Fruit. Gifts. We need them now. - Now Think On This by Steve Martin

Fruit. Gifts.

We need them now.

Now Think On This

Steve Martin

“And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.  Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven." (Luke 10:18-20, NKJV)

Raiders of the Lost Ark main man Dr. Indiana Jones came face to face with evil. The opponent had pulled out a sword to attack him. What did he do? He pulled out his gun. Game over.

Source: Screen shot from movie "Raider of the Lost Ark"

Our weapons of war are going to be needing much more power than the enemy has that we will confront. We are going to need to pull out the living God of Israel’s big guns.

In these last days I am not recommending that we all go out and get weapons that we can hold in our hands to defeat the enemy, seen and unseen. But I do know that when it comes to power against power, we better have the upper hand over the evil, wicked, “doesn’t play fair” enemy that we will, and even now do, confront in our lives and those around us.

We had better have in our possession the gifts of the Holy Spirit (Ruach HaKodesh) and the character to be able to handle and use them properly, by also having the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

 “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons.  But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.

But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.”

For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:4-13, NASU)

Shuk - open market in Jerusalem, Israel (Photo by Steve Martin 2013)

Confrontations are happening all around us in the heavenlies. The hateful enemy of the Lord Jesus Christ, Yeshua HaMashiach, is waging war against the saints of God. He is going all out to steal, kill and destroy. We need to be equipped to fight back, and to fight back hard. We need to be on the offense, and know how to use the weapons of war we have been given.

“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world” (1 Peter 5:8-10, NASU)

“Yeshua said to them again, “Yes, indeed! I tell you that I am the gate for the sheep. All those who have come before me have been thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the gate; if someone enters through me, he will be safe and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only in order to steal, kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, life in its fullest measure.”

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

(John 10: 7-12, Complete Jewish Bible)

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are promised by Jesus to be bestowed upon those baptized by the Holy Spirit. They weren’t just for the early church, the Apostles, nor the ones living at the time of Pentecost, Shavuot. The gifts are needed as much now, as then.

Has evil in the world ceased? Surely not. That is obvious to anyone alive today.

Then why would the Lord Jesus Christ cease giving His gifts to us, needed to stand against the evil that is all around us? He hasn’t.

There is a very definite reason why the gifts of the Holy Spirit are to be received and manifested now. We need them to spread the Gospel and confront the enemy in the process.

“For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.  For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard, God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.” (Hebrews 2:1-4, NASU)

Along with the gifts of the Holy Spirit is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Two sides of the same coin, for He is the same Spirit. The gifts give us the power; the fruit gives us the ability to use that power.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:22-25, NASU)

If my character has been formed by the working of the Holy Spirit within my spirit, which takes years (not an overnight phenomena), then I will be able to use the gifts as they were intended to be used.

The love and joy He has given us will give us the means to prophesy to another out of love and joy. The patience we possess will let us know when it is the right time to share the word of knowledge, and the word of wisdom. We just won’t run out and blab our mouth. His gentle guidance, honed by patience, will tell us the right time to share the right word. Self-control will also come into play.

The fruit of faithfulness, learned by seeing His faithful ways in our life, will keep us moving forward in demonstrating the gift of miracles, even when discouragement and weariness, weapons of the enemy, would tempt us to fall back and let another do it.

Fruit of the Holy Spirit, grown over time, gives us the ability to properly use the gifts of the Holy Spirit, given at a specific time. Both are much needed in our time.

More full grown fruit - Jerusalem, Israel open market, the Shuk (Photo by Steve Martin 2016)

If you don’t believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, I suggest you read the Bible without crossing out “outdated verses” or tearing out selected pages, to fit someone else’s inerrant theology.

Do you drive a car without an engine? Then why deny allowing the living God to teach us through the entire instruction book that He gave us, from Genesis to Revelation?

After all, Jesus Christ IS the same yesterday, today and forever.

“Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them.” (Hebrew 13:7-9, NKJV)

Prepare yourself for these last days with all that the Lord makes available to us, with His gifts of the Holy Spirit operating through the fruit of the Holy Spirit. You will be glad you did.

Now think on this,

Steve Martin

Founder

Love For His People, Inc.

