John The Apostle, chapter 9
Wednesday, May 16th, 2018To: Churches of God, “a people being made temples of His spirit.”
5/16/18, God’s 3rd month, Sivan 2, 5778 until sunset.
Heavenly Father: bless each truth seeking person to understand Your Way and give each perseverance to stand firm, is our prayer in Jesus’ holy name. AMEN
Scriptural examples prove God‘s planning. (Matt 1:17; “So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations and from the deportation to Babylon to Christ, fourteen generations.”) According to scholars, Abraham was born about 1996 BC. Considering; from Abraham to Christ is 42 generations, “a biblical generation is about 47 years.” The point is; God plans.
God’s set aside times are for the good of His set aside people and ultimately are examples to those who may be observing our lives. If we believe IN Jesus, we know this world is totally up side down, that Satan is its god and that Satan transforms himself as an angel of light. He uses deceived people developing prideful agendas. Deceiving naïve populations thinking fleshly.
Before Jesus created aged wine from water, He went to Jerusalem to keep the Passover and week of Unleavened Bread. John the Baptist’s followers mentioned to Him that more people were coming to Jesus for baptism than to them. John said; “He must increase and I must decrease.” We don’t know of any miracle the Baptist did.
(John 4:1-3; “Now when Jesus knew that the Pharisees had heard that He was doing more baptizing and had more disciples than John (although Jesus Himself was not baptizing, but His disciples were), He left Judea and set out once more for Galilee.”) Some translators “indicate competition between Jesus and the Baptist.” There was no purposeful competition.
(John 4:4-10; “But Jesus had to pass through Samaria. Now He came to a Samaritan town called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, so Jesus, since He was tired from the journey, sat right down beside the well. It was about noon. A Samaritan woman came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me some water to drink.” (For His disciples had gone off into the town to buy supplies.) So the Samaritan woman said to Him, How can you, “a Jew” ask me, “a Samaritan woman” for water to drink? (For Jews have nothing in common with Samaritans.) (10) Jesus answered her, “If you had known the gift of God and who it is who said to you, ‘Give me some water to drink’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”) Jesus was speaking in parable, as was His custom when speaking to the general populations. (see Matthew 13:10)
Water represents God’s spirit. We can’t live physically without water, NOR can we live in the spirit, “except God gifts us with both! It’s what’s meant by, “you must be born from above!”
(John 4:11-12; “Sir” the woman said to Him, “you have no bucket and the well is deep; where then do you get this living water? Surely you’re not greater than our ancestor Jacob, are you? For he gave us this well and drank from it himself, along with his sons and his livestock.”)
As Nicodemus, this Samaritan woman’s thoughts were fleshly. Then and now Arabs and Jews are divided by demonically inspired religious views. It’s Satan’s purpose, “manifesting himself as an angel of light!”
(John 4:13-14; “Jesus replied, “Everyone who drinks some of this “physical” water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks some of the “spiritual” water that I will give him will never be “spiritually” thirsty again, but the “spiritual” water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.”) This meeting at Jacob’s well was preplanned!
Let’s take time to rejoice, “if we’re followers of Jesus.” (As always, added words are for more precise understanding.) NO ONE is born with a spirit that lives forever someplace! As Jesus said, “the water that I will give, will become in you a fountain springing up to eternal life.” Eternal life is ONLY gifted by God our Father, through belief IN Jesus. Eternal life isn’t automatic and cannot be earned! Allow Jesus’ apostle Paul’s explanation to we Believers IN.
(Eph 2:4-10; “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, “we gifted to Believe IN” even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you are saved! – and He raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, to demonstrate in the coming ages the surpassing wealth of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ. For by grace are you saved, through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; it is not from works, “not our own doing or decisions” so that no one can boast. For we, “Christians” are His workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them.”) Rejoice, “this understanding is gifted.”
We’re all born dead because of sin, “Adam’s we inherited and our own we nurtured.” If we are recipients of His gifted spirit, it’s that, “God the Father MADE us alive together with Christ.” It’s by His grace, NOT because of any prior action on our part. To demonstrate His mercy to the coming ages, “His grace and kindness toward us is in Christ Jesus!”
(John 4:15-20; “The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” He said to her, “Go call your husband and come back here.” The woman replied, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “Right, you are when you said, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands and the man you are living with now is not your husband. This you said truthfully!” (19) The woman said to Him, “Sir” I see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you people, “you Jews” say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.”) Jesus knows each of us, just as He knew this woman! Now Jesus gives a millennial prophecy.
(John 4:21-23; Jesus said to her, “Believe Me woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You people, “gentiles” worship what you do not know. We, “Jews” worship what we know, because salvation is from the Jews.” But a time is coming – and now is here – when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such people to be His worshipers.”)
All who aren’t called and chosen “worships what they assume.” “Salvation is from the Jews.” How so.? God’s plan for His chosen people’s being saved, is through Abraham’s SEED “Jesus.” David’s heir, “Jesus.”
Jesus’ apostle Paul was given this understanding and shares with us.
(Romans 3:1-4; “Therefore what advantage does the Jew have, or what is the value of circumcision? Actually, there are many advantages. First of all, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. What then? If some did not believe, does their unbelief nullify the faithfulness of God? (4) Absolutely not! Let God be proven true, and every human being shown up as a liar, just as it is written: “so that you will be justified in your words and will prevail when you are judged.”)
Oracles can mean, “the sustaining of God’s Way, a source of knowledge, wise sayings and God given messages.” Particularly as it pertains to people’s practices.” (God preplanned that the Jews maintain His calendar, oracles and holy times.) It was no accident that Jesus’ apostle Paul was inspired to write this bit of text. Jesus continued to teach and reveal Himself to this Samaritan woman.
(John 5:24-26; “God is spirit, and the people who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (the one called Christ) whenever He comes, He will tell us everything.” Jesus said to her, “I, the one speaking to you, am He.”)
We must worship in spirit and truth? Attempt to worship God without His indwelling spirit and revealed truth is to worship the imaginary. Thus the many denominations. People who aren’t “born from above,” are yielded to the sum total of their fleshly understanding. Christendom is divided, confused by Satan and his followers manifesting themselves as angels of light. His followers assume God would allow calling on Jesus’ name while practicing paganism