St. Matthew, Chapter 24, verse: 14b; Witness.

 Our paragraph topic is: (He tells them of trials and hard times to come) Part 12. 

And so the story is told for all to hear.  Christ predicts the future and what will happen in the end of times.  He told his disciples and those in the crowd of people who would listen, those who heard and believed.  And they told their friends and their friends told their friends and so on.  And the word spread that Christ predicted the end of times and the people were afraid.  The leaders were in an uproar because they could not have the people in such a panic.  They wanted sheep, not panicked lambs running all over the place spreading rumors about the coming doom of the end of times.

But it was Christ who foretold it.  It was the Messiah who gave the word to the people.  It was the Son of Man that came down from heaven who performed many miracles who told the disciples and the people of the trials and tribulations to come before the end of times.  The disciples feared but they knew his words were true.  Some believed in him.  Some were skeptical.  Others only partly believed.  And then there were those who just had no faith or belief in him at all.  But he said to all who could hear his words that this gospel shall be preached to the whole world:  "For a witness to all nations."

Indeed, today we have it written in stone for all to see and know when the time will come.  The gospel of the kingdom is a witness to the truth of his telling of what is to come that when it happens all will know.  All will see the prediction that was made two thousand years ago of the coming of the end.  Step by step it was told what would happen.  Step by step it was written the words that all could see and compare the truth of what would happen.  Step by step it will be known upon the conscience of mankind the truth of his words as a witness of what was said.

And it is further written in later books the detail of how this will happen.  It is further written the witness of the tribulations and woes that are to come.  It is further written in books predicted by Christ to mankind the wrath of God that will come upon those who have practiced evil and injustice against his children.  All will want to know.  All will want to see.  The whole world will come back to these words of the gospel of the kingdom in search of the truth of what is to come.  And they will know the truth of it all. 

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself.  Do not study it in parts reading one passage nd then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ .   The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.

St. Matthew, Chapter 24, verse: 10c; Those who hate.

 Our paragraph topic is: (He tells them of trials and hard times to come) Part 6.  

To them he looked like an ordinary man, but that was far from appearances.  He was more than what he appeared to be.  He saw more, he knew more, he understood more than ordinary man.  And he told his disciples more.  Hard times were to come and he wanted them to know, to be prepared.  The sheep would scatter.  The leaders would be persecuted.  The believers would become martyrs.  Many would turn against one another and dark times would prevail.  

Christ didn't have a crystal ball to tell the future, he knew it.  It was as if he could see what would happen in the future, as though time stood still and he walked through the future to see it all unfold.  He knew that there were many true believers who would become saints.  They sacrificed themselves for their beliefs.  He also knew that there were those who professed to believe but were hypocrites.  They were the ones who would turn and run for their lives.  He told his disciples, their would be those who would deny their belief:  "And will hate one another."

They had to hate in order to survive.  Survival was important to them because it was what they knew.  They did not know the Word.  They did not hear the message.  They did not accept the Word of God that there was more to life than just the physical.  Christ came to testify to the spiritual.  He came that we would have life, true life beyond just the physical.  And many missed the message of the kingdom of heaven that he came to give us.

Today we have the Word.  Today we know that there is life after death.  Christ came and conquered death.  He arose from death and ascended into heaven back to his Father where he sits at his right hand until the time comes for judgment.  We have a choice today.  We can choose life or we can choose death.  We can choose to believe or choose not to believe.  We can choose to love or choose not to love.  We can choose to be with Christ and have life eternal or death eternal.  This is what we are given today.

There is so much love and joy and happiness waiting for us in heaven.  All we have to do is accept and believe that we have a father who loves us.  Belief opens the door.  Love fills the heart.  Faith allows one to see the truth of his hand at work in your life.  Prayer speaks to him of our weakness, our fears and doubts.  It shows him that you seek his mercy and his love.  Open your heart.  Open your mind.  Open your soul and let him in.  For he is the fulfillment of all your dreams.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself.  Do not study it in parts reading one passage nd then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ .   The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.

St. Matthew, Chapter 21, verses: 46b; The People and a Prophet.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Application of the parable) Part 9.  

We now come to the end of the paragraph and the end of Chapter 21.  Much of this chapter has been about Christ and his entry into Jerusalem.  He came with the praise of the little people, riding on a donkey.  The people of the great city did not know him.  They did not understand why there was so much of a uproar about this man that no one knew.

