All Posts Tagged: Jesus Christ
Meal of Life – The supper of Jesus
Blessed are those invited to the Supper of the Lamb. Revelation 19:9
Memorial Day was birthed in May of 1865 by a group of freed slaves in Charleston, South Carolina. They visited a cemetery for Union soldiers, decorating their graves to Remember: FREEDOM is not FREE!
Israel received this instruction for the eve of their liberation: “Each Jewish man is to take a lamb for his family and slaughter it at dusk. He must take some of the blood and smear it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the house in which his family will eat the meat, along with bread. This will be a memorial day for you….” 91 Remember: FREEDOM is not FREE!
“On the eve of his crucifixion Jesus took bread. When He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘Take this bread and eat it. This is my body which is broken for you. Do this to remember Me.’ After supper, He took the cup. He said, ‘This cup is the New Way of Relationship between God and you via my blood. Whenever you drink it, do it to remember Me” 92. Remember: FREEDOM is not FREE!
“Every time you eat this bread and drink from this cup you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes again” 93. Jesus will return with the Father’s new production, “a new heaven and a new earth.”94 Here’s Act One: “Then I heard the sound of many people. ‘Let us be full of joy, for the time has come for the wedding supper of the Lamb. Those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb are happy.”95
Guess what? YOU’RE invited! Just RSVP to Jesus!
91 Exodus 12:1-10
92 1 Corinthians 11:23-25
93 1 Corinthians 11:26
94 Revelation 21:1
95 Revelation 19:6-10
Monster of Life – The enemy of Jesus
The thief’s purpose is to steal, destroy and kill. My purpose is to give abundant life. John 10:10
Watch one evening of local, national and international news. EVIL is on the move before our eyes!
The Manual identifies the source of evil: “Jesus turned to Peter and said, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You’re in My way!’”83 Even Wikipedia says, “Satan is … an angel (spirit being) who rebelled against God. His goal is to lead people away from (backwards) the love of God; i.e., to lead them to evil.”84
“The word ‘evil’ is the word ‘live’ spelled backwards” 85 Though possessing a reverse gear, an automobile is designed to move forward. Imagine a person, ignoring a car’s design, driving down the expressway in reverse! Destruction guaranteed!
Jesus came to give you “abundant life” … ultimate satisfaction, fulfillment and happiness! On the other hand Satan tempts you 24/7 to choose REVERSE. His “purpose is to steal, destroy and kill” every feature of Father’s design for your life.
Satan has many strategies, so “put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil” 86 However, his primary tool is deception: “Your father, the devil, is the father of lies.” 87 “The ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth …”88.
ISIS confronts people with a choice: “follow us or die!” Satan is no less atrocious with his demands! But remember; he’s a liar! Only Jesus is “the Way to the Truth about Life!” 89.
Have you become attached to him yet? “God loved people so much that He gave His only Son, so that anyone who has faith in Him will have eternal (a fulfilled) life and never really die.”90
83 Matthew 16:23
84 Wikipedia, Satan, 3.1
85 The Way, E. Stanley Jones, p 25
86 Ephesians 6:10
87 John 8:44
88 Revelation 12:9
89 John 14:6
90 John 3:16
The Manifestation of Life – The community of Jesus
You are together the body of Christ, and individually you are members of Him. 1 Corinthians 12:27
The story line of the The Ten Commandments is from the Bible. God miraculously delivers the Jews from 400 years of bondage for one reason: “They’ll realize that I … brought them out of Egypt so that 
I could live with them” (Exodus 29:46). After liberation the Jews are immediately instructed to build a transportable tent: “The people must make a Tent for Me, so that I may live among them.” (Exodus 25:8) When construction was complete, God moved in: “The Glorious Presence of God filled The Dwelling.” (Exodus 40:34) Then God said: “The twelve tribes of Israel are to set up camp around My Tent.” (Number 2:1)
What was vaguely illustrated in Exodus was fulfilled in Jesus: “The infinite Life of God took shape before us.” (1 John 1:2) and “fixed His tent of flesh among us; and we saw His glory.” (John 1:14) That’s why Jesus was called “Immanuel,” which means “God is with us.” (Matthew 1:22-23) After Jesus “moved into the neighborhood” (John 1:14) “He chose twelve disciples to be with Him” 24/7. (Mark 3:14)
Imagine a wag
on wheel. There are twelve spokes imbedded in a central hub. The rim unifies the spokes in the hub. The twelve disciples (spokes) were connected to Jesus (hub). The Holy Spirit (outer rim) brought unity by keeping the dissimilar members in alignment. Note: there are no Lone Ranger followers of Jesus! If Peter wanted to follow Jesus, he had to relate to eleven other followers: “You are together the body of Christ, and individually are members of Him.” (1 Corinthians 12:27)
You’ve just been introduced to the CHURCH as designed by Jesus! It’s a Community of Life; liberated persons connected to and camped around Jesus 24/7.
