Sometimes we're Saul, sometimes we're Ananias (Acts 9)

God intercedes and brings people into our lives when we need confirmation. This is our last week of the BSF Revelation study and we're doing many new things this coming year for the Exile and Return study. I like to pray over the lesson and think about the Group Leaders and their members interaction. Specifically Question 14 asks, "In what way is God calling you to a deeper trust or greater confidence in His plan for your life and this world?" As members answer this question honestly and share it with the group, we can also be receiving a confirmation if we pray specifically and listen to the Lord. This process is illustrated in Acts 9:10. 

I know in my life, Scott S. was like Ananias to me as was David H. David reached out to me after so many years to reconnect and I'm looking forward to that. 

Seeking (with a salty thirst): His Kingdom and His Righteousness (Matt 5:6,13,6:33, Jer 29:13)

• Saul's version: Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers - Acts 9:1
• Ananias version:  Now there was a believer (disciple) in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, “Ananias!” - “Yes, Lord!” he replied. - Acts 9:10

God blesses characteristics of people with promises (Matthew 5:1-12)

• Saul's version: He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” -  “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. - And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” (Acts 9:4-6)
• Ananias version:  The Lord said, “Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now. I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again.” - Acts 9:11-12

40 ways to be blessed

Waiting for the promises of God, filling time with love not distraction

Lord help me to wait for you in love, to engage the people you put in my life and heart, with the Spirit of Truth. Amen. 

I often talk back to God like Ananias and the "stay at home" brother of the prodigal. 

“But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I’ve heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem! And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name.” Acts 9:13-14

I need to go back to responding "Yes Lord!" Acts 9:10, I'm a believing disciple and will trust in your Way!

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Seeking (with a salty thirst): His Kingdom and His Righteousness (Matt 5:6,13,6:33, Jer 29:13)

One of my brothers favorite verses is "You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. (Jer 29:13)" this came up as I was reading through Matthew 5-13. I know he like journaling in a physical book, and though I gave him a One Step Closer Bible, I have a feeling he won't use it. So I purchased a NLT journaling and note-taking Bible for him.

I was stuck by the idea of people being "the salt of earth", that "lost its flavor. (Matt 5:13). We often talk about the spirit we are born with, verse the Holy Spirit we receive when we are born again (John 3). The big idea from Matthew 5:1-12 is God blesses characteristics of people with promises. These characteristics represent how we view ourselves in relationship with Him. Am I poor and realize my need for him? If so then do I mourn (salty tears) and receive His comfort? Humbly receive my inheritance (rule and subdue the whole earth Gen 1:28)? Hunger and thirst (salt) for justice NLT/righteousness NIV, [those who actively seek right standing with God] AMP. This hunger and thirst is "SATISFIED"

If you're satisfied, you're contented, and you don't need anything more. You're not overjoyed, but you're not complaining either. When something is satisfied, the requirements have been met and nothing more needs to be done. When you pay back the money you owe on a loan, you have satisfied the debt. You sleep well but also wake up energized. 

This progresses in our lives to be merciful and in doing so we are shown mercy. With a pure heart we will see God. We work for peace and are called his children and we're persecuted unjustly as we follow Jesus, actively seeking right standing with God. This is the way of the prophets. 

Discovering Matt 5:6

Psalm 42:1-2: For the choirmaster. A Maskil of the sons of Korah. As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs after You, O God. / My soul thirsts for God, the living God. When shall I come and appear in God’s presence?

Isaiah 55:1-2: “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost! / Why spend money on that which is not bread, and your labor on that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of foods.

John 4:13-14: Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again. / But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.”

John 6:35: Jesus answered, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst.

Revelation 7:16-17: ‘Never again will they hunger, and never will they thirst; nor will the sun beat down upon them, nor any scorching heat.’ / For the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd. ‘He will lead them to springs of living water,’ and ‘God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”

Psalm 63:1: A Psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah. O God, You are my God. Earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You. My body yearns for You in a dry and weary land without water.

Isaiah 44:3: For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and currents on the dry ground. I will pour out My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring.

John 7:37-38: On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. / Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’”

Amos 8:11: Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord GOD, when I will send a famine on the land—not a famine of bread or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD.

Psalm 107:9: For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

Isaiah 61:1-3: The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners, / to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of our God’s vengeance, to comfort all who mourn, / to console the mourners in Zion—to give them a crown of beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and a garment of praise for a spirit of despair. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.

Luke 1:53: He has filled the hungry with good things, but has sent the rich away empty.

1 Peter 2:2-3: Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, / now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Philippians 3:9-10: and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith. / I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to Him in His death,

Romans 3:21-22: But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, as attested by the Law and the Prophets. / And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.

Alleluia, you have saved me - so much better your way, Alleluia! 

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God blesses characteristics of people with promises (Matthew 5:1-12)

 I'm taking a fresh look at Matthew 5 with my brother this week. We're embarking on a study of Matthew 5-13 to gain personal insight on Jesus ministry and his parables. The idea is to read the Bible, write down thoughts and feelings about it and then talk about it next week. My hypothesis is that once you've read through Matthew 5-13 (NLT instead of KJV), the "hidden treasure"  will be "like a treasure that a man discovered" Matthew 13:44. 

I'm noticing Matthew 5:3-11 is different than "blessed are the poor in the spirit" is translated "God blesses those who are poor AND REALIZE THEIR NEED FOR HIM" for the "Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

The pattern is "God blesses" "those who are" ____ , "for they/theirs is" ______

3) poor and realize need for him, Kingdom of Heaven

4) mourn, comforted

5) humble, inherit the whole earth

6) hunger and thirst for justice, satisfied

7) merciful, shown mercy

8) hearts are pure, will see God

9) work for peace, called children of God

10) persecuted for doing right, Kingdom of Heaven

11) mocked, persecuted with lies, evil words against - because you are my followers, reward in heaven

12) And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.

Matthew 5:1-12) Thoughts and feelings: 

• God blesses people with promises about the Kingdom of Heaven, when they exhibit certain characteristics. He ends these statements with "remember, prophets were persecuted in the same way." 
• The translation of poor in spirit to poor and realize their need for him jumped out at me (v 3). 
• My brother asked me to look for connection of words within words and I discovered "Real Eyes" from being poor in spirit to hearts that are pure they "will see God" (v 8). 
• It's also interesting that our job description is "work for peace" and title is "children of God" (v9). And that the Kingdom of Heaven includes "persecuted for doing right" and being mocked for following Jesus (v10-11). 

Fun to take fresh look without reviewing previous insights.

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40 ways to be blessed

I've been thinking of the beatitudes in Matthew 5 that lead us through the morality and meaning of life Jesus gives in Matthew 6-7. He then explains it again via parables, healing and doing life with his apostles. A friend pointed out to me that the sermon on the mount (clear teaching of Jesus was given to everyone, the crowd) not the apostles only (they were called in Matthew 10:1-5). But people didn't listen and repent, but in Matthew 13 where the teaching comes into focus, he says to his disciples. "Blessed are your ears, eyes, and heart - because you understand." 

I've been persisting in 40Days, imperfectly and decided not to give up. I realized today that my 41 has come today, this Sabbath. A new day. It started 8/14/2021 and ended 4/26/2025. What should have been 5 week and 5 days, took years. I was reviewing this time and looked at day two Sign of Jonah - Listen and repent for salvation and receive true Light (Luke 11:29-36): 

Evaluate is the light I think I have actually darkness? (see Luke 11:24-28 demons)

• Healthy Eye: provides light for your body (Luke 11:28 - blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice)
• Unhealthy Eye: body is filled with darkness (Luke 11:26 - when healed we do nothing, waiting for more evil) 

 So I looked up "blessed" and noticed the New Testament has 40 occurrences of blessed in NLT version.

The Beatitudes comes first but is translated "God blesses" instead of "blessed"

the first time "blessed" occurs is Matthew 13:16, "But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear...", this same phrase is used in Luke 10:23-24 after the 72 are sent out (anyone who accepts your message is also accepting me Luke 10:16) "Then when they were alone, he turned to the disciples and said, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you have seen. I tell you, many prophets and kings longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it." - he then explains "Love God, Love People" which happen to be the name of my new BSF Leaders Meeting.

Then loaves and fish: "Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave the bread to the disciples, who distributed it to the people." Matthew 14:19, Mark 6:41, Mark 8:7, Luke 9:16

Then the transfiguration: Matthew 16:17, "Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being."

Jesus blesses the children: "And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left" Matthew 19:15, Mark 10:16

The King at the end of the age: Matthew 25:34, "Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world."

Communion: "As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” Matthew 26:26, Mark 14:22, Luke 24:30

At his trial: Mark 14:61: But Jesus was silent and made no reply. Then the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”

Mary's baby: Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed...You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.” ...For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. Luke 1:42,45,48

Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. Luke 2:34

The ascension: “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”

Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven. Luke 24:49-51

Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” John 20:29, Hebrews 7:7: And without question, the person who has the power to give a blessing is greater than the one who is blessed.

Abraham's Blessing fulfilled in Jesus Christ: You are the children of those prophets, and you are included in the covenant God promised to your ancestors. For God said to Abraham, ‘Through your descendants all the families on earth will be blessed.’ Acts 3:25, Gal 3:8

Christian living

• Acts 20:35: And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
• Romans 14:22: You may believe there’s nothing wrong with what you are doing, but keep it between yourself and God. Blessed are those who don’t feel guilty for doing something they have decided is right.
• 1 Peter 4:14: If you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed, for the glorious Spirit of God rests upon you.

Holy Spirit through faith: Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith. Gal 3:14

Spiritual united with Christ: All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Eph 1:3

Good News entrusted: 1 Timothy 1:11, that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God. 1 Timothy 6:15: For, At just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords.

Revelation 22:7: “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.”

Revelation 22:14: Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life.

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Waiting for the promises of God, filling time with love not distraction

 Isaiah 64:4 For since the world began, no ear has heard and no eye has seen a God like you, who works for those who wait for him!

1 Corinthians 2:9 That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”

So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being;” the last Adam a life-giving spirit. The spiritual, however, was not first, but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven 1 Cor 15:45-47

Enjoying Eyes that see, ears that hear and heart that understands

Romans 2:25-27) Circumcision is everlasting covenant promise, sign in flesh - many nations,

• Colossians 2:10-12, "And you have been made complete in Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority. In Him you were also circumcised in the putting off of your sinful nature, with the circumcision performed by Christ and not by human hands. And having been buried with Him in baptism, you were raised with Him through your faith in the power of God, who raised Him from the dead"

God speaks, do you hear it (Heb 4:12, 12:25)?

• The word of God is a mirror for self-examination, restoration, and transformation: Quit going into self deception (James 1:19-27)

Old and New Covenant promises: 

• You are the children of those prophets, and you are included in the covenant God promised to your ancestors. For God said to Abraham, ‘Through your descendants all the families on earth will be blessed.’ - Acts 3:25, 
• He has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred covenant—the covenant he swore with an oath to our ancestor Abraham. Luke 1:72-73
• After supper he took another cup of wine and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you. - Luke 22:20 (Matthew 26:28, Mark 14:24)
• “God also gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision at that time. - Acts 7:8
• Romans 2:28-29) True circumcision is heart changed by God's Spirit
• Jeremiah 4:4, Circumcise yourselves to the LORD And remove the foreskins of your heart,
• John 3:3-21, Jesus explains being born again comes from seeing him on the cross
• Ezekiel 11:19,  I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart,
• Ezekiel 18:31, Put all your rebellion behind you, and find yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.

Romans 11:27: And this is my covenant with them, that I will take away their sins.”

2 Corinthians 3:6-7 - He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life. The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away.

Take to heart:

2 Corinthians 3:14 - But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ.

Long for, wait expectantly for the Lord for clarity (Hosea 10:12, Isaiah 30:18-22)

The Lord prepared me to give a One Step Closer Bible to Paul yesterday and he received it. We're walking through Matthew 5-13 to get an understanding. 

King of Kings, resurrection and the Kingdom of Heaven (part 1)

King of Kings, prepares our heart to receive the good news about the Kingdom (Part 2)

Lord thank you that you love us and guide us, forgive us as we forgive those who've sinned against us, your kingdom come, your will be done. Amen

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