Category: teachers

Later that day, two of Jesus’ followers were going to a nearby town. As they walked, they talked about the death of Jesus and how the women said he was alive again. They wondered if Jesus really was the Messiah.

Jesus came up and started walking with them, but they did not recognize him. He asked what they were talking about, and they told him about all the terrible things that had happened during the last few days. They thought he was a stranger who had not heard about it.

Let us not be diverted from the path by the cares and distractions of this world but allow God to reveal Himself however He wants to, lest we miss Him in our midst.

Then Jesus explained to them what God’s Word says about the Messiah. He reminded them that the prophets said the Messiah would suffer and be killed, but would rise again on the third day. When they arrived at the town where they were going, it was almost night.

Luke 24:28-29: “And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further.But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them”.
Salvation is now. Don’t miss your opportunity. Jesus would have passed on only they invited Him to stay. Jesus is a gentleman. He will not force Himself in where He is not wanted.

The two men invited Jesus to stay with them, so he did. Before they ate, Jesus picked up a loaf of bread, thanked God for it, then broke it. Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized that he was Jesus. At that moment, he disappeared.

The two men said to each other, “Our hearts were burning when he explained God’s Word to us!” Immediately, they returned to Jerusalem and told the disciples, “Jesus is alive! We have seen him!”

The disciples were still gathered, hiding in the room.
Suddenly, Jesus appeared! The disciples thought he was a ghost, but Jesus said, “Peace to you! Why are you afraid and doubting? Look at my hands and feet. Ghosts do not have bodies like I do.” To show he was not a ghost, he asked for a piece of cooked fish and ate it.

“I told you that everything written about me in God’s Word must be fulfilled,” Jesus said. Then he opened their minds so they could understand God’s Word. He said, “It was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer, die, and rise from the dead on the third day.”

The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ was necessary in order to 1) make the forgiveness of sins possible 2) fulfill the biblical prophecies of the resurrection (Luke 24:45,46)  3) make justification of sinners possible (Rom. 4:25; 8:34) 4) lay a solid foundation for the Christian’s hope (1 Cor 15:19). Christ’s resurrection was wrought by the power of God (Acts 2:24; Rom. 8:11; Eph.1:19, 20) and by Christ Himself (John 2:19, 10:18).

“It was also written that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed to all people groups, starting in Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”

During the next forty days, Jesus appeared to his disciples and followers many times. Once, he even appeared to more than 500 people at the same time! He proved to his disciples in many ways that he was alive, and he taught them about the Kingdom of God.

At the end of the forty days, Jesus said to his disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. So GO, make disciples of all people groups by baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and by teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

Mark 16:15-18. “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover”. 

Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Matt. 7:20 (KJV)

“Remember, I will be with you always. Stay in Jerusalem until you receive power from above.” Then Jesus was taken up to heaven, and a cloud hid him from their sight. Jesus sat down at the right hand of God to rule over all things.

The evidence for the resurrection of Jesus is so solid that if it were taken to a court of law today, the judge and jury would be forced to admit it’s true…based on the indisputable facts:
• The tomb was (and still is) empty.
• Early resurrection testimony: 540+ eyewitnesses to  Jesus.
• Enemy testimony: Roman guards, James & Saul.
• Multiple, independent, eyewitness sources (8-9).   
• Extra-biblical references (10 ancient sources*).
• Early church explosion (no other explanation).
• Transformed lives of disciples + conversion of Paul & James.
• 456 prophecies fulfilled perfectly: Jesus’ birth,  death & resurrection.
* Note: The Roman Empire was one of the most powerful of all time, yet the emperor during the time that Jesus lived is mentioned in only 8 sources. Jesus? 10.
His existence and accomplishments are historical facts that can’t be denied.

To settle the question: IS JESUS GOD?
Click here.

Five Fold Ministry Ireland

After Jesus was crucified, the unbelieving Jewish leaders said to Pilate, “That liar, Jesus, said he would rise from the dead after three days. The tomb must be guarded so that his disciples do not steal the body and then say he has risen from the dead.”

Pilate said, “Make the tomb as secure as you can.” So they sealed the stone at the entrance of the tomb and put soldiers there to make sure no one could steal the body.

