Hosea 10:3-4

There is no respect for the President and it shows in our actions and in our deeds. We choose to forget that God alone controls the world and places whom He chooses in positions of power...we are to respect His decisions. Our me mentality society cares little for the things of God it would rather have its ears tickled with the false idols of money and greed. 

Romans 13 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. ² Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. ³ For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. ⁴ For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. ⁵ Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. ⁶ For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. ⁷ Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. 

Hosea anticipates the people’s response when God’s judgment came to destroy Israel’s political stability and independence. This analogy refers to poisonous weeds sprouting up in a field and choking out the crops. In the same way God’s judgment would replace His blessings. 

Hosea 10:3-4

³ For now they say, 
“We have no king, 
Because we did not fear the Lord. 
And as for a king, what would he do for us?” 
⁴ They have spoken words, 
Swearing falsely in making a covenant. 
Thus judgment springs up like hemlock in the furrows of the field. 

Psalm. 12

1 Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge,
But he who hates correction is stupid.

Matthew 27:51-53

To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. 

The temple had two veils or curtains—one in front of the Holy Place and the other separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. It was the second of these that was torn, demonstrating that God had opened up access to Himself through His Son. Only God could have torn the veil from the top. The fact that the people who were raised appeared to many in the holy city implies that they had been contemporaries of the people who saw them.

2 Cor 5: ⁶ So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. ⁷ For we walk by faith, not by sight. ⁸ We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. 

 Paul was not only confident  that he was going to be with the Lord, he was pleased that he would be with the Lord after his death. This is one of the passages in the NT that indicates where believers will go immediately after their death; they will be with Jesus in heaven (see also Phil. 1:23). Jesus’ promise to the repentant criminal on the cross next to Him indicates this: “Today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43).

Matthew 27:51-53

⁵¹ Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, ⁵² and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; ⁵³ and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 

Love is the only way to the Father and eternal life

The life of Jesus reveals God’s nature to man. In accepting the salvation that the Father offers in His Son we are redeemed to God through His righteousness. The Holy Spirit comes into our life in that moment to take the nature of God revealed in Jesus Christ and teaches us the ways of the Trinity.

How do we accomplish what God wants for our life?

By loving Him above all and loving others as much as we do ourselves!

Jesus declares His unique relationship with God the Father. The Lord reveals Himself only through Jesus. To know God, one must know His Son, Jesus. Jesus was not saying that righteousness is the result of works. Rather He was saying that love for and obedience to God will be a natural result of placing one’s faith in the Lord. Those who believe in Jesus and follow Him will receive eternal rewards.

Luke 10:21-22
²¹ In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said,  “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. ²² All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”

What does Jesus reveal to us about the Father and the way to eternal life?

Luke 10:25-28
²⁵ And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 
²⁶ He said to him,  “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” 
²⁷ So he answered and said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’” 
²⁸ And He said to him,  “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.” 

Matthew

The Book of Matthew provides the written proof that  by genetics and fulfillment of Old Testament prophesy Jesus Christ is all man and all God. To know Him is to know God. Unless our righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees we will not enter God’s Kingdom. And who is righteous? No one... but those who abide in the righteousness of Jesus Christ will be counted in His. Jesus the man is where God meets earth at the center of the cross and at that center is the whole truth of the Gospel and the salvation given as a gift to those who by choice accept it.

14 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. ² In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. ⁴ And where I go you know, and the way you know.” 

Matthew

The Gospel of Matthew has many Jewish overtones. For example, the term “kingdom of heaven” appears 33 times and the term “kingdom of God” four times. No other Gospel lays such stress on the kingdom; the restoration of the glories of David’s kingdom was a burning hope for many Jews at the time. Matthew clearly identifies Jesus with that hope by using the Jewish royal title “Son of David” nine times in his Gospel. Furthermore he calls Jerusalem “the holy city”  and the “city of the great King” , both uniquely Jewish ways of referring to it. First-century Jews emphasized righteousness, and Matthew uses the words “righteous” and “righteousness” more often than the Gospels of Mark, Luke, and John combined.

We reap what we sow

we reap what we sow

as a world entity

as a nation

as a state

as a city 

as a family

as an individual

God gave us the perfect environment to live in we have abused our resources and now we live in an unsafe and dangerous environment

The world was conquered with wars so we  live in a violent world

Those who partook of the sexual revolution will live with the sexually transmitted diseases that are common in our world today…..unfortunately so will all generations because they have sex with everyone in your past

Nations, families and people have been built on greed and power and they will die alone and hated by all those who they stepped on in their quest for worldly riches.

