The Importance of Gifts Part II

Today we begin our study on the spiritual gifts, and we begin with two gifts that many mistake for one. In fact, when people use the word “wisdom” and “knowledge” in a sentence, it is almost used interchangeably. Even the definition of the two words are similar. Today, wisdom is defined as “the quality of having experience, knowledge, and good judgment; the quality of being wise.” While knowledge is defined as “facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject.”

So when looking at these two definitions, how can I say that wisdom and knowledge are two separate aspects? In order to answer that, we need to go back to the original Hebrew definition of these words. For wisdom, the original definition comes from “a primitive root to be wise (in mind) word (H2449) or act, to be skillful (H2451). Proverbs can better help us understand wisdom. Proverbs 1:2-6 “2 for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight; 3 for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair; 4 for giving prudence to those who are simple, knowledge and discretion to the young— 5 let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance— 6 for understanding proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise.” The beginning of this passage shows the importance of the book of Proverbs, that it is for gaining wisdom and instruction. However, as you read, you can distinguish characteristics of wisdom. Knowing what is right, just, and fair. Help those who are naive, continue to learn, and surround themselves with counsel. Wisdom comes to those who seek the word of God earnestly, Proverbs 2:2-6 “2 turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding— 3 indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, 4 and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, 5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.” So the gift of wisdom is the understanding of God’s word, as well as the ability to use that understanding to help others.

Knowledge on the other hand comes from “a primitive root; to know (properly to ascertain by seeing); used in a great variety of senses…advise, answer, appoint, assuredly be aware, comprehend” H3045. Once again, Proverbs 1 expands upon this definition. “7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 1:7. The word “fear” here is not the word that many of us think today. When we hear the word “fear” we think of the unpleasant emotion and reaction towards something that may harm us. That is not the definition of the word used here. The meaning of “fear” is “morally reverence” H3374. So with that in mind, the beginning of knowledge comes from the moral reverence of the Lord. This means that we can only put the aspects of knowledge (to advise, answer, appoint, assuredly be aware, and comprehend) in place once we understand how great our God is and how incapable we are of measuring up. We receive knowledge when we have seen God’s greatness, mercy, and love. Through our understanding of His attributes are we then able to advise others on the word of God, answer when people question God’s goodness, appoint leadership, be aware of what God’s word is calling for us to do, and comprehend how God can change the individual.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

A STUDY IN GENESIS

So often I hear the question of, “How will I know if God is calling me to do BLANK?” Most people attribute this question to specific times in their life, but that would be to their detriment. We should always be seeking to know what God is telling us personally. How do we do this? By walking with the Lord, Noah is a prime example of this. Genesis 6:9b “Noah walked with God.” Ironically, many people (myself included) like to talk about Enoch walking with the Lord, Genesis 5:21a “Enoch walked with God” but Noah did this as well. Both walked with the Lord in the same time when the world was desperately wicked. For the world, evil was constantly on their mind. However, Enoch and Noah walked with God. Now we know that Enoch was raptured, Genesis 5:24 “And Enoch walked with God and He was not, for God took him.” Noah however, was given a command.

Have you ever had God give you a specific command? I am not talking to the deniers nor the doubters, but those who earnestly know what I am talking about. His voice to His sheep is clear and precise. Jesus makes this evidently clear in John 10:3-4 “To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear His voice, and He calls His own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 “When He puts forth all His own, He goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow Him because they know His voice.” Noah knew this even in his day. The most important verse in chapter six of Genesis is the final verse, Genesis 6:22, “Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did.” Without this verse, without Noah walking with the Lord and doing what he was told to do, we die! We have no salvation, we have nothing but eternal damnation. Noah’s obedience allowed for Noah to save his family and all his children’s children. Noah’s obedience allowed for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to be born, for the tribes to be established, and later for salvation to be born of a virgin, the Son of God to be our only hope. Imagine if he said, “Not today, Lord” or “I need personal time?”

Now with that in mind, let’s read Genesis 6:11-22 “Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. 13 Then God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth. 14 “Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall cover it inside and out with pitch. 15 “This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. 16 “You shall make a window for the ark, and finish it to a cubit from the top; and set the door of the ark in the side of it; you shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. 17 “Behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish. 18 “But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark--you and your sons and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 19 “And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. 20 “Of the birds after their kind, and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. 21 “As for you, take for yourself some of all food which is edible, and gather it to yourself; and it shall be for food for you and for them.” 22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.”

I want to highlight three things for you today.

First: When God talks, shut up. Peter was reminded of this at the mount of transfiguration, Luke 9:35 “Then a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to him.”

Second: When God is specific, do it! Imagine if Noah did not do the dimensions of the ship according to what God, the designer of all things told him?

Third: Even if you do not understand why you are doing it, rest assured on God’s Word. Noah must have been the laughingstock to many people, until the flood came. We will talk more about that in a future post.

