WORTHY

Written By: Kirk Peterson

All around us

I believe God is all around us.  Recently in studying His word, the sheer amount of layers that I see interwoven throughout the Bible reveals to me that his words are true and trustworthy.  As I put more of my time into studying His story in the Bible, I see the mysteries that were once beyond my grasp slowly begin to form before me by his unmerited favor & Holy Spirit.  In saying this, I try to keep a humble heart...  For we are told if we must boast, then let us boast about the LORD--and that is what I pray I’m am doing now. 

As I learn more about the ways of God, my heart finds peace in the authenticity of what I’m reading when I begin to see how everything in the Bible is related.  The laws of Moses and the messages of the prophets of the Old Testament—the preaching of the Kingdom of Heaven in the New Testament all come together and hold true.  God’s word tells us that he is unchanging.  His word also tells us that He is the living God, and I see his Bible literally come to life, reaching up out of its pages, coming back in on itself and weaving forward to unlock new directions for me in my own walk. 

One time I asked my wife, “I wonder why God hasn’t given us any more to the Bible, it was written so long ago…does God not have anything else to tell us?”

I love her answer, she simply said “Maybe God hasn’t written any more to the Bible because He has already given us everything we need.”  (WOW, I don’t know about you folks but that sure makes the Holy Spirit jump up and pull at me!J)

The Baptism of Jesus

13Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. 14But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?” 15But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” So John agreed to baptize him. 16After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. 17And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” (Matthew 3:13-16, NLT)

The Baptism of Jesus

21One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, 22and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.” (Luke 3:21-22, NLT)

32Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. 33I didn’t know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, ‘The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God. (John 1:32-34, NLT)

As I was studying Matthew chapter 3 this week in Bible study, the Bible study lesson asked us a great question--“In your opinion, why did Jesus decide to be baptized?”

Jesus, though he came down to earth from Heaven, who was entirely the deity of God empowered with the spirit without limit, was also at the same time entirely man in flesh, subjected to all the emotions, sufferings and temptations we all face in this earthly body—yet The Son of God who was perfect--and despite being tempted by all our human weaknesses--did not sin and fall short of the glory of god!  (1 Corinthians 15:45,47. John 3:34. Hebrews 2:14,17-18. NLT)

So, if baptism was to symbolize confessing the things we do wrong, or when we disobey what God says in His Word (Sin) and turning away from our wrongs and toward God (Repent) by walking the right path…why did Jesus choose to be baptized if he was without sin?

The Spirit of God

As I read about the baptism of The Messiah, hearing that the Spirit of God descended upon the chosen One in bodily form as a dove…the Holy Spirit inside of me began to pull.  I wondered what it was The Advocate, who guides all believers into truth, was trying to tell me.  I believe the Holy Spirit was telling me that there was significance to the event of the spirit coming to rest on Jesus... 

We know that Christ’s baptism marked the beginning of his ministry in bringing the good news of the gospel to the world. 

We also know that John the Baptist was told by God that the one whom he sees the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit, and John the Baptist testified that this was Jesus.  So this fulfills God’s promise to John the Baptist who was called by God to prepare the way for the Messiah in God’s story in the Bible where God the Father reveals to us His mysterious plan of salvation for all mankind through faith in Jesus Christ.

Writing this blog now, I also see that rest perhaps has significance as well.  All throughout God’s word we see what rest means.  In the beginning God created everything in the heavens and the earth in 6 days--and on the 7^th day he rested.  I believe in Hebrews we see that rest represents Heaven, and if this is true, then how appropriate is it that the Spirit descended and rested on Christ? 

The Holy Trinity

I believe the authenticity of God is shown here by the incredible level of symbolism and perfection of how God is revealing to all of us His plan.  At the beginning of creation, God the Father, God the Son & God the Spirit were there. (Genesis 1:1-2. John 1:1-4. NLT) 

How appropriate that God would mark the beginning of Jesus’s ministry into our world with the Holy Trinity there at the beginning.  God the Father was there speaking down over everything, God the Spirit was there descending from heaven to rest on Jesus, and God the Son was there rising up to embark on his calling from God to save all His people!

My pastor put it like this, “Christianity is the only religion where God came down to earth to make us right with God.  With every other religion in the world, man has to earn our way up to God in Heaven.”  Well said pastor, well said!

Worthy

I still was seeking as I was driving home from Bible study about the significance of the Spirit descending on Christ, when I finally chose to let go of everything and prayed to God to show me what The Advocate was trying to tell when he was pulling at me.  That is when the Spirit inside of me, shot straight into the very core of my soul and revealed to me this song on the radio. 

As the song started playing, I was praying to God and felt the spirit tell me my answer was in the VERY FIRST LINE of the song.

 

See music video of Phillips, Craig & Dean’s “ Revelation Song” here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsiDukXIeVY

 

Perhaps God chose to have his Holy Spirit descend and rest on his perfect son because he was WORTHY.  Jesus Christ was worthy to come down from heaven, in perfect duality as Deity and Man, suffering all the hardships we face as mortal men & women, experiencing all our weaknesses and strengths acting as our perfect High Priest to God the Father—ALL BECAUSE HE IS WORTHY.

 

Peace be with you Brothers and Sisters.

STAR-LIGHT

Written By: Kirk Peterson

LAYERS

See Image Here: http://www.aceshowbiz.com/images/still/the_nativity_story_08.jpg

I found it very interesting studying the 2^nd chapter of Matthew this week, reading about the visitors from the east…the story I have heard so many times before had come alive to me in a whole new way. 

I thought about how those visitors from the east, wise men from a foreign land, surrendered everything in their life and journeyed to unknown territory simply to follow a bright shining star in the night sky—and I was reminded of the great men in God’s story in the Bible who showed the same level of faith: Abraham- willing to leave his home called by God to a foreign land & of Joseph- betrayed by his family and sold to slavery never yielding to the incredible hardships he faced in his life, always staying faithful to the LORD.  How often had I read the nativity story and I never had seen the amount of faith the three wise men had- leaving behind their families and lives to travel to a foreign land, bringing presents of wealth that would most certainly put them in danger, all for the hope to worship a new born king?  How where they even to know if this was the prophecy they had read about in the birth of the Messiah?  I began to think maybe it was all part of God’s plan to reveal in the birth story of Christ:  FAITH through the three wise men, LOVE in the bonds of parents as they bring a baby into the world and HOPE from the birth of the promised Messiah coming to save God’s people. 

I see God’s truth, interwoven throughout all the stories written in his bible and I find it miraculous that no matter how many times I read his word, that He in his mighty wisdom still breathes new life into His truth to guide me.

Visitors from the East

1Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2“Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”…9After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!  (Matthew 2:1, 2,9-10. NLT)

SHINING STAR

See Image Here: http://ak7.picdn.net/shutterstock/videos/3097708/preview/stock-footage-perfectly-seamless-loop-with-a-large-shining-bethlehem-nativity-star-backed-by-a-night-sky-with.jpg

How appropriate is it that God chose a shining star to light the way to Jesus, His only son?  A heavenly body hung in the night, piercing the darkness and lighting the way to Immanuel (God with us).  God The Most High reigns above everything, higher than even heaven itself, and He chose this star to shine his holy light down to earth. 

Perhaps he chose this star as a symbol of what was to come with the birth of The Christ…A mysterious light in the sky representing the promised bridge the LORD was bringing into the world to provide a way for man here on earth to repair our relationship with the Shaper of The Universe once and for all time!

5God is more glorious than the moon; he shines brighter than the stars. (Job 25:5, NLT)

STAR PROPHECY

17I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth. (Numbers 24:17, NLT)

Many bible scholars believe that the star that the book of Matthew speaks about is the fulfillment of prophecy from the Old Testament in Numbers.

LIGHTS IN THE SKY

See Image Here: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRgGwgFD24g8oKCHK0sb8hitQYiQF6qnP_SlEJOlW8H2AJ8mFuAHC04WdeKRxE4siS-Qw-JI_HmsiQaWSzblrRaXdxSAV1r4XP01qoRj-wUcpNhxm-WVbcB74-vGC_l1hr0nywkTMrIvAs/s1600/GodCreatedUniverse.jpg

14Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. 15Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.” And that is what happened. 16God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, 18to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:14-17, NLT)

Perhaps God chose to bring Jesus to his people during the dark of night for a reason?  The chosen Son of God and Man was coming to crush the head of the Enemy and to bring the good news of His gospel to the world.  Jesus is the light piercing the darkness of this world, acting as a beacon to guide God’s people, saving all of us from death and raising us to new life, just like the new life that He was experiencing here in his own birth. 

35Jesus replied, “My light will shine for you just a little longer. Walk in the light while you can, so the darkness will not overtake you. Those who walk in the darkness cannot see where they are going. 36Put your trust in the light while there is still time; then you will become children of the light.” (John 12:35-36, NLT)

Jesus came into our world with the holy light of God shining from above, I hope and pray that each of you take the light offered in his story of the bible to heart, so the darkness will not overtake you.  Put your trust in the light of Jesus and know that His love is never ending!

Peace be with you brothers and sisters.

See "God of Brilliant Lights" by Aaron Shust here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqyLWY1QGyc

Engaging God

Written By: Kirk Peterson

Digital Life

God has recently showed me something that I hold onto with great value.  He has uncovered for me that when I let go of all the selfish things I hold onto in this world, and get fully engaged & interactive with my children, that my life has much more joy and happiness in it.  We live in a world now that has started to take away the life experience of being with someone in mind, body & spirit--replacing it with a digital life that requires less and less personal investment.  I know in my own life, my smartphone is something that tears me away from those that I care about.  So many times in my own life, as I’m lost in the digital life that is my smartphone experience, I hear one of my children call out to me, and as I slowly fade back into the real world I find that I missed something special.

Adventure Time

See Image Here: http://media.smithsonianmag.com/images/Phenom-Childred-Play-631.jpg

When I speak of getting fully engaged & interactive with my kids, I’m talking about those really great moments in life where time holds no meaning.  All my thoughts are simply there with my kids: 

I decided it was time to have some adventures with my oldest son Brody.  He just got done watching “Jake and the Neverland Pirates” on TV…so I guess it’s time to play pirates I told myself.  My mind quickly formulated a plan and I sprang into action. 

“Brody, are you ready for some adventures”, I yelled. 

“Yeah!” he screamed back to me with childhood exuberance.

“O.K. buddy, lets go behind this wall and hide from the witch”, I said.

As Brody and I quickly ran behind the wall, he looked up at me with this smirky little grin that told me he wasn’t so sure about what we were doing, but that this is finally the kind of action he had been craving from his dear old daddy.

“Let’s use our swords”, Brody screamed as he pretended to hold a sword in his hand.  I could see his eyes look at his hand and slowly follow it up to its imaginary peak.  He expectantly looked up at me for what’s next and quickly tried to rush out from behind our imaginary cover…

“Wait Brody”, I explained, “We have to be patient and stay safe here behind the wall, or the Witch is going to get us”.  I slowly raised my finger to my mouth and whispered, “Shhhhh”, to my son as I peaked around the corner. 

“O.K. Brody, do you have both your swords ready?” I asked.

“Yes”, he said as he raised both of his pretend blades above his head.

“Alright then, ATTACK!!!!!”, I yelled as we both jumped out from behind the wall.  Together as brothers-in-arms, we triumphantly sliced and diced our enemy before us-- bellowing out sound effects to go along with all the awesome.

I wrote this story about one of the fun adventures I had with my son Brody, to hopefully give you a taste of what I mean about being fully engaged & interactive with my children.  When I think of my life with my kids, these are the times that bring me the most joy & happiness.

God the Father is Omnipresent

See Image Here: http://media.radiosai.org/journals/Vol_03/05MAY01/images/God%20is%20Present.jpg

23Am I a God who is only close at hand?” says the Lord. “No, I am far away at the same time. 24Can anyone hide from me in a secret place? Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?” says the Lord. (Jerimiah 23:23-24, NLT)

I think of how awesome it is when I’m fully engaged & interactive with my own children...and then I think about how God the Father, who has absolute power and authority over all the heavens and the earth, is fully engaging and interacting (omnipresence) with each and every person that has and ever will be…well, I’m left humbled and reverent to the all-powerful LORD! 

26Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name. Because of his great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing. 27O Jacob, how can you say the Lord does not see your troubles? O Israel, how can you say God ignores your rights? 28Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. (Isaiah 40:26-28, NLT)

I know how great my relationship is with my own children when I let go of my selfish desires and get fully engaged & interactive with them, but can you imagine how great our relationship could be with Our Father in Heaven when we, as His children, get fully engaged & interactive with him?

Engaging God in our Walk

See Image Here: http://images.wikia.com/glee/images/7/72/Hands-cupping-candle.jpg

 

So how do we get fully engaged & interactive with Our Father the LORD?  I think a great place start not only is getting saved, but trying to walk that narrow road that Jesus calls us to as Christians in turning from our own darkness and continuing our walk with God on the higher road…

14Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it. 15The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right; his ears are open to their cries for help. 16But the Lord turns his face against those who do evil; he will erase their memory from the earth. 17The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. 18The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. 19The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time. 20For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous; not one of them is broken! (Psalms 34:14-20, NLT)

I believe that when the scriptures speak of being righteous, perhaps a more simple way to put it would be walking the higher road.  All throughout the bible, God’s word tells us what righteousness looks like.  Here in Psalms, we see that being righteous means turning from evil and doing good.  Even through The Father turns his face from us when we are making evil choices, his presence is everywhere.  God, the perfect judge, knows those who are to be condemned to suffering and gnashing of teeth, and their memory will be wiped from the earth. 

I find it very comforting to know that God is close to those who are brokenhearted, and rescues those whose spirits are crushed.  How great is it to know we have a God who draws near and engages us when we need it most?

Come close to Our Father in Heaven 

See Image Here: http://www.titus2atthewell.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Draw-near-to-God.jpg?9d7bd4

7So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor. (James 4:7-10, NLT)

I pray that those of you reading this blog can learn the truth of what God has shown us in his word.  I hope that you draw near to Him so that He can draw near to you.

Peace be with you brothers and sisters.

See Chris Tomlin’s video “Whom Shall I Fear” here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOkImV2cJDg