If we sow hatred we get hatred

If we sow love we get love

you choose….Jesus didn't come to earth packing weapons and He was crucified because He wasn't into politics!

Ezekiel 34:20-24

The Lord protects those who place their life into His hands....God protects His family! As His representatives on earth Christian leaders should care for the physical and the spiritual needs of people!

The change from the pronoun I to he in this verse indicates that God would continue operating as the Chief Shepherd through this chosen future ruler from the Davidic line. He is the Messiah—God’s only Son and His servant.

It is easy to see in these comparisons why the Scriptures often exhort leaders to be shepherds to their people. A good leader is concerned that the people’s physical needs are being met and that care is provided for the sick and injured. A true leader looks for those who have fallen away. He leads like a shepherd by providing direction and correction, not with a fist but with a loving hand. A good leader protects those under his care and does not leave them to the wolves—to those who lead them astray. And finally, a good leader gives of himself to those under his charge. He cares about them and their well-being. Because Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd, it is clear that He is the One about whom Ezekiel prophesied. He is the One who searches after His followers, saves them, guides them, and supplies their needs. Jesus’ self-sacrificing life provides the perfect blueprint for making a good shepherd and leader.

Ezekiel 34:20-24

²⁰ ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God to them: “Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat and the lean sheep. ²¹ Because you have pushed with side and shoulder, butted all the weak ones with your horns, and scattered them abroad, ²² therefore I will save My flock, and they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep. ²³ I will establish one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them— My servant David. He shall feed them and be their shepherd. ²⁴ And I, the Lord, will be their God, and My servant David a prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken. 

Nahum 3:4-6

God cares about ALL people they are His creation! He is slow to anger but He has a breaking point.  He will not tolerate idolatry among His people....anything that elevates itself in our country above God is idolatry...money, power or control. If God is against you it does not matter who is for you!

Harlotries refers to paganism. Any worship of gods other than the God of Scripture is an act of spiritual prostitution. Nineveh was so adept at pagan practices that the city earned the descriptive title, the mistress of sorceries. Who could survive the Lord’s opposition? The nations would be glad that the city was gone.

Luke 11:32 The men of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, one greater than Jonah is here.

Nahum 3:4-6

⁴ Because of the multitude of harlotries of the seductive   harlot, 

The mistress of sorceries, 
Who sells nations through her harlotries, 
And families through her sorceries. 
⁵ “Behold, I am against you,” says the Lord of hosts; 
“I will lift your skirts over your face, 
I will show the nations your nakedness, 
And the kingdoms your shame. 
⁶ I will cast abominable filth upon you, 
Make you vile, 
And make you a spectacle. 

Nineveh's greatness was short-lived. In around 627 BC after the death of its last great king Ashurbanipal, the Neo-Assyrian empire began to unravel due to a series of bitter civil wars, and in 616 BC Assyria was attacked by its former vassals, the Babylonians,

Chaldeans, Medes, Persians, Scythians and Cimmerians. In about 616 BC Kalhu was sacked, the allied forces eventually reached Nineveh, besieging and sacking the city in 612 BC, following bitter house to house fighting, after which it was razed to the ground.

Most of the people in the city who could not escape to the last Assyrian strongholds in the north and west were either massacred or deported out of the city and into the countryside. Many unburied skeletons were found by the archaeologists at the site. The Assyrian empire then came to an end by 605 BC, the Medes and Babylonians dividing its colonies between them.

Jonah 1:2 "Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach against it, for their wickedness has come up before me."

Jonah 3:3 So Jonah arose, and went to Nineveh, according to the word of Yahweh. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days' journey across.

Jonah 3:4 Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried out, and said, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!"

Jonah 3:5 The people of Nineveh believed God; and they proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them even to the least of them.

Jonah 3:7 He made a proclamation and published through Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, "Let neither man nor animal, herd nor flock, taste anything; let them not feed, nor drink water;

Jonah 4:11 Shouldn't I be concerned for Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred twenty thousand persons who can't discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much livestock?"

Jonah 4:11 Shouldn't I be concerned for Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred twenty thousand persons who can't discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much livestock?"

Zephaniah 1:2-3

We need to get our act together! God’s people need to start caring about others and add actions to their thoughts. We are in the end times and God is calling us to be doers of His word not just hearers.

The message of Zephaniah begins with a pronouncement of universal judgment. These words not only introduce the particular judgment that would be pronounced upon Judah, but they also speak of the final judgment that will usher in the kingdom of God on earth. Because there is nothing in the universe that really may be compared to the Creator, God abhors all forms of idolatry.

