The Book of John

Exodus 14:14

Life is Short

Four Types of Love in the Bible

The Bible

Four different types of love in the Bible and look up Scriptures that speak of divine love, brotherly love, family love and romantic love in the Bible. Discover what love really means, and how you can follow Jesus Christ's command to "love one another."

1) Eros: Eros is the physical, sensual love between a husband and wife.

Although this Greek term does not appear in the Bible, eros, or erotic love, is portrayed in the Old Testament book, The Song of Solomon. God is very clear in his Word. Sex outside of marriage is forbidden.
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God created humans male and female and instituted marriage in the Garden of Eden. Within marriage, sex is used for emotional and spiritual bonding and for reproduction.

The Apostle Paul noted that it is wise for people to marry to fulfill their godly desire for this type of love: Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion. (1 Corinthians 7:8-9, NIV) Pronunciation: AIR-ose Example: Eros is a necessary part of a healthy marriage.

2) Definition: Philia means close friendship or brotherly love in Greek. It is one of the four types of love in the Bible. Philia and other forms of this Greek noun are found throughout the New Testament. Christians are frequently exhorted to love their fellow Christians: Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. (Romans 12:10 ESV) Pronunciation: FILL-ee-uh Example: Philia describes the benevolent, kindly love practiced by early Quakers.

3) Definition: Storge is family love, the bond among mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers.

As with eros, this Greek term does not appear in the Bible. However, many examples of family love are found in Scripture, such as the love and mutual protection among Noah and his wife, their sons and daughters-in-law in Genesis; the love of Jacob for his sons; and the strong love the sisters Martha and Mary in the gospels had for their brother Lazarus. The family was a vital part of ancient Jewish culture. In the Ten Commandments, God charges his people to:Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. (Exodus 20:12, NIV) Pronunciation: STOR-jay Example: Storge is the natural love and affection of a parent for their child.

4) Definition: Agape is selfless, sacrificial, unconditional love, the highest of the four types of love in the Bible.

This Greek word and variations of it are found throughout the New Testament. Agape perfectly describes the kind of love Jesus Christ has for his Father and for his followers: Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them. (John 14:21, NIV) Pronunciation: uh-GAH-pay Example: Jesus lived out agape by sacrificing himself for the sins of the world.

Debbie Boardwell - Claim Healing For Her

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Many of us have been praying for Debbie this week, who was scheduled for hip surgery for the second time and in much pain.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013 

Deborah M Broadwell Thanks so much everyone! Must have worked because I'm home as of about 1pm today. Dr Hasty says there's a 50/50 chance that he won't have go back in for a little incision clean-up...fingers crossed.

Light of the World

Mark 11:23

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Answer to Prayer, Praise the Lord

September 2012 - January 2013

I prayed for Nan Wynne to be healed of cancer.  I claimed her healing and thanked God in my prayers, almost daily, for his wondrous powers and blessings.  I asked the prayer group at Ignite Church to join me in prayer and to claim her healing.  Many others also joined us in prayer.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Facebook Posting by Nan Wynne, who just returned from UNC Hospital:

Good afternoon....... I have held it in long enough ..... and have told those I have seen since I got home......... BUT..... I am officially Cancer FREE as of my surgery on the 14th...... I just had to share it with you all.... this was very exciting news for me and my family and so now positively I will not have to have radiation..... thank you all for your continued thoughts and prayers.... as you see.... they DO work..... :-)

Answer to Prayer

Tuesday, January, 22, 2013

On the way home from work, I prayed for the homeless in Greenville and the surrounding area.  My prayer was for God to comfort them and keep them safe and warm.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Residents sheltering from big chill

By Ginger Livingston
The Daily Reflector
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
A local church joined with advocates for the homeless Tuesday night to temporarily shelter people who were facing a night of brutal cold.

Oakmont Baptist Church and Angel Cops provided motel rooms for at least six people, giving them respite from temperatures that were expected to drop to 18 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. Today’s high is expected to reach 38 degrees, the result of an arctic air mass that is pushing southeast across eastern North Carolina. The air mass is expected to persist into Thursday. Wind chill values will be in the upper teens to lower 20s on Thursday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

Angel Cop volunteers, working with Greenville Police, found three people at various locations around the city. Jimmy and Debbie Barber spent most of Tuesday night searching areas where the homeless go security.

God Knows Us Before We Are Born . . . .

God has the whole world in His hands . . . . .

Psalm 118:6

Seek the Kingdom of God

No One Can Serve Two Masters

Seek the Kingdom of God

Light of the World

Matthew 5

Matthew 11:28

Do Not Be Involved in the Occult

The Old Testament term for communicating with the dead is "necromancy." (Deuteronomy 18:11, also read verse 10) It is forbidden by God: "There shall not be found among you... For whoever does these things is detestable to the Lord"
(an "abomination," KJV).
Also see: 1 Samuel 28:3-20; 2 Chronicles 10:13, 14; Isaiah 8:19-22. The punishment for contacting the dead is very severe, if not repented of.

Leviticus 20:26-27

New King James Version (NKJV)

²⁶ And you shall be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine.
²⁷ ‘A man or a woman who is a medium, or who has familiar spirits, shall surely be put to death; they shall stone them with stones. Their blood shall be upon them.’

Deuteronomy 18:10-12

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹⁰ There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, ¹¹ or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. ¹² For all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord, and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you.

 

1 Chronicles 10:12-14

New King James Version (NKJV)

¹² all the valiant men arose and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons; and they brought them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
¹³ So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the Lord, because he did not keep the word of the Lord, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance. ¹⁴ But he did not inquire of the Lord; therefore He killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.

Question: "What does the Bible say about palm reading?"

Answer: Palm reading, also known as “palmistry” or “chiromancy,” has its roots in Greek mythology. Chiromancy, from the Greek kheiro, meaning “hand,” and mantia, meaning “divination,” essentially means “divination from the palm of the hand.” Practitioners believe they can interpret one’s character, fortunes and possible future events by “reading” the lines, marks and bumps on the palm of a person’s hand.

Although “palm reading” is not mentioned in the Bible, “divination” is, and it was specifically forbidden by the Mosaic Law (Leviticus 19:26). Moses warned his people before entering the Promised Land against divination and other practices: “Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD” (Deuteronomy 18: 10-12). The penalty for engaging in these practices was death (Exodus 22:18; Leviticus 20:27). The Israelites were also forbidden to look for help from those engaging in divination: “I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people” (Leviticus 20:6).

Divination was also condemned by the prophets (Isaiah 44:25; Jeremiah 27:9; 29:8; Ezekiel 13:9). Such occult practices were very common among the pagan nations of the ancient world. And it was, in part, because of these detestable practices that God threw out the people of Canaan and replaced them with the Israelites (Deuteronomy 18:12, 14).

Christians can be confident in the knowledge that our sovereign God is in control of our unseen future. The answers we seek are not in our hands but in God’s. Anyone who is anxious about the future need only hear the words of our Lord: “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear…for the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself” (Matthew 6:25, 32-34).

So, if our loved ones cannot contact us, how do mediums, spiritists, and psychics get such accurate information? There have been many exposures of psychics as frauds. It has been proven that psychics can gain immense amounts of information on someone through ordinary means. Sometimes by just using a telephone number through caller ID and an internet search, a psychic can get names, addresses, dates of birth, dates of marriage, family members, etc. However, it is undeniable that psychics sometimes know things that should be impossible for them to know. Where do they get this information? The answer is from Satan and his demons. “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15). Acts 16:16-18 describes a fortune teller who was able to predict the future until the apostle Paul rebuked a demon out of her.

Satan pretends to be kind and helpful. He tries to appear as something good. Satan and his demons will give a psychic information about a person in order to get that person hooked into spiritism, something that God forbids. It appears innocent at first, but soon people can find themselves addicted to psychics and unwittingly allow Satan to control and destroy their lives. Peter proclaimed, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). In some cases, the psychics themselves are deceived, not knowing the true source of the information they receive. Whatever the case and wherever the source of the information, nothing connected to spiritism, witchcraft, or astrology is a godly means of discovering information. How does God want us to discern His will for our life? God’s plan is simple, yet powerful and effective: study the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and pray for wisdom (James 1:5).

What is Heaven Like?

What is Heaven Like?

 

It is hard to describe, in human vocabulary, heaven based on the Bible.  Our minds are not capable of understanding the beauty and glory of such a place.  The Bible does tell us many things about heaven, however. 

The Bible tells us the ONLY way to heaven is through God's one and only son, Jesus Christ.

 

"Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great [is] your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." (Matthew 5:12)

 

"Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward [is] great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets." (Luke 6:23)

 

"And the four beasts had each of them six wings about [him]; and [they were] full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created."

(Revelation 4:8-11)

 

"Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 10:32,33)

 

"Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me." (Mark 10:21)

"Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven." (Luke 10:20)

"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." (Revelation 21:4)

Description of Heaven from the Bible

(Revelation 21:1-27)

"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, [and be] their God.

4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

9. And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.

10 And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,

11 Having the glory of God: and her light [was] like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;

12 And had a wall great and high, [and] had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are [the names] of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:

13 On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.

14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

15 And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and the wall thereof.

16 And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.

17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred [and] forty [and] four cubits, [according to] the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.

18 And the building of the wall of it was [of] jasper: and the city [was] pure gold, like unto clear glass.

19 And the foundations of the wall of the city [were] garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation [was] jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald;

20 The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.

21 And the twelve gates [were] twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city [was] pure gold, as it were transparent glass.

22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb [is] the light thereof.

24 And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it.

25 And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there.

26 And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.

27 And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither [whatsoever] worketh abomination, or [maketh] a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life."

(Revelation 21:1-27)

 

Names of God and Jesus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5-6gwssX0Y

 

Question: "What are the different names of God and what do they mean?"

Answer: Each of the many names of God describes a different aspect of His many-faceted character. Here are some of the better-known names of God in the Bible:

EL, ELOAH: God "mighty, strong, prominent" (Genesis 7:1; Isaiah 9:6) – etymologically, El appears to mean “power,” as in “I have the power to harm you” (Genesis 31:29). El is associated with other qualities, such as integrity (Numbers 23:19), jealousy (Deuteronomy 5:9), and compassion (Nehemiah 9:31), but the root idea of might remains.

ELOHIM: God “Creator, Mighty and Strong” (Genesis 17:7; Jeremiah 31:33) – the plural form of Eloah, which accommodates the doctrine of the Trinity. From the Bible’s first sentence, the superlative nature of God’s power is evident as God (Elohim) speaks the world into existence (Genesis 1:1).

EL SHADDAI: “God Almighty,” “The Mighty One of Jacob” (Genesis 49:24; Psalm 132:2,5) – speaks to God’s ultimate power over all.

ADONAI: “Lord” (Genesis 15:2; Judges 6:15) – used in place of YHWH, which was thought by the Jews to be too sacred to be uttered by sinful men. In the Old Testament, YHWH is more often used in God’s dealings with His people, while Adonai is used more when He deals with the Gentiles.

YHWH / YAHWEH / JEHOVAH: “LORD” (Deuteronomy 6:4; Daniel 9:14) – strictly speaking, the only proper name for God. Translated in English Bibles “LORD” (all capitals) to distinguish it from Adonai, “Lord.” The revelation of the name is first given to Moses “I Am who I Am” (Exodus 3:14). This name specifies an immediacy, a presence. Yahweh is present, accessible, near to those who call on Him for deliverance (Psalm 107:13), forgiveness (Psalm 25:11) and guidance (Psalm 31:3).

YAHWEH-JIREH: "The Lord Will Provide" (Genesis 22:14) – the name memorialized by Abraham when God provided the ram to be sacrificed in place of Isaac.

YAHWEH-RAPHA: "The Lord Who Heals" (Exodus 15:26) – “I am Jehovah who heals you” both in body and soul. In body, by preserving from and curing diseases, and in soul, by pardoning iniquities.

YAHWEH-NISSI: "The Lord Our Banner" (Exodus 17:15), where banner is understood to be a rallying place. This name commemorates the desert victory over the Amalekites in Exodus 17.

YAHWEH-M'KADDESH: "The Lord Who Sanctifies, Makes Holy" (Leviticus 20:8; Ezekiel 37:28) – God makes it clear that He alone, not the law, can cleanse His people and make them holy.

