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| Chinese depiction of Jesus and the rich man (Mark 10) - 1879, Beijing, China (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Friday 18 January 2013
Leaving behind the lives we have touched.
Christianity is a love affair
We may not forget that Christianity is a love affair.
We are the beloved of God. This is the foundational definition of who we are. Everything else about us finds meaning in this fact. We do not earn or deserve God’s acceptance. He does not owe it to us. He gives it as a gift and therefore it will never be taken away from us.
If we deliberately reject it He will accept our decision. We can’t lose God’s acceptance by our behaviour or failure. We are totally and eternally accepted.
Too often we live as if God only tolerates us in the hope we will improve. We strive to gain His approval and make ourselves more acceptable.
We refuse to believe that he likes, loves, accepts and searches for us.
We read of the prodigal son and insist on seeing ourselves still in the pigsty rather than in the Father’s arms. We reverse creation and make God in our image giving Him all our difficulties in giving undeserved and unconditional love.
We forget that God is love.
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2013 update:
We are the beloved of God. This is the foundational definition of who we are. Everything else about us finds meaning in this fact. We do not earn or deserve God’s acceptance. He does not owe it to us. He gives it as a gift and therefore it will never be taken away from us.
If we deliberately reject it He will accept our decision. We can’t lose God’s acceptance by our behaviour or failure. We are totally and eternally accepted.
Too often we live as if God only tolerates us in the hope we will improve. We strive to gain His approval and make ourselves more acceptable.
We refuse to believe that he likes, loves, accepts and searches for us.
We read of the prodigal son and insist on seeing ourselves still in the pigsty rather than in the Father’s arms. We reverse creation and make God in our image giving Him all our difficulties in giving undeserved and unconditional love.
We forget that God is love.
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| Early Christian ichthys sign carved into marble in the ruins of Ephesus, Turkey (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
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2013 update:
Friday 11 January 2013
Top Ten Discoveries in Biblical Archaeology in 2012
Each year several dozen institutional archaeological excavations and
multiple more salvage excavations take place in the lands of the Bible.
Some excavations draw attention because of the exciting dimensions of
their discoveries. Many more compile important information from less
dynamic discoveries that help us better understand the biblical world in
its social context.
Fr Stephen Smuts, a Priest (TAC) / EMS Chaplain in Cape Town, South Africa, listed some of the most exciting discoveries announced in the past year, taken from the news digests of ARTIFAX magazine, and reported on The Book & The Spade radio program.
> Top Ten Discoveries in Biblical Archaeology in 2012
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| Black Obelisk of Shalmaneser III, erected in 825 BC. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Fr Stephen Smuts, a Priest (TAC) / EMS Chaplain in Cape Town, South Africa, listed some of the most exciting discoveries announced in the past year, taken from the news digests of ARTIFAX magazine, and reported on The Book & The Spade radio program.
> Top Ten Discoveries in Biblical Archaeology in 2012
- Huqoq Synagogue Mosaic depicting Samson tying the tails of foxes together and also shows two faces around an inscription. This synagogue dates several centuries after the time of Christ and is expected to provide new information about the development of synagogues in the Galilee.
- Cult Shrines from Khirbet Qeiyafa
English: Jugs in Situ, Khirbet Qeiyafa, archaeology site excavation, Israel ca. 2009 עברית: קנקן אשר נמצא באתרו בחפירה בח'ירבת קייאפה, ליד בית שמש בישראל בחפירה באתר אוגוסט 2009 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) - First Temple Period Reservoir
- Bethlehem Bullah
- Jerusalem Seal “Belonging to Matanyahu Ben Ho,”
- An Egyptian scarab found in Jerusalem
- The Kiryat Gat Hoard
- The Neo Hittite sculpture at Tel Tayinat recording events of the reign of Suppiluliuma, who probably faced Shalmaneser III in 858 BC.
