PIONEERS-FORERUNNERS 3-27-15

FORERUNNER One who proceeds-One who comes before and indicates the approach of another. A visionary who sees the futher and brings it to the present.

Isa 40:1  “Comfort, oh comfort my people,” says your God.

2 “Speak softly and tenderly to Jerusalem, but also make it very clear

That she has served her sentence, that her sin is taken care of — forgiven!

She’s been punished enough and more than enough, and now it’s over and done with.”

3 Thunder in the desert! “Prepare for God’s arrival! Make the road straight and smooth, a highway fit for our God.

4 Fill in the valleys, level off the hills, Smooth out the ruts, clear out the rocks.

5 Then God’s bright glory will shine and everyone will see it. Yes. Just as God has said.”  MSG

Matt 3:1 While Jesus was living in the Galilean hills, John, called “the Baptizer,” was preaching in the desert country of Judea.

2 His message was simple and austere, like his desert surroundings: “Change your life. God’s kingdom is here.”

3 John and his message were authorized by Isaiah’s prophecy: Thunder in the desert! Prepare for God’s arrival! Make the road smooth and straight! MSG

Matt 11:10  This is the one of whom it is written, Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You, who shall make ready Your way before You. 

11 Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

12 And from the days of John the Baptist until the present time, the kingdom of heaven has endured violent assault, and violent men seize it by force [as a precious prize — a share in the heavenly kingdom is sought with most ardent zeal and intense exertion].

13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied up until John.

14 And if you are willing to receive and accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come [before the kingdom].  AMP

¯¯¯

Matt 11:10 He is the prophet that Malachi announced when he wrote, ‘I’m sending my prophet ahead of you, to make the road smooth for you.’

11 “Let me tell you what’s going on here: No one in history surpasses John the Baptizer; but in the kingdom he prepared you for, the lowliest person is ahead of him.

12 For a long time now people have tried to force themselves into God’s kingdom.

13 But if you read the books of the Prophets and God’s Law closely, you will see them culminate in John, teaming up with him in preparing the way for the Messiah of the kingdom.

14 Looked at in this way, John is the ‘Elijah’ you’ve all been expecting to arrive and introduce the Messiah. MSG

John 1:29  The very next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and yelled out, 30 “Here he is, God’s Passover Lamb! He forgives the sins of the world! This is the man I’ve been talking about, ‘the One who comes after me but is really ahead of me.’

31 I knew nothing about who he was — only this: that my task has been to get Israel ready to recognize him as the God-Revealer. That is why I came here baptizing with water, giving you a good bath and scrubbing sins from your life so you can get a fresh start with God.”

32 John clinched his witness with this: “I watched the Spirit, like a dove flying down out of the sky, making himself at home in him.

33 I repeat, I know nothing about him except this: The One who authorized me to baptize with water told me, ‘The One on whom you see the Spirit come down and stay, this One will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’

34 That’s exactly what I saw happen, and I’m telling you, there’s no question about it: This is the Son of God.”  MSG

John 3:28 You yourselves are my witnesses [you personally bear me out] that I stated, I am not the Christ (the Anointed One, the Messiah), but I have [only] been sent before Him [in advance of Him, to be His appointed forerunner, His messenger, His announcer].  

29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the groomsman who stands by and listens to him rejoices greatly and heartily on account of the bridegroom’s voice. This then is my pleasure and joy, and it is now complete.

30 He must increase, but I must decrease. [He must grow more prominent; I must grow less so.] 

31 He Who comes from above (heaven) is [far] above all [others]; he who comes from the earth belongs to the earth, and talks the language of earth [his words are from an earthly standpoint]. He Who comes from heaven is [far] above all others [far superior to all others in prominence and in excellence].  AMP

¯

John 3:31 “The One who comes from above is head and shoulders over other messengers from God. The earthborn is earthbound and speaks earth language; the heavenborn is in a league of his own. MSG

John 3:34 For since He Whom God has sent speaks the words of God [proclaims God’s own message], God does not give Him His Spirit sparingly or by measure, but boundless is the gift God makes of His Spirit!   AMP

Acts 2:22  You men of Israel, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man accredited and pointed out and shown forth and commended and attested to you by God by the mighty works and [the power of performing] wonders and signs which God worked through Him [right] in your midst, as you yourselves know —

23 This Jesus, when delivered up according to the definite and fixed purpose and settled plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and put out of the way [killing Him] by the hands of lawless and wicked men.

24 [But] God raised Him up, liberating Him from the pangs of death, seeing that it was not possible for Him to continue to be controlled or retained by it.  AMP

John 14:12  I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father.  AMP

¯¯¯

John 14:12  The person who trusts me will not only do what I’m doing but even greater things, because I, on my way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do that I’ve been doing. You can count on it. MSG

1 John 1:1 [WE ARE writing] about the Word of Life [in] Him Who existed from the beginning, Whom we have heard, Whom we have seen with our [own] eyes, Whom we have gazed upon [for ourselves] and have touched with our [own] hands.

2 And the Life [an aspect of His being] was revealed (made manifest, demonstrated), and we saw [as eyewitnesses] and are testifying to and declare to you the Life, the eternal Life [in Him] Who already existed with the Father and Who [actually] was made visible (was revealed) to us [His followers].

3 What we have seen and [ourselves] heard, we are also telling you, so that you too may realize and enjoy fellowship as partners and partakers with us. And [this] fellowship that we have [which is a distinguishing mark of Christians] is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah).

4 And we are now writing these things to you so that our joy [in seeing you included] may be full [and your joy may be complete].  AMP

¯¯¯

1 John 1:1 From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in — we heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands.

2 The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen! And now we’re telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this: The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us.

3 We saw it, we heard it, and now we’re telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ.

4 Our motive for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy this, too. Your joy will double our joy! MSG

Heb 6:19 [Now] we have this [hope] as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul [it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whoever steps out upon it — a hope] that reaches farther and enters into [the very certainty of the Presence] within the veil, 

20  Where Jesus has entered in for us [in advance], a Forerunner having become a High Priest forever after the order (with the rank) of Melchizedek. AMP       ¯¯¯

Heb 6:19 It’s an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God

20 where Jesus, running on ahead of us, has taken up his permanent post as high priest for us, in the order of Melchizedek. MSG

Heb 2:9  What we do see is Jesus, made “not quite as high as angels,” and then, through the experience of death, crowned so much higher than any angel, with a glory “bright with Eden’s dawn light.” In that death, by God’s grace, he fully experienced death in every person’s place.

10 It makes good sense that the God who got everything started and keeps everything going now completes the work by making the Salvation Pioneer perfect through suffering as he leads all these people to glory.  MSG

1 Cor 15:45 Thus it is written, The first man Adam became a living being (an individual personality); the last Adam (Christ) became a life-giving Spirit [restoring the dead to life].  

46 But it is not the spiritual life which came first, but the physical and then the spiritual.

47 The first man [was] from out of earth, made of dust (earthly-minded); the second Man [is] the Lord from out of heaven.

48 Now those who are made of the dust are like him who was first made of the dust (earthly-minded); and as is [the Man] from heaven, so also [are those] who are of heaven (heavenly-minded).

49 And just as we have borne the image [of the man] of dust, so shall we and so let us also bear the image [of the Man] of heaven.

Rom 12:1 I APPEAL to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.

2 Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].

