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Partakers Bible Thought - Jesus WOW Matthew 16

Jesus! WOW Factor Matthew 16:24-26

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Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? (Matthew 16:24-26)

The Jesus I hear about today from some people outside the church, as well as inside the Church, bears no resemblance to the Jesus who said those words.  They are comfortable with a Jesus who is at their mercy and who doesn't ask too much of them!  They like putting Jesus in a box and only opening the box to let Him out when required!  That Jesus is an insipid, nodding head, Jesus - worthy only of being on the back shelf of a car and that's about all.

But that is exactly the opposite of the Jesus who said those words from Matthew - the Jesus who commands obedience and sacrifice!  As I look through the Old Testament, I read about how the world fell out of a living, dynamic relationship with God! But I also read how a Messiah, a saviour or rescuer if you like, was to be sent by God, in order to restore the world back into an intimate, living relationship with God Himself!

I read the Gospels in the New Testament and I see this Messiah as the God-man, Jesus Christ. As I read the rest of the Bible's New Testament and the history of the followers of Jesus Christ and the spread of his followers, the church, through its birth and early life, I get a WOW factor about Him.  But for a lot of people today, including those who would call themselves a Christian, their view or vision of Jesus is still too small. So I wonder as I begin, is your Jesus too small?

1. Who is my Jesus?

As I regularly read the Bible, I see at least a six-sided portrait of Him!  There are many more, but we don't have time for that today, you might be thankful to hear!

a. Unique The first word I would use for Jesus is Jesus is unique - totally unique! Never before and never to be repeated ever - Jesus Christ is the standout person from all of history! Indeed, history is divided into BC and AD - ‘Before Christ' and ‘After Christ'.  In all of history, Jesus Christ is incomparable and totally unique! Yet in human form, we read that during his earthly ministry he had no physical beauty that would draw people to him. We read that Jesus' body on the cross was disfigured and tortured beyond that of human likeness.  His perfect life, His salvation work on the cross and His subsequent rising from the dead, is what makes Jesus Christ unique - a once and for all lifetime Messiah or Saviour for the entire world! WOW!!

b. Majestic Then the Jesus I see is full of majesty and awe! He is not simply a king with a crown on his head.  He is the King of all Kings!   This Jesus Christ did not decay in the grave - He overcame death in the grave and was raised again majestically!  Paul writes in Colossians 2v3, that in Jesus Christ, all the majestic treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden.  Jesus Christ the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, who with unparalleled majesty is the head of the church.

c. Tender Next I go to look into his eyes - his tender eyes!  Jesus looks upon people with love, adoration, justice, tenderness and compassion.  Eyes filled with the tears of mercy, grace, love and compassion.  Eyes that are also filled with rage at injustices! His penetrating eyes that can separate flesh and spirit!! This Jesus is kind and sympathetic - his look of love on a world that is separated from God, and a world He is calling back into an active relationship with God.  The love Jesus had when he wept in the garden as he sweated drops of blood, before he was betrayed and crucified.

d. Wise Then there is Jesus the wise man! When Jesus spoke words, people were amazed!  They were astounded that He spoke with elegance and yet with authority. They had never heard anyone speak like He did - with both grace and authority.  The same is true today, if we are listening. That is why we read the Bible to find out what He would say to us.  That is why we seek to hear Him speak to us and why we speak to Him. That is why preaching is to be seen as an act of worship - by both the preacher and the listener!

e. Strong Strong! Jesus is strong enough and capable enough, to carry any burden that we can lay upon Him.  Jesus Christ gives a solid and sure foundation for all aspects of life.  If something has a solid foundation, it will not fall and cannot be destroyed.  Indeed Jesus Christ will never fall or decay such is His imperishability as the everlasting God.  He is solid, dependable and strong; nobody and nothing can stand against Him.  If we are truly His, then we ought not to fear or worry about anything, for we will be under his protection,.

f. Lovely Finally, my Jesus oozes loveliness! He gives out a sense of exaltation and joy.  Joy is not always externalized loudly as some people think but also internalized quietly!  So if somebody is filled with joy, don't always expect it be seen! Jesus is altogether lovely and lovely altogether!  Jesus is beyond compare for the things He has done and the things He will do.  He is altogether lovely in regard to his person, humanity, birth, life, ministry, death, resurrection, ascension, exultation, glorification, grace, protection, tenderness, power, wisdom, vengeance, judgment, majesty, redemption and pardon.  I could go on and on! That is my Jesus -unique, majestic, tender, wise, strong and lovely. Is this your Jesus?

