Category Archives: 2019

2019, Christianity, Holy Week 2019- Jesus is King, Inspiration, Salvation, Wisdom

Jesus is King: The Concept of Logos

opened Bible to book of Isaiah with cup of coffee

In my current series this week that is focused on Jesus in the Gospels, I would like to discuss the concept of Logos. The word Logos in Greek means: word, speech, principle, or thought. The Gospel of John is a Spiritual account of Jesus, and it is the only Gospel to explain the concept of Logos. John 1:1 (NKJV) says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”. In the beginning, was the Word, God created by speaking. The Word was with God and was God. Jesus was with God from the beginning. Reading further John 1:2-3 (NKJV) says, “He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.”. Without Jesus we have nothing.

John 1:14 (NKJV) goes on to say, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”. This is a very powerful verse right here. The Word became flesh, this is something thought to be impossible by the Gentiles. There are three characteristics that Jesus brings with Him. The first characteristic is glory. Hebrews 1:3 (NKJV) tells us, “who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”. The second characteristic Jesus brings with Him is grace, we know that we are saved by grace through Jesus Christ only. 2 Corinthians 12:8-9 (NKJV) says, “Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me.  And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”. The third characteristic that Jesus brings with Him that we find in John 1:14 is truth, we know the Word of God is true. 1 John 4:6 (NKJV) tells us, “We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this, we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”. Additionally, 2 Timothy 2:15 (NKJV) tells us, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”. We need to constantly be in the Word and have our trust in Jesus Christ because He is the truth. We need to be equipped with the Word every day of our lives. Ephesians 6:14(NKJV) reminds us, “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,”.

Along with the concept of Logos there is something else about Jesus that you will find in the Gospel of John that I absolutely love and would like to share with you this week as we get close to Good Friday. In the Gospel of John, you will find eight I Am’s of Jesus. Here is the list along with the scripture, I encourage you to reflect and study each of these this week:

  1. The Bread of Life
    John 6:35 (NKJV): And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
  2. The Light of the World
    John 8:12(NKJV): Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
  3. From Above
    John 8:23 (NKJV): And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
  4. Before Abraham Was
    John 8:58 (NKJV): Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”
  5. The Door
    John 10:9 (NKJV): I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
  6. The Good Shepherd
    John 10:11 (NKJV): “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
  7. I Am
    John 10:36 (NKJV): do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?
  8. The Resurrection and the Life
    John 11:25 (NKJV): Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

Please take some time this week to reflect on the concept of Logos and reflect on these eight I Am’s of Jesus Christ. My next teaching will be on The Cross and will be posted on Good Friday.  Please be sure to subscribe to my blog!

2019, Christianity, Holy Week 2019- Jesus is King, Inspiration, love, Old Testament, Salvation, Sin, Wisdom

Jesus is King: Water Baptism and Salvation

under water with sun reflection

As I continue my teaching series this week before Resurrection Sunday, I would like to teach on Jesus’ baptism and how it impacts us.   Before looking into the baptism of Jesus, I would like to discuss one important person and that is John the Baptist. There was a false teaching back in those days where people believed that John the Baptist would be greater than or equal to Jesus Christ. This false teaching or heresy was addressed in The Gospel of John. John 1:6-8 (NKJV) tells us, “There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.  He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.”. Jesus is the true Light, and John the Baptist is a forerunner for Jesus. John the Baptist baptized people with water for the remission of sins, however, we know that Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit. Matthew 3:13-14 (NKJV) says, “Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?””. John the Baptist wanted Jesus to baptize him because he knew who Jesus was. However, we will find out that Jesus wanted to be baptized by John the Baptist. We will also find out why Jesus got baptized by him.

So why did Jesus wanted to be baptized by John the Baptist? Jesus was clearly without sin so why was it necessary? Matthew 3:15 tells us, “But Jesus answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.”. Jesus got baptized so He could be identified with sinners. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV) says, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”.  Reading further into the passage in Matthew, verse 16 goes on to say, “When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him.”. John the Baptist witnessed the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus, it appeared to be like a dove. John 1:32 (NKJV) says, “And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.” The Holy Spirit remained on Jesus during His earthly ministry, and we know that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to the disciples after His ascension as you would read in the Book of Acts. John the Baptist also got confirmation from heaven that Jesus is the Son of God, Matthews 3:17 (NKJV) tells us, “And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.””.

So now that we know about what took place during the baptism of Jesus, let’s look at two key Old Testament scriptures. There are many Messianic scriptures found in the Old Testament that often get overlooked. First Isaiah 42:1 (NKJV) says, “Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles.”. Jesus is God’s Elect One, who He sent His Spirit upon. Matthew 3:17 is also confirmed in the Old Testament, look at Psalm 2:7 (NKJV) which says, ““I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.”.

