ISSUE: #96

MEM

(Messianic Email Message)
Psalms 119:97 - 104

Seeking The Truth
MEM Index
Article Index

For His Glory!

Message
As Sons of God 1John 3:1 Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are… (ASV) In the last MEM we looked at Scriptures showing that believers in Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) are now sons of God awaiting the resurrection. What should we be like now? Can we define what our life should look like? We have admonishment and instruction throughout Scripture - we will look at some key verses that should enlighten our quest. Review: How are we sons? (NAS unless indicated) Gal 3:26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (begins here) Being sons of God requires being led by the Spirit: Romans 8:14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 ...you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!" 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, (requires being born of and led by the Spirit of God) Thus being transformed to be like Messiah: Gal 4:19 My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you - (Then we should see Messiah being reproduced in the sons of God.) Paul gives us an outline of this process: How we were: Eph 2:1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. *God establishes the relationship:* Eph 2:4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, that no one should boast. *The Father’s purpose for making us alive in Messiah:* Eph 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. So thru Yeshua we have access to the Father; being built together into a dwelling of God by the Spirit. (Eph 2:18-22) By God’s grace (Spirit) we are being transformed into the likeness of our master and Savior, Yeshua the Messiah. Paul’s prayer for the saints: Eph 3:16 that He(God the Father) would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fulness of God. Why was he asking for our fullness of God? Eph 4:1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. *Because:* Eph 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. **Each being Gifted for this oneness: Eph 4:7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. 8 …He gave gifts to men." 11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, The Purpose: Eph 4:12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. A mature saint: Eph 4:14** As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. Therefore - Examine our walk: Eph 4:17 This I say therefore, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; 19 and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality, for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. Our part with the help of YHVH’s Spirit: Eph 4:20 But you did not learn Christ in this way, 21 …just as truth is in Jesus, Eph 4:22 …lay aside the old self… Eph 4:23 … be renewed in the spirit of your mind, Eph 4:24 and put on the new self… Eph 4:25 Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth… Eph 4:26 Be angry, and yet do not sin… Eph 4:27 and do not give the devil an opportunity. Eph 4:28 Let him who steals steal no longer; but rather let him labor…to share with him who has need. Eph 4:29 Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth… Eph 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God… Eph 4:31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away … Eph 4:32 And be kind to one another… just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. This gives some idea of the purpose we have been called. Once called, born of the Spirit, gifted, empowered, we are to dwell in unity as we grow in Messiah; yielding so we may be transformed, made in the fullness of His image; maturing in faith and the knowledge of Yeshua. Then and only then shall we be truly servants of God; sons of God doing the works of Yeshua. John 14:12 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father. Eph 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. Eph 5:18 … but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; Want to know more about what we have been called unto? Listen to what the Spirit says read what Paul has to say to the Ephesians, the Romans, the Colossians, and the others; also the letters of James, John, Jude and Peter. A good place to start would be the Gospels and see what our Lord and Master Yeshua has to say (for instance the beatitudes Matthew 5:1-12). May YHVH bless you in your search for the fullness of your calling as sons of God.

Proverbs
Proverbs 4:18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until the full day. (we are to be a light Matthew 5:14-16) Proverbs 21:3 To do righteousness and justice Is desired by (acceptable to) the LORD … Proverbs 3:1 My son, do not forget my teaching, But let your heart keep my commandments; Proverbs 3:12 For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father, the son in whom he delights. (rejoice in His correction) Proverbs is a book dedicated to the instruction of a father to his son. We would be wise children of God to accept this instruction that He might be pleased, glorified, and honored. Thank you YHVH for Your Wisdom. Your indwelling Spirit making us Your sons and daughters.

Saying
"A great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do." Walter Gagehot This is especially true when we hear that the children of God are powerless and destined to be nobodies in this life. Some might think we need to wait for the resurrection to accomplish our potential and live a sinless life. Not so if we are plugged into the power (Spirit) of the Creator. The motivating factor: 2Tim 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. 1Cor 4:20 For the kingdom of God does not consist in words, but in power. What Messiah does through us: Rom 15:18 For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed, 19 in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit… Phil 4:13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. Eph 3:16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; Thank you Father; You have given us the power to be transformed into the very likeness of Yeshua. We have no excuses - we are to be holy as You are Holy.

