The Four Blood Moons.

The Four Blood Moons.

On Monday morning September 28th 2015 at 3:47 am, there was a Blood Moon.

A blood moon occurs during a total lunar eclipse. It is a time when the earth comes between the moon and the sun and the shadow of the earth covers the moon. The shadow appears dark until the moon is fully eclipsed, then the moon appears red because of sunlight that is filtered and refracted by the Earth's atmosphere. (Joel 2:30-31 tells us about Blood Moons)

This one is the last of a group of four (a Tetrad) of Blood Moons when four occur in sequence

with no full or partial eclipses between.

There have been 6 tetrads in the last 100 years.

But seven times since Jesus have the Blood Moons occurred  on back to back Jewish Celebration days. You try the maths and see if you can come up with the odds of that happening.

There were Tetrads coincident with Jewish Celebrations in 162 - 183 AD, 795 - 796 AD, 824 - 825 AD and 860 - 861 AD.

The last three such tetrads have been particularly significant.

1493 - 1494 Was when King Ferdinand of Spain ordered all Jews to leave his country.

1949 - 1950 Just as Israel is re-established as a nation. 

On January 25th 1949, the first permanent government took office.

1967 - 1968 Coincided with the six-day war, when Israel recaptured Jerusalem after neighbouring countries had prepared to destroy Israel.

This was number 8 of such tetrads since the time of Jesus.

15 April 2014 (Blood Moon on Passover)

8 October 2014 (Blood Moon on Feast of Tabernacles)

4 April 2015 (Blood Moon on Passover)

28 September 2015 (Blood Moon on Feast of Tabernacles)

Some will still call it a co-incidence, but can't tell us the odds.

Everyone is wondering what this tetrad will coincide with.

Each time there has been major anti- Jewish stuff going on in the world at the time, these two years are no different. Anti-Semitism has been rife around the world. 

We must wait to see what will happen.

But we know we serve the God of the impossible.

Natural Things Obey Jesus.

Natural Things Obey Jesus. The disciples in the ship with Jesus said to one another, Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him! (Mark 4:37-41) This is typical Jesus, when the storm arises, He is asleep. No worried in the slightest. All physical things are subject to Jesus. They should be - He created them all. Have you ever prayed for the rain to cease? We have - it works too. Can Jesus orchestrate the movements of the Sun, Moon and Stars? On September 28th 2015 there was a Blood Moon. Did God organise that?

Are You With God?

Are You With God? The angel speaks to Mary and says: For with God nothing will be impossible. (Luke 1:35-37) How much of that statement do we actually believe? Virgin birth? It's impossible ....... BUT. With God - as far as God is concerned, nothing will be impossible. With God - nothing will be impossible. Are you with God? Then nothing will be impossible to you.

Give And It WILL Be Given To You

Give And It WILL Be Given To You Luke 6:37-38 Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you. No-one wants to be judged or condemned and everyone wants to be forgiven. So we try to do the right thing here. How would you like to have good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over? Then give. But watch the measure you use. Teaspoon or JCB?

God Supplies The Needs of Givers.

God Supplies The Needs of Givers. Philippians 4:18-19 Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Paul is able to say that God will supply their need because they are giving into the Kingdom. Blessing Paul in his ministry, he is abounding, he is full. Are you abounding? Are you full?

The Church Just Wants Your Money.

The Church Just Wants Your Money. Then people complain and say that we are the kind of church that just wants your money. That is true, we do want your money, but there is a reason for it. Philippians 4:16-17 For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. The reason we want to receive money from you, is because your account will receive the benefit. We want you to be blessed.

Sowing To Reap.

Sowing To Reap. 2 Corinthians 9:6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. The farmer who needs to have a large crop cannot achieve it by sowing a small amount of seed. A friend of ours needed £20,000. So we explained how the hundredfold principle worked. The seed for £20,000 is £200. She said, I don't have £200. We asked, do you have £2 ? We said, sow the £2 and when the £200 comes in, sow that.

Would you like God to bless you?

Would you like God to bless you? Proverbs 22:9 He who has a generous eye will be blessed, For he gives of his bread to the poor. A person with a generous eye, is always looking for ways to give. That is how to get God to bless you all the time, keep looking. It doesn't mean thousands, you can be generous with £1. You can be generous with your time, or even a smile.

Honour The Lord and Receive.

Honour The Lord and Receive. Proverbs 3:9-10. Honouring Him with everything we own, He can have it all. Honouring Him with the first-fruit, the tithe on everything. And He blesses us for having that heart attitude. He wants you to have multiple blessings coming your way. Would you like that? Then you have to start the process. You cannot have light in your room without operating the light switch. You cannot drive your car without turning the ignition key. You cannot have “filled with plenty” and “overflow” without honouring Him.

You Can Do All Things.

