The Rapture Force

The Word is a Light, and cuts like a Sword thru the Darkness

Aug-30-10

Charity Begins At Home

posted by PrayerWarrior

One of the passages that give rise to the maxim “Charity begins at home” is 1 Timothy 5:8 – But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (Emphasis mine) Now I will show the verse before it so there is no mistaking the meaning of this verse.7 Give these instructions to the church so that no one will be open to criticism. Notice how the NLT says this to the church? What is home? Home is the place we live, home can be work. When we are out of our office and away at another office,and someone asks us for something we do not have with us, we say, oh well I will have to send you that info once I get back to my home office. Meaning the office which we are based out of.

Our church is also called our home church. So if church is also considered our home and our church family is there, shouldn’t our home church also provide (within their means of course) for those who have been faithfully going to the church, tithing at this church, serving at this church? So many churches are looking to provide for the community they are based out of, but neglect their parishioners. I would think that the church one goes to, could and should hopefully, be able to be depended on to help them to eat, especially when there are children involved.

It is amazing to me that some people in some churches tell their parishioners, wow you know that’s too bad that your going through this, give us more money and we will help the community, and God will take care of you. Just pray more and work harder for the Lord, and you will be fine. Meanwhile they are going hungry and going to be living on the streets any moment. Where is the charity in their own house? Charity starts in the home, and then radiates outward from there. I have no problem with churches helping out their community, but only after the people in their own house are eating and clothed and have a roof over their head.

Why is it we do not see our churches doing a special offering from those who have, to give to those who do not have, within their own house? Things are only going to be getting much worse, and unfortunately prosperity preaching does not work. I heard it said by one of my favorite women preachers, that prosperity preaching only works in the United states. That it does not work in other countries, and the folks In other countries would scoff and walk away, if you told them to give more, when they have nothing to begin with. Why is it even being preached here in the USA? We are going to, so very soon, be in the same exact boat as all other countries. Poor and hurting and broken.

I can tell you that these churches who keep demanding more and more money from their parishioners, and who do not help their parishioners either, will lose all of their people. Let me ask, what good is a church if the people have all left? It is not the building nor the leaders that make a church, but the very people who call that church home.

I have also seen many families who are completely uncharitable to one another. Husbands and wives totally and completely lacking in any charity one towards the other. Allowing their adult children to go without because well they made their own bed let them lay in it. Allowing their grandchildren to go without. Charity begins at home, means a whole lot more than just loving them. Also children allowing their parents who have nothing, to go without. Satan is working over time to divide families and we are letting him. There is a very real battle going on these days, and we are allowing satan to win. Look at divorce rates and marriages that are falling apart within churches. Satan is attacking us through one another and no one even seems to see this, or to care.

The Lord warns us in His word, And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. Matthew 24:12 Then also in 2 Timothy 3:2-5 we are told, 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!

Children disrespecting parents and parents being rotten to their kids. It is an epidemic. Charity does not mean only to give but Paul meant it in (1 Corinthians 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity,) as love. We know according to God the greatest of these is love. Love can conquer all things great and small. Especially loving one another can conquer satan. It can stop him in his tracks from doing damage to us, and our loved ones.

We cannot allow our love for one another as well as the body of Christ to grow cold. We must love one another and be strong together. Remember united we stand divided we fall? Well it is so true!! In every way it is true. Our government is now working openly to divide the people of this country. The greatest country on earth is going to fall and break, and it is going to be one of the worst countries in the world. All because we have forgotten what true charity is. We must use our faith,and never lose our hope, and especially never stop giving to each other, and loving one another.

When the New Testament saints started to build the church, (not the building, but the people) everyone pooled their belongings, and whatever was left over, after everyone ate, and had their needs met, then they went and did what they could for others. Only though if they came to Christ. They were a community. In this day and age if a church takes care of people to bring them into the church, and then does nothing to sustain them further, once they have them to count as another body, they will lose those people too. I do not believe for a moment that God is looking for numbers as much as he is looking for those who will keep growing, and stay on the straight and narrow path. If a church is consumed with winning more folks to their church, just for the body count, and does not worry about maintaining a relationship with those already there, they will lose those parishioners as well.

