Now What?

Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2^nd Timothy 2:15

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come (2^nd Corinthians 5:17). If you have believed on Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you might be wondering what do I do next?

First, be encouraged. You were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promise of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13). The Holy Spirit is living in you and will lead you into all truth.

Second, get yourself a Bible. I would recommend beginning to read the gospel of John. If you are coming from a Jewish background the new testament is completely Jewish and I would encourage you to read the Book of Matthew, with an introduction to the Jewish roots of Yeshua beginning with Abraham. The New Testament is a continuation of the Tanakh. You will find yourself immersed in writings by Jews.  But don't take my word for it.  Check it for yourself.

Find yourself a church that is doctrinally sound, preferably one that teaches through the Bible from cover to cover. While you are searching out a church there are several Christian growth websites I recommend. The Word For Today, with teaching through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation (the C3000 series) with Pastor Chuck Smith. Another is 'Cornerstone Chapel,' with Pastor Gary Hamrick, based in Leesburg, VA. Both are excellent resources.

You may immediately find a Christian or Messianic fellowship (church or synagogue) where you can find growth in your Christian faith. You may need to try out a few churches until you find a fit. I attended several in my town until I found a fellowship that met my needs for growth and discipleship.

The LORD wants you to grow in your faith. Remember, Christianity isn't religion, it's personal relationship; relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Grow in grace and truth, letting the Holy Spirit lead you to rightly understand and grow in God's word. What do you do now? Study to show yourself approved unto God as a workman that does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. I commend you on your journey. God bless.

Ken

Bark Without Bite

And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Psalm 1:3

Did you know there is an estimated 3.04 trillion trees on Earth? Or around 422 for each person on the planet. Trees help the environment. They reduce CO2, create clean oxygen, reduce ozone levels, impede erosion, and among other things give us food and shade.

Under the inspiration of God (2nd Timothy 3:16), David gives a beautiful word picture of what anyone who puts their trust in the Lord can be likened to. The description is of a mature tree with roots nourished in its strength by plenteous rivers of water. And most importantly, bringing forth its fruit in due season. 

The Psalmist is not telling one how to be the tree, but what abiding in the LORD will bring as the tree. They will stand strong in winds of change, not withering in the heat of trial, but soaking up the Living Water they shall enjoy nourishing others with the Truth of God's Word.

Where does one begin? It only comes by abiding in Christ. Apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5). It begins with believing the claims of Messiah Yeshua, followed by trust, then immersion in study and prayer. A fully mature tree will grow in Grace and Truth, standing the tests of time. And in that abiding Grace and Truth many will be glad and the LORD shall receive all the glory. They will rejoice in that its bark will be strong but minus the bite.

Ken

Too Amazing to be True

Remember the former age, for I am God, and there is no God beside, neither is there like to Me: Who shew [show] from the beginning the things that shall be at last, and from ancient times the things that are yet not done, saying: My counsel shall stand, and all MY will shall be done: Isaiah 46:9,10

Prophecy is telling the future before it happens. Did you know 1/3 of the Bible is prophetic with over 300 prophecies regarding the Jewish Messiah? Jesus fulfilled 356 Old Testament prophecies in His lifetime on earth.

It is sad that only about 2% of churches today teach biblical prophecy. Prophecy was so important to Jesus He took time to explain to His curious disciples things that were to come (Matthew 24-25, Luke 21). When He prophesied He said, “I have told you in advance that you may believe when it shall come to pass (Matthew 24:25, John 14:29). The hundreds of prophecies fulfilled by Yeshua (Jesus) corroborate Him to be the Jewish Messiah of Israel.

God has told us in advance so we have hope in Him. If He didn't want us to know He wouldn't have told us, so shouldn't we want to investigate these words of the LORD? We don't need fortune tellers, mediums, spiritualists, or psychics to do that. Those practices are an abomination to the LORD for they are counterfeited by Satan and will never be as 100% accurate as His Jewish prophets.

All prophecies are God-breathed (2^nd Timothy 3:16, 2^nd Peter 1:21). He reveals the beginning and the end with total accuracy, so we will know when it comes to pass. His promises are spoken beforehand and are as sure as the sunrise. Take hope in that, Beloved. It sounds too amazing to be true. But there it is.

Ken

No Bones About It

But God, (who is rich in mercy,) for His exceeding charity wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together in Christ, (by whose grace you are saved,) Ephesians 2:4-5, ESV

Remember when Zombie movies were the rage? No pun intended. They were the 'walking dead,' able to rise to any occasion and run amok, the living being their own fresh-meat smorgasbord.

Paul speaks of us being dead in our trespasses and sins. I've heard Christians say that to respond to Christ we each have a 'little spark' of life in us to hear and respond to the Gospel message, otherwise how could we do it? Believe me, in times past I've pitched my tent at that site and I can tell you the firewood there is green.

What brought me out of that belief was a sermon I heard on of Colossians 2:13. The minister said, “Dead means dead. Dead. It doesn't mean a little life, a spark of life, or a twitch of life. Dead means you aren't able to move, hear, act, or think. You can do nothing of yourself when you're dead.”

You might be thinking, “So if dead means like a door-nail how did I come into a living relationship with the risen Lord?” It's in today's Scripture verses. You hath He quickened together with Christ. It's a spiritual resurrection. He breathes life into the dead and stirs them to the possibility of eternal life in Him. How fortunate we have a living God who first loved us (1^st John 4:19).

