One of the oldest books in the historical record of world events is the Bible. The Bible has been the best selling book throughout many years; it is the best published book in today's world. From the books of Genesis to Revelation, it tells us what happened in world history from the beginning, prediction of the world future event, and how we can live life on this earth. Both the Old and New Testaments are still relevant resources in our lives today.

Although it is the mostinspiring book ever published, both the Old and New Testaments have many aspectsof God's characters toward people. For example, the passage John3:16tells us how much God loves theworld that He sent His Son to us to show the light of path. In fact, the NewTestament has a completely different revelation of God who helped the Israelitesset free from the bondage of sufferings from their sins. However, the Old andNew Testaments reflect the character of God throughout all the 66books.

All the books in the Bible are all about God's character toward humanity that He created since the beginning of the world.

In the Old Testament, there are 39 books that are recorded about the earliest parts of the history of the Jewish world. From the books of Genesis to Malachi, the Old Testament provides us details on what happened in the earliest part of the world.

The Old Testament begins with the Book of Genesis which explains how God created this world and living creatures, including humans; how God brought down the first judgment to the earth; and how God choose three Patriarchs to form the twelve tribes of . After the first book, from the Book of Exodus and on, it begins telling about the beginning of the hardship that the people of were facing and how they turned to God. From then on, it explains how the Israelites created their own government, religion, and economy to try to walk away from God for several years; and then how they realized their mistakes and the effect on their lives and how they needed Him back in their lives.

In addition, books of the Old Testament were written by several Hebrew authors or scribers in the time of period BC or Before Christ. During this time period, God taught and disciplined His people about life in earth and how God was reliable to them and would bring a restoration in their lives. The Old Testament is split into five parts. There are the Laws of Moses, earliest prophets, writing and poetry, Major Prophets, and twelve Minor Prophets. Each section of the Old Testament has different themes and discusses many aspects of Jewish history. For example, in the prophets section of the Old Testament, it discusses the greater details of God's judgment against His people and how He saved them from the disastrous area. It also discusses what kind of judgment that God would bring on earth in the future to end the battle with Satan.

In contrast, the New Testament has 27 books that are recorded about the earliest history part of Christianity. It links from the Old Testament. The New Testament began after 400 years of God's silence to the world. During the 400 years, there was no word from the prophets who spoke to the people of . Instead, they did their own way to live a life, although God was waiting for them to repent their sins and have them back in His presence. After the end of 400 years, the new era had risen.

The New Testament begins with the first four books, which is called the gospel of Jesus Christ. It tells us about the life and teachings about Jesus Christ. Not only does it show the history of Jesus Christ, it also brings the complete picture of who God is and what He has planned for our lives. After the first four books of the New Testament, from the Book of Acts and on, it begins telling the beginning of Christianity and Church histories. The Book of Acts is different from any other books in the New Testament, because the story did not end after Paul preached God's message to the Roman citizens. In fact, the Book of Acts has never concluded the journey of Paul until God would complete to gather the church and take us home.

In addition, books of the New Testament were written by Greek or Gentile authors or scribers in the earliest time of period of AD or After Christ. During the early church era, there were many people who began to understand what Jesus Christ had done for them and began to convert themselves to Christianity. As many of them converted to Christianity, there was a great fight between Christians and Roman citizens; and Christians and Jews. There also was a great argument about who Jesus Christ was among many other religions. In fact, since early AD, many churches viewed Christianity differently and believed that they needed to separate from the other Christians.

The New Testament has no particular chronicle order to explain the history of Christianity. However, when we read the Book of Revelation, we would see many aspects of what God had done for us in the past, in the present, and what He will do in the future. In addition, many Christians would prefer the New Testament when it comes to learning about Christian living.

The Old and New Testaments also explain to us who God is and how people received the wonderful healing in their lives through Him. Although the Bible has two separate eras, it does not mean there are two different gods. One of the reasons is the both testaments reflect to each other. The Old Testament discusses about the coming of Messiah, which it leads to Jesus Christ. Also, it discusses who Jesus was throughout the Old Testament. Whenever we would like to know who Jesus was, we could go to the Old Testament to identify Him.