Yet it was those who lived on the outside of the city, those little ones who had seen the miracles, heard the words, followed his teachings, that knew him, worshiped him, and praised him as the new leader of the people.  He cleansed the temple, taught the people in the temple, and criticized the leaders on their two faced behavior.  The leaders rejected the corner stone but it would crush them and ground them to dust.  He gave them opportunity to understand.  But they could not and would not understand.  He spoke in common terms that they would understand.  They were blinded, deaf, and were not allowed to understand, until at last the word got through and they were angry.  They sought to beat him but:  "They feared the people, because they regarded him as a prophet." 

We are the sheep and we follow what is given to us.  We are given our way of life, how to think, what we believe, who we accept and deny.  All of that which we are today is given to us by our surroundings.  People live in different environments today all over this earth and have different ways to live, think, behave, and ways of being who they are.  People in India may have some similarities to the way people in America think but overall they are entirely different cultures.  The environment makes who we are and what we believe.  But we have choices.  We can change.  

Change can come in many forms.  It can come through a critical process of thinking, we decide to change without any outside influence.  Change can come through a force that causes us to make the decision to do away with our old behavior and adapt a new one because there is pain with the old behavior.  Change can come through association with others who we follow that seem to have a better way of living, so we go along with the influence of others.  Change can come through enlightenment, a revelation that we have that brings us to a new way of thinking, of believing, of seeing the world.

We can be locked in on our beliefs that change can not be affected.  We can be so influenced by our way of life that nothing can bring about change in us because we refuse to believe.  We can be blinded by others that their way is better than any change that we may seek, so we remain unchanged.  Ultimately the choice is ours to follow.  The choice is ours to want to change or not.  The option is ours but the opportunity is present for us to see or not to see.  The opportunity is there for us to believe or not to believe.  The opportunity is present for all because we have a God who loves what he has created and wants all to have the opportunity to experience his love and compassion.

There is so much pain and suffering in the world one has to ask why do we have a God who would allow such suffering to happen.  Who are we to question the ways of our Father for he was here before us.  He created the universe before we were a thought in his mind.  He created the earth and the heavens.  He gave life to the world with trees and birds and animals of all sorts.  He carved man out of the dust and gave life to him and the spirit of himself that we may have his image within us.  It is he that lives through all eternity, even unto today.  And it is he that gives all the opportunity because he loves so much that which he has created.  The Prophet calls but we must be able to hear his call.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage nd then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ .   The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in. 

St. Matthew, Chapter 21, verses: 43a; The Kingdom.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Application of the parable) Part 3. 

The leaders, the priest, and the elders are being told by Christ their fate.  Those who would corrupt the fruit for their own desires are being given a warning.  They are the ones who were put in charge of the vineyard.  They are the ones who were supposed to till the soil and trim the weeds so that the fruit would grow uninhibited.  But they saw the fruit as their own.  They saw the fruit as an opportunity to fulfill their own dreams of wealth and power.  So they cultivated and prepared the fruit so that it would provide them with the desires of their heart, all in the name of the Lord.

Israel was a chosen people.  They were special in the eyes of the Lord.  He came down from heaven to provide for them, to care for them, as a mother hen would care for her chicks.  Yet they rebelled.  They decided their own rules and laws contrary to the laws given them by the Lord.  Their leaders became filled with power and pride and considered themselves above the Law of the common man.  So Christ told them:  "Therefore I say to you, that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you." 

Our religious leaders have a special place in the heart of God.  They are the ones we look up to.  They are the ones that we turn to for guidance.  They provide us with our daily lessons that instruct us how to live.  We follow their example in all that we do.  We are the sheep and they are the shepherds.  We hear their voice and we follow.  God has called them to lead us and to guide us along the way.  He has given them special training and leadership skills.  And they are the vine-dressers that bring forth the fruit from the vineyard.

Do we know who we are?  Do we know that we are the sheep?  Do we believe that our leaders are the shepherds that we are to follow?  Or are there doubts as to who leads us and the example that they give?  Pray that you may know the truth of who you are.  Pray that your eyes may be opened as to who leads you and how you follow.  Pray that you may see the light that is within you and know that you are the beloved of God.  Then you will know the truth of who you are and where you belong. 

