Tag: Jesus

Know God Is Real

Posted on by jakirkgasser10439

 

Why Should An Intelligent Person Believe In God?

An intelligent person should follow the available evidence with an open mind wherever it takes them.  They should reach their own conclusion about God with sound logic. If you want to know if God is real, or if you want more confidence in your current belief, the following discussion provides several lines of exploration you can and should pursue.

It Matters

The most important decision of your life is whether to believe God is real and worthy of your worship and devotion, or whether to ignore God and focus all your energy on you and your earthly life. If God is real, this decision has major ramifications for you and those around you, both now in this life and for eternity.  And if God is real, and this decision does have major ramifications, and you risk spending eternity in some lake of burning fire if you don’t get with the program, then it would be appropriate to invest some time and energy to explore the evidence, find out what is going on, and align yourself to avoid such a scenario. If God is not real, none of this really matters and the worst you will have done by exploring this is to waste some unimportant time learning about the most popular and pervasive myth ever concocted by mankind. This is called Pascal’s Wager… are you willing to bet an eternity in hell that it is ok to continue not believing in God.

God Hides, You will find Him only if you truly want to find Him.

God hides himself just enough that you must decide to spend some of your precious energy to pursue Him. If He was obvious and standing right in front of us, we would not require faith to believe in Him. The spiritual world operates on faith, and our free will decisions to pursue and believe. If you want to find reasons not to believe you can, and it is your choice, but beware, there just might be some serious consequences.  Once we decide to explore beyond the physical world in front of us and commit to explore the evidence for God with a truly open mind and open heart, He promises you will find Him.  I am highly confident based on my experience, If you truly want to find Him, You will, and I am happy to help.  

Faith should not be blind

The God of the Christian Bible never asks us to have blind faith. He is very clear that He left ample evidence of His handiwork in creation; The heavens reveal His Glory, his fingerprint can be seen in the world all around us, and He has written Himself in our hearts. He boldly claims that no one has an excuse to be ignorant of Him. He expects us to be able to gather up the evidence, figure it out, and make a sound conclusion. 

We should be able to defend our position

He also asks us to be ready and able to defend that decision with convincing logic any time.  Do you believe in God? What is the basis for your belief? What are your top 3 reasons?

The Evolution of Science

One interesting aspect of mankind’s spiritual journey is the evolution of science. The scientific community spent most of the 20th century trying to prove that we do not need a supernatural God to explain how everything works or how we got here in the first place. Over the last 50 years, scientific discoveries have made that much harder to do at almost every level. Open minded researchers can see that the evidence points more and more towards the existence of a supernatural God.  Those researchers who are committed to a materialist world view, who categorically refuse to consider God as a potential hypothesis, remain hopeful for an alternative explanation to emerge even when the odds are astronomically low and going lower with every new discovery. The interesting thing to understand is that this materialist approach is a new thing born within the scientific community. Science was originally founded out of Christian pursuit to better understand God. Based on His promise in the psalms.

The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Psalm 19:1

They expected to learn more about Him by studying his orderly creation. The early scientists were Christians, and the first universities grew out of monasteries. It is fitting that following the science is taking us back to God where it started.

What evidence is available to support a Belief In God, Sometimes Called a God hypothesis?

These are my Top Ten +1 reasons to believe:

  1. The order and design of the universe points to an intelligent source.
  2. Evolution explains adaptation, but it does not explain the explosion of species or how we got here. There is another force at work
  3. Simple Cells are Not so simple. The more we learn, the harder it is to imagine them emerging from a soup of chemicals. None of what happens in a cell is random.
  4. DNA is information telling each aspect of each cell what to do, how to do it, and when. The only known source for information is an intelligent mind. 
  5. Life only comes from life, We have no evidence of life coming from non-life. The chemical building blocks of life are unstable and assembling them into useful structures is not non-random. Life only comes from life.
  6. Every painting has a painter. Everything that has a beginning has a casue outside of it. The big bang happened before space, time and matter, so the cause must be something super powerfull and outside of space, time and mater. 
  7. The Bible is a very remarkable document with powerful wisdom when understood and applied. There is more and more archeological evidence to support the reliability of what has been preserved since it was originally written, and to substantiate the people, places and activities described in its stories.
  8. Jesus was a real person, and the evidence for His crucifixion is remarkable
  9. Superntural experiences such as Nead Death Experiences are more and more well documented and yield very practical insights.  
  10. Personal experience interacting with God, guiding and shaping me along my journey, and working through me to help others
  11. There is an objective morality written on our hearts, an objective morality demands a morality writer.

Lets take each of them in a bit more detail:

1) The order and design of the universe points to an intelligent source.

Everything about the universe is organized and highly tuned to allow life on earth. Astrophysicists have identified dozens and dozens of characteristics of the universe that are critical to life on earth; These include the laws of nature like gravity, the constants of physics like the cosmological constant, and the initial conditions of the big bang like how much energy. In recent years they have learned that these constants and quantities are so precisely tuned that the odds that they came into being randomly are astronomically low. If the universe had more initial mass, it would collapse back into itself. If the physics laws that govern molecules were any different, we would not have developed stable galaxies. If the earth were only slightly closer to the sun we would burn up, if any further away we would freeze. If the mass of the earth were any greater we would be crushed by gravity, if it were less massive we would not have a protective atmosphere.  If Jupiter were not exactly where is, we would have been destroyed by asteroids. These are just a few examples.

Learn more:

Video from J Warner Wallace: (Link)

Video from Dr William Lane Criag Videos – The Fine-Tuning of the Universe (Link)

Video from Stephen Meyer: (Link)

2) Evolution explains adaptation, but not macro evolution

Evolution theory does a wonderful job explaining minor adaptations to environmental conditions. There is no evidence for macro evolution. Darwin’s theory demands incremental changes over time. There is no fossil evidence showing increments of one species gradually becoming another. Instead, the fossil record shows many species emerging very rapidly in explosions of change. The explosion of new species is even more challenging to evolutionists now that we understand how DNA controls animal architecture and cell function, and any new body plans require significant new chunks of DNA to cause the animal to produce the proteins needed ot create the cells for the new features, and then assemble the new cells into tissues and fibers, and then arrange them into structures, then to know how to use the new structures once they arrive. Many species share common characteristics, but rather than evolving randomly over time in a long chain from a common ancestor, these common characteristics could be genetic building blocks used and reused by a creator who intervened with His creation along the way.

