Tag: John

The Light

"Then spoke Yeshua again unto them, saying: I am the Light of the world: he that follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the Light of life."

- Yochanon (John) 8:12 Cepher

Today at sunset marks the beginning of the last day of Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights. Though this is known as a Jewish holiday, as followers of Yeshua (Jesus), we can celebrate the fact that Yeshua is our Light. He guides us along the straight and narrow path, helping us to not stray when we seek His guidance. I pray that all in the world will seek His Light and no longer be slaves of darkness.

Shalom and Happy Hanukkah

Check out DC Talk’s In The Light:

Persecution

"Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are ye, when men vile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against falsely, for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad: for great is your reward in Heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you."

- Mattithyahu (Matthew) 5:10-12 Cepher

Have you ever been persecuted? Persecution can come in many forms. Most of us just get ridiculed, mocked, or shunned for our beliefs in Yeshua (Jesus) when we stand up for what He said and what the Torah says in the Bible. With the events, riots, and views that are ever expanding in the world today, you could soon be facing even harsher persecution. As Christians, we need to stand up for, support, and protect Yah’s (Lord’s) people the Israelites. That is a thing that is becoming less and less popular to do. There is a book called “The Hiding Place” by Corrie Ten Boom, where she recounts the events that her and her family went through during World War II when they hid Jews from the Nazi. They were Christians who ended up going to a concentration camp for doing what Yah wants us to do, which is to protect His people. Are you ready for that kind of persecution? Yeshua says in John that if we are truly living out His Word, we will be persecuted. 

"Remember the word that I said unto you: The servant is not greater than his Adoniy (Master). If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have guarded my word, they will guard yours also."

- Yochanon (John) 15:20 Cepher

I pray that if things in this world keep going in the direction they are that we all will have the strength to stand up for Yah, Yeshua, the Israelites, and the Bible.

Shalom

Luke 9:23-24/John 16:33

"Then He said to them all: “Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will save it.""

- Luke 9:23‭-‬24 NIV

In this day and age it can be hard to ‘take up your cross’. Our world right now is all about living the “me” lifestyle. It also doesn’t help that our governments and schools are pushing and teaching to live an antigod life. Sadly if you are truly following God and living your life for Him then you will get trials. Jesus even said we will have trials…

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” 

- John 16:33 NIV

… but not to worry because in the end He wins. If we put our trust in Him and follow His ways then we will have the strength to persevere through anything that the enemy throws at us. I pray that we can all “take up our cross” and follow God.

God Bless

Bless Us All

Image Copyright: Walt Disney Pictures and Jim Henson Productions

Tis the season where most people watch holiday movies. I’m no different. One of the movies I love to watch during this time of year is “The Muppets Christmas Carol”. Michael Caine plays Scrooge in this rendition while Kermit plays Bob Cratchit. Though I’ve seen this film several times since it came out in 1992 this year when watching I actually listened to the words being sung in “Bless Us All”. It was written by Paul Williams.

In “Bless Us All” it seems as though they are singing to God and it’s the closest to a Christian/Worship song that the Muppets sing. In the song Tiny Tim (Robin) sings “I look into the eyes of love and know that I belong”. God is love. 

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them."

- 1 John 4:7‭-‬8‭, ‬15‭-‬16 NIV

In another part of the song Tiny Tim along with Emily Cratchit (Miss Piggy) sing these words “Let us always love each other. Lead us toward the light”. Jesus said that He is the Light and those who follow him will not be in darkness but will have the light of life. 

"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”"

- John 8:12 NIV

I pray that this season and all year we can strive to want to love others and follow Jesus. Check out “Bless Us All” by clicking the link below.

God Bless

John 8:12

"When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”" 

- John 8:12 NIV

When we choose to follow Jesus our paths will be easier then if we were to go alone. This doesn’t mean that we won’t have trouble, but it does mean that we can rely on Jesus to help guide our way and get us through whatever may come at us. May you look forward Jesus to help you on your path.

God Bless

John 1:5

"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." 

- John 1:5 NIV

Right now things around us can seem pretty dark. The sun is setting sooner and rising later. Several mandates are taking away people’s freedom of choice and threatening the lively hood of them and their families. The good news is that Jesus is still alive and He is the light shining in the darkness. He will defeat the darkness that is the enemy. We need to keep looking toward that light and praying that the light will shine ever brighter in us spreading to others. May your light shine for all to see.

God Bless

Are all religions created equal?

This past weekend our senior pastor at Eagle Brook Church did a message titled “Are All Religions Created Equal?” and I thought it was very well done. It’s a condensed version put into one message of a past series that our former senior pastor had done about 10 years ago when my wife and I first started attending. This message has inspired me to want to do more research on this topic and share with you. In the mean time enjoy this message from my senior pastor Jason Strand.

Are all religions created equal? https://subspla.sh/n8bhqrp

"Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.""

- John 14:6 NIV

God Bless

Resurrection Sunday

Today is Resurrection Sunday, the day we celebrate Jesus having risen from the dead. On this morning at our house instead of the kids looking for eggs with candy in them they look for 12 eggs where 11 of them have trinkets in them. We then read a story and open each egg at different times throughout the story. The story starts with Jesus riding a donkey and ends with the last egg being empty just like the tomb. 

"The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him.’ Now I have told you.”"

- Matthew 28:5‭-‬7 NIV

Like the last egg Mary found the tomb empty with an angel standing guard. My guess is that after her interaction with the angel she remembered what Jesus had told her earlier. 

"Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”"

- John 11:25‭-‬26 NIV

What Jesus had told her earlier had come true just like He promised. He was crucified, died on the cross, and later rose from the dead so that we may have eternal life. When you trust in Jesus and put your faith in Him you too may have eternal life. Also when He died the temple curtain was torn in two.

"And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He gave up His spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life."

- Matthew 27:50‭-‬52 NIV

The curtain ripping in two signifies Jesus creating the way for us to come straight to God and to have a direct connection to Him and Jesus. No longer do we need a priest to go to God for us, we are able to go ourselves. We are able to have a personal relationship with Him and go to Him day or night no matter where we may be. If you have not yet put your trust and faith in Jesus all you need to do is close your eyes and pray to Him. Confess your sins and ask for forgiveness. He loves you and will forgive your sins. No matter what you may have done Jesus has already paid the price for you. All you need to do is come to Him and trust in Him. He will help transform your life.

God Bless

Thought Of The Day: 02/24/21

“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
 ‭‭
- John‬ ‭16:33‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What does Jesus mean when He says we will have trouble? Beyond the normal everyday life issues that may come up I believe that as Christians we can get even more trouble sometimes. What I mean is that when people find out that you believe in Jesus they may ridicule you, try to destroy you or your reputation, or just push you away. There are even times, though not so much yet here in America, when you could be beaten or even killed for believing in Jesus. Jesus wants us to know that in Him we will find peace. When our troubles happen we can go to Jesus to bring peace and comfort into our lives along with giving us strength to face these challenges. Also note that Jesus says He has “overcome the world”. Jesus has already won. Satan knows this but he is trying to take as many of us down before his time here is up. Keep in your mind that Jesus has already won and therefore Satan has no power over you. I pray you may find peace and strength today and everyday.

God Bless