But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:16-18 ESV)
Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:1-6 ESV)
Friday, February 20, 2015
Thursday, February 19, 2015
NOTES: With Christ in the School of Prayer - Andrew Murray
Power for Praying and Working:
Truly, truly, I say unto you, he that believes on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall you do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever you ask in my name, That will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you shall ask anything in my name, I will do it. John 14:12-14
- whoever wants to do the works of Jesus must pray his name. Whoever prays in his name must work in his name.
- In prayer the power for work is obtained.
- This is reality......With the resurrection, the powers of the eternal life were to take possession of the human body and obtain supremacy over human life. With his ascension, Christ was to receive the power to communicate the Holy Spirit completely to his body. The union-the oneness between himself on the throne and those on earth-was to be so intensely and divinely perfect that he meant it has the literal truth: "greater works than these shall he do, because I go on to my Father. "
- as we believe and ask in Jesus's name, the power comes and takes possession of us also to do the greater works.
- The one reason there is little or nothing to be seen of the power to do anything like Christ's work, not to mention anything greater is this: the belief in him and believe in prayer and his name are absent.
- Every child of God must learn this lesson: prayer in the name of Jesus is the only way to share in the mighty power that Jesus has received from the Father for his people. It is in this power alone that the believer can do greater works.
- If you want to do the work of Jesus, believe and become linked to him, the Almighty One.
- Effective working first needs effective praying.
- The second lesson that every child of God must learn is: whoever prays must work.
- It is for power to work that Prayer has such great promises. Power for the effective prayer of faith is gained through working. Our Lord repeats no less than six times those unlimited prayer promises that evoke anxious questions as to their real meaning: "whatsoever, ""anything, ""what you will,""ask and you shall receive," John 14:13-14; 15:7,16; 16:23-24. Many a believer has read these promises with joy and hope, and indeed earnestness of soul has attempted to plead them for his own need, and has come out disappointed. The simple reason was that he separated the promise from its context.
- The Lord gave the wonderful promise of the free use of his name with the Father in conjunction with doing his works. The disciple who lives only for Jesus' work in the kingdom, for his will and honor, will be given the power to appropriate the promise. Anyone grasping the promise only when he wants something very special for himself will be disappointed, because he is making Jesus the servant of his own comfort. But whoever wants to pray the effective prayer of faith because he needs it for the work of the Lord Jesus Christ will learn it, because he has made himself the servant of his Lord's interests. Prayer not only teaches and strengthens the one for work, work teaches and strengthens one for prayer.
- Let us give ourselves to the master for his work!
- Believer in Jesus! You are called-you are appointed-to do the works of Jesus, and even greater works. He has gone to the Father to get the power to do them in and through you. Give yourself and live to do the works of Christ, and you will learn how to obtain wonderful answers to prayer. You will learn to do not only what he did, but much more. With disciples full of faith in Jesus, boldly asking great things in prayer, Christ can conquer the world.
PRAYER:
Oh my Lord, once again, I am hearing you say things that are beyond my comprehension. I can do nothing but except them and keep them in simple, childlike faith as your gift to me. You have said that because of your going to be with the Father, anyone who believes in you can do not only the things you have done, but greater things as well. Lord, I worship you as the Glorified One and eagerly await the fulfillment of your promise. May my whole life be one of continued believing in you. Purify and sanctify my heart. Make it so tenderly susceptible to yourself and your love that believing in you will become its very breath. You have said that because you went to the Father, you will do whatever we ask you to do. You want your people to share your power. From your throne, you want to work through them, as members of your body, in response to their believing prayer in your name. You have promised us power in our prayers to you and power in our work here on earth. Blessed Lord, forgive us for not believing you and your promise more. Because of our lack of faith, we have failed to demonstrate how you were faithful to fulfill that promise. Please forgive us for so little honoring your all-prevailing name in heaven or on earth. Lord, teach us to pray so that we can prove your name is all-powerful with God, with men, and with devils. Teach us to work and to pray in a way that glorifies you, and do your great works through us. In Your powerful name Lord Jesus, Amen!
Truly, truly, I say unto you, he that believes on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall you do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever you ask in my name, That will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you shall ask anything in my name, I will do it. John 14:12-14
- whoever wants to do the works of Jesus must pray his name. Whoever prays in his name must work in his name.
