The Presence of God!

     Photo by Luis Quintero on Pexels.com

A quick review

Greetings. In continuing with our studies of revelation, let’s do a quick review of what we have studied—

  • We saw a background on the life of the Apostle John. His life was an example of Love. In our past studies, we defined how the fruit of love helped to preserve his life and how God spoke to him at Patmos.
  • We, also, saw the power of faith that was at work in his life. His faith helped John in his problems and tribulations.
  •  We saw the prophetic significance of the words Alpha and Omega. God started to reveal himself to John in a prophetic dimension.
  • Finally, the importance of listening to God. Not assuming nor jumping to conclusions but learning to hear God in a clear and concise manner.

Understanding the presence of God. 

In this study, we are going to look into the Presence of God. How the fear of God is essential especially in the times in which we are living. Folks, God is real and he wants to dwell among us. We need to learn the proper way to reverence God and prepare our hearts to welcome his presence. Let’s look at the verse below–

And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: (Rev 1:17)

Some theologians say that the Apostle actually died. I, respectfully, have to differ with this opinion. I, personally, believe that he was slain in the spirit. Slain in the spirit is Biblical. It is defined as a person being overwhelmed by the power of God. This effect causes the individual to fall down as if they were dead.

We saw this as an example when the angel of God came down to remove the rock of the burial cave of Jesus. The word of God says that the guards became as dead men. (Matt 28:1-4) They did not die but fell down as if they were dead. We see another example of being slain in the spirit. This happened during the realm of King Solomon. The spirit of God came to the temple and it affected the priests (I Kings 8:10-1) They could not stand in his presence.

The visitation of God

There are many who want to have God’s presence during church services. God’s presence is good, but there are pros and cons. In his presence, there are manifestations of healing and miracles. For the believer, God is inside of us by faith (We walk by faith and not by sight) We do not see nor feel him. When it comes to God’s presence, He will start to manifest himself in a real way.

Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the Lord.(Jer 23:2)

God’s presence can be compared to electricity. Electricity can be used for good. It brings the heat in the winter among other things. The bad news is that if you tamper with it in the wrong way, it will hurt or even kill you. God is not a sugar daddy. He is God. We need to learn how to reverence him.

The fear of God is much needed within the churches. Let’s reverence God and enjoy his presence in a good way. Who knows?  He might show you things to come into your life and family.

For our online Sunday morning service, click on this link and check out the Presence of God….https://www.facebook.com/PastorSantos56

What are you hearing?

When you pray, are you listening?

Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him. (John 12:28-29)

In our last study, we saw the mystery of the Alpha and Omega and how it was prophetic in nature. Today, we are continuing our study on the book of Revelation on another topic. We are going to address the subject–What are you hearing? I am sure we have heard many in the body saying–I need a word. People want to hear from God and walk in his ways.

The first thing I want to do is ask the following question. Are you listening? You can be hearing people talking to you but are you listening? Let take Jesus as our example. Jesus was having a conversation from heaven with the Father. (John 12:28-29) At first, people just dismissed it as Jesus spending time in prayer with God. All of a sudden, a voice answered him. It was the voice of the Father.

This took the people around him by surprise. The voice was so loud that there was no doubt that God was speaking. The problem was that some people were not listening. Some said that it thundered, not hearing the contents of what was said. The others claimed that they heard an angel, not recognizing the voice of the Father.

This voice was a loud and booming voice. The few that heard it was the Apostle John. He was being trained to hear the father’s voice. A skill that he would use at a later time in his life. Learning to listen to the Father’s voice takes practice and time.

The voice of a trumpet

The voice of the Lord came upon the Apostle John, again, at another time in his life. While spending time in the isle of Patmos, he decided to seek the face of the Lord. Hidden in a cave and isolated from all civilization, he did not get discouraged. Let look at the verse below–

I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet (Rev 1:10)

Notice he was in the Spirit. There is a good possibility that he might have been praying in tongues. Praying in tongues has been so misunderstood in the body, that it has caused many to miss their blessings. I believe that the Apostle had spent some time praying in tongues. This, in turn, allowed God to unravel a mystery. A word that he would carry to the seven churches.

A still small voice.

Another way of hearing God is in the still small voice. Let’s look at the verse below–
And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. (I Kings 19:11-12)

We associate hearing God’s voice with the spectacular. In the verse above, it was not in the great and strong wind nor in the earthquake. Like John, the prophet Elijah was taking refuge in a cave. It was during that time, that he heard a still small voice.

