Category: faith

Posted in end of days. prophecy, end time, faith, new jerusalem

The foundation stones of faith: 12 ordinary men

Posted on by elizabethprata

I think a lot about the 12 Apostles. I think of how amazing it must have been to have been so ordinary, living an ordinary life of fishing and raising families and going to Sabbath services, and then suddenly meet the Messiah. These men were raised in the Jewish faith. They certainly knew the prophesies and the scriptures. They were faithful and intelligent. Just like you or me.

Imagine if we were raised in a faith and learned the scriptures but suddenly a man came walking along who spoke like none other you have ever heard. The rumor going around, as he gathered followers, was that he is a prophet or an angel or a king. As you study and match the prophesies with the scriptures and look at the man, would you dare to apply them to this man? It is a big step. And yet each of the 12 took that step of faith.

It is all the more extraordinary that they did so without the Holy Spirit. In the Old Testament times, the Spirit came upon a person, and anointed them. It wasn’t until after Pentecost that the Spirit came inside them to illuminate truth to their minds and heart.

Acts 1:8: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Acts 2:4: “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”

So they were just men, unadorned with any indwelling Spirit, going about their workaday routines, when BLAM! They met up with eternity walking in their midst. That they recognized it and even better, hung in there, is amazing.

Here is a short .pdf titled Twelve Ordinary Men, that you might enjoy. A paragraph is devoted to each Apostle.

We tease the apostles in our minds, chucking at Peter’s impetuousness, or mourning over his denial of Jesus on that fateful day, thinking, “HOW could he have done that?” We shake our heads when the Apostles wondered where they were going to get dinner after Jesus had just fed the 5000, and we tut-tut when we see them panic in the stormy boat and ask Jesus to wake up and do something. Even the Lord called them slow learners and spiritually dense. (Luke 24:25). But they had walked so far with Jesus on faith alone, carnal faith, not in the Spirit. That is amazing. Even more, they had seen miracles and heard words and seen Jesus transfigured into glory itself. How did their minds compute it? What they were experiencing was an upside-down life so far from the realms of normalcy, and yet they hung in there.

When many followers left Jesus after he preached a hard thing, Jesus turned to the Apostles and asked them if they were going to leave too, Peter said,

“Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68-69)

And again, Peter nailed it when Jesus asked the Apostles “Who do you say that I am?” and Peter said “You are Messiah.” (Luke 9:20)

Would you have done as well? A man coming into your workplace and saying ‘Follow me (John 1:43) and you do?

So here’s the thing. I like to focus on Jesus and His justice. He is the judge. He is Holy. “Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,”  (2 Thess 7b-9).

But here is another piece of justice to focus on. Thanks to these 12 ordinary men, they turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6). We owe them a heavy debt of gratitude they that indeed took up their crosses and followed Jesus every day, unto their own deaths. Our faith is founded upon their acts which is founded upon Jesus’ great act.

“for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, (Eph 2:18-21)

Therefore, the city New Jerusalem will also have a foundation of the apostles. Literally.

“And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” (Rev 21:14)

For anyone who has gone to the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington DC and seen the wall, you know it is a simple design. It is highly emotional, though, to stand before it. Why? It is the names. The names of those who served and those who died in honor of that service evokes a tremendous flood of tears. It is the names that does it.

For all of eternity, as we walk the streets of New Jerusalem, we will see the Apostles’ names emblazoned on the foundation stones. Along with the chief cornerstone being Jesus, we will be reminded of His great sacrifice upon which our faith is built, and the Apostles faithful witness and service to Him, upon which our religion is built. How much more emotional will it be to see those names there? Highly, I’m sure. I’m grateful to such men who built up the faith by being witnesses to the great things Jesus had done. I’m very glad each of them has a named stone in the great City of God. It is just one more thing to look forward to when we get there.
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Posted in bible jesus, faith

How to find faith?

