Work The Works Of God

Since we are the work of God, then our works should also be the works of God. Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Our DNA has changed if we are born again. We now have the DNA of Christ. We were made by Christ, Jeremiah 1:1A "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you..." and if He formed us, and redeemed us with His death and resurrection, then we are His and not our own. (1 Corinthians 6:20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.) I can of my self produce nothing of life, but in Christ, I can produce the works of God! Oh man, how good would that be! The works of God. Micah 6:8 He has told you, O 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? There we have it. We are products of God, we should then produce for God, the works of God, YES! Galatians 6: 7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

The God of all is also the God of nature

GK Chesterton's book St Francis of Assisi proposes the intriguing theory that the Dark Ages resulted because paganism and mythologies had stained natural order so deeply that Christians could not percieve nature as part of God's revelation.as a result, virtually all forms of art sank to a low level during this period of civilization.

The worship of me

If we focus on ourselves instead of God, we stop worshiping Him, and start worshiping us. Nothing good can come from our righteousness, which is like filthy rags, but every good and perfect gift comes from God. What if God changed our hearts so that we desired only the good things of God? So that we stopped desiring this world, and the things of this world, and started desiring God, and His good and perfect gifts. Broccoli instead of ice cream. Peas instead of cookies. Would we even want that, or does that sound like a major bummer to us, a burden far to heavy to carry? The bible instead of a "good book." Prayer instead of a movie. This is a major difference and even a strange thought to us because of where our heart is, and the condition of our thinking. We have been raised in a western society with all it's benefits and foibles. We have been trained to think in certain ways, it's who we have become. I hate that about me. I want to have the mind of Christ, but how can I if all I think about are movies, music, food, books, things that don't bring life, but entertainment. Do not love this world or the things of this world the bible teaches us. (1 John 2:15) So let me love God more than this world. Let me love His son more than pizza, let me seek Him first and His righteousness and then all the thing sI actually need, and many I simply like, will be added to us. (Matthew 6:33)

Idol defined

Following is the definitions mainly used in the old testament. The word idol is not used in the new testament, unless there is a refrence to a god of the old. Idol defined Shiqquwts detestable thing or idol, abominable thing, abomination, idol, detested thing Isaiah 66: 3 He that killeth an ox is as if he slew a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog'sneck ; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered swine's blood; he that burneth incense, as if heblessed an idol. Yea, they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in theirabominations. T@raphiym idolatry, idols, image(s), teraphim, family idol a kind of idol used in household shrine or worship Cemel image, statue, idol 2 Chronicles 33: 15 And he took away the strange gods, and the idol out of the house of the LORD, and all the altars that he had built in the mount of the house of the LORD, and in Jerusalem, and cast them out of the city. Pecel idol, image Exodus 20: 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heavenabove, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Tsiyr image, idol Isaiah 45: 16 They shall be ashamed , and also confounded , all of them: they shall go to confusion togetherthat are makers of idols. Tselem (Aramaic) image, idol Daniel 3: 1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. 2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up . 3 Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up ; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up . Ezekiel 8: 12 Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel doing the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say , The LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth. Leviticus 26: 1 Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God. `otseb pain, sorrow idol Isaiah 48: 5 I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I shewed it thee: lest thou shouldest say , Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them. Maskiyth show-piece, figure, imagination, image, idol, picture show-piece, carved figure (of idols) imagination, conceit Psalm 73: 7 Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish. `etseb pain, hurt, toil, sorrow, labour, hardship pain hurt, offense toil, hardship vessel, creation, object (TWOT) idol Proverbs 15: 1 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. Jeremiah 22: 28 Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? wherefore are they cast out , he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not? Moloch Molech = "king" the name of the idol god of the Ammonites, to which human victims, particularly young children were offered in sacrifice. Its image was a hollow brazen figure, with the head of an ox, and outstretched human arms. It was heated red hot by a fire from within, and the little ones placed in its arms to be slowly burned, while to prevent the parents from hearing the dying cries, the sacrificing priests beat drums Eidoleion an idol's temple, temple consecrated to idols idol's temple1 So, these are the things we worship, and the things that are brought upon us when we do not worship the Lord and only Him. What are we doing? What have we done. We have brought curses upon our land, our houses, places of business and even places of worship, because we have done these things. Lord, please forgive us, in Jesus name.