- In prayer the power for work is obtained.
- This is reality......With the resurrection, the powers of the eternal life were to take possession of the human body and obtain supremacy over human life. With his ascension, Christ was to receive the power to communicate the Holy Spirit completely to his body. The union-the oneness between himself on the throne and those on earth-was to be so intensely and divinely perfect that he meant it has the literal truth: "greater works than these shall he do, because I go on to my Father. "
- as we believe and ask in Jesus's name, the power comes and takes possession of us also to do the greater works.
- The one reason there is little or nothing to be seen of the power to do anything like Christ's work, not to mention anything greater is this: the belief in him and believe in prayer and his name are absent.
- Every child of God must learn this lesson: prayer in the name of Jesus is the only way to share in the mighty power that Jesus has received from the Father for his people. It is in this power alone that the believer can do greater works.
- If you want to do the work of Jesus, believe and become linked to him, the Almighty One.
- Effective working first needs effective praying.
- The second lesson that every child of God must learn is: whoever prays must work.
- It is for power to work that Prayer has such great promises. Power for the effective prayer of faith is gained through working. Our Lord repeats no less than six times those unlimited prayer promises that evoke anxious questions as to their real meaning: "whatsoever, ""anything, ""what you will,""ask and you shall receive," John 14:13-14; 15:7,16; 16:23-24. Many a believer has read these promises with joy and hope, and indeed earnestness of soul has attempted to plead them for his own need, and has come out disappointed. The simple reason was that he separated the promise from its context.
- The Lord gave the wonderful promise of the free use of his name with the Father in conjunction with doing his works. The disciple who lives only for Jesus' work in the kingdom, for his will and honor, will be given the power to appropriate the promise. Anyone grasping the promise only when he wants something very special for himself will be disappointed, because he is making Jesus the servant of his own comfort. But whoever wants to pray the effective prayer of faith because he needs it for the work of the Lord Jesus Christ will learn it, because he has made himself the servant of his Lord's interests. Prayer not only teaches and strengthens the one for work, work teaches and strengthens one for prayer.
- Let us give ourselves to the master for his work!
- Believer in Jesus! You are called-you are appointed-to do the works of Jesus, and even greater works. He has gone to the Father to get the power to do them in and through you. Give yourself and live to do the works of Christ, and you will learn how to obtain wonderful answers to prayer. You will learn to do not only what he did, but much more. With disciples full of faith in Jesus, boldly asking great things in prayer, Christ can conquer the world.
PRAYER:
Oh my Lord, once again, I am hearing you say things that are beyond my comprehension. I can do nothing but except them and keep them in simple, childlike faith as your gift to me. You have said that because of your going to be with the Father, anyone who believes in you can do not only the things you have done, but greater things as well. Lord, I worship you as the Glorified One and eagerly await the fulfillment of your promise. May my whole life be one of continued believing in you. Purify and sanctify my heart. Make it so tenderly susceptible to yourself and your love that believing in you will become its very breath. You have said that because you went to the Father, you will do whatever we ask you to do. You want your people to share your power. From your throne, you want to work through them, as members of your body, in response to their believing prayer in your name. You have promised us power in our prayers to you and power in our work here on earth. Blessed Lord, forgive us for not believing you and your promise more. Because of our lack of faith, we have failed to demonstrate how you were faithful to fulfill that promise. Please forgive us for so little honoring your all-prevailing name in heaven or on earth. Lord, teach us to pray so that we can prove your name is all-powerful with God, with men, and with devils. Teach us to work and to pray in a way that glorifies you, and do your great works through us. In Your powerful name Lord Jesus, Amen!