Posted on by elizabethprata

If, as people say, ‘a god’ does exist, then it stands to reason He is far above us in ways and thoughts. And if He is far above us in ways and thoughts it stands to reason that He is perfectly holy, just, and wise.

It also stands to reason that if He is so far above us, then we are below Him in ways and thoughts and wisdom. We are not equals, that is for sure.

Now, the standout attribute of our God (not ‘a god’ for He is the only one) is that He is holy. Holiness is described as “A quality of perfection, sinlessness, and inability to sin that is possessed by God alone.”

What is it that makes Him holy and us not holy? Our sin. Sin is anything we think, say, or do that displeases God. Since we cannot go through life perfect, then we sin, and we displease God. Our sins keep us from having a relationship with Him. It’s like every sin we commit is a brick in a wall between us and Him. If we die with that wall there, it stays there for eternity and we have to go to hell and be separated from Him forever.

But He made a way for us, sinful though we are, to have a relationship with Him, and that is through His son Jesus. He said to His Son, (Hebrews 5:5; Psalm 2:7) ‘I am going to ask you to set aside your divinity, pour yourself into human flesh, and live a life on earth, be accused though you are sinless, and die a terrible death on the cross. Once your blood is shed, it will pay the debt humanity owes me for their sins and they will be covered.’ Jesus said ‘OK.’  After Jesus died on the cross and was buried, on the third day God made Him come to life again and He dwells with God in heaven, and welcomes believers home to Him when they die! (Hebrews 1:3) It’s just great.

What I just said is re-stated from Ephesians 2, also

All a person has to do to find faith is to believe that Jesus was and is the son of God, died for our sins, and rose to life again. If you believe that then by default you also believe that you know you’re a sinner and you ask Him to forgive the sins. Because His blood covers you, your confession and belief will enact your pardon. The wall will come down.

Jesus says that once you believe, THEN He makes all the truths of the bible come alive in your brain. The bible will no longer be a dry, dusty, incomprehensible book but the Living Word from a Living God who loves us. You know what else He does for us after a you believe? He sends the Holy Spirit to be inside us to help resist sinning. Oh, we still sin, we’re human after all. But the more we submit to the Spirit’s leading, the less we WANT to sin, and the more He helps us resist it. Like I said, it is a relationship.

For that relationship to begin, you must first understand that you sin. Do you believe this?

How can a person obtain faith? “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”—Romans 10:17. Charles Spurgeon preached on this topic, “How can I obtain faith?“. Click the link to read the whole sermon. He began with saying this:

“It is difficult to make men understand that the salvation of the gospel is not by works but entirely by grace, that it is not presented to men as the reward of their own endeavors, but is given to them freely upon their accepting it by an act of simple faith or trust in Jesus Christ.”

THAT’S IT!! That is all there is. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. The Word has qualities to it that pierce biology, settle in the soul, inspire the spirit to truth and burst away refusals. Here is an example of this.

I teach first and second graders on Wednesday nights. We are going through Psalm 100. Psalm 100 begins:

“Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.”

I ask the kids to bring their bibles and we all open them to the page and we read it together, even if they can’t read, they have the bible open and in hand. After we read the Psalm, there were a couple of minutes of transition time when the other teachers were passing out stuff. One 2nd grade boy who was sitting cross legged on the floor in front of me kept reading the Psalm 100:1 over and over again. Then I heard him muse quietly aloud, “I like that. I don’t know why, but I like that.”

I know exactly what he means. I love that phraseology, too. There is something beautiful and soul-stirring about certain phrases in the Word. They are so soul stirring, a seven year old will be moved by it. He could not articulate why he liked it, it was beyond his cognition, beyond his ability to form into words, but his soul stretched out and embraced the words and they sustained him as soul-food before my very eyes.

