Fruits of the Holy Spirit and Fruits of evil spirit!

The fruits of the Spirit is the sign of true faith  and true walk with  Christ. Galatians 5:22-23 says that The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Jesus used the example of a good tree and an evil tree. "Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit; neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them" (Matthew 7:16-20).


The evil spirits are disembodied spirits, who were casted out of heaven with Satan who became his angels. Only when a person distances himself from God by a sinful way of life and plunges into the darkness of disbelief and the passions he is inviting evil spirit in his life.

When an evil spirits enter into a person he remains in his sins and is controlled by his sins, there will be all kinds of sickness, diseases, rebellion, stubbornness, troubles etc occurs. When God removes His protective hand, he often turns the person over to Satan for destruction or to an evil spirit for tormenting.

The Bible has many names for evil spirits: Deaf and dumb spirit (Mark 9:17-29),Evil spirit (Luke 7:21; Acts 19:12-13),Familiar spirit (I Samuel 28:7),Foul spirit (Mark 9:25),Lying spirit (II Chronicles 18:20-22),Perverse spirit (Isaiah 19:14; Romans 1:17-32),Seducing spirit (I Timothy 4:1),Spirit of an unclean devil (Luke 4:33),Spirit of antichrist (I John 4:3),Spirit of bondage (Romans 8:15),Spirit of death (I Corinthians 10:10, 15:26),Spirit of divination (Acts 16:16), Spirit of error (I John 4:6), Spirit of fear (II Timothy 1:7),Spirit of haughtiness (Proverbs 16:18-19),Spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:3),Spirit of infirmity (Luke 13:11-13),Spirit of jealousy (Genesis 4:5-8; Numbers 5:14),Spirit of slumber (Isaiah 29:10, Romans 11:8),Spirit of the world (I Corinthians 2:12),Spirit of whoredoms (Hosea 4:12, 5:4),Unclean spirit (Mark 6:7; Luke 11:24-26).

An evil spirit in a person can be removed in the mighty the name of our Lord Jesus Christ our Lord and savior and by the power of the Holy Spirit and through his Blood. When evil spirit is casted out in a person it’s extremely vital to be filled with Holy Spirit which is to be filled with Christ by walking in the light, as Christ is the light, and the blood of Jesus Christ will cleanse from all unrighteousness. Ephesians 2:2 says wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.

The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin and moves in the life of the believer to equip him or her in the service of God. We repent and take a decision to turn away from our sins and walk towards God bearing a Good fruit and reaping the harvest of righteousness. (James 3:17-18). If the evil spirit is not replaced by the Holy spirit as Matthew 12:45 says then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation. But through Jesus Christ, "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

Fruits of evil spirit are: The gifts of the Holy Spirit can be imitated by demonic powers because Satan can also perform great miracles since Satan disguise himself as an angel of light.

Many people who profess to be be Christian are led astray by evil spirits and have departed from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.

Fruits of evil spirit are lasciviousness, lust, fornication, excess of wines, murder, stealing, lying, cheating, gossiping, slandering, gluttony, idolatry etc

Conclusion: Ephesians 4:27 says that we must neither give place or a ground to the devil. Resist the devil and he will flee from you! Amen.

God Shouldn't Have Called You

There are many reasons why God shouldn't have called you.

But don't worry.

You're in good company.



Moses stuttered.

David's armor didn't fit.

John Mark was rejected by Paul.

Timothy had ulcers.

Hosea's wife was a prostitute.

Amos' only training was in the school of fig-tree pruning.

Jacob was a liar.

David had an affair.

Solomon was too rich.

Abraham was too old.

David was too young.

Peter was afraid of death.

Lazarus was dead.

John was self-righteous.

Naomi was a widow.

Paul was a murderer.

So was Moses.

Jonah ran from God.

Miriam was a gossip.

Gideon and Thomas both doubted.

Jeremiah was depressed and suicidal.

Elijah was burned out.

John the Baptist was a loudmouth.

Martha was a worry-wart.

Mary was lazy.

Samson had long hair.

Noah got drunk.

Did I mention that Moses had a short fuse?

So did Peter, Paul--well, lots of

folks did.



But God doesn't require a job interview. He doesn't hire and fire like most bosses, because He's more our Dad than our Boss. He doesn't look at financial gain or loss. He's not prejudiced or partial, not judging, grudging, sassy, or brassy, not deaf to our cry, not blind to our need.

As much as we try, God's gifts are free. We could do wonderful things for wonderful people and still not be Wonderful. Satan says, "You're not worthy." Jesus says, "So what? I AM." Satan looks back and sees our mistakes. God looks back and sees the cross. He doesn't calculate what you did in '78. It's not even on the record. Sure. There are lots of reasons why God shouldn't have called us. But if we are magically in love with Him, if we hunger for Him more than our next breath, He'll use us in spite of who we are, where we've been, or what we look like.

I pray that as Christians, we will step out of our limitations into the unlimitable nature of who God is. Then our passion for God and our passion to communicate Him will make short work of our limitations.

~ author unknown ~

Suicide is not the answer, Jesus Christ is the answer!

1.Suicide manifests a lack of faith in God, who has promised to meet a Christian's every need. (Phil 4.19)


2.Suicide is disobedience to God's command that Christians are to LIVE by faith. (Rom 1.17)

3.Suicide is murder of one's own self. As such, suicide disobeys God's command not to commit murder. (Exod 20.13)

4.Suicide violates the fact that a Christian's body belongs to God. (1 Cor 6.19)

5. Suicide is killing ourselves and not willing to choose life. (Deuteronomy 30:19)

6. Suicide usurps the power that belongs only to God.(1Corinthians 6:19-20)

7. Suicide is self-murder and no murderer has eternal life (I Jn. 3:15)

8. A person who chooses to live is using a blessing from God. A person who kills himself is using the power of the Devil. [Psalm 64:1; Revelation 21:4; 1 Corinthians 15:26)

9. Suicider might end his life because of the problems and circumstances. But if we trust God we can overcome anything (1 Corinthians 10:13)

10. God has a purpose for every person's life. Instead of destroying life, we should use it to serve God.( Romans 12:1)

11. Suicide is not the answer to despair, disappointments or troubles. God loves us and is concerned about everything in our lives. (Matthew 10:29-31, Romans 8:28)



The Bible mentions people who committed suicide because of wickedness and sin:

Abimelech - Judges 9:50-56

Abimelech was a wicked man who usurped leadership of Israel. When a woman dropped a millstone on his head, he had his armor-bearer kill him so people would not say he was killed by a woman.

King Saul - 1 Samuel 31:3-5

Saul rebelled against God, so God rejected Him as king. He was about to be captured in battle, and fearing torture, he asked his armor-bearer to kill him. He refused, so Saul fell on his sword and the armor-bearer did the same. [1 Chronicles 10:4,5; cf. 2 Samuel 1:1-16]

Ahithophel - 2 Samuel 17:23

Ahithophel was an advisor who encouraged Absalom to rebel against David. He gave advice that would have led to David's defeat, but the advice was not taken and David escaped. He hanged himself.

Zimri - 1 Kings 16:18

Zimri was a wicked man who killed the king of Israel and reigned 7 days. Then Omri led Israel against Zimri. Seeing he would be defeated, he burned his house down around himself.

Judas Iscariot - Matthew 27:3-5; Acts 1:18

Judas betrayed Jesus, then realizing his guilt, he hanged himself.



Conclusion: For the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all men, training us to renounce irreligion and worldly passions, and to live sober, upright, and godly lives in this world, awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds. Titus 2:11-13

There Is None Like Jesus!

