To hear the message given by Pastor George Pearsons yesterday at Eagle Mountain International Church on the above topic regarding Israel, find “Latest Service,” and then scroll in to approximately 1:23 (one and a half hours in) at: http://www.emic.org
Below is an outline from it:
1 Israel is in Covenant with God, 1 Chronicles 16:15-18
2 The Jews are God’s People, 2 Samuel 7:8-11
3 The Lord is a Man of War, The Lord is His name, Exodus 15:1-3
4 The Lord is Mighty in Battle, Psalm 24:7-10
5 God is Israel’s Shield, Psalm 3:1-8
6 The Nations are Nothing to God, Isaiah 40:15-17
7 God Will Give Israel the Victory, Deuteronomy 20:1-4
“And who is like Your people, like Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make for Himself a name—and to do for Yourself great and awesome deeds for Your land—before Your people whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, the nations, and their gods? For You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; and You, Lord, have become their God.” 2 Samuel 7:23-24
To many, this topic may seem difficult or troubling, while it is, in fact, trustworthy. Perhaps you can take steps toward it if you haven’t fully done so yet. The following is presented…
by Kenneth Copeland
Give God a Way In
“And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land.” Malachi 3:11-12
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God is vitally interested in your finances. He wants to multiply and protect them. But He won’t be able to—unless you open the door for Him to do it.
How? Through tithing.
When you tithe, you give God the legal right to intervene in your financial affairs, to bless you richly, and to defend you against the destruction the devil brings. When you tithe, you lay a foundation for success and abundance. You establish deposits with God you can draw on when you need them.
But don’t wait until your back is against the wall to start. Begin now. Start developing your faith when things are going well by meditating on the blessings God’s Word promises you as a tither. Learn to act on that Word now; and when Satan tries to put you in a financial corner, he’ll fail. His power over you financially will have already been broken. Because you’ve established yourself on the covenant of God, Satan will have no chance against you. God will rebuke him for your sake.
If you haven’t yet opened the door and given God a way in to your finances, don’t wait any longer. Do it today. Then, when the pressures of tomorrow come, you’ll be prepared and protected by the special privileges that are guaranteed to those who tithe.
Reprinted with permission from Kenneth Copeland Ministries
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.” Matthew 13:45-46
Jesus pairs this parable with another one-sentence lesson about treasure hidden in a field (Matthew 13:44). Jesus often does this in his teaching: pairing two illustrations, each with their individual emphases, to make the same general point.
Exceedingly Precious
In the anointing at Bethany (John 12:3–8; also Mark 14:3–9). Martha served. Lazarus, freshly resurrected, reclined at table. Their sister Mary “took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair” (John 12:3). Here, expensive is the same word used for the one great pearl in Matthew 13 (Greek polutimos, “exceedingly precious”). So manifestly, uncomfortably valuable was the ointment that the disciples, and chiefly Judas, registered their concerns. “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” (John 12:5).
A denarius was a laborer’s daily wage. This ointment represented a whole year’s earnings for a six-days-a-week worker. Likely this was Mary’s nest egg for the future. And yet, as precious as it was, she saw Jesus as more precious. She saw him as surpassingly valuable. She poured her future on his feet, and in doing so, she demonstrated who was supremely precious to her.
Supremely Valuable
Paul takes up the same search, sacrifice, and joy in Philippians 3. Did he perhaps see himself in the merchant of Jesus’s parable? If so, what were the “fine pearls” he amassed before encountering the supreme preciousness of Christ? He provides a list: “circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless” (Philippians 3:5–6).
As a leader among the strictest sect of his religion, he had an unassailable pedigree (what he couldn’t control, by birth) and performance (what he could, by effort). These were fine pearls indeed. Until he stumbled upon a Treasure who confronted him, knocked him off his horse, and opened his eyes. This was a Treasure that had been hidden from Paul, and yet one he had long been seeking. Now Paul saw Jesus as the one great Pearl of all-surpassing preciousness, and he counted all to be loss — both pedigree and performance — in view of “the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8). Jesus became to him both an infinitely priceless Treasure to gain and a supremely precious Pearl to know.
