lLESSON FROM JOSEPH

Leadership Lessons From Joseph By Mike Duke – BSF Board Member The founder of Walmart, Sam Walton, once said “If you want a successful business, your people must feel that you are working for them — not that they are working for you.” When I was working as “Chief Greeter,” or CEO, at Walmart, I was inspired by this mindset of servant leadership. It gave me the ideal opportunity to reflect on biblical models of leadership and I often used relevant Scriptures to describe specific leadership characteristics, even within a diverse, global organization such as Walmart. This year in the Genesis study, I had the opportunity to reflect on servant leadership through the story of Joseph. Although he was not a perfect leader, we can learn from the leadership qualities that Joseph displayed throughout his life, from the beginning of his story in Canaan to the throne room in Egypt. 9 Lessons we learn from Joseph Decide what Defines You We all know the story of Joseph and the beautiful coat his father gave him. But we can even learn from this basic story that beautiful clothing does not make a great leader, and Joseph understood that. He had a close relationship with God, and much more strength and depth of leadership beyond his beautiful coat. So how do those we lead characterize us? In studying Joseph’s life, we see every day as an opportunity to choose what makes us memorable. Make Peace With Adversity In Genesis 37, we find Joseph in a ditch, or cistern. A wise business investor, Warren Buffett, once said, “When you find yourself in a ditch, stop digging.” This advice can apply to business, life and relationships. When Joseph found himself the cistern, he trusted God even through great adversity. Joseph did not fight his circumstances, but discovered God’s peace in each of these difficult situations. He came to realize that God uses adversity for good. Welcome God’s Presence In Chapter 39, Joseph’s boss, Potiphar, saw something in Joseph that was very special. He saw that the Lord was with him. Biblical leadership always shows the presence of the Lord, and the leader has complete trust in God. Can others see Him in us? Expect Temptation and Be Prepared People in leadership roles will often be tempted. Positions of power, authority and financial oversight can become sources of temptation. As Joseph gained leadership roles, he also faced intense temptation. He was certainly tempted aggressively by Potiphar’s wife. But before he was tempted, Joseph made a commitment to honor and integrity. In the throes of temptation, Joseph stood firm. Great leaders decide integrity cannot be compromised, and they make that commitment even before they face temptation. Look For Opportunities to Lead Joseph was certainly treated unfairly and was even sent to prison due to no fault of his own. But the Lord stayed with him and even provided leadership opportunities while in prison. From Joseph, we can learn how to make the best of difficult circumstances and even look for leadership opportunities that might be available in unlikely places. Whether we are at home raising children or at work leading a team, God values servant leadership in all circumstances. Through His eternal perspective, the greatest leaders among us are the Godliest. Give Credit to Those Who Contribute When others wanted to give credit and praise to Joseph, he turned it around to give all praise and glory to God. When interpreting dreams, he was clear that God’s skills, not his own, were on display. Great leaders embody humility, and they will not accept personal glory and praise. They tirelessly credit success to others that contributed to the accomplishments. Place Your Trust in God’s Plan In Genesis 41, we get a good understanding of Joseph’s trust in God’s plan. Joseph expects seven years of prosperity to be followed by seven years of famine, so he prepares for the upcoming difficulties. Joseph trusted God, and as a result, he received great wisdom in how to deal with the prosperity and how to prepare for the future. Don’t Be Afraid to Show Emotion In the final chapters of Joseph’s life, we read a detailed account of how he interacted with his brothers and his father. Faced with the family members who betrayed him, Joseph displayed compassion, forgiveness and love. These chapters are often emotional, showing one of the greatest leaders in Egypt weeping. Some leaders have the mistaken impression that they should not show emotion, but they are so wrong. Strong leaders show they care about others, and sometimes that can mean grief. Display of emotion is a good, sincere characteristic because it shows a caring, loving leader. Serve in All Circumstances In the final chapters of Genesis, Joseph showed he loved his father and brothers, and was able to forgive. But going beyond forgiveness, Joseph proved his servant heart when he blessed and provided for his family. Great leaders care about every single person they lead, just as the shepherd cares about every single sheep in the flock. Leading Where God Calls Though we may not be called to lead a nation like Joseph, God calls all of us to lead in some way. Whether in business, BSF leadership, our local church, our community or leading our family, He provides the framework for serving effectively wherever we are called. As we close our study of Genesis, we remember Joseph as an example of a leader who selflessly served. But in preparing our minds for Matthew, we look forward to Jesus, not as an example, but as the fulfillment of a servant leader. Through Joseph’s example, we find practical leadership application. But through Christ’s sacrifice, we discover the power to put these steps into practice. Mike Duke BSF Board Member – Former WalMart Executive

