Celebrate with praise!

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
1 Peter 1:3a

Just getting started on an overview of 1st Peter. Maybe I am chomping at the bit just a little bit. I was running the definition of “Blessed” through my head, trying to use it in place of the word as used in 1st Peter 1:3. It was not working for me. Thinking I might refresh my mind, I looked up the Greek word translated “blessed” once again. It was not what I was expecting. All my word study tools were telling me that it means, “to speak well of,” to praise, speak well of, thanksgiving, speak in favorable terms. It was like everyone was copying each other. Then I opened up Thayer’s where I was reminded that EULOGETOS is a compound word. EU (meaning good or well) and LOGOS… I know Logos! It has to do with the word as a whole (RHEMA is more like a word of prophecy or of knowledge). You could say it is a good word, and you would not be wrong, but that really doesn’t translate well. Nor is it the same as the “blessed” used in the beatitudes. It isn’t like “happy.”

What EULOGETOS is, is pretty amazing. It is only used eight times in the New Testament and every one of those is speaking of God the Father of Jesus. That seems significant. Then I looked at Thayers. This word translated “Blessed” is “A celebration of praise!” I love that.

I think we are off to a good start!
Debs in Montana
May 6, 2024

Mark 14:61, Luke 1:68, Romans 1:25 & 9:5, 2Corinthians 1:3 & 11:31, Ephesians 1:3 and 1Peter 1:3

The Stone the Builders Rejected

Like many of you, I try to faithfully read through the Bible each year. I’ve only been doing it since 2018 so I am rather new to this discipline. Before then I simply poured my heart into whatever I was studying at the time. My old way laid a good foundation of knowledge for my new practice.

Today, January 6, 2024, my Old Testament reading is Genesis chapters 11 and 12. Beautiful, foundational chapters that I have actually studied and taught multiple times in the past. I thought I had been very thorough in my study. But I bet you know that the Word of God is alive. There is always something new from the Father. So, I was reading Genesis 11 when I saw something that I am sure I’ve seen before but this time something from the Psalms floated through my mind as I read.

And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.

Genesis 11:3 KJV

I know that I have looked closely at this particular verse before. I have written in the margin, “they built w/ white clay instead of stone. But as I was casually reading, that verse drifted through my mind.

The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.

Psalm 118:22 KJV

Psalm 118:22 is quoted many times in the new testament. Jesus himself spoke this word. Matthew, Mark and Luke, all record Him using it (all of these are King James)

• Matthew 21:42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
• Mark 12:10 And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner:
• Luke 20:17 And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?

I was ready to blog this revelation. Still, I wondered, what does it mean? They shouldn’t have built with brick? I do not think that was the point of Genesis 11. In my opinion, Genesis 11 is not about building a tall tower. That is not sin. I have come to understand that the tower that “reaches into heaven” (NAS) is not about building a skyscraper but is about building a portal to the spirit realm, “heaven” as it is called here. Like our modern day CERN, it was an attempt to commune with beings that are not flesh and blood. That was the sin, that was the reason for the judgement of Babel. Not stopping to write, I kept reading the rest of today’s Old Testament passage, until I came to this…

And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.

Genesis 12:7 KJV

This is when I was confident that the Spirit was speaking to me.

Ex 20:25 And if thou wilt make me an altar of stone, thou shalt not build it of hewn stone: for if thou lift up thy tool upon it, thou hast polluted it.

Exodus 20:25

Y’shua / Jesus is the stone rejected by the builders. But what builders? The Jewish sects of Pharisee’s, Sadducee’s or Essenes? I don’t think so. Each of them, in their own understanding, were Torah (the Law) observant. If they built an alter, they would have followed the directions of Exodus. Then who rejected the stone?

I think it was the people of Genesis 11. All of mankind, with one exception, were at Babel or the Plain of Shinar. Genesis 11:3 quietly states that they did not use stone but made brick to use for stone. I believe Abram, even without the Torah, built his alter according to The Way of YHVH, his LORD. The Way Moses wrote it down in Exodus chapter 20. But why is that important? I am convinced that Jesus is the stone. The very word stone in Hebrew testifies to this. I’ve blogged this with an illustration before. If I find it I will link it here.

The uncut stones that Abram used to build an Alter are significant. The people of Babel built a brick tower to access the unseen realm (been listening to a lot of Michael Heiser over Christmas break). They needed a portal for the Watchers, also known as the Titans and later as fallen angels. YHVH does not require a portal. Genesis chapter 12 tells of more then one alter built by Abram. Instead of a portal to meet with the spirit realm, Abram could call on the Name of the LORD as he worshiped at an alter of uncut stones. God came to Him, they met at the place Abram worshiped. The rest of the world, reaching back to the “sons of God” introduced in Genesis 6, needed a portal, a gate between the spirit realm and the biological world.

