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In the Gospel of St. John 16, Jesus prepares His disciples for His Ascension, saying that He is returning to the Father. Knowing that they had sorrow over what He had said, our Lord encourages them by telling them that it is to their advantage that He leave them. For if He leaves them, He will send the Paraclete to them. That word Paraclete describing the Holy Spirit means comforter, helper, and advocate. It is the Holy Spirit that takes what is Christ's and gives it to us. God the Holy Spirit is such a source of illumination that shines into our souls. That illumination transforms our whole being giving us great comfort and bringing rest to our soul.
In John 16, our Lord Jesus Christ tells prepares His disciples for the time He will be betrayed and taken from them. He gives them hope of the joy that they will experience when they see Him again. At the same time, He is speaking to them and us of the last days between His Ascension and His second and final coming; we will call it today the age of the in between. What encouragement can we draw from our Lord's words in this passage? Our Lord teaches us in this reading how we should live in and from Him in the midst of the sufferings of this age.
Are good deeds a part of God's Great Commission? We all should know the great charge that Jesus gave to His disciples both before the Cross and after His Ascension—to go forth, to witness, to make disciples. And Jesus told us all what the two great commandments are: to love God and to love our neighbors. So, what about good deeds—do they help or obscure the Great Commission? Join Kevin as we dive into both the Great Commission and what we can rightly label Good Deeds Theology! // Download this episode's Application & Action questions and PDF transcript at whitestone.org.
By NOT Adhering to Jesus' “Great Commission” to “go . . . and make disciples” You Are Following Jesus MESSAGE SUMMARY: God said told all Jesus Followers to “go and make disciples” not to “make decisions”. In other words, we are to bring the Gospel to others with whom we have or with whom we develop a personal relationship. Therefore, we are to leave the “conversion” or the “decision” of others to become a Christian up to the Holy Spirit. Our job, as Jesus Followers, is to “go and make disciples”. In Jesus' last instructions to His Apostles and to you, before His Ascension to Heaven from Earth, is in Mathew 28:16-20 -- Jesus' Great Commission: “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'”. A disciple is a student, a follower, a learner. Making a disciple is not about classes. Making a disciple it about investing yourself in the life of another person – discipling is having a personal relationship with another person so that they see the life of Christ in you. Have you been discipled, or have you made a disciple? Not “going and making disciples” is your “great omission” as a Christian. TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, in order to be with you, I need you to show me how to “create a desert” in the midst of my full, active life. Cleanse me from the pressures, illusions, and pretenses that confront me today so that my life may serve as a gift to those around me. Amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 26). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, Nothing compares to knowing Jesus (Philippians 3:7f). “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”. (Philippians 4:14). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Mathew 28:16-20; Mathew 9:36-38; Mathew 10:16-33; Psalms 115:1-18. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Being in Christ, Part 1”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
The cornerstones of our faith are Christ's death on the cross and HIs resurrection from the dead. So why did Jesus remain on the earth for 40 days following His resurrection, rather than returning to heaven immediately? And what is the significance of His Ascension? Join us now as we answer these important questions.
Jesus Followers Must Meet Jesus' Expectation of His “Great Commission” By Both “Going” and “Making Disciples” MESSAGE SUMMARY: Jesus, in Luke 15:4-7, tells us, through His Parable of The Lost Sheep, the importance to God of our discipleship: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.". Immediately before His Ascension into Heaven Jesus told the Apostles and us today, in His Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20, that as we go into our communities and into all parts of the world, we are to make disciples: “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'”. We must begin, as followers of Jesus, to meet His fundamental expectation for us by both going and making disciples! TODAY'S PRAYER: Abba Father, I open my clenched fists to surrender everything you have given to me. Reestablish my identity in you — not in my family, my work, my accomplishments, or what others think of me. Cleanse the things in me that are not conformed to your will. By faith I unite my will to yours so that the likeness of Jesus Christ may be formed in me. In his name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 85). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, because I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Compulsions. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit's fruit of Patience. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 28:18-20; Matthew 10:16; Matthew 16:24-28; Psalms 29:1-11 A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Essentials Part 4 – One God, Not Three”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Read Online“The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” Matthew 9:15 Our appetites and fleshly desires can easily cloud our thinking and keep us from desiring only God and His holy will. Therefore, in order to curb one's disordered appetites, it is useful to mortify them by acts of self-denial, such as fasting. But during Jesus' public ministry, when He was daily with His disciples, it appears that self-denial was unnecessary for His disciples. One can only speculate that this was because Jesus was so intimately present to them every day that His divine presence sufficed to curb any and every disordered affection.But the day did come when Jesus was taken away from them—first by His death, and then shortly after by His Ascension into Heaven. After the Ascension and Pentecost, Jesus' relationship with His disciples changed. It was no longer a tangible and physical presence. It was no longer a daily dose of authoritative teaching and inspiring miracles that they saw. Instead, their relationship with our Lord began to take on a new dimension of conformity to Jesus' Passion. The disciples were now being called to imitate our Lord by turning their eyes of faith to Him interiorly, and exteriorly acting as His instrument of sacrificial love. And for that reason, the disciples needed their passions and fleshly appetites under control. Hence, after Jesus' Ascension and with the beginning of the disciples' public ministry, they greatly benefitted from fasting and all other forms of mortification.Each one of us is called to be not only a follower of Christ (a disciple) but also an instrument of Christ (an apostle). And if we are to fulfill these roles well, our disordered fleshly appetites cannot get in the way. We need to allow the Spirit of God to consume us and lead us in all that we do. Fasting and all other forms of mortification help us to stay focused upon the Spirit rather than upon our weaknesses and fleshly temptations. Reflect, today, upon the importance of fasting and mortification of the flesh. These penitential acts are not usually desirable at first. But that's the key. By doing that which our flesh does not “desire,” we strengthen our spirit to take greater control, which enables our Lord to use us and direct our actions more effectively. Commit yourself to this holy practice and you will be amazed at how transforming it will be. My dear Lord, I thank You for choosing to use me as Your instrument. I thank You that I may be sent by You to share Your love with the world. Give me the grace to conform myself more fully to You by mortifying my disordered appetites and desires so that You and You alone can take complete control of my life. May I be open to the gift of fasting and may this penitential act help to transform my life. Jesus, I trust in You.Image via Pixabay.Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2025 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 4:10a-Jesus Christ's Descent into Hades and His Ascension to the Right Hand of the Father-Lesson # 221
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 4:10a-Jesus Christ's Descent into Hades and His Ascension to the Right Hand of the Father-Lesson # 221
In this episode, David is summarising all the key points from his recent bible study series from the book of Acts. The Church began in the Acts of the Apostles with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It's the story of the birth of the Church, how it was formed, how it developed – and I believe it's how the Church should be today. I believe we should live as they lived in the Acts of the Apostles, in the same Power of the Holy Spirit – it's the Power behind my ministry of evangelism. In Joel 2 the prophet speaks of the first rain and the last rain. I believe, and many would agree, this refers to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost when the church began, and now in these last days before Christ returns. Acts begins in the period after the Resurrection, before His Ascension into Heaven, when Jesus was still appearing to His disciples. He tells them, wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit comes. Acts 1:8. Why? Because everything changed when the Holy Spirit came on the disciples at Pentecost! Look at Peter, after Jesus was arrested, when just a servant girl approached him – he was so afraid, he vehemently denied he knew Jesus. After Christ's crucifixion, even after the Resurrection, there was a panic, what to do now? Peter's idea was ‘let's go fishing'! Yet when he received the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, it was Peter who was the first to leap up onto the roof of the building and preach Christ! Three thousand repented and were baptised! The Power Peter now had was in the Holy Spirit!
The dramatic words of v7-10 were spoken at the Gates of Jerusalem, when David brought the Ark of the Covenant to God's earthly holy Hill in a procession (2Sam 6, 1Chr 15). This was the ascension of the Lord Himself, enthroned on the Ark (Ps 132:5-8) to His chosen resting place in the city of the great King (Ps 48:2, Matt 5:35). Thus, it's a type of Christ's Ascension to His throne in the New Jerusalem, God's heavenly holy Hill, as well as His ascension to sit on David's throne at His 2nd Coming. It's a Messianic Psalm ultimately fulfilled in His Ascension. v3-6 poses & starts to answer a big question: “Who may ASCEND into the Hill of the LORD or STAND in His Holy Place?” (v3). God's requirement to ascend & stand in His Presence is perfection (v4), so it's impossible for us, but God provides salvation by grace (v5-6). In v7-10, He answers the big question, revealing the unique perfect Man, Christ, who ascended to Heaven, the King of Glory, mighty in battle who defeated all foes & accomplished our salvation. It reveals that with Him many will ascend, showing how God provides us salvation by grace (v5). We can't climb to God, but He came down to us, so we could rise with Him (Heb 2:10). He fulfilled the conditions of v4; then ascended to Heaven (v7-10), to make a way for us to rise with Him. Before this no man ascended to Heaven (John 3:13). He alone fulfils God's standards. The scene describes this glorified Man ascending to Heaven & coming to its Gates to request access. v7-10: “Lift up your heads, O you Gates! and be lifted up, you everlasting Doors! and the KING of GLORY shall come in. Who is this KING of GLORY? (God does not seek entrance to Heaven, so this refers to Christ, His anointed human King). The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle (He's the Lord God, who became a man, fought the battle & won the victory for us). Lift up your heads, O you Gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this KING of GLORY? The LORD of HOSTS (armies), He is the KING of GLORY. Selah.” v3 asked: 'Who can ascend?' Here is the answer. He lived a perfect life, defeated all foes & ascended, but not on His own. He's the Lord of armies. When He enters thru the Gates, His army of saints enter with Him, united to Him by faith. He gained access to Heaven for all under His command. Thus Ps 24 deals with the issue of salvation, asking & answering: “Who may ascend?” (v3). To enter requires moral perfection (v4). When we receive Him, we receive His righteousness, so in Him we ascend into God's Presence & receive His blessing (v5). He's the Head and we, His Body, rise with Him. He rose as our representative, so we ascend in Him. Thus Christ, the Righteous One, is the Way to God (John 14:6,12). Moses' Tabernacle teaches our access to the Holy Place (v3) is only by His Blood. Ps 24:7-10 also reveals His future earthly ascension to David's throne. He humbly offered Himself to Israel as her King with salvation, but the leaders didn't receive Him. He said He'd only return when they repent & receive Him as King (Matt 23:37-39). They'll do this at Armageddon & then He'll return as King of Glory to Zion, save them from their enemies & establish His Kingdom (Zech 14:3-4). When Israel receives Him as King, He'll manifest His glory to, thru & for her. Notice, He didn't force Himself into Heaven, or force His reign on Israel, and He doesn't force Himself on us. We must receive Him as our King, and then He'll manifest His glory in & thru us. He reveals & offers Himself to us to be our Lord & Saviour. When we open the gates of our heart to Him, He comes in with His glory, 1st into our spirit, then into different parts of our soul. So v7-10 can be applied personally. He fulfilled it by ascending into the Heavenly Temple, but we're also God's Temple & He has the right to enter our holy of holies & be enthroned there. The Gospel declares v7 (Rev 3:20). By these words, He seeks access to our Temple, and we must open our gates & let Him in. When we do, He enters our spirit & imparts His glory (manifested nature) to us, as a free gift, making our spirit righteous, holy, full of His life & light, enabling us to ascend into God's Presence in Him. Since He's already ascended, as soon as He enters into us, we automatically ascend in our spirit to the Father thru our union to Him, by His power & righteousness in us. He comes in as the Lord, delivering us from the power of darkness & translating us into His Kingdom. Then His glory (love) works in our souls from within, changing us from glory to glory, so we increasingly fulfil His righteous requirements (v4). As we increase in holiness, the more we can ascend into His Presence to commune with Him (v3). He continues to ask for more access to every part of our soul, with the words of v7, so as we open our doors, inviting Him in to reign, He manifests Himself in us as the King of Glory, the Lord strong & mighty in battle, releasing His power & victory in us.
Welcome, beloved! It's such a joy to have you with us today at The Immersion Camp as we dive into one of the most powerful and profound truths of the Gospel — The Ascended Messiah: The Gospel in His Ascension. This is more than just a doctrine or a historical event; it's a pivotal moment that shapes our entire Christian experience and empowers us for victorious living. We talk about Jesus' birth, His death, and His resurrection — all foundational elements of the Gospel — but today, we're focusing on His ascension. The moment when Jesus left this earth physically and ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. It's easy to overlook this event, but make no mistake: His ascension is just as crucial to our salvation and daily walk as His crucifixion and resurrection. In fact, the ascension holds key revelations that will transform your understanding of the Gospel and empower you to live out the fullness of God's calling on your life.
