“How are the dead raised? What kind of body will they have?
What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as He has determined, and to each kind of seed He gives its own body.
So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we bear the image of the heavenly man. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet: the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality.
Thanks be to God!
He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-44, 49-53, 57-58
“As you approach the town, you will meet a procession of prophets coming down from the high place with lyres, timbrels, pipes, and harps being played before them, and they will be prophesying. The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person. Once these signs are fulfilled, do whatever your hand finds to do, for God is with you.” [1] The Spirit was given to Saul to help him lead well. He did not have to pay or work for this anointing. He just needed to receive it.
The Spirit of the Lord moved in and through the prophets as musicians played music to the Lord. As soon as Saul met them, he too started prophesying. God changed him into a different person. God was with him in such a way that whatever his hand did, it went well.
By the way, God says that He inhabits the praises of His people. [2] The Lord has given me visions and prophetic words during moments of whole-hearted worship to Him. Once, when Elisha was asked for counsel by the King of Israel, he told the king, “’Bring me a harpist.’ While the harpist was playing, the hand of the Lord came on Elisha and he said, ‘This is what the Lord says: I will fill this valley with pools of water. For this is what the Lord says: You will see neither wind nor rain, yet this valley will be filled with water, and you, your cattle and your other animals will drink. This is an easy thing in the eyes of the Lord; he will also deliver Moab into your hands. You will overthrow every fortified city and every major town. You will cut down every good tree, stop up all the springs, and ruin every good field with stones.’” [3]
The people of Israel did well in the days of Ezra by listening to the prophetic counsel of Zechariah and Haggai. “So the elders of the Jews continued to build and prosper under the preaching of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah, a descendant of Iddo. They finished building the temple according to the command of the God of Israel and the decrees of Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, kings of Persia.” [4] Via prophet Zechariah, the Lord Almighty says to us, “Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit.” [5]
I was converted to the Lord after He said to me, “Give your life to Me and I will touch many people through you.”
The Lord has kept His promise. And whenever my witness for Christ hits a lull, the Spirit brings to my remembrance the promise of Christ to me, and I pray, “Father, pleased continue to use my life to touch many people for the sake of converting lost souls to faith in Your Son Jesus Christ.”
One day in El Paso, Texas, while walking along a city sidewalk, Sherry was telling me she felt an urgency to call her parents because she thought that they were worrying about us. When we came to a street corner, a man met us. He asked, “Where have you been?” We did not know what to say. He continued, “I have been waiting here for you.” We still did not know what to say. He continued, “The Lord says to you (Sherry) that you need not be concerned about your parents. They are not worrying about you.” Then, he said, “I saw you (Mark) and you (Sherry) with Jesus and many children.” I told him that we did not plan to have children (it was 1983). Then, I asked him where because I believed we were called to China. He replied, “I don’t know. The Lord did not show me that.” Then, he left. Not only did we have four biological children since then. We have also ministered to many children from various cultures and languages.
Paul advised Timothy, “Devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” [6]
The formula Paul gave Timothy to win spiritual battles was: 1) Publicly read, preach, and teach God’s Word; 2) Utilize the gifts given to him by prophetic utterance; 3) Embody with diligence and wholeheartedness God’s Word and gifts, so that people would see his progress; and 4) Persevere meticulously at maintaining Christ-like behavior and doctrine.
Praise be to God for His Spirit and His gifts.
[1] 1 Samuel 10:5-7
[2] Psalm 22:3
[3] 2 Kings 3:15-19
[4] Ezra 3:14
[5] Zechariah 4:6
[6] 1Timothy 4:13-16
“Those who regard worthless idols forsake their own Mercy.” [1]
“Samuel replied: ‘Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is the sin of iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king.” [2]
Let us claim the blood of Jesus against the spirits of rebellion that are deceiving so many people. How many people mistakenly assume that it is freedom to be a rebel against God? Not realizing that in rebelling against God, they are forsaking their own tender mercies?
Jesus used the word “Gehenna” eleven times to describe existence cut off from God’s Kingdom. It is a place where soul and body experience unquenchable fire. [3] The people who trash their Maker end up being trashed. May the Lord graciously grant rebels the grace to repent that He might save them and give them new hearts of love towards Him and others!
[1] Jonah 2:8
[2] 1 Samuel 15:22-23
[3] Mark 9:43-48; Matthew 10:28
Jesus promised, “This GOSPEL of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” “The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in His Name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” [1]
Our Lord called us to participate in His worldwide mission: “You are WITNESSES of these things. I am going to send you what My Father has PROMISED (the Holy Spirit); but stay in the city until you have been clothed with POWER from on high.” [2] We don’t wait in Jerusalem for the promised Holy Spirit because He has already come and is available to everyone who joins the mission. Peter told the high priest and the Sadducees, “God gives the Holy Spirit to those who obey Him.” [3]
We need to be filled with Holy Spirit to be effective witnesses for Christ. “The Spirit of prophecy bears testimony to Jesus.” [4] Our Lord wants His people to speak for Him. Even Moses had this revelation when he said, “I wish that all the Lord’s people were prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit on them!” [5]
[1] Matthew 24:14; Luke 24:46-47
[2] Luke 24:48-49
[3] Acts 5:32
[4] Revelation 19:10
[5] Numbers 11:29
“The Lord said to Moses: ‘You are going to rest with your ancestors, and these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake Me and break the covenant I made with them. And in that day I will become angry with them and forsake them; I will hide my face from them, and they will be destroyed. Many disasters and calamities will come on them, and in that day, they will ask, ‘Have not these disasters come on us because our God is not with us?’ And I will certainly hide my face in that day because of all their wickedness in turning to other gods.” [1]
How sad! Moses wasn’t gone long, and the people turned from the God of miracles, the God who loved them, to worship handmade idols of stone and wood. God told Moses that He would hide His face from them in that day. God’s face disappearing from one’s life is like the sun going down and not coming up again the next day. Darkness reigns without God.
“My son, if sinful men entice you do not give in to them. My son, do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths; these men lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush only themselves! Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain; it takes away the life of those who get it. For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.” [2]
The Lord urges us not to be drawn away from Him by sinful men. Don’t go with them! Don’t join in their ambushes of unsuspecting prey. Their waywardness will kill them. The Lord says to us, “Listen to me! Live in Safety! Live without fear of harm!”
“Jesus called them together and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you! Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” [3]
The lust for greatness and firstness relates to idolatry. It’s ego wanting to reign on the throne of our life. Jesus calls us to be servants and slaves. Let all the worship and praise be to God!
[1] Deuteronomy 31:16-18
[2] Proverbs 1:10, 15, 18-19, 32-33
[3] Matthew 20:25-28
