Jonah 2 ~ I shall look upon Your Holy Temple

Jonah 2

  Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying,

“I called out to the Lord, out of my distress,
and he answered me;
out of the belly of Sheol I cried,
and you heard my voice.

3 For you cast me into the deep,
into the heart of the seas,
and the flood surrounded me;
all your waves and your billows
passed over me.
4 Then I said, ‘I am driven away
from your sight;
yet I shall again look
upon your holy temple.’

5 The waters closed in over me to take my life;
the deep surrounded me;
weeds were wrapped about my head
6 at the roots of the mountains.

I went down to the land
whose bars closed upon me forever;
yet you brought up my life from the pit,
O Lord my God.
7 When my life was fainting away,
I remembered the Lord,
and my prayer came to you,
into your holy temple.

8 Those who pay regard to vain idols
forsake their hope of steadfast love.

9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving
will sacrifice to you;
what I have vowed I will pay.
Salvation belongs to the Lord!”

10 And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.



James 5:13
Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.

Proverbs 16:3
Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

John 4:48
So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.”

Acts 3:16
And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

Mark 16:20
And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.




Our Father,

Let not your hearts be troubled.

Believe in God, believe also in Jesus. In His Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, Jesus would have told you. Jesus goes to prepare a place for you.

Jesus will come again and will take you to Himself. Where I am, you may be also.

And we know the way to where He is going.

We lift our concerns to the Lord God. And work to Jesus in expectation. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Philippians 3 ~ receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us

Philippians 3

New Living Translation

1Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters,a rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you, watch Him Work these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith.

2 Watch out for those dogs, those people who do evil, those who want circumcision; who say you must be circumcised to be saved.

3 For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort, 4 though I could have confidence in my own effort if anyone could. Indeed, if others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! 5 I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. 6I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.

7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ.c For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. 10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!



12 I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection.

But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it,  but I focus on this one thing:

Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. 15 Let all who are spiritually mature agree on these things.

If you disagree on some point, I believe God will make it plain to you. 16 But we must hold on to the progress we have already made. 17 Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. 18 For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.

20 But we are citizens of heaven,
where the Lord Jesus Christ lives.

And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.

21 He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.



And who would be some of the most likely to have danced in Heaven?

King David.

Jesus. He went to the Wedding at Cana and was know to imbibe, eat and enjoy fellowship. A time spent, several days with Mary, His Brothers and Sisters.


Galatians 5:22-26

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.


We are in Lent. Perhaps an unusual choice for Lent.

And then again, at the Last Supper, where Jesus was about to fulfill all of the  Millenniums of Word of God, pointing to Jesus - Jesus spoke in Chapters 14,15, 16 and 17 - Jesus told more in this one talk to His Disciples, than all the Books of the Gospel. And Jesus repeated again and again - Jesus had - Joy - in this Life.  Abide, live in His Word. Joy. This is what Jesus wanted His beloved Disciples who spent time in confusion, fear, healing, rejoicing, rebuking children, calling down fire, arguing political places in the Eternal Kingdom. Jesus Knew - Jesus knew was about to occur - The Shepherd fallen - the sheep scattering.

Jesus tells us, tells Peter, tells John, tells the Disciples, tells about-face Thomas, - - - what Jesus wants us to do is remember - - -  Jesus' Joy in Life. The Author of Life. The Light of the world.

Jesus is saying
Love
Joy
Peace
Patience,
Kindness,
Goodness,
Faithfulness,
Gentleness,
Self-control;
These things - no law prevents.

We are the Temple of God.And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.

Jesus has Joy.


Abba, Father God,

Recently I realized a difficult year in 2006, brought what I can see now as blessings. Believe the difficult things in life have a purpose the beloved of God's Salvation cannot see. Believe God sees further and His Plans are Good.

During the most Spirit filled time, as the Word of God was not held in the fetters of Latin and foreign language, the printed Word increased understanding and literacy. And during this time, The Renaissance, people truly believed "Father God is for me, talks to me, hears me, answers me." Their prayer life and waking conversations with God from 1000 A.D. and on, they believed they could rely upon God for signs. And the more they believed, the more they sought, the more God answered their expectations of His Love, Mercy and Goodness. This is the communion of saints, the History of the people of the World. His Story. His Word to you, His beloved Child.