Many books of prophecy in the Bible speak of “the day of the Lord”. This day is a time of judgment that includes both God’s people (Israel and Judah) and the surrounding nations. The prophet Zephaniah scolded Judah’s leaders for countless acts of wickedness. His prophecies against the nations included Philistia, Moab and Ammon , Ethiopia, and Assyria. These nations were judged because of pride and arrogance against God’s people and because of their continuing idolatry.

But the last section of Zephaniah’s prophecy contains words of hope: promises of protection for the remnant and promises for the future of those who know Him truly. In a future day, peoples of all nations will come to worship the Lord. His own people will be renewed in righteousness. And the King of kings Himself will rule in their midst. That day of the Lord’s return will be a day of song and gladness. Even God will burst out in joyful singing. The raging anger of the Lord will be replaced by His happy singing, for salvation will finally have come to His people.

John 14:8-21

Ask all things in the name of Jesus to bring glory to God....and He will be there. We were made in God’s image and we are a tripartite being...mind, body and (heart) spirit! May the mind of God in His gift of salvation through the birth, death and resurrection of the body of Jesus give you the Holy Spirit to dwell fully within you. What were the commandments of Jesus? To love God with all that is within you and to love others as much as you do yourself. In God’s agape love you were given life....in gratitude for the forgiveness and salvation you were given... love much. All we need is love!

Jesus came to reveal the Father. It is impossible to escape the claim Jesus was making. Clearly, He was claiming to be God. Jesus’ work on earth was confined to Palestine; the apostles would preach everywhere and see the conversion of thousands. Peter’s message at Pentecost brought more followers to Jesus than did Jesus’ entire earthly ministry. The disciples were able to do this work because Christ would go to the Father and send the Holy Spirit to empower them.  The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of truth  because He is truth and guides us into all truth. The Spirit of God is active in the world, but His acts go unnoticed by the world. As the believer lovingly obeys Christ’s commandments, he or she will experience a more intimate knowledge of Him.

believe (Gk. pisteuō) (1:7, 12; 2:23, 24; 3:15, 16, 36; 4:39, 41, 42; 6:47; 11:25; 14:1; 20:31) Strong’s #4100: The Greek word for believe literally means “to place one’s trust in another”; it occurs over 90 times in the Gospel of John alone. To believe in Jesus is to believe in His person and to trust in Him completely for salvation (3:15, 16). Many of Jesus’ contemporaries believed in Jesus’ miraculous powers, but they would not believe in Jesus Himself (6:23–26). Others wanted to believe in a political Messiah, but would not believe in the One who suffered for their sins (Mark 15:32). But we must be careful to believe and trust in the Jesus presented in the Scriptures, in the Son of God who sacrificed His life for our sins (Gal. 1:3, 4; Phil. 2:5–8).

John 14:8-21

⁸ Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.” 

⁹ Jesus said to him,  “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. ¹¹ Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. 
¹² “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. ¹³ And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. 
¹⁵ “If you love Me, keep My commandments. ¹⁶ And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. ¹⁸ I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. 
¹⁹ “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. ²⁰ At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. ²¹ He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” 

Micah 2:7

God is all powerful, all seeing and all knowing......nothing is impossible with Him! His Word is powerful for good to those who are in Christ Jesus and trust only in Him. God always has the final say in our life and in the life of His creation.

The words of God bring good to the righteous even as they bring judgment against the wicked.

The idea here is that one might not expect justice from pagan leaders in a faraway place. But the rulers of the people of God were expected to emphasize justice. Justice is one of the key concepts of the Law. Perverting justice was strongly prohibited by God . Yet this was precisely what the leaders of Judah were doing. They had used their authority to destroy justice rather than to establish it among the people.

Micah 2:7

⁷ You who are named the house of Jacob: 
“Is the Spirit of the Lord restricted? 
Are these His doings? 
Do not My words do good 
To him who walks uprightly? 

Romans 3:21-26

By faith alone are we saved? Jesus, all God and all man, came into the world not to condemn the world but that through His birth, death and resurrection, the world might be saved. His righteousness stands in our place of unrighteousness, His holiness stands before God in place of our unholiness. Shout it to the world grace, grace....to God be all glory! Does this give us permission to sin? Not at all but that by our humility and gratitude for His gift of salvation we show His great and abounding love to all by our words and actions.

