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FAITH

05/11/2012 20:58:00

There is a faith that stands the test of time. We know Abraham as the father of faith and the faithful. Through his life, faith is exemplified. And from this “Friend of God”, we learn that faith is not perfect character or integrity. Rather, it is simply taking God at His word. Now “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 - I will not be moved by what I hear; I will not be moved by what I see; I will not be moved by fact; I will not be moved by my circumstances; I will be moved by the Word of God. Amen.

Overview The single most important thing in a person's life is faith in God. The question is what does that mean? Now, before we make note of of what God says about faith, how about we ponder our own personal thoughts on the topic. Now, I’m going to be honest with you, there once was a time in my life when I had some challenges with faith. I simply had no idea what it was to have unshakable, unquestionable faith, and undoubting faith. When faced with a crisis I had a fearful spirit when it came to difficulties in my life. Let me give you a list of what my life was like without FAITH. Yes, I actually had a list. The thing is I didn’t realize that I was even creating a list of things to destroy my life, my relationship with my creator Lord God Almighty. Friends, I just can’t say enough that ignorance is NOT BLISS. I ‘thought’ I loved God. Well, let me tell you_ what I’ve since learned from deep study and meditation on the Word of God; love trust’s God deliver! Faith comes from reading, reading, reading, and more reading of the Bible! I was not there yet and therefore suffered the following:

a.)    Sleepless nights
b.)    Unending stress
c.)    No backbone in anything
d.)    Low focus
e.)    No appetite

But oh GLORY TO GOD for His precious gift of faith. Yes, I suffered the above, but through it all I continued to read and pray on His Word.

So what did Jesus say about faith? Why don’t we explore together His Scriptures?

Ephesians 2:8-9 declares only by faith in Jesus Christ can a person be saved, have his sins forgiven, and receive eternal life with God in heaven.
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast."
Hebrews 11:6 further explains that we are not only saved by faith and trust in Him, but cannot please Him apart from faith.
"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Who shall we look to for examples of biblical faith, and how it affected their lives? After Abraham, there was_

Noah lived in an evil time as Genesis 6:5-8 records. However, Noah was a righteous man, meaning he was "right" with God and lived a godly life. God says of him:

"By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." (Hebrews 11:7)

Noah preached God's truth for 120 years the people would not believe. The evidence was in how they lived.

WHAT WAS THE BASIS OF NOAH'S FAITH?

The verse says being, "warned of God." Like Noah, We need to stop wavering and start taking God for His Word and lay hold of His promises!

If He said we shall cast out demons, then it means He's given us the ability to drive out those evil spirits! If He's said we have a right to be healed in Jesus' name, then we have that right, and we ought to start trusting Him and believing it!

Christian faith is basically taking God for His Word and believing on the promises He's made.

Knowledge of the truth (in God's Word) brings faith. Faith is believing something, thus requiring something to believe.

"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
"Jesus said unto him, if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth."

In the verse above, the word believeth means to trust. Jesus was in essence telling His disciples that all things (referring to the promises of God) are possible for them who will trust God for them (believe).

How can you believe something that nobody told you? You can't. That's why it's important to know what the Word of God has to say, so that we can believe it. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing God's Word:

"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

How can you confidently approach God, when your conscience is dirty? The truth is you can't!

"Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." We need to have a true heart of full assurance of faith and washed clean from an evil conscience.

The third key to operating in faith is to be rooted and grounded in love so that your faith will operate through love. The Bible tells us clearly that all believers should be rooted and grounded in the love of Christ, if we want to experience the fullness of God, who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.

When we are grounded in the love of Christ, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us."

We are told to put on the breastplate of faith and love... the two go together like hand and glove!

Janet Thomas

Founder/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts (BSTFPA)

THE GROOM'S FRIENDS

05/04/2012 20:15:00

MATTHEW 9:15 (KJV)

Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.”

†The Disciples Eat with Sinners
The response of Jesus to the question of fasting shows His authority over religious observances and, at the same time, reveals the relationship of Christianity to Judaism. V. 15 Fasting suggest mourning; but the presence of Jesus with His disciples, which inaugurated the kingdom of heaven, is an occasion for joyful celebration, such as is see at a wedding banquet. Jesus’ rhetorical response further demonstrates the error of mechanical fasts, which fail to discern God’s specific directive.

REFLECTIONS

Note: How the Pharisees blamed Christ’s disciples for not fasting. They could not but know, that Christ had instructed his disciples to keep their fasts private, and to manage themselves so as that they might not appear unto men to fast; and, therefore, it was very uncharitable in them to conclude they did not fast, because they did not proclaim their fasts. Further. We must not judge of people’s religion by that which falls under the eye and observation of the world. But suppose it was so, that Christ’s disciples did not fast so often or so long as they did, why truly, they would therefore have it thought, that they had more religion in them than Christ’s disciples had. Also, It is common for vain professors to make themselves a standard in religion, by which to try and measure persons and things, as if all who differed from them were so far in the wrong; as if all that did less than they, did too little, and all that did more than they, did too much, which is a clear evidence of their want of humility and charity.

Simply put, Jesus implied: “Imagine being at the wedding supper with the bridegroom and the bridegroom’s friends are fasting? The groom does not call his attendants to fast when it is time to be merry!”