Jesus Followers Must Meet Jesus' Expectation of His “Great Commission” By Both “Going” and “Making Disciples” MESSAGE SUMMARY: Jesus, in Luke 15:4-7, tells us, through His Parable of The Lost Sheep, the importance to God of our discipleship: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.". Immediately before His Ascension into Heaven Jesus told the Apostles and us today, in His Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20, that as we go into our communities and into all parts of the world, we are to make disciples: “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'”. We must begin, as followers of Jesus, to meet His fundamental expectation for us by both going and making disciples! TODAY'S PRAYER: Abba Father, I open my clenched fists to surrender everything you have given to me. Reestablish my identity in you — not in my family, my work, my accomplishments, or what others think of me. Cleanse the things in me that are not conformed to your will. By faith I unite my will to yours so that the likeness of Jesus Christ may be formed in me. In his name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 85). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, because I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Anxiety. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit's fruit of Peace. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 28:18-20; Matthew 10:16; Matthew 16:24-28; Psalms 29:1-11. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Wake Up America!”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Within the context of our "Come to the Table" series, I invite you to join me and spend time on an overlooked but essential event in the Christian liturgical calendar today, tucked between Easter and Pentecost. Ascension has become one of my most cherished treasures, because it speaks of a hope that is certain, and a future that is glorious. First, Ascension means that a human body is present in the Throne Room of God right now – that is Jesus Christ today. His incarnation made Jesus a member of humanity; His Ascension made His membership permanent. I cannot wrap my head around this, but one thing I can do is fall on my face to worship in awe and wonder. The corollary to Ascension, Pentecost, means that the Spirit of God is present in human flesh right now – that is you and me today. Ascension and Pentecost tell us that Christ reconciles God to man in His own body. He declares at Pentecost our ultimate reality: “on earth as it is in heaven!” He declares at Ascension the corollary, “in heaven as it is on earth!” Just as He was God on earth, He is now human in heaven. Just as He prayed as God on earth for us, He prays now as our Great High Priest in heaven for us. Ascension and Pentecost are Jacob's ladder, a two-way relationship of body and spirit, earth and heaven, reconciled in One. Upon His ascension, Jesus, in His glorified human body, received from the Father the Holy Spirit, whom He sent to us to inhabit our own not-yet-glorified bodies. Heaven will be intoxicatingly delightful. So unbearable for our current bodies, in fact, that we will be given brand new, glorified bodies – like Christ's – so that we can withstand the intensity of delight and pleasure that awaits us. Our heavenly bodies will be like a chocolate masterpiece to our current cocoa-pod bodies: similar, but unimaginably more glorious. From starter seed to perfected fruit. We have yet to experience heavenly chocolate, so we struggle to see its connection to our humble cocoa pod-like current body. It is ultimately a matter of time. We are the “body of Christ” – it means in some real way we are in the Throne Room with Him already. It is ultimately a matter of space. Good thing heaven is beyond time and space. Jesus described His ascension to Mary Magdalene as His going “to my Father and your Father; to my God and your God.” (John 20:17). This is astounding. Jesus is irreversibly identifying with us: His Father is our Father; His God is our God. It means, in essence, that He represents God to man, and man to God: this is the role of the Great High Priest. Had Jesus not ascended to heaven, he could not officiate as our Great High Priest right now, fulfilling at least three primary missions for the church age: interceding for us, teaching us to pray, and making things above real for us. Let's unpack, seeking continually the things that are above. First, Jesus is interceding for you right now. In John 17, considered by many as the “Holy of Holies” of the New Testament, He gives us a glimpse into His current prayer on our behalf. If you want to know how Jesus is praying for you right now, read John 17 again. And again. Jesus prays that we be one with Him as He is one with the Father. Unity with Christ means unity of purpose and life – living like He lives, praying like He prays and, one day, ascending like He ascended. His present intercession provides the continued effectiveness of His redemptive mission. He maintains His victory by the word of His mouth – in prayer to the Father even now. He bears forth into each one of us, members of His body, the deliverance He accomplished on the cross. He manifests the victory He obtained. His unceasing intercession gives our prayers a power we never had before. Which means, secondly, that Jesus teaches us to pray. He speaks through our prayers; we become the vessels to speak on earth His intercession in heaven, by the Holy Spirit. In Him we join the never-ceasing, never-failing prayer-conversation constantly weaving before the Father. In other words, what He prays passes through us, and what we pray passes through Him. Mind-boggling. And thirdly, He makes it all real to us in experience. His birth, life, death, and resurrection secured our destiny and effected our reconciliation with God. And now He wields His limitless intercessory power to make this reconciliation real and personal to each one of us, members of His body. He is the head, we the body: which means we cannot be separated from Him, since death is abolished. Ascension teaches this: Where He goes, we go; where He is, we are; that is heaven. Pentecost teaches this: where we go, He goes; where we are, He is: on earth, as it is in heaven. Just as Acts 1:6-11 describes Ascension from Earth's perspective, Daniel 7:13-14 describes it from Heaven's perspective: “Behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.” Jesus is this Son of Man, and He is now back in the Throne Room, as the reference to the cloud makes clear. “To him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.” Daniel describes what Jesus is doing right now, then ends with the future that awaits us: “his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” Jesus, the Son of Man who identifies with humanity in His divinity, has carved a trajectory from the Incarnation to the Ascension that leads to His glory and our destiny in Him. No wonder “Son of Man” was one of Jesus' favorite titles for Himself. Speaking of what awaits us, let us keep on seeking the things that are above. Each year on Yom Kippur, the Great High Priest would atone for his people and, upon leaving the Holy of Holies to reenter the world, he would bring out with him a blessing for his people. Jesus will come back the same way He left, once His John 17 work of intercession in the Throne Room is accomplished. And He will bring out with Him at least three blessings. The first blessing is ours already: His Holy Spirit becomes ours and brings spiritual gifts of His own, which Paul links directly to Ascension (see Ephesians 4:8-10). Second, Jesus inaugurated a reign that had never been exercised thus before. We are coheirs with Him, training today for reigning tomorrow in the dominion of His Kingdom. Because human flesh sits enthroned in heaven, we will reign with Him. Thirdly, a wedding feast awaits us. The covenantal words Jesus shares on that final night are the verbatim words of a Jewish bridegroom to his bride during a traditional betrothal ceremony. “I am preparing a place for you, and I will come back so that you may be where I am.” (John 14:1-4). Jesus is the Bridegroom poised to come back to fetch His bride, bringing heaven to earth for her. We the bride, the church universal, His body, are feast-bound. No wonder heaven will be intoxicatingly delightful. In French, my native tongue, the word “delight” is délice. But wait; this word délice means something else, too: it means “delicious.” In French, there is no difference between delight and deliciousness. While it might explain much of our French hedonism, it tells me this, too: God is both delightful and delicious. This will make the wedding feast of heaven the climax of delicious delightfulness. Until then, Jesus invites us to speak His words of intercession from heaven to earth. That, indeed, is the glory of Ascension this side of creation. You can't pray in His name unless you live in His name, too. Ascension and Pentecost together tell us it is now possible: we no longer live, but Christ lives in us. Saint Augustine would agree. He capped his Ascension homily thus: “While in heaven Christ is also with us; and we while on earth are with him. He is here with us by his divinity, his power and his love. We cannot be in heaven, as he is on earth, by divinity, but in him, we can be there by love.” Indeed, and Amen." Don't forget to check out our essential workbook to accompany this study. Stephanie personally created the content to invite you deeper into study. Don't miss out! It's at https://www.gospelspice.com/store We invite you to check out the first episode of each of our series, and decide which one you will want to start with. Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog Identity in the battle | Ephesians https://www.podcastics.com/episode/74762/link/ Centering on Christ | The Tabernacle experience https://www.podcastics.com/episode/94182/link/ Shades of Red | Against human oppression https://www.podcastics.com/episode/115017/link/ God's glory, our delight https://www.podcastics.com/episode/126051/link/ Bonjour! Gospel Spice exists to inspire our generation to delight in God. We do this through the podcast, online Bible studies, leadership trainings, and more. We want to serve Christ-followers who seek to live a life spiced with the gospel. We want to love God, because He first loved us. We want to experience the fullness of life with Him—and not be content with stale, boring, leftover faith. Jesus tells us that the most important thing is to love the Lord our God, so we take Him seriously. He adds that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. Now, there are many ways to do that, but I have always personally felt deep compassion for victims of human trafficking – it is modern day slavery, and it revolts the heart of God. And so, they are our particular neighbors here at Gospel Spice. We want to play our part in raising awareness and then financially supporting those who fight this great evil. Now we would love to invite you to join the team in one of three ways: 1, pray Gospel Spice forward – pray for our guests, our listeners and participants, and for us too! 2, play Gospel Spice forward by telling your friends about us, and by please leaving positive reviews and comments on your podcast listening app; and 3rd, PAY GospelSpice forward. Less than 1% of our listeners are supporting us financially. We need your help! Please pay Gospel Spice forward today. It can be a one-time donation, or a monthly one, for the amount of your choice. Your donation is fully tax-deductible in the US. Plus, once we cover our costs, a significant portion of your donation will be given back to Christian organizations that fight human trafficking, and that we vet thoroughly. So, you can know that every dime you give is used for the Kingdom of God. Every little bit helps. So, be part of the spice of the gospel by becoming a financial partner today! Bonjour! Gospel Spice exists to inspire our generation to delight in God. We do this through the podcast, online Bible studies, leadership trainings, and more. We want to serve Christ-followers who seek to live a life spiced with the gospel. We want to love God, because He first loved us. We want to experience the fullness of life with Him—and not be content with stale, boring, leftover faith. Jesus tells us that the most important thing is to love the Lord our God, so we take Him seriously. He adds that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. Now, there are many ways to do that, but I have always personally felt deep compassion for victims of human trafficking – it is modern day slavery, and it revolts the heart of God. And so, they are our particular neighbors here at Gospel Spice. We want to play our part in raising awareness and then financially supporting those who fight this great evil. Now we would love to invite you to join the team in one of three ways: 1, pray Gospel Spice forward – pray for our guests, our listeners and participants, and for us too! 2, play Gospel Spice forward by telling your friends about us, and by please leaving positive reviews and comments on your podcast listening app; and 3rd, PAY GospelSpice forward. Less than 1% of our listeners are supporting us financially. We need your help! Please pay Gospel Spice forward today. It can be a one-time donation, or a monthly one, for the amount of your choice. Your donation is fully tax-deductible in the US. Plus, once we cover our costs, a significant portion of your donation will be given back to Christian organizations that fight human trafficking, and that we vet thoroughly. So, you can know that every dime you give is used for the Kingdom of God. Every little bit helps. So, be part of the spice of the gospel by becoming a financial partner today! Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!
Psalm 21 is the celebration of the accomplished victory prayed for in Ps 20. The kind of language used means it's a Messianic Psalm, for only Christ can fully fulfil these words, although it was fulfilled in measure by David. The ancient Rabbis interpreted it as speaking of King Messiah (v1), but the later Rabbis dropped this view, to try & prevent Christians from showing how Jesus perfectly fulfils it. v1: “The KING (Messiah) shall have joy in Your strength (invisible power), O LORD; and in Your salvation (manifested victory) how greatly shall he rejoice!” This describes God's mighty power that raised Christ from the dead, bringing Him into manifested victory & glory. Likewise, we should thank God for the invisible power of His Spirit (the blessing), as well as the manifested blessings brought forth by His grace. This verse is the answer to the prayers in Ps 20:2,5,8. v2: “You have given him his heart's desire, and have not withheld the request (desire) of his lips. Selah.” This corresponds to Ps 20:4. His desire is our salvation, through His victory over enemy powers (Heb 12:2). Note the poetic parallelism – He did not just desire our salvation & victory, but prays for us (Jas 4:2, Heb 7:25). You were on His mind when He went to the Cross and ever since! Also notice God works through our desires, but only when our heart is submitted to God (Ps 37:4, Phil 2:12-13). v3: “For You meet (welcome) him with the blessings of goodness (abundant rich blessings); You set a crown of pure gold on his head.” Here the image changes from celebrating a Conquest to a Coronation - both were fulfilled by Christ in His Ascension. Having won His great victory, He ascended to Heaven and was crowned as Lord of all. Also as our representative He received every blessing of the New Covenant on our behalf, so that every blessing is now ours in Christ (Eph 1:3), for we are joints heirs with Him (Rom 8:17). This blessing includes abundant & eternal life, salvation, glory, authority (v4-5). The fact He shares this blessing with us is stated in v6a: “For You have made him most blessed forever (literally, ‘you have made Him blessings forever').” This means He was made to the source of blessing to us forever (blessed to be a blessing). This blessing includes joy, which only comes from God's Presence: “You have made him exceedingly glad (‘joyful with gladness') with Your Presence” (see Ps 16:11). God's Presence is the key to happiness. Thus, holiness comes before happiness (Heb 1:9, Ps 45:7). The basis for Christ (and us) to receive God's blessing is faith in the Lord and His covenant love: “For the KING trusts in the Lord, and through the mercy (covenant love and faithfulness) of the Most High, he shall not be moved (shaken)” (v7). He shall be established forever in God's grace. Whereas Part 1 looks back Christ's decisive victory at His 1st Coming (v1-7), Part 2 looks forward to His future victory at His 2nd Coming, when He'll judge all His enemies and establish His Kingdom on earth (v8-13). Thus, after Christ's initial victory, this predicts His enemies will still be in the field, which is the case. But at His 2nd Coming He will search out and then seize all His enemies with His mighty right hand (v8, Ex 15:6). He'll then throw them into His fiery furnace: “You (the KING) shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of Your anger (lit: ‘face, presence'), the LORD shall swallow them up in His wrath, and the fire shall devour them” (v9). This will happen when they meet Him face to face for judgment. The parallelism shows the close relationship between KING (Messiah) and the LORD. Christ is the Lord's representative & channel of both the Lord's salvation for His people (v6) and His wrath on His enemies (v9). This judgment is in 2 stages: (1) At the 2nd Coming (or death) the souls of the wicked are thrown into the fire of Hades, and then at the end of time, they'll be resurrected and stand before the Great White Throne, and then be thrown body & soul into the Lake of Fire. All they've produced (the fruit of their lives) will be destroyed, as well as their spiritual sons, who partook of their nature and followed in their ways (v10). They'll get their just desserts for they planned evil against God, but were always bound to fail (v11), for God resists the proud (Jas 4:6), and you can't defeat God. This reveals the futility of the godless life (any success is temporary). At a time of His choosing, He'll confront all rebels and cause them to want to flee, but there'll be no escape. God is seen as the Divine Warrior, who has already prepared His arrows of judgment, placed them on His bow, pulled back the strings, and pointed His arrows toward their faces - a picture of imminent judgment (v12). Ps 21 concludes with God's people praising Him for manifesting His power, not only in accomplishing salvation for them, but also for judging His enemies (v13). This judgment is a necessary part of establishing His Kingdom (Rev 11:15-18, 19:1-6).