Worship defined

I woke up this morning being convicted that I had had idols in my life, Food, anger, pride, lust. These, and others, are idols, and I have bowed my knee to them. While I am doing these things, I am not worshiping, adoring God. I am adoring these thing in my heart. I am trading God for pancakes. What holds my heart, and how often does it hold it. Thousands per day. Matthew 5:28 but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Jesus is the standard, not me. So If I break His standard, I have sinned. His standard is "and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." 2 Cor 10:5. This life is choking out the word of God in my heart so I don't hear or obey. Parable of the seed sower, Matthew 13. At a Promise Keepers event they quoted a stat that over 80% of men are hooked to porn, and now over 60 % of women are, that stat, has never been that high. That's worship, that much time and energy says that's an idol in our lives. How many sinful thoughts occupy our minds daily, all idols begging for our attention, when Christ is the only one worthy of that attention. Here are just a few of definitions of worship: Worship: It’s meaning and purpose, and what we do with it There are many words in the Greek and Hebrew and Aramaic words, the original words for both old and new testament, and I am looking at each one to see it’s meaning, and what we are to do with it; since we are to worship the one true God, and none other. Latreuo to serve for hire to serve, minister to, either to the gods or men and used alike of slaves and freemen in the NT, to render religious service or homage, to worship to perform sacred services, to offer gifts, to worship God in the observance of the rites instituted for his worship of priests, to officiate, to discharge the sacred office Ethelothreskeia voluntary, arbitrary worship worship which one prescribes and devises for himself, contrary to the contents and nature of faith which ought to be directed to Christ said of the misdirected zeal and the practice of ascetics Col 2: 23 These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religionand self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence. Eidololatreia the worship of false gods, idolatry of the formal sacrificial feats held in honour of false gods of avarice, as a worship of Mammon in the plural, the vices springing from idolatry and peculiar to it Col: 3: 5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. Koinonos a partner, associate, comrade, companion a partner, sharer, in anything of the altar in Jerusalem on which the sacrifices are offered sharing in the worship of the Jews partakers of (or with) demons brought into fellowship with them, because they are the authors of heathen worship 1 Cor 10:20 No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God ; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. Aven Aven = "vanity" a name used contemptuously for the following places of idolatrous worship a city in Egypt, possibly On (Eze. 30: Bethel with its calf worship (Hos. 10: A town or region in Syria (Amos 1: Na'aph to commit adultery (Qal) to commit adultery 1a usually of man 1a always with wife of another 1a adultery (of women) (participle) idolatrous worship (fig.) (Piel) to commit adultery 1b of man 1b adultery (of women) (participle) idolatrous worship (fig.) Proverbs 30:20 20 Such is the way of an adulterous woman; she eateth , and wipeth her mouth, and saith , I have done no wickedness. Threskeia religious worship esp. external, that which consists of ceremonies religious discipline, religion James 1:26-27 26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his ownheart, this man's religion is vain. 27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this,To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. Ioudaismos the Jewish faith and worship, religion of the Jews, Judaism Sebazomai to fear, be afraid to honour religiously, to worship Romans 1:25 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator , who is blessed for ever. Amen. Sebomai to revere, to worship Matt 15:9 In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men Sebazomai to fear, be afraid to honour religiously, to worship Romans 1: 25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. Own On = "strength or vigour" city in lower Egypt, bordering land of Goshen, centre of sun-worship, residence of Potipherah (priest of On and father-in-law of Joseph) A name Hadarah adornment, glory holy adornment (of public worship) glory (of the king) 1 Chron 16: 29 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. Chamman incense altar, sun-pillar, idol, image used in idolatrous worship Cagad (Qal) to prostrate oneself (in worship) Isaiah 44: 17 And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith , Deliver me; for thou art my god. P@lach (Aramaic) to serve, worship, revere, minister for, pay reverence to (P'al) to pay reverence to to serve Daniel 3: 12 There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up . Polchan (Aramaic) service, worship Ramah height, high place as place of illicit worship Ezekiel 16: 24 That thou hast also built unto thee an eminent place, and hast made thee an high place in every street. 25 Thou hast built thy high place at every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty to be abhorred , and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by , and multiplied thy whoredoms. Ni'uph adultery idolatrous worship (fig.) Ethnikos adapted to the genius or customs of a people, peculiar to a people, national suited to the manners or language of foreigners, strange, foreign in the NT savouring of the nature of pagans, alien to the worship of the true God, heathenish of the pagan, the Gentile Epistrepho transitively to turn to to the worship of the true God to cause to return, to bring back to the love and obedience of God to the love for the children to love wisdom and righteousness intransitively to turn to one's self to turn one's self about, turn back to return, turn back, come back Galatians 4: 9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to theweak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage ? Latreia service rendered for hire any service or ministration: the service of God the service and worshipof God according to the requirements of the Levitical law to perform sacred services Hebrews 9: 6 Now when these things were thus ordained , the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God. Parapipto to fall beside a person or thing to slip aside to deviate from the right path, turn aside, wander to error to fall away (from the true faith): from worship of Jehovah Used one time: Hebrews 6: 6 If they shall fall away , to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh , and put him to an open shame . Porneia illicit sexual intercourse adultery, fornication, homosexuality, lesbianism, intercourse with animals etc. sexual intercourse with close relatives; Lev. 18 sexual intercourse with a divorced man or woman; Mk. 10:11, metaph. the worship of idols of the defilement of idolatry, as incurred by eating the sacrifices offered to idols Matthew 5: 32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery : and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery . Towdah confession, praise, thanksgiving give praise to God thanksgiving in songs of liturgical worship, hymn of praise thanksgiving choir or procession or line or company thank-offering, sacrifice of thanksgiving confession Jonah 2: 9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed .Salvation is of the LORD. T@raphiym idolatry, idols, image(s), teraphim, family idol a kind of idol used in household shrine or worship atsab to hurt, pain, grieve, displease, vex, wrest (Qal) to hurt, pain (Niphal) to be in pain, be pained, be grieved (Piel) to vex, torture (Hiphil) to cause pain (Hithpael) to feel grieved, be vexed to shape, fashion, make, form, stretch into shape, (TWOT) worship (Piel) to shape, form (Hiphil) to form, copy, fashion Nehemiah 8: 10 Then he said to them, "Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared ; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the LORD is your strength." 11 So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, "Be still, for the day is holy ; do not be grieved." Epistrepho transitively to turn to to the worship of the true God to cause to return, to bring back to the love and obedience of God to the love for the children to love wisdom and righteousness intransitively to turn to one's self to turn one's self about, turn back to return, turn back, come back 1 Peter 2: 25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls. Shachah to bow down (Qal) to bow down (Hiphil) to depress (fig) (Hithpael) to bow down, prostrate oneself 1c before superior in homage 1c before God in worship 1c before false gods 1c before angel Genesis 24: 26 And the man bowed down his head , and worshipped the LORD. Ekklesia a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly an assembly of the people convened at the public place of the council for the purpose of deliberating the assembly of the Israelites any gathering or throng of men assembled by chance, tumultuously in a Christian sense an assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a religious meeting a company of Christian, or of those who, hoping for eternal salvation through Jesus Christ, observe their own religious rites, hold their own religious meetings, and manage their own affairs, according to regulations prescribed for the body for order's sake those who anywhere, in a city, village, constitute such a company and are united into one body the whole body of Christians scattered throughout the earth the assembly of faithful Christians already dead and received into heaven Matthew 16: 18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. James 5: 14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: Darash to resort to, seek, seek with care, enquire, require (Qal) to resort to, frequent (a place), (tread a place) to consult, enquire of, seek 1a of God 1a of heathen gods, necromancers to seek deity in prayer and worship 1a God 1a heathen deities to seek (with a demand), demand, require to investigate, enquire to ask for, require, demand to practice, study, follow, seek with application to seek with care, care for (Niphal) to allow oneself to be enquired of, consulted (only of God) to be sought, be sought out to be required (of blood) 1 Sam 28: 7 Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and enquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor. Shachah to bow down (Qal) to bow down (Hiphil) to depress (fig) (Hithpael) to bow down, prostrate oneself 1c before superior in homage 1c before God in worship 1c before false gods 1c before angel Pipto to descend from a higher place to a lower to fall (either from or upon) to be thrust down metaph. to fall under judgment, came under condemnation to descend from an erect to a prostrate position to fall down to be prostrated, fall prostrate of those overcome by terror or astonishment or grief or under the attack of an evil spirit or of falling dead suddenly the dismemberment of a corpse by decay to prostrate one's self used of suppliants and persons rendering homage orworship to one to fall out, fall from i.e. shall perish or be lost to fall down, fall into ruin: of buildings, walls etc. to be cast down from a state of prosperity to fall from a state of uprightness to perish, i.e come to an end, disappear, cease 2b of virtues to lose authority, no longer have force 2b of sayings, precepts, etc. to be removed from power by death to fail of participating in, miss a share in James 5: 12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation. Hebrews 3: 11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. John 11: 32 Then when Mary was come where Jesus was , and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died . John 12: 24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die , it abideth alone: but if it die , it bringeth forth much fruit. Eidolon an image, likeness i.e. whatever represents the form of an object, either real or imaginary used of the shades of the departed, apparitions, spectres, phantoms of the mind, etc. the image of an heathen god a false god Used only 4 times in the bible, but what I thin of most often when I think of worshiping, or having an idol of something! Eidololatreia the worship of false gods, idolatry of the formal sacrificial feats held in honour of false gods of avarice, as a worship of Mammon in the plural, the vices springing from idolatry and peculiar to it Col 3: 5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinateaffection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: Sebazomai to fear, be afraid to honour religiously, to worship used once: Romans 1: 25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator , who is blessed for ever. Amen. Sebasma whatever is religiously honoured, an object of worship of temples, altars, statues, idolatrous images Sebomai to revere, to worship SO what will I do with this new knowledge that I have been an idol worshiper? I will serve the one true God, and not any idols, in Jesus name.

