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I long for the Lord’s return and spend my time in preparation to always be ready to give an answer to every man that asks of the hope that is within me with meekness and fear. I love to study the Word of God. I particularly enjoy studying end time Bible prophecy as well as the Day of the Lord. I enjoy sharing the Word of God with anyone who has an ear to hear. Remember: Acts 2:1-4, 36-39 1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. 37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

Bible study, Jesus

C & C: There is One Body

November 12, 2016 cpministries 1 Comment

Connections and Comparisons is an ongoing weekly series that deals with many scriptures in the Bible, some of which are not commonly addressed. The purpose of this series is to examine the scriptures at hand comparing what is said and looking at the connections within.

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Ephesians 4:4-6
4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Though our focal point is to be on the body of Christ, I do want to take a moment to clarify these scriptures with other scriptures revealing to us the meaning of what was spoken here.

There is only One body,
The Body of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 12:5
5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

There is only One Spirit,
The Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ.

Romans 8:9
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

There is only One hope,
Eternal life through our Savior Jesus Christ.

Titus 2:13
13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

There is only One Lord,
Jesus whom God made both Lord and Christ.

Acts 2:36
36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

There is only One faith,
The teaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Philippians 1:27
27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

There is only One baptism,
The baptism into the death of Jesus Christ.

Romans 6:3
3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

There is only One God,
His name was manifested by Jesus Christ.

John 17:6
6 I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.

There is only One Father,
His name was declared by Jesus Christ.

John 17:26
26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

There is only One door,
The door which is the Lord Jesus Christ.

John 10:7
7 Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.

There is only One name,
Every knee shall bow before Jesus Christ.

Philippians 2:9-10
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

With this clarification of the Apostle Paul’s words that was spoken in Ephesians 4:4-6 above, I would like to turn our focus upon the one body of Christ.

Many times when we think of the body of Christ we think of the body of the man Christ Jesus only and do not think about his dual nature. Jesus was fully man and fully God at the same time. As Jesus told us in John 10:30 “I and my Father are one.” “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” (Col 2:9)

We must not forget that the one Spirit of God is the Spirit of Christ. “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” (Rom 8:9)

Thus the one body of Christ is the one body of God. God doesn’t have three bodies because our God is one. And the scriptures teaches us that there is but one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism and “One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

This again is the mystery of Godliness and the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ. The mystery of God manifested in the flesh. The one Spirit of God incarnate in the one body of God, the body of Christ.

Many times when we think of the body of Christ, we only think of the spiritual body of Christ that the born again believer becomes a part of. The body of Christ that has many members of which makes up this one body. But we must not forget the dual nature of Christ and the mystery of godliness.

For it is by the one Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ that one receives that gives them access into the one body of Christ of which we are many members.

1 Corinthians 12:12-14
12 For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
14 For the body is not one member, but many.

Hear the words of Jesus as he prayed in his humanity to the eternal Spirit.

John 17:20-23
20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

In verse 21 Jesus says, “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” This request that Jesus has prayed to the eternal Spirit is that all of those who believe on him through the words of his disciples, that they all may be one even as he and the Father are one. “As thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee… that they also may be one in us”.

How is the Father and Jesus one? They are one in Spirit and in body.

In verse 23 Jesus explains how we can be one in the Father as well as in himself. “I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one”. One as being members of the body of Christ by receiving the Spirit of Christ. That we may be one even as he is one. One in body and one in Spirit.

Ephesians 5:30
30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

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Behavior, Christian Living

Forget not your Beginnings!!

November 9, 2016 cpministries 2 Comments

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Ezekiel 16:1-52
1 Again the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
2 Son of man, cause Jerusalem to know her abominations,
3 And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto Jerusalem; Thy birth and thy nativity is of the land of Canaan; thy father was an Amorite, and thy mother an Hittite.
4 And as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all.
5 None eye pitied thee, to do any of these unto thee, to have compassion upon thee; but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the loathing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born.

Do not forget your Beginnings!! Where did God bring you from? Where did God find you laying? Where did God lead you out of? What did you leave behind??

6 And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live; yea, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood, Live.

When did God pass by you and speak to you, Live; yea… I say unto you Live!!

7 I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field, and thou hast increased and waxen great, and thou art come to excellent ornaments: thy breasts are fashioned, and thine hair is grown, whereas thou wast naked and bare.

Do not forget your Beginnings!! Where God brought you from!! Remember who you are!! Who you were!! How you were dying in yours sins!! And how the Lord God had pity upon you.

8 Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine.

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. (1 Cor 6:19-20) Do not forget your Beginnings!!

9 Then washed I thee with water; yea, I thoroughly washed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil.

Forget not when God washed away your sins!! Forget not when God anointed you with the Holy Ghost oil!! Forget not your Beginnings!!

