Remembering that our body and spirit belong to God.
u/gmjoel — 9 days ago
r/Testimony4Christ
Children’s prayer before bed
When I was young, my grandmother always taught me to pray this before bed.
u/spacemood — 9 days ago
Acts 4:32-35 Prayer Request Thread
Acts 4:32-35
>32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.
33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.
34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold,
35 and laid them at the apostles' feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.
The work of the Holy Spirit is to unite us in truth and love. Jesus promises to be among us when we gather together as members of His body.
(Matthew 18:19-20 ESV)
>19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them."
When first-century believers received the Holy Spirit, they repented of worldly ways and offered themselves to the Kingdom through baptism in Jesus' name.
Then the Holy Spirit led them to a kind of unity we were meant to have - one family under God, guided by truth and love. People cared for one another so completely, that no one lacked what they could not attain on their own.
The Lord's prayer says, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10
In heaven, His will is accomplished through heavenly beings. We who are of the earth can empty ourselves of worldly influence and be earthen vessels for God's glory.
(2 Corinthians 4:6-11 NKJV)
>6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to [give] the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed--
10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.
11 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
We are the body of Christ; His hands and feet on earth. (1 Corinthians 12:27)
Proverbs 14:21
>He who despises his neighbor sins;
But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.
May we bear one another's burdens and so fulfill His law of love. (Galatians 6:2)
Our Father in heaven,
Thank you for your Holy Spirit of Truth. Thank you for leading us into unity with you and with one another. We ask that you would open our hearts to love You as You deserve, and love our neighbor in a way that proves we know we are one body under You, our merciful Godhead. Let us be Jesus' hands and feet to one another. Jesus said, "all men will know you are My students if you have love for one another. We ask that You would transform our hearts so we can love like You love. In Jesus' precious name we pray, Amen.
Feel free to post your prayer requests in this thread.
u/love_is_a_superpower — 12 days ago
I was reading the parable of the Sower and it made me think that we can't even receive the Word of God if we've already talked ourselves out of listening to our conscience.
"Behold, a sower went out to sow. And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the side of the road, and the birds came and devoured them up." (Matthew 13:3-4)
"When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, the wicked one comes, and catches away that which was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the side of the road." (Matthew 13:19)
My eureka thought for the day, is that to understand someone means to grasp their logic. If I can follow someone's thought process, I can at least see why it's supported, even if I can't adopt that logic for myself right away.
Jesus' words in Mark 4:13 seem to say the parable of the sower is the mother of all parables. Jesus shows us a parallel in nature to explain to us why we were created, and what our purpose is.
"The Sower plants the Word." In Greek, the "Logos" is not just any word. It's the logic of life. The Lord made us alive and He wants us to stay that way.
Jesus said, in quoting Psalm 82, "Does it not say 'you are gods,' to whom the word of God came? And the Scripture cannot be broken."
God shows us that He has already planted truth in us that has the power to transform us into eternal children of God. A good seed planted into good ground grows a beneficial plant; beneficial to the earth, beneficial to the plant itself, and beneficial to the grower. That tiny seed is our God-given conscience.
The word of God cultivates our conscience. It tames our spirit and our tongue the way Johnny Appleseed transformed the American frontier into a field of food. It transforms our hearts in the same way we train a dog to be a loyal member of our family. (John 7:37-38, Psalm 119:9-16) The parable of the Sower explains things that can go wrong in our thinking, that could hinder us from becoming children of God.
Jesus explains that the Sower is the Son of Man, and the seed is the Word of God. We build the Kingdom of God within us, when we fill ourselves and each other with God's eternal logic.
First, Jesus mentions the seed being scattered by the side of the road. The road represents the hard-hearted way of the world. It's a conscience seared shut. (Matthew 7:13-14, Proverbs 14:12) If we're indoctrinated by the world, and it's ways agree with us just fine, our hearts will be like a hard road that can't receive seed. The Old Testament often refers to people being hard-hearted. That's what happens to us when we accept the world's way of thinking. We work to be a bigger fish, or carry a bigger hammer, or just toughen up to make it through this life. Everything is a competition. (Exodus 7:14, Deuteronomy 15:7-8, Matthew 19:8-9, Mark 3:1-5)
Isaiah 51:12-23 says, "I am going to put the cup of My fury in the hand of them that afflict you, those who said, 'Lay down here so we can walk over you,' and you laid yourself in the ground as the street for them to walk over."
If you have vengeance in your heart today, and your conscience is saying "what else can I do in this dog-eat-dog world other than try to be a bigger dog?," wait on the Lord, and let Him prove that He's good to His word. (Psalm 34:8, 1 Peter 4:19)
More than once, I've cried desperately to God and asked "why?" in the face of suffering. He's been faithful to see me through those times. But has it ever helped to shake my fist at the sky and question if God will really deliver? Not really. The people of Israel in the wilderness continually complained, "Is the Lord with us or not?" (Exodus 17:7, Psalm 95:7-11, Matthew 4:7) God isn't offended with our emotions when things aren't right. Still, accusing Him of doing nothing, when things don't go our way is offensive to Him. When we find ourselves in a trial, or a spiritual waiting room, our obedience is necessary to reap the benefits of good behavior. The Lord deserves our love, trust, and loyalty.