No other name has had an impact on more lives in the history of humanity than Jesus..
 Jesus Was Never Created Micah 5:2

 Jesus Essence Has Never Changed Heb 13:8
 Jesus is God John 1:1
 Jesus is The Creator of Everything Col 1:16
 Jesus is All-Powerful Matt 28:18
 Jesus is All-Knowing Col 2:3
 Jesus is Ever-Present Matt 18:20
 Jesus is Holy Luke 1:35
 Jesus is Righteous Isa 53:11
Jesus is Just Zech 9:9
Jesus Had No Deceit 1 Pet 2:22
Jesus is Sinless 2 Cor 5:21
Jesus is Spotless 1 Pet 1:19
Jesus is Innocent Matt 27:4
Jesus is Gentle Matt 11:29
Jesus is Merciful Heb 2:17
Jesus is Forgiving Luke 23:34
Jesus Receives Worship by Demons Mark 5:2,6
Jesus Receives Worship by Men John 9:38
Jesus Receives Worship by Angels Heb 1:6
Jesus Receives Worship by Disciples Luke 24:52
Jesus Receives Worship in Heaven Rev 7:9-10
Jesus Will Receive Worship from Everyone Phil 2:10-11
Jesus Was Human 1 Tim 2:5
Jesus Was Conceived by the Holy Spirit Luke 1:34-35
Jesus Took On Man's Nature Heb 2:9-18
Jesus Humbled Himself Phil 2:8
Jesus Was Subject To Human Emotions Heb 5:7
Jesus Raised His Body From The Dead John 10:18
Jesus Blood Brings Reconciliation With God Eph 2:13-16
Jesus Blood Brings Redemption for Man Rom 3:24-25
Jesus Blood Allows Man To Be Justified before God Rom 5:9
Jesus Blood Sanctifies Man Heb 10:29
Jesus Blood Brings Spiritual Victory Rev 12:11
Jesus Blood Brings Eternal Life John 6:53-56
Jesus Came to Save Sinners Luke 19:10
Jesus Will Bring in Everlasting Righteousness Dan 9:24
Jesus Destroyed the Works of Satan 1 John 3:8
Jesus Fulfilled the Old Testament Matt 5:17
Jesus Gives Life Now John 10:10
Jesus Is Our Advocate 1 John 2:1
Jesus Gives Eternal Life John 10:28
Jesus Is Eternal Life 1 John 5:20
Jesus Sends The Holy Spirit To Us John 15:26
Jesus Will Take His People To Heaven John 14:3
Jesus Will Return To The Earth After The Tribulation Matt 24:29
Jesus Will Return To The Earth In Power & Glory Matt 24:30
Jesus Completes Revelation Heb 1:1
Jesus Will Never Send You Away If You Come To Him John 6:37
Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life John 14:6

God is able!

God is able to give peace- John 14:27


God is Able to save - James 4:12.

God is Able to answer Prayer - Ephesians 3:20-21

God is Able to save from the furnace heat - Daniel 3:13-18.

God is Able to save from the lion's mouth - Daniel 6: 18-24

God is Able to save from all uncleanness - Ezekiel 36:29.

God is Able to help us through his word - Acts 20:32

God is Able to save from our sins - Matthew 1:21

God is Able to make us stand - Romans 14:4.

God is Able to build us up - Acts 20:32.

God is Able to keep us from evil - 2 Thessalonians 3:3.

God is Able to keep us from falling - Jude 24.

God is Able to present us faultless - Jude 24.

God is Able to keep that which we commit to Him -2 Timothy 1: 12.

God is Able to perform His promises - Romans 4:21.

God is Able to do more than we ask - Ephesians 3:20.

God is Able to make all grace abound - 2 Corinthians 9:8.

God is Able to subdue all things to Himself - Philippians 3:21.

God is God is Able to raise us from the dead - Hebrews 11: 19.

God is Able to succour the tempted - Hebrews 2: 18

God is Able to save from death - Hebrews 7:25

. God Is Able to Heal Our Diseases- Matthew 9:27,28

God Is Able to Supply Our Needs- 2 Corinthians 9:8.

God is Able to destroy both body and soul in hell. Matthew 10:28

God is able to make every impossible as possible. Luke 1:37

God able to strengthen when we are weak. Joel 3:10, Hebrews 4:16

God is able to deliver us from enemies. I Samuel 14:6, I Samuel 17:47

Is God responsible for the good and the bad?

When you remove God you invite everything that is wicked to come in and destroy. Because some people are destroyed from lack of knowledge and there is a continuous attempt to take God out of everything we do. Here is what the bible says for them. Hosea 4:5 you stumble day and night and the prophets stumble with you. So I will destroy your mother- my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. "Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children. Amos 2:4 this is what the LORD says: "For three sins of Judah, even for four, I will not turn back [my wrath]. Because they have rejected the law of the LORD and have not kept his decrees, because they have been led astray by false gods, the gods their ancestors followed, I will send fire upon Judah that will consume the fortresses of Jerusalem."“In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:6).A Nation that refuses to teach its children right from wrong, good from evil will become a corrupt nation, where sin prevails, evil abounds, and children do as they please according to their own free will. When we remove God's standards, then man is free to substitute his own standards of morality. God's word in Judges 21:25 says, "In those days every man did that which was right in his own eyes."We are mocking God's Word, we are offending him more than ever, we are allowing women to kill their babies, we are allowing a minority to re-define marriage and family in order for them to please their selfish and abnormal desires, we are allowing people to take drugs legally, we are telling children that masturbation, pornography, prostitution, lesbianism, homosexuality, bisexuality, transsexualism and other deviant practices are fine and even good and healthy. We are clearly living in the last days, as the Bible says: "But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of stress. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, fierce, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding the form of religion but denying the power of it. Avoid such people." 2 Timothy 3:1-5. God is not responsible for bad things because mans sins and immoral lives have contributed for bad things and if anything is good its because of God.James 1:17 – Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

(Collected from the various internet source)

Jesus Name Above All Names!

The amazing truth about Jesus is that He is both human and divine, both true man and true God. “You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, because the work of the Son brings glory to the Father. Yes, ask anything in my name, and I will do it!” (John 14:13-14).

Jesus Christ is the Word of God (Rev. 19:13)

Jesus Christ is the Advocate (1 John 2:1)

Jesus Christ is the Almighty (Rev. 1:8; Mt. 28:18)

Jesus Christ is the Alpha and Omega (Rev. 1:8; 22:13)

Jesus Christ is the Amen (Rev. 3:14)

Jesus Christ is the Apostle of our Profession (Heb. 3:1)

Jesus Christ is the Atoning Sacrifice for our Sins (1 John 2:2)

Jesus Christ is the Author of Life (Acts 3:15)

Jesus Christ is the Author and Perfecter of our Faith (Heb. 12:2)

Jesus Christ is the Author of Salvation (Heb. 2:10)

Jesus Christ is the Beginning and End (Rev. 22:13)

Jesus Christ is the Blessed and only Ruler (1 Tim. 6:15)

Jesus Christ is the Bread of God (John 6:33)

Jesus Christ is the Bread of Life (John 6:35; 6:48)

Jesus Christ is the Bridegroom (Mt. 9:15)

Jesus Christ is the Capstone (Acts 4:11; 1 Pet. 2:7)

Jesus Christ is the Chief Cornerstone (Eph. 2:20)

Jesus Christ is the Chief Shepherd (1 Pet. 5:4)

Jesus Christ is the Christ (1 John 2:22)

Jesus Christ is the Creator (John 1:3)

Jesus Christ is the Deliverer (Rom. 11:26)

Jesus Christ is the Eternal Life (1 John 1:2; 5:20)

Jesus Christ is the Gate (John 10:9)

Jesus Christ is the Faithful and True (Rev. 19:11)

Jesus Christ is the Faithful Witness (Rev. 1:5)

Jesus Christ is the Faith and True Witness (Rev. 3:14)

Jesus Christ is the First and Last (Rev. 1:17; 2:8; 22:13)

Jesus Christ is the Firstborn From the Dead (Rev. 1:5)

Jesus Christ is the Firstborn over all creation (Col. 1:15)

Jesus Christ is the Gate (John 10:9)

Jesus Christ is the God (John 1:1; 20:28; Heb. 1:8; Rom. 9:5)

Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11,14)

Jesus Christ is the Great Shepherd (Heb. 13:20)

Jesus Christ is the Great High Priest (Heb. 4:14)

Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church (Eph. 1:22; 4:15; 5:23)

Jesus Christ is the Heir of all things (Heb. 1:2)

Jesus Christ is the High Priest (Heb. 2:17)

Jesus Christ is the Holy and True (Rev. 3:7)

Jesus Christ is the Holy One (Acts 3:14)

Jesus Christ is the Hope (1 Tim. 1:1)

Jesus Christ is the Hope of Glory (Col. 1:27)

Jesus Christ is the Horn of Salvation (Luke 1:69)

Jesus Christ is the I Am (John 8:58)

Jesus Christ is the Image of God (2 Cor. 4:4)

Jesus Christ is the Immanuel (Mt. 1:23)

Jesus Christ is the Judge of the living and the dead (Acts 10:42)

Jesus Christ is the King Eternal (1 Tim. 1:17)

Jesus Christ is the King of Israel (John 1:49)

Jesus Christ is the King of the Jews (Mt. 27:11)

Jesus Christ is the King of kings (1 Tim 6:15; Rev. 19:16)

Jesus Christ is the King of the Ages (Rev. 15:3)

Jesus Christ is the Lamb (Rev. 13:8)

Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God (John 1:29)

Jesus Christ is the Lamb Without Blemish (1 Pet. 1:19)

Jesus Christ is the Last Adam (1 Cor. 15:45)

Jesus Christ is the Life (John 14:6; Col. 3:4)

Jesus Christ is Our Sacrificed Passover Lamb (1 Cor. 5:7)

Jesus Christ is the Power of God (1 Cor. 1:24)

Jesus Christ is the Precious Cornerstone (1 Pet. 2:6)

Jesus Christ is the Prophet (Acts 3:22)

Jesus Christ is the Rabbi (Mt. 26:25)

Jesus Christ is the Resurrection and Life (John 11:25)

Jesus Christ is the Righteous Branch (Jer. 23:5)

Jesus Christ is the Righteous One (Acts 7:52; 1 John 2:1)

Jesus Christ is the Rock (1 Cor. 10:4)

Jesus Christ is the Root of David (Rev. 5:5; 22:16)

Jesus Christ is the Ruler of God’s Creation (Rev. 3:14)

Jesus Christ is the Ruler of the Kings of the Earth (Rev. 1:5)

Jesus Christ is our Savior (Eph. 5:23; Titus 1:4; 3:6; 2 Pet. 2:20)

Jesus Christ is the Son of David (Lk. 18:39)

Jesus Christ is the Son of God (John 1:49; Heb. 4:14)

Jesus Christ is the True Vine (John 15:1)

Jesus Christ is the Truth (John 1:14; 14:6)

Jesus Christ is the Way (John 14:6)

Jesus Christ is the Wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:24)

Jesus Christ is the Word (John 1:1)

Jesus Christ is the Son of Man (Mt. 8:20)

Jesus Christ is the Son of the Most High God (Lk. 1:32)

Jesus Christ is the Source of Eternal Salvation for believers (Heb. 5:9)

Jesus Christ is the One Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5)

Jesus Christ is the Stone the builders rejected (Acts 4:11)

Jesus Christ is the True Bread (John 6:32)

Jesus Christ is the True Light (John 1:9)

Jesus Christ is the Light of the World (John 8:12)

Jesus Christ is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5)

Jesus Christ is the Living One (Rev. 1:18)

Jesus Christ is the Living Stone (1 Pet. 2:4)

Jesus Christ is the Lord (2 Pet. 2:20)

Jesus Christ is the Lord of All (Acts 10:36)

Jesus Christ is the Lord of Glory (1 Cor. 2:8)

Jesus Christ is the Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16)

Jesus Christ is the Man from Heaven (1 Cor. 15:48)

Jesus Christ is the Mediator of the New Covenant (Heb. 9:15)

Jesus Christ is the Mighty God (Isa. 9:6)

Jesus Christ is the Morning Star (Rev. 22:16)

Jesus Christ is the Offspring of David (Rev. 22:16)

Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son of God (John 1:18; 1 John 4:9)

Jesus Christ is Our Great God and Savior (Titus 2:13)

Jesus Christ is Our Holiness (1 Cor. 1:30)

Jesus Christ is Our Husband (2 Cor. 11:2)

Jesus Christ is Our Protection (2 Thess. 3:3)

Jesus Christ is Our Redemption (1 Cor. 1:30)

Jesus Christ is Our Righteousness (1 Cor. 1:30)

Temptation does not come from God!

A temptation is an enticement to do wrong through a promise of pleasure which makes spiritually crippled. Temptation do not come from God but they come from Satan (Matthew 4:1), his evil angels (Ephesians 6:12) or from ourselves (Romans 13:14; Galatians 5:13).Temptations can be in the form of pride, lust and sexual desires, money, power, job, possessions, by immodest women, desiring to worship false God, desiring to live in sinful life


Temptations are opportunities that either it will strengthen us or corrupt us morally which lead us in bad path. When they come along, we are given a choice to either turn away with God’s help or surrender to the temptation. We must be spiritually minded to resist temptation, realizing that eternal spiritual values are more important that temporary earthly pleasure or gain. We should never fantasize about sinful thoughts. We can overcome temptation through Prayer, scripture reading, by resisting or avoiding it.

Here is what the bible says

Matt. 6:13; Mk. 14:38; Lk. 11:4 - "lead us not into temptation, but deliver from evil"

I Cor. 7:5 - "lest Satan tempt you because of lack of control"

I Cor. 10:13 - "no trial/temptation has overtaken you but as is common to man... God will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able... with the trial/temptation will provide the way of escape..."

Gal. 6:1 - "restore the one caught in a trespass...lest you too be tempted"

I Thess. 3:5 - "for fear that the tempter might have tempted you..."

I Tim. 6:9 - "those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare"

Heb. 2:18 - "He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted"

Heb. 4:15 - "tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin"

James 1:13,14 - "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am being tempted by God'; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt any one. But each one is tempted when he is seduced under his own desires."

II Pet. 2:9 - "the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation"

Catholics are born again and saved!

Yes, they believe in Jesus. And yes, they try to live Christian lives. When a Catholic says that he has been "born again," he refers to the transformation that God?s grace accomplished in him during baptism.

The only biblical use of the term ?born again? occurs in John 3:3-5 ? although, as we shall see, similar and related expressions such as ?new birth? and ,regeneration? occur elsewhere in Scripture (Titus 3:5; 1 Pet 1:3, 23). In John 3:3, Jesus tells Nicodemus, ?Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.? The Greek expression translated ?born again? (gennathei anothen) also means ?born from above.? Jesus, it seems, makes a play on words with Nicodemus, contrasting earthly life, or what theologians would later dub natural life (?what is born of flesh?), with the new life of heaven, or what they would later call supernatural life (?what is born of Spirit?).
Nicodemus' reply: ?How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?? (John 3:4). Does he simply mistake Jesus to be speaking literally or is Nicodemus himself answering figuratively, meaning, ?How can an old man learn new ways as if he were a child again?? We cannot say for sure, but in any case Jesus answers, ?Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, `You must be born again.?' (John 3:5-7).

Here Jesus equates ?born again? or ?born from above? with ?born of water and the Spirit.? If, as the Catholic Church has always held, being ?born of water and the Spirit? refers to baptism, then it follows that being ?born again? or ?born from above? means being baptized.

Clearly, the context implies that born of ?water and the Spirit? refers to baptism. The Evangelist tells us that immediately after talking with Nicodemus, Jesus took his disciples into the wilderness where they baptized people (John 3:22). Furthermore, water is closely linked to the Spirit throughout John's Gospel (for instance, in Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4:9-13) and in the Johannine tradition (cf. 1 John 5:7). It seems reasonable, then, to conclude that John the Evangelist understands Jesus' words about being ?born again? and ?born of water and the Spirit? to have a sacramental, baptismal meaning.

