PRAISING GOD..... EVANGELIST JANELLE GREGG @ M.B.MINISTRIES

"SEEK THY FACE" PSALM 27:7-9 / EVANGELIST JANELLE GREGG M.B. MINISTRIES

“Seek ye may face … thy face … thy face”: God’s “face” indicates His personal presence or simply His being (Psalms 24:6; 105:4); and seeking His face is a primary characteristic of true believers who desire fellowship with God (compare Deut. 4:29; 2 Chron. 11:16; 20:4; Psalm 40:16; Jer. 50:4; Hosea 3:5; Zech. 8:22).

We are told in the Scriptures that if we seek Him, we will find Him. This does not mean that all the people in a particular age will seek God, but rather that the ones who seek Him are a generation to themselves.

Deuteronomy 4:29 "But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find [him], if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul."

By prayer and supplication, acknowledging and confessing sin, and desiring that God would be gracious and forgive it. And bring them out of their miserable condition. Even if out of those depths of affliction and distress, and though scattered about in the world, and in the uttermost parts of it.

"Thou shalt find him": To be a God hearing and answering prayer, gracious and merciful, ready to help and deliver.



"If they seek him with all their heart and with all their soul": Sincerely and affectionately.

IS SOMETHING IN YOUR CHRISTIANITY OR YOUR WALK WITH GOD?

My heart is heavy and overwhelm, aching with pain. I can’t and won't pretend like it’s not. I feel like we are loosing focus in the true meaning of what following Jesus Christ/ Yeshua Ha Mashiach is all about. 

Have you even felt like something is missing in Christianity or your walk with God? I feel like, Christians were just pretending. Saying they believed in the Bible, but ignoring large portions of scripture and living in ways that didn’t line up with the Word of God.

I want to follow God/Yahweh in Spirit and in Truth and to set myself apart from people who were comfortable living a lie.

I want my life, and not just my lips to be in line with the Word of Yahweh, and to surround myself with people who believed the same way.

James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

EVANGELIST JANELLE GREGG @ M.B.MINISTRIES

EVANGELIST JANELLE GREGG @ M.B.MINISTRIES

EVANGELIST JANELLE GREGG @ M.B.MINISTRIES

THE SABBATH ...... HOW SHOULD I HONOR IT

THE SABBATH......  HOW SHOULD I HONOR IT

The fourth commandment says, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). Once you’ve learned about the Sabbath, the next logical question is, “How do I keep it holy?”

Keep It Simple

How many of the Ten Commandments have you debated the meaning of with your friends? Probably not very many! God is pretty straightforward. So why have we made the fourth one so complicated?

For thousands of years, man has applied his interpretation to the Sabbath. By the time Jesus began His ministry, the Pharisees had hundreds of regulations regarding the Sabbath—as well as hundreds of corresponding loopholes to get around observing them. They were so tied to their cultural traditions that when God arrived in their midst, teaching and working miracles, they denied His divinity because He didn’t do what their cultural traditions dictated. How about us? Are we tied to cultural traditions?

Principles of Bible Study

In order to learn what God says about a topic, we must try to put aside everything we’ve previously learned about that topic. For those of us who were raised Christians, that’s difficult to do! But come to God with an open heart and ask Him to guide you.

Two over-arching principles govern the study of any biblical topic:

If you are earnestly seeking God’s will, you will find it. Let your prayer be as David’s, “Send forth your light and your truth, let them guide me; let them bring me to your holy mountain, to the place where you dwell” (Psalm 43:3), and God will follow through on His promise: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6).

Whatever you do must spring out of your faith-relationship with Jesus. “Everything that does not come from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23). In any area of our lives, the issue is attitude, either of submission to or rebellion against God’s authority. Our choices must come as a result of our humble request for God’s guidance. If there is any hint of rebellion, reluctance or resentment in our attitude, God is not pleased by our actions, and we certainly receive no merit from them. We might be doing the “right” thing but have the wrong attitude about it. It's still wrong in God’s eyes. Likewise, we might be doing the “wrong” thing, but have the right attitude, and be blessed by God. “Only let us live up to what we have already attained” (Philippians 3:16). What good does it do to ask God for guidance and then refuse to follow His leading?

How to Keep the Sabbath Holy?

The Sabbath is mentioned many times in both the Old and New Testaments. But an exhaustive study of every reference reveals only a few specifics of what to do or not do on the Sabbath, all of which applied to a vastly different culture than ours. God’s lack of explicit instructions can be frustrating. How do we know that we’re keeping the Sabbath the “right” way? We must use our intellect, guided by His Word and our relationship with Him, to determine the principles behind His instructions.

Really the only “black and white” instruction on the Sabbath is not to do any work. “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates” (Exodus 20:9, 10). God made it clear that the entire household should have the opportunity to be refreshed by a Sabbath rest.

