Sudden Revelation Encore Presentation

To everyone who automatically gets my articles I apologize for everything being weird, I was having some issues getting this to post. Kind of a learning learning experience. Hopefully I've figured it out.

This week my friend over at Gnostic-Unrest and I seem to be on the same wavelength. Check out her latest post entitled Thunder Introduction & Evolution. She expands on my last post, and how hard it is to describe the feeling we get when connect with God. She nails it just right when she says it is "ENDLESS." When I read this, instantly it made me think of something I wrote last year after an experience I had driving through Wyoming. Click on her article and check it out, then continue on to read this encore presentation on Sudden Revelation. Thanks Angel

One day back in March I was driving across Wyoming, coming back to Rapid City from Gillette. I was listening to a preaching cd. The preacher was talking about God as Father and His love for us. He was saying that God is love. Now, that's a pretty common saying, but he went on to say something that really triggered something in me. He said, It's not like God has a pitcher of water that He distributes out love as we need it. He is love, He is the water, and the closer we get to Him we begin to experience that love more and more, and are able to share that love more and more. I've never been to Montana but Montana is called Big Sky Country. From what I have seen of Wyoming I think it could be called the same thing. Basically, I think that just means there is nothing to get in the way of seeing for miles, and miles. It's mostly prairie, and farm land. For me on this day that was an advantage. As this preacher was preaching I looked out of my windshield from left to right all along the horizon, and all I could see was blue sky as far as I could see. Not a cloud in the sky, just a round blue ceiling covering all of us, and it suddenly hit me that God literally is covering us with his love and all we need to do is just connect with Him and tap into that love. Could you imagine if we all did that how much better off this world would be? Shortly after my revelation I looked down noticed I was doing 82mph, noticed the flashing lights in my rear view mirror, pulled over, got my warning ticket, and continued on to Rapid City, but even that couldn't ruin my day. Thanks for searching with me, Paul

Thursdays Child John 4:1-30 Thirsty?

As we start John 4, the first three verses tell us that Jesus decides to leave Judea because He finds out the Pharisees were told He was baptizing more people than John. It makes me wonder what it was about John that the Pharisees preferred over Jesus. For the purpose of this story it doesn't really matter. They are just telling us why He left, and that He is now going back to Galilee. On the way to Galilee He has to go through Samaria, which is where the actual story begins.

Instead of writing the story out verse by verse, I'll just summarize it. Jesus and His disciples had to through Samaria to get to Galilee. The disciples were in the village of Sychar getting food. Jesus was sitting beside Jacob's Well by himself. A woman came up to get some water. Jesus asked her to draw Him some water. This surprised her because Jews didn't associate or even talk to Samarians, not to mention a male Jew talking to a female. She asked Him why He was talking to her. He said if you knew who I was you would be asking me for a drink of living water, the kind where you won't get thirsty again. She asked for some of that water, He told her to go get her husband. Then He went on to tell her she had had five husbands and the man she was living with now wasn't even her husband. Even though He just freaked her out, it seems funny that she doesn't just run off. She just says "oh you must be a prophet," and asks where the correct place to worship is. He told her "soon it's not going to matter where you worship, as long as you worship in spirit and truth. The spirit He is talking about is the connection I've been referring to the past few posts. When you can block everything else out and focus on God. This is also where the truth comes in. Like I said last time, when you honestly search for Him He will be there, so the two kind of go together. I naturally don't know everyone's experience, but for myself, if I'm listening to Christian music, or praying and focus on the words being sung or prayerful thoughts in my head, I can tell I have that connection. You can just tell God is there with you. There is no way to describe it except to say, Jesus tells her since God is Spirit we have to worship Him in spirit. When we are able to do that we have connected spirit to spirit. Next she says "when the Messiah comes He will explain everything to us." So Jesus tells her "I am the Messiah." This time she leaves her water jug and runs off. It says she tells everyone in the village. I was wondering, is this an exaggeration or a literal statement? If it is literal, how long did it take? How small was this village? Did she just run through the town screaming? It says the people came streaming from the town to meet him.

I encourage you today to search for that connection. Get some Christian music. You can listen to some for free online. Check out Mercy Me, Third Day, or Casting Crowns. These are Christian rock bands but, they are more of a softer rock. They are easy to get in to. Search for that connection. Leave me some comments and let me know how it goes. Thanks for searching with me, Paul

Thursdays Child John 3:33-36 John 3 Condensed Version

Verse 33 starts out by saying "Those who believe Him discover that God is true. (34) For He is sent by God. He speaks God's words, for God's Spirit is upon Him without measure or limit." As I read this it dawned on me how true this is. Before we start following Jesus we always wonder if He is real. Even if you grow up in the church, that uncertainty is still there. In the public schools they teach that there is no God. So you are taught about God on Sunday and the opposite Monday through Friday. That alone is enough to make you have questions. Then when you add TV, movies, and secular music, you're little visit for that hour, maybe two, on Sunday, maybe three if you go on Sunday night, has just become way outnumbered. But, once you decide, and you call His name telling Him you want him to be in charge of your life, something happens inside of you, and you know without question God is true. It's at that moment you want to learn everything you can. One thing I wish everyone would learn first is, our eternal life starts right at that moment, and so does verse 34. God's Spirit is upon Him without measure or limit. The same applies to us since we have been adopted by the father. We have all have all the benefits granted to His Son, Jesus. (35) – The Father loves His Son (kids) and gives Him (them) authority over everything. I know this because if we jump ahead to John 14:12,13 it says we are able to do the things Jesus did, even greater things. Anything we ask in His name will be done so the Father will be glorified. (36) And all who believe in God's Son have eternal life. Those who don't obey the Son will never experience eternal life, but the wrath of God remains upon them. Let's examine the last part of verse 36. Why did He use the word obey? Why didn't He just stick with the word believe. If you check it out, the Greek word they use for the word believe means "to have a relationship with." So, not only do you have to have knowledge of Him and believe He is real you have to have that connection with Him. Now, why the word obey? Does it mean doing what you're called to do? Am I obeying now? Is this my calling? I like to teach. Adult classes, kid's classes, whatever. I write this because I like to. I don't know if anyone will stop by to read it. I do have a visitor counter so I know people do. But I do it because I enjoy it. Does God give me that enjoyment? When it's time to move on to something else will He take the joy away? Who knows. But for now I feel like this is what I'm supposed to be doing. If I didn't, would I be subjected to the wrath of God? Would He just continue to put the desire in me until I did? As we search, search for that desire in you. What do you feel drawn to? If you truly search for Him, He will be there. Thanks for searching with me, Paul

Thursdays Child John 3:22-32 A Loyal Friend

After Jesus was finished talking to Nicodemus, they left Jerusalem but stayed in Judea and baptized there for a while. John the Baptist was still baptizing when one of John's disciples came up to him and said Jesus was still baptizing across the river. John informed him God has appointed us each to our own work, and that he was sent to prepare the way for the Messiah. The bridegroom's friend goes where the bridegroom goes. He is Jesus' friend and rejoices at His success. As Jesus becomes greater and greater John must become less and less. John's understanding is limited to the things of the earth but, Jesus is greater than anyone because he has come from heaven. Although He has come from heaven very few people believe Him.

This is another one of those times I wish we knew more about Jesus' early childhood. I found some interesting stuff researching this. All I'm doing is flipping between books in the Bible. I'm not using any other references. We always think of the wise men going to the manger where Jesus was born. The book of Matthew says they went to the house where He was. We know after the wise men left Jesus, an angel told Mary and Joseph to flee to Egypt. The book of Luke says Jesus was circumcised and dedicated in Jerusalem at eight days old. So when did they have to leave? The book of Matthew says they came back to Nazareth after King Herod died. The book of Luke says Jesus' parents went every year to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival. So did they travel back and forth every year? If so, how long did they do this before they were able to move back? They were there for the Passover when Jesus was twelve, that's when they forgot Him. The main question I had that caused me to look all this stuff up was; as cousins, did Jesus and John The Baptist grow up together? Did they play together? If Jesus was at the temple every year, you would think John would have been there too. Did John grow up knowing that the Messiah was his cousin? When did John take off to live in the wilderness?

The answer to any of these questions wouldn't have had any effect on John's loyalty to Jesus. Whether he knew he was related or not, they were obviously friends it says that. Ego being part of human nature he could have gotten upset that Jesus was becoming popular but, he knew God had sent him prepare the way for the Messiah, and he was being obedient. I think that is why his disciple was upset because he felt bad for John. John's love and loyalty to God and his friend and cousin was stronger than his ego. We can all learn a lot from John's actions. In our day it's all about becoming successful at any cost, no matter who you have to step on to get there. Loyalty doesn't mean much to those who are trying to move up the ladder. As we continue on our search, let's remember friendship and loyalty. Once again that boils down to Jesus' teaching –Love One Another- Thanks for searching with me, Paul