10 I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers’ skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk.

Forget not you are the Bride of Christ!! Forget not who you are!! Forget not who has called you out of darkness into His marvellous light!! Forget not your Beginnings!!

11 I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck.
12 And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head.
13 Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work; thou didst eat fine flour, and honey, and oil: and thou wast exceeding beautiful, and thou didst prosper into a kingdom.

Forget not your Righteousness which God has imputed unto you!! Forget not how he has clothed you with Holiness unto the LORD!! Grieve not the Spirit of God!!

14 And thy renown went forth among the heathen for thy beauty: for it was perfect through my comeliness, which I had put upon thee, saith the Lord GOD.

For the Lord is the Justifier of many and not you yourself!! Forget not it is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not!! It is not your comeliness but it is the Lord’s comeliness that has given you your beauty!! Forget not your Beginnings!!

15 But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was.
16 And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so.
17 Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,
18 And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them.

Who or what are you placing before God!! Who or what are you committing spiritual whoredom with!!

19 My meat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savour: and thus it was, saith the Lord GOD.
20 Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter,
21 That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them?

Be not as the children of Jerusalem who forgot their beginnings!! Who committed whoredoms greater than the nations who God drove out from before then to cleanse the land!!

22 And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, and wast polluted in thy blood.
23 And it came to pass after all thy wickedness, (woe, woe unto thee! saith the Lord GOD;)
24 That thou hast also built unto thee an eminent place, and hast made thee an high place in every street.
25 Thou hast built thy high place at every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty to be abhorred, and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms.
26 Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbours, great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke me to anger.

Forget not your Beginnings!! Forget not where God has taken you from!! Be not as the children of Jerusalem who forgot their beginnings!!

27 Behold, therefore I have stretched out my hand over thee, and have diminished thine ordinary food, and delivered thee unto the will of them that hate thee, the daughters of the Philistines, which are ashamed of thy lewd way.
28 Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because thou wast unsatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldest not be satisfied.

Sin will always take you further than you want to go!! If you let it grow it will become an unsatiable desire to fulfill the lusts of your flesh!! Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied. (Pro 27:20)

29 Thou hast moreover multiplied thy fornication in the land of Canaan unto Chaldea; and yet thou wast not satisfied herewith.
30 How weak is thine heart, saith the Lord GOD, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious [a vixen] whorish woman;
31 In that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire;

Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? (1 Cor 5:6b ) Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils. (1 Cor 10:21)

Jerusalem was so bad off in her whoredoms against God that she was not even taking hire as other harlots, but was paying her lovers to come unto her!!

32 But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband!
33 They give gifts to all whores: but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredom.
34 And the contrary is in thee from other women in thy whoredoms, whereas none followeth thee to commit whoredoms: and in that thou givest a reward, and no reward is given unto thee, therefore thou art contrary.

For this reason God turned to a people who were not a people!! For this reason God decided to provoke the nation of Israel to jealousy with a people who were not a people!! It is because of their continual whoredoms and because they forgot their beginnings that we Gentiles were grafted into the gospel!!

What should have been for the nation of Israel was found of a people that sought not for it!! This is the Lord’s doing and it is marvellous in our eyes!!

Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. (Rom 11:22)

Forget not your Beginnings!! Forget not where God has taken you from!!

35 Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the LORD:
36 Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of thy children, which thou didst give unto them;
37 Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round about against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness.
38 And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy.

What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. (1 Cor 6:16-18)

And I will also give thee into their hand, and they shall throw down thine eminent place, and shall break down thy high places: they shall strip thee also of thy clothes, and shall take thy fair jewels, and leave thee naked and bare.

This is what sin will do to you!! This is what will happen to you if you wonder into Egypt to sin against the LORD!!

40 They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords.
41 And they shall burn thine houses with fire, and execute judgments upon thee in the sight of many women: and I will cause thee to cease from playing the harlot, and thou also shalt give no hire any more.

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? (Rom 6:16)

Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (Rom 8:12-13)

Forget not your Beginnings!! Do not get high and lifted up!! Do not forget where God has brought you from!! Do not entangle yourself again with the bondage of this world!!

Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, (2 Cor 6:17)

42 So will I make my fury toward thee to rest, and my jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will be quiet, and will be no more angry.
43 Because thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, but hast fretted me in all these things; behold, therefore I also will recompense thy way upon thine head, saith the Lord GOD: and thou shalt not commit this lewdness above all thine abominations.
44 Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter.
45 Thou art thy mother’s daughter, that loatheth her husband and her children; and thou art the sister of thy sisters, which loathed their husbands and their children: your mother was an Hittite, and your father an Amorite.

Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) (Eph 2:2-5)

Forget not your Beginnings!! Forget not the gutter wherein God picked you up out of!! Forget not the great love wherewith God has loved you!!

46 And thine elder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters that dwell at thy left hand: and thy younger sister, that dwelleth at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters.
47 Yet hast thou not walked after their ways, nor done after their abominations: but, as if that were a very little thing, thou wast corrupted more than they in all thy ways.

What’s worse than a child of God, the Bride of Christ, walking hand in hand with the world!! But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire. (2 Pet 2:22)

48 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters.
49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.

Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? So he that goeth in to his neighbour’s wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent. (Pro 6:27-29)

Forget not your Beginnings!! Forget not where God has taken you from!! Make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof!! (Rom 13:14b)

51 Neither hath Samaria committed half of thy sins; but thou hast multiplied thine abominations more than they, and hast justified thy sisters in all thine abominations which thou hast done.
52 Thou also, which hast judged thy sisters, bear thine own shame for thy sins that thou hast committed more abominable than they: they are more righteous than thou: yea, be thou confounded also, and bear thy shame, in that thou hast justified thy sisters.

Let us not be as the children of Jerusalem!! Let us forget not our Beginnings!! Lest we come to a similar fate!! For our God is a consuming fire!! (Heb 12:29) Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. (Rev 16:15)

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Bible study, Jesus

Come Let us Grow Together: Developing a Relationship with Jesus Christ

November 5, 2016 cpministries 1 Comment

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. (Eph 5:22)

The foundation of the development of a relationship with Jesus Christ is to Love the Lord with all the heart, mind, soul, and strength.

For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. (Eph 5:23)

For you are the Body of Christ and the Body of Christ is the Bride of Christ. Therefore let us be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live!

Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. (Eph 5:24)

For obedience is what the Lord desires from each one of us. Let us walk even as He walked. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. (1 Jn 5:3)

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; (Eph 5:25)

For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. (Rom 5:6) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (Rom 12:1)

That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. (Eph 5:26-28)

My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him. (1 Jn 3:18)

For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: (Eph 5:29)

But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. (Eph 4:15-16)

For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. (Eph 5:30)

For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. (Eph 5:31)

But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. (1 Cor 6:17)

This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. (Eph 5:32)

For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member, but many. (1 Cor 12:13-14)

Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband. (Eph 5:33)

But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. (1 Cor 11:3)

If we then subject ourselves to the hierarchal headship of God as we were taught and fulfill our roles that have been given unto us as a man and woman, and also as a husband and wife; we will then further develop our relationship with Jesus Christ, because of our obedience unto the Word of God of which He has set forth for us to follow according to whether or not you are a man or a woman and whether or not you are the husband or the wife.

Let us go on unto perfection and Let us fulfill our roles!!

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Bible study, God

C & C: Jesus is God. I am but Dirt

November 4, 2016 cpministries Leave a comment

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Genesis 2:7-8
7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

Adam was formed of the dust of the ground. However after Adam ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil judgment was pronounced upon him.

Genesis 3:17-19
17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

God cursed the ground for Adam’s sake “for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” The goodness of God even after Adam’s failure. God cursed the ground for his sake and spoke of the prophecy of the coming Messiah.

Genesis 3:14-15
14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

The woman being the virgin Mary and the serpent’s seed being the children of disobedience. Jesus was this seed that was to come to bring this deliverance to all mankind.

Galatians 3:16
16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.

1 John 2:1-2
1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Jesus is God. I am but Dirt.

Psalms 103:11-19
11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him.
14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.
16 For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.
17 But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children;
18 To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to do them.
19 The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.

Ecclesiastes 3:20-21
20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

1 Corinthians 15:45-50
45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
48 As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

1 Peter 1:18-25
18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

Jesus was manifest in these last times for us!

1 John 3:8
8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

Jesus is God. I am but Dirt.

Galatians 4:4-7
4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

The prophecy of the coming Messiah spoken of in Genesis to redeem mankind as the second and last Adam to restore what the first Adam had lost in his sin against God! Sonship!

1 Corinthians 15:20-26
20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Jesus is God. I am but Dirt.

Acts 2:32-33
32 This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.
Jesus brought forth the Holy Ghost of which the people were witnessing as they had just witnessed the outpouring of the Holy Ghost which is the Spirit of Christ. For Jesus is God. I am but Dirt.

Colossians 2:9-15
9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

John 3:34-36
34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.
35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand.
36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

Therefore the Spirit of Christ is the Holy Spirit of which was poured out by Jesus upon the believers! For Jesus is God. I am but Dirt.

Romans 8:9-14
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

Galatians 4:6
6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

The Spirit of his Son is the Spirit of Christ which is the Holy Spirit of which is the Word made flesh whose name is Jesus. For Jesus is God. I am but Dirt.

