JNM - I AM WHO AM (Part 1 2)
From: Bayo Afolaranmi [EMAIL PROTECTED] Dear Beloved, For the next seven to eight weeks, I would be sharing a serial expository study of the seven great I AM sayings of Jesus Christ in the book of St. John with you. I have done the study about five years ago. I AM WHO AM (Part 1) (Exodus 3:13-15; John 8:58) INTRODUCTION Today's study introduces the seven great I AM sayings of Jesus Christ in the book of St. John. These sayings and discourses center on the person and deity of Jesus Christ and affirm beyond doubt, the undeniable truth: the deity of Jesus Christ. How do these sayings originate? It is contained in the answer God gave Moses when he seemed to be dodging God's call on Mt. Horeb (Exodus 3). First, he said that he was not worthy of the call (verse 11). When God assured him of His support (verse 12), he gave the second excuse. He asked: Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them? (verse 13). WHAT IS IN A NAME? What is in a name? Juliet in Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare asked this classic question. In Africa, names often describe the character and the circumstance (s) of one's birth and lineage. The western world also has preference and values to names. The name of a person/thing in the Bible always reveals the circumstance (s) of the person/thing bearing that name, or the beliefs of his/her parents. For examples, Joshua means Jehovah is salvation; Isaiah and Jesus mean Jehovah saves; Nabal means a fool (1 Samuel 25:25) and Barnabas means son of encouragement (Acts 4:36). So Moses did not go too far in asking for the name of the God that spoke to him. After all, God had not revealed His name to anybody before. THE NAME OF GOD God answered Moses' question by telling him, I AM WHO I AM, or simply, I AM (verse 14). This is a word play on the Hebrew word for Yahweh. It has connection with the verbs to be and to exist. Thus God was speaking of Himself as the Self-existent Being. This name expresses two of God's characters - the dependable and faithful God. He desires the full trust of His people (cf. verses. 12, 15). JESUS CHRIST'S APPLICATION OF THIS NAME Jesus Christ applied this name to Himself eight times in the Gospel of St. John. One of such instances is explained here. This instance (8: 58) was started with another instance (in verse 12), which brought about a heated dialogue between Jesus and the Pharisees. The dialogue deals with the testimony of Jesus Christ (verses 12-30), the father of the Jews (Abraham or the devil) (verses 31-47), and Jesus' claim about Himself (verses 48-59). The Jews questioned Him about His claim that, Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my [Jesus] day (verse 56). In response, Jesus declared, before Abraham was born, I AM! (verse 58). Grammatically, this sentence is wrong, but theologically, it is right. By this, Jesus claimed His pre-existence and His equality with God that spoke with Moses (cf. Philippians 2: 6). The Jews understood Him and wanted to stone Him for such claim. CONCLUSION Today, the fact still confronts us. Who is Jesus Christ? He is the I AM WHO I AM, the Self-existent and pre-existent God who deserves our worship not our stoning. Do you believe this? Are you worshiping Him as God? From next week, we will discuss these sayings one after the other. Till then. In His service, == Dear Beloved, I AM WHO I AM (Part 2) I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE (John 6:25-40) INTRODUCTION Why this I AM saying? Jesus Christ had fed over 5000 people with a boy's lunch (John 6:1-13). As if it was the sign the people had been waiting for. They wanted to forcefully make Him king (verses 14-15). Therefore they were searching for Him. Jesus Christ's reaction brought about this I am saying. THE SEARCH FOR JESUS CHRIST (VERSES 22-25) Were they searching for Jesus to give up their lives to Him on the second day of feeding of over 5000 people or did they have hidden motive? They were searching for Him until they found Him on the other side of the lake (verse 25, NIV). Today, some people are trooping into worship centers, but who and what are they looking for? JESUS CHRIST'S REACTION TO THE SEARCH (VERSES 26-27) The people were looking for Jesus Christ because of the miracle only (verse 26). What about the ultimate miracle of salvation? There was no spiritual motivation. They lacked spiritual perception. Why do many people today worship God? Is it not because of the material and financial things that they will get from Him? Jesus Christ then advised that this ought not to be so. The reason is that physical food and material blessings are not everything. They are short-lived and temporal. Nevertheless spiritual food and blessing lead to eternal life. By saying, Do not work for food that spoils, Jesus Christ was not encouraging laziness. He was pointing out that
JNM - I AM WHO I AM (Part 5 6)
From: Bayo Afolaranmi Dear Beloved, I AM WHO I AM (Part 5) I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD (John 10:11-21) INTRODUCTION The study of the broader text (John 10:1-21), which is a shepherd-flock analogy where Jesus Christ declared two I AM sayings, was started last week. The second saying will be discussed in this part. THE SECOND DECLARATION (VERSES 11-18) Having established the fact that He is the gate of provision, protection and salvation of the sheep (verses 7-9), Jesus Christ further declared and emphasized, I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD (verses 11, 14). Apart from the first reason, He gave three other reasons for being a good shepherd: 1. He lays down His life for the sheep (verses 11, 17) There used to be dangers of wild animals that used to attack the flock and even the shepherd. A good shepherd would be ready to risk his life for his sheep. The cases of Jacob and David are good examples (Genesis 31:38-40; 1 Samuel 17:34-35). A hired person may not do that because his main care is his wage (verses 12-13). Jesus Christ came as our Shepherd to give His life for us, and He did give it (verses 11, 17-18; Galatians 1:4; Ephesians 5:2, 25; Hebrews 9:14). In verse 18, Jesus Christ told us that He did this out of His free will; nobody forced Him to do it (cf. Hebrews 10:9-10). 2. He knows His sheep (verse 14) The ancient Near Eastern shepherd knew each of his sheep by name. He cared for them as an individual, not as an entity. No wonder, the shepherd in Jesus' parable knew that a sheep was lost and left the rest to look for it (Luke 15:3-7). This is in contrast to the modern western shepherds that are dealing with flock as a whole. Jesus Christ knows His sheep, and His sheep know Him. Paul testifies to this: The Lord knows those who are His (2 Timothy 2:19). Does Jesus know you? 3. He will bring other sheep to His fold (verse 16) Jesus Christ knew that there are other sheep - the Gentiles - that are not of the sheep pen - Judaism. As He called out his sheep - the Jewish disciples - from the sheep pen, He promised to bring others also into His fold - Christianity, so that there would be one flock and one shepherd. He is still fulfilling His promise till today. Have you been brought to His fold? THE PEOPLE'S REACTION (VERSES 19-21) As the people had responded to the other 'I AM saying', they were divided. They doubted Him. They rejected Him. They did not accept Him as the Gate, and their Shepherd. CONCLUSION Just as we have seen that the Old Testament leaders were referred to as shepherd, if you are a leader, know that you are a shepherd. What kind of shepherd are you? Are you a bad shepherd like the Israelite leaders (Jeremiah 23:1-2; Ezekiel 34:1ff), or a good shepherd like Jesus Christ? Are you ready to lay down your life for others (cf. John 15:13)? Does Jesus Christ know you as one of His sheep? Are you listening to Him? Do you still doubt in your mind about these I AM sayings? In His service, Bayo Afolaranmi (Pastor). === Dear Beloved, I AM WHO I AM (Part 6) I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE (John 11: 1-44) THRUST This sixth part of the study the great I AM sayings of our Lord Jesus Christ aims at presenting Jesus Christ as the Source of both ordinary temporal life and eternal life, and to prove that death is not the end of a believer in Jesus Christ. INTRODUCTION: THE HISTORICAL BACKGROUND (VERSES 1-16) There were two sisters and a brother that were close friends of Jesus Christ during His earthly ministry. They were Mary, Martha and Lazarus. They lived at Bethany, a village two miles southeast of Jerusalem. It happened that Lazarus was sick to the point of death. A message was sent to Jesus Christ to come and heal His beloved friend that was sick. Jesus' response was that the event was to glorify God. He therefore stayed where He was for two more days. Probably you also have called Jesus to help you in a difficult situation, and it seems He has not answered you. He wants God be glorified in that situation. Do not lose hope; He will answer you in His own time. In His own time, Jesus decided to go and see His sick friend. From the dialogue that ensued between Him and His disciples, it is evident that Lazarus was dead, yet to Jesus Christ, he was sleeping. JESUS CHRIST AND MARTHA (VERSES 17-24) By the time Jesus Christ arrived at Bethany, Lazarus had been buried for four days. Some Jews were with his sisters mourning with them. It is a custom of the Jews to mourn heavily for three days with friends and relatives that are bereaved, and then have a lighter mourning for other 27 days. They even have professional mourners that can mourn for others. These Jews could only mourn with, and comfort Mary and Martha, they could not solve their problem. They were like the friends of Job that came to mourn with, and comfort him. However, they did not solve his problem. They compounded it. Only Jesus
JNM - 20 Berkat Martinus, Korban yang .....
From: iras novita [EMAIL PROTECTED] 20 Berkat 1. mengapa saya berkata Saya tidak bisa jika Alkitab mengatakan bahwa saya bisa melakukan segala sesuatu di dalam Dia yang memberi kekuatan kepada saya (Fil 4:13)? 2. Mengapa saya merasa kurang jika saya tahu bahwa Allah akan memenuhi segala keperluan saya menurut kekayaan dan kemuliaanNya dalam Kristus Yesus (Fil 4:19)? 3. Mengapa saya harus merasa takut jika Alkitab berkata bahwa Tuhan tidak memberi saya roh ketakutan, melainkan roh yang membangkitkan kekuatan, kasih, ketertiban (2 Tim 1:7)? 4. Mengapa saya harus merasa kurang iman jika saya tahu bahwa Allah telah mengaruniakan kepada saya ukuran iman tertentu (Rom 12:3)? 5. Mengapa saya menjadi lemah jika Alkitab berkata bahwa Allah adalah terang dan keselamatan saya dan bahwa saya akan tetap kuat dan akan bertindak (Maz 27:1, Dan 11:32)? 6. Mengapa saya harus membiarkan iblis menang atas hidup saya jika Roh yang ada di dalam saya lebih besar dari pada roh yang ada di dalam dunia (1 Yoh 4:4)? 7. Mengapa saya harus pasrah kalah jika Alkitab berkata bahwa Allah dalam Kristus selalu membawa kita di jalan kemenanganNya (2 Kor 2:14)? 8. Mengapa saya harus kekurangan hikmat jika Kristus sendiri telah menjadi hikmat bagi saya dan Allah akan memberi hikmat jika saya minta padaNya (1 Kor 1:30; Yak 1:5)? 9. Mengapa saya harus depresi jika saya dapat mengingat bahwa saya dapat berharap pada Allah yang kasih setiaNya tidak habis-habisNya setiap pagi (Rat 3:21-23)? 10. Mengapa saya harus kuatir, resah, dan rewel jika saya dapat menyerahkan segala kekuatiran saya pada Tuhan yang memelihara saya (1 Pet 5:7)? 11. Mengapa saya harus selalu hidup dalam beban jika saya tahu bahwa di mana ada Roh Allah, ada kemerdekaan, dan Kristus telah memerdekakan kita (2 Kor 3:17; Gal 5:1) ? 12. Mengapa saya harus merasa terhukum jika Alkitab berkata bahwa saya tidak ada lagi di bawah penghukuman sebab saya di dalam Kristus (Rom 8:1) ? 13. Mengapa saya harus merasa sendirian jika Yesus berkata Ia akan selalu menyertai saya, tidak akan membiarkan dan tak akan meninggalkan saya (Mat 28:20; Ibr 13:5)? 14. Mengapa saya harus merasa terkutuk atau merasa saya menjadi korban nasib sial jika Alkitab berkata bahwa Kristus telah menebus kita dari kutuk hukum taurat sehingga oleh iman kita menerima Roh yang telah dijanjikan itu (Gal 3:13-14) ? 15. Mengapa saya harus merasa tidak puas dalam hidup ini jika saya,seperti Paulus, bisa belajar untuk menjadi puas dalam segala keadaan (Fil 4:11) ? 16. Mengapa saya harus merasa tidak layak jika Kristus telah dibuat menjadi dosa karena kita, supaya di dalam Dia kita dibenarkan oleh Allah (2 Kor 5:21) ? 17. Mengapa saya merasa takut disiksa orang jika saya tahu bahwa jika Allah di pihak saya tidak ada yang akan melawan saya (Rom 8:31) ? 18. Mengapa saya harus bingung jika Allah adalah Raja Damai dan Ia memberi saya pengetahuan melalui RohNya yang diam di dalam kita (1 Kor 14:33;2:12) 19. Mengapa saya harus terus-menerus gagal dan jatuh jika Alkitab berkata bahwa sebagai anak Allah saya lebih daripada orang-orang yang menang dalam segala hal, oleh Dia yang telah mengasihi saya (Rom 8:37)? 20. Mengapa saya harus membiarkan tekanan hidup mengganggu saya jika saya mempunyai keberanian karena tahu Tuhan Yesus telah menang atas dunia dan penderitaan (Yoh 16:33)? Diamlah dan ketahuilah, bahwa Akulah Allah ! (Mazmur 46:11a) From: job palar [EMAIL PROTECTED] Martinus, Korban yang Semula Diberitakan sebagai Teroris Harian Sore Sinar Harapan, Kamis, 16 September, 2004. DEPOK -- Reggy, kalau malam itu lu datang ke tempat tongkrongan, pasti nggak akan begini jadinya. Lu kemarin baru saja perbaiki mobil gue. Gue sudah nggak punya teman yang dekat lagi, kata seorang teman Martinus Sitania (29) sambil terisak. Martinus biasa dipanggil dengan nama