This should get me caught up on posting "meditations" from my daily assimilation of the NT:
1 CORINTHIANS 13 MAR 10
The predominate theme of 1 Corinthians is unity - unity in the Body of Christs, unity in marriage, unity with the Lord, unity in communion and the conduct of worship, unity in the use of the gifts of the Spirit.
The key verse is 1 Cor. 12: 27 : "Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it." (NASB) The key thought is expressed in 1: 13 : "Has Christ been divided?" The obvious answer is no. Christ has not been divided, and His present Body on earth should not be divided either.
All division is based on the flesh.
HEBREWS 05 JUL 10
This morning while reading through Hebrews, I began to see a progression of subjects with a common theme. The theme is: Jesus is better.
Jesus is better than the angels.
Jesus is better than Moses.
Jesus is better than the Levitical priests.
Jesus serves in a better sanctuary than the earthly one.
Jesus is the mediator of a better covenant.
Jesus was a better sacrifice than sheep, goats, and bulls.
JAMES 13 JUL 10
The key verse of the Letter of James is Chapter 3, verse 13: "Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom." (NASB) This is the key verse because everything James wrote is wisdom.
Being joyful and patient in the midst of trials is wisdom. Being single-minded in faith is wisdom. Being impartial in your treatment of people is wisdom. Showing faith through your works is wisdom. And so on.
Wisdom shows in how we behave.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
Meditation on John
24 OCT 09
Many aspiring to the ministry of disregard the importance of "lower" functions in the Church. By doing so, they may be passing up opportunities to be used for the working of miracles.
In John 2:1-11, we see the well-known story or Jesus turning water into wine. But notice the details of His actions.
Did Jesus touch the water? No.
Did He touch the waterpots? No.
Did He pray over the water, or speak to it? No.
Did He pray over the waterpots? No.
All we see Jesus do in this episode is to speak to the servants (the ushers), and they obeyed. The waiters (ushers) were the ones who handled the water and the pots. Sure Jesus performed the miracle, but He did so through the obedience of the servants.
Let's look at another notable miracle recorded in John 6: 1 -14.
Jesus taught a crowd of people one day, and He spoke to them long enough for the people to become physically hungry. Jesus wound up feeding five thousand men.
But look closer at what He actually did. He took one boy's lunch of bread and fish, and multiplied it enough to feed the crowd and have leftovers for later. Before Jesus started multiplying the bread and fish, what did He do? He told His disciples (later, apostles) to have the people sit down. He turned His disciples into ushers.
Then, when He started multiplying the the food, He had His disciples serve it to the people. He turned His disciples into waiters.
Sure, Jesus performed a miracle by multiplying the fish and bread, but the people were fed only by the obedience and actions of His disciples.
Remember, the word 'ministry' means 'service.'
Many aspiring to the ministry of disregard the importance of "lower" functions in the Church. By doing so, they may be passing up opportunities to be used for the working of miracles.
In John 2:1-11, we see the well-known story or Jesus turning water into wine. But notice the details of His actions.
Did Jesus touch the water? No.
Did He touch the waterpots? No.
Did He pray over the water, or speak to it? No.
Did He pray over the waterpots? No.
All we see Jesus do in this episode is to speak to the servants (the ushers), and they obeyed. The waiters (ushers) were the ones who handled the water and the pots. Sure Jesus performed the miracle, but He did so through the obedience of the servants.
Let's look at another notable miracle recorded in John 6: 1 -14.
Jesus taught a crowd of people one day, and He spoke to them long enough for the people to become physically hungry. Jesus wound up feeding five thousand men.
But look closer at what He actually did. He took one boy's lunch of bread and fish, and multiplied it enough to feed the crowd and have leftovers for later. Before Jesus started multiplying the bread and fish, what did He do? He told His disciples (later, apostles) to have the people sit down. He turned His disciples into ushers.
Then, when He started multiplying the the food, He had His disciples serve it to the people. He turned His disciples into waiters.
Sure, Jesus performed a miracle by multiplying the fish and bread, but the people were fed only by the obedience and actions of His disciples.
Remember, the word 'ministry' means 'service.'
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Meditations on Mark
16 JUN 09
While assimilating the Gospel of Mark, I have observed several "threads." Overall, I noticed a change in Jeus' ministry.
At first, we see His teaching as instructive, and His works emphasize miracles of healing and deliverance. Then after the Transfiguration, His teaching is more corrective, and His actions are similar in His corrective aim.
In particular, His correction is aimed at unbelief, in both His teaching and works. This book is a good one to read if you need your unbelief exposed.
The other thread I noticed is the specific miracles that Jesus performed became more challenging. Some of the miracles mentioned were examples of the kinds of miracles He did all the time, and the rest were exceptional miracles. These exceptional miracles are the ones that became more challenging over time.
I'll have to research and give scripture references later.