Even though the Bible is old, we can use it today as current guide resource for life situation, world update, and answer to our toughest situation. To prove that the Bible would lead to these, we may need to read the Bible and find related situation in our daily lives. Or we may believe that God's Word is the truth by looking at ourselves and have faith and trust that God can change our lives.

Some people changed their lives to one true God, because they believed in the faith of Jesus Christ. Whether we would believe or not that the both Old and New Testaments reveal about God's character and His wonderful works through the humanity, we would see the changes in people's lives because of their faiths in God's hands.

Posted by MGJC Web Ministry at 12:01 AM EDT

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

In today's society, many people are looking for answers to their lives after the event of Sept. 11, 2001 attack. Still the news media reports today's bad news. There are seeming the world has filled with the bad news as we are in the 21st century. The question is still remaining for us to answer when we all will meet Jesus Christ at face to face: What was your relationship with Jesus Christ?

Even we still experience many sufferings and trials in our life; we may often forget the important question in our lives. Why we face a challenge? What is God doing? If I were Satan, what would I do?

Read with me in John 14:30 as we answer that question. Jesus said, "I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming."

What Jesus meant these sentences? Although He showed Himself to His disciples after the resurrection, what He meant to us in this century? Before the reformation of the Church, there were a great religious movement going on between the Roman Catholicism and Paganism. The both religions became a partner to each other and they Christianized from their original background in about 300 A.D. Even before Jesus left on earth, He warned His disciples that there will be a great suffering on earth.

Even today, we see many ugly events among our people, nation, and the third world countries. We see many U.S. governments voted for abortion, alcohol, sexual activities, and drug administration. The Church has been separated from each other since the early church era. Many people are scattered to search for the answers.

In I Corinthians 1:10-17 and Chapter 3, Paul argued about the divisions in the Church. Paul asked, "Is Christ divided?" The word "denomination" means the division among the group. If the Baptist has the conference meeting, then Catholic Church doesn't show up. If there is Washington, DC conference and the both Catholic and Protestant Churches show up, then the Baptist Church doesn't go to that conference. Do we depend on our own denomination or the Word of God and our relationship with Christ? God does not looking for our performance and attendances in the Church. He does not looking for any favoritism in our church denomination. But He only wants to have the personal relationship with each of us.

There is a great different between the two passages of the Scripture. One is that God loved the world (John 3:16) and another one is hated the world (I John 3:15-17). In John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." According to this verse, Jesus didn't refer to this physical world, but in the heavenly world. If He loves so much of things in this world, He died for our sins. Yet God created this world, we are still bound into sins and our sins cannot wash away unless Jesus Christ came to the world to demonstrate how He loves us and would like to take us into His world that He created and loved.

Satan is an enemy of God. The Bible recognizes Satan as deceiver, devil, Lucifer, dragon, serpent, and the World Prince. He was in the world since God created the earth, heaven, and creatures. In Genesis 3, Satan tricked Eve and Adam with the one of fruits that God warned them not to eat. In Job 1, he was at the Heaven with God's angels to temp Him by accusing the life of Job. In Matthew 4, he was trying to tempt Jesus at the wilderness after 40 days and nights. Satan was and is the Prince of this world since the event of Garden Eden.

This world is belonged to Satan until God will put him into his own world, Hell. Because he is ruling of this world, God cannot enjoy His creation any longer. Yet He is still loved us, we have the choice to love God or to love our own deeds. If we love the world, the love of the Father is not in us. "For everything in the world... comes not from the Father but from the world." In the same way, if we love the world much than God, He can't just love us and take into His home. The place is called Hell real. God created Hell for those who reject Him, even though He doesn't want any of us to go there. Hell is filled with gnash of the teeth, lake of fire, a place of remembrance, and a separation from God.

Look at today's America. Our country has been turned to the day of Gomorrah and Sodom and filled with variety religious and cultural activities. Satanism Secret Society, Gothicism, and other unfamiliar occults are already developed in this country. Our economic system is becoming greater than other parts of the world.

