Our paragraph topic is: (The authority of Jesus) Part 4.
Shocked by his response, the chief priest and elders were in turn asked to answer a question before their question was answered. They wanted to know the origin of Christ. They wanted to know where he was taught, who taught him, what school he attended, where did he obtain such knowledge.
They were angry and indignant at him and his teachings. He captivated the people. The people were drawn to him, listened intently, more than they had listened to the priests and the elders. More than that his words stayed with them long after they were spoken and were pasted on to others. They Word spread. So the dilemma to the question: "Whence was the baptism of John? from heaven, or from men?"
Most of the common people knew and believed that John the Baptist was anointed, a prophet. He inspired the people from near and far to come and repent of their sins. He was the one written of in the Bible as the messenger who came before the coming of the Messiah. Yet here were the chief priests and the elders, learned men, who knew and studied the Law and the books of the Bible, faced with the question of the origin of John the Baptist. How could they answer? How could they speak of this prophet? How should they respond?
We are faced with a similar question today: Is Christ the Son of God or is he just the son of Mary and Joseph? The question goes to the core of what we believe today, or values, our hopes, our dreams, our life, and our being. If he is the Son of God and the writings of the Bible are true then we can have faith and hope in what was written. If he was the son of Mary and Joseph, just a man, then those writings are fiction and not believable.
Where lies the truth? From what realm do we operate our lives? How do we fit what we know and what we believe in the world we live in? Is it a mystery, something that we cannot fathom and must store in our minds as a mystery, not to be questioned, only to be accepted? There is the world around us that we accept with truth and fact, facts that we see everyday. Then there is belief, a leap beyond facts and what we can see and feel daily. And it is that leap that allows us to go beyond the everyday, the mundane, the mysterious.
Some have that ability to leap. Some do not. Some only rely on facts that they can see and feel and know within themselves. But those who have that ability can do more than see and feel. They can understand the life within. They can see the truth of what was sacrificed and what was given. For we are two in one. We are spiritual in the physical. We are eternal and perishable. We are children of the one who created us in his image and likeness. And it is that image and likeness that Christ came to restore to those who can make the leap, to those who can believe, to those who know the truth of his passion and the love of God our Father. It is real. It is truth. It is eternal. It is here and now waiting for those to take the leap of faith and believe.
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.
Our paragraph topic is: (Parable of the laborers in the vineyard)
Part 12.
The time has now come for reward. All the laborers are called to receive their payment for their labors. Some have worked from the beginning of the day through the heat and blaring sun. Some have only worked an hour. And the last that were called have hardly worked at all. And now comes the time for reward, the time for payment, the time for the end of the contract.
Christ is telling this parable to his disciples and to those today who are reading his words. There is a message. There is a lesson. There is enlightenment that comes with an inner understanding of the living word. Who will understand? Who will receive the message? Who will be enlightened by the words that are given to us today, passed down through the centuries of written text. The spirit will open the hearts of the chosen that they may see and understand. "Now when they of the eleventh hour came,
they received each a denarius."
The eleventh hour has come. The time for reckoning has come. The time when all work ends. The time for judgment comes. What will you receive? What will I receive? Only the judge knows. Only the house-holder knows. We can imagine that we have done good deeds in our lives. We have tried to follow the commandments. We have done all that was given of us to do. What will we receive?
We do not know of that which has not been given us. We only know that which has been promised to us by Christ's words. He has promised that he will be with us even to the ends of the world. He has promised that he has gone to make a place for us in his father's house that has many mansions. He has promised that he will not leave us orphaned that we will have the advocate that will come to us, to help us, to guide us, to protect us along the way. He has told us not to be anxious, for the Father know of our needs. And he has told us that if we love him and keep his commandments that we will be in him just as he is in the Father.
A denarius is what they received, those who were last. A denarius is what they received, those who started to work at the eleventh hour. A denarius is what they received, those who found work after waiting so long in the market place without giving up hope that they would find work. Are we still hopeful? Are we still faithful that we too will be found? Do we still desire to find our work at the eleventh hour or have we given up in our search?
The eleventh hour comes soon for some. The eleventh hour comes without warning for others. The eleventh hour seems like it will never come and some would take time into their own hands and make the eleventh hour appear for their own purposes. What will you do when the eleventh hour comes? Will you be prepared? Will you be ready?