Learn more:

Video from Hoover Institute, “Mathematical Challenges to Darwin’s Theory of Evolution” with David Berlinski, David Gelernter, and Stephen Meyer (Link)

Video from Hoover institute ” By Design: Behe, Lennox, and Meyer on the Evidence for a Creator”  (Link)

3) Simple Cells Are Not So simple

Advances in Microbiology now reveal that each cell has a vast array of molecular level machines opertaing to perform the functions encessary to keep it alive, and the cell wall has a multitude of very specific structures and features that allow it to bring in the necessary mix of nutrients and export the necessary wastes so that it can survive and mmultiply. The more we learn about simple cells the harde rit is to imagine that they could emerge randomly from a soup of chemicals. 

Learn more: 

Video from Tomorrow’s World Viewpoint:  Darwin’s Not-So-Simple Cell (Link)

Video from Science Communication Lab – Ron Vale: Molecular Motor Proteins (Link)

Video from  Clockwork: Your Unstoppable Copy Machine｜DNA Replication (Link)

4) DNA is information, and information only comes from an intelligent source.

Each living cell has DNA which is basically a computer program for organizing the entire organism and running all the processes in each cell. DNA in each human cell contains approximately 3 million base pairs which represent approximately 1.5Gig of data. The DNA coding includes instructions for controlling replication and repair of itself. DNA is Information, Information is not generated randomly, it is highly specific and very complicated. information only comes from an intelligent source.

Learn more:

What kind of information is in DNA – Stephen Meyer  (Link)

5) Life only comes from life, life never comes from non-life.

Life propagates, it is never created from non-life. The popular story that life was sparked into existence by lightning striking a primordial soup of chemicals is a myth. The building block chemicals for life are naturally unstable and cannot wait around for lightning, and the complex chemical reactions to build chains of amino acids and other necessary complex molecules cannot be executed randomly in nature, these processes must be guided in a very precise way.

Learn more:

Hoover Institute Interview with James Tour and Stephen Meyer: (Link)

Creation Ministries Interview with Dr Stephen Grocott: (Link)

6) Every Painting Has a Painter.

We know from science and practical experience that everything that has a beginning has a cause from outside of it. This is called the Cosmological Argument. Science discovered in 1929 that the universe is expanding. If we run the clock backwards we know that the universe started in a big bang. The big bag was a tremendous release of pure energy before there was matter, space and time. The universe had a beginning so it must have a cause. The cause must be bigger and more powerful than the entire universe and it must be able to operate outside of matter, space, and time. A creator God is the most logical and elegant solution for that cause, and it happens to be consistent with Genesis 1:1 – In the beginning God.

Learn more:

Video From drcraigvideos – The Kalam Cosmological Argument – (Link)

7) The Bible is an Extraordinary Document and A Reliable Source of Wisdom, and History 

The Bible is remarkable in many ways, as the most popular literary work of all time, for the remarkable wisdom it contains, for how well it has been preserved over time, for how acurately it has captured the past, and how well it has predicted the future, and the impact it has had on individuals, nations, and society as a whole.    

Remarkable Literary Work

The bible was created to document the great acts of God over time to redeam and save His people and the world He created. It is the most popular book of all time with over a billion copies published.  It is a collection of 66 different works (Books), inspired by the Holy Spirit and recorded by 40 different authors from various walks of life from kings to soldiers, to prophets and priests. It was compiled over the course of more than 1500 years but has a consistent narrative ark throughout and has a remarkable number of interlinked passages; there are over 63,000 “Hyperlinks” in the bible. The layers of meanings in the bible become more and more significant as you read and re-read them over time. 

Learn More:  

Video from Tim Mackie – Where did the bible come from and why should we care (Link)

Chris Harrison visualization tool for seeing the 64K interlinks (Link)

Jordan Peterson describing how the Bible as the first hyperlinked text (Link), Deeper discussion (Link)

 Video from Mark Ashton at Christ Community Church  – 10 Reasons the bible is extraodinary (Link).

Profound Wisdom

The bible is full of profound wisdom; It is moving, and it has a broad influence on the way we see, think, and act at the individual levle and at the leve of society.  It offers timeless guidance on a wide range of life situations, including morality, relationships, and personal conduct. The biblical teachings have shaped western society with concepts like – we are each individuslly are created in God’s image and are worthy of respect. The bible has several books dedicated specifically to imparting wisdom to those who are willing to learn and apply it: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon, and Ecclesiastes.  The other biblical stories often share lessons by example; people following God’s commands and being rewarded or choosing to ignore God, pursue their own agenda and suffer serious consequences. Many of the biblical writings have layers of meaning, The literal story can be informative, but it can also be symbolic of other deeper meanings.  Many of the teachings are done in the form of metaphor and parable, where you must think about the story and figure out how the deeper message applies to your situation, but the deeper meaning is always profound when you figure it out and apply it. The bible reveals God’s nature and purpose.  As you embrace it’s teaching, you can be molded more and more into His image. 

Learn more:

The Bible Project – Wisdom Series Videos (Link),  Intro to Wisdom Literature Podcast (Link). 

The HIGHEST Truth Of Them All | Jordan Peterson Deconstructing The BIBLE (Link)

Well Preserved

The bible is the best preserved piece of anchient literature we have. There are over 5,300 copies of the new testament in the original Greek, and hundreds of manuscripts of the old testament. The original writings were propogated by monks using a meticulous process. Detailed analysis of these documents and scrutiny of the variations that propagated allows us to understand when each variation was introduced and which is the most likely original. None of the variations impact the essential message fo Christ’s virgin birth, sinless life, sacrifice by crucifixion, and resurrection on  the 3rd day. The dead sea scrolls discovered in 1947 provided an even earlier copy of old testiment documents dated to 200 BC, and these further confim we have good traceability to the original writings.