Jesus was making reference to the other parable about the king giving a banquet at a wedding for his son. He was trying to point out to the listeners that He was the son who was going to marry the bride and it was the disciples who were going to be His bride. Hallelujah! Aren’t you glad that we are HIS disciples today? However, the problem was that Jesus spoke in parables and not everything He said was understood by the people or the disciples.

Dear Friends, in this parable, we see where Christ (the Bridegroom) did not require His attendants, to participate in any other fasting ritual besides the required fast on the Day of Atonement. Jesus told his inquirers (John’s disciples and the Pharisees) that while He (the messianic bridegroom) was with His guests, there was no reason to mourn. They (His disciples) were with their Savior. But soon, He would be taken from them (through crucifixion, resurrection and ascension), and then there would be reason to fast. We recognize that fasting for the Christian (now that Jesus is at the right hand of God) is one of the ways that we draw in a closer relationship to God through the power of the Holy Spirit.

However, when Christ returns, we will never again have reason to mourn because we will be in His presence, not to be wedded to Him, but rather, to attend and serve the King of kings and Lord of lords during His eternal earthly reign. HALLELUJAH!

REFLECTIONS OF YESTERDAY

Remember earlier when we studied the parable of the ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom? Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight the cry rang out: ‘here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him! then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both of you and us. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’ But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.” Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour, (Matthew 25:1-13, NIV).

The parable clearly demonstrates that individual believers (the invited guests) have to possess the new nature bestowed by the power of Holy Spirit to enter the wedding banquet, which is held several days before the actual wedding. Once again, the virgins here represent those people who are invited and are prepared with the oil (the Holy Spirit), as was the case with those people who were prepared with their wedding garments, washed in the blood of the Lamb. These two prerequisites are essential to enter the Kingdom of God.

So, in closing, let each of us be dressed ready for service, keeping our lamps burning, like men and women waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for Him. It will be good for those of us servants whose master finds us watching when he comes.

Oh, I tell you the Bible say; he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night, (Luke 12:35-38, NIV). download text version

Janet Thomas
Founder/CEO
Bible Stories Theatre of
Fine & Performing Arts (BSTFPA)

PRIDE

04/27/2012 17:43:00

When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom. Proverbs 11:2 KJV

Pride is …a high or inordinate opinion of one's own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc.

2. the state or feeling of being proud.
3. a becoming or dignified sense of what is due to oneself or one's position or character; self-respect; self-esteem.
4. pleasure or satisfaction taken in something done by or belonging to oneself or believed to reflect credit upon oneself.
5. something that causes a person or persons to be proud.

I once read somewhere that Pride is a stickler for trying to disguise itself. It is evil by nature and it wants to convince people that it's not really pride that they are overcome by many times, but something else. Pride, as it's name indicates, usually plays it's wicked games when it sees the opportunity to make you feel like you're right about something and someone else is wrong. The devil is a liar. Let’s put our pride to sleep, and awaken to GRACE!

I just love GOD. I love the mysterious why in which HE intervenes with HIS unconditional love and rectification when we are in all of our foolishness and mess. For me the sting of pride touched the core of my heart not so very long ago. I’m reminded of a small round-table Bible Study group and the response to a comment that I made that went thusly: “I’m very independent. I find my own job, my own car, my own home, etc” The Bible Study instructor looked me square in the face and replied, “That is PRIDE.” As I share with you now, the impact and the tingle of those words arise anew. Ignorance is NOT always bliss. GOD spoke to me that afternoon and I count it all good. HE knew I was clueless. Hallelujah! HIS saving grace continues to keep me today.

Friends, pride is portrayed as a necklace, a crown and fruit in the Bible. It is also said to persecute, testify, deceive, and bring low. Often it is seen as the first sin. It is the same sin which caused the Lucifer to fall from his privileged position as an angel of light. Lucifer then uses the same sin to tempt Adam and Eve away from their fellowship with the Almighty God. Satan still tempts us today with the same sin. I just shared with you my experience and if each of us refuses to admit we were (or are) tempted by it, you may already have fallen to it. The great Christian writer C.S. Lewis wrote of this sin in his classic Mere Christianity. The title of the work is The Great Sin. He points out that it tempts us all and yet we despise it in all others. He went on to state that it cannot exist without competition because it is essentially competitive. Why are people so prideful? Here are a few reasons:

1. Not wanting to appear to have failed.
2. To avoid embarrassment.
3. It's hard to accept blame for something
we did.
4.We forget that God doesn't like it.
5.To make themselves feel important.

PRIDE BIBLE STUDY

Pride is one of the most dangerous of the seven deadly sins and is indeed the weapon that satan most dearly loves to use against Christians. Pride is the crippling sin that was the cause of him being removed from heaven and cast out to the earth. Pride has now become the cause of the fall of many.

Facts about pride

1 John 2:16 “For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh – the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father, but is of the world.

In the scripture above, pride is classified together with lust and stated to be of the world. Pride therefore is as bad as adultery, forni-cation and every other deadly sin. Proverbs 16:18 says “Pride goes before destruction “. Once the sin of pride has come upon you, destruction is soon to follow shortly afterwards.

