In Parables

Matthew 13:10-12 (ESV Strong's)

10 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

Those who receive the gift of the Spirit are given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, for they have received the Spirit of truth. This is the way to the abundant life in Jesus. 

All of life is a parable until the Spirit opens our eyes. 

Justified

Matthew 12:36-37 (ESV Strong's)

36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Justification happens when you confess that Jesus is Lord and we take His name for our own. It provides the justice the world needs and seeks. 

Lord Of The Sabbath

Matthew 12:7-8 (ESV Strong's)

7 And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

The Lord’s Sabbath is in the body of Christ. This is the rest for man that can only be found in Him. It is the story of the lost and found, and the way of salvation. 

The Cup Of Our Choice

Psalms 75:8 (ESV Strong's)

For in the hand of the LORD there is a cup

with foaming wine, well mixed,

and he pours out from it,

and all the wicked of the earth

shall drain it down to the dregs.

There are two cups of wine that will be served by the hand of the Lord. One is the cup of the covenant which He served to His disciples in the upper room. The other is the cup of the earth without a covenant of salvation of God. The second cup has the same certainty of fulfillment as the first cup offered by Jesus. 

The first cup is made with the living waters that flow from the throne of heaven. It is the best wine saved for the wedding feast in heaven. The second cup is made with the dark waters of mankind mixed with the dregs that are formed by the frailty and corruption of man. 

We will lift up the cup of our choice. 

The Hour Is Now

John 4:21-23 (ESV Strong's)

21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.

The final temple and house of God is the Church whose cornerstone is the resurrected and living Son of God- Jesus Christ. 

The time has come when those who worship God do so in Spirit. 

The Sea Was No More

Revelation 21:1 (ESV Strong's)

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

Genesis begins with deep, dark waters when God says, “Let there be light.” The light enters those waters and so begins the light of God invading the darkness of man. 

Revelation ends the account of the light coming into the world and the knowledge of the Lord is revealed unto the ends of the earth. 

A new heaven and a new earth are created by their union in Christ Jesus. He is the beginning and the end. 

To Intimately Know

True theology of God must contain the breath of life of Him who lives from everlasting to everlasting. Its most authentic revelation is experiential in nature. We can learn about God, but that is quite different from knowing God. The student must become His disciple to come close and ever closer to the one who is the source of all life.

Being introduced to Christ and knowing His name, knowing who He is and the salvation He offers, even trusting in Him, is only part of knowing Him. This comes through our fellowship with Him as we follow and walk in the way He has shown us. We succeed in life only when we find His way and make it our own. In the end we will overcome the world as He did. 

In this way we will come to intimately know Jesus as the Bride of Christ and look with great expectation to His return to claim us as His own. 

The Sword Of Peace

Matthew 10:34 (ESV Strong's)

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.

The Prince of Peace uses the sword of truth to bring the the peace of God into all the earth. The Holy Spirit is the sword of truth and He abides in the body of Christ. Truth is as divisive as it is unifying. This is divine truth which is rejected by a hostile world. It will be true for all who take His name. 

Matthew 10:22 (ESV Strong's)

and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

To take His name and not endure is to take His name in vain. 

Birth Pains

Matthew 24:8 (ESV Strong's)

All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

The human gestation period is 40 weeks. The wilderness journey of the Israelites lasted 40 years. Jesus spent 40 days of temptation in the wilderness after His baptism. 

Our time on the earth after rebirth in Christ is a time of gestation as we undergo the birth pains of being transformed into the image of Christ. We walk with Him in the wilderness journey through the valley of the shadow of death to reach the throne of light. We become the temple of God. 

Virgin Birth

Matthew 1:23

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us). 

Everyone in the body of Christ has experienced the virgin birth necessary to enter the kingdom of heaven. That one who has repented of their sins and has been washed in the blood of Jesus through His mercy and forgiveness. We are made virgins to sin and put on the white robes of His righteousness which allows us to enter into His presence. 