Sometimes, we let outside circumstances take the place of the voice of God. This kind of mentality could mislead us and cause us to miss God altogether. God spoke to his prophet in a still small voice. There are times when God will speak to you when everything around you is calm and quiet.

There are other ways in which God speaks to his people, but I will leave you with this thought— Study and meditate on his word. (Joshua 1:8) The Bible has the words of life and is a sure prophecy to you. Practicing and doing that will sharpen your spiritual hearing.

Consistency in that area will prepare you for the service of God. It’s time to develop your spiritual hearing so you can discern the times in which we live in. So, having that in mind, let’s apply that principle so that we can be useful vessels in the kingdom of God. Who knows what impact you might have on future generations to come!

The First and the Last.

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. (Rev 1:8)

(Editor’s note–Please click on the highlighted letters and click on the links below. They will help you better understand today’s study. ) In our last study, we saw how you can be blessed by reading the book of Revelation. Today, we will understand why the Lord Jesus used the words Alpha and Omega two times in this chapter. Dear Reader, when you see words repeated in the Bible, please pay attention. God is trying to unravel a revelation to you. Nothing is more exciting than to see the Bible speak directly to you.

The Hebrew Alphabet 

Alpha and Omega are the Greek letters of the alphabet. Alpha is the beginning word and Omega is the end word. Jesus defined himself as the beginning and the end. Think of it this way–If he was to use the English alphabet, he would be saying I am A to Z.

Now at first glance, that doesn’t make sense. As we dig into the word, we are going to find some exciting revelation of this analogy. I, personally, believe that the Apostle John was well versed in Hebrew and Greek. I, also, believe that when the Lord spoke to John, he spoke to him in the Hebrew tongue. Another example is Saul (Paul). Jesus spoke to him in Hebrew.

And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. (Acts 26:14)

Why is this so important to us? Simply because God is going to give us a revelation. A revelation of prophetic events found in the Old testament. When God spoke to the Apostle John in Hebrew about the first and last, he used Aleph and Tav’s letters. The Aleph is the first and the Tav is the last.

Psalms 119–The beginning and the end

Hebrew letters are picture symbols and carry meaning. Some Bibles have Psalms 119 separated by Hebrew letters translated in English. The reason for this was simple. The author wanted to separate the Psalms into rows of eight verses. It was a way for God to use the memory method of association. This is used in improving one’s memory even today.

An example of this is very simple. If I asked you to start a sentence with the word B, what would you have in mind? My sentence would be… Blessed are the merciful. Now, compare this to the Hebrew format. Upon reading Hebrew, you would start from right to left. As you read the first eight verses of Ps 119, it starts with the Hebrew word Aleph.

As you read the rest of Psalms 119, it finishes with the last word of the Hebrew alphabet, Tav. When Jesus appeared to John at the isle of Patmos, he brought forth a powerful revelation. He said…I am the Aleph and Tav. This, in turn, highlighted his whole name in the book of Psalms 119. Why is this so important? Because it highlighted him as the Messiah to come. Notice in Rev 1:8, the following words were added-

  • Which is (Indicating the word which stands to this day and will always be.)
  • Which was  (He came into his own and they receive him not. He was crucified at the cross).
  • Which is to come (Jesus was resurrected and is coming soon!) This and other associations can be found with the letters Aleph and Tav. Please go to my Facebook page the Christian Corner community church 56 for a more detailed explanation of this exciting and prophetic revelation. God bless.

For further clarity, go to https://bit.ly/3hdGAqx

Extra bonus–Can you find the first and the last in Gen 1:1? Click on this link (Hint it is found in the Hebrew letters)..https://bit.ly/3xYT9fy

A study on the book of Revelation–Part 2

Do you know you can be blessed today? 

Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. (Rev 1:3)

Greetings. In our last study, we discussed how love played an important part in the Apostle John’s life.  It managed to deliver him from the fear of man. Arrested, he was brought before a crowded Coliseum. His enemies wanted to make an example of him. They poured boiling oil over his body but God had the last say. He was delivered and this caused a massive outpouring of souls into the kingdom.

Frustrated at this event, the Romans exiled him to Patmos in the hope that he would meet his doom. Again, God had the last word. His protection was upon him. Living in a cave, God showed him what would happen in the end times. Love is powerful.