The Children of Israel had to believe God to walk the miles. Step into the Journey with Faith. You might not see the exit, but walk with God.

Watch out for the first ... thousand steps, they are a doozie. You won't be back tracking. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Walking with Jesus, every day - with faith.

May our Father God of hope,
 fill you with all joy
and peace in believing,
so that by the power of the Holy Spirit,
you may abound in hope.

And in this, our Living God and His Living Word, we will put our most dearly beloved People, our cares and concerns, the People God has given us, our Nation, our hopes for the Christians and future believers around the earth and the fullness thereof belong to our Father God.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day."

Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!

I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.

And you will feel secure, because there is hope; you will look around and take your rest in security.

Our God is King. King of Kings. God of God. True God of True God. Jesus Christ Redeemer and Joyous Savior.

And here we will Stand with Him. 
Our Redeemer Lives and is King of Kings. 
Jesus of Nazareth. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Jonah 3 ~ The word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time

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British Museum, Assyrian Art

Jonah 3

Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.”

3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days' journey in breadth. [9 miles]. 4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 5 And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

6 The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7 And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water, 8 but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. 9 Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”

10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.

We grew up in the generation who said Nineveh never, ever existed. The Hittite Empire used to be in question with Pontius Pilate. And now we know, again, the Bible is correct. Nineveh was the largest city in the world for 50 years in 612 B.C.

The Bible proves the Bible.

Abraham was also told to go and Abraham did.

Abraham was from Harran, Harran was a major ancient city in Upper Mesopotamia near modern Turkey, 44 kilometers southeast of Şanlıurfa. The location is in a district of Şanlıurfa Province that is also named "Harran".

 500 km away, Nineveh was an ancient Assyrian city of Upper Mesopotamia, located on the outskirts of Mosul in modern-day northern Iraq. It is on the eastern bank of the Tigris River, and was the capital of the Neo-Assyrian Empire.

David was sent to foreign nations. David believed, as Nineveh did ~ God is merciful. David blessed Israel from his travels. 

God made the Assyrian Empire incredulous of Israel and God. King Hezekiah, with the help of Isaiah, created an oasis doing good business all over the world. Rivaling King Solomon, even if the land amount was vastly smaller. The people pulled together for God, magnificently, partly because Israel - the entire nation had been devoured by Assyria. In fact some of Jacob's tribes would never be seen again. War and disaster were that close.

Jesus spoke of Jonah and his day. Jonah was not spoken of after his fit with the Castor Oil leaf dying. Jesus seems to think this was a shame. Jesus rounds out so many situations - saying over the ages - The Spirit of God - searches for justice with mercy.


Jesus was comfortable. He sat on the ground to teach His people. The people stood. Jesus sat in fishing boats and people stood. Jesus mentioned vineyards 20 times and was accused of being a wine lover. Jesus never altered His thoughts to suit people who complained.

Jesus spoke of Jonah. Jesus spoke with the Samaritan woman. Jesus would not let fire be sent on the Samaritans.

Many things in life are repeats. Look not to mankind, look to the Bible of Jesus Christ.


Father God,

We thank You for hearing and answering prayer in vast answers.

I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!

Father God, we will rest in life when we have upsetting times with You. We will have emotion when projects are interrupted. Knowing seasons change. And in these emotions, God's work is thought upon and held more closely. Emotions cause us to grow.

We praise You to lead us in Your Good Plan and Path. Guiding us, leading us, protecting us. Thank You for Your Provision and we look to You for our comfort and joy. Thank God for the people we love. Thank God for the people You have given us. Bless them and encourage them. Surround them with Your Goodness and Your Hope and Future! We are so glad to be the people of Jesus Christ - God alone and Good. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Psalm 72 ~ his days may the righteous flourish, and peace abound

Psalm 72

1 Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son!2  May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice!

3 Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness!

