Acts 5:12 -15 ~ in Solomon's Portico

Colonnade left from King Solomon's Portico. Could be from the First Temple used in the Second Temple. John 10:23. A portion of the Temple,  according to JosephusB. J. 5:5, section 1; Ant. 20:9, section 7, remained from Solomon's time. It rose from a great depth, occupying part of the valley, and supported by a wall 400 cubits high, formed of immense stones, some 20 cubits long. The Chaldeans spared it,  for the strength and beauty.  This is where the Remnant left from the Babylonian Exile worshiped. Jesus the Lord walked in its shelter.

Acts 2:6       
And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.  

Acts 5:12 -15      
Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon's Portico. 13 None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. 14 And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15 so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them.         
Joel 3:14 
Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

This is the time after Jesus was found to be alive, resurrected. A very active time after Jesus was crucified.


 Acts, Chapter 2, say about the time when the wood becomes dry?   
 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel ^{[2nd Chapter of Joel]}:  
 

¹⁷  “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,          
and your young men shall see visions,          
and your old men shall dream dreams;    
¹⁸ even on my male servants and female servants        
in those days I will pour out my Spirit,  and they shall prophesy.      
¹⁹ And I will show wonders in the heavens above        
and signs on the earth below,                    
 blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke;   
²⁰  the sun shall be turned to darkness        
and the moon to blood,        
before the day of the Lord comes,     
the great and magnificent day.

  ²¹ And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’  
 

Acts 11:26
and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.


This is the birth of the Bride of Christ - the Church.


How many times are the Disciples in and around the Temple? And Synagogues.

The Bible records 27 times. For the ministry of the saints - to Christians.

1 Corinthians 9
9 Now it is superfluous for me to write to you about the ministry for the saints, 2 for I know your readiness






Acts 2:46
And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,

Acts 3:1
[ The Lame Beggar Healed ] Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour.

Acts 3:2
And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple.

Acts 3:3
Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms.

Acts 3:8
And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God.

Acts 3:10
and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Acts 4:1
[ Peter and John Before the Council ] And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them,

Acts 5:20
“Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.”

Acts 5:21
And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach. Now when the high priest came, and those who were with him, they called together the council, all the senate of the people of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought.

Acts 5:24
Now when the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these words, they were greatly perplexed about them, wondering what this would come to.

Acts 5:25
And someone came and told them, “Look! The men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.”

Acts 5:42
And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.

Acts 14:13
And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was at the entrance to the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the crowds.

Acts 17:24
The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,

Acts 19:27
And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.”

Acts 19:35
And when the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky?

Acts 21:26
Then Paul took the men, and the next day he purified himself along with them and went into the temple, giving notice when the days of purification would be fulfilled and the offering presented for each one of them.

Acts 21:27
[ Paul Arrested in the Temple ] When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, seeing him in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him,

Acts 21:28
crying out, “Men of Israel, help! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against the people and the law and this place. Moreover, he even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.”

Acts 21:29
For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.

Acts 21:30
Then all the city was stirred up, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut.

Acts 22:17
“When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance

Acts 24:6
He even tried to profane the temple, but we seized him.

Acts 24:12
and they did not find me disputing with anyone or stirring up a crowd, either in the temple or in the synagogues or in the city.

Acts 24:18
While I was doing this, they found me purified in the temple, without any crowd or tumult. But some Jews from Asia—

Thessaloniki , Greece, 4th Century, Church of David.

The first Churches, like Peter's house, were House Churches.



Acts 1:14
All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

Mary and her children were with the believers.



Father God, The true Tithe is Love.

Ezekiel 11 gives us a prophecy to pray.

When we come to You, we will remove all its detestable things and all its abominations from them.

And You will give us one heart, and put a new spirit within us.

Father God will take the heart of stone out of our flesh and give us a heart of flesh, that we may walk in Your statutes and do them. Then we will be The people and Beloved of Jesus, and You shall be our Father God.

In the Name of Jesus the Christ, our Hero. You are the Font of every Blessing. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

1 Timothy 1:1-11 ~ God our Savior, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope

Jesus Christ Our Lord, as painted by James Jacques Joseph Tissot (15 October 1836 – 8 August 1902) was a French painter who spent years in Palestine painting over 700 watercolors of Jesus. His paintings are known for detail and the emotion Jesus would have given. This looks to me to be the sincerity Jesus had for people and the Words He gave them.

1 Timothy 1:1-11

 ~ American King James Version


1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Savior, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;

2 To Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.

3 As I sought you to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that you might charge some that they teach no other doctrine, 4 Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.

 5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

 6 From which some having swerved have turned aside to vain jangling; 7 Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.

8 But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; 9 Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for murderers, 10 For fornicators, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for enslavers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; 

11 According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.

Matthew 9:36
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 



Because God the Father loves you, Jesus Christ is your hope. His gospel is your trust. When we look for the sincerity of Jesus, we can follow some pretty basic things in the teachings we receive.



Micah 6:8
He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God


2 Corinthians 13:11
Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you

 

The emotions of Jesus are so wonderful. The Lion of the Tribe of Judah.

Revelation 5:5

Mark 1:40-41
And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” 41 Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.”

Luke 7:13 The widow of Nain.
13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” 

 

Matthew 20:34
34 And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.

John 15:11
I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

Numbers 6:26
The LORD lift up his smile upon you and give you peace

Father God, We ask in the Name of Jesus

O Father our Lord God, bless us and keep us;

The Lord Father God Almighty make Your face to shine upon us and be gracious to us and the ones we Love,

Shepherd of our Souls, Lord Father lift Your smile upon us and give us peace.

We ask You to put Your name upon Your Beloved and Father God to will bless us. Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Mark 2:18-22 ~ New Wine

Mark 2:18-22

Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. And people came and said to him, “Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”

19 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. 20 The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in that day. 21 No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the patch tears away from it, the new from the old, and a worse tear is made. 22 And no one puts new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine the wine will burst the skins—and the wine is destroyed, and so are the skins. But new wine is for fresh wineskins.”.


New wine - being changed by Jesus, seeing our lives as a gift from God and for God, not just another salmon swimming upstream without hope and going through the daily work. Old wine - what is valued, mellowed, cherished. What is Jesus telling us? We cannot change, cannot save ourselves. We cannot do it ourselves. With God all things are possible. Every day, we take our old wine - the things we value, the things the world expects, old hurts, the things that concern us. And we put them before God - the new wine of the Holy Spirit. Then we see the blessings and we thank Him.

Blessed be God, who creates light out of darkness.

We are new creatures in Christ Jesus, not controlled by the old values, but placing ourselves in front of Father God as His children.

Pull from the 25 verses of Isaiah 45:

Isaiah 45:

⁵ I am the LORD, and there is no other;
apart from me there is no God.
I will strengthen you

⁹ "Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker,
to him who is but a potsherd
among the potsherds on the ground.
Does the clay say to the potter,
'What are you making?'
Does your work say, 'He has no hands'?

²² "Turn to me and be saved,
all you ends of the earth; for I am God,
and there is no other. 
 


Psalm 77:19
Your way was through the sea,
your path through the great waters;
yet your footprints were unseen.

Romans 8:28
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.



Strive to be the one who truly gives thanks. All of our gifts are really from Him. It is only in the heart, where HE treasures us, where thanks may truly be given.


Father God, help us to be worthy of our calling from You! Remembering from 2 Thessalonians 1 to Abraham, we need to always ask You for Your Help.

Each day giving thanks, putting our hands out and help us to bring Your will to earth, bringing more heaven to earth - to Your Glory. In the name of Jesus Christ the Lord, we lift up our prayer concerns and those we Love . Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Luke 1 ~ He has helped +

Luke 1

46 And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.

50 And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.

51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.

54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.







And what news does Mary return to? The Talmud, the Sanhedrin Council becomes very interested in Jesus. In learning his birth and his parents, in making Jesus look bad. Lying of course to smear him.

What we do learn by the Sanhedrin upheaval are  facts and their desire to sabotage Jesus with opinions. Joseph has died and Mary is poor, yet her father is Heli. David's Line, the Davidic Line through Heli. 

Remember Herod paid attention to the Magi - Biblical or Spiritual knowledge. Herod was always intrigued by God. Entirely possibly the Davidic line was removed from Bethlehem, which has so many prophecies written about Bethlehem and placed in obscure Nazareth.


Mary is reporting what Isaiah says in Isaiah 7
21 In that day a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep, 22 and because of the abundance of milk that they give, he will eat curds, for everyone who is left in the land will eat curds and honey.

23 In that day every place where there used to be a thousand vines, worth a thousand shekels of silver, will become briers and thorns. 24 With bow and arrows a man will come there, for all the land will be briers and thorns. 25 And as for all the hills that used to be hoed with a hoe, you will not come there for fear of briers and thorns, but they will become a place where cattle are let loose and where sheep tread.


