Χριστός Ανέστη!

For those of you who don’t understand the Greek language, the title of this podcast reads, in English: Christ has risen!


I heard this phrase proclaimed in Greece when I enjoyed the celebration of Easter in that wonderful country.  Granted, half the folks making this proclamation were drunk… but that does not change the truth of this simple phrase.

Christ is risen.  Jesus is alive!

As you celebrate the Christmas holiday season, our focus may be on the baby in the manger (as depicted in the graphic above).  But remember what that baby did:

• He proclaimed the gospel (good news) to those who were oppressed
• He healed the sick
• He raised the dead
• He took your sins upon Himself on the cross
• He rose from the dead (Χριστός Ανέστη!)
• He ascended into heaven to sit at God’s right hand
• He is coming back to judge the quick (living) and the dead
• He loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life

As you celebrate friends, family, food and gifts… remember the Reason for the season.

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Meditations on Love, Part 10: From Jihad to Jesus

In the final segment of this ten-part series, our brother Joel Rosenberg related an experience meeting a former terrorist leader who in the past would have murdered Joel in cold blood.

Instead of doing that during this particular encounter, the former terrorist embraced Joel as a brother.

Why?

Because of an act of love.

Someone sowed seeds.  The seeds were Bibles.  The harvest of just one of those seeds was a life changed from murder and terror to compassion and love:

Jesus explains it this way:

³Give attention to this! Behold, a sower went out to sow.

⁴And as he was sowing, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.

⁵Other seed [of the same kind] fell on ground full of rocks, where it had not much soil; and at once it sprang up, because it had no depth of soil;

⁶And when the sun came up, it was scorched, and because it had not taken root, it withered away.

⁷Other seed [of the same kind] fell among thorn plants, and the thistles grew and pressed together and utterly choked and suffocated it, and it yielded no grain.

⁸And other seed [of the same kind] fell into good (well-adapted) soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing, and yielded up to thirty times as much, and sixty times as much, and even a hundred times as much as had been sown.

⁹And He said, He who has ears to hear, let him be hearing [and let him consider, and comprehend].

Mark 4:3-9 [AMP]

Somebody sowed the word (we explain in this podcast). And while most of the seeds sown were destroyed by the Islamic men who had intercepted them, one seed got through and changed a life for eternity... impacting who knows how many lives?


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Meditations on Love, Part 9: Walk in Love, Avoid Strife, God Defends You!

Referencing our audio teaching entitled Defender, we know that people are often used by satan to cause problems for us.

We also know that God is a mighty Defender Who will fight battles on our behalf with power and might exponentionally greater than we could ever imagine. .

The next important point is to remember that when we walk in love and avoid strife, we may with confidence leave all conflicts in God's hands... where they will be far better dealt with than by your own strength or schemes.

Walk in love towards those who offend...

The power of God will always defend...



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Meditations on Love, Part 8: More Love... More Power!

Our goal is to live a life that exemplifies unselfish love for others.  Even when people act ugly and contrary... we want to obey Jesus’ commandment to forgive them and to show them unconditional (agape) love.

And so faith, hope, love abide [faith--conviction and belief respecting man's relation to God and divine things; hope--joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; love--true affection for God and man, growing out of God's love for and in us], these three; but the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:13 [AMP]

The more love you have (and exercise)... the more power you will have.

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Meditations on Love, Part 7: Unity of Love

Believers in Jesus Christ are one body.  Not the Baptist body... the Catholic body... the Pentecostal Charismaniac body... but we are all one in Christ.  

Okay... so we don’t seem to be acting that way.  But, we should!

BEHOLD, HOW good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

Psalm 133:1 [AMP]

The opposite of Psalm 133:1 would be that it is very unpleasant for brethren to dwell together in antagonistic cliques that hate and despise and contradict.

For just as the body is a unity and yet has many parts, and all the parts, though many, form [only] one body, so it is with Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). For by [means of the personal agency of] one [Holy] Spirit we were all, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, baptized [and by baptism united together] into one body, and all made to drink of one [Holy] Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:12-13 [AMP]

A body that does not function has difficulty achieving many tasks.  The mind may be as bright and sharp as ever... but without limbs and organs that function in synchronicity...

Just think about it...

May grace (God's unmerited favor) and spiritual peace [which means peace with God and harmony, unity, and undisturbedness] be yours from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 1:2 [AMP]

For He is [Himself] our peace (our bond of unity and harmony). He has made us both [Jew and Gentile] one [body], and has broken down (destroyed, abolished) the hostile dividing wall between us

Ephesians 2:14 [AMP]

In order to be in unity, we need love.

Love is the cement that holds us together.  When we are held together by love... we have peace.  And peace is a whole lot better than the alternative!

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Meditations on Love, Part 6: Debt of Love

Love is not just a nice thing to do... it is the only thing to do. It is a debt that we owe to others.

⁴³You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy;

⁴⁴But I tell you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

⁴⁵To show that you are the children of your Father Who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the wicked and on the good, and makes the rain fall upon the upright and the wrongdoers [alike].

Matthew 5:43-45 [AMP]

As with finances... we want to stay current on our payments to avoid getting a bad credit score. When that happens... you will ride around in a bummy car with a brick-sized cell phone and have the cool people laugh at you.

At least, that is what happens in those commercials.

You have a debt of love. Pay your debts!

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Meditations on Love, Part 5: Community of Love

This podcast in our series Meditations on Love talks about the community of love.  Sad that so many churches and even individual believers can’t get along.  But in order to truly fulfill the calling of Jesus Christ, we are to create and live in a community of love.

