Hidden (Krypto) Treasures

To get pearls, one must dive deep!

Month: December 2010 Page 2 of 3

Jesus – Add as Friend

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On December 16, 2010

In Christian

With the announcement of Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook as the Time magazine person of the year 2010, I wondered as to whether Jesus Christ would ever be identified as the “Time Person of the year”, but then again, such a title would only limit who Jesus Christ really is. Identifying Jesus Christ as the the person of the year 2010 would not be indicative of who He really is, which is ‘The Person’ from everlasting to everlasting, not just of the year.

So who is this Jesus? The rendition of ‘Jesus on Facebook’ is pretty impressive in expressing who Jesus is. Jesus wants you to Add Him as your friend. Have you?

Revelation 3:20 (KJV)
20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

James 2:23 (KJV)
23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

John 15:14-1 (KJV)
14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.


A fair exchange – paying Jesus back

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On December 15, 2010

In Christian

Jesus paid with His Life to redeem us. He was beaten, mocked, struck, pierced, crucified and killed so that the wages of our sin could be paid by Him, the sinless God. He willingly sacrificed His Life. And for all who believe in Him (i.e., those who have life), the only thing that would be a fair exchange in paying Him back would be a sacrifice of our life as well.

How are you and how am I in our exchange with Jesus Christ. Are we fair?

Galatians 2:20 (KJV)
20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

To be an evangelist means …

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On December 14, 2010

In Christian

Every Christian is commissioned to be armed with the shoes of readiness for that which comes from the gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:15). The dictionary defines the word “evangelist” as a “preacher of the gospel”. This means that every Christian’s charter is to be an evangelist. But with the commercialization of many ministries, it is often confusing to many who are not in the faith as to who an evangelist is and what they are commissioned to do? The transfiguration of Jesus Christ lays the model for who an evangelist is and their responsibility!

The minority (three out of the twelve disciples) got a glimpse of the glory of God when Christ was transfigured. They were on a mountain top when they saw His glory. They would have to go down from the mountain top (to the valleys) to share their experience of God’s glory with the majority (nine out of the twelve disciples and the rest of the world).

To be an evangelist means that we are the minority. The gospel message of an evangelist is the glory of God that is seen in Christ and his transfiguration (in our lives). To be an evangelist means one needs to be closer to God (on the mountain top closer to the heavens than in the valley). To be an evangelist means that we ought to go down to the valley (and sometimes even the valley of the shadow of death) to share the experience of God’s glory with the world, which is a majority.

Are you/I an evangelist as God wants us to be?

Matthew 17:1-9 (KJV)
1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.
7 And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.
8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.
9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.

To be chosen means it is to be …

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On December 13, 2010

In Christian

Often in a worldly situation, when one is chosen, it is the result of that individual’s capabilities, skills and character. For example, to be the leader of a country or company, the chosen person has demonstrated an aptitude and character that fits the requirements of that position. The choosing is reflective of the one who is chosen and not necessarily the chooser. But when it comes to Christianity, the Bible teaches us that the choosing is not reflective of the one who is chosen, but the chooser; i.e., God. In fact, the Bible is explicit about why God chooses us. God chooses us as a demonstration of his Love for us (1 Thessalonians 1:4). So, to be chosen means it is to be “loved by God”. It is reflective of His character, which is He is Love personified. We are chosen of God, by God, for God!

We can be assured that we are loved by God. In other words, we are loved by God. But have you chosen God? In other words, do you love God?

1 Thessalonians 1:4 (NLT)
4 We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people.

Bible – THE Rosetta Stone

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On December 10, 2010

In Christian

While visiting the British Museum, in London, we were privileged to see the Rosetta Stone. The Rosetta Stone carries an inscription in different languages which helped decipher the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic script. It is the only surviving fragment of a larger stone slab (stela) recording a decree on 27 March, 196 BC. At the top of the decree was written in hieroglyphs, the traditional script of Egyptian monuments, already 3000 years old. In the middle the same decree was written in Demotic, the everyday script of literate Egyptians, and at the bottom in Greek, the language used by the government. The script was a decree issued in honor of the boy-king Ptolemy V Epiphanes. As soon as the Rosetta Stone was discovered, scholars realized that it might help decipher the mysterious Egyptian hieroglyphs, since the Greek inscription, which could be read, stated that each script on the Stone recorded the same decree.

The Bible, like the Rosetta Stone, carries the inspiration (and inscription) of God to man. It is the script that honors God’s Son (boy) and King, Jesus Christ. The Bible helps us decipher the mind of God about His Son and the Salvation He provides to all mankind. Have you read and trusted in this script?

2 Timothy 3:15-17 (KJV)
15 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Afterlife :: Free from evil

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On December 9, 2010

In Christian

According to the ancient Egyptian belief on afterlife, it was believed that as part of judgment, the dead person addressed forty-two deities by name, declaring to each that he/she was innocent of a specific fault such as murder, theft, lying, blasphemy, and stealing of offerings from the temples of the gods. This was known as the protestation of innocence. Following the protestation of innocence, the dead person’s heart was weighed against the ‘Feather of Truth’ to see if it was pure. If the heart was heavier than the feather (with lies), it was eaten by the devourer (an organism that supposedly had a crocodile’s head, a leopard’s front legs and the back legs of a hippopotamus) and that person ceased to exist forever. In order to live forever, the dead person had to  convince the gods that they were free from evil.

