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A Journal of Bible Revelations To a Christian Engineer Having read and studied the Word of God in the Bible for several years, I felt a compulsion to write my thoughts and the revelations revealed to me by God's Spirit.
The aim of this instruction is love from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a sincere faith. 1 Tim 1:5 My purpose in writing these things is that perhaps, by reading, some might come to know my Lord and my God, Jesus Christ. I am writing for the love of souls and so that none may suffer. A foolish person chooses certain destruction rather than love.
Why should we baptize? Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. John tried to prevent him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?" Jesus said to him in reply, "Allow it now, for thus is it fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Matt 3:13-15 It is right and fitting to be baptised. Baptism is symbolic of the New Covenant. It symbolizes your death to sin, burial, and rebirth through the blood of Christ. The key word here is 'symbolic'. The actual or real baptism is your baptism of fire with the Holy Spirit. I am baptising you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Matt 3:11 The 'baptism of fire' occurs when you commit yourself to the Lord. Making Him your savior. Which baptism is correct; Believers baptism or Baby baptism? Both. Believers baptism occurs after someone accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. A person is dunked in water. It is to show the people in the church a persons repentance and acceptance of the Lord. It is important to remember that baptism is symbolic. It initiates a person into the family of God. When Jesus was baptised, it was not for repentance. He was and is pure and free from sin. What then was Jesus baptised for? To symbolize the beginning of the New Covenant, the beginning of His mission, and the beginning of the church. Baby baptism occurs to an infant. Many wonder and do not consider this a valid baptism. Baptism is symbolic of the New Covenant. Do babies have to have knowledge of the Old Covenant before they receive the symbol of the Old Covenant? No. Throughout the ages, every male among you, when he is eight days old, shall be circumcised, Gen 18:12 "Go therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." Matt 28:19,20 The dictionary defines 'disciple' as: one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another. One can become a disciple immediately or it can take some time. Even a partaker of Believers baptism may fall away for a time and later in life study the Word and become a true disciple. A good family, after baptizing their infant in faith, truth, and love, will disciple their child about every aspect of the Christian life. Believer's baptism waits for the moment when the child accepts Christ. It is the truth lived and breathed and eaten every moment of the child's life. It is the love and kindness of the mother with family, friends, and neighbors and the dedicated protective love and discipline of the father. God is in that home and the child knows it and believes it without question or doubt. It is a pure faith - untainted by life - true to the core. Jesus has been a part of my life from the very start. He has always been present. From the beginning it was an accepted fact. With every spiritual encounter, I drew closer to Him. That is what I remember. When I went down on my knees to ask Him into my life - I discovered He was already there - and I did not know why. Now, I do know why. It began with my being baptized as an infant and my parents loving me into the church. Many people believe that water baptism is what forgives sin. What about the thief crucified next to Jesus who repented? When was he baptized? And yet we know that thief entered Heaven. He was baptized by the Holy Spirit. Where in the Bible do we find examples of baby baptizm? In 1 Cor 1:16, Paul states that he baptized the household of Stephanas. A normal household has a full family - adults, children, and infants. Also, many preachers use the exodus of Israel as an example and type of the Christian walk. They make the transit of the Red Sea a type of baptism. All of Israel went through the Red Sea - everyone.
>JTOC
The image of God is the wise man who loves God and loves his neighbor. But if any of you lacks Wisdom, he should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and He will give it. James 1:5 For the fear of the Lord is Wisdom and Culture; loyal humility is His delight. Sirach 1:23,24 For she is the aura of the might of God and the effusion of the Glory of the Almighty. Therefore, nought that is sullied enters into her. For she is the refulgence of eternal light, the spotless mirror of the Power of God. Wisdom 7:25,26 And to the man he said; behold, the fear of the Lord is Wisdom; and avoiding evil is understanding. Job 28:28 If you desire Wisdom, keep the commandments, and the Lord will bestow her upon you; Sirach 1:23 What is Wisdom? The fear of the Lord. She is a created thing with many of the attributes of God. Before all things else Wisdom was created; Sirach 1:4 Some feel that Wisdom is either the Holy Spirit or Jesus Christ. Although from the previous passage we see Wisdom was created. Jesus and the Spirit are one with the Father and not created. Then who is Wisdom? The woman in the Song of Solomon is a good candidate or Mary; the mother of Jesus Christ. Perhaps Mary could be considered the corporal incarnation of Wisdom. As Wisdom, should we worship Mary? No. We do not worship the creation beside or before the Creator. Why is Mary Wisdom or a type of Wisdom? She is the most important female figure in scripture. The immensity of being chosen to carry the Son of God in her womb; God must have loved Mary more than any other human being. Much of the Christian Church chooses to ignore Mary or denegrate her to the position of a common person. Still, you cannot ignore the special function and importance of the role she performed. Wisdom is consistantly referred to as 'she'. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are consistantly refered to as 'He'. As the Spirit lead me through scripture, the thread which began with Wisdom ended at the feet of Jesus Christ! In the gospel of Luke, Mary is said to be full of grace - without sin - and the mother of God. By slow and careful reading of Luke 1:26-55, we get the impression that an event of monumental importance is taking place. What a marvelous thing. As I studied this part of scripture, some thoughts came to me. Mary is THE MOTHER OF GOD! This is a fact, and cannot be denied. Therefore, per Deut 5:16, the Son of God must obey the Mother of God - simply because God would not violate His own rules. Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord, your God, has commanded you, Deut 5:16 Also, when the Spirit entered Mary to father Jesus, the Spirit of the Most High God united with the spirit of Mary. and the two of them became one body. Gen 2:24 And per Gen 2:24, a Holy union occured. We know that when a man and a woman are joined physically in marrage, their spirits as well as their flesh become one. To God they are looked upon as one. The purpose of the union of man and woman is to produce children. At the moment of union, as incredible as this sounds, God and Mary were united forever. To resolve the mystery of Mary, we must listen to what she has to say. At the wedding in the second chapter of John; they run out of wine. Someone asks Mary to get some more. I see this request as an example of someone praying to Mary to intercede for them. She approaches Jesus with the request and He says, "Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come." So His mother goes to the servers (the servers playing a type of the Christian believer) and she says, "Do whatever He tells you." John 2:4,5 I read that as an order to the Christian to obey the Lord. And what does He tell us to do? Love the Lord and Love your neighbor. In other words - do the commandments. Now look at Sirach 1:23: If you desire Wisdom, keep the commandments, and the Lord will bestow it upon you; Sirach 1:23 Mary said the exact same thing as Wisdom. Wisdom is the fear of the Lord. You show/do fear of the Lord by doing the commandments of Jesus Christ. And through the execution of them you gain Wisdom.
Yet all good things came to me in her company, and countless riches at her hands; and I rejoiced in them all, because Wisdom is their leader, though I had not known she was the mother of these. Wisdom 7:11,12 Wisdom is the mother of prosperity and success. Do not let this book of the law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so you may be careful to do everything that is written in it; Joshua 1:8 Jesus said that the sum of the law and the prophets was: Love the Lord and Love your neighbor. Jesus was the fulfillment of the law. You make Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior - Sovereign King and Lord of your life - and show your belief/faith by doing Love the Lord and Love your neighbor - with the kind of love talked about in 1 Cor 13: 4-8 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. then you will successfully attain your goal. Joshua 1:8 If you walk the path of life with Jesus Christ's commandments on your lips, in your mind, and in your heart; you will gain Wisdom, prosperity, and success.
To be humble - to serve. How does keeping God's commandments
enable you to be humble? You must acknowledge God's
sovereignty and kingship over your life in order to truly believe in
Him. When you serve your neighbor, you are
showing your love for God; the life within your neighbor was given
by God. God is the Prime Mover - everything that lives and moves
started with God. The key attribute of Father God is life. Life does
not die. There is no death in life - life is pure life. All that has life has
God within it. Yet, God is seperate.
In order to access the power of God, you must totally submit to His
sovereignty.
A prayer may be answered if:
a. it is God's will ("Your will be done" Matt 6:10)
b. it is asked in total humility.
Indeed, God does not listen to their empty plea; the Almighty pays no
attention to it.
Job 35:13
So what is life without acknowledgement of God's hand in it? Pride. Self-sufficiency apart from God is the road to destruction; route 666 - the Highway to Hell. Self-sufficiency is just another word for idolatry. The worship of self is to put yourself before or in place of God. No pride in self-sufficiency must be present when you ask God for anything. If vanity is present in the asker, God will not regard the prayer or answer it.
"Have faith in God," Jesus answered. "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go throw yourself in the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours." Mark 11:22-24 How do you truly - without a doubt - believe in something you need that has never existed or happened before? I wondered about this question for days. But after prayer and reading it over and over, I realized that giving thanks is how you do this. When you thank the Lord for something you: a. are doing so in faith b. are doing it in His name c. are acknowledging His sovereignty. Thank Him for the things you need. If it is in His plan, He will bless you with the need you thanked Him for in advance. So - thank the Lord for it!