Lucifer was one of the most beautiful angels of all. However, Isaiah 14:12-17 relates how Lucifer (Satan) tried to become as God and was filled with pride. He was then cast out of the heavens due to this sin. However, Satan was so devious and convincing, that he managed to convince a third of the angels to follow him and be cast out of the heavens with him. These are the demons or fallen angels that come to tempt you and terrorize you. If Satan was able to deceive those who were daily in the presence of God, daily worshipping before God and who daily saw the power and might of God, how easy is it then for him to tempt and mislead one of us mortals.

Jesus says that we should never consider ourselves more high than we are and when we come to the feast table, that we should seat ourselves at the humble and lowly seats of the table (Luke 14:8-11). He will then come and move us to a higher position, but if we seek the best seat, we will be moved to a lower seat. This was a warning from Jesus about the damaging effects of pride. Pride makes us see ourselves as being more than we actually are and sees us elevating

ourselves into positions that we should not be.

Matthew 23:12 “And whoever exalts himself will be abased, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Pride is rife in churches and has been the downfall of many otherwise good Christians. Pride elevated them into positions that they could not hold and which were not theirs to hold, and so they are toppled. I have even seen those who are so proud of how humble they are! Imagine that.

We are to guard our hearts, and never allow pride to enter. Cast it out as soon as it comes near to us recognizing who the author of pride is, for the minute that we start to entertain pride, we are on the way to destruction. Further, we are to never think highly of ourselves, rather giving the true praise for everything to the Father, for without Him, we are incapable of anything. download text copy

Janet Thomas
Founder/CEO
Bible Stories Theatre of
Fine & Performing Arts (BSTFPA)

THE BEST MAN

04/20/2012 08:53:00

“Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.” John 3:28 KJV

See how steady and constant John was in his testimony to Christ, and not as a feather shaken with the wind; neither the frowns of the chief priests, nor the flatteries of his own disciples, could make him change his note.

REFLECTIONS

Note: [1.] As a conviction to his disciples of the unreasonableness of their complaint. They had spoken of the witness which their master bore to Jesus (John 3:26): “Now,” said John, “do you not remember what the testimony was that I did bear? Call that to mind, and you will see your own complaining answered. Did I not say I am not the Christ? Why then do you set me up as a rival with him that is? Did I not say, I am sent before him? Why then does it seem strange to you that I should stand by and give way to him?”

[2.] It is a comfort to himself that he had never given his disciples any occasion thus to set him up in competition with Christ; but, on the contrary, had particularly cautioned them against this mistake, though he might have made a hand of it for himself. It is a satisfaction to faithful ministers when they have done what they could in their places to prevent any extravagances that their people ran into. John had, not only not encouraged them to hope that he was the Messiah, but had plainly told them the contrary, which was now a satisfaction to him. It is a common excuse for those who have undue honor paid them,—if the people will be deceived, let them; but that is an ill maxim for those to go by whose business it is to undeceive people. The lip of truth shall be established.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Meditate on this bold fact for a moment: You’re John the Baptist. I’m John the Baptist. And all believers are John the Baptist. If we have dedicated our lives to serving Jesus and HIS church, then that can only mean that we are the Best Man! HALLELUJAH!

It’s a relief we don’t have to play the Savior. It’s a privilege not to just be a guest. We decrease only to fill our God-given role; that of friends of the Bridegroom. What a beautiful picture of how Jesus looks at us in the big scope of things. We are his friends—his closest friends. With that comes responsibility but also great privilege. Sure, we’ll work harder than others. But we get to see him in his finest hour. We are criticized and unappreciated, but Sunday after Sunday we get to present his bride to him. We get to stand beside him, where he can see us, even if others can’t. I’ll gladly decrease in the sight of any guest if I can be God’s ‘best man’ for one day. I don’t know about you, but I yearn to be his friend and I sure do love HIS bride. Being the best man is where it’s at!

Jesus the Bridegroom is the Christ (3:29-30) “To this John replied, "A person can receive only what is given from heaven.

[29] The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.

[30] He must become greater; I must become less.” Amen.

I’m going to close with this poem I read this week. I pray that you can recognize the model of Christian discipleship we have witnessed in John the Baptist.

When I say... "I am a Christian," I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin.”

I'm whispering "I was lost." Now I'm found and forgiven.

When I say..."I am a Christian," I don't speak of this with pride,

I'm confessing that I stumble and need CHRIST to be my guide.

When I say... "I am a Christian," I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak and need HIS strength to carry on.

When I say... "I am a Christian," I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say... "I am a Christian," I'm not claiming to be perfect, my flaws are far too visible but, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... "I am a Christian," I still feel the sting of pain; I have my share of heartaches so I call upon His name.

When I say... "I am a Christian," I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner who received God's good grace, somehow. download text copy

Lets pray.

Janet Thomas
Founder/CEO
Bible Stories Theatre of
Fine & Performing Arts (BSTFPA)

FRIENDSHIPS

04/12/2012 23:35:00

"Those who live in the Lord never see each other for the last time."

What is friendship? How would you describe your

friendship(s)? If you will, permit me to pass on a story I enjoy sharing every now-and- again when the topic of friendship comes up. My dad was my best teacher on the subject of life’s lessons. Did I always get it? Most times, no. But now that life has thrown me a few curve balls, I get it. I get them all! Anyway, this is how my lesson on friendship went.

