Hidden (Krypto) Treasures

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The Elements – Earth, Air, Fire and Water

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On August 12, 2009

In Christian, Movie Motions, The Elements

Earth Air Fire Water Ambigram

Earth Air Fire Water Ambigram

One of the movies that I like to watch is The Fifth Element, whose synopsis is two hundred and fifty years in the future, life as we know it is threatened by the arrival of Evil. Only the fifth element (divine supreme being) can stop the Evil from extinguishing life. The other four elements in the movie are earth, air, fire and water, which are not foreign to astrology and horoscopes and even fictional writers such as Dan Brown (author of the Da Vinci Code), in his book Angels and Demons refers to these four elements as mystical elements used as Illuminati markers and depicted artistically as an ambigram (as seen in this picture).

With a heavy undertone of these elements in horoscopes that several blindly follow, it perplexes me to realize as to why so many people would look to the stars (horoscopes) for answers, when they can look to the very One (Jesus Christ) who made the stars.

This series is entitled “The Elements”. My intent is to see from the scriptures how the LORD Jesus Christ is so beautifully represented in these elements, so that those who are seeking answers need NOT have to look at the elements but at THE ELEMENT and answer to all of their questions. You can view today’s articles as merely a preview of articles to come in which we will expand on each of these elements, representative of THE Christ and Savior, Jesus and what we are commissioned to be and do as followers of Christ, apropos.

Earth (rock) – Jesus Christ is the Rock (1 Corinthians 10:4), the Only One that stands, on whom on can stand and not fall, the Only One that Saves (Psalm 95:1)
Air –  The breath (air) of the Almighty God gives Life (Job 33:4)
Fire – The indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God was externally expressed as tongues of Fire on the day of the Pentecost (Acts 2:3-4)
Water – Jesus is the living Water (John 4:10-14)

Evident in the scriptures, the apt conclusion to this day’s article is this- For by him (Jesus) were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist (Colossians 1:16-17).

Jesus Christ, God’s Gift; THE PRESENT to mankind

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On August 11, 2009

In Christian, The Gift

If I was to ask you as to what the gift of God is toward mankind, the chances are that your answers may be one of the following – salvation, eternal life, a restored relationship with God, all of which are scripturally correct, but how often do we think of the gift of God is the person of Jesus Christ, God manifest in the flesh for us.

I can’t quite remember who it was that first said that the gift of God is an INCREDIBLE, INDISPUTABLE and INDISPENSABLE gift, but believe that the inspiration was truly divine. Jesus Christ, God’s gift The PRESENT to mankind is One you and I can freely receive and cherish. Jesus Christ is truly Incredible, Indisputable and Indispensable.

Incredible because of His

  • Origin from God (For God)
  • Overflow of Love (So)
  • Object of Affection (The world, you and me)

Indisputable, because He is

  • Definite (That)
  • Sacrificial (He Gave)
  • Unique (Only begotten Son)

Indispensable, in that He

  • Reaches all of Humanity (Whoever believes in Jesus)
  • Rescues from Hell (Shall not perish)
  • Redeems us for Heaven (but have eternal life)

Have you received this Indescribable Gift?

John 3:16 (KJV)
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Presence and Present

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On August 10, 2009

In Christian, The Gift

The LORD God sought his priceless of creation, Adam and his wife in the cool of day, but they hid themselves from the PRESENCE OF THE LORD God due to fear that came as a result of their disbelief in God words, beguiled by the devil, that led them to disobey the LORD God (Genesis 3:8-13).

Driven from the presence of God, the gift that man could receive is to be able to once again enjoy the presence of His creator, the LORD God. This gift (present) that was given so that we return into the presence of the LORD God was given on a tree. On Christmas, we often look for the presents under the tree, and seldom do we see (Jesus Christ) THE PRESENT on the tree (Cross). Jesus’ crucifixion paid the wages of sin in full (no debt anymore) so that man no longer will need to hide from the PRESENCE of the LORD God.