God will send you the Advocate.  The Advocate will lead you and guide you to find the place where you belong.  He will show you that place where you can grow and become the fruit that your Father has planted within you.  You are a child of God and his love is within you.  He will provide.  He will protect.  He will show you the way to a new path in life that you may live according to the abundance that he has given you.  Look around you and see.  Is this the place that you want to be?  Do you yearn for something more?  Pray that he will guide you!  Pray that he will show you the way!  Pray and listen for his guidance for he will hear you!

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage nd then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ .   The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in. 

St Matthew, Chapter 20, verse: 7a, No Man to hire.

Our paragraph topic is: (Parable of the laborers in the vineyard) Part 8. 

We continue with the parable of the laborers.  Christ relates this story to his disciples that they may have a better understanding of the kingdom of heaven.  Many times telling directly does not register but relating in a parable or a story goes into memory without having to be understood and later the meaning reveals itself.  This is how Christ taught his disciples and he teaches us today.

We are the sheep and he is the shepherd.  But there is a wolf that wants to scatter.  There is a wolf that wants to separate so that he may devour those that go astray.  Christ is here to protect, to provide, to love that which belongs to him and not to the wolf.  So he tells his disciples this simple story that they may have insight, that they may have understanding, that they may have truth of who they are in him.  In the story the house-holder asked the men in the market place why they stood about idle.  "They said to him, 'Because no man has hired us.' "  

Why do we stand about idle?  Why do we wait on man to give us something to do?  Why do we depend on that which can not as opposed to that which can?  We are independent of man and dependent on God our Father.  He will provide.  He will protect.  He will give all that is needed to survive in this world.  And yet we have not recollection of that fact.  We are not given that understanding.  We are not raised with the knowledge that God will provide.  We are given that we must strive and work and be our best that we may succeed.

And yet all that is needed is already given to us.  All that is required is provided if we only knew.  We go out into the world believing that we can have all that we see and desire.  We see the glitz and glamour of the world and we forget that we are children of God our Father.  He it is that gave us life.  He it is that provides for us.  He it is that loves us so much that he sacrificed his most precious son that we may have life.

We were dead.  We lost our life.  We transgressed and were punished by the judge.  But the judge was lenient.  The judge was merciful.  The judge was loving and he sought to give us another chance to have life again.  We wait idly for the world to provide for us but the world can only provide death.  We wait idly for the world to save us but the world can only condemn us.  We wait idly for the world to protect us but the world will only destroy us.  And we miss the opportunity to receive the grace of God our Father who loves us.  Do not get caught by the thief unaware.  Do not slip away without asking for forgiveness.  Do not let the temptation of man's knowledge block faith and hope from entering. 

We are not physical.  We live in a physical world but we are spiritual beings living in a physical shell.  We are created in the image and likeness of a spiritual God.  We are spirits within.  The light of life is within us if we only seek to know it.  The light of life is within us if we only believe.  The light of life is upon us if we only open ourselves to what has been given us.  Christ came that we would know.  Christ  died that we would have.  Christ  arose and ascended that we would believe in him and in the Father.  Lean not upon man but upon that which is real, that which will provide, that which loves eternally.  Lean upon God and know that he will hire.

Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage and then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ. The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you.  Open the door and let him in.

St Matthew, Chapter 10, verse: 16b, The Enemy

Our paragraph topic is:  (Opposition foretold) Part 2.  

Christ has told his disciples about the ravenous attitude of the enemy.  They are like wolves and he is sending them among them.  He wants them to appear as sheep.  He wants them to be disguised so that the enemy will not recognize them.  He wants them to have an advantage.  The enemy knows Christ.  They can spot him from far off.  His spirit is the light of the world.  But the disciples are just beginning to obtain their light and it does not shine as brightly as the light of Christ.  So he is instructing his disciples on how to appear before the enemy.  He tells his disciples,  "Be therefore wise as serpents."  

Now serpents are cunning creatures.  They slither on the ground with amazing swiftness and they strike with lightning speed, delivering a venom that is deadly to humans.  But the important thing about serpents is that you seldom see them.  You may walk upon one in the wild, not having any indication of its presence.  You may walk past one not knowing that it is there, hidden under a log or a bush.  You may even step on one, at which time you will feel its presence in a bite.  But most serpents seldom just stroll around in the open to be discovered by humans.  To find a snake you have to go hunt for them.  Their amazing senses alert them to oncoming danger and gives them an advantage to seeking their pray.  

