John 3:31-36 ~ that God is true

Black Baptism, painted by Charles Carol Coleman


John 3:31-36


English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio


He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. 33 Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. 34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.


This is our Scripture passage for today. It sort of stumped me at first. So going back to look at the John's 3rd Gospel Chapter I read:

22 After this Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and he remained there with them and was baptizing. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized 24 (for John had not yet been put in prison).

25 Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.” 27 John answered, “A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. 28 You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.”

31 He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. He who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. 33 Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. 34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

And upon reading it in context - I realized we are very fortunate today to have the opportunity to read John the Baptist's thoughts on humanity, the Holy Spirit and the affects and effects of holiness on us. All this insight given to us at the end of years - John the Baptist's contemplations.

I feel I understand John the Baptist so much more when we look at him with the details God gives us about John.

John leaped with joy as a baby in his mother's womb at Jesus' mother's greeting. Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God as His messenger tells us about John the Baptist:

Luke 1:14-17
"you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”


So what pattern are we seeing develop here:

John understands the Way, the Truth and the Life are not the vast highways humans travel in their day-to-day existence. John has spent some considerable time in what Jesus called "lonely places" to pray. God has given John the Baptist the ability to understand, communicate and draw people into their own wilderness seeking. John draws people away from the grandeur of the Temple, into getting dusty, waiting in line (upon the Lord), and anticipation of redemption. Redemption drawing a crowd? This must be Elijah!!!

What does John's insight tell us - deliberate choice. John says it is the choices we make that help us discover if God is true. In John the Baptist's famous quotes saying twice he didn't know Jesus, John the Baptist is telling us a). he wasn't born with insight he knew of and was aware of. b). this is not a nepotism job where John the Baptist accepted Jesus as Savior without years of personal growth.

Our Redemption Baptizer is also telling us - God puts people in our lives preparing us and others to know God. God says through John the Baptist - God's efforts will largely go unheard and unheeded. We are not waiting upon the pat on the back for our lives and service for the LORD.



God does not give up on mankind. Why should we? 1. Deliberate choice to find out if God is real. Not the opinions of culture or others. 2. Time spent in quietness to think and pray. 3. Reading the Scripture for yourself. And thinking. 4. An attitude of gratitude to notice..... 5. Seeing the things of God unfold as true. God speaking to you of your life and your choices. Leaning on Him in love. Learning every part of Scripture has meaning for you, each day.

John 1:46-51
46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”

49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”



John 1:10-16 10

He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.

He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.

Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

Come to His Banquet. You are invited.

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Psalm 68 ~ God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

Psalm 68

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio


God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered;
and those who hate him shall flee before him!
2 As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away;
as wax melts before fire,
so the wicked shall perish before God!
3 But the righteous shall be glad;
they shall exult before God;
they shall be jubilant with joy!

4 Sing to God, sing praises to his name;
lift up a song to him who rides through the deserts;
his name is the Lord;
exult before him!
5 Father of the fatherless and protector of widows
is God in his holy habitation.
6 God settles the solitary in a home;
he leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
but the rebellious dwell in a parched land.

7 O God, when you went out before your people,
when you marched through the wilderness, Selah
8 the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain,
before God, the One of Sinai,
before God, the God of Israel.
9 Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad;
you restored your inheritance as it languished;
10 your flock [your congregation] found a dwelling in it;
in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.

11 The Lord gives the word;
the women who announce the news are a great host:
12 “The kings of the armies—they flee, they flee!”
The women at home divide the spoil—
13 though you men lie among the sheepfolds—
the wings of a dove covered with silver,
its pinions with shimmering gold.
14 When the Almighty scatters kings there,
let snow fall on Zalmon.

15 O mountain of God, mountain of Bashan;
O many-peaked mountain, mountain of Bashan!
16 Why do you look with hatred, O many-peaked mountain,
at the mount that God desired for his abode,
yes, where the Lord will dwell forever?
17 The chariots of God are twice ten thousand,
thousands upon thousands;
the Lord is among them; Sinai is now in the sanctuary.
18 You ascended on high,
leading a host of captives in your train
and receiving gifts among men,
even among the rebellious, that the Lord God may dwell there.

19 Blessed be the Lord,
who daily bears us up;
God is our salvation. Selah
20 Our God is a God of salvation,
and to God, the Lord, belong deliverances from death.
21 But God will strike the heads of his enemies,
the hairy crown of him who walks in his guilty ways.
22 The Lord said,
“I will bring them back from Bashan,
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
23 that you may strike your feet in their blood,
that the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from the foe.”