3 For by the grace (unmerited favor of God) given to me I warn everyone among you not to estimate and think of himself more highly than he ought [not to have an exaggerated opinion of his own importance], but to rate his ability with sober judgment, each according to the degree of faith apportioned by God to him. AMP

Heb 11:32  And what shall I say further? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets

33 Who by [the help of] faith subdued kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promised blessings, closed the mouths of lions, 

34 Extinguished the power of raging fire, escaped the devourings of the sword, out of frailty and weakness won strength and became stalwart, even mighty and resistless in battle, routing alien hosts.

35 [Some] women received again their dead by a resurrection. Others were tortured to death with clubs, refusing to accept release [offered on the terms of denying their faith], so that they might be resurrected to a better life. 

36 Others had to suffer the trial of mocking and scourging and even chains and imprisonment.

37 They were stoned to death; they were lured with tempting offers [to renounce their faith]; they were sawn asunder; they were slaughtered by the sword; [while they were alive] they had to go about wrapped in the skins of sheep and goats, utterly destitute, oppressed, cruelly treated —

38 [Men] of whom the world was not worthy — roaming over the desolate places and the mountains, and [living] in caves and caverns and holes of the earth.

39 And all of these, though they won divine approval by [means of] their faith, did not receive the fulfillment of what was promised,

40 Because God had us in mind and had something better and greater in view for us, so that they [these heroes and heroines of faith] should not come to perfection apart from us [before we could join them].  AMP

¯

Heb 12:1 THEREFORE THEN, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us,

2 Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. AMP ¯¯¯

Heb 11:32  I could go on and on, but I’ve run out of time. There are so many more — Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, the prophets. . . .

33 Through acts of faith, they toppled kingdoms, made justice work, took the promises for themselves. They were protected from lions,

34 fires, and sword thrusts, turned disadvantage to advantage, won battles, routed alien armies.

35 Women received their loved ones back from the dead. There were those who, under torture, refused to give in and go free, preferring something better: resurrection.

36 Others braved abuse and whips, and, yes, chains and dungeons.

37 We have stories of those who were stoned, sawed in two, murdered in cold blood; stories of vagrants wandering the earth in animal skins, homeless, friendless, powerless —

38 the world didn’t deserve them! — making their way as best they could on the cruel edges of the world.

39 Not one of these people, even though their lives of faith were exemplary, got their hands on MSG       ¯

Heb 12:1  Do you see what this means — all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we’d better get on with it. Strip down, start running — and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins.

2 Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed — that exhilarating finish in and with God — he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. MSG

HOLY SPIRIT —  Luke 24:49  And behold, I will send forth upon you what My Father has promised; but remain in the city [Jerusalem] until you are clothed with power from on high.  AMP

Acts 2:15  For these men are not drunk, as you imagine, for it is [only] the third hour (about 9:00 a.m.) of the day;

16 But [instead] this is [the beginning of] what was spoken through the prophet Joel:  AMP

MOVING FORWARD 3-22-15   VIDEO BOLD TO GO

Heb 6:1 THEREFORE LET us go on and get past the elementary stage in the teachings and doctrine of Christ (the Messiah), advancing steadily toward the completeness and perfection that belong to spiritual maturity. Let us not again be laying the foundation of repentance and abandonment of dead works (dead formalism) and of the faith [by which you turned] to God,  AMP

¯¯¯

Heb 6:1 So come on, let’s leave the preschool fingerpainting exercises on Christ and get on with the grand work of art. Grow up in Christ. The basic foundational truths are in place: turning your back on “salvation by self-help” and turning in trust toward God;  MSG

Rev 4:1 AFTER THIS I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice which I had heard addressing me like [the calling of] a war trumpet said, Come up here, and I will show you what must take place in the future.

2 At once I came under the [Holy] Spirit’s power, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with One seated on the throne!  AMP

¯¯¯

Rev 4:1 Then I looked, and, oh! — a door open into Heaven. The trumpet-voice, the first voice in my vision, called out, “Ascend and enter. I’ll show you what happens next.”

2 I was caught up at once in deep worship and, oh! — a Throne set in Heaven with One Seated on the Throne, MSG

2 Peter 1:5  So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding,

6 alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder,

7 warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others.

8 With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus.

9 Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books.

10 So, friends, confirm God’s invitation to you, his choice of you. Don’t put it off; do it now. Do this, and you’ll have your life on a firm footing,

11 the streets paved and the way wide open into the eternal kingdom of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ. MSG

2 Peter 3:11  Since everything here today might well be gone tomorrow, do you see how essential it is to live a holy life?

12 Daily expect the Day of God, eager for its arrival. The galaxies will burn up and the elements melt down that day —

13 but we’ll hardly notice. We’ll be looking the other way, ready for the promised new heavens and the promised new earth, all landscaped with righteousness.

14  So, my dear friends, since this is what you have to look forward to, do your very best to be found living at your best, in purity and peace. MSG

Heb 11:15  If they had been thinking with [homesick] remembrance of that country from which they were emigrants, they would have found constant opportunity to return to it.

16 But the truth is that they were yearning for and aspiring to a better and more desirable country, that is, a heavenly [one]. For that reason God is not ashamed to be called their God [even to be surnamed their God — the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob], for He has prepared a city for them.  AMP

¯¯¯

Heb 11:15  If they were homesick for the old country, they could have gone back any time they wanted.

16 But they were after a far better country than that — heaven country. You can see why God is so proud of them, and has a City waiting for them. MSG

Job 11:8  God is far higher than you can imagine, far deeper than you can comprehend, MSG

Ps 97:9 You, God, are High God of the cosmos, Far, far higher than any of the gods. MSG

Ps 113:4 God is higher than anything and anyone, outshining everything you can see in the skies. MSG

1 Chron 29:17 I know, dear God, that you care nothing for the surface — you want us, our true selves — and so I have given from the heart, honestly and happily. And now see all these people doing the same, giving freely, willingly — what a joy! MSG

1 Cor 2:7  God’s wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of his purposes. You don’t find it lying around on the surface. It’s not the latest message, but more like the oldest — what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us, long before we ever arrived on the scene.

1 Cor 2:10  But you’ve seen and heard it because God by his Spirit has brought it all out into the open before you. The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along.

MSG

2 Cor 3:18  And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.  AMP

¯¯¯

2 Cor 3:18  All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him. MSG

Rom 5:2  Through Him also we have [our] access (entrance, introduction) by faith into this grace (state of God’s favor) in which we [firmly and safely] stand. And let us rejoice and exult in our hope of experiencing and enjoying the glory of God. AMP

¯¯¯

Rom 5:2 And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand — out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise. MSG

Eph 4:1 In light of all this, here’s what I want you to do. While I’m locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk — better yet, run! — on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. MSG

Heb 11:20  [With eyes of] faith Isaac, looking far into the future, invoked blessings upon Jacob and Esau.  AMP

Dan 8:26 The vision of the evenings and the mornings which has been told you is true. But seal up the vision, for it has to do with and belongs to the [now] distant future.  AMP

Heb 2:5  For it was not to angels that God subjected the habitable world of the future, of which we are speaking.

6 It has been solemnly and earnestly said in a certain place, What is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You graciously and helpfully care for and visit and look after him?

7 For some little time You have ranked him lower than and inferior to the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor and set him over the works of Your hands,

8 For You have put everything in subjection under his feet. Now in putting everything in subjection to man, He left nothing outside [of man’s] control. But at present we do not yet see all things subjected to him [man].