Instead of trying to get our own way in our timing, what if we put our situation in God's hands? I encourage you to respond to the struggles of life the way the Bible says to, and watch what happens. God wants to show you His love for you, and soften your heart. (Deuteronomy 32:35, Luke 18:1-8)
Word to the wise; this is not an experiment for the impatient. Do you want to see God's best for your life? Acting on God's word is a faith-building exercise for those who will choose to patiently, thankfully receive what God has promised.
(Galatians 6:9 NKJV)
>9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
(Luke 21:19 NKJV)
>19 "By your patience possess your souls.
Our Father in heaven,
Thank You for Your eternal truths that make us one with You. Awaken our hearts to seek You earnestly. Show us the ancient paths Your prophets of old took to be near You. Guide us into Your presence and teach us how to love as you love, and forgive as we've been forgiven. Make us worthy of Your Son, so we will not be ashamed at His return. In Jesus' name, Amen.
u/love_is_a_superpower — 13 days ago
the wheat and the tares
Messengers gather people together. Have you ever noticed that?
When someone comes by with a message, the news, important information, the people who want to hear that message gather together to hear it.
Matthew 13:24-30
“Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:
But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.
So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?
He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?
But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.”
Matthew 13:39
“The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.”
The word angels comes from the Greek word aggelos, which primarily means "messenger" or “delegate.” Aggelos, angels, are messengers sent by one in authority to proclaim a specific message.
We tend to jump towards celestial beings when we hear the word angels, and, yes, many angels are celestial beings, but others are humans.
Luke 9:51-52
“And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.”
The word “messengers” here comes from the same exact Greek word, “aggelos,” as the word “angels” in Matthew 13:39. Jesus calls His human disciples angels.
It is the job of the reapers, the angels, to gather together the wheat and the tares.
Messengers gather together those who want to hear the message they have.
We will be revealed for who we are by who we choose to listen to and fellowship with.
In Matthew 13:30, The master of the house didn’t say “my” reapers, He said, “the” reapers. God didn’t say that they were all “His” angels doing the reaping. He said “the angels.”
Satan has angels too.
Matthew 25:41
“Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
2 Corinthians 11:14-15
“And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works”
Just like Jesus has His messengers to declare His gospel, the devil has his messengers to declare his false gospel.
If we don’t want to hear the message being spoken, we will not gather around the one speaking it. Messengers only gather together those who want to hear what they have to say. The wheat and the tares reveal themselves for what they are by who they choose to listen to.
The people who are wheat love God’s truth, and will gather around those who speak it in love and sincerity. The people who are tares hate God’s truth, and will gather around those who preach lies that please their carnality.
In Matthew 13:30 it says that the tares are gathered together first. Before the wheat is gathered and stored safely in the barn, the tares are gathered, bound and made ready to be burned. This is what is happening now, today, in this hour.
Perhaps you see it happening too. Maybe you belong to a true church of God, and you are surprised to see how empty it is these days. “Where did everyone go?” you wonder as you look across the street to the mega church with people flocking in, “Our pastor speaks the truth and loves us just like Jesus Christ Himself. We witness miracles! Why isn’t anybody here? What is going on?”
The harvest is happening. The messengers are gathering together those who want to hear their message. You aren’t being left behind. You aren’t forgotten about. Your church isn’t even growing smaller. It has the same number it always had, more, if anything. The only change is the tares are revealing themselves. They were never really a part of your church in the first place. Now they are leaving to prove that they were never with you at all, and this has to happen first, before Christ and His angels come for the wheat.
It can be hard to endure. I visualize it like an almost empty field, with just a few tufts of wheat sticking up here and there, far scattered and few between.
But, once the tares are fully gathered together, then God’s angels will come for the wheat. He’ll gather all of us together and put us safely in His barn. And then we won’t feel so few and separated. All of us will have abounding, overflowing joy as we finally find ourselves in the church we have always so desperately wanted to be a part of. A church without any tares. No one envious. No one hateful. No one greedy or deceptive or vain.
Everyone there will love just like you do. No one will mock you anymore for doing what the bible says. No one will reject your love. Everyone will love you back! How incredible! How divine!
I long for that moment. It’s worth the endurance! It’s worth any suffering to make it to that barn of God, full of His good crop, and safe from the burning that will come upon this world.
Hallelujah!!! Glory to God!!!
But and if you look around and you don’t see people leaving your church… if, actually, people come flocking to your church in large numbers, and the money comes pouring in, and the spectacle increases every week…I’m not saying your church belongs to the devil automatically, but I urge you to take a good hard look at what’s really going on spiritually. I implore you to pray to God to open up your spiritual eyes and to teach you to judge the trees around you by their fruit.
In Matthew 13:30 it not only says the tares will be gathered, it says they will be both gathered and bound. That’s different than the wheat. The wheat is not bound, because the wheat belongs to Jesus Christ, and Jesus is the God of freedom, He’ll never bind His children. But the tares are bound, and once the tares are bound together, I don’t believe there will be any escape. All that will be left will be a fearful expectation of the fiery judgment that will quickly come.
So let us take great care with who we listen to and fellowship with. The angels, the aggelos, the messengers are gathering together those who want to hear their message.
Satan’s angels gather together the tares that flock to hear his false gospel. Jesus’ angels gather together the wheat that love the truth.
We are living at the end of this age. The harvest is here.
May the will of God be done in our lives.
Amen.
u/The-Old-Path — 13 days ago