Tag Archives: christian

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” ― Theodore Roosevelt

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Hi there dear sweetypies, my dear munchkins how are you all doing ? Today I would like to talk to all the mummies out there and those who are in relationships and those who would like to get into relationships this article is specially designed for the women.

“I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they’re right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.”

― Marilyn Monroe

In this  world dear senoritas it takes effort and perseverance to bag your man and keep him. It does not mean once you are married you change your wardrobe to sweats and non complementing lounge wear. NO this is the time to look your best for your man. In the morning before your sweet heart goes to work make an effort to change from your PJ’s and wear something smart and bright and also remember to brush your teeth, comb your hair and wear make up. I am by no means telling you to be a Geisha but look your best.

When a man leaves home with his bride just out of bed uncombed hair sans make up and a grogy good bye from wifey , this man goes straight to work and the first thing he sees miss gorgeous with perfume, perfect hair and make up at the reception desk.

No we all can not look like Marilyn Manroe or Victoria secret models but we have to work at it. Women the ALL NATURAL look has gone with the cave men we are now in a cosmetic enhanced world. Not everyone is born with great height, skin, hair and beauty we have to work at this to keep our men where we would like Him to be and that is by our side till death us do part.

Women should take care of themselves many feminists believe that they can do things as well as any man but remember “gals” God first made man in His image and then the woman to complement the man.

If you want to get into a relationship with a man or keep the fire going in your relationship first and foremost commit to prayer and then the gym, hair, make up, waxing , bathing, flossing and perfume. Surprise your man when he comes home from work one day send the kids to grandma’s house and set the mood once your preened and pruned wear something sexy light the house with candles and cook his favorite meal. Let me tell you your homeboy will be surprised and very appreciative.

“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring.”

― Marilyn Monroe, Marilyn

Non of us women are perfect how ever much we try but we can bring warmth, positivity and joy into our home. Do not belittle your children, do not nag your husbands just try and be patient and loving. “4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”1 Corinthians 13:4-6,13.

We need to love our husbands and families and if we love God this love naturally overflows. We do not need cosmetic surgery even though if you have the means it can boost self esteem but the greatest boost of self esteem comes from our families.

Women do not look at success from the world point of view if you have a loving stable home or are searching for one always take it up in prayer and then also look your best even you have hit the jackpot of a handsome rich husband keeping that relationship alive and motivating is up to you so remember God first and family second and you third.

We must keep our families happy and that includes husband, children and yourself. When I was at school our English teacher told us to write our epitaph or what would be written on our grave and I wrote many years before I met my husband    “She was the sunshine of our home” Many times there have been dark clouds, rain, rainbows and I always pray there will most often be sunshine.

So with rays of light and delight

The Indian Aunty signing off

Everyone deserves a chance to love and be loved in return

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Hi there munchkins this blog is designed specially for those who are looking for love. I believe every human being has a partner specially designed for him or her. When God made man God made them male and female. Now through the evolving of the world and the evolving of morals there are relationships between man and man or woman and woman.

I am not here to judge or criticize you or push religion down your throats. In fact I have a few gay guy friends. I love these people who have one longing that is love.

Love the ungodly, love the gay or lesbian. Do you know there is a prostitute in the lineage of Jesus called Rahab. Love the different and the difficult. Love the gothics they are just expressing how they feel to the world.

Man can be born that way to be attracted to men or there must be some underlying problem in his life. There are even Christian eunuchs or transvestites in the Bible who are mentioned in the Old and New Testament. There is the place in heaven for the different.

People in this fallen world where there is binge drinking, one night stands and homosexual relationships all cry out for one word and that is love. Unconditional Love and acceptance into this world for who they are.

Why should we categorize people by their outward appearance be it a particular religion, race, dress sense or if they are who they are. Let me tell you something Jesus was a non conformist . He brought about free grace and forgiveness of sins by dying a shameful death on the cross. He did not judge the woman caught in adultery. He spoke to a woman who had many husbands where even speaking to someone of the opposite sex was considered a sin much less a Samaritan woman.

He saw the corruption in the Synagogue and overturned the tables and drove out the self righteous bigots or Pharisees.