It is a fruit of the spirit and when unleashed, it can open a flood of blessings to us. Today, we are going to see how Revelation can be a book of blessings for us. How do we start getting blessed? It starts with the words…Blessed is he that readeth and they that hear the words of this prophecy.

Contrary to popular opinion, Revelation can be a book of blessings for us. Yes, it is gloom and doom for the wicked. For the Born-again believer, it is a book of blessings. The word says that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. (Rom 10:17)

When you read and hear God’s word with an open heart, something happens. Faith starts to arise in your heart and will cause the impossible to become possible. It is just like the formula for water ( H2O). What happens when you mix Hydrogen and Oxygen? You get water. You get 2 elements that are unseen and mix them to get something tangible.

Likewise, it is the same with faith. God’s word (Unseen), along with our faith (Unseen) will cause his promises to become manifested in our lives (Deliverance, Healing, Prosperity, etc)  Now, I want to make it clear. I am not telling you that life will be a bed of roses. In fact, when you are standing on God’s promises, sometimes, things will get worse. John sets the record straight with this.

 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. (Rev 1:9)

John is our brother and companion in tribulations. Brethren, we are going to go through tribulations, testings, and afflictions. It is part of the package of salvation, but there is good news! God delivers us from all our afflictions. (Ps 34:19) In this book of Revelation, we are going to study the subject of the rapture of the church and the end times. So, please don’t miss it and lose your blessing.

Friend, Jesus is coming soon. Are you prepared? Don’t be left behind. Accept him as savior today!

A study on the book of Revelation.

 

For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love. (Gal 5:6)                                  

Greetings. How is your love walk on this day? You may ask–How does that relate to the study of the book of Revelation? First, a little background on the life of the Apostle John…

  • He was Jesus’ best friend. Jesus, upon dying on the cross, entrusted the care of his mother to him. In this world, there are spiritual mothers and fathers who have children waiting in the winds for adoption. John was going to comfort Mary as a spiritual son. Mary may have been traumatized, seeing her son die on the cross. Another probability is that John may have lost his natural mother and Mary was to comfort him in his pain. ( John 19:25-27)
  • He leaned on Jesus’ breast indicating closeness. His walk was a deep walk with the Father.
  • He wrote the love chapters. John was very much familiar with walking in love with God and others. He learned to overcome fear in his life. (I John 4:18)
  • He knew his identity with Jesus. God is Love. His love is perfect and he lives in us. (I John 4:18)
  • He had reason to be bitter. The Romans arrested him and wanted to make an example of him. Tradition tells us that boiling oil was poured on him but he was not harmed. This took place in the Roman coliseum in front of a great multitude of people. The people upon seeing this miracle turned to God in droves. This, in turn, caused a great revival to occur.

The Roman authorities were tired of seeing the Apostle John survive this and other tortures. As a way to get this menace away, they exiled him to the penal colony of Patmos. This was a dangerous place with little odds of survival, but God was protecting him. Seeking refuge in a cave, he did not allow his circumstances to affect his love walk with God and others

Rev 1:1-2 indicates how God rewarded John. He showed him things that would occur in the future. Verse 2 indicates his faithfulness to God. He was not afraid to witness in the midst of danger and persecution. He, also, testified of his own personal encounter with the Lord.

Question to ask yourself–How is your love life?

  • Do you want to become fearless in your walk with the Lord?
  • Do you want to experience God’s best for you and others?
  • Do you want to see signs, wonders, miracles, and impact your world for Christ?

This is a challenge for all of us! (Including yours truly) Let’s learn from the life of the Apostle John and improve our love walk today!

For more on the book of Revelation, click on the links below—

1-The Christian Corner community church 56

2-Video on Patmos 

 

Do you know your calling?

Greetings. Let me start my post with the following words—I want you! If you are looking for a home church and want to further your Bible studies, I want you! Technology has evolved at such a rapid pace that online churches are growing. Isn’t it amazing that we can have fellowship on a Sunday morning even though we are miles apart? Add to that concept, the Zoom meetings and we can get to know each other better.

Our passion and vision are to minister to the body of Christ. Many of you reading this may be seasoned soldiers that have been used on the battlefield of prayer. You have seen souls come to Christ. Signs and wonders were happening as a result of prayer, but something happened. You have been hurt. The Christian Corner ministries want to help you. God wants to heal you of a broken heart and get you back into battle. Souls are in the balance.