Our relationship with God is precious, it is not just personal salvation but more! It is God having a relationship with us and the ability for God to use us for great things. These great things are not because you and I are great, but rather the Person who called us to action is great. None of the disciples were great men, but rather they are to this day great because they answered the call. Noah in his day answered the call; examine the book of Hebrews where it is written about Noah, Hebrews 11:7, “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” This can only happen if you are walking with God. Too many Christians today are using God as an app, as a quick two minute study time instead of walking with the Lord. There is no set daily time to this relationship, but rather action of being in relationship with Him. Consider your ways and ask the Lord to answer and see just how quickly He does.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

Re-Post Friday

Understanding what prayers of thanksgiving are. Read it HERE!

The Importance of Gifts

There is a common thing amongst Christians that is often quite misunderstood, and that is spiritual gifts. We have all read the lists given to us through Scripture, I am even sure we have taken a few different online quizzes to see which gifts are prevalent in us. There is so much hyper focus to the spiritual gifts we at times fail to think of the best ways to apply what God has given us. Over the next few weeks, we will be going through the lists of spiritual gifts in order to gain a better insight into what they are, this will hopefully allow you to also see which gifts you may have. However, before we get into the gifts it is important to understand a few themes when it comes to the spiritual gifts.

1.) No list of spiritual gifts is complete. Out of the passages that we will be discussing, none of them have the exact same gifts listed. Some of the passages will mention the same gifts but leave out others; or they will add further gifts to those that have already been mentioned. Some gifts will be mentioned multiple times while others will only be mentioned once. This shows that an exhaustive list is not found in scripture.

2.) No gift is greater than the others. Paul makes it clear in 1 Corinthians 12:14-18 that each born again Christian will serve a role within the body of Christ. Our differences do not make some better than others, but allow us to all work towards the goal of representing Christ to the unbelieving world.

3.) Gifts can be presented in different ways. Since each born again believer in Christ is their own unique person, the way they present a spiritual gift may be different than someone else who also shares this gift. While we will discuss this later, I will use the example of teaching. One person who may be gifted in teaching might best use their gift in a classroom, while another might use it to lead a Bible study. Same gift, presented in two different ways.

4.) Each gift is from God and will thus glorify God. Again, Paul makes this theme clear in 1 Corinthians 12:11, “11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.” In order for the spiritual gifts to be prevalent, each individual must first accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Spiritual gifts are not works for salvation. They are actions as a result of someone who is actively following after Jesus Christ, an individual’s actions with their gifts will always point back to God.

I hope you are excited as we spend the next couple of weeks going over the different spiritual gifts!

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

A STUDY IN GENESIS

Last week we discussed what was happening during chapter five, fallen Angels having relations with mankind and the creation of the Nephilim. We ended on verse five. Let’s now tackle verse six and what is happening. Genesis 6:6, “So the LORD was sorry that He had made mankind on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.” God knows all things and what is going to happen, Isaiah 46:10, “Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure.” The idea that God is sorry implies in the English that God didn’t know it would happen. We know that He knows all things, thus what does “sorry” mean?

The word “sorry” in Hebrew is “naham” which means to console oneself and have pity on the other. God was sad of what He was seeing; even though He knew it would happen, seeing it happen is different. God had pity on the human race, this is supported based on verse seven with God wanting to cleans the world of such evil and give humans another chance, “Then the LORD said, “I will wipe out mankind whom I have created from the face of the land; mankind, and animals as well, and crawling things, and the birds of the sky. For I am sorry that I have made them.” Genesis 6:7. God sees that the enemy has caused a massive poison to be in the human environment and drastic action is needed. This drastic action is the flood. But why not take everyone out? Was the whole world corrupted? According to verse eight no! “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.” Genesis 6:8. This verse also supports the idea of the human genetic code being poisoned because Noah, his wife, their children and their spouses are the only ones who are not poisoned with fallen angel genes or who have not rejected God. The word “favor” in Hebrew implies elegance/acceptance. In verse nine additional description of Noah is given as “blameless,” which in Hebrew is “Tamim” which means complete and whole. The ark has one purpose: to take those who had uncorrupted genes and willing to follow God through the flood. So remember that God does mourn; God can be sad, yet God is never surprised by something. There is nothing He did not see coming. He sees everything, period! I challenge you to review the long list of scriptures defining His all-knowing, all-present, and all-powerful character and be comforted to know He has it all in control. Yet, even with this in mind, He cares for us on the individual level. Look at verse nine! “These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.” Genesis 6:9

Noah had a relationship with God, they walked together. Some here today need to remember that God is a God of power, all knowing, and present; while others need to remember that He is also a God who cares for us individually. This is what makes God so unique, the ability to be all that at once. It is why Jesus Christ is so magnificent, He is God revealed to us, He was with us on earth, and yet He was holding the earth. What an awesome God we serve! What an awesome God we have who cares for us. Next week we see God’s actions with Noah to save you and I!

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

Re-Post Friday

A brief look into the book of Nehemiah. Read it HERE!

