1 Peter 2:1-10 ~ acceptable to God through Jesus Christ

 

1 Peter 2:1-10

†

1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 

2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation-- 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. 

4 As you come to Him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves, like living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 

6 For it stands in Scripture: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame." 7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone," 8 and "A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense. "They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies
of him who called you out of darkness
into His marvelous light.

10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people;
once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Psalm 100

1 Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!

2 Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!

3 Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, not we ourselves,

we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise!

Give thanks to him; bless his name!

5 For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever,

and His faithfulness 

to all generations.

Nourishing our souls - the process of looking for the good God provides.

Believing God loves us first. Growing into our salvation. Believing within us  -we really are chosen and special. Obeying God is worship.

And in shining the Light of Christ, we make ourselves a people. 

Putting down darkness. Living in His marvelous Light.

These are good words. And unless we reach to receive them - they are as comforting as poetry we can toss the words around behind us or beside us - just trot those words out.

Life will always have stages and then these stages abruptly end.

We have an early childhood - we believe we are chosen and precious and able. And then our childhood meets expectations to grow up and take on responsibilities to become a people. To become invested in talents. In the rub of life, we find as an heir to being God's Beloved, weeds choke out the sunlight.

We progress to early adulthood where we find we like the freedom and wish to have our inheritance to do as we please. We ask our Father to step back; give us the promises of the inheritance to do as we wish.

We have our young and we struggle to establish our house upon a rock. Soccer practice, sewing lessons, boy scouts, room mother, PTO, find  matching socks and locate homework...shoe? the shoe, shoe, shoe..... Shoe! The permission slip, report card, doctor  and the appointment. Major crisis to minor, "fire of the day", gummy/ gum hair. Care locator, lost backpack at daycare, Conflict with caregiver, teacher, den leader. The outing/lunch/vacation led to the need for more relaxation in life.

We enter the cubical world of employment where God's place on His refrigerator for our talents seems a faded memory. Our 5 talents of childhood seem to be half a talent - with no end in sight of increasing demands of cost, time and ability to being thought young.

The wonder of life's every day.
 The emotional discussions of life. The chores. And then - scattering Life - scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.

Help?
Eventually, the needs of the children encourage us to remember Christ is our Rock. Come to Him, His burden is Light. Rest for the weary. Renewal. Prayers with Jesus are Hope.

Christian Radio. Christian Music in the car.  Church. Youth Group - try going 6 times - and then complain. We need the people of God to teach our children about being a people. We return from feeding the wild pigs to be embraced by our Father running to us.

We find we need again to remember we are chosen and special in the sight of God as our children long in their teen years to have the inheritance to be free. And if we have wandered far from Hearing the Love our Father pours into our lives, we can be diminished in so many ways. At this point, our peers complain about the world, the culture aches and pains. We are reaching Ecclesiastes House.

And if we make our security on money, we have received jealousy. We have received a place where we would have lip service and not heart. If we believe God, we fit into His Kingdom,. We find hope to see the good in our lives in all circumstances. In abundance - in need - in full houses and full money - then - we fit into being given to in the mercy of God and being able to give mercy to others.






If we find we are in a struggling stage of life, we find we have the ability to take on our tasks of life given to us by God. We have the strength to dig deep and find God loves us. We find we don't need affirmation as much from others as from God, Who has made promises us to us. We can give God our hearts and desires and see victories and His Mercies each day. Jesus told us always to pray and not give up Hope.

Finding we are His People and He has made us.

Finding in our situation to give help and hope to others.

Making Life Meaningful.

Trusting - if today was meaningful, tomorrow will be as well. And if today was rest or irritation, tomorrow is a new chance. Deliberately finding and seeking the Light of God.

Realizing we are all at varies stages with hurdles. And in His Holy Spirit, having the goodness to make the hurdles smaller or well paced.

Our words are real, sincere, trust-worthy, honoring God and pleasing to Him - our words seek to do what the Holy Spirit does - to Give Life.

Abba, Father 

You are more capable of Blessing than we would ever be, 

Bless us with Your Ways, Wisdom and Heart.

Strengthen our homes, our marriages, our families, our bodies. Give us Your Strength of soul - to make Life filled with Your Marvelous Life.

Fill us - our Loved ones, the people You have given us - our peoples - our Nation - Your Beloved with the Light that fills mankind - Jesus Christ.

Dwell in us.

Help us to Seek You First.

Uplift the world, Your Good Creation, into Peace

Seeking Jesus

And we will finish well in Jesus Christ

Lenten opportunity to give:

We pray for relief to help and reach Syria

and Turkey. 6.4 and 4.9 earthquakes this week.

We pray this will cease. Lord, Your mercy upon this land and 

Your people.

We pray Amazon puts back Amazon Smile,

philanthropy is needed today and this program

was wonderful. Many will feel the clip if Amazon Smile doesn't

continue. Please Lord.