24 Your procession is seen, O God,
the procession of my God, my King, into the sanctuary—
25 the singers in front, the musicians last,
between them virgins playing tambourines:
26 “Bless God in the great congregation,
the Lord, O you who are of Israel's fountain!”
27 There is Benjamin, the least of them, in the lead,
the princes of Judah in their throng,
the princes of Zebulun, the princes of Naphtali.

28 Summon your power, O God,
the power, O God, by which you have worked for us.
29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem
kings shall bear gifts to you.
30 Rebuke the beasts that dwell among the reeds,
the herd of bulls with the calves of the peoples.
Trample underfoot those who lust after tribute;
scatter the peoples who delight in war.
31 Nobles shall come from Egypt;
Cush shall hasten to stretch out her hands to God.

32 O kingdoms of the earth, sing to God;
sing praises to the Lord, Selah
33 to him who rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens;
behold, he sends out his voice, his mighty voice.
34 Ascribe power to God,
whose majesty is over Israel,
and whose power is in the skies.
35 Awesome is God from his sanctuary;
the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people.
Blessed be God!

Here in the Piney woods of Texas, near Houston, we had a slight drought last summer. This year, I'm not sure I remember but one good rain. We've had a wildfire within about 15 miles of our house and one in Huntsville, Texas. Last year the Major of Conroe put an article in The Conroe Courier saying if you believe in the Almighty, please pray for rain. We got rain that week! So, I am asking you to pray for rain in our area of Texas. Like a friend said, at least we aren't having tornadoes. Okay, I'm very willing to be grateful for lack of tornadoes, but still the prayer for rain would be appreciated.

It's weather with a twist - I've never experienced drought with pleasant winds and very nice, cool temperatures in May. I love to garden and I was outside today caring for some of my potted plants - like Imperial Delight, Bougainvillea - and I started thinking about all the usual events in weather. I wondered if I should let Father God know I am concerned about the month of pleasant breezes we've had drying out the natural vegetation. At Church, we discussed that a hurricane would surely snap the dried out trees. We've also discussed irrigation needed for the forested part of our campus, located right off the busy 6 lane Woodlands Parkway.

I decided in prayer - I am going to thank Father God for the beautiful blue skies, the cool breezes we don't usually have, the pleasant temperatures. The great weather. Rejoice in what is before you. Rejoice! And I will let Father God know I am asking for several good soaking rains, for His great mercy in hearing our prayers. Only from time to time do I remind Him - we'd love to be protected from Hurricanes.

Now that I've shared some of my prayer requests with you and with our Father, I'm going to go see what I can do in my yard. Then I'm going to thrill my dog with a walk on this beautiful day. I am going to look for that rain! If the Lord should decide to withhold rain, I am going to wait for His plan. I know I can rest easily because I've asked and I will rest in His will.

~ Ascribe power to God,
whose majesty is over Israel,
and whose power is in the skies.
Awesome is God from his sanctuary;
the God of Israel—he is the one who gives power and strength to his people.
Blessed be God!

Romans 15:13
May the 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.

Hebrews 13:20-21
Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.







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Daniel 1 ~ who assigned your food and drink

Our Lord Jesus Christ, painted by James Tissot

Daniel 1

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio

In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God. And he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god. 3 Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family [of the seed of the kingdom] and of the nobility, 4 youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king's palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. 5 The king assigned them a daily portion of the food that the king ate, and of the wine that he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that time they were to stand before the king. 6 Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. 7 And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.

8 But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's food, or with the wine that he drank. Therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to allow him not to defile himself. 9 And God gave Daniel favor and compassion in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs, 10 and the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, “I fear my lord the king, who assigned your food and your drink; for why should he see that you were in worse condition than the youths who are of your own age? So you would endanger my head with the king.” 11 Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had assigned over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, 12 “Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then let our appearance and the appearance of the youths who eat the king's food be observed by you, and deal with your servants according to what you see.” 14 So he listened to them in this matter, and tested them for ten days. 15 At the end of ten days it was seen that they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the king's food. 16 So the steward took away their food and the wine they were to drink, and gave them vegetables.

17 As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. 18 At the end of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. 19 And the king spoke with them, and among all of them none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore they stood before the king. 20 And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom. 21 And Daniel was there until the first year of King Cyrus.

When we read Scripture, we let our mind, our soul wander. Within the context of the passage, if we don't we are left with memorization - a tool, certainly, but not everything.

This year Rick Warren started a Daniel Diet and that started a controversy about Rick Warren being all things to all people - not even a Christian. How I dislike that. We all seek to know God and to please Him. How can we please Him, if we are so busy sorting out the errors of others? Jesus said here is the stone, cast the first stone, if...... And if someone feels compelled to criticize a brother in Christ, the Scripture give a framework.

Luke 12:57-58
“And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? 58 As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison.