How much are you giving, in your work,in your home and in your church? What is your giving going to? Is it going to your family members? Your coworkers, or the actual members of your home church? We need to make sure those we love, and whom we are brothers and sisters with, are being cared for. I heard a preaching about 3 months ago now that blew me away, and made me want to puke on the preachers head. This preacher said the sign of a good Christian is someone who increases their tithe by 10% every year, until they are giving 90% of their earnings. I mean how disgusting and hungry for money can one be? If God wanted more than 10% of our earnings He would have certainly said so!!

Another thing I need to say here is this. Prosperity preaching is heresy. God says it is harder for a rich man to get to heaven than it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. Those odds are impossible. So how is it that people are buying this garbage? How can anyone think God wants them to be rich? Basically it is like people are saying God lied to you in the bible, when they tell you He wants you to be rich. Why with one verse would He say it is impossible basically for a rich man to receive eternity and then tell you He wants you to be rich? Wouldn’t that in essence be Him saying,I don’t want anyone coming to eternity?

In our hardships is where strength is built. God Bless you all and keep you ever charitable and loving towards one another. Love in Christ Jesus, Tammy

Feb-9-10

Why I Evangelize The Way I Do

posted by PrayerWarrior

I do not feel the need to ever make someone come to the Lord through fear and burning. I could not would not lead someone to the Lord by telling them they are going straight to hell unless they repent and turn to the Lord. My way of evangelizing is simply through the witness of my life. I want people to be jealous and zealous for the Lord. Meaning I want them to come to the Lord because they are so jealous of what is inside me, and have to have that for themselves.

I want people to come to the Lord and want to serve Him zealously,with fire in their veins and in their heart. If one comes to the Lord only out of fear, without the Love of God, then I fear that they will adhere more to the law, than to have the Holy spirit, leading them teaching them, and bringing them along. We who have been Christians for a while, know that to follow the law in all of its form, is to stumble and fall. Then one feels that there is nothing but condemnation, and We know that there is no condemnation for those who love the Lord. Romans 8:1There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. See walking after the spirit brings no condemnation,it does not say following the laws,it says following after the Spirit.

If your telling them that they must turn or they will burn in hell, what good is it doing them, or yourself? Some people think this is the only way to bring folks to the Lord, but I can tell you from experience, you bring more flies with honey, than you do with vinegar. I share how God has changed my life. I share how when I am going through tough times the Lord sees me through it. I share with them the blessings that come from walking after the Holy Spirit. I share uplifting verses that bring great peace to a hurting and or sorrowful heart.

Romans 11:14 if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them. Now Paul was talking to the gentiles about the Jews in this particular verse, but I feel we can use it too, to provoke people to jealousy, to want what we have. Which is peace and joy even in the midst of our hardest most trying times. Our witness should be always present no matter our circumstances. We should be praising God in the midst of our sorrow and tests and trials. Letting the world know that strength comes to us, through our sovereign, reining Lord. That His love is never ending, and even better for those who love Him back. God loves each and every person on this earth. He does not want us tearing people apart, and pointing out all of their wrong doings. No He wants to woo them and pursue them and show them His everlasting love.

Not long ago, during some of the hardest times I have had in my married life,the Lord had me speak to a friend who was broken and hurting to the very depths of her soul. During the times that she and I spoke, not once did the Lord give me one single condemning verse to share with her. He gave me every verse that would build her up, and strengthen her, and show her God’s absolute love for her. I am so happy to say that the Lord used me to bring this friend to him. God said Tammy I want her, the very first time we spoke, after about 25 years of not seeing one another. Then He gave me every word to speak into her life,to show her that yes God is there waiting for you to give it all to Him. Give Him your hurt your pain and sorrow. Show your loved ones, your friends,coworkers God’s love, not His wrath. The truth is God does not want to share His wrath with anyone other than satan.

I praise God for showing me that the world is full of hurting broken people and that He wants to turn broken into beautiful. Let us all bring the hurting aching, sorrow filled people to the Lord, with love and encouragement. No matter how tempting it may sometimes be to say to someone who has hurt us, oh your going to hell you rotten so and so. No instead shock and amaze those who hurt you, with love and understanding, compassion and a smile. Share with them the love of God. Understand that this is a hurting soul who is lashing out at you. If you cannot speak to them, then turn and walk away and pray for them.