John 1:14
14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Romans 8:18-24
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. 20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
24 For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?

2 Corinthians 4:5-7
5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.
6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined 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 excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

Jesus is God. I am but Dirt.

Colossians 1:25-29
25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;
26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.

Psalms 100:1-5
1 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5 For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

2 Peter 1:19-21
19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

The day star is the Spirit of Christ in you the hope of glory! The Spirit of God is the Spirit of Christ the Holy Spirit! For Jesus is God. I am but Dirt.

Revelation 22:16
16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

Revelation 1:18
18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

John 6:37-40
37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.
39 And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 3:11-16
11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Romans 10:16
16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?

Revelation 22:17
17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

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Behavior, Faith

Faith says “I CAN”

November 2, 2016 cpministries 2 Comments

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I would like to talk to you about our thoughts. It is important to realize that as Christians each one of us must mold our thoughts to that of what the Word of God teaches us. In so doing, each one of us will begin to talk the same talk and to walk the same walk. This is because we are of the same mind, because we have molded our thoughts to what thus saith the Word of God!

2 Corinthians 1:19-20
19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea.
20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

Philippians 4:13
13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

It’s in your mind set. It’s in your belief system.

Faith says I can!! Doubt says I can’t!!

Romans 14:23
23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

Did you hear it? Whatsoever is not of faith is sin!!

It’s time that each one of us challenge our belief system!! Let us examine our thoughts and see if what we are telling ourselves is truth or a lie!!

Proverbs 23:6-7
6 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:
7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

Hear it again!! For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he!! Your thoughts are directly responsible for your feelings!!

If you believe you are a failure, then you will be a failure. If you see yourself as a world changer, you will become a world changer. For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.

You must guard your thoughts!! What are you telling yourself? What are you allowing your mind to ponder upon?

Philippians 4:8
8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

This is a great filtering system for your thoughts!! Think upon whatsoever is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and things that are of a good report!! Not a negative report!! But things which are of a good report!!

Do not spend your time thinking about and speaking to others about things that are of a negative report!! Even if the negative report is true, we are not to spend our time dwelling upon it. We are to think on things that are of a good report!! This does not mean you live in a fairy tale world, but this means if you hear or see a negative report, you do not have to dwell upon it and you do not have to share it with everyone. Instead look for the good in the bad!!

1 Peter 1:13
13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

gird: to encircle or secure with a belt or band. Notice carefully that we are to HOPE to the end!! For the grace that is to be brought unto us at the revealing of Jesus Christ!! We are to maintain hope until the end!! We are to maintain a positive attitude through hope!

How do we maintain hope? We must maintain our faith!! Remember, Faith says “I Can”!!

Hebrews 11:1
11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

To maintain hope we must maintain our Faith. To maintain our Faith we must maintain our Belief system. To maintain our Belief system we must apply the Word of God to our thoughts casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ!! In order for you to do this, you must know the Word of God!! You must gird up the loins of your mind and apply what thus saith, the Word of God!!

2 Corinthians 10:4
4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

Did you hear it? Are weapons are mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds. For all the promises of God in Christ are yea, and in him Amen!! I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. Faith says, “I Can!! and I will!! not by my own strength, but through Christ which is my strength!!

1 Peter 5:8-9
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

He cannot devour one who has girded up the loins of their mind!! He cannot devour one that is applying the Word of God. He can only devour those who let him!! Those who are either ignorant of the Word of God or those who are not applying the Word of God!! [re-read v. 8]

9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

Your thoughts are directly responsible for your feelings!! If you allow yourself to think that you are trapped and without hope, then you will feel trapped and without hope!! Examine your thoughts. When you begin to feel unwanted feelings, stop! and begin to think about what you were thinking about. What are you telling yourself?

Learn to identify what you are thinking that is triggering your unwanted feelings and learn to replace your unwanted thoughts with other thoughts and your feelings will begin to change. But you must not only replace your unwanted thoughts with other thoughts, you must also change your underlying belief system that you are irrationally holding on to that is causing you to have the unwanted thoughts you were having.

Are you feeling down and out? Are you feeling depressed? Examine your thoughts and see why you are feeling this way. What are you telling yourself?

Are you telling yourself that you feel down and out? Are you telling yourself that you feel depressed? Because your feelings are a direct result of what you are thinking. Are you telling yourself that you are without hope? Are you telling yourself that you can’t make it? All of these types of thoughts are going to make you feel that you are without hope? Is this true? Remember what we are to be thinking about? Whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and whatsoever things are of good report.

How are you without hope when Christ is the hope of glory? Is what you are telling yourself true? Examine your thoughts and tell yourself what is true. I can make it!! I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me!! Tell yourself the truth!! I am not without hope. I have all hope in Christ Jesus.