I've read a lot of people putting Rick Warren down for using a non-Christian nutritionist doctor. And I'm not sure I would start a Nazorite life style change called the Daniel Diet with the opposite of Daniel's idea of wisdom. Daniel looked for wisdom beyond the culture. But before I jumped up and down, and declared Rick Warren to be of no value Spiritually - I sure would think about Luke 12. Do you think God would be pleased to have a man of God debunked as of no value publicly?

Or do you think that if you felt strongly enough to cast a first stone publicly - it would work better between two people of God to write Rick Warren a private letter. Even the Queen of England says she likes to learn about what people are thinking. (Can you tell it is Royal Wedding week?)

It's a lot like the Apple and "the other guy" commercials. The Apple guy is relaxed and confident. The other guy looks up-tight and a little angry. The non-Christian world perceives us not as the Apple guy, but the other guy. Priggish, petty quarrels are exactly what did Not bring Daniel before the King and before the Chaldean culture bringing about a Victory for God Almighty. Culture, smulture an angry protester might say.

Mark 16:15
And then he told them, "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone."

2 Corinthians 5:20
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

Ambassadors for Christ is what a follower of Christ is supposed to be. Not the grocery store rag paper finding a reason to harp.

Versus:

Matthew 11:12
From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.

It is good to stay away from verbal violence of debunking people trying to say - God is Love.

1 John 4:16
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.

Daniel dealt with a foreign culture with kind words, prayer and self-control. How can the Kingdom of God do less with its own?


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Psalm 2 ~ ask of Me

Psalm 2

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio

1 Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us burst their bonds apart
and cast away their cords from us.”

4 He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision.
5 Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
and terrify them in his fury, saying,
6 “As for me, I have set my King
on Zion, my holy hill.”

7 I will tell of the decree:
The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.”

10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Osama bin Laden is dead. Men have died and worms have eaten them - not for love. Law and power. Nations manipulated for self-interest.

Why would a man whose parents divorced when he was a baby, raised by a step-father in a tribal society (inheriting wealth from his natural father) be so interested in the Wahhabism branch of Islam? Ibn Abd-Al-Wahhab denounces the practice of blind adherence to the interpretations of scholars, and tribal practices of Islam. Wahhab argues individual Muslims are responsible to learn and obey the divine commands as they were revealed in the Koran. Self-interpretation...

What would Osama bin Laden have prayed for? Jihad. Why?

What did these sets of laws represent to Osama bin Laden? An organized way of life, creating power of organization, power of religious law and a strict place for women within those laws. Power of mens' sexuality, with rights favoring men. Osama bin Laden seems to care very little his mother was divorced right after his birth, so his father's 22 wives would now fit neatly back in the 4 wives always recommended by the Koran. Nor did he mind, at age 18, marrying his 14 year old first cousin. It was in 1500 A.D. people realized women should not marry before the age of 15, due to the high rate of death in pregnancy.

The men involved with Al-Qaeda believe Afghanistan under the rule of the Taliban is "the only Islamic country" in the Muslim world. Their ideology believes civilians, including women and children, are legitimate targets of jihad - the destruction of Israel and all that is Semitic.

Growing Up bin Laden was written by Osama bin Laden's first wife Najwa Ghanem, with her son Omar bin Laden and Jean Sasson. After years of living with an increasingly violent and taciturn Osama, Omar bin Laden knew he had to leave the day their father invited all of his sons to become suicide bombers at a speech given by Osama in a mosque by referring them to look at a brochure Osama had made for martyrdom for Islam. Omar asked his father how he could ask this of his sons and Osama replied his sons meant nothing more to him than anyone else living in Afghanistan. The original pleasant life they had led had become just a memory, living in barbaric conditions without basic necessities or medicines. An increasingly angry Osama bin Laden tried chemical experiments of death on his own son's dog's puppies.

Intelligence reports say Osama bin Laden trained other men to become martyrs for Allah, putting his energies into becoming a cold-blooded killer from comfortable housing; after gathering men to him, he did not live as the warriors he trained. From 2001, bin Laden has not been seen in fighting or living in guerrilla warfare housing, when bin Laden was thought to be wounded. Since 2004, none of the hierarchy of the Al Qaeda have been found living in the environment of the extreme militant martyrs they train. We have captured and killed Al Qaeda leaders, but never an Al Qaeda leader volunteering for martyrdom. This is what Jesus referred to as a religious lawyer.

Luke 11:46
And he said, “Woe to you lawyers also! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.

According to the book, "The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11", written by Lawrence Wright. The Al Qaeda, Muslim Brotherhood have no plan. They simply want to destroy things and "take over." An economic plan? None. The only goal of the Muslim Brotherhood, for example, is the hijab head-covering for women. Other than belief Sharia law will set things right in the Muslim world, the Al-Qaeda has no plan or goal for society. "It is like an empty vessel." Bin Ladin has no plan other than wanting the U.S. out of Saudi Arabia, and blind destruction of things western.

Bin Laden created a myth of enlarging his own role in the Afghan war against the Soviets. He was disappointed when their Kenyan and Tanzanian attacks on the US Embassies and the attack on the USS Cole did not bring greater war during the Clinton Administration. According to Wright, Bin Laden was driven to madness by US presence in the sacred lands of Islam. Saudi Arabia did not want all of the Afghanistan Islamic militia after the war in Kuwait. Saudi Arabia chose American troops. As long as he was able, he was going to attempt greater and greater attacks on the USA.

Father God, protect us from power without mercy. Protect us from rhetoric preaching retaliation and revenge leaning into mob mentality and fear of reprisal. Clear out the spirit of revenge and violence. We ask for Your Light in Jesus Christ to give justice with mercy, walking humbly with the Lord. We ask for right thinking about blood-violence, revenge, anger, and the rights of a woman in marriage. We ask for purity in marriage forsaking all others to love and to cherish, to death us do part. We ask that Nikah Mut'ah, a fixed-time arrangement between a man and a woman that dissolves once the duration expires, for prostitution - another aspect of Sharia law making make clear the injustice and impurity of Sharia law towards women and their rights in marriage of their spouse.

Matthew 26:52
Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword.

Ezekiel 33:11
Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways

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Luke 21:1-19 ~ do not be terrified

The Disciples Admire the Temple, painted by James Tissot

Luke 21:1-19

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio

Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, 2 and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins [two lepta; a lepton was a Jewish bronze or copper coin worth about 1/128 of a denarius]. 3 And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. 4 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

5 And while some were speaking of the temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, 6 “As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” 7 And they asked him, “Teacher, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?” 8 And he said, “See that you are not led astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is at hand!’ Do not go after them. 9 And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified, for these things must first take place, but the end will not be at once.”

10 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. 12 But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name's sake. 13 This will be your opportunity to bear witness. 14 Settle it therefore in your minds not to meditate beforehand how to answer, 15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. 16 You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers [parents and brothers and sisters] and relatives and friends, and some of you they will put to death. 17 You will be hated by all for my name's sake. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By your endurance you will gain your lives.

My eldest son and I were having a phone conversation and he asked me if I remembered a time when the news was so terrible. It's not like I am Methuselah, so it gave me a moment's pause. In that pause Cal said, "I'm excluding World War II, because I know you were not alive." Okay then.

The answer is no. Do you? But I remember stories of my mother growing up in the Great Depression in Dallas, Texas. About 20 people a day would knock on the back door of their 3 bedroom, one bath, one living area - frame house and ask for work, but would be given lunch. My mother told me my grandmother had a collection of aluminum pie plates and mason jars and she fed about 20 people each day, for lunch, in her back yard. Grandmother fixed a several chicken vegetable soup every day. I asked if they ever ran out of food, Mother said no, but eventually things got better and the crowd of lunch people disappeared. My Grandmother Anita spent her life being the poor widow with the two copper coins. Her husband Ray died in his early 40's. She taught a Methodist Adult Sunday School class for 42 years. At her funeral, we said God had kept the paint on her frame house for her entire life. I believe He did.

I asked my mother if people would knock on the door for breakfast. I asked if people did extra work around the house without being asked for being fed. My mom said she didn't ever remember work being done around the house, but given the generation, there probably was. My mom said, if they had asked at breakfast, my grandmother would have said they'd have lunch available.

So trouble has returned to the world. I was asked recently by a Korean War veteran's widow if my generation had experienced war. No. Not really, just the Fauklin Islands. We did have a recession in the 1980s.

So what are we going to do with economic news, local political news, foreign political news, national deficits, wars, riots, devalued currency, animal and bird die offs, earthquakes, tsunamis, radiation, drought, wild fires, flood and tornadoes. World hunger, food shortages - prices and the inflation for gasoline prices. We are going to do what Jesus did. He said not to be terrified. We are going to trust. We are going to seriously rejoice that the survivors of these disasters are having help from Christian sources. We are going to act as the Body of Christ in relief efforts and prayers.

We are not going to be nay sayers about how terrible this bad old world is and then just worry and / or sweep it under the rug for someone else. You've been told about trouble! Rely upon His Word and Live it.

1. Psalm 100. Start like the Lord's Prayer.

Psalm 100:4
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!

Remember to have Gratitude. (Note to self.) Let Him know you remember and you are grateful for His blessings.

2. Say to Him you are grateful for His Kingdom of Heaven on earth. His Holy Spirit lives in people believing in Him.

Psalm 68:19
Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Selah

3. Anxiety about ... finances... or just plain anything. Anxiety about having anxiety as a Christian. Just put it all up to Him. He knows anyway! Come clean from that worry. Stop being tied in a knot from having worry.

Philippians 4:6
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Psalm 56:3
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.

1 Peter 5:7
Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

(This Word about anxiety during my son's preemie year with apnea - not breathing and bradycardia - held me from becoming a puddle of worry.)

4. Forgetting to pray. Being selfish. There is a word for it - sin. Ask God to forgive you, ask Him to help you to have a right spirit. Ask for Him for help.

James 5:16
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

Jesus told us about goodness.

Luke 18:19
And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God
alone."

So, what Jesus has said is - we are righteous before God when we confess our sins and then continue with Him in prayer.

5. Forgiveness - Jesus got angry. The Scriptures tell us anger is part of life. There is a righteous anger for being wronged.

Psalm 4:4
Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah

Father God really honors this prayer. "Father God, I am angry at - - -, for - --. I want to forgive and so I am going to tell You right now, I forgive (list their name). Help that forgiveness to grow in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen." Father God. honors. that. prayer. No matter if you have to make it again or you rest in that desire given to Him.

6. So what are we going to do with this trouble?

1 Thessalonians 5:17
Never stop praying.

If you read the news and you are concerned. Tell the Lord. Ask Him to help. Offer to Him, your help. Pray. All the time.

7. What else?

1 Thessalonians 5:18
give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you

Our minister Clark Lowenfield says earnest prayer is good prayer. "Father God, I want this so badly - - - and I believe I have really good reasons, pleasing to You, for me to want this - - -. Father God, You are more knowing and have greater wisdom that I do. I ask for Your will and I ask that I want Your will. Strengthen me to walk in Your ways and give me wisdom to know Your ways. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. "

8.
James 1:22
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

Blessed are You, Lord God. Blessed is Your Son, Jesus Christ. Blessed are You, Holy Spirit. Live in me. I ask in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

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Luke 17:20-37 ~ days

Tsunami attacking in Minami-Sanriku

Luke 17:20-37

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio

20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, 21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you [within you, or within your grasp].”

22 And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them. 24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. 25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

26 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, 29 but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— 30 so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.

31 On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back. 32 Remember Lot's wife. 33 Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will keep it. 34 I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed. One will be taken and the other left. 35 There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.” 37 And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse [Greek body] is, there the vultures [eagles] will gather.”

When Haiti had earthquakes people were upset about hearing it could be punishment from God. ( I doubt this highly that is was a generational curse - more a life event weaving good and evil together.) Then Japan and New Zealand - the Google world went Berserk trying to see if the animal and bird die-offs and earthquakes were the end of the world.

Now we have the most tornadoes spawned in USA history and the Google trends don't put a blip on the radar about why we have such strange weather. Or the death toll. Or even a thought to the discussion of the rapture stories sound like the tornado..... Okay, okay, okay - not.

Why not. Why is everyone according, to Google, uninterested in this devastation. The news is reporting it. People mention it to one another - but the interest is surface deep.

I'm from Texas, but fortunate never to have seen a tornado. I'm spent a few evenings in inner rooms with sirens wailing, but not the F-4s bearing down on me or the ones I love. I slept through the Hurricane Ike tornado that ripped through our backyard. Three of us slept through it, the hurricane had made noise for a night. But coming from this part of the world, I know F-4 survivors. No one looks away or is bored when someone tells you their personal story of F-4 tornadoes. Grown men and women cry when they tell it, if it was recent. Children start to shake.

I know a teen-age boy who was in Wichita Falls when they had multiple F-4s. He became so mesmerized by the multiple tornadoes bearing down on them, his mother had to cover his eyes to get him to come into the house. They survived by climbing into an inside bathroom and putting everyone flat into the tub with every mattress and spring set in the house on top of them. They all held on to the tub spout. Not a bad idea if you don't have a storm shelter.

I know a neighbor was in Wadena, Minnesota in July of last year where they had multiple tornadoes. (Tornadoes in Minnesota in July?) Some were F-4. After the tornadoes went by, the Churches were packed and overflowing. Why? Incredible devastation, but so many destroyed places had one thing still standing - the cross. Where a cross had been placed, the tornado left the place where the cross stood. So many places were utterly ruined, but no lives were lost.

My neighbor, in Wadena, said it was like the tornado had a mind - the way one place was destroyed and the next place wasn't.

Well, now you are saying to yourself Scripture for Today Blogspot believes this is the end of the world. Far be it from me to be the mouth piece for something Jesus said would be unknown except to God Almighty. The point to be made from these unusual circumstances is this - we cannot save ourselves.

