Crisis is Judgement

In the Greek, the word for judgement is κρίσις, "krisis".  It is also the word for crisis. In the Greek, crisis is judgement and judgement is crisis.

Whenever we are facing a crisis, we must stop and consider what led us there.  Are we suffering the consequences of choices made outside the Word of God?  The Lord's counsel is sure; those who build upon it do not fall. The rains fall, the floods come, and the winds blow, but we do not fall because we have built upon a Rock - (Jesus speaks to us in Matthew 7:25).

What can we do when we find ourselves in crisis?

The only way to escape crisis is to repent, confess, and start walking in the Light. The blood of Jesus is our salvation out of crisis and judgement.

 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.   If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  (1 John 1:7-9)

Though our circumstances may take a while to change, our spirit is cleansed immediately. And take heart: if you continue to sow in a new direction, eventually the old harvest will dry up and the new harvest come in. Perseverance in His Way is key.

So there is a way out of crisis and judgement (while we are in this life that is). We face and overcome crisis through repentance, turning back to the Lord and His ways, and perseverance - we must wait for the consequences of our bad behavior to dry up, knowing full well that sooner or later, we will harvest the fruit of His Kingdom in our lives!

Worry means, "to seek to promote one's interest."

In the Greek, worry is μεριμνάω, merimnaō. Jesus instructed us plainly enough, He said, "Do not worry." (Matthew 6:31,34; Luke 12:11,22) Many translations read, "Do not be anxious".

Jesus is clearly telling us to abstain from anxiety; however, in the Greek, we receive a deeper insight into the cause of anxiety: this word means "to seek to promote one's interest".

And isn't it true that seeking a particular outcome causes anxiety? What if it doesn't work out the way we had planned? What if, what if, what if . . . (can't you just feel your blood pressure rising?)

Our job is simple, to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness; and the rest, is His job. We only have one "worry", and that is to put God first. Everything else is up to Him.

We can do that. Jesus keeps it simple. God is so good!

A Different Kind of Evil

Most people think evil is something sinister and malevolent, and it is. But, in the Greek, Jesus speaks of a different type of evil: favlos.

Favlos means the easy, worthless way out. Jesus said that people who take the easy, worthless way out don't come to the light for fear that their works will be exposed. But that people who practice truth come to the light; all the light does for them is confirm that their works were done in God.

"For everyone who does evil (favlos) hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God." John 3:20,21

Jesus says this is the reason people shy away from Him. God did the unthinkable, He gave His Son for the salvation of the world, and then people decided they rather have something worthless instead.

Here is the paragraph in its entirety:

¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that He gave His ^[only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. ¹⁸ He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. ¹⁹ This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. ^20 (K)For everyone who does evil [favlos] hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. ²¹ But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.”

You Are A Weapon of Righteousness!

When we unite ourselves, by faith, in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we become weapons of righteousness. This is because our old self, the one that gets everything wrong, was done away with: nailed to a cross. We came up new. This new creation is a weapon of righteousness. It's our choice whether we unite with Christ or not. But, who wants to be a weapon of unrighteousness, anyway?

That's why Romans 6:13 says:

Don't go on presenting your members as weapons (opla) of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God, as alive from the dead, and your members as weapons (opla) of righteousness to God.

Your Bible probably reads something like this:

Do not go on presenting yourselves as instruments of unrighteousness to sin . . . , but . . .

This word translated as "instrument" in English is really "weapon" (oplo) in Greek. In English, it sounds better to call someone an instrument rather than a weapon. But, let's take it literally for a second; this is war, and when you unite with Christ you are a weapon against this darkness; you are a weapon of righteousness!

Jesus Always Unties Us

Just as John 3:16 is the "Gospel in a nutshell" because it explains salvation, there is a verse in the New Testament that explains the nature of Jesus and Satan with equal succinctness. It is Luke 13:16, a perfect model of two natures.

To fully appreciate this, there are two Greek words we must learn: δέω (deo) and λύω (leo, pronounced lee-o).

Deo simply means to tie up. I deo my shoe laces when I put on my shoes, the policeman deos the prisoner's hands when he puts them in handcuffs, etc.

Leo simply means to untie. I leo my shoe laces when I take my shoes off, the policeman leos the prisoner when he sets him free, etc.

These are the simple, everyday activities of tying and untying. Nothing complicated here.