Seeing is NOT believing!

We seem to be teaching people to lower the bar. The bar, the standard is Jesus Psalm 18:28 For You will light my lamp; The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness. 29 For by You I can run against a troop, By my God I can leap over a wall. 30 As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. As for God, His way is perfect, so, is ours? Is it supposed to be? Are we supposed to be in Christ, or in ourselves? If we are in Christ, then our ways become His ways, His desires become ours, His love becomes our love, and isn't that perfect after all? But we will mess up? Are you sure, is that what you're banking on, you? What if we focused on Him instead of us, or our circumstance, our situation? Then we could walk on the water, for good. The only reason Peter stopped was because he started doubting God's word and started believing in his understanding instead. Yeah, we'll sink too if we do that, but what if we don't doubt. I mean, do we have to doubt, does it say that somewhere? Are we commanded to doubt, because I wouldn't want to disobey God, and trust or something, when I was supposed to be doubting this whole time. Peter believed and walked on the water, last time I checked, that's impossible. then he doubted, and he sank. So, why doubt? Why believe you have to doubt? Why not just have the faith of a child, and believe? It's only when we're taught otherwise do we start to doubt. Think about it; When you were a child, you believed a red fat man could come down your chimney and deliver your presents, and you didn't even have a chimney. Then what happened, you were finally taught that he wasn't real, so you stopped believing. You got old. When we become mature in Christ, we're still supposed to believe as a child. Believe, it's a lot better than doubting!

Christ at work in you, proofs of your faith, and of Christ through scriptures

December 1, 2013 Proofs of the Pudding “If you know that He is righteous, you know that every one that does righteousness is born of Him.” (1 John 2:29) The little book of 1 John provides a treasure trove of “proofs” that demonstrate the reality of the invisible spiritual change brought about by the new birth. There are two emphases: proofs based on personal experience and proofs based on intellectual awareness. Here is a short list of proofs we experience: Obedience to God’s commandments (1 John 2:2-5) 2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. The Test of Knowing Him 3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.Experience of God in our lives (1 John 2:13-14) Obvious “antichrists” in the world (1 John 2:18) 18 Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the[a] Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.Worldly ignorance of Christianity (1 John 3:1) 3 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God![a] Therefore the world does not know us,[b] because it did not know Him. Sinners’ ignorance of righteousness (1 John 3:6) 6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. Our love for fellow Christians (1 John 3:16-18) 16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. The indwelling Holy Spirit (1 John 4:13) 13 By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. Our love for godly behavior (1 John 5:2) 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. Here are proofs we have intellectual confidence in: The Holy Spirit’s anointing (1 John 2:20) 20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. The holiness of Jesus Christ (1 John 2:29) 29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him. The Father’s love for us (1 John 3:1) 3 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God![a] Therefore the world does not know us,[b] because it did not know Him. Our eternal bodies to be like Christ (1 John 3:2) 2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Hating a brother is like murder (1 John 3:15) 15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. Scripture’s message of eternal life (1 John 5:13) 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life,[a] and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. Assurance that we belong to God (1 John 5:19) 19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one Assurance that Christ has come (1 John 5:20) 20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. These evidences are primarily for the believer—that is, they are intended to assure the believer’s heart and mind of his security in Christ. John’s list is not intended to be complete but only to focus our thoughts on the obvious. When you count your blessings, remember these. HMM III