- 3400-year old wheat from Hazor in 14 clay jugs
- Akko’s Hellenistic Harbor
Wednesday 9 January 2013
For Jehovah is greatly to be praised
“2 I poured out my prayer before him; I declared my trouble before him. 3 when my spirit fainted within me, then you knew my path. in the way [in] which I walked they have secretly laid a snare for me.” (Psalms 142:2-3 MKJV)
“[A psalm of David.] O Jehovah, I cry to you; make haste to me, give ear to my voice when I cry to you.” (Psalms 141:1 MKJV)
“but my eyes [are] on you, O lord Jehovah; in you I take refuge, do not leave my soul naked.” (Psalms 141:8 MKJV)
“15 the idols of the nations [are] silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. 16 they [have] mouths, but they do not speak; they [have] eyes, but they do not see; 17 they [have] ears, but they do not hear, nor is there breath in their mouths.” (Psalms 135:15-17 MKJV)
“[A song of degrees.] behold, bless Jehovah, all servants of Jehovah, who stand by night in the house of Jehovah. lift up your hands [in] the sanctuary, and bless Jehovah. [may] Jehovah, who made the heavens and earth, bless you out of Zion.” (Ps 134:1-3 MKJV)
“for Jehovah your god [is] god of gods, and lord of lords, a great god, the mighty, and a terrible god, who does not respect persons nor take a bribe.” (Deuteronomy 10:17 MKJV)
“praise Jehovah! praise the name of Jehovah; praise him, servants of Jehovah. [those] who stand in the house of Jehovah, in the courts of the house of our god, praise Jehovah; for Jehovah [is] good; sing praises to his name, for [it is] full of delight. for Jehovah has chosen Jacob to himself, [and] Israel for his peculiar treasure. for I know that Jehovah [is] great, and our LORD [is] above all gods. every thing Jehovah pleased, he did in the heavens and in earth, and in the seas and all deep places. he causes the vapors to rise from the end of the earth; he makes lightnings for the rain; he brings wind out of his storehouses.” (Ps 135:1-7 MKJV)
“for Jehovah [is] great, and greatly to be praised; he [is] to be feared above all gods.” (Psalms 96:4 MKJV)
“for Jehovah [is] a great god, and a great king above all gods.” (Psalms 95:3 MKJV)
“I will praise you; for I am fearfully [and] wonderfully made; your works [are] marvelous and my soul knows [it] very well.” (Psalms 139:14 MKJV)
“let my prayer be set forth before you [as] incense, [and] the lifting up of my hands [as] the evening sacrifice.” (Psalms 141:2 MKJV)
“1 [A psalm of David.] I will praise you with my whole heart; before the gods I will sing praise to you. 2 I will worship toward your holy temple, and praise your name for your loving-kindness and for your truth’s sake; for you have magnified your word above all your name.” (Psalms 138:1-2 MKJV)
“now thanks [be] to god, who always causes us to triumph in christ, and he revealing through us the odor of the knowledge of him in every place. for we are to god a sweet savor of christ, in those being saved, and in those being lost; to the one [we are] the savor of death to death, and to the other we are the savor of life to life. and who is sufficient for these things?” (2Co 2:14-16 MKJV)
“blessed [is] Jehovah; he daily bears burdens for us, the god of our salvation. Selah.” (Psalms 68:19 MKJV)
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| Man reading Psalms at the Western Wall. Jerusalem, Israel/Palestine, March 2007 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
- Songs of Moses and the servants of God
- Song of Praise for the Elohim Set-Apart
- Praise and give thanks to God the Most Highest
- Worship and worshipping
Tuesday 8 January 2013
Praise be to God
This Sunday in the Belgian ecclesia they spoke about the healer Jesus but also about his Father the healer Jehovah, Jehovah Izuz Wegibbor (Psalms 24:8) the Mighty God without whom Jesus can do nothing.
The master teacher Jesus learned the people who came to listen to him to pray to his Father, with the words "Our Father who is in heaven"
“therefore pray in this way: our father, who is in heaven, hallowed be your name.” (Matthew 6:9 MKJV)
It is to that One Great God we do have to pray and have to bring praise. It is also His Name we should cry out loud. Others shall have to know the Name of God, and we as followers of Christ should bring the Good News and let this Name be known all over the world, always sanctifying the Holy Name of God Hashem Jehovah.
“and I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. and the nations shall know that I [am] Jehovah, says the lord Jehovah, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.” (Ezekiel 36:23 MKJV)
“so I will magnify myself and sanctify myself. and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I [am] Jehovah.” (Ezekiel 38:23 MKJV)
“by him, then, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to god continually, that is, [the] fruit of [our] lips, confessing his name.” (Hebrews 13:15 MKJV)
“let everything that breathes praise Jehovah. praise Jehovah!” (Psalms 150:6 MKJV)
“and after these things I heard a great sound of a numerous crowd in heaven, saying, Hallelujah! salvation and glory and honor and the power to the lord our god!” (Revelation 19:1 MKJV)
We should others show who we want for our God, the World or the heavenly Father, Creator of all things.