He was not a Pharisee he was a carpenter by trade a simple non conforming human being who drank wine  and ate with the people the world turned it’s back on.

He dined with the tax collectors and prostitutes and touched lepers and healed them. Who are we to judge the gays, lesbians, prostitutes  or the gothics they are people like you and me seeking love, seeking their identity and seeking a God of love.

Do not be a bigot or gossiper if you point out one finger at them with your self righteous seat remember there are four fingers pointing back at you.

Learn to love, The Bible says love your neighbor as your self . The greatest command in the Bible is LOVE. If you want to change the world have LOVE .  Friend LOVE exists it is real like a warm waterfall. Man, relationships, money can not give you that love but God can. I do not care if you are a drug addict or alcoholic or have had multiple sexual partners but just go into a room close the door and say God if you are real show me your love minimum time is 15 minutes and watch him spread his love over you. Just try it once you have love , That love can take the place of addictions what ever it is. He is real and He loves you.

Love from the non conforming

Indian Aunty

Prayer

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PRAYER

 

What is prayer?  Prayer, I believe, is our communion with the Almighty.  There are numerous ways of communion with the Almighty.  The bible says when my saints shall humble themselves and pray then shall I forgive their sins and heal their land.  This is what this essay is all about.  Our intercession and supplication laid before our heavenly Father.

 

There are different kinds of prayer.  One of the main points is praying in the holy ghost and having the spirit of God direct us in our prayer.  Secondly, praying with faith as Mark 11:24 praying with faith is believing with faith we have received the answers to our prayers according to the will of God.  Praying with thanksgiving we must learn to thank God for our answers (Luke 17:17).

 

Prayer is petition (John 16:23-24).  God is our Provider.  He is Jehovah Jireh as John 16:23-24 tells us.  We must learn to ask according to the will of God.  Once in our home, when I was about 9 years old, we were living in Singapore during that time.  We had no food in our home so we decided to pray for food.  Miraculously, the next day, a lady from our prayer group came home with large packets of food because as she and her friend were praying, God gave her a vision of our empty refrigerator and told her and her friend to fill it up.  God is good.  We petitioned God and He answered our prayer.

 

Prayer is intercession.  Intercession is when we share the burden of Christ for a person, circumstance or need anywhere in the world.  We have become partakers of Christ’s suffering.

 

Prayer                          Need in               God’s love

Answered                    the world            and feelings

Get the                        or an                   for that

Victory                         individual            particular

Need or emotion

 

God places the

Burden in the

Heart of the

Intercessor

For that particular

Need or individual

 

Therefore, intercessor fills the bridge between Christ and the need.  Through Christ gaining victory in prayer.  Prayer is therefore praise and worship, waiting on God, confession, intercession, petition and thanksgiving.

 

In conclusion I would like to say that God has bestowed on us this awesome gift of communing with our Creator, thanking our Provider, worshipping our Creator, loving our Heavenly father and listening to Him.  Above all, experiencing His love and growing to be more like Him.

A Humble Prayer

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This song is sung for the underprivileged people around the world here in the west we must be so thankful for running water, shelter and food above all God who watches over us. Many people in the third world have nothing but we can give them hope not just by financial help but by prayer as well. God help the poor, the down trodden, abused women May Our Great God be ever present in there lives as he is in ours.

The Word

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“Yet not withstanding this, our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth of scripture and its divine authority is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the word in our hearts.” ( The Baptist Confession Of Faith)

The word is alive, The word is real, The word is Spirit, The word is power.

“ So is my word, that goes out from my mouth. It will not return to me empty but will accomplish that what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” Isaiah 55:11

God’s word came from God’s mouth , The words that came from God’s mouth came from God’s heart, In the heart of God is the spirit of God therefore logically speaking the word of God is the spirit of God in writing.

Now how does the Spirit of God bear witness with the human spirit?

When a person accepts Jesus in his heart the spirit of God comes to indwell his heart and as a born again individual reads the scripture the spirit of word in written form begins to bear witness to the Holy Spirit indwelling the person and reveals the truth of the scripture to him. This enables the individual to grow to a higher level of glory illuminated by the Spirit of God. The spirit of God that is the Holy Spirit is our mentor, our teacher, our guide and also our conscience.