What’s even more is that with the ascension of Jesus into the presence of LORD God after his resurrection from the dead, He sent us His Spirit to be with us so that GOD can be PRESENT IN US according to his promise, “I will be with you until the ends of the age” (Matthew 28:20). The Bible also records that Jesus Christ entered into heaven to appear in the PRESENCE OF GOD for us (Hebrews 9:24). Jesus is our proxy in Heaven, until the day of the Lord, in which we shall all be together.

So succinctly, it can be said that The presence of the Spirit of Jesus in you is THE PRESENT (gift) of God that brings eternal life, life forever in the PRESENCE OF THE LORD God (John 3:16).

Point(s) to Ponder:

  • Are you hiding from the presence of God because of unconfessed sin in your life? If so, let us confess now, for He is Faithful and just to cleanse us of ALL unrighteousness.
  • Do you know Jesus Christ, THE PRESENT (gift of God) on the Cross who has paid the wages for ALL of your sin, as your LORD and Savior? He is now our proxy in heaven!
    If you have not yet received Jesus, God’s PRESENT to you, I beseech you to believe in Him so that you will have no reason to hide anymore from the presence of God!
    If you have already received Jesus, God’s PRESENT to you, are you enjoying the PRESENCE of the LORD God or should the question really be “Is the LORD God enjoying your presence with Him?“

Jesus is My Hero

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On August 7, 2009

In Become a Child, Christian, Reuben, Videos

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible talks about many heroes, from the renowned mighty giants in the earth (Genesis 6:4) to the heroic two witnesses yet to appear in the end times (Revelation 11), heroes and heroines who subdued kingdoms, stopped the mouth of lions, quenched the violence of fire, waxed valiant in fight, brought down giants so much so that Nehemiah 3:16 refers to a House of Heroes (the mighty). Though the Bible talks about many heroes, it is really a record on ONE Hero, THE HERO, whose name is Jesus, by whom all these others turned out to be heroes.

I could go on writing as to why Jesus is The Hero, but I am afraid, it would fall short of its impact, when compared to what our darling and beloved three year old  toddler son, Reuben Abishai Paul (RAP) has to say/rap. 🙂 You be the judge of that … Enjoy.

In the movie, Taking Chance, it is said of the main character that “He died a Hero, but more importantly He lived a Hero“. Of Jesus, it can be said “in death that He overcame and in Life that He freely gives to all who believe, He was, is and will be always a Hero“. When the battle is over and the dust settles, there is only Victor standing and that is Jesus Christ.

Jesus is simply The BEST. He is my Hero and the Hero of my son and wife, Sangeetha Johnson. The question that remains is, Is He your Hero as well?

I AM

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On August 6, 2009

In Christian, I AM

When Moses asked God His Name, God’s answer was “I AM”.
The God who is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8) continues to answer in the same manner to all those who ask Him as to what His Name is.

If you are hungry – He will tell you that I AM the bread of life and I can satisfy your desires.
If you are seeking protection and provisions – He will tell you that I AM the Door and those who enter by Me will be safe and secure.
If you are like sheep gone astray – He will tell you that I AM the good shepherd searching, seeking and going after each one that is lost.
If you are in darkness – He will tell you that I AM the light of the world and those who are Mine cannot be in darkness.
If you have no hope – He will tell you that I AM the resurrection and the life and the hope for the hopeless, life for the lifeless and when you believe in Me, even if you are to die, yet you will live for my Spirit is a quickening (life-giving) Spirit.
If you feel betrayed and buried in a world of lies – He will tell you that I AM the Truth and for that matter, the Way and the Life.
If you feel unproductive and unsatisfied – He will tell you that I AM the true vine and in abiding in Me, you will bear MUCH fruit and your desires will be granted according to His riches and permissive will.

Ask Him today, what His Name is and be prepared to receive the ‘I AM’ answer!

Hebrews 13:8 (KJV)
8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

The Name above all Names

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On August 5, 2009

In Christian, I AM, The Name

We started “The Name” series, asking the question – what’s in a Name, and just as the name reflects the quality of it’s holder, we attempted to get a glimpse of the character of God as expressed in the names and titles He bears, recognizing that we still fall short of describing The God, whose Name is above ALL Names.