Psalm 21 is the celebration of the accomplished victory prayed for in Ps 20. The kind of language used means it's a Messianic Psalm, for only Christ can fully fulfil these words, although it was fulfilled in measure by David. The ancient Rabbis interpreted it as speaking of King Messiah (v1), but the later Rabbis dropped this view, to try & prevent Christians from showing how Jesus perfectly fulfils it. v1: “The KING (Messiah) shall have joy in Your strength (invisible power), O LORD; and in Your salvation (manifested victory) how greatly shall he rejoice!” This describes God's mighty power that raised Christ from the dead, bringing Him into manifested victory & glory. Likewise, we should thank God for the invisible power of His Spirit (the blessing), as well as the manifested blessings brought forth by His grace. This verse is the answer to the prayers in Ps 20:2,5,8. v2: “You have given him his heart's desire, and have not withheld the request (desire) of his lips. Selah.” This corresponds to Ps 20:4. His desire is our salvation, through His victory over enemy powers (Heb 12:2). Note the poetic parallelism – He did not just desire our salvation & victory, but prays for us (Jas 4:2, Heb 7:25). You were on His mind when He went to the Cross and ever since! Also notice God works through our desires, but only when our heart is submitted to God (Ps 37:4, Phil 2:12-13). v3: “For You meet (welcome) him with the blessings of goodness (abundant rich blessings); You set a crown of pure gold on his head.” Here the image changes from celebrating a Conquest to a Coronation - both were fulfilled by Christ in His Ascension. Having won His great victory, He ascended to Heaven and was crowned as Lord of all. Also as our representative He received every blessing of the New Covenant on our behalf, so that every blessing is now ours in Christ (Eph 1:3), for we are joints heirs with Him (Rom 8:17). This blessing includes abundant & eternal life, salvation, glory, authority (v4-5). The fact He shares this blessing with us is stated in v6a: “For You have made him most blessed forever (literally, ‘you have made Him blessings forever').” This means He was made to the source of blessing to us forever (blessed to be a blessing). This blessing includes joy, which only comes from God's Presence: “You have made him exceedingly glad (‘joyful with gladness') with Your Presence” (see Ps 16:11). God's Presence is the key to happiness. Thus, holiness comes before happiness (Heb 1:9, Ps 45:7). The basis for Christ (and us) to receive God's blessing is faith in the Lord and His covenant love: “For the KING trusts in the Lord, and through the mercy (covenant love and faithfulness) of the Most High, he shall not be moved (shaken)” (v7). He shall be established forever in God's grace. Whereas Part 1 looks back Christ's decisive victory at His 1st Coming (v1-7), Part 2 looks forward to His future victory at His 2nd Coming, when He'll judge all His enemies and establish His Kingdom on earth (v8-13). Thus, after Christ's initial victory, this predicts His enemies will still be in the field, which is the case. But at His 2nd Coming He will search out and then seize all His enemies with His mighty right hand (v8, Ex 15:6). He'll then throw them into His fiery furnace: “You (the KING) shall make them as a fiery oven in the time of Your anger (lit: ‘face, presence'), the LORD shall swallow them up in His wrath, and the fire shall devour them” (v9). This will happen when they meet Him face to face for judgment. The parallelism shows the close relationship between KING (Messiah) and the LORD. Christ is the Lord's representative & channel of both the Lord's salvation for His people (v6) and His wrath on His enemies (v9). This judgment is in 2 stages: (1) At the 2nd Coming (or death) the souls of the wicked are thrown into the fire of Hades, and then at the end of time, they'll be resurrected and stand before the Great White Throne, and then be thrown body & soul into the Lake of Fire. All they've produced (the fruit of their lives) will be destroyed, as well as their spiritual sons, who partook of their nature and followed in their ways (v10). They'll get their just desserts for they planned evil against God, but were always bound to fail (v11), for God resists the proud (Jas 4:6), and you can't defeat God. This reveals the futility of the godless life (any success is temporary). At a time of His choosing, He'll confront all rebels and cause them to want to flee, but there'll be no escape. God is seen as the Divine Warrior, who has already prepared His arrows of judgment, placed them on His bow, pulled back the strings, and pointed His arrows toward their faces - a picture of imminent judgment (v12). Ps 21 concludes with God's people praising Him for manifesting His power, not only in accomplishing salvation for them, but also for judging His enemies (v13). This judgment is a necessary part of establishing His Kingdom (Rev 11:15-18, 19:1-6).
Is Your Life's Focus on Jesus the Narrow Door and the Only Door to Your Eternal Life? MESSAGE SUMMARY: From the Gospel of Luke (12:49-56): “Jesus the Narrow Door” Introduction from “Jesus the Divider”: While Jesus does bring us “Peace”, Jesus tells us that His ways are not always our ways; and Jesus does not always bring us “Peace”. In the world, we have tribulation; but Jesus has overcome the world. In Jesus, we do have “Peace”; but when we do stand with and for Jesus, “division” and conflict are created. In this passage from Luke 12, Jesus wants His followers to know that following Him will have a cost in terms of conflict and worldly tribulation. Many in and of the world will not tolerate our communication of the Gospel. Jesus is not saying that “division” is good. Rather, Jesus, in John 17:22-23, expresses His desire, to the Father, for His followers to all be at one with Him and the Father. However, Jesus is warning us that “division” is inevitable because we are human and sinners. Jesus ends His message to those assembled, in Luke 12:54-56, with: “He also said to the crowds, ‘When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.' And so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,' and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?'". In this passage, Jesus was pointing toward His purpose on earth and the cross; but no one understood His message at the time period of His teaching in Luke – they could not read God's signs. Do we see and follow God's signs, or do we miss them and become party to creating “divisions”? Today's Message -- Jesus the Narrow Door: In our Gospel focus from Luke 13:22-30, Jesus was pointing His earthly ministry toward Jerusalem, the Cross, Resurrection, and His Ascension. Jesus was asked, in Luke 13:23-25, a pivotal question; and He responded: “And someone said to him, ‘Lord, will those who are saved be few?' And he said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,' then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.'”". It's not that Jesus doesn't want all to be saved, it's just that the “gate”, to our Salvation, is “narrow” and difficult to enter. As Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 2:3-4, that Jesus wants all people to be saved: “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.". However, all people will not be saved because some will not come to Jesus – they don't want to be saved. In Luke 13:26-30, those rejected by the master of the house argue for admission: “” Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.' But he will say, ‘I tell you; I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!' In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”". Jesus is the “narrow door” and the “gate” by which we enter the Kingdom of God and our Salvation. Jesus Himself tells us in John 10:9-10: “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”. We have been given the job, by Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20, to help others find the “narrow door”. As believers in the Gospel and followers of Jesus, we are invited, in Revelation 19:9-10, to the “Marriage Super of the Lamb”: ““And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.' And he said to me, ‘These are the true words of God.' Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, ‘You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.' For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”". Is your focus on Jesus, the ”Narrow Door”, that is the only way to the Kingdom of God and your Eternal Life? TODAY'S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM RIGHTEOUS IN GOD'S EYES. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Luke 12:49-56; John 16:36; John 17:22-23; John 14:27; Luke 13:22-30; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:3-4; Matthew 7:13-14; Hebrews 11:1-40; John 10:9-10; Matthew 28:18-20; Revelation 19:9-10; Psalms 33a:1-11. SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/ WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “When Jesus Asked You: “Whom do you say that I am?”, Did You Answer Jesus: “You are my God and the Lord of my Life!”?”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/ A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
By NOT Adhering to Jesus' “Great Commission” to “go . . . and make disciples” You Are Following Jesus MESSAGE SUMMARY: God said told all Jesus Followers to “go and make disciples” not to “make decisions”. In other words, we are to bring the Gospel to others with whom we have or with whom we develop a personal relationship. Therefore, we are to leave the “conversion” or the “decision” of others to become a Christian up to the Holy Spirit. Our job, as Jesus Followers, is to “go and make disciples”. In Jesus' last instructions to His Apostles and to you, before His Ascension to Heaven from Earth, is in Mathew 28:16-20 -- Jesus' Great Commission: “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'”. A disciple is a student, a follower, a learner. Making a disciple is not about classes. Making a disciple it about investing yourself in the life of another person – discipling is having a personal relationship with another person so that they see the life of Christ in you. Have you been discipled, or have you made a disciple? Not “going and making disciples” is your “great omission” as a Christian. TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, in order to be with you, I need you to show me how to “create a desert” in the midst of my full, active life. Cleanse me from the pressures, illusions, and pretenses that confront me today so that my life may serve as a gift to those around me. Amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 26). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, God is working His will in my life (Philippians 2:13). “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”. (Philippians 4:14). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Mathew 28:16-20; Mathew 9:36-38; Mathew 10:16-33; Psalms 115:1-18. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Jesus says: “Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division””, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
The Christian soul loves the Mother of God and that love is exemplified and ignited listening to these reflections from St. Silouan the Athonite. This text is found in "Saint Silouan the Athonite" by St. Sophrony the Athonite, pp. 390-393 -BUY "Saint Silouan the Athonite" by St. Sophrony here: https://churchsupplies.jordanville.org/products/saint-silouan-the-athonite?_pos=1&_psq=silouan&_ss=e&_v=1.0 -FIND an Orthodox parish and monastery near you: https://orthodoxyinamerica.org/ -PLAYLIST from Orthodox Wisdom: St. Silouan & St. Sophrony - Teachings and Prayers https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzFKi22k2KYiWHl-XYYh_Jqr5w539qw2s _______ St. Silouan writes: Never by a single thought did the Mother of God sin, nor did she ever lose grace, yet vast were her sorrows; when she stood at the foot of the Cross her grief was as boundless as the ocean and her soul knew torment incomparably worse than Adam's when he was driven from paradise, in that the measure of her love was beyond compare greater than the love which Adam felt when he was in paradise. That she remained alive was only because the Lord's might sustained her, for it was His desire that she should behold His Resurrection, and live on after His Ascension to be the comfort and joy of the Apostles and the new Christian peoples. We cannot attain to the full the love of the Mother of God, and so we cannot thoroughly comprehend her grief. Her love was complete. She had an illimitable love for God and her Son but she loved the people, too, with a great love. What, then, must she have felt when those same people whom she loved so dearly, and whose salvation she desired with all her being, crucified her beloved Son? We cannot fathom such things, since there is little love in us for God and man. Just as the love of the Mother of God is boundless and passes our understanding, so is her grief boundless and beyond our understanding. St. Silouan's prayer to the Mother of God: O holy Virgin Mary, tell us, thy children, of thy love on earth for thy Son and God. Tell us how thy spirit rejoiced in God thy Saviour. Tell us of how thou didst look upon His fair countenance, and reflect that this was He Whom all the heavenly hosts wait upon in awe and love. Tell us what thy soul felt when thou didst bear the wondrous Babe in thine arms. Tell us of how thou didst rear Him, how, sick at heart, thou and Joseph sought Him three long days in Jerusalem. Tell us of thine agony when the Lord was delivered up to be crucified, and lay dying on the Cross. Tell us what joy was thine over the Resurrection. Tell us how thy soul languished after the Lord's Ascension. We long to know of thy life on earth with the Lord but thou wast not minded to commit all these things to writing, and didst veil thy secret heart in silence. _______ Orthodox Wisdom is dedicated to sharing the writings and lives of the Saints of the Orthodox Church. Glory to Jesus Christ!