“according to your name, O god, so [is] your praise to the ends of the earth. your right hand is full of righteousness; let mount Zion rejoice!” (Psalms 48:10 MKJV)
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| "Отче наш" на украинском / The Lord's Prayer in Ukranian (Photo credit: guide-israel.ru) |
“therefore pray in this way: our father, who is in heaven, hallowed be your name.” (Matthew 6:9 MKJV)
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| Sing to Jehovah, Jehovah's Witnesses' current hymnal (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
“and I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. and the nations shall know that I [am] Jehovah, says the lord Jehovah, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.” (Ezekiel 36:23 MKJV)
“so I will magnify myself and sanctify myself. and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I [am] Jehovah.” (Ezekiel 38:23 MKJV)
“by him, then, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to god continually, that is, [the] fruit of [our] lips, confessing his name.” (Hebrews 13:15 MKJV)
“let everything that breathes praise Jehovah. praise Jehovah!” (Psalms 150:6 MKJV)
“and after these things I heard a great sound of a numerous crowd in heaven, saying, Hallelujah! salvation and glory and honor and the power to the lord our god!” (Revelation 19:1 MKJV)
We should others show who we want for our God, the World or the heavenly Father, Creator of all things.
It is this Jehovah Jireh, wich should be our Jehovah Nissi for ever. Our Jehovah Shalom: God of all gods King of all kings, our wheel in the middle of the wheel, our strength and help in ages pass, our strong tower, the one that gives life and take it away, our creator, all-knowing God All powerful, Redeemer, Healer Restorer.
This is the Only Holy One whom we should praise.
“according to your name, O god, so [is] your praise to the ends of the earth. your right hand is full of righteousness; let mount Zion rejoice!” (Psalms 48:10 MKJV)
To Him we should sing with a loud voice: “be exalted, O Jehovah, in your strength; we will sing, and praise your power.” (Psalms 21:13 MKJV)
There are more than thousends of reasons why we should be thankfull to the Creator and be happy that we can find blessings on this earth.Often we even do not see the many blessings we already receive on this earth because we are so involved with our own "I" and "the world" around our own "ego".
Sometimes we may feel lonely, but we may be sure Jehovah Shamma, the Mighty God who is present, is close to us and always ready to help us when needed. He is the One who is always there, even when we do not notice it.
Even without asking it He is standing ready to secure us. The Jehovah, Nissi, is always there for those who want to accept Him as a banner covering us, keeping us and preserving our life.
This God of gods, who is One His Name is Holy and should this Only One God should be everyday on our hearts, and His titles and attributes should give us assurance of the many works He can realize in us and how He is always our Helper and Deliverer.
Many do not understand the difference between the Name and the titles and do not understand what those titles mean. We should try to understand them and to value them. Taking those titles as our assurance to continue in this life notwithstanding all the possible difficulties.
Jehovah Adon Kol Ha-arets is the Jehovah Shalom, the God of all the earth who greets us every morning and looks at us from above. We may never forget that this Jehovah Jireh is the Jehovah Elyon, the Mosth High Elohim who is our defence, the Jehovah Maginnenu (Psalms 89:18)
Please continue reading and do find more in:
Praise and give thanks to God the Most Highest
Song of Praise for the Elohim Set-Apart
Songs of Moses and the servants of God
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2,750-year-old temple near Jerusalem uncovered
During excavations at the Tel Motza archaeological site, about 3 miles
(5 kilometers) west of Jerusalem, during preparations for work on a new
section of Israeli's Highway 1, Archaeologists have uncovered a 2,750-year-old temple near
Jerusalem, along with pottery and clay figurines that suggest the site
was the home base for a ritual cult.
The excavation's directors say the Tel Motza temple must have been active in an era "prior to the religious reforms throughout the kingdom at the end of the monarchic period (at the time of Hezekiah and Isaiah), which abolished all ritual sites, concentrating ritual practices solely at the Temple in Jerusalem."
Tel Motza was thought to be associated with the ancient settlement called "Mozah" in the Book of Joshua. During previous work, archaeologists uncovered a large structure with storehouses and a number of silos. They said that structure might have served as a storage facility for Jerusalem's grain supplies.
The items discovered, near an altar of a temple, include ritual pottery vessels, fragments of chalices and figurines of animals.
The excavation's directors say the Tel Motza temple must have been active in an era "prior to the religious reforms throughout the kingdom at the end of the monarchic period (at the time of Hezekiah and Isaiah), which abolished all ritual sites, concentrating ritual practices solely at the Temple in Jerusalem."
Tel Motza was thought to be associated with the ancient settlement called "Mozah" in the Book of Joshua. During previous work, archaeologists uncovered a large structure with storehouses and a number of silos. They said that structure might have served as a storage facility for Jerusalem's grain supplies.
The items discovered, near an altar of a temple, include ritual pottery vessels, fragments of chalices and figurines of animals.
Skyview / IAA
An overhead view shows the Tel Motza archaeological site.
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