Part 1 The blood is a weapon of our warfare The bible is a book dripping with blood! It almost seems that if we squeezed our bible that blood would drip from it. There is something special about the blood of Jesus Christ When we begin to talk about the blood of Jesus Christ, something dynamic happens in the spiritual realm, it is as though angels bow and demons tremble at the very thought of it. When we speak of the blood of Jesus Christ, we are walking on holy ground! Even as I begin today, something is happening. It is hard to say what exactly, but it is something good, something holy and true. The life is in the blood, and we when bring the blood tonight, so we bring life. Blood is a subject close to my heart in that in my past career as a biomedical scientist I specialized in immunohaematology i.e. the study of human blood groups from a medical perspective. Interestingly, I think I know what blood group Adam was (AB) and if you want to know the theological and scientific reasons I have for my theory. Please get in touch sometime. Having studied the blood scientifically for many years I read something in the bible, which no textbook had taught me, which was that blood can talk! The blood of Jesus speaks better things than the blood of Abel. What does Jesus’ blood say… it says, ' forgive them’! The relationship between the life and the blood Leviticus 17:11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life. I find it interesting that where most people would describe the location of their spirit (i.e. the abdomen or belly) it is in the area with the most blood in it. Our physical blood is multi-functional and contains various cells and proteins that combat infectious microorganisms (another vital function is to permit our blood to clot to prevent excess bleeding). Likewise the blood of Jesus Christ covers and removes the infections of sin and guilt from our hearts and minds. What was blood used for in the Old Testament? In the Old Testament there were at least 6 major applications of blood. 1 Daily sacrifice found in Leviticus chapters 1-6, four of these sacrifices involve blood peace, burnt, sin, and trespass 2 Consecration of priests Leviticus 8:22 applied to ear, thumb, big toe Aaron's sons 3 Cleansing of defilement (red heifer) Numbers 19 4 Calendar sacrifices Passover, Tabernacles etc. 5. Cutting a covenant 6. Victory celebration sacrifices The New Testament sacrifice of blood and its applications 1. The Blood of Jesus is a weapon of our warfare! 2 Corinthians 10:4 for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds. God has given his church mighty weapons to war against the world, the flesh, and the devil. We need to be trained and ready to use the weapons that God has provided. Laser-guided weapons that defeat all our guilt, shame, and disgrace. Our mighty weapons include. i. Authority in the name of Jesus when we put our hand up and say stop in the name of Jesus, Satan’s juggernaut must come to a halt! ii. The sword of the spirit (and the whole armour of God). The sword of the spirit is the rhema word i.e. the living word energised by the Holy Spirit. iii. The cross to crucify our flesh, living sacrifice or even martyrdom! iv. The blood of Jesus Christ takes away all our sin, guilt, and shame which things Satan uses to paralyse us in our spiritual warfare against him and his demons. 2. The Blood of Jesus, what does it do? There are several scriptures in the new testament that clearly describe the various wonderful things that Jesus’ blood achieved for us. These will give you an appreciation of why we call Jesus blood precious. Purchased our salvation. Faith in Jesus’ blood turns away the wrath of God. We are justified by the blood. We are redeemed by his blood and have forgiveness of our sins. The blood brings us who were far away, near to God. Acts 20:28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. The sacrifice of Jesus’ blood purchased his church, there was no other price that could have secured the church! Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God … faith in his blood turns away the wrath of God. We only escape the wrath of God for our sins because Jesus gave every drop of his blood to turn away God’s wrath (which we fully deserved) from us. Romans 5:8b But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! We are justified by Jesus’ blood i.e. we are made legally righteous before our Holy God, and God’s wrath is no longer directed towards us. Ephesians 1:7 in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace. His blood brings us forgiveness of our sins i.e. this is called our redemption. Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. Jesus’ blood brings us (who were nowhere spiritually speaking) near to our Holy God. Wow! In conclusion the sacrifice of Jesus’ blood brings our salvation, turns away God’s wrath, justifies us (makes us righteous), redeems us by forgiving our sins, and brings us near to God. In Part 2 we find out how to declare the blood of Jesus, we also find out how to apply the blood in various situations by following the trail of Jesus’ blood from Gethsemane to Calvary. NB We need to apply the blood (see Part 2) Amen Prayer

Remove your lusts to get your real desires In the book ‘The Great Divorce’ by C. S. Lewis, a scene is described in which a ghostly person (who is an unbeliever) has a red lizard siting on his shoulder. This red lizard appears to negatively influence all his decisions and actions. Finally, the man cries out, ‘God help me’. Instantaneously, a bright angel rips the lizard off the ghostly man’s shoulder, and he screams with pain. The angel then strangles the lizard and throws it to the ground. The man begins to become a believer in God and progressively becomes more solid and real and less ghost-like. However, a further strange thing begins to happen, the red lizard whom we thought to be dead begins to change shape and colour and becomes a beautiful and powerful stallion. The man then jumps onto the stallion’s back and taking full control of the reins, gallops off into the everlasting hills of heaven. As I was reading this story, the Lord spoke to me, saying, ‘Give up your petty desires and I will give you something much, much better’. Something changed within me, and I was able to see my petty temporal desires and ambitions for what they really were. I knew instinctively that if I said ‘God help me’ like the man in the story, that he would not only remove these red lizards from me but also turn them into something much, much better. God is no respecter of persons, and earnestly desires that each one of his children be set free from the red lizards (lusts) in our lives. I believe that the Lord is speaking to us today, saying, ‘Give up your old ways, your small dreams, ambitions and attitudes and I will give you something far, far better’. The very thing that holds you back (the red lizard) is what God wants us to hand over, so that he can kill it and then resurrect it into the wonderful real thing (the beautiful stallion) that will serve you instead of being your master and will cause you to gallop into heavenly places (achieve the things that God wants you to achieve). This is an interesting proposition, but does it line up with the teaching of the Bible? Does God desire to change the existing things in our lives into something far, far better? In fact, there are numerous examples in the bible where God desired to change new and better things for old. e.g. A new covenant for an old covenant. Hebrews 8:6-10 All their comparisons favour the new covenant. One of the best blessings of the new covenant is that the Holy Spirit comes and indwells the believer whereas in the old, he merely came upon people for times and seasons. Even when God asks you to give up something good, it is the same, he can give you something much, much better! When Jesus saw the widow giving her last two mites, it would not surprise me if he sent someone out after her to bless her financially (her needs would be met one way or another by God!). Each one of us can testify that on the day we were born again our old lives were exchanged for far better lives in every way! We were spiritually dead in our sins and trespasses, blind and lost, without hope. But now we are spiritually alive to God, wonderfully cleansed and forgiven, children of the living God. In Luke 5:37-38, we find that God cannot pour the new wine of His Spirit into the old wineskin (unbelieving heart) but rubs in the oil of the Holy Spirit into our new hearts at the new birth. Then we can hold the new wine and bring forth the fruit of the Spirit. The world, the flesh and the devil cry out in unison ‘cling to your old life, the old familiar ways, better the devil you know …’ But the Lord says to us today that we should cry out ‘God help me’ that he might remove and transform our red lizards. Can you trust Him? Here are some examples of red lizards and the beautiful stallions that can be transformed if we will face the pain of having them removed. Lusts Godly desires Worldly ambitions Heavenly ambitions Materialism Spirituality Desire for recognition of man Desire for recognition of God Wrong relationships Blessed relationships Unforgiveness Forgiveness Jealousy and envy Admiration and appreciation Addictions Freedom and liberty Bad memories wonderful future God help me with this ………. God release me into ……… May he grant your heart cry and fill you with a deeper sense of his love. How much more will he give his Holy Spirit to them that ask him… Amen Personal Prayer