Yeshua gave demons permission to enter the pigs

Questions: Why Yeshua gave the demons permission to enter the pigs? While the Bible is not explicit on this, we can deduce the answer by looking at the three synoptic Gospels. This event likely occurred after the Jewish leadership rejected Yeshua (Matthew 12). From that point on, Yeshua no longer taught the whole nation, but He did continue to teach His disciples and He only demonstrated to them who He was. He does this through showing His: Power over Nature, Matthew 8:18; Mark 4:35-42; Luke 8:22-25 Power over Demons, Matthew 8:28-24; Mark 5:1-20; Luke 8:26-39 Power over Disease and Death, Mark 5:21-43; Matthew 9:18-26; Luke 8:40-56 Power over Blindness and another mute making demons, Matthew 9:27-34 Note that these all occurred primarily with the disciples. Location In Matthew 8:5 Yeshua is in Capernaum (the Jewish side of the Galilee, see the white area in the image below, while the yellow area is under Gentile control. No Synagogues have been found from the 1st century in the yellow area). Matthew 8:18 Yeshua and the disciples go to ‘the other side’ of the lake and Yeshua calms the sea verses 23-27. Matthew 8:28 Yeshua (and the disciples) arrived at ‘the other side’ of the lake. This is the second time this is mentioned and it is a clue that they have entered Gentile Territory. The area on the eastern side of the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee was called Gedara. It was primarily Gentile, with a very small Jewish population. Within the region of Gedara were several villages, two of which play a role here: The village of Gedara (Gadarenes). The village of Gergasa (Gerasenes). The event described here takes place in the Gerasenes area, which was in the region of Gedara (see map at the end). The demoniac: Mark 5:2-5. Now notice that when Yeshua had cast out demons before, we were simply told what the demon did: he made him blind, he made him dumb, and he made him deaf, and so on. Now on this occasion, for the first time, and only after He Himself has been accused of being demonised, we have a detailed description of an extreme demonic state. And what he describes here is a very extreme form of demonism. Not all demonised people were as extreme as this. There is an irony in this situation. Yeshua, who has been accused of being demonised, will now be facing a legion of demons, and this event shows that He has power over them, and they do not have power over Him. Also notice that Mathew records that there were two demon-possessed men, while both Mark and Luke choose to focus their attention on one of them. What demons know? Mark 5:6-7 and Matthew 8:29. Here we see what demons commonly know: First of all, they have no problem recognising who Yeshua is. They recognise that He is the Messiah, the Son of the Most High God. Also notice that they know their future doom. Legion Mark 5:8-10: Here Yeshua uses the traditional Jewish method for casting out demons. He asks them: “What is your name?” And the demon says “My name is Legion, for we are many.” Notice the change of pronouns from “my” to “we.” A small legion was three thousand and a full legion was six thousand. Therefore, in this demonic state there are at least three thousand demons. Abyss Luke 8:31: They were imploring Him not to command them to go away into the abyss. The Abyss is a section of Sheol of/or Hades, and is a place for the temporary confinement of fallen angels or demons. If Yeshua had sent them there they would have been confined until Hades was emptied out, when they will be cast into the lake of fire. The herd of pigs: Luke 8:32-33 Instead of being sent into the Abyss, they ask to be sent into the pigs and Yeshua gave them permission. And when the demons enter these pigs, the pig all run into the Sea of Galilee, in a mass suicide and drown themselves. These demons then became free to inhabit someone else. Why did He grant the demons’ request? Was He having compassion on the fallen angels? The reason He allowed them to go into the pigs was not likely because He had compassion for them, but for the reaction of the herdsmen that followed. The results: Luke 8:34-37a. Here we see three results of this event. The herdsmen run and tell everything, in both the city and the country. The man from whom the demons had gone out was sitting down at the feet of Yeshua, clothed and in his right mind. All the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them for they were gripped with great fear, that is, this caused some of the Gentiles to have a Godly fear. Hopefully, this is a sufficiently argued Biblical response to the question posed. Blessings in Yeshua the LORD Paul & Sue