So Christ in telling his disciples to be wise as serpents.  He is telling them to consider the serpent and keep themselves hidden.  He wants them to proclaim the kingdom of heaven but he wants them to not do so that it attracks so much attention that they are discovered.  Do not go out and seek to be the next rock star.  Do not go out and seek to be the next American Idol.  Consider the serpent.  He keeps himself hidden, either purposely through the use of his senses or through camouflage.  The mission of the disciple is not one of fame and fortune.  It is one of camouflage and battle, detection and advantage.  Be wise as serpents!!

Christ also tells his disciples,  "Be therefore guileless as doves."   He wants his disciples to be straighforward, frank, and without deception.  Doves are harmless creatures.  They are creatures that envoke love.  So Christ instructs his disciples to be the same as doves, sincere, honest, and without cunning.  Their mission is not to deceive the people.  Their mission is one of love and peace.  They bring the good news of the kingdom of heaven to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  They are to gather, not to scatter.  They are to love, not to hate.  They are to bring life, not to destroy.  The come to restore hope in the Lord God Jehovah. 

The enemy is watching.  The enemy is waiting.  The enemy will seek to turn them around.  The enemy will fight to maintain their stronghold on the people.  But the disciples have been trained and are ready to do battle.  We live in a society today where cunning and deception are accepted traits.  Can you be wise as a serpent and guiless as a dove for Christ? 
  

St Matthew, Chapter 10, verse: 16a, The Enemy

Our paragraph topic is:  (Opposition foretold) Part 1.  

Christ now instructs his disciples about the enemy that they will face.  He tells them that he is sending them into the midst of the enemy clothed as sheep.  He tells them that they will be in the midst of wolves.  He wants them to know who they will face.  Christ says to his disciples,  "Behold, I am sending you forth like sheep in the midst of wolves."   He wants his disciples to appear as sheep to the enemy.  He wants them to be disguised as timid.  He wants them to appear as prey to the wolves that they will encounter in the villages and towns they will travel on their solo journey.

The lines are drawn and the battle is set.  The disciples have had their training and instructions on the enemy.  Christ knows that the evil one has taken over the towns and villages.  He knows that the enemy is well entrenched in the people.  And he knows the type of enemy that his disciples will face.  So he tells them how the battle will begin and how they will encounter the enemy.  A sheep is like dinner to wolves.  And to have one enter into their den is like heaven sent.  It's like the poor animal got lost and just wondered into their midst, onto their plate for dinner.  Seeing this the wolves will be watering at the mouth ready to tear the sheep apart.  But little do they know that beneath the wool of the sheep is a lion waiting to devour them, to scatter them, and put them to the test.

So Christ has given his disciples instructions on what to wear, what to take with them and what not to take.  He tells his disciples go barefoot into the den of the wolves.  They will not see them coming and they will not suspect the outcome.  He has told them that wherever they go, preach the kingdom of heaven.  To the wolves everyone who claims to be spiritual is no match for them.  For they have tricks to deal with the local priests and rabbis.  They know how to take care of that type of person.  They know what to do to turn them around.  They know that the local preacher has no power compared to what they have done to others in the past. 

So the wolves of the towns and villages see a rabbi coming.  They see a preacher coming.  They see a fool coming into their midst and they are laughing among themselves because they will be able to deal with this person.  Little do the wolves know that the disciples have the power of Christ with them.  Little do the wolves know that Christ has given them the power to cast out the wolves.  He has given them the power to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cure the lame.  So they are in for a surprise.  Christ has given them the power to bring hope back to the people, which is what the wolves do not want to happen.

So, we see this battle beginning to unfold.  We see the tactics that will be used by the disciples and we come to know the ravenous behavior of the enemy that they will face.  Christ wants to give you power to face the enemy.  He wants to give us, the power to cast out demons, heal the sick, raise the dead, cure the lame.  He wants to prepare you to be a warrior for him, to fight today's enemy.  The task is not easy.  The reward is great and the victory is yours.  Come, gather up the words of Christ and make them your stronghold.  Feed upon his power and prepare for battle with the wolves of today who would steal, kill, and destroy the children of the kingdom.  Are you ready to join the team of the elite?  Are you ready to accept your orders for battle in the army of Christ???  Come!!!   Join the team!!!