Now that we have a background on the story of Jesus’ baptism and why He got baptized let’s look at the difference between water baptism and salvation. First, salvation needs to come before water baptism. Romans 10:9-10 (NKJV) instructs us, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation.”.  Salvation is what is required of us to make it to Heaven when we die.  If water baptism was the way to heaven then we would be saying we are saved by works, which we know is false teaching. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV) tells us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,  not of works, lest anyone should boast.”. This would also cancel out the largely popular tradition of newly born babies being baptized in water. Pouring water over a newborn baby in a church is no greater than giving your baby a bath at home, except you don’t invite the whole family to watch your baby get a bath at home. Also, we cannot be forgiven by anyone except Jesus, and we can go directly to Jesus in prayer. We don’t need any priest, bishop, or pope to go to Jesus, simply come as you are to Him. 2 Timothy 2:5 (NKJV) says, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,”. Once we are truly saved at salvation, water baptism is an outward expression of the old man dying and the new man coming forth. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”. I encourage you this week to reflect on the following questions:

  1. Think about how this scripture impacts your specifically: 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV) says, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”. 
  2. Read 2 Corinthians 5:17. Describe the transformation that took place in your life after your salvation?

I welcome you to feel free to share your comments to this post.

2019, Christianity, Healing, Holy Week 2019- Jesus is King, Inspiration, love, Salvation, Sin, Testimony, Wisdom

Jesus is King: Are You Bound Spiritually?

chains

As we are in the month of April it comes time to remember Jesus going to the cross and dying for our sins and conquering the grave. I will be giving a few teachings over the next few days about Jesus’ earthly ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection.  During His earthly ministry, He did many great things. One of the things Jesus did was preach because this was one of His purposes in His earthly ministry. Jesus said in Mark 1:38 (NKJV) “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.”. Jesus also performed many signs; He had several healings that we will find an account for in the Gospels. Many of His signs were related to healings, for example, when He healed the blind beggar, John 9:7 (NKJV) says, “And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.”. Another great sign Jesus performed was raising Lazarus from the dead.  As I was studying the story of Lazarus God put the word bondage on my heart, which is what I will be discussing in this teaching. In this teaching, we will not only look at the story of Lazarus but also why we need to be loosed from our bondage. Also, I am going to discuss eight common bondages many people, including Christians, deal with. And most importantly I will address how to be loosed from these bondages.

When Jesus went to the tomb that Lazarus was buried in there was a stone in the way. With this stone in the way there would be no way that Jesus could speak life to Lazarus, this is why He said: “Take away the stone” in John 11:39. Jesus could have called angels down to remove the stone, but He had the Jews remove the stone. Sometimes God will want us to remove the stone in our life before the breakthrough comes our way. If you look at the many miracles Jesus did in His earthly ministry you will see He wanted to get people involved in some way in their miracle. Maybe you might have to ask yourself what is He wanting me to do in my situation? If we read further into the scripture, we will find that when Lazarus was raised from the dead, He was still bound to the graveclothes. John 11:44 (NKJV) says, “And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.””. There are many born again Christians who are still bound to something and need to come loose of it, or maybe you became bound to something after you got born again. Regardless of the situation there is one person who can make you be loosed of your bondage, and His name is Jesus and He is alive and working today!

As I was studying bondage, I then obviously came across the word ‘loose’, so I got my Strong’s Concordance and dug deeper into the word ‘loose’. Jesus told us in Matthew 16:19 (NKJV), “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”. So, do you have something that needs to be loosed here on earth, before you make your way to heaven? God wants us to be loosened of our bondage because He desires us fully. Matthews 21:2-3 says, “saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me.  And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.”.  When we are fully loosened of our bondage God will do even greater works in our lives, therefore we need to really step back from our circumstances and look at the Spiritual roots of our circumstances and deal with the Spirit in the mighty name of Jesus!

I am going to go over eight common bondages that we could all be facing or could face. I must remind you that we live in a dark world and there are many demonic doors the enemy can use to enter our lives. Many of these problems will have a demonic spirit behind them. Therefore, we must deal with the spirit, and once we deal with the spirit the restoration can begin if we fully trust in God and His Word. I am going to warn you I am going to be to the point on these items, it is not to be offensive but to stress the importance of taking each of these to God. If we continue tolerating these things in our lives and churches, they will dominate us if they already haven’t.  I would also like to make the disclaimer that some of the problems we face can be self-inflicted also and may not have a spiritual root behind it. Therefore, it is important to seek God to properly deal with our problems in life and be open to hear His voice.  So here is my list of eight common bondages that have Spiritual roots behind them:

1.    Addiction

You might be addicted to drugs, alcohol, gaming, pornography, sexual immorality, or unhealthy food. Regardless of the addiction, it can be broken by putting your faith in Jesus and getting the Word in you daily. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NKJV) says, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

2.    Depression

Let’s face it the Spirit of Depression is so common anymore, so many people turn to psychology and medications rather than focusing on God’s word. Don’t get me wrong it is important to follow your doctor’s recommendation, but God is above all things. If you fully put your trust in God on your depression you can be delivered, and even get off your anti-depressant (please consult with your doctor first before getting off any medications). Psalms 34:17-18 (NKJV) says, “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears And delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit.” If you are dealing with depression, I would encourage you to not only read but study the whole Book of Psalms.

