Daily Bread
Acts 2: 26 - "Therefore, did my heart rejoice and my tongue rejoiced greatly; moreover also my flesh shall rest in expectation".
In the Hebrew Text of the Old Testament the word used for "tongue" is 'kavod' which means "glory." Yet in the Septuagint 'kavod' is translated by the word 'glossa' which means "tongue." Peter's declaration leads us to believe that the usage of tongue for glory purposefully brings to the front the utterance of the Spirit that was poured out through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Certainly the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire is the manifestation of the glory of God and, therefore, the divine utterances are a manifestation of the glory of God. If fact, the manifestation of tongues is a proclamation of the glory and true riches of God that we have received from Him. This may also reveal that those who translated the Septuagint understood that divine utterance is the result of the glory of God being poured out upon both the Messiah and His people.
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.org
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Friday, August 11, 2006
Daily Bread
Genesis 3:15 - "And I place enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall crush your head, and you shall crush His Heel."
The same Hebrew word is used in this verse to describe both the crushing of the serpent's head and the crushing of the heel of the woman's seed. The concept of the "seed of the woman" is the key to understanding this verse. Normally when the Bible refers to subsequent generations of man it is in terms of the seed of man. In that such a phrase is never again used in the Bible, we must realize that it has a special meaning. The only bridge that we have to understand this verse is that the Savior was born of a woman without the help of man. There is an event described in Revelation chapter 12 that uses the same concept of the seed of a woman (Revelation 12:17). We discover that the dragon, who is Satan, makes war with the remnant of the woman's seed. We may argue for the terminology of seed being applied to Jesus Christ our Savior and the Messiah many times, but we are certain from the writings of Paul that it is definitely applied twice (Galatians 3:16,19). Satan is called a serpent four times (Revelation 12:9,14,15; 20:2). Paul uses this allegory with respect to the church and Satan in Romans 16:20 - which is further proof that he understood this passage to relate to the authority of Christ Jesus in His conflict against Satan, the enemy of man, "And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly." Jesus also used a similar allegory concerning the authority of the believer when he said, "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you" (Luke 10:19). We know that Jesus destroyed Satan when He died at Calvary and that the death of Jesus was only temporary, lasting for three days.
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.org
Genesis 3:15 - "And I place enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall crush your head, and you shall crush His Heel."
The same Hebrew word is used in this verse to describe both the crushing of the serpent's head and the crushing of the heel of the woman's seed. The concept of the "seed of the woman" is the key to understanding this verse. Normally when the Bible refers to subsequent generations of man it is in terms of the seed of man. In that such a phrase is never again used in the Bible, we must realize that it has a special meaning. The only bridge that we have to understand this verse is that the Savior was born of a woman without the help of man. There is an event described in Revelation chapter 12 that uses the same concept of the seed of a woman (Revelation 12:17). We discover that the dragon, who is Satan, makes war with the remnant of the woman's seed. We may argue for the terminology of seed being applied to Jesus Christ our Savior and the Messiah many times, but we are certain from the writings of Paul that it is definitely applied twice (Galatians 3:16,19). Satan is called a serpent four times (Revelation 12:9,14,15; 20:2). Paul uses this allegory with respect to the church and Satan in Romans 16:20 - which is further proof that he understood this passage to relate to the authority of Christ Jesus in His conflict against Satan, the enemy of man, "And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly." Jesus also used a similar allegory concerning the authority of the believer when he said, "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you" (Luke 10:19). We know that Jesus destroyed Satan when He died at Calvary and that the death of Jesus was only temporary, lasting for three days.
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.org
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Daily Bread
John 1:45 - "Philip found Nathaniel and said to him, We have found the one who Moses wrote about in the law and in the prophets, Jesus the son of Joseph who is from Nazareth."
