Our paragraph topic is: (Parable of the laborers in the vineyard) Part 6.
We were listening to Christ telling his disciples the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. He had previously told them how riches would hinder one from entering the kingdom. He is teaching his disciples about a new place. He wants them to understand that the kingdom is different from anything that they know. It is not like what they know here on earth. One cannot think about heaven in the same light as one would think of a place here on earth. Heaven is a spiritual place. It is a place of peace. It is a place of glory, and majesty, and love. And the human imagination has no reference to compare with.
There are rules to entering. We entered the earth through our parents. They brought us into the physical world. Yet we are given spiritual life through God our Father. He gave us life for a purpose. He loved us enough that he wanted to share his love. And he is merciful enough that he forgave our trespasses. Christ tells his disciples of this parable of the laborers because he wants us to understand our part. He wants us to know what we have to do to participate in the kingdom of heaven. As he told his disciples: "But about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing about."
Are we standing about with nothing to do? Are we idle workers seeking work? Have we been called to work in the vineyard? What is your purpose? What is your job? What has the spirit given you to do in the vineyard? Are you collecting the grapes? Are you picking the grapes? Are you the one that carries the grapes to the wine press? Or are you the one that works the press to tamp out the wine? We all have a purpose. We all have an assignment. We all are workers in the vineyard if we are believers.
If you believe in your heart that Christ
is the son of God our Father and that he came down from heaven to sacrifice for our sins, then you are a worker. The question is, are you working or are you idle. Do you only work on Sundays or are you a 24/7 worker? Do you feed the hungry when the opportunity arises or do you pass them over? Do you lend a helping hand or do you turn the other way when a hand is needed? Do you have the love of Christ within you or is that something that comes out only with church members? Do you share the love that is within you with those who are down and out without hope?
Being a worker in the vineyard only means that it is in your heart. Being a worker in the vineyard means that the love and the spirit of Christ is within you. Being a worker in the vineyard means that the passion that Christ has for each and every one of us, is seen in the drunk on the street, to the dope addict, to the beggar, to the thief, to the ones who has lost their way, to the prostitute. We are all children of our Father in heaven. He gave us life from nothing. We did not exist. We had no form or shape or life or purpose until that moment when he commanded that we have life.
And here we are today, living in this physical form that we may experience the physical realm and choose who we are. Are we the children of God our Father or are we just the physical embodiment of ourselves? The spirit lives within. But the physical is what we experience. In that spirit lives the life that is given us by our Father. In that physical body lives the spirit of who we are. And in that body lives that light of the life that we are, waiting for that time when we transition into the glorious beings that our Father has given life to.
The work of the spirit is within us. The acknowledgement of the spirit is upon each of us. The knowledge of who we are is open to each of us. And that knowledge will open our eyes to the beings we are, transforming us to workers in the vineyard of Christ. When the truth of who you are in Christ comes upon you, the light of life shines within you. And your light glows from the love that comes from God our Father. For from him, and through him, and with him we are transformed into more than just the physical. We become the lights of the world that shine for others to see in the darkness. Open your heart to the truth! You are the light of the world. Let your light shine for all to see.
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.
Our paragraph topic is: (Fraternal correction) Part 2.
Christ continues to instruct his disciples on the importance of correction. He wants them to understand how to approach one in sin. He wants to teach them how to help each other when sin comes into the relationship. For sin will come. And sin will cause one to fall, sin will cause one to fail, sin will cause one to stray. But it is with the help of their brothers and sisters that they can overcome sin, they will cast out sin, they can be brought back to Christ.
For he told them that one must approach thy brother alone and show him/her their faults. Do not talk behind their backs. Do not talk with others about their sin. Do not write about it, text about it, discuss it with your friends. For Christ has given them the blueprint of how to overcome sin. Go and speak with thy brother/sister face to face about their sin. For the purpose is to confront sin. The purpose is to win back. The purpose is to show love to thy brother/sister that will allow them the opportunity to come back to you. The purpose is to win thy brother/sister back from sin. Christ told them: "If he listen to thee, thou hast won thy brother."