Catholics must never forget the following text because they clearly refute the Evangelical position: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he that does the will of the Father who is heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matt 7:21),"

All Christians (both Catholic and non-Catholic alike) believe that the Old Covenant foreshadowed the New Covenant. We agree that the Old points to something that is Reality in the New. For example...the rite of circumcision was how one entered into the Old Covenant. Nobody disagrees with that. When a person (usually when they were eight days old unless the individual was a Gentile convert to Judaism) was circumcised they were then joined into the covenantal family of God.

So, if circumcision foreshadows something in the New Covenant...what was it?

According to St. Paul, in Col 2:11-12, circumcision was replaced with Baptism in the New Covenant:

11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of flesh in the circumcision of Christ; 12 and you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

And so we can see that Christians are circumcised in a special way: in the circumcision of Christ when we are buried with Him in baptism. Therefore, circumcision foreshadowed baptism. And if that is the case then it follows that whereas one entered into the Old Covenant via circumcision one now enters into the New Covenant via baptism. And this fits perfectly with the passage cited above. For St. Paul is telling his readers that in baptism we are "buried WITH Christ" so that when God "raised" Him from the dead we too (meaning those who were first buried with Him in baptism) can rise AGAIN.

This theme is also seen quite clearly in Romans 6:4 in which St. Paul says:

"We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life."

And here we can see that a person who is born physically alive but spiritually fallen and dead can be regenerated into new life. How? By being baptized INTO the death of Christ - by being mysteriously joined to Him in death - so that by the power of the Father through the working of the Holy Spirit - when Christ is raised from the dead we too will rise WITH Him into "newness of life."

Newness of life = born again. Get the connection?

Now this presents some great difficulties for Evangelicals who claim that we are born again ONLY by a conversion experience BEFORE we are baptized (a baptism only being seen as an after-the-fact symbolic-only act of obedience).

Why?

Simply stated, it is because if we are born again by our conversion experience before baptism, then it renders Paul's words as absurd. One cannot be "born again" BEFORE one is buried into death can one? If we are born again (in a conversion experience) and then afterwards are baptized into the death of Christ (wow that second life sure was short) and then rise again in "newness of life" does that mean that we are born again - again??? Are we born a third time?

And so the term "born again" has ALWAYS meant to all Christians everywhere (until the modern era in which Evangelicals - primarily in America - hijacked the term) to refer to baptismal regeneration. That was what Jesus was referring to when, in John 3:5, He spoke of the necessity of being born again of "water AND the spirit." That is also why Peter said that "baptism now saves" us (1 Peter 3:21). Simply stated, we are saved ONLY by the grace we receive in the New Covenant and the New Covenant is entered into via baptism. * See Footnote below.

All that being said, we are NOT saying that if we are baptized that we are therefore automatically saved no matter what. No. For we also teach that those of us old enough to know and understand the Lord - and hence old enough to actually sin and rupture our relationship with God - we MUST also be conformed to Christ. We MUST be interiorly converted to Christ. We must repent of our sins and we must walk in His footsteps making Him our personal Lord and Savior.

And so both Catholics and Evangelicals agree that we must be converted and we must be born again...but how it is that we define the phrase itself is under dispute in this modern era.

So, are baptized Catholics "born again"? Yes. Are they saved merely by their baptism even if they have not converted their lives to Christ? No. Both are necessary to salvation.

Our Lord Jesus Christ, in Mark 16:16, said as much when He said this:

"He who believes and is baptize will be saved..."

Faith AND baptism are both necessary, no matter in what order they manifest themselves.

Amen.

One cannot be saved, unless they are born again (John 3:3) and accept Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. This is partially true but the meaning is distorted. The verse non-Catholics like to quote, John 3:3, is not completed by Jesus, or let us say interpreted until verse 3:5. Let us look two verses ahead at John 3:5. In John 3:5, Nicodemus is confused about being born again. Jesus clarifies what He states to Nicodemus stating:

(John 3:5) - Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."

Here we see that born again means the sacrament of baptism! If the non-Catholic would only read a little further he would find the true meaning of being "born again."

Do Catholics believe that the good works they do will get them into Heaven? Catholics do believe that works will get them to Heaven accompanied by faith and God's grace. There are so many verses in the Bible stating that entrance into Heaven is not as simple as saying "I accept Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior." Let us see what the Bible has to say about salvation:

(Phil 2:12) -?work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

(Rom 2:5-6) - ?the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to every man according to his deeds:

(James 2:14) - What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him?

(Mt 16:27) - For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

(2 Cor. 5:10) - For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

(Mt. 25:31 46) - (the verse is too long to quote, here is a summary) Jesus states that He will separate His sheep from the goats. Jesus goes on to say; when I was hungry did you feed me? When I was thirsty did you give me drink? When I was naked did you clothe me? When I was sick did you visit me? When I was in prison did you visit me? When I was stranger did you take me in and clothe me? Jesus then states that anyone who has done these things for his brother did so for Himself and He invites the righteous into life eternal. Those who did not help his brother in need, were sent into everlasting punishment.

In the verses above, it is quite clear to see that salvation is not as simple as stating that one proclaim Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. It is a nice thing to say and should be said every day, but there is more to salvation then accepting Christ as one's personal Lord and Savior.

Supporting verses: John 3:1?21, Titus 3:4-7, 1Cor 3:2, John 14:16-18, Isaiah 59:21

Jesus' "Brothers" (adelphoi)) = Cousins or Kinsmen

Luke 1:36 - Elizabeth is Mary's kinswoman. Some Bibles translate kinswoman as "cousin," but this is an improper translation because in Hebrew and Aramaic, there is no word for "cousin."


Luke 22:32 - Jesus tells Peter to strengthen his "brethren." In this case, we clearly see Jesus using "brethren" to refer to the other apostles, not his biological brothers.

Acts 1:12-15 - the gathering of Jesus' "brothers" amounts to about 120. That is a lot of "brothers." Brother means kinsmen in Hebrew.

Acts 7:26; 11:1; 13:15,38; 15:3,23,32; 28:17,21 - these are some of many other examples where "brethren" does not mean blood relations.

Rom. 9:3 - Paul uses "brethren" and "kinsmen" interchangeably. "Brothers" of Jesus does not prove Mary had other children.

Gen. 11:26-28 - Lot is Abraham's nephew ("anepsios") / Gen. 13:8; 14:14,16 - Lot is still called Abraham's brother (adelphos") . This proves that, although a Greek word for cousin is "anepsios," Scripture also uses "adelphos" to describe a cousin.

Gen. 29:15 - Laban calls Jacob is "brother" even though Jacob is his nephew. Again, this proves that brother means kinsmen or cousin.

Deut. 23:7; 1 Chron. 15:5-18; Jer. 34:9; Neh. 5:7 -"brethren" means kinsmen. Hebrew and Aramaic have no word for "cousin."

2 Sam. 1:26; 1 Kings 9:13, 20:32 - here we see that "brethren" can even be one who is unrelated (no bloodline), such as a friend.

2 Kings 10:13-14 - King Ahaziah's 42 "brethren" were really his kinsmen.

1 Chron. 23:21-22 - Eleazar's daughters married their "brethren" who were really their cousins.

Neh. 4:14; 5:1,5,8,10,14 - these are more examples of "brothers" meaning "cousins" or "kinsmen."

Tobit 5:11 - Tobit asks Azarias to identify himself and his people, but still calls him "brother."

Amos 1: 9 - brotherhood can also mean an ally (where there is no bloodline).

Wrong understanding of All have sinned!

Rom. 3:23 - Some Protestants use this verse "all have sinned" in an attempt to prove that Mary was also with sin. But "all have sinned " only means that all are subject to original sin. Mary was spared from original sin by God, not herself. The popular analogy is God let us fall in the mud puddle, and cleaned us up afterward through baptism. In Mary's case, God did not let her enter the mud puddle.


Rom. 3:23 - "all have sinned" also refers only to those able to commit sin. This is not everyone. For example, infants, the retarded, and the senile cannot sin.

Rom. 3:23 - finally, "all have sinned," but Jesus must be an exception to this rule. This means that Mary can be an exception as well. Note that the Greek word for all is "pantes."