2. Jesus - So what?

That is my Jesus, whom I seek to serve and obey every second of every day.  This Jesus I seek to obey in every facet of life. And it is this Jesus whom I depend upon and personally know to be totally reliable in every way.  But so what, you may say - those outside the church certainly ask it!   All through this trip of the US, He has been dependable, going ahead of me! Amazing! 

This is the Jesus who commands self-sacrifice and obedience. This Jesus who commands His followers to rely solely on His sacrifice and have dependence on Him for all things.  Jesus Christ who commands all His followers to a life of total obedience to Him and Him alone.  This Jesus who died on a Roman cross two thousand years ago was the same Jesus who was raised from the dead, without decay, into newness of life and ascended to the right hand of the Father.

There is only one Saviour for the world and there will never be another.  Despite the bleating of other religions and faiths! Jesus never said, "I am a true vine; a way, a truth and a life". Just as He did not say "I am a shepherd, a door, a light or a bread of life. No - Jesus is the only way, the only truth and the only life. Jesus is the only great shepherd and the only door to life with God. Jesus is the only light of the world and the only bread of life. Jesus calls everyone to partake of the nourishment and shelter only He can provide.  Sadly only a few respond: "Yes!" Are you one of those?

3. Jesus! WOW!

Jesus WOW!  What does WOW stand for, I hear you asking yourself?  It means "Worthy Of Worship!" Jesus Christ most certainly is that!   The Jesus WOW factor involves Jesus being radical and relevant! Even a brief look of the Gospels will reveal that about Jesus!  Some people even back then didn't get Jesus, and people still don't get Him two thousand years later!  And whose fault is that? Its not Jesus' fault that people today still don't respond to Him!  It's a result of the church and christians down through the ages, including today, not following Jesus and obeying His commands as closely as they could or should!

People out there are looking at the Church and Christians - looking at how we behave, how we speak, how we drive our cars and looking to see if we are any different to them and looking to see what difference Jesus Christ has made in our lives! That's why my parents thought churches were dangerous places and Christians brainwashed and deluded people.  They did not hesitate to tell me that that is what they thought about Christianity!  But I responded to the call of Jesus, rebelled against my parents and became a follower of him 30 years ago next year.  You could say I am the white sheep of my family - so far anyway!

4. We are to be little Jesus'

The word Christian, means little Jesus.  When living in London, after church each Sunday, we would go to this one particular Chinese restaurant for lunch each time. Often as a group of us entered and walked up the stairs to take our seats, they would say: "There go the little Jesuses!"  They would mean it mockingly but we took it as a compliment! That's what being a Christian is to be - a little Jesus!

In our local community, wherever we happen to live, work or be!  We are to live lives worthy of Jesus Christ, being transformed by the Holy Spirit who lives inside each one of us if we are His, and being totally and willingly obedient to Him!  Loving God and loving others - by, showing compassion, helping others and being the voice of Jesus Christ to a community out there, which is rapidly decaying. The world out there and this community will know you and I are Jesus' followers, if we are obedient to Him, practically showing love to all! Oh that we as the church would love each other instead of fighting with each other! Imagine this community transformed for Jesus Christ, having got the WOW factor!  Imagine this community filled with people seeking to know about our Jesus, because the Christians were sacrificing their time and possessions, wanting in every aspect of life to give Jesus the glory and honour that is worthy of His name alone - just as they did in Acts 2! Loving God and loving each other as He commanded would spread the WOW factor through our local communities, both large and small!  Transformed communities of people devoted to Jesus and experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit in bringing people back to God the Father! 

The WOW factor is not always an exuberant experience but also covers the silent, contemplative and gob-smacking experiences! Jesus Christ doesn't just live in the loud, as some would proclaim, but also in the quiet where the small, still voice of God is whispered. Don't be like the only man who left Jesus' presence in sorrow.

Let me read about him to you. Matthew 19v16-30 from The Message "Another day, a man stopped Jesus and asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?" Jesus said, "Why do you question me about what's good? God is the One who is good. If you want to enter the life of God, just do what he tells you." The man asked, "What in particular?" Jesus said, "Don't murder, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't lie, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as you do yourself." The young man said, "I've done all that. What's left?" "If you want to give it all you've got," Jesus replied, "go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me." That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crest-fallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn't bear to let go. As he watched him go, Jesus told his disciples, "Do you have any idea how difficult it is for the rich to enter God's kingdom? Let me tell you, it's easier to gallop a camel through a needle's eye than for the rich to enter God's kingdom." The disciples were staggered. "Then who has any chance at all?" Jesus looked hard at them and said, "No chance at all if you think you can pull it off yourself. Every chance in the world if you trust God to do it." Then Peter chimed in, "We left everything and followed you. What do we get out of it?" Jesus replied, "Yes, you have followed me. In the re-creation of the world, when the Son of Man will rule gloriously, you who have followed me will also rule, starting with the twelve tribes of Israel. And not only you, but anyone who sacrifices home, family, fields-whatever-because of me will get it all back a hundred times over, not to mention the considerable bonus of eternal life. This is the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first." "