Jesus Followers Must Meet Jesus' Expectation of His “Great Commission” By Both “Going” and “Making Disciples” MESSAGE SUMMARY: Jesus, in Luke 15:4-7, tells us, through His Parable of The Lost Sheep, the importance to God of our discipleship: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.". Immediately before His Ascension into Heaven Jesus told the Apostles and us today, in His Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20, that as we go into our communities and into all parts of the world, we are to make disciples: “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'”. We must begin, as followers of Jesus, to meet His fundamental expectation for us by both going and making disciples! TODAY'S PRAYER: Abba Father, I open my clenched fists to surrender everything you have given to me. Reestablish my identity in you — not in my family, my work, my accomplishments, or what others think of me. Cleanse the things in me that are not conformed to your will. By faith I unite my will to yours so that the likeness of Jesus Christ may be formed in me. In his name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 85). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, because I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Anxiety. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit's fruit of Peace. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 28:18-20; Matthew 10:16; Matthew 16:24-28; Psalms 29:1-11. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Following Jesus – Jesus Calls Us to Follow Him Without Reservations”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Read OnlineJesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus, “Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.'” Matthew 10:5–7The very last words of Jesus, just prior to His Ascension into Heaven, expands the mandate we read above that Jesus gave to His Apostles. He later says, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit…” (Matthew 28:19). Eventually, Jesus sends the Twelve and all of His disciples to the ends of the earth to proclaim the Gospel to every creature. But here, prior to the coming of the Holy Spirit, and prior to the completion of Jesus' earthly mission, He instructs the Twelve to go only “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Thus, Jesus gives a sort of priority to the preaching of the Gospel to those who have already been entrusted with the revelations of the Old Testament—that is, the teachings of the Law of Moses and the prophets.Though, today, we must all hear the call from our Lord to “make disciples of all nations,” we must also hear this unique commission to first preach to those who are already members of the family of God. And though, today, the Holy Spirit has already come and the Gospel has already gone forth far and wide, there is still an important spiritual lesson to be learned by Jesus' progressive commission from those of the family of God to those who do not yet know the Gospel.Start with yourself. By hearing Jesus give special emphasis to His Twelve to go first to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, you should hear our Lord speaking especially about you. You, who were baptized, have been confirmed and have received Holy Communion, now have a special obligation to listen to and respond to the Gospel of Christ. From there, God entrusts you with the sharing of the Gospel in a special way to those who also share your faith. For that reason, parents are uniquely obliged to share the Gospel with their children. Friends within the same faith community are uniquely obliged to reach out to others who share their faith. And pastors of the Church must do the same. The Gospel is now universal and must be proclaimed to all people, but this passage appears to highlight the importance of sharing the Gospel with fellow disciples of Christ.We know from our daily life that there are many who profess faith in Christ who still are not fully evangelized. There are many who have received the Sacraments but lack the deep faith to which they are called. It can appear that most fail to worship our Lord every day, and many fail in their prayerful worship each and every week. Therefore, it is useful to place yourself into this Gospel passage and to hear our Lord call you to especially devote yourself to the sharing of the Gospel with those who have already become members of His Church, even if it is only in name.If we begin with ourselves, seeking to daily grow deeper in our life of faith, praying and seeking out the will of God, then God will more easily be able to use us as He wills to share the faith with those who belong to God's family but whose faith may be weak. And for those who are “all in” and have truly given themselves over to Christ, God will certainly also use you for the proclamation of the Gospel to those who have not yet come to know Christ through the gift of faith. Reflect, today, upon the invitation Jesus gives to you to be His evangelist. First, look at your own life and do all you can to allow the Gospel to transform you into a fervent follower of Christ. From there, be open to the many ways that God wants to use you every day to inspire others to become followers of our Lord. Start with your family. Pray for them. Be attentive to the promptings of grace God gives to reach out to them. Then turn your eyes, also, to the wider community. Allow the Lord to lead, follow His voice, and He will use you in many ways to help others come to know His burning love for them.My universal King, You came to establish Your Kingdom in the lives of all people. You call all Your creatures to faith in You. Help me to be among the first who turn to You with my whole heart. Please also use me to become an instrument of Your saving grace to those whom You've put into my life. My life is Yours, dear Lord. Use me as You will. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.Featured images above: He Sent them out Two by Two By James Tissot, via Wikimedia Commons
Today is the Sunday after the Ascension of our Lord. We are in that time between His Ascension and the sending of God the Holy Spirit to us. On this day we look at the eternal ministry our Lord has taken on for us. He has become our Great High Priest forever. What great joy we should have that He eternally stands before the Father pleading for God's mercy to fall upon us all. At the same time, we are now waiting for this Great High Priest's return to bring every soul before the Father. How then shall we be about our waiting? This sermon offers teaching on both of these important topics.
Pastor Taylor Shippy - Genesis 2:4-8; John 20:19-23 Today is ‘Pentecost Sunday.' ‘Pentecost' is a transliteration of the Greek word pentēkostē (πεντηκοστή) which simply means ‘fiftieth.' For Christians is the fiftieth day after Easter when remember the Holy Spirit descending upon the followers of Jesus after His Ascension. The tricky part is, if you're reading the New Testament, there isn't one Pentecost but two. Luke tells us one (cf. Acts 2:1-41) and so does John (cf. John 20:19-23). One is a loud and large worship service; the other is a small and quiet prayer meeting. And we need to both.
At length he appeared to the eleven as they were at table: and he upbraided them with their incredulity and hardness of heart, because they did not believe them who had seen him after he was risen again.Novissime recumbentibus illis undecim apparuit : et exprobravit incredulitatem eorum et duritiam cordis : quia iis, qui viderant eum resurrexisse, non crediderunt. 15 And he said to them: Go ye into the whole world, and preach the gospel to every creature.Et dixit eis : Euntes in mundum universum praedicate Evangelium omni creaturae. 16 He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be condemned.Qui crediderit, et baptizatus fuerit, salvus erit : qui vero non crediderit, condemnabitur. 17 And these signs shall follow them that believe: In my name they shall cast out devils: they shall speak with new tongues.Signa autem eos qui crediderint, haec sequentur : in nomine meo daemonia ejicient : linguis loquentur novis : 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they shall drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them: they shall lay their hands upon the sick, and they shall recover.serpentes tollent : et si mortiferum quid biberint, non eis nocebit : super aegros manus imponent, et bene habebunt. 19 And the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God.Et Dominus quidem Jesus postquam locutus est eis, assumptus est in caelum, et sedet a dextris Dei. 20 But they going forth preached everywhere: the Lord working withal, and confirming the word with signs that followed.Illi autem profecti praedicaverunt ubique, Domino cooperante, et sermonem confirmante, sequentibus signis. Instructions of our Lord Jesus Christ to His Disciples: He sends them into the whole world to preach the Gospel. His Ascension.
What do you know of the Ascension? How important does it seem to you? Stephanie says, "Ascension has become one of my most cherished treasures, because it speaks of a hope that is certain, and a future that is glorious. First, Ascension means that a human body is present in the Throne Room of God right now – that is Jesus Christ today. His incarnation made Jesus a member of humanity; His Ascension made His membership permanent. I cannot wrap my head around this, but one thing I can do is fall on my face to worship in awe and wonder." It all started with an invitation to write an article about it (see below). After she turned it in, she felt compelled to share her latest discoveries about this beautiful, underestimated feast of Ascension with you today. Remember to use your FREE listening guide to follow along in this episode! You will receive it automatically in your inbox as a Gospel Spice newsletter subscriber, so make sure to subscribe for free at gospelspice.com/signup ! Here is the article she wrote about it, and which inspired this episode: "God has a special message for us this Ascension season, if we will ponder the things above with holy expectancy of His goodness. Ascension has become one of my most cherished treasures, because it speaks of a hope that is certain, and a future that is glorious. First, Ascension means that a human body is present in the Throne Room of God right now – that is Jesus Christ today. His incarnation made Jesus a member of humanity; His Ascension made His membership permanent. I cannot wrap my head around this, but one thing I can do is fall on my face to worship in awe and wonder. The corollary to Ascension, Pentecost, means that the Spirit of God is present in human flesh right now – that is you and me today. Ascension and Pentecost tell us that Christ reconciles God to man in His own body. He declares at Pentecost our ultimate reality: “on earth as it is in heaven!” He declares at Ascension the corollary, “in heaven as it is on earth!” Just as He was God on earth, He is now human in heaven. Just as He prayed as God on earth for us, He prays now as our Great High Priest in heaven for us. Ascension and Pentecost are Jacob's ladder, a two-way relationship of body and spirit, earth and heaven, reconciled in One. Upon His ascension, Jesus, in His glorified human body, received from the Father the Holy Spirit, whom He sent to us to inhabit our own not-yet-glorified bodies. Heaven will be intoxicatingly delightful. So unbearable for our current bodies, in fact, that we will be given brand new, glorified bodies – like Christ's – so that we can withstand the intensity of delight and pleasure that awaits us. Our heavenly bodies will be like a chocolate masterpiece to our current cocoa-pod bodies: similar, but unimaginably more glorious. From starter seed to perfected fruit. We have yet to experience heavenly chocolate, so we struggle to see its connection to our humble cocoa pod-like current body. It is ultimately a matter of time. We are the “body of Christ” – it means in some real way we are in the Throne Room with Him already. It is ultimately a matter of space. Good thing heaven is beyond time and space. Jesus described His ascension to Mary Magdalene as His going “to my Father and your Father; to my God and your God.” (John 20:17). This is astounding. Jesus is irreversibly identifying with us: His Father is our Father; His God is our God. It means, in essence, that He represents God to man, and man to God: this is the role of the Great High Priest. Had Jesus not ascended to heaven, he could not officiate as our Great High Priest right now, fulfilling at least three primary missions for the church age: interceding for us, teaching us to pray, and making things above real for us. Let's unpack, seeking continually the things that are above. First, Jesus is interceding for you right now. In John 17, considered by many as the “Holy of Holies” of the New Testament, He gives us a glimpse into His current prayer on our behalf. If you want to know how Jesus is praying for you right now, read John 17 again. And again. Jesus prays that we be one with Him as He is one with the Father. Unity with Christ means unity of purpose and life – living like He lives, praying like He prays and, one day, ascending like He ascended. His present intercession provides the continued effectiveness of His redemptive mission. He maintains His victory by the word of His mouth – in prayer to the Father even now. He bears forth into each one of us, members of His body, the deliverance He accomplished on the cross. He manifests the victory He obtained. His unceasing intercession gives our prayers a power we never had before. Which means, secondly, that Jesus teaches us to pray. He speaks through our prayers; we become the vessels to speak on earth His intercession in heaven, by the Holy Spirit. In Him we join the never-ceasing, never-failing prayer-conversation constantly weaving before the Father. In other words, what He prays passes through us, and what we pray passes through Him. Mind-boggling. And thirdly, He makes it all real to us in experience. His birth, life, death, and resurrection secured our destiny and effected our reconciliation with God. And now He wields His limitless intercessory power to make this reconciliation real and personal to each one of us, members of His body. He is the head, we the body: which means we cannot be separated from Him, since death is abolished. Ascension teaches this: Where He goes, we go; where He is, we are; that is heaven. Pentecost teaches this: where we go, He goes; where we are, He is: on earth, as it is in heaven. Just as Acts 1:6-11 describes Ascension from Earth's perspective, Daniel 7:13-14 describes it from Heaven's perspective: “Behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.” Jesus is this Son of Man, and He is now back in the Throne Room, as the reference to the cloud makes clear. “To him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.” Daniel describes what Jesus is doing right now, then ends with the future that awaits us: “his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” Jesus, the Son of Man who identifies with humanity in His divinity, has carved a trajectory from the Incarnation to the Ascension that leads to His glory and our destiny in Him. No wonder “Son of Man” was one of Jesus' favorite titles for Himself. Speaking of what awaits us, let us keep on seeking the things that are above. Each year on Yom Kippur, the Great High Priest would atone for his people and, upon leaving the Holy of Holies to reenter the world, he would bring out with him a blessing for his people. Jesus will come back the same way He left, once His John 17 work of intercession in the Throne Room is accomplished. And He will bring out with Him at least three blessings. The first blessing is ours already: His Holy Spirit becomes ours and brings spiritual gifts of His own, which Paul links directly to Ascension (see Ephesians 4:8-10). Second, Jesus inaugurated a reign that had never been exercised thus before. We are coheirs with Him, training today for reigning tomorrow in the dominion of His Kingdom. Because human flesh sits enthroned in heaven, we will reign with Him. Thirdly, a wedding feast awaits us. The covenantal words Jesus shares on that final night are the verbatim words of a Jewish bridegroom to his bride during a traditional betrothal ceremony. “I am preparing a place for you, and I will come back so that you may be where I am.” (John 14:1-4). Jesus is the Bridegroom poised to come back to fetch His bride, bringing heaven to earth for her. We the bride, the church universal, His body, are feast-bound. No wonder heaven will be intoxicatingly delightful. In French, my native tongue, the word “delight” is délice. But wait; this word délice means something else, too: it means “delicious.” In French, there is no difference between delight and deliciousness. While it might explain much of our French hedonism, it tells me this, too: God is both delightful and delicious. This will make the wedding feast of heaven the climax of delicious delightfulness. Until then, Jesus invites us to speak His words of intercession from heaven to earth. That, indeed, is the glory of Ascension this side of creation. You can't pray in His name unless you live in His name, too. Ascension and Pentecost together tell us it is now possible: we no longer live, but Christ lives in us. Saint Augustine would agree. He capped his Ascension homily thus: “While in heaven Christ is also with us; and we while on earth are with him. He is here with us by his divinity, his power and his love. We cannot be in heaven, as he is on earth, by divinity, but in him, we can be there by love.” Indeed, and Amen." We invite you to check out the first episode of each of our series, and decide which one you will want to start with. Go to gospelspice.com for more, and go especially to gospelspice.com/podcast to enjoy our guests! Interested in our blog? Click here: gospelspice.com/blog Identity in the battle | Ephesians https://www.podcastics.com/episode/74762/link/ Centering on Christ | The Tabernacle experience https://www.podcastics.com/episode/94182/link/ Shades of Red | Against human oppression https://www.podcastics.com/episode/115017/link/ God's glory, our delight https://www.podcastics.com/episode/126051/link/ Would you be interested in joining us here in Philadelphia for a 5-year anniversary celebration of Gospel Spice in the fall of 2024? And/Or, would you be interested in joining a small group of women for a Gospel Spice Women's weekend retreat with in-depth Bible Study and fellowship? I need to know! please let me know by answering a short survey at gospelspice.com/survey - so that I know whether to pursue this or not. thank you! Support us on Gospel Spice, PayPal and Venmo!
Fr. John-Mary Bowlin serves as Parish Priest at St. Jude Catholic Church in Gun Barrel City, Texas. He served in the U.S. Army and was ordained a priest in June of 2012. In Today's Show: I can't stop feeling anxious about the end times even after going to Confession and doing lots of reading and research. Can you tell me what the Catholic church teaches about this subject? When multiple mysteries of the Rosary are being prayed, should the Salve Regina be prayed in between? Is it correct that if we are in friendship with sinners or don't warn them of their sin, God will hold us responsible if they go to Hell? Would we be condemned to Hell for this error? How does Catholicism view self-help and self-improvement and how does that fit in with surrendering to God's will? What does the church teach about forgiveness, particularly forgiving those who have committed exceptionally grievous offenses against us? In Matthew 19:24, it says "Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” I was wondering how to interpret this. I am thirteen and one of my largest aspirations is to be rich and successful, and I wanted to know if you could be rich, have fast cars, big boats, etc. and still do right by the Lord. Father Bowlin's brother priest invades the show... There's a life sized image of Our Lady. It appears she has no head covering. I don't recall where this is at, but it is outside. I thought it was odd. I've always seen Our Lady with a head covering. Your thoughts, please? What measures can we take whilst wearing saint medals and praying using "shrines" with imagery of Jesus and Mary etc. to avoid idolatry? For those like myself who don't have access to a solid youth formation group in their area, what might you recommend as an alternative for kids? Why hadn't Jesus taken His Mother Mary to Heaven at His Ascension? Before Christ, the Jews did not know about the Trinitarian nature of God until Jesus manifested himself. Is it possible that like Jesus, there might be another person of God that hasn't been manifested to us yet, or is the mystery complete? Does being blind, visually impaired or hearing impaired impede someone from being accepted into the priesthood? Are there situations of extreme poverty when parents are able to live with their daughter and her husband and children even though the daughter and husband were not married in the church? Visit the show page at thestationofthecross.com/askapriest to listen live, check out the weekly lineup, listen to podcasts of past episodes, watch live video, find show resources, sign up for our mailing list of upcoming shows, and submit your question for Father!
Go! MESSAGE SUMMARY: Most Christians, today, are living in disobedience to the Lord – Christians and churches are ignoring the commands of Jesus. In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus told His Apostles, in His last commission right before His Ascension to Heaven: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”. Jesus commanded His Apostles to Go and to Make Disciples. This is the mandate to every follower of Jesus. Christians were not called “Christians” until Acts 11. Before Acts 11, they were referred to as “Disciples”. Being a “Disciple” is a way of living and being – a liver, teacher, and doer of Jesus commandments and His Gospel. The Bible teaches us the characteristics of being a “Disciple”: 1) love; 2) Holy Spirit filled; 3) knows and is learning the Bible; 4) knows how to pray; 5) knows how to Worship; 6) walks with Jesus; 7) shares with others in need; 8) has a disciple; and 9) is a faithful witness. God wants a personal dynamic relationship with us. The people of our world need the followers of Jesus to GO and to MAKE DISCIPLES. People are waiting to see Jesus through His followers – people who can speak the Word of God to them. TODAY'S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him! Luke 11:13 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 28:19-20; 1 John:4;20-21; John 13:35; 1 Corinthians 13:4-8; John 7:38; Galatians 5;22-24; Acts 2:44-47; 1 John 3:16-18; Acts 1:8-9. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “When Jesus Asked You: “Whom do you say that I am?”, Did You Answer Jesus: “You are my God and the Lord of my Life!”?”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
By NOT Adhering to Jesus' “Great Commission” to “go . . . and make disciples” You Are Following Jesus MESSAGE SUMMARY: God said told all Jesus Followers to “go and make disciples” not to “make decisions”. In other words, we are to bring the Gospel to others with whom we have or with whom we develop a personal relationship. Therefore, we are to leave the “conversion” or the “decision” of others to become a Christian up to the Holy Spirit. Our job, as Jesus Followers, is to “go and make disciples”. In Jesus' last instructions to His Apostles and to you, before His Ascension to Heaven from Earth, is in Mathew 28:16-20 -- Jesus' Great Commission: “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'”. A disciple is a student, a follower, a learner. Making a disciple is not about classes. Making a disciple it about investing yourself in the life of another person – discipling is having a personal relationship with another person so that they see the life of Christ in you. Have you been discipled, or have you made a disciple? Not “going and making disciples” is your “great omission” as a Christian. TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, in order to be with you, I need you to show me how to “create a desert” in the midst of my full, active life. Cleanse me from the pressures, illusions, and pretenses that confront me today so that my life may serve as a gift to those around me. Amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 26). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, I will serve others (Philippians 2:3f). “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”. (Philippians 4:14). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Mathew 28:16-20; Mathew 9:36-38; Mathew 10:16-33; Psalms 115:1-18. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Hearing God's Voice”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Right before Our Lord left the Apostles on the day of His Ascension, He said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to Me”. He also said to them, “I will be with you all days, even to the consummation of the world”.We believe that Our Lord is omnipotent. We believe that He rules this world. But how often are we also not tempted to think the opposite, to think that Our Lord is powerless?How often are we not tempted to say: “Lord, where is your power? Evil is triumphant today! How can you let things go so far? How can you let things get so bad? If you have all power.”How can you allow there to be such a crisis in the Church? How can you allow the Conciliar Popes to do so many scandalous things? How can you allow there to be a fake Catholic as President of the United States?Lord, if you have all power, when are you going to arise and use it?When Our Lord said that all power on Heaven and earth has been given to Him, He did not say how He would use that power. He certainly did not bind Himself to step in and consume with fires or floods anyone who commits evil.What we all have to understand is that there are two ways of exercising power, not one way. One way is certainly the way of exercising force on people and things. We compel them to do our will or we simply remove them from our way.God is able to exercise His power in another way than nuclear destruction. God can exercise His power by building up rather than destroying. He can compel people by love rather than fear. He can conquer by relinquishing power.
50 And he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. 51 While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. 52 And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple blessing God. - Luke 24:50-53 (ESV) Theme: The ascension of Jesus equips us until His return. 5 Ways Jesus Equips us in His Ascension: 1. The ascension equips us through encouragement (2:51). 2. The ascension equips us to worship (2:52). 3. The ascension equips us to believe (Matthew 28:17). ”And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.“ - Matthew 28:17 (ESV) 4. The ascension equips us to obey (Matthew 28:19-20). 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV) 5. The ascension equips us to persevere (Acts 1:11). “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” Acts 1:11 (ESV)
Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed One (v2) for 3 offices: Prophet, Priest & King, to preach, pray & reign (in Christ, we share all 3 anointings). (1) First, He was anointed a PROPHET (to declare God's Word to men) at His Baptism, authorised by the Father speaking from Heaven (Matt 3:17). Then (2) His initial ministry of HIGH PRIEST, to offer Himself as a Sacrifice on the Cross, endorsed by Father from Heaven (John 12:27-33), followed by His appointment & anointing as our everlasting High Priest in the order of Melchizedek at God's right hand (Ps 110:1,4). Also (3) His Ascension was His coronation, enthronement and anointing as KING of kings, over the earth (Ps 110:1), endorsed by Father from Heaven at the Transfiguration, a prophetic preview of His Kingdom (Matt 17:5), which He'll establish at His 2nd Coming. Psalms 2 & 110 are twins, fitting together, revealing His Ascension (2:6, 110:1) and the continuation of His anointed ministry on earth thru the Church (in Christ). Ps 110:2 says He will extend the rod of His power (His authority & power) from Heaven, ruling in the midst of His enemies on earth. v3 says He'll do this thru His people on earth, an army of priests, who've received a new birth and present themselves to Him as free-will offerings to do His will (as the dawn gives birth to the dew, so the Lord gives birth to this holy army). They are king-priests, the royal priesthood family, under the High Priest King Jesus. Thus Christ, the Head, shares His anointing with His body (Ps 133:2). This confirms the Anointed One in Psalm 2 includes those in Christ, and the Divine Decree made to Christ, raising Him from death and enthroning Him as God's Son, was also spoken into us (v6,7). Thus we're anointed by the Spirit to function as prophets, priests & kings. (1) Just as His 1st ministry was as a PROPHET to speak God's Word to men, so when He rose, He 1st gave us the Great Commission to preach the Gospel and make disciples (Mark 16:15, Matt 28:19-20). Thus He anointed us to prophesy (Acts 2:17) - speak His Word under the Spirit's inspiration. He gives us His Spirit to empower us to witness (Acts 1:8), for "the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy" (Rev 19:10). The Church's main mission is to preach the Gospel, thus Ps 2 closes with the anointed ones in Christ preaching to the kings, judges & peoples of earth (v10-12). Their Gospel Message starts: "Now therefore" (v10), pointing to His completed work - His life, death, resurrection, ascension and coronation as Lord & King over all (v6-7). Thus it begins with a proclamation of who He is and what He's accomplished, establishing He is God's appointed & anointed Saviour and Lord of all. On this basis, it then appeals to us, saying: "therefore serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little (in a moment). Blessed are all who put their trust (take refuge) in Him" (v8-10). Thus it calls men to urgently respond in faith and trust Christ for salvation, for the Son is angry at man's sin (rebellion) and His fiery anger could suddenly break out against him at any time (Heb 12:29) - He delays His judgment to give man a chance to repent. Only in the Son is safety from God's wrath. God has provided Him as our Refuge, so if we trust in Him, we come under His covering (Atonement), for He took our place & bore God's judgment on Himself. The trembling denotes our utter weakness & dependance on Him to save us, for we can't save ourselves by our own strength or stand before God in our own righteousness. But when we trust in Christ alone for our salvation, He saves us, so we end up rejoicing. Saving faith also includes submission to God's authority (fear) - repentance from our rebellion against God. Thus submission to God naturally results in serving the Lord. The Gospel calls us to "kiss the Son" (v12) - an invitation to respond to His message (offering us forgiveness, peace & intimacy with God) by drawing near by faith, and giving Him our homage, affection, love, heart & worship (1Ki 19:18, Hos 13:2, Luke 7:38-45). When we do this, He kisses us, imparting His Spirit & eternal life into us (John 20:22), and we enter into loving union with Him. The timing of this Proclamation is between His Ascension (v6) & the Day of His wrath (v12) - the Church Age. To accomplish our mission, He also (2) anoints us as His PRIESTS to pray & offer up sacrifices of praise, sharing in His ministry of intercession (2:8), praying for God's Spirit to work in the hearts of the lost, and for us to be filled with the Spirit to boldly share God's Word with them (Acts 4:29-31, v23-28). Also (3) He anoints us as His KINGS, to exercise authority in His Name (Mark 16:17), using His rod to break the enemies' power (2:9), especially over the lost. thus in Christ, we share in His 3-fold anointing as (1) PRIESTS to pray (v8), (2) KINGS to rule (v9), and PROPHETS to preach the Gospel (v10-12).
Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed One (v2) for 3 offices: Prophet, Priest & King, to preach, pray & reign (in Christ, we share all 3 anointings). (1) First, He was anointed a PROPHET (to declare God's Word to men) at His Baptism, authorised by the Father speaking from Heaven (Matt 3:17). Then (2) His initial ministry of HIGH PRIEST, to offer Himself as a Sacrifice on the Cross, endorsed by Father from Heaven (John 12:27-33), followed by His appointment & anointing as our everlasting High Priest in the order of Melchizedek at God's right hand (Ps 110:1,4). Also (3) His Ascension was His coronation, enthronement and anointing as KING of kings, over the earth (Ps 110:1), endorsed by Father from Heaven at the Transfiguration, a prophetic preview of His Kingdom (Matt 17:5), which He'll establish at His 2nd Coming. Psalms 2 & 110 are twins, fitting together, revealing His Ascension (2:6, 110:1) and the continuation of His anointed ministry on earth thru the Church (in Christ). Ps 110:2 says He will extend the rod of His power (His authority & power) from Heaven, ruling in the midst of His enemies on earth. v3 says He'll do this thru His people on earth, an army of priests, who've received a new birth and present themselves to Him as free-will offerings to do His will (as the dawn gives birth to the dew, so the Lord gives birth to this holy army). They are king-priests, the royal priesthood family, under the High Priest King Jesus. Thus Christ, the Head, shares His anointing with His body (Ps 133:2). This confirms the Anointed One in Psalm 2 includes those in Christ, and the Divine Decree made to Christ, raising Him from death and enthroning Him as God's Son, was also spoken into us (v6,7). Thus we're anointed by the Spirit to function as prophets, priests & kings. (1) Just as His 1st ministry was as a PROPHET to speak God's Word to men, so when He rose, He 1st gave us the Great Commission to preach the Gospel and make disciples (Mark 16:15, Matt 28:19-20). Thus He anointed us to prophesy (Acts 2:17) - speak His Word under the Spirit's inspiration. He gives us His Spirit to empower us to witness (Acts 1:8), for "the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy" (Rev 19:10). The Church's main mission is to preach the Gospel, thus Ps 2 closes with the anointed ones in Christ preaching to the kings, judges & peoples of earth (v10-12). Their Gospel Message starts: "Now therefore" (v10), pointing to His completed work - His life, death, resurrection, ascension and coronation as Lord & King over all (v6-7). Thus it begins with a proclamation of who He is and what He's accomplished, establishing He is God's appointed & anointed Saviour and Lord of all. On this basis, it then appeals to us, saying: "therefore serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little (in a moment). Blessed are all who put their trust (take refuge) in Him" (v8-10). Thus it calls men to urgently respond in faith and trust Christ for salvation, for the Son is angry at man's sin (rebellion) and His fiery anger could suddenly break out against him at any time (Heb 12:29) - He delays His judgment to give man a chance to repent. Only in the Son is safety from God's wrath. God has provided Him as our Refuge, so if we trust in Him, we come under His covering (Atonement), for He took our place & bore God's judgment on Himself. The trembling denotes our utter weakness & dependance on Him to save us, for we can't save ourselves by our own strength or stand before God in our own righteousness. But when we trust in Christ alone for our salvation, He saves us, so we end up rejoicing. Saving faith also includes submission to God's authority (fear) - repentance from our rebellion against God. Thus submission to God naturally results in serving the Lord. The Gospel calls us to "kiss the Son" (v12) - an invitation to respond to His message (offering us forgiveness, peace & intimacy with God) by drawing near by faith, and giving Him our homage, affection, love, heart & worship (1Ki 19:18, Hos 13:2, Luke 7:38-45). When we do this, He kisses us, imparting His Spirit & eternal life into us (John 20:22), and we enter into loving union with Him. The timing of this Proclamation is between His Ascension (v6) & the Day of His wrath (v12) - the Church Age. To accomplish our mission, He also (2) anoints us as His PRIESTS to pray & offer up sacrifices of praise, sharing in His ministry of intercession (2:8), praying for God's Spirit to work in the hearts of the lost, and for us to be filled with the Spirit to boldly share God's Word with them (Acts 4:29-31, v23-28). Also (3) He anoints us as His KINGS, to exercise authority in His Name (Mark 16:17), using His rod to break the enemies' power (2:9), especially over the lost. thus in Christ, we share in His 3-fold anointing as (1) PRIESTS to pray (v8), (2) KINGS to rule (v9), and PROPHETS to preach the Gospel (v10-12).