1 Cor. 15:22 - in Adam all ("pantes") have died, and in Christ all ("pantes") shall live. This proves that "all" does not mean "every single one." This is because not all have died (such as Enoch and Elijah who were taken up to heaven), and not all will go to heaven (because Jesus said so).

Rom. 5:12 - Paul says that death spread to all ("pantes") men. Again, this proves that "all" does not mean "every single one" because death did not spread to all men (as we have seen with Enoch and Elijah).

Rom. 5:19 - here Paul says "many (not all) were made sinners." Paul uses "polloi," not "pantes." Is Paul contradicting what he said in Rom. 3:23? Of course not. Paul means that all are subject to original sin, but not all reject God.

Rom. 3:10-11 - Protestants also use this verse to prove that all human beings are sinful and thus Mary must be sinful. But see Psalm 14 which is the basis of the verse.

Psalm 14 - this psalm does not teach that all humans are sinful. It only teaches that, among the wicked, all are sinful. The righteous continue to seek God.

Psalm 53:1-3 - "there is none that does good" expressly refers to those who have fallen away. Those who remain faithful do good, and Jesus calls such faithful people "good."

Luke 18:19 - Jesus says, "No one is good but God alone." But then in Matt. 12:35, Jesus also says "The good man out of his good treasure..." So Jesus says no one is good but God, and then calls another person good.

Rom. 9:11 - God distinguished between Jacob and Esau in the womb, before they sinned. Mary was also distinguished from the rest of humanity in the womb by being spared by God from original sin.

Luke 1:47 - Mary calls God her Savior. Some Protestants use this to denigrate Mary. Why? Of course God is Mary's Savior! She was freed from original sin in the womb (unlike us who are freed from sin outside of the womb), but needed a Savior as much as the rest of humanity.

Luke 1:48 - Mary calls herself lowly. But any creature is lowly compared to God. For example, in Matt. 11:29, even Jesus says He is lowly in heart. Lowliness is a sign of humility, which is the greatest virtue of holiness, because it allows us to empty ourselves and receive the grace of God to change our sinful lives.



Exceptions for all have sinned;1 John 3:9, Luke 1:15, Luke 1:6, Romans 6:23, Romans 10:9, 10, Romans 6:18, 1 John 5:18, Exodus 20:20, Psalms 119:11

Wait for God!

(Psalms 25:1-5 NKJV) To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul. {2} O my God, I trust in You; Let me not be ashamed; Let not my enemies triumph over me. {3} Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause. {4} Show me Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. {5} Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day.


(Psalms 27:13-14 NKJV) I would have lost heart, unless I had believed That I would see the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. {14} Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!

(Psalms 31:23-24 NKJV) Oh, love the LORD, all you His saints! For the LORD preserves the faithful, And fully repays the proud person. {24} Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the LORD.

(Psalms 32:1 NKJV) Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered.

(Psalms 33:18-22 NKJV) Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy, {19} To deliver their soul from death, And to keep them alive in famine. {20} Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. {21} For our heart shall rejoice in Him, Because we have trusted in His holy name. {22} Let Your mercy, O LORD, be upon us, Just as we hope in You.

(Psalms 37:3-9 NKJV) Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. {4} Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. {5} Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass. {6} He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, And your justice as the noonday. {7} Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. {8} Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it only causes harm. {9} For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the LORD, They shall inherit the earth.

(Psalms 39:7 NKJV) "And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You.

(Psalms 40:1-4 NKJV) I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me, And heard my cry. {2} He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, Out of the miry clay, And set my feet upon a rock, And established my steps. {3} He has put a new song in my mouth; Praise to our God; Many will see it and fear, And will trust in the LORD. {4} Blessed is that man who makes the LORD his trust, And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

(Psalms 42:5 NKJV) Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance.

(Psalms 42:11 NKJV) Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise Him, The help of my countenance and my God.

(Psalms 62:1-2 NKJV) Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation. {2} He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved.

(Psalms 62:5-8 NKJV) My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him. {6} He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. {7} In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, And my refuge, is in God. {8} Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah

(Psalms 69:2-3 NKJV) I sink in deep mire, Where there is no standing; I have come into deep waters, Where the floods overflow me. {3} I am weary with my crying; My throat is dry; My eyes fail while I wait for my God.

(Psalms 78:6-7 NKJV) That the generation to come might know them, The children who would be born, That they may arise and declare them to their children, {7} That they may set their hope in God, And not forget the works of God, But keep His commandments;

(Psalms 130:1-7 NKJV) Out of the depths I have cried to You, O LORD; {2} Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive To the voice of my supplications. {3} If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? {4} But there is forgiveness with You, That You may be feared. {5} I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, And in His word I do hope. {6} My soul waits for the Lord More than those who watch for the morning; Yes, more than those who watch for the morning. {7} O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is mercy, And with Him is abundant redemption.

(Psalms 145:14-20 NKJV) The LORD upholds all who fall, And raises up all who are bowed down. {15} The eyes of all look expectantly to You, And You give them their food in due season. {16} You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing. {17} The LORD is righteous in all His ways, Gracious in all His works. {18} The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. {19} He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them. {20} The LORD preserves all who love Him, But all the wicked He will destroy.

(Proverbs 20:22 NKJV) Do not say, "I will recompense evil"; Wait for the LORD, and He will save you.

(Isaiah 25:7-9 NKJV) And He will destroy on this mountain The surface of the covering cast over all people, And the veil that is spread over all nations. {8} He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken. {9} And it will be said in that day: "Behold, this is our God; We have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the LORD; We have waited for Him; We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation."

(Isaiah 26:3-9 NKJV) You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. {4} Trust in the LORD forever, For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength. {5} For He brings down those who dwell on high, The lofty city; He lays it low, He lays it low to the ground, He brings it down to the dust. {6} The foot shall tread it down; The feet of the poor And the steps of the needy." {7} The way of the just is uprightness; O Most Upright, You weigh the path of the just. {8} Yes, in the way of Your judgments, O LORD, we have waited for You; The desire of our soul is for Your name And for the remembrance of You. {9} With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early; For when Your judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

(Isaiah 30:18 NKJV) Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him.

(Isaiah 40:28-31 NKJV) Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. {29} He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. {30} Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall, {31} But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

(Isaiah 64:4 NKJV) For since the beginning of the world Men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, Nor has the eye seen any God besides You, Who acts for the one who waits for Him.

(Lamentations 3:21-26 NKJV) This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. {22} Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. {23} They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. {24} "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!" {25} The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. {26} It is good that one should hope and wait quietly For the salvation of the LORD.

(Hosea 12:6 NKJV) So you, by the help of your God, return; Observe mercy and justice, And wait on your God continually.

(Micah 7:7-9 NKJV) Therefore I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation; My God will hear me. {8} Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; When I fall, I will arise; When I sit in darkness, The LORD will be a light to me. {9} I will bear the indignation of the LORD, Because I have sinned against Him, Until He pleads my case And executes justice for me. He will bring me forth to the light; I will see His righteousness.

(Acts 24:15 NKJV) "I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust.

(1 Corinthians 1:4-8 NKJV) I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, {5} that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, {6} even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, {7} so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, {8} who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(Philippians 3:20-21 NKJV) For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, {21} who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.



(James 5:7-8 NKJV) Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. {8} You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

Blessings From Obeying God

(Genesis 22:18 NIV) and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."


(Exodus 15:26 NIV) He said, "If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you."

(Exodus 23:22 NIV) If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you.

(Deuteronomy 4:39-40 NIV) Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. {40} Keep his decrees and commands, which I am giving you today, so that it may go well with you and your children after you and that you may live long in the land the LORD your God gives you for all time.

(Deuteronomy 5:29 NIV) Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!

(Deuteronomy 7:9-15 NIV) Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. {10} But those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction; he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him. {11} Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today. {12} If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the LORD your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your forefathers. {13} He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land--your grain, new wine and oil--the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land that he swore to your forefathers to give you. {14} You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor any of your livestock without young. {15} The LORD will keep you free from every disease. He will not inflict on you the horrible diseases you knew in Egypt, but he will inflict them on all who hate you.