A born again Christian is able to distinguish right from wrong through that inward witness in his spirit. Therefore the individual must store up in his heart and in his mind the scriptures. So if the sub conscious mind is full of the word the individual is able to move to a higher degree of illumination and intimate level of communication with the creator. The word that stood through time, space and history because the word was above the human degree of authorship as it emerged from divine inspiration on earthly vessels as they try to grasp the comprehension of the divine authoritative word. This comprehension is not to be sought by human reason but by divine intervention of Holy Spirit revelation.

The word that came forth from the triune God of Divinity that spoke forth His word in creativity that it brought forth life and still brings forth life spiritually when the word is read objectively with sincerity.

A poem dedicated to my grand mother the mother of my mother Mrs Ranjitham Jeyaraj

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She was warm, loving and caring

Her love and sweetness with others sharing

Her simplicity and gentleness endearing

She never asked always gave

Gave of herself to her husband and children

Raising up her children, grand children and great grand children to be strong, intelligent, capable women and men,

Love was her first name,

Humility her second

One day the God Almighty decided to come down and pick a diamond of a man or a woman to place in His splendorous palace,

He picked my grand mother a woman of love, charm and grace

JOB

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JOB

Job 1:21  “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, may the name of the Lord be praised”.

This one verse tells us about the most blameless upright man that ever lived.  A man who lost all, yet gained all, because he won the favour of God.  This man lost all yet he did not blaspheme God in self righteousness;  he praised God.  In other words, he was victorious though he lost his worldly possessions.  He was victorious spiritually.  For me, 1:21 is the key verse because he first of all realized all that he had belonged, not to him, but to God.  Secondly, when he lost all his materialistic and worldly possessions, Job praised God.  It must have been extremely difficult to say and do;  yet Job placed God on a much higher pedestal than his materialism and family.  This key verse gives us insight as modern day believers on how we, as Christians, should react in difficult circumstances.  I recently read the book by Terry Law in which he related the death of his first wife, Jan.  The most painful, yet the most illuminating process, was getting up early and praising God shortly after the death of his wife when he was left with three children.  But Terry Low tapped into the reservoir of God’s love, healing, comfort and deliverance.  The simple key was praise and worship.  Praise God, through thick and thin;  praise God, through wind or storm.  Learn to praise and watch Him lead you through the difficult situation or process in your life.

Authorship: The authorship of Job is uncertain and under an immense amount of speculation.  According to Nelson’s Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts, p. 171 “the contents of the book indicate that its author was a profound thinker who treats some of the most crucial and difficult problems of human existence from a mature spiritual perspective.  According to Jack W. Hayford, p. 130, “perhaps even Solomon himself”.  According to the book, Old Testament Survey, p. 562, “the author of Job hides nameless in the background of his work while demonstrating overwhelming sensitivity to the human plight, capacity for massive theological understanding, group of vast areas of culture and learning, insight into deep struggles among opiniated persons and skill in literary craftsmanship”.

Date: According to Nelson’s Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts, p. 171, “suggestions for the date of the book’s composition range from the patriarchal era to the post exilic period.  Most scholars today date the book between the Solomonic and exilic eras.  According to Hayford’s Bible Handbook, “the manners, customs and general lifestyle of Job are from the patriarchal period (about 2000-1800 BC).

Structure: According to the Old Testament Survey by William Sanford, David Allen and Frederic William, p. 564, the structure can be divided into;

“Prologue (prose), Chs 1-2

Job’s lament (poetry) 3

Dialogue between Job 4-27

.. and friends (poetry) in three cycles

.. Eliphaz (Job replies to each)

.. Bildad

.. Zophar

Poem on Wisdom (poetry) 28

Job’s complaint (poetry) 29-31

Elihu’s speeches (poetry) 32-37

Yahweh’s speeches 9poetry) 38-42:6

Epilogue (prose) 42:7-17

Comparison between Job and Jesus: Was Job a shadow of what was to come?  Was Job a type of Christ?  W. F. Albright has interpreted the name Job as “where is (my) father?”  (taken from Old Testament Survey, p. 560)