9 But we are able to see Jesus, Who was ranked lower than the angels for a little while, crowned with glory and honor because of His having suffered death, in order that by the grace (unmerited favor) of God [to us sinners] He might experience death for every individual person.  AMP

¯¯¯

Heb 2:5  God didn’t put angels in charge of this business of salvation that we’re dealing with here.

6 It says in Scripture, What is man and woman that you bother with them; why take a second look their way?

7 You made them not quite as high as angels, bright with Eden’s dawn light;

8 Then you put them in charge of your entire handcrafted world. When God put them in charge of everything, nothing was excluded. But we don’t see it yet, don’t see everything under human jurisdiction.

9 What we do see is Jesus, made “not quite as high as angels,” and then, through the experience of death, crowned so much higher than any angel, with a glory “bright with Eden’s dawn light.” In that death, by God’s grace, he fully experienced death in every person’s place. MSG

VIDEO GROW UP

Jer 29:11  For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.  AMP

2 Sam 7:19  But that’s nothing compared to what’s coming, for you’ve also spoken of my family far into the future, given me a glimpse into tomorrow, my Master God!

20 What can I possibly say in the face of all this? You know me, Master God, just as I am.

21 You’ve done all this not because of who I am but because of who you are — out of your very heart! — but you’ve let me in on it. MSG

1 Cor 3:22  Paul, Apollos, Peter, the world, life, death, the present, the future — all of it is yours, MSG

1 Peter 1:4  including a future in heaven — and the future starts now!

5 God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all — life healed and whole. MSG

1 Tim 6:19  In this way laying up for themselves [the riches that endure forever as] a good foundation for the future, so that they may grasp that which is life indeed.  AMP

Ps 18:33  He makes my feet like hinds’ feet [able to stand firmly or make progress on the dangerous heights of testing and trouble]; He sets me securely upon my high places.  AMP

▼

Hab 3:19 The Lord God is my Strength, my personal bravery, and my invincible army; He makes my feet like hinds’ feet and will make me to walk [not to stand still in terror, but to walk] and make [spiritual] progress upon my high places [of trouble, suffering, or responsibility]!  AMP

Ps 61:2  From the end of the earth will I cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed and fainting; lead me to the rock that is higher than I [yes, a rock that is too high for me].   AMP

Col 3:2  And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth.  AMP

Jude 20  But you, beloved, build yourselves up [founded] on your most holy faith [make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the Holy Spirit;  AMP

Luke 9:62 Jesus said to him, No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back [to the things behind] is fit for the kingdom of God.  AMP

¯¯¯

Luke 9:62  Jesus said, “No procrastination. No backward looks. You can’t put God’s kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day.” MSG

Prov 6:4  Don’t procrastinate —  there’s no time to lose.

5 Run like a deer from the hunter, fly like a bird from the trapper! MSG

Hag 1:2  A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies: “The people procrastinate. They say this isn’t the right time to rebuild my Temple, the Temple of God.”

MSG

1 Tim 6:12  Run hard and fast in the faith. Seize the eternal life, the life you were called to, the life you so fervently embraced in the presence of so many witnesses. MSG

Col 1:5  The lines of purpose in your lives never grow slack, tightly tied as they are to your future in heaven, kept taut by hope. The Message is as true among you today as when you first heard it. It doesn’t diminish or weaken over time.

6 It’s the same all over the world. The Message bears fruit and gets larger and stronger, just as it has in you. From the very first day you heard and recognized the truth of what God is doing, you’ve been hungry for more. MSG

Eph 3:18  That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it];

19 [That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!  AMP

Acts 22:14  And he said, The God of our forefathers has destined and appointed you to come progressively to know His will [to perceive, to recognize more strongly and clearly, and to become better and more intimately acquainted with His will], and to see the Righteous One (Jesus Christ, the Messiah), and to hear a voice from His [own] mouth and a message from His [own] lips; AMP

2 Cor 8:9  For you are becoming progressively acquainted with and recognizing more strongly and clearly the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (His kindness, His gracious generosity, His undeserved favor and spiritual blessing), [in] that though He was [so very] rich, yet for your sakes He became [so very] poor, in order that by His poverty you might become enriched (abundantly supplied).  AMP

GOD WILL COMPLETE 3-20-15

Heb 12:2  Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.  AMP    ¯¯¯

Heb 12:2  Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed — that exhilarating finish in and with God — he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. MSG

Rev 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last (the Before all and the End of all).  AMP

Isa 41:4 Who has prepared and done this, calling forth and guiding the destinies of the generations [of the nations] from the beginning? I, the Lord — the first [existing before history began] and with the last [an ever-present, unchanging God] — I am He.  AMP

Isa 44:6  God, King of Israel, your Redeemer, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, says:

“I’m first, I’m last, and everything in between. I’m the only God there is. MSG

Ps 25:21  Use all your skill to put me together; I wait to see your finished product.  MSG

Ps 138:8  Finish what you started in me, God. Your love is eternal — don’t quit on me now. MSG

Isa 30:18  But God’s not finished. He’s waiting around to be gracious to you. He’s gathering strength to show mercy to you. God takes the time to do everything right — everything. Those who wait around for him are the lucky ones.  MSG

Ps 57:2 I will cry to God Most High, Who performs on my behalf and rewards me  [Who brings to pass His purposes for me and surely completes them]!

Phil 1:6 And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you.  AMP

¯¯¯

Phil 1:6 There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears. MSG

1 Pet 5:10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace [Who imparts all blessing and favor], Who has called you to His [own] eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will Himself complete and make you what you ought to be, establish and ground you securely, and strengthen, and settle you.

Gen 17:1  WHEN ABRAM was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, I am the Almighty God; walk and live habitually before Me and be perfect (blameless, wholehearted, complete). AMP

¯¯¯

Gen 17:1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, God showed up and said to him, “I am The Strong God, live entirely before me, live to the hilt! MSG

Prov 2:21 For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the men of integrity, blameless and complete [in God’s sight], shall remain in it;  AMP

Matt 5:48 You, therefore, must be perfect [growing into complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is perfect.  AMP

¯¯¯

Matt 5:48 “In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you. MSG

Philem 6 [And I pray] that the participation in and sharing of your faith may produce and promote full recognition and appreciation and understanding and precise knowledge of every good [thing] that is ours in [our identification with] Christ Jesus [and unto His glory]. AMP

Col 1:28 Him we preach and proclaim, warning and admonishing everyone and instructing everyone in all wisdom (comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God), that we may present every person mature (full-grown, fully initiated, complete, and perfect) in Christ (the Anointed One).  AMP

¯¯¯

Col 1:28  We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less. MSG

Heb 10:14  It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, he did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process. MSG

1 Cor 6:11 And such some of you were [once]. But you were washed clean (purified by a complete atonement for sin and made free from the guilt of sin), and you were consecrated (set apart, hallowed), and you were justified [pronounced righteous, by trusting] in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the [Holy] Spirit of our God.  AMP

Heb 9:12  He went once for all into the [Holy of] Holies [of heaven], not by virtue of the blood of goats and calves [by which to make reconciliation between God and man], but His own blood, having found and secured a complete redemption (an everlasting release for us). AMP

¯¯¯

Heb 9:12  He also bypassed the sacrifices consisting of goat and calf blood, instead using his own blood as the price to set us free once and for all. MSG

Eph 1:18  your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for Christians,

19 oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him — endless energy, boundless strength!

20 All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven,

21 in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever.