Bible Quiz
Yeshua’s parables in Luke 15 deal with what three lost things? Which prophet wrote the last book in the First (old) Testament? Where did Hannah and her husband go to worship? What did Peter’s letters stimulate? For what purpose did Abraham purchase the cave of Machpelah? Who lived longer than any other man, and how long did he live? Who said, "I must speak only what God puts in my mouth"?

Humility
In our pursuit of humility: (Lessons from humility in daily life.) "Let us look upon everyone who tries us as God’s means of grace, God’s instrument for our purification, for our exercise of the humility of Jesus. May we have true faith in the sufficiency of God and admit to the inefficiency of self, that by God’s power we will serve one another in love. " Andrew Murray As children of God we should have already humbly emptied ourselves of all selfishness. That we might become as an empty vessel for the God of Heaven to fill. As we are yielding to the leading of His Spirit we allow Him to shape and mold us into the image of His Son. In this process the Father allows others to try us to see if it is the self or the Spirit of Messiah that comes shining through. Trust Him with all your heart.

Prayer
Understanding the precepts of prayer. Deuteronomy 9:20 "The LORD was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him; so I also prayed for Aaron at the same time. As a child of God (like His Son) do we or can we pray like Moses and be heard? Deuteronomy 9:18 "And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and nights; I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all your sin which you had committed in doing what was evil in the sight of the LORD to provoke Him to anger. 19 For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure with which the LORD was wrathful against you in order to destroy you, but the LORD listened to me that time also. According to the book of Hebrews we have access to the throne of grace. Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need. We humbly ask You Father for the faith required to carry out our responsibility as Your sons and daughters; to be as Moses, or as Yeshua and intercede for mankind " to help in time of need". That You may be honored.

Heart of God
How does God feel about issues we face today? Living Sacrifice Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. We are to be a living sacrifice, to give ourselves to God. This includes Self Control. In order to truly have it we must give it. Why do we need self-control? It is what the world lacks. People who can control their sinful nature are different; they don’t have mouths that get them in trouble, eating disorders, problems with addictions, issues with motivations… All things under His control; put there by us as a sign to the rest of the world: We are God’s children. Showing God by our choice to follow Him in everything. Self-control is a difficult word, in order to truly have it, we must give it up to God. The sinful nature under His control, to subdue and destroy so we are His vessel, clean and empty for Him to fill with His Spirit. If we are still dirty, tainted with sin and selfishness, we muddy up what God puts of Himself in us. Give God ourselves to clean out, turn over our desires to Him and let Him fill us with the clean pure water of His Spirit so we splash life on those around us, not muck. Rom 12:2 And be not conformed to this world. But be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is the good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Material in this section will be based on various prayer diaries.

Did you know:
The water of Angel Falls (the world's highest) in Venezuela drops 3,212 feet (979 meters). They are 15 times higher than Niagara Falls. The Eisenhower interstate system requires that one mile in every five must be straight. These straight sections are usable as airstrips in times of war or other emergencies. The deepest hole ever drilled by man is the Kola Super-deep Borehole, in Russia. It reached a depth of 12,261 meters (about 40,226 feet or 7.62 miles). It was drilled for scientific research and gave up some unexpected discoveries, one of which was a huge deposit of hydrogen - so massive that the mud coming from the hole was boiling with it. Chances that a road is unpaved: in the U.S.A. = 1%; in Canada = .75% St. Paul, Minnesota, was originally called Pig's Eye after a man named Pierre 'Pig's Eye' Parrant who set up the first business there. Spain literally means 'the land of rabbits'. In the Sahara Desert, there is a town named Tidikelt, Algeria, which did not receive a drop of rain for ten years. Technically though, the driest place on Earth is in the valleys of the Antarctic near Ross Island. There has been no rainfall there for two million years. [according to scientists] The actual smallest sovereign entity in the world is the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (S.M.O.M). It is located in the city of Rome , Italy , has an area of two tennis courts and, as of 2001, has a population of 80 -- 20 less people than the Vatican . It is a sovereign entity under international law, just as the Vatican is. Siberia contains more than 25% of the world's forests. The first city to reach a population of 1 million people was Rome, Italy in 133 B.C. There is a city called Rome on every continent. The smallest island with country status is Pitcairn in Polynesia, at just 1.75 sq. miles/4.53 sq. km. There are no natural lakes in the state of Ohio, every one is manmade. (I did not know that!) Some of the material contained in this section is for informational purposes only and has not been verified by us.