Unlike this belief, where eternal life is dependent on the person’s own ability to convince the gods of his or her righteousness, the Bible states that it is NOT an individual’s personal efforts in this life or the next that purifies the heart and makes on right (without falsity or lies) before God. It is by faith in Jesus Christ and not by our own works that one can be saved (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is only by belief in Jesus Christ that righteousness is imputed on us and this makes us free from evil, and creates in us a clean heart (Psalm 51:10) that can be weighed on any judgment scale and comes out not only light from evil desires, but also right before God.

James 2:@3 (KJV)
23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

Romans 4:20-24 (KJV)
22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

Afterlife :: Intercession

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On December 8, 2010

In Afterlife, Christian

When viewing the special exhibition, “The Book of the Dead” at the British museum, I learned that one of the ancient Egyptian beliefs was that after a person was dead, that person’s living relatives could write letters to the dead. These relatives were known as the “cult of the dead”. One letter that was supposedly written/inscribed on a funerary stela/tablet around 2100 BC was the following:
“How are you? Is the west taking care of you, as you desire? Look, I am your beloved on earth, so fight for me, intercede for my name! Drive off the illness from my limbs! May you appear for me as a blessed one before me, that I may see you fighting for me in a dream. I shall lay down offerings for you when the sun’s light has risen and I shall establish an altar for you!” This letter was a plea for intercession by the living to the one who had died.

Those living today need an intercessor as well; one who will fight for them. The Bible informs us that there is one, in fact only one who is The Intercessor and His name is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ died for the sins of all mankind and He rose from the dead to stand in the presence of God as the High Priest who intercedes for us (Romans 8:34). All we need to do is trust and believe in Him for there is no condemnation to anyone who believes in the Name of Jesus Christ, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Romans 8:1). Do you?

Romans 8:34 (KJV)
 34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Afterlife :: World of the living or world of the dead

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On December 7, 2010

In Afterlife, Christian

While visiting the special exhibition of the “Book of the Dead” in the British Museum, we came to learn that according to an ancient Egyptian belief, on the day a person dies (the day of burial), the dead person moved from the world of the living to the world of the dead. Other common world beliefs  and religions ascribe to something similar as well.

However, unlike the ancient or current belief that a person moves from the world of the living to the world of the dead, when they die, the Christian Faith prescribes an antithesis. In fact, when a person who believes in Jesus Christ dies, they don’t move from the world of the living into the world of the dead, but quite the contrary; they move from the world of the dead (in sin) to the world of the living (for all who are in Christ shall live, even if they were dead (physically)).

Do you belief in Jesus Christ, the author of Life, in both this world and the world to come?

Romans 3:23 (KJV)
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Romans 6:22-23 (KJV)
22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

John 11:25-26 (KJV)
25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

Afterlife :: The Journey

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On December 6, 2010

In Afterlife, Christian

Sangeetha, Reuben and I were fortunate to see the ancient Egyptian “Book of the Dead”, which was on exhibition at the British Museum. The book of the dead wass displayed in seven sections to depict the journey that the person takes when they die. These include:
1. Preparation for the afterlife
2. The day of burial
3. The mummy in the tomb
4. Empowering the dead
5. Avoiding the disaster
6. Judgment and
7. The perfect afterlife

According to the ancient Egyptians, when a person died, they went on a journey through the world of the dead or ‘the netherworld’.  So they put in the tomb a papyrus roll with written spells and pictures which was known as the Book of the Dead. They believed that the specialist knowledge and magical power contained in these texts would assure them of a safe journey to the perfect afterlife through the landscape (rivers, mountains and caves) and many guarded gates.

Unlike the Book of the Dead belief, the Bible teaches us that the safe journey to the perfect afterlife, which is to be in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ,  does not begin as a journey after the death of a person, but while he or she is alive. And instead of navigating through a netherworld using spells and texts, all one needs to do is to pass through THE DOOR (gate), Jesus Christ by faith and believing in Him to attain a safe journey to THE PERFECT AFTERLIFE.

Have you believed in Jesus Christ; THE DOOR? The journey is not later, but now. Where are/am you/I on that journey?

Hebrews 11:9-10 (KJV)
9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

John 10:9 (KJV)
9 I [Jesus] am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

Bloody Tower – Way Out

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On December 3, 2010

In Christian

On our trip to the Tower of London, we came across a tower inside, which is known as the Bloody Tower. The Bloody Tower gained its gruesome name by the mid-16th century, when it became associated with the disappearance and supposed murder of the sons of King Edward IV, the ‘Little Princes’ a century earlier.

Outside the Bloody Tower was a sign that showed the direction to the Bloody Tower and to the Way Out. Shortly after seeing that sign, it dawned on me, that in the sign was hidden the beautiful story of Salvation.

The Bible states that the Name of the Lord is a strong and mighty Tower (Proverbs 18:10). In other words, Jesus Christ is a strong and mighty Tower. Jesus Christ, the Prince of peace and Son of the King over all creation was murdered. He was bloodied; He shed His blood so that there could be THE WAY OUT for all of mankind, for without the shedding of blood, there is no remission for sin (Hebrews 9:22), i.e., without the shedding of blood, there is NO way out. In fact, there is No OTHER way.

Proverbs 18:10 (KJV)
10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.

Hebrews 9:22 (KJV)
22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

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