Learn more:

Video form Dan Wallace – How can you trust the New Testament when the original manuscripts are different? (Link)

Interview with Deeper discussion – How Reliable Are Our New Testament Manuscripts? Dr. Daniel Wallace (Link)

Historically Accurate

The bible has proven to be reliable source of ancient historic information and even some scientific wisdom. The bible has been used to guide archeology digs and we now have archeological evidence of hundreds of people, places, and events described in the bible stories. For example Sodom and Gomorrah were real cities destroyed by fire from the heavens, A tribe of folks worshipping the God of the bible (YHWH) were indeed wandering the desert in ancient times, There were competing cultures sacrificing babies at alters that were warned to stop and then destroyed after 400 years of ignoring the warnings, There was a King David, There was a temple and it was destroyed, King Davids descendants were held in captivity in Babylon and then released to return and rebuild, Jesus was a real person, etc.

Predicted The Future

The bible was compiled from individual works written over a span of more than 1500 years. Over that time, there were many predicitons made of future events. There were over 2500 prophesies of future events in the bible, 2000 of them have already come true, the remainder are still in the future. Only God can predict the future, and He has demonstrated that capability.

Learn more: Article from Reasons to believe – Fulfilled Prophesy: Evidence for the Reliability of the Bible (Link) 

Remarkable Impact

The Bible is the best selling book of all time. It’s teachings change individual lives; people from around the world share testimony of being freed from substance abuse, destructive lifestyles, immoral behavior, and undesired behaviors due to following biblical principles and their faith in Jesus Chris.  The bibles teachings have transformed the world: Followers of the bible created science because they believed that it was orderly and studying it would reveal knowledge.Followers of the bible lead the abolition of slavery because the bible teaches that all people are created in God’s image and are worthy of respect., Followers of the bible created the entire western world which is the most prosperous of any society in history. Teachings can be corrupted and mis-used, but when applied correctly the reulsts are amazing.

8) Jesus was a Real Person, and There Is Convincing Evidence for His Resurrection 

The entire Christian religion hinges on three events: Jesus virgin birth, His suffering and innocent death on the cross, and His resurreciton on the 3rd day. Many non-believers question if Jesus was a real person, or if He really died on the cross, or if He was actually resurrected, When you review the evidence, there is a pretty convincing case that He was a real person, he did die on a cross at the hands of the romans, he was buried and then raised from the dead on the 3rd day.

    • The Gospels provide 4 eye-witness acounts of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection
    • There are several extra-biblical accounts of Jesus’ life, death, and hoards of followers who believe resurrection
    • There were over 500 eyewitnesses willing to suffer for admitting that they had seen the resurrected Jesus.
    • There was no debate at the time, that Jesus tomb was empty on the 3rd day. The critics of Jesus accused the disciples of stealing His body from the sealed and heavily guarded tomb. 
    • The 11 remaining disciples and Jesus’s brother James were so convinced by their encounters with the risen Jesus, they were willing to devote their remainder of their lives to spreading the word, being pursecuted, and enduring torture to the point of death. People do not take lies to the grave if they know the truth.
    • There is a creed written by the early church within weeks or months or a couple years of Jesus death to capture the essence of the Gospal story for those wanting to understand and believe. This creed is captured by Paul in 1st Corinthians 15.

Learn more:

Video From Lee Strobel – The Case for Christianity in 15 min – (Link)

Video From J Warner Wallace – Cold Case Christianity (Link)

Video Interview of J Warner Wallace – A 10 year Update of Cold Case Christianity (Link)

9) Supernatural Experiences Provide Insights

Near Death Experiences provide compelling evidence for Life After Death, God, Heaven, Purpose, and Accountability for your life.  Millions of people have had experiences during trauma where they leave their physical body, travel to heaven, visit with loved ones, meet angels or God, relive part of their lives, gain insights on their purpose, are sent back to continue their life, and come back a changed person. Analysis of these experiences across diverse cultures shows they are not a random phenomenon, God is real, Heaven is real, We are each here on earth temporarily and we are here for a purpose, the goal of our life is to transform so we flow God’s love through us to the rest of creation using our gifts and talents.

Learn more:

My Web Page on Near Death Experiences (Link)

    • My Web Page on The works of Emanuel Swedenborg (Link)

10) Personal Experience – We Each Can Observe God’s Hand In Our Life

If we open our eyes to the spiritual world, and are willing to invest some of our time and energy, we can see how we are being impacted by it, and then if we engage effectively, how we are impacting it. We can see God’s hand in our life (Providence), We can fele a deep sense of purpose for our lives, We can see God answering our prayers, We can even feel his presence if we draw near to Him. If we are willing to yeild our lives to Him, He will lead us on a wonderful adventure (Lead By The Spirit), and when we accept the authority he delegates to us, we can see the power of the Holy Spirit moving through us and impacting peoples lives.

Providence:

God puts us in just the right spot with just the right person to experience something significant that shapes our earthly journey. These events are often related to how you met your spouse, how you chose what school to go to, or how you got a job. When you look at the scenarios you experienced, the probability that all of those aspects happened randomly is close to zero, and once you recognize that such things have happened more than once in your life, it becomes clear that there is a greater force at work.

Sense of Purpose:

We are each programmed with a sense of purpose deep inside. If we are honest with ourselves and reflect on our lives, we know we are here for a reason, we have a purpose, there is a calling on their life. This purpose is different for each person but it is not random.  Our unique calling aligns with a passion deep in our heart and the gifts and talents we have in our earthly body.

Power of Prayers:

Purposeful and fervent prayer aligned with God’s will is very effective. A simple log of prayers and results seen will reveal that God is real and He is answering your prayers. 

Presence:

When we pursue God and draw near to Him in prayer or worship, we can sense His presence inside us – As sense of connection, inflow, and peace appears in our soul. 

Lead By the Spirit:

God wants to help you grow and mature. He is a Father, Counselor, Teacher and Shepherd. God will engage in an intimate conversation with you if you engage Him with all your heart. He will teach you, coach you, and lead you onto the path He has set before you. His path will enable you to bear fruit in this life and bring Him glory. Pretty wonderful 

Power:

When we align with God’s wil and actively engage others with the authority God grants by praying into some situation they face, you can often feel the holy spirit flow with energy to effect the other person. The effect is sometimes immediately visible, and sometimes delayed, but the sensation of the Holy Spirit moving is very real.

Learn more:

How To Hear His Voice – (Link to My Blog Post)

How To Get A Word Of Wisdom to Guide your path – (Link To My Blog Post),  (My Video)

11) There is a transcendent objective morality.

