Do Bible Translations Matter? 1 Chronicles 16:3

If you are a student of the Word of God then it does matter! If God created the Heavens and the Earth by His Word then His Word matters! If you believe your Bible is the Word of God then your translation is important! Let us zero in on verse 3 and the later part of this verse. The King James Version (KJV) and the American King James Version (AKJV) translate the last part of this verse as “a flagon of wine.” A flagon is a flask or container for liquids. However the following 5 English translations; American Standard Version (ASV), Basic English Translation (BBE), Webster Revision, World English Bible and the English Revised Version say something very different? They render this English translation as a “cake of raisons.” Is it a jug of wine or a cake? Why does it matter? They cannot be both right? Here is the problem! If you look at verse 3 in it’s totality you have 3 elements listed! The bread, wine and flesh! This with the preceding and following verses presents a picture of Communion in the Old Testament! A cake of raisons completely throws this concept away! There are even more translations out there but I strongly make a case for the King James Version! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com

Communion Services!

Your meditation may be as profound, as exalted, as devout as you like; you may practice every pious exercise you can manage, but all this is nothing in comparison with the Blessed Sacrament! What we may do may be Godly, but this Sacrament is God Himself! Johannas Tauler, German Theologian (1300-1361) Comment: Great voices out of the past remind us that the present day Communion by a believer in Christ is not about what we have done or could have done it is about what God has done for us is what counts and will last forever! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com

Law and Order! 1 Chronicles 9:16

The word shewbread used here in this passage has more meaning than i have time to explain here! The word means to line up in order with two rows of six loaves each. Most of us get the numerology of twelve tribes and twelve disciples! The Hebrew word means to get in line or order to prepare for warfare and to be an expert in warfare! To be a defender of the Faith! Is the church in America in the 21st century ready for warfare? Do we have an organized army with real leaders or do we have a rag tag militia asleep not even recognizing we are at war? That is what happened on 9-11. Do we have a church with no rank, no order, no discipline, no mission, no vision and no passion? We war against principalities of darkness in high places! The table for the shewbread was made of acia wood which does not rot! The wood was covered in gold which represents purity! There was a purple cloth which covered the table and this represented royalty! Then the bread was laid on top of this cloth. Then a red scarlet cloth was laid over the bread which represents the sacrifice! Then a thin skin was laid over the scarlet cloth which represents humanity! Jesus was the royal seed of God who took on humanity and shed His blood as the final sacrifice for the living and the dead! Jesus said i am the bread of life! When you share the communion meal with God next time think on these things! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com

Communion Service

The act of communion is done everyday around the world in every culture, tribe and tongue! Everyone on the earth identifies with Christ by this sacred act! I have had the privilege of  taking communion in a variety of places around the world! I have seen people take communion and have had their prayers answered! Please don’t take this moment lightly! This reminds you for who He is! Engage Him for who He is! Jesus unleashes the Supernatural within your space! Again do not take this moment lightly! As we take the bread we remember His body was broken for us! He destroyed every power of darkness over us! Because of Him we live free fully committed to Him! That He is a Holy God! He has all authority over every principality and power of darkness! We don’t take this bread just because  we remember a day on the Cross! We take this bread because it is designed from the foundation of the earth that the redemption of mankind would come and He was broken for us! So take this in the weight of it as it sets you free! Take this bread together! In the same way when He took the cup He said this is my blood shed for you! It is finished! Done! I don’t know what your challenges or what your struggles are this morning but it is finished! It is done! He did it all! So invoke the presence of Christ in your situation and in your life. Trust Him and I am going to believe with you! As we drink this cup there is no magic in this cup! We are reminded and assured there is a good and protective God watching over us! As we drink this cup we are going to believe for a break through! Whatever that looks like as we take the cup and thank Jesus! Lord as we partake of you! In real time God! Right here right now! As the body of Christ and your body! God I pray you will open up the Heavens over us! Over our families! Once again I pray with gratitude because you answered our prayer! I pray for those families desiring children! I pray for members of New Life Church that those desiring children will receive them! God bring life into our bodies! God for every prayer and every desire we lift up to You! Let our cries and our desires be incense unto you God! I pray you meet us in a miraculous way! We love you! Lord Jesus it is because of your love we are Holy! We are Holy only because you are Holy! You are kind and merciful! You are just! Thankyou for calling us Beloved! In whom you are well pleased! For your Kingdom come! Your will be done! In our hearts and in our lives as it is in Heaven! In Jesus Name we pray! Amen! Pastor Riaan Heynes, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Wonderful Councilor! Isaiah 9:6

