From Galilee To Jordan

Matthew 3

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to an exciting episode of, “From Galilee To Jordan” starring, John the Baptist, and Jesus! I’m your host, “holyell”, and I’ll be bringing you all the details of tonight’s most fascinating scenes!

John the Baptist: Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!

(Crowds of people from Jerusalem, Judea, and all the regions of Jordan begin to come and hear John speak.)

John the Baptist: Hear me, and let my words penetrate into your hearts. Confess your sins before the Lord, and be baptized.

(Countless men and women confessed their sins, and were baptized. Note, baptism was an outward sign of inward confession. Although the water didn’t save men, the act showed others that a person made an honest confession to follow God.)

(John’s quick popularity caught the attention of the Pharisees and Saducees; the religious groups who held themselves to a higher standard than what God set in place.)

John the Baptist: Ahhhh, look who’s here. Oh generation of vipers! You must have heard about the coming wrath upon all who oppose righteousness. Make sure your acts are righteous, and that your works are good, because if you have bad thoughts and evil intentions, you will be cut down and destroyed.

(This message obviously didn’t rest well in the hearts of those wicked ones.)

John the Baptist: Surely, I baptize you with water unto repentance, but there’s someone coming after me, who is mightier than I am, and I’m not worthy to even carry his shoes. He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.

(The crowds of people wonder in amazement of who this other person could be.)

(“Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.”)

John the Baptist: It’s you! But, I cannot baptize you. I forbid it! You are…

Jesus: It’s alright. Do it now, because we have a responsibility to fulfill all righteousness.

(“And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” I wish I could have witnessed this in person.)

In times when you feel as though you’re unworthy to serve God, remember, you were made to bring glory to His name. So, in all you do, do it as unto the Lord, and He will reward you for all the good fruit you produce in the earth.

This concludes the exciting episode of, “From Galilee To Jordan”. Thanks for tuning in, and have a fantabulous journey!

One God

Ephesians 4:6-9

Contrary to popular belief, there’s only “One God, and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (the body of Christ) (vs. 6). “In the beginning God…”, and there was none else except the “Word”, who was with God in the beginning. So, where did all these other “gods” come from? 1 Corinthians 8:5 reads, “For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many)”, but this was in reference to how the heathen would use not only images, but the sun, moon, planets, stars, oceans, rivers, trees, and all other things in creation to serve as gods.

God stated plainly, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me”, yet men willing ignored that commandment, and placed senseless idols and graven images in place of the almighty God. There’s not a thing any idol or image can do to create life, sustain it, or enhance it in any way, so why do men neglect acknowledging the God of creation, and choose to worship something that was made by the Creator? This makes absolutely no sense, yet there are those who are hell-bent on keeping their faith, hope, and trust in a tree.

Modern-day gods have taken the form of things more subtle, including careers, people, and the mighty dollar. My, oh my, how so many have submitted themselves to the love of money, so much so, until they’ll do nearly anything to obtain it. While some are drawn away by their greed for cash, others get lost in their careers, while forgetting the importance of balancing self and family also. When we place anything above God, we become slaves to what those things represent. A job can’t restore your strength, but God can. Money can’t buy love, but God can give it freely. A tree can’t hug you, and transfer the positive energy you need to make it through another day, but God can place people in your life who can do that, and much more.

If there are things in your life you dedicate an excessive amount of time in, that takes away opportunities for you to get close to God, reconsider whether or not those things are even necessary for your life. If your job is keeping you from living holy, get another one. If the company you keep causes you to drift away from God’s ordinances, find new company. If your TV, cell phone, tablet, playstation controller, or other device gets more of your attention than God does, put it aside, and give God what He’s worth. Let nothing become a god in your life, and guard yourself from the subtlety of the world’s influence, that causes you to devote precious time into futile things.

“The enemy uses our dirt to shame and manipulate us. God uses it to harden our foundation and strengthen our faith in Him.” – Ell

The purpose of the Law

Galatians 3:19-29

This lesson stems from the previous one, and furthers our understanding of the law. Men who continue to abide by the law (of Scripture) have positioned themselves under a heavy burden, because the law was added because of man’s transgression, but only enforced until Christ came and fulfilled it. “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them” (Galatians 3:10-12). If one chooses to continue in the law, then he must practice all the things it consists of. This not only includes the ten commandments, but all the rituals, feasts, sacrifices, and all things written in the book of the law. In addition to this fact, no man can be justified by the law in the sight of God, because the just shall live by faith, and the law is not faith. But to those who are still convinced that they should keep the law, are required to do, and live in all things written in it.

