1-Who created the earth?

GOD——-Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. —-GOD=Elohym=plural more than duo

HOLY SPIRIT———Gen 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.——–

“Moved” Hebrew translation=”broods” as a hen causing her eggs to hatch

JESUS———-Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: ——-Weren’t they created by God and for God? Yes, Jesus is God.

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.

Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Joh 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

Joh 1:14 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——–

Jesus, who is also God, was made flesh and dwelt among us

GOD SHARES HIS GLORY WITH NO ONE (BUT HIMSELF)

Isa 42:8 I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. We see here that God shares His glory with no one yet Jesus is seen many times getting the Glory-here is just one example:

2Co 4:6 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.

Col 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

IS JESUS FOUND IN THE OLD TESTAMENT?

Jesus is very active in the old testament. Besides being found in the places that indicate the plurality of God, He is also known as THE ANGEL OF THE LORD

IN Gen 16:13 And she called the name of the LORD that spoke unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?

She (HAGAR) saw the God who saw her. This God also promised to multiply her seed, something an angel could not do.

In Exo 3:2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

Exo 3:3 And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

Exo 3:4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

Exo 3:5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

Exo 3:6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

Here again we see it was the “Angel of the Lord” that appearer to him in the fire. Then it said God called him from the bush. Verse 3:6 God explains exactly who he is to clarify. Finally we were shown that Moses was afraid to look upon God.

Also in Genesis when Abraham was going to sacrifice his son, it was Jesus, THE ANGEL OF THE LORD that stopped him from harming the boy.

Gen 22:11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.

Gen 22:12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.——FROM ME- Abraham was giving an offering to God-Jesus calls out to Him acknowledging Abraham’s willingness to offer his son to Him (Jesus) GOD

Is there evidence of a Trinity?

Mat 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: ——There is none other conclusion to draw except for the oneness and equality of these three. No one ever said to baptize in the name of the Father, Moses and Peter. You would not put God on an equal footing with man but God is always equal to Himself.

Other evidences would be the “Let us” verses- Gen 1:26 Let us make man in our image. If God created man, who was He speaking to? He is saying here Let us create man in our image.

Gen 11:7 Let us go down and confound their language

Gen 11:8 So the LORD SCATTERED 11:9 The LORD CONFOUNDED——again if “US” is going to confound and it says the “LORD” confounded than the only conclusion is us is the Lord.

The most famous verse: 1Jo 5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

Many will try to twist this verse into something it is not but look at it. It is simply as it says-the three are one.

Why is Jesus called the SON OF GOD?

Because he is. The Angels were made by God. People were made by God. When people get saved they are “adopted” Gal 4:4 But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

Gal 4:5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the “adoption of sons.”

But who was “Begotten”—Jesus— Joh 1:14 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.

This was the “man” part of JESUS. Mat 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

Mary was not the mother of God; she was the mother of Jesus the man.

Jesus the man was begotten just like our children were begotten. He was fully man because of Mary, yet fully God because God the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary.

Finally, Mat 1:23 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.

God is omnipresent—He is everywhere, this verse describes God being with us in the flesh, Jesus. My Lord, My Savior, My GOD!

Many people in today’s economic slump are complaining they have no money yet prior to that slump, how much money were you giving to God’s work?

Statistics will show that there is a direct correlation with giving and getting it back.

Giving is a principle of God. You heard it all before but did you believe it?

Malachi says:Mal 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

Take some time and read the entire book. God wants you to test Him. Give to the work and He will give to you.

You test God everyday so it shouldn’t be difficult for you but, you test Him backwards.

God said:Mal 2:2 If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith the LORD of hosts, I will even send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings: yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart.

Every time you tell God, “Next week, I am getting more money and I will give”. Next week will never come. when you test Him by withholding he responds with your curse.

Who are you serving? God or money?

Bill gates is the richest man in the world. Why? I believe because he is one of the most generous people in the world. It is a Godly principle and even though he is not a Godly man and he does not give to christian organizations,he is acting on the word of God and is receiving the truth of the word.

He gives and he gets.

You will find that those people, Christian and not, who are givers are doing well with their finances.

Now, what to do with your money. The first place it goes is into the Church. That’s your tithes.

There are offerings also as you see fit.

Then there is the mission work of the Lord.

I will ask you to look into our ministry and what we do here in Payatas. wherever you give, make sure

you know where the money is going. Be generous but be aware also.

Please look at our sites at the work we are doing here.
http://www.payatasmissionoutreach.org – 501 ( c ) 3 Non profit

Lev 19:13 Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.

How is it that Christians can rob their neighbor?

There is a sin of commission but also the sin of Omission which basically is refusing to do what you can and should do.

The sin of commission would mean you took a gun , put it to your neighbor’s head and ordered him to give you his money. We all understand that dastardly deed.

However another way of defrauding our neighbor would be to deprive him of something promised or deserved or, looking the other way when they are in need.

In Luke 10:29 a lawyer asked Jesus to clarify just who his neighbor was.

Replying Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan. He explained that a Jew was beaten and robbed and let by the wayside for dead.

There was a Priest and also a Levite, his own people who passed by and did absolutely nothing.

He also shows the Good Samaritan who upon seeing the man, took care of him, dressing his wounds, putting him on his donkey, taking him to an inn and promised the Innkeeper that he will pay even more if necessary when he returned.

In the case of Missionaries, it could be the same way. Although they may have supporters who take care of them, sometimes there are others who defraud them.

Before I came to the Philippines, there were Pastors who promised support but when the time came they neither supported nor offered a reason why.

Paul had the same problem with the Corinthians. Their promise to give and the actual fulfillment of it did not correspond.

Once again: Lev 19:13 Thou shalt not defraud thy neighbour, neither rob him: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.

Paul as a missionary was due the offering but it was withheld and he had to encourage them to give. I don’t know if they had collected it but did not yet release it or what but the Bible is clear: the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.

I believe many people have no idea or understanding of the life of a Missionary. Mostly because most Missionaries are shy to write the truth as they feel others may see them as “complaining” or having a “lack of faith” when in fact, it is the opposite.

Paul spoke up not because “he desired a gift”

Php 4:17 Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.

Some Churches in their zeal to do a wonderful work for the Lord take on every Missionary that comes to them and when they can’t pay for them, the missionary who planned on that support is defrauded.

Whether intentionally or not, defrauding is defrauding.

Then there is the church who has decided their expansion or renovations take priority over the missionary..

I don’t care what it is, if you have committed to give and you don’t give, you have defrauded someone. Better to say:

Jas 4:15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

Jas 4:16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.

When a Church or an organization supports a missionary it should be a very sincere commitment.

I understand Churches that lose their membership and have no funds, decreasing or stopping their support but I will never understand a growing Church that makes their missionaries wait knowing full well that the very food and shelter is paid for by their support and it is held back.

When a missionary pays their rent late it is a disgrace for him as he has represented himself as a man of God and he failed to pay his bills.

Speaking to other missionaries, I hear just what I am saying often but I never have seen it on a blog. I however, like Paul am not afraid of saying the truth.

Pro 10:8 The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall.

Pro 10:9 He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known.

We have some very consistent supporters who realize we rely on them as they respond to God. Oh that God will bless them for their faithfulness and increase their borders.

God is the one who will take care of His people but like Paul it grieves my heart to see those who defraud others.

For those who want to do something to help Missions whether here or anywhere else, here are a few hints:

1- What is your purpose? Many times someone sees a cause and their heart is moved to help and they make quick wrong decisions in doing so.

An example is someone hopping on a plane, going to a foreign Country and giving out vitamins!

Ah! You say, “No one would do that” Well, yes they would. One medical mission coming from the U.S. spent thousands of dollars on airfare, nice hotels and dining out. They spent 1-2 weeks giving free medical exams and supplying vitamins to the poor. Those dollars could have maintained a free medical clinic complete with doctors for over two years helping thousands.

Your heart may be right but your methods wrong.

2- If you are called to the mission field go but if not, give.

If you are not a missionary, don’t assume you know how to make things happen where you wish to help. Let the guy in charge take care of the allocation of funds. The Pastor/Missionary has been called by God to do that job. You have been called by God to help supply some funds. You do your job and let him do his.

If you were sending money for cancer research would you tell the scientists how to discover the cure?

3-Just as no gift is obviously, too large, also, no gift is too small.

I have Heard people say to me it’s not much… Please, if God has put it in your heart it is just the right amount. If we could get 1000 people to donate $5 per month we would have so much more than we do now.

4- A gift without a prayer is like an envelope without a stamp.

God is what makes this ministry run and prayers tells God how serious we are about serving Him. Please pray when you send your gift. Pray the money will be used wisely, that it will be sufficient and that souls will be saved because of it.

5- Shout it from the mountaintop!

If you have been moved to give become a mover yourself. Tell all you know about the work so that perhaps they will help as well. You have convinced many to try new restaurants or an activity and so you could also convince them of the worthiness of this outreach.

The argument is that Christmas was first celebrated as a pagan holiday to the sun God Rah.

Jeremiah speaks about not worshiping the fir tree by decorating it with silver and gold and falling down before it.

I imagine there might be other complaints about the day or celebration thereof but let us think in more reasonable ways.

The argument that pagans worshiped the sun on that day doesn’t hold water as the days belong to God and anyone and everyone has done evil on all the days leaving no room for a guiltless celebration on the entire calendar.

The point that Jeremiah is making is well taken and I don’t believe I have ever in my life seen someone fall down and worship a tree, any tree so it does not apply.

In the old Testament the Jewish people had their holy days and days of remembrance.

Today we remember our vets, 9/11, Pearl harbor we remember Easter (not the Greek Goddess Eastre (there are various spellings of her name) the time of the resurrection of our Lord.

Oddly enough, most don’t celebrate Good Friday or the death of Christ which without it, there would be no Salvation. However the Bible says this of it all:

Rom 14:5 “One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.

Rom 14:6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it”

I believe everything boils down to the intention of the heart.

David did some atrocious deeds and yet God declared him a man after God’s own heart. David was passionate about God.

Jesus rebuked the Pharisees who as He said, washed the outside of the cup but left the inside dirty.

I do think we all need to take more interest in WHY we celebrate. If Christmas has become just a holiday to drink and eat and exchange gifts without a serious concentration on the fact that God became a man and came down to this world to deliver mankind, then perhaps we should give it up.

Have a birthday cake for Jesus. Tell some Bible stories and sing some songs. Have a time for thankful prayer and pass on the Christmas story to your children. These are the kinds of things Christians should focus on.

The eating and drinking and giving of gifts have been part of all the Jewish festivities and it has been carried on to the Christians. Just don’t leave it at that. It’s Christ’s party. Make sure you invite Him!

There are many reasons that come to mind as to why I am a Conservative but the first one which is enough to keep me from being anything else is Abortion.

There are many who do not realize or believe that abortion is the murder of a child.

On the other hand, there are many who believe it is murder yet choose it because it makes their life easier.

Whether or not someone may disagree with me, I believe a baby is a life which starts at conception. Now, even if you do not believe that, you can see films and books and medical evidence of when the heart starts to beat and when the nervous system develops, etc… Perhaps you even don’t believe it is a life at six weeks but then, when do you believe it is a life?

The partial birth abortion is the legal right of the doctor to partially deliver a nine month old baby, drill a hole in its head and suck out the brains and then call it an abortion. Obama voted for that at least three times.

Therein lies the reason. If you believe in abortion I will not want you near my children or my grandchildren because you do not value life nor recognize it when you see it. So, if you plan on running for office, I cannot vote for anyone who would kill a baby.

Think about this, your husband brings home someone who has killed over five hundred babies. He is a doctor or as they say, an abortionist.Do you want to eat with him? Then why would you want to vote for someone like that.

Or do you say, “Well, he may be for abortion but he will help the economy”. Would you let someone kill your child for a few hundred dollars?

The left in general (not all but most) have consistently voted pro-abortion.

Here is a thought. If you watched a politician slam a bag of kittens into a wall to kill them would you vote for him? Yet a politician votes for the “right” to allow a “doctor” to scrape out a baby writhing in pain or to use a saline solution to burn it out and you don’t see a problem with that?

In Macbeth the three witches called out, “Fair is foul and foul is fair” I believe that time is here.

I want to make clear that if you have had an abortion or have been involved with the process, God loves you and there is forgiveness. Many,many have gone down that road and now have deep remorse. God forgives ALL who will come to him.

Genesis 2:24 therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Matthew 19:5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?

Mark 10:7-8 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; 8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh.

Ephesians 5:31 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.

These are the only words you will find on the subject of getting married in the Bible.

We know the first couple was created by God and the ability to reproduce was built into them.

God gave Eve to Adam and the two became one flesh.

Notice that God made it the way it works. One man one woman.

He did not make two women nor did He create two men because if He did, there would be no human race.

Notice He did not create multiple women or multiple men. It has been God’s intention since day one to have married couples consist of one man and one woman.

Some people argue that there is no law against polygamy but look here:Mat 19:8  He saith unto them, Moses because of the hardness of your hearts suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so.

Mat 19:9  And I say unto you, Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.

If divorcing your wife and marrying another is adultery than having more than one wife is adultery.

Many things were allowed in the old testament which were not right.

So the Bible teaches us to be married to one wife or husband.

We are told also to leave our mother and father.

Why do you think God would want us to leave our parents?

So we no longer are dependent on them. We support our own family. We raise our own children in the way of the Lord.

When a married couple has their parents too involved with their lives it brings trouble to the marriage. Many times a mother who can’t let go of her son or a father who can’t let go of his daughter causes conflict between man and wife and causes confusion as to who is the head of the family.

There is a reason the Father leads the bride down the aisle at the wedding ceremony. A woman is subject to her parents as long as she /they shall live. When a man marries her the father turns her over to the husband as if by saying she is in your hands now, your responsibility and the husband takes his wife.

Then the man is told to cleave unto his wife.

Not only is this the part where the marriage is consummated but it also represents the man taking what is now his woman and no longer the fathers. When you cleave, nothing can come between you.

The man cleaves his wife and protects her, provides for her and loves her while the woman receives that love.

They become one flesh. They think alike and stand together and build a life that they will envision.

Anything short of that is a bad marriage.

As the leader in the family the man has traditionally had to approach the father to ask for the daughter to be his bride. Nowhere do you see the lady approaching his parents.

It is genuinely expected that if the man is approaching the father he already is knowledgeable about marriage. He has the means to feed, clothe and shelter her. He has already demonstrated love to his mothers and sisters and has respect for his own father.

Now the father of the intended bride will evaluate the young man based on a variety of things not just if he is good looking or has money.

I am afraid marriage today is many times just a bad decision. People marry to get away from their families and think all will be well with the next.

One thing must be sure is that no one should be unequally yoked with another. Not only does that apply to marrying an unsaved person but forbids dating one also. You can not enter into marriage hoping to convert your spouse.

We have spoken about the duties of marriage concerning both the husband and wife but quickly it is like this:

The man will be the bread winner, the head of the family, oversees the discipline if needed, be the protector of the family as well as the protector of their spirituality. He will lead the example of Godliness in the home.

The woman will take care of the duties of the house as well as raising the children and providing for the needs of her husband. She is to obey her husband.

When one or both of the couple cease to follow the principles of marriage the marriage ceases to be a viable marriage. It can not work.

Marriage God’s way will definitely reduce the approximately 50% divorce rate in the U.S. and keep people from leaving each other in the Philippines.

When I think of the New Year I think we are getting closer to being with our Lord.

I am looking forward to that time with great anticipation.

All about us, people are speaking of Global Warming, Floods, Famine, wars and on and on.

The Bible says: “Mat 24:5  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Mat 24:6  And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Mat 24:7  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
Mat 24:8  All these are the beginning of sorrows.

The other day I got a email and someone told me that they heard Jesus had appeared in different places around the world telling everyone just to believe and pray two prayers that he gave them.
I wonder how anyone could believe these stories but many will.

Jesus will not appear before His time and He certainly will not give us two prayers to pray.

Many ask, are we in the last times? The answer is yes and we have been for about two thousand years.

At the day of Pentecost, some accused the Apostles of being drunk but Peter said: Act 2:14  But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words:
Act 2:15  For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day.
Act 2:16  But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
Act 2:17  And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

That’s a confusing message for those who don’t believe the Holy Spirit still gives out gifts. Yet that is what the prophet Joel said, “In the last days…”
And that was Peter indicating those were the last days.

The Holy Spirit gave gifts at the time of Pentecost and He will again. When? I am not sure but it says in the Bible He gives as He will so I guess we will have nothing to say about it.

In the meantime, the world is broken down to 4,000 years prior to Christ as being the first two thirds of existence and 2,000 years after Christ and then rapture, millennium…

Which means we are at the last of the last days.

So as we celebrate this New Year knowing that our Lord shall return soon, how should we be expected to act?

Let us be resolved to be the best servants we can be so He will be pleased with us upon His return.
And we will hear those welcome words, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”

Happy New Year!

Ever since the Adam and Eve opposed God and believed Satan in the garden, we have seen the two part justice system of God.

When God said, “Gen 2:16  And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:

Gen 2:17  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. ”

Was that to mean that Adam and Eve would actually die as soon as they ate the fruit?

Absolutely. God’s two part justice deemed that they would die spiritually that very day and that they would die physically, in the “Day of the Lord.”

2Pe 3:8  But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

We have seen Adam and Eve go from people who were designed to live forever, start to deteriorate and die within that thousand year realm.

When a Christian sins, no matter to what degree it is, he is forgiven. Why? Because Jesus died for their sin over 2,000 years before they were born.

There is no “losing of salvation” nor is there “giving away” of salvation.

How do we know this? There are many places in Scripture but consider this one:

Joh 10:27  My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:

Joh 10:28  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

Joh 10:29  My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.

Joh 10:30  I and my Father are one.

“My sheep” are those who have been saved.

“…they shall never perish…” means just that. It doesn’t mean they shall never die physically. That is obvious. “Heb 9:27  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: ”

It speaks of eternal death which is impossible to those who are in Christ Jesus.

Some people say with reference to : “…no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” means that although no one can pluck, one could “jump” out of His hand.

Where I come from NO ONE includes me. So not even we if we should so stupidly choose, could not leave the loving grip of our Heavenly Father.

As to the other side , the physical side of God’s justice, “Heb 12:8  But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. ”

If God does not chastise, He is not our Father.

So, when we sin, although God is long suffering and merciful, He will chastise us when we sin.

Perhaps you have noticed. You may have decided not to put your full gift into the collection into Church. Later, your vehicle needs a costly repair or something like that. God has taken His hand off the devourer to let him “nibble” a little. He will not be able to take your soul, just your personal effects or health.

In conclusion, we fear God as a child fears an earthly father who will chastise when we go astray yet it is not a fear of eternal separation as our union with God is forever.