"And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in Heaven may forgive your sins." Mark 11:25,26 This statement comes after the previous verse. Why? Pride again. If you are too proud to realize you are no better than your neighbor, then giving thanks will be as hollow, and empty as the wind. Read Matt 18:23-35. Forgive as you have been forgiven. True Love - 1 Cor 13:4-8. You see, you are not truly free of the law if you put others under the yoke of it. The freedom you get is equal to the freedom you give. You gain true freedom by looking on others through the eyes of Jesus with humility and forgiveness. This does not mean, once you gain salvation, you are given a license to sin. If belief in the Lord gives you freedom to sin, the Lord would not have told the adulterous woman, "Go, and from now on do not sin anymore." John 8:11
One time at work I tried to witness to one of my fellow engineers. I asked him, "What do you believe in?" He said, "I believe in oneself." This shocked me. How depressing. A lump of clay says, "I believe in oneself." The pride in this statement is almost humorous. Pride in self-sufficiency is the road to Hell. So, when a person who believes in oneself dies - nothing - like a bug. Oneself = dust. If God does exist - and He does - this philosophy will make you burn in Hell! Now think about it - if my fellow engineer had said, "I believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as my Lord and Savior", it would have been like a drink of cool-clear water on a hot summer day. Sometimes it really strikes me how eminently practical believing in Christ is. After all, aren't engineers supposed to be smart and practical (my wife would say, "He is uncomfortably practical") ? When a person makes a free-will decision to reject Jesus Christ for a road to oblivion, I just can't understand it. No one is perfact - we are all sinners. God is very aware of this. That is why all Jesus asks of us is to believe in Him. When you focus on Jesus, He will inspire you to do what He asks. It is a free-will choice between fire and clear-cool water. Choose wisely.
There is a divine pattern which relationships with God follow. An individual or group of individuals feel oppressed or low. They present there appeal to God. He answers them and blesses them with exactly what was asked. They settle in with confidence in God and get comfortable. Time goes by. Without realizing it, their active faith in the Provider becomes an inactive, passive faith. To be replaced by self indulgence and idol worship. The Lord warns them to come back to Him more than once. If they repent and acknowledge God and their depravity, He heals their land and peace is restored. If they do not return to their Provider and repent - God pours out His wrath on them. Now this principle should be obvious, but for some reason it is not. I derived it from studying the relationship between idolatry, self- sufficiency, and pride. The principle and pride are linked. When the person or persons recognize their inadequacy, they humble themselves before God and recognize His sovereignty over their lives and everything in it. Through this humility they ask sincere prayers and God hears them. Through the fog of time, all they can think about is the ball game or washing the car. Somehow they forget who put them there. They start to think that they succeed all by their own sweat. Turning away from God becomes easy. Seeking empty pleasures becomes the primary concern. The sin of selfsufficiency and pride comes to the rich. A poor man has to struggle and recognizes from where his next meal is coming. If you pray for a higher level of achievement and it is granted to you through the Lord's power; you are obligated to depend on Him to maintain it - or it will be taken away! Remember the Promised Land! If you are living in your 'Promised Land' right now recognize it! God gave it to you. Depend on Him and be thankful for it every day! Or you will fall into sin and the Lord will wipe you out!.
O death, where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory? 1 Cor 15:55 I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? John 11:25,26 I grew up in Rochester, New York during the 1960's. My father and mother brought me up in the Roman Catholic Church. A Protestant person believed in God, but in a different way. The majority of people I knew were Catholics. I can't even remember a Protestant church. As time went by, I began to memorize the Mass in Latin. In the late 60's they changed the Mass to English and the organ music to guitars and strange 'folk' music. And so, I began to memorize the Mass in English. Yet, somehow I sensed the power and mystery had gone out of the Mass. I love the Catholic Church. It is where I learned about God. Through all the confusing theology, the Lord kept my focus on Him. I did not miss the reason He hung on the cross. I knew He died for my sins and rose three days later; "Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again." His purpose was clear, the rest of Catholic theology was not. It is still difficult for me to understand much of Catholic theology. The only thing that felt right was the Mass and the Lord's prayer. The Lord's prayer stood out in my mind as untainted truth. Now, I understand it was the Holy Spirit who was guiding me to the path of truth. Now that time has passed, all I miss about the Catholic Church is going to Mass with my family. The Mass is derived from the apostles faithful keeping of the Lord's Supper. The apostles felt it necessary to include important events from Jesus' ministry whenever the believers gathered to celebrate the Lord's Supper. People in those times could not get Bibles, and few had the education to read it. The Mass is the Living Scriptures. As Christians our love, life, and church must be centered on Jesus Christ. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature; sexual imorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. Col 3:5,6 To put your bodies desires before the truth of God is idolatry. When a woman chooses to get an abortion because the baby will be inconvenient, a hinderance to her career, or a burden on her life, she is sacrificing the growing life within her to her job or herself. The doctor who performs the abortion is essentially acting like a priest to the pagan god Molec. Sacrificing children to the god of 'self' is the same as worshiping Molec - an idol. No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Matt 6:24 The practice of homosexuality and abortion are anti-life and anti-God. The practice of one is not compatible with the other. One cannot be a practicing homosexual and truly believe in God. God does not change. What was wrong in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah is still wrong today. Because of these the wrath of God is coming. Col 3:6 So let us return to the question of Salvation. Then they asked him, "What can we do to accomplish the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in the One He sent." John 6:28,29 1 Cor 15:55 and John 11:25,26 were quoted at the funeral of my uncle, August Spagnolia. He believed and held to the promise of the Lord, and I am confident he is with God in Heaven right now. Uncle Gus was brought up in the Roman Catholic Church, however, it was not till his daughter Carol and her husband inquired of his belief that he truly understood that Jesus Christ was essential for salvation. My uncle died of throat cancer. A disease I would not wish on my worst enemy. At the end, the Lord eased his pain and that of his family and when they looked into his eyes - they saw Jesus looking back at them. Wow! At the funeral you could truly sense the presence of the Holy Spirit. The certainty of my uncle's salvation was self-evident. Praise Jesus! Our Lord! God Bless You!
What does it mean when the Lord says: Love the Lord with all your heart, mind, and soul? What is heart? The heart is the innermost part of a man, the core of a person, the soure of motivation, inspiration, and deeds. Emotion comes from the heart. What is mind? Where you add 2 + 2. It is the seat of logic and reason. Where your memories are. It is your decision making place. The mind is the open ground - where Satan wispers deception. You reason God away with your mind. What is soul? This is tied to your other parts - body, heart, mind, and spirit. This is what makes you unique. The soul is your personality. When you die, this is what goes before the Lord. Your soul is eternal. It will spend eternity in the glorious presence of the Lord, or away from God, burning in agony forever. What is Spirit? It is Your life. What animates your body. What gives you strength. It is the spirit of life that comes from God. This life is seperate from the Father of life until a person makes a free-will decision to invite Him in - as Jesus Christ. When you are born-again, your old spirit is replaced with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the everlasting Spirit of God.
Once you ask Jesus Christ into your life, it does not become real unless you practice the commandments. Something people miss - especially today - is that Christian living is a 'do' thing. One thing that becomes clear, as you study the Bible, is you are what you do. If you do sin - you become and are a sinner. If you believe in God, you do as He asks. Therefore, belief/faith = do/action. If a person takes the salvation Jesus gave him and flaunts it as a license to sin he is not a Christian. Remember what Jesus said: "This is the work of God, that you believe in the One He sent." John 6:29 As long as one practices Christianity by Loving the Lord and Loving your neighbor, he is a Christian. Thus, there is no condemnation. When you sin, you must repent. If there is no sorrow or guilt which is the feeling of doing wrong to someone you love, including God - how can you have the Lord in your heart? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by the works. James 3:21,22 First comes the 'doing' of verbal acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and savior of your life. Then comes the 'doing of living as He did. Being a Christian is being like Christ. Part of this is having an repentant heart. When you sin with a repentant heart, you know it. Since you love the Lord and do not want to be seperated from Him, you repent. However, if you sin with an unrepentant heart, and continue in that road, will you be saved? A repentant heart is consistant, true, and forgiven. A person may stumble and fall occasionally, but because his heart is consistant, he gains eternal life. An unrepentant heart is on-again off-again, not consistant, hypocritical, and Luke warm. This type of plant is going to be thrown into the fire. As Jesus said. So, how do we conduct ourselves? Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1 Cor 13:4-8
Doubt = low or no surety Faith = surety But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin. Romans 14:23 To be sure of something is to have faith in it. Though this passage deals with meat sacrificed to idols, it is applicable to all things in life. When you study for a test - the answers are planted firmly in your mind. When you take the test, you pick the right answer with confidence - faith - that what you pick is the correct answer. Some answers you pick in doubt - these are incorrect. If you pick enough answers in doubt - you fail the test. A life full of doubt is a insecure life. Without confidence or courage. Faith brings with it security. Confidence that what you do is right and true. Knowing what you do is right and true gives you the courage to move mountains. See Mark 11:22-26. If you have even a little doubt about anything - don't do it. Many times the Spirit will warn you of coming disaster. You hear people say, "I know I shouldn't have gone there." This is doubt. Be sure in all you do and you will avoid disaster.