22 He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church.

23 The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ’s body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.  MSG

1 Thess 5:23 And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [separate you from profane things, make you pure and wholly consecrated to God]; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound and complete [and found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah).  AMP

¯¯¯

1 Thess 5:23  May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together — spirit, soul, and body — and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. MSG

2 Tim 3:17 So that the man of God may be complete and proficient, well fitted and thoroughly equipped for every good work.  AMP

¯¯¯

2 Tim 3:17  Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.  MSG

Heb 13:20  Now may the God of peace [Who is the Author and the Giver of peace], Who brought again from among the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, by the blood [that sealed, ratified] the everlasting agreement (covenant, testament),

21 Strengthen (complete, perfect) and make you what you ought to be and equip you with everything good that you may carry out His will; [while He Himself] works in you and accomplishes that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ (the Messiah); to Whom be the glory forever and ever (to the ages of the ages). Amen (so be it).  AMP

1 Peter 5:10 The suffering won’t last forever. It won’t be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ — eternal and glorious plans they are! — will have you put together and on your feet for good.  MSG

2 Sam 22:21 God made my life complete when I placed all the pieces before him.  When I cleaned up my act, he gave me a fresh start. MSG

Job 23:13  “But he is singular and sovereign. Who can argue with him? He does what he wants, when he wants to.

14 He’ll complete in detail what he’s decided about me, and whatever else he determines to do.

Jer 29:11  I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out — plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. MSG

Isa 55:11  So will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed. They’ll do the work I sent them to do, they’ll complete the assignment I gave them.

12 “So you’ll go out in joy, you’ll be led into a whole and complete life. The mountains and hills will lead the parade, bursting with song. All the trees of the forest will join the procession, exuberant with applause. MSG

Matt 16:18  And now I’m going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out.

19 “And that’s not all. You will have complete and free access to God’s kingdom, keys to open any and every door: no more barriers between heaven and earth, earth and heaven. A yes on earth is yes in heaven. A no on earth is no in heaven.”  MSG

Heb 10:1  The old plan was only a hint of the good things in the new plan. Since that old “law plan” wasn’t complete in itself, it couldn’t complete those who followed it. No matter how many sacrifices were offered year after year, they never added up to a complete solution. MSG

Luke 13:32  And He said to them, Go and tell that fox [sly and crafty, skulking and cowardly], Behold, I drive out demons and perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish (complete) My course.  AMP

John 4:34  Jesus said to them, My food (nourishment) is to do the will (pleasure) of Him Who sent Me and to accomplish and completely finish His work.  AMP

John 5:36  But I have as My witness something greater (weightier, higher, better) than that of John; for the works that the Father has appointed Me to accomplish and finish, the very same works that I am now doing, are a witness and proof that the Father has sent Me.  AMP

John 19:28  After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished (ended), said in fulfillment of the Scripture, I thirst.

29 A vessel (jar) full of sour wine (vinegar) was placed there, so they put a sponge soaked in the sour wine on [a stalk, reed of] hyssop, and held it to [His] mouth.

30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, It is finished! And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.  AMP

Isa 42:4  He won’t tire out and quit. He won’t be stopped until he’s finished his work — to set things right on earth. Far-flung ocean islands wait expectantly for his teaching.”  MSG

John 15:7  If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.

8 When you bear (produce) much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified, and you show and prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine.

9 I have loved you, [just] as the Father has loved Me; abide in My love [continue in His love with Me].

10 If you keep My commandments [if you continue to obey My instructions], you will abide in My love and live on in it, just as I have obeyed My Father’s commandments and live on in His love.

11 I have told you these things, that My joy and delight may be in you, and that your joy and gladness may be of full measure and complete and overflowing. AMP

¯¯¯

John 15:7 But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon.

8 This is how my Father shows who he is — when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.

9 “I’ve loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love.

10 If you keep my commands, you’ll remain intimately at home in my love. That’s what I’ve done — kept my Father’s commands and made myself at home in his love.

11 “I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. MSG

John 16:24 Up to this time you have not asked a [single] thing in My Name [as presenting all that I AM]; but now ask and keep on asking and you will receive, so that your joy (gladness, delight) may be full and complete.  AMP

¯¯¯

John 16:24 Ask in my name, according to my will, and he’ll most certainly give it to you. Your joy will be a river overflowing its banks! MSG

FEAST CELEBRATE JESUS 8-15-15 VIDEO CARMEN CELEBRATE

Eccl 2:25  Whether we feast or fast, it’s up to God. MSG

Isa 25:4 They’ll see that you take care of the poor, that you take care of poor people in trouble, Provide a warm, dry place in bad weather, provide a cool place when it’s hot.

Brutal oppressors are like a winter blizzard

5 and vicious foreigners like high noon in the desert. But you, shelter from the storm and shade from the sun, shut the mouths of the big-mouthed bullies.

6 But here on this mountain, God-of-the-Angel-Armies will throw a feast for all the people of the world, A feast of the finest foods, a feast with vintage wines, a feast of seven courses, a feast lavish with gourmet desserts. MSG

Isa 58 “Shout! A full-throated shout! Hold nothing back — a trumpet-blast shout! Tell my people what’s wrong with their lives, face my family Jacob with their sins! 2 They’re busy, busy, busy at worship, and love studying all about me. To all appearances they’re a nation of right-living people — law-abiding, God-honoring. They ask me, ‘What’s the right thing to do? ‘and love having me on their side. 3 But they also complain, ‘Why do we fast and you don’t look our way? Why do we humble ourselves and you don’t even notice?’

“Well, here’s why: “The bottom line on your ‘fast days’ is profit. You drive your employees much too hard. 4 You fast, but at the same time you bicker and fight. You fast, but you swing a mean fist. The kind of fasting you do won’t get your prayers off the ground. 5 Do you think this is the kind of fast day I’m after: a day to show off humility? To put on a pious long face and parade around solemnly in black?Do you call that fasting, a fast day that I, God, would like?

6 “This is the kind of fast day I’m after :to break the chains of injustice, get rid of exploitation in the workplace, free the oppressed, cancel debts. 7 What I’m interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,being available to your own families. 8 Do this and the lights will turn on, and your lives will turn around at once. Your righteousness will pave your way.The God of glory will secure your passage. 9 Then when you pray, God will answer.You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.’

A Full Life in the Emptiest of Places

“If you get rid of unfair practices,quit blaming victims,quit gossiping about other people’s sins, 10 If you are generous with the hungryand start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight. 11 I will always show you where to go.I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places — firm muscles, strong bones.You’ll be like a well-watered garden,a gurgling spring that never runs dry. 12 You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew,rebuild the foundations from out of your past.You’ll be known as those who can fix anything,restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,make the community livable again.

13 “If you watch your step on the Sabbathand don’t use my holy day for personal advantage,If you treat the Sabbath as a day of joy,God’s holy day as a celebration,If you honor it by refusing ‘business as usual,’making money, running here and there —  14 Then you’ll be free to enjoy God!Oh, I’ll make you ride high and soar above it all.I’ll make you feast on the inheritance of your ancestor Jacob.”Yes! God says so! MSG

Isa 61:6  But you’ll have the title “Priests of God,” honored as ministers of our God. You’ll feast on the bounty of nations, you’ll bask in their glory. MSG

Matt 9:15  Jesus told them, “When you’re celebrating a wedding, you don’t skimp on the cake and wine. You feast. Later you may need to pull in your belt, but not now. No one throws cold water on a friendly bonfire. This is Kingdom Come!” MSG

Mark 15:6 It was a custom at the Feast to release a prisoner, anyone the people asked for. MSG

Job 36:16  “Oh, Job, don’t you see how God’s wooing you from the jaws of danger?

How he’s drawing you into wide-open places —  inviting you to feast at a table laden with blessings?

17 And here you are laden with the guilt of the wicked, obsessed with putting the blame on God!

18 Don’t let your great riches mislead you; don’t think you can bribe your way out of this.

19 Did you plan to buy your way out of this? Not on your life!

20 And don’t think that night, when people sleep off their troubles, will bring you any relief.

21 Above all, don’t make things worse with more evil —  that’s what’s behind your suffering as it is!

22 “Do you have any idea how powerful God is? Have you ever heard of a teacher like him?

23 Has anyone ever had to tell him what to do, or correct him, saying, ‘You did that all wrong!’?

24 Remember, then, to praise his workmanship, which is so often celebrated in song.

25 Everybody sees it; nobody is too far away to see it. MSG

1 Cor 5:8  So let’s live out our part in the Feast, not as raised bread swollen with the yeast of evil, but as flat bread — simple, genuine, unpretentious. MSG

Acts 2:46  They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, MSG

Eph 1:6  He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son. MSG

Phil 1:19  because I know how it’s going to turn out. Through your faithful prayers and the generous response of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, everything he wants to do in and through me will be done.

20 I can hardly wait to continue on my course. I don’t expect to be embarrassed in the least. On the contrary, everything happening to me in this jail only serves to make Christ more accurately known, regardless of whether I live or die. They didn’t shut me up; they gave me a pulpit!

21 Alive, I’m Christ’s messenger; dead, I’m his bounty. Life versus even more life! I can’t lose. MSG

POWER OF PRAYER 3-13-15  video prayer crippled healed

PRAYER the English word is to beg (NOT CORRECT) In Hebrew it means wholehearted-singleness of mind-focus concentration to God, worship: an orator to  addressed to God:  to bring to, bring near to turn the mind to, attend to, be attentive: to a person to apply oneself to, attach oneself to, hold or cleave to a person.

Ex 8:8 Pharaoh called in Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray to God to rid us of these frogs. I’ll release the people so that they can make their sacrifices and worship God.”

9 Moses said to Pharaoh, “Certainly. Set the time. When do you want the frogs out of here, away from your servants and people and out of your houses? You’ll be rid of frogs except for those in the Nile.”

10 “Make it tomorrow.” Moses said, “Tomorrow it is — so you’ll realize that there is no God like our God.

11 The frogs will be gone. You and your houses and your servants and your people, free of frogs. The only frogs left will be the ones in the Nile.”

12 Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, and Moses prayed to God about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh.

13 God responded to Moses’ prayer: The frogs died off — houses, courtyards, fields, all free of frogs.  MSG

1 Kings 18:23  Let the Baal prophets bring up two oxen; let them pick one, butcher it, and lay it out on an altar on firewood — but don’t ignite it. I’ll take the other ox, cut it up, and lay it on the wood. But neither will I light the fire.

24 Then you pray to your gods and I’ll pray to God. The god who answers with fire will prove to be, in fact, God.” All the people agreed: “A good plan — do it!”

25 Elijah told the Baal prophets, “Choose your ox and prepare it. You go first, you’re the majority. Then pray to your god, but don’t light the fire.”

26 So they took the ox he had given them, prepared it for the altar, then prayed to Baal. They prayed all morning long, “O Baal, answer us!” But nothing happened — not so much as a whisper of breeze. Desperate, they jumped and stomped on the altar they had made.

27 By noon, Elijah had started making fun of them, taunting, “Call a little louder — he is a god, after all. Maybe he’s off meditating somewhere or other, or maybe he’s gotten involved in a project, or maybe he’s on vacation. You don’t suppose he’s overslept, do you, and needs to be waked up?”

28 They prayed louder and louder, cutting themselves with swords and knives — a ritual common to them — until they were covered with blood.

29 This went on until well past noon. They used every religious trick and strategy they knew to make something happen on the altar, but nothing happened — not so much as a whisper, not a flicker of response.

30 Then Elijah told the people, “Enough of that — it’s my turn. Gather around.” And they gathered. He then put the altar back together for by now it was in ruins.

31 Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes of Jacob, the same Jacob to whom God had said, “From now on your name is Israel.”

32 He built the stones into the altar in honor of God. Then Elijah dug a fairly wide trench around the altar.

33 He laid firewood on the altar, cut up the ox, put it on the wood, and said, “Fill four buckets with water and drench both the ox and the firewood.”

34 Then he said, “Do it again,” and they did it. Then he said, “Do it a third time,”

35 and they did it a third time. The altar was drenched and the trench was filled with water.

36 When it was time for the sacrifice to be offered, Elijah the prophet came up and prayed, “O God, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make it known right now that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I’m doing what I’m doing under your orders.

37 Answer me, God; O answer me and reveal to this people that you are God, the true God, and that you are giving these people another chance at repentance.”

38 Immediately the fire of God fell and burned up the offering, the wood, the stones, the dirt, and even the water in the trench.

39 All the people saw it happen and fell on their faces in awed worship, exclaiming, “God is the true God! God is the true God!” MSG

James 5:17  Elijah was a human being with a nature such as we have [with feelings, affections, and a constitution like ours]; and he prayed earnestly for it not to rain, and no rain fell on the earth for three years and six months.

18 And [then] he prayed again and the heavens supplied rain and the land produced its crops [as usual].  AMP

↕↕↕

James 5:17  Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn’t rain, and it didn’t — not a drop for three and a half years.

18 Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again. MSG

James 1:5  If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. MSG

James 5:14  Are you sick? Call the church leaders together to pray and anoint you with oil in the name of the Master.

15 Believing-prayer will heal you, and Jesus will put you on your feet. And if you’ve sinned, you’ll be forgiven — healed inside and out. MSG

2 Chron 7:1 When Solomon finished praying, a bolt of lightning out of heaven struck the Whole-Burnt-Offering and sacrifices and the Glory of God filled The Temple.

2 The Glory was so dense that the priests couldn’t get in — God so filled The Temple that there was no room for the priests!

3 When all Israel saw the fire fall from heaven and the Glory of God fill The Temple, they fell on their knees, bowed their heads, and worshiped, thanking God: Yes! God is good! His love never quits! MSG

Job 22:27  You’ll pray to him and he’ll listen; he’ll help you do what you’ve promised.

28 You’ll decide what you want and it will happen; your life will be bathed in light. MSG

Matt 5:34  You only make things worse when you lay down a smoke screen of pious talk, saying, ‘I’ll pray for you,’ and never doing it, or saying, ‘God be with you,’ and not meaning it. You don’t make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious, it becomes less true.

37 Just say ‘yes’ and ‘no.’ When you manipulate words to get your own way, you go wrong.  MSG

Luke 18:10  “Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax man.

11 The Pharisee posed and prayed like this: ‘Oh, God, I thank you that I am not like other people — robbers, crooks, adulterers, or, heaven forbid, like this tax man.

12 I fast twice a week and tithe on all my income.’

13 “Meanwhile the tax man, slumped in the shadows, his face in his hands, not daring to look up, said, ‘God, give mercy. Forgive me, a sinner.'”

14 Jesus commented, “This tax man, not the other, went home made right with God. If you walk around with your nose in the air, you’re going to end up flat on your face, but if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.” MSG

Matt 6:7 And when you pray, do not heap up phrases (multiply words, repeating the same ones over and over) as the Gentiles do, for they think they will be heard for their much speaking.

8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.  AMP      ↕↕↕

Matt 6:7  “The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God.