Remain hopeful and you will find your way. Continue searching and you will find that which is yours. Seek that which is real and meaningful and not that which is temporary, meaningless, and unfulfilling. If your search is real and genuine, you will discover the truth that is waiting for you. It knocks waiting for you to answer. The voice from within calls you to know him. Your heart knows the truth. Open the door and receive your reward.
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:
(Continence preferred to marriage) Part 6.
Christ spoke to his disciples concerning God's law, God's plan for man and woman. He gave them the truth. He gave them knowledge, even though they did not understand it then. He gave them a foundation upon which to build relationships with each other for the future of mankind. He gave them love. For it was through the love from the Father that they would come to understand the truth of God's law concerning marriage.
They thought it was hard. They thought it was difficult. They thought it was extreme. But they did not understand the depth of meaning in what was being given to them. For their eyes were focused upon the physical. Their minds were concerned with the emotional. Their hearts were built upon the passions of the world and not the spiritual being and the nature of God. For God was about to give them new life. He was about to transform them from the dead into the living. And all this was to take place through his son Jesus. So, they did not completely understand. But soon they would completely know, the truth of what they were given. He told them: "Let him accept it who can."
That was his message to his disciples concerning marriage and divorce, adultery and immorality, male and female, one flesh and many flesh. There were eunuchs who were created so. There were eunuchs who were made so. And there were eunuchs who gave of themselves for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Let him accept it who can. Let him who desires to be chosen do so. Let him or her who loves God do so. Let him or her who understands God's plan and God's purpose be so, for the kingdom of heaven. For they are the ones whom the future will be built upon. They are the ones who are planted to yield fruit. They are the ones who were chosen from birth to be the fathers and mothers of men and women for all eternity.
And so the world goes on. The day to day lives of us all are not impacted. We live. We eat. We breathe. We have joy, pain, sorrow, troubles, trials and tribulations and we survive. But amongst all of what we do each day, we are of the world and not in it. For we are spiritual. We are aliens. We are created in his image. And we do not belong here for eternity. This is an awareness that each of us must come to. It is an awareness that we can have now or after now. But the truth still remains as to who we are.
Christ came that we would have the opportunity to be aware. He came that our eyes would be opened if we chose to see. He came that the truth would be there if we sought it. Whether we believe or not, the truth is still present. And our awareness of the truth will happen. The joy in that truth is in the now. The happiness in that truth is today. The peace in that truth is in his presence. Are you ready to see? Are you ready to believe? Are you ready to know? The love of his presence awaits, you and only you, both male and female. Come! Let him, or her, accept it who can!
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: (The servant demands payment)
The kingdom of heaven is likened to a king who desires to settle accounts with his servants. This is the parable that Christ told to his disciples as he was teaching them about forgiveness. He wanted them to have a clear understanding. He wanted them to know. He wanted them to feel within their hearts the meaning of forgiveness. Peter had asked how often they should forgive. And Christ wanted them to understand that there is no limit on forgiveness.
He told them, when the accounts came to be settled, would it show that they had compassion upon their fellow man as the king had upon his servant. Or would they be like the servant who had no compassion upon those that owed him? These are the servants actions. "But as that servant went out, he met one of his fellow-servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and he laid hold of him and throttled him, saying, 'Pay what thou owest.' His fellow-servant therefore fell down and began to entreat him, saying, 'Have patience with me
and I will pay thee all.' But he would not; but went away and cast him into prison until he should pay what was due."
What will you do? Will you be like the servant or will you take the position of the king? God has patience. God has compassion. God is forgiving. God is all knowing. Will you be like God our Father? Will you forgive? Will you have compassion? Will you have patience with your brothers and sisters as they continue in their ways? Will you have love for them as they struggle through the trials and tribulations of life? Will you be an example for them, demonstrating the love the God has for you and the love that your heavenly father has for them?
Our Father waits for us to have knowledge. Our Father waits for us to understand. Our Father waits for us to turn to him and believe. We are drawn by the world and all its glitz and glamour. For we are given to believe that we are successful it. We are given to believe that we can have what it has to offer. We are given to believe that if we only believe hard enough and work long enough that we can have the promises of this life. And when we try and fail who do we turn to? Do we change our game plan? Do we try a different strategy? Do we push the boundaries in our efforts to succeed? And yet we are already successful.
