The reason for the season

The reason for the season
Originally uploaded by chandrangopalan

The study of Genesis in our Precept upon precept classes will be in 5 parts. It will be facilitated for 40 weeks in 3 semesters and will take the whole of 2009 to complete, with the appropriate semester breaks. Being the key foundation of the Bible it is imperative that we take the time to really dig into it.

This foundation is built upon the trinity - starting in verse 1 with God, in verse 2 His Spirit and verse 3 His Word (Son). They are all equal and everything started with God so we cannot not mention the trinitrian personality of God in whose image we are made - body, soul and spirit! It is now clear why in verse 26 "Us" is used.

In the Gospel of John Chapter 1 and verse 1 we then see the confirmation of God's Word which starts with "In the beginning was the Word (Son)...." The Word of God always confirms what is stated, at many other portions of the Bible.

Adam is the first man formed and made by God. Jesus is the last Adam conceived by Mary when the Holy Spirit came upon her and the power of the Most High overshadowed her. There was no Adamic nature (DNA)in Jesus because Mary borne the Incorruptible Seed in her womb and was of the righteous line which started with Seth (Genesis 5). This was prophesied by God when He shared His redemptive plan with Adam and Eve and the serpent in Genesis Chapter 3!

In John Chapter 1 we see, in verse 14 of the NASB edition, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.", Jesus coming to earth - His creation and living as one of us. He knows and has suffered all of our trails, temptation and testings and He overcame it all. He purchased back mankind with His ultimate sacrifice by dying for us as the ransom payment, so that none of us should perish!

Emmanuel - God with us! He is the reason for the season. Hallelujah

After their kind

After their kind
Originally uploaded by chandrangopalan

We all have our parent's DNA and that kind of explains this "after their kind" citation in Genesis Chapter 1. An analogy by Dr. Kurt Wise states it thus, "The same God who created human language is the same God who created organisms of all types on the earth. It might be expected that God, who spoke things into existence, would use similar languages in both the creation of man and in the creation of organisms.

My own understanding of discerning the things of God is based on the measure of faith I have in what I read whether it be books or the "infallible" Word of God. When as an "infant" in the rudimentary things of God my understanding is at a low level but when I "mature" then it increases to another higher level.

In our lifetime the only option available for us Christians is to continue studying His Seed Word so that the many times over we read the Bible we may eventually become "somewhat mature"! The Seed Word planted on the "fallowed soil" of our hearts will reap a 30, 60 and 100 folds, the progressive revelation which brings us to a deeper understand of God's character.

Again in another summary by Dr Kurt Wise, he references a new field of science. It is the study of baramins - created kind. He concludes by stating, "At Creation, the baramins were preprogrammed with sufficient genetic information to produce a variety of species within each baramin.

We should have observed the following in Genesis Chapter 1:
Day 3 organisms - land plants
Day 5 organisms - sea creature and birds
Day 6 organisms - land animals and man

Further divisions: (KJV translation)
1. a. tree bearing fruit; b. herbs bearing fruit; c. grass
2. a. great whales; b. every living creature in the sea; c. fowl
3. a. cattle; b. creeping things on the land; c. beast of the earth; d. man

The order of creation is logical and organized and we observe that God only created them after creating what is required for them.

My own observation is this, the seed concept is tied into "after their kind" and our ultimate Seed - our Lord Jesus Christ is prophesied by God Himself in Genesis 3!

The Generations of Adam - 5Ws and an H

Yesterday, I wanted to focus on the general idea of the content in the 5 Chapters of Genesis. Much of my learning came as taught by the Holy Spirit the Tutor as I prayed for wisdom and understanding before each lesson. "Thy Word is Truth" John 17:17. I also gained some insight from other reputed sources and scholars of the Logos!

In the first 5 Chapters of Genesis I observed:
1. Who are the personage: God and man - refer to chart above
2. What are the main events: God's schedule; Adam's bride; Adam's fall; Abel's testimony; Enoch's walk with God
3. Where did these events occur: Eden before the fall and outside Eden after the fall
4. When did these events happen: before the flood

An important point I noted when coming up with chapter themes was to know that verse and chapter divisions were added to the Bible well after it was written and therefore may not been well chosen in respect to where a complete thought or subject came to a transition.

The most common words and/or phrases I noted was:
1. God

Dr Kurt P Wise a well known researcher, teacher, and model builder who focus was geology and biology wrote an article of which I am including excerpts of, for us to ponder on.

HOW DO WE RELATE OUR "THREE-IN-ONE UNIVERSE" TO OUR "THREE-IN-ONE GOD"?
According to Roman 1:20 the "invisible things" of God are evidenced by those things that are seen......this universe is made up of three things; space, time and matter/energy. The three things are equal and yet different, distinct and yet coexistent. In like manner God, who created the universe, is also made up of three beings: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They are equal and yet different, distinct and yet coexistent......