Now riches aren't necessarily a problem but they were for that man because nothing could take precedence over them - they were his ‘god' as it were, and he was placing all his trust in them, even if he didn't realise it at the time!  What are you placing your trust in, over and above, Jesus Christ?

Conclusion!

If you are already in a relationship with Him, He wants to give you freedom, true independence on this Independence Day, to live a life worthy of Him.  Is Jesus your whole life and your whole life Jesus?  That means does He have total authority over every aspect of your life.  All aspects of life such as relationships, family, work, bank accounts, possessions, worries and troubles? 

By authority, I mean power! Following Him and carrying your own cross means that - a life sacrificed for Him and obedience to Him alone! Jesus wants to influence every area of your life - not just certain parts you are willing to give up but all aspects of life!  Jesus came to earth to give comfort to the uncomfortable and we are to do the same - give comfort to those in need.

Maybe you are feeling the desolation and loneliness because of decisions made in the past.  Give it up willingly to Jesus and don't keep trying to take it back like a security blanket!  If you have something even partially blocking your relationship with Jesus, get rid of it - ask Him to take it away!

Finally, you may not yet be a follower of Jesus Christ.  I don't know. If that is you, then accept His call upon you.  For He is calling you, urging you to return to a relationship with God through Him and Him alone.  You may not get another chance.  Usually, with a small still beckoning voice, Jesus whispers: "Come! Come and follow me alone!"  

This Jesus wants to connect with you in an intimate, dynamic, active and spiritual relationship - remember His eyes wander the earth looking for those wanting to submit themselves willingly to Him.  If that is you, then please do speak to somebody today about finding out how you can start this relationship with the Living God, Jesus Christ. He calls you by name. Jesus says to all here "Come!  Let me get in the driving seat and you hold on to Me! Follow me and follow me wholeheartedly and with all aspects of your life, obey Me alone!  I will take all your burdens, give you true freedom and independence and help you in all aspects of life! Come! Follow me!"

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Bible Thought - Sex and Moral Purity

Sex and Moral Purity

The world is mad for sex! It sells magazines, DVD’s and clothes. It is one of the gods of our age! Not only that but we only have to glimpse quickly at recent history to find Christian leaders who have fallen due to the sin of sexual immorality.

In the podcast today we explore questions such as:

• How are we as Christian disciples to face these issues of moral purity and sex?
• What does God say about sex?
• What does a correct and considered attitude for the Christian disciple to have regarding sex?
• What is the difference between love and lust?
• How can sexual desire be controlled?

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Prayers Ukraine Russia War Молитви за Україну - Molytvy za Ukrayinu

 

G'day! Today we are praying a series of prayers concerning the Ukraine Russian conflict and war. Молитви за Україну / Molytvy za Ukrayinu

Come! Let's pray together and say your "Amen!" or "May it be so, Lord!"

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Bible Thought - When Jesus Returns As King - Revelation 21 to 22

When Jesus returns back as King

Revelation 21-22

Introduction

We maybe about 2 months away from Christmas but as you know, at Christmas, we celebrate Jesus Christ coming to earth as a human. Christmas is a time where the Church and our community celebrate Jesus Christ's first coming as a baby.  The community like to think of Jesus as a baby, because a baby can be controlled. Somewhat.  Though that is coming from the perspective of somebody who has never had children!!!  Society in general, is comfortable with leaving Jesus as a baby.  However, Jesus is not a baby now, He is King and what a King.  He is coming again, not as a baby this time, but as King and judge.  Both ideas are affirmed by Jeremiah and John.

Christ's reign

Prepared Place!

Purity (v.1-4)

Pearly gates (v.21)

Conclusion

Be encouraged, heaven is for you if you are trusting and obeying Jesus and have Him as Lord of your life!  Remember.  Whatever your attitude and how you judge Jesus now, is how He will judge you when He returns!  Are you following Him and treating Him with respect and reverence?  If you aren't, then it isn't too late to change your mind and then the reward of eternal living in heaven will be yours! Are you suffering?  Suffering will soon be gone.  When you sin against God, keep a short account and ask for forgiveness as soon as you recognise that you have sinned and the Holy Spirit has convicted you of it. We yearn to be with our King for ever and ever.  Yet, we are to keep one part of our mind on Heaven and the other on the responsible work we have been set to do, here on earth.  We are not to be so heavenly minded, that we are of no earthly use. 

