it look like to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness? Well, let’s think about it practically.

When you first wake up in the morning what are you thinking about?  Are you thinking about the day ahead of you?  Are you thinking about what happened yesterday?  Are you looking at your phone checking email, or looking at Facebook? (Those are my temptations.)

Or, are you thinking about the Kingdom and the righteousness of God.

Maybe you could do what I do, and have a picture on your wall by your bed, at eye level, that quotes Matthew 6:33. However you do it, you need to train yourself to have your first thoughts on the Kingdom and Righteousness of God.  There are far too many distractions in our world that take our eyes off Yeshua. He’s our righteousness, and we need to always remind ourselves of that fact to protect ourselves from falling into the sin and danger of self righteousness.  We need to put tools in place that help steer our mind’s eyes off of ourselves and onto God.

Memorizing and meditating on Scripture is a great tool to help.  How about committing this Scripture to memory?:
(1 Corinthians 1:30)

OK, so you’ve gotten out of bed.  When you move throughout your day, and through the myriad of tasks, how can you seek God’s kingdom and righteousness first?  Well, how about backing away from the immediate task before starting it, and thanking God for the life, grace and power that He’s given you to accomplish that task? Then ask for the dominion of His Kingdom and His Righteousness to rule over the task at hand.

Throughout our day we need to continually talk with God and acknowledge His Presence in our lives.  That’s another way that we seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness.

Remember Deuteronomy 6:5-9.

Seeking God’s Kingdom and righteousness first is just a byproduct of loving God.  When we love God we’re constantly thinking and talking about Him, and His Word.  We’re actively discipling others in God’s ways, and sharing with those who don’t yet know Him.  Everything we put our hands to is done for His purposes, and He’s always at the forefront of our eyes, minds and hearts.  Our focus goes from living with a focus on ourselves and the things of this world, to a Biblical, God centered focus.  This changes the experiences and the outcomes of our lives dramatically, and is the real key to seeking first God’s Kingdom and Righteousness. This is where Mission Discipleship can help you.  Mission Discipleship exists to help you make choices that help increase your “Kingdom/God” focus. Prayerfully ask God what role He wants you to play in obedience to His command to “go and make disciples.” Why is this so important?  Because, we want you to hear “well done good and faithful servant” when you see God’s Kingdom and His Righteousness face to face.

SHARING YOUR FAITH

by | Nov 23, 2016

SHARING YOUR FAITH... A HELPS GUIDE

When witnessing about the Gospel (Good News) of Jesus Christ (Yeshua HaMashiach)
here are some things to remember:

  1. It’s the Holy Spirit’s (Ruach HaKodesh’s) work to bring a person to faith in the Messiah, not ours.
  2. God doesn’t call us to be successful witnesses, only faithful ones.
  3. Prayer is essential when sharing your faith. Pray for God to give you wisdom in the words you speak. Also pray that the Holy Spirit would touch the heart of the person you’re witnessing to.
  4. Pray for divine opportunities to share your faith with people.
  5. Don’t be afraid to share your faith. That’s satan’s desire. Walk in faith not in fear. God will help you. Ask Him for help. Trust that He will give it.
  6. Don’t get discouraged. Remember that Jesus, Yeshua was despised and rejected by men. Sometimes when we’re witnessing people reject us, and what we have to say. This puts us in good company with the Lord. Find peace in that.
  7. Always listen and speak to people from a pure heart of love and compassion. Pray for God to help you in this area.
  8. If the person you’re sharing with is Jewish it’s good to know that the name Jesus may bring fear into a Jewish person’s mind. In those instances it’s good to use His Hebrew name Yeshua, which means ‘God is salvation.’  Also use the title Messiah, instead of Christ.  Both mean the same thing – Messiah is the English translation of the Hebrew word Mashiach, and Christ is from the Greek – Kristos.  Both mean the Anointed One.
  9. Also when sharing with Jewish people know that many dislike the word convert. That word makes them think that if they believe in Jesus they are no longer Jewish. This is not the truth. Try to avoid that word. It might be better to use the word completion instead of conversion.
  10. Don’t assume the person you’re witnessing to knows Scripture. Most people, including Jewish people do not know what it says in the Holy Scriptures.
  11. Know your Scriptures. Study the Bible and know what it says about Messiah. There are over 300 Messianic prophesies in the Old Testament alone that prove the Word of God is true and Yeshua/Jesus is the Messiah.
  12. Don’t be afraid to say ‘I don’t know’ if you’re asked a question you don’t know the answer to. Offer to research the answer and get back to the person. Your humility will be a greater witness than spiritual pride would.
  13. Many people do not understand the concept of sin, salvation or our need Savior. They don’t think they’re sinners. They see sinners as convicted criminals. It’s good to know the 10 Commandments and use them in your witness as a test to help people see for themselves whether they have broken God’s basic law and are therefore a sinner. Once they see that they have broken God’s law you can then tell them about God’s plan of salvation and the Savior, Yeshua HaMashiach. (Jesus the Messiah.)
  14. Know how to pray with someone to lead them into a ‘born again’ experience. Jesus/Yeshua tells us that unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. (John 3:5)
  15. Words that are simple to us, i.e.: faith, grace, repentance, works, righteousness, prophecy, etc…are not understood by unbelievers. Try not to use ‘Christianese’ when you’re sharing. Be simple. Explain the concepts that you talk about.
  16. People need to know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is not about religion. It is about relationship with God. In order to be in good relationship with God He requires us to repent. Repentance requires taking in a whole new point of view; looking at things God’s way. God simply asks us to turn. This is the way we accept His gift of salvation.
  17. People do not believe that God has an adversary (satan) or that there’s an eternal place of torment (hell.) It’s good to know Old Testament Scriptures that talk about satan and hell: Job 1; Isaiah 14; Ezekiel 28; Deut. 32:22; Psalm 9:17; Eccl. 9:10; Dan. 12:2.
  18. People (Jews & Gentiles) need to be informed that there’s more to life than they think. It’s good to explain the fact that we’re born as triune beings with a body, soul (mind, will & emotions) and a spirit. Our spirits are dead because of the sinful nature of man. There is, however, a spiritual realm that is very real. This is the current realm of the Kingdom of God. Our faith in Yeshua as Messiah brings life to our spirits and allows us to perceive this spiritual realm.
  19. Most Jews and many Gentiles have never heard the story of Jesus Christ. They do not know that He was Jewish and that most of the 1st century believers were Jewish. Tell the story. Show how Christ’s death was foreshadowed in the Old Testament in the Passover story. Help them understand that each of the Jewish feasts foreshadow an aspect of Messiah, and that is a beautiful sign given to us by God to help point us toward the truth. Help them understand that His blood put into effect the New Covenant that the prophet Jeremiah spoke about.  (Jer. 31:31-33)
  20. In today’s society secular humanism (a humanist philosophy that upholds reason, ethics and justice, and denies supernaturalism) is the predominant worldview. It’s important for people to understand the truth about the Kingdom of God and God’s right to rule and reign over us. This is essentially what Yeshua came here to teach. It’s important for us to keep sharing that message.
  21. Use your own testimony to show how God has worked in your life when sharing the Gospel with people.
  22. When talking to people in order to witness to them maintain control of the conversation. Always steer them back to Jesus and talking about Him, and their need for salvation.
  23. Jewish people specifically, do not believe in Jesus because they believe He was a man claiming to be God. Help them try to see that He was in fact God, who came to earth in the form of a man. Challenge them to think about the fact that God can do anything He wants to do, and that He had come to earth before. (Genesis 11:5; Genesis 32:30)
  24. Jewish people also say they will not believe in Jesus because God commands them to believe only in 1 God and not 3 separate Gods. Be able to assure them that you believe in only one God too. God Himself though has revealed Himself to us as having different aspects of Himself. Jesus (Yeshua) being one of those aspects. Remind the Jewish person that the most used Hebrew name for God is Elohim and in the Hebrew language ‘im’ at the end of a word denotes a plurality. God even said in Genesis “Let us make man in our image.” (Gen. 1:26) God is a multi-faceted being, and yes there is only one God!
  25. Help Jewish people understand that God wants all people to be part of His family and that is why He allowed the Jews to reject Jesus – So that salvation would go to the Gentiles as well. In the last days the Jew’s eyes will be opened to the truth about Messiah. This is beginning to happen now. There are currently more Jewish believers in Jesus than ever before in history.
  26. Yeshua/Jesus is the world’s role model of how God wants us all to live our lives. Following Him by being obedient to His teachings leads us to live lives of righteousness and holiness in the power of God, and assures that we have salvation from eternal damnation and judgment. Having Messiah Yeshua as the foundation of all our work assures that we will accomplish things that will have eternal value in God’s sight.
  27. Don’t be afraid to just ask people the simple question: “Have you ever received Yeshua/Jesus as your personal Savior?” If they say “No.” simply ask them if you could lead them in a prayer to do that right now.