3.    Anxiety

With as hectic as life can get, we can worry from time to time, but then some people have issues with chronic anxiety, they might even have panic attacks. When I was younger, I had issues with anxiety. I was on medication for it until one night at church I got delivered of it and never had the problem again and never needed any medication for anxiety. 1 Peter 5:7 (NKJV) says, “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.”. Another word for care is anxiety, so cast your anxiety to the Lord.

4.    Rejection

Some people might be dealing with rejection. Whether it stems from an abusive relationship, abusive parent, rejection from another person, or even self-rejection. Rejection may also lead to poor emotional health and may even lead to poor physical health. Your medical condition may not be caused by the Spirit of Infirmity but might be a result of rejection. Remember 1 Peter 2:4 (NKJV) says, “Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious,”.

5.    Infirmity

If you have sickness in your body, turn to Jesus. Healing might not be instant; it might be a process. More importantly, we should not let our sickness hinder our walk with God. The enemy can use infirmities to hinder or even destroy our faith. Luke 13:12-13 (NKJV) says, “But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.”  And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight and glorified God.”. When you feel fatigued, get The Word into you. We need to get to a place when we are at our weakest, we turn to God and His Word first rather than the pill bottle. While God can use medicine and doctors to heal us, it important to always put God first in every situation even sickness.

6.    Trauma

Whether this is an emotional or physical trauma it must go in Jesus name. The bondage of trauma can come together with any of the previous five bondages I just listed. Maybe a trauma resulted in your self-rejection, or maybe a trauma resulted in anxiety or depression. Maybe a trauma resulted in arthritis, and you might have become addicted to pain medicine or alcohol. Or maybe you are suffering from arthritis because of a past injury. Regardless Jesus can heal us of both our physical and emotional traumas. Have you truly given your pain that you have buried away to Jesus? Or do you cope with it from something of this world?  Remember Mark 10:27 (CSB) says, “Looking at them, Jesus said, “With man, it is impossible, but not with God, because all things are possible with God.””.

7.    Generational Curse

You might have one of the six problems I just listed, and it might stem from a generational curse. You might have had a grandparent or great grandparent who suffered from addiction, depression, or anxiety. Or maybe someone in your bloodline had cancer or another disease that you are dealing with right now. Generational curses can run up to the third or fourth generation. Exodus 20:5 (NKJV) says, “you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,”. When one becomes born again, they should not only ask for forgiveness of their own sins but also the sins of their ancestors that run in their bloodlines. John 8:36 (NKJV) says, “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”.

8.    Religious Spirits

Oh man, I can really go into this one! Christianity is not a religion; it is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Many people get stuck on tradition and man-made doctrine and fail to truly accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. If you look back to Jesus’ earthly ministry you will see that the Jews did not accept Him because they were stuck in tradition and because they were looking at human standards.  A question I would like to challenge you on is why do the Catholics have mass at every service? Mass is the continued sacrifice of the cross, why are Catholics continuing to redo this sacrifice today? There is no need to because Jesus said, “It is finished”. I am calling on the Catholic Church in general because the Catholic Church is the largest seed planter of Religious Spirits that are straight from the pit of hell. Let me be clear I love all people of all denominations, but people need to wake up and read their Bible and realize the truth and be set free. Romans 10:3 (NKJV) says, “For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.”.

I am hoping by me listing some common bondages you might be able to realize that you have some in your life, or maybe a loved one has them in their life. Regardless, these bondages can be broken in the name of Jesus.  Galatians 5:1 (NKJV) tells us, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”. God loves you so much that is why He sent His only Son to save us, to heal us, to deliver us, and to set us free. He sent His Son to die on the cross for us, and His Son conquered the grave. John 3:16 (NKJV) tells us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”. I encourage you to take some time in prayer and seek God to be delivered of any of these eight bondages I just discussed with you. Also ask God to reveal areas of your life that you need to correct so there can be fewer doors for the enemy to enter in through. Finally, be sure to be in The Word everyday of your life as much as you possibly can along with prayer and worship.