A JEALOUS GOD?

A Jealous God? When we speak about God we generally mention Exodus 34:5-7: “The Lord descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of the Lord. Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” There are nine attributes that God uses in his self-description (cf. Psalms 86:5, 86:15, 103:8-13, 111:4, 112:4; 116:5, 145:8 etc). These are good attributes, but it would be a mistake to think of God as only gracious and loving. Earlier in Exodus, we saw that God had given himself a different attribute “אָֽנֹכִ֞י יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֨יךָ֙ אֵ֣ל קַנָּ֔א” - “I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God” (Exodus 20:5). We think of jealous/ jealousy as suspicion or mistrustful, but when this is used of God, we should not see it in the negative. The Hebrew word קַנָּ֔א (qanna) can be translated as zealous or jealous. God is zealous for His holiness and yet is not tainted by sin, as He is Holy in His jealousy and does not sin in His anger, or even when He takes vengeance upon His enemies. The word qanna, when translated as jealous, can be seen clearly when God is described as the husband of Israel, who due to His love for Israel, wants to protect her with a holy protectiveness. And in return wants Israel to be in love with Him. (Other verses that use qanna as a description of God are: Exodus 34:14; Deuteronomy 4:24; Joshua 24:19; Nahum 1:2). When the authors of the Hebrew Bible use this description of God, it shows God’s concern for His Holy Name (His character and reputation). The word is also used in Psalm 69:9 “For zeal (קִנְאַ֣ת) for Your house has consumed me…” In this prophetic word, we read that the zealous love which Messiah will have for God’s house (that is the Temple), its service, glory, has consumed, eaten me up. The disciples later recalled this in John 2:13-22, and attribute this to Messiah Yeshua’s action, because of His concern for the purity of God’s House and worship. This was the first of two cleansings by Messiah of the Temple; the other time is mentioned in Matthew 21:12-17. And so, I wondered about my own zeal? What about your zeal, what are we zealous for? Sumo, rugby or watching TV? There is nothing wrong with watching these, but if we spend all our time on these things, then we have lost our first love. I was shocked when I read about a survey done in one mainline church. It found that 10% of the members had moved away or died and yet were still listed as members, 20% never prayed, 25% did not read their Bibles, 30% did not attend anywhere, 40% did not contribute to the church, 80% had never attended a prayer meeting and 90% felt uncomfortable talking about the gospel, sin and salvation. While I recognise that we have different gifting's in our fellowship, we are not all intercessors or evangelists, but our doing of these and many other things shows our zeal for the LORD and His Messiah. Friends meditating on His name, ‘jealous God,’ has caused me to reflect and pray that we all may have zeal like Messiah Yeshua, who was willing to lay down His life. May we have such qanna, such zeal in our lives for Messiah, His community and His people. May we burn brightly for His Holy Name! Yours in Messiah Yeshua Paul & Sue

