Dear Beloved,
I love you! I shed my own blood for you to make you
clean.
You are clean now, so believe that it is true.
You are lovely in my eyes, and I created you to be just
as you are.
Do not criticize yourself or get down for not being
perfect in your own eyes.
This leads only to frustration. I want you to trust Me -
one step one day at a time. Dwell in My power and in My love and
be free!
Be yourself! Don't allow other people to run you.
I will guide you, if you let Me. Be aware of My presence
in everything.
I give you patience, love, joy, peace and life. Look to
Me for your answers.
I am your shepherd and will lead you. Follow me only! Do
not ever forget this.
Listen to Me and I will tell you My will.
Let My love flow from you and spill over to all you
touch.
Do not be concerned with yourself. You are My
responsibility. I will change you,
and you will hardly know it is happening. You are to love yourself and love others simply because I love you.
Take your eyes off yourself! Look only at Me!
I change ... I create ..., but not when you are trying. I
won't fight your efforts.
You are Mine. Let Me give you joy, peace, and kindness.
No one else can!
Love,
Jesus
From book of Josephus, a man who was alive the same time Jesus was on the earth [Not knowing how true it is]. Think like it fits a lot of the pictures that we see of Jesus.
From a letter written by Roman Publius to the Emperor Tiberius, who was the Ceaser about the second or third after Agustus, who was the Ceaser at the time Christ was born. It was written to the Roman Emperor.
There lives at this time in Judea a man of Singular virtue, whose name is Jesus Christ. Whom the Barbarians esteemed as a Prophet. But His followers love and adore Him, as the off spring of the immortal God. He calls back the dead from the grave and heals all sorts of diseases with a word or a touch.
He is a tall man, well shaped and of amenable and revered aspect. His hair color that can hardly be matched, falling into graceful curls waving about and very agreeably couching upon His shoulders, parted on the crown of His head, running as a stream to the front with the fashion of the Nazarites.
His forehead high, large and imposing. His cheeks without spot or wrinkle.
Beautiful with a lovely red. His nose and mouth formed with exquisite symmetry. His beard,(and of a solor suitable to His hair) reaching below his chin and parted in the middle.
His eyes bright blue, clear, serene look innocent, dignified, manly, mature.
In proportion of the body most perfect, and captivating. His arms and hands delectable to behold.
He rebukes with majesty, councils with mildness. His whole address, whether in word of deed being eloquent and grave.
He is temperate, modest and wise. A man for His extraordinary beauty and divine perfection, surpassing the children of men in every sense.
At the University of Chicago Divinity School each year they have what is called "Baptist Day". It is a day when all the Baptists in the area are invited to the school because they want the Baptist dollars to keep coming in. On this day each one is to bring a lunch to be eaten outdoors in a grassy picnic area. Every "Baptist Day" the school would invite one of the greatest minds to lecture in the theological education center. One year they invited Dr.Paul Tillich. Dr. Tillich spoke for two and one-half hours proving that the resurrection of Jesus was false. He quoted scholar after scholar and book after book. He concluded that since there was no such thing as the historical resurrection the religious tradition of the church was groundless, emotional mumbo-jumbo, because it was based on a relationship with a risen Jesus, who, in fact, never rose from the dead in any literal sense. He then asked if there were any questions.
After about 30 seconds, an old, dark skinned preacher with a head of short-cropped, woolly white hair stood up in the back of the auditorium.
Docta Tillich, I got one question, he said as all eyes turned toward him.
He reached into his sack lunch and pulled out an apple and began eating it. Docta Tillich ... CRUNCH, MUNCH ... My question is a simple question, CRUNCH, MUNCH ...Now, I ain't never read them books you read...
CRUNCH, MUNCH ...and I can't recite the Scriptures in the original Greek ... CRUNCH, MUNCH ...I don't know nothin' about Niebuhr and Heidegger ... CRUNCH, MUNCH ...He finished the apple. All I wanna know is: This apple I just ate,------was it bitter or sweet?
Dr. Tillich paused for a moment and answered in exemplary scholarly fashion: I cannot possibly answer that question, for I haven't tasted your apple.
The white-haired preacher dropped the core of his apple into his crumpled paper bag, looked up at Dr. Tillich and said calmly, Neither have you tasted my Jesus.
The 1,000 plus in attendance could not contain themselves. The auditorium erupted with applause and cheers. Dr.Tillich thanked his audience and promptly left the platform.
Have you tasted Jesus? In Psalms 34:8 we read: Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.
If you have, rejoice in the hope of the resurrection that your faith in Him brings.
How could Maria bore a child without a father? There are 4 facts in bearing a child:
Is there any man born not from a man
and not
from a woman too?
This happened to Adam when he was created by God.
Adam was called the son of God.
Is there any man born from a man, but not
from a woman?
This happened to Eve when God created her out of
the rib of Adam.
Is there any man born from a man and from
a woman too?
This is happening to every one today normally.
Is there any man born not from a man, but
only from a woman?
This happened to Jesus when he was born from
Maria.
If you know the first three facts are true, how could you deny the forth, by saying it's impossible, is it too difficult for God?
Don't just consider that bearing a child is only in relation between husband and wife, it's a narrow and dirty thought. You are not like that, are you?
