It was a full thirty years ago when I used to listen to Gary S. Paxton who would sing these words. “He was there all the time…….He was there all the time……waiting patiently in line……He was there all the time!” I feel I know of a certainty why those few song lyrics are still today so clearly retained in my memory. It is because I perceived them to be SO VERY TRUE. I can not speak for another, but in my case, the memories of the Lord Jesus by the Holy Spirit convicting me of sin and drawing me unto Himself, are some of my very earliest memories. I only called out to Him after He first, for an extended period of time, had been drawing me unto Himself. Jesus spoke of this truth to His disciples in John 15:16. You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain. Jesus, by the Holy Spirit is the initiator. He takes the first step in establishing a relationship with every person, and this truth is not only true as He draws people to Himself for salvation, but it is true all of our lives long as we walk with Him. That is why the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and do of His good pleasure. This friend, is the working of grace. There is no good thing that we have, but that His grace did not lead us into it. Yes, we have had to respond in order to receive the benefits of his grace, but that is the nature of the relationship. He is the initiator, we are the responder.

Like Christ, Like The Man

In like manner the man is the initiator, while the woman is the responder. Remember now, in this article we are exploring how Christ and the Church are to be pictured in the husband-wife relationship. In fact, we are saying that by the great genius and power of God He created the man and the woman to be individual MORTAL LIVING PICTURES of Himself, and that which is His highest prize, the Church. So that in looking at the lives of a husband and wife, who by the Holy Spirit live according to God’s commandments, you will see a picture of Christ and the Church. Sometimes we will use the terms man and husband interchangeably, and the terms woman and wife interchangeably. This is because one can not be a husband until he first comes to manhood, and one can not be a wife until she first comes to womanhood. To begin this comparison let’s look at the Bible verse we quoted earlier and see what wisdom we can gleam from it. As in the case of Christ, so it is given unto men to take the initiative. But let’s consider the motive behind Christ’s action to take the initiative and call us to Himself, and this was done before any of us ever called out to Him. I could easily use a hundred Scriptures to bear out that His singular purpose in regards to initiating a relationship with any of us is to know us, and to lift us up, and see us re-created into what we were created to be in the first place. (before sin entered the world) He only initiates good. In like manner a suitor calling on a woman should only have her good in mind. If his motives toward her are not good and pure, to bring into her life blessing, then that man’s ways are wrong, and he is to be avoided. Christ the Lord calls us, and ordains us to bear much fruit and purposes that that fruit remain. It is Christ’s purpose that every Believer’s life be full, and all together productive in every good work. This is to God’s praise. In like manner a suitor needs from the beginning to see all the potentiality in a perspective wife. How that their lives together can amount to great things in the Lord. How that she can be positively affected by being a wife to him, to be all that she can be. If a man calling on a woman does not see this, then he should not engage a relationship, but leave her to another. The wise and faithful suitor understands that one day he will be held in account for all the decisions of his life. So the prospect of taking to himself a wife is no small thing. So for him to choose a godly and wise wife will bring forth blessing and honor, in both this present life, and the life that is to come.

Tips From Jesus

Some tips we can learn from the Lord Jesus. If we look at the manner in which He approached any, and all who are His, then we can derive wisdom as to how a man should approach a woman to enter a relationship with her. Christ, although ultimate in power, and Lord over all things, is still a gentleman. All of His approaches to me through the years have always shown Him to be a gentleman. He does not mock, or poke fun at. He has never ridiculed or belittled me. He has never put me in a position of comparison to another that I might be embarrassed, or caused me to feel inferior. Rather, though the years, He has always endeavored to open to me the greatness of what I was created to be. Gently, but persistently urging me to overcome what I was, that I did not want to be, to become what I was meant to be. He has always opened the door for me. The door to every next situation in life I have seen Him to be there opening it for me. How be it, somethings it was only after the happening that I was able to see His hand. So young woman before you “tie the knot” with a man consider very carefully. Has the man who is interested in you bothered to develop these traits? Do you keep fellowship with the type of people who hold these qualities of life to be of great value so that you have reasonable hope of finding a man of virtue? Do you trust God enough to hold out for Him to provide this type of man as a husband for you? Please also know that although I speak thus concerning the great general patience of the Lord Jesus, there will be in the end shown to be “two sides to the coin”. Christ always shows Himself as gentle to those He is drawing to Himself, even though we may be slow in responding. But to the soul that loves sin, in the end Christ will not be seen as gentle and compassionate, but will bring terror to those who have chosen to remain His enemies. This also is a picture of the wrath that can be found in a man’s heart when betrayed by a woman.

O Man, You Were Created As A Picture Of God

Young man, just like Christ is the initiator you have been created to be a picture of this reality. It will be expressed in your life to a young woman. This is good, it puts you in the lead, and she in the position of following. Which is a picture in itself of Christ and the Church, for He is the head, and the Church is the follower. However, I advise you to take a very careful and sober look at this calling (responsibility) that you have by nature of being a man. Please do not think that one can have a calling without responsibility. For they are like right and left hand. A calling, with all of its hopes and ambitions, are the right hand, but responsibility, with its searing sense of the possibility of loss, that is the other hand. So I say to you young man lead away. For this purpose you were created. However, do not lead without thought as to where you are going, or the manner in which you lead. For we will now speak of some of the grave consequences of that which you may initiate into the wife you choose. For you are the initiator, and she is the responder. So lets look at some of the chemistry of how that will work out.

