Category Archives: Uncategorized
Biblical Themes: Exile
Biblical Themes: Son of Man
Biblical Themes: God
Seek first the kingdom of God and all blessings will follow
Scriptural Meditations Part 2: God moves in His natural kingdom to bring blessings my way when I seek him first. He alone is the Great Rearranger who moves upon the atomic nature of the universe; giving ideas that bring forth results for the provision of his own children.
- I am recognizing that all power, wealth and honour comes as directed from you Yahweh; you created everything in heaven and on earth; everything good is of Your Kingdom and I am exalting you as the head over all. 1 Chronicles 29: 11-12
- All good things related to my life’s needs are coming my way for provision because I seek first our Lord’s kingdom and His righteousness. Matthew 6:33
- My God is an enabling God who activates nature to manifest and change form by faith for his children when asked. Psalm 107: 29; Joshua 10: 11-13; Jonah 1: 10-17; Matthew 8: 23-27; Mark 4: 38-40; John 21: 4-12; Matthew 21: 19-22; Exodus 3: 1-4, 15: 3-5; 1 Kings 18: 36-46
- My Lord hears my prayer claiming his covenant promises that he puts in my heart and mouth and then acts on my behalf to bring justice my way. His hand is not shortened, that he cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that he cannot hear; He sets up a standard against my enemies to protect me. Isaiah 59:1, 16, 19
- I have courageous action-based faith that Yahweh will give me the tools to prevail to give me success in all my ventures despite major obstacles in life or business, just as He gave David victory over Goliath. 1 Samuel 17: 45-53
Prayerful meditations for God-directed blessing in life
Scriptural Meditations Part 1: Over the years in ministry and business life, I believe I have succeeded abundantly based on trusting the Lord’s blessings. My meditations include this kind of prayer-based thinking. Here I share only a part of a large document of scriptural prayer meditations on many life and business subjects. I am also careful not to advocate a prosperity gospel, yet in my mind, I must trust the Lord for the provision of life’s necessities and recognize his blessings when accrued.
- I confidently trust, lean on, and rely on Yahweh/Father God, that I will be supported when I declare His righteousness in His entire kingdom on earth among the nations; because He will not hide His face from me, as He listens to me when I cry out to Him, who alone is my help. Psalm 22: 4, 5, 9, 22, 28-29, 30
- I joyfully dance in the Lord being established with strength and boundless prosperity. Psalm 30: 6, 7, 11; Psalm 122: 6-7
- I am calm and courageous speaking wisdom from an understanding heart, submitting godly thoughts to musical meditations expressing my inherent redemption as He guarantees to receive me into my inheritance of eternal life. Psalm 37: 30-31; 40: 3, 9-10; 49: 3-5; 7-8. 15
- The Lord increases my family’s peace, protection, and firm prosperity increasing in proportion as we trustingly take refuge in Him; He makes our right and just behaviour shine like the noon-day sun in all effects of causation. Psalm 37: 4-7; 11, 19; 22-26
- I am committing my works unto Yahweh and my thoughts and plans are established and succeed. Proverbs 16: 2-3
- I order my thoughts, conduct, conversation, and actions in the will of Yahweh’s Word and his entire revealed will, and manage my decisions to not wander from his commandments; and I, therefore, am rewarded by inheriting all your promises. Psalm 119: 1-7
- I am succeeding, increasing my business sales, selling continuously and vigorously in the marketplace, making entire penetration in my field of business expertise, because as a partaker of the divine nature, all my natural springs issue from you and you are able to make all grace abound toward me that I may have abundant provision in all good things. 2 Peter 1:4, Psalm 87:7, 2 Corinthians 9:8
- God reveals my moment of timing with regard to my life purpose with all the plans clear before me as with Moses, including what I am to preach regarding His current truth. John 9: 3, 4, 22, 13-34
- God keeps His secrets and protects my business and life purposes from idea-theft of ungodly men. 1 Sam 21: 12-13
- I trust Yahweh to give me Spirit led insights like David when he said “I knew it” regarding anyone who would tell one of my business secrets. 1 Samuel 22: 22; 23: 9-12
- I am waiting to see what God is going to do for me in all my business ventures. 1 Samuel 22:3; Genesis 31: 10-16, 50: 18-21
- As a sinner, I have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous. 1 John 1:9
- I am a son of Yahweh attested to and confirmed by Jesus Christ. Psalms 82:6; John 10: 34-36; Romans 13: 1-2
Easter Egging or Experiencing the Cross?