In this context the righteousness of God is not an attribute of God, but an act of God whereby He declares a sinner righteous. This is righteousness from God. Those who believe are justified, that is, “declared righteous,” freely, without cost, by God’s grace, or “favor.” Christ Jesus died to provide redemption, which means He died to pay the price required to ransom sinners. By paying the penalty of their sin through His death, Jesus can free people from their sin and transfer His righteousness to those who believe in Him. On the basis of Christ’s righteousness alone, believers can approach God’s throne with praise. Through God’s initiative, they have been restored to a proper relationship with Him. By His death, Christ satisfied the justice of God. He paid the penalty of sin in full. Paul cites two reasons why the righteousness of God comes through Christ’s death. The first is to demonstrate that God Himself is righteous, and did not judge the sins committed prior to the Cross. The second reason for the Cross is that God wanted to show that He is both righteous and at the same time the One who can declare sinners righteous. Because of Christ’s death, God does not compromise His holiness when He forgives a sinner.

Romans 3:21-26

²¹ But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, ²² even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵ whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, ²⁶ to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 

Mark 16:2-8

I believe that there are many things spiritually discerned that we dismiss. In our modern scientific age we have turned aside from hearing the still small voice of God and having eyes we do not see and ears we do not hear. Fear and unbelief stop us from fully understanding the impact of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives.

Mark does not identify the young man who appeared in a long white robe as an angel, but clearly he is there to explain the mystery that confronts the women. The Greek voice of He is risen, which is passive, indicates that an act of God accomplished the raising up of Jesus. 

Chosen by God as the first human witnesses to Christ’s resurrection, these women were commanded to go and tell. The special mention of Peter signifies that Christ still accepted him, even though he had denied the Lord three times.Initially, the women’s fear caused them to say nothing to anyone. They recovered shortly, however, and brought word to the 11 disciples, including Peter.

Mark 16:2-8

² Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. ³ And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” ⁴ But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large. ⁵ And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. 
⁶ But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. ⁷ But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.” 
⁸ So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. 

Matthew

The Discipling Process....what does that mean? It means that there is no room for pride or arrogance.... There is no room for bigotry or hatred.... There is no room for anything but humility and the pure love of God manifested in Jesus Christ to be shared with the world. He is the only way to the Father, the pure truth of the Triune Godhead revealed to us,we need to understand the breadth and width of the love that they have for their creation. We need to be like little children full of love and  trusting God for everything in our lives! Don't let your love grow cold.....

Matthew

The discipling process involves instruction in the words of Christ, and the Gospel of Matthew revolves around five of Jesus’ discourses. Instead of emphasizing a narrative of Jesus’ life as Mark does, Matthew uses the narrative elements in his Gospel as a setting for Jesus’ sermons.

5 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. ² Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: 

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit, 

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

⁴ Blessed are those who mourn, 

For they shall be comforted. 

⁵ Blessed are the meek, 

For they shall inherit the earth. 

⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 

For they shall be filled. 

⁷ Blessed are the merciful, 

For they shall obtain mercy. 

⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart, 

For they shall see God. 

⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers, 

For they shall be called sons of God. 

¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, 

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

¹¹ “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. ¹² Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. 

¹⁷ “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. ¹⁸ For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. ¹⁹ Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. ²⁰ For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 

13 ¹¹ He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. ¹² For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

18 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 

² Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, ³ and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. 

24⁴ And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. ⁵ For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. ⁶ And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. ⁷ For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are the beginning of sorrows. 

⁹ “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. ¹⁰ And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. ¹¹ Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. ¹² And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³ But he who endures to the end shall be saved. ¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. 

Matthew 28:1-4

There are angels watching over us to do God’s bidding! Angels were instruments of God used throughout the Scriptures to warn people of danger, to herald good tidings and to get their undivided attention.

An earthquake marked the death of the Lord Jesus here it evidenced His resurrection. The tomb was not opened to permit Christ to come out, but to allow others in so they could see that it was empty.

Matthew 28:1-4

28 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. ² And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. ³ His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. ⁴ And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. 

Acts 12:11

God can send His angels to look over us and help us in times of deep distress.

If we believe that God is good and wise, we can trust that what He allowed to happen was part of His wise plan for the good of all of His people. When we place our complete trust in the goodness of God, we can find true peace.

Acts 12:11

¹¹ And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.” 

John 21:7-8

God sees the heart of a person! He loves passion and abhors complacency and even when we make huge mistakes, like David or Peter, He will turn those things around and use them for His good and the good of His Church. He respected John's unbridled love and Peter's fire....He would make good use of both.