(Deuteronomy 11:26-28 NIV) See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse-- {27} the blessing if you obey the commands of the LORD your God that I am giving you today; {28} the curse if you disobey the commands of the LORD your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.

(Deuteronomy 12:28 NIV) Be careful to obey all these regulations I am giving you, so that it may always go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and right in the eyes of the LORD your God.

(Deuteronomy 28:1-20 NIV) If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. {2} All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God: {3} You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. {4} The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock--the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. {5} Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. {6} You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. {7} The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven. {8} The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you. {9} The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways. {10} Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear you. {11} The LORD will grant you abundant prosperity--in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground--in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you. {12} The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. {13} The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. {14} Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them. {15} However, if you do not obey the LORD your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: {16} You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country. {17} Your basket and your kneading trough will be cursed. {18} The fruit of your womb will be cursed, and the crops of your land, and the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. {19} You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out. {20} The LORD will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to, until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him.

(Deuteronomy 30:19-20 NIV) This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live {20} and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

(1 Samuel 15:22-23 NIV) But Samuel replied: "Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. {23} For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king."

(2 Chronicles 26:5 NIV) He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the LORD, God gave him success.

(Proverbs 3:1-6 NIV) My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, {2} for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. {3} Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. {4} Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. {5} Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; {6} in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

(Proverbs 16:7 NIV) When a man's ways are pleasing to the LORD, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him.

(Isaiah 58:6-14 NIV) "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? {7} Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter-- when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? {8} Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. {9} Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, {10} and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. {11} The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. {12} Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings. {13} "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, {14} then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." The mouth of the LORD has spoken.

(Jeremiah 7:23-24 NIV) but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you. {24} But they did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts. They went backward and not forward.

(John 10:27-29 NIV) My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. {28} I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. {29} My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all ; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.

(John 14:15-18 NIV) "If you love me, you will obey what I command. {16} And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-- {17} the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. {18} I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

(John 14:23-24 NIV) Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. {24} He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.



(John 15:7-14 NIV) If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. {8} This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. {9} "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. {10} If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. {11} I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. {12} My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. {13} Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. {14} You are my friends if you do what I command.

Jews called God's Chosen People!

Jews were chosen as the people who would hear and record the words of God, through His prophets, who were also Jewish. And the Jews have influenced the world with the scriptures.


Deuteronomy 14:2 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God, and the LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.

Deut 7:6 For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.

God chose the Jews,to bring redemption to the world through Jesus Christ, the Savior.Through the Jews, God revealed Himself to mankind.The Jews were to be a witness and a light for Him in the earth. God performed many wonderful miracles in their midst. and the Jewish people remain a testimony on this earth of God's mercy and kindness and that God keeps His Covenants.The fact that Israel even exists at all is a testimony to God's faithfulness to the Jewish people.

Peter preached to the crowd and addressed God as "the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob:"

Act 3:13-15 "The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when

he was determined to let him go. But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. "

When the LORD appeared to Moses in the burning bush, He said:

Acts 7:32 Saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold.



Let's go back to the beginning with Abraham:

Gen 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

Gen 12:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

Gen 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee:

and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

All the families of the earth are blessed because of Jesus Christ, who is the seed

of Abraham and the Redeemer of mankind. (Matthew chapter 1 and Luke

chapter 3)

Galatians 3:8 gives the explanation: " And the scripture, foreseeing that God

would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. "

Jesus said in John 8:56 "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. "

Romans 4:3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

Galatians 3:6-9 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

Gal 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through

Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

God talks to Abraham again in Genesis chapter 17.

Gen 17:7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.

God also blessed and established the covenant through Isaac, Abraham's second son.

Gen 17:10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.

Gen 17:19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

Romans 9:7-8 explains: "Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. "

Abraham was a man who trusted in Lord and walked by faith. He was called the Friend of God.

Heb 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

Heb 11:9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:

Heb 11:10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Heb 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that

had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,

Heb 11:18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:

Heb 11:19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead;

from whence also he received him in a figure.

James 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God,

and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

The LORD appeared to Isaac in Genesis chapter 26:

Gen 26:2 And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:

Gen 26:3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father;

Gen 26:4 And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;

Gen 26:5 Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.

Gen 26:24 And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake.

The Covenant was then established through Isaac's son, Jacob.

Isaac had twin sons but the covenant was established through Jacob and not Esau.

Jacob dreamed of a ladder:

Genesis 28:13 "And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; "

Gen 28:14 And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

God changed Jacob's name to Israel.

Gen 32:28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

Gen 32:29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.

Gen 32:30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

Gen 35:12 And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.

Psalm 135:4 For the LORD hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar treasure.

Isaiah 44:1 Yet now hear, O Jacob my servant; and Israel, whom I have chosen:

Jacob had 12 sons and his sons had many children who became the 12 Tribes of Israel. Through Jacob's son, Judah or sometimes spelled Juda, the Messiah would be born of his seed.

Gen 49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.

Mat 2:5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,

Mat 2:6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

Heb 7:14a For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Juda;

Rev 5:5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

Psalm 78:68 But chose the tribe of Judah, the mount Zion which he loved.

Psalm 78:69 And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever.

Now King David was of the seed of Judah. There was a promise or Covenant given by God to David, that the LORD would establish the throne of David forever.

1Chr 17:11 And it shall come to pass, when thy days be expired that thou must go

to be with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom.

1Chr 17:12 He shall build me an house, and I will stablish his throne for ever.

1Chr 17:13 I will be his father, and he shall be my son: and I will not take my mercy away from him, as I took it from him [Saul] that was before thee:

1Chr 17:14 But I will settle him in mine house and in my kingdom for ever:

and his throne shall be established for evermore.

2Sam 7:16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

1Kings 8:25 Therefore now, LORD God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel; so that thy children take heed to their way, that they walk before me as thou hast walked before me.

Jesus is of the Seed of David. Genealogies were of strict importance in Biblical times. The Messianic lineage is meticulously recorded throughout the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New Testament.

In Matthew, chapter 1, we read:

Mat 1:1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Mat 1:2 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;

Mat 1:3 And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram;

Mat 1:4 And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon;

Mat 1:5 And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;

Mat 1:6 And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;

Luke 1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

John 7:42 Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?

Rom 1:3 Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;

2Tim 2:8 Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel:

This is just a small walk through of some of the Scriptures on this subject. To sum it all up:

The Old Testament is the account of a nation, Israel. The Jews were and are God's chosen people. God chose them to testify of His power and love and to teach the world who He is. We have the Bible because the Lord preserved His written word through the Jewish people. The nation of Israel was founded and nurtured of God to bring the Messiah into the world. Jesus, The Word, who became flesh (Psalm 2:7 and John 1:1-14) and dwelt among us was born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14 and Matt 1:23) and lived a sinless life (1Peter 2:22) and died for the sins of mankind, as prophesied in Isaiah 53 and Daniel 9:26 and Psalms 22:8-18. Jesus rose again from the grave - Psalm 16:10.

Acts 13:33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.

Acts 13:34 And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David.

Acts 13:35 Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

Acts 13:36 For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:

Acts 13:37 But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption.

Mary, Jesus' mother, was of the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, David, and Nathan. (Luke 3) Jesus' stepfather, Joseph, was also of the lineage of the Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, David, and Solomon. (Matthew 1)

The Old Testament pointed to Jesus with prophecies, feasts, types and shadows. The New Testament is a record of Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, and how He fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament.

God keeps His promises and what He promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and to David, He will continue to do. God will keep His Word.

Matt 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Zechariah 12:8 In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them.

Zechariah 12:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

Christian Perfection!

Believers have freedom from evil and sinful thoughts. Genuine Christians do not meditate on ways to carry out wickedness, to steal, murder, or lust. Evil intentions come from within an evil heart, but if it has been cleansed through Christ’s blood the evil heart no longer exists. Whenever the devil seeks to implant evil thoughts in our minds we can use the spiritual weapons at our disposal to defeat them … “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:11-12) … “Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5.)


