TODAY SHALT THOU BE WITH ME IN PARADISE

LUKE 23:43
JESUS said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, TODAY SHALT THOU BE WITH ME IN PARADISE.

There were three crosses on the hill of Calvary: One Cross held JESUS, the Holy One; two held malefactors, men sentenced to death because of their deeds. One of the malefactors railed at JESUS with angry tones, saying; "If thou be the Christ, save thyself and us." "If thou..." reminds us of the words Satan used when he tempted JESUS in the wilderness,(Matthew 4:3, & 6).
The other malefactor rebukes the first and says; "Dost thou not fear GOD...?" Then he says to JESUS, "Remember me when thou comest into Thy Kingdom."

The second malefactor confesses JESUS as LORD and puts his faith in JESUS. This man was saved immediately, and JESUS responds, "TODAY SHALT THOU BE WITH ME IN PARADISE".

Jesus is saying to us, today, that if you confess JESUS as your LORD and believe in your hear that GOD has raised Him from the dead, you are saved - TODAY.

There were three Crosses on the hill of Calvary. One held the King of Kings and LORD of LORDS; one held a sinner whose anger blinded him from seeing JESUS as his LORD and savior; one held a sinner saved by grace, who confessed with his mouth and believed in his heart that JESUS was LORD.

Which side of JESUS do you hang your life? Is JESUS your LORD and savior? Today, confess Him as your LORD and be saved. Let today be your Easter for all eternity, as you dwell with Him, He in you, and live with Him in His Kingdom.

FATHER, FORGIVE THEM

LUKE 23:34

Then saith JESUS, 'Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.' And they parted His raiment, and cast lots.


FATHER, FORGIVE THEM; FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO. 
JESUS is the victim of the cruelest form of execution. JESUS is the victim of the cruelest form of rejection. JESUS is the victim of the cruelest form of betrayal. JESUS is alone; naked and alone. He cries out, in His agony, for the Father to forgive those who betrayed Him, rejected Him and crucified Him. His petition to the Father rings down the ages right to the very moment in which we live. He is saying to us, right now, FATHER, FORGIVE THEM; FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO.
Today is Good Friday. Let these words of JESUS ring in our heart and let these words of JESUS be our intercession for others. Today, let these words of JESUS be the action we take as we seek to serve the living GOD in the land of the living. 

PASSIONATE HEART OF JESUS

MATTHEW 23: 37

O JERUSALEM, JERUSALEM, Thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them who are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not.

This is a passionate cry from the Heart of the Holy One, JESUS the Christ. JESUS wept over the hardness of the heart of the people He came to save.  Today, He is weeping over those who willfully reject the love that He offers freely.
JESUS paid the total price for our redemption, by the offering of Himself as the perfect, unblemished Lamb. His Blood reconciles us to GOD and by His wounds, we are healed.  He laid down His life, willingly. His great love brought Him to Calvary.
Yes, He would have gathered all our children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings and He gathers us now under His wing. JESUS is within the Heart of the Father and in our Heart when we embrace Him.  When we believe in Him, He gathers us under His wings and we are safe in the shelter of the Almighty.
And yet He weeps for those who reject Him and reject His love.
Weep with Him about the hardened hearts and give His love to them, as a free will offering. The song goes like this: bring them in, bring the wondering ones to JESUS. Reach out with His love and gather in those who cry out for help. This is our mission; this is our ministry: this is our thank offering to the Holy One.
THANK YOU JESUS FOR YOUR LOVE.

First love

I John 4: 19 says: We love Him, because He first loved us.

Let us meditate on these words from the LORD and let the order of things take root in our spirit. Everything that lives, moves and has it's being, begins with GOD. John 1: 1-5 reminds us that ALL things were made through JESUS, the WORD of GOD.  This means that everything begins with GOD and since GOD is love, All love comes from Him.  We love, because He first loved us and showed us the way to love.  Even better than that, He loves through us, making true love perfect.

What is true love?  It is love that begins in GOD, and is manifest in the life and work of the born again believer in JESUS.  The deeper that the relationship with JESUS grows, the more love is shown in the life and work of the believer.  In other words, the more love for Christ, the more Christ love is shown. True love begins in GOD.

We love Him, because He first loved us. The love of GOD sent His Son to live and die as one of us. The love of GOD for us caused Him to raise the resurrection of JESUS from the dead, so that all who believe in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3: 16). JESUS defeated death and the grave by the resurrection of JESUS. All who follow JESUS, follow Him through the resurrection from death and into a life with Him for all eternity.

We love Him, because He first loved us.

RETURN TO YOUR FIRST LOVE

RETURN TO YOUR FIRST LOVE

RETURN TO YOUR FIRST LOVE

The Revelation 2: 1-7 is a Word from the LORD to the Angel of the Church of Ephesus.

Ephesus was a real church in a real place, and is visited, even today, by devoted pilgrims.

Ephesus was the place where the Apostle John took Mary, the mother of JESUS, to protect her and to give her a community of faithful people, who would give her a good life. Mary had been given to John by JESUS from the cross. JESUS fulfilled the law of Kinsman Redeemer, as He hung in great pain on the cruel Cross.

In verse 3, the LORD GOD says that the Church in Ephesus had patience under tribulation for the sake of the Gospel and that they had not fainted or turned back. This Church was very strong in the LORD and very active in spreading the Gospel.

HOWEVER, in their zeal, they had forgotten their FIRST LOVE. They are admonished to return to their first love, remembering the place where they had fallen, and repent immediately.  They had become drawn away by the lure of the theology of the Nicolaitans.  This theology was Greek and professed that a licentious life style was an acceptable way of live.  The Nicolaitans also believed that you could "work your way to GOD". This "works theology" is still alive today in many belief systems.

The FIRST LOVE is JESUS Christ. He first loved all of us so much that He was willing to suffer, bleed and die for the redemption of all mankind. It is through Him that we have life and breath; work and rest. It is only through JESUS that we can be saved; He is the Way, the Truth and the Life; no man can come to the Father except through Him. JESUS is the perfect offering for our sin and in Him there is perfect freedom. Work in the flesh can not win the Crown of Glory; JESUS' work through us is glorified since He wears that Crown of Glory.

The Word to the Church of Ephesus, is a word for us today.  Many voices call us to embrace a lifestyle that is very reckless and self centered. The Word of the LORD to us is to RETURN TO YOUR FIRST LOVE - JESUS. Remember whose you are and who you are in Christ JESUS. Let your life be a song of thanksgiving to GOD for loving us so much that He sent His only begotten Son to play the price for us to be able to live with Him forever.

THE RAPTURE

I Thessalonians 4: 16-18

For the LORD Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of GOD; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the LORD in the air; and so shall we ever be with the LORD. Wherefore, comfort one another with these words.

TO MEET THE LORD IN THE AIR

The LORD has planned things out so that the Children of GOD would not see the wrath of GOD.  We strongly believe that the wrath of GOD will come when the LORD puts His feet on the earth. Notice where the Church, the Body of believers in JESUS, meets the LORD; in the air. The LORD will gather His Church out of the world so that the Church will be saved from the wrath that is to come. The tribulation will not occur until the Church is home with Him; then the Church will be with Him at his return.

There are three signs of the rapture: the shout, the voice of the archangel (possibly Michael), and the sound of the trumpet of GOD.  We need to be awake and ready for the festal shout, the voice of the archangel saying, "come up here",and the blowing of the Shofar (the trumpet of GOD).  

Be alert and stay in tune with the Gospel, be a good steward of the gift of life and breath, given to you by GOD and pray for others to be united with JESUS for ever.  The LORD GOD has provided the way for all to be saved from His wrath, walk in His path.  

Tomorrow, I will look at Biblical examples of the rapture found in the Old and New Testament.  

THE RAPTURE

I Thessalonians 4: 13-15

But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that JESUS died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in JESUS will GOD bring with Him. For this we say unto you by the word of the LORD, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the LORD shall not prevent them which are asleep.

GOD WILL BRING WITH HIM

In the verses of I Thessalonians 14: 13 - 18, there are two distinct steps revealed that point to the rapture. One step is the resurrection of the dead and the second is the meeting of JESUS in the air - the rapture.

Verse 15 is very clear that the dead in Christ will arise first and those which are alive will meet JESUS.

Tomorrow, I will expound more on the "meeting in the air" and "coming to earth". They are very different and the Church will be with the LORD when He comes to the earth to judge the earth and the people with His truth.

I Thessalonians 4:13-18 hold a great hope for all those who have experienced the death of a loved one.  Notice that Paul uses the word "asleep" to characterize those who have died.  JESUS used that word when He looked upon a person He was going to raise from the dead.  Jarius' daughter is a great example.  

Those who "sleep" in JESUS are raised in the same manner as JESUS.  The path that JESUS took, is the path that the Church will take: first the resurrection, then the gathering of the Church with JESUS. and then the return to earth to judge it.

Those who are asleep in JESUS will be gathered up with Him and will rule and reign with Him forever.