Love thy brother. Win thy brother. Show thy brother the fault, face to face, that they may have the opportunity to turn back from sin. For sin will come. Sin will tempt. Sin will try to take away thy brother/sister. But it is up to you, it is your responsibility to confront sin. It is your duty to win back. It is your love of the Father that seeks to show the truth of the circumstances. Christ has given to us the light of the Holy Spirit to guide us in our daily lives here on earth. For we are aliens, not of this world. We are citizens of heaven belonging to our Holy Father who created us. And it is that knowledge that will guide us, protect us, show us the way when sin comes to tempt us.
Some may understand. Some may know. Some may see the truth of the light of who they are. It is up to those who know the truth to show the ways of sin. Not preaching. Not teaching. But through the love that is within does one demonstrate. Through the love that comes from God does one enlighten. Through the love that is our nature as citizens of heaven that empower us to shine forth through the darkness, through the deceit, through the lies, the lust, through all the tricks and traps of sin. It is through love that comes from the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit that empowers us to overcome.
From that spirit of love we were created. It is through love that we conquer sin. It is through love that we seek to share the truth of who we are. It is through love that we hope to win our brothers and sisters. For they are lost. They are asleep. They walk the wide path to destruction without the knowledge of who they are within. Come! Seek the knowledge that is promised to you. Know the truth that Christ has given you. Receive the love that the Father showers upon you, simply by asking to know him. The desires that the world has to offer cannot compare to the satisfaction that awaits you in Christ. The desires of the world cannot compare to the all fulfilling love of the Father. The Holy Spirit awaits your beckon. Open the door and let him in.
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.
Our paragraph topic is: (Against ambition) Part 1.
So the disciples were in the house with Jesus. Simon Peter was off fishing to deal with his thoughts of anger and frustration with the taxing system. But the others were debating and dealing with other issues. Satan was at work, never resting. He was dividing. He was instigating, he was seeking ways to turn the disciples away from Christ so that he could use them for his own purposes.
The disciples were young in the spirit. They did not completely understand what they were doing or who they were dealing with. It was spiritual warfare and Satan was on the prowl. He could not directly affect the disciples because of Christ but he could influence them with little suggestions. He could plant thoughts in their minds. He could give them ideas like seeds that would grow and fester in their minds until they became full blown thoughts that would lead to actions that were against the spirit. So, at that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?"
Who is the greatest? Who is the best? Who is the prettiest? Who is the strongest? We could think about all these superlatives all day and wonder where we fit in the grand scheme of things. What are our greatest qualities? How can we maximize upon these qualities to get ahead, to make ourselves noticed, to put us above the rest of the crowd. Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven? The disciples discussed this question among themselves and wanted to know the answer. They thought about and argued the question among themselves with each having their own opinion as to the answer. And while they were arguing the answer Satan was working in their midst.
We all want to feel proud. It is a natural human emotion that makes us feel good about ourselves while at the same time making us feel bad about ourselves. For in considering the question of what we have done and what we have accomplished, we can also think about what we have not done and what we have not accomplished. We are proud of what we have. We are proud of who we are in the community. We are proud of our accomplishments, our titles, our homes, our cars, our clothes, how we look, our physical being, and all the things that will make us feel good about who we are and how other people will see us. We are proud of the physical and not the spiritual.
For how can we be proud of the spiritual? How can we have others see the spiritual being that we are and make us feel proud that we are spiritual? Do we become religious? Do we become knowledgeable of the scriptures that we can show others our spiritual growth? Do we speak of religious things among our friends and associates that we can demonstrate our spiritual being? Do we do all these things that we may become spiritually proud of who we are? Only God sees our true spirit. Only God knows what is in our hearts.
Only God is the true cause of how we feel about who we are.