 P.S. There are many good books and videos available on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, the gifts and fruit of the Ruach HaKodesh. I would suggest contacting my good friends at Derek Prince Ministries (with over 12 offices worldwide) for these subjects and a wide range of other great teaching, taught tremendously well by Derek. There are many free materials available on line, in many, many languages. Go here: Derek Prince Ministries

 P.S. I would be most grateful if you'd share this encouraging word with your family and friends. They might need it. You can easily use the social media icons below. Thanks! Steve

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Now Think On This - In the Year of our Lord 06.25.17 - #296 – “Fruit. Gifts. Need Them Now.” – Sunday, 8:24 am 

Meet the “Jewish Indiana Jones” Searching for the Lost Ark of the Covenant

By Lea Speyer January 22, 2015  BREAKING ISRAEL NEWS

“David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim.” (2 Samuel 6:1-23)

image: http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/indiana-jones.jpg

(Photo: Josh Hallett/ Wiki Commons)

The Ark of the Covenant has inspired a whole sector of humanity to chase after one of the world’s most treasured – and missing – items. In what is known today as the Lost Ark, the search continues for Judaism’s most holy and significant artifact of religious and historical importance.

Meet Harry Moskoff, the man who is becoming known as the “Jewish Indiana Jones.” A filmmaker and researcher by hobby and an IT specialist by trade, Moskoff has spent the last 25 years of his life dedicated to uncovering the location of the Lost Ark.

“Truth of the matter is, for the last 25 years, it’s been a personal hobby of mine to find the Makom Hamikdash, the exact location where the Jewish Temple once stood,” he told Breaking Israel News.

Inspired by the teachings of Maimonides, Moskoff has met with world renowned rabbinical and archaeological authorities in Israel as he comes closer to finding the Lost Ark.

God first commanded Moses to build the Ark of the Covenant in the Book of Exodus:

“Have them make an Ark of acacia wood – two and a half cubits long, a cubit and a half wide, and a cubit and a half high. Overlay it with pure gold, both inside and out, and make a gold molding around it…Then put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law, which I will give you.” (Exodus 25:10-16)

Plated with pure gold and mounted with two golden Cherubim, the Ark was carried by the Levites as the Jewish nation wandered in the desert for 40 years. Playing a significant role in various Biblical accounts, the Ark is described as having supernatural powers.

Eventually, the Ark came to rest in the First Temple, which was built by King Solomon. The Ark was placed in a special inner room known as the Holy of Holies, where the High Priest would enter once a year on Yom Kippur.

The Ark was last seen in 586 BCE when the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the First Temple. What happened to the Ark remains unknown until today.

image: http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/harry-moskoff-1.jpg

Harry Moskoff inside the cave where the Temple Scrolls were found in Qumran. (Photo: Courtesy)

Moskoff believes that he is getting closer to finding the true location of where the Ark is buried – right under the Temple Mount itself. His “Moskoff Theory” explains that where we believe the location of the Holy of Holies is – the current location of the Dome of the Rock – is in fact wrong.

Based on historical, archaeological, topographical and biblical evidence, the Moskoff Theory states (in simple terms) that when we find the true location of the Holy of Holies, the Ark of the Covenant may very well be found in a secret chamber built directly underneath, in a room built for it by King Solomon, who foresaw the destruction of the Temple. He Designed this underground Temple room to hide and protect the Ark for future generations until the advent of the Third Temple.

“Is the Dome of the Rock the real place of the Temple? Some Jewish sages argue that God would never put any building on top of the Holy of Holies,” Moskoff explains. “The Dome of the Rock is not on the Foundation Stone, but rather the highest point on Mount Moriah.”

Moskoff explained that after researching various theories by well-known historians who claim to know the exact location of the Jewish Temples and where various features, such as the altar, stood, he realized that “they all cancelled each other out.”

“I found in one theory that some things just didn’t make sense with the original topography of the mountain. It didn’t jive,” he said. “So I went to another famous theory and found that things didn’t make sense from a scriptural perspective.”

image: http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/wp-content/uploads/useful_banner_manager_banners/64-ARKReport1-BookReview-600WIDE.jpg

“The game changer that made me pursue with interest the Lost Ark was a book published in 1982 called ‘In the Shadow of the Temple’ by the great Israeli archaeologist Meir Ben-Dov. That book changed my whole perspective,” Moskoff said.

In his book, Ben-Dov recalls the discovery of a tunnel spoken about in Jewish scripture that was used by ritually impure priests. The tunnel is said to run directly under the Temple Mount.

“The tunnel ran to the south under the Mount into a ritual bath with a fire and bathroom. This place is described in the Talmud. He (Ben-Dov) found that tunnel and it exists today, described in the exact same way,” Moskoff said.

“This tunnel was blocked up 150 years ago and it is clear that the original finders wanted it to remain closed. Over 2,000 years old, the tunnel exists in complete form. If we go through that tunnel it would lead us to the exact location of the Temple because we know from scripture where it surfaced.”

“Following the tunnel would either prove or disprove the Moskoff Theory! It would tell us the exact place of the altar, Holy of Holies and the location of the Ark,” he explained.