If we evolved as random accidents driven by propagation of our species, we should be motivated to do whatever it takes to elevate ourselves above others for our own survival and propagation. We should be murdering our competition, stealing their resources, and having sex with as many partners as possible to maximize our propagation. Counter to that agenda however, We know in our heart that murder of an innocent person is wrong, theft of others property is wrong, and that rape, incest and adultery is wrong. These are moral absolutes that suggest each of us has some inherent value as individuals which deserve to be respected and protected. This is consistent with bible teaching that we are created in the image of God with value and purpose, and those objective morals are written on our heart.

Learn more: 

Video from DrCraigVideos – Is There Meaning to Life? (Link)

Video from Jordan Peterson – The Lie of Relative Morality (Link)

Video from Jordan Peterson – The Case Against Moral Relativism (Link)

Video from Stand To Reason – Fatal Flaws of Moral Relativism (Link)

That is a summary of my top 10 +1 reasons to believe in God. Hope you find them helpful.  Post a comment if you agree, or if you disagree with anything I have said. I want to tune up these write ups over time. 

Next up: 

What are the arguments against God? And what are the best counters to those arguments. (Link) 

Was Jesus Real

Posted on by jakirkgasser10439

What Evidence Do We Have That Jesus Was A Real Person 

The most imporatnt decision in your life will be whether to ccept Jesus as your lord or not. This decision will shape your life and and dictte how you spend etenrity. 

The critical beliefs in Christianity are that:

  • Mankind has fallen from God’s original intention due to sin,
  • God loves us so much He sent His son to rescue us,
  • Jesus came here and lived among us,
  • He suffered and died as an innocent man to pay the price for our sins,
  • He was raised from the dead on the third day and now rules in heaven,
  • Folks who repent and turn from their sinful ways, and believe in Jesus as their lord are transformed in this life and will get to spend eternity with Him in heaven, and
  • Folks who choose to ignore or reject Jesus and remain separated from God in this life will spend eternity separated from Him in one of the hells.

There are many reasons folks choose to reject Jesus. Some claim the bible is only a collection of myths and that Jesus either was a fictional character and never lived.  Some argue that he lived but didn’t die on the cross, or if He did die, he was never raised from the dead.  Contrary to those claims, there is convincing evidence from multiple sources that

  • Jesus was a very real historic person,
  • He died by crucifixion at the hands of the romans, and
  • He appeared alive to many after being buried in a sealed tomb for 3 days.

 I encourage you to review this evidence to become convinced and further deepen your commitment to Jesus in faith.

Jesus WAS a real person

Let’s start with establishing Jesus as a real historic person.  No serious historian doubts that Jesus was a real historic person who lived in Judea during the reins of Pontius Pilot and Tiberius, and that He had followers called Christians who truly believed he was raised from the dead.

Extra Biblical Writing:

Some of the key ancient documentation of Jesus existence from outside the bible are:

  • Flavius Josephus: The Jewish historian and military leader wrote about Jesus in his 20-volume history of the Jewish people, Jewish Antiquities, around 93 AD. This included discussion of Jesus doing surprising deeds and being crucified by Pilot. He mentions that He had a following of believers called Christians. He also writes of Jesus’ brother James who he identified as “the brother of Jesus who is called Christ” being brought before the Sanhedrin as a follower of Christ and being sentenced to death by stoning.
  • Tacitus: The Roman senator and historian wrote about Jesus and His execution by Pontius pilot during Tiberius’s reign in book 15, chapter 44, of his history of the Roman Empire, “Annals of Imperial Rome”, published around 116 AD.
  • Pliny the Younger: The Roman governor wrote to Emperor Trajan in 112 AD seeking guidance on how to proceed regarding putting Christians on trial. In one letter he stated that the early Christians would “sing hymns to Christ as to a god”.

Early Jews:

The ancient Jewish community embraced Jesus as a real person during his life and after his death. He was widely recognized as being an excellent teacher. Their issue was that He claimed to be God but did not fit the image they had of a conquering warrior king who would set them free from the romans. They accused him of being born illegitimately, of doing miracles by using evil magical forces, of making a false claim that He was God, and leading folks astray from the latest doctrines of the Jewish leaders. They disliked what he was doing but never doubted his existence. They believed he lived and was crucified, but that his body was stolen from the grave.

  “Jewish rabbis who did not like Jesus, or his followers, accused him of being a magician and leading people astray, but they never said he didn’t exist.” Lawrence Mykytiuk, associate professor of library science at Purdue University. Did Jesus Exist? Searching for Evidence Beyond the Bible – 2015

Early Christians:

The disciples and others provided eye-witness accounts of Jesus life which are recorded in the Gospels of Mathew, Mark, Luke and John which were written down within 30-60 years of the events. These are well preserved to this day.

Early Muslims:

The Muslim community has always revered Jesus as a prophet and messenger from God. The Quran mentions Jesus numerous times (Isa in Arabic). It details his life story including his virgin birth to Mary, his prophetic role, and miracles he performed. Muslims consider Jesus to be one of the major prophets sent by God, following the line of Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Solomon, David. The twist comes when the Quran says that Jesus avoided crucifixion and was raised directly to heaven. The Quran teaches that God (Allah) is the only true God, Jesus was not God because He was just a prophet. The Quran provided different guidance on who He was and how to deal with him, but it does not question that Jesus was here.

Surah Al-Imran (Chapter 3, Verse 45): “And (remember) when the angels said, ‘O Mary! Verily, Allah gives you good tidings of a word from Him, whose name will be Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, held in honor in this world and in the Hereafter, and of those who are near to Allah.

Jesus Died By Crucifixion

Jesus died by crucifixion at the hands of the romans. Several of the ancient documents that document his existence, specifically state that he was crucified.

The medical community has reviewed the process of roman crucifixion and concluded that anyone that undergoes this process will surely have died.

 “Clearly the weight of evidence suggests that Jesus was dead even before the spear was thrust into His side.” Journal of the American Medical Association

Jesus was Raised from the dead

Jesus was observed alive after His burial by various groups. There are 9 eye-witness accounts of the resurrected Jesus, some within, some outside the bible. He appeared to over 500 total witnesses. None of these witnesses received any earthly benefit from claiming they saw him, the only risked persecution, excommunication from their community, punishment, and torture, up to and including death.