I may have felt feelings of despair, but the truth is everything is ok. I’m a child of God!! I’m a child of the king!! And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Mt 10:28)

Romans 8:28-32
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?

All things!! Not some things!! But all things!! Turn your negative thoughts into positive thoughts!! Boy I’m having a hard day, but thank God the day doesn’t define my future!! But my obedience to Jesus Christ and the Word of God does.

Do not stop with just saying, Boy I’m having a hard day. This will give you a completely different set of feelings. You can change your thoughts and your belief system simply by adding more information to what you are telling yourself. Boy I’m having a hard day, but thank God the day doesn’t define my future!! But my obedience to Jesus Christ and the Word of God does.

Address feelings of Self Worth and Worthlessness. Is it true that you are worthless? Is it true that you have no value? Not according to the Word of God.

Matthew 10:29-31
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Are you not judging and condemning yourself while telling yourself that you are of no value and worthless? Is not this the way you see yourself? Is this true then? The answer is no as we have seen. You must then change your belief system and the way you perceive yourself!! You must challenge these unwanted thoughts and lies that you are telling yourself? You must ask yourself is this true? Does this align up with the Word of God? If it does not, then you must remember that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Luke 6:37
37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

1 Corinthians 4:3-4
3 But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man’s judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self.
4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.

Do not begin to feel overwhelmed!! Do not begin to think that I cannot do this!! Faith says, “I Can” Remember this is a process of time. It will take time to begin to recognize your unwanted thoughts and to then replace them with thoughts that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and things that are of a good report!!

Each time you apply this, you will see your unwanted negative feelings disappear and new feelings will appear in their place, depending on what you are now telling yourself. You must believe that you can change your unwanted negative feelings!!

Luke 12:29
29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.

Faith says, “I can”!!! Gird up the loins of your mind and be not of a doubtful mind!! For all the promises of God in Christ are yea, and in him Amen!! If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. (Mt 17:20b)

Do you believe it? Do you believe the Word of God? You must eliminate your doubtful mind and the worries that accompany it!! You must learn to let the peace of God rule your heart and your mind through Christ Jesus!! Faith says, “I Can”!!

Philippians 4:6-7
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

A precious promise of God!! However, the key to allowing this peace of God to keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus was to 1) Be careful for nothing. Which means do not allow yourself to be anxious for anything!! 2) But in every thing by prayer and supplication 3) With thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.

At that point is when you say never the less Lord your will be done and not my will. It is at this point that you 1) Choose to refuse to allow yourself to be anxious 2) That you place your faith in the Lord that whatever the Potter chooses to do will work together for your good 3) You then place your trust into the Potter’s hand 4) Wait with patience for what you have sought from the Potter 5) Accepting the will of the Potter with contentment.

This is a delicate balance of belief, faith, hope, trust, acceptance, patience, and contentment. You must maintain each one of these in order to allow the peace of God to rule your heart and mind.

If any one of these gets out of balance due to the thoughts you are having you will lose the peace of God that you were experiencing. This is because Belief and Hope maintain your Faith and Trust.

If you allow yourself to begin to Worry, then the Hope you had in what you sought from God will begin to waver which will directly influence your Faith. This negative influence on your Faith will then begin to destroy your Trust that you had in God, which will then begin to destroy your Belief in what you Hoped for in God.

Fear tells us things like:

I can’t do that. What if I mess up? What if someone sees me mess up?
How can I handle myself if I am made fun of? I don’t understand.
Who do I turn to? Where will I go? How will I get there?
What if I made the wrong choice? Should I rethink what I’ve done?
What should I do?

All of this fear is directly tied to your belief system which is completely controlled by your thoughts!! What are you telling yourself that is provoking this worry and fear? And is it true? Take the time to start analyzing what you are telling yourself that is provoking your fears, doubts, and worries.

What did the Word of God say? Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:6-7) And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind!! (Lk 12:29) Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ!! (1 Peter 1:13) (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; (2 Cor 10:4-5)

We must learn to bring our thoughts under subjection to the obedience of Jesus Christ!! We must learn to challenge our thoughts and our belief systems and see whether or not they align up with the Word of God!! If they do not, then we need to change our thoughts to that which does align with the Word of God. This changing of your thoughts will also change your feelings because as man thinketh in his heart, so is he. (Pro 23:7a)

Therefore it is of the utmost importance that you focus upon telling yourself what is the truth and not allow yourself to continue to sabotage yourself with thoughts that are not true. Remember to use Philippians 4:8 as a filtering system for your mind and think about whatsoever is true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and things that are of a good report!!

Is this going to be easy? The answer is no, but Faith says, “I CAN”!!