⁹[Let your] love be sincere (a real thing); hate what is evil [loathe all ungodliness, turn in horror from wickedness], but hold fast to that which is good.

¹⁰Love one another with brotherly affection [as members of one family], giving precedence and showing honor to one another.

¹¹Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor; be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord.

Romans 12:9-11 [AMP]

Follow the instructions that Saint Paul gives us in Romans 12 and you will find yourself beginning to enjoy life that is lived within a community of love.


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Meditations on Love, Part 4: Love Fu

In our audio teaching The Art of Fighting Without Fighting, we discussed the spiritual aspect of Bruce Lee’s style from the motion picture Enter the Dragon. Feel free to click the link above to download or listen to that album.

This podcast takes a look at the same topic... but from the perspective on our Meditations on Love.

³For though we walk (live) in the flesh, we are not carrying on our warfare according to the flesh and using mere human weapons.

⁴For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds,

⁵[Inasmuch as we] refute arguments and theories and reasonings and every proud and lofty thing that sets itself up against the [true] knowledge of God; and we lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)

2 Corinthians 10:3-5 [AMP]

The weapon that we use is the weapon of Love.  Love Fu, so to speak, would encompass the art of using the agape love of God to disarm those who would be our enemies.

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Meditations on Love, Part 3: Quench Fires With Love

Have you ever heard somebody say, “I am going through hell” at any time in the past?

Maybe you were the one who said that because your situation has been so frustrating that you feel you can’t stand it.

Or, to quote Popeye the Sailor Man: I had all I can stand... I can’t stand any more!

I have heard people describe a lot of situations as being hell-like:

• Their work environment...
• Their marriage...
• Some personal or familial relationship...
• Their school...

A lot of people think that their situation is like hell... or that some person is putting them through hell.  Unlike hell, however... we can extinguish those fires that happen between people by applying God’s agape love.

Finally, all [of you] should be of one and the same mind (united in spirit), sympathizing [with one another], loving [each other] as brethren [of one household], compassionate and courteous (tenderhearted and humble).

Never return evil for evil or insult for insult (scolding, tongue-lashing, berating), but on the contrary blessing [praying for their welfare, happiness, and protection, and truly pitying and loving them]. For know that to this you have been called, that you may yourselves inherit a blessing [from God--that you may obtain a blessing as heirs, bringing welfare and happiness and protection].

1 Peter 3:8-9 [AMP]

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Meditations on Love, Part 2: Resist Confrontation With Love

In the second of this ten-part series, we focus on this truth: Love covers a multitude of sins.

Check out what the Apostle Peter has to say about this:

Above all things have intense and unfailing love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins [forgives and disregards the offenses of others]. Practice hospitality to one another (those of the household of faith). [Be hospitable, be a lover of strangers, with brotherly affection for the unknown guests, the foreigners, the poor, and all others who come your way who are of Christ's body.] And [in each instance] do it ungrudgingly (cordially and graciously, without complaining but as representing Him).

1 Peter 4:8-9 [AMP]

Love (God’s agape love) allows you to show love to those who might otherwise create confrontation or contention.

Love is the better way.

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Meditations on Love, Part 1: React to People With Love

In our ten part series, “Meditations on Love (Volume One),” we look at ways to fulfill what Jesus gave us as the greatest of all commandments:

I give you a new commandment: that you should love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too should love one another. By this shall all [men] know that you are My disciples, if you love one another [if you keep on showing love among yourselves].

John 13:34-35 [AMP]

The problem is that people often make it very difficult to love them.  That is why this podcast was created.  Take a listen and see if you emerge better equipped to love those who are less than lovable.

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The $80 Blessing

Today being 10/10/10... you may be thinking about playing the lottery and making money.  But while getting money is fun to do... remember this biblical principle:

In everything I have pointed out to you [by example] that, by working diligently in this manner, we ought to assist the weak, being mindful of the words of the Lord Jesus, how He Himself said, It is more blessed (makes one happier and more to be envied) to give than to receive.

Acts 20:35 [AMP]

Yes... it is better to give than to receive.  And, in this podcast, we discuss how giving someone $80 (technically, returning that money to the individual) turned into a tremendous blessing that changed the lives of many!


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Defender: Part Three

God will see your righteous behavior and defend you.  Unfortunately, some people will see your righteous behavior and accuse you of being unrighteous.  We see an example of that in the Old Testament:

And as she continued praying before the Lord, Eli noticed her mouth. Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought she was drunk.

1 Samuel 1:12-13 [AMP]

In the Bible, Hannah (not to be confused with Hannah Montana) was falsely accused by the prophet of being drunk when, in fact, she was praying to the Lord.

And would you believe that this Old Testament faux pas is repeated today in the 21^st Century?  But just as He did in the olden days, God still protects those whose hearts are right in His eyes.


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Defender: Part Two

My sacrifice [the sacrifice acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart [broken down with sorrow for sin and humbly and thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise.

Psalm 51:17

God is our Defender.  He will send His hosts to deliver you from those who rise up to destroy you.  What a wonderful promise.

However, it is important to remember that, in order to be a recipient of His protection, we must live the type of life that honors Him.

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Defender: Part One

For He will give His angels [especial] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service].

Psalm 91:11 [AMP]

God will defend and protect you. He will send His angels to accompany and defend and preserve you.  He does this because He is a loving Father.

Part of the requirment for receiving His protection is when we obey and serve God.  As you walk with Him, you will grow to know Him more.

God will defeat your enemy (satan) and hold off all who would work against you... and he will discipline you when you screw up.

He is your Father. He is your defender.

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