Peter says do not pay back evil with evil. In 1st Peter 3:9 Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will bless you for it. I don’t know about any of you but I know this, I want, nope, I need to be blessed, I need more to be a blessing to people, but most especially to my precious Lord. It does not say in John 3:16 to hell with you if you don’t believe, it says for God so loved the world (see that loved the world) that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him may not perish but have everlasting life. Let’s bring everyone we can to the Lord with great Love for that is what He is, Love.
Thanks for reading at my site, I love you all and thank the good Lord for you.
Tammy

Jan-13-10

The Prayers Of A Righteous Man Availeth Much

posted by PrayerWarrior

What are the prayers of a righteous man or woman? Jesus said the prayer in Matt 6:9-13 was the perfect prayer. I agree totally of course, I mean think about it, we start off with praise, then we tell Him not our will, but His will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Then we ask for our daily bread, which covers both food and spirit filling. Then we ask forgiveness for ourselves as well as those we might be holding something against. We start to finish the prayer with asking for us not to be tempted to evil acts,and finish with another praise. The perfect prayer no doubt.

So often these days people (Christians) say we need to pray for this government to stop going down this horrible path they are taking us down. I say not so. We should be praying of course,but we must all realize the Lord had His prophets prophesying all of this about two thousand years ago.
Reading the news, is like reading all of the prophecies for the end times throughout the bible.

Jesus said in Luke 22:42-44 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. Jesus prayed in such deep earnestness that His sweat became blood drops, for Himself not to have to go through the serious torture He would be enduring. Even Jesus as righteous as He is, could not change anything about these prophecies coming to pass.

Just as we, even in our righteousness through Christ, cannot change anything that is going to happen in the coming months and years. If we were to stop all of what is going on in our government and our world we would be changing God’s prophecy. God does not change one thing about Himself to please men, nor would He change anything about what He has said will come to pass. That would make Him a liar. God is not a liar. We will have a one world government,we will have one world currency,we will have one world religion. There is no amount of praying, even if we were to pray so hard and earnestly that we bleed instead of sweat,that will change this path we are on.

Evil has been planning and working all it’s evil plans for many years. Paul said it in 2 Thessalonians 2:7
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Do not be fooled though please, when something is taken out of the way it is not removed completely, so he who let’s until he is taken out of the way means just that, pushed aside,moved out of the way. Anyway back to my original article. Evil has been busy and God has known all of this even before the foundations of the earth were laid. The Lord did not tell us about these things occurring so that we may change them. He warned us in advance of what was, and is coming, so that we would not fear it. So that we would be prepared, so that we could be strengthened.

Forewarned is forearmed. God said nothing would happen that He has not prepared us for. Our prayers need to be changed from God please stop this, to God strengthen us, encourage us, prepare us. Protect us and guide us through all of what is coming. The warring Christian looks nothing like the worldly war’s. What does the warring Christian look like? Though he has a weapon and armor,these things are unseen. The sword of the Christian is the word of the Lord,the bible. The way we sharpen our swords is to study the word of the Lord to get to know it very well. We can read it over and over and over again and still come up with a wonderful new lesson each time we read it. Paul speaks of the armor of the Christian in Ephesians 6:14-17, as well as our weapon.

The word is our preparation and our armor,but most especially our sword. Hebrews 4:16. “For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [[making it active, operative, energizing and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.” Amen
The word is powerful with it we fight off satan and his demons.

Too often I have heard good Christians quoting ,they will have to take my gun our of my cold dead hand, rather than to give it up easily. I cringe at this each time I hear it. We as Christians do not fight as the world does no not us. We are to actually offer up our other cheek to allow someone who has slapped our left cheek to make it even and slap our right cheek. The bible in the New testament does not tell us to fight at all. It tells us we are to be sheep led to the slaughter. We do not fight, we love them to Christ. We are to pray for those who persecute us, and our children and family. This I know will be unbelievably hard to do but therein is our trials by fire.