YAHWEH-SHALOM: "The Lord Our Peace" (Judges 6:24) – the name given by Gideon to the altar he built after the Angel of the Lord assured him he would not die as he thought he would after seeing Him.

YAHWEH-ELOHIM: "LORD God" (Genesis 2:4; Psalm 59:5) – a combination of God’s unique name YHWH and the generic “Lord,” signifying that He is the Lord of Lords.

YAHWEH-TSIDKENU: "The Lord Our Righteousness” (Jeremiah 33:16) – As with YHWH-M’Kaddesh, it is God alone who provides righteousness to man, ultimately in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, who became sin for us “that we might become the Righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

YAHWEH-ROHI: "The Lord Our Shepherd" (Psalm 23:1) – After David pondered his relationship as a shepherd to his sheep, he realized that was exactly the relationship God had with him, and so he declares, “Yahweh-Rohi is my Shepherd. I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1).

YAHWEH-SHAMMAH: "The Lord Is There” (Ezekiel 48:35) – the name ascribed to Jerusalem and the Temple there, indicating that the once-departed glory of the Lord (Ezekiel 8—11) had returned (Ezekiel 44:1-4).

YAHWEH-SABAOTH: "The Lord of Hosts" (Isaiah 1:24; Psalm 46:7) – Hosts means “hordes,” both of angels and of men. He is Lord of the host of heaven and of the inhabitants of the earth, of Jews and Gentiles, of rich and poor, master and slave. The name is expressive of the majesty, power, and authority of God and shows that He is able to accomplish what He determines to do.

EL ELYON: “Most High" (Deuteronomy 26:19) – derived from the Hebrew root for “go up” or “ascend,” so the implication is of that which is the very highest. El Elyon denotes exaltation and speaks of absolute right to lordship.

EL ROI: "God of Seeing" (Genesis 16:13) – the name ascribed to God by Hagar, alone and desperate in the wilderness after being driven out by Sarah (Genesis 16:1-14). When Hagar met the Angel of the Lord, she realized she had seen God Himself in a theophany. She also realized that El Roi saw her in her distress and testified that He is a God who lives and sees all.

EL-OLAM: "Everlasting God" (Psalm 90:1-3) – God’s nature is without beginning or end, free from all constraints of time, and He contains within Himself the very cause of time itself. “From everlasting to everlasting, You are God.”

EL-GIBHOR: “Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6) – the name describing the Messiah, Christ Jesus, in this prophetic portion of Isaiah. As a powerful and mighty warrior, the Messiah, the Mighty God, will accomplish the destruction of God’s enemies and rule with a rod of iron (Revelation 19:15).


Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/names-of-God.html#ixzz2OOdfv11q

Call on the Name of Jesus       Names found in the New Testament

 

Title	Meaning/Significance of names	Bible reference
Son of God	The special relationship of Jesus to God	Mark 1:1
Son of Man	The human identity of Jesus	Matthew 8:20
Son of David	Jesus is descendant of King David	Matthew 15:22
Word	Jesus revealed God	John 1:1
Lamb of God	Jesus is the sacrifice for world’s sin	John 1:29
Christ	The Greek for ‘Anointed One’	Matthew 16:16
Savior	The one who saves	John 4:14
Rabbi/Teacher	Jesus taught people about God	John 1:38, Mark 5:35
Author of life	One who gives life	Acts 3:15
Alpha and Omega	The first and last letters of the Greek alphabets,        meaning that Jesus is the beginning and the end	Revelation 1:8
Lion of Judah	A title of the Messiah	Revelation 5:5
King of Kings/Lord of Lords	The ruler of all people	Revelation 19:16
Bright Morning Star	The one who gives light	Revelation 22:16
Word of God	Jesus is the voice of God	Revelation 19:13
Holy and Righteous	Attributes of Jesus	Acts 3:14
Head of the Church	The leader of all Christians	Ephesians 5:23

 

Names found in the Old Testament

 

Title	Meaning/Significance of names	Bible reference
Immanuel	God with us	Isaiah 7:14
Prince of Peace	Jesus will bring everlasting peace	Isaiah 9:6
Wonderful Advisor	Jesus will always rule with honesty and justice	Isaiah 9:6
Mighty God	Jesus is supreme	Isaiah 9:6
Eternal Father	Jesus is eternal	Isaiah 9:6