We like Mary have conceived a new spirit by receiving the Holy Spirit. That new spirit is born and matures into the image of Christ as we walk with Him. The virgin birth is how the body of Christ takes shape in the world. A virgin birth is not possible, except for a God for whom nothing is impossible. Everyone whose Father is in heaven knows this. 

Son Of Man

Ezekiel 33:7

“So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me.

Jesus may have called Himself Son of Man because He was bringing the word of God to the house of Israel. Rather than go through a prophet, He became the prophet by putting on the flesh of man, thereby delivering the word of God directly to the people of the earth. 

Perfection Of Christ

Matthew 5:48

You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. 

We will find righteous perfection in the body of Christ. We enter His body and partake in what He has done. He took the earth of our flesh and mixed it with the life of the Spirit. We are perfect in Him until we reach His perfection for ourselves. 

We receive the perfection of Christ when we receive the Holy Spirit. We then begin to transform in our spirits in the newness of life until we are made in His image. This is the fruit of the Spirit that shapes and molds us into sons of God. 

He carries us until we are able to walk on our own. 

Who Inhabits Eternity

Isaiah 57:15 (ESV Strong's)

For thus says the One who is high and lifted up,

who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy:

“I dwell in the high and holy place,

and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,

to revive the spirit of the lowly,

and to revive the heart of the contrite.

God is other than man, other than creation itself, yet we can become one with Him. He has drawn near over the impossible, unimaginable distance between us, even entering into our world and flesh and abiding with us Spirit to spirit. 

This makes it possible for people filled with His Spirit to reach out to each other in the same way, in the unity of the Holy Spirit. To overcome our differences which separate us and become differences to honor each other and add to our joy in life with Him. 

Oh Father,

Come fill us now with your love and peace. Let your living waters flow through and from us into this parched land to put out the fires of hatred fanned by the smoke out of the deep abyss, home of the father of hatred and violence. May your kingdom come and will be done. 

We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. May it be so. 

The Way Of Earth

1 Kings 2:1-3 (ESV Strong's)

1 When David's time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying, 2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man, 3 and keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn, 

What is the way of all the earth? To die. Mankind comes from the dust of the earth and will return to the dust of the earth, though this needn’t be our destiny. 

We are the soil of the earth that can receive the seed of the word, the word of Christ. If the seed takes root and yields a harvest acceptable to the Lord, it will grow up into the tree of life. 

His word will have gone forth and accomplished His will on earth. 

Your Work

Psalms 92:4 (ESV Strong's)

For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work;

at the works of your hands I sing for joy.

The Lord is doing a work in the depths of our soul that creates His image in every man and woman who seeks Him. This is the reason for the joy within us, even our salvation and life. 

He Holds Fast

Psalms 91:14-16 (ESV Strong's)

14 “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;

I will protect him, because he knows my name.

15 When he calls to me, I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble;

I will rescue him and honor him.

16 With long life I will satisfy him

and show him my salvation.”

The Lord knows those who call upon His name and who have not taken His name in vain. They will attend the wedding feast dressed for the occasion and share in the cup of salvation served by the hand of the Lord. 

In The Shadow

Psalms 91:1-2 (ESV Strong's)

1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust.”

Placing trust in the Lord allows the Holy Spirit to overshadow each believer and conceive a new spirit born of God. This is the Christ within that enters the body of Christ which is the house of the Lord. 

Laodicea

Revelation 3:14-22 (ESV Strong's)

To the Church in Laodicea

14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation.

15 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! 16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. 17 For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. 19 Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21 The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

Christ is the word of God and through that word creation came into being. He is the beginning and the great Amen meaning “so it is“, for He is the end of all things. His word becomes all of creation, for He is God manifest. 

The riches of Christ are ours if we seek them, for in doing so He will be found. He says to all His disciples, “come and see.” 

He tells the church to listen to His knock and open the door to our lives and hearts that we might eat together with Him, sharing in the bread of heaven. Being in a church does not automatically mean we are in Christ. We are in Christ when He is in us. This is the Church.