We are Blessed to seek You First. 

Blessed to be finding the High Way of Your Heaven today. 

Blessed to ask to see more Heaven upon earth. 

Blessed to have You as our Daily Bread. 

Blessed to ask to Live Love, Joy and Peace.

Blessed to pray in expectation of Your Love and Willingness. 

Blessed to say Thank You that during Holy Week, 

we have seen the Glimpse of Your Glory 

working to heal the fullness of the earth, Yours.

We have had problems in our neighborhood, 

theft of a mower, acts of violence.

 Pray for peace, please. 

My mother's roof is in sudden need of

repairs and we want to find the best solutions for her house.

During the rainy season.

In Jesus, we Live and ask this for those we Love. 

We pray for our own strength, 

Love and ask Jesus to cover this Nation, those who lead this Nation 

and all other nations in this good fight. 

Thanks for Facebook and the Asbury Revival 2023

The Voice of Revival. Fabulous photos of today.

The Light of mankind to shine with Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the Lord, Amen.

Let Your Words of Life be the Light guiding us to be the Children of God.

In Jesus, we know You long to hold us and we to be held to You.

 Amen and Amen.

The Light of mankind to shine with Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the Lord, Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Yes Bless The Lord Jesus

Yes Jesus Bless Asbury

† †

Numbers 17:1-11 ~ before the Lord to all the people

 

Numbers 17:1-11

1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel, and get from them staffs, one for each fathers' house, from all their chiefs according to their fathers' houses, twelve staffs. Write each man's name on his staff, 3 and write Aaron's name on the staff of Levi. For there shall be one staff for the head of each fathers' house. 

4 Then you shall deposit them in the tent of meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you. 5 And the staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout. Thus, I will make to cease from me the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against you.” 

6 Moses spoke to the people of Israel. And all their chiefs gave him staffs, one for each chief, according to their fathers' houses, twelve staffs. And the staff of Aaron was among their staffs. 7 And Moses deposited the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the testimony.

8 On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds. 

9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from before the Lord to all the people of Israel. And they looked, and each man took his staff. 

10 And the Lord said to Moses, “Put back the staff of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept as a sign for the rebels, that you may make an end of their grumblings against me, lest they die.” 11 Thus did Moses; as the Lord commanded him, so he did.

An incredible record of the Tools of the Temple, in Numbers 17. Seen in 2023 in the Arch of Titus, in Rome.

Relief carved on the Arch of Titus showing the Triumph after the destruction of Jerusalem, these are the Temple Tools, but not the Ark of the Covenant. After 1,935 years, Roman Jews proudly walked under the Titus Arch, for the first time because Israel was again a nation, May 14, 1948.

About the 3rd to 4th century AD, the Jews collected enough money to rebuild the Temple, but the building was destroyed by an earthquake, while still under construction. Then war.

How the relief appears today - 2,000 years later.

When we consider how many people had a seat, at this vastly impressive work of the Lord, table, we find an amazing array of opinions, needs and agendas. The Lord immediately gives a sign for continuance. Old houses survive a generation or 5 generations, before the place is known no more. However, a work of the Lord continues. 

These Churches are built with Roman Empire Bricks.

St Cedes is 600 AD. Saxon time.

The Size of the Church tells us Christianity was established far earlier than we imagine.

The archway is all Roman Empire Bricks. The History of the Roman Empire's methods, history and Architecture is known.

(Skip the new Steeple in the photo.)

This is Essex Way Greenstead Church, U.K. 

This remarkable Church has something going on, not readily apparent. 

This is the way Churches looked in England before 1,000 A.D., the invasion of Norman's William the Conqueror. In fact, the Churches used to be like this and have timber. This Church has timber in it, from mostly 1000 A.D., but going back to 600 A.D.  This is two hundred years before Alfred the Great ---- who began to Record History.

Build during the Saxon Invasion, who loved to kill and plunder the gold and silver altar tools,

this was very brave indeed.

And... like the House Church in Thesseloniki

This is a House Church as described in the New Testament

Latomos Monastery - Church of Hosios David Epimenidou 17, Thessaloniki 546 33, Greece

aspects of the Monastery go back to 500 A.D.

These Churches began within baby steps in history from the First Council of Nicaea. The First Council of Nicaea was 325 A.D. and decided, in the Holy Spirit, the books to include in the New Testament of the Bible. Saint Nicolas, Bishop of Turkey, left prison, traveled through dangerous times to attend.

 

 The incredible spread of Christ believers around the world.

What could have been drawbacks for the spread of the Christian faith?

1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel, and get from them staffs, one for each fathers' house, from all their chiefs according to their fathers' houses, twelve staffs. Write each man's name on his staff, 3 and write Aaron's name on the staff of Levi. For there shall be one staff for the head of each fathers' house. 

4 Then you shall deposit them in the tent of meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you. 5 And the staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout. Thus, I will make to cease from me the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against you.” 