Holding up one of his massive hands, Daddy said: “Janet,” in that special firm tone he used when he was about to hit me with one of those difficult lessons,

“How many fingers am I holding up?” I replied, “Five.” And what he told me next, I will never forget because I realize today that it is absolutely true. He went on to say,

“if you have more friends than you have fingers on one hand, you have too many.” Conversation over; nothing else said. I didn’t understand, but I felt a chill crawl up my spine. Wow. My dad was a wise man who knew the soul and spirit of his daughter. That day I didn’t understand why he chose to enlighten me on that matter, but I certainly comprehend it today.

Understanding the ‘real’ essence of friendship, I believe that ‘FIVE’ people can’t be your friend…simply can not. Being a friend is the sharing of one heart; one soul; one mind; one spirit; and one LOVE. Aristotle said a friend is a single soul, dwelling in two bodies.

Further research on the topic brought me to the following article:

A Personal Relationship That Is Reciprocated

It's not enough to see a person at, say, book group each week and enjoy their company. In order for a friend to truly be considered a friend, he or she has to also believe you are their friend also. This can get tricky, because most people have a different idea of what friendship really means. Some people are instantly trusting of new people, and accept them into their heart without question. For these types of folks, they assume someone is their friend until they find out otherwise.

Other people, however, might act "friendly" with someone but not consider them a friend for quite a while. Perhaps these types of people need to get know someone better before they even consider labeling them as a friend. Or perhaps they already have a lot of friends and therefore wouldn't consider someone they see at book club and nowhere else a friend.

This can cause issues, especially when someone counts on a person they believe to be a friend only to find out they were wrong. It's a not perfect world, but in terms of friendship, someone who is genuinely a friend usually:

•Has told you that you are a friend or has introduced you as their friend.
•Has called or emailed you about meeting for coffee, lunch, etc.
•Has done something nice for you.
•Is sincerely interested when you talk about your life.
•Roots for you and wants the best for you.
•Is willing to hang out with you outside of the place you first met (work, book group, exercise class).

Friends Are Kind and Act As a Positive Influence in Your Life It should go without saying that real friends make you feel good, as opposed to bring you down. People who are genuinely your friend put your relationship above being right or trying to feel superior. If someone constantly puts you down, he or she is not a real friend.

However, people have bad days and act imperfect, so there are times when a true friend will be negative or hurt your feelings. The way to determine if they are really a friend (as opposed to something more negative like an enemy) is to look at the whole of your relationship. Don't look at moments alone, but consider:

•How does this person make you feel when you're with them?
•Do you look forward to seeing them?
•Can you share your joy freely? Or do you feel you need keep quiet about your own good news when you're around them?

If someone is really your friend, they act in a kind manner. They do nice things for you. (If they kindly ask you to do things for them without ever reciprocating, chances are they aren't really a friend.) Friends don't keep score, but there is a balance to the relationship. Sometimes one friend might be in the "spotlight," while the other is cheering them on. Friends should trade off in giving each other the "floor" in a conversation and in life, and should understand when the moment is their friends and not theirs.

Friends Are People You See on a Regular Basis
The other key component to friendship is a real, face-to-face, relationship. This isn't to say that after you have established a friendship, you can't still be friends with them once they move away. However, in order to have a real friendship in the beginning, you do have to see and spend time with each other.

While online friendships can serve a place in your life, they aren't the same as a real friendship. To that end, the term "friendship" does get applied to many situations today; from loyal customers to people you don't even know and will never meet. But that doesn't mean these people are truly your friends.

If you need to qualify the definition of a friend in your life (my work friend, my Facebook friend), then chances are it isn't a real friendship, but is instead a different type of relationship. Online friendships can be a bonus in your life, but only if you also have face-to-face friends to spend time with and be there for you. In terms of friendship, you cannot replace the human connection.

As I leave you for the day, I want to leave you with a precious quote:

"Friends are friends forever, if the Lord is the Lord of them
and a friend will not say never, because the welcome will not end
though it's hard to let you go
In the Father's hands I know
that a lifetime's not too long... to live as friends."
-Michael W Smith

download text version

In Christ,

Janet Thomas
Founder/CEO
Bible Stories Theatre of
Fine & Performing Arts (BSTFPA)

TD JAKES BRINGS TO LIGHT 10 THINGS ABOUT WHITNEY ELIZABETH HOUSTON

04/11/2012 14:33:00

1. She was a child of God and embraced that posture throughout her life
2. She never strayed far from her Baptist roots, the birthplace of “The Voice,” and the Gospel music that filled her soul and influenced her stylistically
3. She was a woman of deep and abiding prayer, known for gathering her friends and colleagues in an impromptu circle to petition God
4. Family was her bedrock, her source of strength, comfort, and a fiercely protective cross-generational love that incubated and informed who she was
5. She generously created opportunities for others who had gifts needing exposure.

6. She was a friend, beloved by those close to her as evidenced by the overwhelming outpouring of an unbridled grief, sense of loss and deep sorrow
7. She maximized her God-given gifts, achieving legendary status in a family of standout superstars.
8. She didn’t allow others or define or limit her potentials by being compartmentalized to one gift when she possessed many.
9. She believed in redemption, second chances and new beginnings and threw herself wholeheartedly into a fresh start being willing to confront the daunting task of change.
10. In 48 short years, she made an indelible impression on the hearts and minds of everyone who experienced her immense talents. She let the world know that she was here and in her home-going, death did not win. We can find hope that our dreams are more than inspiration but mixed with determination and steadfast faith even the most obscure dream can be realized. We can find comfort as parents that faith instilled in our small children is a long term investment that will benefit them as they face the varied challenges of their adult life. And most importantly we can garner a deeper understanding that all of us have some things to accomplish as effectively and expeditiously as possible, being reminded that tomorrow isn’t promised to any of us no matter the enormity of the gifts we posses.