But where are you in this point of the time? If you and I were Satan, where we will be after we die? These characteristics of Hell and Satan are real and realistic. But God doesn't want to see any of us to go to Hell and enjoy our eternal life with Satan, but we may choose to go there for eternality. Jesus didn't just die on the cross 2000 years ago to wash away all our sins, but that He may have the personal relationship with each of us from now and throughout the eternality.

Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." (John 3:16-21.).

Posted by MGJC Web Ministry at 12:01 AM EST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. (Joel 2:28-29 KJV)

God said that He will pour out His Spirit to all people to reveal His plan to them. For example, in Acts 2, we see the fulfillment of the prophecy in Joel of God’s Spirit being poured out. When we read Acts 2, the apostles received the gift of the Spirit to proclaim His message to the entire world. “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:4).”

So how do some receive the gift of the prophecy and other do not? How can we hear the prophetic call from God?

We first need to understand that God has many gifts and He gives them severally. He gives us the same Spirit, but different gifts and receiving a prophetic calling is one of them. When God gives us a gift, we must obey His commands. Remember Jonah? God called him to go to Nineveh and proclaim His message to the people, but He refused to follow God’s plan (Jonah 1:1-3). If we disobey God’s call, we are misusing our gifts.

Our obedience to God is the key to successfully using His gift. Jesus says in John 14:10, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love…” Obedience is also the key to living in God’s unconditional love. When a child obeys his parents fully, he receives great rewards from them, such as love and praise.

Unfortunately, we see some teenagers decide to part from their parents’ covering to live on their own, and commit acts that are not pleasing to them or God. Just like Jonah, they decide to go the other way rather than do what God directed to him.

Although we might think that hearing a voice in our minds is optional, hearing from God is not. We can ignore the voice of God, but He will keep trying to call us to fulfill His plan.

Not only do we need to obey God’s voice, we also need to have the desire to do the work for His kingdom. When God called Jonah, he didn’t have a desire to do the work that he was assigned to. Why did God call Jonah when he didn’t have a desire? In I Corinthians 1:27, Paul says that “…God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty...” God used Jonah to glorify Himself to the people of Nineveh . Even today, He uses people to reveal Himself, but the question is: Are we going to obey or disobey His calling?

While Jonah was captured by a big fish (Jonah 2), he realized that being disobedience didn’t help much. He spent three days and nights in the belly of the fish praying to God. He realized that God wasn’t joking around with him. Swallowed by a fish was Jonah’s punishment from God.

When God called Jonah a second time to go to Nineveh to proclaim His message, he obeyed the call, but argued with God. Although he knew the people of Nineveh would surrender to God, Jonah wished that God would punish them. Jonah didn’t like the idea of having a great revival in Nineveh because they were enemies of , but God asked him, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plan?” (Jonah 4:9a.)

What if God calls us to go to the prisons to proclaim His message to the hundreds of prisoners? We might think it is impossible to share His Word to unsaved people, but God won’t let us go to an unknown people without a plan. We might struggle with God as Jonah did, because we would like to be used more with well-known people.

Did Jesus command us to go to the well-known people to proclaim the Gospel? No! He didn’t. In Matthew 5:44, Jesus says that we need to love our opponents, bless those who don’t agree with us, do good to those who hate us and pray for those who spitefully use us and reject us. This principle may be hard for us to apply because we don’t do this as often. When we obey God’s command in unfamiliar assignments, God will reward us greatly.

To receive a prophetic gift doesn’t mean that we can do whatever we would like to do. Being a pastor or inspirational writer is a part of the prophetic calling from God. The pastor or inspirational writer must listen and obey what God has to say to us. This is the only way to begin to grow in our spiritual lives. If we don’t obey God, we are useless for the kingdom.

Jonah experienced this in a hard way; he didn’t fully understand what God had provided for him. Now, it is up to us to obey God’s calling. What will our response be when God calls us?

Posted by MGJC Web Ministry at 12:01 AM EST

Share This Post

Post Comment | Permalink