Job: Job was a blameless and upright man.  He feared God and shunned evil (Job 1:1, Job 1:8).  There is noone on earth like him.  Job 1:21 “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, may the name of the Lord be praised”.  Job 1:12 “Very well then everything he has is in your hands but on the man himself do not lay a finger”.  Job was the most blameless and upright man on earth.  Job 1:12 tells us that God allowed the devil to bring trials and tests into his life.  Job did not deserve it;  yet he went through physical pain (2:7), emotional pain (1:200 and psychological pain (3:1).  Job, through no fault of his own, was allowed by God to be severely tested by Satan, yet Job did not retaliate;  he did not curse God (2:9,10).  He went through his pain;  he went through his suffering.  Job didn’t deserve it, yet it came upon him.  Why?  Because I believe there is a reason behind it.  Nothing that is in the Bible has happened by chance.  The story of Job for me has a deep prophetic connotation.  Job 42:10-16, 42:12  The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first.  At least it has a happy ending!!

Jesus Christ: Matthew 27:23  What crime has he committed, asked Pilate, but they shouted all the louder, crucify Him.  Matt. 27:30  They spit on him and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.  Key verse:  Matt. 27:46  Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani, which means My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.

Jesus was innocent, yet God allowed Jesus to endure immense pain, pressure of our sins, physical and psychological anguish for no fault of his own.  Just because of his love for us.  When Job, the most blameless, upright man that lived in his time, went through that suffering, did God just see Job .. or did God see Jesus in Job, knowing that one day his only son would go through suffering far worse, through no fault of his own.

Job, the meaning of his name is where is (my) father.  Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani.  I would like to conclude this comparison with a rhetorical question – Was the suffering and name of Job symbolic to what took place on Calvary?  But what took place on Calvary carried immense magnitude – the enormity of the deity dying for us on Calvary.

Application: This book tells us that God allows tests and trials in a person’s life.  This transaction stage or process stage, as I heard in a seminar, is called “liminality”.  Job went through a liminality stage in his life in which he endured excruciating pain.  But in the end, he came out victorious and the latter part of Job’s life was blessed even more than the former.  I believe Job is an example of a victorious liminality survivor.

We, as Christians, are in the liminality process, just as Job was in the process.  We are waiting for the second coming of Christ.  We are in the sanctification process awaiting the time we will be fully glorified in Christ.

Main themes: According to the Nelson’s Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts, “the basic question of the book is ‘why do the righteous suffer if God is loving and all powerful?’’  The second theme for me is God’s hand on Job’s life during his suffering and God blessing Job because Job stood strong in his faith in God.

Theological Truths: God is in control.  God who is omniscient or all knowing knows about everything, whether it is good or evil, and He is in control.  God has a higher plan, a higher purpose in mind.  The devil needed God’s permission to attack Job, yet God preserved his life and blessed him more as he came out of his suffering, completely victorious.  Isa 48:10 “see I have refined you, though not as silver, I have tested you in the furnace of affliction”.  God refines and tests us.  We, as His children, go through difficult situations in our life many times, but God never leaves us nor forsakes us.  God never tempts us but I believe God allows us to go through hard times in our life so that we come out stronger, ready for His divine call.

Distinctive Pentecostal Beliefs: A distinctive Pentecostal belief here is spiritual warfare.  Satan brought about oppression in Job’s life yet Job stood firm.  In Job 1:10, it tells us that God put a hedge of protection around Job.  In Eph. 6:10-20, the armour of God is our protection.  When we, as children of the most high, live to please God, the devil brings about opposition.  The devil brings about all kinds of oppression.  The devil can attack our mind, our emotions, our finances, our family;  but, what I learnt from Job is that the devil cannot take the life of a child of God unless God allows it to happen.  The devil has come to steal, to kill and to destroy, but God has come to give us life and give it in abundance.  Spiritual warfare is real.  I have experienced it in my life but our God is far greater, far mightier.  Jesus is our deliverer and redeemer.