24 JUN 09
I've begun to notice that Jesus walked and spoke as one having authority. Early in His ministry, people remarked that He taught as one having authority, and not as the other "leaders" of the day. They spoke with speculation, or, if they spoke with any confidence at all, they spoke only on the authority of others. But Jesus spoke with authority because, as the Creator, He knew what He was talking about.
Then Jesus followed up His words of authority with deeds of authority. He commanded diseases, demons, and storms, and they all obeyed Him.
While assimilating the Gospel of Mark, I have observed several "threads." Overall, I noticed a change in Jeus' ministry.
At first, we see His teaching as instructive, and His works emphasize miracles of healing and deliverance. Then after the Transfiguration, His teaching is more corrective, and His actions are similar in His corrective aim.
In particular, His correction is aimed at unbelief, in both His teaching and works. This book is a good one to read if you need your unbelief exposed.
The other thread I noticed is the specific miracles that Jesus performed became more challenging. Some of the miracles mentioned were examples of the kinds of miracles He did all the time, and the rest were exceptional miracles. These exceptional miracles are the ones that became more challenging over time.
I'll have to research and give scripture references later.
24 JUN 09
I've begun to notice that Jesus walked and spoke as one having authority. Early in His ministry, people remarked that He taught as one having authority, and not as the other "leaders" of the day. They spoke with speculation, or, if they spoke with any confidence at all, they spoke only on the authority of others. But Jesus spoke with authority because, as the Creator, He knew what He was talking about.
Then Jesus followed up His words of authority with deeds of authority. He commanded diseases, demons, and storms, and they all obeyed Him.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Meditation on Titus
It's been a while since I posted anything from my "meditations" that come from assimilating the New Testament. Actually, it has been too long, since April of last year! Some of these are not real meditations, for they did not come from the meditation process. They are things that I have noticed from reading a particular book over and over. Maybe I have noticed them on my own, or the Holy Spirit has either shown them to me, or He has brought them to my attention and by focusing on them my mind or my spirit has come to see a truth. I offer them as food for your own meditation. With that said, I must now post the next entry in my meditation notebook:
TITUS 31 MAR 09
Paul's letter to Titus serves as a "bridge" between his writings and the letter from Jude. They have similar themes: Warnings about false prophets and false doctrine, exhortation to food works. The major difference is Paul's emphasis on the leadership of the Church. Even though we have the Holy Spirit as our Teacher, we still need sound leaders in Church to contrast with the false leaders and to counteract their deception.
TITUS 31 MAR 09
Paul's letter to Titus serves as a "bridge" between his writings and the letter from Jude. They have similar themes: Warnings about false prophets and false doctrine, exhortation to food works. The major difference is Paul's emphasis on the leadership of the Church. Even though we have the Holy Spirit as our Teacher, we still need sound leaders in Church to contrast with the false leaders and to counteract their deception.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
A Couple Of Glimpses At God's Greatness
These are a couple of glimpses of God's greatness. I saw these years ago, and now is the time for me to give others a peek.
OUR HAIRS ARE NUMBERED, BUT...
"But the very hairs of your head are all numbered." Matt. 10:30 NASB
Every hair on your head is numbered. I believe all the hairs on our bodies are numbered. God has assigned a number to each one.
Jesus said that every hair is numbered, but He didn't say they were counted.
I don't think that the Father was just sitting around in heaven one day, bored with nothing to do, so he decided to count the hairs on my head. He didn't have to send Jesus or the Holy Spirit or an angel to inventory my hair. He already knew!
Our hairs are numbered, BUT NOT COUNTED!!
God knows not only how many hairs we have, but He knows the position of each hair, and He knows right to the femtosecond when each hair formed. He knows how long each hair is, how straight or curly it is. He knows when each hair is cut, dyed, or shampooed. He knows how many cells are in each hair. He knows how many molecules, atoms, electrons, protons, and nuetrons are in each hair. He not only knows this about our hair, He knows this about every part of us!
The Heisenberg uncertainty principle tells us that, the more you know the position of a particle (electron, proton, nutron, etc.), the less you can know about its velocity, and the more you know about the velocity of a particle, the less you can know about its instantaneous position. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncertainty_principle) This is something man can't know, but God does!
God not only knows our quirks, He knows our quarks!
THE ANGEL AND THE STONE ON RESURRECTION MORNING
Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying."
Matt. 28:1-6 NASB
I have heard song lyrics that say the stone was rolled away, and Jesus came walking out of the tomb, or the stone had to be rolled away to let Jesus out of the tomb. But that is not the sequence the Bible presents.
The angel appeared and rolled the stone away from the entrance to the tomb. Then, he sat on the stone and told the women that Jesus wasn't in the tomb. Jesus didn't need the stone rolled away before He could leave the tomb. He had already left the tomb before the angel appeared!
The angel rolled the stone away, not to let Jesus out of the tomb, but to let us in so we can see for ourselves that JESUS IS RISEN FROM THE DEAD!
OUR HAIRS ARE NUMBERED, BUT...
"But the very hairs of your head are all numbered." Matt. 10:30 NASB
Every hair on your head is numbered. I believe all the hairs on our bodies are numbered. God has assigned a number to each one.
