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Let us act in the authority of God
Post date: 2017-11-07Autor: BCP
The greatest power is the almighty power of God. By His almighty power God created the whole universe out of nothing – millions of stars, our Earth... By the almighty power of God Christ was raised from death. And He gives us a share in this power; He gives us His authority – “in My name”.
Word of Life – Rom 3:23-24 (5/11/2017 – 19/11/2017)
Post date: 2017-11-04Autor: BCP
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Reflection on Rom 3:23-24
Post date: 2017-11-04Autor: BCP
Here the Word of God says clearly that all have sinned. Naturally, little children cannot sin because they are not able to discern sin; however, they are already programmed for sin and it is only a question of time before it manifests itself. It means that all have been infected with the spiritual poison of original sin and, as a consequence, all fall short of the glory of God. This is a sad reality. But there is another reality too. The reality of God’s love. God has given His Son for our salvation. So we are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Confess like Peter: “Lord, I have sinned!” (+german version)
Post date: 2017-10-29Autor: BCP
Let us confess like Peter: “Lord, I have sinned!” What was the encounter of Peter with the risen Jesus like? Why did Jesus not appear e.g. to John? Why did He appear to Peter who had betrayed Him, denied Him with an oath? Peter sinned out of weakness but he loved Jesus sincerely. And Jesus gave him a chance. Even if your sins are many, Jesus asks if you love Him and if you believe Him; if you believe that He died for you and took all your sins on Himself. That is the main thing.
Who do we fight against?
Post date: 2017-10-26Autor: BCP
When we are to fight, we need to know who we fight against. We do not fight against a dead territory – factories, airports, arms depots… We do not fight against any physical, i.e. dead energies but we fight against the kosmokratoras – spiritual forces, intellectual evil beings, who have spiritual power. But they too must bow to God’s Majesty, to the Word of God. To the Word of God spoken through His faithful servants. They must bow whether they like it or not. However, the Word of God must be spoken in faith, with no doubting.
Reflection on Joh 5:8-10
Post date: 2017-10-21Autor: BCP
Jesus healed a man who had been sick for 38 years. It happened in Jerusalem near the pool called Bethesda. Jesus showed that He is Lord of the Sabbath. The man did not break the Sabbath rest when he carried his bed, the more so because he had been told to do so and because it was connected with a miraculous healing. Here we can see the blindness of the Pharisees who are unable to perceive that a man who had been paralyzed for 38 years was healed. They strain out a gnat and swallow a camel; they are unable to discern what is essential.
Word of Life – Jn 5:8-10 (22/10/2017 – 5/11/2017)
Post date: 2017-10-21Autor: BCP
Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately the man was healed, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath. The Jews therefore said to him who was healed, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed.”
We do not wrestle against flesh and blood…
Post date: 2017-10-16Autor: BCP
In the spiritual struggle, we need to be clothed in Christ. We cannot fight with our own strength; that would be a certain defeat. We also need to know the basic spiritual principles. The most basic spiritual principle at the beginning of every spiritual struggle and in spiritual life in general is to humble oneself before God, to confess one’s sin, to repent of it, and to receive purification by the Blood of Christ. It is also important to be able to humble oneself before another person. God gives victory to the humble, that is, to those who love the truth.
Reflection on Joh 1:12-13
Post date: 2017-10-07Autor: BCP
The Word of life confirms that as many as received Jesus and believe in His name – this is the condition – to them He gave the right to become children of God. Ask yourself: Am I a child of God? Whether you understand it or not, whether you feel it or not, if you have received Jesus by faith and believe in His name, you are a child of God. This is the truth revealed by God, and you believe the testimony of God.
Word of Life – Jn 1:12-13 (8/10/2017 – 22/10/2017)
Post date: 2017-10-07Autor: BCP
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of the man, but of God.
Word of Life – Isa 53:5-6 (24/9/2017 – 8/10/2017)
Post date: 2017-09-23Autor: BCP
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Reflection on Isa 53:5-6
Post date: 2017-09-23Autor: BCP
God gave the prophet Isaiah a vision of the future Messiah, who is Jesus. The prophet says: “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities.” The same Holy Spirit who revealed the mystery of our salvation in Jesus Christ to the prophet Isaiah has to enlighten the mind of each of us personally, that each of us may realize that Christ was wounded for my sins and bruised for my iniquities. Jesus suffered it all out of His love for me, to pay the just price for my sins and iniquities, and to open for me the way to eternal happiness in heaven. So, we were not redeemed with gold or silver but with the precious Blood of Jesus Christ. Let us also realize that the chastisement for our peace was upon Him.
Word of Life – 1Jn 5:11-13 (10/9/2017 – 24/9/2017)
Post date: 2017-09-09Autor: BCP
Word of Life – 1Jn 5:11-13 (10/9/2017 – 24/9/2017)
Reflection on 1Jo 5:11-13
Post date: 2017-09-09Autor: BCP
And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.
Reflection on 2Ti 4:2-4
Post date: 2017-08-26Autor: BCP
It is important that we also should preach the Word of God, preferably in our personal contact with people. The condition is to have a heart burning with the fire of God and to be aware that the Spirit of God works through the Word of God. The Word of God is a means of saving souls; it turns them from the broad way which leads to destruction to the narrow road which leads to eternal life. Therefore, it is said: “Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” This is the prophetic ministry – edification, exhortation and comfort (cf. 1Cor 14:1-3).
Word of Life – 2Tim 4:2-4 (27/8/17 – 10/9/2017)
Post date: 2017-08-26Autor: BCP
Word of Life – 2Tim 4:2-4 (27/8/17 – 10/9/2017)
The nuts and bolts of the Gospel
Post date: 2017-08-25Autor: BCP
The Scripture gives us directions for life. So we need to begin to learn slowly and seriously THE NUTS AND BOLTS: e.g. Jesus says, “If your brother has something against you, go and be reconciled to your brother.” In other words – e.g. your brother vents his anger and rebukes you unjustly and now there is a tense situation. He becomes aware of his guilt afterwards, and is overcome with sorrow. He doesn’t know what to do, how to apologize, and tension increases. Who should make the first step, or rather, who is obliged to? According to the Gospel, he who has been wronged is obliged to make the first step. You have been wronged, and moreover, your brother has something against you! So you have to make the first step and not wait until your brother does so! When you realize in prayer that you must go and you would not go, then however good your prayer may be, you are disobedient to Jesus!
Word of Life – 2Th 2:9-10 (13/8/17 – 27/8/2017)
Post date: 2017-08-12Autor: BCP
Word of Life – 2Th 2:9-10 (13/8/17 – 27/8/2017)
Reflection on 2Th 2:9-10
Post date: 2017-08-12Autor: BCP
The Word of God speaks of the coming of the antichrist, who will come with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish. Today, we can see that this spirit of antichrist, the ruler of the spiritual powers in space, has manipulated almost the whole Christian world, i.e. the Christian nations. Within several years, this rapid apostasy which took place above all after the Second Vatican Council, has grown in intensity. God alone can stop this process in a miraculous way, or turn it into spiritual resurrection. However, this will not be possible without suffering, prayer and a living faith; and we can add: and without bloody or bloodless martyrdom.
Reflection on Col 2:12
Post date: 2017-07-29Autor: BCP
In the mystery of baptism, the work of Jesus’ death for our sake is accomplished on His part. We have been baptized into this reality. On our part, however, we must begin to live our own baptism, to actualize it. It means that when we unite by faith with the power of Christ’s death in relation to our corrupt nature, or in other words we actualize our baptism, at that moment we die together with Christ to our selfishness, our egocentrism, our pleasures and passions which enslave us and lead us away from salvation. We cannot do so by our own strength but only by faith in the power of Jesus’ death. This power of God, which works in us, is called the working of the Holy Spirit, or God’s grace.