Not only do the created things "evidence" God, but they can also help us understand Him.

As a further note, it is curious that of the three parts of the universe, only one of them (matter) is wholly physical. The other two (space and time) are real, but only measurable - not directly sensed. Analogously, of the three persons of the Godhead, only one (Jesus) was incarnate (being both directly sensed and real) while the other two are not directly sensed (i.e. Spirit), but nevertheless real.

A brilliant Ph.D from Harvard University wrote this article. It is amazing what God can do when He wants His Truth expounded by a geologist who has researched both the wisdom of the world and the wisdom from the Word of God. Dr Wise's paper warrants a through review.

Genesis is getting to be a very interesting study of God's Truth!

Adam a living being formed from dust in whom is the Breath of Life

Adam a living being from dust in whom is the Breath of Life
Originally uploaded by chandrangopalan

In Chapters 1 to 5 of Genesis we have Adam mentioned a number of times. It is a quick read and you can observe the following thoughts:
1. God desired for Adam to have a suitable helper. In this picture we see Jesus as a Bridegroom being put to death (sleep) and His blood redemption purchased forth His Bride - His church! The intimate relationship between Jesus and His church.
2. No one or nothing should take the first place and priority God should have in our lives.
3. The garments of skin was the blood sacrifice needed to atone for man's sin. Our own futile effort by covering our shame with fig leaves will not return us to right standing with God.
4. God will not let the enemy stop a righteous generation from emerging - Seth
5. God created Adam in His likeness and Seth was made in Adam's own likeness and image.
6. Adam lived for 930 years and saw 8 generations: Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah and Lamech. He died before Noah was born. They were following the command of God who blessed them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves of the earth". Could this over the 930 years of Adam's existence produce a population numbering billions?

Reading Genesis again is very exciting! We need God's revelation to illuminate our understanding. Let God be Creator and man his creation and all of His Word our truth!

In the Beginning, God.....

In the Beginning, God.....
Originally uploaded by chandrangopalan

In 2009 we will be conducting the Precept upon Precept - inductive bible studies on the Book of Genesis.

The manual starts with this paragraph, "With all the speculation as to how the world was created and how man came into being, does it really matter what the Bible has to say on the subject? After all, science is science and who can argue with it! Right?

The first verse in the Bible is the one which determines our faith, trust and revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. The very first few Words of the Bible are what build our foundation and wisdom.

Psa 53:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.

When we decide that God can be recreated in our imagination we have become His creator! God is too big for our puny imagination and He is all powerful, all knowing and always present. Can I then say God cannot do something which is reasoned in my mind? Job knew this fact when God started speaking and he kept silent in response!

We live in a reasoning age which is not wrong in itself but revelation is what cause us to know God and that through His Holy Spirit. The Spirit of Truth will lead us into all truth. When we cannot understand we need to keep at it and one day it will suddenly become clear as we know His nature.

1Co 2:14 stated, "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned". Being born again, is but the first step of a long journey from infancy to adulthood.

Rev Kevin Conner is a teacher who clearly highlighted this truth to me when I had attended his seminars. He had written more than 50 books (many reference books amongst them) and is about 80 years old. He still says he is learning more and more about God daily having received Him in his teens!

So my conclusion is the Lord Jesus Christ is the God of the impossible and I need Him to be my Savior and Lord! Every Word in the Bible to me is Yes and Amen!

thorn in the side

thorn in the side
Originally uploaded by chandrangopalan

Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn't get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan's angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn't think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, My grace is enough; it's all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ's strength moving in on my weakness. This passage was taken from the Message Bible in the second epistle to the Corinthian in chapter 12 verses 7 to 9.

How can I think of a handicap as a gift? It almost seems impossible to think of a handicap as a gift but that is what the passage says Paul did. He recognized that it was then that Christ's strength is manifest. How is that so? In this world that we live in many of us are effective and efficient in our abilities to get things done, as we exercise the task over and over again until we become very good at it.

In Christendom this is evident when we participate in serving God. We can become so good at doing something that the Presence of God is not there at all in our serving. The "corporatization" of serving has crept in into many of our roles such that it is becoming easier to do any task without God being in it.

But what is impressing me today is that there is a "gift of handicap" which is placed in our circumstance so that God's grace become our dependency. Wow! This is a sobering thought because God wants us to depend on His grace to take us through life in its entirety. Being one with Him is a must in doing His bidding and a soldier needs the Commander in Chief for wisdom, guidance and direction.