GOD IS THERE

Have you ever been reading through your Bible and noticed a phrase being repeated over and over? The book of Psalms is a key one that has this occurrence, but it is not the only book that does. For example, the book of Matthew has many occurrences of Jesus using the phrase “Truly I say to you”. Whenever you see phrases being repeated, it is a good idea to really stop and reflect on them. After all, you might just find that these phrases are hiding gems of knowledge of scripture. One instance of this that I have found recently has been in Isaiah chapters 9-10 and it is the phrase “In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away and His hand is still stretched out.” So today, we are going to look at the four passages that this phrase takes place and see what we can learn.

The first instance that this phrase is found is in Isaiah 9:11-12, “11 Therefore the Lord raises superior adversaries against them from Rezin And provokes their enemies, 12 The Arameans from the east and the Philistines from the west; And they devour Israel with gaping jaws. In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away, And His hand is still stretched out.” Verse eleven begins with stating that God is bringing adversaries against Israel and that these enemies will devour Israel. This was put in place due to Israel’s disobedience in following God. So what is the important lesson we can learn from this passage? Even when God punishes us for our sins, He is there. Many try to state that God cannot be a loving God if He punishes those who follow Him, but this could not be farther from the truth. “6 For whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He punishes every son whom He accepts.” Hebrews 12:6. Israel constantly turned away from God and went after the things He warned them against, and we are no better today. However, because God cares about us, He will use whatever measures are necessary to bring us back to Him.

The second instance we find our key phrase in is Isaiah 9:16-17, “For those who guide this people are leading them astray;
And those who are guided by them are confused. 17 Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over their young men, Nor does He have compassion on their orphans or their widows; For every one of them is godless and an evildoer, And every mouth is speaking foolishness. In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away, And His hand is still stretched out.” The important lesson to see in this passage is that even when we are led astray by false teachers; if we truly belong to Jesus Christ, He will led us back to Him. There are many false teachers both in the days of Isaiah and today, many so called Christians are being led astray by them. However, for the individual who has accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, they have the Holy Spirit to guide them and point out the error of these false teachers. “13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” John 16:13.

Our third instance is in Isaiah 9:20-21, “They devour what is on the right hand but are still hungry, And they eat what is on the left hand, but they are not satisfied; Each of them eats the flesh of his own arm. 21 Manasseh devours Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh, And together they are against Judah. In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away And His hand is still stretched out.” This passage portrays a gruesome picture, that of mankind turning against one another. Many would say that while we may not be resorting to eating one another, this world has turned against those who inhabit it. However, if you read and take scripture seriously we know that God is in control of it all. He has not turned away from His children and all of this is taking place to further His will. “And the Lord is the one who is going ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not desert you or abandon you. Do not fear and do not be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8.

Our final instance is found in Isaiah 10:3-4, “3 Now what will you do in the day of punishment, And in the devastation which will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help? And where will you leave your wealth? 4 Nothing remains but to crouch among the captives Or fall among those killed. In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away And His hand is still stretched out.” This passage brings about the conclusion from Isaiah 9:11-12. We see that God is still going to bring about the discipline needed to bring His people back to Him, however, when we read farther into chapter ten we see that there is a remnant that will return to Israel (Isaiah 10:20). What we can learn from this passage is that even when we fall to sin, God is with us and there is a hope for the future. All we need to do is turn and cry out to Him. “11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people, 12 instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and in a godly manner in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,” Titus 2:11-13

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

A STUDY IN GENESIS

Last time we were in our Genesis study, we examined chapter five and how it is as important as any other chapter in the Bible. We learned the valuable lesson of not skipping anything. Remember, if it is in the Bible it has purpose! Proverbs 25:2 states, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.” We are the body of Christ, we have a calling to search out the matters of God that He has given to us for searching. Now with this in mind, we now come to a chapter in Genesis that is by far one of the most controversial topics in the Bible. This chapter alone is both more ignored and yet focused upon than any other chapter in Genesis. Sounds strange right? Well this chapter has been virtually ignored by many evangelical pulpits, or transformed to fit into a reality that does not coincide with the Bible. While others have spent years focused on this chapter and what has come out of these events. Like previous chapters, this chapter brings answers to several questions. Today we are going to read verses one through eight for contextual information. However, we will only be getting through verse one through four.

Genesis 6:1-8, “Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. 3 And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” 4 There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. 5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”

When is this happening? This happened during the Antediluvian period. Examine verse one and two.

“Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.”

Let’s identify the groups of people. Humans: “men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them.” During chapter five, men began to multiply, communities started, villages were made, towns were established, and cities were thriving. Examine chapters four and five to understand what scientific breakthroughs are happening during this time. I will say, that during this time, we see no remark or statement regarding nations or ethnic groups. It is not until chapters 10-11, where we find nations and ethnic groups emerging. In Chapter 6, we see a whole new species arrive.  

Angels: “that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.” Any time you see Sons of God, you should be thinking those that are created by God Himself; Adam, and Angels. Examine Job 38:6-7, “To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?”