8 Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. MSG

1 Cor 14:13  So, when you pray in your private prayer language, don’t hoard the experience for yourself. Pray for the insight and ability to bring others into that intimacy.

14 If I pray in tongues, my spirit prays but my mind lies fallow, and all that intelligence is wasted.

15 So what’s the solution? The answer is simple enough. Do both. I should be spiritually free and expressive as I pray, but I should also be thoughtful and mindful as I pray. I should sing with my spirit, and sing with my mind.  MSG

video prayer miracle marriage 2   

Matt 6:9  With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this: Our Father in heaven, Reveal who you are.

10 Set the world right; Do what’s best —  as above, so below.

11 Keep us alive with three square meals.

12 Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.

13 Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil. You’re in charge! You can do anything you want! You’re ablaze in beauty! Yes. Yes. Yes.

14 “In prayer there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can’t get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. MSG

Matt 9:37  “What a huge harvest!” he said to his disciples. “How few workers!

38 On your knees and pray for harvest hands!” MSG

↕

Matt 10:1 The prayer was no sooner prayed than it was answered. Jesus called twelve of his followers and sent them into the ripe fields. He gave them power to kick out the evil spirits and to tenderly care for the bruised and hurt lives. MSG

Mark 11:24  For this reason I am telling you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe (trust and be confident) that it is granted to you, and you will [get it].  AMP

↕↕↕

Mark 11:24  That’s why I urge you to pray for absolutely everything, ranging from small to large. Include everything as you embrace this God-life, and you’ll get God’s everything. MSG

Rom 12:11 Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master,

12 cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. MSG

Eph 6:18  In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. MSG

Phil 4:6 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. MSG

Col 4:2  Pray diligently. Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude.

3 Don’t forget to pray for us, that God will open doors for telling the mystery of Christ, even while I’m locked up in this jail. MSG

Mark 11:15  They arrived at Jerusalem. Immediately on entering the Temple Jesus started throwing out everyone who had set up shop there, buying and selling. He kicked over the tables of the bankers and the stalls of the pigeon merchants.

16 He didn’t let anyone even carry a basket through the Temple.

17 And then he taught them, quoting this text: My house was designated a house of prayer for the nations; You’ve turned it into a hangout for thieves.

18 The high priests and religion scholars heard what was going on and plotted how they might get rid of him. They panicked, for the entire crowd was carried away by his teaching. MSG

JESUS PRAYED Luke 6:12 Now in those days it occurred that He went up into a mountain to pray, and spent the whole night in prayer to God.  AMP

UP INTO-REALM OF SPIRIT

Matt 14:23 With the crowd dispersed, he climbed the mountain so he could be by himself and pray. He stayed there alone, late into the night. MSG

Luke 3:21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized, and [while He was still] praying, the [visible] heaven was opened  AMP

Luke 9:28 Now about eight days after these teachings, Jesus took with Him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray.

29 And as He was praying, the appearance of His countenance became altered (different), and His raiment became dazzling white [flashing with the brilliance of lightning]. AMP

Matt 26:36 Then Jesus went with them to a garden called Gethsemane and told his disciples, “Stay here while I go over there and pray.”

Heb 5:7 In the days of His flesh [Jesus] offered up definite, special petitions [for that which He not only wanted but needed] and supplications with strong crying and tears to Him Who was [always] able to save Him [out] from death, and He was heard because of His reverence toward God [His godly fear, His piety,  in that He shrank from the horrors of separation from the bright presence of the Father]. AMP

Mark 6:46  And after He had taken leave of them, He went off into the hills to pray. AMP

John 17:9  I pray for them. I’m not praying for the God-rejecting world But for those you gave me, For they are yours by right. MSG

John 17:20 I’m praying not only for them But also for those who will believe in me

Because of them and their witness about me. MSG

Matt 21:22  And whatever you ask for in prayer, having faith and [really] believing, you will receive.  AMP

↕↕↕

Matt 21:22  Absolutely everything, ranging from small to large, as you make it a part of your believing prayer, gets included as you lay hold of God.” MSG

1 Thess 5:17  Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly];  AMP

James 5:16  Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart]. The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]. AMP

↕↕↕

James 5:16  Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. MSG

video science of prayer video burn recovery victim miracle

UNVEILING 3-8-15 VIDEO HOLY OF HOLIES 2

Ex 26:33 And you shall hang the veil from the clasps and bring the ark of the Testimony into place within the veil; and the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. 

34 And you shall put the mercy seat on the ark of the Testimony in the Most Holy Place. 

35 And you shall set the table [for the showbread] outside the veil [in the Holy Place] on the north side and the lampstand opposite the table on the south side of the tabernacle. AMP

Lev 16:2 “Tell your brother Aaron not to enter into the Holy of Holies, barging inside the curtain that’s before the Atonement-Cover on the Chest whenever he feels like it, lest he die, because I am present in the Cloud over the Atonement-Cover. MSG

Ex 33:9  When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the door of the tent, and the Lord would talk with Moses. 

10 And all the people saw the pillar of cloud stand at the tent door, and all the people rose up and worshiped, every man at his tent door.

11 And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. Moses returned to the camp, but his minister Joshua son of Nun, a young man, did not depart from the [temporary prayer] tent. 

12 Moses said to the Lord, See, You say to me, Bring up this people, but You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You said, I know you by name and you have also found favor in My sight. 

13 Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, show me now Your way, that I may know You [progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with You, perceiving and recognizing and understanding more strongly and clearly] and that I may find favor in Your sight. And [Lord, do] consider that this nation is Your people.

14 And the Lord said, My Presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest. 

15 And Moses said to the Lord, If Your Presence does not go with me, do not carry us up from here! 

16 For by what shall it be known that I and Your people have found favor in Your sight? Is it not in Your going with us so that we are distinguished, I and Your people, from all the other people upon the face of the earth?

17 And the Lord said to Moses, I will do this thing also that you have asked, for you have found favor, loving-kindness, and mercy in My sight and I know you personally and by name.  AMP

Gen 32:30 Jacob named the place Peniel (God’s Face) because, he said, “I saw God face-to-face and lived to tell the story!” MSG

Deut 34:8 And the Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.

9 And Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hands upon him; so the Israelites listened to him and did as the Lord commanded Moses.

10 And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face,

11 [None equal to him] in all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt — to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land,

12 And in all the mighty power and all the great and terrible deeds which Moses wrought in the sight of all Israel.  AMP

Josh 1:5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. AMP

John 9:19 They asked them, “Is this your son, the one you say was born blind? So how is it that he now sees?”

20 His parents said, “We know he is our son, and we know he was born blind.

21 But we don’t know how he came to see — haven’t a clue about who opened his eyes. Why don’t you ask him? He’s a grown man and can speak for himself.”  MSG

↕

John 9:26 They said, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”

27 “I’ve told you over and over and you haven’t listened. Why do you want to hear it again? Are you so eager to become his disciples?”

28 With that they jumped all over him. “You might be a disciple of that man, but we’re disciples of Moses.

29 We know for sure that God spoke to Moses, but we have no idea where this man even comes from.”

30 The man replied, “This is amazing! You claim to know nothing about him, but the fact is, he opened my eyes!

31 It’s well known that God isn’t at the beck and call of sinners, but listens carefully to anyone who lives in reverence and does his will.

32 That someone opened the eyes of a man born blind has never been heard of — ever.

33 If this man didn’t come from God, he wouldn’t be able to do anything.” MSG

↕

John 9:35  Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and went and found him. He asked him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

36 The man said, “Point him out to me, sir, so that I can believe in him.”

37 Jesus said, “You’re looking right at him. Don’t you recognize my voice?”

38 “Master, I believe,” the man said, and worshiped him. MSG

Luke 4:18  God’s Spirit is on me; he’s chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind,  To set the burdened and battered free,

19 to announce, “This is God’s year to act!”

20 He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the assistant, and sat down. Every eye in the place was on him, intent.

21 Then he started in, “You’ve just heard Scripture make history. It came true just now in this place.”  MSG

Matt 27:51 And at once the curtain of the sanctuary of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; the earth shook and the rocks were split.

52 The tombs were opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep in death were raised [to life];

53 And coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

54 When the centurion and those who were with him keeping watch over Jesus observed the earthquake and all that was happening, they were terribly frightened and filled with awe, and said, Truly this was God’s Son!  AMP

↕↕↕

Matt 27:51 At that moment, the Temple curtain was ripped in two, top to bottom. There was an earthquake, and rocks were split in pieces.

52 What’s more, tombs were opened up, and many bodies of believers asleep in their graves were raised.

53 (After Jesus’ resurrection, they left the tombs, entered the holy city, and appeared to many.)

54 The captain of the guard and those with him, when they saw the earthquake and everything else that was happening, were scared to death. They said, “This has to be the Son of God!”  MSG

Mark 15:38  And the curtain [of the Holy of Holies] of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

39 And when the centurion who stood facing Him saw Him expire this way, he said, Really, this Man was God’s Son!  AMP

↕↕↕

Mark 15:38  At that moment the Temple curtain ripped right down the middle.

39 When the Roman captain standing guard in front of him saw that he had quit breathing, he said, “This has to be the Son of God!”  MSG

1 Cor 13:12  For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim (blurred) reflection [of reality as in a riddle or enigma], but then [when perfection comes] we shall see in reality and face to face! Now I know in part (imperfectly), but then I shall know and understand fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have been fully and clearly known and understood [by God].  AMP

↕↕↕

1 Cor 13:12  We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!  MSG  VIDEO TORE THE VEIL 2  

2 Cor 3:13 Nor [do we act] like Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze upon the finish of the vanishing [splendor which had been upon it].

14 In fact, their minds were grown hard and calloused [they had become dull and had lost the power of understanding]; for until this present day, when the Old Testament (the old covenant) is being read, that same veil still lies [on their hearts], not being lifted [to reveal] that in Christ it is made void and done away.

15 Yes, down to this [very] day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies upon their minds and hearts.

16 But whenever a person turns [in repentance] to the Lord, the veil is stripped off and taken away.

17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom). 

18 And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.  AMP

↕↕↕

2 Cor 3:13 Unlike Moses, we have nothing to hide. Everything is out in the open with us. He wore a veil so the children of Israel wouldn’t notice that the glory was fading away —

14 and they didn’t notice. They didn’t notice it then and they don’t notice it now, don’t notice that there’s nothing left behind that veil.

15 Even today when the proclamations of that old, bankrupt government are read out, they can’t see through it. Only Christ can get rid of the veil so they can see for themselves that there’s nothing there.

16 Whenever, though, they turn to face God as Moses did, God removes the veil and there they are — face to face!

17 They suddenly recognize that God is a living, personal presence, not a piece of chiseled stone. And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it!

18 All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of his face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like him. MSG

1 Cor 2:10  Yet to us God has unveiled and revealed them by and through His Spirit, for the [Holy] Spirit searches diligently, exploring and examining everything, even sounding the profound and bottomless things of God [the divine counsels and things hidden and beyond man’s scrutiny].  AMP

↕↕↕

1 Cor 2:10  But you’ve seen and heard it because God by his Spirit has brought it all out into the open before you. The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along. MSG

Ps 22:24 For He has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; neither has He hidden His face from him, but when he cried to Him, He heard.  AMP

1 John 3:2 But friends, that’s exactly who we are: children of God. And that’s only the beginning. Who knows how we’ll end up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we’ll see him — and in seeing him, become like him. MSG

Heb 6:19 [Now] we have this [hope] as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul [it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whoever steps out upon it — a hope] that reaches farther and enters into [the very certainty of the Presence] within the veil,   AMP       ↕↕↕↕

Heb 6:19 It’s an unbreakable spiritual lifeline, reaching past all appearances right to the very presence of God  MSG

Heb 10:20  By this fresh (new) and living way which He initiated and dedicated and opened for us through the separating curtain (veil of the Holy of Holies), that is, through His flesh,  AMP

↕↕↕

Heb 10:19  So, friends, we can now — without hesitation — walk right up to God, into “the Holy Place.” Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice, acting as our priest before God. The “curtain” into God’s presence is his body.  MSG

Heb 9:24 For Christ (the Messiah) has not entered into a sanctuary made with [human] hands, only a copy and pattern and type of the true one, but [He has entered] into heaven itself, now to appear in the [very] presence of God on our behalf.

25 Nor did He [enter into the heavenly sanctuary to] offer Himself regularly again and again, as the high priest enters the [Holy of] Holies every year with blood not his own.

26 For then would He often have had to suffer [over and over again] since the foundation of the world. But as it now is, He has once for all at the consummation and close of the ages appeared to put away and abolish sin by His sacrifice [of Himself].   AMP

↕↕↕

Heb 9:24  For Christ didn’t enter the earthly version of the Holy Place; he entered the Place Itself, and offered himself to God as the sacrifice for our sins.

25 He doesn’t do this every year as the high priests did under the old plan with blood that was not their own;

26 if that had been the case, he would have to sacrifice himself repeatedly throughout the course of history. But instead he sacrificed himself once and for all, summing up all the other sacrifices in this sacrifice of himself, the final solution of sin. MSG

Ps 42:2  My inner self thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?   AMP

Ps 22:31  They shall come and shall declare His righteousness to a people yet to be born — that He has done it [that it is finished]!    AMP

John 19:30  When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, It is finished! And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.  AMP

Rom 8:35 Who shall ever separate us from Christ’s love? Shall suffering and affliction and tribulation? Or calamity and distress? Or persecution or hunger or destitution or peril or sword?

36 Even as it is written, For Thy sake we are put to death all the day long; we are regarded and counted as sheep for the slaughter.

37 Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us.

38 For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers,

39 Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  AMP

↕↕↕

Rom 8:35  Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins listed in Scripture:

36 They kill us in cold blood because they hate you. We’re sitting ducks; they pick us off one by one.

37 None of this fazes us because Jesus loves us.

38 I’m absolutely convinced that nothing — nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow,

39 high or low, thinkable or unthinkable — absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us. MSG

VIDEO BEYOND THE VEIL 2  

PURIM 3-6-15 VIDEO PURIM ANIMATED 2

A Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire where a plot had been formed to destroy them. The story is recorded in the Book of Esther. Haman, royal vizier to the King planned to kill all the Jews in the empire, but his plans were foiled by Mordecai and his cousin and adopted daughter Esther, who had risen to become Queen of Persia. The day of deliverance became a day of feasting and rejoicing. (Esther 9:22): that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.

Prov 15:15 All the days of the desponding and afflicted are made evil [by anxious thoughts and forebodings], but he who has a glad heart has a continual feast [regardless of circumstances]. AMP

↕↕↕

Prov 15:15  A miserable heart means a miserable life; a cheerful heart fills the day with song. MSG

Est 5:1 ON THE third day [of the fast] Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the royal or inner court of the king’s palace opposite his [throne room]. The king was sitting on his throne, facing the main entrance of the palace.