John was the first to recognize the Lord; Peter was the first to act. Though Peter often made bad decisions, he had zeal that would eventually be channeled to good use.

John 21:7-8

⁷ Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea. 

Zechariah 9:9-12

God remembers His promises to a thousand generations.......place yourself and your entire family into His loving, powerful arms. Only He has the power of life and death, not the world or Satan, but the Lord Almighty. He has the final say. Come King Jesus come!

Jesus came first as a humble King of peace and salvation, accomplished in Jesus’ earthly ministry and His death on the Cross. Second, Jesus will come as a victorious Ruler over all the world who will “speak peace to the nations.”

The release of prisoners announced here would serve as a great encouragement for the Jewish people still in exile. Even though the prisoners were living in a well-watered place in Persia, they were in a place akin to a waterless pit in terms of their opportunity for spiritual nourishment. They were exhorted to return to the stronghold Jerusalem.

Zechariah 9:9-12
⁹ “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! 
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! 
Behold, your King is coming to you; 
He is just and having salvation, 
Lowly and riding on a donkey, 
A colt, the foal of a donkey. 

¹⁰ I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim 

And the horse from Jerusalem; 
The battle bow shall be cut off. 
He shall speak peace to the nations; 
His dominion shall be ‘from sea to sea, 
And from the River to the ends of the earth.’ 

¹¹ “As for you also, 

Because of the blood of your covenant, 
I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit. 
¹² Return to the stronghold, 
You prisoners of hope. 
Even today I declare 
That I will restore double to you. 

Mark 2:21-22

There is a reason that new Christians are vulnerable...we are targets for Satan and the world and the worst thing that we can do is totally isolate ourselves. We are transformed precept by precept by the Holy Spirit. We need to be able to know what are the traditions of men and replace them with the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It takes time and we can become overly critical of others. God hates pride and He will use whatever it takes to mature us and learn the lessons that we need. It is a wonderful time where we are closest to our teacher, the Holy Spirit, but we need others to keep our feet on the ground where we reside.... at least for now. 

Mark records only four of Jesus’ parables—two of which he includes here. The comparison implies that the newness of His message, and of the new covenant to follow, cannot fit into the old molds of Judaism. The OT was preparation for the NT.

Mark 2:21-22

²¹ No one sews a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; or else the new piece pulls away from the old, and the tear is made worse. ²² And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.” 

Acts

When God speaks to you.....LISTEN. In an age of the physical it is so easy to dismiss our spiritual side. We need to hear the small, still voice inside that warns us of the things to come about in our life and the measures we need to take to overcome them.

Because of the importance of the issue of personal prejudice, Luke repeats the account of the vision of the sheet and the unclean animals that God used to free Peter from his racial bigotry.

If we believe that God is good and wise, we can trust that what He allowed to happen was part of His wise plan for the good of all of His people. When we place our complete trust in the goodness of God, we can find true peace. God is in control despite any appearance to the contrary.

Acts 11:4-15

⁴ But Peter explained it to them in order from the beginning, saying: ⁵ “I was in the city of Joppa praying; and in a trance I saw a vision, an object descending like a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came to me. ⁶ When I observed it intently and considered, I saw four-footed animals of the earth, wild beasts, creeping things, and birds of the air. ⁷ And I heard a voice saying to me,  ‘Rise, Peter; kill and eat.’ ⁸ But I said, ‘Not so, Lord! For nothing common or unclean has at any time entered my mouth.’ ⁹ But the voice answered me again from heaven,  ‘What God has cleansed you must not call common.’ 

Acts 11:27-29

²⁷ And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. ²⁸ Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. 

Acts 12:5-7

⁵ Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. ⁶ And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. ⁷ Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands.

1 Corinthians 1:10-13

Adam was placed by God in a garden where everything that He needed physically existed but God knew that man also needed the human touch to thrive. In His wisdom He gave Eve to Adam and Adam to Eve. More than once they both probably questioned the viability of this gift for their spiritual health....but the Almighty knew! We need other people to stand by us, celebrate with us and help us in the good times and in the bad....Be very thankful for those He places in  your life!  ALL Christians are His....all who call on His name... not the name of their minister. He did not leave us alone but gave each of us the Holy Spirit to guide us and teach us! In unity and with the power of the Holy Spirit nothing is impossible!

Paul pleaded for an outward expression that comes from an inward spirit. Not only did Paul encourage the Corinthians to speak the same thing and have external unity, he also urged them to be joined together in a unity of hearts and minds. 

1 Corinthians 1:10-13

¹⁰ Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. ¹¹ For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. ¹² Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” ¹³ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?