In Luke 13:10-17, Jesus healed a woman of a sickness caused by a spirit, she was bent over for eighteen years. The synagogue official became indignant because the healing took place on the Sabbath, then Jesus began to teach us the truth:

"You hypocrites! Don't you all untie (leo) your donkeys and lead them to water on the Sabbath? Shouldn't I also untie (leo) this woman whom Satan has bound (deo) these eighteen years?" Luke 13:15,16

Here is the transliteration of Luke 13:16, the perfect model of the two natures:

ταύτην δὲ θυγατέρα Ἀβραὰμ (this daughter of Abraham) οὖσαν ἣν ἔδησεν ὁ Σατανᾶς ἰδοὺ δέκα καὶ ὀκτὼ ἔτη (that has been tied by Satan these eighteen years)οὐκ ἔδει λυθῆναι ἀπὸ τοῦ δεσμοῦ τούτου τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ σαββάτου (should she not be untied from her bonds on the Sabbath?)

Satan always ties, and Jesus always unties. You will never see Satan untying someone, and you will never see Jesus putting someone in bondage. Jesus even untied (leo) the donkey before He used it for His purposes (Mark 11:2-7).

And so it is with us. Coming to Jesus we are all tied up by various issues. We come just as we are. We are unable to untie ourselves, as one who is bound can not possibly untie himself. We can only present ourselves to Him and ask to be untied.

Jesus sets us free and puts us into His service. His yoke is easy and His burden is light, and while serving Him we are made completely free.

Turning to the Lord brings us a freedom we can not procure ourselves:

"Whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." 2 Corinthians 3:16,17

When we worship Him, not only does He set us free, but he unchains those around us as well:

Paul and Silas were singing praises to God while in prison, and the prisoners were listening in. Suddenly, an earthquake hit. All the doors were opened and everyone's chains were unfastened. Acts 16:25,26

Jesus promised that if we consistently read His word, we will know the truth, and this truth will set us free (John 8:31,32). Satan binds us with a spirit of doubt, which acts as a sheild against this treasure, and prevents us from being liberated by the word of God.

In the Greek, 1 John 3:8b reads, "The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to leo (untie and release us from) the works of the devil."

This model never fails us. Whenever we see Jesus, He is releasing someone from his or her bonds. Whenever we see Satan, he is tying people up. Through sickness, strife, worry, unbelief, his aim remains the same: to keep people from their God-given destiny - complete freedom in Jesus Christ.

There is never an instance where we see Jesus binding people and Satan releasing them. This is a spiritual principle we can count on.

Satan will make us feel inhibited about worshipping Jesus, as He knows what awaits us when we do . . . total liberation from the binding forces of darkness!

Homosexuality is just not that special . . .

In the Greek, homosexuality is just another sexual perversion, of which there are many. In American culture, homosexuals have been elevated to a separate class of persons. We can not discriminate on the basis of: race, religion, gender, nationality, handicap, and now . . . sexual orientation, as if to say that homosexuals are in a separate category, a class of their own - like someone in a wheelchair.

This was not the case in ancient Greece and is reflected in the ancient writings. The New Testament does not give homosexuality such distinction or classification. In fact, it is not distinguished at all; it is lumped in with all other perversions of God's way.

In 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 we read:

"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God."

First of all, the word translated as "homosexual" in the above passage is "ἀρσενοκοίτης" or "arsenocoitus". It is a compound word composed of arren and koite. Arren means male, and koite means coitus (sexual intercourse). Thus, arsenocoitus means "male-intercourse". Effeminate refers to the catamite, a boy kept for sexual relations with a man. These were common practices throughout Greece.

Married men would visit prostitutes, male, female, or young boy. This shocks us down to our puritanical boots, but that's just the way it was in antiquity. I should add that, even today in modern Greece, heterosexual men will on occasion seek sex with other men; it is for their own pleasure and gratification. Americans can not relate to this; nevertheless, never was a male-on-male sexual relationship distinguished as a special case until recent years.

In Paul's letter, the list of sins does not give any special treatment to male-on-male sex. The chapter is on sanctification and how God's people are to come out of worldly behavior because they have been washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (verse 11).

At this point we might ask, how can anyone derive sexual pleasure by having sex with a child? Though our culture is accepting of homosexuality, it writhes at pedophilia. Not so in ancient cultures.

Our sexual preferences are culturally developed. In some cultures, men are attracted to obese women; in other cultures, thin is in. Heterosexual men in Greece found pleasure in having sex with boys and other men, in addition to female prostitutes. Because this is unacceptable in Western culture, we appease our collective conscience by creating a separate category of people called "gay".