Lighter Side
UK Church Signs Adam blamed Eve - Eve blamed the snake and the snake didn’t have a leg to stand on There are some questions that can’t be answered by Google Down In the mouth? Come in for a faith lift All services are different, we leave the repeats to TV As you pass this little church, be sure to plan a visit, so when at last you’re carried in, God won’t ask "Who is it?" Can’t sleep? Don’t count sheep talk to the Shepherd! Speak well of your enemies after all - you make them Let us help you study for your final exams Almost 2000 years old and still under the maker’s guarantee God is perfect… only man makes mistakes We are the soul agent in this area! The meek shall inherit the earth - If it’s alright with you! **************** Have a good day!

The Modern Church
95 Theses to the Modern Evangelical Church by Greg Gordon - (founder of SermonIndex.net) 5. In most "churches" the priesthood of all believers isn’t acknowledged and the role of pastor is abused. (1Pt 2:9; 1Cor 12:12; Eph 4:11-13) 6. The "church" as a whole has lost the concept of their being grafted into the promises given to Israel. (Rom 11:15, 17-18, 20, 25) 7. There needs to be a recovery of teaching the whole counsel of God, especially in expository form. (Acts 20:27; 1Tim 4:6, 2Tim 2:15)

Cause and Effect
Scribbles (Michael Boldea Jr.) "The numbing comfort of ignorance is always a temporary experience, readily replaced by the naked terror of seeing events unfolding for which were not prepared." "One of the attributes of the Holy Spirit is to tell God’s children of things to come, that they might prepare themselves spiritually, learn to trust the Father implicitly, and walk in the light of His Word. John 16:13"

Consider
Do not be set up with praise or upset by criticism. A Bible that is falling apart usually belongs to someone who isn’t. The smallest good deed is greater than the greatest good intention. Give to the world the best you have and the best will come back to you. If you only have an ounce of confidence, you need to put on some weight. Some people think it is holding on that makes one strong...sometimes its letting go.

The Garden Corner
Reclaim Your Original Job Description Last night I attended a seminar at a local college on climate change and how it is affecting our state. It is not as if it will happen now, but how we are seeing the repercussions of an on average warmer climate. The facts are irrefutable, the science is solid and I have even helped gather statistics myself that show the affects of warmer temperatures. However, before I start to scream that the sky is falling and demand that everyone stop driving their car and walk, I want to remind myself and all of you who read this short post, Yahweh is in control. No matter what we have or haven’t done, what the planet is doing or what might happen someday, He is in control and nothing is outside of his ability to heal and fix. As for what we should do, He has already set in place a way to be "green" way back in the beginning. It is called stewardship. The idea is that you are taking care of something that is not your own for the benefit of another. When Yahweh put Adam and Eve in charge of the garden to care for it and tend it, he was giving us the job of head gardener of the planet. Obviously we have not made the greatest decisions on how we as a society have used or abused the planet, but if we as individuals go back to the idea that what I do does matter to Yahweh, regardless of what the world does, we can perhaps reclaim and rightfully be addressed as a steward of Yahweh’s planet.

Psalm Promises
Psalm 96 As Children of God Sing to the LORD a new song By declaring YHVH’s attributes we are blessing the Almighty: Psalm 96:1 Sing to the LORD(YHVH) a new song… Ps 96:2 …Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day. Ps 96:3 Tell of His glory among the nations, His wonderful deeds… Ps 96:4 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised… Ps 96:5 …the LORD made the heavens. Ps 96:6 Splendor and majesty are before Him… Ps 96:7 …Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ps 96:8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory of His name… Ps 96:9 Worship the LORD in holy attire… Ps 96:10 …"The LORD reigns… He will judge the peoples with equity." Ps 96:13 …for He is coming… He will judge the world in righteousness, And the peoples in His faithfulness. His Promise: He reigns - He will come - He will judge with equity. Blessed be YHVH (Genesis 14:20 And blessed be God Most High…)

Quiz Answers
1. A sheep, a coin and a son - Luke 15:3-32 2 Malachi 3. Shiloh - 1Samuel 1:1-3 4. Wholesome thinking - 2Peter 3:1 5. As a burial site - Genesis 23:7-9 6. Methuselah, 969 years - Genesis 5:27 7. Balaam - Numbers 22:38

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