Angels have been around longer than mankind. They were created prior to us, but within the same week. As we stated in previous lessons, we do not hold to an old earth ideology. Scripture, we believe, points very candidly to a six-day creation and God rested. Everything was made, and there is no time gap. Please go back to our other studies for a more detailed answer on the subject of old earth vs new earth. Nevertheless, angels are older than mankind only by a few days max. Fallen angels are still angels, but have decided to stand with Lucifer rather than God. So what happens when fallen angels decide to breed with mankind?

Now, before we get there, I need to address something very important. Virtually every religion, cult, and/or culture has references to demons. Some worship them and others fear them, but not one group can explain their origins but God’s Word in the Bible.

Ironically, a demon is not the same as a fallen angel. Many pastors would argue differently, but the Hebrew and the plethora of scripture backing up the idea says otherwise.

The Theory of Demonic Origins: Demons are the spirits of dead Nephilim, created from the forbidden sexual relations of fallen angels with women. Collectively, demons are younger than mankind in creation, but individually sustain a longer presence on earth.

The Law of Demonic Creation: When a fallen angel has relations with a human, the result is a Nephilim; when the Nephilim dies, its spirit is a demon. When a Nephilim breeds, whether with a human or with other Nephilim, only Nephilim are born. The sovereignty, wisdom, and understanding by Creator God declares such offspring to be without choice condemned.  

Examine God’s Word and see for yourself. They are not the sons of Cain and the daughters of Seth. This interpretation is rather new compared to the original and Biblical answer. Demons are the product of two types of spiritual beings (man and angels) having sexual relations. Examine 1 Peter 3:19-20, 2 Peter 2:4, Jude 6, Job 1:6, and Job 2:1. Apparently, as fringe and science fiction as it sounds, this is the correct answer.

Now you might be asking me, what does this have to do with us? Well, two things. Demons are very real, older individually than you and me, and characteristically always bad. Demons recognize who Jesus is (examine the gospels), demons recognize their final destination, (examine the gospels). Humans have a very real fascination with demons and frankly it is not surprising, they tempt us and try to draw us away from the righteous One, Jesus Christ. God went to war with Satan in Genesis 3:15, “and I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” Satan takes God’s word seriously, so why don’t we? Satan immediately tries to kill Adam’s offspring, that fails so he than attempts to poison the gene pool in order to destroy the seed lineage another way. This is why God recognizes this manuver and declares in verse three and the following, “Then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not remain with man forever, because he is also flesh; nevertheless his days shall be 120 years.” Moses, who is writing the events told to him by the Lord, puts in a summary verse (verse four) to explain what just happened in verse three. “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of mankind, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.” When Nephilim and mankind are intertwined, only evil can come about from it, “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of mankind was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually.”

What does this mean for you and I? It means stay away from demonic stuff, stay away from demons, and remember that God is much stronger than demons. Next week we will talk about the person of God and how the English portrays something that is not what the original language tells us.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

Re-Post Friday

Continuing in our study on the different types of prayer! Read it HERE!

Helping Hands

To our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ,

This last week, my family had some challenges. Nothing to serious, but challenges none the less. The reason why I am bringing it up to you is that through this, we were able to be blessed by the body of Christ. During this week, we were blessed by fellow born-again believers who prayed for us and brought us food. With this on my mind, I have a challenge for you as fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

To often, when the church thinks of serving the focus is on those outside of the church. It is almost as if we forget about those who are also members of the body of Christ need help at times as well. This simply is not the case. Jesus had a focus on those who were unsaved that is true, but He never pushed aside those who belonged to Him. Look at Matthew 8:14-15, “When Jesus came into Peter’s home, He saw his mother-in-law lying sick in bed with a fever. 15 And He touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she got up and waited on Him.” Or John 19:26-27, “26 So when Jesus saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He *said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then He *said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own household.”

Jesus continually preached the need of repentance in order to bring those to Him, but He did not forget about them once they were saved. He continually cared for those who belonged to Him and made sure that they were provided for. This is the challenge that I have for you and I. I can almost guarantee that there is someone in your church who is facing a challenge at this time. We need to come alongside them and be apart of the solution. Be that through prayer or even bringing food to them. Being a part of the body of Christ means we do not allow our brothers and sisters in Christ to face challenges alone.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

Jews, Church and Resources

Today, I wanted to take a quick break from our Genesis study and bring up something rather important during the time we live in. Israel! As the Church, we need to be praying for not only the peace of Jerusalem, but also for the salvation of the Jewish people to their Messiah. It is abundantly clear from scripture that God is not done with Israel, “For I am the Lord, I do not change; therefore, you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.” Malachi 3:6. I have a personal investment in God holding to His promises; because if He goes back on the Jews, He can go back on you and me. My sin is too great to be ignored and I am on the mercy of Jesus Christ keeping His promises to you and I.

Throughout human history, there is no group of people that have been the target of such atrocities and attacks as the Jewish people. It is only because through them salvation came to mankind, only in their existence does God come back, “I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord’” Luke 13:35. For the Church, our time on earth is shorter than we might expect, however we need to be about our Lord and Savior’s work until the very last twinkle of an eye. Part of that work is witnessing, loving, and praying for the Jewish people.  

