MY BROTHER'S KEEPER

Proverb 29:18
Where there is no vision the people perish …

Definition of perish: To die or be destroyed through violence; to suffer destruction or ruined : to cease to exist; to suffer spiritual death...

MY BROTHER'S KEEPER

Born to Greatness...

At DEC weekly Bible Study we are just finishing "The Purpose Driven Life" by Pastor Ric Warren. In his book Pastor Ric sets about to have the reader answer one  primary question: "What on Earth [Are You] Here For?" Have you thought about it? Why did God create you?... In our contemporary society most people ask God to bless their plans, their marriages, jobs, finances and so on. It's a very superficial way to connect with a creative God. Thinking it's all about us! If He made us, then, like every other thing in the universe -- we were created with purpose. He has definite plans for us as stated in the Isaiah passage above ... Recently I came across a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson: " The years teach much the days never know."...

SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT:

Good Medicine...

"Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Proverbs 4:23

"A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones." Proverbs 14:30

"A cheerful heart is good medicine." Proverbs 17:22

"So don't be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time." Matthew 6:34

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, Who is in you, Whom you have received from God ... So use every part of your body to give glory back to God..."

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

"...By His wounds you have been healed." 1 Peter 2:24

…Is God as concerned about your physical health as He is about your spiritual health? References to health and health related issues are mention more than 100 times in the Bible. The word “heart” is mentioned roughly between 700 – 900 times depending on the translation. So what’s the bottom line? 3 John 1:2 sums it up best: "...I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well." As we head into the winter season why not make it a family project to do a Bible study on the subject of health. You may be surprised the beneficial wisdom you find.

SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT:

The Dead Sea Scrolls

Until 1947, scholars had only clay tablets from Babylon and Egyptian papyri to help them understand background information on the Bible, since no ancient Old Testament manuscripts were known to have survived. However, all this changed with the discovery of over 800 papyrus and parchment texts, found in the Judean wilderness caves along the northwest corner of the Dead Sea. The oldest existing manuscripts of the Old Testament, they include portions of every book of the Hebrew Bible except Esther. The Dead Sea Scrolls point to the fact that there is a high degree of accuracy in contemporary translations of the Old Testament text, as well as provide important information on Jewish history during the time between the Old and New Testaments.

For me it just seems to affirm the fact that God is able to watch over His Word through the ages, and make sure every generation has the opportunity to learn about Him. You can dig around for more background details about the Bible at:

(please cut and paste links into a new window, so you don't loose your place at Deliverance Voice)
http://www.wcg.org/lit/bible/digging.htm
http://contenderministries.org/biblestudy/deadseascrolls.php

SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT

WHAT IS PENTECOST?

Pentecost (Ancient Greek: πεντηκοστή [ἡμέρα], pentekostē [hēmera], "the fiftieth day") is one of the prominent feasts in the Christian liturgical year. The feast is also called Whitsun, Whitsunday, Whit Sunday, Whitsun- tide, especially in the United Kingdom. Pentecost is celebrated seven weeks or 49 days after Easter Sunday, hence its name. Pentecost falls on the tenth day after Ascension Thursday.

Historically and symbolically related to the Jewish harvest festival of Shavuot, which commemorates God giving the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai fifty days after the Exodus, Pentecost now also commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus as described in the Book of Acts, Chapter 2 in the New Testament. For this reason, Pentecost is sometimes described as "the Church's birthday". The Pentecostal movement of Christianity derives its name from this biblical event.(1)

Since May 31, 2009 DEC has been doing a study on Pentecost and our relationship to the Holy Spirit. If you would like to learn more on this subject refer to the following Scriptures: Acts 2 (the entire book of Acts); Ephesians 5:15-20; I Corinthians Chapters 12, 13, and 14; Galatians 5:16-24; I Thessalonians 5:16-22; John Chapters 14 and 15.

(1) www.Wikipedia.com

SPIRITUAL ENLIGHTENMENT

BIBLE FACTS
WHAT A BOOK!

About 40 men wrote the BIBLE, over a period of 1600 years from 1500 BC to about 100AD. The first English translation was initiated by John Wycliffe and completed in 1388. Since then, the Bible has been translated into over 1200 languages and dialects. In some countries where it is still illegal to read the Bible, people smuggle Scriptures in by tearing the pages into small pieces to share secretly among believers. They memorize the book passage by passage then pass them on. If caught, they face imprisonment or death, so they are taught to eat the small pieces – but only as a last resort… Aren’t you glad you live in a country where you can study God’s Word freely?