Guns are going to be outlawed we have got to know this. The beast system does not wish us to fight them and win so they will outlaw guns, and much sooner than anyone thinks. Already our Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has signed onto the small arms treaty with the U.N, which is to get rid of as many guns as they can. The only thing that worries me on that score is the evil people who have guns which are not registered, and that far outnumbers those who are registered. How long before they come and confiscate peoples guns? I do not believe it will be long before that occurs. Our fighting will be much more effective with our words that come straight from the bible.

We war in prayer and praise,with peace and the word as our very effective weapon. We are to be gentle, speak softly,love at all costs. If we fight as the world does how does this make us any different than the ones we are trying to lead to the Lord? Yes we live in this world but we are not of this world. When the Christian is at war the world should not even be able to tell. Our fighting is done in the spirit world where we are promised Victory in Jesus. He says behold I have over come the world. It has been done. It all begins with God and ends with Him. We are to trust in the Lord,to protect us guide and direct us,and most assuredly to care for all of our needs.

The time is quickly coming where we Christians will have to depend on the Lord for absolutely everything. Food, shelter, protection, guidance,of where to go and when to go. Are you ready? We in America have been spoiled rotten. As far as having food to eat when we want it,houses and or apartments to live in. We have cars and transportation of all sorts. Freedom of religion, freedom of speech, gun rights. All too soon we will be losing our bill of rights as well as our constitution. Don’t you all know this already? The bible says there will be a one world government that means bye bye American way of life. There will be a one world currency,and a one world religion. These things had been prophesied a very long time ago,did you think to change the Lords mind on any of this? Do you think we can put off what is due this country and this world, throwing God out of everything.

God is giving this world what it wants and that’s for Him to be taken out of absolutely everything. But then they do not understand the consequences of it all. No friends we will not have anyone or anything to depend upon in this world but God.
Have you ever noticed the harder a persons life gets the more he or she depends upon the Lord? Well that’s whats going to happen here folks. We are going to have no choice but to depend upon our gracious Heavenly Father. He will have to be our healer (Which praise His name He is the best most complete healer). They are doing their level best to destroy our hopes of doctors helping us. How long before no one has money to even have health care? The proposed health care bill is nothing but a license to control every aspect of our lives, and yes to decide who should be helped and who should die.

Don’t be fooled people not for one moment . Our governments know exactly what they are doing. They are not making a single mistake here. They are doing exactly what satan has had planned for a very long time,one world government one world currency and one world religion. What they are doing and why they are doing it is a very obvious thing to me and anyone who reads prophecy. However, though we do not fight as the world does,when truth is at stake we stand up for it even if it means our death. Never ever back down from the truth, just don’t hold anyone at gunpoint to stand up for truth.

Everything we are going through now might have been avoided had people not been so quiet and complacent and allowed the truth to be stopped from being absolute. In this world now a days, according to those of the world, there is no absolute truth. They believe truth is relative to all peoples beliefs, what a load of crap that is. Also they are allowing more and more Muslim garbage to be filtered into everything and then they say Muslims are not to be feared. They are to be feared and prayed for with everything we have, that they would turn to the true God the only God the one with a wonderful Son who is all about Love. The Muslims wreak havoc wherever they go and then say the Christians are the ones who are bad? It is unreal to me but at the same time in Isaiah it says good would be considered evil and evil would be considered good in these times. Well hold onto your pants people here we are.

Isaiah 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! I will ask again are you ready? The best way to prepare for all of whats coming is to read your word to pray for understanding and wisdom and knowledge. Do not take mans word for the meaning and understanding of the scriptures, pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you through it in truth with understanding, knowledge, and wisdom.

Love in Christ Jesus, Tammy

Oct-4-09

We are all As Jews Through Christs Blood

posted by PrayerWarrior

It has been quite some time since I have written anything here. Alls I can say is I have been growing and learning so very much and just have been selfish with my time over the last few months. I wanted to be strengthened and grow fully and completely,for the times coming upon us.The Lord is moving me in many different directions and growing me spiritually daily.My Love for the Lord is unshakable,and that is what I wanted to achieve in this hiatus. It was not and is not of my own doing that I have been growing. I know I cannot do that on my own. When we seek the Lord’s face and call upon Him,with all expectation that He will show up,guess what? He shows up!! God is so good and faithful.