Another distinctive Pentecostal belief is the prosperity of Job and the latter part of Job’s prosperity was greater than the former (Job 42:42).  Contrary to a pentecostal belief that I have read here in Job is suffering.  Many of our charismatic and Pentecostal churches are so caught up in the prosperity and spiritual warfare teaching that they fail to train and help people going through suffering.  Many charismatic churches talk about the bed or roses, but those roses have thorns.  So I would urge the Pentecostal churches to talk about trials and tribulations or the so called “laminality” process that every person endures during some time of their life.

Application: This book of Job has immensely helped me in my life.  I went through a difficult time in my life.  In fact, I suffered from depression but this book has given me a hope for the future.  I would like to close with a poem I wrote:

Who am I?

That thought in my heart I ponder

What am I meant to be

Oh God, the future I just can’t foresee

Yet you care for me.

You didn’t just let me be,

You have a place and purpose

Thy Word is the key.

I came into the world a little seed,

Curious about the world so mysterious,

Bombarded with emotions hilarious,

At times delirious, at other times, furious

As I started to grow and mature to the tree I was meant to be,

I faced the storms of life

Into temptations I was tossed,

Yet through thy divine grace at Calvary

To temptation I was no longer held in slavery,

You set me free, enabling me to grow in sanctity,

Your word says, You shall bear fruit in season,

Seasons have come, seasons are gone,

Oh God, I feel so alone, why was I ever born,

Yet you on me never did frown,

The veil to enter the holy of holies was torn

By thy divine blood on the cross which was no loss,

At thy feet I place my supplication,

Oh Christ, on me make a divine transformation,

This season, let me see my life has a reason

Let me bear fruit at a dozen

Change my heart, my attitude

As I grow and mature in thy attitude,

As I pray I feel thy presence come as a ray

I feel the power of thy awesome presence like rain on me does spray

Father, when will you use me

Is it today?

I feel the rain come on me washing all my doubts and fears without a trace

Speaking to me through a gentle breeze

Thy love for me will never cease

I hear they voice saying my plans for you will be fulfilled come what may

All your have to do, daughter, is to pray.


BIBLIOGRAPHY

Hayford, Jack W., Hayford’s Bible Handbook, Nashville, 1995.

Nelson, Nelson’s Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts, Nashville, 1996.

Sanford, William, Allen, David, William Frederic, Old Testament Survey, Michigan, Zondervan, 1982.

Tenney, Merril C., Pictorial Bible Dictionary, Michigan, Zondervan, 1963.

A Poem About “Us”

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Our Wedding Day

He came into my life one beautiful October,
We dated all through November,
We were a couple, who people would remember,
He was tall and Caucasian and I was short and Indian,
It was love at first sight and he asked me to marry him within a month in December,
Much to my delight and that kiss after he put that ring that to my finger did cling was an evening to remember.
It was now or never,
When we spoke our vows it was forever,
He turned out to be a caring husband and lover,
I turned out to be great cook and soon to be  mother,
We are both different yet similar,
Love crosses boundaries, races, discrimination and racism erases,
I love his spiky dark brown hair.
He has a flair in combing my long black tresses.
Our customs,  habits, and dresses different
Yet our difference the other pleases,
Integration into society of another culture is a process that needs a Moses.
With each one taking the hand of the other as we travel over land and water.
We have been and lived in each others lands as compatible as holding hands.
We may be complexion shades apart, but our love for the other will never depart.
As we made a covenant between each other in front of man and God,
We are a union and till our life ebbs away we will share sweet communion,
With God and man as husband and wife, till everlasting life.
Keeping away from all anger and strife
And darling thank you for making me your wife.

A hypothetical discussion between a Messianic Jew and a Pentecostal Irish Belfast Bible College graduate regarding their views on the Old and New testaments of the Bible

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“In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning” John 1:1,2

Before time ever existed one thing existed and that was the Word. Jesus was the Word made flesh and dwelt among us. Before time existed Jesus existed therefore logically speaking the Word made flesh which is Jesus existed before time existed.

The play unfolds:-

There are two very important people I would like to introduce to you. One is Methuselah middle aged with salt and pepper hair, a big moustache and a bigger tummy with five children four girls and one boy and a wife named Hannah. Names of children are Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Abigail and a son named Isaac. Methuselah has recently come to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour and so has his family they are Messianic Jews who have come to Northern Ireland on holiday.

My next friend is Paul, who likes to think of himself as apostle Paul because of the prophesies he has received from his Pentecostal brothers and sisters from the Elim Pentecostal Church. He is six feet tall, blue/grey eyes with glasses, very thin and scanty blond hair. He is in his late thirty’s. Paul is single and has a Bachelor’s degree in theology from Belfast Bible College. He is hoping to go to Israel as a missionary. Paul met Methuselah in Jerusalem when he went there on holiday and is hoping to get to know Sarah as a prospective bride. Paul and Methuselah have arranged to meet for coffee at Star bucks.

Their conversation begins :-

Meths:- Shalom Paul ( gives Paul a warm hug)

Paul:- Praise the Lord brother and stretches out his hand to shake hands but is overwhelmed by Methuselah’s big hug.

Meths:- How are you Paul? When are you planning on coming to Israel, the land flowing with milk and honey as Psalms 48:1,2 says “ Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. In the city of our God. In His holy mountain beautiful elevation.  The joy of the whole earth is mount Zion on the sides of the North. The city of the great King.”

Paul:- Can’t imagine why God would send Jesus to that wee little land to fulfil his purpose in all the earth. He could have come to Northern Ireland ya know it is so green and welcoming, ya know man I am not patriotic but why the Middle East?

Meths:- Laughs out loud Oye ,Oye ,Oye, now you want to turn Jesus Irish. Jesus was born in a manger in Bethlehem in that wee little land of Israel, through Him all the nations of the earth will be blessed as it says in Luke 2:30-32 “ For mine eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before all the peoples. A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles and the glory to your people Israel.”

Paul:-Jesus is all that matters, once we have Jesus who came to save the world from sin and sickness and we thankfully, glory to God, do not need the law. As Martin Luther says (Ahem clears his throat and puts on his most important look) We are saved by grace and  not by the law.

(Just then a beautiful blond waitress comes up to take their order, Paul adjusts his glasses and stares at the waitress unable to speak.) So Methuselah gives the orders of two cappuccinos. Paul keeps staring at the waitress till she goes back.

Meths:-Paul you might as well hang a sign around your neck that says ’single and looking intently’. Now coming back to what you said about the law, A.G. Herbert in his book ‘The Authority of the Old Testament says “ it is never said that the Mosaic law is now seen not to have been the law of God at all, on the contrary it is God’s law and it is holy and righteous and good. It is never said that the prophets are right and the law wrong, nor is the moral law endorsed and the ceremonial law repudiated, on the contrary Jesus has come not to destroy but to fulfil both the law and the prophets.”

Paul:- That’s good, Aha, Jesus never came to die for our sins in  the Old Testament. In the Old Testament they had sacrifices ,the Mosaic law and of course the prophets. But I says I like the apostles filled with the Holy Spirit doing signs and wonders in Jesus’ name.

Meths:- ( shakes his head) My dear boy let me take you through a journey back to the time of prophets and prophesies and how the Holy Spirit worked in the Old Testament. The prophets filled with the Holy Spirit played a very significant role in the life of the Jewish people and therefore in our lives as well. As I said earlier Jesus is the fulfilment of the Law that was prophetic. Now let me take you to I Samuel 16:13 ( Methuselah takes out his Bible from his brown brief case) ‘Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.’ How did David kill the Lion and the bear 1 Samuel 17:49 ? The answer is simple dear boy because the Holy Spirit was on David. In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit was not a free gift to all people only a chosen few were filled with the Holy Spirit and they were the Prophets, Priests, and Kings. The moment Samuel anointed David with oil, David had a change in perspective from David the Shepherd boy to David the King. Now lets go to your favourite part of scripture Luke 3:22 ” And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon him and a voice from Heaven which said “ You are my beloved Son; in you I am well pleased”.  From that significant moment in Jesus’ life, Jesus had the ability to work miracles and now this is my point dear boy, which portion of scripture did Jesus read at the synagogue in Nazareth after being endowed with power from on high?  He read Isaiah 61:1,2 and if the Old Testament was just the Law and Jesus just came to give us amazing grace why would He read Isaiah 61:1,2 ? A prophecy concerning Himself. Now lets go to Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly O daughter of Zion, Shout daughter of Jerusalem, See your King comes to you righteous and having salvation gentle and riding on a donkey on a colt, The foal of a donkey.” This prophecy was fulfilled in Matthew 21:7,8 where Jesus sat on the donkey as He approached Jerusalem and the crowds lay their cloaks before Him on the road and Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on the donkey just as the law had foretold. Jesus fulfilled the law and the law was prophetic. Therefore dear son you cannot have the new without the old. Like two sides of a coin ( as Methuselah flicks a coin in the air and catches it)

Paul:- Sips his cappuccino, looks at the young couple who have just entered Star bucks and gives a gives a big sigh. He pauses for a moment, takes a big gulp of cappuccino and chokes as it is really hot, he gulps a mouthful of cold water wipes his eyes, puts his glasses back on and continues. According to J P Fokkelman in his book Reading Biblical Narrative

“ The narrative art of the New Testament can be found in the four gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. These books have been written in the Greek of the Hellenistic world of the first century. All of them move around two land marks, Firstly the person of Jesus Christ and secondly the group of texts that for Jesus, His disciples and the writers of the gospels and the letters constitute the Holy scriptures, The Hebrew Bible. Paradoxically, we can  only speak of the Old Testament after a New Testament has been written and recognised as a canon.

Meths:- Dear boy, what are you trying to prove? We had the law first Exodus 20 :1-17, the prophesies, example Isaiah 61:1-3 and Isaiah 53. The Old Testament foreshadowed the New. The Old Testament was the foundation on which the New Testament was built. The New Testament is a prophetic fulfilment of the Old Testament. Jesus is the Word made flesh who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our sins to fulfil the law and the prophets. Now coming back to a more personal level, You remember the time Rebecca was sick with typhoid I just prayed the Psalms with tears especially Psalm 42. ‘Tears have been my food’ when we did not have enough food in the house for our children to eat but by praying and fasting ( not optionally) God took us through that time when we were in Russia and brought us to the promised land of Jerusalem. Those prayers from the Old Testament worked and now we are here in Northern Ireland on holiday drinking Cappuccino.

Paul:- Takes of his glasses and wipes the tears from his eyes and blows his nose loudly on the Star Bucks serviette. Well Methuselah, it is great having you in Noren Ireian…. I agree with you dear  brother that we need the Old Testament to have the New Testament,

Let us pray, Paul clears his throat and prays with the loud voice that people turn around and stare “ Dear God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Thank you for the privilege of knowing Yahweh, Emmanuel God with us and at the same time have the sweet communion with the Holy Spirit. He then pauses and says God give me a wife soon, with a hint to Methuselah, adds someone from the Holy land he again pauses and says in the words of the song  by Keith Christianson  “ We believe in the Father, who created all that is and we believe the universe and all there is is His. As a loving heavenly Father, He yearned to save us all to lift us from the fall we believe. We believe in Jesus the Father’s only son existing  before time had begun a sacrifice for sin, He died and rose again to ransom sinful men we believe. We believe in the Spirit who makes believers one, our hearts are filled with His presence the Comforter has come. The kingdom unfolds in His plan, unhindered by quarrels of man His church upheld by his hand we believe. Though the earth be removed and time be no more these truths are secure, God’s word shall endure whatever may change these things are sure we believe. So if the mountains are cast  down into the plains when Kingdoms all crumble this one remains, Our faith is not subject to seasons of man with our fathers we proclaim. We believe our Lord will come as He said, The land and the sea will give up their dead His children will reign with Him as their head, we believe, we believe.

Amen

Bibliography

1.Herbert A. G. The Authority of the Old Testament, Faber and Faber Ltd

2.Fokkelman J.P Reading Biblical Narrative, An Introductory Guide, John Knox Press 1995

3.Walter C Kaiser Jr. The Old Testament Documents, Inter varsity press 2001

4. Harrison RK Introduction to the Old Testament , The Tyndale Press 1969

Interview with a Presbyterian Pastor from Australia

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As I interviewed Pastor Don Kennedy, I was able to comprehend the Presbyterian approach to Jesus and how the Presbyterians view Jesus in this present time.