With The Prospect Of Pleasures, There Needs Also To Be A Deep Awareness Of Responsibility

Have you ever noticed before the term husbandman being used to mean farmer? You will find this in old English literature. To me it is very obvious why they did this. For a husband, in his care and dealing with a wife, must do the very same things that a farmer must do to bring forth from the earth the crop that he wishes. It has never been an accident that farmers bring forth crops unto harvest, and it will be no accident husband for you to “cultivate” and “nurture” your wife to see her blossom into the woman, and wife she is meant to be. For he who initiates is the same as he who sows seed. The woman being the responder is the one who receives seed. God created it this way, and if you are wise and skillful you will use it to good, but if you are ignorant and foolish it will turn bad. This I promise you. In the Bible book of Genesis, chapter one, the story is told of the Creator creating the first man and woman. It is expressed that she was created to be a “help meet” for him (her husband). I will take the liberty of using the word completer in place of the words “help meet”. For that is truly what a woman is to a husband, she is a completer. What you bring to her, initiate, or sow into her, you will find that in a different season (which may be as little as five minutes, or it might be months or years) she’ll return it to you very greatly developed, and if it was good seed in the first place, you’ll often see it extremely better for use and enjoyment. But if it was bad seed in which you sowed, you may likely be unpleasantly surprised at how the seed you sowed was multiplied back to you.

A Husband Dealing With A Wife In Wisdom Will Find It Returning To His Pleasure and Honor

A farmer sows a seed of wheat. It is “lost” in the soil of the earth. In the darkness of the field it is turned into a new life. It is given a new body. It will grows up, and in time, and with proper care, it will often offer a return to the farmer of a hundred fold, or perhaps even more. The husband sows the seed of his body into his wife. This is good, very good, and is in itself is a picture of the intimacy of Christ and the Believer. All the strength of nature itself promotes this action, and within the bounds of God’s laws it is very good. He sows the seed of his body into the blind darkness of the body of his wife. There by God’s power it is given unto her to be able to experience the generation of life. This life is supported, protected, and nurtured by the man’s wife for what is called the duration of pregnancy, and then she delivers a child into the world. She then presents back to him who provided the seed, the outcome of his seed, a new child. Please note that in this action there is also basic and very important wisdom. As the farmer owns the field, and as his cherished possession, he studies the field, and all things that pertain to it, how that he might within the confines of God’s laws reap the very greatest crop from the field. Also the crop as an enduring relationship with its “mother” the field, but it is owned by the farmer who will decides its destiny. In like manner the wife by God’s law is owned by the husband. When he sows seed into her, the fruit that she brings forth, although forever related to its mother, is subject to the father. He, under God, is lord and master over all of his house. Even as a field can not usurp the farmer’s control over the crop. Neither can a wife usurp the control over the children that she has borne to her husband. We will speak more completely of these things at another time. Let it suffice for now to know that as a Believer possesses all things with Christ, in like manner the wife has right to all that is her husband’s, but only under his headship. A husband presents a house to his wife. She takes it, and puts herself into it, and turns it into a comfortable place of abode. A woman is given a clerical, or secretarial, or craft, or decorating assignment. The man knows that it needs to be done, but he likely doesn’t have a clue as to how to get it done, let alone done right. Therefore, he gives it to a woman to do. She takes the seeds of that assignment and turns it into something wonderful. I imagine we’ve all seen this over and over again. In like manner a husband will sow into the soul of his wife words, actions, attitudes. These are received into the wife. They experience a time of germination within her, and if they are good seed to begin with, then they will produce a whole new “plant” which will bear multiple fruit of joy, gratitude, respect, loyalty,submission, and the such like. But woe to a husband who sows bad seed into the soul of his wife, for these seeds will also (unless she is an incredibly godly person who is able to lay them all at the feet of Jesus and forgive her husband over and over again) germinate in her, and bring forth a crop of attitude and vice that a husband does not want to see in a wife. Things such as anger, impatience, self will, forgiveness, bitterness, lack of loyalty, lack of tenderness, lack of sexual desire, etc, etc.

So let us walk wisely knowing that we were created in the world to be to God’s praise, and this same wisdom holds out the greatest hope for faithful men and women to experience abiding marital joy.

A Watchman,

Gregory A DeHart

To get more out of this article please consider: Gen chapters 1&2, Gen 3:16, Jn 3:16, Jn 3:36, Ro 2:4-11, Ro 7:4, 1 Co 6:16-17, Rev 19:7-9

You know, we need to look up the word up in the dictionary, just to understand what it means to be persecuted. It means to oppress or harass with ill-treatment, especially because of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or beliefs, or to annoy persistently; bother. Have you been persecuted because of Christ? We are going to look some of the 12 disciples of Jesus and the suffering they went through. Then we shall relate it to our own and see whether we really measure up to their faith.

You have heard what became of Peter. We are told that…”and by one of the apostles was put to death-the first to suffer of “the glorious company of the apostles”-James the brother of John, who was slain with the sword by Herod Agrippa (Acts 12:2). Peter also was imprisoned, and was delivered only by an angel(Acts 12:7-11). They bore the brunt of carrying the cross of their faith in Christ. John the Baptist was serving his sentence when Herod’s wife requested for his head… “the king was greatly distressed but because of his oaths and the guests he did not wish to break his word to her. So he promptly dispatched an executioner with orders to bring back his head. He went off and beheaded him in prison. He brought the head back on a platter and gave it to the girl…. When his disciples heard about it they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb. “Mk 6:26-29.What a macabre way to die!

