Archive for School of Religion
April 28, 2008 at 4:34 pm · Filed under School of Religion
“Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it” (Genesis 28:16).
How easy it is to forget that God is in this place, right where we are, especially if we are discontented where we are. The Almighty God can be found in the most illogical places. Why not, for He is omnipresent. When we least feel His presence, that is when He is most likely to be with us. Even Jesus thought His Father had deserted Him and cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34, Psalm 22:1). The Son was eclipsed by the overwhelming evil, only to shine brightest after earth’s darkest hour!
Who has not exclaimed, “My God, My God, where are you?” in the anguish of a dark hour of loss and hopelessness? But it was at that very agonizing moment that Jesus fulfilled His mission and, in our least likely and most hurting moments, we may be crying out to our Father who is already there and is covering our ruptured hearts with His healing promise of wholeness once again. O! let us claim and believe in our most doubting moments His greatness and His love and, above all, His presence.
As we look back over the critical junctures of our lives, we see that it was then that our priorities were rearranged and the results, we hope, became God’s will for us. But we can hardly be expected to appreciate the fire that is burning off the dross or the dent in our shoulder from struggling with our cross until we see the finished product. But, as we review our life, we realize that the heavier part of the cross was carried by Jesus and our burden was and is made lighter because of His love.
Yes, the Lord is in this place of anger turned to kindness, pride turned to humility, bitterness turned to gentleness, gossip turned to intercession, doubt turned to trust, ingratitude turned to acknowledgment, and malice turned to love. May we practice the presence of our God who loves and cares, no matter where we are and no matter what the overwhelming circumstances are, for they can never overwhelm our God.
April 19, 2008 at 12:00 am · Filed under School of Religion
The Snake Charmers. part 1. How many her today believe in the exestance of, witches, war-locks and sorcerers? If you noticed, my hand was up first. Now were not talking about halloween and spooks and goblins. witches with bumps on their noses, flying brooms or black cats or anything the like. I’m talking about, Spell Casters and Poshun Makers and Predictors, Psychics, Mediums, Numerology, Astrology-st, Horoscope Writers, Satan Worshipers, Observers of Times, Diviners, ect. believe it or not the world is full of such people, that believe in what their doing. I took a quick glance on the internet and found that there were;
2,197,261 sites containing witches
110,157 sites containing war-locks and
2,006,921 sites containing witchcraft. 1,119,088 sites containing Satan Worshipers, and the list goes on and on. The question today is, Does God acknowledge the existence of such people in the Bible? The answer is yes, over and over again. Where you ask? Lets read a little scripture. Exo 22:18 Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. Deu 18:10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,Deu 18:11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer.
Deu 18:12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.Jer 27:9 Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon:Isa 8:19 And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?
[Other references;Isa_19:3; Lev_20:6; Deu_18:11; 1Sa_28:8; 1Ch_10:13; 2Ch_33:6., Zec 10:2,Mic 3:7, Jer 29:8, Isa 44:25 , 1Sa 6:2, Deu 18:14,2nd Kings 10:18 thru 30 1st Kings 18:1 thru 40]
The most notable of them all was Jezebel .
2Ki 9:30-36, And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window.
And as Jehu entered in at the gate, she said, Had Zimri peace, who slew his master?
And he lifted up his face to the window, and said, Who is on my side? who? And there looked out to him two or three eunuchs.
And he said, Throw her down. So they threw her down: and some of her blood was sprinkled on the wall, and on the horses: and he trode her under foot.
And when he was come in, he did eat and drink, and said, Go, see now this cursed woman, and bury her: for she is a king’s daughter.
And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands.
Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said, This is the word of the LORD, which he spake by his servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jezebel:
2Ki 9:37 And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say, This is Jezebel. The most exciteing verse in scripture concerning witches is here, Exo 22:18 Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. Lev 19:14 Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumblingblock before the blind, but shalt fear thy God: I am the LORD.Cursed for speaking to the dead. 1Sa 28:7-20; Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.
And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee.
And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?
And Saul sware to her by the LORD, saying, As the LORD liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.
Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.
And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.
And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.
And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself.
And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.
Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy?
And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David:
Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the LORD, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day.
Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the LORD also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.
Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel: and there was no strength in him; for he had eaten no bread all the day, nor all the night. Can we speak to the dead? Yes. Will we be cursed By God for doing so? Yes. Witches, war-locks and sorcerers , a present danger to all of us, not just the Christian but also to the lost. bring their sorcery to our children, teaching them un-Godly things that should be burried with them.Decievers and snake charmers that inhabit the world, there are many in India that today are worshiping snakes, because of the witches influence over them. End part 1 of The Snake
About the Author: Juanita and I have come a far distance in our walk with God.Thru sickness, Illness and Tribulations, we still trust the one who created all things visiable and invisiable. In 1999,I was pronounced Dead of a massive Heart attack, God in His mercy, rased me up to continue my ministry.I have suffered 2 Heart attacks, cancer, Reflux Sympothetic Distrophy and Diabeties. http://www.ourchurch.com/member/a/arsmithsermons/
Source: www.isnare.com
April 7, 2008 at 3:31 pm · Filed under School of Religion
Apostles’ Creed “He ascended into Heaven and sits at the right
hand of God the Father Almighty…”
Terry Dashner (www.ffcba.com)
The Ascension story is one of the basic pillars on which our
salvation rests. These pillars are four in number. They are the
incarnation, the crucifixion, the resurrection, and the
ascension of Jesus Christ.
It was forty days after Christ had risen from the tomb. During
those forty days, on ten different occasions Christ had appeared
to the disciples, but He lived an otherwise mysterious and aloof
life, unseen by human eyes. But now that the forty days were up
He gathered the disciples together for the last time at some
undesignated spot in Jerusalem and held intimate communion with
them. Then He led them forth, as He had so many times during His
ministry, out of the city of Jerusalem, across the Kidron valley
where He had been brought, bound by the temple police, not too
many weeks before. Up the Mount of Olives He went–up a path
that has been trod by many pilgrims since–to the top of the
Mount of Olives. Then He went a little farther, to the small
village of Bethany, and there, as He gathered His disciples once
more around Him in a circle and gave them His final
instructions, He uttered the great commission: “Ye shall receive
power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall
be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in
Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Luke tells us that He then lifted His hands and began to bless
them, and as He blessed them, while they looked on, before their
astonished eyes, He suddenly began to rise up out of their
midst. As they followed Him with their eyes, soon He was above
their heads and His words continued to fall like the very dew of
heaven upon their heads. When He was a great distance above
them, at last a cloud, like the chariots of heaven, received Him
out of their sight–as if the great veil had fallen behind the
high priest as He entered into the Holy of Holies. And Jesus was
gone.
What is the significance of the ascension? First, it meant that
the mission of Jesus on this earth was finished. It was the
culmination of His redemptive work, the completion of His
incarnation, the end and reward of His sufferings, and His
entrance upon a new and greater sphere of work. It was the
beginning of His great intercessory work in heaven above. His
humiliation was over, and now was the time of His exaltation.
Second, it meant that we are now lifted up. Because we suffer in
this life and despair, our coming exaltation is guaranteed. We
will one day be resurrected from the dead and lifted to heaven
above all evil and suffering in this life. Because Christ
ascended, our ascension is for sure. But, then again, we don’t
have to wait until death to be lifted up and recompensed for
suffering for Jesus’ sake. The power of the Holy Spirit is given
to the church to raise it above the gates of hell. The believer
doesn’t have to take a back seat to the devil. Because Jesus
ascended, we may ascend above the fray and snares of the enemy
the by the power and might of the Holy Spirit. So it was with
John Knox, from the ignominious ranks of the slaves on a galley
ship, he became one who caused the very throne of England to
tremble. And so it was with John Calvin, who began his work in
Geneva only to have the people turn against him and run him out
of the city and out of Switzerland–until finally in desperation
they called him back again to do the mighty and
world-transforming work that he accomplished there.