We are foolish if we ignore or become blase about this suffering so close to us, living in the United States.

These events should not be taken lightly. The people living through them will spend time wondering what the meaning of these events signal. They will wonder what their lives are really made of. Wonder what the deeper meaning of life is. This is wise.

At the end of the tsunami video - you will see people risk their lives to go back and help others. In the news reels you will hear of the tornado survivors say how much is being done for them from friends, family, and how these catastrophes draw them together. We live in a time where too much is going on - it is difficult to pull together all that is needed in life to feel more and more comfortable.

It is time to stop trying so hard to make life comfortable and time to assess what gives life meaning. Is it the end of the world - probably not - but we are getting a taste of catastrophe after catastrophe - riot after riot. If signal, signal, signal happens isn't it wise to ask our Father in prayer, "What can I do for You, Father? How can I give peace and security in the middle of uncertainty? Father God, we all want peace. Help us to become instruments of peace for You. Help me to live my life, Father God, in ways that are pleasing to the Love You have for me. Help me to help others. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen."

What can you do - behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you [within you, or within your grasp]. Let your Light shine. Share God's Love with the ones you love. Be bold, use words. Then preach the Gospel and if you have to use words.



Mile Wide Tornado Tears Through Tuscaloosa - spawns rare side-ways tornadoes.

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Romans 7:1-12 ~ bear fruit for God

Romans 7:1-12

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio

1 Or do you not know, brothers [and sisters] —for I am speaking to those who know the law—that the law is binding on a person only as long as he lives? 2 For a married woman is bound by law to her husband while he lives, but if her husband dies she is released from the law of marriage [law concerning the husband]. 3 Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies, she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress.

4 Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. 5 For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.

7 What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. 10 The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. 11 For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.

What's a great day? Seeing people with so much, pledge so much. For Love.

(After note: The results of this marriage - the U.K. has seen a large increase in people willing to marry. Even people with children, who had lived together for years.)

It is a direct correlation in society between up-building and destruction in the way society looks at marriage. When two people are to be one, it is working of the Holy Spirit. It affects the fruit - children - and culture in all aspects.

Today we saw Prince William pledge to his 8 year girlfriend that he will honor, love, cherish Catherine, as his wife, giving her all of his worldly goods for the rest of his life. Strong Words. Isn't it great when strong words collide with righteousness, a hope for the future, and happen in the house of the Lord?

Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus (23 September 63 BC – 19 August AD 14) is considered the first emperor of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from 27 BC until his death in AD 14.

Paul wrote the Epistle to the Romans somewhere between 51-57 AD. Historically this is about as close as horseshoes and hand grenades. Close.

Augustus was a tidy man, he wanted inheritance laws to be made more clear. Rome needed all the tax money it could garner. Augustus decided marriage needed to be .... Defined and Legal.

1. Confarreatio (divorce almost unheard of)was a traditional patrician form of marriage. Divorce for confarreatio marriages, diffarreatio, was a difficult process and therefore rare. A special type of sacrifice that caused the dissolution of the relationship between the man and woman. She would then pass back into her father's home or family. Originally, the confarreatio was indissoluble. The wife leaves her family and becomes her husband's family, or property = cum manu. Later, divorce was easier the dowry returned with the wife.


2. Coemptio (slavery/service) was in essence a sale of the woman to the husband. Coemptio occurred at any time throughout marriage. This was a process of mancipation (slavery/service). The transaction occurred with a scales-holder and in the presence of at least five witnesses, adult male Roman citizens. Coemptio could occur not only with a husband but also with an outsider. However, this process is deemed for the “sake of trust” not for the “sake of marriage.” Coemptio was only a convenient legal practice. If a wife became cum manu through the process of coemptio divorced, then she became emancipated. By the 2nd century AD, a wife was able to compel her husband to emancipate her, a right not shared by her children.


3. Usus (living together, owned by husband) Cum Manu acquired by usus was simply the cohabitation of the husband and wife for the duration of a year. After a year passed the wife was transferred into the ownership of her partner, she was considered taken by the decree of yearly possession. This process required no ceremonial practices. If the woman was not willing to come into ownership of her husband, manus by usus was easily preventable. As conditioned in the Twelve Tables if the wife absented herself for the total of three days and three nights before the end of the year, each year, the marriage was not cum manu, and she was not under the ownership of her husband. If a woman married cum manu through the process of usus divorced then, she became Emancipated. Subsequently, the law of usus was dissolved by legal enactments presumably because it fell out of use..... so Do Not Spend Your Anniversary Together at all costs....