Maybe you have been in a church that is not feeding you? Perhaps you feel that it is time to move on? Many reading this post know that you have a calling but you don’t know how to pursue it. Let us help you. At the Christian corner ministry school, we will help you set up your online church. We will teach you how to reach out through social media and search engines.

There are many ways to help expand your ministry and reach out to souls, but please remain teachable. Patience is, also, a requirement, because there is a lot to learn in our school of ministry. The school is free, but we do require a free-will offering once in a while if you are able. We will bring some guest speakers to help teach you the word. Not called to ministry?  You can still benefit. We will help you find your gifts and talents. So, please check out our Facebook page Christian corner school of ministry. God bless.

Guard your mind.

 

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. (Ps 23:3)

Years ago, I remember my teacher telling us to put on our thinking caps. We pretended we were putting our thinking caps on and trying to answer questions. This brought on excitement and motivation to the classroom. Today, we are going to the classroom of the Holy Spirit and we will put on our thinking caps. What is our thinking cap? None other than Christ. ( Rom 13:13-14)

Why put on Christ? Simply because the word Christ means the Holy Spirit’s power to destroy yokes and lift burdens. Where do we start to put on Christ? In our minds. Scriptures tell us that we have the mind of Christ, but there is one catch–we have to let this mind be in us. (Phil 2:5)

There are many ways in which we can let this truth slip from us and drag us into the world. If you notice Rom 13:13-14 (Amplified version), you will find some examples–

  • Carousing
  • Drunkenness
  • Sexual promiscuity
  •  Irresponsibility
  •  Quarreling
  •  Jealousy

These sins of the flesh will cause us to forget our identity with Christ and open the door for the enemy to get in. Another aspect that can hurt us is worry and fear. These things can hurt our minds, thoughts, and decision-making process. Psalms 23:3 gives us an example of how well David understood this principle.

..He (God) restoreth my soul (mind, will, and emotions)

None of us are immune from the stresses and anxieties in life. People look to escape from those things through alcohol, wild parties, and sex.  Participating in those things will cause you to be irresponsible with your bills among other things. It will lead to a downward spiral.

When you put on your spiritual thinking cap (The mind of Christ), the Holy Spirit becomes your teacher. You start to see things in a different light. David saw this principle taking care of his sheep. There were many dangers involved in the caring of his sheep, but he had his mind on the Lord. As a result of that, God was restoring his soul.

In this day, I encourage you to put on your spiritual thinking caps. Do not allow the flesh, world, and the enemy to put toxic thoughts that will hurt you in the long run. Medical science has discovered that stress is related to sickness and disease. Protect your mind and learn to bring your thoughts into captivity.

As you do that, wisdom will come from above and bring solutions to life’s problems. You cannot lose because you have a genius living on the inside of you. It is a win-win situation. So, stay with your spiritual thinking cap because you have the mind of Christ!

For more information, please click on this link…https://youtu.be/kxxZ0yQSFsg

Overcoming grief (Part 3)

Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. (Gal 3:16)

In our previous Bible studies, we elaborated on two key points in overcoming grief–

These two topics are very important because they help us to overcome grief. God does not want us to become bitter or cold-hearted. He wants to give us a new beginning and change our mourning into joy. He makes all things new for us. Why? So, we can continue on our path to success and not look back.

As we finalize our series on grief, I want to expound on the subject of planting a seed. This is a powerful principle and will help us to see the whole picture of what God has prepared for us. We are going to see two examples of how to plant a seed in the midst of tragedy

                                  The seed of the church

There is a popular saying that the blood of martyrs is the seed of the church. This is very true. If the early disciples did not take a stand for the church, where would you or I be?  We can learn from their example. Commitment is the key. We must be willing to give our lives for Christ, if necessary. Knowing this is the reason why we should walk in the mind of Christ and better understand his purposes.

I want to dig deeper into the subject of seed planting. Yes, we heard of the saints of old giving their lives for Christ. It’s a noble thing, but what about the signs, wonders, and miracles? The apostle John was an example. John’s persecutors decided to make an example of him. Taking him to the Roman coliseum, they poured boiling oil on him. God delivered John from the effects of the boiling oil. This, in return, caused a massive effect on the public.