Lord I pray Your grace will be sufficient for me, in Jesus name!

Is Sex an important topic to discuss?

 

This is an exciting article which was delivered to my Inbox. I read it and it really made sense. I am glad for universities who do such research for the benefit of mankind. http://www.cuw.edu/tools/current_students/student_services/counseling_services/sex_before_marriage.html

Sex Before Marriage - Top 10 Risks
CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY WISCONSIN COUNSELING SERVICES
_______________________________________________________
No one doubts that sexual activity in the new millennium is physically, emotionally, and socially dangerous. So it's important to think about all of the ramifications.
10. The risk of death.
No one can deny that having sex before marriage can have grave consequences. More than 600,000 cases of AIDS have been reported in the United States since 1981, and as many as 900,000 Americans may be infected with HIV.
"HIV Infection and AIDS," www.onhealth.com, (21 November 2000).
1 Corinthians 6:18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.
1 Corinthians 10:8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did-and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died.
9. The risk of lost relationships.
When you choose to develop a sexual relationship with someone, you have immediately changed the entire definition of the relationship. God's intent was for a man and woman to enjoy sex throughout the course of a lifetime. There is no such thing as casual sex. Once you have developed a sexual relationship, that relationship turns a critical corner. After the relationship ends, you and your partner will experience that guilt and pain of promises broken.
1 Corinthians 5:9 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people-
Hebrews 12:16 See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.
8. Risks of incurable disease.
Imagine that you have found that one special person with whom you want to share your life. And now you are forced to break the news that you have an incurable disease. Even though such diseases like herpes are generally not considered life threatening, there are no cures. Not only is it incurable, it fills a life with worries, awkward revelations, and continuous need for medication. Herpes and other STD's are everywhere. (Over 50 million cases of Herpes in the U.S. alone.) Why risk contracting an STD.
Romans 1:24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.
1 Corinthians 6:13 "Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"-but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
1 Corinthians 6:18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.
7. The risk of damaging the destiny of your future marriage.
There is no way that premarital sex of any kind could be a plus for your future marriage. It only causes suspicion, mistrust, and regret.
Galatians 5:19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;
Hebrews 13:4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.
6. The risk of permanently damaging your testimony as a Christian.
You'll never be able to honestly say, "I was a virgin before I was married." You'll never be able to live as an example of committed purity.
Romans 13:13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.
1 Corinthians 5:9 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people-
Ephesians 5:3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people.
5. The risk of depression.
Those who participate in premarital sex experience emotional damage that may lead to an increased chance of mental depression and emotional despair.
2 Corinthians 12:21 I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they have indulged.
Jude 1:7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.
4. The risk of placing your future children in spiritual harm's way.
The Bible clearly speaks of the concept of generational sin. What you sow (plant) spiritually may be reaped in the life of your children. Break the power of Satan's curse. Remain pure before God and you'll be tenaciously guarding the future of the next generation.
Proverbs 22:8 "He who sows wickedness reaps trouble..."
Proverbs 20:7 "The righteous man leads a blameless life; blessed are his children after him."
Proverbs 14:6 "He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge."
Proverbs 31:28 "Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her..."
3. The risk of sexual dysfunction.
People spend millions of dollars to correct sexual dysfunction through drugs and psychotherapy. Why? Because they entered marriage with unresolved sexual issues. For example, a man may think that he will be free from the curse of pornography once he gets married, only to find that the problems are even more noticeable and controlling. Sexual purity before marriage is the first step to incredible sexual fulfillment after marriage.
Mark 7:21 "For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,"
Hebrews 13:4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.
2. The risk of shame.
Premarital sex imputes a spiritual state of shame that becomes a major weapon of Satan. God forgives you, but you will still face the fruit of the sin and you'll still be vulnerable to Satan's whispering accusations on your worth as a person and your value as an active Christian.
1 Corinthians 5:1-2 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that does not occur even among pagans: A man has his father's wife. And you are proud! Shouldn't you rather have been filled with grief and have put out of your fellowship the man who did this?
Jude 1:7 In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.
1. The risk of disobeying God and letting Satan get a foothold.
The Bible, time after time tells us to flee sexual sins. Why? Because it is a major strategy of the devil to sabotage God's work on Earth.
Matthew 15:19 "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander."
Corinthians 6:9 Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders...
Colossians 3:5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
1 Thessalonians 4:3 It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality;
Revelation 2:14 "Nevertheless, I have a few things against you: You have people there who hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to entice the Israelites to sin by eating food sacrificed to idols and by committing sexual immorality."
Revelation 2:20 "Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols."
Revelation 9:21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
Revelation 21:8 "But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars-their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."