Tuesday 30 October 2012

THE BLOOD OF JESUS




"The life of flesh is in the blood" Leviticus 17:11. Not only is there life in the blood, but innocent blood, when shed has a particular attribute: It cries out. The blood of abel spilled on the ground could be heard by the Lord. He came running to find out what was going on. Perphaps Abel's blood was releasing a screech: "Vengeance ! I want vengeance!". Before the presence of our judge in heaven, there is blood that speak louder than the blood of Abel. What does this blood declare? The blood of jesus reminds the Father continuously of the sacrifice of His sinless Son. The Blood of Jesus ever cries out, "Mercy! Mercy! Mercy!"  

Scripture recounts many benefits concerning what the blood of Jesus has done for us. According toRevelation 12:11 "And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death". 

The scripture also declares We have been forgiven according to Hebrews 9:22-28   "Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.  Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.  For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf.   Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own,  for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,  so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him". 

We have been cleansed from all sin according 1 John1:7 " the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin". We have have been redeemed, Ephesians 1:7 declares "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace". We have been justified  Romans 5:9 declares "therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God". Also we have been set apart (sanctified) for a holy calling according to Hebrews 13:12 "So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood". 

The scriptures  also declares that we have found peace according Colossians 1:20 "through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross". We have confidence to enter the holy place according to Hebrews 10:19  "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus". 

Do you know the safest place to be? Close to the blood. We overcome by testifying to what the blood of Jesus haas accomplished. Yes, stick close to and testify to what the blood of Jesus Christ (Yeshua  Hamashiach) has accomplished.  

"hallelujah! hallelujah!hallelujah! 





Tuesday 16 October 2012

KINGDOM SEED


Christians often become discouraged when they ponder the loss of Christian values in some parts of the world today. Christianity seems to be dwindling backward rather than speeding forward. At such times it is important to meditate on this parable about kingdom seed.
The seed that fell on the first three types of soil failed to produce a harvest. When the crowd heard Jesus describing three failures to produce lasting fruit, they likely figured the story was finished. But Jesus surprised his audience by contrasting the three failures with three gigantic successes.
At first glance it seems that the story contains a fourfold structure—the seed falls on the path, on rocky ground, among thorns, and finally on good soil. But a closer look reveals that the thirty, sixty, and hundredfold harvest balance the three losses. Human failure is contrasted with divine success. Kingdom seed keeps on sprouting and producing fruit.
Sometimes it seems that every story we hear centers on the hard hearts of people toward the gospel, or on shallow lives that wander from the truth, or on crowded, thorny hearts that squelch spiritual growth. But the surprise in the parable remains true today. The Lord’s kingdom seed has multiplication power. An unexpected harvest of abundance is what Jesus promises to each of us who hear the parable. Believe the gospel and live abundantly! 
“Other seed fell on good soil. It … produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”
—Mark 4:8 

“God, I thank you that I am not like other people … or even like this tax collector.” —Luke 18:11


Tax collectors were despised for two reasons. They were traitors because they collected taxes for the oppressive Roman Empire. And they overcharged their fellow Jews and kept the extra money for themselves. Because of these sins against God’s people, tax collectors were considered unclean. So it’s a surprise that in his parable Jesus speaks of a tax collector praying at the temple, where he wouldn’t be welcome.
The Pharisees, however, worked hard to be pure and spotless, to be able to say, with Psalm
26:4-5, “I do not sit with the deceitful … I … refuse to sit with the wicked.” If any of the Jews were righteous, it was the Pharisees. But Jesus says the tax collector in this story was justified—and not the Pharisee. That surely shocked his first listeners!
Today, however, we may have to avoid a similar pitfall. We might tend to despise the Pharisee and treat the tax collector as a hero. But that would be a mistake. We have to be careful not to be like the Pharisee, the one who despises others, even as we see that he’s a hypocrite.
Jesus’ judgment in this parable raises the question of how our assessment of people squares with God’s assessment. If we judge people as less than ourselves—whether Pharisee or tax collector—we are in danger of excluding ourselves from God. It’s that serious. 

“Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.”



The challenges we face can seem overwhelming. These may be physical ailments or financial problems. Perhaps a family member is going through difficulties. We may be struggling in a relationship. We may be facing a crossroads but don’t know what to do.
At such moments, it can be easy to become afraid or worried, frustrated or uncertain, tired or discouraged. It can seem that no matter what we do, our problems don’t diminish and our adversaries are stronger than ever. We may not see any solutions. We may have prayed, yet we still don’t see any change.
At such moments, we can be tempted to give up. But these are times to remember Paul’s instruction that we must “never give up praying” (Colossians 4:2 ).
Making the same point, Jesus told a story so we would “keep on praying and never give up” (Luke 18:1 ). He told about a widow who was so persistent that the unjust judge finally granted her request. The judge said, “Even though I don’t fear God or care about people, I will help this widow because she keeps on bothering me. If I don’t help her, she will wear me out” (vs. 4-5 ).
In our lives, we will face many kinds of adversaries. In our flesh, we might feel that there is no hope, that no one cares about us. But these are moments to keep praying, to “keep alert and be thankful.” Yes, to thank God, confident that He hears our prayers and that we can trust Him.
Today, don’t allow your life to be filled with anxiety. Instead, “in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” As you pray and trust in Him, “the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).