In Psalm 2:6, God declares the victory that He has won through Christ, by saying: “Yet I have set My King (Jesus Christ) on My holy Hill of Zion (in Heaven).” This was accomplished by God's Decree, by which He raised Christ from the dead and caused Him to ascend to God's right hand (Psalm 110:1). Next in Psalm 2:7, Christ, the King, starts to declare this Decree: “I will declare the Decree: The Lord has said to Me: ‘You are My Son. Today I have begotten You.'" Acts 13:33 quotes Psalm 2:7 and asserts that God spoke this to Jesus, when He "raised Him up" at His resurrection. Hebrews 1:3-7 quotes Psalm 2:7, linking it with His Ascension. This confirms the Resurrection and initial Ascension to Heaven must have been on the same day. Hebrews 5:5-6 quotes Psalm 2:7, along with Psalm 110:4, saying that this was when God glorified Jesus and anointed Him to become the everlasting High Priest after the order of Melchizedek.According to Psalm 110:1, this took place at the Ascension - His Coronation as King of kings (Melchizedek was both a King and a Priest). When Christ speaks of being begotten on the day of His resurrection, He is not talking about His eternal Sonship as God, but the total regeneration and glorification of His humanity at His resurrection. He is called "the Firstborn from the dead" (Colossians 1:18), "the Firstborn among many brethren" (Romans 8:29), and we are "the Church of the Firstborn" (Hebrews 12:23). He became a man to identify with us, so that we could be identified with Him. When we trust in Christ, we are put into Christ (He is the head and we are His body), and we share in His sonship and inheritance. Thus through our union with Christ, we also partake of the power released by this Divine Decree, which is how we were born again - God has "begotten us again through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1Peter 1:3). Thus God has made us His sons through Christ's Resurrection, which is why the New Birth and indwelling Holy Spirit was not available before the New Covenant was established. So, when Psalm 2 describes the spiritual warfare, with God's enemies arrayed against the Lord and His Anointed (Christ), we are included in the Anointed One. Therefore, we are included in Psalm 2 and have a part to play in the spiritual warfare on earth, now that our Head, Jesus Christ, is seated in Heaven. Just as Jesus declared the Decree of the Lord concerning Himself, so we also must believe and confess God's Decree over us, saying: "I am born again, I am God's child, raised with Christ to new life and seated with Christ far above all principality and power. I am a new creation, more than a conqueror in Christ, the righteousness of God in Christ." In this way, we establish our new IDENTITY and POSITION in Christ, based on Psalm 2:6-7. We must be strong in who we are in Christ, if we are to fulfil God's will and play our part as God's representatives in the spiritual warfare, for satan's main attack is against our identity in Christ (Revelation 12:10-11).
In Psalm 2:6, God declares the victory that He has won through Christ, by saying: “Yet I have set My King (Jesus Christ) on My holy Hill of Zion (in Heaven).” This was accomplished by God's Decree, by which He raised Christ from the dead and caused Him to ascend to God's right hand (Psalm 110:1). Next in Psalm 2:7, Christ, the King, starts to declare this Decree: “I will declare the Decree: The Lord has said to Me: ‘You are My Son. Today I have begotten You.'" Acts 13:33 quotes Psalm 2:7 and asserts that God spoke this to Jesus, when He "raised Him up" at His resurrection. Hebrews 1:3-7 quotes Psalm 2:7, linking it with His Ascension. This confirms the Resurrection and initial Ascension to Heaven must have been on the same day. Hebrews 5:5-6 quotes Psalm 2:7, along with Psalm 110:4, saying that this was when God glorified Jesus and anointed Him to become the everlasting High Priest after the order of Melchizedek.According to Psalm 110:1, this took place at the Ascension - His Coronation as King of kings (Melchizedek was both a King and a Priest). When Christ speaks of being begotten on the day of His resurrection, He is not talking about His eternal Sonship as God, but the total regeneration and glorification of His humanity at His resurrection. He is called "the Firstborn from the dead" (Colossians 1:18), "the Firstborn among many brethren" (Romans 8:29), and we are "the Church of the Firstborn" (Hebrews 12:23). He became a man to identify with us, so that we could be identified with Him. When we trust in Christ, we are put into Christ (He is the head and we are His body), and we share in His sonship and inheritance. Thus through our union with Christ, we also partake of the power released by this Divine Decree, which is how we were born again - God has "begotten us again through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1Peter 1:3). Thus God has made us His sons through Christ's Resurrection, which is why the New Birth and indwelling Holy Spirit was not available before the New Covenant was established. So, when Psalm 2 describes the spiritual warfare, with God's enemies arrayed against the Lord and His Anointed (Christ), we are included in the Anointed One. Therefore, we are included in Psalm 2 and have a part to play in the spiritual warfare on earth, now that our Head, Jesus Christ, is seated in Heaven. Just as Jesus declared the Decree of the Lord concerning Himself, so we also must believe and confess God's Decree over us, saying: "I am born again, I am God's child, raised with Christ to new life and seated with Christ far above all principality and power. I am a new creation, more than a conqueror in Christ, the righteousness of God in Christ." In this way, we establish our new IDENTITY and POSITION in Christ, based on Psalm 2:6-7. We must be strong in who we are in Christ, if we are to fulfil God's will and play our part as God's representatives in the spiritual warfare, for satan's main attack is against our identity in Christ (Revelation 12:10-11).
Jesus Followers Must Meet Jesus' Expectation of His “Great Commission” By Both “Going” and “Making Disciples” MESSAGE SUMMARY: Jesus, in Luke 15:4-7, tells us, through His Parable of The Lost Sheep, the importance to God of our discipleship: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.". Immediately before His Ascension into Heaven Jesus told the Apostles and us today, in His Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20, that as we go into our communities and into all parts of the world, we are to make disciples: “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'”. We must begin, as followers of Jesus, to meet His fundamental expectation for us by both going and making disciples! TODAY'S PRAYER: Abba Father, I open my clenched fists to surrender everything you have given to me. Reestablish my identity in you — not in my family, my work, my accomplishments, or what others think of me. Cleanse the things in me that are not conformed to your will. By faith I unite my will to yours so that the likeness of Jesus Christ may be formed in me. In his name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 85). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, because I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Addictions. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit's fruit of Self-Control. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 28:18-20; Matthew 10:16; Matthew 16:24-28; Psalms 29:1-11. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “How God Says He Loves Us: Part 2 -- The Covenant with Abraham”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
“The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” Matthew 9:15Our appetites and fleshly desires can easily cloud our thinking and keep us from desiring only God and His holy will. Therefore, in order to curb one's disordered appetites, it is useful to mortify them by acts of self-denial, such as fasting. But during Jesus' public ministry, when He was daily with His disciples, it appears that self-denial was unnecessary for His disciples. One can only speculate that this was because Jesus was so intimately present to them every day that His divine presence sufficed to curb any and every disordered affection.But the day did come when Jesus was taken away from them—first by His death, and then shortly after by His Ascension into Heaven. After the Ascension and Pentecost, Jesus' relationship with His disciples changed. It was no longer a tangible and physical presence. It was no longer a daily dose of authoritative teaching and inspiring miracles that they saw. Instead, their relationship with our Lord began to take on a new dimension of conformity to Jesus' Passion. The disciples were now being called to imitate our Lord by turning their eyes of faith to Him interiorly, and exteriorly acting as His instrument of sacrificial love. And for that reason, the disciples needed their passions and fleshly appetites under control. Hence, after Jesus' Ascension and with the beginning of the disciples' public ministry, they greatly benefitted from fasting and all other forms of mortification.Each one of us is called to be not only a follower of Christ (a disciple) but also an instrument of Christ (an apostle). And if we are to fulfill these roles well, our disordered fleshly appetites cannot get in the way. We need to allow the Spirit of God to consume us and lead us in all that we do. Fasting and all other forms of mortification help us to stay focused upon the Spirit rather than upon our weaknesses and fleshly temptations.Reflect, today, upon the importance of fasting and mortification of the flesh. These penitential acts are not usually desirable at first. But that's the key. By doing that which our flesh does not “desire,” we strengthen our spirit to take greater control, which enables our Lord to use us and direct our actions more effectively. Commit yourself to this holy practice and you will be amazed at how transforming it will be.My dear Lord, I thank You for choosing to use me as Your instrument. I thank You that I may be sent by You to share Your love with the world. Give me the grace to conform myself more fully to You by mortifying my disordered appetites and desires so that You and You alone can take complete control of my life. May I be open to the gift of fasting and may this penitential act help to transform my life. Jesus, I trust in You. Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2024 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.
By NOT Adhering to Jesus' “Great Commission” to “go . . . and make disciples” You Are Following Jesus MESSAGE SUMMARY: God said told all Jesus Followers to “go and make disciples” not to “make decisions”. In other words, we are to bring the Gospel to others with whom we have or with whom we develop a personal relationship. Therefore, we are to leave the “conversion” or the “decision” of others to become a Christian up to the Holy Spirit. Our job, as Jesus Followers, is to “go and make disciples”. In Jesus' last instructions to His Apostles and to you, before His Ascension to Heaven from Earth, is in Mathew 28:16-20 -- Jesus' Great Commission: “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'”. A disciple is a student, a follower, a learner. Making a disciple is not about classes. Making a disciple it about investing yourself in the life of another person – discipling is having a personal relationship with another person so that they see the life of Christ in you. Have you been discipled, or have you made a disciple? Not “going and making disciples” is your “great omission” as a Christian. TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, in order to be with you, I need you to show me how to “create a desert” in the midst of my full, active life. Cleanse me from the pressures, illusions, and pretenses that confront me today so that my life may serve as a gift to those around me. Amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 26). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, God isn't finished with me yet (Philippians 1:6). “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”. (Philippians 4:14). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Mathew 28:16-20; Mathew 9:36-38; Mathew 10:16-33; Psalms 115:1-18. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Turkeys and Eagles – Part 6: We Don't Need to Be Wimpy Christians”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Jesus Followers Must Meet Jesus' Expectation of His “Great Commission” By Both “Going” and “Making Disciples” MESSAGE SUMMARY: Jesus, in Luke 15:4-7, tells us, through His Parable of The Lost Sheep, the importance to God of our discipleship: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.". Immediately before His Ascension into Heaven Jesus told the Apostles and us today, in His Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20, that as we go into our communities and into all parts of the world, we are to make disciples: “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'”. We must begin, as followers of Jesus, to meet His fundamental expectation for us by both going and making disciples! TODAY'S PRAYER: Abba Father, I open my clenched fists to surrender everything you have given to me. Reestablish my identity in you — not in my family, my work, my accomplishments, or what others think of me. Cleanse the things in me that are not conformed to your will. By faith I unite my will to yours so that the likeness of Jesus Christ may be formed in me. In his name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 85). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, because I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Despair. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit's fruit of Joy. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 28:18-20; Matthew 10:16; Matthew 16:24-28; Psalms 29:1-11. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Some Christians Easily Walk Away from God, But God Rejoices When They Return”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
The Promise of the Spirit in the New Covenant has 2 aspects, as exemplified by Jesus: (1) The Spirit WITHIN, at the New Birth. (2) The Spirit UPON, at the Baptism in the Spirit. The apostles received the Spirit in 2 stages. (1) In the evening of His resurrection day they received the Spirit WITHIN (John 20:22). (2) Then 50 days later they received the Baptism in the Spirit (Acts 2:1-4), when He came UPON them. Acts 2:33 says Christ only gave His Spirit (within and upon) after His Ascension. But if it was 40 days after His resurrection, how could He give them the Spirit on the resurrection evening? The solution is there were 2 Ascensions: (1) His 1st Ascension on the resurrection morning (John 20), and (2) His 2nd Ascension 40 days later (Acts 1). *The 4 Purposes for His 1st Ascension: *1. To fulfil the Feast of FIRST FRUITS, He had to ascend to Heaven and present Himself to God as the First Fruits from the dead, on the day of His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20-23). *2. To appear before God's throne to receive ALL AUTHORITY (Daniel 7:13-14). During the 40 days, in Matthew 28:18-19, He claimed He had already received this authority, so He must have ascended at the start of the 40 days. This is confirmed by Ephesians 1:19-22 which connects together His resurrection, ascension and receiving all authority as the result of a single working of God's mighty power. Also Philippians 2:9-11. The authority He received included the authority to receive and pour out the Holy Spirit. *3. To present His BLOOD in the heavenly Holy of Holies, as the final and full satisfaction for our sin, and for the New Covenant to come into full operation, including the Promise of the Spirit (Hebrews 9:11-15). Although He died and rose again, He had to accomplish the final consummation of His atoning work in Heaven, by taking His Blood into God's throne room and sprinkling it there, where it speaks for our forgiveness and grace (Hebrews 12:24). He had to do this before giving the New Covenant Gift of the Spirit to us. He is given not on our merits, but on the basis of His completed atonement, which was not consummated until His Blood was sprinkled in Heaven. So the giving of the Spirit testifies the Blood has availed for us, to cleanse us from sin and purchase the blessing of the Spirit (1John 5:6). So the Spirit could not be given before the Blood was presented in Heaven at His 1st Ascension (Acts 2:33). Having purchased our redemption, He ascended and presented His Blood in Heaven, for acceptance by the Father as the seal of His completed work. Only then could He receive the Spirit to pour out on all who believe. *4. To receive the Promise of the Spirit from the Father on our behalf, in order to pour Him out within and upon His people. This required Him to ascend to Heaven (Acts 2:33) and be glorified with all authority, power and glory (John 7:39), which must have happened on the resurrection morning (John 20:22). So He first ascended to Heaven, before returning to earth for 40 days. That is why He was able to impart the indwelling Spirit to His apostles that evening (John 20:22). The Purpose of this 1st Ascension was to officially inaugurate the New Covenant in Heaven, by presenting His Blood there, making it fully operational, as confirmed by His words to Mary, as He was about to ascend. He revealed He was ascending, and that the purpose of His Ascension was to complete the establishment of our New Covenant relationship with God. John 20:17: “Do not touch Me for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to MY BRETHREN and say to them: ‘I AM ASCENDING to My Father and YOUR Father, and to My God and YOUR God." The reason He did not allow Mary to touch Him was that He was ascending to offer Himself to God as the First Fruits. So it was not appropriate for her to touch Him. This holy offering included many saints who were raised with Him (Matthew 27:52-53). So, at His 1st Ascension, (1) He offered Himself to God as the First Fruits, the Head of the new creation of humanity, and (2) presented His Blood (which purchased and guaranteed every blessing of salvation and the Spirit for us) as the basis of the New Covenant, He was accepted by God on our behalf as our representative Man. (3) He then received all authority from God, including the right to pour out His Spirit upon all who believe. (4) Therefore, at this time, He also received the Spirit from the Father on our behalf, along with all the blessings in the New Covenant. Therefore, He now has the authority to pour out His Spirit on all those in Christ, who submit to His Headship. That is why, that evening, He was able to impart the Spirit into His disciples (John 20:22). Then He started to PREPARE them to receive the Spirit UPON (Luke 24:49), which they did 50 days later. We have a PURPOSE, for Christ has commissioned and sent us on a MISSION to be His WITNESSES (Luke 24:47), so we need His SPIRIT UPON, to EMPOWER us to fulfil this MINISTRY (Acts 1:4-8).