Faith comes by hearing the Word. I hope you have enough of the Word in you to share it so that those who ask, and those even within ear-shot, will hear. “For He is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility.” The Word is the axe that tears down the wall.
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Posted in end time, faith, prophecy

Making a faith commitment to Christ

Posted on by elizabethprata
Feeling a little put out this Christmas season? Getting a little anxious about the office party? Well, “In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” Hebrews 12:4
apostates hanged in Iran

The above verse is from Hebrews 12, but it continues a thought begun in Hebrews 11 (or even the latter part of Hebrews 10). Hebrews 11 is known as the great faith chapter and one of the bible’s more famous verses begins it: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Heb 11:1)

The author continues listing the Great Faithful Ones; Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Barak, Samson, and more. They went out in faith in God’s promises, Abraham not even knowing where he was going. (Heb 11:8). They made a faith decision to live a life in God based on trust.

Have you made that same commitment? Do you love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and strength? Do you love Him unto the point of shedding your blood? Iran is hanging people, many of them  apostates (converting from Islam to Christianity.) Here is one pastor’s story, he was sentenced on Nov 26 to hang.

Are you bold enough to live on a promise? Are you strong enough to live knowing you will not see it fulfilled this side of heaven? Faith is the evidence of things as yet unseen. As yet. You WILL see them. Do not weaken under pressure until your faith becomes sight. And remember, pressure to buy a bigger gift for Christmas is not really pressure at all.

So as the Christmas season winds up, and you hustle and bustle here and there, and you get irritated in the grocery line…or you get worried about the perfect present…or you smolder because your melon balls aren’t round enough, remember to read Hebrews 11, and even 12. They will put things back into perspective.

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Posted in a little child shall lead them, end time, end time. prophecy, faith

An interesting conversation

Posted on by elizabethprata

An interesting thing happened yesterday. I work at an elementary school and after the children leave at the end of the day, I remain, and continue working in the After School program. It is a less academic environment, where the kids rotate into different settings. One is play time in the gym, another is homework room, a third is games in the cafeteria, and the fourth is the computer lab.

I am the leader in the computer lab. It’s quiet, the kids like it in there, and for the first few minutes we get to chat, before they tell me their choice of educational computer software they want to use for the 30 minutes they are present.

Yesterday I noticed that after chatting and when all the kids were settled and sitting on their stools with headphones on and working busily way at the keyboards, a fourth grade boy who rarely talks had turned sideways from his computer and said he didn’t feel like doing computer any more. I asked him if he was feeling OK and he said yes. I asked him if he’d like to read a book and he said no. I said all right, let me know if you need anything.

A few minutes later he got up and sat next to me at my computer. I turned to chat with him and it was like pulling teeth. He gave one word answers to the usual questions, “Did you have a nice Thanksgiving? Yes. Did you have a good day at school? Yes. Was there anything special you learned today you would like to share? No. I gave wait times, and nada. So we just sat quietly, giving him space to ponder his thoughts, work up his courage, or whatever was obviously on his mind to come out.

After a moment, he said that he really doesn’t like it when his friends keep saying the world will end in 2012. He said that the Maya were a people that were either predicting a new phase of life and time, or that they were saying they themselves would be phased out as a people, was his interpretation. But the thought that the world was ending in 2012 was false. He said that one day recently he had to defend his point of view for a while in talking with a friend, even though his “throat hurt so bad it felt like a cat scratched it.” He spoke for a while, and it was the longest I’d ever heard him talk. Eventually, when he wound down, I asked, “Do you think that the world will ever really end?”

“Sure, when Jesus comes,” he replied.

Ah! I asked him to share with me his ideas on that. What ensued was the most balanced, theological, and confident conversation about the end times I’d ever had with anyone, adults included. He knew about the earth being melted in a fervent heat. He knew about the moment when satan is thrown into a gloomy dungeon with a chain. He knew that the tribulation will be horrific, and that after that Jesus comes back in glory “and all will see him.” He knew about the rapture and that it could occur at any moment, “even before we finish this sentence, or years from now. You just don’t know,” he said.