Many ask then, and justifiably so, what is work? I mean, besides the obvious of going to your place of occupation and trying to earn a living; what about yard work? Housework? Meal preparation? Physical exertion, like hiking or swimming or rock climbing? The answer to these questions is less clear, but the principles seem to be:

The Sabbath is to be a “cessation from previous occupation”—an opportunity to rest from your normal day-to-day pursuits.

The Sabbath is an opportunity to rest from your material pursuits, thus demonstrating that you trust God will bless your efforts over the last six days, and provide for your material needs.

While the Scriptures do not command it in so many words, some are blessed by using Friday to prepare for the Sabbath: clean the house, shop for groceries, even prepare ahead some of the meals. This way, when Sabbath begins, all of those household things are taken care of and you may take a deep breath and fully indulge in a day of rest. On the flip side, viewing this goal as an absolute can result in pressure to do so much preparation that Friday becomes a burden! Sometimes an act of faith is manifested by allowing some of those things to wait until Sunday.

It’s worth noting that God did not rest at the end of creation because He was tired. Isaiah tells us, “the Creator of the ends of the earth neither faints nor is weary” (Isaiah 40:28). A trap that many well-meaning Sabbath-keepers fall into is burning the candle at both ends all week and then collapsing in exhaustion on Sabbath afternoons! Perhaps we would benefit even more from Sabbath if we maintained a Sabbath-rest mentality all week long, getting adequate rest each day so that we could more fully enjoy the benefit of fellowship with our Creator and fellow believers on the seventh day. This Sabbath-rest lifestyle likewise demonstrates our trust in God’s ability to provide for our material needs.

In Leviticus 23:3, God told the Israelites that Sabbath was “a day of sacred assembly.” Both Jesus (Luke 4:16) and the apostles (Acts 13:13, 14; 13:42-44; 16:13; 17:2; 18:4) made a habit of going to the synagogue or worshiping together on Sabbath. Church is an opportunity to worship God in a place designed for worship, to learn more of Him through the study of His Word, and to receive encouragement from a community of fellow believers. Paul exhorted, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25).

Like the Pharisees, some have made modern lists of Sabbath do’s and don’ts. And let’s be honest: A list is very attractive because then we don’t have to think anymore! Not only that, but the stricter my list, the more self-righteous I can feel when I compare it to yours. Additionally, it’s tempting to draw conclusions about Sabbath observance and say, “This is the way I’ll do it forever.” Again, I don’t have to think about it anymore. But God gave us the capacity to think and reason, and we should always be doing so, striving to learn more of His will.



When it comes to Sabbath observance, do what God tells you to do. Seek a personal relationship with Him and take care that you don’t fall mindlessly into habit and cultural traditions.

A final word on Sabbath observance: Because the Bible’s instructions on how to keep the Sabbath holy are just a little bit “gray,” your neighbor’s understanding may be different than yours. I bet you don’t want him forcing his understanding on you. “So in everything, do to others as you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12). Love your neighbor, encourage him in his walk with our Creator, and trust that God speaks to his heart just like He speaks to yours.

KEEP HOLY THE SABBATH

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WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD?

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD?

Jesus said to seek first the kingdom of God in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:33). The verse’s meaning is as direct as it sounds. We are to seek the things of God as a priority over the things of the world. Primarily, it means we are to seek the salvation that is inherent in the kingdom of God because it is of greater value than all the world’s riches. Does this mean that we should neglect the reasonable and daily duties that help sustain our lives? Certainly not. But for the Christian, there should be a difference in attitude toward them. If we are taking care of God’s business as a priority—seeking His salvation, living in obedience to Him, and sharing the good news of the kingdom with others—then He will take care of our business as He promised—and if that’s the arrangement, where is worrying?

But how do we know if we’re truly seeking God’s kingdom first? There are questions we can ask ourselves. “Where do I primarily spend my energies? Is all my time and money spent on goods and activities that will certainly perish, or in the services of God—the results of which live on for eternity?” Believers who have learned to truly put God first may then rest in this holy dynamic: “…and all these things will be given to you as well.”

God has promised to provide for His own, supplying every need (Philippians 4:19), but His idea of what we need is often different from ours, and His timing will only occasionally meet our expectations. For example, we may see our need as riches or advancement, but perhaps God knows that what truly we need is a time of poverty, loss or solitude. When this happens, we are in good company. God loved both Job and Elijah, but He allowed Satan to absolutely pound Job (all under His watchful eye), and He let that evil woman, Jezebel, break the spirit of His own prophet Elijah (Job 1–2; 1 Kings 18–19). In both cases, God followed these trials with restoration and sustenance.

