Bible Bytes

I was reading a book written by a missionary and she said that we must pray with importunity. To be truthful, I did not understand what the writer meant. The first thing I did was search the word. importunity to find the meaning, It means a persistent plea or to almost beg someone to do something. It simply means, praying with fervor and intensity.

Do you remember saying as a child, please, please pretty please when you wanted something from your friend. This was a more humorous way to get what you wanted,  I don’t think this is what is meant here.  Can you imagine praying and saying please, please, pretty please to God. Unfortunately, that may be the way that God looks at some of the prayers that we pray.

I think we would get the picture if we studied the story that Jesus told, to his disciples, about the woman and the unjust judge.

Luke 18,1-8

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. Jesus said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. ³ And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’

⁴ “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually come and attack me!’”

⁶ And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷ And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? ⁸ I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

If you’re like me, you sometimes become distracted in praying. My mind wanders. It could be to a ball game, fishing, relationships or some other distraction. I would suggest that if we are praying with fervor and persistence, there should be no room for distractions. If I need something, I should be able to concentrate on what I’m asking for.

We should be to the point. No beating around the bush. If we are asking God for help in making a decision, then that’s what we need to focus on in our praying. We pray and to be truthful, often, we forget what we prayed for.

Today, I’m going to fervently seek God for…..make a note and keep revisiting your request until you know that God has answered the prayer.

Note: I prayed this morning, orally and for one specific situation that has been troubling me. I made a note of the date..I will pray this prayer request with importunity.

 

in progress

It’s spring and the farmers are out preparing their fields to make them ready to plant the seeds. Home owners  and back yard gardeners are working their patch of earth with fertilizers and other nutrients. They are preparing in expectation of planting a seed that will produce a crop.

Let’s have a look at two parables and see how they reflect on our heart soil. They are, The Parable of the sower and The Parable of the weeds.

Jesus speaking in Red

The Parable of the Sower

13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake.² Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. ³ Then he told them many things in parables, saying: 

“A farmer went out to sow his seed

. ⁴ As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 

⁵ Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 

⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.

 ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.

 ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

 ⁹ Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

¹⁸ “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 

¹⁹ When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 

²⁰ The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 

²¹ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

 ²² The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 

²³ But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

The Parable of the Weeds

²⁴ Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.

 ²⁵ But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.

 ²⁶ When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

²⁷ “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

²⁸ “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

²⁹ “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them.

 ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

This is a post in progress

I am a Christian, however; there are events in scripture that I try and investigate. One of those events pertains to, the darkness over the earth, that occurred when Jesus was crucified. There was darkness for 3 hours.

Please scroll down to visit links leading to a detailed explanation of the three hours of darkness.

I believe in creation.

The following are scripture readings of the creation story, up to the creation of the light. and the crucifixion story.

Genesis 1: In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2. And the earth was without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

3. And God said let there be light; and there was light.

4. And God saw the light, that it was good, and God divided the light from the darkness.

5. And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night, And the evening and the morning were the first day.

6. And God said let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

7. And God made the firmament. and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament, and it was so.

8. And God called the firmament Heaven, And the evening and the morning were the second day.

9. And God said let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear and it was so.

10. And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas and God saw that it was good.

11. And God said let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed and the fruit tree yielding fruit after after his kind, whose seed is in itself, after his kind and God saw that it was good.

12. And the earth brought forth grass and the herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind; and God saw that it was good.

13. And the evening and the morning were the third day.

14. And God said let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days, and years.

15. And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth; and it was so.

16. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night, he made the stars also.

17. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,

18. And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good.

19. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

Note:  This is a link to the complete chapter. Click here 

The crucifixion account of darkness over the land.

St Matthew Chapter 27

Verse 45: Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.

Verse 46: And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice saying, ? Eli,Eli, Lama Sabachthani? That is to say, My God, my God why hast thou forsaken me?

Verse 50: Jesus when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.

St Mark Chapter 15

And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.

St. Lukes Gospel

Chapter 23: 44-46.  And it was about the sixth hour and there was a darkness over all the earth, until the ninth hour.

And the sun was darkened and the veil of the temple was rent to the midst.

And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father into thy hands, I commend my spirit; and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

I believe  there was darkness over the earth. God, who I believe created the light can turn it on and off at his beckoning.

The following linked websites offer a detailed explanation of this event.