The day after Jesus was buried was a Sabbath, a day of rest. Very early on the morning after the Sabbath, several women including Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to Jesus’ tomb to put more burial spices on his body.

Full credit must be given to these brave and dedicated vessels.It was women who stood at the cross (plus John) while the rest of the disciples scattered to save themselves. It was women who went to the tomb even though it was sealed and barred with a huge stone. They went anyway. It was women who went to the tomb even though it was guarded by soldiers of the Roman Army who had just demonstrated their sadistic brutality. They went anyway.

Where were the brave men who had loudly talked about their loyalty to Jesus? Hiding. Cowering behind the locked door of the upper room. And when the women revealed their joyous news, did they believe? No, they ran to check. After all, how could Jesus reveal His resurrection from the dead to a woman, first? They forget it was a woman who had the most important job in scriptures (after Jesus), the birth of the Messiah.

Now to be fair to the men…… AFTER they had received power from on high, after they had received the Holy Spirit as promised by Jesus.. they were transformed into real men of God. Indeed we should ponder on the proof of the resurrection – not on what the witnesses saw but in how they responded to what they saw. Not once did a single disciple or witness to Jesus’ resurrection change their story. In fact, many died a brutal death for the truth they witnessed personally. People will die for something they believe to be true, but no one will ever die for something they know is a lie. So the disciples by the Grace and Power of the Holy Spirit, bravely went out and turned the world upside down. A thought! If they had not gone out… where would you and I be today?

There was a great earthquake. An angel of the Lord appeared from heaven, as bright as lightning. He rolled away the stone that was covering the entrance to the tomb and sat on it. The soldiers guarding the tomb were terrified and fell to the ground like dead men.

In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again”. Then they remembered His words. Luke 24: 5-8 kjv.

The angel told the women, “Do not be afraid. Jesus is not here. He has risen from the dead, just like he said he would! Look in the tomb and see.” The women looked into the tomb and saw where Jesus had been lying. His body was not there!

Then the angel told the women, “Tell the disciples that Jesus has risen from the dead and is going before you into Galilee.”

The women were full of fear and great joy. They ran to tell the disciples the good news.

On the way, Jesus appeared to them, and they worshiped him. Jesus said, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my disciples that I will see them in Galilee.

NEXT…

Five Fold Ministry Ireland

One day, Jesus and his disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee to the country of the Gerasenes.

When they reached the other side, a man with an evil spirit came running up to Jesus.

This man was so strong that nobody could hold him down. People had even used chains to lock him up, but he kept breaking them.

He lived among the tombs in the area. Day and night this man would scream. He wore no clothes and cut himself repeatedly with stones. When the man came to Jesus, he fell on his knees in front of him. Jesus said, “Come out of the man, you evil spirit!”

The man with the evil spirit cried out in a loud voice and said, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Please do not torture me!” Then Jesus asked the man, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” (A legion was a group of up to 6,000 soldiers.) It is interesting that the evil spirits knew who Jesus was but the people didn’t.

The evil spirits begged Jesus, “Please do not send us out of this area!” There was a herd of pigs feeding on a nearby hill. So, the evil spirits begged Jesus, “Please send us into the pigs instead!” Jesus said, “Go!”

The evil spirits came out of the man and entered the pigs. The pigs ran down a steep bank into the sea and drowned. There were about 2,000 pigs in the herd. (It’s not stated if the owners of the unclean animals were Jewish).
When the people taking care of the pigs saw what happened, they ran and told everyone what Jesus had done. All the people came from the town and saw the man who used to have the evil spirits. He was sitting down, wearing clothes, and acting like a normal person.

The people were very afraid and asked Jesus to leave. So Jesus got into the boat and prepared to leave. The man who had been healed begged to go along with Jesus.

But Jesus said to him, “Go home and tell your friends and family how much God has done for you and how He has had mercy on you.”

So the man went away and told everyone about what Jesus had done for him. Everyone who heard his story was filled with wonder and amazement.

Jesus returned to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. A large crowd gathered around him and pressed in on him. In the crowd was a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. She had spent all her money on doctors trying to get better, but she only got worse.