We come to the conclusion of this series and in summary, let’s take a moment to see what a great God He is, a God who truly lives up to His Name, the name we know as Jesus.

A – Alpha and Omega – Eternal in existence, the firstborn of all creation (beginning) and the final sacrifice (end)
B – Bread of Life – The source of spiritual nourishment, that not only sustains us but also saves us
C – Christ – He is the anointed one, the Messiah and there is no others (even though He never directly claimed to be “the Christ”)
D – Door – Protecting those in Him and providing for those who enter, He is the one and only way for us to be able to reach God.
E – Emmanuel – He is God with us; He has been with us from even before we were formed in our mother’s womb, but is also with us now and will be with us in times to come.
F – Faithful – He is Semper Fi (always faithful), even when we are faithless, he remains faithful, ever beckoning those who are unfaithful to repent and remember your first love for Him.
G – Good Shepherd – The providing, protecting and preserving good shepherd, that gives his life, cares, knows, lays down his life for his sheep and brings other sheep in his fold.
H – Holy One of God – There is no one other than God who is Holy and Jesus is the Holy One of God.
I – Image of the invisible God – Exact representation and express fullness of the essence (person) of God; The mirror image of God.
J – Jesus – He is The Savior whose name is IESVS NAZARENVS (Jesus of Nazareth) and REX IVDAEORVM (King of the Jews).
K – King of kings – The King to whom all knees will bow.
L – Light of the world – The life giving source of the world. Outside of him, all one will find is darkness, death and doom. In Him is life.
M – Morning Star – Signals the dawn of a new age for in Him, all things become a new creation.
N – Nazareth’s prophet – The separated, crowned and sanctified of God.
O – Only Begotten Son – in whom when we believe, we have eternal life.
P – Prince of Peace – He keeps us in perfect peace, whose thoughts are fixed on Him.
Q – Quickening Spirit – Life-giving God who makes the dead live.
R – Resurrection – The hope of all and the reason to not have to fear physical (first) death.
S – Savior – The answer to the question of life and death. Without Him is no other means to Salvation.
T – Truth – The Lord of freedom for in knowing Him (The Truth) one is made free.
U – Unknown God – The God of your circumstance.
V – Vine (The True Vine) – In conforming to Him is productive and satisfied life.
W – Word of God – The cleansing Fire that incinerates sin and the Hammer that breaks the strongholds and stubbornness of our hearts.
XYZ – The Name above ALL names.

If you don’t know Him yet, ask Him and He will tell you His name, a Name that is above ALL other names – The I AM.

So the real question that remains is whether you know this really great and wonderful God (Psalm 86:10), a God who cannot be contained by names. What do you know Him as?

Philippians 2:9-11 (KJV)
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The Name is Word of God

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On August 4, 2009

In Christian, The Name

Revelation 19 lists among the various names of Jesus, the Name which is Word of God. John 1 records that Jesus is the Word (the Word of God), who was in the beginning, who was with God as one of the Tribunal persons and who was God then just as much as He is God now, having been manifested as the fullness of the Godhead bodily. The Word of God – what a name to be given! Just as words are made up of letters or alphabets and used to communicate a person’s thought, the mind of God is revealed to us through His Son, Jesus, the Alpha and Omega (divine alphabets), the Word of God.

Jeremiah 23:29 is a question that is posed to us, a question posed by God Godself which asks “is not My WORD (note singular) like as a Fire? and like a Hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?”.

The Word of God is a Fire. When you encounter Jesus Christ, He has a burning effect in our lives. The two on the road to Emmaus expressed that as The Word of God opened up the Scriptures (the inspiration of God), their hearts burned within and they then beheld the glory of the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 24:32). As the consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24), Jesus, the Word of God incinerates sin and its power from our lives. As silver is purified from the dross, He purifies us, so that we may first see him and then reflect His glory in and through our lives. I once read on a T-shirt, the following words – “To prevent burning in Hell, you must be exposed to the Son (Jesus)“. Not only does the Word of God consume unholiness, but the Word of God is also on that warms the heart. Charles Spurgeon once said that The Word of the Lord is like a fire, for it warms and comforts the hearts of His people. Jesus advised that we can cast our anxieties on Him, for He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7) as He will comfort us no matter how weary our hearts are.