It is a matter of life and death depending on where you will spend eternity, and with whom. Saying no to Christ's forgiveness returns the person to the grave, metaphorically speaking. They may continue to rise and walk like a zombie, but they are dead spiritually.

As the old song goes, two roads to choose, the road to glory or the fools highway. You can walk hand-in-hand with the King or shuffle along as a spiritual zombie. Sweet road to glory or the bitter end? Dead is dead but life in Christ is beautiful and eternal. Seek the Lord while He may be found. You'll no longer have to lie in the coffin of the old life but you'll be alive in Christ. No bones about it.

Ken

Jesus, I want to put my trust in You.  I believe Your death on the cross became God's perfect sacrifice for the sins of the world.  I ask You to forgive my sins and be Lord of my life. Amen

Our Ashes, His Beauty

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. Isaiah 61:3

Throughout Hebrew Scripture when Jews in ancient Israel wanted to demonstrate their depth of sorrow, as they grieved they would put ashes on their heads. Ashes symbolized ruin and destruction and the fullest sense of pain and loss.

In our own lives we all experience the pain of fiery trials that bring ruin and destruction. We find ourselves sitting in the ashes of our existence, unsure why God allowed it and in our grief heaping the ashes of heartache and sorrow on our heads.

When Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) presented Himself and His ministry to Israel, He stood up in the synagogue in His hometown of Nazareth, and was handed the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah. He read that the Spirit of the Lord anointed Him to preach deliverance, give sight to the blind, give liberty to the bruised, and preach the acceptable year of the Lord (Isaiah 61, Luke 4:18-19). In other words, to give His Beauty for our ashes.

How can this be so? For those who ask Him, He can take the ashes of our lives and give us the beauty of His indwelling Holy Spirit. It sounds like a lopsided trade, doesn't it? Exactly. But that's what Grace is. It is not earned. It is received.  He can come after any inferno and bring new growth to fire-ravaged lives, no matter the gory details. He gives to us something we could never do for ourselves. When the smoke clears in any situation, He's the only One left standing with both the power and authority to restore us. Tell Him. Ask Him. Your ashes. His Beauty.

Ken

A Real Page Turner

That he might show in the ages to come the abundant riches of his grace, in his bounty towards us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:7

Ever read a book you couldn't put down? Mysteries especially come to mind. That's what we call a 'real page turner.'

There have been many books written about heaven. All explanations fall short of its greatest glories. But even though they eventually fail some do resonate in our minds and may offer us a fleeting glimpse of that glory.

I heard one recently that did just that. A pastor commenting on our verse today said, “When I think on this verse I meditate on the vast riches of grace in the ages to come with Christ and what that can look like. I remember when I was a kid in our city library there was a huge Webster's Dictionary. Those dictionaries were very large and thick with pages. I imagine in eternity God having His own book, a book of His bounty towards us, while lavishing on us the riches of His favor for our first ten trillion years. We'll be blessed and astounded by what He has prepared for us and just when we think it can't get any better, He'll turn the page.”

How can one adequately describe heaven? Anything the wildest imagination can dream of, in heaven's realm of eternity, can only be multiplied to the nth degree. It will come from God's bounty, that He might reveal it to us in the ages to come in Christ Jesus. But speaking metaphorically, if there were to be a book of wonders in heaven what a page turner it would be. Book or no book, heaven will continually astound us, to be sure, and that for eternity. But what joy our Heavenly Father would have in turning those pages for us presenting new and eternal vistas of breathtaking delight. Every ten trillion years? I can live with that.  Have a blessed week. Shalom.

Ken

The Joy of Being Jewish

He chose our heritage for us, the pride of Jacob whom he loves. Psalms 47:4

As a Gentile I have a special place and love in my heart for the Jewish people. They are the diamond in the rough that will one day be the Jewel in their Messiah's Crown. They have been chosen by God to be his people that he loves with everlasting love and faithfulness (Jeremiah 31:3) .

Some, not yet all, are longing for their Messiah to come on the scene. He is spoken of throughout their Hebrew Bible, the Tenakh. Only One Man fulfills every prophecy recorded in it and that Man is Yeshua of Nazareth, Jesus Christ.

I am surprised that after watching oneforisrael.org it seems the majority of Jews today believe Jesus was Catholic, or a gentile Christian despot and persecutor, and are quite amazed to find out he was completely Jewish. All of his disciples were Jewish. One of them, Matthew, details Jesus' genealogy from Abraham (Chapter 1:2-16), and his contemporary, the historian Luke, traces Jesus' Jewish ancestry all the way back to Adam (Luke 3:23-38)! As one Jewish man quoted, “I was surprised to find Jesus was more Jewish than I was.”

The Tenakh speaks of him in astonishing detail in over 800 prophecies. Many have been fulfilled concerning him and many are yet to be realized. Many of those prophecies include the restoration of the Jewish people into a holy and righteous nation with their HaMashiach, Jesus Christ, as their Anointed King seated on the rightful throne of his father David.

The seed of Abraham has received a special dispensation of the love and grace that has revealed to them their desired Messiah. Hundreds, if not thousands, of Hebrew men and women are wanting to know this man in his complete Jewishness. Was he a liar? A lunatic? Or was he the Lord HaMashiach fulfilled in Jewish Scripture? It's a question worth pursuing. The answer will amaze and, perhaps, leave you feeling very joyous. Shalom, and abundant blessings to the children of Abraham.

Ken