Hebrew 7 MELCHIZEDEK TYPE OF MESSIAH

Pondering Hebrews 7:1-3 For this Melchizedek… made like the Son of God The author of Hebrews gives us another type, after Aaron and Moses; he now gives Melchizedek, as a type for Messiah. Entire volumes have been written about Melchizedek, and not just paperbacks but tomes. Can I ask that we hold off on using our sanctified imaginations (like those theologians used), and stick to the Scriptures. That way we won’t allow our interpretations to wander too far, as has been the case with some who have interpreted the origin of this man. Please read Genesis 14:18-20 and Psalm 110:4 as background. Hebrews 7:1-3 “1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace. 3 Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually.” So let us explore who Melchizedek is? For it says he is king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually. There are four common interpretations of Melchizedek: 1. Melchizedek was an angelic being. 2. Melchizedek was the pre-incarnate Messiah (or a Christophany, a fancy way of saying an appearance of Messiah before He was born). 3. Melchizedek was Noah’s son Shem. 4. Melchizedek was a human priest who the author of Hebrews is using as a type of Messiah. 1. Melchizedek was an angelic being. The Essences, the people who had a settlement at Qumran and who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls, thought that this Melchizedek was an angelic being who functioned much in the role of Michael the archangel (I will leave it to you to explore who is leading Heaven’s armies: Daniel 10 & 12, Jude 1:9 and Revelation 12). In 11Q13 (11QMelch) and (4Q401 11:3; 22:3), which are small fragmentary manuscripts found at Qumran, Melchizedek is seen as the leader of the Holy angels who are at war in Heaven against the angels of darkness. These are fragmentary documents which fall into the category of mystical documents. They offer no proof that he was an angel, but it is implied. (For more info see the chapter called The Heavenly Prince (11Q14) in The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English by Geza Vermes pages 500-502). We are not able to agree with this interpretation for the following reasons. Hebrews 5:1 indicates that only humans can be priests: “For every high priest taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men in things pertaining to God, in order to offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins”. And Melchizedek, who is mentioned in Genesis 14:18-20, holds two offices for he is also a king over the city of Salem (Jerusalem). This would require an angelic being to be permanently on earth functioning in the office. Finally, it would seem Melchizedek has offspring, for in Joshua 10 we meet another king of Salem with an even more impressive name than Melchizedek (מלכי־צדק), namely Adoni-zedek (אדני־צדק). Note carefully it does not say Adoni-zedek functioned in both offices and he is never seen as a type of Yeshua as he opposed God’s plan (Joshua 10). 2. Melchizedek was the pre-incarnate Messiah (or a Christophany, a fancy way of saying an appearance of Messiah before He was born). It goes beyond my purpose today to chase every reference to the Lord appearing in physical form, but let me give you seven for you to quickly read: Genesis 12:7-9; Genesis 18:1-33; Genesis 32:22-30; Exodus 3:2-4:17; Exodus 24:9-11; Deuteronomy 31:14-15 and Job 38-42 (for more see chapters 4-6 in Discovering the Mystery of the Unity of God by John B Metzger 2010). Could Melchizedek be a Pre-incarnate Messiah? No, in all these appearances God appears in physical form briefly, He gives a message, has a meal, but He does not stay around. Note the contrast with Melchizedek. He holds two offices, king and priest, and both are hereditary offices. Both his father before him and his son after him (Joshua 10) would have held these titles. The other thing I noted is that when there is a Theophany (God appearing in the human form), the text clearly says it is The LORD and if it is not mentioned explicitly, we can see it is the LORD because of a statement from the people and or because of their worship of the LORD. 3. Melchizedek was Noah’s son Shem. Some early rabbis identified Melchizedek with Shem, as in the Targum to Genesis 14:4, “And Melchizedek, who was Shem the son of Noah, the king of Jerusalem.” This is also much later mentioned in the Babylonian Talmud in Nedarim 32b. While it is possible that Abraham could have dwelt in the tents of Shem, Shem would have been over 400 years old when Abraham was born and he has a lifespan of over 600 years (Genesis 11:10-11), but we do not have a verse that connects the two in the same location. However, the main reason he cannot be identified as Melchizedek is that his genealogy is clearly mentioned in Genesis 11:10-26, so we do know who his father is, Noah (Genesis 10:1). 4. Melchizedek was a human priest who the author of Hebrews is using as a type of Messiah. So it seems that Melchizedek was just like you and me, a man. However, he held two offices, for he was both king and priest in Salem (Jerusalem), at the time of Abraham. The point the author of Hebrews makes in regards to him having no father or mother nor genealogy is not that he had none, but that we do not know it. Now, this is highly irregular, as we look at Genesis every single significant person has his genealogy listed. But here there was none to be found. Secondly, the genealogy was not needed as the Melchizedekian priesthood was by divine appointment, not by physical descent, as the Aaronic priesthood was. As he does hold these two offices, it would mean he was just a man with parents and children, again just like you and me, a human being. Let me point out verse 4 “Now observe how great this man was….” This clearly indicates that Melchizedek was great, but he was still only a mortal man. The last phrase of verse 3, “he remains a priest perpetually,” should be seen in that he is a type of Messiah, who will not change his priesthood since there is no successor to the priesthood of Melchizedek mentioned. He might be thought of as one who remains in that office. I note in some commentaries that it says that the “Syriac Bible translation reads, ‘his priesthood abides forever.’” This is, in my opinion, clearer for this would be true of the Melchizedekian order and of Messiah. This is of course based on Psalm 110:4 The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.” A reason to point this out would be to emphasize the timelessness of the order of Melchizedek, as there is no mention of the beginning or the end of the Melchizedekian Priesthood. This is in contrast to the Levitical Priesthood, where the Scriptures record a definite beginning, as well as its definite end. A such the author says “but made like the Son of God.” He is not saying that He was the Son of God, but that Melchizedek was a type of Messiah, in that he held the two offices, being both priest and king. There is no record in the Old Testament of Melchizedek being succeeded by anyone else in his dual office and as far as the biblical record is concerned, his priesthood was timeless. This is summarized in verse 16 “who has become such not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life”, literally “endless life.” Messiah, who has been alive forever, is the permanent holder of the High-priesthood in the order of Melchizedek. No other person in Scripture is identified as a king & priest apart from Melchizedek who is best seen as a type of Yeshua the Messiah. I hope this illuminates your understanding of this Melchizedek a type of Messiah Blessings in Messiah Yeshua Paul