The Word of God is a hammer. He came down hard as a hammer when he cleansed the temple (Mark 11:15-19) of unholiness and personal self-centeredness (focused on financial gain instead of prayer). Jesus, the hammer cleanses us (the temple of God) from all uncleanness and He can break the bondage of self-centeredness and personal pursuits that trump over seeking His Kingdom and His Kingship first (Matthew 6:33). He can also break the sin of the world, hard-heartedness of those who are defiant in refusing to believe in Him (John 16:8-9). Sometimes, we think that the someone is unreachable with the love of Christ and we write them off. But when you attempt to nail a stubborn nail, we keep on hammering it until it sinks in. We must therefore drive the words of the Love of Jesus Christ, His Grace and Salvation to those who are hard-hearted. The good news is that we are merely wielding the hammer, which is Jesus, the Word of God and He will drive the Word in. The Bible says that every knee will bow, some willingly and others possibly by the coercion of the Hammer (Word of God) knocking their knees so that they succumb to His authority and Sovereignty. No exceptions, all will bow to Jesus. Finally, as the hammer, Jesus is intolerant of tolerant Christians who have made the Church of God an unholy place, accommodating of sin itself (instead of just the sinner) or who have made His Church a financial money-making business. What began as a call in Palestine, became a philosophy in Greece, a structure in Rome, a culture in Europe and sadly an enterprise in North America. We must be cautioned lest we are beguiled as well.

The Word of God is a fire and hammer. He exists eternally, and cleanses our unholiness, consuming the dross of sin from our lives, and can break the hard-heartedness of our hearts that seeks after ephemeral and insignificants pursuits of power, position, prestige, popularity or pleasure, instead of His Kingdom and His Kingship. The Name is Word of God.

I AM the true Vine

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On August 3, 2009

In Christian, I AM, The Name

John 15 records another ‘I AM’ sayings of Jesus, in which He states that “I am the Vine”, in fact, the first time He affirms this, He distinctly qualifies Himself to be the “TRUE” vine (John 15: 1). Jesus also tells the hearers that the branch that abides in the vine, firstly is PRODUCTIVE (bears much fruit – John 15:5) and secondly is PROVIDED for (whatever is asked – John 15:7).

Note Jesus did not say that the branches that are ATTACHED to Him are the ones that productive or provided for. Instead He said, that the branches that ABIDE in Him are the ones that are. Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines as one of the meaning of the word “abide” as “to conform to“. It is those who conform to Jesus (Romans 12:1), who are the ones who are effective in bearing much fruit. The fruit we are to bear are MUCH Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness and Temperance (Galatians 5:22).

There are many today who profess that they are attached to Christ (the true Vine), but live unproductive and malnourished lives, because they don’t abide in (conform to) Him. Mark Twain in biting wit writes in his notebook, “If Christ were here there is one thing he would not be–a Christian.” What a profound yet pitiable statement, this is. So the question that surfaces for each one of us is this – are we merely attached to Jesus or do we abide in Him? Not all productive lives are necessarily satisfactory and not all satisfied lives are necessarily productive. In conforming to Jesus, (and not to the world) we can live productive AND satisfied lives because He is the One and Only true nourishing vine and He claimed rightfully so.