I’m grateful that Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the law, so that we could be promised the blessing of Abraham as well. All blessings, including the Spirit baptism come through redemption and atonement. Believers are free to live in love, and are not bound by laws and traditions. Just because we are at liberty to love, we are not to abuse that privilege and participate in things contrary to holiness. The apostle Paul helps the church understand how we are to operate under the New Covenant of love when he wrote to the Roman believers, “Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:9-21).

Walk in love,

Ell

Matthias chosen to replace Judas

Acts 1:12-17, 21-26

Losing something of value oftentimes leaves a void that can’t always be filled easily. When a spouse or loved one dies, those who remain aren’t so quick to replace the one they lost with another, mostly because the one who passed on meant more to them than someone whom they’ve yet to love, trust, and respect. There are even times when finding a job after losing a good one can become a hassle, because you’d grown accustomed to your previous position, and possibly those you worked with. Although it stings, at times, to lose things of potential value, the void should eventually be filled, so that you can proceed where you left off. I’m not recommending men who’ve lost their wives, nor widows to marry immediately after their spouse passes, but that they should find something, or someone positive to fill the void that could keep them from progressing in life.

Our text picks up immediately after Jesus ascended into the clouds, and returned to the throne He had previously left to come to the earth. After gazing for a while at the clouds that received Jesus out of their sight, like deer in headlights, the disciples returned to Jerusalem and assembled into an upper room, where they lived during those days. While gathered there, the disciples, along with the women that followed Christ, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and his four brothers, continued with one accord with prayer and supplication. Just because Jesus was gone, didn’t mean they should walk with their heads hung low. Instead, they decided to remain of one mind, and pray to God for wisdom, guidance, and direction.

The first business meeting of this early church that included about 120 names, involved the disciples seeking to replace the void in their apostolic rank that Judas left vacant. The qualifications to becoming the next disciple were few, yet very restricted. The up-and-coming apostle had to be one who was in the company of the disciples all the time, and witnessed the life of Jesus and His ministry, beginning from the baptism of John, unto the same day that He was taken up from them. He would then be ordained to be a witness with the disciples, and of the resurrection of Jesus. The disciples narrowed down the search to two men; Joseph called Barsabas, and Matthias. When facing a tough decision, the best thing to do is follow the disciples’ example, and let God decide. God’s choice to become the next disciple was Matthias. Stepping into the role of a disciple of Christ, wasn’t something to be taken lightly. It’s obvious why the qualifications were so strict, because the man who was to take Judas’ seat had to be one who was able to endure persecution, rejection, and possible death. Living a godly life makes us targets for those who faithfully abide in works of darkness. We don’t love the world, and this is why the world hates us, just as it hated Jesus. But we who are the new millennium disciples have to maintain the same boldness the original twelve disciples held while taking the Gospel of Christ Jesus to the next level after His death.

Jesus left the disciples some powerful words, of which Matthias probably missed, but could’ve benefited from when He said, “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin. He that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause. But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning” (John 15:18-27).

Arm yourself with God’s spiritual armor, and fight the good fight of faith with persistence, so that when the time comes, God will say unto you, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matthee 25:21).

Walk in love,

Ell

Jailer and household baptized

Acts 16:25-34

In my previous lesson, I ended it by asking, do you take advantage of the opportunities you’re given to tell others about the Lord? Witnessing to those who are lost won’t always be an easy task, and there will be times when your words will have no effect on those you try to reach, but God will provide situations and circumstances that will set you up to win those souls that may, at times, be hard to reach.

After inspiring Lydia and her entire family with the Word of God on their first tour of Europe, Paul and his crew began to draw much attention from the locals. As the men of God headed towards proseucha (A place of prayer and worship where there was no synagogue. A spacious, uncovered type of amphitheater) to pray, they were met by a young woman who was possessed with a “spirit of divination”, who made her masters rich with her soothsaying. The spirit of divination is equivalent to the spirit of python, or Apollo. According to Dake’s annotated reference Bible, there’s a fable where Pythos was a huge serpent that had an oracle on Mt. Parnassus, which was famous for predicting future events. Apollo slew this serpent, and was called Pythius, becoming celebrated as the foreteller of events. It was also believed that those who pretended to foretell events were influenced by the spirit of Apollo Pythius. At his temple could be found a priestess called Pythoness. It’s through her, messages were delivered. Interesting, yet odd fable, yet many of the Romans held strong belief in it, and prospered monetarily from it as well.