Conversely, we are not to be so earth bound, that we are not tied to King Jesus in our eternal home. Go tell somebody.  Won't you go tell somebody this week, this message.  Heaven is a great big place, and there will be room for everybody in this town, this county, this nation and this world to enter through one of those twelve gates!  Go and share this good news with somebody this very week, so that there may be somebody in that magnificent City, because you told them. Christ is our King of Righteousness.  Trust Him and live a life worthy of Him.   Look for His coming! Be expectant, the King is coming back for us soon!  Critics of the church sneer "Where is your God?" and "The end of the Church is surely near".  They are so impatient!! 

Well... our God will appear soon.  He is coming back as King of Righteousness, judging evil and rejecting those who reject Him whilst rewarding those who patiently trust and obey Him.

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Church History - Teachings of Seraphim 20

Teachings of Seraphim

 
Part 20. Acquiring the Holy Spirit

 

(From the Saint's Conversation with Motovilov)

The true goal of our Christian life consists of acquiring God’s Holy Spirit. Fasting and vigil, prayer, mercy, and every other good deed performed for Christ — are means for acquiring the Holy Spirit of God. Only deeds performed for Christ give us the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

Some say that the foolish virgins lacking enough oil in their lamps is meant to be understood as a lack of good deeds (see Mt. 25:1-12). Such an understanding is not completely correct. How could there have been a lack of good deeds when they, though foolish, are still called virgins? For virginity is the highest virtue, as a state equal to the angels, and could by itself serve in place of all other virtues.

I, the wretched, think that they did not have enough of the grace of the All-Holy Spirit of God. These virgins, because of their spiritual injudiciousness, supposed in performing good deeds that it is only necessary to do good works to be a Christian: "We performed a good deed and thus did God’s will.”Whether or not they had received the grace of the Holy Spirit, whether they had attained it, they did not even bother to find out ... But, this acquiring of the Holy Spirit is in fact that oil which the foolish virgins lacked. They are called foolish because they forgot about the essential fruit of virtue — the grace of the Holy Spirit — without which there is no salvation for anyone and cannot be. For "through the Holy Spirit every soul is quickened, and through its purification, it is exalted and illumined by the Triune Unity in a Holy mystery.”The Holy Spirit Himself settles in our souls, and this occupation of our souls by Him, the All-Ruling, and this coexistence of our spirit with His One Trinity, is granted only through the diligent acquiring, on our part, of the Holy Spirit, which prepares, in our soul and body, the throne for the coexistence of God the All-Creator with our spirit, by the immutable word of God: "And I will walk among you and will be your God, and ye shall be my people”(Leviticus 26:12).

This is the very oil in the lamps of the wise virgins, which burned brightly and steadily; the virgins with these burning lamps could await the Groom coming at midnight, and enter the chamber of joy with him. The foolish ones, seeing their lamps going out, though they went to the market to buy oil, did not manage to return in time, for the doors were already locked.

The market is our life; the doors of the bridal chamber — locked and not permitting entrance to the Groom — human death, the virgins wise and foolish, Christian souls; the oil, not deeds, but the grace of the All Holy Spirit of God received through them, transforming from decay to incorruption, from emotional death into spiritual life, from darkness to light, from the manger of our existence, where our passions are tied like beasts and animals, into a church of God, into the all-lighted chamber of eternal joy in Jesus Christ.

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Church History - Teachings of Seraphim 19

Teachings of Seraphim

 
Part 19. The Light of Christ

In order to accept and perceive the light of Christ in one’s heart, it is necessary to divert oneself from the external as much as possible. First, by cleansing the soul with penitence and good deeds with true faith in the Crucified; then, by closing the physical eyes, it is necessary to immerse the mind in the heart and appeal to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ continually. Then, by measure of our zealousness and fervour of spirit for the Beloved (Lk. 3:22), a person with the calling of this name finds delight, which arouses a thirst toward greater enlightenment.

When a person internally contemplates the eternal light, his mind becomes clean and free of any sensory notions. Then, by being completely immersed in the contemplation of uncreated beauty, he forgets everything sensory, does not want to see even himself, but desires to hide in the heart of the earth, if only not to be deprived of this true good God.