These “negative” aspects of the kingdom run counter to a heresy which is gaining ground around the world, the so-called "prosperity" gospel. A growing number of false teachers are gathering followers under the message “God wants you to be rich!” But that philosophy is not the counsel of the Bible—and it is certainly not the counsel of Matthew 6:33, which is not a formula for gaining wealth. It is a description of how God works. Jesus taught that our focus should be away from this world—its status and its lying allurements—and placed upon the things of God’s kingdom.

THE SEVEN SPIRITS OF GOD

THE SEVEN SPIRITS OF GOD – WHO OR WHAT ARE THEY?

It is not possible to say with complete certainty what or who the Bible is referring to when it describes the "seven spirits of God" which are before God's throne (Revelation 1:4; 3:1; 4:5; 5:6). We know from the references that mention the seven spirits that they are "held" by Jesus Christ, and that they are likened to seven lamps burning near, or in front of, God's throne. They are also said to be "sent out into all the earth" and they are equated with the "seven eyes" of the Lamb of God.

These descriptions are mysterious and heavy with symbolic meaning, as is much of the Book of Revelation. However, there is no indication that these seven spirits of God do not exist. That is, they are more than simple metaphor. John refers to them as a literal entity, similar to the angels or the cherubim. One view is that the seven spirits are indeed angels of some kind. Another view takes a verse from Isaiah 11:2 and uses it to enumerate and name the seven spirits of God. Isaiah said: "And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord." Some scholars take this to possibly mean that the seven spirits of God are the Spirit of the Lord, the Spirit of Wisdom, the Spirit of Understanding, the Spirit of Counsel, the Spirit Might, the Spirit of Knowledge, and the Spirit of the Fear of the Lord.

The most widely held and plausible view of the seven spirits of God is that they are representative of the Holy Spirit in some way. Throughout the Bible, the number seven is symbolic of perfection, and saying that the Holy Spirit consists of seven spirits could be a way of representing that perfection. However, since the Bible does not give any details about the seven spirits of God, we cannot be dogmatic about them.

WHO IS THE JUDGE OF ALL THE EARTH?

Jesus is Truth and Wisdom to the utmost. He is also the Judge of all the earth. Each of us will stand before Jesus to be judged. He is the One who will say, heaven or hell for each of us.

There truly is no comparison between God and anything or anyone you could see with physical eyes. We are told the following scriptures:

John 4-24 "God is a Spirit; and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."

He is also spoken of as a consuming fire:

Hebrews 12-29 " For our God is a consuming fire."

Philippians 2-10-11 "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;" "And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

 Verses 18-31: In light of the sovereignty of God, human idolatry is pictured as utterly ridiculous. Through another series of rhetorical questions, the prophet lifts his readers into the very presence of God. He argues that no “graven image” (idol) shall compare to the “likeness” (demut, “image”), of God. The term is the same as that used (in Genesis 1:26), where man is created in the image and likeness of God as a personal and moral being.

NEW DAY

Psalm 51:17 "The sacrifices of God [are] a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."

Humble under a sense of sin; has true repentance for it; and is smitten, wounded, and broken with it. By the word of God in the hand of the Spirit, which is a hammer to break the rock in pieces. And that not merely in a legal, but in an evangelical way. Grieving for sin as committed against a God of love. Broken and melted down under a sense of it, in a view of pardoning grace. And mourning for it, while beholding a pierced and wounded Savior. The sacrifices of such a broken heart and contrite spirit are the sacrifices God desires, approves of, accepts of, and delights in.

"A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise": But regard, and receive with pleasure (see Psalm 102:17). The Lord binds up and heals such broken hearts and spirits (Psalm 147:3). He is nigh to such persons, looks upon them, has respect unto them, and comes and dwells among them (Psalm 34:18).

We see not only David in this, but everyone who has ever sinned and been truly sorry for their sin. Speaking of the broken spirit, is speaking of someone who realizes the terrible sin he has committed and knows there should not be forgiveness for such a terrible sin as this. A sin sick heart is the broken and contrite heart. True repentance begins in the spirit and heart of the sinner. The guilt from un-confessed sin can absolutely destroy you. You feel as if your heart will break in two. This is the only thing that will get forgiveness from God for sins as terrible as this. True repentance comes along with the broken heart.

SABBATH

REMEMBERING THE SABBATH

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

“I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.” Psalm 9:1-2

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God…For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” Exodus 20:8-11

Exodus 23:12 "Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest: that thine ox and thine ass may rest, and the son of thy handmaid, and the stranger, may be refreshed."

The law of the weekly Sabbath is here repeated in conjunction with that of the Sabbatical year, to mark the intimate connection between the two, which were parts of one and the same system. A system which culminated in the Jubilee year (Leviticus 25:8-13). Nothing is added to the requirements of the fourth commandment; but the merciful intention of the Sabbath day is more fully brought out. It is to be kept in order that the cattle may rest, and the slave and stranger may be refreshed.

This is just saying that Sabbath was for everything and everyone to rest.