HEBREOS 13:20-21

Hebreos 13:20-21 20 “Y el Dios de paz que resucitó de los muertos a nuestro Señor Jesucristo, el gran pastor de las ovejas, por la sangre del pacto eterno, 21 os haga aptos en toda obra buena para que hagáis su voluntad, haciendo él en vosotros lo que es agradable delante de él por Jesucristo; al cual sea la gloria por los siglos de los siglos. Amén.” Estas palabras de la bendición o de las salutaciones finales son muy inspiradoras. Ellas muestran el sumario de las oraciones hechas por el autor hebreo concerniente al Mesías judío. En esta bendición el autor denota siete puntos que menciona en su carta. 1. El Dios de paz. Esta frase el Dios de paz, no es mencionada y es completamente ignorada en los escritos rabínicos. Sin embargo, el apóstol Pablo la menciona en Romanos 15:33, 16:20; Filipenses 4:9; y 1Tesaloniosences 5:23 como así también es mencionada por Gedeón en el Antiguo Testamento, en el libro de los Jueces capítulo 6 versículo 24 al momento de edificar un altar a Jehová llamando a este “Jehová-Salom.” Uno de los nombres del Mesías es Paz (Isaías 9:6) y es muy cierto que cuando el venga como el Rey de Sion proclamará la paz a todas las naciones (Zacarías 9:10). Paz no solo es la ausencia de guerra sino que también esta trae el descanso y la seguridad. Esta bendición de la paz también se encuentra en la bendición sacerdotal para nosotros enseñada a Aarón (Números 6) la cual es la misma para los discípulos después de la resurrección de Jesucristo (Juan 20:19, 21, 26). En resumen, lo que el escritor está diciendo es que no obstante los problemas y dificultades que tengamos o estemos atravesando si hemos sido lavados por la sangre Cristo, el Mesías somos justificados por la fe obteniendo así su paz (Romanos 5:1). 2. Levantó a Jesús de la muerte Cuando Jesús fue levantado de la muerte su rol de profeta terminó y vino a ser nuestro compasivo sumo sacerdote en los cielos (Hebreos 4:14-16). La resurrección de Cristo fue el primer fruto de la resurrección (1Corintios 15:23) luego nosotros sus seguidores también seremos resucitados porque él ha resucitado primero. La segunda muerte para el creyente en Cristo no tiene poder (Apocalipsis 21:8). Jesús es el poder de nuestra futura resurrección de acuerdo a su promesa (Juan 11:25-26). Dios demostró que Jesús es el Hijo de Dios (Romanos 1:4) por el hecho de su resurrección y que al mismo tiempo por su resurrección viene a ser nuestra justificación (Romanos 4:24-25) y garantía de nuestra resurrección (2Corintios 4:14). 