God, in all his divine goodness, took on flesh in this one man Jesus. “In him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Colossians 2:9). Finding him as your one Precious will not poison or shrink your soul. He is the antidote to what ails us, the catalyst to expand our small hearts, the surprising remedy we’ve long been seeking.
…by David Mathis, shared with permission…
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“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells everything that he has, and buys that field.” Matthew 13:44 NASB
“God reigns over the nations; God sits on His holy throne. The princes of the people have gathered together, The people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; He is greatly exalted.” Psalm 47:8-9
“The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty; The Lord is clothed, He has girded Himself with strength. Surely the world is established, so that it cannot be moved.” Psalm 93:1
The Eternal Reign of the Lord
“Say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns; The world also is firmly established, It shall not be moved; He shall judge the peoples righteously.'” Psalm 96:10
A Song of Praise to the Sovereign Lord
“The Lord reigns; Let the earth rejoice; Let the multitude of isles be glad!” Psalm 97:1
Praise to the Lord for His Holiness
“The Lord reigns; Let the peoples tremble! He dwells between the cherubim; Let the earth be moved!” Psalm 99:1
“And in that day you will say: ‘Praise the Lord, call upon His name; Declare His deeds among the peoples, Make mention that His name is exalted.'” Isaiah 12:4
“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, Who proclaims peace, Who brings glad tidings of good things, Who proclaims salvation, Who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!'” Isaiah 52:7
“Jesus answered him, ‘The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.'” Mark 12:29-30
“The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all.” Acts 10:36
“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39
“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:13 See all of Colossians 1
“And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, ‘Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!'” Revelation 19:6
Scriptures: NKJV
Scroll down to read the article, “Lebanon’s Earthquake: A Divine Protection?” at: http://www.ifapray.org
When you believe in Jesus Christ and have settled that He’s the God who is true, you will not simply be believing in Him, but in the One who has sent Him, too.
Jesus came into the world as God’s Light, so that darkness would be dispelled–that none should miss knowing their God, nor have their salvation withheld.
God desires to be a loving Father to all, but His justness will require judgment one day. Jesus did not come to judge but to save, and to teach us to be followers of His Way.
All Jesus ever said or that He did, were things only from His Father that He’d heard. A blessed life now and eternally are the gifts of which a Christian can be assured.
P. A. Oltrogge
“Jesus shouted to the crowds, ‘If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me. For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me. I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. I will not judge those who hear me but don’t obey me, for I have come to save the world and not to judge it. But all who reject me and my message will be judged on the day of judgment by the truth I have spoken. I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it. And I know His commands lead to eternal life; so I say whatever the Father tells Me to say.’” John 12:44-50 (NLT)
“Then Jesus cried out and said, ‘He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.” John 12:44-45 (NKJV)
“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.” Hebrews 9:27-28 (NIV)
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” John 3:16-17
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” John 5:24
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“Then they said to Him, ‘Who are You?’
“And Jesus said to them, ‘Just what I have been saying to you from the beginning. I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him.’
“They did not understand that He spoke to them of the Father.
“Then Jesus said to them, ‘When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things. And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.’ As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.” John 8:25-30
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“Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.'” John 8:58
“I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” John 10:9-11 (NASB)
“Philip said to Him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.’” John 14:8-10
“These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.” John 14:25-28
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 17:3
“Surely goodnessandmercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23:6
Scriptures: NKJV or as noted
Genesis 1:1 Exodus 3:14 Psalm 45:6 Micah 5:2 Matthew 14:33 John 1:1-14 John 3:34-36 John 20:28 Colossians 1:16-17 Colossians 2:9 Titus 2:13 Hebrews 1:8 Hebrews 9:22 Hebrews 10:14
“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.” 1 Timothy 2:1-2
That verse is clear, isn’t it? The instruction is plain. Yet even in these tumultuous days when our nation is so desperately in need of God’s guidance, most of God’s people don’t do what that verse commands.
