Tune and Prepare!

Intro It is key that we, Christians live in the New Testament. We all have free access to the throne: free communication and close relationship in the heavenly family. God hardly speaks through one man alone {like in the Old Testament}, for the purpose of leading individuals and communities personally on the subject. That is why prophets who walk by faith must never go in an abusive direction or walk in well-meaning platitudes. The prophetic work / subject /person is so badly treated through the "mainstream" in the Church that the majority has only an American movie-character in his/her mind. And sadly, Obi Van is stronger than that character in the minds. But let us examine first: • What is the prophet • Who is the prophet • What is the main difference between the Old Testament and New Testament prophecy Old Testament example: Elisha and Elijah God did not say to Elisha, ‘I think I'll send you to one of the schools of t...

Andreas Köstenberger In our day and age, few parts of Scripture are more controversial that the household codes of the New Testament. Indeed, as family structures continue to unravel and hierarchical relations, in the home, the church, or the workplace, are often abusive, the biblical teaching that men and woman have distinct, God-given roles and that women submit to their husbands has fallen on hard times. Yet, for those who are committed to Scripture, we must take a closer look to see what God says about male-female relationships, and women’s roles in particular, throughout Scripture. And one important place to do that is Titus 2. ... Paul’s instructions to Titus in chapter 2 are given as part of a household code that conceives of the church as God’s household. In keeping with this format, Paul gives ministry directives regarding older men (v. 2), older and young women (vv. 3–5), and younger men (v. 6), as well as bondservants (vv. 9–10). Like all the members in God’s ho...

Andreas Köstenberger God’s Word calls qualified men to teach and pastor God’s flock. In discussions of this topic, 1 Timothy 2–3 are central to explaining why Paul did not permit a woman to teach or have authority in the church and why the pastoral office is grounded in creation and not culture... .. In this post, I will provide a brief introduction to 1 Timothy 2–3, a passage that clearly affirms male eldership in the household of God. Paul’s first letter to Timothy contains vital and abiding instructions for the church and its leadership. Paul writes to his apostolic delegate, Timothy, toward the end of Paul’s life and ministry in order to leave a legacy and pass on the pattern of church leadership to his foremost disciple. These instructions are not limited to first-century Ephesus (where Timothy was at the time) but abiding principles grounded in God’s creation order (Paul writes similar instructions to Titus, who is on the island of Crete). The Church as God’...

Let my prayer be counted as incense before You, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice. Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips. Do not turn my heart to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with those who work iniquity: do not let me eat of their delicacies Psalm 141:2-4

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?.. Yet you are holy, enthroned {dwelling} on the praises of Israel. Psalm 22 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him 1 John 2:28 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us. 1 John 3:24 We are encouraged by John to abide in God, which has various meaning in the believer's life. In 1John chapter 2 and 3 we get dense apostolic visions how this relationship shapes our lives and makes ripples around us.. However, God is equally present in us and desires to live within our hearts' worship and adoration. Psalm 22, the great messianic-prophetic psalm, reveals this heavenly intimate relationship showing the out casted, Suffering Messiah who -In His Greatest sacrifice, in His death agony- gives us a glorious dimensions about Gd's dwelling...

by John Piper Inadequacy of Isolated Words For a long time, I have been troubled by the inadequacy of the words faith and belief and trust (or any other single words) to make clear what is required in order to be saved. One might object, “But those are the very words that Scripture uses to describe how to be saved. ‘ Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved’ (Acts 16:31). Are you saying that God doesn’t know how best to communicate the way of salvation?” No, I am not saying that. I am saying that in the Scriptures these words are not isolated. They are bricks embedded in the beautiful building of God-inspired truth. Words by themselves cannot carry the reality they are intended to carry unless we see the design that the skillful brick masons were creating when they put the bricks together the way they did. Or to say it more prosaically, we will not know what faith and belief and trust mean unless we press into the way they are used in the most illuminating bibli...

by Sinclair B. Ferguson.   The Hand of Providence God employs friction to shape us into his Son’s likeness. Scripture reflects on this in various places. One that provides us with important first principles is Romans 5:3–4: “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” Paul has been explaining how knowing we are justified leads to rejoicing in the hope, or assurance, of the glory of God. Christ was “delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification” (Roman 4:25). In his resurrection, our sin bearer, the Lord Jesus, was declared to be “righteous” in God’s sight. When we are united to Christ, God declares us to be righteous in his sight too. And because our justification is actually Christ’s justification for us, we can rejoice in the hope of glory. In Romans, Paul takes several chapters to show that we cannot be justified by our own righteousness. ...

Christian singer-guitarist László Prazsák (House of Prayer, Budapest) has collected the 12 ways of praise found in the Bible into a bunch.... What is certain is that after reading the list, we may realize how little we give to God while "praising Him" in our communities. ... in fact, it is strange that we need to talk about and teach the ways of displaying praise, since these ways are quite natural in secular praise. In many non-religious settings and situations, people freely praise their own "gods". At sporting events, secular concerts, and in worshipping false gods, people manifest almost the most natural ways of expressing their adoration. Piero Huerto Gago {unsplash.com} In the world, worship often does not need to be taught. It comes from the heart, but it is not directed at God at all... In the world we also give money for the benefit of our false idols, but our churches are barely supported. In our church communities we sing out...

connection between shepherd and door {study} ...he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. John 10:2 A: The gates {and doors} were the place for elders' leaders' gatherings in the ancient towns. In this way - they symbolises the rank and the Authority. The gatekeeper obeys the rule of the town. But - as we can see later in the verse John 10:7 the shepherd himself also - the door. "Political and spiritual leaders were often called shepherds in the ancient world (Isaiah 56:11, Jeremiah 3:15). Jesus explained that not everyone among the sheep is a true shepherd; some are like thieves and robbers. One mark of their being a thief and a robber is how they gain entry among the sheep. The idea is that there is a door, a proper way to gain entry. Not everyone who stands among the sheep comes that way. Some climb up some other...