4 May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!

5 May they fear you while the sun endures, and as long as the moon, throughout all generations!

6 May he be like rain that falls on the mown grass, like showers that water the earth! 7 In his days may the righteous flourish, and peace abound, till the moon be no more! 8 May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth! 9 May desert tribes bow down before him, and his enemies lick the dust! 10 May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts! 11 May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!

12 For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper. 13 He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy. 14 From oppression and violence he redeems their life, and precious is their blood in his sight.

15 Long may he live; may gold of Sheba be given to him! May prayer be made for him continually, and blessings invoked for him all the day! 16 May there be abundance of grain in the land; on the tops of the mountains may it wave; may its fruit be like Lebanon; and may people blossom in the cities like the grass of the field!

17 May his name endure forever, his fame continue as long as the sun! May people be blessed in him, all nations call him blessed!

18 Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things.

19 Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen!

20 The prayers of David, the son of Jesse, are ended.

Hezekiah's Empire of Judah is considered to be as successful as King Solomon - the light green portion under the Assyrian Empire. Not a puppet state. Small independent and shipping all over the world. Egyptians wanted honey from Judah. Archaeology is still finding the amazing numbers of clay sealed products. A Bee, is in the clay as a stamp, a lot of times.

All of these maps are supported by history. Some guess Solomon's reign went all the way to the Euphrates River of Babylon.

In particular he continued his father's very profitable relationship with the Phoenician king Hiram of Tyre (see 'wealth' below); they sent out joint expeditions to the lands of Tarshish and Ophir to engage in the trade of luxury products, importing gold, silver, sandalwood, pearls, ivory, apes and peacocks. Solomon is considered the most wealthy of the Israelite kings named in the Bible.


Hezekiah's Judah is smaller than Israel, and yet the landmarks and the archaeology shows us Hezekiah did not marry into Egypt and instead Egypt was ladden with the produce of Israel.

Solomon begins his kingdom set in the lap of luxury for a king, by his father King David.

Hezekiah has to have war and belief to attain what he accomplishes.

Solomon said the Hand of Blessing and the Hand of Woe is the same of Father God.

Hezekiah had to abandon all the teachings of his earthly father to attain His Empire. Gambling on God, instead of the nest egg his father wanted Hezekiah to present to the Assyrian army as a client/puppet state. Isaiah was there. God does help us.  The trust in God provided the framework against impossible odds. The people were vastly in support for God, Himself.

David, of course, began in war. And in discovering how harsh life can be, David forged his belief system and ran a country remembering him 3 millenniums later.

We are learning - the Hand of God might have woe and might have vast struggles. When Solomon attained the great age of 80 years - he saw - "All things work together for good - for those who Love the Lord an work according to His Purposes."

Recently, I went over things from the year 2006 I considered loss, a long, long list - and realized 11 years down the road - it was the most unfortunate - and - Amazingly Highly Blessed Year of God's Purpose Unfolding to Good. Purposes has flipped over to see fully the good.

Again we learn, Thank God for the circumstances that appear harsh - and later hold the Blessing of God Himself.


Father God,
In all circumstances, help us to know, You see much further for our good. Our Hope and Future.

In tired times, in repeat times, in victory not to feed ego times, in times you want to complain, understand God sees further. His mercies renew each day, remember. Even at the end of a day of work and repeat.

Bless the days we have those to love. Even on tired days of limited sleep. Even on the days you have to be reminded. Remember. THANKS.

We will see the Good.

In the expectation we find in Luke 3, we place ourselves, our needs, our loved ones, health prayer points, and the people God had given us.  God has heard our prayers. Jesus The Lord God, Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

1 John 3 ~ kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are

1 John 3


3 See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. 13 Do not be surprised, brothers,[c] that the world hates you. 14 We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

19 By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; 20 for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 22 and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us

There was a day, like Proverbs tells us of the Light of the World - Jesus - laughing with Joy and Father God to see the Beauty of Creation.

There was a day, about the time of the Acts of the Apostles when Scripture was fresh ink on new reed papyrus. And had the aroma of new parchment and ink. Jesus would probably say this was A Day of Jesus; we would all say, if only, we did not live in "Days may come".

What would the Apostle John have in common with Moses? Revelation. The next time you say the Lord's Prayer and end with "for Thine is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory" - remember this comes from Revelation Chapter One and Six where John is an eyewitness to the Glory of God in the Transfiguration and an actual visitor to the Throne of Jesus and of His Father.

When papyrus was new... Paul - the majority of New Testament - was unaware of Paul's own Godly Mission of Paul's destiny.

From Paul's viewpoint:

Galatians 1
15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, 16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone; 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord's brother. 20 (In what I am writing to you, before God, I do not lie!) 21 Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was still unknown in person to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And they glorified God because of me.

Paul has very, very little idea of his importance to the history of the Church of of the world. His Holy Spirit Word is needed by us because we identify with Paul's need for overcoming personal sin to talk about Jesus. We are like Paul, we did not walk with Jesus and see Him with awe during His ministry here.

Paul writes as one who finishes in about 30 years. A good long time. I suppose.


Jude writes of his brief on this earth to be with the Lord ministry. Perhaps Jesus needed His Brother with Him quickly. Jude writes of worry we will corrupt or not see the pure message of Jesus.

Jude, Brother to Jesus Christ

17 But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. 18 They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” 19 It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. 22 And have mercy on those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.

24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

James, Jesus' Brother, tells us of growing up as the Descendant of David, twice, in the Roman settlement and the overcoming of Jesus in a difficult time. A personal growth.

Peter is so busy teaching the godly, he has little time to write. Mark helps write Peter's most selected and asked about times of Jesus the first century is hungry to know about. These are the column of Peter's oral talks about Jesus. Peter calls Mark his own son for the scribe work Mark grows into becoming, after failing Paul and Barnabus 'encouragement' works with his kin - Mark - to create a mature Christian who endured when others ran out.

Peter's main message is the Glory and the Ways of Jesus.

Scripture studies will tell us if you get to the Non Gospel portions of the New Testament - when the second chapter is called for - this is going to be when you find out what the writer sees as the most discouraging part of the culture surrounding the journey - the writer has found in the God destination of Life Eternal.





Back to our original question. How is John like Moses? He is unlike Moses in that as he sees God, he sees Light. God has hidden Himself from John, probably to bless Moses. John is an actual eyewitness to "for thine is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory".

John is like Moses for being tired at points in his life of the grumblings of 'believers'. And yet, Good News, John has the gift of years just like Moses. Moses was 80 years old when he started and 120 years old (Noah said he could be) when he was blessed by God at the end of The Pentateuch.

John has the years and years and years of Christ life on this earth to tell us what he has gathered going all the way to vibrant life in the 2nd Century A.D. and even collecting a new disciple Pliny. John is reported in 2 A.D. to be blasting out about the real Jesus and not a man and not Gnosticism. Jesus is not hidden only to the 'special' - Jesus is God reaching forth and going where we need Him. Jesus is available to all who seek Him - He will be found.

Why 1 John 3 and not 1 John 2? Because 1 John 3 is a continuation of John discovering the troubles of ministry and life and just the bother and business and frustration of life - do not matter. These present struggles can be put away and Sunday afternoon becomes - ending up in the real "Living Room of Jesus". Revelation 1.

John is explaining Jesus fully, totally, completely, and with all reliability will reach out where we fail as mere humans. We just earnestly, sincerely, totally, completely give Jesus our best heart and effort and Jesus is going to be the fulfillment of every Word of God we live by. John is explaining the relationship of God - gives him rest and peace.

John does not need to hammer and rail. John has realized the Love of God causes the bloom, the shine, the Light.

1 John 3 follows because 1 John 2 overcomes.

Abba,
May the Glory of God be the Light we rest in and have peace for ourselves, the ones we love, the people You have given us. Thank You, Abba. Jesus Is God. Amen, Amen, Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Deuteronomy 2:1-23 ~ The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness.

So God never explained the reason HE would not let the Children of Israel be part of the other nations was because they sacrificed their newly born children to the god of crop financial prosperity and happiness. The newborn's blood made profit in the crops.


And God had the reputation of being an angry and mean God. I guess HE just didn't see the need to explain for people who were going to say, "God better improve".