In these dark times, I want to point you to a few resources that will help you understand the importance of the Jewish people and Bible prophecy. God is good but we are commanded to be praying for the peace of Jerusalem. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.” Psalm 122:6.

https://beholdisrael.org/

https://jameskaddis.com/

https://hopeforourtimes.com/

https://jackhibbs.com/

https://olivetreeviews.org/

https://prophecywatchers.com/

As always you can also reach out to us here at Mill House Ministries on our contact page for assistance with any Bible questions you might have.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

Re-Post Friday

What can Tolkien teach us today? Find out HERE!

Call To Prayer

If you have been following along with recent news reports, you should know that Israel is about to be under attack. With this knowledge, today I want to take a step back from any Bible discussions and instead ask all of our readers to pray for Israel. The Jewish people are still God’s chosen people and Jerusalem is still His city. God still has promises to fulfill to the Israeli nation, as much as many replacement theologians try to say otherwise.

What we can be doing as the body of Christ is pray. If you remember our study on the armor of God, you will remember that prayer is an important aspect of God’s armor. In fact, it acts as the artillery fire in the face of the enemy. This is fitting as Israel is about to be facing some incoming challenges. As the body of Christ, we can be lifting the people of Israel up in prayer. Pray that they are protected, but most importantly pray that they come to know Jesus Christ as their Messiah. Today, I am calling on all of our readers to take a moment and pray, ask the Lord to intercede and be the true Iron Dome Israel needs.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

A STUDY IN GENESIS

We come to the next part in our mini-series of A STUDY OF GENESIS. Today, we talk about the genealogy. Many people will gloss over what is happening in this chapter, but it is important for us to understand. It is here that we get an understanding of God’s rescue of our very souls. Even though this might seem not as important, if it is scripture it is very important. “All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,” 2 Timothy 3:16.

This chapter explains why we can rightfully declare evolution to be false. We have a genealogy from Adam to Noah’s sons who are the founding fathers of the nations. There is no guessing, there is no theories, these are facts. However, it is here at this critical moment in time that the population of the earth begins to explode. We know from the previous lesson that mankind had begun to blaspheme the name of the Lord in these days. Mankind began to live wickedly. There are two sayings that come about during this time, which we still see their devastating philosophy today. The first is “Might makes right” and “Majority is right” Evil mankind starts to outnumber those following the Lord, in fact the numbers are so lopsided that this chapter helps identify the only people we know of following the Lord.

I would encourage you to stop here and read the entirety of Genesis chapter five.

While I want to highlight some important aspects, this is not an exhaustive list. A careful study of God’s word in Genesis chapter five should be done on your own.

Verse one reiterates the importance that mankind was made in God’s image. “This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God.”

Verse two demolishes the unscientific claim of there being more than two genders.  “ He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created.”

Verse three identifies Adam having a son; who, like him, also shared a love for the Lord. As born again Christians, do we not share the likeness of our heavenly father? This principle is found here, Moses, who wrote Genesis under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is identifying what Adam valued most. All the children were his, but Seth was a believer like his father.  “And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.”

Verses four and five should never have been there. “After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were eight hundred years; and he had sons and daughters. 5 So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died.” If Adam would not have sinned, this verse would not be there. Satan lied, he said “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4-5. The evidence reveals Satan/Lucifer, is a liar, murderer, and a thief.

In verses eighteen through twenty four, we come to one of my favorite characters in the Bible, Enoch!

“Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and begot Enoch. 19 After he begot Enoch, Jared lived eight hundred years, and had sons and daughters. 20 So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years; and he died. 21 Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. 22 After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.”

Enoch is an inspiration for all believers no matter the age they live in. He walked with the Lord, you could say they were jogging buddies, or hiking pals. Nevertheless, Enoch was in a relationship with the Lord. He talked for the Lord to the people, look at the book of Jude. I personally believe he is one of the contenders for the two witnesses found in the book of Revelation. Enoch lived 365 years, we have 365 days in a year, in his life he exemplified what we should be doing everyday. Ironically, Enoch did not die, but was raptured. For those who say the rapture does not exist, there are accounts of this throughout every age of human history done by the Lord. Enoch is taken up prior to the flood. Before God’s wrath, Enoch is taken up. As we will see later, Noah goes through God’s wrath while being protected. Right here we have a typology of the Church and the Jewish nation. One is to be taken out of the environment, while the other goes through.

The final verses bring a moment of God’s character to light that we see today. Names have special meanings in Hebrew and thus you can be given additional information. Methuselah’s name means something, which I will leave to you to research, however this treasure gives us a glimmer into the eyes of the Lord. God would not bring judgment down until Methuselah died, how ironic is it that the oldest person in human history on earth is Methuselah. God was very patient in bringing His wrath.

“25 Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and begot Lamech. 26 After he begot Lamech, Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years, and had sons and daughters. 27 So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years; and he died. 28 Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and had a son. 29 And he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord has cursed.” 30 After he begot Noah, Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years, and had sons and daughters. 31 So all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years; and he died. 32 And Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth.”

