Category Archives: Jesus

Jesus

Good news

Leave a comment

The angels announced to the shepherds in Luke 2: 10-11: ” I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

What’s the good news?

God loves (Hosea 14:4), seeks (Genesis 3:9 / Ezekiel 34:12) and visits us (Luke 1:68).

He does not impose himself on us, but he waits until we open the door for him (Revelation 3:20) or we turn to him (Isaiah 1:4).

Jesus died on the cross and rose again for our transgressions towards his life-enhancing instructions (John 3:16).

The Heavenly Father and Jesus come to us personally through the Holy Spirit (John 13:20). We are changed to the person God created us to be.

The key question is if we are open to God and if he knows us (Matthew 7:23). He knows us when we reveal ourselves to him.

Israel, Jesus

Rejoice daughter of Zion

Leave a comment

“Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!” Zephaniah 3:14.

The prophet Zephaniah called on Jerusalem, like all Israel, to rejoice in the presence of the Lord: “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save” (Zephaniah 3:17). Salvation is in Hebrew: Yeschuah / Jesus is Yeschua and means saviour.

This almighty God has forgiven his people the guilt: “The Lord has taken away the judgments against you … The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst” (Zephaniah 3:15). “Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” (John 19:19).

The joy of this is shared. Not only of the people of Israel, but God himself shares the joy of his people: “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing” (Zephaniah 3:17). ” And you shall again obey the voice of the Lord… For the Lord will again take delight in prospering you, as he took delight in your fathers” (Deuteronomy 30: 8-9).

The promises of the First Testament are fulfilled in the coming of Jesus into this world.

Paul writes that the reason for joy is the closeness of God revealed in Jesus. ” Rejoice in the Lord always … The Lord is at hand” (Philippians 4: 4-5). The closeness of God in Jesus is the cause of hope and joy. And we always need it.

Jesus

God loves me even when I’m not perfect

Leave a comment

Roman wanted to prove his faith to Allah. He loved to disturb Christians with questions in order to unsettle them. He planned to disrupt a Baptist church service in Kazakhstan during Ramadan. For him, Christians with a Muslim background were “betrayers of the real faith”.

But things turned out differently. “For the first time I heard about a God who loved me,” he says. “I never knew the Almighty God loved me even though I am not perfect.” 

“For the first time I heard of a God who loves me,” he says. “I hadn’t known an almighty God who loves me even though I’m not perfect.” “That thought [of being loved even though I’m not perfect] seriously never entered my mind. I always felt guilty. I felt that I had to earn His attention.”

And then something happened he never expected: tears, prayers to Jesus, repentance and joy. Sitting in that church service in a Baptist church, the man who had devoted his life to persecuting Christians became a follower of Jesus.

And today he says: “I never want to go back to the Muslim faith.”

 more information

Jesus

Ascension Day

Leave a comment

On this day, the disciples are very much looking forward to Jesus establishing the kingdom. Jesus opens a new chapter. He is now sitting on the father’s right hand. God’s presence is re-experienced through the Holy Spirit.

After Jesus died on the cross on Good Friday and rose from the dead on Easter Sunday, he met over 500 people (1 Corinthians 15: 5). These included the women at the grave (John 20), the two hikers to Emmaus (Luke 24) and the disciples of Jesus. These encounters were encouraging, but nothing earth-shattering happened.

Ten days before the Jewish festival of Pentecost, Jesus met with them on a normal Thursday. The disciples had great expectations that Jesus would now establish the kingdom. But Jesus did not want to set a time for it and promised them divine power through the Holy Spirit, who will lead them into the whole world (Acts 1: 6-8).

When Jesus ascended towards heaven before their eyes on the Mount of Olives and disappeared from their eyes through a cloud, Jesus opened a new chapter. Suddenly there were two angels who declared that Jesus was now in heaven and that one day he would come back to earth from there. But first of all, the disciples in Jerusalem waited for the promised power from above, which came to them after 10 days on Pentecost and fulfilled them and changed everything.

In John 18:36, Jesus said to Pilate: My kingdom is not like one of this world.

read on → https://www.obrist-impulse.net/auffahrt-ausfahrt-himmelfahrtsfest

Jesus

What drives Muslims into terror?

Leave a comment

Violence is a result of black and white thinking. Wherever peaceful tolerance fails, the situation escalates. When Jesus ask to love our enemies, he required extreme tolerance.

In France, the causes of terror have been debated for many years. The 65-year-old Gilles Kepel says: The terror is a consequence of the radicalization of Islam. The 71-year-old Olivier Roy says: Terror is an expression of the Islamization of violent radicalism. Continue reading What drives Muslims into terror? →

Jesus

Muslim dreams of a cross

Leave a comment

By Zeenat, Morocco

In 2011, I wanted to learn Russian so I went to a website to register for online learning. On that website, I found an advertisement that was a link to click on to know God’s plan for your life. I clicked the button, filled out the form and received a downloadable version of Matthew’s Gospel. At that time, I became distracted with other things and forgot about it.

A month later, my internet service stopped working. In that moment, I remembered what I had downloaded and began reading Matthew. When I came to the section about the sermon on the mountain, I began to have lots of questions.

My beliefs about Christianity were entirely based on what I had been taught as a Muslim. I thought that Christians believed everything (drinking, sex, etc) was permissible at all times. I did not realize that Christians believe that Jesus was God in human form, truly the Messiah. Continue reading Muslim dreams of a cross →

Jesus

The Jesus movement spreads through persecution

Leave a comment

It is not through planning and strategy, but through persecution that the Jesus movement spreads through the book of Acts.

Many think that persecution destroys the Church, but in both the past and the present God has used persecution and disasters to spread hope and salvation through the Church. Many people of different background come to the Christian faith because they experience love, forgiveness, and mercy.

The first church found new courage in view of God’s greatness. Through Psalm 2 they realized: headwinds are normal. Therefore, they do not ask for the headwind to stop, but rather that they do not allow themselves to be frightened and continue to tell without hesitation about the fact that Jesus overcame death. God’s answer to their request is to give them a new fullness of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus

God of Abraham

Leave a comment

Abraham is often seen as the father of the monotheistic religions. His way of believing is a model for all people.

Only when we understand how Abraham experienced God, can we evaluate whether we believe in Abraham’s God or we are following our own image of God.

Abraham is described as the first Muslim in sura 2:132. In John 8:39 the Jews say: “Our father is Abraham.” Jews, Christians and Muslims all see Abraham as a model of faith. But Abraham did not start three religions.

When we say we believe in the God of Abraham, we must first see what kind of God Abraham believed in and what are the characteristics of his belief.

Jesus says in John 8:39: “If you were Abraham’s children, then you would do what Abraham did.”

Jesus

Jesus as a bridge between Islam and Christianity

Leave a comment

The Islamic theologian Mouhanad Khorchide told domradio:

Jesus serves as a bridge between Islam and Christianity.

In the Koran, Jesus is valued much more strongly, is much more central, than Mohammed himself. Very few people know that.

Jesus is referred to in the Koran as the Word of God, Spirit of God. The miracles of Jesus are also described in the Koran.

So I think: Muslims should also honor this day. When I say that one congratulates one another or even celebrates Christmas, it doesn’t mean that Muslims become Christians, but they remind us of this appreciation.

In contrast to Khorchide, it should also be noted: In the Koran, Jesus is referred as “the son of Mary”, as the Arabic name ʿĪsā ibn Maryam shows. To difference oneself from the term “Son of God”.Isa is a prophet in the Koran and Jesus the Son of God in the New Testament.

Mt 16:16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

Mt 27.43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’

Lk 22.70 They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?” He replied, “You say that I am.”

Jn 10:36 what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?

 

Jesus

Praying with Zacharias (Part 7)

Leave a comment

Luke 1,78-79: “Because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven 79 to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

Prayer: Heavenly Father, a wonderful picture. In your love you visit us as the light of the world to show us the way out of darkness and to guide us on the path of peace.

Isaiah said in chapter 9.2: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned” (Isaiah 9: 2). This is Christmas Divine light comes into our world.

Jesus says in John 8:12: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

Thank you, Jesus, for leaving the glory to show us the way to Heavenly Father. Thank you that we can celebrate Christmas, the great beginning of your search for the people who have lost touch with you. We want to accept your saving offer and ask you to come into our life and it will be light in us. Amen.

Mary Christmas to you all.