I was proud of him. He was confident in the Lord’s work, but impatient with those who turn to other predictions or philosophical structures. I wish the conversations I have with adults were this way. Most “Christians” I speak with never bring it up on their own. If I do, they invariably edge away, or change the subject. Most say they are scared, or that it is a scary subject. Many spout incorrect doctrine. One lady I spoke with was a holy roller, bible-thumping self-stated believer. When I mentioned the rapture, she said, “Oh, that’s just a made-up doctrine from the 1800s.” I showed her the 1st Thessalonians verses where Paul reveals the rapture doctrine, and she still wouldn’t believe. Adults pollute their beliefs with personal wishes, refusals to study, and stubbornness. Children have an innocent belief, a pure belief. Perhaps this is what Jesus meant when he said:

“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of Godlike a little child will never enter it.”And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.” Mark 10:13-16

The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them.” (Is 11:6)

This ten-year-old’s steady and clear-eyed view of Jesus, the end time, false doctrine, and sin is something that should be expressed by every adult. But it is not. It’s sad that many adult “Christians” are so weak and pale in their faith. Perhaps this is what Jesus meant when he said in Revelation 3:16 “So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” These believers are not hot nor are they cold. They are lukewarm believers who will be discovered not to have been believers at all.

PS: I know there are detractors who will say, “That kid was forced to believe, it was shoved down his throat.” But all children are under the tutelage of their parents. Their ideas and outlook into the world are through the lens of their parents: for good or for bad. Children who grow up liberal, on welfare, feminist, homosexual, Buddhist, Mormon, whatever, have learned it. But Christianity is the only truth where it is written: “Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Prov 22:6). No matter what you are, your parents taught you, either by word or by deed. They “shoved it down your throat,” as it were. The children are watching. What do YOU believe? How do you demonstrate it? Time is short. It may be as short as until the end of this sentence.

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Posted in Colosseum, cross, faith, italy, martyr

Take heart, O grieving family members!

Posted on by elizabethprata

I went to Italy in the 90s several times. I always enjoyed the Colosseum. A marvel of Roman ingenuity, architecture, and history, I visited it while admiring all the qualities that make it a famous attraction. I took many photos. My favorite is this one. I had it enlarged and have had it hanging on my wall ever since:

The underground chambers were called Hypogeum and refer to the vast network of rooms, cells, tunnels and passages under the Roman Colosseum. The floor of the Colosseum was over 6 acres, so the hypogeum was easily able to accommodate a huge number of underground tunnels, passages and chambers used to house animals, stage props and slaves who worked there. It was these facts and the thrilling sight of the actual subterranean chambers that entranced me at the time.

Tonight, I was sifting through mounds of photos for a photo project I am doing that is unrelated to Italy, and I came across the photo below. I have visited the Colosseum and I have viewed this photo many times, but never until tonight, the first time I looked at the picture since I’ve been saved, I noticed immediately the cross in the foreground. Immediately.

Until now, I had never even seen it. I had never seen it before this moment. Despite having visited the place and lingered there for hours, despite having taken photos from many angles, the cross was simply not in my field of spiritual vision. Why? 2 Cor 4:4 “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” My god at that time was the god of this age, and boy, was I ever blind.

I teared up looking at that simple cross amid the history of the debauchery of the late Roman age. I remembered my history: the Christians that were killed there by lions, their last moments ones of terror, feeling the crunch of the sand under their feet as they perhaps ran from sure death, seeing the lions’ claws reaching for their necks, hearing the roar of the crowd jeering as they drew their last breaths. Their sacrifice kept a nascent religion alive, so that I, wretched I, could visit the place and never even notice the emblem of Christ’s shame and glory.

It was ten years later at age 44 that I came to the cross as a repentant sinner. It was unexpected given my family history, a miracle, truly. It is a testament to the power of the Holy Spirit Who draws those to the cross those whose hearts are not hardened. I was blind, my ears were dulled, but my heart stayed open just a bit, and the truth broke through. I know that others were praying for me, they told me so later. Take hope, praying Christians, for family members and friends who are not saved. The blind DO eventually see, the deaf DO eventually hear. Prayer works. Keep praying for the lost.