Have been persecuted for Christ’s sake? If no, then you need to appreciate that the love for Christ comes at a price. Early Christians were persecuted for they sake of Christ: maimed, beaten, thrown into arena to be devoured by lions (do you remember Perpetua and her friend?) in full view of cheering fans, exiled as well banished from their homelands. The work of spreading the word of God is not for the faint hearted. Today, I do not know many of us would agree to have ourselves thrown into lions’ den or stoned like Stephen for speaking against evil.

We are somehow lucky because we have laws that govern countries that are less barbaric; more humane and there is religious tolerance. I however know of continued persecution in some countries like China and other predominantly Muslim countries like Indonesia. There are a few Christians there who continue to face persecution for their faith. even as we learn to tolerate other peoples faiths, we must appreciate the suffering and anguish our brothers and sisters have to face every day for the sake of their faith.

No one is forced to suffer for the sake of Christ. God Himself was born of flesh so as to suffer and die on the cross for our sins. He bore the weight of our sins. I urge you to stand for the truth even in the face of adversity; do not waver or be cowered into submission by threats of death for He has promised that whoever suffers because of His name will get rewarded with eternal life. Suffering is good; persecution is good for they strengthen our faith and determination to know that you are fighting for a cause. Do not rest in your spiritual comfort zone; the devil doesn’t.

I was once a Member of the Duncanville, Texas Church of Christ where

I was baptized. Charles Hodge, a well-known preacher, was the minister

during the 8 years I attended there. I learned a great deal from “Hodge,”

who always had a pocket filled with candy for the kids every Sunday.

Over the years, as I’ve gone about teaching a Bible Study called “Jesus Said,”

of all the attendees from all the denominations who have taken part in

this series, it has always been Members of the Church of Christ that

have always had the best handle on the Scriptures, especially among the

young people. I was always secretly quite proud of that fact.

My reason for writing this message is simple: I want people in the

Church of Christ to be made aware that there’s more!

When I was diagnosed with a hereditary spinal disease at age 28, I

became desperate. I began asking many people of various Christian

flavors to pray for me. It was only when I permitted those who

believed in the laying on of hands and anointing with oil to do so that

I began to experience results. These days, my doctor says I have a

“textbook spine.” I’m 47 as I write after having been told I would be

immobilized by the time I was fifty. In fact, on New Year’s Eve 2001,

I moved to Stephenville, Texas to be closer to my children so that I

could get help washing clothes, carrying groceries, etc. I had no job,

knew no one, but quit a good-paying job and relocated out of

desperation.

These days, I travel in different circles. I am a staunch supporter of

the burgeoning House Church movement and I write and speak in

homes in regard to this topic. I am also a Non-denominational

Workplace Chaplain, traveling to ten Nursing Home facilities

throughout the state, responsible for the spiritual growth of over 500

employees throughout North Central Texas.

One afternoon, while returning home from a day at my firm’s Grand Saline,

Texas facility, I received a call from a man in Washington State. He

prefaced his conversation by stating that he was a Member of the Church

of Christ and, after reading something I had written online, felt that he

should call me. He related a story of how, as his mother lay dying in

ICU ten years ago, two women came by asking if they could pray for

and anoint her with oil. Her physician had just warned the family that

their family’s beloved matriarch would not make it through the night.

Reluctantly – but out of desperation – the man’s father decided to allow

the two women to pray. The next day, fully expecting that his mother

had expired during the evening, he walked up behind the physician who

turned around, smiled broadly, hugged him “like a long-lost brother,”

and tearfully exclaimed, “She’s gonna live!”

Ten years later, she’s still alive.

My personal contention is that the fullness of the Holy Spirit is

available to everyone with the faith to step out and submit themselves

to Him for Kingdom use. In Luke 11:9-13, Jesus encourages us with

these words, “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek

and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For

everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who

knocks, the door will be opened. “Which of you fathers, if your son

asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg,

will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how

to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father

in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

I have found that those who dare to ask are the individuals who

understand that, whether God chooses to heal a person through their

ministry or not, whether the prophetic utterance one dares to speak is

true, whether one’s Word of Knowledge is appropriate or not, the

worst that can happen is that they completely miss God. The one being

prayed for may die. The one they prophesied over may have no

witness whatsoever to what was said. Oh, well…in those cases, the

one who stepped out in faith is now stronger for having exercised

their faith muscles. In those moments when they DO experience what

co-laboring with God is all about, their faith and confidence grow

and, well…watch out, devil!

The best that could happen? Isn’t it obvious? Sick people will be healed,

people will be amazed and put their trust in God, a prophetic word will

edify, exhort and comfort, just like all New Testament prophecy is

SUPPOSED to, etc.

But if all of us choose to do NOTHING, guess what will happen?

NOTHING!

Romans 8:11 tells us that the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead

dwells within us. Let Him out! Work WITH God. In 1 Corinthians 3:9,

the apostle Paul reminds us, “…we are God’s fellow workers; you are

God’s field, you are God’s building.”