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Bible study, Salvation

Come let us Grow Together: Believers in Christ

October 30, 2016 cpministries 1 Comment

Come let us Grow Together is a weekly series that deals with the many topical categories that exist within the Word of God. The purpose of this series is to grow in wisdom, knowledge, and understanding in things pertaining to God.

Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye BELIEVE on him whom he hath sent. (John 6:29)

He that BELIEVETH on me, as the SCRIPTURE hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that BELIEVE on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) (John 7:38-39)

Believing and Baptism go together!!

He that BELIEVETH AND IS BAPTIZED shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow THEM THAT BELIEVE; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with NEW TONGUES; (Mark 16:16-17)

To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever BELIEVETH in him shall receive REMISSION of sins. While Peter yet spake these words, THE HOLY GHOST fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision WHICH BELIEVED were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they HEARD THEM SPEAK WITH TONGUES, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, CAN ANY MAN FORBID WATER, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And HE COMMANDED THEM to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days. (Acts 10:43-48)

And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, WHO BELIEVED on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? (Acts 11:15-17)

But when they BELIEVED Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, THEY WERE BAPTIZED, both men and women. (Acts 8:12)

And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost SINCE YE BELIEVED? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto WHAT THEN WERE YE BAPTIZED? And they said, Unto John’s baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should BELIEVE ON HIM which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, THEY WERE BAPTIZED in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and THEY SPAKE WITH TONGUES, and prophesied. (Acts 19:1-6)

Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and PREACHED unto him JESUS. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, HERE IS WATER; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, IF THOU BELIEVEST with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I BELIEVE that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Acts 8:36-38)

The preaching of Jesus Christ involves water baptism which can be concluded when the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?

Water baptism is man’s response to faith when they believe upon Jesus!!!

Spirit baptism and the remission of sins is God’s response to our faith when we believe upon Jesus and are baptized in His name!!

Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? (Acts 2:37)

They believed!!!

Then Peter said unto them, REPENT, and BE BAPTIZED every one of you IN THE NAME of Jesus Christ for the REMISSION of sins, and YE SHALL receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:38)

When you believe in the saving power of Jesus Christ, there will be a response to your belief!!

Are you a believer??

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Bible study, Jesus

C & C: The Name which is Above Every Name

October 28, 2016 cpministries 5 Comments

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The focus of this lesson is the mystery of godliness. What about the mystery of godliness?

1 Timothy 3:16
16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

Notice the mystery of godliness is God was manifest in the flesh.

Can the Godhead be understood?

Romans 1:20
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

What about the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ?

Colossians 2:2-3
2 That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;
3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

We should seek in prayer the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God.

Ephesians 1:17
17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:

Ephesians 4:11-13
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

Let us begin to take a closer look at the mystery of godliness.

Isaiah 9:6
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Notice carefully that this prophesied son that was going to be given was to be called the mighty God and the everlasting Father.

Isaiah 7:14
14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Matthew 1:21-23
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Remember the mystery of godliness? “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” (1 Tim 3:16)

The mystery of godliness is God was manifest in the flesh. Jesus was to be called the mighty God and the everlasting Father. And they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. This is the mystery of God manifest in the flesh. It was the Everlasting Father that was manifest in the flesh as the Son of God.

This is the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ. “That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Col 2:2-3)

It is important to recognize the wording of this mystery. It is the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ. This is the mystery of God manifest in the flesh. This mystery is God who is a Spirit manifested himself in the flesh as the Son of God to redeem mankind back unto himself.

2 Corinthians 5:19
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

Thus God manifested himself in various roles or offices to us. Such as the Father in creation, the Son in redemption, and the Holy Spirit in action. Let me explain what is meant by this statement. God is a spirit. He is the Holy Spirit. And when you see the Spirit of God referenced in the Bible it refers to God in action upon the universe or upon the souls of men. God is the Father of what is created which is everything. God who is a Spirit robed himself in flesh as the son of God to redeem mankind back unto himself. Jesus is the expressed visible image of the invisible God. Jesus is the body of God.

Colossians 2:9
9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

Hebrews 1:3
3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:

Let us focus again upon the name which is above every name in a different manner.

Isaiah 45:22-23
22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.

God said that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.

Isaiah 43:11
11 I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.

Matthew 1:21
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

God said that beside him there was no savior and we then learn that the son that was given to us who was to be called the mighty God and the everlasting Father was given the name of Jesus as was declared by the angel Gabriel before the conception of the child Jesus.

Acts 4:10-12
10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.
11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Remember, God said that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. “I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour.” (Isa 43:11) Yet when God manifested himself in flesh it is the name of Jesus that we see that will “save his people from their sins.”