This document can not state everything you should know about the
merits of the ascension of Jesus Christ. Suffice it to say this:
It is imperative to know that Christ is ascended before the
Father. He has entered the Holy of Holies, a place in the
earthly temple reserved for the High Priest of Israel only. The
High Priest entered there once a year before the Mercy Seat and
applied the blood of the sacrificial lamb on behalf of the
nation Israel. The blood was accepted by the Father as atonement
for Israel’s sin. When Jesus, the true Lamb of God, ascended to
the Father, He offered His own blood before the Father for the
sins of the whole world. If any man or woman will receive this
atoning work by faith, he or she will find God’s salvation and
be lifted from death unto life. This is the significance of the
ascension of Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God.
Keep the faith. Stay the course. Jesus is coming soon.
Pastor T
April 4, 2008 at 10:42 pm · Filed under School of Religion
Maybe it’s the holiday season or maybe it’s just me. Everyone and everything has been light-hearted and nostalgic and I’ve been having a hard time getting into the spirit.
During this past week Joyce Meyer’s television show “Enjoying Everyday Life” featured humorous stories and re-enactments of very funny incidents in her life. I watch the show routinely as I get ready for work. Last year, she decided to change the format and has been teaching and preaching about what she believes is our highest call - to enjoy God. Gradually, her show has been becoming more and more light. Sometimes, it is hysterical. She manages to mix some very serious matters like Hurricane Katrina relief and young people in recovery with how not letting self-pity overwhelm us.
Every challenge can be met with a Bible promise and every Bible promise can be met with a challenge. Many years ago, a friend told me about delivering her first child. She felt like she could handle the labor, but she desperately wanted a break.
Some of us rely on moments of relief so we can find inspiration. We need the breaks to pull ourselves together and gain strength. I lost my mother before she could tell me that there would be times when the break would not come quickly. Like a boxer, you have to trust that your training and reflexes are enough because the bell doesn’t ring when you want it to, it rings when the round is over.
There is always irony. While some of us are in the ring bobbing and weaving, others are rested and happily moving forward. At least, that’s what I noticed this week. Happy people are everywhere. I tried really hard to be one of them. One of our students, Deborah, came by with her little boy, Joseph. Joseph is way past cute, he is a magazine cover waiting to happen. He was one of the happy people. He headed straight for my dish of lollipops. Joseph didn’t notice the piles of papers that needed to be read or the books that needed to be reviewed, or the appointment reminders popping upon my computer, he went right for the good stuff!
OK, he is a baby, but aren’t we all on some level? He found everything that is interesting in my office. He gravitated toward the things that looked good, smelled good, or could possibly taste good. I couldn’t take my eyes off this little bundle of energy. I decided a long time ago that babies exist to teach us and to remind us of what is important. His mother presented a bag from her workplace. Deborah knows that I work with local crisis centers and wanted them to have the goodies.
I looked in the bag and saw all kinds of neat things. Soft fabrics, bright colors, and shiny stones. I called it “a bag of pretty.” It was a nice surprise and I knew that the ladies at the centers would enjoy them. So, I called Hale County Crisis Center, but Kay Harris, the Executive Director was on the phone and then heading to a meeting. In other words, she was in the middle of Round 4 and mentally preparing for Round 5! I personally delivered the bag of pretty and tried my best to give Kay some encouragement.
Growing up in Philadelphia, I noticed that Texas women dominated beauty pageants and cheerleading. It might be a stereotype, but those were my thoughts as a little girl. As a woman, I realize that all of those Miss Americas and Dallas Cowgirls had powerful lessons for all of us. None of us are immune from the struggles of life. Little things can make the difference between a knockout and a victory. Never underestimate the power of accessories! Noticing what is beautiful is the break between the battles.
Dr. LaMar researches, writes, and speaks about mentoring relationships among professional women. She also consults with growing businesses about how personality and processes can affect workplace dynamics. Her books “God Provides The Sacrifice: Women Discuss Making Their Hardest Decision” and “Drama Free Workplace” can be purchased in e-book format and paperback from her web sites or by calling 806-203-4094.
http://www.DrLaMar.com
http://www.DramaFreeWorkplace.com
http://www.PhenomenalWomansGuide.com