Commanded to be perfect with God Deut. 18:13

Walk before me and be thou perfect Gen. 17:1

Be perfect as your Father is perfect Matt. 5:48

Go on to perfection Hebrews 6:1

We wish your perfection 2 Cor. 13:9

Epaphras prays for your perfection Col. 4:12

I pray night and day for your perfection 2 Thes. 3:10

Scriptures are given: that the man of God may be perfect 2 Thes. 3:10

We preach to present every man perfect Col. 1:28

Finally farewell. Be perfect 2 Cor. 13:11

God gave some apostles, some evangelists... for the perfecting of the saints Eph. 4:11-13

If thou will be perfect Matt. 19:21

Made perfect in one John 17:23

Same is perfect man James 3:2

Perfect in love 1 John 4:17, 18

Love the bond of perfectness Col. 3:14

Love is the fulfilling of the law Romans 13:10

Mark the perfect man Ps. 37:37

Noah was perfect in his generation Gen. 6:9

Hezekiah had a perfect heart 2 Kings 20:3

Asa's heart was perfect 2 Chron. 15:17

I will walk with a perfect heart Ps. 10:1, 2

Job a perfect man Job 1:1-8

Perfect way Ps. 10:1-7

The God of peace, who has the power to bring to life the dead, can make you perfect through the blood of everlasting covenant Heb. 13:20, 21

.God has created a new and clean heart within us (Ezekiel 36:25-36.

These are wonderful promises! But listen, “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1.)

Importance of sanctification!

Sanctify Means : 1. To make sacred or holy; to set apart to a holy of religious use; to consecrate by appropriate rites; to hallow. 2. To make free from sin; to cleanse from moral corruption and pollution; to purify."


Sanctification also refers to the practical experience of this separation unto God, being the effect of obedience to the Word of God in one’s life, and is to be pursued by the believer earnestly (1 Peter 1:15; Hebrews 12:14). Just as the Lord prayed in John 17, it has in view the setting apart of believers for the purpose for which they are sent into the world: “As Thou didst send Me into the world, even so send I them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth” (v. 18, 19). That He set Himself apart for the purpose for which He was sent is both the basis and the condition of our being set apart for that for which we are sent (John 10:36). His sanctification is the pattern of, and the power for, ours. The sending and the sanctifying are inseparable. On this account they are called saints, hagioi in the Greek; “sanctified ones.” Whereas previously their behavior bore witness to their standing in the world in separation from God, now their behavior should bear witness to their standing before God in separation from the world.



There is one more sense that the word sanctification is referred to in Scripture. Paul prayed in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, “The God of peace Himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved entire, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul also wrote in Colossians of “the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the Gospel” (Colossians 1:5). He later speaks of Christ Himself as “the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27) and then mentions the fact of that hope when he says, “When Christ, who is our Life, shall be manifested, then shall ye also with Him be manifested in glory” (Colossians 3:4). This glorified state will be our ultimate separation from sin, total sanctification in every aspect. “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).

Sanctify yourselves Lev. 20:7

Sanctify: keep from flesh Num. 11:18

Sanctify yourselves Josh. 3:5

I sanctify myself (Jesus) John 17:19

Sanctify them (the Apostles) John 17:17

Sanctify: cleanse the Church Eph. 5:25, 27

Sanctify: purge conscience Heb. 19:13, 14

Purge, sanctify 2 Tim. 2:21

Sanctify, wash Ex. 19:10

The priests cleansed the inner house/ type of heart purity 2 Chron. 29:15-19

Holy Ghost brings purity Acts 15:8, 9

Heart circumcision Deut. 30:6

God of peace sanctify 1 Thes. 5:23

He that sanctifies Heb. 2:11

Jesus suffered to sanctify Heb. 13:12

By God the Father Jude 1

By the Holy Ghost Rom. 15:16

Through the Spirit 2 Thes. 2:13

God wills sanctification 1 Thes. 4:3

According to His will Heb. 10:9, 10

By faith in Jesus Acts 26:18

Holy Ghost a witness Heb. 10:15

Christ our sanctification` 1 Cor. 1:30

God commands His sanctified ones Isa. 13:3

Jesus from Genesis to Revelation!

In the Old Testament . . .


In Genesis, He is the Creator God

In Exodus, He is the Redeemer

In Leviticus, He is your sanctification

In Numbers, He is your guide

In Deuteronomy, He is your teacher

In Joshua, He is the mighty conqueror

In Judges, He gives victory over enemies

In Ruth, He is your kinsman, your lover, your redeemer

In I Samuel, he is the root of Jesse

In 2 Samuel, He is the Son of David

In 1 Kings and 2 Kings, He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords

In 1st and 2nd Chronicles, He is your intercessor and High Priest

In Ezra, He is your temple, your house of worship

In Nehemiah, He is your mighty wall, protecting you from your enemies

In Esther, He stands in the gap to deliver you from your enemies

In Job, He is the arbitrator who not only understands your struggles, but has the power to do something about them

In Psalms, He is your song–and your reason to sing

In Proverbs, He is your wisdom, helping you make sense of life and live it successfully

In Ecclesiastes, He is your purpose, delivering you from vanity.

In the Song of Solomon, He is your lover, your Rose of Sharon.

In Isaiah, He is the mighty counselor, the prince of peace, the everlasting father, and more. He’s everything you need

In Jeremiah, He is your balm of Gilead, the soothing salve for your sin-sick soul

In Lamentations, He is the ever-faithful one upon whom you can depend

In Ezekiel, He is your wheel in the middle of a wheel–the one who assures that dry, dead bones will come alive again

In Daniel, He is the ancient of days, the ever- lasting God who never runs out of time

In Hosea, He is your faithful lover, always beckoning you to come back–even when you have abandoned Him

In Joel, He is your refuge, keeping you safe in times of trouble

In Amos, He is the husbandman, the one you can depend on to stay by your side

In Obadiah, He is Lord of the Kingdom

In Jonah, He is your salvation, bringing you back within His will

In Micah, He is judge of the nation

In Nahum, He is the jealous God.

In Habakkuk, He is the Holy One

In Zephaniah, He is the witness

In Haggai, He overthrows the enemies

In Zechariah, He is Lord of Hosts

Moving to the New Testament . . .

In Matthew, He is king of the Jews

In Mark, He is the servant

In Luke, He is the Son of Man, feeling what you feel

In John, He is the Son of God

In Acts, He is Savior of the world

In Romans, He is the righteousness of God

In I Corinthians, He is the rock that followed Israel

In II Corinthians, He the triumphant one, giving victory

In Galatians, He is your liberty; He sets you free

In Ephesians, He is head of the Church

In Philippians, He is your joy

In Colossians, He is your completeness

In I Thessalonians, He is your hope

In II Thessalonians, He is your glory

In I Timothy, He is your faith

In II Timothy, He is your stability

In Philemon, He is your benefactor

In Hebrews, He is your perfection

In James, He is the power behind your faith

In I Peter, He is your example

In II Peter, He is your purity

In I John, He is your life

In II John, He is your pattern

In III John, He is your motivation

In Jude, He is the foundation of your faith

In the Revelation, He is your coming King

Twelve Disciples of Jesus

Twelve Disciples of Jesus



SIMON PETER


ANDREW


JOHN


JAMES THE GREATER


JAMES THE YOUNGER


MATTHEW


PHILIP


BARTHOLOMEW


THOMAS


THADDEOUS


SIMON THE ZEALOT


JUDAS ISCARIOT (BETRAYED JESUS)


MATTHIAS (REPLACED JUDAS ISCARIOT)

Simon Peter

Simon Peter - is the Son of John; Also known as: Peter or Cephas meaning "Rock" (Brother of Andrew)

Occupation Characteristics Major Life Events What Jesus Said

Fisherman Impulsive; later - bold in preaching about Jesus One of Three in core group of Disciples (Peter, James, and John); recognized Jesus as the Messiah; disowned Christ and repented; preached Pentecost sermon; a leader of the Jerusalem church; baptized Gentiles; wrote 1 and 2 Peter. Named him Peter & Cephas, which in Aramaic & Hebrew means "Rock" (John 1:42). Jesus called him "Satan" when he urged Jesus to reject the Cross; said he would become a Fisher of Men; he received revelation from God; he would disown Jesus; he would later be Crucified.