To see the Chapters and the Books connect for the Bible - takes Decades. To see the emotions written in the connections takes a willingness to have Wonder and Relationship with a Deity who says "I Am." Yes, you have to enter into faith believing God is Good. And you have to work with that belief - because God Himself says - faith is the 'work' of mankind. Doubt is easy.


In my decades and decades of looking at Scripture, I'd have to say - I believe I have found the reason for life. That's the story of, that's the glory of - all this mess, confusion, power positioning, envy, lust, trust, hope, glory, wonder, desire to be known, desire to know God - LIFE.

In my opinion, Life is like the Mississippi River, we are on the destination ride we do not control. We are on the path of the Prodigal Son. God has sent us off to college - life - and we are going on a journey God is waiting to see us present what we did with our souls. We are all going to see Jesus - the Scriptures tell us. We just sincerely hope Father God is going to run to see us coming Home with Joy.

The Life Journey

Wow. The Exodus. There is so much information in the Exodus, as our Bible Study remarked upon the Study we all have bits and pieces of information - and we are lifelong Christians. I write a Blog on Scriptures and I recounted a fiction work I read a decade ago to give Moses' wife Zipporah more dialog - as if this is true. It was not - I re-checked.

And the study said that the Children of Israel died before entering the Promised Land. That is incorrect - I re-checked. Only the warriors perished. God must have believed, known, they had the ability to take the Promised Land and had seen the wonders and refused.

Desert near Mt. Sinai

And that caused me to Wonder - 

How is the Promised Land 40 Years Exile

Comparable to 

The Early House Churches of Acts of the Apostles

We are told God is the same of the Old Testament and the New Testament - let's give that a whirl.

The New House Churches arrived, after Peter's House Church, (that archaeologically relates to the remains of Peter 80 feet under the Vatican Alter in Rome) from people who were exiled.

A journey of life we are all on, if we travel or not.

The Exodus was about killing nations and foreigners - so how does this relate to God who says, "I am a Light to the Nations" ?


God has been working His Plan far longer than 40 years for the Exodus or 70 years Jeremiah correctly explained for the Babylonian Exile (told also on Babylonian Chronicle Cuneiforms in the British Museums). God has been planning to be a Light to the Nations - even during Isaiah.

Isaiah 49

5 And now says the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant, To bring Jacob back to Him, so that Israel might be gathered to Him (For I am honored in the sight of the LORD, And My God is My strength),

6 He says, "It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant To raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light of the nations So that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth."

7 Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel and its Holy One, To the despised One, To the One abhorred by the nation, To the Servant of rulers, "Kings will see and arise, Princes will also bow down, Because of the LORD who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen You."

We know correctly House Churches welcomed all nations. Where was this tenderness of Father God in the Exodus. This - covers Jesus being in Exodus as a child. God sees the honor of Jesus living in Egypt as an important saying of where His Son would go. God is God.

Hosea 11:1
"When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt."

Exodus 4:22
"Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the LORD, "Israel is My son, My firstborn."

Hosea 13:4
Yet I have been the LORD your God Since the land of Egypt; And you were not to know any god except Me, For there is no savior besides Me."




Where is the Harsh God? Here is the tenderness of God:

Deuteronomy 2:1-23

Then we turned back and set out toward the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea, as the Lord had directed me. For a long time we made our way around the hill country of Seir.

2 Then the Lord said to me, 3 “You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north. 4 Give the people these orders: ‘You are about to pass through the territory of your relatives the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. They will be afraid of you, but be very careful. 5 Do not provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on. I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own. 6 You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.’”



7 The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness.



These forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and
you have not lacked anything.




8 So we went on past our relatives the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. We turned from the Arabah road, which comes up from Elath and Ezion Geber, and traveled along the desert road of Moab.

9 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not harass the Moabites or provoke them to war, for I will not give you any part of their land. I have given Ar to the descendants of Lot as a possession.”

10 (The Emites used to live there—a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites. 11 Like the Anakites, they too were considered Rephaites, but the Moabites called them Emites. 12 Horites used to live in Seir, but the descendants of Esau drove them out. They destroyed the Horites from before them and settled in their place, just as Israel did in the land the Lord gave them as their possession.)

13 And the Lord said, “Now get up and cross the Zered Valley.” So we crossed the valley.

14 Thirty-eight years passed from the time we left Kadesh Barnea until we crossed the Zered Valley.

By then, that entire generation of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the Lord had sworn to them. 15 The Lord’s hand was against them until he had completely eliminated them from the camp.

16 Now when the last of these fighting men among the people had died,
17 the Lord said to me, 18 “Today you are to pass by the region of Moab at Ar. 19 When you come to the Ammonites, do not harass them or provoke them to war, for I will not give you possession of any land belonging to the Ammonites. I have given it as a possession to the descendants of Lot.”

20 (That too was considered a land of the Rephaites, who used to live there; but the Ammonites called them Zamzummites. 21 They were a people strong and numerous, and as tall as the Anakites. The Lord destroyed them from before the Ammonites, who drove them out and settled in their place. 22 The Lord had done the same for the descendants of Esau, who lived in Seir, when he destroyed the Horites from before them. They drove them out and have lived in their place to this day. 23 And as for the Avvites who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caphtorites coming out from Caphtor destroyed them and settled in their place.)

This is Mount Sinai, and nearby the Tomb of Aaron. And the Monastery of St Catherine at the foot of Mt. Sinai. What happens when God provides a cloud protecting from heat and overwhelming desert? What about when a Fire by Night keeps desert cold away? What do clouds also provide. See the plant growth? What happens when food is provided? There is more time for community and conversation. Learning. Their clothes and shoes did not wear out.

How will we relate this to a House Church?

Luke 9
3“Take nothing for the journey,” He told them, “no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no second tunic. 4 Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that area."


Numbers 9:14
'If an alien sojourns among you and observes the Passover to the LORD, according to the statute of the Passover and according to its ordinance, so he shall do; you shall have one statute, both for the alien and for the native of the land.'"

God does not separate out one rule for one people and another for another.


What God would say to the exiles bringing forth the Word of God of Jesus Christ to the Nations, something like this:

Joshua 1:7-9

1:7 Make sure you are very strong and brave! Carefully obey all the law my servant Moses charged you to keep! Do not swerve from it to the right or to the left, so that you may be successful in all you do. 1:8 This law scroll must not leave your lips! You must memorize it day and night so you can carefully obey all that is written in it. Then you will prosper and be successful. 1:9 I repeat, be strong and brave! Don’t be afraid and don’t panic, for I, the Lord your God, am with you in all you do.”


John 6:31
Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’”


Jesus is the Living Water flowing into the dry places - creating Life.


1 Corinthians 10:4
And all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ.


Isaiah 12:3
With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

Isaiah 58:11
And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

John 7:37-39
On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit



Father God,

Grow within me an Oasis. Banish the desert.

Jesus answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person.

Father with Your help, I am forgiven, completed. Let the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing and acceptable to You, my Rock and Redeemer.

Blessed are You, Lord Christ. Help us to Journey in the Path and the Faith You have given us to travel. Bless those I love, bless the people You have given us. We look to You for the Nation and all the people of the world in the Communion of Saints to Pray. Amen covered in the Love, Mercy and Name of Jesus.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

1 Corinthians 11:17-34 ~ He had given thanks

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

17 But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, 19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. 20 When you come together, it is not the Lord's supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.

23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

33 So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— 34 if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.

The mosaic of the Theophany is a significant and detailedThe mosaic is , very complex, with a detailed border, and a lot of elements within the scene. The focus of the image is Christ as shown by his gaze, his position in the center and the halos surrounding Christ’s head and body. Church of Hosios David. It is in a naturalistic style depicting Christ holding a text saying in Greek,

“Behold our God, in whom we hope and we rejoice in our salvation, that he may grand rest to this home.”

Tucked away in the heart of Thessaloniki, closer to the mountains. This Acts of the Disciples House Church is debated to be 4th, 5th or 6th Century A.D. It is removed from the center of Thessalonike, the Church of Hosios David was not converted to a mosque immediately after the Turks conquered the area, as the Turks converted all the best churches, and best locations first.

