pfoJC
Passionate Followers of Jesus Christ
The Mirror Transaltion.
01 month ago
THE MIRROR TRANSLATION
Loaned from http://mirror.scripturetext.com/
(When God’s Spirit pens our thoughts we are spell bound in our own dissertation. I needed to capture this for myself lest I forget. The below is captured from http://mirror.scripturetext.com/.)
The Mirror Translation is a paraphrase translation from the original text.
While strictly following the literal meaning of the original text, sentences are constructed in such a way that the larger meaning is continually emphasised with extensions and some clarifying notes are included in brackets or at the end of the book.
This is more a paraphrase study than a “literal” translation. While the detail of every individual Greek word is closely studied, it is always done within the consideration of the consistent context of the whole chapter and book as well as the obvious context of Jesus and His finished work which is what the message of the Bible is all about.
Why the Mirror Translation?
One day I had the pleasure of taking a very famous photographer on a scenic boat trip in the bay of our home town, Hermanus South Africa. I could tell by the size of his camera lenses and equipment that he was not your average tourist.
He explained to me that he needed to sell only two photographs a year to cover his budget! I felt privileged and was delighted to watch the artist at work. With fluent skill he would exchange lenses and film and go about his work.
After about two hours with the wonderful Southern Right whales we were on our way back to the harbour when we witnessed a flock of a few hundred Cape Cormorants. The next moment they all took off in flight; the rhythm and unison of their wings were like a ballet reflecting on the water.
Our photographer friend was happily clicking away when suddenly he shouted: “I’ve got it, I’ve got it!”
It was amazing to witness the joy in the man’s face. He knew that he had captured a moment that would perhaps be worth more than all the equipment in the boat. He immediately proceeded to pack away his expensive gear and carefully zipped up the waterproof bags. I then watched him relax and sit back glowing with delight.
I couldn’t help but reflect on what must have been the greatest moment when for the first time in the history of the universe the invisible Creator witnessed his image and likeness on display in fragile, tangible human form. And God saw everything that he had made and said, “Behold, it is very good! And entered into his rest!
The Sabbath was a celebration of perfection, rather than a break from a busy schedule to observe a religious ritual! Gen.1:31.
I became absorbed with the thought of photography; magic moments of light, shape, colour and movement arrested and stored on film or in memory to be reproduced in a million glossy magazines or framed in art galleries. These exhibitions would be appreciated in any culture or language, for countless years to come. I imagined how the artist would document these gems in a way that no virus would flaw the original detail; regardless of what would happen to the prints, whether they be framed, forgotten or destroyed.
Almost like words storing images of rare beauty to be repeated at any time in any language or thought.
In the beginning was the Word.
In one of her classic novels, Gentian Hill, Elizabeth Goudge paints the picture of little Stella listening to her stepfather reading from the Bible: “All through the Book, even in the dreadful parts, the language would now and then suddenly affect her like an enchantment. The peculiarities of Father Sprigg’s delivery worried her not at all. It was as though his gruff voice tossed the words roughly in the air separate particles of no great value, and immediately they fell again transmuted, like the music of a peal of bells or raindrops shot through with sunshine and vista beyond vista of incomparable beauty opened before the mind. It was a mystery to Stella that mere words could make this happen. She supposed the makers of these phrases had fashioned them to hold their visions as one makes a box to hold one’s treasure, and Father Sprigg’s voice was the key grating in the lock, so that the box could open and set them free. That transmutation in the air still remained as unexplainable as the sudden change in herself, when at the moment of the magical fall her dull mind became suddenly sparkling with wonder and her spirit leaped up inside her like a bird…”
I am fascinated with words, language intrigues me! Man is in essence a communicator and an interpreter of thoughts and meaning. We live in the most amazing age of a global communication explosion. Age old traditions, interpretations and philosophies are constantly ‘Googled” and questioned with deliberate scrutiny.
One wonders why Deity did not delay the spectacular event of the incarnation, his life, his parables, his miracles his love his death his resurrection, with two thousand years. Imagine we had the technology then to capture a glimpse of the Messiah on high definition multi mega pixel cameras and evidence his death and resurrection on undeniable tangible record.
Yet no technology still to be invented in the far future could possibly match the capacity and wonder of a single DNA strand, with its three billion individual characters mirror repeated seventy five trillion times, which is how many cells there are in one person. Their inaudible voice resonate the light of life! This dwarfs any terabyte into insignificance.
The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the LORD has made them both. Proverbs 20:12. Mankind is the god-kind, designed to live by the complete word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard;
yet their sound transmits through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun,
which comes forth like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and like a strong man runs its course with joy.
Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them; and there is nothing hid from its heat. Psalm 19:1-6.
“All flesh shall see it together!”
Isa 40:3 A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Isa 40:4 Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; every crooked place shall be made straight, and the rough places smooth.
Isa 40:5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
In the incarnation God deleted every definition of distance; every possible excuse man could have to feel separated or even neglected by God was removed in one day, through one sacrifice, once and for all!
Life documented in the Rock of ages, now inscribed on hearts of flesh! Hear the echo, feel the resonance! Christ is all and in all!
You are living Epistles, known and read by all men!
Two thousand and eleven years ago the conversation that had begun before time was recorded, and sustained in fragments of thought throughout the ages, whispered in prophetic language, chiselled in stone and inscribed in human conscience and memory, became a man. Beyond the tablet of stone and the papyrus scroll or parchment roll human life has become the articulate voice of God. Jesus is the crescendo of God’s conversation with humankind; he gives context and content to the authentic thought. Everything that God had in mind for man is voiced in him. Jesus is God’s language. His name declares his mission. As Saviour of the world he truly redeemed the image and likeness of the invisible God and made him apparent again in human form. Hebrews 1:1-3.
The destiny of the logos was not the printed page. A mirror can only reflect the object, likewise the purpose of the page was only to reflect the message which is “Christ in you”; he completes the deepest longing of every human heart. The incarnation is the ultimate translation.
In the words of the song of Moses, “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; and let the earth hear the words of my mouth.
May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distil as the dew, as the gentle rain upon the tender grass, and as the showers upon the herb.
For I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Ascribe greatness to our God! “The Rock, his work is perfect; Deuteronomy 32:1-4.
Mankind has forgotten their Maker and in the process, their identity.
You were unmindful of the Rock that begot you, and you forgot the God who gave you birth. Deuteronomy 32:18.
Jesus did not come to begin a new religious movement called Christianity, his mandate was to reveal and redeem the image and likeness of God in human form.
While none of Jesus’ brothers believed in him during the three years of his ministry, (John 7:5) his brother James discovers his own true identity when Jesus appears to him after the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:4-7) and declares, “It was his delightful resolve to give birth to us; we were conceived by the unveiled logic of God.” James 1:18.
He continues, “By being a mere spectator in the audience you underestimate yourself (you come to an inferior conclusion about who you really are). You are God’s poem. The difference between a mere spectator and a participator is that both of them hear the same voice and perceive in its message the face of their own genesis reflected as in a mirror; they realize that they are looking at themselves, but for the one it seems just too good to be true, he departs (back to his old way of seeing himself) never giving another thought to the man he saw there in the mirror.
The other one is mesmerized by what he sees; he is captivated by the effect of a law that frees man from the obligation to the old written code that restricted him to his own efforts and willpower. No distraction or contradiction can dim the impact of what he sees in that mirror concerning the law of perfect liberty (the law of faith) that now frees him to get on with the act of living the life (of his original design.) He finds a new spontaneous lifestyle; the poetry of practical living. (The law of perfect liberty is the image and likeness of God revealed in Christ, now redeemed in man as in a mirror. Look deep enough into that law of faith that you may see there in its perfection a portrait that so resembles the original that he becomes distinctly visible in the spirit of your mind and in the face of every man you behold. Let us briefly consider these two words that James use here, parakupto and parameno. I translated the word parakupto with mesmerized, from para, a preposition indicating close proximity, a thing proceeding from a sphere of influence, with a suggestion of union of place of residence, to sprung from its author and giver, originating from, denoting the point from which an action originates, intimate connection, and kupto, to bend, stoop down to view at close scrutiny, parameno, to remain under the influence. The word often translated, freedom, eleutheria, means without obligation.) James 1:23–25.
A word in any language can be most fascinating. Seed stores the life energy and the genetic detail of a plant species, in much the same way thoughts and concepts are concealed in words and language.
Individual words can greatly influence the meaning and interpretation of any conversation.
For many years deliberate as well as oblivious errors in translations were repeated and have empowered the religious institution of the day to influence, manipulate and even abuse masses of people.
Consider the word metanoia, consisting of two components, meta, together with, nous, mind, suggesting a radical mind shift. This word has been translated regularly as repentance, which is an old English word borrowed from the Latin, which means penance. This gross deception led to the perverted doctrines of indulgences, where naive ignorant people were led to believe that they need to purchase favour from an angry god! Most cathedrals as well as many ministries were funded with guilt money!
English translations do little to help us understand what repentance truly is. Until Jerome’s Latin Vulgate translation, the word metanoia was commonly used. For instance, Tertullian wrote in 198 A.D., “In Greek, metanoia is not a confession of sins but a change of mind.” But despite this the Latin fathers begin to translate the word as “do penance” following the Roman Catholic teaching on doing penance in order to win God’s favour.
In 1430, Lorenzo Valla, a Catholic theologian, began a critical study of Jerome’s Latin Vulgate and Valla pointed out many mistakes that Jerome had made. Sadly, the Vulgate-Only crowd of Valla’s day forced him to renounce many of the changes that he noted needed in the Vulgate including the poor translation of metanoia.
The business of religion desperately needs paying and returning customers! They crucified Jesus for this reason; their entire system of keeping people dependant on their hierarchy was challenged and condemned!
Isa 55:8-11 gives meaning to metanoia: your thoughts were distanced from God’s thoughts as the heavens are higher than the earth, but just like the rain and the snow would cancel that distance and saturate the soil to awaken its seed, so shall my word be that proceeds from my mouth.
The Greek preposition meta means together with; together with implies another influence; this is where the gospel becomes so powerful since it appeals to our conscience to reason together with our original design… the authentic thought, the mind of God realised again; the distance caused by Adam’s fall, heaven higher than earth, is cancelled in the incarnation.
Your belief in God does not define him; his faith in what he knows to be true about you defines you.
In Mark 11:22 Jesus says, ‘have the faith of God’. Unfortunately most translations say, ‘have faith in God’; there is a vast difference.
God’s belief in you gives substance to your faith. Jesus is what God believes about you!
If our point of departure is not God’s faith in the finished work of Christ we have no valid gospel to preach! If our faith is not sourced and sustained in him as the mirror image of God revealed and redeemed in us we are deceiving ourselves with yet another religious disguise called Christianity.
There are doubtless numerous ‘errors’ bound in expensive leather books, and sold for many years under the notion of “the authentic word of God!” The book is not the word of God; the message it contains certainly is. Millions of lives have been ignited, transformed and blessed by every translation imaginable, in spite of errors in text and translation.
I salute the effort and contribution of the multitudes of people who have painstakingly preserved, documented, and gathered fragments, scrutinized and compiled, copied and translated texts and manuscripts over the centuries. I also acknowledge with great gratitude those who paid with their lives to introduce the Bible in a language that ordinary people could understand.
The Mirror Translation does not replace any other translation; it is simply a study tool that will assist the casual reader as well as the student of scripture to gain highlighted insight in the promise and the Person documented and revealed in the Bible as the mirror image of the likeness of God redeemed in man.
Jesus blows our definitions and doctrines apart with one statement: “Whatever you have known about God that is unlike me, is not God!”
If you have seen me you have seen the Father! This was his purpose, to resonate and redeem the Abba echo in every human heart!
“You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you’ll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me!” John 5:39 The Message. See also Luke 24:27,44,45.
Jesus is what the Bible is all about, and man is what Jesus is all about!
Man is the expression of the greatest idea that ever was! John 5:39.
Every invention begins with an original thought. You are God’s original thought. You are his initiative; the fruit of his creative inspiration, his intimate design and love-dream.
The first Hebrew word in the Bible, bereshet, literally means ‘in the head.’ You are his work of art; his poem says Paul in the Greek text of Eph 2:10. Man began in God.
When God imagined you he had a being in mind whose intimate friendship would intrigue him for eternity!
Every human life is equally valued and represented in Christ. He gives context and reference to our being as in a mirror; not as an example for us, but of us. The ‘ugly duckling’ saw reflected in the water the truth that freed the swan! Ps 23 says, “He leads me beside still waters, and restores my soul” or, “by the waters of reflection my soul remembers who I am!”
“The ends of the earth shall remember and return to the Lord!” Psalm 22:27.
He has come to introduce us to ourselves again, so that we may know, even as we have always been known! Jeremiah 1:5, 1 Corinthians 13:12.
Even illiterate Peter learns to write, he declares, “we were born anew by the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.” 1 Peter 1:3.
I love his motivation, “I make it my business to thoroughly arouse you until these truths become permanently molded in your memory.” 2 Peter 1:13.
“We are not con-artists, fabricating fictions and fables to add weight to our account of his majestic appearance; with our own eyes we witnessed the powerful display of the illuminate presence of Jesus the Master of the Christ life. (His face shone like the sun, even his raiment were radiant white. Mat.17)
He was spectacularly endorsed by God the Father in the highest honor and glory. God’s majestic voice announced, “This is the son of my delight; he has my total approval.”
For John, James and I the prophetic word is fulfilled beyond doubt; we heard this voice loud and clear from the heavenly realm while we were with Jesus in that sacred moment on the mountain.
For us the appearing of the Messiah is no longer a future promise, but a fulfilled reality. Now it is your turn to have more than a second hand, hear-say testimony; take my word as one would take a lamp at night; the day is about to dawn for you in your own understanding. When the morning star appears, you no longer need the lamp; this will happen shortly on the horizon of your own hearts…” 2 Pet 1:16-19.
Now we all with new understanding see ourselves in him as in a mirror; thus we are changed from an inferior mindset to the revealed opinion of our true Origin. 2 Corinthians 3:18
May this translation ignite many hearts with the light of life!
Francois du Toit ~ August 2011
Afrikaans
Chechewe Romans
Swahili Translations
Mirror Translation
Copyright Francois du Toit 2011-2009. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.
Swahili Translations
by Pastor Zephania Enock Mwalusambo. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.
PO Box 1428
Hermanus South Africa 7200
Other Books and translations by Francois du Toit:
GOD BELIEVES IN YOU (Also Afrikaans, Russian)
DONE! (Afrikaans ‘Kant en Klaar’ also in Swahili)
DIVINE EMBRACE (Afrikaans INTIEM MET GOD Also in Swahili)
THE MYSTERY REVEALED (Afr Russian)
THE LOGIC OF HIS LOVE
THE TRIUMPH OF FRIENDSHIP
ROMANS REVEALED now also in Chichewa
Copyright Francois du Toit 2011
It is God’s strenght in us.
02 months ago
We are not what we are out of our own strength. It is and always will be subject to God in us and by his Grace and Holly Spirit in us that we succeed and only then can we be more than what we are. I am only 1 person. If you divide 1 by the infinite Spirit of God that exists in his Body Christ the church, therefore; 1/”Infinity” = 0, hence we are nothing but still we are special and counted under the covenant of the most Holy; Luke 21:18 “But not a hair of your head will perish.” and 1 Samuel 14:45 “But the men said to Saul, “Should Jonathan die–he who has brought about this great deliverance in Israel? Never! As surely as the LORD lives, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, for he did this today with God’s help.” So the men rescued Jonathan, and he was not put to death.”
Despite our infinite insignificance we are molded and cast into the brickwork of Christs church and have to carry the weight born on us by his Grace. I pray for chazaq* that I may be able to fight the good fight and carry the torch of His great command.
And YET even more you are to be set free in Truth;
{**}”You qualify through what God has done in Christ to participate in every benefit of life as it was designed to be and now in Christ again redeemed and revealed to be your life!
Why would you disqualify yourself?
You are represented, your total wellbeing is God’s concern.
The thief came to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus came so that you may have life in its most complete expression.
Do not deceive yourself.
Only your unbelief and ignorance can empower an already defeated lie to blind your understanding, and keep you from seeing the light of the Gospel which is the glory of God revealed in the face of Jesus Christ; the light of the Gospel is the attraction of the attributes of God evidenced in the features of a man, as in a mirror! 2 Corinthians 3:18 and 4:2-5.”
Reference;
{*} Chazaq; Courage that comes from God ~ instilled by the Holy Spirit. Is defined an old Hebrew word used 300 times or more in the bible. It is a uniquely strong and powerful descriptor of “courage” that comes from God. Defined
more completely here: http://whatischazaq.blogspot.co.uk/2006/10/what-is-chazaq-its-old-hebrew-word.html
{**} Francios du Toit; The Incarnation Code : http://mirror.scripturetext.com/understanding.htm
Truly, truly I say to You?
02 months ago
Truly,truly.
Wind blown tree
One of those 40 Days in the word.
Joh 3:8 “The wind blows (breathes) where it wills; and though you hear its sound, yet you neither know where it comes from nor where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (AMP)
The Spirit of God is invisible to the outside world. The workings of the Spirit within the Christian are the coming alive of the Spirit of God. We can see the wind blowing, but if the wind is not carrying dust we cannot see the wind itself. The visibility of our experiences with the Spirit of God in our lives brings out the visibility of the Holy Spirit. The absolute and undeniable truth of the Holy Spirit in my life feeds me the truths of his Word, and compels me to live out his command.
In Ephesians 2:1-2 Paul says;
Eph 2:1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
Eph 2:2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. (NASB)
Without having been born again into Christ and through Christ we are void of the Spirit. When we are void of the Spirit then the word of God is reduced to some literary book which needs to be prodded and poked. Having been brought to life by the Spirit of God changes and transforms our vision and experience of the holy word. We start to hunger for the knowledge that this Manual of life has to offer and reading and studying the Word of God becomes an unbelievable spiritual experience.
You cannot and you will not be able to write without the divine spiritual intercession of our triune God if and when the Spirit dwells within you.
Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Joh 3:4 Nicodemus *said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”
Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Joh 3:6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Joh 3:7 “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
Joh 3:8 “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (NASB)
In John 3:3 Jesus said “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” This is a double edged sword, you cannot see in the now and present the kingdom of God, nor can you experience that kingdom of God in the future without the intervention of the Holy Spirit here on earth. As surely as I put my pen to paper you will not see the kingdom of God nor will you experience the kingdom of God unless you are born again. So when Jesus says “Truly, truly” he brings out the truth in the mortality of today and in your spiritual existence of the future.
Truly (1) without being born again you will not experience the kingdom of God here on Earth. (You will be without the Holy Spirit of the triune God and therefore unable to see or hear and experience his workings in and around you.)
Truly (2) without being born again you will not experience the kingdom of God in the spiritual realm when you pass on. (You need to be covered in the blood of Jesus Christ when you approach God on your judgement day, or you will experience his wrath for eternity.)
Feed your spirit with living water.
02 months ago
Nothing we suffer in mortality, compares to what we gain or lose in eternity.
Php 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. (NIV)
Day 35/40 Days in the word.
How little we understand of our present circumstances. We, wondering, share this Earth with the spiritual beings and souls around us every single day. And we, ourselves, are only but spirits caught in a very small moment in time on this earth. How infinitely small, our spirit wonders this Earth as mortals. Yet, and but, how very significant the mortality time is, as it sets the foundation of our eternity.
” God will meet all your needs” if you are not drawing water for your spirit from the well of eternal life (Gods Word) which has been given to you so abundantly and with so much grace then you are not filling the purse of your eternal riches. (Luke 12:33b) “..Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.” (NIV)
Joh 4:13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again,
Joh 4:14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (NIV)
If you feed on the Word of the Lord your God he will draw a cheque for you, signed by Jesus Christ, from the Exchequer of heaven, God.
Your mortal needs are insignificant and you need not tally your mind there on, as your faithful God will provide for you. (Deuteronomy 8:3b) “….to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.” (NIV)
Lastly Paul wrote in Romans 8:18
Rom 8:18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
Paul never complained, and always found, through God, that his suffering were a blessing to others. What Paul wrote in Romans 8:18 is a massive understatement of the truth, his suffering and example has been an exemplary glorification of God for so many people over the last 2000 years and will be for countless more over the next 2000 years.
Seek God’s council first.
02 months ago
The question about the “all thing”?
Day 34/40 Days in the Word
Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (NKJV)
Is the question that because we fall short of bringing about these “all things” a failure of Christ? Why can I then not do all things? The failure is mostly us, our disbelief, lack of faith, and then above all have we seeked God’s counsel and does the all thing we wish to do align with that which God wants?
The statement in Philippians 4:13 will and can only be brought to fruition if we have either seeked God’s counsel or it is a direct instruction from him. Our egotistic manner often draws us into the trap of failure when measured against Philippians 4:13. The question as to the nature of the “all things” we wish to achieve has to be in absolute alignment with God’s wishes, and his impeccable timing otherwise he cannot grant our “all things”.
Before we demand, or ask God to grant us our “all things” we have to find out and be sure it is His wish, in deed and time, and then there is absolutely no doubt about its being granted to you.
The prayer for the “all thing”.
Dear Father God I bring you my “all thing”,
no matter how my heart yearns for this (all thing), I pray in earnest and in total humble submission that your glorious and wonderful knowledge will only grant this should it be your will,
therefore father God if it is Your will and it will glorify Your name then it is my prayer that You grant me the “all thing”,
should it in any way be detrimental or adverse to the fulfilment and growth of your Holy Spirit in me then do not grant this “all thing”, but give me the strength and the ability to submit to you with joy praise and gladness for the demonstration of your love.
May your will be fulfilled.
Amen.
Set free on this world to explore Gods Word.
02 months ago
You are set free and embraced by the Godheart.
Day 33/40 days in the word
Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Php 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things. (NIV)
It would be a really sad day if all we could look forward to, through our devout practice of Christianity, was God’s guarantee of our internal grace of life for the future. The remarkable observation that I make is that certain character traits are common and clearly visible among true Christians (who are not proclaimers) and that is, they have an understanding of who they are and a security within their religion which is unshakeable. Secondly, their ability to discourse with God relieves them of having to consult psychologists and psychiatrists, the inner peace brought about by their interaction with the Word greatly surpasses human intervention. God’s faithfulness in dealing with the Christian, in this life, gives him the ability and releases him from the severity of the blows dealt on him by the failure of humanity and is totally inadequate civilisation.
Php 4:7 And God’s peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Php 4:8 For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them]. (AMP)
Completely assured of the salvation through Jesus Christ, and thereby fearing nothing from God, you are through the blood of his son set free of his wrath. Allow God’s peace which transcends all understanding garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ.
For the rest walk brethren, with whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honourable and seemly, with whatever is just an appeal, with whatever is lovely and lovable, with whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, raced towards and prepay everything that requires the virtue and excellence of your grace, fix your mind on these things and weigh and test them with the Spirit of the most Holy of Christ in you.
Eph 2:3 Among these we as well as you once lived and conducted ourselves in the passions of our flesh [our behavior governed by our corrupt and sensual nature], obeying the impulses of the flesh and the thoughts of the mind [our cravings dictated by our senses and our dark imaginings]. We were then by nature children of [God's] wrath and heirs of [His] indignation, like the rest of mankind.
Eph 2:4 But God–so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us, (AMP)
From Ephesians 2:3-4;
Among the world, as we were all once part of this world we conducted ourselves in the passions of our flesh and our behaviour governed by our corrupt and sensual nature, we were obeying the impulses of the flesh and thoughts of the mind, it dictated by our senses and dark imaginings. We were then by nature children of God’s wrath and heirs of his indignation, like the rest of mankind.
But God so rich in his mercy and love towards you, his Son Jesus Christ offered you his hand impaled by the sins of the world to lift you up and out of that cycle.
It is because of that wonderful and intense love with which he loves and cares for you, you are set free and embraced by the Godheart.
The joyous exposition of the works be manifested in you as a Son of Christ!
02 months ago
Day 30, 31, & 32 /40 days in the Word.
Them Bones!
The texts of these three days (30,31 & 32) form the cornerstone of our aspirations and objectives as practicing living Christians. The promise of the unity of God’s Holy Spirit as our guide and companion, and the experience of that cohesion with the triune God changes our Christianity from a “dogmatic self-egotistical practice” into a ravaging of our spirit and an explosion of our lives reflecting the “joyous exposition of the workings” for the honour of God.
Php 3:12b … I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. (NIV)
Join the race;
Jesus by his example died as the sacrificial lamb for me. This he took hold of for me, so that we may enter into the presence of God in order that our imperfections may be covered by his blood. You and I must press on to take hold of that prize and never let go of it.
We must not get tired as we are in it for the long haul. Ever trial and tribulation is something we must welcome, overcoming the hardships with God at the helm. He just strengthens our spiritual athletic perseverance. If we welcome the challenges into our Christian existence, it is with gladdened heart that we enter into the battle. Therein God will build up our spiritual competence.
Php 2:13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. (NLT)
This text in the amplified Bible reverberated the love of God towards us and finalises our unity. Once exposed to the workings of the Holy Spirit within our lives, our submission to the wisdom which flows to our consciousness requires not our own works but is very clearly and definitely the works of God within us. It is at this stage that we passed the point of no return. For if we do not listen to the Spirit that convicts us, who guides and directs us, we are truly grieving the Spirit of God as in Ephesians 4:30.
As Paul wrote ‘do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by offending him or vexing or saddening him, by whom you were sealed, marked, branded as God’s own secured for eternity and the day of redemption and form part of the final deliverance through Christ from evil and the consequences of sin. Release all bitterness and indignation and wrath, rage and bad temper and resentment anger and animosity and quarrelling brawling clamour contention and slander evil speaking abusive or blasphemous language must be banished from you with all malice and spite, ill will and any form of unkindness. Become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tender hearted compassionate and understanding readily and freely forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you’.
Php 2:13 [Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight. (AMP)
The final perfection is from God’s pen “Not in your own strength for it is God who is all the while effectually at work in you.” (Philippians 2:13 a {AMP})
Php 1:27a. Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. (NIV)
Once you have been exposed to the offer of redemption through Jesus Christ the great commission has been completed in as far as your soul is concerned. If you were damned before having not been exposed to the grace of God through his son Jesus Christ, you are now truly damned if you reject this calling. The foundations of the gospel of Christ are seated in doing the will of God, reflecting on and participating in the praise and glorification of God. The readily and graceful freely forgiving of God through the blood of Jesus Christ of us and our sinne’rs soul, and our trivial attempt at participating in the love of the Godheart to God and the world and people around us.
Php 1:27a Only be sure as citizens so to conduct yourselves [that] your manner of life [will be] worthy of the good news (the Gospel) of Christ, (AMP)
You and I, as citizens and participants in the church of Jesus Christ are commanded by the Holy Spirit of the triune God to conduct ourselves in a manner that we will be worthy of the Gospel and grace of Jesus Christ.
Mat 10:38 Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
My prayer to you all comes from Ephesians 1:17 – 23 of the amplified Bible;
I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all glory, may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation and a deep insight into the mysteries and secrets of His word that they may be revealed to you so that you may experience the intimate knowledge of our triune God.
I pray that your heart will be flooded with the light of Christ, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, I pray that you will know the full richness and glorious inheritance that has been set apart by God for you,
I pray that you will know and understand what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength.
I pray that that the understanding which was exhibited in Christ when He was raised up from the dead and seated at His own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all the ruling authority and power and dominion and every name that is named above every title that can be conferred, not only in this age and in this world, but also in the age and the world which are to come, that it will form part of the praise that flows from your heart.
I pray that you will fathom and understand that all things have been put under His feet and that He has been appointed Him the universal and supreme Head of the church which is His body and fullness of Him.
I pray that you will fathom He Who fills all in all for in nobody lives the full measure of Him Who makes everything complete and Who fills everything everywhere with himself and the fullness of Him be manifested in you so that through your walk in this world you will reflect and be known as a son of Christ..
Here are the texts in order that they were given for the three days;
Day 30/ 40 Days in the word of God.
Php 1:27a. Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. (NIV)
Then Day 31/ 40 days in the word.
Php 2:13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what
pleases him. (NLT)
Day 32/40 days in the word of God.
Php 3:12b … I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. (NIV)
My reflections above were explained by using the three text messages in reverse order.
Impaled by the steel of humanity’s sins.
02 months ago
The outstretched hand impaled by the steel of humanity’s sins.
Mass
Day 29/40 Days in the word of God.
Php 1:6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (NIV)
Some background.
There is very little doubt that the book of Philippians was written by Paul. It is generally accepted that it was written during his incarceration in Rome. However there are logistical problems with the acceptance of this, it is however agreed that the incarceration of Paul took place in or around 60 to 62 CE*. The church in Philippine was founded by Paul on his second missionary journey and due to its location and population played an extremely important role in the development of the Christian doctrine. Philippi formed an extremely important staging ground for the spread of Christianity into Europe.
In the text that is our subject matter Paul is clearly saying to the Philippians that the salvationary work of Jesus Christ that was started in the church would faithfully be continued until His coming. Amazingly and beyond belief this springboard has been proved in fact today. This text which is looking at a global truth reverberates the microcosm truth which relates to you and I.
I am absolutely confident, that if you accept Jesus Christ as your saviour, the workings of His Spirit in you will continue to perfection until the day of the coming of Jesus Christ. That promise of salvation is written in blood from the cross and your ability to be alive for eternity is granted to you through the eternal son of God.
O my soul I am but worm,
in the essence of my meandering on this earth,
we work to prevent the storm,
I grope and scratch to earn,
In free grace I have been set free,
knowledge and wisdom are mine to have,
submission to crucifixion,
and on the cross I die,
raised up by the outstretched hand impaled by the steel of humanity’s sins.
___________________________________________
CE* ~C.E.; “Common era.” This abbreviation is used in the replacement of A.D. (anno Domini, Latin for “in the year of the Lord”) The common era (CE) covers the time from Christ’s birth to the present day.
Condemn your friend to dust and treasure his heart.
02 months ago
The long Haul
Where do we start with the rockyfied heart?
Day 28/40 days in the word.
Jas 5:19 My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back,
Jas 5:20 remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins. (NIV)
In paraphrase;
Dear fellow Christians if one of you has been led astray from the truth, and that person is brought back then always remember: by bringing the sinner back you will have saved them from certain death and God will have forgiven them all their sins.
From the Message;
Jas 5:19 My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth, don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back
Jas 5:20 and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God. (MSG)
Where do we start?
Whenever we are faced with a wandering soul who has lost his way or someone we are trying to convince of the error of their ways the question is to find that essential point at which to start. As in all things God related there is no better way to solve a problem than to do it on our knees. Our prayer in these matters should also reflect our own shortcomings and have a definite inward look to examine that there are no selfish reasons for our request. Our request for the conversion or rectification should purely reflect a union with God. So in real simple terms start with prayer, meditation, discussion with others who can help define the reality and the core of the problem which is being addressed for rectification.
Once we have fully assessed why what we are doing is necessary and examined in truth the reality thereof the next step would be to set our goal and objective of where we would like the subject matter to end up, in the dust at the feet of Jesus, and that simply is all we need to have come about.
Our prayer in matters such as these must encompass deep thought and guidance from God. Often we are under the misconception that we will get immediate relief when we embark on a journey of redemption which involves another soul. Although this is possible for God it may not be his will, you need to remember that the Devil is hard at work in and on your subject matter and has rockyfied the heart of the subject matter, he will not freely or without a fight give up their soul. You need to pray and live by example in the presence of your subject; you are in it for the long haul and are prepared to never give up on their behalf.
Our God is a faithful God, you have to trust Him and above all allow Him to guide your actions. Be quiet, have a very deep pool of patience, listen to the Spirit and move in prayer.
Giving without Christ in your heart is egotistical and selfish.
02 months ago
Give your Heart
Giving which is not Christ centred is egotistical and selfish.
Day 26/40 Days in the word of God.
Jas 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. (NIV)
If you are wise and understanding do your good works in absolute humility, and not for the purpose of recognition, but in graceful thankfulness that you are able to. This is true wisdom.
Jas 3:13 Who is there among you who is wise and intelligent? Then let him by his noble living show forth his [good] works with the [unobtrusive] humility [which is the proper attribute] of true wisdom. (AMP)
When we listen to the words of Jesus there is very little that we can contribute;
Mat 6:1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
Mat 6:2 “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
Mat 6:3 “But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
Mat 6:4 so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. (NASB)
If we give for our own sanctification, to give credence to our egos in the face of the humanity that surrounds us, then that giving is only egotistical and has absolutely no value before God. God has said in his own words “The poor will always be with you.” (John 12:8) Therefore we should always be thankful to give, but we must always give with a pure heart in the glorification of Jesus Christ our Lord. To give with this Christian heart means not to expect anything in return but to accept and enjoy in the fact of being able to give, thanking God for being in the position of having the capacity to give. For in that alone, the capacity, God has shown us favour and love and grace.