Why not?
I believe it’s because most of us are overwhelmed by the problems we see around us. How could my prayers make a dent in the national debt? we think. How could my faith affect foreign policy?
In other words, we fail to pray because we fail to realize just how powerfully our prayers can affect this country.
It’s time we caught hold of that. It’s time we realized that if we’d just be obedient to 1 Timothy 2:1-2, there’s no council of any kind on earth, no king, no president, no congress, no anything that could overthrow God’s purpose for His people.
God has called us to intercede. He has commanded us to pray for those in authority. He has given us His Word, His power, His Name, His authority and His faith. We have all the tools necessary to pray effectively for our government and its leaders.
I urge you to intercede. It is your responsibility as a believer to get involved in the affairs of your country. God wants this great land of ours, and the only way He’s going to get it is through His ambassadors—you and me.
Pray for your nation. Every day. And never again underestimate the world-changing power of those prayers.
Reprinted with permission from Kenneth Copeland Ministries
Thank you to everyone who helped out at our Potluck Luncheon and Worship on Sunday, especially Nina and Jen and their amazing family and friends who hosted our lunch! Wow! It was beyond amazing and such an overflowing with such delicious dishes, and all I can say is that God always provides abundantly! Thank you Nina and Jen and friends! It’s always wonderful when there are lots of bags with containers of leftover food for each person to take with them because more than ever before, I continue to hear about the need for food and people being ‘out of food’ so this is a special gift! Thanks to other friends who brought food as well!
I am so grateful to each of you including those who donate financially so that we can purchase all of the coffee and paper goods and McDonald’s cards as well as bus passes…thanks to all of you!
Such a beautiful time of worshipping together; and as we were listening and worshipping to the song, “I trust in God,” I couldn’t help think that this is a glimpse of Heaven because people come together from all walks of life and somehow there is love that flows through the Holy Spirit throughout our gathering. I think this is what God has intended for us when we come together and share food and clothing and each person shares their hearts and time with one another, and it could only be God that has orchestrated this special place!
The man who just moved into a room at the YMCA after living outside for a few years, showed up with a smile on his face, looking rested and showered and told me, “I feel real good!!! I got a good night’s sleep, and it’s wonderful!” He could not believe it when someone gave him a TV to take back on the bus.
God bless each of you for all that you do and all that you give so that our friends experience the hope and love of God in their lives.
When people arrive from Chicago, they take a name tag and everyone was so happy to see one another and each person receives a bus pass (for another time) and a McDonald’s card!
Getting a cup of coffee and a bagel before our Worship time!
Written by Marian Alvarado, Founder/Timothy’s Ministry, pictured above, behind those helpers in the front of the picture…
Timothy’s Ministry first began in December 2002 as God’s answer to my prayer after I cried out to God on my knees the day before my son Tim’s birthday (Tim passed away the year before). I remember saying, “Help me, God, if only I could have had the simple joy of baking Tim a cake, what I would have given.” Click on “Stories” to read the rest of Marian’s story at:
“Is not My word like a fire?” says the Lord, “And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” Jeremiah 23:29
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Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, “Let no fruit grow on you ever again.” Immediately the fig tree withered away.
And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither away so soon?”
So Jesus answered and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but also if you say to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ it will be done. And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” Matthew 21:18-22
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So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. Mark 11:22-24
Sometimes there are more than one mountain…but we persevere in faith… The testimony of a person at my church was that a problem (mountain) resolved for him in continuing to speak to it, in Jesus’ name…
If an illness is a “mountain” presently to you, consider obtaining Andrew Wommack’s book, “God Wants You Well,” in the Store at: http://www.awmi.net
When someone’s not qualified to lead another, we say it’s “the blind leading the blind.” The Bible gives an account of such an occurrence, but of a very positive kind.