An academic short study : the life (nephesh) is in the blood The nephesh is probably our life-breath Leviticus 17:11 and the nephesh of the flesh is in the blood. Here the Type 2 symbolic resonance is specifically found in the way that the blood transports oxygen via the haemoglobin in the red blood cells. This could relate symbolically to the ‘soul’ in the sense of ‘breath’. Genesis 2:7 describes the nephesh as ‘living breath’ being breathed into man, almost like mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, except mouth-to-nose, and man becomes a ‘living soul’, as opposed to an inanimate soul. The Genesis 2:7 use of נֶפֶשׂשׁ nephesh illustrates this root meaning of breath. [1] Breathing is the most obvious aspect of man which departs at his death and returns during resurrection from the dead (1 Kings 21:22). There has been a long-standing historical connection between the nephesh and the blood which was known as vitalism. In its simplest form, vitalism holds that living entities contain some fluid, or a distinctive ‘spirit’. The now discredited theory of the vitalism (see Bechtel and Richardson 1998) in its more sophisticated forms holds that the origin and phenomena of life are dependent on a force or principle distinct from purely chemical or physical forces often referred to as the ‘vital spark’ or élan vital. Some equate this with the soul. The second major tenet of vitalism was that organic compounds could only be produced by living things (Berzelius 1836). [2] The distinguished English physician William Harvey (1578-1657) famous for his elucidation of the human circulatory system, was a vitalist who believed in the above ‘vital spark’. Harvey wrote a whole book chapter based on Leviticus 17:11 with the title ‘Blood as the seat of the soul’ (see Curtis 1915:108-116). Harvey’s view of the blood as the ‘seat of soul’ was widely held by physicians up to and including Louis Pasteur (Bechtel, and Richardson 1998). The fact that ‘nephesh’ has a broad semantic range is problematic to our study.[3] The concept of ‘nephesh’ (Strong’s Concordance 5315) will now be further investigated in terms of its Hebraic meanings to assess how well the broad Hebraic meanings including ‘a soul’, ‘living being’, ‘life’, ‘self’ or ‘person’ fit with its use in Leviticus 17:11. We will now look at some of these alternative meanings. It may be that this resonance may help us explore the best fit of nephesh for our context. In his book Israel: Its Life and Culture, Semitic philologist Johannes Pedersen (1883-1977) asserts that in Genesis, a soul (nephesh) is always a person, not some invisible component inside a person. Pederson (1926:99) claims that in Genesis, this is consistently shown to be the case (see also McKim 2007:805). Pedersen summarizes as follows: ‘the soul [is] not part of man, but man as a totality with a peculiar stamp. A man [soul] is stamped by the special conditions under which he lives. Pedersen concludes, ‘the soul is thus an entirety with a definite stamp, and this stamp is transmuted into a definite will’ and a person’s ‘will is the whole tendency of the soul [the person]’.[4] Pedersen understands the Hebrew concept of the ‘soul’ namely nephesh to refer to ‘man as a totality’ and this idea has become highly influential in modern theology/philosophy. Philosopher Anthony Phillips (2015:244) believes that the Hebrew concept of nephesh offers the best model for what it means to be human namely, nephesh can be translated as ‘personality’. In this way, the nephesh controls both thoughts and actions and is unique to each individual person. However, our lives are lived in continual interaction with our families and communities thus integrating our single nephesh into a corporate or communal personality or society. Phillips (2015:244) also points out that for the Hebrews another life force, that of blood, is required for the expression of the nephesh and further that the Hebrews understood losses of either breath or blood could end in death. Breath and blood are thus both essential to being. Furthermore for Phillips, Leviticus 17:11 the phrase ‘the nephesh of the flesh is in the blood’ is saying the blood makes us what we are namely our being or personality or put in another way our identity. If we lose our blood, then we lose our whole being. For Phillips it would, therefore, be misleading to translate Leviticus 17:11 as ‘the soul of the flesh is in the blood’.[5] In this way in Genesis 4:8-11 where Cain slays Abel, he does not capture his ‘soul’, but he gets possession of Abel himself namely his being and his personality. For, Phillips the nephesh is the personality. This, of course, makes Cain’s defence to God even more trenchant-- ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ He was indeed, as he ‘possessed his blood’ (Phillips 2016:1). Only God as the Creator can be considered to have the ownership of the blood as judged by God demanding an account of Abel’s blood from Cain (Genesis 4:10). The nature of the relationship of the nephesh and the blood (Leviticus 17:11) will now be further discussed in the hope that the relationship may help us with our developing definition of nephesh. Numerous scholars have attempted to determine the relationship between the blood and the life to which Leviticus 17:11 alludes. Hartley (1983:244-245) suggests the power to purify comes not from the blood per se, but from the life within the blood. In this way, the blood simply ‘serves as the tangible centre of an animal’s life force.’ Similarly, Budd (1996:249) also recognizes that blood serves as an effective ‘purifying or ransoming agent’ because of its ‘life-embodying power’. The concept of atonement being achieved through the presence of the nephesh (life-force) supports the view that atonement might be visualised as a process in which the nephesh of God is reconciled to the human nephesh through an intermediary nephesh. Old Testament scholar John H. Hayes (1998:6) has helpfully suggested the atonement rituals of Leviticus can be viewed as ‘rituals of restoration and reintegration which participate in and mirror the return to established order and normalcy’. Coming from a different angle, Needham (2000:38) notes that the semantics of atonement have changed from a meaning of ‘at one-ment’ to that of ‘reconciliation, meaning the making of unity and harmony’. It seems feasible that atonement can be viewed as a process and the case made that atonement can be described as ‘reconciliation both in the human/God relationship and in human/human relationships’ Bair (2007:68). It should also be remembered, that in Leviticus 5:11 atonement could also be made through an offering of fine flour, and so such atonement may not require blood and its nephesh. Bair (p.62) believes that this would mean a more intimate role for God in the atonement process since it would be necessary that he directly provide the necessary nephesh. This is in accord with Genesis 2:7 where the Lord God breathes the breath of life into the man who becomes a nephesh-filled being. In this way, in the case of the poor person making an offering of flour, the Lord would provide the divine nephesh needed to make the atonement successful. Here the divine nephesh is most likely understood as something imparted by God. In this way, the reconciliation between the human nephesh and the divine nephesh is initiated by the author of all nephesh. According to Levine (1989:99-100) in the context of the Day of Atonement, atonement also encompasses reconciliation between human and human. Levine puts it this way ‘we observe a dynamic interaction between the priesthood/community, on the one hand, and the omnipresence of God, on the other’. In the same way, that a victim/offender relationship can exist between God and humans, it can also exist within human relationships, and thus, it requires the same act of atonement through reconciliation (and the restoration of shalom) that is required in the relationship between the human and the divine. Rooke (2005:353) wisely sums up the importance of atonement in the context of human relationships as follows ‘the continuing well-being of the community is dependent on the successful performance of the [atonement] ceremony’. If the power of the atonement is present in the nephesh rather than blood itself, then this has implications for a post-resurrection theory of atonement. McHugh (1991:164) writes ‘the slaughtering of an animal was not of the essence of sacrifice even in the Old Testament (such as the bird in Leviticus 14:52-3 and the scapegoat in 16:6-10, 20-22) only the offering of the sacrifice to God’. In this way, blood was only necessary for containing the nephesh, the true requirement for the atonement. [6] Bair (p.70) rightly concludes that the focus of atonement is on the ‘God-breathed nephesh’ and not in the creature’s death’. Bair (p.70) further suggests that we should view the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus ‘to serve the purpose of the intermediary nephesh that is able to create reconciliation between the human nephesh and the divine nephesh’. Support for this idea comes from Hartley (1992:244-245) who explains that since Jesus fulfils the role of ‘the boundary between the holy and the sinful, here humans may find forgiveness of all their sins and reconciliation with God’. Further support comes from Gunton (1989:138) who recognises that the nephesh is the vehicle of atonement and comes from God: ‘The life that is given is the life of God himself, the incarnate Son dying for the life of the world’. Jesus himself says as much in Matthew 20:28 ‘the Son of Man came…to give his life a ransom for many’ confirming that his atoning ability is in his life-force, his nephesh. The nephesh, best understood in this study as life or life-breath, accords well with the concept of the blood being the nephesh-carrier. This concept may give some light into the processes of blood atonement by moving the focus from the sacrificial blood itself onto the nephesh (life-breath) being carried by it. This is insufficient per se to refute the claims of God being bloodthirsty but helps us refocus our theodicy. [1] Available at: https://www.studylight.org/language-studies/hebrew-thoughts/?a=601 [Accessed 30th May 2016]. [2]Chemical vitalism was refuted by Friedrich Wöhler (1800-1882) when in 1828 he accidentally synthesized the organic compound urea (found in blood and urine) from mainly though not exclusively inorganic reactants. [3]It could be argued that this is due to the linguistic problem between the Greek/Latin and the Hebrew with the latter being so metaphorical and polyvalent and the former tending towards a more limited semantic range. [4] Pedersen, J. (1926) Israel vol. 1:100, 103, and 111 as quoted in Phillips (2015:244). [5]Phillips (2016:1) does concede however, it is not always easy to translate Hebrew words/concepts into English and gives hesed as another example. [6]The slaughter of the animal however was still necessary as a means of releasing the blood, which carries the nephesh. This short extract is from Charles Green- dissertation for the Master's degree , School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh (2016). Full references can be obtained on request

An academic study of the woman who touched the hem of Jesus garment Mark 5:24b-34 and the Haemorrhoissa This story of the woman with the issue of blood (Haemorrhoissa) who was instantly healed by touching (the hem of) Jesus’ garment is found in all three synoptic gospels. [1] Although a modern medical diagnosis is tentative, it is widely accepted that this woman was almost certainly suffering from prolonged menorrhagia namely prolonged menstrual bleeding (Marcus 2000: 357). Amongst the most common causes known today to cause prolonged menorrhagia are uterine fibroids (non-cancerous growth of the uterine wall), endometrial hyperplasia (thickening of the endometrial wall), bleeding disorders such von Willebrand’s disease [2] and blood clotting problems such as platelet function disorder. [3] The latter two of these conditions fall within the aegis of modern haematology and as such, this would constitute a Type 1 resonance between the above scriptures. However if one argues that the woman’s condition was instead due to uterine fibroids or endometrial hyperplasia, the haematological aspect of the cure was nevertheless instantaneous implying that the ‘virtue’ proceeding from Jesus’ garment circumvented in some way the latter stages of blood coagulation. This, of course, could be in addition to healing other underlying conditions (as above). The woman's life was gradually ebbing away. Her prolonged haemorrhage symbolized this since her blood represented life. Her nephesh or life (as defined in Chapter 4.2.1) was leaking with her blood. Jesus stopped her dying and restored her life. The story of the Haemorrhoissa has a wonderful ending where Jesus tells the woman ‘Go in peace and be healed of your affliction’ (Mark 5:34) thus not only healing her physically but also psychologically and emotionally by removing her unclean status and publicly restoring her to full society again including her life roles/relationships. This potential resonance has additional interesting implications in terms of gender issues. The Haemorrhoissa was aware that she had a uterine blood flow which rendered her ritually unclean according to the Mosaic Law (Leviticus 15:25-27) almost certainly making her a religious and social outcast considered by society as unclean and untouchable. In some societies, even normal menstruation is considered as taboo and is perceived as unclean or embarrassing, extending even to the mention of menstruation both in the public domain and in private. Other traditional religions such as Islam also consider menstruation to be ritually unclean. [4] Therefore, it is interesting and perhaps surprising that Jesus did not condemn the Haemorrhoissa for touching the hem of his garment. As a righteous Jew, Jesus would understand a menstruating woman would be considered ritually unclean as stipulated in Leviticus 15:19-30 ‘anyone who touches her will be unclean until evening’ (NIV). The Haemorrhoissa would almost certainly have been considered as a niddah (Leviticus 15:19) or more correctly as being a zavah (Leviticus 15:1-15; 25-33) according to the Hebrew Bible’s definition; the term niddah refers to normal menstruation where there is a blood emission within a period of seven days. The term zavah refers to prolonged haemorrhage beyond seven days and considered abnormal. The Haemorrhoissa was prohibited, in either case, from a mikveh (ritual bath) and must remain ritually unclean until she stopped bleeding. Prolonged menstrual haemorrhage would almost certainly indicate that the Haemorrhoissa was also infertile. In modern times, menstruation is an issue where a clear gender division arises in the ways in which men and women might think about, and relate to, blood. Menstrual activism has become a movement committed to the removal of menstrual taboos, which are highly unacceptable to feminists since they allow for mistreatment of women. Had menstrual activism prevailed at the time of the Haemorrhoissa perhaps this unfortunate woman would not have suffered so much rejection for being ritually unclean. The primary argument here is that if menstruation is a normal physiological process, this topic ought not to be shunned. Karen Houppert (1999:99) puts it like this concerning menstrual taboos ‘After a while it becomes psychologically disorienting for women to look out at a world where their reality doesn't exist’. Johnston-Robledo and Chrisler (2011:9-18) have suggested that menstruation can be construed as ‘a stigmatized condition that both reflects and reinforces women’s perceived lower status in relation to men’. Such a theory can be extended to include explanations of negative attitudes concerning women’s bodily functions. Stigmatization of this occurs when menstrual blood is viewed as one of the ‘abominations’ of the body and reflects ‘a gendered identity among women, which leads to consequences for women's psychological and sexual well-being’ which can lead to a further adverse effect on a woman’s psychological and sexual health. Menstrual activists have adopted various strategies to counteract menstrual taboos including speaking against the use of shame in advertising feminine hygiene products (Quint 2012) and publishing books such as My Little Red Book (Nalebuff 2009). [1] Versions of this narrative are also found in Matthew 9:19-22and Luke 8:42-48. [2] The usual cause of von Willebrand disease is an inherited defect in the gene that controls von Willebrand factor, a protein that plays a key role in the blood-clotting process. [3] Available at: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/menorrhagia/basics/causes/con-20021959 [Accessed 6th June 2016]. [4] In Judaism, contact with a menstruation woman by touching her, touching an object she had sat or lain on, or having intercourse with her also makes a person ritually unclean. In Islam, a menstruating woman is exempted from prayer and certain other religious obligations like fasting. The powerful faith aspects of the woman touching the hem of Jesus' garment are dealt with below in 'Faith Cameos' Part 1.

Searching for Father's love As a child, I had several difficulties: I was a sensitive child who was afraid of the dark, I wet the bed till I was 12, which caused me a great deal of shame and mental trauma, I was introvert, not wanting to have relationships and had no confidence to speak. Another factor was that my dad worked long hours and wasn’t home much. He had been traumatised by the war and had difficulties in showing me love, he didn’t talk to me or cuddle me. I hid my problems in a box and pretended that they didn’t exist, and focussed instead on schoolwork. These problems continued into adulthood. In later life, several relationships went sour, as I still hadn’t resolved my underlying problems. How God healed me Eventually I reached a point where I didn’t want to hide my problems anymore. I was getting desperate and realised that I needed help, so I started searching for answers and I reached out to God. I’d read the Bible years before, and knew that I had made many mistakes during my life and that had separated me from God. I needed to accept Jesus as my Lord, since He had died to pay for my mistakes and bring me back into a relationship with God. Not only that, Jesus was raised to life after 3 days, and I knew that this gives me the assurance that I have an everlasting life. As I reached out to God, He responded by giving me what I needed at every stage because He knows me intimately: I met the right person at the right time eg with my lack of confidence God brought me someone with enormous patience, kindness, encouragement and gentleness so that I could slowly begin to have the confidence to speak and to open up to others. God encouraged me to trust in him. In his perfect timing, He decided what to take out of the box as only God knows how much we can bear at any one time I had several miracles during my healing: a DVD of a film I had failed to play the film. Placing the DVD in a computer to see what files were on it, I discovered that the 2 video files were removed, and replaced with a message which pointed to a book that I needed to read to deal with the issue of forgiveness, which was necessary for my healing from the bad relationships that I had. There was a miracle of healing of tooth pain which I’d had for 2 days, and at church my pastor prophesied that God wanted to heal someone with a jaw pain. He prayed with me and within a short time the pain disappeared. The last miracle I’ll mention was that God enabled me to resolve the issues I had with my deceased dad My life now is very different. I’m blessed with a lovely wife, 3 step-children, and a real sense of joy and peace, and an assurance of my eternal life with a God who has never left me, but has walked with me through every problem and healed me. That’s my God. Amen Andrew is a member of Edinburgh Elim Church, a house group leader, and takes part in various evangelism projects including the Turning and the John 3:7 outreach. God can do for you what He did for Andrew- try praying and let us know how we can help you.

The scriptures and modern science An extract of an academic study In the bible, circumcision was commanded on the eighth day of life and is found in Genesis 17:9-13 when God told Abraham to circumcise the males on the 8th day of life. [1] Modern studies in haematology have shown that a key blood-clotting factor, Vitamin K, is not formed in human life until between the 5th to the 7th day (Holt and McIntosh, 1953:125-126). A second key clotting factor, Prothrombin develops to 30% of normal adult levels by the 3rd day of life and then peaks at 110% on the eighth day, before levelling off at 100% of a normal adult level (McMillen, 1984:93). More recently, neonatal platelet function has been shown to reach adult levels between the fifth and ninth day of life (Del Vecchio, Motta, and Romagnoli 2015:625). Thus for various converging reasons the eighth day of life is the earliest day for the optimal blood coagulation needed to limit excessive haemorrhage during circumcision. This is a clear example of the Type 1 resonance where the designation of the eight-day for circumcision seems very unlikely to be arbitrary and the ancient practice has the additional benefit of thousands of years of actual experience observed by the participating rabbis. This resonance is accepted as a well-winnowed [2] tradition by its practitioners (the rabbis) over many generations and indeed the practice continues to be observed in modern times. The writer of Genesis displayed a wisdom that was millennia ahead of modern science. This type 1 resonance is considered as positive due to the beneficial effects it has in the prevention of excessive haemorrhage during circumcision. In addition to the blood coagulation resonances between Genesis 17:9-13 and circumcision on the eighth day of life, there is one further scientific resonance that is seldom discussed. The resonance concerns the maternal antibody levels in the neonate’s blood that are also close to maximum levels on the eighth day of life. Maternal antibodies directed against common microorganisms are transferred via the placenta from mother to child thereby protecting neonates and infants during the time of full maturation of their immune system. The very large majority of these maternal antibodies belong to the IgG class of immunoglobulin, and these are preferentially transferred via the placenta up to the point of birth. These passively acquired antibodies enter the bloodstream of the neonate acting as a protective shield throughout the body in the same way as the actively produced antibodies beginning to develop in the neonate. [3] IgG maternal antibodies are known to be highly effective in protecting neonates and infants from most infectious agents like in the case of bacterial and certain viral infections for the first 6-12 month of life (Leuridan et al. 2011:2222 and Kilic et al. 2003:302). [4] As we might expect, in time the transferred maternal antibody titres decline in the neonate’s blood. This due to the maternal antibodies being metabolized so eventually failing to protect the infant from infection. The infant’s own immune system should rapidly develop at this stage of life. It is plausible to suggest that the near maximal levels of maternal antibody in the neonate’s blood are in synergy with the optimal coagulation factors at the eight-day of life. This synergy means that not only will the circumcision be performed with minimal haemorrhage but also with a concomitant low risk of the common infections that can occur related to circumcision. This also is a clear example of the Type 1 resonance (though this time arguably in microbiology as opposed to haematology) where the designation of the eighth day for the circumcision again seems very unlikely to be arbitrary and again the ancient practice has the additional benefit of thousands of years of actual experience observed by the participating rabbis. This novel resonance deserves a mention in the long-standing tradition as practised by those involved in the rite.[5] The command to circumcise male infants on the 8th day of life seems to anticipate the findings of modern science by thousands of years. Surely the author of Genesis was divinely inspired? Amen [1] The biblical focus of brit milah (the covenant of circumcision) is the removal of that foreskin and the subsequent releasing of blood. Available at: http://www.ritualwell.org/ritual/blood-and-men [Accessed 30th June 2016]. [2] See definition by John Bowker (1987:73). [3] Sometimes immunoglobulin isotype IgA antibodies contained in breast milk are also referred to as maternal antibodies. [4] Sometimes a bit longer according to Kilic et al. (p.303) [5] See the review of maternal antibody levels in the neonate by Stephan Niewiesk (2014 5:446). This extract is from Charles Green- dissertation for the Master's degree , School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh (2016). Full references can be obtained on request

Academic study Luke 22:43-44 and the sweating of blood the resonance of this scripture with modern haematology pertains to the field of blood coagulation where Jesus’ facial blood mingled with sweat and clotted before falling to the ground. We now provide evidence demonstrating the physiological support for this text together with evidence for the symbolic use of blood. Translation (RSV); And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling to the ground. ‘Did Jesus literally sweat blood’? The arguments for and against this will now be given. Luke's account of Jesus' agony and sweating blood in the Garden of Gethsemane in the original Greek uses special haematological root words such as thromboi haimatos literally clots of blood--see the underlined text above. The related English words thrombus and thrombin are closely associated with clots of blood in modern haematology. Biblical scholar Richard Lenski (1961:1077) commented on thromboi haimatos: 'As clots, thromboi, means that blood mingled with sweat and thickened the globules so that they fell to the ground in little clots and did not merely stain the skin'. Victorian Greek scholar Henry Alford (1874, 1:648) observed that the Greek word hosei ('as it were') refers to condition and not comparison: The intention of the Evangelist seems clearly to convey the idea that the sweat was (not fell like, but was) like drops of blood; —namely, coloured with blood, —for so I understand the hosei, as just distinguishing the drops highly coloured with blood, from pure blood... To suppose that it only fell like drops of blood (why not drops of anything else? And drops of blood from what, and where?) is to nullify the force of the sentence and make the insertion of haimatos not only superfluous but also absurd.[1] Miller (2004:1) finds Alford's interpretation (albeit Victorian) to be persuasive in that Luke was referring to the great mental anguish of Jesus as being literal and producing actual blood mingled with sweat. Further evidence supporting a literal interpretation of the above passage comes in modern medicine from the rare examples in the medical literature of where human subjects literally sweated blood. This condition is known as 'haematidrosis' or 'hemohidrosis' (Allen 1967:745-747) and results in the excretion of blood or haemoglobin in the sweat. Lumpkin (1978) thinks that under great emotional stress, the fragile capillaries in the sweat glands may rupture thus allowing the blood to mix with the sweat. Several cases of stress-related haematidrosis have been reviewed by various authors (see overview by Miller 2004). Holoubek and Holoubek (1996) in a classification by cause of 76 cases of haematidrosis found that 'Acute fear and intense mental contemplation were found to be the most frequent inciting causes’. This evidence from modern medicine seems to accord well with a literal interpretation of actual blood clots mingled with actual sweat. However many modern scholars consider that the sweat was simply being compared to drops of blood. The modern scholars, notably Ehrman and Plunkett (1983:416), question the authenticity of this. However, it should be noted that certain of the church fathers chose to include this passage particularly Irenaeus in his argument against the Docetae. We should also note that whilst these two verses may not be in the original text, they do clearly reflect the first-century tradition (Ehrman and Plunkett p.407-408). If Jesus experienced haematidrosis, this might be an example of how modern science may help us in our exegesis by supporting a literal interpretation of sweating blood. Ehrman’s concession that the interpretation of the literal sweating of blood by Jesus clearly reflects the first-century tradition irrespective of whether the two verses in question were not in the original draws our attention to the extreme mental and emotional anguish Jesus suffered. This is arguably the key point of the narrative. The clots of blood in the sweat would provide evidence of a physiological resonance and the falling of sweat, as great drops of blood are symbolic of Jesus’ agony and effort. Based on the above evidence this author believes that Jesus literally sweated blood. [1] Quoted by Miller (2004:1). This extract is from Charles Green- dissertation for the Master's degree , School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh (2016). Full references can be obtained on request

We all know the blood is wonderful but why? This video is a full length service at Edinburgh Elim on the 22/08/21 but the sermon starts at about 22 minutes into the video. Below is a full transcript of the prepared message. What is so special about the blood of Jesus Christ? The bible is a book dripping with blood! It almost seems that if we squeezed our bible that blood would drip from it. There is something special about the blood of Jesus Christ. When we begin to talk about the blood of Jesus Christ, something dynamic happens in the spiritual realm, it is as though angels bow and demons tremble at the very thought of it. When we speak of the blood of Jesus Christ, we are walking on holy ground! Even as I begin today, something is happening. It is hard to say what exactly, but it is something good, something holy and true. The life is in the blood, and we when bring the blood today, so we bring life. The blood of Jesus is so special and central to the Christian faith. That is why when Jesus gave us Holy Communion, he said do this in remembrance of me. He specifically wants us to remember his body and his blood. Testimony Blood is a subject close to my heart in that in my past career as a biomedical scientist I specialized in immunohaematology i.e. the study of human blood groups from a medical perspective. Interestingly, I think I know what blood group Adam was (AB) and if you want to know the theological and scientific reasons I have for my theory. Please get in touch sometime. Having studied the blood scientifically for many years I read something in the bible, which no haematology textbook had taught me, which was that blood can talk! The blood of Jesus speaks better things than the blood of Abel. What does Jesus’ blood say… it says, ' forgive them’! The relationship between the life and the blood Leviticus 17:11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life. I find it interesting that where most people would describe the location of their spirit (i.e. the abdomen or belly) it is in the area with the most blood in it. Our physical blood is multi-functional and contains various cells and proteins that combat infectious microorganisms (another vital function is to permit our blood to clot to prevent excess bleeding). Likewise the blood of Jesus Christ covers and removes the infections of sin and guilt from our hearts and minds. What was blood used for in the Old Testament? In the Old Testament there were at least 6 major applications of blood. 1 Daily sacrifice found in Leviticus chapters 1-6, four of these sacrifices involve blood peace, burnt, sin, and trespass. 2 Consecration of priests Leviticus 8:22 applied to ear, thumb, big toe Aaron's sons. 3 Cleansing of defilement (red heifer) Numbers 19 4 Calendar sacrifices Passover, Tabernacles etc. 5. Cutting a covenant 6. Victory celebration sacrifices The New Testament sacrifice of blood and its applications 1. The Blood of Jesus is a weapon of our warfare! 2 Corinthians 10:4 for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds. God has given his church mighty weapons to war against the world, the flesh, and the devil. We need to be trained and ready to use the weapons that God has provided. Laser-guided weapons that defeat all our guilt, shame, and disgrace. Our mighty weapons include. i. Authority in the name of Jesus when we put our hand up and say stop in the name of Jesus, Satan’s juggernaut must come to a halt! ii. The sword of the spirit (and the whole armour of God). The sword of the spirit is the rhema word i.e. the living word energised by the Holy Spirit. iii. The cross to crucify our flesh, living sacrifice or even martyrdom! iv. The blood of Jesus Christ takes away all our sin, guilt, and shame which things Satan uses to paralyse us in our spiritual warfare against him and his demons. 2. The Blood of Jesus, what does it do? There are several scriptures in the New Testament that clearly describe the various wonderful things that Jesus’ blood achieved for us. These will give you an appreciation of why we call Jesus’ blood precious. (i) Purchased our salvation. (ii) Faith in Jesus’ blood turns away the wrath of God. (iii) We are justified by the blood. (iv) We are redeemed by his blood and have forgiveness of our sins. (v) The blood brings us who were far away, near to God. Acts 20:28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. The sacrifice of Jesus’ blood purchased his church, there was no other price that could have secured the church! Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God … faith in his blood turns away the wrath of God. We only escape the wrath of God for our sins because Jesus gave every drop of his blood to turn away God’s wrath (which we fully deserved) from us. Romans 5:8b But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! We are justified by Jesus’ blood i.e. we are made legally righteous before our Holy God, and God’s wrath is no longer directed towards us. Ephesians 1:7 in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace. His blood brings us forgiveness of our sins i.e. this is called our redemption. Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. Jesus’ blood brings us (who were nowhere spiritually speaking) near to our Holy God. Wow! In conclusion the sacrifice of Jesus’ blood brings our salvation, turns away God’s wrath, justifies us (makes us righteous), redeems us by forgiving our sins, and brings us near to God. In the Old Testament, the blood of bulls, goats and lambs were only a shadow of the true blood, which would take away the sins of the world. For Christ our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed [1]. However just as the blood of the Passover Lamb was no use just sitting in the bucket but had to be applied to the doorpost and the lintels of the door (using a hyssop branch) to prevent the angel of death entering, so must we apply the blood of our Passover lamb to our lives. How do we apply the blood? 1 We apply the blood by faith, to cleanse us from sin to consecrate our lives etc. We must get the revelation of the blood of Jesus. We must ask God to reveal the importance of the blood to us so that we can apply it by faith to the various areas of our lives. 2. We can apply the blood by giving testimony, Revelation 12:11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Where can we apply the blood: The trail of Jesus precious blood? First a bit of background. Jesus’ blood is effective against the curses of the fall. The curse of the fall of Adam and Eve is described in Genesis 3:14-19 [2] and includes. The curse on the serpent The curse of enmity between the serpent and the woman, and between the serpent and the woman’s offspring The curse of pain in childbirth and the headship of the man over the woman. The curse on the soil producing thorns and thistles meaning that it will take hard work to get its produce all the days of Adam’s life. Man will sweat and toil to make a living an eventually return to the ground where he was taken from. Hebrews 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaks better things than that of Abel. Jesus’ blood was poured for forgiveness of our sins and sprinkled onto the mercy seat in heaven. But Jesus blood was shed in other places too. We can also follow the trail of Jesus blood and apply it specifically to situations. Jesus’ blood was not only sprinkled on the true mercy seat in heaven but was sprinkled on the fallen creation here on earth. The trail of where Jesus’ blood was spilled shows us where the blood of the new covenant can be applied. If you follow the trail of Jesus blood you will see that it was applied to various parts of the original curses that came upon Adam and the earth (Galatians 3:13). Luke 22:44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling to the ground. He sweated (sweat was one of the first effects of the curse on Adam) blood in the garden of Gethsemane (for our emotional agony, anguish, and toil). Doctors report some patients going through great emotional distress have reported sweating blood. Luke 22:63 And the men that held Jesus mocked him and smote him. 64 And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee? 65 And many other things blasphemously spoke they against him. His blood trickled through palace and barracks. They mocked him, his blood covers derision and mockery. John 19:1 Then Pilate therefore took Jesus and scourged him. 2 And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe,3 And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands. His blood flowed when his back was lashed (for healing). Isaiah 53:4 Surely, he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and his wounds heal us. By his stripes we are healed, healed means literally 'sewed back together'. His wounds released the blood to heal sickness, physical healing is part of the covenant blessing he has purchased for us through his blood. His blood covers the pain and cruelty of man. His blood flowed when the crown of thorns pierced his scalp (could be for our mental suffering) His blood trickled on the streets of Jerusalem, one day it will be redeemed. Sin started at a tree and the blood of Jesus will eventually restore the creation. His blood flowed from his hands and feet. John 19:32 Then came the soldiers, and break the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: 34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And finally the water and the blood flowed from his pierced side, a ruptured heart, his heart burst for the love of sinful mankind. His blood flowed onto his dead body showing that the dead who receive his blood shall be resurrected. Receive the blood, apply the blood now. You are an able minister of the new covenant and a priest! In the Old Testament, the blood of bulls, goats and lambs were only a shadow of the true blood, which would take away the sins of the world. Blood Covenant God's new covenant with us- I shared this some weeks ago at communion. A blood covenant is the most sacred or solemn type, also the most significant and unbreakable. Marriage should be a blood covenant at consummation! In a blood covenant you promise to give your life, your love, and your protection forever. The New Covenant and You Anyone who will enter covenant with Jesus by accepting His death on your behalf, Jesus will give you the Holy Spirit and apply the blood covenant exchange and benefits to your life personally. The Holy Spirit will come and live inside you so that through Him you can partake of the divine nature of God. The Holy Spirit will be the divine scar on your heart that is God's personal seal and guarantee that Jesus will never leave you nor forsake you. You will be "born again" as a new person as the Holy Spirit joins you to Jesus in a spiritual union, filling you with His own glorious life. The Covenant Invitation God has provided for every human need through Jesus Christ by the sacred covenant in His blood. And now you can experience this for your own life. If you have not yet entered this wonderful covenant with God. You may do so right now. As an act of faith, pray the following prayer from your heart, and then find a group of fellow believers who can help you live in the fullness of God's covenant life. Your Blessings of the New Covenant We are now going to focus in on certain passages in the book of Hebrews, which pertain to the new covenant. The emphasis is on Jesus, the perfect High Priest, providing a new and better covenant which is not based on the peoples’ behaviour. When we enter the new covenant with God, he puts the fulfilled law [1] into our hearts. Jesus exchanged his life for ours and died for us on the cross. Because of this we ought to live holy lives and not use the grace of God to behave sinfully. Because Jesus completely fulfilled the Law, he swapped robes with us, we became righteous, and he dealt with our filthy rags. Because the fulfilled law is inside us, all the blessings of Deuteronomy 28 apply to us; here is what Jesus left for us in his will! Jesus was the perfect Mediator of the new covenant (Hebrews 9:15), providing an eternal inheritance in a way the old covenant could not (compare with Hebrews 12:24). The New Covenant is Everlasting Christ's blood established an everlasting covenant in Hebrews 12:20 May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21 equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Conclusion As born-again believers we have been given a new spirit and God has written his law in our hearts. Even better is the fact that the law in our hearts is the fulfilled law, the Old Testament law that was completely fulfilled (all 613 parts) by Jesus Christ. We have an everlasting covenant with God through the blood of Jesus Christ. Our eternal life has already begun. Our sins have been completely forgiven, eternal judgement avoided, and we have been admitted into the royal family of God. We will rise from the dead and live with him forever. In this life all the blessings of Abraham are ours through Jesus Christ. Study the word of God, day by day to see all that you have been freely given through the blood covenant of Jesus Christ. We need to apply it into every situation, God wants and expects you to know the terms of the covenant. This will bring greater victory in your life and consequently more glory to God. David knew the old covenant and took on Goliath. How much more should we conquer the giants in our lives by knowing our covenant relationship with the living God. Let us always remember that we have been purchased by the blood of our Passover Lamb, the Lord Jesus Christ. Summary So what is so special about the blood of Jesus Christ? We can declare the truth about Jesus’ blood. Because Jesus’ blood is so special, we can declare these specific truths today… 1 John 1:7 Through the blood of Jesus, I am continually being cleansed from all sin. Romans 5:9 Through the blood of Jesus I am justified, made righteous, just-as-if-I had never sinned. Hebrews 13:12 Through the blood of Jesus, I am sanctified, made holy, set apart to God. Hebrews 10:19 Through the blood of Jesus, I have boldness to enter the presence of God. Hebrews 12:24 The blood of Jesus cries out continually to God in heaven on my behalf. The Covenant Prayer "God, I thank you for the covenant you have made for me through the blood of Jesus Christ. I acknowledge that I am a sinner in need of your forgiveness and salvation. I willingly turn from my sins and commit my life fully to you. I now accept and receive Jesus as my covenant Lord and Saviour. I ask You to forgive me of my sins and send the Holy Spirit to come and live inside me and fill me with Himself so that I can walk with You and enjoy the fullness of Your covenant life forever. Amen! Please contact us if you want references to study the blood in more depth.

Is your church boring? When churches stopped meeting together and resorted to online services as a result of the pandemic, I couldn't have been more relieved. I now had a very feasible reason for not going to church and better yet, I could do it free from the worry that I would be setting a bad example for my kids. Truth told, I hadn't had a truly enriching church experience in over 10 years, at home and abroad. It was clear it wasn't a denominational issue, a cultural or even leadership problem, because since I have been saved, I have attended a variety of churches in a number of countries and I found they all had things in common. I'm not talking about the pillars of the faith, I'm talking about the format of the service, the programs and 'kids work'. It seems no matter what church you attend, or where in the world it is, many churches have rigorous scheduling for all aspects of the service - notices, worship, teaching, prayer, coffee and biscuits. The order of which may change but that's the Christian experience on a Sunday by and large. And I now feel free to admit that it's boring and here's the daring part, I believe God finds it boring too. After all, wouldn't he show up in our services more often otherwise? I started praying earnestly and honestly about it. How can someone like myself who loves the Lord, is a relatively mature Christian who reads the bible and prays regularly find church so incredibly dull? What is wrong with me? Doesn't the book of Hebrew's warn about not meeting together as believers? It wasn't long before I received an answer and the answer is much bigger than me, that's for sure. I soon realised after confessing to friends how I felt about not going to church that I wasn't alone. It was startling to hear how many other strong believers shared the same relief that the pandemic brought in relation to attending church. They would say things like 'I will struggle to go back when the time comes' and 'I'm actually quite enjoying the break from church'. Who knew?! So it wasn't just me, it was a widespread sentiment and again, these folks were strong believers, people I admire in the faith. So what did God say. Well I need to speak prophetically here and of course I expect you to pray and use discernment as you read it. The Lord is shaking the world and all that can be shaken including His church. The church as we have made it has been redundant for many years, set in its ways, ineffectual and in self deception. Buildings and walls will no longer contain His people, who have become inward looking and occupied with their own activities and routines. Pastors and leaders have become salaried employees. Church has become a career option. Congregations will shrink massively because the pandemic has brought realisation to many that the way of doing church is not fulfilling them. Church leaders will need to find alternative means to support themselves financially. Believers who have been revitalised in their relationship with the Father because of the pandemic will never want to go backwards and sit in a pew; sing when it's time to sing, sit when it's time to sit and listen when it's time to listen and all of it done under the guise of Christian worship. I have called you to worship me in spirit and in truth. Church pastors have become obsessed with teaching. Pastoral care and Pentecost revivals have been replaced with incessant teaching because it is easy and safe. Pastors have for too long hidden behind pulpits to teach and in doing so disparaged my many gifts. Wake up. Believers do not need any more teaching. The world outside needs the power of God to save in these last days and for that all believers are responsible. The Lord will close many churches which have for too long served as bunkers and barricades, hiding you from the world and at the same time giving you a sense of religiosity. No sinner cares if you attend church, but when my children will go out into the world and seek to save the lost you will face opposition. Don't you see the enemy has had you where he wants you? In church, doing your own thing and all the while convincing yourself that I am being glorified because you have opened up a bible and given up some of your time? The lost do not care. People will continue to cling to the old ways of doing things and will speak of those who stop attending Sunday services as the fallen away. But for those who live and move and have their being in me, they will find revival of many kinds. The Lord is blowing through his church to scatter His people, will you let go and let God or cling to the former things? Pic 1. The church when effective Pic 2. The church as we made it Pic 3. The church now Please pray and share your comments. Guest Blogger Marcus Doherty

Sermon on the mount -Summary of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:7-11) v.7 Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy; The Lord is our Shepherd, and He leads us on into the area of forgiveness. He showed us how it is done and now expects us to give it in the same way. We must show that same mercy to others especially the poor! In everyday terms this means dealing with offences, resentments, and even full-blown hate. Hurt produces anger and then resentment manifesting in grudges and thought and/or acts of hatred. Mercy costs us the sinful fleshly pleasure of revenge. The seeds of resentment will produce a bitter harvest in our lives. resentment is like an addictive drug... We must sow mercy and forgiveness and then the world will see Christ in us because it knows the thrill of revenge. v.8 Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God: We must lift clean hands to God flowing out from a pure heart. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks! Create in me a clean heart O God. We must purify our hearts by washing with the Word of God, which is sharper than a two-edged sword' piercing even to the division of the soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Hebrews 4:12.). We need to bring all our ugliness, prejudices, mental barriers and even our very motives to God having the removed and replaced by that which is truth. As our hearts are purified so the desire to see God grows. The Lord can only be revealed to those whose hearts are pure as only they have the correct motives and perspective to see Him. To see His hand, the finger of God moving, to see His MO [1] to see His motive and it is always agape Love. As we allow our hearts to be purified our motives will become godly and will see God in others, in situations in our own lives and of course eventually we will see Him face to face. v.9 Blessed are the peace makers for they shall be called the sons of God. The Son of God came to reconcile sinful man to a Holy God, He is the ultimate peace maker giving us peace with God and the peace of God. As we are purified so we become peaceable towards men and the desire to witness and evangelise grows i.e. to preach the gospel of peace. Like Father like Son, and hence like sons. We must bring the peace of God to the unbelieving out of a pure heart, with correct motives and a lifestyle which is above reproach. v.10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. All that live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution! I call it 'negative confirmation ' that you are in the will of God! It seems that every step of faith we take in God that there is a persecution raised by the enemy. Remember Nehemiah, at first, they mocked and then progressed through various steps to threatening to murder him. (Nehemiah is a good study in which to see Satan's strategy of discouragement of believers). As we step out into God's plan, we will consider ourselves as blessed (and not be discouraged) in that we have been considered worthy to be persecuted for Jesus’ sake. v.11 Blessed are you when men cast insults at you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely on account of Me... Bible-bashers, Jesus freaks, God-squad, nutters and worse, if you have or are being called such, rejoice Jesus says you are blessed. Do you believe Him? We are called to make up or share in the sufferings of Christ, who for the joy that was set before Him endured death, even death on the cross. Not just insults but nails and death. We must consider ourselves blessed as the inevitable persecutions come forth and be of the same mind as Christ. Summary Consider the stepwise order of the Beatitudes (using the example of the salvation process). Only the admission of our poverty in spirit to God can enable Him to breathe His life into us. When we reach the point of mourning over our sins God can do something with us. God begins to work in us producing meekness and humility. Meekness with humility removes paralysing fear from us and produces courage in us to go and possess the land, to begin to fulfil all our destiny in Christ. We no longer try to do things in our own strength. Our tastes and likes to begin to change. God begins to fill us with a hunger and thirst for His things. We begin to hunger for His Word and to thirst for God’s presence. We also begin to long for the things that God longs for. As we allow our hearts to be purified our motives will become godlier and will begin to see God in others and in situations in our own lives. Having received the peace of God, we must bring it to the unbelieving out of a pure heart, with correct motives and a lifestyle which is above reproach. We must consider ourselves blessed as the inevitable persecutions come forth and be of the same mind as Christ and remember to rejoice and not be discouraged. Amen Further study Consider the Beatitudes in the book of Nehemiah. Consider the Beatitudes in an area of your life. Convert the beatitudes into a prayer for your own and others growth in discipleship. Prayer Lord, we come to you in Jesus’ name, confessing our poverty and inability to do anything for you in your kingdom. We realise that we are weak and sinful people and are fed up with our powerlessness. Lord, as we mourn over our sins, forgive, and cleanse us and produce meekness and humility in our lives. Free us from paralysing fear and enable and empower us to possess the land and fulfil all our destiny in Christ. Take away the desire to do things in our own strength but rather fill us with a hunger and thirst for you and your things. Let us be a people like David, men, and women after your own heart. Purify our hearts, motives, and lives that we might begin to see you and bring the unbelievers to your wonderful salvation. Cause us to rejoice and consider ourselves blessed when the inevitable persecution and reviling comes. For Jesus’ sake. Amen. Further revelation; could it be that the step wise progression of the beatitudes are mirrored in reverse with the wicked, so that they end up becoming the persecutors? Check it out! [1] Modus operandi i.e. his way of doing things. Matthew 5:7 KJV

Sermon on the mount -Summary of the Beatitudes Part 4a (Matthew 5:3-6) Jesus departed from the crowds and went up the mountain, the disciples came to him. This in a sense represents going on with Him i.e. a step of consecration, coming out of the crowd to follow Him. Being a disciple means to follow the Master and obey his teaching and commands. Come and meet Christ on the mountain if you want to be his disciple. Q. Why go to the mountain? A. to get away from distractions and closer to God. To the fleshly mind the Beatitudes seem like madness or confusion but to the spiritual man they are a source of joy and direction. Jesus commands His Church to go therefore and make disciples of all nations baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.. Only disciples can disciple others and here is one of the major teachings to make us into disciples. . Matthew 5:3-12 Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. Blessed are the peace makers for they shall be called the sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when men cast insults at you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely on account of Me… Beatitudes; (Latin) meaning blessednesses. Blessed; definition: happy, to be envied and spiritually prosperous (that is with life joy and satisfaction with God's favour regardless of the outward conditions). This is the state of heart and mind we all long for! It is the attitude of heart or mind that is fulfilled only in God. Blessed: Makarios; Greek is used to describe God himself; it is enjoying life as God enjoys it Consider a step wise progression of the Beatitudes. They represent the starting point and how to make progress in coming to maturity. Maturity in Christ is our vision. It might also be that the beatitudes may give us the pattern of tackling every project in our spiritual lives! v.3. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. We must admit our inadequacy and failure to God (sin, shame, pride, fear, insecurity, self-sufficiency). All our (own) righteousness, all our own good deeds are as filthy rags to God. This is the starting point. This poverty of spirit (attitude of heart/mind) opens the door to the kingdom of God. It is impossible to enter the kingdom in any other state of heart. The kingdom of God is within you i.e. when the love of Christ that is shed abroad in our hearts and influences our whole life, thoughts, and actions. Only admission of our poverty in spirit before and to God can enable Him to breathe His life into us (c.f. salvation experience). v.4 Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted. This means mourning over our sins to go on with God we must firstly confess our sins and express sorrow on an ongoing basis before God. The Greek word for mourn is mainly used in the New Testament in the context of mourning over other sins rather than bereavement. James 4:8-11; v.9 mourns and weep for your sins. 1 Corinthians 5:1-2; v2 Church had failed to mourn over incestuous immorality. 2 Corinthians 12:21; Paul mourns over churches unrepented sin. We might need to ask Him to take away any enjoyment of the sin. We then ask for forgiveness and the grace to avoid falling into the same trap. When we reach this point of mourning over our sins God can do something with us. We must mourn for our own sins, for the church’s sins and those of the nation. v.5 Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth. Meekness is not weakness. Meekness incorporates strength and gentleness and includes humility (paradox). It is the branch that bears most fruit that bows the lowest on the tree. Humility is to see your true standing before God. To recognise His power and majesty (the surpassing beauty of holiness) and yet at the same time to realise his great love for you. In meekness we stop telling God how to do it and submit to His will. We then enter His strength and ability, as we become lesser in our own eyes, so He becomes greater and brings all his abilities into the situation. Meekness with humility removes paralysing fear from us and produces courage in us to go and possess the land, to begin to fulfil all our destiny in Christ. We no longer try to do things in our own strength. v.6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Now that we are no longer bound in fear or in self-sufficiency (due to meekness with humility) we can ask God to fill us with a hunger and thirst for His things. Having confessed and turned from our sins and admitted our inadequacy before Him He is ready to create these desires in our hearts. To hunger for · The Word of God · opportunities to minister · opportunities to serve. To thirst for · His presence · His Spirit · His power in revival No more yesterday’s manna but hungering and thirsting for a freshness each day with God. We begin to long for the things that God longs for... See our next post, Lessons from the Beatitudes Part 5. Amen Personal Prayer Matthew 5:3

Blessed are the Meek The Beatitudes Matt. 5:3 “Blessed are those who recognise they are spiritually helpless. The kingdom of heaven belongs to them. 4 Blessed are those who mourn. They will be comforted. 5 Blessed are those who are gentle (meek). They will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for God’s approval. They will be satisfied. 7 Blessed are those who show mercy. They will be treated mercifully. 8 Blessed are those whose thoughts are pure. They will see God. 9 Blessed are those who make peace. They will be called God’s children. 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for doing what God approves of. The kingdom of heaven belongs to them. - God’s Word Translation The Blessing of God The Beatitudes or ‘Blessed Sayings’ means ‘blessed is’ or ‘happy is’. Happy unfortunately has lost its meaning in modern times and is now used for a superficial moment of contentment. Someone has said that if would mean much more if we could qualify it by saying. “Oh how incredibly happy!” It means supremely blessed or fortunate. The One who is doing the blessing has our absolute good as his highest interest. When God blessed Adam in Genesis 1:22 and Abraham in Genesis 12:2-3 he meant that everything else around them would be working together to bring about God’s favour. We should live in a favourable and prosperous state that is not based on worldly circumstances but on divine conditions. These conditional blessings are frequent in Hebrew scriptures, including the wisdom literature, especially the Psalms (Job 5:17; Ps. 1:1; 32:1-2; 33:12; 41:1; 106:3; Prov. 8:34; 28:14). The Beatitudes contrast Jesus' values with the values of the world Jesus’ Values vs World’s Values Poor in spirit Self confident, complete Mourning Pleasure seeking, hedonistic Meek Proud, self importance Hunger for God Self made, self reliant Merciful Assertive, forceful Pure in heart Hidden, secretive Peacemakers Competitive, aggressive Persecuted Popular, crowd pleasing Like most of Jesus’ teaching the beatitudes are contrary to the values that the world offers [1]. Leaders must serve if they want to rule; if they want to live they must first die; if they want to receive then they must to give away; if they want to be made worthy they should first recognise their unworthiness; if they want to be happy they first need make others happy. Blessed are the Meek In the church today there is little emphasis on humility or self-emptying. There are many Christian books on how to be happy, how to be successful, how to overcome problems, and so on. But sadly there are very few books in print on how to empty ourselves, how to deny ourselves, or how to take up our cross. There are numerous commands about humbling ourselves (Matt. 18:4; 23:12; James 4:10; 1 Pet. 5:5). The first step in experiencing humility is to turn our eyes away from ourselves and to look to God. It is the vision of an infinitely Holy God in all His sinless purity and perfection that enables us to see ourselves as sinners. To seek humility, we do not look at ourselves to find our faults, but to the perfection of God. Jesus invites the weary and overburdened of this world to take upon themselves his yoke and discover that he is “gentle and humble in heart.”[2] People are increasingly aggressive and unkind (including Christians) to each other. There is a real need to nurture a gentle and kind spirit. Ephesians 4:2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Titus 3:1 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2 to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men. ๏ Meekness is learning to be kind ๏ Meekness is learning to not take offence ๏ Meekness is is not being angry or aggressive ๏ Meekness is not allowing people to affect our mood Meekness should not be confused with weakness. Jesus didn’t let people control him. He was quite willing to confront and challenge. He wouldn't let them ‘make him king’, he overturned the tables when His Father’s house was being desecrated, he strongly denounced the Pharisees because of their hypocrisy. Meekness does not mean that we fail to challenge, correct, rebuke or speak the truth in love. 2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction. ‘For They will Inherit the Earth’ Psalm 37:11 But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace. To inherit the land has a twofold application, present and future. Those that are at peace with themselves will be at peace with their surroundings. The world will be enjoyed and appreciated so much more when we have a tranquil spirit. Romans 8:6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. His kingdom principles define and shape us. This is the meekness to which Jesus calls his followers. It is the meek who will “inherit the land and enjoy great peace”. It is those of a ‘gentle spirit’ (NEB), not the grasping or the greedy, who will receive from life its most satisfying rewards. The aggressive are unable to enjoy their ill–gotten gains. Only the meek have the capacity to enjoy in life all those things that provide genuine and lasting satisfaction. [3] One day the earth will be transformed where the children of God will live. Those who are transformed by Christ will inherit the earth. Amen This was a joint teaching from Pastor Paul Meiklejohn and Charles Green References [1] The NIV Application Commentary, p223 [2] New International Bible Commentary, Matthew chapter 5. Electronic version. [3] Ibid Matthew 5:5 kjv