I told the following in June 1983, as a testimony to my church and I wrote about it in our church newspaper at the same time. I was a newcomer to the church and I thought they would believe and understand and tell (*me*) what happened. A portion related here for you ---
I was driving along at dusk on that day in June 1983, with my (6 l/2 yrs. At that time) young daughter. I was concerned about her health as I had to take her again to a doctor's office. It had rained that evening on my way home from work, but the sun was shining very bright. It was a strange kind of day. A rainbow came out during the rain. When I pulled up to my house, the rainbow was over my house, which was some distance away from where I had first seen it. Well to continue, it had stopped raining but it was dusky/smoky gray, dark gray in color. While driving my eyes suddenly shifted up to a place where there was a whole string of telephone poles with wire for quite a distance before me (this was not a vision, this was a real place, since cut down). But above those poles ---- high up in the sky as if a projector had been projected showing a picture. But no projector could ever project anything that far --- high up in the sky! At first I did not believe I was seeing what I was looking at. My first thought was, I have to go get my family, because the world must be coming to an end. I did not know whether to laugh or to cry. My head bowed down. When I looked up again. It was just as I had seen. The face of the Lord Jesus!!! I screamed out in that car so loud while turning in my daughter's direction ---- "Look at that face!" Look at that face!" He was not looking *at* me. It was a profile. I saw and wanted to reach up and touch that perfect little mouth. His face!
His face! But quietly in my mind I heard, "Don't be afraid. Nothing and no one will hurt you." My daughter did not see it, because when I screamed, she had put her fingers in both ears and was looking bewildered in *my* direction instead of where I was looking. I think other cars were on that same road, but no one else has ever related this before or since. Maybe they did not see what I saw. By the time I turned the corner and stopped my car to show my daughter, He had disappeared. But everything He has promised, He has done and continues to do in my life. He touched me on that road. And I found out why it was I saw Him through prayer. I wrote that to tell the church that God is real. And I asked them the questions, "What would you do if you saw the face of Jesus?" "Would you tell anybody? Would you be embarrassed? Disbelieving? Ashamed? Fearful? Would you keep it to yourself so people would not believe you were crazy? Well they did not believe me. They called me crazy. And to this day, they still do not understand through all of the confirmations. But I held fast, because as I told them, I know what I saw. I just did not know how He got there? I will never, ever forget it! You are the only one(s) I have told this to in a very long time, but this is a small part of my testimony of my walk with the Lord.
I do not know where that letter (above) came from, but who else could know enough about it to talk about "that exquisite nose and mouth." That is what convinced me. He had a sweet smile that was not really a smile, but a smile nevertheless (if you know what I mean). It was Powerful. And ever since The Lord called me to preach, I have remained true to that calling through great odds of being a woman and "foolish" in the eyes of the world's *great* preachers. But that is o.k., because it is God that I desire to be well pleased with me for being committed to the hard task He has given me to do.
God's peace and power,
Rev. L. Dowell
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Shoulder slashed 39X
Face slapped
Head crowned with spikes
Hands nailed
Feet nailed
Belly pierced
Isaiah 53.3-5:
3He was despised and rejected and forsaken by men, a Man of sorrows and pains, and
acquainted with grief and sickness; and like One from Whom men hide their faces He was
despised, and we did not appreciate His worth or have any esteem for Him. (Ps 2.2)
4Surely He has borne our griefs (sicknesses, weaknesses, and distresses) and carried our sorrows and pains [of punishment], yet we [ignorantly] considered Him
stricken, smitten, and afflicted by God [as if with leprosy]. [Matt 8.17]
5But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that
wounded] Him we are healed and made whole. (Is 53.6,12)
Jesus was died for you! Will you receive Him? Will you believe in Him?
The complete record:
Confucius' tomb --> occupied
Buddha's tomb --> occupied
Mohammed's tomb --> occupied
Jesus' tomb --> EMPTY
When I returned and had the
pictures developed, this picture of Jesus was in the
group of pictures, and at first I felt that they got
someone else's picture mixed up with mine, for I told my
husband I didn't take the picture or even remember seeing
a picture like this. We checked the negative, and there
it was on the strip of negative.
I was very confused, especially not remembering where I could possibly have taken this picture, so I took it to the priest I had been with, and he stated he had been in the Holy Land many times and had never seen this picture there.
It was then shown to a priest in our area who travels and studies in the Holy Land. He also said he had never come across this picture there. The agency I traveled with then took the picture to N.Y. to people that study paintings and Fresco, and they stated that this picture was not in the Holy Land.
I returned three times after I received the picture, and each year searched and asked every one I could talk to as to where this picture might be and no one knew. The story of the picture started to spread when some of my friends knew I was searching with no questions being answered.
My husband and I felt the beauty of the picture and wanted to share it with people as our ministry being we were Secular Franciscans. We started to get prints made, gave them out, and many beautiful things happened even though we did not tell the story behind the picture.
I hesitated to tell the story because I wanted this picture to be investigated more thoroughly. To me, this is all mind boggling, especially not to remember taking this picture. I felt I had a lapse of memory or time. But how could one forget taking a picture so beautiful?
The picture is now all over the world and USA. I just wish that people would not be interested in where the picture came from, but look at the beauty and majesty of Christ. He is a portrait of love. It shows in this picture.
Our desire was to bring Christ to people through this picture, and as you can see, there is not much of a story behind the picture.
I make no claims as to this being a miracle as some people are calling it. I only know that it has brought many people peace even when they knew nothing about the picture, and I thank God for that. It is not important as to who took the picture, or how it came about. What is important is the Face of Christ.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Jackie Haas
I remember this painting of Jesus in a garden, and He's knocking on what looks to be a big oak door. Holman Hunt painted it and when he was ready to unveil it, he called his friends and family together.
It was quiet as each person stood there. Then, people began to comment on what impressed them. But one friend said hesitantly, "Uh, Holman, it's a beautiful painting. But, well, didn't you forget something ?"
"What did I forget ?" The friend said,
"The handle. There's no handle on the door."
To which the artist simply replied, "Oh ! No, I didn't forget the handle. When Jesus knocks on the door of your heart, the handle's on the INSIDE."
This painting was based on Jesus' own words in Revelation 3.20. It was a statement made originally to believers who had left Jesus out.
"Here I am ! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in."
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