Individual accounts of encountering the risen Jesus are provided by Matthew, John, Peter, Mary, Mary Magdalene, and the other disciples including Thomas and are recorded in the 4 gospels.

Eyewitness accounts were integrated into a Creed used by the early church. This creed was written very shortly after the resurrection. Paul learned of this creed when He visited Jerusalem 3 years after the resurrection.  Paul included this creed in his first letter to the Corinthians:

“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve”. 1 Corinthians 15:3-8

We have solid evidence that Jesus was real and that He died by crucifixion. It was common at the time, to believe that the tomb is empty 3 days after He was burried. Critics of the resurrection theory suggest the body was stolen, they do not debate that tomb was empty. Well, how else would the tomb become empty with roman guards on it 24/7.

The most compelling evidence for the resurrection is the conviction of the disciples. 12 humble disciples were willing to suffer torture and be put to death for testifying they interacted with Jesus after He was raised in the flesh. This is remarkable and very unlikely if His resurrection was a lie. For example, The Watergate perpetrators were some of the most powerful men in the world and they could not maintain their lie for just 3 months. These 12 men endured great suffering and went to the grave confessing that Jesus was raised from the dead.    

Why would 500 other eyewitnesses be willing to be excommunicated from society and possibly be stoned to death for claiming they saw Jesus resurrected in the flesh if it was a lie.  It wouldn’t happen.  

Would you be willing to give your life for something you believe in? Each veteran does just that. God loves us so much He sent His only begotten son to rescue us, to restore that which was lost through sin. Jesus loves us so much He was willing to bear the burden of our sin on His back to the point of death, trusting in faith the Fathers’ promise to resurrect Him in glory on the third day.  That is some serious faith, that is some serious love.

He is still alive, Just Ask Him

If you still don’t believe, Just ask Him.  Say: “Jesus if you are who the bible says you are, the Lord of the universe, the Creator, the Sustainer, the Redeemer, the Savior, please reveal yourself to me in some meaningful way. I truly want to get to know you.” You must be serious about it though. If you ask with all your heart you will find Him.

Believe!  He is risen. Acknowledge Him, Invite Him, Let Him lead you into the life He intended for you and then enjoy eternity with Him.

If you want to review in more detail, here are a couple links

 

 

Why Should You Believe In Jesus and His Resurrection

Posted on by jakirkgasser10439

Why Should You Believe In Jesus and His Resurrection?

The birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are the most significant events in human history. We measure time based on years before and after His birth. Why should an intelligent perspn believe in Jesus’ and His resurrection? 2000 years later. This post outlines several reasons you should seriously consider as you work through what to believe or reject.

Jesus was a real person, No serious historian doubts it, even His critics. 

Jesus was a real historic person who died by crucifixion at the hands of the Romans. Therre are detailed eyewitness accounts of his life, ministry, death, and resurrection within the bible recoded within 60 years of the events and well preserved since then. These accounts are included in the biblical books of  Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

There are several ancient texts outside of the bible whih reference Him by name, His death via crucifixion, and the growing communinty of followers who believed in His ressureciton in the flesh. These extra-biblical acounts include accounts from people who were critics and did not accept Him as The Christ, the Messiah, The Savior. The most prominent extra-biblical accounts include  

No serious historian doubts that He was a real person who died by Crucifixion in the time frame descibed in the bible, and that large groups of people at that time came to believe in His resurrection.

If you want to dig into this, start here: https://www.history.com/…/was-jesus-real-historical…

Jesus fulfilled hundreds of prophesies written centuries before.

The old testiment makes over 300 predictions about God sending a savior, some very direct and specific, some more allusory or metaphoric.  Jesus fulfilled them. The more you dig into these, the more amazing they are both individually, as a collection, and as part of an integrated overarching narative. The chances of a single person fulfilling just 30 direct and specific prophesies made before He was born is staggering.  Born from the line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Jessie, and David, in Bethlehem, called immanuel, Kings bearing gifts, Exile and then return from Egypt, Sinless life, a messenger would preceed Him, He would minister in Galilee, Teach in parables, Enter Jeruselum on a donkey, Rejected by his people, Spit upon, Beaten beyond recognition, Bear our burden, Offer no resistance, Crucified: Nails in hands/feet, Hang on a cross, Die with the wicked, Buried with the rich.  Just fulfilling these specific activities as a human being on a mission would be nearly imposible. Then add fulfillment of prophesy about supernatural enabled Human activity: Born to a virgin, God declares Him Son of God,  Holy Spirit would rest on Him, Blind will see, Deaf will hear, Lame will walk, Dead will rise. When you understand that each of thse predictions was fulfilled, you realize this guy was the real deal, He was seriously connected to God the Father because only God can predict the future, He did just that.  Then the ultimate prophesy fulfilled: Raised from the dead, Ascend to Heaven, Sit at the right hand of the Father, King over all nations. Only God can predict the future, and only Jesus as the Son of God can fulfill all of these prophesies.

I encourge you to review the prophesies and how they were fulfiled.

The are listed in logical groups with hot linked references here: https://www.gotquestions.org/prophecies-of-Jesus.html 

They are arranged in order of thier fulfillment here:   https://christianityfaq.com/how-many-prophecies-did-jesus-fulfill-over-50-examples/

Jesus predicted His own death and resurrection

Jesus was asked repeatedly how people will know He is who he says he is. He told them to whatch what He does. He specifically stated His mission and predicted the activities that would unfold, including being rejected byreligious leaders, being put to death and being resurrected after 3 days.

“And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.” Mark 8:31

“For He taught His disciples and said to them, “The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.” Mark 9:31

“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.” Mark 10:33-34

Jesus offers a prophetic promiss to the religious leaders. He connects the dots between His future death and ressurection, and the activities of the old testament character Jonah. He says as Jonah was released from captivity after spending three days in a whale, Jesus would be raised after spending three days in the grave. He also says the folks who listened to Jonah and repented will stand in contast on judgement day to all the folks who reject Jesus and His teachings now.