4. Sine Manu (living together, owned by father instead of husband) the wife legally and ritually remained a member of her father's family, standing under the control of her father's potestas. The bride is not under control of the husband. This form of marriage held no ceremonial formalities led by a public official. Ultimately it involved a husband and wife living together under the intention of a marriage, in conjunction with the legal capacity of marriage under the Roman law. Although no official ceremony was held, it was customary for the bride to be escorted to her bridegrooms house. The children of this union were legally members of the husband’s agnatic kin.


Roman Women faced with the loss of property when entering a cum manu marriage began to only consent to sine manu (father's family property) unions (similar to living together, today, to avoid prenuptial agreements and financial wedding issues.) Does it sound like these forms of marriages would help sort out society better and then the playing field is easily understood? It had an effect. A definite effect. The love of many grew colder. When we look at the Roman Empire in 235–284 AD called the Imperial Crisis, it is the beginning of the end of the Roman Empire (not Christianity as pop culture tells us). Invasion, civil war, plague, economic depression, hyperinflation caused by years of coinage devaluation. All caused by greed.

So, Augustus was trying to put marriage together better for inheritance when he created these types of marriages, legally. They had been used for centuries. When we read the last paragraph in brown, Augustus' goal was promoting self and not promoting a couple living as one person.

True, we don't consider women property in most of the world today. But we do consider property, income, commitment instead of Christian marriage for love, honor, obey, cherish in sickness and all circumstances. Confarreatio began to be a thing of the past.


But not today, my friends!!!! We just watched the future King of England pledge his soul, his life, his worldly goods for Love.

In the United Kingdom in 1937, A. P. Herbert went to the British Parliament newly elected to give his maiden speech about a bill called the A.P. Herbert Marriage Law. He proposed more liberal reasons for divorce like insanity and a marriage irreparably broken allowing divorce. Winston Churchill said, "Call that a maiden speech? It was a brazen hussy of a speech. It was the most painted harlot of a speech that ever presented itself before a modest Parliament."

Economically, in hope and love, in the bringing up of children - we all prosper in faith, hope and love - when husband and wife trust each other enough to hope in their future. It is the up building of society! And can't we all use some up building.

The Scriptures, God's Covenants, all involve treating one another with love and respect. When love becomes traded for property, for casual instead of commitment, for anything other than a marriage based on trust - people begin to look out for their own interests. Leading to a distrust all over, hording, materialism instead of affection, trade imbalances. Coveting, war. Trouble. 41% of children born today in the USA, are born outside of legal and spiritual commitment. Easier, emotionally, to walk away from children, when there is no commitment. Where is the pendulum? Scripture and God's plan are for love and peace. For building and Up Building!!

Romans 3:30-4:1-3
29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the [God's] law.

4:1 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”

Father God, You are the Shepherd, the Rock. A chosen and precious cornerstone. When we trust in You, we will never be put to shame. In You, Lord, You are the Rock upon a house to be build. When storm comes, You are our Shelter. You are the Mighty One.

In the Old Testament, You asked us to walk in Your ways. In the New Testament, we are asked to walk in Your ways. Help us each day to give justice with mercy and walk humbly with You. Teach us to build up our families for loving marriage. Teach us to make commitments of kindness and care to one another. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.



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Luke 20:1-26 ~ in the Temple and preaching the Gospel

Voice from On High, painted by James Tissot

Luke 20:1-26

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio


1 One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up 2 and said to him, “Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority.” 3 He answered them, “I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, 4 was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?” 5 And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ 6 But if we say, ‘From man,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.” 7 So they answered that they did not know where it came from. 8 And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

9 And he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while. 10 When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 11 And he sent another servant. But they also beat and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. 13 Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ 14 But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ 15 And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? 16 He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Surely not!” 17 But he looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written:

“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone [the head of the corner]’?

18 Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”

19 The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people. 20 So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor.

21 So they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God. 22 Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?” 23 But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, 24 “Show me a denarius [a day's wage for a laborer ]. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar's.” 25 He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.” 26 And they were not able in the presence of the people to catch him in what he said, but marveling at his answer they became silent.

I really enjoy the visuals James Tissot provides. It's easier to remember the beautiful, world-wide awe-inspiring Temple being brought to the Truth Jesus gives. It is far easier to see how angry the religious elect would be to have Jesus stand in 'their' Temple and hear Him say they are poor tenants. Jesus inflamed the religious elect not with arrogance, more with inexplicable self-confidence. And the correct placement of religion being overcoming by a personal love for God. It threatened their place as head of God's Temple. The religion of the day required so much knowledge. Jesus is talking about mercy and love. Jesus was not in awe over religion, but God. The Living God is Love.

What we have on this earth is given in tenancy - we are here a short time. Jesus says be a good steward. All the things we enjoy - the things in which we delight - the things with which we busy ourselves - would recover if we were not to appear

Psalm 103
As for man, his days are like grass;
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.

17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children,
18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.

We are like the days of grass. Yet when Jesus went, the Temple never did recover. For 2,000 years there have not been sacrifices and there has not been a Temple since 70 A.D. - when Jesus would have died a natural death.

The Temple officials refused to open their hearts to Jesus. The world went around them and Christianity shined the Light of Christ. The Bride of Jesus Christ, the Church, has had times when it had to be reminded to love Jesus.

Christians, in the strength of Jesus Christ, overcame the martyrdom required for 400 years. Christians overcame the would-not-be martyrs who fled - taking the light of Jesus Christ with them as they ran for their lives. Christians fed and hospitalized the physically hungry during the middle ages. They learned and brought forth new farming techniques by not being part of the conquering or conquered history sweeping and re-sweeping the earth. The Churches fed and hospitalized the people during the plagues. They built Churches outside of the Church walls, leading to the end of middle ages living behind walls. Churches taught people to read. Men envied the Light going forth and sought to capture its influence. The Light of Christ did not shine as brightly for the looting and blood-lust of the world powerful using the Bride of Christ for individual power and glory.

The Church fought and recovered. Protestant Churches shined the Light of Christ. Powerful men looked elsewhere for power when the Churches split responsibilities. Hope during war, hope during peace for personal responsibility and growth. Learning to be stewards for God's provision and Jesus' ambassador. Plant your vines, God will direct the growth.




Botanically impossible 600 year old grapevine planted outside the window of Rita's monastery of Saint Mary Magdalene at Cascia, Italy.








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Acts 4 ~ let it be known to all and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth

Acts 4

English Standard Version, David Cochran Audio

1 And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, 2 greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. 3 And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.

5 On the next day their rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?”

8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. 11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone [the head of the corner]. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. 14 But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. 15 But when they had commanded them to leave the council, they conferred with one another, 16 saying, “What shall we do with these men? For that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. 17 But in order that it may spread no further among the people, let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name.”

18 So they called them and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, 20 for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” 21 And when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding no way to punish them, because of the people, for all were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than forty years old.

23 When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, 25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant [child], said by the Holy Spirit,

“‘Why did the Gentiles rage,
and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers were gathered together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed [Christ]’ — Psalm 2

27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. 29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants [bondservants] to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. 36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.


The lame shall walk, the blind will see, the deaf shall hear and the poor have good news preached to them. Think of your favorite miracle in the Gospels.

Ten Lepers, Levi the Tax Collector becomes Matthew, Simon the unsure becomes the Rock, the woman who grasped Jesus' robe. The deaf man taken away from the crowds and Jesus heals him in a way a deaf man would understand before hearing. The man lifted through the roof by friends. The loaves and the fishes. Jesus rebukes the storm. Jesus doesn't allow Peter to sink for a moment of disbelief. Healing the man's son who cried out he believed - help him to have more faith. Zacchaeus come down out of the Sycamore tree, you are loved and understood. Nathanael, I saw you under the tree. Lazarus, come forth. The widow's son. Jairus' daughter. The Greek woman's child. He healed them all.

So what is your favorite miracle of Jesus?

What about the weak, afraid disciples of Jesus - who didn't even believe at first it was Jesus risen from the dead. And Jesus just stepped out and waited. These men - are arrested and marched into this world famous, impressive Temple of God. Past every impressive part of the Temple. Temple Tools made under the watchful eye of Moses. Right up to the very men who tried their best to wipe Jesus' name out forever. These men were raised knowing this Temple, this Faith, This God is the pinnacle of their lives. It is a test of who they are - discerning to rebuff the image, finding they serve the Living God.

Even Josephus - the general who decided it was time to desert Israel during the fall of Jerusalem. Men loved Josephus for being so clever to know when it was time to change sides to becoming the Historian of 3 Emperors of Rome. Josephus wrote of Jesus as the Christ. He wrote in awe that His band of followers did not desert. These men did not change sides and are now called Christians.

16 years after the death of Jesus Christ, Roman Emperors in this age, without mass communication, begin to condemn people to death for belief Jesus is the Christ - the Son of God. Why? These men believed Jesus Christ is who He says He is. They believe He means them when He talks about Steadfast Love and Righteousness. These men love Jesus, the Christ. More people will believe. People endure prison, flogging, gladiator death, crucifixion, being made into human torches. This persecution goes on for almost 400 years. The Light of Christ cannot be put out.

Matthew 16:18
On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it

John 1:5
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it

1 John 5:4
For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

1 Corinthians 15:57
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 7:24
Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

We are the Easter people and Hallelujah is Our Song!

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