“The archaeologists were not religious and it was a huge find,” he continued. “Once I read about this find, I thought how all the other theories were not possible with the direction of the tunnel. Something clicked and I realized that what we think about the Temple Mount today is not all correct.”

image: http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/harry-moskoff-mike-huckabee.jpg

Harry Moskoff with Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. (Photo: James D. Long)

While some may roll their eyes and say Moskoff is just another adventurer out for glory, this notion is far from the truth. He is the first person to ever come close to finding the Ark in a way that makes sense.

“I’ve spoken with other archaeologists and researchers. None of them have the scriptural sources or references where the holiest and most valuable item ever in history is located,” Moskoff stated. “None of them are looking for the Ark from a true Jewish, traditional, biblical perspective combining all the sources.”

“Everyone is looking in Ethiopia and other places where there are no real proofs as to the location of the Ark.”

When asked about the importance of his quest, Moskoff explained his belief that in today’s world, with the ­­­­worsening geopolitical situation surrounding Jerusalem, finding the Ark would “validate and strengthen the Jewish connection and rights to Jerusalem.”

“I discovered that when talking about the Ark, you can’t not talk about what is happening in Israel today. Every day, Jerusalem and the Temple Mount are in the headlines. By discovering the Ark and even other Temple related artifacts, we can have an effect on the validation of the Jewish connection to Jerusalem,” he said.

Moskoff has become one of the world’s foremost experts on the Ark of the Covenant. Explaining in further detail the “Moskoff Theory,” Judaism’s Indiana Jones published “The A.R.K. Report” and an accompanying documentary which further features how Moskoff is reaching new levels of understanding about the Lost Ark.

Backed by a historical and biblical understanding, Moskoff is narrowing the gap between an important part of Jewish history and modern times. “The idea is to raise awareness and inspire people. This is just the beginning for Israel,” he said.

“In the big picture of Jewish history, things are speaking up and coming to a close. We can’t deny it. Things are happening now to the Jewish people and I want to tell people, show people, that there is a great and holy future for Israel.”

LISTEN BELOW: Is the Ark of the Covenant Buried Deep Underground?

image: http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/VOI-ark.png

Read more at http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/28030/meet-the-jewish-indiana-jones-searching-for-the-lost-ark-of-the-covenant-jerusalem/#FVQKHGwxlARX4LMO.99

The Jewish "Indiana Jones" ✡ "You Shall Place in the Ark"

You shall place in the Ark the Testimonial-tablets that I shall give you. EXODUS (25:16)   וְנָתַתָּ אֶל הָאָרֹן אֵת הָעֵדֻת אֲשֶׁר אֶתֵּן אֵלֶיךָ שמות כה:טז v'-na-ta-ta el ha-a-ron ayt ha-ay-dut a-sher e-tayn ay-le-kha

Shabbat Inspiration This week's Torah portion (Exodus 25-27:19) describes the glorious Ark of the Covenant into which the two tablets from Sinai would be placed. In Hebrew, the name of the Ark/אָרון comes from the word "light"/אורה for it contained the spiritual light of the world. The Ark disappeared after the First Temple's destruction, and many believe it is in a secret chamber built deep underground by King Solomon, who foresaw the destruction and sought to protect the Ark for future generations. Learn more in the Israel Bible: the Five Books of Moses, with full Hebrew and English text and inspiring commentary.   Get the Israel Bible: the Five Books of Moses »  Stand Strong for Israel A young Christian musician stands strong in his support of Israel in this fabulous music video called "I Believe."   Watch here » Meet the Jewish Indiana Jones Harry Moskoff has spent the last 25 years of his life dedicated to uncovering the location of the Lost Ark, and may be closer than anyone could have imagined.   Read more » The Israel Bible Boxed Set This boxed set collects the Five Books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In Jewish tradition, these first five books differ from the rest of the Bible in that they were dictated by God on Mount Sinai, and therefore are considered to have a special status within the holy books. Get this Great Deal » Today's Israel Photo Rebecca Kowalsky's photo of the southern wall excavations in the Old City of Jerusalem. The southern wall was a place from which Jews ascended to the Temple Mount in the times of the Second Temple. See more photos by Rebecca Kowalsky » Thank You Today's Scenes and Inspiration is sponsored by Ronald Williams from Granite Bay, California. Toda Raba!   Sponsor a day » “Very Grateful for all the Emails” It’s great to hear from so many of you - stay in touch and let us know where in the world you are enjoying Israel365!   Stay in Touch » Hi, I'm very grateful for all the emails that I have received regularly from you and your team. It's a great privilege to be informed about so many aspects of Jewish history and civilization and be permanently connected with the Land of Israel. Congratulations for Israel365's outstanding accomplishments and your total dedication. Dana S Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Tuly Weisz RabbiTuly@Israel365.com

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