- TD Jakes

We all loved Whitney Elizabeth Houston and as time goes on, I know the pain of her sudden passing will be a little less aching for me and many of you. There are hundreds of Whitney's among us. And I know that if we were to do 'one' mighty big thing in the spirit of THE HOLY GHOST for each of them, they can emerge victoriously over the spirit of addiction. We must PRAY.

Whitney left us an awesome piece of her in her last movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k49K3b4vuwE

Janet Thomas

Founder/CEO

Bible Stories Theatre of

Fine & Performing Arts (BSTFPA)

WOULD JESUS KEEP EASTER

04/08/2012 23:15:00

What does colored eggs and furry tailed bunnies have to do with Jesus Christ?

Have you ever wondered if Jesus or His apostles instructed His followers to teach parents and children to dye eggs and display bunnies on this holiday?

I have found absolutely no historical or biblical record of these practices. So where did it come from?

The New Testament does not mention an Easter celebration. And early Christians kept the Passover, instituted by God centuries earlier at the time of the Exodus (Exodus 12:13-14)

13.And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.

14. And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever

And it shall come to pass, when ye be come to the land which the LORD will give you, according as he hath promised, that ye shall keep this service.

▀The word Easter in this verse comes from the Greek word pascha, meaning Passover. Modern translations correctly translate this word "Passover"—as even the King James Version does in other verses (Matthew 26:2) Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.

Mark 14:12 And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover?

1 Corinthians 5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

So, my question to you is If Jesus were living among us today, would He carry on Easter or encourage others to do so? Does It Matter to God? Absolutely; we have a choice. We can choose the feast days instituted by God or the holidays substituted by men.

The choices we make affect our destiny and impact our relationship with our Creator. Read, read, and read some more. We must be careful of what types of practices we partake of. download text version

Janet Thomas
Founder/CEO
Bible Stories Theatre of
Fine & Performing Arts (BSTFPA)

THE GARDEN OF GETHSAMANE

04/07/2012 02:57:00

LUKE 22:44

…and being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

▀ Will you pray with me while I meditate on the Garden of Gethsemane?

Last night I went to the house of worship in remembrance of Good Friday. As I meditated on the goodness of Lord God Almighty, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude. The Holy Spirit rose up in me and for moments that went on forever, I cried intense tears of unrestraint appreciation for the love my Abba Father has for me and you. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”John 3:16 (NIV)

Why was I so overcome last night? Why was I so moved? Why did the rivers of emotion bust forth with such conviction? It’s not like this was my first time worshipping on a Good Friday. I’ve heard countless sermons before on the Garden of Gethsemane, I’ve heard, like you, the scripture John 3:16 over and over and over again, yet never the intensity of Holy Ghost movement as I experience last night. And now as I share with you, I must remind myself to not dwell on the why. I must narrow my focus to the LOVE of my Abba Father. It really is no mystery; it’s just love. Hallelujah!

Note in that one verse of John 3:16, God did three things. Let’s count them: 1. Loved us. 2. Gave His ‘only’

3. Promised eternal life! Can we love HIM as much as HE loves us? Can we?

Luke 22: 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

Friends, I’ve learned (in the very essence of learned)that the cup that Jesus wanted taken from him was not the cup of pain, rejection, torture, humiliation, and disgrace that he would suffer on the cross, but the pain of separation from His father God Almighty. God will not look upon sin! Do we cry out like that of Christ Jesus when we knowingly sin? Jesus was sinless! Yet for our sake, He took on the sin debt of the world, to set us from death. That was the anguish of Gethsemane.

Are we earnestly praying for direction to walk in the footsteps of Jesus? Are we crying out for forgiveness of sin that our names are written in the Book of Life? Jesus died for us. Why not LIVE for Him? download text version

Janet Thomas
Founder/CEO
Bible Stories Theatre of
Fine & Performing Arts (BSTFPA)

THE WEDDING FEAST

04/05/2012 20:33:00

(Matthew 22:1-10 NIV)

1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying:

2 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.

3 He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
4 “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’
5 “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business.

6 The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.

7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
8 “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come.

9 So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’

10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

REFLECTIONS
Jesus is teaching that the heirs of the kingdom have rejected it, and the kingdom has been offered to others. God’s servants have the task of offering the gospel to all people. We are to understand that receiving an invitation to God’s kingdom does not guarantee inclusion; one must be properly clothed (cf. Zech. 3:3–5; Rev. 3:18; 19:8).

Although everyone who hears the gospel has been invited, and although many may claim to be in the kingdom, only those clothed with Christ’s righteousness are actually presentable to God. Only those who are chosen will be present at the marriage supper of the Lamb, and this election does not depend on any previous status.

Note: Gospel preparations are here represented by a feast which a king made at the marriage of his son; such is the kingdom of heaven, such the provision made for precious souls, in and by the new covenant. The King is God, a great King; King of kings.