2 And when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, she obtained favor in his sight, and he held out to [her] the golden scepter that was in his hand. So Esther drew near and touched the tip of the scepter.

3 Then the king said to her, What will you have, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of the kingdom.   AMP

Heb 4:16 Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God’s unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it].  AMP

↕↕↕

Heb 4:16  So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help. MSG

Isa 62:2  And the nations shall see your righteousness and vindication [your rightness and justice — not your own, but His ascribed to you], and all kings shall behold your salvation and glory; and you shall be called by a new name which the mouth of the Lord shall name.   AMP

John 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom (kingship, royal power) belongs not to this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My followers would have been fighting to keep Me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, My kingdom is not from here (this world); [it has no such origin or source].  AMP

1 Peter 2:9  But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, [God’s] own purchased, special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.   AMP

↕↕↕

1 Peter 2:9  But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you MSG

Ps 9:6  The enemy have been cut off and have vanished in everlasting ruins, You have plucked up and overthrown their cities; the very memory of them has perished and vanished.  AMP

Ps 41:11 By this I know that You favor and delight in me, because my enemy does not triumph over me.  AMP

Est 5:14  His wife Zeresh and all his friends said, “Build a gallows seventy-five feet high. First thing in the morning speak with the king; get him to order Mordecai hanged on it. Then happily go with the king to dinner.” Haman liked that. He had the gallows built. MSG

↕

Prov 1:18  But [when these men set a trap for others] they are lying in wait for their own blood; they set an ambush for their own lives.  AMP

Est 7:3 Then Queen Esther said, If I have found favor in your sight, O king and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me at my petition and my people at my request.

4 For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, slain, and wiped out of existence! But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I would have held my tongue, for our affliction is not to be compared with the damage this will do to the king.

5 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, Who is he, and where is he who dares presume in his heart to do that?

6 And Esther said, An adversary and an enemy, even this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and queen.

7 And the king arose from the feast in his wrath and went into the palace garden; and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Queen Esther, for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king.

8 When the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the drinking of wine, Haman was falling upon the couch where Esther was. Then said the king, Will he even forcibly assault the queen in my presence, in my own palace? As the king spoke the words, [the servants] covered Haman’s face.

9 Then said Harbonah, one of the attendants serving the king, Behold, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman has made for Mordecai, whose warning saved the king, stands at the house of Haman. And the king said, Hang him on it!

10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s wrath was pacified.   AMP

Phil 4:11 Not that I am implying that I was in any personal want, for I have learned how to be  content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am.

12 I know how to be abased and live humbly in straitened circumstances, and I know also how to enjoy plenty and live in abundance. I have learned in any and all circumstances the secret of facing every situation, whether well-fed or going hungry, having a sufficiency and enough to spare or going without and being in want.

13 I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency].  AMP

↕↕↕

Phil 4:11  Actually, I don’t have a sense of needing anything personally. I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances.

12 I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty.

13 Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am. MSG

Est 4:14 For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance shall arise for the Jews from elsewhere, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows but that you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this and for this very occasion? AMP

↕↕↕

Est 4:14 If you persist in staying silent at a time like this, help and deliverance will arrive for the Jews from someplace else; but you and your family will be wiped out. Who knows? Maybe you were made queen for just such a time as this.”  MSG

VIDEO NEW CREATION

Jer 29:10 For thus says the Lord, When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you and keep My good promise to you, causing you to return to this place.

11 For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.

12 Then you will call upon Me, and you will come and pray to Me, and I will hear and heed you.

13 Then you will seek Me, inquire for, and require Me [as a vital necessity] and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.   

14 I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will release you from captivity and gather you from all the nations and all the places to which I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I caused you to be carried away captive.  AMP

↕↕↕

Jer 29:10 This is God’s Word on the subject: “As soon as Babylon’s seventy years are up and not a day before, I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home.

11 I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out — plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.

12 “When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen.

13 “When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. “Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else,

14 I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” God’s Decree. “I’ll turn things around for you. I’ll bring you back from all the countries into which I drove you” — God’s Decree — “bring you home to the place from which I sent you off into exile. You can count on it.

Isa 14:24 The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, Surely, as I have thought and planned, so shall it come to pass, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand — AMP

Ps 139:15 My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret [and] intricately and curiously wrought [as if embroidered with various colors] in the depths of the earth [a region of darkness and mystery].

16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them. AMP

Rom 11:28  From your point of view as you hear and embrace the good news of the Message, it looks like the Jews are God’s enemies. But looked at from the long-range perspective of God’s overall purpose, they remain God’s oldest friends. MSG

Rom 1:16  It’s news I’m most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God’s powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him, starting with Jews and then right on to everyone else! MSG

Eph 1:11 It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living,

12 part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. MSG

Col 1:5  The lines of purpose in your lives never grow slack, tightly tied as they are to your future in heaven, kept taut by hope. The Message is as true among you today as when you first heard it. It doesn’t diminish or weaken over time. MSG

Col 1:15  We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created.

16 For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels — everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him.

17 He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment.

18 And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body. He was supreme in the beginning and — leading the resurrection parade — he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he’s there, towering far above everything, everyone. MSG

Rom 11:6  They’re holding on, not because of what they think they’re going to get out of it, but because they’re convinced of God’s grace and purpose in choosing them. If they were only thinking of their own immediate self-interest, they would have left long ago.

7 And then what happened? Well, when Israel tried to be right with God on her own, pursuing her own self-interest, she didn’t succeed. The chosen ones of God were those who let God pursue his interest in them, and as a result received his stamp of legitimacy. The “self-interest Israel” became thick-skinned toward God.

8 Moses and Isaiah both commented on this: Fed up with their quarrelsome, self-centered ways, God blurred their eyes and dulled their ears, Shut them in on themselves in a hall of mirrors, and they’re there to this day.

9 David was upset about the same thing: I hope they get sick eating self-serving meals, break a leg walking their self-serving ways.

10 I hope they go blind staring in their mirrors, get ulcers from playing at god.

11 The next question is, “Are they down for the count? Are they out of this for good?” And the answer is a clear-cut no. Ironically when they walked out, they left the door open and the outsiders walked in. But the next thing you know, the Jews were starting to wonder if perhaps they had walked out on a good thing.

12 Now, if their leaving triggered this worldwide coming of non-Jewish outsiders to God’s kingdom, just imagine the effect of their coming back! What a homecoming! MSG

Luke 4:18  God’s Spirit is on me; he’s chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, To set the burdened and battered free,

19 to announce, “This is God’s year to act!” MSG

ANOINTED- SMEARED WITH CHRIST RUBBED WITH HIM TO DO GREATER

Acts 4:27 For in this city there actually met and plotted together against Your holy Child and Servant Jesus, Whom You consecrated by anointing, both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and peoples of Israel,

John 14:12 I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father.  AMP

↕↕↕

John 14:12 The person who trusts me will not only do what I’m doing but even greater things, because I, on my way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do that I’ve been doing. You can count on it. MSG   

1 John 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. KJV

Col 1:18  He also is the Head of [His] body, the church; seeing He is the Beginning, the Firstborn from among the dead, so that He alone in everything and in every respect might occupy the chief place [stand first and be preeminent].  AMP

Luke 19:13  And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.  KJV

OCCUPY-  to carry on a business; of a banker or trader

VIDEO SONG FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS JESUS CULTURE 2