“Then some of the teachers of the Law and the proud religious law-keepers said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, we would like to have you do something special for us to see.’ He said to them, ‘The sinful people of this day look for something special to see. There will be nothing special to see but the powerful works of the early preacher Jonah.  Jonah was three days and three nights in the stomach of a big fish. The Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the grave also. The men of the city of Nineveh will stand up with the people of this day on the day men stand before God. Those men will say these people are guilty because the men of Nineveh were sorry for their sins and turned from them when Jonah preached. And see, Someone greater than Jonah is here!” Matthew 12:38-42

There were over 500 eye witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection, many were persecuted and died for what they saw and believed. 

How do I wrap my head around His resurrection in the flesh? Believe the eyewitnesses willing to die for what they saw. Paul describes the witnesses including himself.
“For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,  and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas (Peter), then by the twelve.  After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles.  Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.” 1 Corinthians 15:3-7
Think about these witnesses. 12 humble disciples were willing to suffer torture and be put to death for testifying they interacted with Jesus after He was raised in the flesh; 11 of the disciples were tortured and killed for thier beliefs, and John died on an isolated island having been exiled for His belief. This level of committment is very unlikely if Jesus resurrection was a lie. The watergate perpetrators were some of the most powerful men in the world and they could not maintain their lie for 3 months at the threat of being put in jail, these guys remained committed to their testimony under torture to the point of death. 
Jesus appeared to well over 500 witnesses at various times and places over the 40 days after His resurrection. Many of these folks were still alive when Paul referenced them in His letters. Why would 500 eyewitnesses be willing to be excommunicated from society, persecuted, and possibly stoned to death for claiming they saw Jesus resurrected in the flesh if it was a lie. It wouldn’t happen.

“To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.” Acts 1:3

Eyewitness interaction with Jesus after resurrection convinced His own brother, James, that He was “the Christ”

Jesus’ brother James did not fully believe Jesus was the son of God, the Christ, the Messiah, despite witnessing numerous miracles over several years.
“For even His brothers did not believe in Him.”  John 7:5
It was not until he witnessed Jesus risen from the dead that he fully believed.
“Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles” 1 Corinthians 15:7
James was so convinced that he became an apostle/missionary, served as leader in the first Christian church in Jerusalem.  He went on to write one of the letters now included as the book of James in the new testiment.  He suffered persecution and was stoned to death for his belief. None of this would happen if you did not truly believe what you saw. 

First hand interaction with the risen Jesus, converted Saul/Paul from being Jesus’ staunchest enemy to becoming Jesus’ staunches supporter.

Paul was actively working to persecute believers when the risen Jesus appeared to Him on the road to Damascus and radically changed Him. He repented, became a believer and went on to be one of the primary forces spreading the early Church. His writings make up almost half of the new testament.   
“Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.” 1 Corinthians 15:8

 

Why did these folks belive? They saw the goodness, and the goodness leads you to repentance.

As a process guy, I learned that the best processes pull value through the steps of a process rather than tru to push things through. If the customer pulls exactly what he wants, exactly the right things come out. If the supplier tries to guess what the customer wants and pushes lots of stuff towards a customer, you end up with lots of stuff at the end of the process and only some of it might be what the customer wants, the rest of it is wrong and causes problems.  It is the same thing with spiritual stuff. Folks who focus on pushing truth at you and demand you comply, only make it harder to ge ton board. If you focus attention on God’s goodness, folks become receptive to talking about the truth involved in creating the goodness. The goodness “pulls” the truth.  So what Goodness did Jesus deliver during His visit here, and why should you be interested in paying attention? 

Jesus is “The Truth”; Evidence that God loves you.

Would you be willing to give your life for something you believe in? Each military veteran does just that. God loves us so much He sent His only begotten son to rescue us from this fallen world, to restore that which was lost through sin. Jesus loves us so much He was willing to sacrifice His earthly life, to bear the burden of our sin on His back to the point of death, trusting in faith the Fathers’ promise to resurrect Him in glory on the third day. That is some serious love, and that is some serious faith.  The eye witnesses believed what they saw and had faith enough to admit what they saw and suffere whatever consequences that entailed. Jesus suffered and died to provide you evidence of God’s love. The least you can do is love Him back. 

Jesus is “The Way”; The only way back to the Father.

You were born with a sinful nature, and you are a sinner.  Sin seporates us from God, we are at war with Him in our mind and heart. The penalty for sin is death, eternity seporated from God.  Jesus paid the price for our sin with His body. Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father and His innocent blood is on the mercy seat. When you repent of your sins and accept Jesus as Lord of your life, you instantly become cataloged as one of His followers, a member of His official body of followers, the body of Christ. Jesus is our High Priest in the Holiest of Hollies intercessing with the Father. We are connected as one through His blood. The Father sees you through Jeuss blood as innocent, blameless and beyond reproach. Guilt, Shame and condemnation have no place when you are one with the Father.  This is not something you can earn,  You can not do someting wonderful to offset your sinful nature. This gift of being restored into right relationship with God is only available to those who belief and put thier faith in Jesus.

 

Jesus is “The Life”; His resurrection gives you a direct path to eternal life

Jesus was there in the beginning; All things were created through Him. He came here in the flesh as the expressed image of God so we could see what God is like, and see what kind of life He wants us to live. His prophetic birth as a real human is tangible evidence that God is real and that He loves us. He loves us so much that even though we were working against His agenda as sinners, He sent His son.  Jesus came here to save that which was lost. He took sin and death to the grave, and was resurrected into new life. His resurrection in the flesh is proof that God’s word is the truth, that Jesus was who He said He was. His resurrection paves the way for restoring our purpose in this life and clear expectations for spending eternity with Him when we are done here.
Our sinful nature drags us into thoughts words and acitons that seporate us from God, the source of life. When we repent of our sins and accept Jesus as lord, we are born again into new life. When we are baptized, we wash away our old self, and are raised into new life with Jesus. As we purposfully deny ourselves, pick up our cross daily and follow where Jesus leads us, we are changed. Our hearts are warmed, our minds are renewed, and our lives are transfomred. We strive to please God and actively resist temptation. We find joy in doing the good works set before us. We become willing to sacrifice in this life for promisses in the next. the kingdom of God becomes evident and manifests inside us here and now.  This is only available if you believe, put your faith in Jesus, make Him Lord of our lives, and embrace the Holy Spirit operating inside us.   

Jesus is “The Light”; He was the light of the world, and He handed the torch to you

Jesus lived a model life of love and truth. He loved us so much He was willing to come here as a human baby, then suffer and die to rescue us. He lived a sinless model life. He lived in perfect harmony with God the Father, He denied His own agendas and did only His Fathes will. He focused on serving others, including washing His disciples feet. He had great compassion for those in need, He fed the hungry, healed the sick, opened the eyes of the blind. He brought many the good news of the kingdom of God, He encouraged repentance and a return to focus on God as center of your life. He was willing to suffer persecution and abuse in this life, for the promise of eternity with God in heaven. He even forgave those who tortured Him and put Him to death. His life was a light in this dark world,  He want’s you to pick up the torch, follow His model:  Living humbly, Understand God’s agenda and get aligned with His will, Be empowered by the Holy Spirit, Focused on serving others, Suffering in this life for promise in the next one, to the point of death. Become the light.

Jesus was the “Son of Man”

Was He God? Was He Human? Yes and Yes. He was a human being born in the flesh but with a divine nature direct from God. He was the expressed image of God, when you saw Him, you saw God. But He called Himsellf the “Son of Man” to highlight His human aspect.  He came as a human so you could relate to Him. 

He needed to be human and live a human life.  He needed to fulfill the terms of the law given through Moses,  if you sin, you deserve death. He needed to live the sinless life that we could not accomplish, and then shed His innocent blood as a perfect lamb sacrificed for mankind.  

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Matthew 5:17

He needed to live a human life in the flesh and live it to the letter of the law, a perfect and innocent life.  He then He had to get the devil to violate the law and kill Him, an innocent man. By this amazing series of actions He god the devil judged guilty, defeated.

 “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,”  Hebrews 2: 14

He took the burden of our sins on His back, He paid the price for our sins to set us free.

  ” who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.”1 Peter 2:24

He was born in the flesh as a baby, He was rasied up and grew in stature. He studied the scripture and became wise.  He was baptised as an adult and recieved the Holy Spirit, just as He asks you to do. He humbled himselfe and served others, including washing His dissciples feet, just as He asks you to do. He did good works for those in need, just as He asks you to do. He pursued God’s will rather than His own, Just as He asks you to do.  He was willing to suffer abuse in this earthly life and forgive those who administered it, for the promise of eternity with the Father, just as He asks you to do. He was willing to deny His earthly life to the point of death, on the promise of Glory to the Father, and eternity wiht Him,  Just as He asks you to do. 

Jesus was proof in the flesh of God’s love for us, and His promises ot us. Jesus ressureciton made Him the first born again of many, and you are to be one of the many when you believe in Him.

When Jesus says “Believers will do the works I do and more” it becomes a significant opportunity for you to step up your game as a believer. 

Jesus is “The Resurrection” ; He provides a path to overcome death, and hope we will see our family and friends again after they pass.

Death in the flesh appears to be rather permanent. Jesus’ resurrection demonstrates God’s promise for us to live on with Him after this life. No one who truly follows Him shall ever die. We can have hope to see our departed friends and family again in due time. Goddbye is not goodbye forever, it is godbye from this life, see you soon enough in the next.      

“So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 5:6-8

“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14

 

You are dead in your sins, you are at war with God and His agenda for you, you are living for yourself, focused on earthly things and this temporary earthly life. You pursue self-serving short-term agendas rather than positioning yourself for eternity and investing in His kingdom. Focus on yourself separates you from God, and cuts you off from His protection and support. Without a direct connection to God’s love, Your heart grows cold and hardens as you experience life’s challenges. You become so focused on you and your situation that it is difficult to have compassion for others and focus on helping them.

Jesus is the manifestation of God’s promise of eternal life. God is real, God loves us so much he sent his son, Jesus is God in the flesh so you can see Him and relate to Him. Jesus suffered and died to pay the wages of our sin, He denied his earthly body and took sin to the grave. He was raised from the dead to live forever, just as you will be raised from the dead…figuratively and literally.

Belief in Jesus reconnects your soul, your innermost self, to God. Understanding His suffering for you, brings your life into perspective. If He suffered and died for me, then I owe it to Him to pay attention and devote my life to serving Him. If He forgave those who sin against Him, I should be able to forgive those who sin against me. As you purge your sinful nature, it makes room for Him to form in you. It opens the door for you to come into complete union with Him now, and stay with Him for eternity.

Belief in Jesus and the Gospel message, opens your inner mind, it elevates your thinking from the fleshly outward focus on your plight in this world, to the inner/upward spiritual focus of God’s your role in His kingdom. Jesus life, death and ressurection opens the door to renewal of your mind and release into new life. Jesus is the resurrection in you.

If you are seriously pondering all of this and you don’t believe yet, Just Ask Him!

If you still don’t believe, Just ask Him. Say: “Jesus if you are who the bible says you are, the Lord of the universe, the Word made flesh. the Truth, the Way, the Life, the Creator, the Sustainer, the Redeemer, the Savior, please reveal yourself to me in some meaningful way. If you truly gave your life for me, I want to get to know you.”
You must be serious about it though. If you ask with all your heart he will answer, If you seek Him with all your heart, you will find Him. If you do not, you will not. It is up to you! He is waiting.
If you remain serious and are still not convinved, let me know, i just might be able to help you.
Believe! He is risen. Acknowledge Him, Invite Him, Let Him lead you into the life He intended for you when He put you here, and then enjoy eternity with Him forever more.
Happy Easter

 

God wants you well

Posted on by jakirkgasser10439

 God Wants You Healed – NOW!

What is Gods will for you?  Does He want you healed of your afflictions? He certainly CAN can heal,  you but is it HIS Will to heal you? The answer is YES!  

One of the critical aspects of divine healing is understanding that it is God’s will for you.  If you are suffering from illness or disease, He wants you healed so you can do good works to bring glory to the kingdom. God is invisible, but He reveals Himself and His will in the written word (Bible), the life of Jesus, and through the Holy Spirit inside you.  The following are some key threads to consider in your mind.  Please work throught them and let the Holy Spirit inside you help you settle the truth into your heart so that you can act in faith and receive the full blessings He promises us.

We can and should understand God’s will.

There is no cripture that says “He works in mysterious ways” –  That common saying is a lie and a work of the devil. There is no scripture that says you can not understand God’s will.  In fact scripture says you can and should, and you are being foolish if you don’t.