It caused them to fear God, bringing many souls to salvation. The authorities could not handle that, so they exiled John to the isle of Patmos. What was the Apostle’s secret?  Love! The apostle John was known as the apostle of Love. He wrote the love chapters of the Bible. The word of God says that faith worketh by love. (Gal 5:6)

The blood of the martyrs was a seed planted. That seed released signs, wonders, and miracles. John had a revelation. He knew that God was not done with him. The fact that he walked in love caused his faith to deliver him from premature death.

While on the isle of Patmos, God gave him instructions to write a book. God poured out his prophetic word on John. He saw his future! God showed him that he was going to be released. This, in return, would allow him to preach the gospel. (Rev 10:9-11) Those words went on to impact him and future generations. He was the only disciple to die a natural death at 86 years old. (1) What a way to turn a lemon into lemonade! God will do the same if you are open to seeking His face.

                                    The seed of the father.

The other topic to be addressed is the seed of the Father. Who was the seed of the Father? None other than Jesus. (Rom 6:5) A well-known Evangelist’s wife was being interviewed about a tragedy in her life. Her husband was used by God in a mighty way back in the ’50s and ’60s.  Sadly, she experienced the loss of a son to suicide. The host asked her how did they manage to get thru their grief?

She answered that the Lord impressed them to sow their son as a seed to God. That statement gave me a new revelation. The power of a seed! That incident in their lives did not stop them but they went on to impact the world for the Lord in a far greater way.

Think about this for a minute. God the father saw his son crucified, beat and spit on. He planted him as a seed. That seed impacted generations to come and created the church. We are the harvest of that seed—Praise God!

As you plant your loved ones as a seed, you will see a new beginning in your life. Who knows what impact your seed will have? God is a God of new beginnings! If you are grieving the loss of a loved one, plant that seed and watch God take away the pain and give you a new beginning.

(1) https://overviewbible.com/how-did-the-apostles-die/

For more on this subject, check out our podcast…https://www.spreaker.com/user/calebsantos/recording-47

 

 

 

 

 

 

Evangelism made easy!

Greetings. I am breaking from the normal protocol because I want to share some exciting news. Our ministry has opened an account with Zazzle and we are selling some great T-shirts. These T-shirts have an unusual message. With these T-shirts, the message will draw people to ask questions.
Jesus told us to be fishers of men. We need to get the right bait in place. People are looking for answers to life’s toughest problems. Wisdom is the ability to get solutions for these problems. Be the first to use this original message. Who knows if this can help jumpstart your ministry?
Funding from these products will help pay for our blog and ministry costs. We are expanding our store and there will be other products to follow. God bless.
Please click on the link below for more information….https://www.zazzle.com/store/pastorcaleb56

Overcoming grief (Part 2)

And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. ( Gen 24:67)

In our last study(1), we saw how our Lord Jesus can heal a broken heart. A broken heart can make a person cold and change their personality. It can, also, affect their health. The Lord has a way to heal our hearts and give us a new beginning in life. 

As we begin on a new topic, we are going to focus on the word comfort. What is the first thing in our mind that comes when we think of comfort?  The easing of pain and the peace of God. We see an example of this in Gen 24:6. Isaac had lost his mom prior to meeting Rebekah. God in his mercy, provided Rebekah as a comfort for his pain.

                                                      Choices

We cannot allow ourselves to let grief continue for a long period of time. It can rob us of our health and slow down our spiritual progress. God, in His mercy, will send us comfort, but we have a choice. Such was the case with Jacob. The loss of his son Joseph impacted him in a great way that he refused to be comforted. (Gen 37:34-36)

My personal experience with grief was dealing with the loss of a spiritual daughter in  Christ. She had issues in life and, sadly, committed suicide. This incident impacted me because I felt that I was to blame. A year previous to that incident, I had a dream. I dreamed that she had committed suicide. 

A few days before she died, we were together with friends. We were smiling and having fellowship. I felt the Lord prompting me to tell her about my dream, but I held back. As a result, days later, she jumped off a 7 story building and died. I asked God to forgive me for my disobedience. 

For about a year, this incident haunted me. There were times that I was grieving her loss, but the good news was that God did not forget me. When my granddaughter Kathy came into this world, that guilt lifted off me. Suddenly, I was feeling the joy of the Lord at the birth of my granddaughter. God had sent me a wonderful blessing to get over my pain. 

I could have chosen not to be comforted, but God knew what I needed. He did not forget my pain. My question to you is–Are you grieving a loss of a loved one? Ask God to give you comfort mercies. 

(1) https://bit.ly/3tsFr1T