Reason

Isaiah 1:18 (NASB Strong's)

“Come now, and let us reason together,”

Says the LORD,

“Though your sins are as scarlet,

They will be as white as snow;

Though they are red like crimson,

They will be like wool.

Coming to God is reasoning of the highest order and will provide the best possible return for the effort, that is the fullness of life. Anything less is settling for second best, no matter the reason. 

Philadelphia

Revelation 3:7-13 (ESV Strong's)

To the Church in Philadelphia

7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.

8 “‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9 Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth. 11 I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. 12 The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. 13 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Jesus said that He is the gate and no one comes to the Father except through Him. It is He who opens and no one will shut, and shuts and no one opens. This is because He and the Father are one. 

Keeping His word will keep us from the tribulation that is coming on the whole world. If we endure to the end, we won’t have to endure the end. 

We shall inherit the name of God and the new name of Christ. It will be the name of the Lord, Father and Son. The name represents the power, authority, and the house of God. It is this name by which we pray and are saved. 

Sardis

Revelation 3:1-6

To the Church in Sardis

“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

“‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

The seven spirits are before the throne of God in Revelation 1:4 and may correspond to the angels of the seven churches. Each church is exhorted to listen to the Spirit, who brings the word of Christ to each one. The stars may represent the children of Abraham who are the light of the world. 

Our salvation is by faith alone in Christ Jesus, yet here Jesus reprimands this church because He has found their works incomplete. The fruit of the Spirit in their lives is meager at best. 

He then tells them if they conquer, they will receive the white garments of the overcomers and their names will remain in the book of life. Overcoming the world is accomplished by following the leading of the Spirit to the end, which is the perfection of Christ. 

Persevering to the end of our wilderness journey to reach the throne of the Lord will ensure we end up where we want to be. 

Thyatira

Revelation 2:18-29 (ESV Strong's) 

To the Church in Thyatira

18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: ‘The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze.

19 “‘I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. 20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, 23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works. 24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. 25 Only hold fast what you have until I come. 26 The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, 27 and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. 28 And I will give him the morning star. 29 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Nothing is hidden from the eyes of the Lord. He has walked on this earth as a man and He knows what is within a man. He knows our works, but more importantly knows our hearts. 

We have been given time to repent and obey the Lord. If we wait too long to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord, He will give us over to the bed we have made and there we will rest with the dead. 

Pergamum

Revelation 2:12-17 (ESV Strong's)

To the Church in Pergamum

12 “And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: ‘The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword.

13 “‘I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is. Yet you hold fast my name, and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my faithful witness, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14 But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, so that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice sexual immorality. 15 So also you have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16 Therefore repent. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone that no one knows except the one who receives it.’

The sharp two-edged sword is the word of truth. The mouth of Jesus is the word of God and only speaks the truth. Those who deny truth have not heard from the Lord. 

There are many who teach something else, who craft their own truth. What may seem good to man often does not reflect the mind of God. Jesus the Son speaks the word He hears from His Father. The Son is one with the Spirit, and they are one with the Father. The mystery of God reveals that we become one with Him. 

The hidden manna and the new name no one knows speaks of the unique relationship between ourselves as the Bride of Christ given in marriage to the Son of God. Each of us has a personal and intimate union with Him that is best represented by the marriage of a man and woman. It is the binding of heaven and earth into one.  

The Living Image

Christ is the living image of God. He can do the same for you. 

Made Manifest

1 John 1:1-3 (ESV Strong's)

The Word of Life

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2 the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— 3 that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

God is without beginning or end. He is from everlasting to everlasting. Mankind has a beginning as do all things in creation. Mankind also has an end, which is to be made in the image of God and join Him in everlasting fellowship. 

God would first enter creation as a man wrapped in our mortal flesh. He brought His life to us in two steps. He sacrificed that mortal life for us. To be made in the image of Christ, we must give our mortal life for His. If we do this, we are made manifest in the kingdom of heaven. By following Him, we will be like Him. 