You Can Do All Things. Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. We need to know this verse as a truth in our own lives. We can indeed do all things - that He asks of us. But it is always though Him and His power and His ability. With Jesus - you too are mighty person of valour. Valour means - ability, strength, might, efficiency, wealth. You have these attributes too, you just cannot see them yet. You can do all things through Christ, the Anointed One, who strengthens you. You can bear much fruit because you are in Jesus.

Realise Your Potential.

Realise Your Potential. Jesus goes one step further with us. When we acknowledge our connection with Jesus, receiving Him as Lord. When we truly live in Him, He lives in us too. We bear much fruit. What is the fruit of an apple tree? Apples. What is the true fruit of a Christian? More Christians. Without Jesus we can do nothing (of any significance). But we are not without Him, so we can do stuff with Him. We can be valiant. (John 15:5)

Choose To Be Valiant.

Choose To Be Valiant. We always have a choice. Today God is saying - choose life, choose blessing. Choose not to fear. All of Gideon's strength and ability is held in one statement. God said - surely I will be with you. If we can believe that, we too can have the strength we need. We too can be valiant. (Deuteronomy 30:19)

Putting Out A Fleece.

Putting Out A Fleece. This is asking God for a sign, there is nothing wrong with that. As long as you don't do that for every choice in life. Look at God going over the top. Gideon just asks for dew on the fleece, God pours out a bowlful. Gideon had a choice. Believe his own opinion or believe God. He chose to believe God. Which should we choose? (Judges 6:36-40)

God With Us.

God With Us. God says - you are my man for the moment. Go in your might. That's a laugh, he was in hiding. Gideon says, our family is the weakest of the tribe of Manasseh. And I am the least of all my family. How can I possibly do it? Here is the real source of his valour. God says - I will be with you. With us - with God - we are also mighty men (or women) of valour. (Judges 6:14-15)

Mighty Man Of Valour.

Mighty Man Of Valour. Normally wheat was threshed out in the open, but Gideon was hiding from the Midianites. At best he could be considered scared, cowardly or fearful. BUT ...... God still calls him a mighty man of valour. Can God see things about us too that we cannot see? The Hebrew word for Valour means - ability, strength, might, efficiency, wealth. Would you like some of those attributes? Do you think you look like a mighty man (or woman) of valour to God? (Judges 6:11-12)

Pioneers Overcome Tradition.

Pioneers Overcome Tradition. Acts 10:5-6 Peter overcame his natural Jewish thinking by staying with a tanner. Also to meet with a Roman soldier was normally unthinkable for a Jew. Why did he overcome, because Peter was a pioneer. Acts 8:5 Philip went to Samaria, a no-go area to Jews, the action of a pioneer. Acts 8:26-35 As a result of his pioneering, Philip brought the Gospel to the continent of Africa through the Ethiopian eunuch.

A Helping Hand From Jesus.

A Helping Hand From Jesus. Matthew 14:28-32 Peter was in unknown territory walking on water. When things got a bit scary, Jesus reached out and helped him. Whenever pioneers are doing the impossible, Jesus reaches out and helps. True pioneers don't settle or play safe.

The Pioneer Potential.

The Pioneer Potential. Luke 5:4-8 Jesus said cast the net out again. They caught many fish. It made Peter realise his sinful state compared to Jesus. So they all dropped everything and followed Jesus. Luke 5:27 Jesus said to Levi, follow me. He left ALL and followed Jesus. It's all about the potential for the Kingdom.

Pioneers Follow Jesus.

Pioneers Follow Jesus.

Then Jesus said to them, "Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men." They immediately left their nets and followed Him. (Mark 1:17-18)

Jesus chose people who had a pioneer spirit. 

He said follow me and l will make you fishers of men. 

And immediately they went because they recognised the pioneer spirit in Jesus.

Mark 1:22  They were astonished at His teaching, He sounded like a pioneer.

Mark 1:27 The man was delivered and the were amazed.  Jesus acted like a pioneer.

Mark 1:31 Simon’s Mother in law was healed immediately. This Jesus was worth following.

God Chooses Pioneers

God Chooses Pioneers.

And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, "The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valour!" (Judges 6:12)

God speaks to Joshua when he is hiding and calls him, mighty man of valour. 

God saw the pioneering spirit that would manifest in the future. 

God said to Moses, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." Then he said to Him, "If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. (Exodus 33:14-15)

God said to Moses, go into wilderness. 

But Moses realises that even the greatest pioneer needs the presence of God.

So he says - If your presence is not going with us we are staying here.

The Essence of a Pioneer.

The Essence of a Pioneer.

Pioneering takes courage, ingenuity and a sense of adventure. Having a willingness to fail and falter. But with an unwavering belief in the long term future vision.

Being prepared to take risks.

Stepping out of our comfort zone. 

Daring to dream. 

Being ok with being out of your depth. 

Seeing what others cannot see. 

God can see what you cannot see about yourself. 

That is what He looks at when He chooses you.