The Promise of the Spirit in the New Covenant has 2 aspects, as exemplified by Jesus: (1) The Spirit WITHIN, at the New Birth. (2) The Spirit UPON, at the Baptism in the Spirit. The apostles received the Spirit in 2 stages. (1) In the evening of His resurrection day they received the Spirit WITHIN (John 20:22). (2) Then 50 days later they received the Baptism in the Spirit (Acts 2:1-4), when He came UPON them. Acts 2:33 says Christ only gave His Spirit (within and upon) after His Ascension. But if it was 40 days after His resurrection, how could He give them the Spirit on the resurrection evening? The solution is there were 2 Ascensions: (1) His 1st Ascension on the resurrection morning (John 20), and (2) His 2nd Ascension 40 days later (Acts 1). *The 4 Purposes for His 1st Ascension: *1. To fulfil the Feast of FIRST FRUITS, He had to ascend to Heaven and present Himself to God as the First Fruits from the dead, on the day of His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20-23). *2. To appear before God's throne to receive ALL AUTHORITY (Daniel 7:13-14). During the 40 days, in Matthew 28:18-19, He claimed He had already received this authority, so He must have ascended at the start of the 40 days. This is confirmed by Ephesians 1:19-22 which connects together His resurrection, ascension and receiving all authority as the result of a single working of God's mighty power. Also Philippians 2:9-11. The authority He received included the authority to receive and pour out the Holy Spirit. *3. To present His BLOOD in the heavenly Holy of Holies, as the final and full satisfaction for our sin, and for the New Covenant to come into full operation, including the Promise of the Spirit (Hebrews 9:11-15). Although He died and rose again, He had to accomplish the final consummation of His atoning work in Heaven, by taking His Blood into God's throne room and sprinkling it there, where it speaks for our forgiveness and grace (Hebrews 12:24). He had to do this before giving the New Covenant Gift of the Spirit to us. He is given not on our merits, but on the basis of His completed atonement, which was not consummated until His Blood was sprinkled in Heaven. So the giving of the Spirit testifies the Blood has availed for us, to cleanse us from sin and purchase the blessing of the Spirit (1John 5:6). So the Spirit could not be given before the Blood was presented in Heaven at His 1st Ascension (Acts 2:33). Having purchased our redemption, He ascended and presented His Blood in Heaven, for acceptance by the Father as the seal of His completed work. Only then could He receive the Spirit to pour out on all who believe. *4. To receive the Promise of the Spirit from the Father on our behalf, in order to pour Him out within and upon His people. This required Him to ascend to Heaven (Acts 2:33) and be glorified with all authority, power and glory (John 7:39), which must have happened on the resurrection morning (John 20:22). So He first ascended to Heaven, before returning to earth for 40 days. That is why He was able to impart the indwelling Spirit to His apostles that evening (John 20:22). The Purpose of this 1st Ascension was to officially inaugurate the New Covenant in Heaven, by presenting His Blood there, making it fully operational, as confirmed by His words to Mary, as He was about to ascend. He revealed He was ascending, and that the purpose of His Ascension was to complete the establishment of our New Covenant relationship with God. John 20:17: “Do not touch Me for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to MY BRETHREN and say to them: ‘I AM ASCENDING to My Father and YOUR Father, and to My God and YOUR God." The reason He did not allow Mary to touch Him was that He was ascending to offer Himself to God as the First Fruits. So it was not appropriate for her to touch Him. This holy offering included many saints who were raised with Him (Matthew 27:52-53). So, at His 1st Ascension, (1) He offered Himself to God as the First Fruits, the Head of the new creation of humanity, and (2) presented His Blood (which purchased and guaranteed every blessing of salvation and the Spirit for us) as the basis of the New Covenant, He was accepted by God on our behalf as our representative Man. (3) He then received all authority from God, including the right to pour out His Spirit upon all who believe. (4) Therefore, at this time, He also received the Spirit from the Father on our behalf, along with all the blessings in the New Covenant. Therefore, He now has the authority to pour out His Spirit on all those in Christ, who submit to His Headship. That is why, that evening, He was able to impart the Spirit into His disciples (John 20:22). Then He started to PREPARE them to receive the Spirit UPON (Luke 24:49), which they did 50 days later. We have a PURPOSE, for Christ has commissioned and sent us on a MISSION to be His WITNESSES (Luke 24:47), so we need His SPIRIT UPON, to EMPOWER us to fulfil this MINISTRY (Acts 1:4-8).
Is Your Life's Focus on Jesus the Narrow Door and the Only Door to Your Eternal Life? MESSAGE SUMMARY: From the Gospel of Luke (12:49-56): “Jesus the Narrow Door” Introduction from “Jesus the Divider”: While Jesus does bring us “Peace”, Jesus tells us that His ways are not always our ways; and Jesus does not always bring us “Peace”. In the world, we have tribulation; but Jesus has overcome the world. In Jesus, we do have “Peace”; but when we do stand with and for Jesus, “division” and conflict are created. In this passage from Luke 12, Jesus wants His followers to know that following Him will have a cost in terms of conflict and worldly tribulation. Many in and of the world will not tolerate our communication of the Gospel. Jesus is not saying that “division” is good. Rather, Jesus, in John 17:22-23, expresses His desire, to the Father, for His followers to all be at one with Him and the Father. However, Jesus is warning us that “division” is inevitable because we are human and sinners. Jesus ends His message to those assembled, in Luke 12:54-56, with: “He also said to the crowds, ‘When you see a cloud rising in the west, you say at once, ‘A shower is coming.' And so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat,' and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?'". In this passage, Jesus was pointing toward His purpose on earth and the cross; but no one understood His message at the time period of His teaching in Luke – they could not read God's signs. Do we see and follow God's signs, or do we miss them and become party to creating “divisions”? Today's Message -- Jesus the Narrow Door: In our Gospel focus from Luke 13:22-30, Jesus was pointing His earthly ministry toward Jerusalem, the Cross, Resurrection, and His Ascension. Jesus was asked, in Luke 13:23-25, a pivotal question; and He responded: “And someone said to him, ‘Lord, will those who are saved be few?' And he said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,' then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.'”". It's not that Jesus doesn't want all to be saved, it's just that the “gate”, to our Salvation, is “narrow” and difficult to enter. As Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 2:3-4, that Jesus wants all people to be saved: “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.". However, all people will not be saved because some will not come to Jesus – they don't want to be saved. In Luke 13:26-30, those rejected by the master of the house argue for admission: “” Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.' But he will say, ‘I tell you; I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!' In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out. And people will come from east and west, and from north and south, and recline at table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first, and some are first who will be last.”". Jesus is the “narrow door” and the “gate” by which we enter the Kingdom of God and our Salvation. Jesus Himself tells us in John 10:9-10: “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”. We have been given the job, by Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20, to help others find the “narrow door”. As believers in the Gospel and followers of Jesus, we are invited, in Revelation 19:9-10, to the “Marriage Super of the Lamb”: ““And the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.' And he said to me, ‘These are the true words of God.' Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, ‘You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.' For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”". Is your focus on Jesus, the ”Narrow Door”, that is the only way to the Kingdom of God and your Eternal Life? TODAY'S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM FORGIVEN. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Luke 12:49-56; John 16:36; John 17:22-23; John 14:27; Luke 13:22-30; 2 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:3-4; Matthew 7:13-14; Hebrews 11:1-40; John 10:9-10; Matthew 28:18-20; Revelation 19:9-10; Psalms 33a:1-11. SCRIPTURE REFERENCE SEARCH: www.AWFTL.org/bible-search/ WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – Is Your Faith Yours, or Is Your Faith a Faith Derivative of the Faith of Others?: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/ A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
By NOT Adhering to Jesus' “Great Commission” to “go . . . and make disciples” You Are Following Jesus MESSAGE SUMMARY: God said told all Jesus Followers to “go and make disciples” not to “make decisions”. In other words, we are to bring the Gospel to others with whom we have or with whom we develop a personal relationship. Therefore, we are to leave the “conversion” or the “decision” of others to become a Christian up to the Holy Spirit. Our job, as Jesus Followers, is to “go and make disciples”. In Jesus' last instructions to His Apostles and to you, before His Ascension to Heaven from Earth, is in Mathew 28:16-20 -- Jesus' Great Commission: “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'”. A disciple is a student, a follower, a learner. Making a disciple is not about classes. Making a disciple it about investing yourself in the life of another person – discipling is having a personal relationship with another person so that they see the life of Christ in you. Have you been discipled, or have you made a disciple? Not “going and making disciples” is your “great omission” as a Christian. TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, in order to be with you, I need you to show me how to “create a desert” in the midst of my full, active life. Cleanse me from the pressures, illusions, and pretenses that confront me today so that my life may serve as a gift to those around me. Amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 26). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, I affirm that, because I am in Jesus Christ, I rejoice in Him. (Philippians 4:4). “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”. (Philippians 4:14). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Mathew 28:16-20; Mathew 9:36-38; Mathew 10:16-33; Psalms 115:1-18. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Are You Willing to Speak Up and Share, Publicly, Your Relationship with Jesus?”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus, “Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.'” Matthew 10:5–7The very last words of Jesus, just prior to His Ascension into Heaven, expands the mandate we read above that Jesus gave to His Apostles. He later says, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit…” (Matthew 28:19). Eventually, Jesus sends the Twelve and all of His disciples to the ends of the earth to proclaim the Gospel to every creature. But here, prior to the coming of the Holy Spirit, and prior to the completion of Jesus' earthly mission, He instructs the Twelve to go only “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Thus, Jesus gives a sort of priority to the preaching of the Gospel to those who have already been entrusted with the revelations of the Old Testament—that is, the teachings of the Law of Moses and the prophets.Though, today, we must all hear the call from our Lord to “make disciples of all nations,” we must also hear this unique commission to first preach to those who are already members of the family of God. And though, today, the Holy Spirit has already come and the Gospel has already gone forth far and wide, there is still an important spiritual lesson to be learned by Jesus' progressive commission from those of the family of God to those who do not yet know the Gospel.Start with yourself. By hearing Jesus give special emphasis to His Twelve to go first to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, you should hear our Lord speaking especially about you. You, who were baptized, have been confirmed and have received Holy Communion, now have a special obligation to listen to and respond to the Gospel of Christ. From there, God entrusts you with the sharing of the Gospel in a special way to those who also share your faith. For that reason, parents are uniquely obliged to share the Gospel with their children. Friends within the same faith community are uniquely obliged to reach out to others who share their faith. And pastors of the Church must do the same. The Gospel is now universal and must be proclaimed to all people, but this passage appears to highlight the importance of sharing the Gospel with fellow disciples of Christ.We know from our daily life that there are many who profess faith in Christ who still are not fully evangelized. There are many who have received the Sacraments but lack the deep faith to which they are called. It can appear that most fail to worship our Lord every day, and many fail in their prayerful worship each and every week. Therefore, it is useful to place yourself into this Gospel passage and to hear our Lord call you to especially devote yourself to the sharing of the Gospel with those who have already become members of His Church, even if it is only in name.If we begin with ourselves, seeking to daily grow deeper in our life of faith, praying and seeking out the will of God, then God will more easily be able to use us as He wills to share the faith with those who belong to God's family but whose faith may be weak. And for those who are “all in” and have truly given themselves over to Christ, God will certainly also use you for the proclamation of the Gospel to those who have not yet come to know Christ through the gift of faith. Reflect, today, upon the invitation Jesus gives to you to be His evangelist. First, look at your own life and do all you can to allow the Gospel to transform you into a fervent follower of Christ. From there, be open to the many ways that God wants to use you every day to inspire others to become followers of our Lord. Start with your family. Pray for them. Be attentive to the promptings of grace God gives to reach out to them. Then turn your eyes, also, to the wider community. Allow the Lord to lead, follow His voice, and He will use you in many ways to help others come to know His burning love for them. My universal King, You came to establish Your Kingdom in the lives of all people. You call all Your creatures to faith in You. Help me to be among the first who turn to You with my whole heart. Please also use me to become an instrument of Your saving grace to those whom You've put into my life. My life is Yours, dear Lord. Use me as You will. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2023 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.