I will be writing more soon again I have many different thoughts on what articles to do. I am especially drawn to the times we are living in and the signs of these times. More soon,Tammy

We Are All As Jews Through Christ’s Blood

Rom 11:2 For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?
So often I have heard Christians say oh thats for the Jews that the bible is speaking of in the end times. I say not so. For we are all (whom have accepted Christ) Jew’s or Israelites Through Christs blood. I have asked where does it make a distinction, in what scripture does the bible or any of the apostles speak of the Jews (Only), having all the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the end times. I have yet to receive an answer from anyone. Most often what I see is the person whom I have asked to show me where in the bible it says, that time of power and gifts of the Holy Spirit is for the natural born Jewish people? One brave man answered my question saying we will not be here because of the rapture,so it must be the Jewish people only.

I told him I am sorry sir, but no you see, we will be here during that time. Our friendship and brother sister relationship in Christ, ended that day.This brother wants so badly to believe that the rapture of the church will take place before any of the bad stuff occurs,that he turned off his ears. The funny thing was this person was asking all the right questions of the scriptures used to explain when the rapture will actually be. There again though when truth was shown him, he turned away from it.To my own ears all of the explanations for a pretrib rapture rang hollow. I could not accept the answers as they were shown to me.Those answers merely made me question further why the scriptures were being twisted. I decided when things do not make sense, forget all you have been taught already, and go to the source of it all,the Word,which is The Lord.
I prayed and fasted for three weeks on this one subject. I read my word diligently and every scripture pertaining to the end times in the Old and New Testaments.I did not sleep much either in that time.

In the third week of my seeking the Lord and fasting,I was shown the scriptures. All of them clearly,my eyes were opened and the breakthrough was, to say the least PHENOMENAL. I was fairly screaming with the excitement of it all.I was asking all the right questions before on why does the bible say this that or the other thing,but iI was asking the wrong people. When I asked the Lord show me Father show me truth unvarnished. Prepare my heart and mind and soul to receive truth Lord. Show me, that I may never walk away from you Lord,in fear or doubt.He brought me back first, to Matthew chapter 24:29 where all my original questions were first begun. Why would Jesus our precious savior, say AFTER those times of tribulation, if He actually meant before those times of tribulation? The answer was so simple. It was as clear as the nose on my face. We all know that Jesus says what He means, and means what He says.Unless of course He was using parables.

Then also in 2Thessalonians 2: 3Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. It says here as plain as day, that day shall not come until the falling away,Stop right there!!! If there are no Christians here in that time because the rapture has come then whom shall be falling away? Then the next line says and that man of perdition be revealed. Was Paul making a riddle here? I think not.Verse four goes on to explain who that man of perdition is,the man who exalts himself above all that is God. Hmmmm We know that antichrist is not revealed till the middle of the 7 years of tribulation.

It is true we are not due the wrath of God, but Jesus did tell us we would face horrible tribulation.That horrible tribulation has not even come close to happening as of yet.1Thess 5:9 tells us,“For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,”. Revelation tells us that the first half of the tribulation is not God’s wrath. God’s wrath comes in the form of the vials.Rev 14:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: Then in Rev 15:1 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.There is a distinction made between the anger of the antichrist making war against the saints,and God’s wrath.

Many times people say where are the saints in Revelation after Chapter 3 they are not mentioned again. EXCUSE ME?? Better read again brother or sister. We are mentioned all over the place, up until chapter 14:16. That is where we are going up up up and away.Now I have read many a time Rev 3:10 and I see it as protection from the temptations that come upon the earth or the temptation to forget all of what you have known and loved for so long, The Lord. Not taking you away He will keep us from it, in other words protect us through it. I think it would be clearly spoken if anything other than protecting us were meant. The amplified bible says it like this, 10 Because you have guarded and kept My word of patient endurance [have held fast the lesson of My patience with the expectant endurance that I give you], I also will keep you [safe] from the hour of trial (testing) which is coming on the whole world to try those who dwell upon the earth.