Pioneers always see the cause as greater than the opposition. 

Taken from a quote by Brian Houston of Hillsongs Church.

Having A Different Spirit

Having A Different Spirit.

In Numbers 13 we see the Israelites being given the task of spying out the land. They came back with negative reports, which Joshua and Caleb disagree with. Why was that? 

Numbers 14:24 Says that Joshua and Caleb had a different spirit. 

What was this different spirit?

What were they carrying?

A pioneer spirit.

The Spirit of Truth Abides.

The Spirit of Truth Abides.

And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide (Meno) with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells (Meno) with you and will be in you. (John 14:16-17)

You need never be deceived again.

Why? Because the Spirit of Truth dwells in you.

Truth is continually present in you, so the two become one.

You don't need Google, the truth about every situation is already in you.

Father God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit of Truth all live in you.

You are a walking God house.

No wonder you are an overcomer.

No wonder you are a winner.

The Holy Spirit Abides.

The Holy Spirit Abides. Now you can know for certain that wherever Father and Son are, the Holy Spirit will be there too. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide (Meno) with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells (Meno) with you and will be in you. (John 14:16-17) Jesus tells us that he will pray to Father, and Father will give us this Helper, the Holy Spirit Who will abide (Meno) with you. Not just occasionally, but forever. Holy Spirit continually present in you, so the two become one. The Spirit of Truth, you need never be deceived again.

The Word of God Abides.

The Word of God Abides. We know that the Bible says that Jesus is The Word of God in John chapter one.. But the word of the Lord endures (Meno) forever. Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you. (1 Peter 1:25) Did you know that Jesus and His Word can live in you. God's Word is continually present in you, so the two become one. When you let this happen, your words will be His words. Whatever the situation, you will speak what the Bible says. Do you think that might change the way you speak? Then let it happen, it is your choice.

Love Abides.

Love Abides. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides (Meno) in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides (Meno) in love abides (Meno) in God, and God in him. (1 John 4:15-16) Now it says that we know and believe. Let's stop there and look at the difference between those words. Knowing is a mental issue. Believing means acting like something you know is true. You can know God has healed you, but will you act like it. We need to know and believe He loves us. Now here is where is gets really amazing, because God is love. If you abide (Meno) in love, you abide (Meno) in God, and God abides (Meno) in you. If love is continually present in you, He will continually be present in you and the two will become one. You and love. You and God. Allowing God that free access into you as His home means that you and Him and you and love will become indistinguishable.

God’s Abode

God’s Abode.

Now this word (Mone) used in John 14:2 and 23, comes from a root Greek word "Meno".

This word means to be continually present in a place.

So permanently present that the dwelling and the dweller become as one. God's mansion would not be the same without you.

Here I an example of that word.

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides  (Meno) in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides  (Meno) in love abides  (Meno) in God, and God in him. (1 John 4:15-16)

Would that be your confession of faith? That Jesus is the Son of God.

Then God is continually present in you, so the two (you and God) become one.

That is why sometimes you just recognise someone as a believer.

Because the same One who lives in them, lives in you.

Father’s Mansion

Father’s Mansion.

Jesus answered and said to him, If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home (Mone) with him. (John 14:23)

This is the same word (Mone) for mansion in John 14:2.

Father and Jesus have a mansion too. You and I are that mansion.

The word "home" here is that same Greek word "Mone"  meaning a place of dwelling.

Father and Jesus live in you and through you.

All you have to do is say YES to His sacrifice and His love and They both come to dwell in you, their mansion.

Wow!

Your Heavenly Mansion

Your Heavenly Mansion.

In My Father's house are many mansions ; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (John 14:2)

Our place is assured in heaven.

A mansion has been prepared for every believer in Father’s household.

This is a Greek word "Mone" meaning - a place of dwelling.

This word is only used in one other place in the Bible.

We will look at this tomorrow.

Please note: If you use the NIV, you only get a room.

The Lord Is My Helper

The Lord Is My Helper.

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we may boldly say: The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me? (Hebrews 13:5-6)

God personally says: I will never leave you. That’s that settled then.

So -Because of that - we can BOLDLY say: The Lord is my helper.

So it’s obvious now - I will not fear.

I will never worry again about what another person could do to me.

Can you boldly say that?

Help To Pray

Help To Pray.

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. (Romans 8:26)

This wonderful Holy Spirit (Paraclete) comes alongside us to help.

He even helps us to pray.

He helps us by doing the praying through us.

Isn’t The Holy Spirit wonderful?

Your Forever Helper

Your Forever Helper.

If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. (John 14:15-17)

Here's the key - do yo love Jesus? Then do what He says.

Jesus says He will give us another Helper, another Comforter.

The Holy Spirit, Who is only accessible to those who believe.

But He will with you and in you, helping you.

Every day, every moment, forever.

Trust Him, He will never get it wrong.