Month: April 2017

How “Love” unlocks the TRUE meaning of the Scriptures. 

If you ever hungered about the meaning of the many stories in the Bible, or if you were routinely perplexed about Jesus’ parables, or if you ever thirsted for the mysteries behind the book of Revelations, look no further, because it is as simple as having a heart of “love” that unlocks these mysteries.

So unless we can be reminded of the power of love, we CANNOT even begin to draw nearer to the Author of love which is God revealed and expressed via The Scriptures.  Which is by far the world’s greatest literary work.

“Until we can fall in love with God, the scriptures will always remain a mystery to us.” – MMA

John 3:19 NIV (3+1+9=13) & 13 is love.  

“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.”

As we can see in the scripture above, we got the “love” part correct, however we “loved” darkness over the light.  Our love was simply misdirected.  We were deceived.

Now we all loved “sin”, and unless we can begin to love God like how we loved “sin”, then we cannot begin to draw nearer to God via the scriptures.   In the “church” you may have heard the Pastor say that the Bible is simply a love letter to His Bride.

This “love letter” is composed of two testaments of God’s love, one old and one new.  And each of these testaments have a collection of personal and intimate testimonies of how God’s love was displayed in their life via Jesus and in others.

Sadly, many pastors avoid teaching books like Revelations and the book of Daniel because of the extreme “symbolic” content.

However, once again, this symbolism should be a reminder to us that we cannot understand these love letters with a LEFT brained intellectual mindset, we have to start with our RIGHT brain where faith, hope and love reside.  REMEMBER, it is never a matter of right and wrong but a matter of order and what we seek first.

“The Word of God must first be a love letter before it can be an instruction manual.” – MMA

If we dig out one of our high school love letters and gave it to a stranger, they would most likely get discouraged on the symbolism and find little to no logical sense in it if they tried to read it like an instruction manual first. Lol. 😂

But if we can help prepare each others hearts and remind others when they were madly in love, then the “letter” now comes alive.

It takes a RIGHT brain led by faith, hope and love to reveal the meaning of these books.

The book of REVELATION is literally the Revelation of Jesus Christ as evidence of the 1st verse of the 1st Chapter of Revelations.

Revelation 1:1 GWT

“This is the revelation of Jesus Christ. God gave it to him to show his servants the things that must happen soon. He sent this revelation through his angel to his servant John.”

So a good exercise that we should all practice before reading the scriptures is to do our best to be reminded of when we fell madly in love with anyone or anything.

If we can remember that feeling of what falling in love produces, then we can be reminded on how it renewed our heart, soul and mind about everything.

There was nothing too great or too small that kept reminding us of this love, until sadly, “it” or “they” failed us. 😩

But we only knew the half of what love is. 😘 and when we place our love on God first, He will never fail us.  

“The only thing that failed us in this life are the things we placed before God.” – MMA

“Where there is a possibility to fail, there also should be a possibility to forgive.” – MMA

1 Corinthians 13 NIV

“4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

Matthew 22:37 NIV

“Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

In closing, we cannot begin to understand God no more than we can understand love and forgiveness.  However, once you experience love and forgiveness, then you can begin to understand God in an intimate and symbolic loving way, because God is love and WE are His Bride.

Brotherly love,

Ray Evangelista

The Difference between the Holy Spirit that was in John the Baptist vs. that which was in Jesus Christ. 

Luke 1:15

“for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.”

The Easter Question: 

If someone asks you, “What was the difference between the Holy Spirit that was in Jesus and that what was in John the Baptist?”

What would you tell them?  

The answer comes with the definition of what “Holy” is.

The word “Holy” simply means to be separated for a purpose for God.

John the Baptist had “A” Holy Spirit but not “The” Holy Spirit.

The Great men, women and prophets prior to Christ had a “holy” Spirit “separated” for a specific purpose for God, however it WAS NOT THE “Holy” Spirit that was in the Holies of Holies or in the Tabernacle of Moses.

The Holy Spirit of God, the I AM, would have killed John the baptist if it were to dwell in sinful flesh.  The “I Am” was kept behind this veil in the Holy of Holies because of this.  And only “High Priests” could enter in.

So John had A Holy Spirit for a specific purpose but it was NOT “The” Holy Spirit. This is why Jesus had to have been born of a virgin “surrogacy” to bypass the HUMAN sinful blood/DNA.

Mary was simply a “host” an incubator for the Son of God.

According to science, a surrogate mother shares NO BLOOD or DNA with the child. 

The Mother feeds the child via the placenta where NO maternal blood is shared. The only time her sinful blood came in contact with Jesus was only via the BIRTH CANAL upon birth where it was simply ON Him vs. IN Him.

So back to the “holy” Spirit in John, it was NOT “The” Holy Spirit as EVIDENCE to the scripture below.

Luke 1:17

“And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous–to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

The Answer: John had the Spirit of Elijah and Jesus Christ was The “I AM”, the Word became flesh and dwelled among us. 