You see, each chapter of the Bible needs to have a careful examination given to it. We have only spent a few minutes in this chapter and we can already see answers to things that we did not know we would be able to. God is so good and His love for us is greater than just actions alone, but preservation of His actions through His word to us. Just imagine where we would be without chapter five of Genesis! I would encourage you to examine the rest of this chapter and see the amazing declaration of God to us. Next week we will see what Satan is doing during the exact same time God is preserving our rescue.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming

JL

Re-Post Friday

Do you know that Jesus can teach us to pray? Read it HERE!

A Race

There is a passage in the book of John that I always sat and wondered about, and it is a passage that many pastors like to make jokes about. In this passage, we see Mary Magdalene discussing with Peter and John that Jesus’s body was gone and she did not know where it was. The next couple verses are where we begin to see the jokes being made.

“So Peter and the other disciple left, and they were going to the tomb. 4 The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead, faster than Peter, and came to the tomb first; 5 and he stooped to look in, and *saw the linen wrappings lying there; however he did not go in. 6 So Simon Peter also *came, following him, and he entered the tomb; and he *looked at the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings but folded up in a place by itself. 8 So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb also entered then, and he saw and believed. 9 For they did not yet understand the Scripture, that He must rise from the dead.”

John 20:3-9

We see the two men left together to go investigate the tomb, but I always wondered why John felt it necessary to point out that he was faster. Was it to brag? Couldn’t be because that would be pride, a trait that Jesus often warned about. So why was it so important to point out that John was the faster runner? For that, we need to look at what occurs in the next couple of verses. First we see the two men together, then John is ahead and reaches the tomb first but does not go in, Peter is the first to go in, then finally John.

While this may seem a strange thing to point out; I think this passage, and the fact that John points out that he was the faster runner, is to give us an example of how our walk and the walk of those around us with Jesus Christ goes. First the two men start off together, they are both looking for the same thing, Jesus Christ. Then one pulls ahead in their walk with Jesus Christ, I am sure we can all think of someone who has grown more in knowledge of the Lord at a time when we might not have been. However, that does not mean that we need to stay behind them. After all, John may have reached the tomb first but it was Peter who entered first. What was important is that both of the men kept their eyes on the goal, to see what happened to their Messiah. For us today, we may start on the same path as other believers, then there may be times when some get farther ahead in their walk, the important thing is that we do not take our eyes off of Jesus Christ. When we keep the focus on Him, He is able to bring us the knowledge and understanding of scripture we need.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

A STUDY IN GENESIS

Dear fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, last week I told you we would review how the Antediluvian period still holds sway over present day events. At that time, I had no idea what would be happening only a few days later with the world watching the Paris Olympic opening. Because of this, we will be taking a little bit more time diving into the ancient world and how it still has a strong influence on us today.

First I want to make sure you can take heart in knowing God is bigger, more powerful, and cares for us very much!

1 Peter 5:7 “casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”

Psalms 55:22 “Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.”

Matthew 10:28-31 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 “Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 “So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.”

As believers, we need to take heart in knowing God is personable and knows what is going on. Now let us examine what preceded after the murder of Abel.

Genesis 4:17-26 “Cain had relations with his wife and she conceived, and gave birth to Enoch; and he built a city, and called the name of the city Enoch, after the name of his son. 18 Now to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad became the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael became the father of Methushael, and Methushael became the father of Lamech. 19 Lamech took to himself two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other, Zillah. 20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. 21 His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. 22 As for Zillah, she also gave birth to Tubal-cain, the forger of all implements of bronze and iron; and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah. 23 Lamech said to his wives, “Adah and Zillah, Listen to my voice, You wives of Lamech, Give heed to my speech, For I have killed a man for wounding me; And a boy for striking me; 24 If Cain is avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.” 25 Adam had relations with his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for, she said, “God has appointed me another offspring in place of Abel, for Cain killed him.” 26 To Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began to call upon the name of the LORD.”

Cain has been cursed, he has been kicked out. However, his life is not over. He marries! Cain and his wife have a family. Some naysayers try to ask, who did he marry? The answer is simple, he married his sister. Adam and Eve’s genes did not have the issues and concerns that would happen in the world today. We would encourage you to review the Creation Institute and their work on the subject.

We learn in this particular segment of the chapter, that mankind is starting to develop the tools and trade that we are accustomed to today. Agriculture (Animal Science), music, bronze, and iron. Mankind appears to be prospering. However, we learn that mankind is in fact falling rapidly! Society is being built on a loose foundation of personal relativism, “Your truth is not my truth” comes from this period of time. Mankind hides their sin behind freedom. This was clearly shown to be present in the Olympic ceremony in France.

Let’s go deeper! “Lamech said to his wives, “Adah and Zillah, Listen to my voice, You wives of Lamech, Give heed to my speech, For I have killed a man for wounding me; And a boy for striking me; 24 If Cain is avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.” Only a few years before, we see Cain murder his brother because of religion and mankind trying to fix what only God can. By Lamech’s day, we see man’s deprivation has grown. Lamech kills a man for wounding him and kills a boy for striking him. Lamech takes on two wives. God designed the marriage as to be one woman and one man, and in just a few short years we see Lamech taking on two wives. Now some might see this and point to other places in the Old Testament, they would be correct in identifying this difference. The societal changes that would come later are based on necessary customs because of circumstances of the times.