The greek word ek (from, of, out of) (occasionally in, through)
Used in Revelation 3:10. Used with teereo (keep) also in John 17:15, where it does not mean emergence from within, but rather a staying outside. See staying, not taken away from.Here is another better explanation of this verse. There seems to be a volume of Scripture such as Matthew 24 and 2 Thessalonians 2 that would clearly indicate that believers are going to experience the testing during the Great Tribulation of Antichrist. In the Greek “will keep you from” is TEREO EK. TEREO means to “watch over protectively, guard” and with the preposition EK it carries the idea of being guarded or protected and rescued out from the midst of danger. If the idea of keeping one from entering were intended the preposition APO would have been used. So it is the idea of deliverance out from within rather than an external deliverance.

The clear and obvious meaning concerns protection within the sphere of danger and not protection from danger. Christ has promised the faithful believers that He will deliver them at the revelation of His Glory at His Coming. To make this verse of Scripture mean “deliverance before the testing begins” is manipulating the Scripture to support a false position rather than accepting what the Scripture really says. To you who would add any words to the Revelation or any part of the Word,Woe to you.

Wow in going back over all of this,the Lord obviously moved me in a different direction than I had intended this article to go. No matter the Lord working through these fingers is something I love to have happen.

It has been on my mind so much lately that we being grafted into the Olive tree that is the Israelites,must mean the same for us. Throughout the New Testament we see evidence that we are not merely Gentiles any longer,that through the acceptance of Christs blood covering, we are as the Jew’s were,the chosen ones. We have been chosen and we have chosen to follow Christ,He being a Jew,as soon as we accept His blood covering as our own covering of sin,we now have His genes.
Romans 11:1,7,11,17,25,28,33 all speak of the olive tree and the opportunity of the gentiles to be grafted into the olive tree. With verses 25 and 28 speaking of the mercy for the Jews who still abide by the laws and works, have a chance at salvation,as well as their strength being so much more, once they have accepted Christ as the Messiah. I love it!!

Verse 17 of Romans 11:17 -The Olive tree We need to notice our perspective here. Paul is clarifying that Israel’s failure as a nation does not mean that they are hopelessly lost. Is the tree Israel? Yes and no. In the previous chapter (and elsewhere) Paul clarified that there is no distinction between Jews and Greeks. (Greeks were the main group of Gentiles in Paul’s world). They are the same to Christ. Paul is here addressing people who were thinking in terms of their ethnic distinctions and wants to avoid either group from feeling that they now have or have lost God’s favor. In the immediate context the tree is Israel, but God never intended that Israel should be saved in any way different from anyone else. Their distinction was that they had been given truth and were to convert the world. Thus the tree is the body of Christ (His followers), as Israel was to have been. Also remember that the infant church was principally ethnic Jews who accepted their Messiah.

In closing It is important for all of us who are Christs own, to know that we are as the Jews chosen ones. I personally think we should be celebrating all of the Jewish Holidays as they are important to our Lord and Savior. I also think we must realize ,that we are as Christ followers given the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Those gifts include, Wisdom, Knowledge, Discerning of spirits (human, angelic, demonic), Speaking in tongues, Interpretation of tongues,Prophecy, Faith, Working of miracles,and Healing. These gifts are alive and well. If the apostles were told to go out into the world and baptize in the Holy Spirit,why is it that so many today believe these gifts were stopped when the last apostle died? What is the need of being baptized in the Holy Spirit if not to receive and use these God given gifts? I know most of the true Christian churches out there believe that you must be baptized in the Holy Spirit. So what is the need for that if you get no gifts? I also know that most denominations of churches believe that upon receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit,you are given faith, and discernment. What about the rest of the gifts? Why would God merely give these gifts and not the others?

I have a feeling many people are going to be very surprised when the Holy Spirit is working stronger than ever, in our not too distant future. When every man woman and child will be displaying the gifts of the Holy Spirit.If they believe in God and the atoning blood of Christ.
I will go a step further and quote Mark 9:23 all things are possible to those who believe. Do you understand that? If you believe it,it is possible. Better still,if you believe it,it will happen. Your unbelief in the power,the gifts of the Holy Spirit, is the only thing holding you back from seeing the fruits of it.

There was never a distinction made between Jews and gentiles then or now. What God does for any He does for all,Amen to that.

Love in Christ, Tammy