Key Lesson Death Verses

Christians falter at times, but when they return to Jesus, he forgives them and strengthens their faith. He was reportedly Crucified, upside down, during the reign of Emperor Nero. Matt 4:18-20

Mark 8:29-33

Luke 22:31-34

John 21:15-19

Acts 2:14-41

Acts 10:1-11:18

Andrew

Andrew is - Peter's Brother

Occupation Characteristics Major Life Events What Jesus Said

Fisherman Eager to bring others to Jesus Accepted John the Baptist's testimony about Jesus; told Peter about Jesus; he and Philip told Jesus that Greeks wanted to see him. Said he would become a Fisher of men.

Key Lesson Death Verses

Christians are to tell other people about Jesus. The Apostle was Crucified on an X-shaped Cross, the two ends of which were in the ground. Matt 4:18-20

John 1:35-42; 6:8, 9

John 12:20-22

John

John is - Son of Zebedee; James the Greaters Brother; & "the Disciple whom Jesus loved"

"Sons of Thunder" (James & John)

Occupation Characteristics Major Life Events What Jesus Said

Fisherman Ambitious, Judgmental, later - very loving Third disciple in core group; asked Jesus for a place of honor in his kingdom; wanted to call down fire on a Samaritan village; a leader of the Jerusalem church; wrote the Gospel of John and 1, 2, 3 John and Revelation. Called James and John "Sons of Thunder"; said he would be a Fisher of men; would drink the cup Jesus drank; would take care of Jesus' Mother after Jesus' death.

Key Lesson Death Verses

The transforming power of the love of Christ is available to all. He Died of Old Age. Mark 1:19

Mark 10:35-40

Luke 9:52-56

John 19:26, 27

John 21:20-24

James The Greater

James the Greater - is Son of Zebedee James the Greater he & his younger Brother John were called the"Sons of Thunder"(James & John)

Occupation Characteristics Major Life Events What Jesus Said

Fisherman Ambitious, short-tempered judgmental, deeply committed to Jesus. He did NOT write the Book of James. Jesus' half- brother James did; and that James was NOT a Disciple. Also in core group; he and his Brother John asked Jesus for places of honor in his Kingdom; wanted to call fire down to destroy a Samaritan village; first disciple to be martyred. Called James & John "Sons of Thunder"; said he would be a Fisher of men; would drink the cup Jesus drank.

Key Lesson Death Verses

Christians must be willing to die for Jesus. James was killed by the sword by King Herod Agrippa (Acts 12:1-2).

Mark 3:17

Mark 10:35-40

Luke 9:52-56

Acts 12:1-2

James The Less

James the Less is - Son of Alphaeus; James the Less or James the Younger His Mother was called "the other Mary". Some think that Matthew & he were brothers because they were both the Sons of Alphaeus, but never called brothers.

Occupation Characteristics Major Life Events What Jesus Said

Unknown Unknown.

He did NOT write the Book of James, but Jesus' half-Brother James did? and that other James was NOT one of the 12 Disciples. Became one of Jesus' Disciples Unknown

Key Lesson Death Verses

Unknown Was Stoned & Clubbed to Death in Jerusalem. Matt 10:3

Mark 3:18

Luke 6:15

Matthew

Matthew is - Son of Alphaeus is also called Levi; Some think that Matthew & James the Less were brothers because they were both the Sons of Alphaeus, but never called brothers.

Occupation Characteristics Major Life Events What Jesus Said

Tax Collector Despised outcast because of his dishonest career Abandoned his corrupt (and financially profitable) way of life to follow Jesus; invited Jesus to a party with his notorious friends; wrote the Gospel of Matthew. Called him to be a Disciple.

Key Lesson Death Verses

Christianity is not for people who think they're already good; it is for people who know they've failed and want help. He was killed with a halberd (a pike fitted with an ax head) in Nadabah. Matt 9:9-13

Mark 2:15-17

Luke 5:27-32

Philip

Occupation Characteristics Major Life Events What Jesus Said

Fisherman Questioning attitude Told Nathanael about Jesus; wondered how Jesus could feed 5,000; asked Jesus to show his followers God the Father; he and Andrew told Jesus that Greeks wanted to see him. Asked if Philip realized that to know and see him was to know and to see the Father.

Key Lesson Death Verses

God uses our questions to teach us. He reportedly suffered Martyrdom at Heliopolis, in Phrygia. He was severely flogged, imprisoned, and later Crucified. This is NOT the Philip mentioned in the Book of Acts Matt 10:3

John 1:43-46; 6:2-7

John 12:20-22

John 14:8-11

Bartholomew

Bartholomew is also known as Nathanael

Occupation Characteristics Major Life Events What Jesus Said

Unknown Honesty & Straight forwardness Initially rejected Jesus because Jesus was from Nazareth but acknowledged him as the "Son of God" and "King of Israel" when they met. Called him "a true Israelite" and a man "in whom there is nothing False."

Key Lesson Death Verses

Jesus respects honesty in people - even if they challenge him because of it. He was Tortured & Crucified in India. Mark 3:18

John 1:45-51

John 21:1-13

Thomas

Thomas is known as The Twin; Didymus

Occupation Characteristics Major Life Events What Jesus Said

Unknown Courage & Doubt Suggested the Disciples go with Jesus to Bethany ? even if it meant death; asked Jesus about where he was going; refused to believe Jesus was risen until he could see Jesus alive and touch his wounds. Said Thomas believed because he actually saw Jesus after the resurrection.

Key Lesson Death Verses

Even when Christians experience serious doubts, Jesus reaches out to them to restore their faith. He was reportedly killed with a Spear in India. Matt 10:3

John 14:5; 20:24-29

John 21:1-13

Thaddaeus

Thaddaeus is - the Son of James ? (a.k.a. Judas) Known as the other Judas - he was the good Judas

Occupation Characteristics Major Life Events What Jesus Said

Unknown Unknown Asked Jesus why he would reveal himself to his followers and not to the world. Unknown

Key Lesson Death Verses

Christians follow Jesus because they believe in him; they do not always understand the details of God's plan. He was Crucified at Edessa. Matt 10:3

Mark 3:18

John 14:22

Simon the Zealot

Occupation Characteristics Major Life Events What Jesus Said

Unknown Fierce patriotism Became a Disciple of Jesus Unknown

Key Lesson Death Verses

If we are willing to give up our plans for the future, we can participate in Jesus' plans. He was believed to have been Crucified in what is today called Britain. Matt 10:4

Mark 3:18

Luke 6:15

Judas Iscariot

Judas also known as the Betrayer

Occupation Characteristics Major Life Events What Jesus Said

Unknown Treacherous & Greedy Became one of Jesus' Disciples; betrayed Jesus; killed himself. Called him "a devil"; said Judas would betray Jesus.

Key Lesson Death Verses

It is not enough to be familiar with Jesus' teachings. Jesus' true followers Love and Obey him. He later committed Suicide by Hanging himself. Matt 26:20-25

Luke 22:47-48

John 12:4-8



Matthias

Occupation Characteristics Major Life Events What Jesus Said

Unknown He was one of 2 men nominated (Joseph Justus?aka Barsabbas was too) to take Judas' place. The Assembly of 120 Prayed to God to make the right choice. They "cast lots" and Matthias was chosen. He was chosen to replace Judas after Peter had recited Scripture (Acts 1:15-26) from some of King David's Prophecies showing their need to replace Judas. Ps 69:25; Ps 109:8

Unknown

Key Lesson Death Verses

Unknown He was Stoned, then Beheaded at Jerusalem.

Matthias means "Gift of God."