The “builders” who rejected the stone were, in my opinion, the builders of the tower that reached to heaven. Only the descendants of Abram worshiped the Almighty in a way that He responded to. But that would change. Jesus would call men to worship Him in Spirit and in truth. His disciples would call us to worship Him with this same message about the Stone. The book of Acts uses this picture language to call men to choose who they serve. All of the following are NAS

• Acts 4:8-12 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people, if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well, let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead– by this name this man stands here before you in good health. “He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the very corner stone. “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.”
• Ephesians 2:19-22 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
• 1 Peter 2:4-9And coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected by men, but choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For this is contained in Scripture: “Behold I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone, And he who believes in Him shall not be disappointed. This precious value, then, is for you who believe. But for those who disbelieve, “The stone which the builders rejected, this became the very corner stone,” and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.

Joshua called on us to choose this day who we will serve. The wicked spirits of brick towers, or of CERN’s Hadron Collider. Or, very simply, as Elijah once did, come to Salvation in simplicity, His way, and be saved.

He (Elijah) took twelve stones, one to represent each of the tribes of Israel, and used the stones to rebuild the Lord’s altar.

1 Kings 18:30 TLB (I had not meant to uses the Living Bible, but it is a happy accident)

Jesus is the Stone, rejected by the builders of towers, even bell towers in churches, who is our access to Almight God’s Salvation

Deborah in Montana wishing you a Happy New Year. My prayer for you is that you begin reading the Bible daily. You can start anywhere, God will speak to you, He will heal what hurts, He will let you know He loves you. Even if you have difficulty understanding what you read, He will speak to you in His word. The only thing you have to do is open your Bible and begin.

Perfect Peace

…and they said to one another, “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

As often happens to me, I go to check a reference or a word and end up on a quest. I love the way YHVH works when we are alone together.

All I wanted to know was, who is the “her” that he drives out. The “DAILY LIGHT on the DAILY PATH people are good about giving the address of the passage they use for their “cut and paste” paragraphs, at the end of the string of verses they put together for the daily readings. This one is Isaiah 27:8, where, in my old NAS, there is no gender reference. The fine scholars who translated the Hebrew to New American Standard, use “them” instead of her. OK, but who is them?

Context, context, context. All the way back to verse 27:1, “In that day” (Isaiah 26:20-21 when YHVH is about to come out from HIS place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity…) YHVH will punish Leviathan…

That feeling came, the one when your spirit is stirred within, the one that you can physically feel in the pit of your stomach and in your head, above your eyes. Leviathan in Hebrew is Hydra or Chaos in Greek. The multi-headed serpent of mythology. At least, myth is how modern western man refers to him. He is also known as Draco to star-gazers. He is no myth.

12 Yet God is my king from of old, Who works deeds of deliverance (Y’shua) in the midst of the earth.
13 Thou didst divide the sea by Thy strength; Thou didst break the heads of the sea monsters in the waters. 14 Thou didst crush the heads of Leviathan; Thou didst give him as food for the creatures of the wilderness…
18 Remember this, O LORD, that the enemy has reviled; and a foolish people has spurned Thy name.

Psalm 74:12-18 NAS

At some point in my dear old study Bible, the one from Precepts that does not have notes from the publisher, just my hand written notes, I had written, next to Isaiah 27:1, over the name Leviathan, “the multi headed serpent Hydra, Ps 74:14. and that the “fierce and great and mighty sword that will kill Leviathan the twisted serpent is “truth” (the sword of truth). Next to “twisted serpent” is a note that says, twisted = ready to strike. The Almighty, Y’shua my beloved, will kill the dragon who lives in the sea.

Why was I feeling electric with the Spirit? Maybe because, just yesterday at Bible study we discussed the passage of Mark 4:35-41, that testimony of crossing the sea to “the other side.” During the crossing, the boat was nearly swamped because of the storm. Y’shua-Jesus slept peacefully on a pillow in the stern of the boat. The disciples with him were fishermen, they knew the sea, and they were in fear for their lives. The terrified seamen woke up the physically exhausted Y’shua, chastising Him for not caring that they are perishing. Fully roused, He “rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still…” Sudden, perfect calm.

What did Y’shua-Jesus say to his astonished disciples? …How is it that you have no faith?

No faith? Why does He say they have no faith? Faith is not a Star Wars kind of force. Faith is believing and embracing truth. Isaiah had said, In that day, YHVH will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, with His fierce and great and mighty sword… The sword of Truth. Paul said we who believe are to gird our loins with Truth (John 14:16) and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God (Jesus is the Word made flesh). Eph 6:14, 17 Because our struggle is not against flesh and blood but… against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Draco, a.k.a Leviathan of Isaiah 27. It is truth that sets us free and strengthens us to stand against the dark with the light of the world (John 1:1-5)

Should the disciples have known this truth (this Rehemh)? God always gives me a Word, a Rehemh just when I need it. The woman with the twelve year issue of blood knew that healing was in the fringe of His talith, Why wouldn’t the disciples know the truth that their master defeated Leviathan, not the other way around.

Fear is infectious. When one or two of us succumb to fear, it infects those around us. While the Master rested in the stern of the boat, the disciples indulged in the fellowship of fear… “I was in the storm of `89, this is MUCH worse then that… I had friends die in a storm that was not as bad as this one…

Who is this man that even the wind and the sea obey him? (Mark 4:41)
You think your storm is life-threatening? Let me introduce you to my Jesus.

Debs in Montana
November 18, 2023

Praying for the J-6 storm and Black Sabbath hostages, October 7th, 2023

Babylon

My husband and I read a chapter of the New Testament daily before we pray. Today (October 2, 2023) we just happened to be at Revelation chapter 18 with the heading of, “The Destruction of Babylon.“

Yesterday, I was listening to an older clip of Michael Rood talking about why sin IS a big deal. “Sin is treason.” was his claim. Treason?

What I read today, alongside of what Michael said in the clip, came together this morning. There was one other element to the understanding Ab’ba (daddy-God the Father) gave this morning. Sometimes, if either my husband or I have a difficult time knowing where to start our prayer, we go to the LORD’s prayer to prime the pump and get our prayers flowing.

Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done… one or both of us often pray those very words. “Thy kingdom… Thy will…

I often hear a statement that is very similar to, “Is sin really such a big deal?” Or, “God has forgiven me anyway, so what is the big deal with little sins?” Or, something to the effect of some sins are like a little white lie, easy to overlook. These are questions, statements really, that say, I’m no Ted Bundy; As if God grades on the curve. Or statements that proclaim that no one can actually keep the Law, or I’m covered by the blood because God doesn’t expect perfection (is that where we have landed in this era) when the Almighty clearly said,

“Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Matthew 5:48 New American Standard Updated

That is New Testament, for all of us who have excused ourselves by saying that it is impossible to keep the Old Testament. Jesus Himself said, perfection is the standard.
The Thing is, like you, I know I never will be perfect outside of the blood of Jesus. So what is my point?

Remember Michael Rood and Revelation 18?
You and I were saved from sin by the blood of Christ. The only way for us to be right with our creator and to begin the walk of the path to the Kingdom of Heaven was to pay the death penalty for our sin (Violations of the word of God). If we die, we have no hope. Jesus who loves you, Who NEVER sinned, died FOR you. HE paid your penalty. God the Father brought HIM back from death because of the perfection of HIS life on earth and at the same time the Father accepted the death of Jesus as payment of the death penalty for YOUR sin. Having been born again through Christ,”In HIM we live,” we enter a new culture, we walk the path of righteousness toward the Kingdom of God.

As a new creation or creature in Christ, with our sin covered, even washed away by His blood, is sin a big deal? YES!

Revelation 18 speaks of a place called Babylon. Babylon is not real-estate somewhere in the middle east. Babylon is the spirit-realm place that holds most of the souls of creation in slavery to sin. What is sin? If you are a believer, then sin is the violation of God’s Word. Both an act and an attitude of treason against our king, Jesus, who actually died to pay your price to enter His kingdom.
Does Jesus reject those who sin? No. You are why Jesus came to the Physical world in the first place. The Bible is chock full of examples of the shepherd of souls (a word picture of us being guided toward the Kingdom of Heaven) who will leave the majority to go search for the one who has lost her way to bring her back to The Way of righteousness. Our Shepherd-King will bring us through the dark valley of the shadow of death to the safety of the Kingdom of Heaven.

If you are not a believer, then sin resulting in death is your normal. So normal that you can hardly believe that a loving God would condemn you for just living your life. I assure you He does. Why does He condemn you for everyday sin when you have never killed anyone or cheated physically on your spouse? Because His Son came to die your death for you so that you can live for Him. You can only live for Him in Jesus, confessing your sin to Him, accepting this love gift of taking your death penalty in exchange for you living His life.

Why is sin Treason? When I sin, I am living according to Babylon even though I am a blood-bought citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven. Power and luxury seem to be the least offensive of the sins of Babylon, but they are treason for those who believe in Jesus. (Don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just writing about what I see in Revelation 18) These are hooks, along with immoral passion, fornication, and the resulting disease, murder and mourning of Babylon. Read Revelation 18 for the full picture.

Is sin a “big deal?” Yes, it is treason in the Kingdom of our Lord, Jesus Christ. And the penalty for treason in any nation is death.

Deb in Montana
Monday, October 2, 2023

He (God) has told you, O (wo)man, what is good;
And what does the LORD require of you
But to do justice, to love kindness,
And to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:8 NASU

Why did John Baptize Jesus?

The question of the ages, If Jesus was without sin then why did he come to John who baptized for repentance from sin?