3. El Buen Pastor A pesar de que todos somos ovejas descarriadas (Isaías 53:6) Jesús con su constante deseo de ser nuestro Señor y Pastor nos conduce (Salmo 23) porque él mismo se llama ser “el Buen Pastor” (Juan 10:1-18) aún cuando nos descarriamos. Su deseo es mantenernos juntos permanece (Mateo 23:37). El es también llamado Príncipe de los pastores (1Pedro 5:4) quien quiere premiar al fiel con la corona incorruptible de gloria, con la corona de justicia y con la corona de vida (2Timoteo 4:8). El pastor cuida de sus ovejas aún cuando ellas se encuentran atravesando momentos difíciles. David lo menciona en el Salmo 23 versículo 4 “aunque ande en valle de sombra de muerte.” No obstante, en este salmo leemos que la vara y cayado protegen al pastor de sus enemigos (lobos y osos), pero que también con estos, la vara y el cayado corrige a sus ovejas aunque no son palos grandes, pues El esta cerca de nosotros. Este título “el Buen Pastor” ha debido ser un aliento y consuelo para los primero creyentes judíos del siglo primero en los momentos de la destrucción de Jerusalén y en las consecuencias que siguieron a esta destrucción. Ellos también necesitaron no tener miedo a lo malo del momento. El estaba con ellos para darles aliento y ánimo. 4. La Sangre del Nuevo Pacto El autor de este libro mencionó dos veces la sangre del nuevo pacto (Hebreos 9:19-20, 10:22). Esto fue basado en lo que Moisés dijo e hizo en Exodos 24:8 “Entonces Moisés tomó la sangre y roció sobre el pueblo, y dijo; He aquí la sangre del pacto que Jehová ha hecho con vosotros….” como así también fue el primer pacto el cual empezó a envejecerse, pronto a desaparecer (Hebreos 8:13) siendo un contraste al Nuevo Pacto prometido a Jeremías 31:31-34 el cual fue inaugurado en la última pascua celebrada por el Señor Jesús (Mateo 26:24; Lucas 22:20) para luego cumplirse y hacerse realidad en el Reino que viene (2Samuel 23:5). En Ezequiel 37:24-26 vemos algunos de estos temas. En verso 24 Dios menciona al Único Pastor, el Mesías, Cristo Jesús. Luego en versículo 26 cumple o hace el servicio para nosotros de Rey y Sumo sacerdote “Y haré con ellos pacto de paz, pacto perpetuo será con ellos, y los estableceré y los multiplicaré, y pondré mi santuario entre ellos para siempre.” El trajo en su sangre el pacto eterno al lugar más sagrado y santo en el cielo (Hebreos 8 y 9). 5. Jesucristo nuestro Señor Jesús es descrito ser el Señor, nuestro Señor en Hebreos 1:2-4, 3:6, por consiguiente desea nuestra obediencia (Hebreos 5:9) ya que nos ha traído salvación (Tito 2:11) para luego llevarnos a la gloria (Hebreos 2:10). Esto tendría que alentarnos a estar dispuestos a servirle fervientemente. David dijo “Servid a Jehová con temor, y alegría” (Salmo 2:11). 6. Nos habilita Este Dios que nos ha dado paz a través de la sangre del pacto eterno y de la resurrección de Jesucristo, el Señor, no quiere que nos sentemos a calentar asientos. El quiere que le sirvamos y nos sirvamos los unos a los otros. La resurrección de Jesucristo nos da el poder para servir (Efesios 1:17-20). Esta también es para la perfección de los santos y para que todas las cosas sean para la gloria a Dios. El nos equipa o habilita para que juntos edifiquemos el cuerpo de Cristo (1Corintios 12:1-11) y para que podamos compartir las buenas nuevas del Señor Jesús, el buen y fiel pastor. Paul Cohen traducido al español por Hra Raquel