The Measure of Life – Conformity to Jesus
God chose us to bear the family likeness of His Son. Romans 8:29
“Attached to Jesus, you are a unique masterpiece.” (Ephesians 2:10) Yet, “God chose us to bear the family likeness of His Son…” (Romans 8:29) So, the genuine YOU is Jesus-like!
I have bad news! Because we crave acceptance, we permit parents, peers, pressures and the public to define us. Consequently, Father’s original design is hidden beneath layers (like an onion) of false fabrication. In the process of conforming we lose our true identity.
Don’t panic! The Creator possesses the original blueprint of YOU: “Define yourself radically as one beloved by God. This is the true self. Every other identity is illusion” (Brennan Manning). This is the first step of self-discovery.
Secondly, become acquainted with THE Measure. Liquids are measured in ounces, pints, quarts and gallons. “Grow in … understanding your Master and Savior, Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18)
“It is when I turn to Christ, when I give myself up to His Personality, that I first begin to have a real personality of my own”. (Mere Christianity, p 58.) As you employ meditation and prayer the Mentor is on 24/7 duty to guide you in discovering the Jesus-like YOU!)
Finally, slowly begin to examine yourself. “God is patient. He wants you to have an opportunity to change the way you think and act.” (2 Peter 3:9) What thoughts, actions and words are Jesus-like? Label these: “the real me”! Anything that doesn’t measure up to Jesus is a distorted fabrication. If you need help, ask Father: “Investigate my life. See for yourself whether I’ve done anything unlike Jesus. Then guide me on the road to the fulfilled life.”
(Psalm 139:23-24)
George Washington, the first president of the United States, was serious about “measuring up”! He prayed: “Daily frame me more and more into the likeness of Thy Son Jesus Christ.” (George Washington, the Christian pp. 24-35)
The Manner of Life – The love of Jesus
We know what real love is because Jesus gave up His life for us. 1 John 3:16
Love is God’s Manner of Living. It’s His characteristic way of acting. Jesus is the proof! “God loved the world this way: He gave His only Son” (John 3:16) Loving is Giving! At Christmas we seem to get it. Yet, in the long run “love is the only thing there’s just too little of!” (Burt Bacharach)
Hours before His death Jesus provided a clue: “Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, it’s never more than one grain of wheat. But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over. Right now I am storm-tossed. What am I going to say? ‘Father, get Me out of this’? No, this is My purpose. I’ll say, ‘Father, put Your glory on display through Me.’” (John 12:24-27)
Jesus was a “human-being-seed,” filled with “all of God’s character.” (Colossians 2:9) His purpose was to display “the extravagant dimensions of God’s love.”(Ephesians 3:18) Yet, He struggled: “Right now I am storm-tossed.” Why? His fulfillment, like a seed, would only come via the route of surrender: giving His heart away for the well being of others, “sinners”. (Romans 5:8) and “enemies.” (Romans 5:10)
Love is risky business! “Love means to commit oneself without guarantee, to give oneself completely…” (Erich Fromm, The Art of Loving) “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one. Avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket of selfishness” (C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves)
Living is Loving (Giving)! Anything less is mere existence devoid of satisfaction.