The Name is Unknown God

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On July 31, 2009

In Christian, The Name

A historical event recorded in the Bible in Acts 17:16-32 describes that as the Apostle Paul waited in Athens for Silas and Timothy to join him from Thessalonica, he was perturbed by the idolatory prevalent in the Hellenistic culture at Athens, that he observed as he walked around the city.  The Athenians were so superstitious that Paul observes that they even had an altar with the inscription TO AN UNKNOWN GOD in dedication to Agnostos Theos that is Unknown God (Acts 17:23). Paul uses this opportunity to reveal to the folks in Athens that this unknown god that they worship is indeed Jesus, the One and Only God, who is the Creator and the Lord of heaven and earth (vs 24), the provider of ALL life and breath and ALL things (vs 25), omniscient of ALL things that occur in one’s life (vs 26), who can be found if you seek Him (vs 27), for we belong to him as his offspring (vs 28), who commands us to shed our ignorance of Him and repent lest we be judged in righteousness when He returns in His ordained time for He is THE God who conquered death and was resurrected from the dead (vs 30-31). In other words, Paul was saying that Jesus Christ, the resurrected One is the UNKNOWN God, whom the Athenians ignorantly worshiped and it was time for them to seek Him and know Him.

Well this is Biblical, but is there another reference in the Scripture (a hidden treasure) that can substantiate this? Note how Paul talks about the return of Jesus to judge the world in righteousness. Revelation 19:11-16 records that the rider on the white horse (referring to Jesus) will come to make war and to judge in righteousness (vs 11) , but when Jesus returns, he will come with many names such as Faithful and True (vs 11), The Word of God (vs 13) and KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS  (vs 16), but what is most interesting is that He also had a name that was written (inscribed), a name that no man knew (vs 12), an UNKNOWN name. So in essence, we can deduce that the altar with the inscription, to an UNKNOWN GOD essentially could be rewritten as Paul (the Apostle and humble me) expresses as “TO JESUS”.

Today there are many who are after Unknown Gods. There is no dearth for “isms” in our culture today. From aethism to polytheism, the spectrum spreads. There are many gods that people ignorantly worship. A point to ponder over is if our lives are the Altar of the living God, are people seeing in our lives, the inscription “TO AN UNKNOWN GOD” or are they seeing in our lives, the inscription “TO JESUS”? Think about it. The Name is Unknown God, but it is our responsibility to make The Name that is above every other name, known to those who are seeking or those who are ignorantly chasing after unknown gods.

I AM the Truth

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On July 30, 2009

In Christian, I AM, The Name

The facade of the Main Building at the University of Texas (known colloquially as the UT Tower) has the inscription that stands out boldly – “Ye shall know the Truth and the Truth shall make you free“. We may have heard umpteen number of sermons that expressed that the Truth shall make us free, but is that really true? I think we are missing half the point, it is not the the Truth that really makes us free, although the Truth can, but it is the knowing of the Truth.

John 14:6 records one of Jesus’ compound ‘I AM’ sayings, in which He affirmed, I AM the way, the truth, and the life. In defining ‘truth’, Jesus did not objectify it by saying, the truth is this or the truth is that, but He personified it but saying that ‘I AM’ the truth. In a world that is rife with falsity of hope, there stands one absolute, and that is Jesus, THE Truth.

In the events that unfolded leading to the crucifixion of Jesus, one of the most important questions that was asked of Jesus, but pitiable not answered was the question by Pilate, when he questioned Jesus, asking “What is the Truth?” (John 18:38). If only Pilate had waited to hear what Jesus had to said, He would have heard the response “I AM, I AM the Truth and in knowing me, the Truth, I shall set you free. Pilate, you may feel that you have control over me and my freedom, but I am the LORD of Freedom, because I am the Truth and the Truth makes those in captive free (John 8:32). I am only your captive, because God has allowed this to be. I AM the truth and there is none other. Know me and in knowing me you shall be free, free from the pressures of pleasing the Romans officials, or caving in to the peer pressures of the Jews, and free to heed to the dream/vision your wife had, which was to have nothing to do with me.”

But like many today, Pilate sadly did not wait to listen to the answer of that question – What is the Truth? In a world that is filled with addiction and bondage to sin and self, there is only one way to be free. If we need to be set free from our bondage of the flesh that is weak (though the Spirit is willing), all we need to do is know Jesus. Jesus said, you shall know the Truth and the Truth shall make you free. He also said, I AM the truth. And so in essence, we can deduce that it is accurate to state – You shall know Jesus (THE Truth) and Jesus (THE Truth) shall make you free. He said, I AM the Truth and there is no other, none at all.

UT Tower Facade Inscription

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