To the question, what was the atoning work of Jesus on the Cross, Pastor Don states that Jesus bridged the gap between us and God caused by sin and provided a way into the holy place of heaven by the shedding of his blood.

This is true.  I agree with Pastor Don that Jesus is the bridge that connects us to God.  Jesus is our mediator.  According to Pastor Brian Mulheran, Jesus’ death on the cross has laid the axe to the root of the tree of sin that was within our lives and in its place He has put His tree of righteousness and life.  Even though this has transpired, you and I still find ourselves committing the very sin we don’t want to commit.  We have this new nature within us that desires to do right, but often we do wrong.  The way we have lived in the flesh has been by aligning ourselves with our sin nature.  Once we have Jesus’ new nature placed within us, we can now realign our lives with it.

According to Pastor Mulheran, Jesus changes our sinful nature to realign us to divine nature.  Jesus is still the mediator but in a different view.

To the question, what does the baptism of Jesus signify?  Pastor Don Kennedy states that the baptism of Jesus is the beginning of the special ministry time of Jesus of 3-1/2 years.  Why was this baptism so significant?  Why was this baptism the commencement of Christ’s ministry?  I believe the holy spirit came down on Jesus with power and it was only then that Jesus went about with supernatural power from on high to do signs, wonders and miracles.  Jesus was no longer God/man;  I believe Jesus became complete God when He came up from that water.  According to Pastor Don Kennedy, he states that Adam was federal head of the rebel race of people.  We were identified with Adam and he identified with us.  Jesus died and we moved from being lost to being saved.  We move out from federal headship of Adam and come under federal headship of Jesus Christ.  Solidarity of Adam in Jesus Christ?  So therefore the baptism of Jesus was not just an example for us to follow, it was significant for God Himself as it was only after the baptism that the ministry of Jesus commenced, accompanied by miracles.  It was also prophetic in nature for the visible infilling of the Holy spirit who came on Jesus in the form of a dove.  In the second chapter of Acts, the Holy spirit came on the people in the form of tongues of fire.

To the question, what are the characteristics of Christ?  Pastor Don states that “He was begotten in the womb of Mary and therefore he received characteristics of God.  She bequeathed it to him”.  I disagree with this statement because I believe that these characteristics of God were bequeathed by God Himself and Mary was an instrument used and empowered by God for bringing Jesus Christ into the world.  According to J. Rodman Williams, “the truth is that the son of God had actually come in the flesh”.

When I asked Pastor Don the question, what is the authority of Jesus Christ he stated that Jesus is our prophet, Priest, King;  the head and Saviour of his Church, the heir of all things and judge of the world.  I agree with his answer but I also believe that there is more.  Jesus is omnipotent and all powerful;  Jesus is omniscient and all knowing;  and Jesus is omnipresent and his presence is everywhere.  This awesome Lord Jesus is the One who loves us, died for our sins and forgives us;  Jesus has the authority to forgive our sins.  According to Pastor Brian Mulheran, Jesus was preaching “change your thinking and believe in the good news of my salvation which brings the remission of sins”.

I, as a strong Charismatic (hopefully), believe the great authority of Jesus over evil spirits and the satanic realm which is very real and Jesus states in Ps. 91, “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means harm you”.  Praise the Lord.

In conclusion, I would like to state that Jesus, the word of God, Son of God, Light of the World, our Creator, came into this world with a unique purpose and Jesus fulfilled this purpose for our lives.

This interview has helped me to realize that whatever our views in theology, as long as we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, born of the virgin Mary, was crucified for our sins and rose again from the dead, we will be saved.  Not everyone is a Baptist, not everyone is a strong charismatic, not everyone is a Methodist, not everyone is an Anglican, but everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved as John 3:16 states “that God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life”.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Williams, J. Rodman, 1990, Renewal Theology, Michigan, Zondervan