Philippians 2:9-11
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Here we see that the name of Jesus is above every name. And remember God said, “I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.” It is at “the name of Jesus every knee should bow… And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord”. Are we to think that God is three persons and that God the Father has given his Son a name that is above his own? Let us take a closer look at the name which is above every name.

John 10:30
30 I and my Father are one.

John 5:43
43 I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.

Hebrews 1:4
4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

Let us stop here. If Jesus obtained his name by inheritance and told us that he came in his father’s name and that he and the father are one, what name would be the name of the Father of whom you inherited your name?

If I told you that I received my name by inheritance and I told you my name was Ronnie, you would never conclude that my Father’s name was any other name than that of my own. The same is with Jesus.

John 14:26
26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

What is the name of Jesus? Jesus right? Here Jesus said, “the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name”. His name is Jesus. Thus since God is a Spirit and Jesus said, “I and my Father are one” and “I am come in my Father’s name” and “the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name”, and we know that his name is Jesus; we can then conclude that the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost is Jesus. Thus fulfilling Matthew 28:19 which reads, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”.

John 17:26
26 And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.

The name that Jesus declared was his Father’s name of which he obtained by inheritance.

Ephesians 3:14-15
14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

The whole family in heaven and earth is named after Jesus of whom manifested and declared unto us the name of the Father. Which name he obtained by inheritance. Which name is Jesus.

It can be no other name. “For there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12b)

It was Jesus that was the prophesied seed that was to come. It was Jesus that died on the cross of calvary. It was Jesus that preached unto the imprisoned spirits in the bowels of the earth. It is the name of Jesus that we invoke in the baptism. It is the name of Jesus that the whole family in heaven and earth is named, because the name of our one God is Jesus. This name of Jesus was the name of God that was revealed to us in the New Testament.

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Hell, Know Your Enemy

Come and Look into Hell

October 26, 2016 cpministries Leave a comment

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Luke 16:23-31
19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:
20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,
21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.
22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:
28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

As you noticed in verse 23, the word torment is in plural form. Torments. One of these added torments other than the unquenchable fire that was and is burning him was the fact that he could see into paradise. He also had his right mind, knowing who he was, where he was, and who Abraham and Lazarus were.

Have you ever wondered after the Lord returns if maybe the people in the lake of fire will be able to see into heaven. I believe that you can scripturaly show that this will be the case.

Revelation 14:9-12
9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand,
10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:
11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
12 Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

Off and on for years I had wondered about verses 10 and 11, which says, “he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever”. I noticed that it says in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb for ever and ever. I speculated just as it was with the rich man, that this was again going to be the case.

Since that time, I have found many passages of scriptures that goes along this line of thinking. Come and Look into Hell!

Isaiah 34:8-17
8 For it is the day of the Lord’s vengeance, and the year of recompenses for the controversy of Zion.
9 And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch.

This is the forming of the Lake of Fire. Notice it takes place on the day of the Lord’s vengeance and it is for the controversy of Zion.

10 It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.

We now see this place of burning pitch where the dust has turned into brimstone will not be quenched night nor day, and then we hear what we read about in Revelation. The smoke of this place shall go up for ever. Whereas in Revelation it said, the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night. Notice it also says that none shall pass through it for ever and ever.

11 But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness.

Strong’s Concordance:

cormorant: 6893. qa’ath, kaw-ath’; from H6958; prob. the pelican (from vomiting):–cormorant.

bittern: 7090. qippowd, kip-pode’; or qippod, kip-pode’; from H7088; a species of bird, perh. the bittern (from its contracted form):–bittern.

owl: 3244. yanshuwph, yan-shoof’; or yanshowph, yan-shofe’; appar. from H5398; an unclean (aquatic) bird; prob. the heron (perh. from its blowing cry, or because the night-heron is meant [comp. H5399]):–(great) owl.

raven: 6158. ‘oreb, o-rabe’; or ‘owreb, o-rabe’; from H6150; a raven (from its dusky hue):–raven.

Notice these are all birds….

12 They shall call the nobles thereof to the kingdom, but none shall be there, and all her princes shall be nothing.
13 And thorns shall come up in her palaces, nettles and brambles in the fortresses thereof: and it shall be an habitation of dragons, and a court for owls.
14 The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest.
15 There shall the great owl make her nest, and lay, and hatch, and gather under her shadow: there shall the vultures also be gathered, every one with her mate.
16 Seek ye out of the book of the LORD, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for my mouth it hath commanded, and his spirit it hath gathered them.
17 And he hath cast the lot for them, and his hand hath divided it unto them by line: they shall possess it for ever, from generation to generation shall they dwell therein.

Revelation 18:1-3
18:1 And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory.
2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.
3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

The unclean birds and the dragons. Demons.