She heard how Jesus had healed many sick people and thought to herself, “If I only touch Jesus’ clothes, then I, too, will be healed!” She came up behind Jesus and touched his clothes. As soon as she touched Jesus, the bleeding stopped!

Immediately Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. So he turned around and asked, “Who touched me?” The disciples replied, “Jesus, there are many people crowding around you and bumping into you. How can you ask, ‘Who touched me?’”

The woman fell on her knees before Jesus, shaking and very afraid. Then she told the whole truth. Jesus said to her, “Your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be healed of your sickness.” 

Five Fold Ministry Ireland

More than 400 years after the last prophet spoke to the Jews, an angel appeared to an old priest named Zechariah. He was a godly man, but his wife, Elizabeth, could not have any children.

The angel said to Zechariah, “Your wife will have a son. You will name him John. He will be the great prophet that comes before the Messiah!” Zechariah responded, “My wife and I are too old to have children! How will I know this will happen?” The angel answered, “I was sent by God to bring you this good news. Because you did not believe me, you will not be able to speak until the child is born.” Immediately, Zechariah was unable to speak. Then the angel left. Zechariah returned home, and his wife became pregnant.

When Elizabeth was six months pregnant, the same angel appeared to Elizabeth’s relative, whose name was Mary. She was a virgin and was betrothed to a man named Joseph. The angel said, “You will become pregnant and give birth to a son.”
The angel continued, “You are to name him Jesus. He will be the Messiah!” Mary replied, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel explained, “The Holy Spirit will come over you, and you will conceive. So your son will be called the Son of the Most High God.” 

Not long after this, Mary went and visited Elizabeth. As soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s baby jumped inside her. The women rejoiced together about what God had done for them. After visiting for three months, Mary returned home.

After Elizabeth gave birth to her baby boy, they named him John as the angel commanded. Then God allowed Zechariah to speak again. He said, “Praise God, because He has remembered His people! You, my son, will be called the prophet of the Most High God! You will prepare the way for the Messiah!”

Five Fold Ministry Ireland

Our God is a faithful God. He would not let his just and righteous servant die until as promised he saw the salvation of the world.

25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,

28 Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,
29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word
30 For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
32 A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.

33 And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him.
34 And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against;
35 (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.
36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; 37 And she was a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.38 And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.

39 And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city Nazareth.
40 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.

Luke 2:25-40 (KJV)

www.fivefoldministryireland.com

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Paul to the Churches of America

The STORM is coming

“You have put Me out of congress, out of your schools, even out of your churches.

You have compromised My word, seeking the favour of man rather than My written word. You have compromised My gospel of truth to a gospel of compromise.

You asked for My hand but never My heart. You asked for what you want but never what I want. You have become selfish and self-centred and your ways are unholy. You break all of My laws yet constantly you want My blessings but you don’t want to be a blessing to anyone other than yourself. You have no concern for the broken-hearted, the lonely and the sick. You do not want to tell anyone or very few about My love or what I did on Calvary for them. You have become a social club, more interested in entertaining yourself but no interest in reaching the lost and the lonely who do not know Me.

Listen carefully to My next words….:

Unless you repent of your evil ways and seek My heart and My forgiveness, I will pour out My wrath upon you. Your winter will consist of snowstorms, of sleet, of hurricanes, even earthquakes.….. like never before seen in your country. And maybe then and only then will I get your attention.

The times now are dark and evil but My light is coming to dispel this darkness. My gospel is coming and it is a gospel of truth which is a gospel of Calvary – what I did for this world to save it from disaster. You have to stop having social gatherings and have real worship when you come before Me with a pure heart and clean hands. Then and only then will I hear your supplications and prayers. I have blessed this country for so long and they have accepted My blessing as a natural experience but now I am withdrawing it. You will have to seek it with all of your hearts”.

This is a letter given to me by God to give to you and the American Churches – which I will do and it is all about repentance. It is a strong letter but I suggest you listen. We have a very strong God. Read about Israel who didn’t listen.

Your brother-in-Christ,

Paul .

www.fivefoldministryireland.com

October 04, 2012.

IF my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14