The original architecture of the Church of Hosios David was constructed in a cross pattern with squares as the main shape of the floor plan. The structure contained square bays in the corners and then the bays all connected to the main cross room via hallways. The bays also connected to the outside.


The early Churches felt Communion was a meal. Just as Christ had the Last Supper. And just like John 21,  this Chapter shows - they had trouble being - not people.

The roof on Osios David has had many, many changes. Sometimes it has been very, very wavy and worn out red tiles. Another season had green clay tiles. For a time Osios David was covered with intense shade by a steel structure we use a lot in Texas. The looks dwarfed the building and held the fragile and very, very curvacious from the elements. And actually, what we call the steel structures - Barns and sometimes Shopping Centers.

I'm happy to report the front porch of Osios David is frequently used for the Church Family to do things like hold - children's birthday parties on Sunday afternoons or any 'ol time.

In fact this 1,600 year old Church tells us of seasons of Change.

About the infancy of the Church in 390 A.D.

Thessaloniki's location was a revolt against the emperor Theodosius I and his Gothic mercenaries. Botheric, their general killed in an uprising triggered by the imprisoning of a favorite local charioteer 7,000 - 15,000 of the citizens were massacred  – an act which earned Theodosius a temporary excommunication.

A quiet interlude followed until repeated barbarian invasions after the fall of the Roman Empire, while a catastrophic earthquake severely damaged the city in 620, resulting in the destruction of the Roman Forum and several other public buildings. Thessaloniki came under attack from Slavs in the 7th century (most notably in 617 and 676–678); however, they failed to capture the city. Byzantine brothers Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius were born in Thessaloniki and it was Byzantine Emperor Michael III who encouraged them to visit the northern regions as missionaries where they adopted the South Slavonic speech as the basis for the Old Church Slavonic language. In the 9th century, the Byzantines decided to move the market for Bulgarian goods from Constantinople to Thessaloniki.  In 904, Saracens, led by Leo of Tripoli, managed to seize the city and after a ten-day depredation, left after having freed 4,000 Muslim prisoners while capturing 60 ships, and gaining a large loot and 22,000 slaves, mostly young people.

Following these events, the city recovered and the gradual restoration of Byzantine power during the 10th, 11th, and 12th centuries brought peace to the area. As the population of the city expanded, according to Benjamin of Tudela, a Jewish community of some 500-strong was also established in the 12th century. During that time the city came to host the fair of Saint Demetrius every October, which was held just outside the city walls and lasted six days.



Amazing the 1,600 year old Church survives.

Then, again, considering that Empires usually begin with anhilation - surprising - The Church honoring Jesus Christ continues.

How does the Church continue. The Word of God. What is the Law of God? The 10 Commandments? The Moses first 5 books of the Bible - The Pentateuch? Jesus told us He came to fulfill God's Law.


Matthew 5
17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them.

Jesus went on to say that when we put God first, in Love, and ourselves with our neighbor we are close to the Kingdom of God. And, and, and Jesus said:

18 For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.



Jesus has caused the world to survive plagues - mankind was willing to have hospitals as 1/3 of the world - vanished. Men died to bring forth the Word of God in other languages. The Mongols are reportedly 1 of every 6 people today due to war and rape. They ended when Christian women married these amazingly awful people. The Word and Will of God have gone FAR.

And to what will we compare this?

Love. And the desire to put down self glory and rise up in Jesus.

Acts of the Apostles - Chapter One

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “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.”

12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away. 13 And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James.

14 All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.



When a man loves the Lord, even his enemies are at Peace with Him. The Light of Christ Shines.

Matthew 5
16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.




Abba,

Even in the photos we can taste and see the goodness of the Lord Jesus.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Blessed be You, Father God, for giving us Jesus.

We lift up our prayers to You, in confidence and approach the very Throne of God. Knowing with gratitude we lift up those we love, good health, the people You have given us and the days to come. Lifting up healing ears, allergies, and say we want our souls to feed our mind, body and will in Jesus the Lord.

Amen for ourselves in Jesus, for the communion of saint, living here and in Heaven's Home. Amen and Glory to God for His Goodness.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †