Martin Luther….

SO ARE WE  VERY HAPPY TO HAVE ROMANS 8:18-38  Amplified Bible,  Classic Edition  (If you don’t ingest the truth of these scriptures you will be profoundly missing out…)
Yours, in HIS great love and wonderful grace and mercy,   Ken<><    www.Trinity-Aloha.org

¹⁶ The Spirit Himself [thus] testifies together with our own spirit, [assuring us] that we are children of God.

¹⁷ And if we are [His] children, then we are [His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His inheritance with Him]; only we must share His suffering if we are to share His glory.

¹⁸ [But what of that?] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time (this present life) are not worth being compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us and ^[g]for us and ^[h]conferred on us!

¹⁹ For [even the whole] creation (all nature) waits expectantly and longs earnestly for God’s sons to be made known [waits for the revealing, the disclosing of their sonship].

²⁰ For the creation (nature) was subjected to ^[i]frailty (to futility, condemned to frustration), not because of some intentional fault on its part, but by the will of Him Who so subjected it—[yet] with the hope

²¹ That nature (creation) itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and corruption [and gain an entrance] into the glorious freedom of God’s children.

²² We know that the whole creation [of irrational creatures] has been moaning together in the pains of labor until now.

²³ And not only the creation, but we ourselves too, who have and enjoy the firstfruits of the [Holy] Spirit [a foretaste of the blissful things to come] groan inwardly as we wait for the redemption of our bodies [from sensuality and the grave, which will reveal] our adoption (our manifestation as God’s sons).

²⁴ For in [this] hope we were saved. But hope [the object of] which is seen is not hope. For how can one hope for what he already sees?

²⁵ But if we hope for what is still unseen by us, we wait for it with patience andcomposure.

²⁶ So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance.

²⁷ And He Who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the [Holy] Spirit [what His intent is], because the Spirit intercedes and pleads [before God] in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God’s will.

²⁸ We are assured and know that [^[j]God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.

²⁹ For those whom He foreknew [of whom He was ^[k]aware and ^[l]loved beforehand], He also destined from the beginning [foreordaining them] to be molded into the image of His Son [and share inwardly His likeness], that He might become the firstborn among many brethren.

³⁰ And those whom He thus foreordained, He also called; and those whom He called, He also justified (acquitted, made righteous, putting them into right standing with Himself). And those whom He justified, He also glorified [raising them to a heavenly dignity and condition or state of being].

³¹ What then shall we say to [all] this? If God is for us, who [can be] against us? [Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?]

³² He who did not withhold or spare [even] His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also with Him freely and graciously give us all [other] things?

³³ Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect [when it is] God Who justifies [that is, Who puts us in right relation to Himself? Who shall come forward and accuse or impeach those whom God has chosen? Will God, Who acquits us?]

³⁴ Who is there to condemn [us]? Will Christ Jesus (the Messiah), Who died, or rather Who was raised from the dead, Who is at the right hand of God actually pleading as He intercedes for us?

³⁵ Who shall ever separate us from Christ’s love? Shall suffering and affliction and tribulation? Or calamity and distress? Or persecution or hunger or destitution or peril or sword?

³⁶ Even as it is written, For Thy sake we are put to death all the day long; we are regarded and counted as sheep for the slaughter.

³⁷ Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors ^[m]and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us.

³⁸ For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things ^[n]impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers,

³⁹ Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

POWER     “WORTH CONSIDERING”    4/26/19    (Across my desk this morning from Joel.)

Today’s Scripture
“He gives power to the faint and weary, and to him who has no might He increases strength [causing it to multiply and making it to abound].”  (Isaiah 40:29, AMPC)

He Increases Strength
Whatever you need today, know that God is your source and supply. You may feel tired and weary from a long spiritual or emotional battle. God promises that He increases our strength and causes it to multiply. One of the ways God fills us with His strength is by giving us His joy. When we have joy, we have strength to overcome. Joy is a supernatural empowerment that is deposited on the inside of you. As you meditate on the goodness and faithfulness of our God, you won’t be able to help but feel His joy. Like rivers of living water, joy will flow forth from you, refreshing and strengthening you so that you have the power to overcome every obstacle you may be facing. If you feel faint or weary, remember, there’s a harvest of blessing in store for you. Let faith rise in your heart as you meditate on His promises. Let Him fill you with His peace and joy so that you will have an abundance of strength. As you do, you will be empowered to live the life of victory the Lord has in store for you!

A Prayer for Today
“Heavenly Father, today I come to You and ask that You fill me with Your peace and joy. Let Your strength rise up on the inside of me so that I can embrace the victorious life You have planned for me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

My Thoughts:
In the great commission, Matt.28:19 we are commanded by our LORD,  Christ Jesus to go teach all nations to observe all things that HE commanded of us and that HE would be with us in the effort.  So really the quest for power should be focused in fulfilling HIS Great Commission.   God’s Power is not grated to us for the building of a personal kingdom.  It was granted to bring us into having loving Unity, John 17:21, so that the world would fall in love with Jesus,  Eph.4:11-16.  Basically the church at large has forgotten this commandment and has been busy building divisions and denominations of God’s Chosen Frozen dedicated to the preservation of the stuff.  I found the following article most interesting.  So it would seem that only 3% who are called Christian are in obedience to our LORD in  Great Commission?

If in Kona,  hope to fellowship with you tonight (4/16/19) our our little house church at my home.
85-4554 Mamalahoa Hwy.   (look for the Costco Tents)   So. Capt. Cook,  HI 96704   (808-896-8937)
Yours,  in HIS great love and wonderful grace and mercy,   Ken<><   www.Trinity-Aloha.org
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CHRISTIAN EVANGELISM:
More than fifty percent of Protestant church attendees have admitted to not engaging in evangelism in the past half a year, according to a recently released report by Life Way Research.  When asked how many times they shared with somehow “how to become a Christian,” 55 percent of respondents answered zero.  24 percent of respondents said that they had shared how to become a Christian to someone 1-2 times, 12 percent responded 3-5 times, 5 percent said 6-10 times, 1 percent said 11-15 times, and 3 percent reported 16 times or more.  Scott McConnell, executive director of LifeWay Research, said in comments released Tuesday that evangelism “does not appear to be the priority of churchgoers.”  “The task of making disciples of all nations has not been fully embraced in the American church — especially by the majority culture,” stated McConnell.  “This is in spite of the convenience of having other ethnicities and immigrants from other countries often living in the same neighborhood.”  Data for the LifeWay report came from an online survey of 2,500 Protestant churchgoers performed Jan. 14-29 with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.  Although the report found less than half had engaged in evangelism in the past six months, it also found that most respondents had invited an unchurched person to worship in the past six months.  Among ethnic groups surveyed for the report, Hispanic respondents were the most likely to have talked to someone about how to become a Christian within the past six months, with only 32 percent reporting that they had not done so.   
Hispanic churchgoers were also the ethnic group most likely to have invited someone to church, with 71 percent of Hispanic respondents saying they had done so.   Life Way also found that respondents aged 65 and over were the least likely to have had no evangelistic conversations within the last half year.  “Recently, there has been much discussion about young adults participating less in evangelism. That’s not the case, however,” noted McConnell.  “In fact, young adult and middle-aged churchgoers are more likely to have shared with someone how to become a Christian in the past six months than older churchgoing adults.”  In February, the Barna Group released a report commissioned by Alpha USA indicating that nearly half of Mllennial-aged Christians believed evangelizing was wrong.  “Almost half of Millennials (47%) agree at least somewhat that it is wrong to share one’s personal beliefs with someone of a different faith in hopes that they will one day share the same faith. This is compared to a little over one-quarter of Gen X (27%), and one in five Boomers (19%) and Elders (20%),” read the Barna report.  “Younger Christians tend to be more personally aware of the cultural temperature around spiritual conversations. Among practicing Christians, Millennials report an average (median) of four close friends or family members who practice a faith other than Christianity; most of their Boomer parents and grandparents, by comparison, have just one.”

One of the first verses in the Bible is about hearing concerns Adam,  Gen.3:17  And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life…   And all through the Old Testament we find that the ears to hear and the heart to understand in man has been severely damaged.  David even picks it up on the Psalms 115:6  They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not:  In proverbs 8:33 even Solomon picks up the cry:  “Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.  Christ Jesus in Matt.13:12-14 went on to teach:”  ¹² For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.  ¹³ Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.  ¹⁴ And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive.  Paul in Rom.10:17 says it this way:So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.  So when you open your heart to hear the Word of God’s Truth you grow in Faith.

So what is the difference in Hearing and Hearing but not Hearing?   Hearing not is like Christ Jesus taught in Matt.13:14 concerning the good seed falling to the way side and the chicken (demons) came and ate it up and there was no germination.  James 3:17 writes that the Faith that saves also causes action.  That heart faith causes change while head agreement does not.   So it is altogether possible to agree with something in the head that is profound and still not apply it your life because it has not become seated in your heart of hearts,  Rom.10:9-10 clearly makes that distinction.

So one of the most important factors in a Christian life is to HEAR the WORD of GOD clearly in the HEART, and in humility, obey it.

Abraham is an exceptional example of this.  He was so sure of the voice that he heard in his heart that he was willing to take his miracle Son of his old age up on a mountain and make him a sacrifice to the God that he heard in his heart.   We all know the story,  but do we realize how strong his contact with GOD must have been.  How clear was his hearing…    And also to pack up his family being sure of the same voice and leaving his land to go where he had no idea of where he was going.  Heb.11 is a short record of how HEART FAITH works when the voice of GOD is clear and obeyed.
 
One of my favorite versed on this subject is James:4:8-10  ⁸ Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.  ⁹ Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.  ¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Perhaps, tomorrow evening, at our House Church we can share more about this as this is very primary to having Victory, ( Rom.8,) in our Christian Walk.

Yours, in HIS great love and wonderful grace and mercy,   Ken<><  www.Trinity-Aloha.org  (Home Page has more thoughts like this under,  “Worth Considering.”)

STRIFE       WORTH CONSIDERING,    4/23/19    (On my desk this morning.)

Today’s Scripture
“It is an honor for a man to cease from strife…”(Proverbs 20:3, AMPC)

A Mark of Honor
If we realized the destructive force that strife is, we would be more careful to not allow it into our relationships. It can creep into relationships by starting small, maybe through a comment or a wrong look from someone, and can then escalate into something much bigger. When we let our guard down and say things that are disrespectful, hurtful or demeaning, we’re not just damaging our relationship, we’re inviting the destructive spirit of strife into that relationship. But when you choose to cease from strife and overlook an offense, you are acting honorably and honoring God. How do you avoid strife? The Bible tells us that love covers over many offenses. Love stops strife. It means that you give people the benefit of the doubt. You consider what they may be going through instead of focusing on how they reacted to you. Maybe someone was short with you at the office, but they may have a loved one in the hospital. Instead of getting upset, walk in love—be patient and kind to them. Look for ways to walk in peace with the people in your life and put an end to strife!

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You for Your hand of victory in my life. Give me the wisdom and courage I need to walk away from strife so I can focus on the destiny You have prepared for me. I love You and bless You in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

My Comments,
Strife usually goes hand and hand with Stress and Anger.   Jesus taught it was OK to get angry but not to get into sin about it.  I have been told on good authority that getting into a strife/stress adrenaline mode for just 5 minutes shuts down our immune system for about 24 hours.  And of course if we react in kind,  our reaction is usually destructive to some degree in the relationship.  In fact in Kentucky, where I grew up, feuds could last for generations.  And to the place where no one could remember how it started.  Yesterday I was talking to a young man that went into a big adrenaline rage over something that had happened a long time ago.  I explained to him that he was wasting his life over something that could not be fixed.  You can not fix yesterday you can only trust GOD with it and find peace in the fact that GOD will bring a valid judgment to every wrong.  But that the time has past and will not return.  So  why give more time to be destroyed.   Life is a precious gift, every day if we will live only in the day.   Not in the yesterdays or tomorrows but make today count for eternity.  To do justly, to love mercy, and walk humbly with thy GOD,  Micah 6:8

When I was a little boy of about 8 and bored and broke in my home town of Frankfort I found my Uncle Frank sitting on a stone wall in front of the Old State Capital Building.  I set down with him and we talked for a while and out of no where he pulled out a 50 cent piece and gave it to me.   In 1940 that was a lot of money,  you could go to the show, have popcorn and ice cream for $25 cents.  Of course as all of us do,  eventually he passed away.  But I sure hope he made it into GOD’s Kingdom as I want to thank him again for that .50 piece on the warm sunny afternoon  in Frankfort when he loved me so well.   LOVE is what GOD is trying to teach us.  Love for ourselves, love for others and love for HIM.   As HIS new kingdom will be totally saturated with love, humility, obedience and righteousness.  We have been given a life time on planet earth in this temporary dimension of time to discover how to live in that coming kingdom, if we want to.   So what kind of memories are you making?  The Great Creator has not given up on wanting to make us in HIS image but HE needs our Faith and Permission in order for the restoration to be real.  HE want to restore us to HIS original design prior to Adam’s pride and rebellion and defection.  Christ Jesus came to make that a possibility.  The ticket has already been paid in full.  All that is needed is for you to decide, with your heart, to get on board,  Rom.10:9-10.   Yours, in HIS great love and wonderful grace and mercy,  Ken<><  

www.Trinity-Aloha.org    (Past Issues of “Worth Considering” are available as a link on this Home Page.)   This Friday 4/26   House Church Gathering at 6 PM   85-4554 Mamalahoa Hwy.  So. Capt. Cook,  HI 96704….  Pot Blessing…..