..........THE BOOKS WERE OPENED (DAN 7:10b)

The truth that I will face God as Judge determines how I live. If I do not believe God is my judge, Ican live any way that pleases me. I am accountable only to myself, able to determine what is right for me. But when I know that one day I will stand before my Creator, who knows everything about me, who I am and what I have done, this life matters more. I do not take good things for granted. I measure my thoughts, words and deeds against His standards, not mine. I quickly realize my own efforts can never meet His standards; therefore, I humbly seek the rescue He provides in Christ. I anticipate everlasting life and great reward. I am eager to invite others to this bright and beautiful future. I do not fear my Judge. I love Him.

THE BREATH OF THE ALMIGHTY

The Breath of the Almighty Job 33:4 • “The Spirit of God has made me, And the Breath of the Almighty gives me life.” The phrase, the Breath of the Almighty, is unique to Job. The only other time it is mentioned in Scripture is in the previous chapter, Job 32:8. In true Hebrew poetry style, we see that the Spirit of God is equated with the Breath of the Almighty - נִשְׁמַ֖ת שַׁדַּ֣י (Nish’mat Shadai). So both “Spirit” and “Breath” refer to God’s Holy Spirit, particularly in His role as the creator and as the life-giver; in that He breathed life into Adam at the moment he was created (Genesis 2:7). The ministry of the Spirit is also seen in Psalm 33:6 “By the Word of the LORD the heavens were made, And by the Breath of His mouth all their host.” Yeshua is identified as the Word in John 1, and together with the Breath of the LORD, the Holy Spirit, the entire host of heaven, that is the angelic realm, was created. Not only is He life-giving, He also removes life (Job 4:9). It is by Him that we have physical life, as such Job declares that he will live “as long as my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils” (Job 27:3). It is the Holy Spirit who enables us to have a spiritual life, for Yeshua said we must be born of the Spirit as well (John 3:5-6). The Breath of the Almighty can also be seen in connection with resurrection life. We see this in the resurrection of the two witnesses: “the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet” (Revelation 11:11). We also see it with the nation of Israel in the vision of the valley of the dry bones (Ezekiel 37). As such all life, angelic and human, and resurrection and spiritual life, are a gift from the Spirit of God. He is rightly called the Spirit of Life. Furthermore, “the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding” (Job 32:8). The fullness of the Spirit rested on Messiah, as was prophesied in Isaiah 11:2 “The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.” We receive a portion of the Spirit as we could not contain the Whole. As such, we see the apostle Paul praying for the Ephesians that they would receive “the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation” (Ephesians 1:17), so that they may have an understanding, and maybe enlightened and that they would come to know the hope of His calling. That prayer is also a prayer for us. It is imperative to come to an understanding of the Holy Spirit, the Breath of the Almighty, for through Him we receive wisdom and understanding. So, what do we know about the Spirit? All that He has chosen to reveal is in the inspired word, literally “breathed out.” That is, the Holy Spirit spoke to men and moved them to write, with their own words, what He revealed (2 Peter 1:21). As such “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.” For what purpose? So that we all who have received the Breath of the Almighty “may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17). But the most astonishing thing happened after the resurrection, when Yeshua breathed on His disciples. There and then the Breath of the Almighty was expelled and placed on the disciples, who in turn received the Holy Spirit. The resurrection life that Yeshua imparted to them was His Spirit (John 20:22). Yeshua demonstrated that He has the same authority as His Father in Heaven, and He has the source of eternal life (John 5:19, 21, 24-27), which was imparted to them. When you and I became believers, we too received the Breath of the Almighty, His Holy Spirit, who is now at work in us. Friends, let us be moved to walk worthily, in wisdom and understanding, of the calling. May we know that the Breath of the Almighty is in us. He gave us life, as we are born again through Him. Shalom & Shavua Tov (a good week). Paul