In Paul's first letter to the church in Thessaloniki (also in Greece), he instructs,

"For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality;that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God;and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you.For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification." 1 Thes. 4:3-7

In the passage exorting the Christian to lead a sexually pure life, men are encouraged not to "defraud their brother"; in the Greek this word (defraud) means to cross the boundary and take advantage of your brother. The topic is sexual purity.

Homosexual relations are not "special". They are just another form of sexual perversion! We can not allow the culture to define our morality. The child of God has clear guidance on all topics in the word of God, the Holy Bible.

Self Control Means "In His Dominion"

We read about the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:23,23. One attribute of this fruit is "self-control". In English, it sounds like self is doing the control. In the Greek this word is "enkratia" which, when broken down to its parts of "en" and "kratia", literally means "in + His Dominion". It's God-control. It's not really self that's doing the controlling, though it is up to us to obey Him.

Not to be too nit-picky, but sometimes analyzing the original word helps us apply it to our lives. In this case, understanding that our spirits are to be submitted and governed by the Holy Spirit at all times helps our understanding of Who is doing the controlling. This may help us from being stiff, religious, or legalistic in our walk. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom!

I Exist Means Under Him I Rule and Reign

In the Greek, "I exist" means "under His Lordship, I rule and reign". It's so much more than just "existing".

In the Greek the word for 'I exist' is 'υπάρχω' (hyparcho). It is made up of two parts: hypo and archo.

Uπό (hypo) is positional, it means under: in this case, under Christ. And aρχω (archo) means to rule and reign. Therefore, under Christ, we rule and reign.

God has given us so much in Christ, it is up to us to stay under his rulership and, from that position, rule in this life.

Comfort is Myth

In the Greek, the word for comfort or console, as used in John 11:19,31, is παραμυθέομαι (paramytheomai). Paramythi means fairy tale. Paramytheomai is a combination of two words: para which means from, and myth which means myth. Consolation is from-myth.

The New Testament Greek teaches us that stories that console us might be fictional and need to be examined for their truthfulness. Especially when the consolers are hostile towards Jesus. Let's examine one such instance in John 11:1-45.

The chapter tells us that the people in Judea were hostile towards Jesus (verse 8). They wanted to stone Him. In fact when Jesus resolved to press on towards Judea, Doubting Thomas resigned, "Fine, let us also go, that we may die with him." (verse 16).

These same hostile Jews were consoling Mary and Martha after the death of Lazarus.

We can only imagine what they might have been saying. "It's ok; Jesus didn't come in time, but we're here for you. He could have prevented this tragedy, but I guess He was too busy."

Whatever words these people were using, Mary and Martha were polluted by the consolation as evidenced by their response to Jesus when He did arrive.

Martha said, "If You would have been here, my brother would not have died." (verse 21). She was blaming Jesus for Lazarus' death.

Mary met Jesus separately and also stated the same exact sentiment, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." (verse 32).

I wonder where they got this sentiment. Did the consoling Jews wear them down?

We must consider the stories we use to console ourselves and others.

Are the stories we take comfort in based on fact or fiction? Is our comfort coming from the Comforter, whose job it is to lead us into a deeper revelation of the Gospel? Or is our comfort coming from myths, comfortable substitutes for the truth?

Whenever we make a decision to draw near to Christ, a familiar spirit (something comfortable and consoling) will try to prevent us from going forward. "You don't need to go to church; they're all a bunch of hypocrites anyway."

Or, whatever the consoling myth might be.

Coming into a deeper level of truth always requires that we step beyond our comfort zone.

James 1:2 says, "Lead on with joy!"

In the Greek, James 1:2 says, “Lead on with joy my brothers!”

James was advising leaders how to deal with trials, and we should take a lesson as well. Anyone involved in ministry will be opposed. Let’s face it: the devil hates humanity and is out to destroy it anyway he can. When anyone decides to spread the good news of our salvation in Christ, that person will be opposed by demonic forces. How do we cope?

James, the brother of Jesus, instructs us to use joy as a weapon; to take it up, and lead on. Here it is in the Greek:

Πᾶσαν χαρὰν ἡγήσασθε ἀδελφοί μου ὅταν πειρασμοῖς περιπέσητε ποικίλοις
With all joy lead on my brothers when various trials encompass you.