For within us lies the truth of who we are in Christ. And within us lies the truth of our success. Within us is the light of life given us by our father through Christ Jesus. And yet we are not aware of who we are in him simply because we are blinded by the physical. We are blinded by the world. We are raised in an environment that teaches us the rules of this world and not the rules of the spiritual world. The two contradict and conflict. Father have patience with me that I may learn your ways. Father have patience with me that I may understand the truth of who I am. Father forgive me my trespasses and help me to forgive others as you forgive me. Help me to have patience and love that I may see others as you see me.
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 3.
And if thy brother listens then you have won him back. For it is the battle with sin that we wage. It is the temptations that sin brings that causes us to stray. It is the sway of those who have accepted sin in their lives that causes us to run with the crowd. But Christ says to his disciples, win thy brother back. Speak to him face to face. Love him face to face. Offer to him the love and protection that the father gives that he may know the truth. For sin will blind. Sin will corrupt. Sin will turn the soul away from the father and bring judgment.
And if he does not listen to thee, bring others to confirm. Bring others to persuade. Bring others with thee that they may be witnesses to thy brother's/sister's sin. Bring others that they may assist in the fight against sin. The goal is to win back. The fight is with the sin that has taken our brothers and sisters. The battle is not to defame, not to belittle, not to cast out the baby and the bath water. For we love our brothers and our sisters just as we love ourselves. And Christ and the Father loves them more. This is why he spoke to his disciples instructing them to take one or two others with them to speak with thy brother that they may help in the fight against sin. He told them: "But if he do not listen to
thee, take with thee one or two more so that on the word of two or three
witnesses every word may be confirmed.
Sin corrupts the mind and the body. Sin takes hold like an octopus and will not let go. And yet it is the love of Christ that we seek to pass to our beloved brothers and sisters that they may know the truth of who they are in Christ. If they only knew what they do. If they only knew what they for sake. If they only knew what they will receive. It is this knowledge that we seek to give, seek to convey to those that have turned away. For without it we are easily persuaded by sin. Without the truth of who we are in Christ we do not see the light of life that is within us. Without it we do not know the truth of who we are in Christ and we then are easily persuaded by the tricks of sin and the traps of evil.
Evil seeks to turn us away from the light of life. Evil seeks to kill the light of life that is within us and turn us into darkness. For darkness can live within us just as the light of life is who we are. God created us in his image and likeness and gave us the light of life that we may know who we are. The Holy Spirit will come and reside with those who seek him. The Holy Spirit will come and protect those who want to know him. The Holy Spirit will come and provide for those who love him. For Christ has told us that he will not leave us as orphans but will send the Advocate to be with us.
Fight the good fight. Seek the truth of who you are in Christ and you will know the light of life. For you are an alien in this world. You are a resident of heaven and are only here to carry the message that Christ lives and Christ loves and Christ provides. Be the light that shines upon the hill that everyone can see. Turn away from the temptations of sin and turn to the light of life that is within you. Seek to know the truth that is within your heart. God loves you. Christ sacrificed for you. The Holy Spirit will come to you and then you will know the truth of who you are in Christ. Come! Follow the path before you. Life has been given to me and I seek to show you the path that has been given me to follow. Great is the way of the Lord.
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: (The lost sheep) Part 3.
What do you think, Christ asked his disciples? Why do you think that he came to earth? He wanted to have them speak what was in their minds. He wanted his disciples to understand the true reason of his coming. Though they did not know, he told them. He gave them the key to opening the doors of heaven. He told them how they should turn from the ways of the world and seek the knowledge held by little children. For the little children were the example that Christ put before his disciples that they could see who they were to become.
Little ones, he said. Precious ones, he knew them as. Loved ones, as he saw them through the eyes of the father. Protected ones, by the angels themselves in heaven, guarded by the knowledge of God himself. For Christ came to collect. He came to return what was lost. He came to reclaim that which did not belong here on earth but belong in heaven and he wanted his disciples to know. He told them. He gave them examples. And he demonstrated the love for them through a parable. "What do you think?", he asked his disciples. And he continued to demonstrate his passion: "If a man have a hundred sheep, and one
of them stray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the mountains, and go in search of the one that
has strayed? And if he happen to find it, amen I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray."
And so it was given to the disciples to understand the tremendous love that a man has for his one lost sheep. And they understood the love that the Father has for mankind, his lost sheep, his lost little ones, his lost children. For we are the ones that were lost. We are the ones that strayed. We are the ones that he loves so dearly that he sent his son to reclaim us. For Our Father is a merciful father. Our Father is a loving father. Our Father is a forgiving father. For he understands who are his children and he understands the mistakes that they will make. And despite our mistakes, our errors, our downfalls, he still loves us.
We are brought into this world to experience life. For we were not. We knew not. We did not until we were given life. But there are those who came before us. Those that had life before we were. Those that would steal us away from the Father. So the choice is ours to make. But we must understand clearly the choice that we make. We must know the truth of our actions. We must know the truth of who we are. For without the truth we are misled. Without the truth we are swayed. Without the truth we are stolen, not knowing who we are, not knowing the life that we have, not knowing the destiny that is ours in the Father.
We live in a world but are not of the world. We see ourselves as physical but we are not physical. We believe in the things of the world but we are in disbelief of who we are because this is the misinformation that we are given, the misinformation that we are fed, the misinformation that programs us from birth. But God is with us. Christ came for us. The Holy Spirit will be with us, if we choose.
Wake up from your sleep and see the truth before you. Let not the influence of the mind stop you. For the evil of the world will invade the mind. The evil of the world will persuade the mind. The evil of the world will turn the mind away from the truth that is in the heart. Open the heart to Christ and you will find all that the heart desires. For Christ is our truth. Christ is our satisfaction. Christ is our peace. Christ is our love, and our protection, our provider. He will give all. He will show all. He will lead you and guide you so that there is nothing that will sway you again to the world. Come! Open the heart to Christ and receive the Holy Spirit. For Christ loves you. The Father adores you. And the Holy Spirit will be with you all the days of your life. Amen.
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 3.
And Peter, seeing the past leaders of the house of Israel speaking to Jesus, did not know what to say. He had awaken from sleep when he beheld this vision. He had heard the voices of those that he had not heard before. He was seeing a vision that no one had seen before. And so where the other disciples, seeing Moses and Elias, whom they knew were dead speaking to Jesus as though they were still alive. And they beheld the beatific vision of Christ transformed. They had spent years at his side. They had heard him speak on countless occasions. They saw him day and night speaking, teaching, healing, and comforting the people, but never had they seen him like this.
Jesus transformed, before their very eyes. Jesus was glorified like they had not seen him or known him before. They were in awe. They were stunned. They were surprised. All this time his true nature was hidden from them and they had no idea. And then there was Moses and Elias appearing with him, before their very eyes. One can only imagine their state of mind when this happened. And then Peter spoke. He spoke out of awkwardness. He spoke out of passion. He spoke out of love. He spoke out of a need to speak, a desire to affirm to himself what he was witnessing and experiencing. Then Peter addressed Jesus, saying, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If thou wilt, let us set up three tents here, one for thee, one for Moses, and one for Elias."
What would you do if you had a vision of Christ glorified? What would you think? Is it real or is it a dream? Can you believe what you are seeing? Can you believe what you are thinking? We read the Bible and believe its truth. We seek meaning in its words, the Living Words of God through Christ Jesus. What do they say? What do they mean? What understanding can we gain from what we read? How does it all apply to our lives today? Some would say that there is no application. Some would say that the Bible is a book of history written two thousand years ago, different time, different place, ancient history. Does the Bible speak to you?
Christ walked, talked, eat, slept, drank with, and loved his disciples. Yet during all that time they did not know him. During all that time they did not see him in his true nature. Can we say the same today? His words speak to us from a book that has been passed down through ages, written and re-written, translated and reconfigured, different meaning and new meanings added. Yet, is the message getting through to us that gives us truth, a truth that never changes no matter how it has been changed. The heart is the key that opens our mind to the possibilities of understanding. For it is through the heart and with the heart that we are open to the realm of the spiritual life that is within us.
Not by math, nor science, nor logic, but only by and through the truth hidden for ages through the wisdom of God can we come to know who we are. Search we must. Desire is essential. Repentance is the foundation. And understanding what the heart knows is the key that opens the door to new life here in this realm. All things have been given to us by our loving Father. Yet through our ignorance and deceitful blindness do we seek to have all things to ourselves. The three disciples saw what they had not seen before during all of their experiences with Christ. And we, during all our searching through life, may miss the truth of the light within, the truth of the life within us.
Christ told us, in his words, how to find it. He told us where to look. He gave us the key to see and know who we are. Yet we turn the other way because that is what we have been given in this world. Seek and ye shall find. Knock and it shall be opened to you. Ask and it shall be given you. What do you seek? Do you seek money? Do you seek fame? Do you seek honor and glory? Do you seek the worldly possession that this life has to offer? Continue to seek those things and you will miss the the truth of who you are and the treasure that awaits you. Life, has been given me. Light, has brighten my path. I only point the way. It is up to you to follow what is before you. Christ awaits you. Jesus loves you and so do I.
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: (Passion and resurrection foretold) Part 3.
And so it was that evil stepped in to make an effort to change the will of God. For Christ had willed that he would establish his church here on this rock and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. But the gates of hell, Satan, and all his minions were upset. They knew what this would mean. They knew that if the church found its footing on this rock then their time here would be limited. And they did not want that to happen. So they began their attack to try and prevent the church from taking hold. And their attack started with the first member,
Simon Peter.
Peter was afraid. He was fearful of the outcome of Christ's journey to Jerusalem. Peter loved Jesus and he did not want to see him suffer and die. But the fear that gripped Peter was only a doorway for evil to come in. And so the door was opened and evil came and took possession of Peter. It came and moved Peter. It came and influenced Peter to take Christ aside. Peter did not know. He did not understand why. He only knew his fear and that he believed that he had to act. But Christ knew the cause of Peter's action. Christ saw the evil that had moved him to action. And Christ spoke directly to that evil, Satan. He turned and said to Peter, " Get behind me, satan, thou
art a scandal to me; for thou dost not mind the things of God, but
those of men."
Christ rebuked Satan in Peter. For Satan had made an effort to change the course of history by influencing Simon Peter. And Christ knowing that he was under the influence of evil, rebuked it and cast it out that Simon Peter may know the truth of his influence. And this is our example today, of how to cast out evil that comes to influence us to go against the will of God. This is our strength to fight the temptations that we face on a daily basis; rebuke the evil in the name of Jesus Christ. Begone from me evil, for you are a scandal to Christ and to me! For evil cannot work without an evildoer. Evil cannot murder, defame, create scandal, lust, commit adultery, slander, or do all sorts of deeds without an evildoer. So evil seeks to influence and then to create action in the person it influences.
Do we accept the influence of evil as our behavior in the world? We are affected by it. We see it everyday. We live with it in our society. We are entertained by it in the media. We absorb it in our everyday lives because it is in the air we breathe and the food we eat, and the cars we drive and the sound we hear, and our every moment of life. And we accept it. Or do we?? It is our norm or life. But Christ rebuked it and we should also. For evil wants to turns us away from God. Evil wants to blind us from the truth of who we are. Evil wants us to accept the norm of our everyday lives and believe that it is OK, it is fun, it is exciting. Is it acceptable and must it be rebuked? How then, can we rebuke something that we are not aware, exists.
We first must awaken to the sounds, the sights, the taste, the smell of evil. We must become aware of what we face. Evil would have us sleeping but we must be awake, eyes fully open, ears fully sensitive to the sounds of evil, and hearts closed to the addiction that it places upon us. For without this awareness we are lost in the trap of this world. And it is not until we face the crossroads and have to decide or until death knocks upon our door that we become aware of our state of our mind and heart. Our hearts go out for those who do not have a choice, where death steals their life and death destroys their opportunity to have eternal happiness with Christ. For Christ came that we may have life and have it more abundantly. So open your eyes, and ears and your heart to the will of Christ. A path has been set before you that you can follow. Christ awaits you and the Holy Spirit welcomes 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 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!