Reggy. Pemuda yang tidak mau dimintai keterangan lebih lanjut itu, semula terlihat tegar mengikuti prosesi pemakaman sahabatnya yang menjadi korban pengeboman di depan Kedutaan Besar (Kedubes) Australia pada 9 September lalu. Namun begitu satu per satu sanak keluarga dan handai taulan meninggalkan makam Martinus, pemuda berkulit putih itu justru memegang salib yang ditancapkan di atas pusara sahabatnya dan tak mampu menahan tangis. Sore itu, suasana di TPU Kalimulya Depok I dipenuhi oleh para pelayat yang mengantarkan Martinus, anak kelima dari pasangan Yacob Sitania dan Else Sitania, menuju peristirahatannya yang terakhir. Para pelayat yang hadir tak kuasa menitikkan air mata ketika peti jenazah dimasukkan ke liang lahat. Bahkan ibunda Martinus dan dua saudara kandungnya pingsan. Di kalangan keluarga, pemuda yang lahir pada 1 November 1975 itu dikenal sebagai anak yang baik. Bahkan dari kecil ia dikenal sebagai anak yang pendiam dan pemalu. Karena itu pihak keluarga merasa kecewa setelah mendengar pemberitaan di salah satu media elektronik yang
JNM - Gods Work Ministry E-Mail
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Gods Work Ministry Inspirational and Encouragement E-Mail Dear Friend, The sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus Christ that was made to redeem mankind from their sins is a gift that we should think on often. Such perfect love and sacrifice can not be understood by our finite minds, but still was made by an infinite God with infinite mercy who willingly died so that He may redeem His creation from their sins. I am thankful that God so loved me that He sent His only begotten Son to die on a cruel cross so that I might be saved from an eternity in hell. God's love and salvation come to all who will simply receive. I encourage you to acknowledge the Lord who died for your sins and show Him by your praise that you are thankful for all that He has done for you. (2 Corinthians 5:17-21) (John 3:1-18) I hope you are encouraged and challenged by today's message to be thankful always for the sacrifice that the Lord Jesus made so that we might be made righteous before God the Father. GIVING IT ALL It was a bitterly cold Christmas Eve in Korea in 1952. A pregnant young mother, Bak Yoon, hobbled through the snow toward the home of a missionary friend where she knew she could find help. Tears of sorrow froze on her face as she mourned her husband. He had recently been killed in the Korean War, and she had no one else to turn to. A short way down the road from her missionary friend's house was a deep gully spanned by a bridge. As Bak Yoon stumbled forward, birth pains suddenly overcame her. She fell, realizing that she could go no further, and crawled under the end of the bridge. There, alone, under the bridge, her baby boy was born. Bak Yoon had nothing with her except her heavy, padded clothes. One by one, she removed all pieces of her clothing and wrapped them around her tiny son, still connected to her body by his umbilical cord. Then feeling exhausted she lay back in the snow beside her baby. The next morning Miss Watson, long-time missionary, drove across the bridge in her car to take a Christmas basket of food to a needy Korean family. On her way back, as she got near the bridge, the car sputtered and died out of gasoline. She got out of the car and started across the ridge. Through crunching snow under her feet she heard another sound - a baby's faint cry. She stopped, unbelieving, and heard the cry again. oIt's coming from beneath this bridge! She crawled under the bridge to investigate and there she found a tiny, bundled baby, warm but hungry, and young Bak Yoon frozen in death. With a knife from her tool box she cut the cord and took the baby home with her. After caring first for the child, she, along with some helpers, brought Bak Yoon's body back to near where she lived and buried her here. She named the baby Soo Park, and adopted him. He was strong and healthy and so grew up among many other orphan children that Miss Watson cared for. But to her, Soo Park was special. She often told him, Your mother had great love for you, Soo Park, and about how she had proved that love. He never tired of hearing of his beautiful mother. On Christmas day, his 12th birthday, snow was falling. After the children had helped Soo Park celebrate his birthday, he came and sat beside Miss Watson. Mother Watson, do you think God made your car run out of gasoline the day you found me? he asked. Perhaps He did, she answered. If that car hadn't stopped, I would not have found you. But I am so glad it stopped. I love you and am very proud of you, Soo Park. She put her arms around him. He rested his head against her. Mother Watson, will you please take me out to my mother's grave? I want to pray there. I want to thank her for my life. Yes, but put on you're heavy coat. It's very cold. Beside the grave, Soo Park asked Mother Watson to wait at a little distance. She walked aside and waited. As the astonished missionary watched, the boy began to take off his warm clothing, piece by piece. Surely he won't take off all his clothing! She thought. He'll freeze! But the boy stripped himself of everything, laid it all on his mother's grave, and knelt naked and shivering in the snow. She waited one minute, two minutes. Then she put her gloved hand on his snow covered shoulder. Come, Soo Park. Your mother in Heaven sees how much you love her. I will help you dress. Then in deep sorrow he cried out to the mother he never knew: Were you colder than this for me, my mother? And he wept bitterly because he knew of course, she was. Jesus stripped Himself of His royal garments to come and live among us. Was He that cold for us? Surely we never have to wonder if He loves us, or even how much He loves us. He demonstrated that to us nearly 2000 years ago. Celebrate in His love. Author Unknown Read and meditate on these scriptures: Hebrews 4:14-16 Seeing then that we have a Great High Priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son
JNM - Power of Prayer : Billy Graham's Prayer Changed Flight Patterns
From: suyento [EMAIL PROTECTED] Power of Prayer : Billy Graham's Prayer Changed Flight Patterns I remember the first time my older son Jim and I worked as counselors with the Billy Graham Crusade. It was at Shea Stadium in New York. The airplanes from La Guardia Airport flew over the stadium, dozens by the hour. On the opening night of training, the Reverend Billy Graham started talking with us from the podium as the engines roared overhead. He paused, glanced up and quietly said, We'll have to do something about this noise. This just won't do. He bowed his head and said a simple prayer to the effect: Lord, we ask you to shift the wind and send these planes in another direction. Thank You. Amen. Well, we were believers, but this was a tall order. We weren't sure what, if anything, to expect. But God did it-he answered our prayers in a wondrous way! The morning newspaper reported that the winds had changed during the night, and the airplanes over Shea Stadium had to be routed another way. For several days thereafter, thousands of people came to Christ under this anointed leader's preaching. At the conclusion of the crusade, the winds reverted to their normal flow, and the airplanes returned to their normal flight patterns. Taken from PreachingToday.com --- And we can be confident that he will listen to us whenever we ask him for anything in line with his will. And if we know he is listening when we make our requests, we can be sure that he will give us what we ask for. 1 John 5: 14-15 NLT --- [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- Make a clean sweep of pop-up ads. Yahoo! Companion Toolbar. Now with Pop-Up Blocker. Get it for free! http://us.click.yahoo.com/L5YrjA/eSIIAA/yQLSAA/IYOolB/TM ~- -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Mailing List Jesus-Net Ministry Indonesia - JNM - Daftar : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Keluar : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Posting: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Bantuan Moderator : [EMAIL PROTECTED] WebSite: http://jnm.clear-net.com (Webmaster wanted!) -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jesus-net/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
JNM - Prison Ministry Search Engine Undocumenteds
From: Prison Ministry Mail Server [EMAIL PROTECTED] Prison Ministry Directory http://PrisonMinistry.net/search.htm Indeed, it is a very sophisticated search, much more than it says on the page. Ministry or Correctional Institution can be found by state, zip code, town and by using search options altogether. Here is what I have learned by simply applying a programming knowledge to this search engine. First, no need to scroll to the bottom of the page and click Search! button with your mouse to complete search request. Just press Enter on the keyboard. By putting * ( shift+8) in any search field and Enter you can get a listing of all ministries where they have any information in the corresponding field. For example, put * in the field Magazine, Enter, you will get search result of 66 ministries (as of today) who publish newsletters or magazines. The same with Books and all other fields. On the bottom of the page - field Search by category. By selecting any of the categories and simply pressing Enter, you will get all ministries involved in the specified activity. Say, you have selected Pen-Pal ministries. As of today there are 54 of them. By selecting Category and a state or town you will find all ministries of this activity in a certain area. Here is more! Put zip code, press enter. Here you'll find a list of all ministries and institutions in the specified area. Someone that you want to contact, or ask chaplain to visit with him, is in inmate_institution County Correctional Institute inmate_addr 627 X Road inmate_city Atlanta inmate_usa_can_state Georgia inmate_zip x inmate_country United States Put Atlanta in the City box, press Enter. Here is a list of all Prison Ministries in this area. By doing combined search Atlanta and selecting Aftercare in Category you will get all Aftercare ministries in Atlanta. And finally, there is a link on the result of your search page: Send search results to your friends and partners - by pressing it you are able to send your search results to all your address book. At last, if your own ministry, outreach or institution is not listed yet, go to http://PrisonMinistry.net/join.htm and get your free webpage and Secure Email Form - the best protection from spammers EVER! Enjoy! Liz == [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ~-- $9.95 domain names from Yahoo!. Register anything. http://us.click.yahoo.com/J8kdrA/y20IAA/yQLSAA/IYOolB/TM ~- -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Mailing List Jesus-Net Ministry Indonesia - JNM - Daftar : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Keluar : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Posting: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Bantuan Moderator : [EMAIL PROTECTED] WebSite: http://jnm.clear-net.com (Webmaster wanted!) -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Yahoo! Groups Links * To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jesus-net/ * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