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
The Reality of Christ is More Real and Powerful
Jesus Christ is more real than what we experience of him on a daily basis, or have experienced in the past 10-20-30...90 years of our lives. Or if you have never experienced him at all, he is calling you to know him. There is more of him to be known today. To those who have died in the body they now understand the magnitude of this. For those who were Born Again as scripture teaches and died in Christ, their eyes and ears are experiencing what "no eye nor ear has heard or seen" on this side of heaven. No doubt it is glorious! I believe it is possible to experience more of Jesus on this side of heaven in ways that are so glorious it is hard to describe. And don't we want this? Our flesh does not, but the Holy Spirit does! The Word of God promises that He will reveal himself to those who seek him diligently, and surrender their whole lives to Jesus in trust of his life, death and resurrection for them. These are the ones who love Jesus. I know there are people in this world who have known Christ and experienced him in ways that others have not. By the Holy Spirit's power to reveal, people can know the God who created them in a personal loving relationship! There is one true God wanting to be known, who is wanting to pour out his loving kindness on us. The monotony, the danger, the pain, the uncertainty, the fear, the disappointment and death that this world gives fails and fades when faith in the absolute promise of Christ takes 1st place in the soul and mind of a person. The hope in realizing this is that we would want to know more of Christ ..........now..........wherever we are in life. In whatever sin is consuming, blinding, seizing and binding us now. In whatever chaos, fear, anxiety or loss that is confounding us now......MAY THE REALITY OF CHRIST shine forth and break the power of sin and death! The promise is that not, on this side of heaven, that these things are going to go away, BUT the Word of God says that we are to be sanctified or continually changing more and more into the image of Christ. We are to become more like him in the way he thinks and acts. We are to become acquainted with his sufferings. That means becoming Born Again. You are Born Again when you trust that Jesus suffered and died for you personally in order to remove sin and death from you. You are Born Again when you believe that Jesus alone is the only one who can save you from sin and death, because you trust he is God in a human body. And you are Born Again when you know confidently that Jesus rose from his grave, and that he will raise you to life with him after you die in the body. When we are Born Again we expect to experience loss, pain, and hardships and at the same time remain unbroken in faith, hope and love. Amidst the world's chaotic ways we can have peace that passes understanding. As we witness Satan's power to wield evil influence, IN CHRIST, we can resist and confidently and boldly respond in ways that take that evil and work it out for good. To know Christ Jesus today means a realization that the full weight of evil is being held back. Remove the Holy Spirit from this world? Remove the people who possess the Holy Spirit of God.........and what do you think will happen? Scripture teaches that this world is ruled by Satan. He governs the governments. He has demons who masquerade as gods of violence, lust and vanity, and there are people who follow them. Those who are Born Again stop being violent, they fight daily against the onslaught of lust and sexual immoralities (they repent of it all). Don't you remember when Satan himself came to Jesus who was hungry, tired and seemingly at his "weakest", and told him that if he would just bow down to him, that he would give all the kingdoms of the world to Jesus. PRAISE JESUS that he renounced Satan's temptations with the living Words of God. Food and Power were not more important to Jesus then his Father's will. Jesus overcame temptation because he knew the reality of his Father. He knew the glory and weight of the promises found in obedience. He loved his Dad! The reality of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit can be known through obedience. And through more and more obedience increase in sanctification happens. We are at that point in the age of times where shaking is about to happen. Whatever and whoever is not found rooted in Jesus Christ will fall, will be deceived, will take the mark of the beast, will renounce Jesus in order to "live." May the true REALITY of a BORN AGAIN RELATIONSHIP with JESUS CHRIST fueled by the HOLY SPIRIT come upon you! In Jesus name I pray! Read the Bible tonight in the Book of John and 1st, 2nd and 3rd John my friend. Be thoroughly blessed!
Monday, February 16, 2015
Bridging the Divide
If there's a song, a sound rhythm with message; a movie clip or image cache without question; that's seared onto the mind, and within the depth of the heart; that won't get out, or leave alone; that is vile, impure, unlovely, not praiseworthy and quietly-subtly steals innocence........ it can be renounced in the Spirit of Christ. The childlike innocence within us ( yes, it can be restored and even protected no matter the age!), though it be trod upon by decades of vanity, impurity, uncleanness, violence and/or gore---by one's own choice or the result of other's; that innocence can be restored in the Spirit of Truth who is Jesus Christ. The One who is Good is worth sacrificing for; the Good has bridged the divide that so separated us. The Good united the divided.
This song is older but is a good reminder of the power of Christ to heal what's been lost in us, and protect us from the onslaught. It proclaims the power of God to remove the sin and replace it with everlasting life.
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