As our Lord prepares His disciples for His Ascension in the Gospel of St. John chapter 16, He teaches them something so very important about the nature of prayer. He teaches them, "Whatever you ask the Father in My Name He will give you...that your joy may be may be full." What does it mean to pray "in the Name of Jesus?" Today we see that, as St. Cyprian taught regarding this question: "Let Christ Who dwells within our hearts, also dwell within our voice." This message is a reflection on this very understanding of praying in Jesus' Name.
Jesus Followers Must Meet Jesus' Expectation of His “Great Commission” By Both “Going” and “Making Disciples” MESSAGE SUMMARY: Jesus, in Luke 15:4-7, tells us, through His Parable of The Lost Sheep, the importance to God of our discipleship: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.". Immediately before His Ascension into Heaven Jesus told the Apostles and us today, in His Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20, that as we go into our communities and into all parts of the world, we are to make disciples: “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'”. We must begin, as followers of Jesus, to meet His fundamental expectation for us by both going and making disciples! TODAY'S PRAYER: Abba Father, I open my clenched fists to surrender everything you have given to me. Reestablish my identity in you — not in my family, my work, my accomplishments, or what others think of me. Cleanse the things in me that are not conformed to your will. By faith I unite my will to yours so that the likeness of Jesus Christ may be formed in me. In his name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 85). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, because I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Compulsions. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit's fruit of Patience. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 28:18-20; Matthew 10:16; Matthew 16:24-28; Psalms 29:1-11. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Are You Filled with the Holy Spirit? (Highland Chapel; Chattanooga, TN)”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Happy Solemnity of the Ascension! Hello St. Mary Magdalene, Thanks for tuning in to this week's video and happy solemnity of the Ascension! This wonderful feast is a great reminder for us of our final goal: to be with Christ forever in Heaven. His Ascension is the completion of the Paschal Mystery and the chain of events that started way back on Holy Thursday. Thus, the Ascension is the glorious culmination of Christ's victory over sin and death. For us too, it's also a reminder that Christ is with us in difficult moments and leads us into new life and that the glory Christ works within us through difficulties are so much greater than the sufferings we endure. See Romans 8:18-21 for Paul's fantastic words on this subject. God bless, Fr. Chris Visit us: https://www.smarymag.org Support us online: https://membership.faithdirect.net/AZ754
The Resurrection -- Part 3: Jesus Gives Us His Great Commission Just Before His Ascension MESSAGE SUMMARY: Introduction from “The Resurrection -- Part 3: Jesus Gives Us His Great Commission Just Before His Ascension: At Jesus last appearance to His Eleven Disciples as a group and just before His Ascension, Jesus gives His Great Commission to us and to His Disciples. In Matthew 28:16-20, Jesus commissions or, indeed, commands us: “Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'”. Jesus, in Matthew 28:16-20, has commissioned us and commanded us to: Go, Make Disciples, Baptize, and to Teach everything that he has taught us (e.g., the Bible, our walk with the Holy Spirit) to the “ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Remember again, that this commission and commandment (i.e. “as you go”) was the last thing that Jesus, as the Incarnate God-Man, told His Disciples and, therefore, us before His Ascension into Heaven to become solely God again. Because of the Resurrection and God's Grace, we have the opportunity for Salvation and Eternal Life; and God has given this opportunity to others next door and around the world, through us, if we Go, Make Disciples, Baptize, and Teach! Today' Message – Hearing God's Voice: In John 10:1-18, Jesus presents the picture of the Shephard and the Shepherd's relationship to His flock. Shepherding, in the First Century, was an intense and demanding occupation with the need for the Shepherd to lead and communicate with His sheep and to prevent “false shepherds” from stealing sheep. In communicating with His sheep, the sheep learn and listen for the Shepherd's voice which protects the sheep from “false shepherds”. Jesus tells us, in John 10:7-11, that He is the Shepherd and only through and with Jesus can we enter into the Gate, which is our Salvation and Eternal Life:' So Jesus again said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.'”. Jesus tells us that the sheep will hear His voice; therefore, if we are followers of Jesus, we should hear Jesus voice – we are all called to be Jesus' sheep. How do we know the voice of Jesus our Good Shepherd? To hear and know Jesus' voice, we need to consider: 1) we must “enter through the Gate” – the “Gate” is only Jesus; 2) we must be a sheep (i.e. must be saved and have a personal relationship with Jesus) of the Good Shepherd to hear and distinguish His voice from the “false shepherds”; 3) we must learn to listen – God's voice can present to us in many ways, especially through the Holy Spirit – the Holy Spirit gives us an insight into the mind of God and puts our mind in sync with God; 4) the voice of Satan is discernable from the voice and message of Jesus; and 5) we must obey the Lord as we listen – in the New Testament, the words “hear” and “obey” are the same; and God wants to guide and direct us. Ultimately, God tells us: “Be still and know that I am God.”. He is Risen, and He is alive today! TODAY'S PRAYER: Keeping the Sabbath, Lord, will require a lot of changes in the way I am living life. Teach me, Lord, how to take the next step with this in a way that fits my unique personality and situation. Help me to trust you with all that will remain unfinished and to enjoy my humble place in your very large world. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 129). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: I affirm that because of what God has done for me in His Son, Jesus, I AM A CHILD OF GOD. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God-- children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. John 1:12f SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 28:16-20; John 21:1-14; Acts 1:8; John 3:3-8; John 10:1-27; Ezekiel 34:22-24,31; Psalms 23:1-6; John 5:25; Ezekiel 1:28; Ezekiel 43:2; 1 Kings 19:12; Isiah 30:21; Ephesians 1:17-18; Hebrews 3:7. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH'S DAILY DEVOTIONAL – “As a Jesus Follower, the Greatest Witness for the Gospel that You Can Give Is for Others to See Jesus IN You”: https://awordfromthelord.org/devotional/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Jesus Was Crucified and Died Yesterday; Today, We Wait For His Resurrection Tomorrow - Easter MESSAGE SUMMARY: As we wait on this Holy Saturday, what does the Resurrection of Jesus Have to Do with Us? What are the implications for humanity? While we were still sinners, Jesus died for us. It is through Jesus' death and Resurrection that we are able realize God's Grace of Salvation from our sins and to gain our Eternal Life. Holy Week is all about God's Grace; Jesus' death on the cross; Jesus Resurrection; and our Salvation. All sinners need what Jesus did on the cross for us. Jesus was dead. He was crucified on the cross because He claimed to be the Messiah, and the Jewish leaders wanted Him dead. The Roman leaders wanted Jesus dead because he claimed to be a king. After Jesus was crucified, He was buried and sealed in a tomb under watch by Roman guard unit. On the Sunday of Holy Week, some of the women go to Jesus' tomb; but they find the seal broken; the stone rolled away; and the tomb empty. An Angel in the tomb tells the women that Jesus is no longer dead; He has risen. The women tell Peter and John, and Peter and John run to the tomb to find it empty. After Peter and John leave, the women return to the tomb and find two Angels in the tomb; and then Jesus appears to Mary who, initially, does not recognize Jesus. Jesus tells Mary to go tell the other Apostles that He is alive. Jesus appears to two people traveling the road on Sunday; and then Jesus appears again, after the Resurrection, to the Apostles in a closed room. The Apostle Thomas is not present, but Jesus reappears to the Apostles with Thomas present; Thomas proclaims to Jesus after doubting Jesus' Resurrection: “my Lord and my God!”. Over next forty days, Jesus appears to hundreds of people. Lastly, Jesus appears to the Apostles, on the Mount of Olives, where Jesus gave them the “Great Commission” (Matthew 28:18-20). Jesus appearances to people, after His death and Resurrection, proved to these people that He was who He said He was – the Son of God and the Messiah. With Jesus' Resurrection, He arises from death as the Passover Lamb, “the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world!”. Sometime later and after His Ascension into Heaven, Jesus appears to Saul on the Road to Damascus where Saul was going to continue his retribution against followers of Jesus. Saul is converted to a follower of Jesus and Saul the persecutor becomes the great Apostle Paul, and Paul had several encounters with Jesus over the years. Jesus is alive! While people did not expect Jesus' Resurrection, whenever He spoke of His impending death, Jesus always mentioned His Resurrection (Matthew 16:21). Even after Jesus' three predictions of His death and Resurrection, the Apostles did not understand or accept Jesus predictions – the Resurrection was unexpected. The Resurrection did occur because Jesus was alive, and His life after His Resurrection is well documented. However, if there were no Resurrection of Jesus, there would be no Christianity, as Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:17-19: “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.". What is the point in following Jesus without His Resurrection? However, there was a Resurrection of Jesus, and His Resurrection is the point! Fast forwarding two thousand years to today, what does the Resurrection of Jesus mean to us? The primary implications of the Resurrection on us and humanity today is the forgiveness of our sins – we can be forgiven only because of God's Grace and the Resurrection, which made Jesus' death matter and provide us a path to a continuing personal relationship with God. Jesus is alive on this Easter and since His Resurrection. Jesus has been alive for us through God's gift of the Holy Spirit who permits our personal and eternal relationship with God, the Creator of the Universe. However, these incredible gifts necessitate our sin confessions and our faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Jesus was Resurrected from death as the Passover Lamb, “the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world!”, as the Apostle John tells us in John 1:29-30: “The next day he {John the Baptizer} saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.'". TODAY'S PRAYER Lord, I praise you because your love seeks my good in any and every situation. Forgive me for the seeds that I have squandered. Soften my heart to surrender to your will in and through me. In Jesus' name, amen. Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Day by Day (p. 120). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, Because of who I am in Jesus Christ, I will not be driven by Fear. Rather, I will abide in the Lord's Faithfulness. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Matthew 28:18-20; Matthew 16:21; Matthew 17:22; Matthew 20:18; Acts 4:2; Romans 4:25; 1 Peter 1:3; 1 Corinthians 15:14-19 A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Contemplating the Mighty Acts – Palm Sunday and Holy Week”, at our Website: https://awtlser.podbean.com/. DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB
Everyone has a strategy for everything, even if that is improvising. God's strategy for building the Kingdom is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit took the place of Jesus with us on earth after His Ascension. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we operate completely the way that God has intended. When we are close with the Holy Spirit, we are obedient to God's will, building the Kingdom. How can you fit into God's strategy this week?
“The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” Matthew 9:15Our appetites and fleshly desires can easily cloud our thinking and keep us from desiring only God and His holy will. Therefore, in order to curb one's disordered appetites, it is useful to mortify them by acts of self-denial, such as fasting. But during Jesus' public ministry, when He was daily with His disciples, it appears that self-denial was unnecessary for His disciples. One can only speculate that this was because Jesus was so intimately present to them every day that His divine presence sufficed to curb any and every disordered affection.But the day did come when Jesus was taken away from them—first by His death, and then shortly after by His Ascension into Heaven. After the Ascension and Pentecost, Jesus' relationship with His disciples changed. It was no longer a tangible and physical presence. It was no longer a daily dose of authoritative teaching and inspiring miracles that they saw. Instead, their relationship with our Lord began to take on a new dimension of conformity to Jesus' Passion. The disciples were now being called to imitate our Lord by turning their eyes of faith to Him interiorly, and exteriorly acting as His instrument of sacrificial love. And for that reason, the disciples needed their passions and fleshly appetites under control. Hence, after Jesus' Ascension and with the beginning of the disciples' public ministry, they greatly benefitted from fasting and all other forms of mortification.Each one of us is called to be not only a follower of Christ (a disciple) but also an instrument of Christ (an apostle). And if we are to fulfill these roles well, our disordered fleshly appetites cannot get in the way. We need to allow the Spirit of God to consume us and lead us in all that we do. Fasting and all other forms of mortification help us to stay focused upon the Spirit rather than upon our weaknesses and fleshly temptations.Reflect, today, upon the importance of fasting and mortification of the flesh. These penitential acts are not usually desirable at first. But that's the key. By doing that which our flesh does not “desire,” we strengthen our spirit to take greater control, which enables our Lord to use us and direct our actions more effectively. Commit yourself to this holy practice and you will be amazed at how transforming it will be.My dear Lord, I thank You for choosing to use me as Your instrument. I thank You that I may be sent by You to share Your love with the world. Give me the grace to conform myself more fully to You by mortifying my disordered appetites and desires so that You and You alone can take complete control of my life. May I be open to the gift of fasting and may this penitential act help to transform my life. Jesus, I trust in You.Source of content: catholic-daily-reflections.comCopyright © 2023 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. Used with permission via RSS feed.
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