Thus we receive the eternal life of the Spirit of God. He is made manifest with us and within us. We can testify that we have seen the Lord with the eyes of the heart and feel the touch of His hand upon our lives. We can proclaim the Word of God to you in the joy of our salvation and new life. 

Smyrna

Revelation 2:8-11 (ESV Strong's)

To the Church in Smyrna

8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.

9 “‘I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who conquers will not be hurt by the second death.’

“Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year, which marks the beginning of a 10-day period of reflection and repentance followed by celebration (also known as the Days of Awe).”

The ten day period reflects a time of testing which bears the fruit of reflection and repentance. This is part of our wilderness journey leading to our sanctification and transformation. It is true of everyone who follows Christ in wonder and awe. 

When Christ says He is “the first and last”, its meaning is rich with insights in knowing the Lord. One of which is that He is the first man to die and come back to life, but life which is transformed into the final and exact image of God manifest in creation. 

Our transformation into His image is His last and ongoing work of creation. His work that enables us was finished on the cross. It becomes the tree of life in the wilderness of the world. When we choose the fruit of this tree, we are transferred into the kingdom of heaven which is fellowship with God. 

Ephesus

Revelation 2:1-7 (ESV Strong's)

To the Church in Ephesus

1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.

2 “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6 Yet this you have: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.’

The churches represent the children of light in the body of Christ. The seven stars may remind us that the children of Abraham would be as numerous as the stars in the night sky. These children are filled with the fullness of the seven Spirits of God. He is pleased to have His fullness dwell in the heart of man. The lampstands may remind us that the Church is the light of the world. 

No one can snatch us out of His hand, though we can choose to leave, just as we chose to come. Consider the prodigal son, the many transgressions of Israel, or the betrayal of Jesus by the hand of Judas. 

Jesus came to earth and walked among us. He brought the light of God into the hearts of man, enabling us continue in His absence to shine as His light unto the ends of the earth. 

His light is conspicuous in the darkness of the world. He is separating the light from the darkness and creating a people for His own. His presence is a lamp unto our feet and an ever present comfort as we walk with Him. 

Love lights the lamps of God. If our love fades, the light of our life grows dim. Our works do not save us. Our salvation rests solely on God’s love for us and our love for Him. He demonstrated His love by the gift of His life. We demonstrate our love by obedience to Him. He will remove our light and spew us from His mouth unless we repent and stay in relationship with Him. From that ongoing relationship, knowing Christ grows and deepens with time. We will be fruitful in the Spirit as we follow His leading. 

While It Rains

Sitting out back while it rains. I enjoy the smell, the steady sound of raindrops ending their journey from there to here with the splash of resistance from an immovable object in the way of free descent. It is a moment in a timeless cycle of coming and going, as old as creation and as new as today.

Into The Wilderness

Matthew 4:1 (ESV Strong's)

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

Our time in the wilderness of the world is an updated and remake of the freeing of Israel leaving the bondage of Egypt for the promised land of God. We are leaving the bondage of the world for the kingdom of heaven. Forty years of Israel in the desert corresponds to our lifetime of testing and endurance in obedience to the Lord as we live a life in Christ. 

We enter the wilderness when we receive the Holy Spirit. He is with us and we follow Him to the throne of Christ. 

The Mystery

Revelation 1:19-20 (ESV Strong's)

19 Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. 20 As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

The angels of the seven churches may be the particular expressions of the Holy Spirit speaking to the needs of each church. The message given comes from the Holy Spirit for those would listen. He speaks to us where we are. Who will listen?

As Though Dead

Revelation 1:17-18 (ESV Strong's)

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.

When John saw Jesus, he fell at His feet as though dead. When we come to Christ, we enter His death by dying to self and giving ourselves to Him, just as He gave Himself for us. He lays His hand on us and stands us up in His new life. The life of God is in the of fellowship of the Three-In-One Creator. If we have His Spirit within us and we are within the body of Christ, then we have entered into His eternal fellowship and become one with Him. 

He is the way and gate to eternal life. He alone can free us from the darkness of sin and bring us into the light of life, for He is that light.