The message of the coming Redeemer and the Messiah is found from Genesis to Malachi. The redeemer is first promised in Genesis 3:15 as the "Seed of the woman that will crush the head of the serpent" and in Malachi as the "Messenger of the Covenant who will suddenly come to His temple" (Malachi 3:1). It was Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, who was being revealed in every sacrifice and offering. It was through Jesus Christ, the Messiah, upon whom every promise and blessing would be established and fulfilled to Israel and all of mankind.
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.0rg
John 1:45 - "Philip found Nathaniel and said to him, We have found the one who Moses wrote about in the law and in the prophets, Jesus the son of Joseph who is from Nazareth."
The message of the coming Redeemer and the Messiah is found from Genesis to Malachi. The redeemer is first promised in Genesis 3:15 as the "Seed of the woman that will crush the head of the serpent" and in Malachi as the "Messenger of the Covenant who will suddenly come to His temple" (Malachi 3:1). It was Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, who was being revealed in every sacrifice and offering. It was through Jesus Christ, the Messiah, upon whom every promise and blessing would be established and fulfilled to Israel and all of mankind.
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.0rg
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Daily Bread
1 John 5:6 - "This is the one who came through water and blood, Jesus the Christ. Not with the water only but with the water and with the blood and the Spirit is the witness because the Spirit is the truth."
Of the three witnesses that are in the earth the water, the blood, and the Spirit, the water is the one most associated with the word of God. Although all three of these are very clearly identified as the agents by which we are both consecrated and begotten of God, the water is revealed to be that which flows out of the believer as rivers. These rivers of living water that pour out of the believer are the expressions of divine empowerment which enable us to be the witnesses of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the Gospel of John, water is identified with the Spirit as essential to being begotten of God (John 3:5). It is again identified with eternal life springing out of those who drink of this spiritual water (John 4:11). In John 7:37-38, water is once again applied to the gift of eternal life and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Additionally, from a purely traditional Jewish perspective the drawing of the water on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles symbolized the appearing of the Holy Spirit. Probably the easiest argument to make for the meaning of the "water" in the Gospel of John is that it represents the activity of the Holy Spirit flowing through the life of the believer. When Jesus ministered He only spoke the words that the Father gave Him to speak, and, therefore, these words could be viewed as the rivers of living water flowing out of His belly much the same as the 120 on the day of Pentecost. In fact, the argument can be made that every expression and attribute of God witnessed in the life of God's people is an expression of this living water. The water that Jesus desired to give to the woman at the well was simply received through the testimony of His words. The wellspring on the inside of this woman resulted in "many of the Samaritans out of that city believed on Him because of the woman testifying..." (John 4:39). The only other application of water is in baptism. John the Baptist compared water baptism to the baptism in the Holy Spirit, a baptism that produces an expression of the heavenly language and more (Luke 3:16, Acts 1:5, Acts 2:4). Paul takes up the message of baptism in association with the immersion into the life and identity of Christ, Rom 6:3-4, 1Cor. 12:13, Gal. 3:27, Co. 2:12. Finally, the water is symbolized as the Word of God (Eph. 5:26, Isaiah 55:10-11, Deut. 32:2). Furthermore, it is the Word of God that is declared to be the active agent of God by which men are saved and matured in Christ (Acts 20:32, Rom. 10:8, Col. 3:16, 1Th. 2:13, Titus 1:3, Heb 4:2,12, Heb 6:4, James 1:21, 1Peter 1:23, 1 John 2:14). Therefore, we conclude that the water symbolizes the word and the life of God which comes forth by the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.org
1 John 5:6 - "This is the one who came through water and blood, Jesus the Christ. Not with the water only but with the water and with the blood and the Spirit is the witness because the Spirit is the truth."