Isaiah 66:15-24
15 For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.

Again in the day of the Lord’s vengeance.

16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
17 They that sanctify themselves, and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine’s flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the LORD.
18 For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.
19 And I will set a sign among them, and I will send those that escape of them unto the nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, that draw the bow, to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off, that have not heard my fame, neither have seen my glory; and they shall declare my glory among the Gentiles.
20 And they shall bring all your brethren for an offering unto the LORD out of all nations upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and upon mules, and upon swift beasts, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the LORD, as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD.
21 And I will also take of them for priests and for Levites, saith the LORD.
22 For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.
23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.
24 And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.

The answer lies here. We, the saints, are going to be the Lord’s Kings and Priests. All will come to God’s Holy Mountain to worship and keep the feasts. Notice closely verses 23-24 again. All flesh will come to worship before Him and then they shall go forth and look upon those that have transgressed against the Lord God Almighty. The place they look upon is described as a place where their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched, and this will be for an abhorring unto all flesh. Another words, Come and Look into Hell. Come and see those who have not kept the Teaching of the Lord.

Revelation 5:8-13
8 And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
9 And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;
10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.
11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

Matthew 13:41-43
41 The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
42 And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Revelation 14:18-20
18 And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe.
19 And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.
20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.

Recall just a few verses before this….

These events, the Treading of the Winepress and being cast into the Lake of Fire, are kinda going hand in hand. Almost simultaneously. This is why the angel has power over fire. To the Winepress and then to the Lake of Fire, or the Furnace of fire.

Come and Look into Hell!!!

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Behavior, Bible study

Come Let us Grow Together: False Christians

October 24, 2016 cpministries Leave a comment

For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? (Lk 6:43-46)

Every tree is known by his own fruit!!

And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, (2 Cor 6:15-17)

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. (1 Jn 2:15-17)

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. (Gal 5:19-21)

He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it: And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down. (Lk 13:6-9)

And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. (Mt 3:10) For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? (1 Pet 4:17-18)

He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Rev 21:7-8)

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Bible study, Jesus

C & C: If the dead rise not at all?

October 22, 2016 cpministries 3 Comments

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Many people have questioned what the Apostle Paul was speaking of when he made the statement, “Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?” (1 Cor 15:29)

In this lesson I will show you from the scripture what the Apostle Paul is speaking of. Let us take a closer look at chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 15:1-29
1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

The topic of this chapter has been laid out. The topic of Jesus Christ dying for our sins, being buried, and that he rose again the third day.

5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.
7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.
9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Here the Apostle Paul has given testimony of the witnesses that seen Jesus Christ after he was risen from the dead.

11 Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.
12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

Here the Apostle Paul has explained that if the dead rise not at all then we are still in our sins. And they themselves are also found false witnesses of God because they testified of God that he raised up Christ from the dead. And if there be no resurrection of the dead then Christ did not raise and our faith is in vain.

19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Here the Apostle Paul reaffirms the truth that Christ is risen from the dead and that he is become the firstfruits of them that slept. Meaning Christ is the first begotten of the dead. (Rev 1:5)

23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.
25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.
28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
29 Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?

After explaining the order of the resurrection of the dead the Apostle Paul explains that death is the last enemy to be destroyed. And then the Apostle asks the question “Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?” Remember the topic of this chapter is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Some people were saying that there wasn’t any resurrection of the dead. So the Apostle has instructed them that if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen from the dead and your faith is in vain, if the dead rise not at all.

“Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?”

Something many people fail to realize is that we are baptized for the dead.

Colossians 2:10-14
10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

You don’t bury the living you bury the dead!! We are baptized for the dead that the body of sin might be destroyed. Remember the topic of this chapter is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When a person repents of their sins they must also be baptized in Jesus name for the remission of their sins. Because as we just read in Colossians this is where “ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses”.

So the Apostle Paul asks the question, “Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?”

Romans 6:1-9
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

Notice carefully the question asked here, “How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” The Apostle Paul goes on to explain how we become dead to sin.

3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.
8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

We are baptized for the dead. We must die out to sin in repentance and then be baptized into Jesus Christ by invoking his name as we are being baptized that the “circumcision made without hands” might take place “in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ” “that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin.” “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses” “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection” “Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him”

Therefore we are baptized for the dead that the circumcision of Christ might take place which destroys the body of sin which we inherited from birth. This takes place in water baptism whereby our sins are remitted or washed away upon the invoking of the name of Jesus Christ through the faith of the operation of God. “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection”. But you must be planted together in the likeness of his death by being “baptized into Jesus Christ” where we are “baptized into his death”. Or we will not be in the likeness of his resurrection because the body of sin was not destroyed.

Connecting Point Ministries

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