Release the healing virtues of the Lord Jesus Christ into someone’s

sick body.

Declare peace into a chaotic situation.

Take authority over the demons in control of someone’s life.

Go on…I dare ya! More importantly, God dares ya. So does Satan. Far

too often, God’s people are bound with fear. We’re afraid of looking

stupid. What if the sick person dies? What if they ridicule us? “I’m no

prophet,” one might say to themselves, “…who do I think I am anyway?”

With that kind of logic, what if a baseball player never swings his bat

for fear of striking out? What if he DOES swing and belts a home run?

In Philippians 1:20, Paul writes, “According to my earnest expectations

and [my] hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but [that] with all

BOLDNESS, as always, [so] now also Christ shall be magnified in my

body, whether [it be] by life, or by death.” Paul was not merely HOPING

to glorify God with his actions; he EXPECTED that God would use him

whenever he stepped out in faith. He was “fully persuaded” (Rom 4:21)

that God had power to do what He said He would do.

Are WE fully persuaded?

Are YOU?

Recently, I was inspired by an article I’d read about persecuted Chinese

Christians who will go into an area and actually ask to see the most

sickly person in town. Their God-ordained strategy? When this person

is healed, others will come to believe.

So, armed with the confidence which that article had inspired, while

visiting another facility, I asked to see the sickest person there. I was

directed to a man named Curtis who, I was told, was dying. I was

informed that he was a lifelong member of the Church of Christ and his

family was there with him. After speaking words of faith and

encouragement to his relatives, testifying to the healing power of God

in my own life and in the lives of others I know, the family agreed to

allow me to lay hands upon their beloved Curtis and pray. In fact, at my

request, they encircled his bed and laid hands upon him with me. There

were tears as I prayed and hugs and expressions of gratitude as I left

Curtis in God’s hands.

God’s presence was in that room. No, Curtis didn’t get up and walk.

Not at that moment anyway. Let’s face it, even the Ten Lepers were

healed “as they went” while the woman with the issue of blood was

healed instantly and a blind man needed prayer twice. Jesus couldn’t

do much in His own hometown and had to clear the room of faithless

people in order to raise Jairus’s daughter back to life. Curtis is in his

80’s and, as his sister told me, “he knows his Lord.” Perhaps it’s time

for him to go home where he will experience the healing of all healings.

That’s between him and “his Lord.”

That was 15 days ago today. I just received an eMail from the Nursing

Home Administrator. It read, “Curtis is doing very well!”

The day after ministering to Curtis, I was asked to come and minister

at the local hospital to the father of one of our employees, a man in his

80’s who, I was told, was dying. His name was Clarence. Again, the

family was a Church of Christ clan. Again, by the time I finished

sharing testimonies of healing with them, their faith had risen to the

level of attacking Hell with squirt guns. Soon, we were all in ICU –

all ten of us – laying hands on Clarence, their patriarch, family

members hugging, crying, comforting, and agreeing with me in prayer

as I spoke life and healing to our sedated brother in Christ. Two other

family members requested prayer afterward as well.

Though his vitals actually improved the next day, he remained in ICU

seven days later. But that family experienced God that day. No doubt!

They experienced peace. Their focus was redirected to what – WHO –

is the most important person in the Universe. God was there. It was

glorious. Even the menfolk were crying and gave me bear hugs when I

left. One family member has informed me that our encounter has inspired

much God-centered conversation and questions about life, death and

Divine healing.

I’m no healing evangelist. No Benny Hinn. I don’t claim to be a “Faith

Healer” or any such thing. I’m just an average “Joe Christian” who

can’t find anywhere in Scripture where Jesus commands His followers

to “pray for the sick.” No, what I DO find is where He instructs us to

“HEAL THE SICK.” When we know the Healer, it’s pretty safe to say

all I need is (A) the Faith and (B) the opportunities. Whatever happens

next is, frankly, between them and God.

I could go on and on with testimonies of this nature. Some, by human

standards, were apparent, immediate “successes” and others appeared

to be dismal failures. For example, within a few days of each other,

two women – one in her 90s – got up out of their wheel chairs last month

when I prayed in Jesus’ Name. One hadn’t walked in ten years! Some

folks are healed, others aren’t. Some I’ve prayed for require additional

prayer while others have actually died. In every case, somebody is

tremendously blessed and has an encounter with the Spirit of Christ –

each and EVERY time!

Whether it’s healing prayer, prophetic words, the description of a

vision God might give us, I have learned that the worst thing that can

happen is that we look plain foolish whenever we dare to step out of

our comfort zones. Well, shucks! I guess I’ll perpetually be marked as a

fool for Christ, the One who stepped out of His comfort zone for all our

sakes in the first place. Even in the most “foolish” of instances, people

will be blessed as we release the Spirit of Christ from within us…

something we should all do more often, even on a moment-to-moment

basis in day-to-day family life (a great place to practice, by the way).

I am convinced that it all comes down to Obedience and Availability.

Pray when the opportunity arises and minister in the way that God

instructs you to minister. Be available from the time you get out of bed

every day. Watch as God provides Divine Appointments – even if by

eMail or telephone or in an office setting. You just may find that God

will give you a brand new reason for getting up in the morning!

Today, Mother’s Day, I received an email from a man in west Texas.

Apparently, his House Church group – all self-professing Church of

Christ “refugees” – are looking for direction and purpose for meeting.

He asked if I would come and my wife and I have agreed to do so.

Ironically, the House Church movement among those from the Church

of Christ in Texas is spreading rapidly. I’m thrilled to assist in that revival.

This verse of Scripture has been floating around in my spirit for weeks:

2 Corinthians 2:14 (New Life Version) “We thank God for the power

Christ has given us. He leads us and makes us win in everything. He

speaks through us wherever we go. The Good News is like a sweet smell

to those who hear it.”

Amen?

UPDATE: Remember Clarence, the Church of Christ man in the local hospital?

Well, they took him off his respirator Friday morning. The Dr’s thinking was

that he would either breathe on his own or he would die. Well, I visited the

hospital Friday night. He’s breathing on his own, his vitals are good, he was

sitting up in bed and trying to talk, devouring ice chips. We prayed for him

again and he shook my hand twice and thanked me. The countenance of the

entire family in the waiting room had changed as well. It was a wonderful

atmosphere! All glory to God!

On Saturday afternoon, they moved him to a regular hospital room. The family

is ecstatic. Last week, when his daughter asked – just in case he didn’t make it –

if I would officiate his funeral, I replied, “Sure, ask me again in ten years.”

On Monday, Clarence was discharged from the hospital. Glory to God!

Every blessing,

Michael Tummillo

A servant of God

[http://www.YourTown4Jesus.org]

NOW, FORWARD THIS MESSAGE TO AT LEAST 5 OTHER PEOPLE IN YOUR CHURCH.

THEN SEND IT ON TO YOUR BAPTIST, CATHOLIC AND METHODIST FRIENDS, ETC.

Whoever and wherever you are, you can be a witness for Christ. And being a witness for Christ means living out the core values ​​that propelled his life and mission. These values ​​go beyond religious parameters. The values ​​which Christ upheld are values ​​of the Kingdom of God – a kingdom of compassion, justice, freedom and life.

That is why, Christ or Jesus as he was historically known, always showed compassion to the outcasts and abandoned by religion and society, and justice to the oppressed and marginalized. He was a free man – free from any religious or political definitions that could stifle the kingdom values. He dedicated his life so that people might have life in abundance. He restored human dignity and saved human lives in many ways.

For Christ, life was God's greatest gift which must be nurtured, protected and promoted. However, his values ​​were often in conflict with religious and political laws and traditions because the same values ​​challenged the dominant religious power and control. His vibrant and free humanity were a scandal to religious monarchs who played absolute control over people's lives under their dominion. For them, Jesus was crazy, blasphemous, demon possessed, drunk, subversive, sinner etc. He was simply unacceptable because his ways did not match with established pious practices.

Jesus' critical approaches to external display of sanctity and empty ritualism devoid of compassion were abominable to the eyes of the priests, teachers of the law and their fanatic sympathizers. But no religious or political superpowers could stop him from living the Kingdom values ​​freely and fully. His main concern was to lead people to God. He made present the living God whom he called 'Abba'. His greatest religious offense was that he claimed to be the Son of God. He died to his words. Because he is indeed God. That is the man whom you and I want to give witness to.

To be an authentic witness for Christ therefore means assuming the same Kingdom values ​​that were core principles in Christ's life and mission. These values ​​are anchored in God's unconditional love with preferential option for those abandoned by religion and society. They are non-negotiable and absolute values. All the rest are relative, superficial and fleeting.

Christ lived and died in the light of the Kingdom values. One who lives and takes them to be life principles becomes a witness for Christ. In them, the witness finds meaning in life and reason for existence. Lifestyles and self-expressions may vary, faith communities may differ in style and form, but authentic witnesses must share the same central values. The authenticity of christian witnessing precisely lies in the concrete practice of compassion, justice, freedom and solidarity.

At first, it appears that “Christ” might be somehow Jesus’ surname. However, it is not a name, but rather a title. It comes from the Greek word “XPIΣTOΣ” or “CHRISTOS”, meaning “the anointed one”. However, this only raises the question: what does it mean for Christ to be anointed?

In fact, the “anointing” had a number of different meanings, as one can see through looking through the Old Testament. There were, in fact, three different groups of people who were anointed, and which calling Jesus “Christos” refers to:

Priests: One group that was often anointed were the priests of Israel. When one became a priest, one received an oil on one’s head. This refers to Christ’s own role as the priest in his ultimate sacrifice of himself for the atonement of sins. He was anointed to perform the task of sacrificing himself, the “lamb of God”.

Prophets: Prophets were those who proclaimed God’s word to successive generations of the Jewish people. While Jesus was not only a prophet, he was also a prophet. He proclaimed that the Kingdom of God had arrived and called for people to repent of their sins, just as most prophets did.

Kings: Those who were called to rule the people of Israel were anointed with oil when they became kings. Jesus is the king not only of Israel, but of all creation, including both heaven and earth. Catholics celebrate this kingship during the Feast of Christ the King.

However, while all three of these are true, there is another important meaning. The Messiah, who was to save the people of Israel, was also referred to as the “christos”. Jesus also fulfilled this role, though the kind of kingdom and the kind of salvation that he provided was somewhat different than what had been anticipated.

Calling Jesus “Christ”, then, refers to him as the “anointed one”. This refers to his roles as priest, prophet, king and Messiah.

Men of literati, men with the doctorates from time to time bickered about the birth of Jesus Christ. They studied, pored over ancient writings, investigated and engaged in researches, which can be exhausting from the perspective of the terrestrial globe. The ancient writers, those who claim wrote the events of the time as they saw it happen, could have done so with a tinge of intuition. They are human beings. What applies to someone does not apply to all. This entails why Jesus would remind Jews that Moses made some laws out of his perception of who or what they were at the time in that aspect.

The 25th day of December is the day Christians, those who believe in Jesus Christ, celebrate his birth. My interest in this matter came up so strong after following the agreement and disagreement of some men of the doctorate. Men that are columnists in the national daily news-papers in Nigeria I regard with profound respect: Dr. Femi Aribisala, Dr. Adesina Adedipe and Dr. Douglas Anele. There was also Professor Enoch Adeboye. A professor in mathematics and now the serving General Overseer of The Redeemed Christian Church Of God. These learned men entertained with the vastness of their knowledge, which was great, but is it from only the university that one can acquire knowledge? They bickered over time and seasons shepherds could be out with the sheep, the mathematicians were at task with numbers adding, subtracting and aligning events of the time with the dates of major events that had happened. Brain work is piecework with inadequacies. Bound by space and time, it cannot grasp eternity and infinity. Great inventors like Orville and Wilbur Wright never went through the ivory tower. British wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill with limited school from the classroom handled what a more learned Prime Minister like Neville Chamberlain could not have been able to handle. After all, Jesus’ disciples were not as learned as the scribes. They were the simple people and implies that the art of knowledge is for all. The intellect throws light, but every being should bear volition within for good yet with earthly limitation it comes.

Some say 25th December was the date pagans set in honour of sun god. That could be Zeus. Other dates of celebration by Christians have been attributed to some pagan tradition. 25th December is the crux of the matter, which has left some sound minds wondering if the sun god owns it. This is something many of these men of the literati if not all have not thought about. My father like the former President of Nigeria Chief Olusegun Obasanjo never knew his date of birth because his parents never knew what was Monday or Friday, January or December. They never went to school. After a look at his official documents, what I see on any one that stated date of birth is ”About 1936.” A British chaplain under whom he worked, the one who baptized and called him Martin made the estimation. He could choose any day to celebrate the day he was born and that leaves me wondering what anyone would say if he chooses 25th December. A friend of mine, a retired soldier who is now a born again Christian and like my father does not know his date of birth. There was a day these men were born and he celebrates the date he believed and followed the Christ as his birthday. It could be 25th December.

On the 25th day of December, Christians do not celebrate or honour a sun god. Whatever led to the 25th of December whether as choice or Jesus was actually born on that date, it could have been June or July or any date chosen if it was by choice. The bottom line is there was a day he was born and whatever the date is, it is the birth of the Christ celebrated.

The ancient writing, which is the seat of their quest of knowledge, agreement or disagreement of the birth of Jesus came in a language and went through languages thousands of years old now and possibly extinct. The translations can at best be approximate since it never replaces the original.

There are those who see the story of Jesus as a mere story a fabrication. Such people could be enslaved in earthly intellect. They may not be aware that thoughts are realities shaped spiritually that become forms. Similar thoughts can attract. Thoughts for the good and the progress can become a deed and influence someone of like thought. The world is full of thoughts. Thoughts of a man like Jesus aspire light.

The intellect in the perspective capacity of the brain seeks what is ready-made unaware of its limited capacity. There are things the eyes cannot see just as there are things the brain cannot be aware of, but they are there because they are ethereal or spiritual and linked by the power of one life stream. The scientific instruments man invented with brain work makes it possible to see what ordinarily cannot be seen or audio device to hear what cannot be ordinarily heard. These things ready-made are not bound in time and space. Whether Jesus was born at what-ever date or not at all, at the least it is a thought shaped from the spirit and the spirit takes form.

The English visionary poet and mystic, William Blake, believed that Albion, the most ancient name for the British Isles, was the original and true Holy Land of Christ. In my well documented book “Vision of Albion: The Key to the Holy Grail” I show there may be some substance to such an intriguing notion. Drawing on historical source material I have investigated Blake’s mystical vision of Albion as the Holy Land of Christ, which is inextricably linked with the English poet’s intuitive feeling expressed in his famous lines – And did those feet in ancient time, walk upon England’s mountains green? And was the Holy Lamb of God, on England’s pleasant pastures seen?

As a result of deciphering clues from gaelic placenames, together with well established traditions and legends, my research supports the Blakean thesis of Christ’s presence in the British Isles. Furthermore, it appears that other members of the Holy Family, including the Virgin Mary, Mary Magdalene and Joseph of Arimathea, may have visited the British Isles. If this was the case, then what might have been the reason for their coming from the Middle East to the Blessed Isles of the West?

My many years of research show that the Holy Family were very likely related to the contemporary royal lineages of Britain, in particular the Silurian royal household whose kingdom, at that time, appears to have stretched from present day south Wales to as far north as the south west of Scotland. Moreover, there may have been a common gaelic ancestry between the old British royalty and the Jesus family from Galilee in the Middle East.

According to Sir William Betham, Ulster King of Arms, writing in 1834: “It has escaped all observation, as far as I have discovered, that the country about Tyre and Sidon, as far as Acre anciently bore the name of Galilee, or country of the Gael on the sea coast; the very name, Gael, the Phoenician colonies in Europe called themselves, and gave to their settlement in Europe….I feel unwilling to go beyond the bounds of just criticism, or to strain a point in favour of any hypothesis, but can I refuse to claim the Phoenicians as the ancestors of the Gael, and Galilee for their original country?” (The Gael and the Cymbri)

Geographically, Galilee was originally part of southern Phoenicia. It is generally accepted that the seafaring Phoenician traders visited Britain, in particular Cornwall, where there is also an old tradition about the visit there of both Jesus and His great uncle, Joseph of Arimathea. The tribes of the Gael, part of the greater Celtic racial streaming, are thought to have migrated westwards from Galatia in Asia Minor (now modern Turkey), via Galicia in northern Spain, eventually reaching the British Isles where we find, for example, such gaelic placenames as Galoway in Scotland, and Galway in Ireland. The retention of the ‘gal’ prefix suggests the presence of the Gael in these areas.

However, what seems to have escaped general notice, as Sir William Betham observed, is the gaelic significance of the placename Galilee in Palestine. Could this suggest the presence of the Celtic Gael there, bearing in mind that Jesus and His family were Galileans. This possible common racial background would suggest a basis for the Galilean royal family of Jesus, descended from the Biblical King David, being related to the gaelic royalty of ancient Britain.

I further record that the entire cycle of legends which has the Holy Grail for its centre is concerned with Britain and Britain alone. I also quote sources which identify the Holy Grail corpus with the tradition of the hidden Shambhala. Incredibly, perhaps, my investigations suggest that the famed Shambhala, the abode of spiritual master beings said to be overseeing the evolution of the human race, is not located in the region of the Asian Himalayas, as is traditionally believed, but rather is located within the sacred Isles of Britain, William Blake’s Holy Land of the West.

Are you Christ’s donkey? The present Church of Christ is not seeing the measure of signs and wonders the early Church saw because we have much fewer donkeys of Christ than they had. This poses as a big limitation to the manifestation of God’s power in our time. This article encourages you to become a true Jesus donkey and then walk on blessings.

Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their clothes on it, and He sat on it. And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road – Mark 11:7-8 (NKJV)

Even so on your part, when you have done everything that was assigned and commanded you, say, We are unworthy servants [possessing no merit, for we have not gone beyond our obligation]; we have [merely] done what was our duty to do – Luke 17:10 (AMPC).

Many Christian believers truly want to serve God but they are not fully ready to be His donkey. This may be due to ignorance, pride or greed depending on their level of understanding. What they seem not to understand is that being Christ’s donkey draws blessings to them, including material blessings.

A donkey is seen as a lowly animal compared to a horse. Jesus rode on it as a king into Jerusalem, however, it was the donkey that rode on the clothes and leafy branches spread on the road for Jesus. So, you being Christ’s donkey gives you the opportunity to get the blessings while He gets the praises. Unfortunately, this is not the case with the church presently.

Many people are serving God but Christ’s manifestations are limited in their ministry because they are either sharing the podium with Christ or are more interested in their bellies: what to have, eat and wear, and so mix God’s will with theirs.

What does it mean to be Jesus donkey?

This means allowing Christ to use you to fulfill His plan and purpose on earth without you being noticed. It is letting people see Jesus instead of you, showcasing Christ and not you, and lifting up His name and not yours. It is letting the Lord increase while you decrease and dying to self such that to live is to live for Christ.

What is God’s expectation of His vessels of honour?

The Lord expects that after you have done His will that you see yourself as a servant who possesses no merit for the work done, for you have not gone beyond your obligation. You have only done everything as assigned and commanded you: purely as a servant of God. All glory, praises and thanksgiving should go to God.

Christ Himself showed us an example by making Himself of no reputation to do the will of His Father. At the end, God gave Him a name that is above every other name that at His name every knee must bow and every tongue must confess that Jesus is Lord.

You are also expected to make your demand on God’s word and not on the people. A servant is worthy of his wages and the Lord is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him and He owes no man. Therefore, search out the scriptures concerning your provisions and heart desires and expect the Father to fulfil His word concerning them.

For instance, 1 Corinthians 9:7-14 makes it clear that when a servant of God ministers spiritual things to people that they should minister material things back to him or her. This is true, but you are not to force the people to comply. Rather you are to go to God and put Him in remembrance of this scripture and expect Him to minister to the people to be a blessing to you.

In conclusion, Jesus Christ received power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory and blessing and they are available for all who will choose to be His donkey. It pays to be Jesus donkey, for God will mightily use you as He used the apostles and all that others are running after will be added to you.

Continuing with the series on Christian Lies, today we tackle Christian Religion Lie #7: “You should rededicate your life to Christ”.

Is “rededication taught in the Bible for New Testament Christians?”

Should you follow the herd and do it like all the other Christians?

Read today’s article and find out!

I can’t count how many times I went to church as a young child and answered the Preacher’s call to “rededicate my life to Christ”.

And boy was I sincere!

Every time I thought I would be able to do it “if I just tried hard enough” … if I was determined enough… gritted my teeth enough.

It’s been said the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”…

IF that’s true, then I was most definitely an insane Christian for MUCH of my early life.

But that’s what happens when we try to live the Christian life by our own efforts. We fail. Again and again.

It’s funny, my copy of “Grace Amazing” by Steve McVey was sitting on the couch opened to a page that addressed this very point and said…

“God Won’t Let You Succeed”…

You see, you have to reach a point of brokeneness, a point where YOUR effort… YOUR striving and YOUR performance doesn’t work anymore to live the Godly lifestyle- before you can start to rest in the sufficiency of Christ…

(I called this point “Hitting rock bottom” in my book, Christ Through Me)

What an amazing creator!

He literally GIVES us salvation, a gift, invites us to be partakers of his divine life… and He literally LIVES the Christian life for us after salvation. Most Christians would agree with me that salvation is not of works but is a free gift from God. But they have a hard time understanding that the Christian life is to be lived in much the same manner.

Paul wrote to the Galatians about this (Galatians 3, the message, bold emphasis mine)…

“You crazy Galatians! Did someone put a hex on you? Have you taken leave of your senses? Something crazy has happened, for it’s obvious that you no longer have the crucified Jesus in clear focus in your lives. His sacrifice on the cross was certainly set before you clearly enough.

2-4Let me put this question to you: How did your new life begin? Was it by working your heads off to please God? Or was it by responding to God’s Message to you? Are you going to continue this craziness? For only crazy people would think they could complete by their own efforts what was begun by God. If you weren’t smart enough or strong enough to begin it, how do you suppose you could perfect it? Did you go through this whole painful learning process for nothing? It is not yet a total loss, but it certainly will be if you keep this up!

5-6Answer this question: Does the God who lavishly provides you with his own presence, his Holy Spirit, working things in your lives you could never do for yourselves, does he do these things because of your strenuous moral striving or because you trust him to do them in you? Don’t these things happen among you just as they happened with Abraham? He believed God, and that act of belief was turned into a life that was right with God.

7-8Is it not obvious to you that persons who put their trust in Christ (not persons who put their trust in the law!) are like Abraham: children of faith? It was all laid out beforehand in Scripture that God would set things right with non-Jews by faith. Scripture anticipated this in the promise to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed in you.”

9-10So those now who live by faith are blessed along with Abraham, who lived by faith-this is no new doctrine! And that means that anyone who tries to live by his own effort, independent of God, is doomed to failure. Scripture backs this up: “Utterly cursed is every person who fails to carry out every detail written in the Book of the law.””

I don’t think I could have said it better myself 🙂

So it’s not by rededicating OUR power, and OUR life to God that we live the great Christian life…

It’s only by trusting in God – by faith – to live it through us!

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant , " Phillipians 2: 5-7

The Hon. Louis Farrakhan, the modern man of God in our midst, has taught us the importance of not just knowing & quoting scripture, but understanding scripture and applying it to modern times.

Proverbs 4: 7 bears witness to the importance of having understanding

"Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding."

The Hon. Louis Farrakhan has given us correct knowledge of the Bible and our place in it as Black men / women and further how our slavery experience ( Genesis 15: 13-14 & 1st Peter 2: 9-10 ) was part of the plan of God to painfully test a people, thus purifying them and preparing them to be Saviors to their people and the whole world. Undeserved suffering is redemptive!

"Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviors, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies. " Nehemiah 9:27

Of utmost importance, he has given us the knowledge that human beings can grow to reflect the greatness of the God in their person. " Ye are all Gods children of The Most High God." (Psalm 82: 6) This is not Judeo ~ Christian polytheism or Islamic shirk … we fully recognize that only God, The Supreme Creator, is worthy of worship and a human being no matter how great is only functioning by the power and permission of the Supreme Creator, God.

The Most Hon. Elijah Muhammad said if we only really knew Jesus we would awaken overnight. Jesus, from the Biblical perspective, was a man who was able to overcome the vicissitudes of life and reach oneness with God. He declared: "I and my Father are one" John 10:30 … This only means that through struggle, pain and discipline Jesus was able to bring his mind, will and purpose into unity with God and thus he became a perfect functionary of God's will on Earth.

Some might say that is contrary to Islam, Hadith and The Qur'an. Let's see … ALLAH says in Hadith Qudsi, the sacred hadiths , "My servant draws not near to Me with anything more loved by Me than the religious duties I have enjoined upon him, and My servant continues to draw near to Me with supererogatory works so that I shall love him. When I love him I am his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes and his foot with which he walks. " (Hadith Qudsi 25) This is Islamic teaching that is in harmony with Jesus teaching: I and my father are One.

This is understanding Jesus properly that through his life and example we can find inspiration to grow from disciple (discipline), to the mind of Christ and thus the mind of God.

We must first discipline ourselves by submitting fully to God and being obedient. This is the uphill road and / or struggle of life. By us being obedient to God, through following his will, we begin to become acquainted with his mind and thinking. Thus we begin to function from a higher level. This is the mind of Christ ( The anointed one ) budding in man and woman. Lastly, from Christ level we grow to God level by overcoming the weakness of flesh, totally surrendering our mind to God's mind and never coming out of the recognition that all praises belongs to God, The Lord of the worlds.

This is just one example of how Farrakhan can take a people whom the world considers nothing, empower them with knowledge, wisdom and understanding and make them world teachers.

"I thank thee O Father Lord of heaven and earth that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes" Luke 10:21

Thank you for reading these few words

#mywalkwithfarrakhan

#farrakhanstudent