In Lamech’s day, this was not the case, there were plenty of men and women and there were no wars creating widows. A women could find a husband who would live for a long time. Lamech had Adam and Eve as witnesses of what a marriage was designed to be. And yet, sin had multiplied in such a manner causing mankind to now attack and murder each other for offenses. Do we not see this today? Of course! Mankind has little value in each other, we kill and strike others for offenses even when they might be telling us the truth.

However, there is hope!

Verse 25 is a statement and should not be put into place in any timeline with the previous verses. It is more of a statement ending the chapter with a summary. This summary is to reveal there is a war in humanity. After Cain kills Abel, Adam has relations with Eve and another son is born, Seth. This person is who Jesus Christ would one day come from. Genesis 3:15 happens because of Seth, and Adam and Eve knew this! While they might have been hoping Seth would be the one to do it, the promised one had to come from a virgin. Already we see the prerequisites of the Messiah and the uniqueness it would have to be for Jesus to be it. Nevertheless, the lineage of Jesus Christ comes from Seth! “Adam had relations with his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for, she said, “God has appointed me another offspring in place of Abel, for Cain killed him.” 26 To Seth, to him also a son was born; and he called his name Enosh.”

However, here we come to an area of scripture that English fails to understand and provide the meaning when it says, “Then men began to call upon the name of the LORD.” Genesis 4:26b. The English does not portray the correct meaning that the Hebrew does, several theological scholars have argued the meaning was in fact, “Then men began to blaspheme the name of the LORD.” This appears to be supported by the quick turn of events with Lamech being such an evil murderer. The Antediluvian period reveals that man with sin is evil. We are born with it, it is inside of us; and without a check and balance of Christ, we are doomed with it. the Antediluvian period however, is not done. Next week we will discuss what further insidious things come out of this period.

I want to end on a positive note, remember Seth! Even though the world was in disarray, God was preparing. He was providing, He was focused on righting our wrongs! The same can be said today, even though it seems as if these dark days are returning, God has a plan. All we need to do is read that plan in scripture, and help tell the good news of Jesus Christ. Like Seth, we can be a walking symbol of hope to an ever darkening world.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

Re-Post Friday

Are you focused on God’s Word? Read it HERE!

The Importance of Study

Christians throughout the ages have been met with questions from the outside world. Some are asking questions because they want to know more and possibly come to know Jesus Christ personally. Others it is purely to mock and express their own opinion. Even though Christians have experienced these confrontations, there are many times we find ourselves not ready for the questions. So today, we are going to look at a passage that will give us the answer on how to fix this situation.

“17 Extend your ear and hear the words of the wise, And apply your mind to my knowledge; 18 For it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, So that they may be ready on your lips. 19 So that your trust may be in the Lord, I have taught you today, you indeed. 20 Have I not written to you excellent things Of counsels and knowledge, 21 To make you know the certainty of the words of truth, So that you may correctly answer him who sent you?”

Proverbs 22:17-21

We know from Proverbs 1:7 that knowledge comes from fear of the Lord. This is not a bullying type of fear that forces the individual to obey, instead it is a fear that comes from the knowledge of how incapable we are as humans to reconcile ourselves to the great Almighty God. It is through this that we gain understanding into what God’s word means and how it relates to us. This is were Proverbs 22:17-21 comes in.

In this passage, God is calling us to hear those who have knowledge of the word, meaning being involved in Bible studies, listening to pastors and not just the one in our local church. But above all of these, we need to be spending time in the word of God, we need to apply our minds to seek out the treasures buried in the word, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,
But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.” Proverbs 25:2 The more we study God’s word, the more we are able to keep it at the forefront of our minds, allowing us to be able to answer the questions as they come; the answers will be ready on our lips. Pastors and Bible study teachers are great, as long as they are sticking to accurate interpretation of the word. This is why Proverbs 22:19 points out that our trust is in the Lord because it is Him who teaches us to understand His word. He has written us excellent things to give us knowledge and guidance. Our only task is to study His word seriously. When we do, we become assured of the truth.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

A STUDY IN GENESIS

We now enter a time in human history called the Antediluvian period. The Antediluvian (alternatively pre-diluvian or pre-flood) period is the time period from Adam and Eve’s fall to the flood. We will discuss more on this age of human history next week. For now, we want to emphasize two aspects of the Antediluvian age. First, nature is closely connected and in fellowship with humans, the fear of man has not entered their hearts. This will happen post Antediluvian age Genesis 9:2 “The fear of you and the terror of you will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given.” Second, the Jewish people are not here yet. Abram is not called yet to be the father of many nations, Isaiah has not willing followed the Lord, and Jacob does not have his 12 sons orchestrating the twelve tribes of Israel.