Mary knows about what her joyful prayer states. There is a severe inequality of wealth. And the Roman Empire has created another time where a remnant of the faithful are left.






King David and Mary the Mother of God have different opinions about wealth. The Sanhedrin Council roundly denounces Mary, The Mother oF God as poor. In need of work, unable to rise to professionalism pleasing to the gentry of the Temple lawyers and High Priests. They are just plain rude. And acknowledge she is the daughter of Heli. Luke 3 explains Heli.


King David has something few people talk about and the first time I heard this sermon on a radio program I highly doubted this. However, as I believe the Scripture I see this is true. David was a conqueror. He made Israel the largest this Nation had ever become. David did not spurn trade with wealthy nations. He used their architecture in his palace, located outside of City Walls - choosing instead that God alone had brought him securely and would be his protector. David chose to Shepherd all of Israel and welcomed the people who had always played it safe with money, position and political caution.

The Temple required 7-1/2 years to construct and the efforts of about 180,000 laborers, (I Kings 7:13, 5:6, 13, 14; II Chronicles 2:17-18).


The materials assembled for the Tabernacle are d in Exodus 35-38. The total quantity of gold collected was approximately one ton; of silver, 3-3/4 tons; and of bronze, 2-1/2 tons. At approximately $500 per troy ounce, or $6000 per pound, or $12,000,000 per ton. Silver currently is priced around $12 per troy ounce, or $144 per pound, which is $288,000 per ton. Hence, the gold and silver used in the Tabernacle built by Moses would be worth over $13 million today. Exodus 12:35 states Jews were given gold, silver, and ornaments by the Egyptians at the time of the departure from Egypt. The golden lampstand in the tabernacle weighed a talent and would today be worth a half million dollars for its gold alone. A replica of this Menorah is now in the Temple Institute in Jerusalem. (These prices for Gold are old.)

The plans were made, and David amassed the materials (I Chronicles 28:1-19; II Chronicles 2-4; I Kings 6-7). These materials included 100,000 talents (Ref. 3) of gold and 1,000,000 talents of silver, (I Chron. 29). From his own private fortune David also gave 3,000 talents of gold and 7,000 talents of high grade silver. This is an enormous quantity of gold and silver by any standard: 100,000 talents of gold = 3750 tons, value today = $45 billion; 1,000,000 talents of silver = 37,500 tons, value today = $10.8 billion. In round numbers, the wealth of the First Temple was about $56 billion. Or if we take the current Gold Price Per Ounce $1,232.40 = $137,984,000 Billion. (Larger than Presidential hopeful Donald Trump's 4 Billion. We have to credit all to God and some to the God inspired Egyptians.)


Josephus wrote of the hoarding of wealth by the High Priests. The Second Temple was not wealthy although the Temple Tools returned from the Babylonian Exile. The plunder Titus carried to Rome could well have been worth tens of millions of dollars. Cicero wrote of great influxes of gold to Jerusalem. Josephus, Wars of the Jews, has told of Tradition saying the intense flames of the Temple fire melted the gold and silver and it ran between the cracks of the rocks. Roman soldiers then totally dismantled the Temple stone by stone to extract the gold, Matthew 24:1-21.




David spoke of a Nation worshiping God. Still much in evidence of human failings.

Mary spoke of puppet state, where the King plays for the Emperor. And the wealthy work the laws of this. The Essenes left the Temple, saying it was empty of the Holiness of God and wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls.

His (Jesus') mother and His brothers (not sisters mentioned here however) were standing outside, seeking to speak with Him." Matthew 12:46

Matthew 10:3, Mark 3:18, Luke 6:16, Acts 1:13

Mark 6:3
Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.




James the Just writes of being the son of Mary and living this life.


James 2
2 For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, 3 and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” 4 have you not then made distinctions among yourselves

James 1:10
But the rich should take pride in their humiliation – since they will pass away like a wild flower

James 1:26
Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless

James 2
5 Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called?

James 5
5 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days. 4 Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.






There are always what Jesus calls "it rains on the just and the unjust." Parallels to now and the First Century Christians.

Jesus in His Victory had something to say about what He wants. To save the entire world.


James goes on to tell us what he has decided after Jesus becomes the Victorious Risen Messiah.


The Book of James

James 1
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.


James 2
2 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.

8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.


James 3
13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.





Jesus says He gives us a new commandment - The Law to Love.

The Roman Empire was won. And the next 1,000 years the Roman Empire continued in Constantinople. 


Living Parables. His Story.

 

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †