JustJeff

I see the Rock as an anchor point that I can always go to for stability in my life. He steadies me, gives me confidence in my everyday battles. The Rock protects me from my enemies when the onslaught is great, as a refuge. He is the Rock of my salvation, in all purity, a bastion of truth. I find the next part of the question somewhat nebulous. To a Palestinian a rock might be a weapon, to be used against Israelies whom they consider occupiers. Or, the rock can be looked at as a wall, to keep them out of land that they see as theirs. To a Jew, a rock might be a memorial that would be placed on the grave of someone slaughtered by a suicide bomber. To a Christian and yes, some Jews, a rock might be He who would bring peace to Jerusalem.

By faith, God will shield me from attack by the enemy and allow me to fight to the good fight. He is our glory when we claim the victories that He gives to each of us as we allow His marvelous light to shine through. When I am down and feeble in spirit I can quite simply call to Him in prayer and He will quite readily lift me up. This all relfects a God who deeply loves us and gives us His all.

When danger calls the protected ones run to the Lord; prayer, the word, singing psalms and hymns, meditation. There we find: 1. Our Hiding Place, 2. Keeper, 3.Shade, 4.Refuge, 5. Shelter, 6.Fortress, 7.Cover w/ Feathers, 8. Wings, 9. Shield, 10. Buckler, 11. Dwelling Place, 12. Salvation (JESUS). Old hymn: "Jesus is a Rock in a weary land, a weary land, Jesus is a Rock in a weary land, a shelter in a time of storm."

Insofar as only God can forgive sin, by confessing to Him, we are acknowledging that Jesus is LORD, He is Yahweh. As a song goes: "He's a heavy load lifter, a heavy burden bearer." Romans 10:9 proclaims that He is the Lord Jesus, which we are taught is kurios=Yahweh=God. Peter says it best in Acts 4:12: "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."

The history rich Old Testament clearly illustrates that a nation which is governed by God is a blessed nation. Blessings increase as a nation adheres to Him as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Sadly, as He makes a nation rich, carnality rears it's ugly head and secularism becomes king. The very wealth that Yahweh blessed a nation with becomes that nation's God, and the Lord of Lords becomes a diminished reality, soon forgotten by the majority. This is clearly evident in modern Europe and increasingly apparent in the US. Daniel 9:5-14 answers the third part of this question.

The personal implications of Yahweh as my King are complete submission to his rule over my life and of Jesus as Messiah to is to live each day ready, and watching for His return. As subject to Yaheweh as my King I can anticipate the full benfit of His love and devotion to me, as outlined in the many promises throughout the scritpures. To submit to the King on a daily basis is to live a holy lifestyle, guided by the Holy Spirit, foresaking the world and it's lusts, remembering the weakness of the flesh, repenting when we acquiesce to it's sinful nature and resisting the devil. Fight the good fight of faith. We reject Yahweh each time we rebel against His commandments, when we choose the world over our salvation.

Tithing, in 1 Samuel 8:15 was God's order to Israel to give 10% of their first fruits to the newly appointed king Saul. God felt that the Jews had rejected Him as their rightful king so the obligatory tithe would be due to His chosen earthly king. By paying this tithe to their earthly king Israel acknowledges the mandatory necessity of tithing to God, to support His kingdom on earth. Paul address the need to support the work of the Lord in 2 Corinthians 8-9. While he doesn't specifically mention tithing per se, he does suggest that we give of our abundance to provide for the ministry. By following Old Testament guidelines of 10%, New Testament churches (and missions) flourish today.

Justice is punishment to fit the crime for which a person has been judged guilty of. Vengeance is punishment in retaliaton for an act of violence or crime that we have committed. Mercy is forgiveness, not rendering the appropriate punishment for a crime committed. The LORD punishes us for our sins by the shame of the cross. Every time that we transgress, we shame Him. Every time we ask for foregiveness, He brings us to the cross. His shame is our humiliation for our weakness. How terrible a punishment to bare, how righteous a God to give His Son to redeem us.

Our lives can only be a reflection of that of the Lord Jesus. To minister to the poor and the needy, to provide for their basic needs, to point them to the Savior. In essence, our lives are committed to bringing justice to society, Jesus' justice through repentance and forgivness and reconciliation to the Father.

The only possible way to know an upright and righteous God is by having him dwell in you, by His Holy Spirit. This, our guide, reveals God's character and nature to us, thus helping us to be conformed to HIs image by the renewing of our minds (heart and souls). We, as evangelists, must be true to our calling, as God will never put us in a situation beyond our abilities. In my case, I minister to the homeless and can never look upon myself as better than they, rather as the least. As the Lord was humbled to the obedience of the cross we too should be humble in the face of a wicked and adulterous generation. Our witness will be our declaration of our God.

I would imagine that one can only shudder with fear and wonder when encountering the Holy one and as Isaiah must have, confronted with complete reality, of our moral failure. Surly Isaiah new at once that as a sinner in the presence of Yahweh he would be doomed to the pit for eternity. God purges Isaiah with fire, the heated coal which symbolizes the fire we receive from heaven when we are baptized in the Holy Spirit. At once, Isaiah responds and tells the Lord to send him, as His prophet, newly commissioned for God's service. Do not all born again believers respond to the Lord Jesus in this manner? God forbid if we do not! Welcome back everyone and Praise God for the victory!

Greetings! My name is Jeff and I'm a Christian missionary working in St Petersburg, FL. Ours is a Penetcostal church/mission that serves the poor and needy, fulfilling material and spiritual needs. It is a joy to study and share the results with fellow believers as we seek to know Him more.