For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. Philippians 3:18
We all must earn to surrender to the deeper dimensions of the cross so that nothing can block the Lord’s presence and power in our life!
Jesus Christ died not so that you would recognize a historical fact. Or memorize a particular doctrine. Or continue with life as is. No, Christ’s death was God’ s decisive deed in your life, conquering sin once and for all. The cross beckons you every day, with the power to transform every detail of your existence as you begin to see Calvary from God’s perspective. 1
1 Henry Blackaby
Life App: The Miracles of Jesus – Part 1
Here we have a list of the miracles of Jesus as a study reference. Jesus told the apostles to perform similar miracles that He had done, as He sent them out two by two to preach the Gospel. And as we look at Jesus healing, we will suggest guidance from the Epistle of James with regard to how elders are to interpret and proceed with anointing the sick.
Cleansing a Leper Here we see the willingness of Jesus to heal a leper who initiated coming to Jesus on his own. (Matt 8:1-4; Mark 1:40-41; Luke 5:12-16)
Life App: We might see that this is one case similar to Jame’s counsel for the sick individual to call for the elders. (James 5:14-15) Yet further study will reveal that interpretation to call an elder may be ambiguously understood.
Healing a Centurion’s Servant (of paralysis) Here we find a Roman centurion with faith enough to come to Jesus and ask on behalf of his servant to just say the word, and heal him. Jesus recognized the leader as a man of faith and healed the servant from a distance. (Matt 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-13)
Taking initiative by proxy Here we see the initiative being taken by a compassionate man who is in authority over his servant. Though it is an ancient example, of acting on behalf of another, it speaks to me about the power of the hierarchy of church-eldership-led potentiation to act to anoint, which I feel should come from the most clear-minded leader, when a sick person is in an emotional state of overwhelming decision-chaos: losing sleep, rescheduling etc.
Falling into Decision Overwhelm A difficult process of weighing lots of advice coming from medical doctors aiming to have you decide to act now as they lead. In this way, the medical profession may get ahead of the church ministries. Medical doctors have their place and I do not demean them. My emphasis is to take the Christ-centred initiatives first to pray over and anoint the members in need.
Life App: What if the sick person was entirely healed when anointed a day before seeing the doctor before procedures begin? Or if begun, one might need to ask: how soon can we anoint this man or this woman?
Healing Peter’s Mother-in-law It is noteworthy that, James and John, friends of Simon and Andrew, “appealed to him” on behalf of Simon’s mother-in-law. An effort “on her behalf” was to get Christ close to her, and seeing her dilemma, he healed her. (see Matt 8:14-15; Mark 1:29-34; Luke 4:38-41).
Life App: Friends and relatives as spiritual partners often need to help an ill person with their spiritual resolve and clarity during times of medical crisis. A tired mind cannot think with the same bandwidth as a well well-rested untroubled mind.
Healing the Sick at Evening Notice that friends and family brought the sick and demon-possessed to Jesus and He healed them. (Matt 8:16-17; Mark 1:32-33; Luke 4:40-41)
Life App: There was a local effort to get the sick people before Jesus to be healed, once they were aware of Jesus being in the region. The tipping point was that the potential for healing was now. Today, Christ empowers godly elders to anoint the sick in the name of Jesus, to engage healing believers by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Demons Entering a Herd of Swine When Jesus saw the demon-oppressed man, he immediately began saying to him: “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” The demon possed man was incapable of asking for help so Jesus initiated the dialogue, which led to the man’s healing and desire to be with Jesus. (Matt 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-20; Luke 8:26-39)
Life App: Elders will encounter sick people in states, which make them unable to call to an elder for anointing. It is my belief that an elder once aware of this, should then take the initiative to go and anoint the person even if they are in a comma.
Healing a Paralytic Here is a group of people collaborating to get a sick person healed. They acted quickly, engineering a way to get the paralysed individual in front of Jesus. (Matt 9:2; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26)
Life App: Here we have a group of men bringing a paralytic to Jesus. The scriptures note that “When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, ‘Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.’” The action of getting the man front and centre with Jesus revealed faith, which resulted in Jesus healing and forgiving the man.