For it is the truth of the knowledge of who we are in Christ Jesus that leads us to know the true nature of our being. And without the knowledge of our spirit we are still just physical beings, lost in the physical world. We are spiritual beings not knowing the light of the spirit that is within us. We are spiritual beings unable to perceive the light within us, unable to see the light of life given us by Christ Jesus through his sacrifice. And without true knowledge we are walking in darkness, simply physical beings.
Christ told us that the eye is the lamp of body and if the eye is sound then the body will be full of light. Do you have a sound eye? Can you not see the light within you? Do you not know the light of your soul? Come! Follow the path before you. See the spirit that you are. Know the light of Christ that is within you and you will no longer be in darkness. Christ has opened the door for you. He has given the path to walk. He will come and send the Holy Spirit to be with you for the rest of your days, if you simply ask.
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.
Our paragraph topic is: (Why the disciples could not cure him) Part 3.
Try as they might the disciples were not successful. They were unable to remove the demon from the child. The father begged them. They tried all they knew. They remembered that Christ had given them powers to cast out demons as they entered the towns and villages going before him. But this was different and they did not understand why. Christ had given them powers to do the work and now that the work was completed they did not have the power. They could not cast out this demon. What was different?
Did they not continue to have the power? Was the power taken away? Was the power only temporary? What was happening? They asked Christ why and he told them of their little faith. He told them that even though he had given them the power to cast out demons in his name they lacked faith. Their faith was so empty that it could be compared to that of a mustard seed. Yet with only a small amount of faith, the size of a mustard seed even, they could move mountains. He told them: "You will say to this mountain,
'Remove from here'; and it will remove."
How do you say to a mountain 'Remove from here?' How do you mentally speak something that mentally you know is impossible? How do you begin to believe that such a thing is possible? We dream, we fantasize, we create heroes and monsters in our minds and bring them to life in the movies and in books and magazines and they are capable of doing the impossible. But all this, we know, is only fantasy, make believe, wishful thinking. All those dreams and desires and impossible things that we would like to happen in our lives and in the world, are only ideas and thought within our heads. We do not envision that we will ever have the power to do the things that we dream of. Yet they are the desires of our hearts, things that we would like to do, powers that we would like to have.
We have read the stories in the Bible where Moses parted the Red Sea to allow the Israelites to escape from the Egyptian armies. We have read about the Manna from heaven. We have read about the water that came from the rock. Do we believe in the stories that we read about in the Bible or are they just fiction? Our minds have sought to make sense of the miracles that we have read. Even through scientific evidence, we have attempted to prove these things happened naturally without the intervention of God. So we fall short of true belief, fall short of true faith, and have not the faith of a mustard seed because of what our physical belief tells us is impossible.
I have not tried to speak to a mountain to have it moved. I have not tried to do things that would seem unnatural. But I know that I have faith. I know that I am loved. I know that the spirit of Christ lives within me. And I believe that through Him nothing is impossible. Will I try to prove it? Do I have to prove it to know that it is possible? Do I have to see with my own eyes, to feel with my own body, to smell with my own sense of smell, to know that it is possible? No! But that does not stop me from knowing that I have the faith to believe with certainty, with the faith of a mustard seed, that all things are possible with God. And there is the difference. We seem to know through our physical being but we lack the certainty to believe within our spiritual being. For it is through the spirit that we have certainty. It is through the spirit that we see who we are. It is through the spirit that we transform ourselves beyond the physical being to who we are in the spirit.
We are created in the image and likeness of our father. He gave us life. He gave us breath. And he gave us the physical, to experience who we are in him. It is not through the physical that we are. It is not through our arms and our legs, and our physical ability that we exist. It is only through the spiritual being that is within the physical that we are. Are you dead to the spirit? Do you not know that you are a spiritual being and not a physical being? Can you not see the spirit within, to know? Do you not have the light of Christ within you that you might
see who you are? Come! Walk with me on this journey! Experience the truth of who you are. Know the true light that is within you and you will see for yourself that you too can have the power to say to mountains to remove from here and it will be done for you. Christ loves you so much that to experience his love will overwhelm you. He is our desire. He is our fulfillment. He is our love, our protection, our provision. Open the door and let him in. Follow the path set before you and see the light within.
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.
Our paragraph topic is: (Jesus transfigured) Part 5.
And the voice of God spoke from the bright cloud. The voice spoke to the disciples telling them to hear Christ. God spoke to them telling them that Christ was his beloved son and that he was well pleased with him. They did not know where the voice came from. They did not know how it spoke to them. They did not know how they were hearing this voice. All they knew was that it spoke to them telling them to hear him.
Did they not hear him before? Were they not listening to him all this time? They walked with him everyday. They talked with him everyday. They slept with him, eat with him, listened to him preach, saw him work miracles, everyday. So why did they not hear him? Why did they not listen to him? Why did they not know him in their hearts that God the father had to tell them to hear him? God spoke directly to them, and them only, that they should know the truth of who Christ was. And they heard the voice of God speak to them. But it was this voice that made them tremble. It was this voice that caused them to fear. It was this voice that brought them to their knees and made them fall to their faces with fear. And on
hearing it the disciples fell on their faces and were exceedingly afraid.
Christ loved his disciples. He watched over them. He fed them, made sure that they had food to eat and wine to drink. He protected them from the evil that sought to destroy them. And he nurtured them for they would become the future leaders of the church here on earth and would bear witness to his life, death, and resurrection. But they did not hear him. They were not listening to him. They did not understand him with the knowledge and certainty of a truth taken from the world we live in. It was only after the coming of the Holy Spirit that they knew him with certainty, only after his death and resurrection.
We know with certainty that the wind blows. We know with certainty that the seasons change. It gets cold in the winter and hot in the summer. We know that there is gravity that will cause us to fall from high places. These things and more, we know with certainty because we have experienced them with our bodies. But then there are those things that we do not know with the certainty that we know worldly truths. We believe that Christ lives. We believe that we will come to live with him after we die. We believe that there is a heaven where all God's children will go to, to live for eternity. We know that there is evil in the world because we see it and experience it everyday in our lives. Most of us do not know it directly but hear of it and see it on the news and in the media. We believe that Satan does exist but we do not know it the way we know the things of this world.
The disciples heard God speak of his son. The disciples were told to hear him. The disciples were listening but were not hearing. Why do we not hear today? What stops us from knowing? Can we not know the truth of Christ as we know the things of the world? Is it not possible for us to have the certainty in our beliefs as we have about worldly things. You see, we have our inner beliefs and we have our inner counter beliefs. Evil is in the world and evil influences us from within. We believe the truths that God has given us through Christ Jesus and then we are given doubts. We know within ourselves that Christ lives but evil would have us doubt. Evil would have us disbelieve. Evil would have us not know with certainty Christ Jesus.
With the certainty of the spiritual knowledge of Christ and the life that he has given us, we know no doubt. With the certainty of the truth that comes from the Holy Spirit we know who we are. But evil will plague us. Evil will continue to throw darts. Evil will continue to talk to us and set traps to catch us off guard. For evil wants us to doubt. Evil wants us to question. Evil wants us to ask what if. Evil wants us to not know with certainty who we are in Christ. For with certainty comes power. With certainty comes wisdom. With certainty the light within us is born and we know who we are without doubt, without uncertainty.
Christ knew who he was. Evil knew who he was also and sought to announce to it the world. But Christ would not have his name proclaimed for fame and fortune. He was not of this world and sought not the false riches of this realm. Christ was from the Father and so are we. Yet we do not know who we are or where we are from. And evil would not have us know. God , our father, proclaimed to the disciples to hear his son for they heard so much more. They heard Christ. They heard the people. They heard evil speak to them from within themselves. Just as we do today, they did then. Defend yourself! Stand up to the doubts of evil! Know with certainty that Christ is within you and you are within him. Seek the light given to you, for it is the key that opens the door of the certainty of who you are. Christ told us: "The eye is the lamp of the body and if the eye is sound then the body is full of light." Find your light within and know the truth of who you are in Christ. For certainty is the key to the power that Christ has given you in this life.
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!
