Even Satan will allow Jesus to be another god, but never the Almighty. “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8 KJV). The “revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:1) teaches us that Jesus is “the Almighty” (1:8). He reserves that designation for Himself. Blasphemy! Jesus reminded Philip, “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9). Gulp! You are in the Father, and the Father is in You? Yes, Philip, “or else believe Me for the very works’ sake” (John 14:11). LORD, open our eyes to whom You are. Make us to see Jesus the way You promised Your Spirit would reveal Him. Return quickly, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Spiritual Christianity
Difference Between Disciples and Christians
The word “Christian” or Christianos (Greek) only occurs three times in the NT (Acts 11:26; 26:28; 1Peter 4:16), meaning Christ like, or a follower of Christ; while a “disciple” or mathētēs (Greek) occurs hundreds of times in the NT. “Christian” is more of an adjective describing whatever others identify with Christ as followers of the Way. “The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch” (Acts 11:26 KJV). “Disciple” emphasizes the discipline or practice of obeying the teachings of Christ. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20 NIV). Though we do not mind being labeled “Christian” by others, for lack of a better way of describing us, but we prefer the title “disciple,” since it emphasizes the discipline of practicing obedience to the teachings of Christ. “And why call ye Me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46 KJV). LORD, teach us to be the practicing kind of those who profess Your name. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Revelation of Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:1)
If God were to reveal what He is doing and what must shortly come to pass, would you believe Him? “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to shew unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John” (Revelation 1:1 KJV). How could such a battlefield plan be revealed to us, without it being available to the eyes of the enemy, who could then effectively use counterintelligence against the Almighty? Simple. God’s plan is encrypted. It requires the Holy Spirit to decode, understand, and put into action the plan revealed by the Lord Jesus Christ. All attempts to understand the Revelation of Jesus Christ by foe or friend will come to nought without the Holy Spirit. “Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come” (John 16:13). LORD, may all Your friends seek Your Spirit to comprehend Your Revelation of Jesus Christ that You might be magnified. Return quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen.
Mary Magdalene: Devotion to Christ
Farmers may disagree that prostitution is earth’s oldest profession, since Adam was a farmer. But, that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute was only the unfortunate papal pronouncement of Gregory the Great (591 AD), where he misidentified the sinful woman anointing Jesus’ feet (Luke 7:37) with “Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils” (Luke 8:2 KJV). Better to remember the Magdalene’s devotion to our Lord. Mary materially supported the ministry of Jesus, along with “Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto Him of their substance” (8:3). She followed Jesus close enough to witness the crucifixion of her Lord. “And all His acquaintance, and the women that followed Him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things” (23:49). And, she was esteemed by the Lord highly enough for Him to appear to Mary Magdalene before all the apostles in leadership. “Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord” (John 20:18). Mary Magdalene set the spiritual tone of the early church. LORD, work in us the heart of devotion You gave Mary Magdalene. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Eagerly Awaiting His Return
Unapologetically, we eagerly await our Lord’s return, for how can we be and do otherwise? After all, only those will be raptured. “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation” (Hebrews 9:28 KJV). What salvation is spoken of? The salvation of your physical body at the Rapture. Remember, the Rapture is the Catching Up to meet the Lord in the air before He returns. “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1Thessalonians 4:17). Listen to Amir Tsarfati: Like Those Who Dream (2:30) preach on the word “eagerly”: (1) “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20 NIV), (2) “For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope” (Galatians 5:5 NIV), (3) “Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed” (1Corinthians 1:7 NIV), and (4) “But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance” (Romans 8:25 NKJV). LORD, we eagerly await Your return, but we do not want to be lazy about Your business of reaching this world. We desire to know You better and the power of Your resurrection. As we watch the events unfold in Israel, may we lift up our heads, for our redemption draws near. Come quickly, Lord Jesus. Amen.