One day two blind men were following Jesus, knowing that the vision which they sought…could surely be realized through His miracles, which they had heard He’d wrought.
“Have mercy on us, Son of David!” was their heartfelt, earnest cry for His touch. When He entered into a house, they may have wondered if He’d even heard them much.
But they were bold to enter the house then, where, at the time, Jesus was staying. They were ready to receive the healing, for which they’d both been praying.
“Do you believe that I’m able to do this?” Jesus questioned the pair. They answered Him, “Yes, Lord,” for they knew–that He’d done great miracles everywhere.
So Jesus touched their eyes, saying that according to their faith it was done. Then their eyes were opened to see perfectly—a new life for each had begun.
Though they’d been blind, they’d helped each other, on a pathway of which they felt sure. Their faith in Jesus and readiness to receive brought about their miraculous cure.
Though Jesus charged them to let no one know, they couldn’t help sharing their story–of how Jesus Christ had given them sight, and they gave to Him all of the glory.
There have been testimonies in these days, too, of people receiving their sight. I praise God to hear of it and for His heart to heal those who face any health fight.
There’s darkness of an even greater kind, that seeks to keep people from following Christ’s way; In such cases, they need someone who’s spiritually-sighted, to lead them to the Light of day.
P. A. Oltrogge
“Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” John 8:12
“While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.” John 9:5
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.” Matthew 5:14-15
“In whose case, the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:4
“Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.” Matthew 9:38
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'” John 14:6
“But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day.” Proverbs 4:18
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Be sure to take in today’s message and be reminded of the upcoming healing summit for notable miracles, which will take place this August 30th. Read of it at: http://www.givehim15.com
There is no registration needed to watch the FREE livestream. It will be available on YouTube, Facebook, and OasisWired.org at 7pm EST on Friday, August 30th.
…Of course, if you have a need, we know the Lord hears and answers prayer at any time, even now…
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1
“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” 3 John 1:2
“And without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6
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It’s recorded that the apostle Paul received a vision—of a man putting forth a request, that Paul should come over to Macedonia, so that the people there could be blessed.
So Paul, and those with him, pursued the vision, setting sail on the Aegean Sea–landing at Neapolis, they went to Philippi, a leading city of Macedonia in which to be.
On the Sabbath, they went out to a riverside, where some women were who customarily prayed. Prayer and worship were woven as fabric in Lydia’s life, while selling fabrics of purple was her trade.
She listened to that which Paul spoke to them about Jesus Christ being the Lord—then took heed in her heart that it was through Jesus, that true relationship with God is restored.
Embracing what Paul said, she went from reverencing God to knowing Him in a personal way. God had opened her heart to respond to the good news, just as anyone can do today.
Then she and her entire household were baptized, representing their being washed from sin. With joy, she invited the missionaries to her home to stay, prevailing upon them to come in.
This woman, Lydia, who sold fabric of a royal color, had found peace at the riverside that day. Through the Prince of Peace, her Lord, Jesus Christ, she’d been welcomed into His royal family to stay.
P. A. Oltrogge
“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9
A reference to baptism by Peter in Acts 2:38-39: “…Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God shall call to Himself.”
“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace..” Isaiah 9:6
(The poetic account is based on Acts 16:9-15 about Lydia from Thyatira)
Some references to purple’s use in the Bible:
“Moreover you shall make the tabernacle with ten curtains of fine twisted linen and blue and purple and scarlet material; you shall make them with cherubim, the work of a skillful workman.” Exodus 26:1 (for the Tabernacle)
“And now send me a skilled man to work in gold, silver, brass and iron, and in purple, crimson, and violet fabrics, and who knows how to make engravings, to work with the skilled men whom I have in Judah and Jerusalem, whom David my father provided.” 2 Chronicles 2:7 (for Solomon’s Temple)