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Passion

The Sufferings Of The Passion

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The passion of Jesus Christ stands alone as the most important event creation has ever known. The Bible tells us that long before the world began, God had planned that the crucifixion of Jesus would be the method and payment for sin – the only payment that would reconcile sinners to a holy and loving God.

There were 21 prophecies that were fulfilled related to the Passion:

 

Each and every part of the suffering of Christ was for us. Every part was necessary so that we would not only be free from our sins but also to have a new place that we could dwell for eternity.

Prior to these punishments Jesus had already been betrayed and sold out for 30 pieces of silver. He was also tried and condemned for doing evil, yet He had done none. Rejected for a murderer, the final phase of the Passion was set into motion.

Isaiah 53:7 – He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

Stripped and Whipped

John 19:1 – Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.

The Romans believed that 40 lashes (Scourges) is the maximum number of lashes required to kill a person and that 39 is the default number for such punishment…prolonged punishment

Isaiah 53:5 – But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Christ being scourge was for our healing…not only for physical ailments but for the multitude of things that leave us ill from living a normal life.

The Reed, Crown of thorns and Scarlet Robe

John 19:2 – And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe,

John 19:14 As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:

The crown of thorns

The crown is said to be made from the branches of a Jujube tree, a deciduous tree found near Jerusalem, with thorns measuring an inch long or more. Thorns were a product of the fall of man in the days of Adam, a consequence of the entrance of sin into the world. God cursed the ground, declaring that it would forever produce thorns and thistles. (Genesis 3:18) The crown of thorns represented that part of the curse that Jesus took upon himself in his crucifixion. There truly was no part of humanity and its ruin that he did not experience.

The purple robe

The Tabernacle’s only entrance faced east and was a wide curtain colored blue on one end and red on the other end. The colors blended in the middle to make purple. Likewise, the Veil in the Temple that tore at Jesus’ crucifixion had the same color scheme: Blue for sky was the color for deity; red for the red Judean hills was the color for mankind. Being blended to purple represented the God-Man who, by his death, became the Door, our only Access to the Father. Jesus said in John 14:6, “No man cometh to the Father but by me.”

The mockery and weakness of man

As the bowed and mocked him in their outfit they had placed upon the beaten and bloodied Messiah, they send him back to Pilate as their plan for his death continued. As Pilate feels the pressure of the Romans and religious, he feigns to the weakness of holding political power and esteem and ultimately gives the release of Christ for the final moments of his life.

Carrying The Cross and being nailed upon it with theives

Carrying the cross

By carrying the cross and being weak as man, man was then called to help bear the load. This shows the foretelling of the future fellowship with the sufferings of Christ. That if we would be willing to bear our beliefs in Jesus through witness and obedience we would have the crown of life!

The nails

Isaiah 33:20

Look upon Zion; thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be dispersed; the stakes thereof shall never be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be pulled away

By the nail however on which anything is hung, is signified affixing and adjoining. Jesus was forever adjoined with our sins and sufferings that through his sacrifice we could be free from the penalty and power of sin

Christ was then adjoined with the Cross, with death itself at the place of the skull. Only one thing remained to occur.

The giving up of the Ghost and the earthquake

Matthew 27: 40-42

40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.

41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,

42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.

As the religious defended their temple by mocking the man who said He could build it back up, little did they know that they were standing by the temple that would be no more.

Matthew 27:50-54

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

51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;

52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,

53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were do

As Jesus gave forth his life and spirit, the forthcoming events began to demonstrate the power that was not used for revenge, noteriety or pride. The power came forth bringing the temple of old down and establishing the temple within.

And as this temple was established, we then read of when we would receive this same spirit and power:

The promise of Christ within us (Holy Ghost) and it’s fulfillment

The promise

Luke 24:44-49

44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,

46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:

47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

48 And ye are witnesses of these things.

49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

The fulfillment of the promise, the filling of the inner temple

Acts 2:1-4

1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Believe And Receive

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Mark 11:22-26

[22] And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
[23] For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
[24] Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
[25] And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
[26] But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.

God never intended for praise to replace prayer. It will be impossible to release sincere praise if you do not have a relationship with God. We have our own desires but yet are numb to the desires in the Lord. You must have a passion for the things God has set aside for you, but of course this passion hurts (for it goes against our own desires).

Believe that you have already received it in the spiritual before you receive it in the natural. If you have to force yourself to believe it, you may not be desiring the right thing. If it is not in you then it will not happen according to God’s plan for you.

1 Corinthians 2:7-10

[7] But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
[8] Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
[9] But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
[10] But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

The word of God is not confined by scripture; for when God speaks to your spirit, then you will receive it. Carnal Christians respond to flesh over spirit. They make decisions and operate through the senses. What God will provide will defy the senses and will not make sense to what you may have perceived to be the right thing for your life. The Holy Ghost is a search engine, examining the deep things of God and reveals the things that are for us! We must always learn to remember to birth things out of our spirit as receive them through faith and not just by the emotions of the circumstance (for this is flesh).

Hebrews 11:1-10

[1] Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
[2] For by it the elders obtained a good report.
[3] Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
[4] By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
[5] By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
[6] But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
[7] By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
[8] By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
[9] By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
[10] For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

What we have in our spirits must make us look odd to other people who do not possess the same passion and faith. When God says it’s yours, believe and receive!

Worship Is Best Seen By Example

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I was meditating the other day and thought back to a church service that I was in. Some of the more active people were worshipping freely while others were sitting back in more of an observe mode. As I look back to that moment it led me to wonder if the rest of the church that knows how powerful worship can be to others would not just step up and join everyone in unity.

But you see, that’s just it. One of the greatest lacks that can be identified in the church today is a lack of leading by example. The very moment you ever question anyone about their participation the minute they grow defensive against you. It is a very hard issue to tackle and without proper love and understanding can be mishandled very easily.

The very first step to leading by example and is essential to do is to possess love in your worship. Enjoy yourself and be proud of your God. If people can see love in you then it helps them to let their guard down and allow their vulnerabilities to be touched by God’s spirit.

Another important principal is to take moments here and there is to encourage others to worship. Don’t do it when you are frustrated. And certainly don’t so it without love in your heart. You don’t have to ask a million times nor do you have to even wait for a response. Sometimes people just need a little nudge in the right direction. It is in their free will to decide to worship and is important to remember that you are the example and not the rules for it.

And finally, please remember to keep worship continual in your life. It is not just with hands, with dance, and with tears. It is in everything that you do; all that you show your passion for. Worshipping by example will above all things teach the new and upcoming generations to know where their true joy will come from!

Losing Our Worldly Appeal Through Christ

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1 John 2:15-25

[15] Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
[16] For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
[17] And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
[18] Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
[19] They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
[20] But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
[21] I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
[22] Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
[23] Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
[24] Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.
[25] And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.

We are getting into a state of worldliness: this comes with no passion, a feeling of being undedicated and without desire, or being lukewarm and half-hearted in our actions towards God.

Psalm 100:1-2

[1] Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
[2] Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.

We express our love for God in service in the big and small things that glorify God!

Psalm 145:11-12

[11] They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;
[12] To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.

Testimonies stir up and recall better views of God’s glory, especially when we cannot see it where we are. A view of mountains at home versus a view of oceans, according to where you are, the value differs.

Psalm 147:1-7

[1] Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.
[2] The LORD doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel.
[3] He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
[4] He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.
[5] Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.
[6] The LORD lifteth up the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground.
[7] Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:

Praises soothe the part of you that is exposed and stricken to the world and lovers and humbles you to where we need to be! You can praise with all members in different ways: spoken words, lifted hands, moment or stance, writing, knelt or lowered prayer, running, jumping, dancing, shouting, or singing. The list goes on and on. Praises are ways that you express that something is good to you and good for you and God is all of the above.

Luke 6:37-38

[37] Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
[38] Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

Benevolence is one of the ways that we are seeing to start dry up as the characteristics dominate in the church of worldly conduct. As God gives, selfless and in love for a closer fellowship, we should give also in kind; so that God be lifted up and people drawn to Him.

Luke 9:23-24

[23] And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
[24] For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

Self-denial is the one part that is totally forsaken at times and truly reflects our state of discouragement, defeat, trust and faith. Because with Christ you can only win!

Philippians 4:6-7

[6] Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
[7] And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Prayer is the one thing that through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that we have the ability to overcome all things! It literally will remove the worldly garment off of us!

What Moves You? God Does, Right?

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When you begin to read of certain events in the bible, the sad ones to me start to reveal the defeat or downfall of people. There is always a direct correlation in the lack of either the belief in or stirring up of God within. Even as I personally go through things from week to week, it is very easy to lose sight of what we are striving for. With our best of intentions we are always aiming to do our best to help others by default.

As life continues to come with new surprises, many of these things will try and delimit the amount of time and level of passion that we hold in our hearts for God, thus eventually bringing our talents and gifts to help to a grinding halt. Staying in a halt state after a while will lead to a point where we try to assume full control and things become unglued and beyond our ability.

What I would like to address is that part of us that gets “moved”. Typically we are emotionally driven with most of what we do. A very big problem with that is too often our emotions get skewed by one event which adjusts us for the rest of everything else. I know (even to me at times) it seems impossible to keep our emotions in check, but it is vitally necessary to not let your emotional self overdrive or overpower the spiritual self. Life will not always be driven by feelings; for life has little guarantees or the types of emotional victories you can achieve. Being spiritually grounded always guarantees and presents the qualities of the spirit of God, which at baseline produces peace, love and joy. As you grow with the basics, you are able to add unto your faith many more virtues that can build your character and help you to reach out to others on a more continual constant level.

Be spiritually moved and driven for your motives, goals and intentions. Let go of yourself and let God be your guide and lead you to the impossibles you never thought you could do on your own!

Kindling The Love To Obey God

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Just like when we find it hard to find time to do everything on our list, it is especially difficult for anyone that will openly admit that keeping the desire to obey God on the top of the charts is easy.

There are people that are on different ends of the spectrum on their passion with obedience. I have seen people that their passion is on fire and the power of God comes upon them at the very mention of Jesus. They not only want to do all they can but they encourage others to do also. It is this kind of influence that inspires me to attempt to keep my desire for God at a constant and not waiver so that the example that we lead by is one that draws others to Christ.

I have also seen others that while they are actively obedient that the passion has left the works for God. There are many great things happening, and while that is wonderful to see all the fruits of the labor the desire and joy behind it not only does not demonstrate a good spiritual witness but eventually will lead into a falling away.

Trust me, I am sure that there will be many more things for all of us to do in the future, but let me remind you of a few key things to keep in your mind and heart. It’S short and sweet:

Love God, remember your blessings, and always remember to take time to show compassion for those around you! God will always provide you the means to be happy and enjoy an obedient lifestyle!

The Power Of Self And Self-Sufficiency

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When it comes right down to it at the end of the day, the ultimate controller of how much that you allow yourself to step out and enjoy life is YOU. No one can walk up and steal your joy outright; it is something that is cultivated and maintained by what you produce and nurture. Your peace isn’t something you just lose all of a sudden; it is something that you can continually keep if you choose to work towards staying on top of the perspective faithfully. Emotions are something as we all know are often attempted to be altered by others, but in the end you possess the final say.

With that said, I want to remind you of the power that you have to stay in the presence of God. I remind myself each and every day of all of the blessings, big and small, that God has performed before me and that will happen ahead of me. When we learn to practice being faithful to God and being continual in our worship and praises to Him, we cannot help but feel the love of God in our lives. The love of God serves so many purposes but ultimately to cast out fear. Fear drives so many other emotions highly and often prompts actions to discourage us or even no action at all in some cases. The presence of God has such a powerful impact in our lives that without it we do not have the ability to stay self-sufficient on our own.

As the advocate was made with God through Jesus Christ, we have the ability each day to get up and brush off the dust that is trying to damper every part of our lives that we should be thriving in. If you have a ministry and are not enjoying it, be more self-sufficient in seeking God and getting a love and passion to go forward. If you need more love for others, seek God in a greater way so that compassion pours out of you to bless your enemies and to help the broken. Remember that through Christ that you can do all things and that no weapon formed against you shall prosper!

Keeping Forward Motion In Your Ministry

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When you are attempting to maintain a full-time ministry, one of the most difficult tasks to complete is how to keep moving forward and not simply go through the motions. Just because we are called out to do a special work does not mean that you cannot make the experience exciting! As part of our ministry is singing, it is easy for me to see this when we never move forward on working on new songs to sing. Eventually all the songs we did move forward on before will grow old and as we all know the phrase all too well “there you are.” The only way for us to continually keep the singing aspect of the ministry fresh is to not only work on current songs but to dive into new creative avenues like learning new songs (or even writing one).

What about preaching and teaching? How well would Sunday school and worship service turn out if we only pursued the same 4-5 messages and teachings over and over? Not only you would be burnt out but the people receiving it also! I say these examples in humor but without proper care to what you do for the Lord in obedience we can get to this place all too quick.

If applied to every aspect of a ministry, I would advise you to not get bored but urge you to move forward. Keep up with what you have and be efficient at it. To get yourself motivated? Well, that’s where God comes in. Seek God each and every day for the strength to take a step towards adding something new or giving something a fresh perspective. People are not drawn by how flashy things are, but by the passion driven behind an effort! And when God drives our passion, we are reminded in His word that we can do all things through Christ which strengthens us!

Get out there and surprise some people with something brand new today! Show them the passion that God has placed inside of your life that they be drawn by the witness and power of what He has done for you!

Keep Yourself In The Game

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When watching competitive sports, one could easily account for the strength and skill of the athletes that you see going for the victory. When hearing and reading about some of the most successful athletes though, you read about a completely different quality: their heart for the game. You can have all the talent and ability in the world, but without the heart and passion for what you love to do it is without profit to you. In our walk serving God, it’s all as much the same; for without a strong love and desire for the things we do for God, the gifts and talents that God has placed in your life will bring little profit to you or anyone around you. God’s spirit is unlocked when you serve Him with a selfless and unwavering desire: that part of you that will go on regardless of how you feel or what is going on around you!

So wherever you are today, whether you are a member of a church in administration or a part of an outside ministry, remember to keep a love and desire for what you do! Remember why it is that you are there each time you execute the part you contribute. Never let what you do become just “going through the motions”. Get yourself in a place where you are a difference-maker, a person that makes an impact not only in the work but by the life and choices that you make. Let God be glorified each and every day.

Keep yourself in the game! Stay encouraged and count your blessings! The race isn’t over yet! God bless you!

Sometimes The Best For You Is Not The Best For You

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If I had to say one thing that we all have been guilty of at one point or another, it would probably be trying to keep up with a trend of some kind. Sometimes it could be as silly as having the latest gadget or gizmo (I hear the droid noise as we speak) or as serious as something that would shift your faith towards God.

You see, popularity and trends change just as quick as the direction of the wind: very often and seldom predictable. Even knowing these things, we will still try to follow after most of the latest things in hopes of some kind of true fulfillment.

I would hate to have to be the one to say this, but I suppose I have said worse in my life. The truth of the matter is, when we are not satisfied with God’s movements, we’ll often move our passion to something else. One day we’ll be on fire and active in church, while on the next we will be out in the world not able to be the true light of the world. This is an alarming trend that we are finding more often, and with this you find less stability in representatives of Jesus Christ.

People, especially youth in this day and age, are truly hungry for a passion they can live by. We as representatives of Jesus Christ need to provide them with the trend that we live by: Godly living in love reaching out to all that need salvation and spiritual fulfillment for eternal life. It’s simple yet necessary. We make it more complex than it should be. If people seeing you following after God and seeing you leading a life of joy, then when their life is finally in a place to where they can be led by God we as the body of Christ are able to lead them!

So remember: sometimes what we have in our lives that people are calling “the best” may not be what people need to be “the best” for them. People need Jesus Christ. People need salvation, a way of escape, and people that will love without condemnation! Remember who you are in God!