“So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (Ephesians 5:17)

“… be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,” (Colossians 1:9)

We need to change how we think in order to understand God’s will.

He thinks differently than people of the world do, He thinks with a larger purpose and an eternal mindset.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

We can and should strive to see things from His perspective and project His intention into a situation. We need to lif ourselves form this earthly physucal mindset and look a things from God’s eternal spiritual perspective. That is how we start to understand and then execute His will. Does your current situation reflect God’s stated intentions? Does it line up with His promises? Am I experiencing curses or blessings? Am I experiencing life in abundance or is the devil stealing, killing, or destroying my life.   

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2)

Healing is His very nature

“I am Jehovah Rapha” –“I am the God who heals you.” (Exodus 15:26 Hebrew / NKJV)

“He heals the brokenhearted And binds up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3)

“For by Me your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be added to you.” (Proverbs 9:11)

God made a promise to forgive us and heal us if we diligently seek Him and repent from sin

“…I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the LORD” (Jeremiah 30:17)

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, Who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases” (Psalm 103:23 )

“But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings” (Malachi 4:2)

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

“He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.” (Psalm 107:20)

Jesus revealed God’s will:  His will is to heal all who are afflicted.

Jesus is the expressed image of God.

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.” (Colossians 1:15)

We know God the Father through the recorded life of His son Jesus.

“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” (John 14:7)

Jesus revealed God’s will, He only did the Fathers Will.

“He made known to us the mystery of His will…” (Ephesians 1:9)

“For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” (John 6:38)

Jesus demonstrated God’s will for Healing – He healed ALL who came to Him

“…God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” (Acts 10:38)

Jesus never left anyone ill – He healed all who came 

“When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick.” (Matthew 8:16)

“And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick.” (Matthew 14:14)

”And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them there.” (Matthew 19:2)

“And great multitudes followed Him, and He healed them all.” (Matthew 12:15)

“Wherever He entered, into villages, cities, or the country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged Him that they might just touch the hem of His garment. And as many as touched Him were made well.” (Mark 6:56)

“When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.” (Luke 4:40)

“And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.” (Luke 6:19)

“But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing.” (Luke 9:11)

Most were healed through acting in Faith

Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road. (Mark 10:52)

“Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.” (Mark 5:33-34)

“But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.” (Luke 8:50)

Jesus expects believers to use the Holy Spirit to continue this same healing activity today.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” (John 14:12)

Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. (James 5:14-16)

God the Father and Jesus are both unchanging

“For I, the Lord, do not change” (Malachi 3:6)

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. (James 1:17)

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)

If Jesus is the image of God and He only did the Father’s will, and He healed all who came to Him, then His will was to heal.  If God and Jesus are unchanging, then God’s will is to heal you right Now! 

Testimonies

God’s will for healing those who diligently follow Him has been born out in my personal experience working with various folks: 

Accelerated surgery recovery, Osteoarthritis pain relieved, Torn meniscus healed, each after prayer of faith

Gall stone pain gone after prayer of faith.

Shoulder pain gone after prayer of faith.

Back healed after prayer of faith

Brain cancer gone after receiving “resurrections” as word of wisdom and then prayer of faith.

Metastasized Lung cancer in Brain healed through radiation treatment – after receiving image of “radiation exposure” as word of wisdom and then prayer of faith

Metastasized Ovarian cancer healing in progress without surgery after receiving “The Healer” as a word of wisdom and a very distinct sign of eagles which was interpreted as “Psalm 103 – Bless the lord – He heals all your diseases  – Your youth renewed like eagles”

My experience shows the opposite to be true as well.  Folks who do not chose to seak and understand Gods will to heal will continue to be victims.

Folks who selfishly stick to long held traditions and selective doctrines and/or do not diligently seek and apply God’s actual written word and act in faith will miss out on His promises of Life in abundance in this world.  

Positive Confession / Confirmation:

Heavenly father. Thank you for revealing your will for Healing though your name, through your word, and through the life of Jesus. You are Jehovah Rapha – the God who heals us.  You promise to heal us if we diligently follow you and truly repent from sins. You sent your word to Heal us, I cherish your words and seek to understand them in my mind, and hold them deep in our heart – I believe they bring health to my flesh.

Jesus is Your word made flesh. You are invisible, but Jesus is your expressed image in the flesh. He did only your will, Not His own. When we see Him, we see You; When we know Him, we Know you.  Jesus taught, did good works, cast out demons, and healed all who were afflicted. Based on Jesus life, your will is for people to find You through Jesus, repent and turn from their sins, be healed of their afflictions, and live a long life worthy of the price Jesus paid.

He came here as the Son of Man and was baptized with the Holy Spirit and power. Jesus used the Holy Spirit to heal ALL who were afflicted. He did not heal some of them, He healed all of them. He did not pray and Hope they were healed, He Healed them. He taught them about You, build faith in their hearts, cast out their demons, and healed them of their afflictions. Some were healed as a sign for unbelievers, like the man born blind from birth. Most were healed as believers acting in faith like the woman with the issue of blood who reached out and touched His garment. Either way, they were ALL healed.

Jesus never inflicted illness on anyone, He never told them to come back when they had more faith, He healed them on the spot.

You are unchanging; Your will is unchanging.   You wanted everyone healed back then, you want everyone healed now. Your will is healing, You want me healed.

It is up to me to align my will with Your will and act in faith to receive healing.

Satan Found Guilty of Unjustified Homicide

Posted on by jakirkgasser10439

Satan guilty of unjustified homicide – all authority removed

 

Heard an interesting explanation of how Jesus defeated the devil…a different way to describe it..

Adam gave the devil power by using his free will to listen to him and choosing to violate God’s will.

The devil gained a legal right to attack us as long as we sin.

Jesus followed God’s will perfectly, resisted temptation at every turn, and died as a sinless innocent man, the perfect lamb

Jesus allowed the devil to kill him…and did not complain.. even though he was innocent and the devil had no legal right to Him.

At that point the devil was guilty of unjustified homicide and his authority removed.

We have Jesus blood available to us as evidence of that crime, and we can use it as our get out of jail card for any punishment the devil thinks he can put on us for our sins

All his henchmen are running around still trying to inflict suffering on us… we just need to say no..not any more..i’ve had enough.. Here is the blood i stand on and you have no power over me. be gone.