So here where it comes full circle. 

That Spirit, The Holy Spirit that was IN Christ is now IN you via Acts 2:38 IF you can believe it.

It is written, 

Luke 7:28 NIV

“I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

Amen? 

God bless you all, and let us keep our swords sharp as iron sharpens iron. 

“Knowledge is best understood when it is used to defend our faith in God.” – MMA

Brotherly love, 

Ray Evangelista

More on the Holy of Holies, click here. 

Why 13 is a Blessed Number.  

“The 13th Ammendment was suppose to be a reminder of our true freedom from sin. As a Christian nation, we had legally abolished slavery externally however, internally it is evident that we are more enslaved by sin than ever before.”

One way the scriptures have become intimate and personal in my life is that I noticed a pattern in God’s Word of the number 13.

By tradition, 13 was a number highly feared and avoided because of man-made superstitions. But by the counsel of the Holy Spirit, the number 13 has now become a powerful reminder of God’s love. A number that I now embrace. A number I run to vs. run from.

The whole purpose of this post is to simply give others the opportunity to experience how God can take something bad and change it into something good forever.

And if God can change our perspective on a simple taboo number, imagine what else He can do to the rest of our fears and lives if we can simply allow Him to speak to us more intimately and routinely than on Sundays alone.
12 Disciples + Jesus = 13

12 Tribes of Israel + Levite tribe = 13

USA founded on Christianity and on 13 original colonies.

“In God We Trust” where God is love, so essentially it is “In love we trust”.

Acts 2:38 (2+3+8=13)

Hebrews 13:8

“Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever.”

13 means love which is God “Jesus Christ” and 8 means eternity, which is consistent with the same yesterday, today and forever.

Notice the similarities.

1 Corinthians 13:8

“Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.”

Romans 13 NIV

8Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. 9The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”10Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

1 Corinthians 13 NIV

“1If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

1 Peter 5:7 NIV (1+5+7) = 13

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

John 15:13 NIV

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

1 John 3 (1 &3)

A gospel of “Love and Hate”

http://biblehub.com/niv/1_john/3.htm

1 John 4:13-18 NIV

“13This is how we know that we live in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. 14And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God. 16And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. 18There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

John 13 NIV

“7Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

8“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

Also Judas’s betrayal, shows God’s love. Shows order and surrender.

“34“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

FRIDAY the 13th

“For the believer, Friday 13 (of the month of nisan) is the day where the Christ is dead on the Cross; it is also a Friday 13, day placed under the sign of Venus, that Eve, tempted by the demon, made eat an apple to Adam, what entailed their expulsion of the terrestrial Paradise. God being indeed rested the seventh day of the Creation, first Saturday (Sabbath of the Jews) was this day. The next week there had therefore a Friday 13, day of the original sin, since they was redeemed an other Friday 13, that the death of the Christ. Particularly the Jewish Passover was the 14 of the month of nisan, and the Crucifixion took place the day before the Sabbath of Passover, therefore a Friday 13.”

The Sun and Earth in Math

The relationship between the volume of the Earth and that of the Sun is approximately 13 times a power of 10, that is to say 1 / (13.01 x 10E5) to be precise.

The number 13 would be in a certain manner in correlation with our Earth planet which is called in Hebrew Eretz and that is written aleph, resh and tzade. The letter tzade put at the end of a word has not 90 but 900 as value. The numeral value gives therefore 1+200+900=1101. This number, interpreted in the mathematical base two (binary) is equivalent to the number 13 in the decimal base.

In the Gospel of Saint John, Jesus uses the whole 13 comparisons or titles to designate who he is really:

I am the Bread (Jn 6,35 and 6,48 and 6,51)

I am the Light (Jn 8,12 and 9,5)

I am the Gate (Jn 10,7 and 10,9)

I am the Good Shepherd (Jn 10,11 and 10,14)

I am the Resurrection (Jn 11,25)

I am the Way (Jn 14,6)

I am the Truth (Jn 14,6)

I am the Life (Jn 14,6)

I am the Vine (Jn 15,5)

I am the King (Jn 18,37 and 19,21)

I am Son of God (Jn 10,36)

I am in the Father (Jn 14,10 and 14,11 and 14,20 and 17,8)

I am (Jn 8,24 and 8,28 and 8,58 and 13,19)

Proverbs 13:12

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” (Faith vs Hope)

(Verse 8:God is love)

“7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” 1 John 4 NIV (1+4+8 = 13)

1 John 5:13

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
II Corinthians 13:14

“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

If we go to the third chapter of Exodus verse 13,

Moses had a foreshadow of the importance of the “name” of God.

Exodus 3:13

“Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?

14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.'”

Ephesians 4:13

“13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

2 Corinthians 3:17 (2+3+1+7=13)

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

John 8:32 (8+3+2=13)

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

http://www.virtuescience.com/13.html

1 Peter 4:8 (1+4+8=13)
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”

Romans 10:13

“for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Here are a couple of 13 reminders in ONE verse!