Darkness At The Crucifixion

The Day The Sun Stopped Shining

The Crucifixion and Old Testament Prophecy Link




Comments welcome

There are at least two portions of scripture that I’m trying to understand as it pertains to fallen angels.

Many of us believe that the fallen angels were cast out upon the earth.

This may be helpful>The Son’s of God and The Daughters of Men

This blog post is a work in progress.

A Sinner’s Prayer

God, I acknowledge that I am a sinner in need of Your forgiveness.  I believe that You sent Jesus to die on the cross as payment for my sin, and that you raised Him from the dead.  I desire to turn from my sin, and I receive Jesus Christ as my Saviour.  I surrender my life into Your hands.  From this day forward, I ask your Holy Spirit to enable me to live a life that is pleasing to You and in obedience to Your will.  This I pray in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

It’s 4:15am Sept 29th, here in Ontario, where we are on vacation and my mind has been flooding with thoughts of fear, sadness, worry and other thoughts that make for a sleepless and troublesome  night, When I have periods like this, I usually repeat psalm 23 or The Lords prayer.

This morning the verse from Phil: 4:8 crossed my mind…where Paul says. “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.”

I lay in bed thinking about and whispering prayers of thanksgiving and praise. All negative thoughts were captured and imprisoned by God inspired thoughts. I became peaceful.

In my mind I envisioned men of all Christian persuations, praying and reading their bibles. In our own church, about a year ago, we started a 7:00am sunday morning men’s prayer meeting. Maybe a time of reflection and bible study could be incorporated into this prayer time.

Men need to pray, men need to talk, men need to read their bibles.

Blessing through me Lord

Blessing through me

Lord send to others

Some blessing through me

Living that all men

Thy glory shall see

Lord send to otherss

Some blessing through me

1 Timothy 2:8….Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing.

Be Blessed

Steve

Matthew 24:6 ‘And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars….’

1 Thessalonians 5:3 ‘For when they shall say, Peace and Safety; then sudden destruction shall come upon them, as travail comes upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.’

Should we interpret ‘wars and rumors of wars’ as a sign of the end times when there have been so infrequent times of peace in the last several hundred years? Although there were over 30 wars, conflicts, civil unrest and uprisings in just the last century, that number has been surpassed already in the first quarter of this century. There is no doubt that the world is becoming increasingly violent, and technological advances as well as recent acquisitions of nuclear weapons by unstable governments have escalated the probability of a major war in the not too distant future. Also, terrorist activities are creating tensions between nations, as some seek to gain political advantage through support of these activities. This is particularly evident in the Middle East, where the majority of Muslim nations are aligned against Israel, God’s chosen people, and are seeking ways to defeat or destroy that nation. Not a year passes without both new conflicts and rumors of potential wars.

In spite of escalating tensions on a worldwide scale, there are still those who hope for and expect that man will eventually find a peaceful solution to the conflicts and terrorism which continues to increase with time. As indicated in Thessalonians, eventually there will be a false peace which will only last for a short time, and this will be followed by war and destruction on a scale never before experienced on earth. While many will say that current events are more of the same, the increasing frequency and intensity signifies that there will be no lasting peace. In Isaiah Jesus Christ is described as the ‘Prince of Peace’, a title which He will prove to be deserved when He returns to rule the world. Not only will Christ bring world peace in the future – He offers peace today to all who will receive Him as Saviour. This is a lasting personal peace which passes all human understanding, and endures regardless of the presence of conflict in the world.

Do you believe world peace can be achieved through human effort?
Have you experienced the ‘peace of Christ’?
Are you looking forward to Christ’s return?

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS HAPPENING? DOCTRINES OF DEMONS AND SEDUCTION

1 Timothy 4:1 ‘Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils .’

1 Thessalonians 2:3 ‘Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come (Christ’s return), except there come a falling away first.’

Recent reports indicate that in the past few years over 500 churches have closed their doors in Britain, while about 300 new mosques have been opened. This is compelling evidence of professing Christians ‘departing from the faith’ or ‘falling away’ as the above verses predict. And it is further evidence that we are in the latter times, or the age in which Christ shall return. Sadly it is also a trend that is being experienced throughout much of the Western world, and in countries which were once considered strongholds of Christianity, such as Canada and the United States.

‘Doctrines of devils’ is a term which many would consider extreme or exaggerated, when describing the beliefs of other religions or individuals. However, when we consider Jesus’ teachings, we realize that He stated without question that He alone was the ‘Way to the Father’ (John 14:6), and that we are either followers of Him or of the devil. He left no opportunity for anyone to choose an alternate path to heaven; yet this is one of Satan’s greatest deceptions – that there are many paths leading to the one God.

Today we see a great hunger for spiritual fulfillment, but the majority of people are ‘giving heed to seducing spirits’ such as Christian cults, New Age doctrines and self help programs, many of which stress that everyone is okay spiritually, and don’t need the spiritual rebirth that is found only in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

All religions, other than Christianity, require their adherents to achieve their ultimate goals, or reach the promised land through some kind of effort or accomplishment. This is another ‘doctrine of demons’, as the Bible clearly states that salvation is ‘by grace through faith’ (Ephesians 2:8,9) and not by ‘works of righteousness’ (Titus 3:5). If one could be saved by self effort or works of any kind, then Christ’s death was unnecessary or in vain.

Do you believe demonic deception is active in today’s world?
Do you believe there is more than one path to God?
If so, why did Christ have to die for the world’s sin?

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS HAPPENING?

What is the ‘Mark of the Beast’?

Revelation 13:16-18 ‘And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And no man might buy or sell, unless he had the mark, or the name of the beast or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred three score and six.’

There has been and continues to be much speculation as to just what is the ‘mark of the beast’ and how it will be applied to people during the tribulation period. Whether or not there is agreement on who is the beast or exactly how the mark is implemented, it is obvious that there will be rigid control on the purchase or sale of goods when the beast assumes economic control. Allegiance to the beast and receipt of the mark will be an absolute necessity for participation in commerce of any kind.

The most probable type of mark to be used is likely to be some form of computer chip, which would be implanted under the skin. Even today there are people who have had chips implanted and are using this technology for various purposes such as monetary payments, home access and security systems.

Until recent years, it would have been practically impossible to implement and enforce such a system. However, with the advent of the computer age, and advances in communication technology, systems are in place that have the capability to record and control every action and activity of individuals throughout the world. Those who refuse the ‘mark’ will be placing their lives on the line, and will in all likelihood be killed for their stand. For Christians, Revelation 14: is assurance that those who refuse to take the mark will go to heaven, as a result of being martyrs for their faith.

The emergence of this form of technology, coupled with the fulfilment of many other Biblical prophecies leaves little doubt that we are nearing the end of this ‘age of grace’, and the return of Christ is not too far distant. The necessity to be ready for Christ’s return becomes more urgent with each passing day.

WHAT IN THE WORLD IS HAPPENING?  WHAT IS THE TRUE GENDER OF GOD?

In the light of current emphasis on and controversy surrounding human gender, there is also considerable discussion and debate on the gender of God.  As with any subject relating to the triune God, the only reliable source of information is His inspired Word; and the nomenclature (the body or system of names in a particular field) used in reference to God in the Bible is clearly masculine.  Jesus was God incarnate and took the form of a man during His earthly stay and ministry.  And He referred often to His heavenly Father as the source of His strength and inspiration.  When Jesus taught the disciples to pray He began the prayer with ‘Our Father, Who art in heaven’ (Matthew 6:9)

Although God is never referred to with a feminine name or title, the masculine gender is also never promoted as superior in any respect.  Female imagery is used on occasion to illustrate that God cares for us as a mother would for her child, but God is never described as having feminine or masculine features.  Jesus declared that God is a Spirit and must be worshipped as such. (John 4:24)

On the other hand, there are many masculine titles for God throughout the Bible e.g. Master, Warrior, King, Lord, Shepherd and Bridegroom.  That however does not mean that God is of masculine gender.  A Spirit does not have gender – God is The Spirit who described Himself simply yet profoundly in the statement ‘I AM THAT I AM’. (Exodus 3:14)

If there are indisputable reasons for referring to God in the masculine gender they are these: (1) the manner in which God became incarnate in the person of His Son Jesus Christ, (2 ) the language Jesus used in reference to His Heavenly Father, and (3) the consistent masculine references contained in the teachings of the inspired Word of God.  Do we have the authority or liberty to do otherwise?

Do you believe God should be> referred to in the masculine gender?

If not, why not?