Although many of the events foretold by these soothsayers were false pretenses given to make money, the woman who followed Paul actually spoke truth when she said in verse 17, “These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation”. There’s one thing the devil cannot deny (yet he definitely twists and alters it) is, the truth of God, and His Word. This woman continued following Paul and the men with him for days, until Paul realized the purpose of satan, turned to the demon (not the girl), then commanded it to come out. And it did. Uh oohhh! What did Paul just do?! Not only did he cast an evil spirit from a girl, which should have merited him praise and respect, but it angered the men who made money from the girl’s foretelling. Sin makes men stupid. When the people should have been grateful to God for a woman’s deliverance, they turned hostile at the fact that their dishonest gain was cut off. The angry mob forced Paul and his men into the marketplace to be judged by the Roman army commanders. As more and more people rose up against the men of God, the commanders were forced to beat them and throw them in prison. I can hear a verse to an old song that says, “… nobody told me, that the road would be easy…”. Standing for righteousness caused God’s men persecution and shame, but that wasn’t the end of the story. We may suffer a little while for righteousness sake, but if we endure until the end, our opportunity to win others to Christ will become available.

While in jail, rather than whine, moan, and complain about their current predicament, Paul and Silas prayed and sang songs loud enough for the other prisoners to hear them. They were neither embarrassed, nor ashamed because they knew God was still in control. As they worshiped, a great earthquake shook the entire prison, which caused all the doors to open, and everyone’s chains to be loosed. The jailer knew for sure that the men had escaped the prison after such a great earthquake, so he prepared to kill himself, because his responsibility was to keep the prisoners secured, or he’d suffer the death penalty. Before the man followed through with his rash suicide, Paul spoke out and said, “Do thyself no harm: for we are all here” (vs. 28). What a relief it was to hear that the men who had every opportunity to flee unjust bondage, decided to stay and await their underserved punishment. The jailer was instantly changed, as he fell down before Paul and Silas, then asked what must he do to be saved.

God has a way of bringing lost souls directly into your path, but you must remain humble, and be willing to share God’s goodness with them, even if they had done you wrong. After being converted, the jailer took the men, washed the wounds from their stripes, then was baptized; “he and all his”. He even invited the men to his house, fed them, and rejoiced, believing in God, along with all his family. Isn’t it amazing how the love of God can change the heart of a man in an instant? Not only was the jailer saved, but his entire household was as well. God wants everyone saved and delivered from sin, because the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Walk in love,

Ell

Well pleased

Matthew 3:11-17

Every member joined into the body of Christ plays a major role in establishing God’s kingdom. Some were called to preach or teach, while others were called to prophesy or handle administrative duties in the church. There are many who establish churches, and set them in motion, only for others to sustain them, and strive to fill every seat with disciples. The most important part of any ministry is its foundation. Just as buildings require solid foundations in order to withstand time and weathering, ministries demand the same to ensure prosperous and fulfilling works from the body of believers.

One believer who was called to prophesy and establish the foundation for the ministry of Christ was, John the Baptist. John typified the character of how the church should carry themselves. He wasn’t flashy or prideful, nor did he boast in himself, as many with platforms and an audience usually do. While the rich and wealthy of John’s day wore girdles of silk or linen, decorated with silver, gold, and valuable stones, John dressed himself in camel’s hair, and a leather girdle, which were rough garments usually worn by prophets or the poor. Although his physical appearance wasn’t stunning, his message of repentance was bold, sharp, and powerful! Unlike preachers today who give watered down messages only to appease their listening audiences (and to keep good offerings coming in), John’s words cut straight to the heart. Some of John’s doctrines included repentance, the kingdom of heaven, restitution, godliness, absolute justice, and Jesus, the Lamb of God.

As John’s popularity grew, many came from Jerusalem, Judea, and all the region around Jordan, to be baptized of him, and to be forgiven of their sins. Like clockwork, whenever God was moving immensely in the lives of people, the haters always showed up to poke their nose in God’s business. John noticed the Pharisees and Saducees coming to his baptism, and without hesitation, he called them out for their self-righteousness, and denial of true godliness. It’s one thing to come to God with the intention to change, but coming only to spectate and criticize is simply a waste of time. John continued to express that he baptized with water unto repentance, but Christ will come and baptize with the Holy Ghost, and with fire. John remained humble at the mention of Christ, because he was fully aware that his little cousin was indeed the Son of God, but he wasn’t prepared to actually baptize Jesus. When Jesus arrived to Jordan where John was ministering, He asked for John to baptize Him, but John refused, because he felt unworthy to do such an incredible thing. Jesus mentioned something very interesting that quickly changed John’s response when He said, “Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness” (vs. 15). In other words, God had an assignment for both of His servants to fulfill, and it was purposed for John to baptize Jesus, the savior of the world.

As Jesus came up from the water, the heavens opened and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and shining upon Him. What an awesome depiction of the Father above, the Son below, and the Spirit between them! God then spoke those awe-inspiring words, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (vs. 17). Although it wasn’t mentioned in Scripture, I’m 175 percent certain that God was also well pleased with John. John did well in paving the way for Christ, and he continued his mission even after Jesus took the stage. As God looks over all the men and women who still exist on the earth, is He well pleased when He stops and gazes at you? Look at your life, and compare it to all those who’ve gone on to glory. Are you bold in your confession of salvation as other pioneers of the faith were? Do you go against the grain, and preach holiness, even when others criticize and put you down? Like John the Baptist and Jesus, live your life in such a way that God is always pleased when He mentions your name in Heaven.

Walk in love,

Ell

Buried in baptism, raised with Christ

Colossians 2:6-12

Can you remember the last time you were bored? I honestly can’t remember the last I was. People don’t understand me when I tell them I never get bored, but I really don’t. The reason is, I get super excited every time I wake up, plant my feet on the floor, wash and gird myself on my own strength, and go throughout the day, looking to put a smile on someone’s face. Yeah, I may have watched excessive episodes of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, and painting sessions with the great Bob Ross, but my motivation and excitement for living comes from knowing that I’m complete in Christ. The biblical definition of the term complete is to make full, to cause to abound, to carry through to the end, and to accomplish.

Through Christ, we are made new, and our lives are now in sync with our original purpose. Jesus walked the earth with all the fullness of the Godhead in Him. Jesus Christ is the personal and bodily manifestation of all the fullness of Deity. He was God, and operated in the fullness of God’s power and blessings to men. But before we could have access to that same power, we had to first be buried with Christ, and then raised with Him, through the faith of the operation of God. Many today partake in water baptisms, and are immersed in water by a preacher or minister, but the baptism into Christ was by the Holy Spirit. Water baptism is an outward expression of an inward confession, but spiritual baptism refers to resurrection from death in sins and trespasses.

It’s important that Christians understand how wonderful and awesome it is to be in Christ, because there’s never a dull moment walking in the will of our Father. This is one reason why I find it hard to understand why churches are filled with bored and unhappy members. One old mother use to sing a song titled, “I Get Joy When I Think About, What He’s Done For Me”. The problem is, people really don’t know all that Christ has done, that’s why they aren’t interested in learning who He is. But this is where Christians are supposed to step out and tell the world who He is. If we aren’t excited within ourselves about our Savior, then how can we expect to influence someone else? The Word alone gives us the best interpretation of God, God’s Son, and the Holy Ghost. Guard yourselves against those who make attempts to spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the traditions of men and the rudiments of the world, yet fail to acknowledge Christ.

The most simplest and brief summary of the Bible, in my own words is, God created, satan rebelled, satan influenced man, man sinned, Christ died to save man, Christ ascended back to His place in Heaven and awaits to return and judge the earth. From Adam until now, we strive daily to live obedient to the God’s commands. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair, because we have been raised with Christ. Because He arose with all power in His hand, we have access to use this power to stand against satan and his army.

Take joy in knowing that through Christ, you can do all things. Stop walking around as if you were baptized in mustard and lemon juice, and displaying a displeasing countenance. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven. Nothing and no one can keep us from being great in God, because we are complete in Christ, who is the head of all principality and power.

Seek peace,

Ell