Jesus said that every hair is numbered, but He didn't say they were counted.
I don't think that the Father was just sitting around in heaven one day, bored with nothing to do, so he decided to count the hairs on my head. He didn't have to send Jesus or the Holy Spirit or an angel to inventory my hair. He already knew!
Our hairs are numbered, BUT NOT COUNTED!!
God knows not only how many hairs we have, but He knows the position of each hair, and He knows right to the femtosecond when each hair formed. He knows how long each hair is, how straight or curly it is. He knows when each hair is cut, dyed, or shampooed. He knows how many cells are in each hair. He knows how many molecules, atoms, electrons, protons, and nuetrons are in each hair. He not only knows this about our hair, He knows this about every part of us!
The Heisenberg uncertainty principle tells us that, the more you know the position of a particle (electron, proton, nutron, etc.), the less you can know about its velocity, and the more you know about the velocity of a particle, the less you can know about its instantaneous position. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncertainty_principle) This is something man can't know, but God does!
God not only knows our quirks, He knows our quarks!
THE ANGEL AND THE STONE ON RESURRECTION MORNING
Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave. And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying."
Matt. 28:1-6 NASB
I have heard song lyrics that say the stone was rolled away, and Jesus came walking out of the tomb, or the stone had to be rolled away to let Jesus out of the tomb. But that is not the sequence the Bible presents.
The angel appeared and rolled the stone away from the entrance to the tomb. Then, he sat on the stone and told the women that Jesus wasn't in the tomb. Jesus didn't need the stone rolled away before He could leave the tomb. He had already left the tomb before the angel appeared!
The angel rolled the stone away, not to let Jesus out of the tomb, but to let us in so we can see for ourselves that JESUS IS RISEN FROM THE DEAD!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Known Confessions - Why?
The purpose of confession is to "call those things that be not as though they were." (Rom. 4:17 KJV) This is what Abraham did when God changed his name from Abram to Abraham. He went from a lifetime of calling himself "exalted father" to "father of a multitude." Any man can be exalted to fatherhood by adoption, and sometimes we refer to early pioneers in various fields as "fathers" of their fields. But only one who has produced offspring from his own loins can become a father of a multitude.
Many have trouble 'calling those things that be not as though they were' because they are used to stating things as they currently are. Calling things into existence seems to be occultic, a denial of reality, or an obsession with fantasy, and therefore futile.
The operation of faith eventually calls for confession. Faith can grow only so much before it needs to be expressed through words and actions.
With Known Confessions, if you have problems with confessing the Word, you start by confessing basic truths that you already "know," but you have trouble remembering or applying. Known Confessions can also include positional truths that you have yet to walk in, but you accept as truth because they are in the Word. For example, here is the opening paragraph of my Known Confessions:
God loves me unconditionally. He cannot love me any more than what He already does, neither can He love me any less than what he already does. He is Love, and He does not change, so His love for me will never change. I cannot do anything to make Him love me any more than what He already does, neither can I do anything to make Him love me any less than what He already does. His love for me is based on what He is, not on what I do or don't do.
The eventual result of confession is to build hope in you heart, then turn hope into faith, and then the truth becomes manifest in your life.
Many have trouble 'calling those things that be not as though they were' because they are used to stating things as they currently are. Calling things into existence seems to be occultic, a denial of reality, or an obsession with fantasy, and therefore futile.
The operation of faith eventually calls for confession. Faith can grow only so much before it needs to be expressed through words and actions.
With Known Confessions, if you have problems with confessing the Word, you start by confessing basic truths that you already "know," but you have trouble remembering or applying. Known Confessions can also include positional truths that you have yet to walk in, but you accept as truth because they are in the Word. For example, here is the opening paragraph of my Known Confessions:
God loves me unconditionally. He cannot love me any more than what He already does, neither can He love me any less than what he already does. He is Love, and He does not change, so His love for me will never change. I cannot do anything to make Him love me any more than what He already does, neither can I do anything to make Him love me any less than what He already does. His love for me is based on what He is, not on what I do or don't do.
The eventual result of confession is to build hope in you heart, then turn hope into faith, and then the truth becomes manifest in your life.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Known Confessions - Getting Started Confessing The Word
Last summer, I posted an entry at IktusNETwork about getting started in confessing God's Word. In it, I put forth the idea of composing a confession based on basic things you know from the Word.
[That post is no longer available, so I have removed the broken link to it.]
What I came up with is a document I call "Known Confessions."
If anyone wants a copy of it, contact me at dougdlee@cox.net. However, I encourage you to compose your own known confessions. I offer mine only as a guide for those that want or need a hint of how to put one together.
[That post is no longer available, so I have removed the broken link to it.]
What I came up with is a document I call "Known Confessions."
If anyone wants a copy of it, contact me at dougdlee@cox.net. However, I encourage you to compose your own known confessions. I offer mine only as a guide for those that want or need a hint of how to put one together.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)