As ministers of the Gospel, we must learn to apply joy to the situation in order to survive the ministry any length of time. Joy will secure the longevity of our ministry. Or so it says . . . in the Greek in James 1:2

There are Two Gripping Forces

Believers in Christ should live in the Grip of God's Glory. Unbelievers are in the Grip of dark forces operating in the world.

In the Greek language of the New Testament, we see two gripping forces. One is the Glory of God, and the other belongs to the forces darkness. Both are captivating; both are gripping.

In Colossians 1:11 we are told that believers are gripped by His Glory. In Ephesians 6:12 we are told that our struggle is against world forces of darkness that grip us. Here is a breakdown of the verses, KJV, Greek, and Literal:

Colossians 1:11
KJV "Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power,"
Greek "ἐν πάσῃ δυνάμει δυναμούμενοι κατὰ τὸ κράτος τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ"
Literal "Fully empowered by the Grip of His Glory"

"Grip of His Glory" = "κράτος τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ"

Ephesians 6:12
KJV " . . . we wrestle . . . against the rulers of the darkness of this world,"
Greek " . . . ἔστιν ἡμῖν ἡ πάλη . . . πρὸς τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου"
Literal " . . . we wrestle . . . against the world's grip of darkness of this age"

"World's grip of darkness of this age" = "κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου"

Kοσμοκράτορας, cosmokratoras is a ruler; however, it is a compound of two words: world and grip.

In English, we don't think of this world's rulers as having a dark grip on us. In the Greek, we are told that our struggle is not with flesh and blood, but with world forces that are dark and gripping.

It helps to know that we have a choice to be gripped by the Glory of the Lord or the forces at work in this dark world.

Whose grip are you in? Are you gripped by His Glory or by the world-grip of the darkness of this age?

Authority means "Out of His Essense"

Authority and power in Greek mean "out of his essence" and "out of I am".

The word power and authority in Greek is ἐξουσία "exousia".

It is used in Matthew 28:18 when Jesus said, "All authority (exousia) has been given to me in heaven and on earth."

It is used in Luke 9:1 when Jesus called the twelve together and gave them all power and authority over all demons and to cure deseases.

So, this "exousia" was given to Jesus and then to his followers.

In the Greek exousia means "out of His essence" and "out of I am". That means that Jesus and his followers have been given the very essence of God.

We have been given the very essence and substance of God, out of I Am, and this we are to use against demons and to cure deseases.

You Are God's Poem in Christ Jesus

In the Greek, Ephesians 2:10 reads as follows:

For we are His poem (poiema) built into Christ Jesus . . .

God's workmanship is God's poetry.

The same word is used in Genesis 1:1 for "created" in the Greek Bible.

There's a lot that goes into Creation. It's God's Poetry.

Oh and Genesis is a Greek word, by the way, meaning "birth".

Dwell Means "Build Your Reality On"

The word "dwell" in Philippians 4:8 is "logisome". This is an accounting term; the term deals with money and accounts, with what is really there in your bank account.

If I "logisome" that I have $100 in my bank account, I have $100 in my bank account. Otherwise I am deceiving myself. This word deals with reality.

It seems that, to a certain extent, we control our own reality, and God wants us to use these things (in Philippians 4:8) as the building blocks of our reality. He wants us to build our life on these things.

"Logisome" is where we get "logistics", the handling of an operation and its personel. When it comes to our relationships with others, it would really help if we reckoned as true only those things which are good about them!

Another way to explain "logisome" is: count on, bank on, reckon as true, make your world out of these things: whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, excellent, worthy of praise, and of a good report. Here is the verse from the Bible:

Philippians 4:8

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, "logisome" on these things.

Corruption, slander, and the devil . . .

. . . all come from the same word: diaballo.

Corruption (moral and physical decomposition) is what it's called in the Scriptures. In today's vernacular we call it decay. It's when things rot. In Greek it comes from the word "diaballo".

The word "slander" and the word "devil" also come from the same word in Greek: "diaballo".

All of those things: decay, slander, and the devil are inseparable and came in at the same time, at the Fall. Redemption from decay, slander, and the devil was provided by the Father in Christ.

This Post Is Not about Greek at All

The reason why 1 Corinthians Chapter 13 is between Chapters 12 & 14 just dropped out of the Sky today; it was crystal clear to me. Over time I have come to know this as the Voice of the Lord. This crisp "aha" moment that just explains everything.

I always thought Chapter 13 was so boring sandwiched inbetween those super exciting Chapters, 12 & 14. Chapters 12 & 14 deal with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, miracles, healings, tongues, prophecy, all the good stuff. I've been a participant in that excitement for years now; but sadly, I haven't seen it impact the lost. What's missing?

The Love! If we serve up the gifts on a vehicle of love, we will win every time! Who can refuse Love? Who will make fun of you after they feel the Love of God coming out of you towards them? Not too many people.

We will succeed in our attepts to evangelize the world when we use the Gifts of the Spirit in the Love of God. And that's why Chapter 13 sits between 12 &14. Love is the proper administrator of the supernatural and needs to sit between the Body and the Gifts as umpire.

Love you guys xxxooo

The Devil is the Source of all Pain

In the Greek the word for the evil one is "Poneiros"; it comes from the word "ponos" which is "pain". In the Greek the word for the devil is "the one who causes pain".

Literally, " the one who: presses and harasses by labours, annoyances, hardships, and pain." He is literally the source of all pain in all of its forms, psychological, spiritual and physical.

In contrast, Jesus tells us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light and that we must come to Him and learn of Him in order to benefit from God's deliverance (Matthew 11:28-30).

Though life brings hardships by default, God brings relief through seeking Him.

James 1:23, 24 implies that . . .

. . . when you look at your face in the mirror, you see God, indirectly. By examining three key words in the passage, we see this perspective;

"If anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man that looked at God and forgot about Him." ! Let's look at the passage:

In KJV we read these words, " . . . if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was."

The key words to this passage:

Beholding is ka ta no e' o, which means perceiving something with understanding.

Natural is ge' ne sis, which means all the genetics that went into the making of you. A full profile of all that is you, naturally, from the beginning of humanity. Basically, that you are composed of a unique collection and combination of genetics, and that they are all exhibited on your face.

Face is pro' so po, which means the index of inward thoughts and feelings, a place where all your inward parts are exhibited.

When you look at your face, you're seeing all the proof you need for the existence of God. Furthermore, you get a glimpse of all that went into the making of your being from the beginning of creation.


Basically, we should all be looking at our faces and worshipping God.


But, when we look at our faces and walk away from that experience, not giving God the glory, we're walking blindly. We are created by God, for God, and we will be giving an account to God. This revelation is completely liberating - from the world that is.

This is both liberating and constraining for us in practice. Liberating from all the heavy yokes and meaningless mandates that this world puts upon us, and constraining in only one way: that we walk in the fear of God and in the obedience of His Word.

Shields and Doors

In the Greek, the word for shield (thyreos) comes from the word for door (thyra). Shields are doors and doors are shields. How can a door be a shield?

A door leads you down a path, and walking on a certain path keeps you (or shields you) from other paths. Walking down a path of darkness will deflect the light of God from entering into you, and walking down the path of God will deflect the darkness from entering into you.

The question is: which path are you walking and which path are you deflecting? This works for both sides of the battle, both kingdoms, light and darkness.

Ephesians 6:16 says, "Above all, taking the shield (or door) of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one." So faith deflects the wicked one's agenda for your life.

The dark application: "with the shield of doubt you quench the word of God."

Doubt undoes what God is trying to say to you. The serpent threw doubt on what God had said in the Garden; did God really say that? Genesis 3:1. Man was undone, defeated by doubting God's word.

Faith is a door that helps you on your path with God. Doubt is a door that leads you away from God.

Faith in God's word deflects wicked. Doubt in God's word deflects God. Shields are doors and doors are shields on both sides of the battle.

Which shield are you taking up?

. . . we are eternal beings within An Eternal Being.

In John 8:58, Jesus calls Himself "I Am" (Eimi). I Am is the name of God in the Hebrew Scriptures (Exodus 3:14). He exists eternally, in the present tense forever. In grammar, "I am" is called the first person singular of the verb "to be".

In Acts 17:28 we read, "In Him we live and move and have our being;". What is translated as "have our being", in the Greek it is "Esmen" which means "we are". In grammar, "we are" is called the first person plural of the verb "to be". In Greek it is easy to conclude that, "In I AM. . . we are". We are eternal beings in existence within An Eternal Being.

In the Greek, Acts 17:28 is making the point that we are a plurality of eternal beings which have our existence within A Greater Singular Eternal Being. Made in the image of God, we too are eternal beings, like God, just smaller and a part of a plurality.