A Sample Explanation and Prayer:

As the Creator, God is King of all the universe. His Kingdom is also an eternal Kingdom. He has a right to rule in our lives, but in our pride we exalt ourselves as King. This pride is one example of sin (imperfection) and sin separates us from God, who is perfect. By faith (trust, belief) God puts His Holy Spirit into our spirit and makes it come alive. Having life in our spirit is what enables us to recognize and understand the truth about God’s Kingdom, communicate with Him and turn from our sin and live righteous and holy lives. This doesn’t happen automatically though.

God came to the earth in the form of a man, Jesus Christ, Yeshua HaMashiach (in Hebrew). He came to teach us about the Kingdom of God and to die on the cross so that the sins of humanity could be forgiven. Just as medicine prescribed by a doctor will not heal a sick person unless it’s taken, we too must believe in and ask the Messiah to cover our sin. There is supernatural power in His shed blood that allows this to happen. When we confess our faith in Messiah and appropriate His blood to our lives this is called receiving Yeshua, Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Our making this choice causes us to be ‘born again’ by the spirit and our spirits come alive to God and His Kingdom.

We know that there’s real power in the sacrifice and the blood of Jesus because though He was crucified and died, He rose from the dead. Hundreds of people saw Him alive. This proved that He conquered sin and death forever. The great healings that took place while Jesus lived on the earth also showed us the great compassion of God toward us, and the power of His Kingdom.

Many people say many things about eternity and how many lives we live etc…but the Bible says we live only once and then we will be judged. If we have ever lied, stolen, coveted, or gone against any of the other 10 Commandments in God’s law, we will be condemned to eternal separation from God and will spend eternity in torment. When we accept the forgiveness of the Messiah by believing in Him, and hope in what He can do in our lives, God brings life to our spirits. We learn the truth that our eternal destination and home is with our Heavenly Father, God and that God’s Kingdom (a place of great joy and love) exists both here on earth, and in Heaven.

By proclaiming and living the truth that Yeshua, Jesus is Lord we come into right alignment with the Kingdom of God and reap all the benefits that God, the Creator of the universe has to offer us. Our lives become fulfilled and we begin to live out the unique destinies that we each were created for. It doesn’t mean that we won’t have problems or hardships, but we are assured that when we walk in God’s ways of living, as outlined in the Bible and when we apply ourselves to know God more (through prayer and Bible study) we begin to live lives of fulfillment and abundance no matter what life brings our way.

If you’ve never prayed to receive Jesus/Y’shua as your personal Lord and Savior just read this prayer and mean it in your heart. (Prayer is simply speaking and listening to God.):

Lord, God, my imperfection is called sin. You are perfect God and I understand that You came to earth in the form of the man Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus Christ, to die, as payment for my sin. I believe that You were raised from the dead and I have a hope that through my faith You can set my life on a better path. Forgive me of my sins. Come into my heart. Cleanse me. Turn my life around and guide me. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, Your Ruach HaKodesh. Help me to walk in Your ways. Prepare me for my eternal home in heaven. Use me on this earth now for Your glory, Your honor and the furtherance of Your Kingdom on earth. Thank you for saving me. It’s in Yeshua, Jesus’ name that I pray. Amen.