1. Here is a marriage made for his son, Christ is the Bridegroom, the church is the bride; the gospel-day is the day of his espousals, Song 3:11. Behold by faith the church of the first-born, that are written in heaven, and were given to Christ by him whose they were; and in them you see the bride, the Lamb’s wife, Rev. 21:9. The gospel covenant is a marriage covenant betwixt Christ and believers, and it is a marriage of God’s making. This branch of the similitude is only mentioned, and not prosecuted here.

2. Here is a dinner prepared for this marriage, Matt. 22:4. All the privileges of church-membership, and all the blessings of the new covenant, pardon of sin, the favour of God, peace of conscience, the promises of the gospel, and all the riches contained in them, access to the throne of grace, the comforts of the Spirit, and a well-grounded hope of eternal life. These are the preparations for this feast, a heaven upon earth now, and a heaven in heaven shortly. God has prepared it in his counsel, in his covenant. It is a dinner, denoting present privileges in the midst of our day, beside the supper at night in glory.

Gospel calls and offers are represented by an invitation to this feast. Those that make a feast will have guests to grace the feast with. God’s guests are the children of men. Lord, what is man, that he should be thus dignified! The guests that were first invited were the Jews; wherever the gospel is preached, this invitation is given; ministers are the servants that are sent to invite, Prov. 9:4, 5.

Note: The guests are called, bidden to the wedding. All that are within hearing of the joyful sound of the gospel, to them is the word of this invitation sent. The servants that bring the invitation do not set down their names in a paper; there is no occasion for that, since none are excluded but those that exclude themselves.

Those that are bidden to the dinner are bidden to the wedding; for all that partake of gospel privileges are to give a due and respectful attendance on the Lord Jesus, as the faithful friends and humble servants of the Bridegroom.

They are bidden to the wedding, that they may go forth to meet the bridegroom; for it is the Father’s will that all men should honour the Son.

2. The guests are called upon; for in the gospel there are not only gracious proposals made, but gracious persuasives. We persuade men, we beseech them in Christ’s stead, 2 Cor. 5:11, 20. See how much Christ’s heart is set upon the happiness of poor souls! He not only provides for them, in consideration of their want, but sends to them, in consideration of their weakness and forgetfulness.

When the invited guests were slack in coming, the king sent forth other servants, Matt. 22:4. When the prophets of the Old Testament prevailed not, nor John the Baptist, nor Christ himself, who told them the entertainment was almost ready (the kingdom of God was at hand), the apostles and ministers of the gospel were sent after Christ’s resurrection, to tell them it was come, it was quite ready; and to persuade them to accept the offer.

One would think it had been enough to give men an intimation that they had leave to come, and should be welcome; that, during the solemnity of the wedding, the king kept open house; but, because the natural man discerns not, and therefore desires not, the things of the Spirit of God, we are pressed to accept the call by the most powerful inducements, drawn with the cords of a man, and all the bonds of love.

If the repetition of the call will move us, Behold, the Spirit saith, Come; and the bride saith, Come; let him that heareth say, Come; let him that is athirst come, Rev. 22:17. If the reason of the call will work upon us, Behold, the dinner is prepared, the oxen and fatlings are killed, and all things are ready; the Father is ready to accept of us, the Son to intercede for us, the Spirit to sanctify us; pardon is ready; peace is ready, comfort is ready; the promises are ready, as wells of living water for supply; ordinances are ready, as golden pipes for conveyance; angels are ready to attend us, creatures are ready to be in league with us, providences are ready to work for our good, and heaven, at last, is ready to receive us; it is a kingdom prepared, ready to be revealed in the last time. Isa. all this ready; and shall we be unready? Isa. all this preparation made for us; and is there any room to doubt of our welcome, if we come in a right manner?

Come, therefore, O come to the marriage; we beseech you, receive not all this grace of God in vain, 2 Cor. 6:1.

Lastly, The parable is concluded with that remarkable saying which we had before (Matt. 20:16), Many are called, but few are chosen, Matt. 22:14.

Of the many that are called to the wedding feast, if you set aside all those as unchosen that make light of it, and avowedly prefer other things before it; if then you set aside all that make a profession of religion, but the temper of whose spirits and the tenour of whose conversation are a constant contradiction to it; if you set aside all the profane, and all the hypocritical, you will find that they are few, very few, that are chosen; many called to the wedding feast, but few chosen to the wedding garment, that is, to salvation, by sanctification of the Spirit. This is the strait gate, and narrow way, which few find.

FINAL REFLECTIONS
Jesus is discussing the end times, as revealed in Revelation. Our Lord Jesus Christ has taken as His Bride the Church of Christ. It is a time of great celebration.

Almighty God, as Father calls for His Chosen People, the people of Israel, including the Scribes, the Pharisees, and Sadducees, all those Israelites who refused to accept Jesus as King, as The Christ, as their Messiah, and of course since they denied Jesus as their Messiah, they fail and refuse to show up for Jesus Wedding Feast.

Almighty God then decides to welcome as guests all people who would recognize Jesus as The Christ and Messiah, the Gentiles, the Samaritans, the Greek, the Roman, so he sends out His servants to call them in.