God chose to make His dwelling place with men! A councilor is one who fixes problems! My dad was my best councilor growing up as an adolescent! He rescued me many times! Kids should learn important lessons in life from their parents!  With all those close calls I had growing up God never took His eyes off me! Today many youth are exposed to a flawed view of God! There are four basic views how people view God. 1. God is a troubleshooter! We do not bother Him unless we get in a crisis! 2. God is a distant power! God is not really interested in us. This pro-active disengagement leads to many problems in marriages and home life. 3. God is a grandparent. God wants what I want! God is an ATM machine to give me my every desire! 4. God is Lord and center of my life! God is the source of all wisdom and I submit to His rule over my life! Is God a wonderful councilor to you? Are you busy and distracted by the cares of this life? I will ask God council over every area of my life! We live in cultural chaos! There are competing voices for your life! Slow down! Take time to be Holy! Pay attention to Christ! A sheep only responds to the voice of his shepherd! He will ignore all other voices! Take time to listen to the Master’s voice! People that hear from God wait on Him! John 14:26 The councilor, the Holy Spirit will teach you all things! He will remind you of everything He has taught you in His Word! Jesus was the original home schooler! Teaching requires patience, diligence, and staying with it everyday! Teaching is not a lucrative occupation! Jesus disciples were slow and rebellious! Teaching requires kindness and being intentional! The Holy Spirit teaches us and reminds us of all things! We as a church recite the Nicene Creed because it teaches us and reminds us of very important things! What do good parents do for us from the cradle to the grave? They teach us and remind us! As we take communion this morning Jesus taught us and reminded us to do this in remembrance of Him! God is personal and interested in you! That is why He came to earth! God came from Heaven wrapped in flesh! Fully God and fully man! He told us He would be born of a virgin, die on a Cross, be raised from the dead and ascend back to Heaven! He taught His disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit! The original Passover meals took hours to prepare! It was not fast food! God has taken great preparations for us! All we do is just receive the gift! Christ was broken for you yet His brokenness heals the world! At Passover in Jewish tradition the Messiah’s cup was always displayed meaning one day He would drink with us! At the Passover Jesus took the ceremonial cup and drank from it saying I am the long awaited Messiah! Jesus invites you to His table this morning! Jesus asked the Father if He could take this cup away from Him! Let thy will be done! God’s will was very costly to deliver us from our sin! Drink with Him this morning. He is a wonderful councilor and much more! No one can crash this party because everyone is invited! Source; Excerpt from Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado. His complete messages can be seen on his Podcasts. Go to NewLifeChurch.org

Good Grief! Ecclesiastes 7: 2-4

We need healing conversations this morning! Solomon says grief brings joy! American culture tries to pass by death! We want to avoid conversations about it! Solomon says in verse four that the heart of the wise is in the house of mourning. John 11: 32-35. Jesus knows how to grieve! In fact we see in this scripture that Jesus gets blamed for Lazarus death! Where have you buried him? Jesus wept! Why did Jesus stop and weep when He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead? We cannot skip over the sad places in our life! Jesus was fully man and fully God and is illustrated so plainly in these events! We cannot celebrate the miracles without paying attention to the process! Psalm 137. Two third’s of the Psalm’s are complaints and lamentations. The Jews were taken captive and taken to Babylon! The Babylonians took the best of the population back to Babylon and left the sick and elderly in Israel. Many of the grandchildren never saw their grandparents again! As the Jews sat by the rivers of Babylon they remembered Zion and wept! How do we grieve properly? First we must admit a new reality! Something is new about my life! Everything has changed about my life! It may be from a loss of a spouse, mother, father, sister, brother, job loss, sickness, financial loss, home or something else. I lost my dad in 2005. I miss dad but now a new reality. Second take time to weep. They wept in Babylon! Jesus wept! Slow down and grieve! Grieve properly! It is decompressing! Third remember the past! I have many good memories of my father! My father developed a barbeque sauce! He always wanted to get a patent on it. What my mother did not tell us for years is that she added some ingredients to the sauce so we could eat it! Tell the stories that make you smile at a funeral! See God’s imprint on our lives! Tell the stories that heal us and carry us on! What happens when we grieve properly? Our pain is confronted! We cannot ignore pain! In fact there is more pain for avoiding pain! Drug addiction is caused by trying to avoid pain! Invite the Holy Spirit into our pain! Jesus invited His Father into the pain in the Garden of Gethsemane! When we grieve properly we become available again! Your story matters! Millions of American’s have lost loved ones in battles of war in American history! Their stories matter! God is not finished with you yet! Your story is not over! Your final chapter is not the last one! God needs you available again! God will heal your heart! Even Jesus own disciples thought it was all over for them as Jesus went to the Cross! They scattered and went back to their old jobs! They could not look forward? God needs you available again! God knows what it is to grieve! Life was never the same when I lost my father! Storms are not forever! As we prepare for Communion let us remember the grieving of our Lord He has gone through for us on the Cross! Because He lives this morning we can live! He suffered so that we could have victory! He conquered death for us! Joy comes in the morning! He has Risen! Pastor Brady Boyd, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Is It All About Food?

Adam and Eve were given all the food in the garden except one tree! They had a vegetarian dish of everything except for one dish! Could they follow instructions? No! Israel ate the Passover mean with unleavened bread before leaving Egypt. No time to ferment the bread they had to get out of Dodge(town). Moses got complaints about the food in the wilderness. The Jews told him they wish they could go back to Egypt and eat the garlic and onions! God wanted to kill them all but Moses pleaded with God and they got frosted flakes in the wilderness. Just a note here I have a bowl of Luckey Charms every morning for breakfast. Then the most significant event in all of history happened! In an obscure village named Bethlehem God prepared another Table for us! The name Bethlehem means house of bread. Then we have the last supper. We have the Lord’s table or Thanksgiving meal. This meal is also called the Communion Table where we receive Christ’s Body(Broken Bread), and His Blood(Wine) as atonement for our sin. On the resurrection day we will all be at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb! The point here is God has prepared a Table for us simply by His Grace over us! We did not earn this but a gift to us! God has prepared a table for us both past, present and future! As we sit around a table this Holiday season think on these things and The Table He by His great sacrifice has provided to you! Source; Sermon notes taken from Pastor Brady Boyd at New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Message given on December 8, 2013. Thankyou. James Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com