Part of the answer has to do with where he was going. The Spirit “impelled” Him to go, out into the wilderness. The people who came to John were coming from their wilderness. I believe that “the crossing” is what makes a person a Hebrew, not Jewish, but Hebrew. The Jordan was the site of crossing for every Hebrew all the way back to the original Hebrew, Eber* of Genesis 10:24-25 of whom it was said that he did not participate in the building of the Tower, but crossed the river and was not present for the judgement of Babel (Genesis 11:9).

The wilderness is where Israel kept stumbling. Stuck in their rut of not trusting the Almighty. The people Moses led from Egypt did not enter the land of promise and were given a specific sentence of forty years in the wilderness before Joshua led them across the Jordan.

But Scripture says…

For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that. So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4: 8-16 New American Standard Updated

Jesus entered the water and crossed back to the wilderness, similar to what Elijah did, 2 Kings 2:8. He went to invade the wilderness, to make The Way for us, who otherwise have no rest. Confronting the dark slave master of rebellion and sin, he defeated him by the word of faith. Matthew 4:1-11. But even before “resisting the devil,” Jesus, the second Adam, reversed Adam’s sin on mankind. Adam ate what God had forbidden but Jesus fasted and faced the tempter with supernatural power instead of the flesh.

Why was Jesus baptized?
If the word translated “immediately” is the first spiritual “rock cairn” that shows The Way of righteousness, (see the previous essay) then it is found after coming up from the waters of baptism.

Come…. follow Jesus

He wont let me miss my signs…
(Amy Carmichael)

Deb in Montana
Thursday, September 21, 2023
Going a little slower with my cairn today, actually painting instead of splish-splashing. Still on cellulose, but I had another request for a set of greeting cards (whoo-hoo!) so I have to work with this paper.

*About Eber of Genesis 10:24
The book of Genesis only hints at who he is. You will need to look at apocrypha to find the rest of the story. Eber, the descendant of Shem and the ancestor of Abraham (Genesis 11:10 – 27) Crossed the river (I assume it was the Euphrates) before the sin of the building of the Tower. He kept the original language of Adam and Shem because he did not sin with the men who built the tower.

Why is he the first Hebrew? When the direct article, the Hebrew letter Hey (which pictures the Spirit of God) is added to his name, it becomes H’eber, which became our English word Hebrew.

Make His path straight

Gospel of Mark, 1:3:b

We who believe that Jesus is the Son of God, The Almighty, the Creator of everything, and have been saved from the consequence of our sin by faith in the blood He shed on the cross, who died and was resurrected by God Almighty because God found the sacrifice of Jesus’ life on my behalf acceptable, therefore, setting me free to live with Him (Romans 1:3-4), we love God’s word, the Bible.

We memorize it, we read it daily, we use it as the foundation of our life. In fact, we love it so much that we often forget that our English Bible, no matter what translation we favor, are prone to forget that it is, in fact, a translation from another language.

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness,
Prepare ye the way of the LORD,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Isaiah 40:3 King James Version (or Translation)

Isaiah is a book of the old or original testament. The placement of the book of Isaiah is actually more specific than “Old Testament” but for now, I am just looking at language. The language of the original book of Isaiah is Hebrew. In Hebrew, the word translated “straight” is yaw-shar’. It does mean straight as in the Americanism, “as the crow flies” but it is more then that. It also means “smooth” meaning, no cause to trip or stumble. In addition, it means “righteous” according to The Way of God.

Isaiah said, “…make HIS paths yaw-shar. To me, walking through the wilderness of this world, trusting in Y’shua-Jesus, toward that promised new heaven and new earth, following Jesus by faith, I can find the markers, the spiritual rock-cairns, laid out by “the one crying in the wilderness.”

Make HIS path “yaw-shar” direct, with no cause to stumble, righteous (the only way to walk with God). The spiritual trail markers show the path, The Way, while the world of darkness does all it can to send me off on the wrong direction.

I’m sure you know that the New Testament” was not written in Hebrew. It is in Greek. This verse in Mark from Isaiah, is translated from Greek. How did that happen? Not long before Y’shua-Jesus came from the spirit realm to our biological world, a group of seventy Hebrew scholars translated their Hebrew scripture into Greek. The long story of how that happened is for another time, but for now it is enough to know that the Hebrew word yaw-shar’ was translated into a specific Greek word: yoo-thoos’. Greek is just a little bit different then Hebrew. English is a lot different than Greek. The Greek word adds the idea of ‘quickly’ but only to modify a verb (an adverbial or adverbially). English translators latched on to the idea of “fast” and lost the idea of “smooth” (no cause for stumbling, “straight” (direct) and “righteous.” What word did English translators use for yaw-shar’ by way of the Greek yoo-thoos’? The very word that used to really bug me when I read the Gospel of Mark as a young believer, making me want to look any where but Mark for my understanding of Jesus. They chose “immediately”. The word that marks “The Way, the path of God, in English, became, immediately. Knowing this changed EVERYTHING for me. I now read the Gospel of Mark with a fresh excitement. I hope to pass that gift to you as well!
Truly, He will not let me miss my yaw-shar’ signs!

Deb in Montana,
Wednesday, September 20, 2023

Finding Rock Cairns, my symbol of yaw-shar’, to be more difficult to sketch than they seem when I glance at them. Still working on them. I will improve!

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heave and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.”
Revelation 21:1 NAS

He will show us The Way and bring us there safely!

Days of Pumpkin Spice

…if you confess with your mouth that Y’shua-Jesus is king (Lord) and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Remember the thief (terrorist actually), crucified with Christ, who went from taunting Y’shua from his own cross, to asking Him to “remember me when you come into your kingdom” Luke 23:39-43 Was the terrorist saved at that moment? I am confident he was, but we who believe will find out when we get there (heaven).

I believe that the most difficult assignment in all eternity that Y’shua, bene-elohim (Jesus the Son of God) accepted and completed, was for Him to hang by nails in His hands and feet, naked (to further humiliate Him), taunted by the terrorists on the other near-by crosses, sneered at by the “strong bulls of Bashan Psalm 22:12-13 (whom I believe to be the highest rank of the spirit creation also known as bene-elohim, of which the dark spirit we commonly refer to as “Satan” is one, but that is a study for another day) and most heartbreaking of all, He felt utterly forsaken of God, who sent Him on this assignment to save you, to save me. What Y’shua-Jesus did on that day fulfilled YOUR fate. That is YOUR bill, your debt, for the rebellious, godless life you have lived. You earned that horror, that cost for sin, Jesus, who loves you, accepted your terrifying, horrible debt as His assignment, to set you free!

What quest must you go on to accept what He did for you?, to embrace your freedom from the terrifying eternity of death that otherwise is yours?

Believe.

We add so much with our religion.
All He asks is that you believe and you will be saved. That is it.
What will that look like in your life? You cannot know the answer until you believe. We walk by faith not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:6-8).
For the terrorist (thief) on the cross next to Him, it was a simple confession that He is Lord, given at the absolute worst moment of his life.
For the demon-possessed man of Gerasenes Mark 5:19-20 it was to “go to his friends and tell them what the Lord had done for him”.
For the first disciples, there was a call to follow Jesus, leaving behind everything else Mark 1:16-20, just the opposite of the man of Gerasenes.

Salvation is that simple! Believe. You may come to faith on your death bed, you may come to faith as a child and be challenged to be faithful through difficulty in your earthly life. What ever your “quest” or calling, Jesus will be with you through it all. To believe is to trust Him to get you through whatever you face.

When you believe, the bulls of Bashan (Psalm 22) may go to war with you (they thought you belonged to them, but you belong to Jesus once you believe… keep your eyes on Jesus who loves you!

Debs in Montana …who had a completely different idea about what she wanted to blog today, thus the title, Days of Pumpkin Spice. but this will hunt.
September 5, 2023

Just finished flamingo month (August) and entering Pumpkin Spice season as a theme of my watercolor.

In the tiny village of Troy, Montana, I am preparing to start a Bible Study on the Gospel of Mark, a book of the testimonies of men and women who believed Y’shua-Jesus, with the assignments He gave to them, their struggles and the testimonies of victory they have because they believed Jesus.

What did they believe? …I’ll save those details for the study.
DH

The Beginning…

A word study in the Gospel of Mark.

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Mark 1:1

Beginnings. When I think of “beginnings” I think of the first blank page in a sketchbook or new journal. Something empty but full of possibilities. But the “beginning” of the Gospel of Mark is not a blank page. His gospel begins in the prophet of Isaiah.

The Gospel is about Christ. He is the beginning. I often read that Mark’s gospel was the very first written account of the Son of God. It is often claimed that both Matthew and Luke used Mark to write their accounts. Mark is apparently the only author who labels his account “The Gospel.” More on that in another post. Matthew starts his account with a genealogy of Jesus Christ, starting with Abraham, who had his own place in our spiritual history. Luke declares that his account of the Life of Christ has its beginning with “eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word,” (Luke 1:2). John’s beginning points back to the very first verse of Scripture (John 1:1). Mark alone declares that he is proclaiming, “The beginning of the gospel…”

It may seem obvious, but since I am a word study freak, I find myself wondering, what does he mean when he says “the beginning”? Because the four men who took the time to write out accounts of the importance of just a few years of the life of Jesus Christ, which is why they do not call their writings “a biography” of Jesus, all have different starting points, I want to know what the word means in the original language. Since I neither read or speak Greek, I am dependent on the different tools I have to aid my understanding.

My basic tool is the Strong’s Concordance.
G:746 ARCHE (ar-khay’); from G:756 meaning precedence, commencement;
(properly abstract) a commencement, or (concretely) chief (in various applications of order, time, place, or rank):
New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary.

As vague as Strong’s is, it is still helpful. The commencement (an act of commencing: beginning) of the Gospel is, according to Mark, foretold in the book of the prophet Isaiah, who told of a forerunner to the Savior. According to Mark, the people could know that the Gospel began with a man who would prepare The Way for the Savior. The people could be active participants because of the forerunner. They could also know that none of the false Messiah’s began with a scripture that foretold a forerunner.

Zodhiates usually has long paragraphs of helpful aids to expand my understanding, but not this time. Bottom line, Zodhiates tells me that in this case, the beginning is “the cause.” In relation to time, the beginning is the commencement, relative to an event or situation. For example, in Matthew 24:8, “all these things are the beginning of birth pangs.
That is actually helpful.

The “things” that mark the beginning in The Gospel of Mark is a Scripture from the book of Isaiah, which points to a man of that time, John (the baptist). God foretells events yet to come. We do not need to guess when the coming event is the real fulfillment or a distraction of the enemy of souls. As Amy Carmichael said, “He will not let me miss the signs.”

Debs, June 12, 2023 in Troy, Montana

In case you are interested, here are other places where Mark uses ARCHEE (beginning)
Mark 10:6
Mark 10:8
Mark 13:19

Men and Boys: Proverbs 15:21

Folly is joy to him who lacks sense,
But a man of understanding walks straight.

Proverbs 15:21 NASU

I was just looking for a little bit of scripture to casually pray through. Just a little something to enjoy with my coffee. Instead I found a passage that brought me to prayer for my son and the sons of friends.

Folly is from a word that is often translated foolishly or silly. It is a word used to describe the immature. It is bound up in the heart of a child (a male child in this verse) and must be disciplined out of him with a rod… ouch! Proverbs 22:15 For a girl, it is what causes her to rip apart her own home. Proverbs 14:1

We have a scourge in America. Our children are turning to drugs, almost as a right of passage. Since the infamous `60’s sex, drugs and rock-n-roll culture, we have had plenty of time to find out what happens to someone who indulges in that life. Maturity comes to a screeching halt even though physical growth does not. Too many of our adult “children” are stuck in an adult body with a fourteen year old maturity level. It is the generational curse we have passed on to our sons and daughters. We watch them live an undisciplined life with glee, tearing down the home that they should be making for their own children. America is paying a huge price for this curse on our children, who we have sacrificed, whether through abortion, day-care and CPS or just home grown neglect in teaching the things that really matter; or by sending them (in good faith) to a government (a.k.a. public) school. Is there an answer?

“…but a man of understanding walks straight ahead.” Years ago, Ray and I attended the seminars of a man named Bill Gothard who taught Basic Youth Conflicts. He, like many strict, religious, legalistic teachers has since fallen to the very sin he wanted to teach us to avoid. But there was one element of his teaching that I still hang onto. It is the description of wisdom… “seeing life from God’s perspective.” That is actually impossible without the indwelling Holy Spirit. Even with the Spirit we often stumble and fall, like Bill Gothard. But the Word of God can bring us close. Reading your Bible with the faith of the Holy Spirit, can give insight into the wisdom of God.

We who are born again are on a journey, known as a walk or a walk of faith. The gait is narrow and The Way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Matthew 7:14 To “walk straight” is to YASHAR, Hebrew for straight, upright, or smooth. It is a way without stumbling stones. The Gospel of Mark is all about YASHAR. What? Why do I say that? It is another study for another day but the short answer is, the word immediately, found all through the Gospel of Mark is from the Hebrew word YASHAR. How do I know? Again, the answer is worthy of its own blog, but a quick answer is found in Mark 1:3, and a comparison of the Isaiah quote from both the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) and the Hebrew Scriptures. YASHAR was translated to the Greek word EUTHUS (which adds the time element that translators grabbed a hold of with the word “immediately”)

When America’s children become men and women of God, no matter what age they are, they are able to lay aside their folly, their silly drug and alcohol cloud of sin, and walk straight on the hard path that leads to life where there is joy. Joy is far more satisfying then silliness.

How does it happen? Here is the one thing I know about that… Prayer! Mom, dad, The Almighty hears your prayers. Don’t stop.

Debs in Troy, Montana

May 9, 2023 Done writing for this academic year. Having finished writing and teaching the epistles of Romans and Titus… and now convinced that these two should always be taught in sequence… I could not have done this without the amazing help of Ruth Anne, my very first friend in Montana.

Now I have time to chase word studies and think about what I will teach next year. Joy!

Romans Study Lesson 1

Romans Lesson 1

You survived the overview of the book of Romans! It does not matter if you simply listened to an audio recording of the book while you rode in your car or if you sat down daily to pour over the book in your quiet time while examining each suggested word study, God is pleased and will feed you to satisfaction.

Our example is the manna in the wilderness

 The sons of Israel did so (gathered manna), and some gathered much and some little.  When they measured it with an omer, he who had gathered much had no excess, and he who had gathered little had no lack; every man gathered as much as he should eat. Exodus 16:17-18 NASU

God lays out the banquet of His Word to feed you. Your assignment is to sit before Him in His Word with thanksgiving in your heart. Our weekly fellowship is rather like a pot-luck where what we gather becomes a feast for all of us. So I say, “Hallelujah!” You made it through the first week. Let’s prepare for the next banquet of God’s Word.

Romans 1:1-7

Skills Read with a purpose, Word study, Cross-references.

Tools Bible, pen or pencil. Optional but fun; colored pencils or highlighters or pens, even crayons. A notebook or steno-type-pad, sticky notes.

1. Read with a purpose.

Begin with prayer. Suggested Scripture to pray: Ephesians 1:16-21

Read straight through Romans chapter 1.

If you have a question about what you read, ask God your question. Write it down in your notebook so that you can also write down HIS answer when it comes and give HIM thanks.

This week’s passage.  Romans 1:1-7   Salutation[1]

1 Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,

2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures,

3 concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh,

4 who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of Holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,

5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake,

6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;

7 to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. NASU

Day 1: The author of Romans.

Who is the author of the epistle (teaching letter) of Romans?

Remember to include the verse reference.

In Romans 1:1 Paul tells us his qualifications to speak to the church in an authoritative manner.  List three facts about him from the first verse of Romans.

1. _____________________________________________________________
2. _____________________________________________________________
3. _____________________________________________________________

What, if anything, does this tell you about Paul and his authority to speak to this church?

Day 2

Word study. A word study is looking up the meaning of an original language word that has been translated into English in your Bible. The purpose of a word study is to better understand the author’s message. Sometimes meaning can get muddy in translation. A word study opens up the meaning of a passage and, surprisingly, connects ideas in Scripture. Translators do not just translate words but whole thoughts. This is why single word such as “doulos” (Greek for “bond-servant”) is also translated “slave” or “servant” depending on how the translator understands the passage.

Note:G-1401 The “G” is not included in your Strong’s concordance. I personally add it to the reference because it tells me that the original language is Greek, not Hebrew. The number “1401” is the Strong’s concordance number for this Greek word. I only use the Strong’s concordance. You should feel free to use any concordance you may have. Your free Bible app on your phone usually includes a concordance.

Paul tells us he is a bond-servant of Christ Jesus. What is a bond-servant? Look up the Greek word that we get our translation “bond-servant” or slave from. What do you learn?

               G-1401 doulos (doo’-los)

Cross referencing is a Bible Study skill we use to understand how a Greek or Hebrew word is used in other places in our Bible. It is intended to further open our understanding of a Biblical idea. An old fashioned English dictionary is also helpful.

What do you learn about doulos (slave, bond-servant) from the following cross references? Note how the word has been translated and what if anything you learn about doulos.

John 8:34

Romans 6:15-19

Galatians 1:10

Revelation 22:3- 4 with Revelation 13:11-13 and16-17

What do these two groups have in common? What, if anything, does that tell you?

A Hebrew slave is not anything like a Roman or an American slave. But human masters can be the same everywhere. Some are cruel, some are considerate or kind. All of them consider the slave to be property. There are not many obvious examples of slaves in modern America, except for prostitutes, also known as “sex-slaves”. Many former sex-slaves testify that they gave themselves to their master (pimp) because they thought he loved them.

Keep in mind that if Jesus is not your master (Lord) then “the father of lies” is. Could it be possible that Revelation 13:17 could be mistaken as love by slaves from the beast of the earth (Revelation 13:11)? Somehow, this beast must convince men to take his master’s mark or brand in their forehead instead of YHVH’s mark in the spirit. For one moment in time, everyone gets to choose who they will serve. But just as the serpent seduced Adam and Eve to turn their back on the Creator who loved them, so he will go all out to seduce you while he tells you lies to convince you that Almighty God is withholding love toward you. What do the following verses tell you about making a decision about who you will serve.

Joshua 24:15

Romans 6:16  

Once you are branded (mark on the forehead), it is forever. If you choose the brand of the beast, there will be no erasing it. However if you choose to take the brand in your spirit of YHVH (The LORD), it is not casual. You were bought with the life blood of Jesus. His life for yours and in exchange you live your life for Him.

Note: The mark of the beast is a future event. There is still time to choose who you will serve.

Galatians 2:20

Have you made your choice dear sister? Have you given your life to Christ?

Take a moment to write down your thoughts on who your master is. If it is the Son of God who gave up his amazing power and glory to come to earth and show us how to live before spilling His blood to pay your debt (the wage of sin is death—someone must pay for your sin to set you free from the earthly slave master), then tell (testimony or witness) of how and when that happened. If you have not made that decision, ask yourself why, give that testimony. If you JUST made that decision, HALLALUJAH! Memorialize that.

Day 3

Last week, in the overview of the Book of Romans, you looked at the words Lord, faith and grace.

Review the meaning of these words by using a word or phrase that gives the essence of the meaning of these words.

• Lord
• Faith
• Grace

We have a master (Lord) who died to buy you from your rebellion (sin). He asks us to live by our fidelity[2] to the truth (faith). Often, Christians think that faith is similar to “the force” from the star wars movies, as if faith is magic.  We are to have nothing to do with magic. We have discovered that Faith is actually “fidelity to truth.” John 14:6 tells you that Jesus Himself is the truth. Our fidelity is to Him. Faith is fidelity to truth, while “believe” has to do with the object of our fidelity (more about this in an upcoming lesson). Jesus is the object of our faith He is worthy of our complete trust. I can rely on Him and be confident that He loves me. The lord of darkness has no love for us, only lust for what I can provide for him. Like the pimp of the sex slave, he acts as if he may love us, but that is a lie (he is the father of lies! John 8:44) He is just as likely to spew his vial hate on us to get what he wants as he is to give us a tiny taste of what we long for to control us, his slaves.

Grace is what we get when we are “born again” and receive the Holy Spirit. Grace is the divine influence of God on our heart, it is God’s favor. This influence comes when you receive the Holy Spirit. It results in a changed life. Grace is what allows us to live by faith in our Lord. Without grace, the best we can do is religion. Until we are in heaven, we need the fellowship found in religion. Going to church is the right thing to do but you should know that the lord of darkness does not mind if you are a religious person but he has no power over you if you are born again.  

Day 4

Word Study and cross-reference

The promised gospel of God

…the gospel of God ₂which HE promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures,

Gospel G-2098

Did God promise the gospel in the prophets? Read the following passages from the Prophet Isaiah.

• Isaiah 42:1-4
• Isaiah 42:5-7
• Isaiah 49:1-7
• Isaiah 52:13 – 53:12 with Isaiah 50:4-11

After reading these passages, what do you see about the gospel in Isaiah (All of the Major Prophets speak of the Gospel, Isaiah is an just an example). How does this help you understand the message of Paul in Romans 1:1-7?

Day 5

Optional review and response.

Romans is sometimes said to be the Apostle Paul’s grand opus (an artistic work, especially one on a large scale), his master piece. He is, first and foremost, a blood bought servant of Jesus our Lord. He stands as an equal among believers, like you and me. Then he was called, given the invitation to be the apostle to the gentiles, the nations beyond Israel. He accepted that call. Paul tells us more about the gospel and his Lord Jesus Christ then he does about himself or his authority to speak truth to this grand congregation.

The church of Rome was a mixed congregation from the start. Acts 2:5 and 10 speak of the birth of the church (the body of Christ) on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1). …devout men from every nation. …visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes. Proselytes are people who believe the Jewish scriptures and have forsaken their former Roman gods to follow the God of the Jews. Everything they know about Almighty God they have learned in Synagogue alongside of Jewish worshippers and Rabbis. But our Lord Jesus did not call us to become Jewish. He called us to follow Him. We are not called to devote our lives to Torah observance but to life in Christ. But how?

Jews born into religious families who were brought up thinking that the better they kept the “letter of the Law” (The Torah) the more acceptable they were to God. Gentiles (anyone who is not Jewish) joined synagogue because they knew that the Truth they longed for could be found in the Scripture cherished by centuries of men who believed the witness of the Message of God, the Bible.

This brings me to Paul. He had a calling on his life. God gifted and empowered him to speak his mission.

Write out Romans 1:5

If you are a “born-again” believer in Jesus, then God has a calling for you. We know that Paul spent a few years learning to trust the Spirit of God in Damascus before he began his ministry. That is how it happened for me. There was a time of transition from who I was and what I believed before my salvation as God began to develop me into His servant. I am not gifted as a missionary (the equivalent of an apostle’s work but not the office of God’s chosen apostles) like Paul. God has equipped me with different gifts that are of equal value to the body of Christ. The gift He has given to you is just as valuable. I believe that the gift of ministry we receive is important but our faithfulness to the giver of the gift that is more valuable to the Almighty.

Slaves (G1401 Doulos), in all things obey those who are your masters on earth, not with external service, as those who merely please men, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.

Colossians 3:22-24 NASU

Do you long to serve the Lord? Draw close to Him. He will develop you into the saint He called you to be.

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[1] Salutation (Webster’s Dictionary) n. 1. a. something uttered, written, or done by way of greeting. Welcome, recognition, etc. b. salutations, greetings or regards. 2. A word or phrase serving as the prefatory greeting in a letter or speech, as Dear Sir in a letter or Ladies and Gentlemen in a speech. 3. The act of saluting. (…) to greet.

[2] Fidelity from Webster’s. n. 1. Strict observance of promises, duties, etc. 2. LOYALTY. 3. Conjugal (having to do with a husband & a wife) faithfulness. 4. Adherence to fact or detail. 5. Accuracy; exactness. 6. The degree of accuracy with which sound or images are recorded or reproduced.

Thanks for joining us even if it is online. If you ever find yourself in Troy, Montana on a Friday morning in 2022, we meet at the Baptist church at 10:00. God bless!