When Almighty God enters the banquet hall and the hall is now full of Christians, those who believe in Jesus and His Resurrection. God happens to take note that the devil who is not clothed in wedding garb, has slipped into the banquet hall too. The devil would never conform to God's Laws or Jesus Laws and would not try to fit in. So Almighty God has the devil bound and cast into the "Lake of Fire" and eternal darkness, separation from God and Jesus, The Light of The World.

The fact that the devil will never conform is emphasized, in (Verse 14) "For many are called, but few are chosen." Jesus called every person Jew or Gentile who would accept and follow Him as the risen Messiah, to become brother or sister with Him. Neither God nor Jesus would ever welcome back the devil Satan. He is condemned for all eternity to the Lake of Fire. download the text version

Janet Thomas
Founder/CEO
Bible Stories Theatre of
Fine & Performing Arts (BSTFPA)

LETTING GO

03/30/2012 17:15:00

LETTING GO – heartbreak, helpless-love, grudges and bitterness, romance, family rifts, friends, friendship, etc. When someone you care about hurts you, you can hold on to anger, resentment and thoughts of revenge — or embrace forgiveness and move forward...

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“A star falls from the sky and into your hands. Then it seeps through your veins and swims inside your blood and becomes every part of you. And then you have to put it back into the sky. And it's the most painful thing you'll ever have to do and that you've ever done. But what's yours is yours. Whether it’s up in the sky or here in your hands. And one day, it'll fall from the sky and hit you in the head real hard and that time, you won't have to put it back in the sky again.” ― C. JoyBell C.

Some birds are not meant to be caged, that's all. Their feathers are too bright, their songs too sweet and wild. So you let them go, or when you open the cage to feed them they somehow fly out past you. And the part of you that knows it was wrong to imprison them in the first place rejoices, but still, the place where you live is that much more drab and empty for their departure.

█ Thinking back over my own personal life, I find it interesting that once upon a time, no matter how much misery and turmoil I’d gone through, there were some memories I never wanted to let go of.

Some time ago, there was a syndicated news article writer who I use to read and she wrote the following:

“Some people believe holding on and hanging in there are signs of great strength. However, there are times when it takes much more strength to know when to let go and
then do it.” ― Ann Landers

Further, the real truth is, unless we let go, unless we forgive ourselves, unless we forgive the situation, unless we realize that that situation is over, we cannot move forward.
Extraordinary transformations happens in our lives when we decide to take control of what we do have power over instead of craving control over what we don't.

So, how do we LET GO and MOVE FORWARD? Give it to GOD and trust HIM to guide you as you remember Proverbs 3:5 – …trust in the Lord with all your heart, leaning not on thou own understanding, but trust HIM and HE will guide thy footsteps. Hallelujah!

Researchers believe that that if you hold on to negative feelings, sad emotions or depressing memories there is a possibility that you could reshape the human cell to the point where your thoughts of the past have a negative effect on your cells and your physical health.

Hanging on to negative past events is a process that can destroy your life in ways you're not even aware of. Ask yourself these questions: Do the negative things you hang on to serve you any purpose? Do they help you move forward? Do they work in your favor in any way? If you said
no to any or all of the above then tell yourself this:

This emotion/feeling doesn't help me so I'm letting it go and focusing on what is important. Then begin focusing on what you want next, focus on what is important and what can improve your life. This is a simple process that gets the
mind moving in a new direction and you stop building negative energy created from the negative
events/emotions, which only attracts more negative situations. When you begin focusing on more
positive things you begin attracting positive situations.

The next step is to create an action plan, the past is over. Where do you want to go now and how do you plan to get there? You may not have the answers but merely thinking about the options forces your mind to go in a new direction and you automatically let go of unwanted feelings and
emotions.

The key to your success is to train your mind to move in a new direction so you send new messages to your subconscious mind, which then brings you the opportunities to move forward.

The final step is to live in the present moment, to start living in the now. Living in the now is different than living for the moment. Living in the now is the process of enjoying everything that is going on at this present moment. Take a look around you and appreciate those things that you
once thought were trivial. When you are here now you can be nowhere else. You are not hanging on to something, you are here now. I know some of you may say the following:

"But Karim, where I am right now really sucks, I don't want to think about it." It only sucks because you're looking at all the negative things going on. Focus on a few of the positive things anything from nature to the wonderful family you may have. This forces your mind to look at things differently
and tells your subconscious mind that you're ready for new possibilities, then you’ll begin to let go and move forward.

MATTERS OF THE HEART - If you’ve been holding onto something of/in the past, now is the perfect time to let go. Here’s how you can start moving on: TALK TO GOD! LISTEN TO GOD! BELIEVE GOD! Now, it is important for each of us to know and understand that just as our earthly father loves us, supported us, and taught us as we put forth our part, so it is with our Heavenly Father. Do your part while GOD works on the inside. Here’s something that might prove resourceful.

How to Let Go of a Past Relationship:

10 Steps to Move On Peacefully- by Lori Deschene

1. Practice releasing regrets.

• When a relationship ends, it’s tempting to dwell on what you did wrong or what you could have done differently. This might seem productive—like you can somehow change things by rehashing it. You can’t.

• All dwelling does is cause you to suffer. When you start revisiting the past in your head,
pull yourself into the moment. Focus on the good things in your current situation: the friends who are there for you and the lessons you’ve learned that will help you with future relationships.

• It might help to tell your friends to only let you vent for 10 minutes at a time. That way
you’re free to express your feelings, but not drown in them.

2. Work on forgiving yourself.

• You might think you made the biggest mistake of your life, and if only you didn’t do it you wouldn’t be in pain right now. Don’t go down that road—there’s nothing good down there!
Instead, keep reminding yourself that you are human. You’re entitled to make mistakes; Everyone does. And you will learn from them and use those lessons to improve your life.

Also, keep in mind: if you want to feel love again in the future, the first step is to prepare yourself to give and receive it. You can only do that if you feel love toward yourself; and that means forgiving yourself.

3. Don’t think about any time as lost.

• When you focus on the positive, it’s easier to move on because you’ll feel empowered and not victimized (by your ex, by yourself, or by time.) Whatever happened in the past, it prepared you for now—and now is full of opportunities for growth, peace, and happiness.

4. Remember the bad as well as the good.
• Brain scientists suggest nearly 20 percent of us suffer from “complicated grief”—a persistent sense of longing for someone we lost with romanticized memories of the relationship. Scientists also suggest this is a biological occurrence; that the longing can have an addictive quality to it, actually rooted in our brain chemistry. As a result, we tend to remember everything with reverie, as if it was all sunshine and roses. If your ex broke up with you, it may be even more tempting to imagine she or he was perfect and you weren’t. In all reality, you both have strengths and weaknesses and you both made mistakes.

5. Reconnect with who you are outside a relationship.

• Unless you hop from relationship to relationship, odds are you lived a fulfilling single life before you got into this one. You were strong, satisfied and happy—at least on the whole. Remember that person now. Reconnect with any people or interests that may have received less attention while you were attached.

• The strong, happy, passionate person you were attracted your ex. That person will get you through this loss and attract someone equally amazing in the future when the time is right. Not a sad, depressed, guilt-ridden person clutching to what once was. If you can’t remember who you are, get to know yourself now. What do you love about life?

6. Create separation.
• Hope can be a terrible thing if it keeps you stuck in the past. It’s not easy to end all contact when you feel attached to someone. Breaking off the friendship might feel like ruining your chances at knowing love again.

• It’s helped me to change my hopes to broader terms. So instead of wanting a specific
person to re-enter your life, want love and happiness—whatever that may look like.

• You will know love again. You won’t spend the rest of your life alone. In one way or
another, you will meet all kinds of people and create all kinds of possibilities for relationships—if you forgive yourself, let go, and open yourself up, that is.

7. Let yourself feel.
• Losing a relationship can feel like a mini-death, complete with a grieving process. First you’re shocked and in denial. You don’t believe it’s over and you hold out hope. Next you feel hurt and guilty. You should have done things differently. If you did you wouldn’t be in this pain.

- Then you feel angry and maybe even start bargaining. It would be different if you gave it a second go. You wouldn’t be so insecure, defensive, or demanding. Then you might feel depressed and lonely as it hits you how much you’ve lost.

- Eventually you start accepting what happened and shift your focus from the past to the future.

- You have to go through the feelings as they come, but you can help yourself get through them
faster. For example, if you’re dwelling in guilt, make forgiving yourself a daily practice. Read
books on it, meditate about it or write about it in a journal.

8. Remember the benefits of moving on.
• When you let go, you give yourself peace. Everything about holding on is torturous. You regret, you feel ashamed and guilty, you rehash, you obsess—it’s all an exercise in suffering. The only way to feel peace is to quiet the thoughts that threaten it.
• Letting go opens you up to new possibilities.

• When you’re holding onto something, you’re less open to giving and receiving anything else. If you had your arms wrapped around a huge bucket of water, you wouldn’t be able to give anything other than that bucket, or grab anything else that came your way. You might even struggle breathing because you’re clutching something so all-encompassing with so much effort.

• You have to give to receive. Give love to get love, share joy to feel joy. It’s only possible if you’re open and receptive.

9. Recognize and replace fearful thoughts.
• When you’re holding onto a relationship, it’s usually more about attachment than love.

- Love wants for the other person’s happiness. Fear wants to hold onto whatever appears to make you happy so you don’t have to feel the alternative.

• You might not recognize these types of fearful thoughts because they become habitual.

Some examples include: I’ll never feel loved again. I’ll always feel lonely. I am completely powerless. Replace those thoughts with: All pain passes eventually. It will be easier if I help them pass by being mindful. I can’t always control what happens to me, but I can control how I respond to it.

10. Embrace impermanence.

• Nothing in life lasts forever. Every experience and relationship eventually runs its course.

The best way to embrace impermanence is to translate it into action. Treat each day as a life unto itself. Appreciate the people in front of you as if it were their last day on earth. Find little things to gain in every moment instead of dwelling on what you lost.

So, in closing, there is this question: Why do all this? The past is gone, why dredge it up again?

Why not just let it go? Because many of us really haven't let it go. We trick ourselves into thinking we have. We squelch the memories deep down inside and pretend they're not there. We don't allow ourselves to think about them. But if a memory can still cause you such pain and rage, it's a sure sign that you haven't healed and moved on. There is a big difference between avoidance and letting go. Letting go is a healthy, conscious decision. Avoidance is a subconscious act of fear.

Which do you choose?

Janet Thomas
Founder/CEO
Bible Stories Theatre of
Fine & Performing Arts