6 Moses spoke to the people of Israel. And all their chiefs gave him staffs, one for each chief, according to their fathers' houses, twelve staffs. And the staff of Aaron was among their staffs. 7 And Moses deposited the staffs before the Lord in the tent of the testimony.

8 On the next day Moses went into the tent of the testimony, and behold, the staff of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted and put forth buds and produced blossoms, and it bore ripe almonds. 9 Then Moses brought out all the staffs from before the Lord to all the people of Israel. And they looked, and each man took his staff. 

10 And the Lord said to Moses, “Put back the staff of Aaron before the testimony, to be kept as a sign for the rebels, that you may make an end of their grumblings against me, lest they die.” 11 Thus did Moses; as the Lord commanded him, so he did.

The opposition of an entire Nation could be a problem.

The Chiefs of the nation, would they participate?

The wrangling for new positions, without a sincere effort.

The families within households fight earnestly.

Where would the Head of this new organization exist?

The people could grumble the idea to death.

The people of Israel truly were abused, enslaved people. How to group such a people of disadvantages into a cohesive group.

Really, what is required, is only a miracle.

Continuance.

God Alone allows Continuance.

In the 2nd century BC, the Essenes, forming a community in Qumran, began writing the Dead Sea Scrolls.

In 4Q521, the scrolls tell us what this religious community was looking for in the Messiah’s ministry:

"the heavens and the earth will listen to His Messiah, and none therein will stray from the commandments of the holy ones. Seekers of the Lord, strengthen yourselves in His service! All you hopeful in (your) heart, will you not find the Lord in this? For the Lord will consider the pious (hasidim) and call the righteous by name. Over the poor His spirit will hover and will renew the faithful with His power. 

And He will glorify the pious on the throne of the eternal Kingdom. He who liberates the captives, restores sight to the blind, straightens the b[ent] And f[or] ever I will cleav[e to the h]opeful and in His mercy . . . And the fr[uit . . .] will not be delayed for anyone."

~ Photo of 4Q521, Dead Sea Scroll. Found in Cave 4, Qumran. Written in 2 BC. The Essenes probably hid their papyrus away in 69 or 70 AD, before being destroyed by Titus' armies.

The Essenes believed the Lord and were a community of faith. They believed. They didn't meet Jesus, that we know of, yet they knew what the gospels would proclaim about the Messiah.

Mark 10:27

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible,

 but not with God; 

all things are possible with God."

The Scriptures record

"Jesus Healed Them All"

several times,

Luke 4, Matthew 15, Luke 6

Abba, Father,

God, You are so Good,

You want us to Rejoice

and find

God's will done on earth

as in Heaven.

Lenten opportunity to give:

We pray for relief to help and reach Syria

and Turkey. 6.4 and 4.9 earthquakes this week.

We pray this will cease. Lord, Your mercy upon this land and 

Your people.

We pray Amazon puts back Amazon Smile,

philanthropy is needed today and this program

was wonderful. Many will feel the clip if Amazon Smile doesn't

continue. Please Lord.

Your Words are Living and Active, when we long for Your Words, 

You are there.

Help us and encourage us to see, what this season teaches us. 

With Your Spirit, we will be Brave, filled with Valor, and Diligent. 

You have taught us, when we wander away and have fallen, 

You will search for us. 

Help us in those moments to be found by Jesus, 

wonderful Jesus.

Help us to see the Blessings in each day and in finding Your Blessings, 

the day is blessed. 

The times of refreshing, more enduring. 

Meaningful Life. Abundant Life to Look Up and Find 

the benefits You daily give and load us with

. If we don't see our blessings, we cannot live our Blessings.

In Your Enduring and Prevailing Love, 

Grace and Mercy we Live.

We are Blessed to seek You First. 

Blessed to be finding the High Way of Your Heaven today. 

Blessed to ask to see more Heaven upon earth. 

Blessed to have You as our Daily Bread. 

Blessed to ask to Live Love, Joy and Peace.

Blessed to pray in expectation of Your Love and Willingness. 

Blessed to say Thank You that during Holy Week, 

we have seen the Glimpse of Your Glory 

working to heal the fullness of the earth, Yours.

We have had problems in our neighborhood, 

theft of a mower, acts of violence.

 Pray for peace, please. 

My mother's roof is in sudden need of

repairs and we want to find the best solutions for her house.

During the rainy season.

In Jesus, we Live and ask this for those we Love. 

We pray for our own strength, 

Love and ask Jesus to cover this Nation, those who lead this Nation 

and all other nations in this good fight. 

Thanks for Facebook and the Asbury Revival 2023

The Voice of Revival. Fabulous photos of today.

The Light of mankind to shine with Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the Lord, Amen.

In the Highest Name of Jesus Christ.

 Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Yes Bless The Lord Jesus

Yes Jesus Bless Asbury