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Learn The Word By Doing It
Matthew 26:55 'In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me? I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me.'
The four gospels refer to Jesus teaching 43 times, preaching 19 times, and preaching and teaching in the same verse, six times. This indicates that Jesus spent twice as much time teaching as He did preaching. Teaching is the basic building block for making disciples. Jesus was making disciples, not just converts.
The Greek word for 'disciple' literally means 'a learner,' and indicates 'learning by endeavor' or what we would call 'on-the-job training.' Jesus said in John 8:31, 'If ye continue in my word, then are ye my...
Chose To Serve
Matthew 26:51 'And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear.'
In Romans chapter one, Paul calls himself a servant of Jesus Christ. Out of the six Greek words for 'servant' used in the New Testament, Paul used one of the most slavish terms possible. The word used in this passage is 'doulos' and comes from the root word 'deo' which means 'bind.' Paul literally speaks of himself as a bondman or slave of Jesus Christ - a slave by free choice; yet owned and purchased by Jesus Christ.
The idea of being a love-slave by choice comes from Old Testament passages such as Exodus 21:2-6 and Deuteronomy 15:12-17. If an Israelite bought a Hebrew...
BEING READY FOR JESUS
IS YOUR BIBLE IMPORTANT TO YOU?
Receive The Ministry Of The Angels
Luke 22:43 'And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.'
We have angels assigned to us. Hebrews 1:14 further reveals that their purpose is to minister to us, on our behalf. In the Old Testament, Psalm 91 teaches on the ministry of angels to God's people.
Some people who have realized this truth have taken it as far as to say that we are suppose to speak to our angels and they will obey our commands. There is no instruction in scripture to do this nor is there any example of that being done. We don't have the intelligence to administer all of the angels.
Many of the angels' protective duties described in Psalm 91 are preventative, and we certainly could not effectively command these...
The 'old Man' Is Dead
Mark 14:41 'And he cometh the third time, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: it is enough, the hour is come; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.'
It is not our individual acts of sin that make us a sinner. It is our sin nature that makes us commit individual acts of sin. Adam's one sin produced a sin nature in all men that in turn, caused each person to commit individual acts of sin. Jesus not only dealt with the original sin that contaminated the human race, but He also dealt with each individual act of sin.
Anyone who is trying to obtain righteousness through their actions is totally missing the point. Believers are made righteous through faith in Christ, independent of their actions....
Walk In The Light
Matthew 26:41 'Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.'
How do you walk in the Spirit? The way you do this is through living by, conducting your actions according to, and following the leading of the Word of God as quickened to you by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit and the Word of God agree perfectly because the Holy Spirit is the one who inspired the written Word of God.
Denying the flesh will not result in walking in the Spirit. Walking in the Spirit will result in denying the flesh. This may seem like a subtle difference to some, but the difference is truly profound. As a whole, false religions teach that as we overcome our flesh, there is a noticeable increase in the...
Exercise Your Soul
Matthew 26:41 'Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.'
Our spirit is not our problem. The born-again Christian receives a new spirit at conversion, that is just like Jesus' (1 Jn. 4:17) because it is the Spirit of Jesus. Our born-again spirit is always willing to do God's will. It's our flesh that is the problem.
The flesh, as Jesus describes it here, not only includes our physical body but also describes our soul. God has given every believer everything it takes to walk in victory, but 'we have this treasure in earthen vessels' (2 Cor. 4:7). That is saying that our spirit, where God has deposited all of His power and glory, is locked inside our flesh.
That does not...