Raising the Ruler’s Daughter (Matt 9:18-19, 23-25; Mark 5:22-24, 35-42; Luke 8:41-42, 50-55)
Life App: Here is a case where the daughter was dead when Jesus arrived. Jesus said to Jairus, her father, who fell at Jesus’ feet, indicating his respect for Christ’s Sovereignty: “Do not be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.” (Luke 8:50 NIV)
In this case, a father who was also a synagogue leader quickly took the initiative of faith to find Jesus. Today we have Jesus with us via His Spirit and can call on him to heal the sick without any excessive time passing.
The use of Anointing oil
The eldership of the early church was told by James, as we can ascertain that the disciples were told by Jesus to use oil to anoint the sick people they encountered (Mark 6:13); whereas Jesus did not use oil to anoint. He did use his own spit and mud.
Life App: Oil use indicates a representative ministry of the Lord. The eldership of the church is the leading Royal Priesthood of Christ in the current New Covenant period, anointing the sick on behalf of and in the name of Jesus. (James 5: 13-18) Be aware that if taken literally elders may expect a sick person to request anointing on their own, without guidance relative to the context of the situation. In some cases, a sick person may never have perceived the aspect of personal responsibility to ask as per James 5:14; or if legalistically perceived by the eldership, may be misapplied theologically, determining that the member’s anointing may be deferred.
See also Life App: The Miracles of Jesus – Part 2 (in progress)
Eyes on you Lord
by Catherine Jackman
This is a scriptural study on the importance of keeping our eyes –, a metaphor for our renewed mind — on the Lord.
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people because all sinned (Romans 5:12).
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ, all will be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:22). But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign Lord; in you, I take refuge (Psalm 141:8) “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. (Matthew 6:22 )
Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? (Mark 8:18). Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes’? (Matthew 21:42)
But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, (Psalm 33:18) Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. (Proverbs 3:7)
Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word. ( Psalm 119:37) I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. (Psalm 16:8)
A Battle for The Human Soul
by Barry W. Bussey
We are at a cultural moment. No further evidence for this is needed than the ideological struggle in Alberta over the right of Christian schools to hold a fundamental understanding of what it means to be a human being. Religious schools are designed to pass on the faith to the next generation of young people. There is nothing strange about that. Since ancient times societies have had schools of learning to preserve and perpetuate the wisdom of generations past while nurturing the intellectual skills needed to grapple with contemporary issues.
Indeed, education, as we know from experience, is a key factor in maintaining a peaceful, productive, and purposeful society. Religion has long been part of that reality. From Isaac Newton to Max Planck, renowned scientists and intellectuals have been inspired by faith; their studies have been aimed at a better understanding of the world and its Creator. Today, however, religion and education are often portrayed as mutually exclusive. According to the thinking of certain secularists, the more educated a society becomes, the more religion will dissipate. Yet, after many decades of predictions, it is now evident that the secularization theory has failed to materialize. Religion still exists despite the educational and technological advances in the Western world. However, according to famed sociologist Peter Berger, there yet remain three distinct areas where the theory has seemed to hold true. Those are Western academics, the legal profession, and the media.
Those three have congregated themselves into an echo chamber – a sort of “filter bubble” – where they constantly speak to one another and reinforce their pre-established opinions of the world based on a shared ideology. They view religion as an anachronism at best and harmful to society at worst. Hence, they are on a mission to “save” the world from the bonds of retrograde religion.
Given this mindset, it is no wonder that the academic establishment in Alberta would seek to interfere with Christian schools, declaring unacceptable any policy which says, for instance: “God created mankind as male and female, equal in dignity and worth, yet with distinct and complementary roles.” Apparently, this statement violates the Alberta School Act which requires a “welcoming, caring, respectful and safe learning environment.”
The Alberta government has sided with the current academic coterie which endorses an ever-increasing menu of genders from which children should be permitted to sample. The “safe place” mechanism the government is imposing on Christian schools is, ostensibly, to help these young minds sift through an ever more complicated matrix of sexual orientations and gender identities. To teach that humans are binary is to present a very different understanding of human life – one that the secularists have deemed “disrespectful”.
Those religious schools that do not subscribe to the government’s ideology are facing an uncertain future. The provincial government has declared that they will not only defund such schools, they will deny accreditation. The battle lines have been drawn. Just how far will both sides bend to reach an accommodation? Or, are we now at a point where no accommodation is possible?
Behind every Christian school is a Christian community. Such communities can take their religious heritage back thousands of years. This is no small matter. The age-old Biblical teaching on human nature, including the divinely-given dignity of men and women, stands at the apex of this struggle. The government is not fighting “bigoted” religious communities. It is fighting Christian civilization.
There is now before us a battle over what it means to be human.