Communion of the Holy Spirit
“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen” (2Corinthians 13:14 KJV). We have much more to do with the Holy Spirit than we think. His presence is so pervasive, we tend to discount Him or not make legitimate attempt to account for His work in us. More likely, we think of His influence in more dramatic settings such as Pentecost. But, the Spirit has a small voice, too. To the degree anyone listens to His voice, they are in communion with Him. When someone ceases to commune with Him, then they grieve Him. “Grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30). Those who continue to the end are the elect of God. LORD, work in our hearts to not grieve Your Spirit. Teach us to treasure Your influence and keep away whatever makes You distant from us. Make us holy, for You are holy. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Cooperating With the Holy Spirit
Just as we are not to be ignorant of the devil’s “devices” (2Corinthians 2:11 KJV), we must not be ignorant of the Holy Spirit’s ways. “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant” (1Corinthians 12:1). Our understanding of the workings of the Spirit, coupled with understanding of the particular needs of our situation, is itself one of the indications of the presence of the “Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding” (Isaiah 11:2). To be full of that understanding is to be full of His Spirit. Our emotions may or may not be large evidence of our cooperation with His Spirit, but certainly our emotions are fully engaged, when we cooperate with Him. LORD, grant to us the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, for we know “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2Corinthians 3:17) of understanding. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.
Help Wanted: Hiring Immediately
Picture a home owner looking for day laborers to help with a project on their property, recruiting at their local home improvement store. But, instead of a home owner, Jesus described a landowner hiring workers for his vineyard. Beginning early in the morning, he contracted with workers for the standard wage of a “denarius” (Matthew 20:2 ESV). The employer returned at nine o’clock, noon, three o’clock, and five o’clock with the offer, “Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you” (20:4 KJV). The “eleventh hour” (20:9) was five o’clock. At the end of the day, the landowner paid everyone the same wage, to the chagrin of those who had worked the longest and hardest. Consider: (1) availability of employment: matches the willingness of the workers, (2) immediacy of employment: now, (3) scope of employment: vineyard of God’s kingdom, (4) wages of employment: agreed upon by both parties, (5) dissension of the employees: fairness based solely upon consideration of self, (6) character of employer: “generous” (20:26 NET), and (7) sovereignty of the employer: “the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen” (20:16 KJV). LORD, we could not ask for a better employer than You, since we are that Eleventh Hour Laborer at the end. But, help us not to grumble, if You should tarry Your return. May we be found with our hand on the plow not looking back. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Center of the Will of God
Standing in the center of the will of God is not an illusion. Epaphras prayed for the Colossians, “That ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God” (Colossians 4:12 KJV). “Perfect and complete in all the will of God” (4:12) is not man’s standards, for humanity will always be “accusing or else excusing one another” (Romans 2:15). God alone can declare us “perfect and complete” (Colossians 4:12) in the center of the will of God. “If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). Only the Spirit of the Living God can cause us to be in the center of the will of God. “And I will put My spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them” (Ezekiel 36:27). Obedience is not simply deciding to do right, and doing it. Obedience is understanding and purposing to do right, then seeking and trusting the Spirit of God in making us do right, as we actually obey. Meditate on it. LORD, we can of our own self do nothing; and, through Your Spirit, we can do all things. Make us to know and trust You for everything. May You be magnified in all things. Return quickly, in Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen and amen.
We Practice What We Believe
In other words, we all demonstrate what we actually believe by the way we act. “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew [shō] me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew [shō] thee my faith by my works” (James 2:18 KJV). There is no mystery about our beliefs, just look at how we act. If you wonder why you don’t have certain results from your beliefs, then you are confused about how you believe. Faith is not simply willing yourself to trust God, but “it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). Faith is not ‘pulling yourself up by your bootstraps’; but, faith is the “gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). And, no, God does not do our believing for us, but He makes our believing “effectual [Greek, energeia, Thayer, in the NT used only of superhuman power, whether of God or the devil]” (3:7), that is, He makes our faith valuable by empowering it. And, you can tell when He is cooperatively empowering us, when the results align with what He reveals in His Word. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). LORD, empower our believing. Make our simple act of intellectual faith powerful and spiritual. Cause us to evaluate our faith by what You represent in Your Word. Cause us to actively hunger for our faith to look like what we read in Your Word. Make it so that what we believe causes us to act like what we know from Your Word. Grant to us the essential working of Your Spirit that You may conform us to Your Word — not just in letter — but in Spirit and in power. Do all of this, in Jesus’ name. Amen and amen.
We Need A Miracle 
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