Blogs
Ministry In Action
Mk. 1:31, 'And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.'
MT. 8:14-17; MK. 1:29-34; LK. 4:38-41
How did Peter's mother-in-law minister unto Jesus and His disciples? Did she sit them down and preach to them? Certainly not. Yet sometimes people think the only way we can minister to another is to admonish them with the scriptures.
Peter's mother-in-law apparently ministered to them by serving them. The word translated 'minister' is the same word that was translated 'deacon' twice in the New Testament, and 'serve, served or serveth' eight times.
We can minister for the Lord by doing some of the menial tasks that many consider to...
Demons In Church
Mark 1:23, 'And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out;....
MK. 1:21-28; LK. 4:33-37
Many people don't associate demon possessed people with places of worship. Yet most of the demons that Jesus cast out were encountered in the church. Why would demon possessed people be in church?
In some cases, the people were there because they were seeking help. The church, like a hospital, offers people the cure and therefore, attracts those who are sick.
In other cases, the devil sows these types of people in the church to spread spiritual disease. A church that is teaching the true Word of God should either try to evangelize these individuals or make them so convicted that...
BEFORE I GET STARTED THIS MORNING I WANT TO SAY SOMETHING. FOR YOU WHO READ MY MORNING MESSAGES REGULARLY IT MIGHT APPEAR THAT YOU HAVE HEARD SOMETHING LIKE IT BEFORE AND YOU PROBABLY HAVE. THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT ARE REALLY IMPORTANT TO ME LIKE SALVATION, HEALING, PROSPERITY AND PEACE FOR JUST A FEW AND WRITING A MESSAGE EVERY DAY I AM GOING TO USE A LOT OF THE SAME SCRIPTURES. I HAVE BEEN DOING THIS EVERY DAY FOR OVER SEVEN YEARS NOW AND SINCE I TRY TO BACK UP EVERYTHING THAT I WRITE WITH SCRIPTURE, I USE A LOT OF THE SAME ONES. SO I HOPE YOU WILL UNDERSTAND.
...
The Chosen Ones
Mark 1:16, 'Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.'
MT. 4:13-22; MK. 1:16-20; LK. 5:27; JN. 5:38
Jesus never chose an apostle from among the religious system. Every one of his twelve disciples were men that He chose from the secular world. It wasn't because God didn't have faith in those who were religious. It's just that most of those who were part of the religious system didn't have any faith in God.
One of the most common mistakes religious people make is to put faith in themselves. They think God will use them because of their great holiness or special abilities.
Paul said, 'But God hath chosen the foolish...
DWELLING UNDER GOD'S SHADOW
Familiarity Breeds Contempt
Luke 4:24, 'And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.'
LUKE 4:16-30
A modern day equivalent of this verse is 'familiarity breeds contempt.' Those who know the most about us also know more of our faults than anyone else. As a general rule, our weaknesses will blind most people to our strengths.
However, in the case of Jesus, there were no faults or failures to bias these people. In this instance, the problem stemmed from the people's lack of perception. They knew Jesus better than most in the flesh, but they had failed to see who He was in the Spirit.
Jesus was God in all His power and majesty, yet He was clothed in flesh --a human in every respect (1...
Our Debts Have Been Cancelled
Luke 4:19, 'To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.'
LUKE 4:16-30
This scripture had been written prophetically by the prophet Isaiah about 650 years prior to this time. It was read in Jewish synagogues thousands of times. But the one this verse was speaking of had never spoken it before. With this pronouncement, Jesus began the year of Jubilee.
The Year of Jubilee was described in Leviticus 25. It was a year when everyone left their fields unworked and kept a sabbath unto the Lord. The Lord gave the people a miraculous provision the year before this jubilee started that sustained them for three years until their crops could once again be harvested.
This jubilee was different than...