In Matthew, Peter asked Jesus for a left brain answer for a right brain issue.

Here, Jesus actually gives a rare left brain answer in a numeric mathematical format.

In summary, Peter asked Jesus in verse 21,

“Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?

Matthew 18:22 NLT (1+8+2+2=13)

“”No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!”

Now if we solve this mathematical riddle Jesus gave, the answer is 490.

Now someone who is LEFT brained would take this literal and keep score! Lol

But I believe there is another meaning behind this 490.

Jesus may have given a left brain answer, but there was a RIGHT BRAIN reminder hidden in there.

Because although 70×7 is equal to

490(4+9+0=13) ❤️

And there you have it, 13 is LOVE and it all somehow always equates to love.

BTW

1 Corinthians 13:5

“Love . . keeps no record of wrongs.”

So no need to keep count Peter! Lol

Finally, a 13th REMINDER in His Name.

Jesus Christ

Initials: J C

J=10

C=3

J+C= 13

Science, literature and all what eventually became written are just symbols of what is already expressed in nature.
It all points to God. But it takes faith to make that connection, but once that connection is made, then you become truly free.

Romans 1:20 NLT

“For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.”

Brotherly love,

Ray Evangelista

Faith: Living beyond the labels of good and evil. 

For us to truly live by faith is to do our best to live a life beyond the labels of the knowledge of good and evil, success and failure, right and wrong, male or female, jew or gentile, black and white. 

To live by faith is to live a life led and guided by the Holy Spirit. And the HS will always show us which path to take. It is a Spirit of God’s will and order.

Romans 8:28 NIV“And we know that in ALL THINGS God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

One may say, “Wouldn’t living a life beyond the labels of good and evil just make us like a bunch of idle zombies?”

I prefer the term like “sheep” vs. zombies. Lol

The goal is to be reverend and still like sheep to be led by love versus what we are use to in being led by fear, anger, vengeance or hate.   The ability not to prove who is right or wrong, but rather to be a light of God’s promises. 

It is simply about maturity. Maturity may NOT always change the circumstances in your life, however it does change our hearts and how we process the circumstances and how we respond to them.

Living a life of “labels” will eventually produce compassion when it will eventually fail.

The difference in our life of living beyond these labels simply places our compassion first vs. last.

Galatians 3 NIV

“23Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. 24So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.

26So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

2 Corinthians 3:17 NIV

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

Acts 2:38 NIV

“Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

We can rationalize and argue this verse about baptism all we want, but sooner ot later our “faith” has to line up with the “Word”. 

Only one was given the honor to hold the keys of Heaven, and it was Peter. If there was someone I would listen to, it would be the one Jesus gave the keys of heaven to.

And there is NO Pastor or church organIzation that has the right to change it.

It is the “name above all names”, let us honor it in baptism where it is literally our testimony of our marriage between Christ and the sinner. 

Brotherly love, 
Ray Evangelista

One Voice to Thrive in Christ. 

Amen family, all of our concerns in this LG=Life Group are valid, however, how we attain our goals or what path we choose to achieve our “goals” is what God is more concerned with.

Will we choose the narrow path, or will we choose the path the world takes?

In our LG, our diversity is our blessing and strength.

There are a lot of leaders in this group. This is NO coincidence. God has done this and it is His will and not something that man could have orchestrated.

This LG by far influences more lives spiritually than many other LG and churches combined.

In battle, I would rather be surrounded by a few soldiers than be surrounded by hundreds that are afraid to fight. 

Because of this, our LG is like poison to Satan and he will do everything in his power to dismantle what God has established.

High expectations will always dismantle child like faith. Many had high expectations about the birth and life of Jesus, and when He finally came, it was the opposite of what they had anticipated. 

“A lack of forgiveness will always equate to a judgement of failure”

To a forgiving heart, there is no such thing as failure, when a child learns to walk, to a mother’s heart there is no failure in trying and everyone in this group is trying as hard as we can to be the light and salt of this world and to me, you are all soldiers.

“Onward, Christian soldiers!

  Marching as to war,

With the cross of Jesus,

    Going on before.

2

At the name of Jesus

  Satan’s host doth flee;

On then, Christian soldiers,

  On to victory!

Hell’s foundations quiver

  At the shout of praise:

Brothers, lift your voices,

  Loud your anthems raise!

3

Like a mighty army

  Moves the Church of God:

Brothers, we are treading

  Where the saints have trod;

We are not divided,

  All one Body we—

One in faith and Spirit,

  One eternally.”

As long as I struggle with forgiveness, I will always struggle with mine and others failures.

I pray to see the day where I no longer see the failures of the church and simply see the opportunity and the opportunity to forgive.

“Low expectations, high encouragement.” is Christ-like. 

“Tis grace that has brought us safe thus far, And grace will lead us home.”

Matthew 7:2 NLT

“For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.”

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. 

Remain blessed because we truly are. 

Brotherly love, 

Ray Evangelista