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Church History - Teachings of Seraphim 18

Teachings of Seraphim

 
Part 18. The Active and the Contemplative Life

 

A person consists of a soul and body, and therefore his life’s path should consist of both physical and spiritual activities — of deeds and contemplation.

The path of an active life consists of fasting, abstinence, vigilance, kneeling, prayer and other physical feats, composing the strait and sorrowful path which, by the word of God, leads to eternal life (Mt. 7:14).

The contemplative life consists in the mind aspiring to the Lord God, in awareness of the heart, focused prayer and in the contemplation of spiritual matters through such exercises.

Anyone desiring to lead a spiritual way of life must begin with the active life, and only later set about the contemplative, for without an active life it is impossible to lead a contemplative one.

An active life serves to purify us of sinful passions and raises us to the level of functioning perfection; at the same time it clears the way to a contemplative life. For only those cleansed of passions and the perfect can set out on that other life, as can be seen from the words of the Holy Scriptures: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God”(Mt. 5:8), and from the words of Gregory the Theologian: "Only those who are perfect by their experience can without danger proceed to contemplation.”

If it is impossible to find a mentor who is able to direct us on the path to a contemplative life, then in that instance we must be guided by the Holy Scriptures, for the Lord Himself commands us to learn from it, saying: "Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life”(John 5:39). One should not abandon the active life even when a person has so excelled in it that he has reached the contemplative, for the active life assists the contemplative and uplifts it.

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Church History - Teachings of Seraphim 17

 

Teachings of Seraphim

 Part 17. Sorrow

 

When the evil spirit of sorrow seizes the soul, then, by filling it with bitterness and unpleasantness, it does not allow it to pray with necessary diligence; it disrupts the attention necessary for reading spiritual writings, deprives it of humility and good nature in the treatment of others and breeds aversion to any discussion.

For the sorrowful soul, by becoming as if insane and frenzied, can neither accept kind advice calmly, nor answer posed questions meekly. It runs from people as if from the perpetrators of its embarrassment, not understanding that the reason for its illness — is within it. Sorrow is the worm of the heart, gnawing at the mother that bore it.

He who has conquered passions has also defeated sorrow. But one overcome by passions will not avoid the shackles of sorrow. As an ill person can be identified by the color of his face, so is one overcome by passions distinguished by sorrow.

It is impossible for one who loves the world not to feel sorrow. But he who despises the world is always cheerful. As fire purifies gold, so sorrow in God -- penitence -- purifies the sinful heart.

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Church History - Teachings of Seraphim 16

Teachings of Seraphim

 Part 16. Excessive Care about Worldly Matters

 

Excessive care about worldly matters is characteristic of an unbelieving and fainthearted person, and woe to us, if, in taking care of ourselves, we do not use as our foundation our faith in God, who cares for us!

If we do not attribute visible blessings to Him, which we use in this life, then how can we expect those blessings from Him which are promised in the future? We will not be of such little faith. By the words of our Saviour, it is better first to seek the Kingdom of God, for the rest shall be added unto us (see Mt. 6:33).

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Church History - Teachings of Seraphim Part 15

Teachings of Seraphim

Part 15. Identifying Movements of the Heart

When a person accepts anything Godly, then he rejoices in his heart, but when he has accepted anything devilish, then he becomes tormented.

Having accepted anything Godly, the heart of a Christian does not demand outside persuasion that it is from the Lord, but becomes convinced through the act itself that this acceptance is something heavenly, because he feels the spiritual fruits in himself: "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance" (Gal. 5:22-23).

But if the devil were to transform himself even into an angel of light (see 2 Cor. 11:14), or presented thoughts of the worthiest appearance, the heart still would feel some sort of doubts, trouble in its thoughts and disturbance of feelings. The devil is like a lion, hiding in ambush (Ps. 9:29). He secretly sets out nets of unclean and unholy thoughts. So, it is necessary to break them off as soon as we notice them, by means of pious reflection and prayer.

During the singing of psalms, feats and great vigilance are demanded for our mind to be in conformity with our heart and lips; for otherwise stench is added to the incense in our prayers. For the Lord disdains a heart with unclean thoughts.

Let us continually, day and night, fall before the face of the goodness of God with tears, that He purify our hearts of any evil thought, so that we might worthily bring Him the gifts of our service. When we do not accept the evil thoughts put in us by the devil, we perform a good deed.

The unclean spirit has a strong influence only on the passionate; but those purified of passions he touches only indirectly and externally. A person in his youth cannot avoid being disturbed by physical thoughts. But he must pray to the Lord God, that the spark of depraved passions dies out at the very beginning. Then the flame within him will not become more intense.

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