Of the three witnesses that are in the earth the water, the blood, and the Spirit, the water is the one most associated with the word of God. Although all three of these are very clearly identified as the agents by which we are both consecrated and begotten of God, the water is revealed to be that which flows out of the believer as rivers. These rivers of living water that pour out of the believer are the expressions of divine empowerment which enable us to be the witnesses of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the Gospel of John, water is identified with the Spirit as essential to being begotten of God (John 3:5). It is again identified with eternal life springing out of those who drink of this spiritual water (John 4:11). In John 7:37-38, water is once again applied to the gift of eternal life and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Additionally, from a purely traditional Jewish perspective the drawing of the water on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles symbolized the appearing of the Holy Spirit. Probably the easiest argument to make for the meaning of the "water" in the Gospel of John is that it represents the activity of the Holy Spirit flowing through the life of the believer. When Jesus ministered He only spoke the words that the Father gave Him to speak, and, therefore, these words could be viewed as the rivers of living water flowing out of His belly much the same as the 120 on the day of Pentecost. In fact, the argument can be made that every expression and attribute of God witnessed in the life of God's people is an expression of this living water. The water that Jesus desired to give to the woman at the well was simply received through the testimony of His words. The wellspring on the inside of this woman resulted in "many of the Samaritans out of that city believed on Him because of the woman testifying..." (John 4:39). The only other application of water is in baptism. John the Baptist compared water baptism to the baptism in the Holy Spirit, a baptism that produces an expression of the heavenly language and more (Luke 3:16, Acts 1:5, Acts 2:4). Paul takes up the message of baptism in association with the immersion into the life and identity of Christ, Rom 6:3-4, 1Cor. 12:13, Gal. 3:27, Co. 2:12. Finally, the water is symbolized as the Word of God (Eph. 5:26, Isaiah 55:10-11, Deut. 32:2). Furthermore, it is the Word of God that is declared to be the active agent of God by which men are saved and matured in Christ (Acts 20:32, Rom. 10:8, Col. 3:16, 1Th. 2:13, Titus 1:3, Heb 4:2,12, Heb 6:4, James 1:21, 1Peter 1:23, 1 John 2:14). Therefore, we conclude that the water symbolizes the word and the life of God which comes forth by the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.org
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Daily Bread
1 John 4:11 - "Beloved if God so loved us we ought to love one another."
This verse of scripture in John's First Epistle defines for us the true meaning of love. The kind of love that we are to have one for another is the love that was expressed in Jesus Christ when He gave His life for us so that we might live. God has empowered us to walk in His love which is the expression of His own nature. There is no justifiable reason to ever stop loving the people of God, even to the point of laying our lives down for them. Such love takes us far beyond the possibility of unforgivingness or hatred towards one another.
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.org
1 John 4:11 - "Beloved if God so loved us we ought to love one another."
This verse of scripture in John's First Epistle defines for us the true meaning of love. The kind of love that we are to have one for another is the love that was expressed in Jesus Christ when He gave His life for us so that we might live. God has empowered us to walk in His love which is the expression of His own nature. There is no justifiable reason to ever stop loving the people of God, even to the point of laying our lives down for them. Such love takes us far beyond the possibility of unforgivingness or hatred towards one another.
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.org
Monday, August 07, 2006
Daily Bread
Revelation 1:12 - "And I turned to see the voice, which spoke with me, and having turned I saw seven golden menorahs."
The Greek word 'luchnia' is first found in the Septuagint in Exodus 25:31; it translates the Hebrew word 'menorah'. God instructed Moses to make a seven-branched Menorah, which was to be placed in the Tabernacle (Exodus 25:31-37). The Tabernacle on earth was a figure and representation of the Heavenly one which John saw in this vision. A new dimension of meaning was given to the lamps, the churches are the light of the world as Jesus said "a city set upon a hill that cannot be hide" (Matthew 5:14-16). The prophet Zachariah saw a similar vision in Zachariah 4:2. The seven-branched Menorah is associated with the Spirit and with the eyes of Yahoah (4:6,10). They are now represented with the seven churches, which are God's means of communicating His will and revealing His Spirit and Light to the world. When John turned to see Jesus he first encountered His church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all things and His representative on the earth.
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
Revelation 1:12 - "And I turned to see the voice, which spoke with me, and having turned I saw seven golden menorahs."
The Greek word 'luchnia' is first found in the Septuagint in Exodus 25:31; it translates the Hebrew word 'menorah'. God instructed Moses to make a seven-branched Menorah, which was to be placed in the Tabernacle (Exodus 25:31-37). The Tabernacle on earth was a figure and representation of the Heavenly one which John saw in this vision. A new dimension of meaning was given to the lamps, the churches are the light of the world as Jesus said "a city set upon a hill that cannot be hide" (Matthew 5:14-16). The prophet Zachariah saw a similar vision in Zachariah 4:2. The seven-branched Menorah is associated with the Spirit and with the eyes of Yahoah (4:6,10). They are now represented with the seven churches, which are God's means of communicating His will and revealing His Spirit and Light to the world. When John turned to see Jesus he first encountered His church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all things and His representative on the earth.
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
Daily Bread
Ephesians 1:19 - "And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us who believe, according to the working power of His mighty power."
Our wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has really loaded us up with all of the divine power and ability that we will ever need for anything that we will ever face. The biggest challenge is on our part to believe Him and look to Him for help in time of need. If we are willing to look to Him for help then He will supply all of our needs according to His riches in glory. There are four 'power' words in this one verse of scripture: 1- dunamis; 2- energia; 3- kratos; 4- ischus. The Greek word 'dunamis' is defined by the virtue that went out of Jesus to heal the woman with the issue of blood and the power that the church would receive once the Holy Spirit came upon them. It has been said that 'dunamis' is the ability to accomplish the promise. 'Energeia' is brute or muscular power or working efficiency, by application "supernatural strength" (Philippians 3:21, Colossians 1:29). 'Kratos' is the power to overcome obstacles, have dominion or controlling, ruling power. And 'ischus' is the potential power, the power that will come to bear when needed (1 Peter 4:11). The word 'ischus' is first used in Genesis 4:12, "When you till the ground it will not yield her strength to you." This use of four synonyms for power in one verse is similar to Ephesians 6:10, which commands the saints to be 'endunamoo' (strong) in the Lord and in the 'kratos' of His 'ischus'. The Almighty wants us to have a strong assurance of the faith to know for certain that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Father so wanted Abraham to be certain of the promise that He swore and oath to him; and in order to make us certain Jesus sent the promise of the Father to both endue us and seal us with His Spirit (Luke 24:49; Hebrews 6:13-19; Hebrews 10: 22-23).
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
Ephesians 1:19 - "And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us who believe, according to the working power of His mighty power."
Our wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has really loaded us up with all of the divine power and ability that we will ever need for anything that we will ever face. The biggest challenge is on our part to believe Him and look to Him for help in time of need. If we are willing to look to Him for help then He will supply all of our needs according to His riches in glory. There are four 'power' words in this one verse of scripture: 1- dunamis; 2- energia; 3- kratos; 4- ischus. The Greek word 'dunamis' is defined by the virtue that went out of Jesus to heal the woman with the issue of blood and the power that the church would receive once the Holy Spirit came upon them. It has been said that 'dunamis' is the ability to accomplish the promise. 'Energeia' is brute or muscular power or working efficiency, by application "supernatural strength" (Philippians 3:21, Colossians 1:29). 'Kratos' is the power to overcome obstacles, have dominion or controlling, ruling power. And 'ischus' is the potential power, the power that will come to bear when needed (1 Peter 4:11). The word 'ischus' is first used in Genesis 4:12, "When you till the ground it will not yield her strength to you." This use of four synonyms for power in one verse is similar to Ephesians 6:10, which commands the saints to be 'endunamoo' (strong) in the Lord and in the 'kratos' of His 'ischus'. The Almighty wants us to have a strong assurance of the faith to know for certain that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Father so wanted Abraham to be certain of the promise that He swore and oath to him; and in order to make us certain Jesus sent the promise of the Father to both endue us and seal us with His Spirit (Luke 24:49; Hebrews 6:13-19; Hebrews 10: 22-23).
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
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