Unfortunately, what we do have starting at the very beginning, is man’s attempt at pacifying God. Religion emerged its ugly head and like all religion, death is the only thing that comes from it. You see, in Christ religion has no place. In Christ there is only a relationship between us and God on the individual level. The person recognizes their sin and the need for salvation, they know only God can provide that salvation. Religion does not like this, and as history will reveal, religion persecutes the true believers in Jesus Christ.

Genesis 4:1-6 “Now Adam had sexual relations with his wife, Eve, and she became pregnant. When she gave birth to Cain, she said, “With the LORD’s help, I have produced a man!” 2 Later she gave birth to his brother and named him Abel. When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground. 3 When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the LORD. 4 Abel also brought a gift--the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The LORD accepted Abel and his gift, 5 but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected. 6 “Why are you so angry?” the LORD asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected?”

Adam and Eve have children, many people assume this is their only children, however, this is not the case. Cain and Abel are the beginning of their children. Abel recognized his sin and understood that only blood could answer for his sin, Cain brought what was on the ground. We know from later on interactions of sacrifices, there will be grain offerings and other non blood related offerings to the Lord that will be accepted. Leviticus 5:11 “If you cannot afford to bring two turtledoves or two young pigeons, you may bring two quarts of choice flour for your sin offering. Since it is an offering for sin, you must not moisten it with olive oil or put any frankincense on it.” Cain’s offering is not accepted by the Lord because his heart! Both Cain and Abel had access to animals, and yet Cain decides to just pick some crops and give them to the Lord. When God tells Cain He is not happy with the sacrifice, Cain gets upset. Religion gets upset when God says, “Your actions are not good enough for my righteousness.” You see, there are many religious people who work diligent and hard to pacify God. And when this fails, what they have failed to recognize as their biggest issue comes to light, themselves. Religion does one thing very well, it identifies what truly is number one in man other than God. For Cain it was himself, verse 6 helps reveal this to us. “Why are you so angry?” the LORD asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected?” God is wanting to help Cain before it is to late, but Cain is already feeling rejected, hurt, insulted, his truth was not accepted, his opinion was not valued. Cain was in fact acting like how many today in the Church and in the world act. They are told “No you are wrong” about something and they get upset and angry. Nothing has changed in thousands of years.

Genesis 4:7-8 “You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” 8 One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out into the fields.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him.” God attempts to talk some sense into Cain before he sins, but Cain is not having any of it. Do you see the equation of sin? First it starts with pride, Cain is upset that his religious attempts are not good enough. Then he gets upset with his brother’s acceptance, he then gets angry and murders his brother. You see, sin is perfect at casting itself as your friend, sin was there with Cain assisting in outrage, anger, and self-righteousness/pity. However, God knows the truth and sin was at the door raising to control Cain. Yet, what people hate most about God, is that He knows what they have done. He can hold them accountable even when they do not wish it. This is why Christians are hated above all. We reflect Christ, this is why the Catholics killed so many born again believers when they called out to the Lord and studied the Bible, this is why throughout history mankind has been persecuting those who follow the Messiah Jesus Christ. Christians reflect Christ, thus mankind hates us. However, that does not stop God from acting according to His good will. He holds the sinner accountable no matter what. Just look at what He does to Cain for murdering Abel.

Genesis 4:9-16 “Afterward the LORD asked Cain, “Where is your brother? Where is Abel?” “I don’t know,” Cain responded. “Am I my brother’s guardian?” 10 But the LORD said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground! 11 Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has swallowed your brother’s blood. 12 No longer will the ground yield good crops for you, no matter how hard you work! From now on you will be a homeless wanderer on the earth.” 13 Cain replied to the LORD, “My punishment is too great for me to bear! 14 You have banished me from the land and from your presence; you have made me a homeless wanderer. Anyone who finds me will kill me!” 15 The LORD replied, “No, for I will give a sevenfold punishment to anyone who kills you.” Then the LORD put a mark on Cain to warn anyone who might try to kill him. 16 So Cain left the LORD’s presence and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.”

Cain has real punishment against him, God recognized the premeditative murder of Abel. However, for Abel God has him in His grasp. Hebrews 11:4 “By faith Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained the testimony that he was righteous, God testifying about his gifts, and through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks.” Even though Abel is dead, his actions speak and gives those who are born again a promise of salvation. If God can save Abel who believed that his savior would come, we can be saved knowing our savior has come. You see God has been saving mankind through the cross no matter what timeframe you are in it. For us, we have a choice to follow religion or to follow Christ. Religion leads to death. Christ leads to eternal life. The gospel has not changed since the beginning, however for many this will come as a monumental challenge. I hope you take a moment and realize just how much the Lord loves you and cherishes you. He wants what is best for you, even if that means identifying your sin and short comings so that you can come to grips that you need Christ. Next week, we will see what happens in the Antediluvian period still having sway of present day events.  Brace yourself and take time to pray and ask God to help you be ready to see His truth no matter how strange, bizarre, and unspoken at the pulpits it really is.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL