Holy Touch - Recently Updated Pages

The Living Christ

mohsenb — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 04:11:35 CDT

Script Text

Introduction
Who was Jesus Christ? When was He born and what did He do? Where did He come from? To answer these questions we must go to the book called the Bible. It teaches us about the beginning of time.

Picture 1. Christ in the Beginning. John 1:1-5
In the beginning, before time began, God existed. Jesus Christ existed with God. Jesus shows us what God is like. In the Bible, Jesus is called the Life and the Light of this world. This is because Jesus gives His people eternal life. He shows them the way to God.

Picture 2. God Created all Things. Genesis 2:4-22
Jesus was with God in the beginning. He created everything in the universe. He created all the animals and the people in this world. The first man and woman were called Adam and Eve. At that time there was no sickness or death in the world. There was no evil or sorrow. Everything was very good.

Picture 3. Satan Tempts Adam and Eve. Genesis 3:1-7
God put Adam and Eve in a beautiful garden. He gave them everything good to eat. But He also told them not to eat the fruit of one of the trees. Then, one of God's creatures turned against Him. His name was Satan. One day Satan came to Adam and Eve. He looked like a beautiful snake. He told Adam and Eve a lie, and they believed him. In the picture, you can see that they ate the fruit God told them not to eat. Satan persuaded them to turn against God, and disobey Him.

Picture 4. Adam and Eve Cast Out. Genesis 3:8-24
From that time, all men and women were separated from God. They followed the ways of Satan. God had to send Adam and Eve away. They left the beautiful garden. Life was hard then. Sadness and death came into this world. But God loved His creation so much, that He made a plan. He planned to rescue all people from the evil ways of Satan, and from death.

Picture 5. God's Promise to Abraham. Genesis 15:1-6; 22:15-18
There were more and more people on the earth, but they forgot God. They did not want to obey Him. However, there was one man who continued to follow God and obey Him. His name was Abraham. Abraham and his wife Sarah were very old and they had no children. In the picture you can see Abraham. One night God said to Abraham, "Look up in the sky and count the stars. Your descendants will be as many as the stars." God promised to bless all people through Abraham's children and their children. Abraham believed God. Then God gave Abraham and Sarah a son even though Abraham was 100 years old. From their son came a great nation called Israel.

Picture 6. Zechariah and the Angel. Luke 1:5-25
This picture shows us something that happened hundreds of years later. Abraham died, and his children died. Many years after Abraham had died, God sent a messenger from heaven to the land of Israel. This messenger, called an angel, went to the city of Jerusalem. In Jerusalem was the temple where people worshipped God. There was an old priest there called Zechariah. He had no children. While Zechariah was praying in the temple, the angel came to him. In the picture, the angel is saying, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah. Your wife will bear you a son called John. He will be great in the sight of the Lord." This child named John grew up to be an important servant of God.

Picture 7. The Angel Speaks to Mary. Luke 1:26-38
At about the same time, the same angel also appeared to a young woman in Israel. Her name was Mary. She was a virgin (who had never slept with a man). The angel said to Mary, "You will have a son... The Holy Spirit will come upon you, so the baby will be called the Son of God."

Picture 8. The Angel and Joseph. Matthew 1:18-25
Mary was engaged to a man named Joseph. (This man was also a descendant of Abraham.) But Joseph discovered that Mary was pregnant and he decided not to marry her. Then the angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the baby in her is from the Holy Spirit of God. She will have a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins." The name "Jesus" means Saviour.

Picture 9. The Birth of Jesus Luke 2:1-7
Joseph married Mary. He took her to a town called Bethlehem because that is where his family came from. There were many people in Bethlehem at that time. Joseph and Mary could not find a place to stay. They had to spend the night in an animal stable, and while they were there, Jesus was born.

Picture 10. The Shepherds and the Angels. Luke 2:8-14
In the fields outside Bethlehem there were some shepherds. They were looking after their sheep that night. Suddenly many angels appeared to them. One angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I am bringing you some good news. It is for all people. Today a Saviour has been born to you in Bethlehem."

Picture 11. The Shepherds Visit Baby Jesus. Luke 2:15-20
Immediately the shepherds went to Bethlehem. They found the baby with Mary and Joseph, just as the angels had told them. These shepherds were uneducated people, but they realized that this was a very special baby and they gave praise to God.

Picture 12. Simeon Prophesies about Jesus. Lk.2:21-38
Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem. They wanted to present Him to God. An old man named Simeon was in the temple. He knew that God promised to send a special person called the Christ into the world to save His people. Simeon was waiting for that to happen. When Simeon saw Jesus, he took the baby in his arms. He said to God, "My eyes have seen Your salvation... He is a light for all people and the glory of Israel." An old prophetess called Anna also saw the baby. She told the people that this child had come to save them. Simeon and Anna knew that Jesus was the Christ whom God had promised.

Picture 13. The Visit of the Wise Men. Matthew 2:1-12
Some wise men came to Bethlehem from far countries. They asked, "Where is the baby who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him." They followed the star to Bethlehem and found Jesus. They gave Jesus gifts and they worshipped Him. The king of Israel was named Herod. He was jealous when he learned about the visit of the wise men. He wanted to kill Jesus. So an angel warned Mary and Joseph and they took Jesus away to Egypt. There they stayed until King Herod died. Then they returned to Israel and lived in a town called Nazareth.

Picture 14. The Boy Jesus at the Temple. Luke. 2:39-52
When Jesus was 12 years old, Mary and Joseph again took Him to the temple of God at Jerusalem. There He spoke with the teachers and priests. They were amazed because He knew so much about God. He knew that God was His real Father. Jesus continued to grow up pleasing God and people.

Picture 15. The Message of John the Baptist. Matthew.3:1-12, Mark.1:2-8, Luke.3:3-18
You remember that the old priest named Zechariah had a son named John. (See picture 6.) This boy also grew up and became a great prophet. He lived in the desert. Many people went there to hear him teach. He told them that God would send someone to save them. He also warned them that they must turn from their evil ways. Those who believed John's message were baptized in the river. Baptism showed that they wanted to turn away from evil and to follow God's ways.

Picture 16. The Baptism of Jesus. Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22
John was baptizing people in the River Jordan. Jesus came to John. Jesus did not need to turn from sin, because He had never sinned. However He still wanted John to baptize Him. In the picture you can see John baptizing Jesus. As Jesus came up out of the water, the Spirit of God came down upon Him in the form of a dove. A voice from heaven said, "This is My Son whom I love; I am very pleased with Him."

Picture 17. Jesus Tested by Satan. Matthew 4:1-11; Mark.1:12-13; Luke.4:1-13
After John baptized Him, the Spirit of God sent Jesus into the desert. There He prepared for His future ministry. Jesus prayed and did not eat for forty days. Then Satan came to tempt Him. He wanted to stop Jesus from saving all people. Satan tried to make Jesus submit to him. But Jesus used the Word from God's Holy Book to refute Satan, and Satan had no power over Him.

Picture 18. The Marriage Feast at Cana. John 2:1-11
After this, Jesus went to Galilee in the north of Israel. He went to a wedding feast with His mother and His friends. There was not enough wine for the wedding guests. Jesus said to the servants, "Fill the jars with water." In the picture you can see that the servants did what Jesus told them to do. Then He changed that water into the very best wine. There was enough for the whole feast. This was the first miracle that Jesus did. All His friends saw that He had amazing power.

Picture 19. Jesus Teaches Nicodemus. John 3:1-21
After His first miracle, Jesus began to work many miracles. All the people heard about those miracles. There was one important religious leader named Nicodemus. He heard about Jesus, so he went to Him one night. Jesus taught him many things. Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born again. He must be born by water and the Spirit." Jesus meant that men and women must receive the Spirit of God in order to enter His kingdom. Whoever believes in Jesus shall have eternal life in God's kingdom, but whoever rejects Jesus shall perish and not see life. This is God's promise to all of us.

Picture 20. Jesus and the Samaritan Woman. John 4:1-26
Jesus travelled through the country of Samaria. He was tired so He sat down beside a well. A Samaritan woman came to draw water. Jesus said, "Will you give Me a drink?" Jesus knew that she was an adulterous woman who lived with a man who was not her husband. She was surprised that He asked her for a drink. Jesus said to her, "You do not know who I am. You should ask Me to give you living water." Jesus told her about the Water of Life which saves all people from their sin. The woman called others to come and hear Jesus and many other Samaritans believed in Him.

Picture 21. Jesus and the Official. John 4:46-54
After this, Jesus returned to His home place. A nobleman from a nearby town came to Him. This man's son was very sick. He begged Jesus to come to his home and heal his son. Jesus did not go with the man to his home. He only said to him, "Go home. Your son will live." The son became well at that very same hour. When Jesus says something, you can trust Him to do it. The people found out that Jesus has power over sickness.

Picture 22. Jesus Calls the First Disciples. Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-3
One day Jesus saw four fishermen beside the lake in Galilee. Their names were Peter and Andrew, James and John. Jesus said to them, "Come follow Me and be My disciples. I will teach you to catch men." A crowd of people gathered beside the lake, so Jesus told the fishermen to push the boat out into the water. He sat in the boat and taught them about God.

Picture 23. The Great Catch of Fish. Luke 5:1-11
Jesus finished teaching the people. He said to Peter, "Take the boat out into deep water and let down the nets for a catch of fish." Peter said, "Master, we have worked all night and have not caught anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets." They let down the nets and caught many fish. They had to call James and John to come and help them. There were so many fish that their boats began to sink. They were all amazed. They returned to the shore, left their nets and their families and followed Jesus.

Picture 24. Jesus Drives Out an Evil Spirit. Mark 1:21-28; Luke 4:31-37.
At Capernaum in Galilee, Jesus was teaching the people in their house of prayer. The people were amazed because Jesus taught them with such authority. A man with an evil spirit suddenly cried out, "I know who You are - the Holy One of God!" Jesus commanded that evil spirit to leave the man. The spirit was forced to obey Jesus and it left the man. The people saw that Jesus has power over evil spirits.

Picture 25. Jesus Heals Peter's Mother-in-Law. Matthew 8:14-17; Mark 1:29-34; Luke 4:38-41
After this, Jesus went to Peter’s house with His disciples. Peter’s mother-in-law was sick. She had a high fever. Jesus touched her and she was healed immediately. Then people brought many sick people to Jesus. He healed them all and cast out many evil spirits.

Picture 26. Jesus Touches a Man with Leprosy. Mark 1:40-45; Matthew 8:2-4; Luke 5:12-16.
Jesus travelled around the area called Galilee teaching about God. Many people began to follow Him. A man with a terrible skin disease called leprosy came to Jesus. He begged Jesus to heal him. Jesus put out His hand and touched the man and immediately he was healed. After that many people came to Him. He could not enter the towns because of the crowds.

Picture 27. Jesus Heals a Paralysed Man. Mark 2:1-12; Matthew 9:1-8; Luke 5:17-26.
Jesus went back to the town of Capernaum. He went inside a house. Four men brought a paralysed man to Jesus but they could not get inside the house because of all the people. They made a plan. In the picture you can see what they did. They made a hole in the roof of the house. They lowered the paralysed man down in front of Jesus. Jesus said to the man, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Then He said, "Get up, take your mat and go home." The man was healed. The people were amazed, but the religious teachers said, "Who can forgive sins but God alone?" The people saw that Jesus has power to forgive sins.

Picture 28. Jesus calls Matthew to Follow Him. Mark 2:13-14; Matthew 9:9; Luke 5:27-28.
In this picture you can see Jesus beside the sea. There He saw a man called Matthew (or Levi). Matthew was a tax collector. The people hated tax collectors because the tax collectors often cheated the people. But Jesus said to Matthew, "Follow Me!" Immediately Matthew got up and followed Him. The people saw that Jesus even wanted bad people to come to Him.

Picture 29. Jesus at Matthew's Feast. Mark 2:15-17; Matthew 9:10-13; Luke 5:29-32.
Matthew made a great feast for Jesus and he invited all his friends. Many of them were dishonest tax collectors and evil people. The Pharisees said, "Why does Jesus eat with tax collectors and sinners?" However, Jesus said, "Healthy people do not need a doctor. Sick people do. I have not come to call people who are right with God. I have come to call sinners."

Picture 30. Jesus Heals the Man at the Pool. John 5:1-15.
Jesus went to the main city called Jerusalem. He saw a man who had been lame for 38 years. The man lay beside a special pool. He hoped that the water in the pool could heal him. But he could never get into the pool at the right time. Jesus said to the man, "Get up! Pick up your mat and walk." At once the man was healed! Jesus worked this miracle on the special day of the week called the Sabbath. This made the religious leaders angry with Him again.

Picture 31. Disciples Pick Grain on the Sabbath. Mark 2:23-28; Matthew 12:1-8; Luke 6:1-5.
In this picture you can see Jesus and some of His disciples. They were walking in the fields one Sabbath day. The disciples picked some grain and ate it. The Pharisees accused them of breaking the laws about the Sabbath. But Jesus said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man." God meant the Sabbath to be a day to help people. It is not a day for hardship. The people heard that Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath.

Picture 32. Jesus Heals a Withered Hand. Mark 3:1-6; Matthew 12:9-14; Luke 6:6-11.
This picture is about something else that Jesus did one Sabbath day. A man in the house of prayer had a withered right hand. Once again the leaders watched Jesus. They wanted to see if He would heal on the Sabbath day. They wanted to accuse Him of breaking their laws. Then Jesus said to the man, "Stretch out your hand", and the people saw that his hand was healed. The evil leaders went out and made plans to kill Jesus.

Picture 33. Jesus Teaches the People. Matthew 5:1-12; Luke 6:12-26.
Back in Galilee, Jesus spent a whole night in prayer to God. Then He chose twelve men to be with Him and to help Him. Crowds of people came from all over the country to see Him. He sat down in an open place with His disciples and He taught the people many things about the true ways of God. In the next pictures you will see some of the things Jesus taught them.

Picture 34. Teaching about Light in the Darkness. Matthew 5:14-16.
When people come to Jesus, God changes them. They know how to live the right way. Think about this. No one hides a light under a bowl. He puts it up where it gives light to everyone. Jesus said to His disciples, "You are the light of the world. Let your light shine where people can see it. Let them see the good things you do. But do not expect them to praise you. They should give praise to God, your Father, who is in heaven."

Picture 35. Teaching about Revenge. Matthew 5:38-48; Luke 6:27-36.
Here is another thing Jesus taught. He said "Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, let him strike the other also. Love your enemies, bless those who hate you." God knows when people do wrong to us. He will judge evil people. He may judge them in this life, or He will judge them after death. We do not have to take revenge on evil people. God wants us to love all people. Jesus also said, "Do to others as you want them to do to you."

Picture 36. Teaching about Prayer. Matthew 6:5-15.
Some people are proud. They want others to see them when they pray. Jesus condemned people like that. He said, "When you pray, pray to your Father God, in secret. God sees what is done in secret and He will reward you." Jesus said, "If you forgive men when they sin against you, God will also forgive you."

Picture 37. The Two Ways of Life. Matthew 7:13-14.
Jesus told people that there are two ways in life. One way is wide and easy to follow. Many people follow that way, but it leads to everlasting destruction. The second way is narrow and difficult to follow. Only a few people go this way but it leads to everlasting life. This is the way of God which Jesus showed us. Which way are you on?

Picture 38. The House on the Rock. Matthew 7:24-29.
The teachings of Jesus are a strong foundation for our lives. Some people hear the teachings of Jesus and obey them. They are like a wise man who built his house on a rock foundation. When the flood came the house stood firm. Some people hear Jesus' words, but they do not obey them. They are like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. When the flood came he lost everything because he had no foundation. Look at the picture. Which house is like your life?

Picture 39. Jesus Raises a Widow's Son. Luke.7:11-17.
One day, Jesus and His disciples went to a town called Nain. On the way, they met a funeral procession. The funeral was for the only son of a widow. Jesus understood her sorrow, so He said to the dead boy, "Get up!" Immediately the young man sat up. He was alive again! The people in the crowd were amazed and they told everyone about it. They saw that Jesus has power over death.

Picture 40. John the Baptist in Prison. Luke 7:18-35; Matthew 11:2-19.
Do you remember John the Baptist? He announced that Jesus was coming. John persuaded many people to follow Jesus. Then the wicked king of that country put John in prison. John called for two of his friends. He sent them to Jesus. They asked Jesus, "Are you really the One from God, or should we look for another One?" Jesus answered them, "You have seen the miracles I am doing. Go back and tell John about them. Then he will be sure about who I am." Jesus said, "How happy are those who have no doubts about Me!" The king killed John, but John had done important work for God. His reward in heaven is very great.

Picture 41. A Woman Washes Jesus' Feet. Luke 7:36-50.
One day, Jesus was invited to eat at the house of a religious leader. A woman who was a prostitute came to Him. She began to wash Jesus' feet with her tears, and to anoint them with perfume. The religious leaders could not believe that Jesus allowed this to happen. Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." She showed her great love for Jesus, but the religious leaders hated Him. They even accused Him of being on the side of Satan.

Picture 42. The Parable of the Sower. Mark 4:1-9; Matthew 13:1-9; Luke 8:4-8.
One time, Jesus was teaching many people beside the lake in Galilee. He told them about a farmer. This farmer went out to plant seed. Some seed fell on the path and the birds ate it. Some fell on rocky ground and when the sun was strong, it dried up. Other seed fell among thorns. The thorns choked the seedlings. They could not grow properly. Other seed fell on good ground. It grew and produced much grain.

Picture 43. The Parable of the Seed. Mark 4:10-20; Matthew 13:18-23.
The story of the seed has a hidden meaning. The seed stands for the Word of God. The ground is like the people who hear God's Word. Satan is like the birds. There are people who hear God's Word, but Satan takes it away so they do not believe it. Some people hear God's Word and they think it is good but when life gets hard, they blame God and go their own way. Other people hear God's Word but the things of this world choke it. They do not obey it. However, some people hear the Word of God and obey it. They please God in this life and they gain everlasting life.

Picture 44. The Parable of the Weeds. Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43.
Jesus told many stories with hidden meanings. They are called parables. He told about a man who sowed good seed in his field. However, his enemy came at night and sowed weeds in the field among the wheat. This story tells us about Satan. He is the enemy. He plants his evil children among the children of God in the world. They must grow together until Jesus comes again. Then God's children will be separated from the evil ones. All who do evil will be like weeds. They will be destroyed by fire. God's children are like the wheat. God will take them to be with Him forever.

Picture 45. The Parable of the Hidden Treasure. Matthew 13:44.
This picture is about another story Jesus told. A man found some treasure hidden in a field. He hid the treasure so that nobody else could find it. Then he went and sold everything he had so that he could buy that field with the precious treasure. Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is like that treasure. The kingdom of God is worth more than anything else we have in this life.

Picture 46. Jesus Calms the Storm. Mark 4:35-41; Matthew 8:23-27; Luke 8:22-25.
In this picture, you see that Jesus has finished His teaching. He told His disciples to take Him across the lake in their boat. A great wind storm arose, and the water came into the boat. The disciples were terrified. They thought they were going to die. But Jesus said to the storm, "Quiet! Be still!" Immediately the wind ceased and the waves became calm. The disciples said, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him!" Jesus was showing them that He was the Lord of the wind and the waves.

Picture 47. Jesus Heals a Man with Many Demons. Mark 5:1-20; Matthew 8:28-34; Luke 8:26-39.
After the wind and the waves became quiet, Jesus and the disciples came to the other shore of the lake. A man met them. He had many demons in him. He was so wild that no one could tie him up. The man fell on his knees in front of Jesus. Then Jesus commanded the demons to leave him. The demons left the man and entered a herd of pigs. The pigs rushed into the lake and drowned. The man went and told many people about the great thing that Jesus had done for him. Everyone heard that the evil spirits must obey Jesus.

Picture 48. The Healing of a Woman in the Crowd. Mark 5:21-34; Matthew 9:20-22; Luke 8:43-48.
Jesus went back to Capernaum, and a great crowd of people pressed around Him. There was a poor woman in the crowd. For twelve years she had been sick with bleeding . The woman thought, "If I just touch His clothes, I will be healed." So she touched Jesus in the crowd and immediately she was healed. She did not think that Jesus knew what she had done. But Jesus turned around and said to her, "Your faith has healed you. Go in peace." That woman trusted Jesus and He healed her.

Picture 49. A Dead Girl is Raised to Life. Mark 5:35-43; Matthew 9:18-19, 23-26; Luke 8:40-42, 49-56.
One of the synagogue leaders came to Jesus. He told Him, "My little daughter is dying. Please come and heal her." Jesus went to the leader's house but the girl was already dead. However, Jesus sent everyone outside, and took the dead child by the hand. He said to her, "Little girl, get up!" Immediately the girl came to life again. She stood up and walked around. They gave her something to eat. The family saw that Jesus was Lord over death.

Picture 50. Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Disciples. Luke 9:1-6; Mark 6:6-13; Matthew 9:35 - 11:1.
One day, Jesus called his 12 special disciples together. He gave them power to cast out demons and to heal sick people. Then He sent them into the country to preach about the Kingdom of God. He said to them, "Do not take anything for your journey. If you go into a house, stay there until you leave." He warned them that some people were going to reject them. Those people were rejecting God also. So the disciples went from village to village telling the good news and healing people everywhere.

Picture 51. Jesus Feeds Five Thousand People. Luke 9:10-17; Mark 6:30-44; Matthew 14:13-21; John 6:1-13.
The disciples returned from their journeys. They were all tired, so Jesus took them to a quiet place to rest. However, more than 5,000 people followed them. Jesus taught those people all day and at the end of the day they were very hungry. Jesus said to the disciples, "You give them something to eat!" But the disciples could only find five loaves and two fish. Jesus took that small amount of food and gave thanks to God. Then He fed all those people with that food. They all ate and were satisfied and there were twelve baskets of food left over!

Picture 52. Jesus Walks on the Water. John 6:14-21; Mark 6:45-52; Matthew 14:22-33.
Then Jesus sent the people away and He went to a mountain to pray. His disciples went away in their boat. Late that night, they were in the middle of the lake. The wind was blowing hard against them. They were in danger. Then they saw Jesus. He was walking to them on the water. The disciples were very afraid. Jesus said, "It is I, don't be afraid." Then He got into the boat and immediately they came to the other side of the lake. They were all amazed.

Picture 53. The Bread of Life. John 6:22-40,60-66.
The next day the people were searching for Jesus. Some wanted to make Him king. They found Him on the other side of the lake. Jesus said to them, "I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to Me will never go hungry, and he who believes in Me will never be thirsty. I am the living Bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever." Jesus came from God to give us spiritual food and drink. If we believe in Him we will receive everlasting life. Many people could not understand this. Some were angry and would not follow Jesus any more.

Picture 54. The Faith of a Foreign Woman. Mark 7:24-30; Matthew 15:21-28.
Jesus went away to a foreign place. There a woman came to Him. Jesus was a Jew but the woman came from a different tribe. The woman had a little girl at home. There was an evil spirit in her. The woman begged Jesus to drive the spirit out of her child. Jesus said, "The demon has left your daughter." Immediately the demon left that child even before the mother returned home. His disciples learned a new lesson. They were all Jews, and Jesus came to save the Jews from Satan's power. But He came to save every one else as well.

Picture 55. The Healing of a Deaf and Dumb Man. Mark 7:31-37.
Jesus went away to a different place. There the people brought a deaf and dumb man to Him. In the picture you can see that Jesus put His fingers into the ears of the man and touched his tongue. Immediately the man could hear and speak. When people heard of this, more and more of them came to see Jesus. He healed the sick people, and He fed another crowd of people. This time there were about 4,000 people and Jesus had only seven loaves of bread. The people were amazed by the things He did.

Picture 56. Jesus Heals a Blind Man. Mark 8:22-26.
Back in Galilee there was a town called Bethsaida. When Jesus came there, some people brought a blind man to Him. He took the blind man outside the town. When Jesus touched his eyes, the man began to see a little. He said, "I can see men, but they look like trees." Then Jesus touched his eyes again and he saw everything clearly.

Picture 57. Peter's Confession of the Christ. Mark 8:27-38; Matthew 16:13-27; Luke.9:18-27.
Did Jesus really come from God? Did God send Him into the world? Even the disciples of Jesus found this hard to believe. Some of them thought that He was only a great prophet. One day Jesus asked the disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" That moment God showed Peter the truth. He understood clearly. He said, "You are the Christ! You are the Son of the living God!" Peter spoke the truth, but Jesus told the disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Christ.

Picture 58. The Transfiguration of Jesus Christ. Mark 9:1-8; Matthew 17:1-8; Luke 9:28-36.
At that time, Jesus told His disciples that He must suffer and die. They did not understand this, and they could not believe it. Jesus took three of them to a mountain. They climbed to the top, and suddenly He was changed in front of them. He shone with great glory. Two prophets (Moses and Elijah) who lived many years before, appeared with Jesus. They talked with Jesus about the suffering and death which was coming to Him. Then the two prophets disappeared. The three disciples saw this and they believed Jesus.

Picture 59. Jesus Heals a Boy with a Demon. Mark 9:14-29; Matthew 17:14-20; Luke 9:37-43.
In this picture, you can see a man who brought his son to some of the disciples of Jesus. This boy had a demon inside him. It caused him to have terrible fits. The disciples tried to order the demon to go out of the boy, but the demon did not obey them. Then Jesus came down from the mountain. He was the only one who had the power to cast that demon out. Jesus said to His disciples, "This kind can only come out by prayer."

Picture 60. Peter Pays the Temple Tax. Matthew 17:24-27.
At Capernaum, there were tax collectors in God's house. They asked Peter, "Does your Teacher pay the temple tax?" Jesus was the Son of God. He should not pay tax for His own Father's house! But Jesus did as they asked. He did it in a strange way! He told Peter to go and catch a fish. In the mouth of the fish, Peter found the money for the tax!

Picture 61. Who is the Greatest in God's Kingdom? Matthew 18:1-6; Mark 9:33-37; Luke 9:46-48.
People always want to be important. One day, the disciples asked Jesus, "Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of God?". Jesus called a little child to stand among them. He told them that they must be like little children. They must be humble. They must not think that they are better than others. They must trust God and do what He says. People like this are the greatest in the Kingdom of God.

Picture 62. Parable of the Lost Sheep. Matthew 18:10-14.
In Israel there are many shepherds looking after their sheep. These shepherds care for their sheep. If one sheep is lost a shepherd will leave the rest of his sheep. He goes and searches for the lost one. If he finds it, he is very happy. In the same way God does not want to lose any one of His children. We are His children if we believe in Him. He loves each one very much. If even one of His people goes away from Him, He will search for that one until He finds him or her.

Picture 63. Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. Matthew 18:21-35.
One of the stories Jesus told was about a poor servant. He owed his master a lot of money, but he could not pay. The master was sorry for him. He told him he did not have to pay. He forgave him the whole debt. The servant went out and he met a friend. This friend owed him a small amount of money. The man grabbed him and said, "Pay back what you owe me!". But the friend could not pay, so what do you think the servant did? Did he forgive him? No! The servant put his friend in prison. Later, the master heard about this. He was angry with his servant because he did not show pity on his friend. The master threw his servant into prison. God has forgiven us a great debt of sin. He expects us to forgive those who sin against us.

Picture 64. The Woman Caught in Adultery. John 8:1-11.
In this picture, Jesus is in the temple in Jerusalem. The Pharisees brought a woman to him. They said, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. Now what do you say?" They wanted to stone her to death. But Jesus said, "Is there someone here who has not sinned? Let that person throw the first stone at her." One by one the Pharisees left the temple. They knew that they had sinned, too. Then Jesus said to the woman, "Go now, and stop your life of sin." The Pharisees were sinners too, but they hated Jesus for making it known.

Picture 65. Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind. John 9:1-41.
As Jesus left the Temple, He saw a man who was born blind. The disciples thought that his blindness came because of sin. Jesus did not agree. He said, "This man is not blind because of his sin and it is not because of his parents' sin. This happened so that everyone can see the work of God in him." Then Jesus healed the man and he saw clearly. All the people saw God's power in Jesus. The man told everyone how Jesus had healed him. The Pharisees were more angry than before.

Picture 66. Parable of the Good Shepherd. John 10:1-21
Jesus told a parable against the Pharisees. He said that they were like hired shepherds. A hired shepherd cares about his wages, but he does not care so much for the sheep. The Pharisees did not care for God's people, and they would not believe in Jesus. Jesus said, "I am the Good Shepherd. I will give My life to save My sheep." Jesus also told them that He is like the door of the sheepfold. You can see this in the picture. The sheep are safe while the shepherd guards the doorway. Jesus protects His people so that the evil one cannot come and destroy them.

Picture 67. Parable of the Good Samaritan. Luke 10:25-37.
Here is another story that Jesus told. A man was travelling down a lonely road. Robbers attacked him and left him almost dead. Two religious Jews came along. They saw the injured man, but they did not help him. Then a foreigner came along the road. He was sorry for the man. He stopped and took care of him. He cleaned his wounds and took him to a safe place. Those religious people did not show God's love. Religion will not give us eternal life. Jesus said that we must love and obey God. Then we will want to show God's love to anyone in need.

Picture 68. Jesus at the Home of Mary and Martha. Luke.10:38-42.
Jesus came to the house of two sisters. Their names were Mary and Martha. Jesus was a friend of their family. Mary sat at Jesus' feet. She wanted to hear everything He said. But Martha said to Jesus, "My sister has left me to do all the work by myself. Tell her to help me!" Jesus answered, "Martha, Mary has chosen something better. It will not be taken from her." To know Jesus and His way is better than all the concerns of this life.

Picture 69. Parable of the Friend at Midnight. Luke 11:1-13.
This picture is about an important teaching of Jesus. Jesus taught His disciples to pray to God all the time. He told them this story. A man went to his friend in the middle of the night. He called out, "Friend, lend me some loaves of bread. A friend of mine has come to me, and I have nothing to give him." The friend said, "Don't bother me. The door is already locked." However, the man kept knocking at the door. So the friend got up out of bed and gave him some bread. Jesus shows us that if your friend will do such a thing, God will certainly hear His children if they continue to pray. He will also give His Holy Spirit to those who really seek Him.

Picture 70. Parable of the Rich Fool. Luke 12:13-21.
Jesus warned people not to be greedy. He told a story about a rich man. The rich man had a lot of property and produced many things to sell. So he built many store houses to keep all his produce. He said, "I have plenty for many years. I can take life easy." Then suddenly he died. All his work and all his money were no good to him any more. Jesus said, "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself." We need to have treasure in heaven, not here on earth.

Picture 71. Servants Ready for their Master's Return. Luke 12:35-40.
Jesus told His disciples that He was going to die. But He also told them that after He died, He would come back again. At that time, people who are prepared for His return will receive a reward. Jesus said, "You should be like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding. You should be ready, like servants who are not lazy, because I will come at an hour when you do not expect Me."
When Jesus comes back again, will you be ready for Him?

Picture 72. Jesus Heals a Crippled Woman. Luke 13:10-17.
The Pharisees continued to oppose Jesus. One day there was a crippled woman in the synagogue. You can see her in the picture. She had been bent over for eighteen years. Jesus healed her. She could stand up straight again! How she praised God! The people were delighted. However, the leader of the synagogue was angry because Jesus worked this miracle on the Sabbath day. God's Holy Book said that you should not work on the Sabbath. But Jesus was doing God's work when He healed the woman.

Picture 73. Parable of the Great Feast. Luke 14:15-24.
Another Sabbath day, Jesus healed a man with dropsy. Again the Pharisees were angry. Then Jesus told them this story. A great man gave a feast. He invited many special guests. However, every one of them made excuses and refused to come. So he said to his servants, "Go out quickly into the streets and bring in to my feast the poor people and the crippled people." Jesus was telling the people that the Pharisees were like the special guests. They were important religious leaders, but they refused to come to God by believing in Jesus. They will not have a place in heaven.

Picture 74. Parable of the Lost Coin. Luke 15:8-10.
The Pharisees were angry because Jesus liked to spend time with poor people and sinners. So Jesus told them a story. He said, "A woman had ten silver coins and she lost one. She lit a lamp and searched the house. At last she found it. She was very happy. She called her friends to come and they all rejoiced with her." Jesus said, "In the same way, there is rejoicing in heaven when one sinner turns to God." Every single person is important to God. He wants everyone to turn from sin and to come to Him.

Picture 75. Parable of the Lost Son. Luke 15:11-13.
Jesus told the Pharisees another story. It was about a son who went away from his family. The boy said to his father, "Give me my share of your property." The father had two sons, so he gave him half his property. The boy left home and went to live in a far country. There, he wasted all his money in wild living.

Picture 76. The Lost Son Among the Pigs. Luke 15:14-19.
At last, all his money was gone. The rebellious son had nothing to eat. He got a job feeding pigs. Even though he had something to eat, he was still very hungry. So he began to think about his life. He said to himself, "My father's servants have food. I will go back to my father and say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against you. You should not call me your son any more. Make me one of your servants.'" So the son decided to return to his father's house.

Picture 77. The Lost Son Returns Home. Luke 15:20-32.
The father loved that boy very much. He was hoping that his son would come home. When he saw the boy coming home, he felt great pity for him. He ran to meet him. He welcomed him with great joy. He took him back as his own son. We are like that son. We have all gone away from our heavenly Father. God is like that Father. He loves and forgives every person who confesses their sin and comes back to Him.

Picture 78. The Rich Man and the Beggar. Luke 16:19-31.
The Pharisees hated Jesus, but they loved money. They did not take any notice of the poor. So Jesus told them this story. There was a very rich man who lived in great wealth. At his gate sat a poor beggar. He was sick and hungry, but the rich man would not help him. After some time, the poor man died and the angels carried him to heaven. There he found rest and comfort. The rich man died too, but he went to a place of terrible suffering. He could see the place of comfort and happiness, but there was no way to pass from his place of suffering to that place called heaven. This story tells us that the only way to get to heaven is to follow Jesus now, in this life. Don't wait until you die to seek God. Then it will be too late.

Picture 79. Jesus Raises Lazarus from Death. John 11:1-44.
This picture tells of an amazing thing that really happened. You remember those friends of Jesus called Mary and Martha? They had a brother called Lazarus. One day Lazarus became very sick. Jesus was not with them when Lazarus became sick, and before Jesus came to him, Lazarus died. The family buried his body in a cave. They rolled a great stone across the entrance. Four days later Jesus came to be with that family. Mary and Martha said, "Lord, if you had been here, our brother would not have died." Jesus told them that they should believe in Him now. They went to the cave. Jesus said to the people, "Take away the stone." Then He called out, "Lazarus, come out!" And Lazarus came out. Jesus had raised him from the dead. The people were amazed, and many believed in Him, but the Pharisees hated Him still more. They planned to kill Him.

Picture 80. Jesus Heals Ten Lepers. Luke 17:11-19.
After that amazing happening, Jesus travelled to Jerusalem for the last time. Ten men met Him on the way. They were sick with a disease called leprosy, so they did not come close to Jesus. They stood at a distance and called out, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" Then Jesus healed them all and sent them away. One of them came back to thank Him. Jesus was sorry that the other nine did not thank Him. The man who came back was a foreigner. He fell at Jesus' feet and praised God. So Jesus said to him, "Get up and go; your faith has made you well."

Picture 81. Parable of the Persistent Widow. Luke 18:1-8.
Jesus wants people to keep praying, so He told this story. A wicked judge did not care about anyone. One day a poor widow came to him. She said, "Give me justice against my enemy." But he would not. She came to him again and again. In the end, the judge said, "Because this woman keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice.". God is not like that judge. He wants to hear and answer our prayers. He will bring justice to His children who suffer. If an unjust judge will give justice in the end, we may be sure that we can trust our heavenly Father to look after us. So, keep on praying. God will hear you.

Picture 82. The Pharisee and the Tax Collector. Luke 18:9-14.
Some people who heard Jesus were very proud. They thought they were better than other people. So Jesus told them this story about two men. One man was very religious. He thought he was better than other people. He went to the temple to pray, and when he prayed he told God how good he was. God was not pleased with him. Another man stood right at the back of the temple and prayed and said, "God have mercy on me. I am a sinner." God was pleased with this man. Jesus said, "Everyone who thinks he is a big man will be made humble. Everyone who humbles himself will be lifted up."

Picture 83. Jesus Blesses the Children. Mark 10:13-16; Matthew 19:13-15; Luke 18:15-17.
Some people brought little children to Jesus. They wanted Him to touch them. The disciples did not think that children were important so they told them to go away. However, Jesus said to them, "Let the children come to me. Do not stop them. The kingdom of God belongs to people who are like these children." People who want to follow Jesus must believe Him. They must trust Him like a child trusts an adult. That is the only way to enter God's kingdom.

Picture 84. Jesus and the Rich Young Man. Mark 10:17-27; Matthew 19:16-22; Luke 18:18-23.
A rich young man came to Jesus. He asked Jesus, "What must I do to get eternal life?" The rich man was a good person and he tried to keep all the commandments of God. But Jesus said to him, "You need one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come and follow Me." The man went away sad. He did not want to give away his riches. He could not trust Jesus to give him everlasting life. Jesus was sad, too, because He loved that young man.

Picture 85. Parable of Workers in the Vineyard. Matthew 20:1-16.
Have you tried to follow Jesus? What reward can you expect from Him? Jesus told this story. A landowner was paying his workers. Some of them had worked all day so He gave them a full day's pay. Some had only worked part of the day but he gave them a full day's pay as well. Those who worked all day complained. The landowner said to them, "I have not been unfair to you. I have the right to do what I like with my own money. Do not be envious because I am generous!" God is like that. He is generous. He can give eternal life to anyone. We do not earn it by our hard work.

Picture 86. A Blind Beggar Healed at Jericho. Luke 18:35-43; Mark 10:46-52; Matthew 20:29-34.
As Jesus went on to Jerusalem, He came to the town of Jericho. There a blind beggar sat beside the road. His name was Bartimaeus. As Jesus passed by, Bartimaeus cried out, "Jesus, have mercy on me!" Jesus stopped and said to Bartimaeus, "Because you have believed in Me, I will heal you." Immediately Bartimaeus could see.

Picture 87. Jesus and Zacchaeus. Luke 19:1-10.
In that town called Jericho there was a tax collector. His name was Zacchaeus. He was a very short man. He wanted to see Jesus, but he could not see Him because there were so many people there. So, he climbed into a tree as Jesus passed by. Jesus saw Zacchaeus in the tree and said to him, "Come down, I will stay at your house today". The people were amazed. They knew that Zacchaeus was a bad man who cheated people. But Zacchaeus received Jesus with great joy. He decided to change his life and give up his bad ways. Then Jesus said, "Today salvation has come to this house; for I came to seek and to save those who were lost." When you receive Jesus into your life, you receive salvation.

Picture 88. Jesus Enters Jerusalem. Mark 11:1-11; Matthew 21:1-11,14-17; Luke 19:29-44; John 12:12-19.
Jesus travelled on to Jerusalem. Outside the city, His disciples found a young donkey for Him to ride. Some people saw Jesus riding the donkey, and they thought He was coming to be their king. They led Him into the city, calling out, "Hosanna, blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord." There were many people who welcomed Jesus like this.

Picture 89. Jesus Clears the Temple. Mark 11:15-18; Matthew 21:12-13; Luke 19:45-48.
When He was in Jerusalem, Jesus went into the Temple. He saw that some people were spoiling God's house. They were selling animals for sacrifice there, but they were cheating the people too. So He tipped over their tables and drove them out. Jesus said, "My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations, but you have made it a den of robbers." The religious leaders were afraid of Him. They decided to kill Him.

Picture 90. Parable of the Wicked Tenants. Mark 12:1-12; Matthew 21:33-41; Luke 20:9-16.
Jesus taught the people in the Temple. He told this story against the religious leaders. "A man planted a vineyard with grapevines. He rented that vineyard to some farmers. Then he went away. At harvest time he sent his servant to collect some payment. But the tenants beat the man and sent him away with nothing. The man sent many other servants to collect his rent. The tenants beat some of them. They killed others. Last of all the man sent his son whom he loved. But the tenants killed him too. What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others." The wicked leaders were like the tenants in the vineyard. They did not love God. They refused to receive His messengers, and they wanted to kill Jesus too.

Picture 91. Paying Taxes to Caesar. Mark 12:13-17; Matthew 22:15-22; Luke 20:20-26.
The Jewish leaders sent people to test Jesus. They wanted Him to say something wrong against the government. At that time, the king was called Caesar. These people asked Jesus, "Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar?" Jesus answered, "Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God." Jesus answered all their hard questions, and they could not accuse Him of any wrong.

Picture 92. The Poor Widow's Offering. Mark 12:41-44; Luke 21:1-4.
One day, Jesus was sitting in the temple. He watched the people there. He saw rich people bring large gifts of money. Then a poor widow came. She gave only two tiny coins. Immediately, Jesus called His disciples. He said to them, "Do you see that poor woman? She has put more in the offering box than all the others. They gave what they had left over from their wealth, but she has given everything she has."

Picture 93. Jesus Teaches about the End Times. Matthew 24:1-14; Mark 13:1-13; Luke 21:5-19.
The buildings of the Temple were very beautiful. The disciples thought they were wonderful. But Jesus told them the temple was going to be destroyed. He told them what the signs of the end times are going to be. There will be wars and famines and earthquakes. Many people who believe in Jesus will be persecuted and killed. Another sign of the end times is that the Good News about God's Kingdom will be preached through all the world. Then the end will come.

Picture 94. Parable of the Ten Virgins. Matthew 25:1-13.
Jesus told His disciples a story about 10 young women. They were waiting for a wedding feast to begin. Five of them were wise and five of them were foolish. The bridegroom was coming at night, but the five foolish women had no oil for their lamps. They went away to buy oil. While they were gone, the feast began. When they came back, they called out, "Open the door for us!" But someone inside called, "I don't know you". So they could not go into the feast. This story has a special meaning. It is this. Jesus will return at the end of time. He will come suddenly. Some people will be ready. They will enter the Kingdom of God with Him. Others will be left outside forever. Jesus said, "Therefore, keep watch. You do not know the time of my return."

Picture 95. Parable of the Talents. Matthew 25:14-30.
Jesus told another story. It was about a rich man who went on a journey. The man called his servants. He gave them his money to invest. Two of the servants traded with the money. They gained more money for their master. The other servant did not do anything with the money. He hid it in the earth. Then the master returned. He said to the servants who had made more money for him, "Well done. You are good servants." He gave them a good reward. However, he was angry with the lazy servant. He threw him out. God has given all of us abilities. We must use them for Him and be ready for His return.

Picture 96. Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. Matthew 25:31-46.
Jesus wants us to be ready for His return. On that day, He will come in great glory with all the angels of heaven. He will judge all men and women. He will be like a shepherd who separates the sheep from the goats. He will separate the people who have done good deeds from the people who have done evil. The good who believe in Jesus will receive everlasting life in God's Kingdom. The others will go to everlasting punishment.

Picture 97. Jesus Anointed at Bethany. Mark.14:1-9; Matthew 26:6-13; John 12:2-8.
Jesus went out of Jerusalem to Bethany. That evening He went to a feast. Do you remember Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from death? His sister named Mary had a jar of very expensive perfume. She poured it over Jesus. There was a disciple called Judas Iscariot there. When he saw this, he was angry. He said "Why did she waste that expensive perfume?" But Jesus said, "Leave her alone. This perfume is for the day of my burial." For He knew the leaders planned to kill him very soon.

Picture 98. Judas Iscariot Betrays Jesus. Mark 14:10-11; Matthew 26:14-16; Luke 22:3-6.
After that, Judas went to the Jewish priests. He betrayed Jesus. He offered to take them to a place where they could arrest Jesus, so that they could kill Him. They gave Judas thirty pieces of silver to do this. But Jesus knew what Judas had done.

Picture 99. Jesus Washes the Disciples' Feet. John.13:1-17; Luke 22:7-30.
The disciples found an upstairs room in Jerusalem. There they prepared to celebrate the feast called 'Passover'. During the feast, they started to argue with each other. They argued about who was the greatest. Jesus got up from the table. He took some water and a towel. He washed the feet of each one of the disciples. He said to them, "I am your Lord and Master, but I have washed your feet. You should wash one another's feet." Jesus was showing the disciples who is the greatest person in God's Kingdom. It is the one who is willing to serve others.

Picture 100. Teaching at the Last Supper. Mark 14:22-25; Matthew 26:26-29; Luke 22:17-20.
A long time before Jesus lived in Israel, the Jews (or Israelites) were slaves to their enemies. At the Passover feast the Jews remembered how God delivered them from slavery. Jesus gave His disciples something else to remember. As He gave the disciples bread, He said to them, "This is My body". When He passed the wine around, He said, "This is My blood. It is given for you, for the forgiveness of sins. Do this to remember Me." Jesus gave His disciples a way to remember Him after He died. He told them why He had to die. His death was the sacrifice for the sin of all people. He died so that we can be delivered from slavery to sin and death.

Picture 101. Teaching about the True Vine. John 15:1-17.
At that Passover feast, Jesus taught His disciples many things. He said, "I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man stays with Me, he will bear much fruit." This means that God is like the gardener in a vineyard. Jesus is His vine. His followers are like branches. If they get strength from Jesus every day, they produce fruit for God. The fruit of God's vine is love - love for God and love for each other. Look at the picture. Some people will produce no fruit so God will cut them out of the vine. They will be thrown out and burned like useless branches.

Picture 102. Jesus Prays in Gethsemane. Mark 14:32-42; Matthew 26:36-46; Luke 22:39-46.
Jesus knew the time had come for Him to die. He prayed for His disciples. He asked God to make them strong in times of difficulty. Then Jesus and His eleven disciples went to a garden called Gethsemane. It was late at night. Jesus told three of His disciples to keep watch. In the picture you can see Jesus praying alone. He was in great distress. He knew that He must suffer and die. He asked God for strength to do what God wanted Him to do. But while Jesus prayed, His disciples fell asleep.

Picture 103. Jesus Arrested. Mark 14:43-50; Mathew 26:47-56; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:1-12.
Then Judas Iscariot came to Gethsemane. He led a crowd of people sent by the religious leaders. They were armed with clubs and swords. He told the men, "I will kiss one man. He is the one you want; arrest Him". Judas greeted Jesus and kissed Him. So the temple guards seized Jesus and arrested Him. The disciples were terrified. They left Jesus and ran away.

Picture 104. Jesus Tried Before the High Priest. Mark 14:53-65; Matthew 26:57-68; Luke 22:54-65; John 18:12-14,19-23.
The guards tied Jesus up and took Him away to the Jewish leaders. The leaders and the priests questioned Him. They found people to tell lies about Him. But their statements did not agree. Then the high priest said, "Are you the Christ, the Son of God?" Jesus said, "I am." They beat Him and said that He must die, because He said He was God's son.

Picture 105. Peter Denies Jesus. Mark 14:66-72; Matthew 26:69-75; Luke 22:54-62; John18:15-18,25-27.
When the temple guards took Jesus away, Peter followed them. He entered the court of the high priest's house. He wanted to see what would happen to Jesus. A servant girl saw him. She said, "You were with Jesus." But Peter denied it. He was afraid. Three times he said that he did not know Jesus. Suddenly a rooster crowed. Peter remembered what Jesus had said to him at the Passover. "Before the rooster crows twice, you will disown me three times." Then Peter was very sorry that he had denied Jesus. He went out and wept bitterly.

Picture 106. Jesus Tried Before Pilate. Mark 15:1-15; Matthew 27:11-26; Luke 23:1-25; John 18:28 - 19:15.
The priests decided that Jesus must die. But they were not allowed to execute anyone, so they sent Jesus to the Roman governor. His name was Pilate. He had the power to sentence men to death. The Jews wanted Pilate to sentence Jesus, but Pilate said, "I cannot find any reason to kill Him." The soldiers beat Jesus. They made a crown out of thorns and put it on His head. They laughed at Him, and they called Him 'The King of the Jews'. Pilate wanted to let Jesus go, but the people called out, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" Pilate thought there might be a riot, so he did what the people wanted. He sentenced Jesus to death.

Picture 107. Jesus Led Out to be Crucified. John 19:16-17; Luke 23:26-33; Mark 15:20-23; Matthew 27:31-34.
The soldiers took Jesus away to kill Him. They made Him carry a big wooden cross. You can see this in the picture. The women in Jerusalem wept for Jesus. They all went to a place outside the city. It was called Golgotha, which means 'the place of the skull'.

Picture 108. The Crucifixion. Mark 15:25-39; Luke 23:33-46; Matthew 27:35-50; John 16:19-30.
The soldiers took Jesus' clothes. They nailed Him to the cross and left Him there to die. Two other criminals were crucified beside Him. For three hours, a great darkness covered the land. After six hours on the cross, Jesus called out, "It is finished". Then He gave up His spirit and died. The Roman officer was amazed and said, "This man was really the Son of God".

Picture 109. The Burial of Jesus. Mark 15:42-47; Matthew 27:57-66; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42.
There was a disciple of Jesus named Joseph who came from Arimathea. He was a rich man. He had made a new tomb in a garden near that place called Golgotha. Nicodemus (the man who came to Jesus at night) helped Joseph and they took the dead body of Jesus down from the cross. They laid the body in the new tomb. They rolled a great stone across the entrance. Then Pilate sent soldiers to guard the tomb. He did not want anyone to steal the body.

Picture 110. The Women at the Tomb. Matthew 28:1-7.
On the third day after Jesus died, an amazing thing happened. An angel appeared at the tomb of Jesus. There was a great earthquake. The angel rolled back the stone at the entrance to the tomb and he sat upon it. The soldiers were so afraid that they fell down like dead men. Two of the women who followed Jesus went to look at the tomb. The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid. Jesus is not here. Go and tell His disciples He has risen from the dead."

Picture 111. Peter and John at the Empty Tomb. John 20:1-9; Luke 24:1-12.
The women ran and told the disciples but they did not believe them. So Peter and John ran to the tomb. They saw that the body of Jesus was not there. The grave clothes were still in the tomb, but the body was not there. Nobody had touched the grave clothes. Then John knew and believed. He knew that Jesus was not dead. He had come back to life again!

Picture 112. Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene. John 20:10-18.
One of the women called Mary Magdalene stayed at the tomb. She was crying. Then she looked into the tomb and saw two angels. They said to her, "Why are you crying?" Suddenly Jesus Himself appeared. Mary did not know it was Jesus. She thought He was the gardener who had taken the body of Jesus. She said, "Tell me where you have put Him". Then Jesus said to her, "Mary"! Immediately she knew His voice. She knew it really was Jesus.

Picture 113. Jesus on the Road to Emmaus. Luke 24:13-35; Mark 16:12-13.
That same day two disciples left Jerusalem to walk to a place called Emmaus. They were very sad. They talked about the death of Jesus. Suddenly Jesus was walking beside them. Jesus walked with them but they did not know who He was. He talked with them and explained why the Christ had to die. Suddenly they realized that the stranger was Jesus Himself. Then He disappeared out of their sight.

Picture 114. Jesus Appears to His Disciples. John 20:19-23; Mark 16:14; Luke.24:36-43.
The two disciples ran back to Jerusalem. They told the other disciples "We have seen Jesus!" While they were talking, Jesus suddenly stood among them. They were all amazed and very afraid. He said, "Peace be to you." He showed them the nail marks in His hands and feet. They knew for certain that this man was Jesus and they could all see that He was alive again.

Picture 115. Jesus Appears to Thomas. John 20:24-31.
When Jesus appeared, the disciple named Thomas was not with the others. They told him that Jesus was alive, but he did not believe them. A week later they were all together again. Thomas was with them. All the doors were locked because they were afraid of the Jews. Once again Jesus appeared to them all. Then Thomas also believed. He knelt in front of Jesus and said, "My Lord and my God!"

Picture 116. Jesus Appears in Galilee. John 21:1-14.
Some of the disciples went back to Galilee. One night they went fishing but they did not catch anything. Just as the sun rose, they saw a man on the beach. He called to them, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will catch some fish." They did what He told them and they caught many fish. Suddenly they knew that the man on the beach was Jesus. They brought the fish to the shore. They talked and ate with Jesus again and He told them what they must do.

Picture 117. Jesus Commissions His Disciples. Matthew 28:16-20; Acts 1:3-8; Luke 24:44-49.
Jesus appeared to eleven of His special disciples another time. (They are not all in this picture). He said to them, "God has given me all authority in heaven and on earth. You must go and make disciples in all nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey Me. I am with you to the end of the age."

Picture 118. Jesus Ascends into Heaven. Acts 1:6-12; Luke 24:50-53.
Jesus stood on the mountain outside Jerusalem. Then the disciples saw Him go up into the clouds of heaven. Two angels appeared. They said to the disciples, "This same Jesus will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven." The disciples returned to Jerusalem. There they waited for ten days. They were afraid of the Jews. But after those days, God sent His Holy Spirit to them. They were not afraid any more. They went out and began to tell people everywhere about Jesus. Many people believed and were baptized. This is how the Christian Church began.

Picture 119. Jesus at God's Right Hand in Heaven. Mark 16:19; Hebrews 7;23-27.
The disciples saw Jesus go up into heaven. He is alive in heaven today. The Bible tells us that He is seated at the right hand of God. Jesus hears the prayers of all of us who believe in Him. He speaks to God for us. His Holy Spirit guides and helps us in this life. Our bodies will die one day, but we will rise again with new bodies, just as Christ died and rose again. We will be with God in heaven too. But those who will not believe in Jesus, will always be separated from God. The Bible calls this hell. Won't you come to Jesus now? Ask Him to forgive your sins. Ask His Holy Spirit to come upon you. Turn from the wrong things in your life. The Holy Spirit wants to give you a new life. It is an everlasting life of joy and peace with God.

Picture 120. Jesus Will Return. Revelation 1:7-8; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.
One day Jesus will return to earth in the clouds of heaven. He will reign in peace over all those who believe in Him. Jesus is not only a man or a prophet of God. He is God's Son. He shows us what God is like. Jesus existed from the beginning, He lives today, and He will always live. When Jesus returns to earth, Satan and death and evil will be defeated forever. Therefore, let us love, obey and worship the Lord Jesus. He is the Living Christ.

Conclusion. Luke 11:13; Acts 2:38.
Friends, Jesus Christ loves us and He wants to give us eternal life. He paid the punishment for our sins. But we must believe in Him. We must ask Him to forgive our sins. (You can speak to God in prayer. He will hear you. Pray like this, "Lord, I am a sinner. I need You to forgive my sin. Thank You for dying as the sacrifice for my sin. Thank You for rising from death so that I may live forever. Send Your Holy Spirit into my life. Help me to honour You. You are the only true God.") God will give His Holy Spirit to those who ask Him. This is how a person becomes a Christian. Christians are baptized to show others that they are followers of Jesus. They must turn from the wrong things in their life and they must learn to follow God's way. God's ways are the ways of the Living Christ. He alone brings joy and peace with God in heaven forever.

Steps To Know God

mohsenb — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 23:36:42 CDT

Steps To Know God
God loves you and offers you His best peace, purpose and plan for you eternally John 3:16 "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 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Our Problem is Separation God created us in His own image to have an abundant life. He did not make us robots to automatically love and obey Him, but gave us a will and a freedom of choice. We choose to disobey God and go our own willful way. We still make this choice today. This results in separation from God.Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord
Our Attempts Through the ages, individuals have tried in many ways to bridge this gap...without success...Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.Isaiah 59:2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.

God's Remedy--Jesus Christ Jesus Christ is the only answer to this problem. He died on the Cross and rose from the grave, paying the penalty for our sin and bridging the gap between God and people.1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,1 Peter 3:18a For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Our Response--Receive Jesus Christ We must trust Jesus Christ and receive Him by personal invitation.Revelation 3:20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.John 1:12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--Romans 10:9 ...if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

یگانه راه رستگاری

mohsenb — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 23:31:30 CDT

عیسی مسیح می فرماید ، اما به همه شما که سخنان مرا می شنوید ، می گویم که دشمنان خود را دوست بدارید و به کسانی که از شما نفرت دارند ، خوبی کنید برای آنانی که به شما ناسزا می گویند ، دعای خیر کنید . برای افرادی که به شما آزار می رسانند ، برکت خدا را بطلبید. لوقا 6: 27و28

یگانه راه رستگاری

حدود يکهزار و هشتصد سال قبل از ميلاد مسيح، يعقوب پيامبر در خواب نردبانی را ديد که برزمين برپا شد. آن نردبان سرش به آسمان می‌رسيد و فرشتگان خدا بر آن صعود و نزول می‌کردند (سفر پيدايش ٢٨ : ١٢). نردبانی که يعقوب در خواب مشاهده کرد و زمين را به آسمان متصل می‌نمود، همانند راه مستقيمی است که به خدا منتهی می‌گردد. پيامبران اين راه را از دور ديدند و ايمان داشتند که روزی بين انسان گناهکار و خدای مقدس چنين راهی برقرار خواهد شد

عيسی مسيح يگانه راه رستگاری

عيسی مسيح، تنها راهی است که به خدا منتهی می‌شود و همانند نردبانی که يعقوب در خواب ديد، زمين را به آسمان متصل نموده است. انبياء با هدايت روح خدا در باره او پيشگوئی نمودند و مسيح برطبق پيشگوئيهای انبياء از باکره متولد شد، به خاطر گناه بشر بر روی صليب مرد، در روز سوم با بدنی غيرفانی و پرجلال دوباره زنده گشت و سپس به عالم بالا برده شد و در عاليترين جايگاه افتخار نشست

عيسی مسيح، يگانه راه رستگاری می‌باشد. کلام خدا می‌فرمايد: "در هيچکس ديگر، رستگاری نيست و در زير آسمان هيچ نامی جز نام عيسی به مردم عطا نشده است تا بوسيله آن نجات يابيم" (اعمال رسولان ٤: ١٢). مابين خدای حقيقی و انسان يک راه بيشتر وجود ندارد و اين راه، عيسی مسيح می‌باشد. مسيح فرمود: "من راه و راستی و حيات هستم، هيچکس جز بوسيله من نزد پدر نمی‌آيد" (يوحنا ١٤: ٦). مسيح از ازل با خدا بود و در ماهيت و ذات کاملاً با خدا همانند می‌باشد. اما او برای رستگار نمودن انسان، جلال و شکوه آسمانی خود را کنار گذاشت و به شکل انسان در ميان ما زندگی کرد. مسيح، خدای ناديده را بطور کامل آشکار کرد و با مرگ خود بر صليب، جريمه گناه جهانيان را پرداخت نمود. شخصيت منحصر بفرد مسيح، از دو طبيعت کامل الهی و انسانی برخوردار است. مسيح، انسان کامل و خدای کامل می‌باشد، بهمين علت او تنها واسطه در ميان خدا و انسان است

چطور می‌توان رستگار شد؟

ابتدا بايد با فروتنی بپذيريم که گناهکار هستيم. کلام خدا می‌فرمايد: "همه گناه کرده‌اند و از جلال خدا محرومند" (روميان ٣: ٢٣). چنانچه خود را با مسيح بی‌گناه، که چهره ديدنی خدای ناديده است مقايسه کنيم، بخوبی می‌فهميم که گناهکاريم. سپس بايد از گناه توبه کرده، عيسی مسيح خداوند را که بعد از مرگ دوباره زنده شد، بعنوان نجات دهنده خود بپذيريم و از او بخواهيم تا با خونش که بر روی صليب ريخته شد، قلب گناه‌آلود ما را بشويد و آنرا پاک نمايد. کلام خدا می‌فرمايد: "زيرا خدا مسيح را بعنوان وسيله‌ای برای آمرزش گناهان، که با ايمان به خون او بدست می‌آيد، در مقابل چشم همه قرار داده و با اين کار، خدا عدالت خود را ثابت نمود زيرا در گذشته بسبب بردباری خود گناهان آدميان را ناديده گرفت تا در اين زمان، عدالت خدا کاملاً به ثبوت برسد، يعنی ثابت شود که خدا عادل است و کسی را که به عيسی ايمان می‌آورد نيک می‌شمارد" (روميان ٣: ٢٥ و ٢٦

هر کس به مسيح، که پس از مرگ زنده شد ايمان بياورد، قلبش از گناه پاک می‌شود، روح خدا در وجودش ساکن می‌گردد و زندگی جاويد می‌يابد. رستگاری يا نجات، هديه بی‌نظيری است که بمحض اينکه به مسيح ايمان آوريد به شما عطا می‌گردد. يقيناً خدا مايل است همه آدميان هديه رستگاری يا نجات را دريافت نمايند. اما اين هديه موقعی به انسان داده می‌شود که شخصاً آنرا از مسيح زنده درخواست کند

حق‌جوی عزيز، آيا مايلی هديه رستگاری را از خداوند بخشنده دريافت کنی؟ کلام خدا می‌فرمايد: "زیرا نجاتی که از راه ایمان به مسیح بدست می آید ، به آسانی دردسترس هر یک از ما قرار دارد و به اندازۀ قلب وزبان خودمان ، به ما نزدیک است ، " (روميان 8:10و 9
مسيح زنده منتظر تصميم شماست. به او روی آور که رستگار خواهی شد

خداوند ميگويد، ثمره گناه مرگ است، اما آيا اين مرگ جسمانی ميباشد؟ خير! خداوند از مرگ
روحانی صحبت ميکند، خداوند ميداند که برای انسان، رسيدن به بهشت بسيار دشوار است زيرا او در روميان ۳ آیه ۲۳ ميگويد
زیرا همه گناه کرده اند وهیچکس به آن کمال مطلوب وپر جلالی که خدا انتظار دارد ، نرسیده است .اما اکنون اگر به عیسی مسیح ایمان آوریم ، خدا ما را کاملاً بی گناه به حساب می آورد ، چون عیسی مسیح به لطف خود بطور رایگان گناهان ما را برداشته است

Holy touch

mohsenb — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 00:30:59 CST

زكی

لوقا باب ۱۹

روز جشن و شادی بود که هم‌زمان موجی از راهپیمایی اعتراض‌آمیز دیده می‌شد‌. در حالیکه عیسی از وسط شهر می‌گذشت و رهسپار پایتخت بود‌، جمعیت هیجان‌زده اطراف قهرمانشان را گرفته بودند‌. هنگامی که او توقف کرد تا مرد کوری را شفا دهد‌، سر و صدای مردم اوج گرفت و بیش‌تر شد

ادامه مطلب نوشته شده توسط MOHSEN BEHROOZI ساعت 16:54 موضوع مطلب :‌ پيام ها لينك پنج شنبه ۱۰ اسفند ۱۳۸۵

قنطارهــا

تشریح مثل‌های خداوند ما عیسی مسیح در چارچوب تاریخی و فرهنگی‌شان‌. بررسی داستان قنظارها در لوقا باب ۱۹

ادامه مطلب نوشته شده توسط MOHSEN BEHROOZI ساعت 16:53 موضوع مطلب :‌ پيام ها لينك چهار شنبه ۰۹ اسفند ۱۳۸۵

قاضی و بیوه ‌زن

(لوقا ۱۸:‏۱-‏۸)

تشریح مثل‌های خداوند ما عیسی مسیح در چارچوب تاریخی و فرهنگی‌شان‌. بررسی داستان قاضی و بیوه ‌زن

ادامه مطلب نوشته شده توسط MOHSEN BEHROOZI ساعت 19:51 موضوع مطلب :‌ پيام ها چهار شنبه ۰۹ اسفند ۱۳۸۵

نجات یافته ای در فیض خداوند

نوشته شده توسط MOHSEN BEHROOZI 16:54 موضوع مطلب :‌ پيام ها ويرايش شده در پنج شنبه ۱۰ اسفند ۱۳۸۵ و ساعت 16:53

چهار شنبه ۰۹ اسفند

پس بروید و همه ملتها را شاگرد من سازید متی ۲۸:۱۹

پس بروید و همه ملتها را شاگرد من سازید و آنها را به نام پدر و پسر و روح القدس تعمید دهید و تعلیم دهید که همه چیزهائی را که به شما گفته ام انجام دهند و بدانید که من هر روزه

تا اتقضای عالم با شما هستم

نوشته شده توسط MOHSEN BEHROOZI ساعت 16:52 موضوع مطلب :‌ پيام ها ويرايش شده در پنج شنبه ۱۰ اسفند ۱۳۸۵ و ساعت 16:53

http://mohsen-behroozi.blogfa.com/

شهادت مدیریت سایت

mohsenb — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 06:12:31 CST

و عیسی فرمود: راه منم ، زندگی منم . هیچ کس نمی تواند به خدا برسد مگر بوسیلۀ من

یوحنا 14:6

با سلام و در نام مقدس خداوندمان عیسی مسیح
من محسن بهروزی زاده ء خاک مقدس ایران در خانواده مسلمانی به دنیا آمده و رشد کردم
طبق رسوم موسلمین به مسجد میرفتم احساس سبکی میکردم ولی همیشه در وجودم کشش عظیمی را به قدرتی مافوق احساس می کردم ، تا اینکه توسط یکی از همکارانم با مسیح آشناه شده و کتاب مقدس را مطالعه کردم
پیش از آن با وجود انجام رسوم مذهبی خدا را از خود دور می پنداشتم و دائم احساس گناه میکردم تا جایی که از دین و کشور زده شدم و قصد مهاجرت کردم
بعد از آشنایی با کتاب مقدس آرامشی عظیم وجود مرا در بر گرفت و توسط همکارم به کلیسای خداوندمان عیسی مسیح راه پیدا کردم ولی همچنان محیط را برای رشد مسیحی مناسب نمیدیدم تا اینکه به انگلستان مهاجرت کردم و آزادانه مطالعات خود را درضمینه ء مسیحیت بیشتر کردم و همکاری خود را با کلیسا اعلام نمودم
در ورود با موج محبت های خواهران و برادران مسیحی ام مواجه شدم که تأثیر بسزایی در وجودم نهاد
در ضمن با ترجمه تفسیری کتاب مقدس رو برو شدم که کمک بسزایی در رشد مسیحی ام نمود

کم کم با خداوند زنده و کلمات زنده ی او آشنا شدم و فهمیدم که با خون او از گناها پاک شدم، پس توبه نموده خدا را شکر کردم و قسل تعمید گرفتم و جزو کلیسا بدن مسیح گشتم و با ورود او به قلب و ذهن و روحم پادشاهی با او را احساس نمودم، از بار گناهان سبک شده و در او حیات تازه گرفتم
نام مقدسش را جلال می دهم و به شما هم پیشنهاد می کنم که از این فیض الاهی محروم نمانید

قربان شما برادر کوچکتان محسن بهروزی
با نام خداوندمان عیسی مسیح در فیض مستقر باشید

فیلم عیسی براساسِ انجیلِ لوقا

mohsenb — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 10:55:28 CDT

لطفاً روئ عکسِ فیلم کلیک کنید

دعوت دوست

mohsenb — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 18:01:54 CDT

از شما برادران و خواهرن عزیزم می پرسم

آيا كتاب مقدس را خوانده اید؟

آيا زمانی که کتاب مقدس را می خواندید آرامش پيدا می کرديد؟

آيا لذت آزادی را چشيدید؟

آيا واقعاً فهميدن کلام خدا سخت و دشوار است؟

آيا صحبت کردن با خدا سخت و دشوار و يا نياز به واسطه دارد؟

آيا از خدا چيزی خواستيد؟

آيا خدا هم با شما صحبت می كند؟

آيا خداوند به درخواست شما جواب مثبت می دهد؟

در چه صورت ممکن است جواب منفی بدهد؟

آيا نگاه شما به دست خداوند است يا به صورت خداوند؟

تا به حال سعی کرديد که خدا را ببينيد؟

همان طوری که در بالا گفتم ، خواندن کتاب مقدس به من خيلی کمک کرد، در مورد سوالات مطرح شده دربالا از اين كتاب آموختم که خدا چقدر انسان را دوست دارد

انسانی که به خاطر وسوسه ی شيطان از ميوه درختی که نبايست

می خورد دست به انجام اين کار زد و در نتيجه از باغ ادن اخرج شد و برای ساليان دراز در گمراهی بود

در اين سالیان پيامبران و افراد بسيار ديگری آمدند برای نجات انسان خداوند از ميان اين اقوم و اين افراد با نوح ، موسی و بسياری ديگر

صحبت کرد برای آنها قوانين و شريعت گذشت و در حقيقت شريعت را به موسی گفت و موسی به همراه برادرش به مردم گفتند

اين قوانين شامل چگونگی خوراک پوشاک و... ولی همه ی رسولان يک پيام و وعده داشتند و آن اين بود که شخصی خواهد آمد، نجات دهنده ای خواهد آمد که بشر را نجات خواهد داد و هر که به او ايمان آورد نجات خواهد يافت

در واقع همينطورهم شد عیسی بدنيا آمد تا تمام هر آنچه پيشينيان و خداوند گفته بودند تحقوق يابد عیسی درهمان ابتدا گفت من نيامدم انجيل يا تورت را براندازم بلکه آمده ام تا تکميل کنم

در اوايل اين راه ، من در ذهن خود سوالات بسياری را مورور می كردم همانطور که گفتم و همانطورکه کلمه خدا می گويد، روح القدس به شما کمک خواهد کرد، به من نيز کمک کرد، دريافتم که انسان آزاد است و در بند شريعت نيست، بلکه حکم خدا چيز ديگريست، خود و خدای خود را دوست داشته باش و به همسايه خود کمک کن. دريافتم که خدا چقدرانسان را دوست دارد، که يگانه فرزند خود را فرستاد تا فديه گناهان ما گردد و گناهان ما را به دوش خود بکشد و بر روی صليب رفت برای آزادی من و ديگر افرادی که در گمراهی بودند

عیسی مسیح ميگويد راه منم آزادی منم هر که من را شناخت خدا را شناخت و من تصميم گرفتم که خدا را منظورم صورت زيبای خدا را هم ببينم و جسم خودم را با تمام گناهانم به روی صلیب عیسی مسیح به جای گذارده و حال اوست که در قلب و جسم و روحم زندگی می كند

براستی که خداوند محبت است، چه محبتی بالاتر از اين سراغ داريد

از تمام برادران و خواهرانم دعوت ميکنم : اگر تا به حال نمی دانستید

يا، چطور بگم كتاب يا کلام خدا را ندارید، هنوز دير نشده

اگر ميخواهيد آزاد شويد خداوند هميشه منتظر شماست

با آرزوی اينکه در فيض خداوند بمانيد

برادر کوچک شما محسن

محبت حليم و بردبار است

پنتیکاست

mohsenb — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 17:21:29 CDT

PENTECOST DAY

WITH SUNDAY

پنتیکاست یکشنبه سفید

نگاهی به سنتهای مسیحیت

در روز عید پنطیکاست

مسیحیان
روز بیست و هفتم ماه می دوهزار و هفت را که پنجاه روز پس از عید پاک (رستاخیر مسیح) و ده روز پس از معراج
به آسمان محسوب می شود به عنوان عید پنطیکاست جشن
می گیرند . مسیحیان هفت هفته پس از عید پاک در اواسط
یا اواخر بهار در نیم کره شمالی زمین و اواخر یا اواسط پاییز در نیم کره جنوبی زمین را به عنوان عید پنطیکاست جشن می گیرند. پنطیکاست واژه ای یونانی به معنای پنجاهه است
و در زبان انگلیسی - به ویژه در بریتانیا - به عنوان ویتسان ( ویتساندی) و در زبان انگلیسی قدیمی به یکشنبه سفید - اشاره به رداهای سفید افرادی که پنجاه روز پیش یعنی در روز عید پاک غسل تعمید داده شده اند - شهرت دارد
در حالی که برخی از منابع اعلام کرده اند که واژه "ویت"حکمت (wisdom) اشاره می کند که یکی از موهبت های نزول روح القدس در عید پنجاهه است. خاستگاه عید پنطیکاست را به جشن شاووعوت که پنجاه روز پس از عید پسح و به مناسب نزول ده فرمان میان قوم یهود
برگزار می شود مربوط می دانند. اگرچه این جشن یهود در ابتدا با فصل برداشت اولین محصول همراه بود، در مسیحیت چنین ارتباطی از میان رفته و علت برگزاری آن به نزول روح القدس نسبت داده می شود. این در شرایطی است که
هر دو رویداد از لحاظ معنوی مرتبط هستند. کلیساهای پنطیکاستی، کاتولیکها روم و کاتولیکهای شرقی بیست و هفتم ماه می ( ۶ خرداد ماه را به عنوان عید پنجاهه یا گلریزان جشن می گیرند ، در حالی که کلیسای ارتدکس دارای تقویم کلیسایی متفاوتی بوده و یک هفته بعد از این تاریخ جشن پنجاهه را برگزار می کنند. مراسم عبادی چنین روزی
بسیار رسمی برگزار می شود . اکثر مسیحیان این روز را
به عنوان تولد کلیسا تلقی

می کنند لحظه ای که بنیاد های کلیسا کامل می شود

پیام های کتاب مقدس در باره نزول

روح القدس در عید پنتیکاست پنجاهه

عهد عتیق

کتاب مزامیر باب 104آیات 29تا30

29روی خود را می پوشانی پس مضطرب میگردند روح آنها را قبض میکنی پس می میرند و به خاک خود
بر می گردند30چون روح خود را می فرستی آفریده میشوند و روی زمین را تازه می گردانی کتاب مزامیر باب 33آیات 12تا15 12خوشا بحال امتی که یهوه خدای ایشان است و قومی که ایشان را برای میراث خود برگزیده است.13از آسمان خداوند نظر افکند و جمیع بنی آدم را نگریست.14از مکان سکونت خویش نظر می افکند بر جمیع ساکنان15او که دلهای ایشان را جمیعا سرشته است و اعمال ایشان را درک نموده است

کتاب مزامیر باب 33آیات 18تا22

18اینک چشم خداوند بر آنانی است که از او می ترسند بر انانی که انتظار رحمت او را می کشند 19تا جان ایشان را از موت رهائی بخشد و ایشان را در قحط زنده نگاه دارد20جان ما منتظر خداوند می باشد.او اعانت و سپر ماست.21زیرا که دل ما در او شادی می کند و در نام قدوس او توکل می داریم .22ای خداوند رحمت تو بر ما باد چنانکه امیدوار تو بوده ایم

کتاب حزقیال باب 11آیات 17تا20

پس بگو خداوند یهوه چنین میفرماید:شما را از میان امتها جمع خواهم کرد و شما را از کشورهائی که در آنها پراکنده شده اید فراهم خواهم آورد و زمین اسرائیل را به شما خواهم داد18وبه آنجا داخل شده تمامی مکروهات و رجاسات آن را از میانش دور خواهند کرد19و ایشان را یکدل خواهم داد و اندرون ایشان روح تازه خواهم نهاد و دل سنگی را از جسد ایشان دور کرده دل گوشتی به ایشان خواهم بخشید.20تا در فرائض من سلوک نمایند و احکام مرا نگهداشته آنها را بجا آورند و ایشان قوم من خواهند بود

و من خدای ایشان خواهم بود

کتاب یوئیل نبی باب 2آیات 28تا32

28و بعد از آن روح خود را بر همه بشر خواهم ریخت و پسران و دختران شما نبوت خواهند نمود و پیران شما و جوانان شما رویاها خواهند دید29و در آن ایام روح خود را بر غلامان و کنیزان نیز خواهم ریخت30و آیات را از خون و آتش و ستونهای دود در آسمان و زمین ظاهر خواهم ساخت31آفتاب به تاریکی و ماه به خون مبدل خواهند شد پیش از ظهور یوم عظیم و مهیب خداوند32و واقع خواهد شد هر که نام خداوند را بخواند نجات یابد زیرا در کوه صهیون و در اورشلیم چنانکه خداوند گفته است بقیتی خواهد بود و در میان باقی ماندگان آنانی که خداوند ایشان را خوانده است

عهد جدید

یوحنا ۲۰:‏۱۹-۲۳ - لوقا ۲۴:‏۳۶-۴۳

ظاهر شدن عیسی بر شاگردان ۱۹

شامگاه همان روز، که نخستین روز هفته بود، آنگاه که شاگردان گرد هم بودند و درها از ترس یهودیان قفل بود، عیسی آمد و در میان ایشان ایستاد و گفت: «سلام بر شما!»۲۰چون این را گفت، دستها و پهلوی خود را به آنان نشان داد. شاگردان با دیدن خداوند شادمان شدند.۲۱عیسی باز به آنان گفت: «سلام بر شما! همانگونه که پدر مرا فرستاد، من نیز شما را می‌فرستم.»۲۲چون این را گفت، دمید
و فرمود: روح‌القدس را بیابید.۲۳اگر گناهان کسی را ببخشایید، بر آنها بخشیده خواهد شد؛ و اگر گناهان کسی را نابخشوده بگذارید، نابخشوده خواهد ماند

یوحنا باب 14آیات 8تا17

فیلیپُس به او گفت: «سرور ما، پدر را به ما بنما، که همین ما را کافی است.» ۹عیسی به او گفت: «فیلیپُس، دیری است با شما هستم و هنوز مرا نشناخته‌ای؟ کسی که مرا دیده، پدر را دیده است؛ پس چگونه است که می‌گویی ”پدر را به ما بنما“؟ ۱۰آیا باور نداری که من در پدرم و پدر در من است؟ سخنانی که من به شما می‌گویم از خودم نیست، بلکه پدری که در من ساکن است، اوست که کارهای خود را به‌انجام می‌رساند. ۱۱این سخن مرا باور کنید که من در پدرم و پدر در من است؛ وگرنه به‌سبب آن کارها این را باور کنید. ۱۲«آمین، آمین، به شما می‌گویم، آن که به من ایمان داشته باشد، او نیز کارهایی را که من می‌کنم، خواهد کرد، و حتی کارهایی بزرگتر از آن خواهد کرد، زیرا که من نزد پدر می‌روم. ۱۳و هرآنچه به نام من درخواست کنید، من آن را انجام خواهم داد، تا پدر در پسر جلال یابد. ۱۴اگر چیزی به نام من از من بخواهید، آن را انجام خواهم داد

وعده روح‌القدس

۱۵«اگر مرا دوست بدارید، احکام مرا نگاه خواهید داشت. ۱۶و من از پدر خواهم خواست و او مدافعی دیگر به شما خواهد داد که همیشه با شما باشد، ۱۷یعنی روحِ راستی که جهان نمی‌تواند او را بپذیرد، زیرا نه او را می‌بیند و نه می‌شناسد؛ امّا شما او را می‌شناسید، چرا‌که نزد شما مسکن می‌گزیند و در شما خواهد بود

نزول روح‌القدس در پِنتیکاست

۱چون روز پِنتیکاست فرارسید، همه یکدل در یک جا جمع بودند۲که ناگاه صدایی همچون صدای وزش تندبادی از آسمان آمد و خانه‌ای را که در آن نشسته بودند، به‌تمامی
پر کرد.۳آنگاه، زبانه‌هایی دیدند همچون زبانه‌های آتش که تقسیم شد و بر هر یک از ایشان قرار گرفت.۴سپس همه از روح‌القدس پُر گشتند و آنگونه که روح بدیشان قدرت تکلّم می‌بخشید، به زبانهای دیگر سخن‌گفتن آغاز کردند. ۵در آن روزها، یهودیانِ خداترس، از همه ممالک زیر آسمان، در اورشلیم به‌سر می‌بردند.۶چون این صدا برخاست، جماعتی گرد‌آمده، غرق شگفتی شدند، زیرا هر یک از ایشان می‌شنید که آنان به زبان خودش سخن می‌گویند.۷پس حیران و بهت‌زده، گفتند: «مگر اینها که سخن می‌گویند جملگی اهل جلیل نیستند؟۸پس چگونه هر یک می‌شنویم که به زبان زادگاه ما سخن می‌گویند؟۹پارتها و مادها و ایلامیان، مردمان بین‌النهرین و یهودیه و کاپادوکیه و پونتوس و آسیا۱۰و فْریجیه و پامفیلیه و مصر و نواحی لیبی متصل به قیرَوان و نیز زائران رومی۱۱(چه یهودی و چه یهودیشده)؛ و همچنین مردمان کْرِت و عربستان - همه می‌شنویم که اینان به زبان ما مدح اعمال عظیم خدا را می‌گویند.»۱۲پس همگی متحیر و سرگشته از یکدیگر می‌پرسیدند: «معنی این رویداد چیست؟» ۱۳امّا برخی نیز ریشخندکنان می‌گفتند: «اینان مست شرابند»

پیام پِطرُس

۱۴آنگاه پِطرُس با آن یازده تن برخاست و صدای خود را بلند کرده، خطاب بدیشان گفت: «ای یهودیان و ای ساکنان اورشلیم، این را دریابید و به آنچه می‌گویم به‌دقّت گوش فرادهید!۱۵این مردان، برخلاف آنچه شما پنداشته‌اید مست نیستند، زیرا هنوز ساعت سوّم از روز است!۱۶بلکه این همان است که یوئیل نبی درباره‌اش چنین پیشگویی کرده بود: ۱۷”خدا می‌فرماید: در روزهای آخر از روح خود بر تمامی بشر فرو‌خواهم ریخت
پسران و دختران شما نبوّت خواهند کرد
جوانانتان رؤیاها خواهند دید
و پیرانتان خوابها

.Music.

mohsenb — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 14:41:19 CDT

The Light Let Us Rejoice He is Over Me Holy is the Lord on High I'm Not Ashamed Firm Foundation Mary, Did you Know? Refiner's Fire Holy and Anointed One Lord, I Believe Good to Me Give me Jesus	Rock of Ages Let it Rise Take Me In Come, Oh Redeemer, Come Rock of Ages Light the Fire Light of the World We Praise You Jesus Do You Not Know?/All in All He's Gonna Reign Forever Lovely Lord I Believe
Delivered Hope to Carry On Ancient of Days Into Jesus Liquid The Holiest Name That Where I Am, There You... Never Been Unloved The Seven Signs There You Go Where Do I Go We Humble Ourselves Salvation Belongs To Our God In The Light We Exalt Thee (Psalm 97:9) Praise The King	Magnify Child of God I Lift My Eyes Up more songs to come!

The Bridge to Eternal Life

mohsenb — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 14:14:58 CDT

“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; And the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6, written 700 B.C.)

A. MAN’S PROBLEM “… each of us has turned to his own way…” (Isaiah 53:6a) 1. GOD & MAN: TOGETHER In the beginning, everything was perfect. God created the first man and woman with certain characteristics which set them apart from the animal world. For example, God breathed into man an eternal spirit, a creative mind, heart-felt emotions and a free will. These characteristics made it possible for God and man to enjoy communication and fellowship with each other. In the beginning, God and man were close friends.

“God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…" So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:26,27)

God gave to man the responsibility and privilege to choose whether or not he would honor, love and obey his Creator-Owner. God (who didn’t create man to be a robot) commanded,

"You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." (Genesis 2:16,17)

2. GOD & MAN: SEPARATED Adam and Eve chose to listen to Satan and to disobey God. They followed their own way instead of God’s way. The Bible calls this sin. God is holy and cannot ignore sin. When Adam and Eve sinned against God, they died spiritually. Their sin separated them from God. After man disobeyed God, the Bible says:

“the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid…"” (Gen. 3:8-10)

“…Your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2)

The close relationship between man and God was broken. Sin created a great divide between man and God. Do you understand why? Many people recognize that there is some kind of a gap, but don’t understand the seriousness of it. Many try to bridge this gap by doing (or by not doing) certain things. But what does God’s Book say? How can this gap between man and God be bridged? B. GOD’S SOLUTION “…and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6b)
To discover God’s solution for our sin problem, we must not ignore 4 foundational truths about God and man… 1. GOD IS HOLY The majestic Creator-Owner of the Universe is a loving, merciful God, but He is also a holy Lawgiver and a righteous Judge. His justice demands that all His laws be kept perfectly—24 hours a day, seven days a week. God’s mercy cannot contradict God’s justice. All sin must be punished. Only perfect, holy people can live with a perfect, holy God.

“God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.” (1 John 1:5,6)

“. . . without holiness no one will see the Lord… Our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:14, 29)

2. MAN IS A HELPLESS SINNERAs descendants of Adam, we are far from perfect; we are sinful creatures, separated from our holy Creator. By ourselves, we have no way to bridge the gap between us and God. From the beginning, God’s uncompromising “law of sin and death” (Genesis 2:16,17; Romans 8:2) made it clear that even one act of disobedience would produce death. Death means separation. Man is spiritually dead—separated from God, the Source of Life.

“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned…” (Romans 5:12)

“Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die…” (2 Sam. 14:14)

God is pure and holy. A single sin is as awful to God as a single drop of cyanide would be to us in a glass of water. Adding some clean water to the poisoned water will not fix the problem! Likewise, no amount of good deeds, prayer and fasting can fix our sin & death problem. God cannot tolerate sin. Man must die and face God’s righteous judgment. We are helpless sinners.

“The soul who sins is the one who will die.” (Ezekiel 18:4)

“Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment…” (Hebrews 9:27)

“…Your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” (Isaiah 59:2)

Sin is such an offensive thing to God that the penalty not only requires the separated sinner to die physically, but also eternally. God’s Word calls this “the second death” because it is a state of eternal separation from God.

"The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:14-15)

Because man was created to live forever, and because we are sinners, the uncompromising “law of sin and death” demands that we “pay” sin’s penalty for all eternity. We are helpless to save ourselves from the awful consequences of sin. This is not good news. We need a way whereby our sin debt can be removed, without compromising God’s holy laws. We need a way to bridge the gap. 3. GOD HAS PROVIDED A SOLUTION God Himself has made a way so we can be brought into a holy relationship with Him and escape the “second death.” God’s solution for man’s sin problem not only displays His great mercy and love, but also demonstrates His perfect holiness and justice. On the same day that Adam and Eve sinned, God promised to send into the world a deliverer (the Messiah). He would be born of “the seed of the woman.” He would not have a human father. He would come from Heaven. He would not be tainted with the sin nature common to all of Adam’s descendants. God’s plan was to visit the world in human form. He would do this by causing His Word to become flesh. Many reject this. Nonetheless, this is the central message of the Scriptures of the prophets. Once you understand this, the proverbial pieces of the puzzle fall into place. The Scriptures of the prophets (the Bible) makes perfect sense. The One true God is not limited by time and space. He can be in more than one place at a time. The Scriptures are filled with pictures and prophecies about God’s plan to send us a perfect, all-powerful Savior.
“The Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (meaning ‘God with us’)… The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. …For to us a child is born, to us a son is given… and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 7:14; 9:2,6 [Written 700 B.C.])

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it. …The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. … No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known… He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:1-5,14,18,10-13)
In the time chosen by God, He sent forth the promised Messiah. “The Word became flesh.” His name was Jesus, meaning “God saves.” He was unequaled in every way—in His conception and character, in His authoritative words and miraculous works, and in His death, resurrection and ascension. As the only man who never sinned, Jesus the Messiah came to pay the eternal death penalty for Adam’s race. This was God’s plan—a plan foreshadowed in thousands of years of animal sacrifices and foretold in hundreds of prophecies.

“In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood [death payment] there is no forgiveness [of man’s sin debt].” (Hebrews 9:22)

In order to satisfy “the law of sin and death”, God brought in another law. It was called “the law of the sin offering” (Leviticus 6:25). This law taught that God would accept the blood of an innocent animal as a temporary payment for sin. This was God’s way of punishing sin without punishing the sinner. This was also God’s way of teaching man just how serious sin is. Sin can only be paid with death; not with good deeds. Thus, for thousands of years, those who believed God, offered up innocent lambs on altars as sacrifices for sin. But, since the value of a lamb is not equal to that of man, such animal blood could only atone for (cover) sin; it could not remove sin. A better and more perfect sacrifice would be required. 1000 years before the Messiah came, the prophet David prophesied that the Lord, the Messiah would suffer and die; that His “hands and feet” would be “pierced” (see Psalm 22; see also Psalm 2, 16 and 110). 700 years before Jesus was born, God inspired the prophet Isaiah to pen these words about the Messiah…

“Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? …he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth… He was assigned a grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.” (Isaiah 53)

In the Gospel record, Jesus is called “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) Jesus did not come merely to cover sin, but to take it away. Jesus Himself said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5:17) Jesus is the Savior of whom all the prophets wrote. Because He had no sin of His own for which to die, He could die for another’s sin. And because He was the infinite eternal Word of God in a human body, He could pay an infinite price—for the whole world. In His great love, He came to die in my place and yours—to take sin’s penalty and consequences on Himself. On a Roman cross, Jesus the Messiah paid the penalty for all sin for all time. Just as God provided a ram to die in the place of Abraham’s son (Genesis 22), so Jesus died in our place, as our substitute. On the cross, Jesus said, "It is finished!" (John 19:30) This statement, in its original language, can also be translated, “Paid in full!” Jesus Christ satisfied the symbolism of Abraham’s sacrifice and the millions of other animal sacrifices. He fulfilled the prophecies about the suffering Messiah. He paid your sin-debt in full. He has bridged the gap.

“…Christ suffered for you… He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats… Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” (1 Peter 2:21,22; 3:18)

But Jesus did not remain dead. His glorious resurrection on the third day gave proof that His death payment for sin was sufficient. He conquered sin’s penalty—death itself! After Jesus rose from the dead, He said…

"Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." (Revelation 1:17-18)

As the One who has paid sin’s penalty and conquered death, the Lord Jesus offers helpless sinners the free gift of eternal life. He has, by Himself, bridged the gap. Man can enjoy a close relationship with His Creator. In the time before Messiah, people’s relationship was restored with God by believing what God would do for them in sending a Savior (looking forward). They showed their faith in God by offering up the blood of innocent lambs as covering for sin. Today we can be brought into a relationship with God by believing what He has done for us (looking backward). To those who believe, God says this of your sin debt: “PAID IN FULL!”This is God’s Good News. Yet many continue to ask, “So what must we do for God so that God will give us this eternal life? Doesn’t He require prayers, confession, fasting, baptism, giving alms, and the like, so that we can live with Him forever? If we promise to change our behavior, will this make us righteous before God?” The Bible’s clear answer is: “NO!” The Scripture says:

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death." (Proverbs 14:12)

“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.” (Isaiah 64:6)

While good works will certainly be produced in the lives of true believers, they are not the means by which sinners are made acceptable to God. We cannot produce a perfect kind of righteousness that is equal to God’s standard of righteousness. He demands perfection. Still we hear people say: “Well, what if I work real hard at keeping the Ten Commandments? Will God give me eternal life then? Won’t that bridge the gap?” Again the answer is “NO!” God’s Word says . . .

"Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." (James 2:10)

“Cursed is the man who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out.” (Deuteronomy 27:26)

“All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law." Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, "The righteous will live by faith." (Galatians 3:10,11)

We may think we live “good” lives, but God’s standard is PERFECTION. As sinners we fall far short of what God requires for a person to live in His holy presence.

“The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men… All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is no one [of Adam’s race] who does good, not even one.” (Psalm 14:2,3)

“So then, just what does God require of me? How can this gap be bridged?” The answer is found in the forth basic element of God’s message… 4. MAN MUST BELIEVE IN GOD'S SOLUTION God wants me to admit that I cannot save myself, and He wants me to trust HIM and HIS SOLUTION. Just as people who lived in the time before Christ were declared righteous when they believed God and His plan (showing their faith by bringing sacrificial lambs), so God will declare you righteous, the moment you truly believe that the Lord Jesus died in your place on the cross, paying the death penalty for your sin. Jesus, the Word of God in flesh, declared from the cross, “IT IS FINISHED!” If you believe God’s message, He will give you the right to live forever with Him in Heaven.

“Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6)

“All the prophets testify about him (Jesus the Messiah) that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” (Acts 10:43)

Jesus said:

“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. …I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. …I tell you the truth; he who believes has everlasting life. …Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me... I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 3:14,15; 5:24; 6:47; 14:1,6)

"This is the testimony: God has given us eternal life…. I write these things to you who believe … so that you may know that you have eternal life." (1 John 5:11-13)

Jesus fulfilled God’s age-old plan by paying our sin penalty in full. God’s Good News for YOU is that the moment you believe (trust, rest in, place your confidence in) HIS way of forgiveness, God will forgive you, cleanse you and clothe you in HIS perfect righteousness. God will declare you righteous because you trust HIM and HIS way of salvation.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

“No one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:20-26)

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith— and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8,9)

“I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness…” (Isaiah 61:10)

Clothed in His righteousness, we are equipped with all the perfection we need to live in the presence of a perfect, holy God. The gap has been bridged… forever.

“We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; And the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6, written 700 B.C.)

Is there any reason why you shouldn't cross over to God's side and be certain of eternal life?

Do you understand that God demands that all sin be punished, and that only perfectly righteous people can live with a perfect God?
Do you understand that you are a helpless sinner, and that you cannot make yourself good enough to escape the lake of fire, and have the right to live with God?
Do you understand that the Lord Jesus—the Eternal Word of God who became man—died on the cross in your place, paid your sin-debt in full, and then rose from the dead?
If you understand these things, then do you believe in your heart that the Lord Jesus died in your place? Do you believe that He conquered death by rising from the dead on the third day?
If you have truly and honestly said “Yes,” to all of the above, then on the basis of your trust in Him and His way of salvation, God has declared you forgiven and righteous.

If you have received by faith God’s wonderful gift of salvation, you may want to take time right now to thank Him. You might want to tell Him something like this: Lord God, You are holy; I am sinful. How wrong I have been in my thinking! I thought I could make myself acceptable to You by my own efforts—by my prayers, by my almsgiving, by my good deeds… but now I understand that all my efforts are like filthy rags compared to Your glorious perfection! You are the Only One who can deliver me from sin’s penalty and declare me righteous. I believe that Jesus is your Eternal Word who became man. He is the One about whom all the prophets wrote. Lord Jesus, I thank you for willingly dying on the cross for me, in my place. Thank you for paying my sin penalty in full. Thank You for conquering death for me. I believe in You and what You have done for me through Your death and resurrection. Lord, I thank You for giving me the assurance that I will not go to hell, but that I will spend eternity with You in Heaven. I thank you too for the great privilege that is now mine to get to know you in a personal way, and to worship you in truth. I love you Lord. Thank you for first loving me! Amen. As a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, you will find that, from now on, your life will be very different. For the Word of God teaches that, the instant you believe God’s way of salvation:

1.) God will forgive you of your sins and declare you righteous in His sight, based on what Christ accomplished for you on the cross. 2.) God will renew your heart by coming to live inside of you—by His Holy Spirit. He will give you a new, inborn desire to please the Lord in all you think, say and do.

“Christ ... gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good!” (Titus 2:14)

“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)

God’s Simple Plan of Salvation

mohsenb — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 13:45:59 CDT

My Friend: I am asking you the most important question of life. Your joy or your sorrow for all eternity depends upon your answer. The question is: Are you saved? It is not a question of how good you are, nor if you are a church member, but are you saved? Are you sure you will go to Heaven when you die?
God says in order to go to Heaven, you must be born again. In John 3:7, Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Ye must be born again.”
In the Bible God gives us the plan of how to be born again which means to be saved. His plan is simple! You can be saved today. How?
First, my friend, you must realize you are a sinner. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).
Because you are a sinner, you are condemned to death. “For the wages [payment] of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). This includes eternal separation from God in Hell.
“ . . . it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27).
But God loved you so much He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, to bear your sin and die in your place. “ . . . He hath made Him [Jesus, Who knew no sin]to be sin for us . . . that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Jesus had to shed His blood and die.“For the life of the flesh is in the blood” (Lev. 17:11). “ . . . without shedding of blood is no remission [pardon]” (Hebrews 9:22).
“ . . . God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
Although we cannot understand how, God said my sins and your sins were laid upon Jesus and He died in our place. He became our substitute. It is true. God cannot lie.
My friend, “God . . . commandeth all men everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). This repentance is a change of mind that agrees with God that one is a sinner, and also agrees with what Jesus did for us on the Cross.
In Acts 16:30-31, the Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas: “ . . . ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ And they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved . . . .’ ”
Simply believe on Him as the one who bore your sin, died in your place, was buried, and whom God resurrected. His resurrection powerfully assures that the believer can claim everlasting life when Jesus is received as Savior.
“But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12).
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13).
Whosoever includes you. Shall be saved means not maybe, nor can, but shall be saved.
Surely, you realize you are a sinner. Right now, wherever you are, repenting, lift your heart to God in prayer.
In Luke 18:13, the sinner prayed: “God be merciful to me a sinner.” Just pray: “Oh God, I know I am a sinner. I believe Jesus was my substitute when He died on the Cross. I believe His shed blood, death, burial, and resurrection were for me. I now receive Him as my Savior. I thank You for the forgiveness of my sins, the gift of salvation and everlasting life, because of Your merciful grace. Amen.”
Just take God at His word and claim His salvation by faith. Believe, and you will be saved. No church, no lodge, no good works can save you. Remember, God does the saving. All of it!
God’s simple plan of salvation is: You are a sinner. Therefore, unless you believe on Jesus Who died in your place, you will spend eternity in Hell. If you believe on Him as your crucified, buried, and risen Savior, you receive forgiveness for all of your sins and His gift of eternal salvation by faith.
You say, “Surely, it cannot be that simple.” Yes, that simple! It is scriptural. It is God’s plan. My friend, believe on Jesus and receive Him as Savior today.
If His plan is not perfectly clear, read this tract over and over, without laying it down, until you understand it. Your soul is worth more than all the world.
“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36).
Be sure you are saved. If you lose your soul, you miss Heaven and lose all. Please! Let God save you this very moment.
God’s power will save you, keep you saved, and enable you to live a victorious Christian life. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Do not trust your feelings. They change. Stand on God’s promises. They never change. After you are saved, there are three things to practice daily for spiritual growth:

Pray -- you talk to God.
Read your Bible -- God talks to you.
Witness -- you talk for God.

You should be baptized in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ as a public testimony of your salvation, and then unite with a Bible-believing church without delay. “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord . . . .” (2 Timothy 1:8)
“Whosoever therefore shall confess [testify of] Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32).

TV Interviews

mohsenb — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 22:08:19 CDT

First Interview

The second Interview

The third Interview

مجلهء شبان

mohsenb — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 21:10:46 CDT

Vol. 1 - First Year	January 2000 (1)	March 2000 (2)	April 2000 (3)	June 2000 (4)	August 2000 (5)	October 2000 (6)
Vol. 2 - Second Year	January 2001 (7)	March 2001 (8)	April 2001 (9)	June 2001 (10)	August 2001 (11)	October 2001 (12)	December 2001 (13)
Vol. 3 - Third Year	February 2002 (14)	April 2002 (15)	June 2002 (16)	October 2002 (17)	December 2002 (18)
Vol. 4 - Fourth Year	February 2003 (19)	April 2003 (20)	June 2003 (21)	August 2003 (22)	October 2003 (23)	December 2003 (24)
Vol. 5 - Fifth Year	February 2004 (25)	April 2004 (26)	July 2004 (27)	September 2004 (28)	December 2004 (29)
Vol. 6 - Sixth Year	March 2005 (30)	May 2005 (31)	July 2005 (32)	October 2005 (33)	December 2005 (34)
Vol. 7 - Seventh Year	February 2006 (35)	April 2006 (36)	June 2006 (37)	August 2006 (38)	October 2006 (39)	December 2006 (40)
Vol. 8 - Eigth Year	February 2007 (41)	April 2007 (42)	June 2007 (43)

دنیای سایت های مفیدِ مسیحی

mohsenb — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 20:42:34 CDT

The Association of Iranian Christians in Belgium - مسیحیان ایرانی مقیم
Bachehaye Baroon (Parkook) - بچه های بارون
Baham - با هم

. Bahar Iran - بهار ایران

Bay View Glen Farsi Speaking Church - کلیسای فارسی زبان آنتوریو
Besharat - بشارت

Bet-Eil Assyrian Church - کلیسای آشوریان بت ایل
Bible Voice Broadcasting - رادیو آوای محبت

Children of Light - بچه های نور
Christ For Iran Ministries - مسیح برای ایران
Church of Love - کلیسای فارسی زبان محبت
Descipleship Training On The Air - دوره شاگردسازی از رادیو
Elam - ایلام
Emmanuel International Christian Ministries - خدمات ایمانویل
The English Language Church in Tehran - کلیسای انگلیسی تهران

Evangelic Commission For Persians - خدمات پبطیکاست برای ایرانیان
Evangelical International Church - کلیسای جهانی مبشرین
Every Tongue-Iran - اوری تانگ دات کام
eWorshiper - پرستنده
Farasoo BLOG - فراسو
Farsi Christian Links BLOG - پیوندهای مسیحی
Farsi Christian News Networkt - شبکه خبر مسیحیان فارسی زبان
Farsi Christian Research Center - مرکز پژوهشهای مسیحی
Farsinet - فارسی نت
FarsiPraise Ministries, Inc. - مؤسسه پرستشی فارسی پریز
FarsiPraise Worshiper's BLOG - وبلاگ پرستش کنندگان مسیحی
Gandum - گندم
German Persians - مسیحیان شهر برمن آلمان
Gilbert Hovsepian - ژیلبرت هوسپیان
Glasgow Iranian Church - کلیسای ایرانیان گلاسکو
Good News Persian Church - کلیسای مژده مسیح

He Sets Free - عیسی آزاد میکند

Hope of Iran - امید ایران

Hovsepian Ministries - مؤسسه خدمات هوسپیان

ICTV Network - تلویزیون بین المللی مسیحیان

International Antioch Ministries - خدمات بین المللی انتاکیه

Internet Church - کلیسای اینترنتی

Iran For Christ Ministries - کلیسای سفیران مسیح

Iranian Christian Church of Calvary Chapel - کلیسای فارسی زبانان کلوری چپل

Iranian Christian Church of Fremont - کلیسای ایرانیان فریمانت

Iranian Christian Fellowship of London - کلیسای ایرانیان لندن

Iranian Christian International, Inc. - انجمن بین المللی مسیحیان ایرانی

Iranian Church of Los Angeles - کلیسای ایرانیان لس آنجلس

The Iranian Church On the Way - کلیسای نوسازان

Isa Masih.org Ministries - خدمات عیسی مسیح

Jesus For Iran BLOG - مسیح برای همه

Joseph Film & Animation -مؤسسه فیلمبرداری ژوزف

Kalaameh Khoda - کلام خدا

Kelisa TV - کلیسای خانگی ایرانیان

Kelisanet - کلیسانت - سایت کلیسای فارسی

Korpu -کورپو-آذربایجان Life Agape - راه زندگی

Mahbob Persian BLOG - برکت بر شما باد

Message of Peace - پیام آرامش

Mohabat - شبکه محبت

Nejat 4 U - نجات برای تو

Nejat Azim - نجات عظیم خدا

Nejat Productions - مؤسسه موسیقی نجات

Payamepaak Group - پیام پاک

Persian Christianity - مسیحیت فارسی

Persian Church In Norway - کلیسای ایرانیان نروژ

Persian Ministries International -کشیش فرید فروتن

Persian Presbyterian Church - کلیسای انجیلی شبان نیکو

Persian World Outreach - خدمات جهانی فارسی زبان

Petra Broadcasting - مؤسسه پترا

Pray For Iran - چهل روز دعا برای ایران

Radio Mojdeh - رادیو مژده

Radio Nedayeh Mohabat - رادیو ندای محبت

Radio Voice of Christ - رادیو ندای مسیح

Radio Word of Life - رادیو کلام حیات

Reza Safa - شبان رضا صفا

Sama TV - سیمای مسیحیان ایرانی

Sammy Tippit Ministries - مؤسسه سمی تیپیت

Sarah Music - سارا

Sedayezindagi - صدای زندگی

Shafaye Elahi BLOG- شفای الهی

Shahadat - شهادت

Shalizar - شالیزار کلام خدا

Shiloh BLOG - شیلوه

Talim Ministries Inc. - مؤسسه تعلیم

Tornoto Iranian Christian Church - کلیسای انجیلی فارسی زبان تورانتو

Trinity Ministry BLOG - تثلیث اقدس

24(Twenty-Four) Hour Church - کلیسای 24 ساعته

222 (Two-Twenty Two) Publications Webshop - فروشگاه انتشارات 222

Watandar - وطندار

Weekly Christian BLOG - مجله هفتگی روحانی مسیحی

شبکهِ خبر مسیحیان فارسی به عنوان اولین سایت فعال

در امر ارائه ی اخباری از مسیحیت و جهان پیرامون ما است

شما عزیزان در این وبسایت از اخباری همچون

اخبار مسیحی ، هنری ، اخبار روز ، فن آوری

و اطلاعات ، عکس ها و ویدیو های خبری ، رادیو های مسیحی

تلویزیون های خبری جهان ، وضعیت آب و هوایی را خواهید دید

با عضویت در این وبسایت هر روزه اخبار جدید

و بروز رسانی وبسایت به شما اطلاع داده می شود

برای ورود به وبسایت کلیک کنید

فروشگاهی اینترنتی که شما عزیزان می توانید
ترجمه های گوناگون کتاب مقدس
کتب مرجع ، رشد شخصی و شاگرد سازی
خانه و خانواده ، کاست ها ، سی دی ها
ویدیو ها ، دی وی دی ها و آلبوم های جدید پرستشی مسیح را
به وسیله ی این فروشگاه تهیه کنید

این وبسایت به دو زبان فارسی و انگلیسی نوشته شده است
و با سه واحد پولی : پوند انگلستان ، یورو و دلار امریکا
اقدام به فروش محصولات می کند

نکته ی جالب در انتخاب نام این وبسایت
آیه ای از کلام مقدس است
دوم تیموتائوس باب ۲ آیه ی ۲

آنچه به شهود بسیار از من شنیدی ، به مردمان امین بسپار

که قابل تعلیم دیگران هم باشند

برای ورود به وبسایت کلیک کنید

وبسایت کلیسای ایرانیان مقیم گلاسکو

دوره ی آلفا (مخصوص نو ایمانان برای شناخت مسیحیت
مقالات ، فیلم ، شهادت ها ، منابع ، سرودها و درخواست دعا می باشد

برای ورود به وبسایت کلیک کنید

شبکه ی محبت بصورت 24 ساعته در فرکانس زیر پخش می شود
ماهواره هاتبرد فرکانس 11116 عمودی

سبمل ریت 27500 4/3

برای ورود به وبسایت شبکه کلیک کنید

شبکه ی محبت را بصورت زنده از اینترنت ببینید

وبسایت فارسی جویس مایر

شما در این وبسایت زندگینامه جویس مایر

تامل روزانه ، جدول پخش برنامه ها ، کمک به آسیب دیدگان

و همچنین درخواست کتاب را خواهید دید

شما عزیزان می توانید با پر کردن فرم درخواست کتاب

کتابی که نوشتهِ جویس است را بصورت رایگان دریافت کنید

برای ورود به وبسایت کلیک کنید

Enjoying Everyday Life

mohsenb — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 11:04:10 CDT

Enjoying Everyday Life
® TV Broadcast

Five Love Languages with
Dr. Gary Chapman - Part II
Dr. Gary Chapman is Joyce’s special guest to talk about how different people express love in different ways and how you can express it in the language your loved ones understand best!

Watch the Broadcast

High Bandwidth

Real Player

Guest Info

Dr. Gary Chapman has
traveled the globe challenging couples to pursue healthy, growing marriages. For over thirty years he has also held the position of senior associate pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He received MRE and PhD degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and has completed postgraduate work at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and Duke University. Dr. Chapman is the author of several books, including The Five Love Languages and The Five Languages of Apology.
www.garychapman.org

Enjoying Everyday Life® is a registered trademark of Joyce Meyer Ministries

شهادت ها صوتی

mohsenb — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 04:36:58 CDT

حسین پور: ملاقات زنده با او

ایرج: دستهای سوراخ

سحر: گرمی شیرین کلمه پدر

حبیب: قدرت بخشیدن بخشیده شدن

یوسف: از سرگردانی به رستگاری

رضا: شهد حقیقت

احمد: از ذلت به عزت

اشرف: آزادی از ترس

علی‌اکبر: حیات تازه

فریبا: لمس او

سهراب: نوری در تاریکی

شیرین: در راه پیروزی

نوشین: خدایی وفادار

آریان: در راستای نور

فیروزه: خورشید مهر او

منیژه: از اسارت مذهب به آزادی ایمان

سلیمان: از ظلمت به نور

داستان زندگی شهید دیباج به زبان خود ایشان - انگلیسی

:با تشکر از منبع

برقراری رابطه با خداوند از طريق بشارت به دنيا

mohsenb — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 19:47:58 CDT

برقراری رابطه با خداوند از طريق بشارت به دنيا

گاهی در مورد زمان وقوع بيداری روحانی و بشارت دادن از من سؤالاتی می شود. آيا اول بيداری روحانی وارد زندگی مان شده و سپس ما تبديل به شاهدان مؤثری برای مسيح می شويم؟ يا ابتدا بشارت داده ، ايمان خود را به ديگران اعلام می كنيم و در نتيجه آن بيدارس وارد زندگس مان می شود؟ جواب اين سؤالات هم "نی" و هم "بلی" می باشد. قبل از اين كه از اين جوابها گيج شويد آنها را برايتان توضيح می دهم. اغلب احيای ايمانمان از مرحله ای شروع می شود كه درك می كنيم، در زندگی روحانی سرد شده ايم و جداً پی می بريم كه آنطور كه شايسته است زندگی نمی كنيم. اين خود ، اولين قدم به سوی بيداری است. ما به هيچ وجه نمی توانيم در مورد ايمانمان با ديگران صحبت كنيم مگر اين كه صادقانه از گناهان خود توبه نماييم. خدا قدوس است بنابراين اگر در زندگی هايمان مواردی خلا ف اراده او وجود داشته باشد، ايجاد يك رابطه صميمی با او امری محال است. برای مثال در مزمور 51 داود به گناهان خود اعتراف كرد و بعد از اين توبه صادقانه از خدا خواست كه او را طاهر ساخته، روحی تازه به او عطا كند. پس از آن می گويد، "آنگاه طريق تو را به خطاكاران تعليم خواهم داد و گناهكاران به سوی تو بازگشت خواهند نمود" (مزمور 13:51). داود اول می بايست خود شخصاً بيداری روحانی را تجربه می كرد تا قادر به رساندن پيغام محبت خدا به ديگران باشد. او می دانست كه با نداشتن يك رابطه صحيح با خداوند هرگز نمی تواند به طور مؤثر بشارت دهد. ما نيز مانند داود اول بايد گناهان خود را اعتراف كنيم تا بتوانيم پيغام مسيح را به ديگران اعلام نماييم. به هر حال بی ميلی ما برای بشارت دادن به ديگران می تواند جزئی از گناهانمان باشد. همچنين بايد به اين نكته توجه كنيم كه با دست روی دست گذاشتن و در كنجی نشستن، نمی توان انتظار بيداری روحانی را داشت. بيداری روحانی تا اندازه ای وابسته به اطاعت ما از مأموريتی است كه مسيح به ما داده است. مأموريتی كه او به ما سپرده اين است كه به تمام دنيا رفته و پيغام محبت خدا نسبت به گناهكاران را به همه برسانيم. چگونه می توانيم با او رابطه ای صميمی داشته باشيم اگر از دستورات او سرپيچی كنيم ؟ اين امری غير ممكن است. اغلب بيداری روحانی زمانی در ما آغاز می گردد كه قدمی برداشته پيغام خوش انجيل را به ديگران برسانيم. پيامد شكستگی و توبه از گناهان شخصی يا گناهان اجتماعی كه در آن زندگی می كنيم، بيداری است. داود نيز در مزامير می گويد، "قربانی های خدا روح شكسته است، خدايا دل شكسته و كوبيده را خوار نخواهی شمرد" (مزمور 17:51). بيداری هنگامی پديد می آيد كه در حضور خدا شكسته گرديم. مهم نيست كه اين دل شكستگی برای گناهان ما باشد يا برای گناهان جان های گمشده. چشمان خداوند به سوی قلب های شكسته است. او آنهارا شفا داده احيا می گرداند. در جواب به سؤال اصلی كه در ابتدا مطرح كردم يعنی ترتيب زمانی وقوع بيداری روحانی و دادن بشارت، بايد بگويم كه تقدم و تأخر وجود ندارد بلكه اين دو بايد همزمان باشند. ما بايد به گناهانمان اعتراف كنيم و همزمان با آن اشتياق شديدی برای رساندن پيام انجيل به ديگران داشته باشيم. بشارت به ديگران هم نتيجه و هم منشأ بيداری روحانی در زندگی هايمان است. اگر خواهان يك رابطه نزديك با خدا هستيم بايد پيغام عظيم محبت خدا نسبت به گناهكاران را به گوش همگان برسانيم

باتشکر از منبع مؤسسه سمی تیپیت

ارتباط با خدا به وسيله ارتباط با قوم او

mohsenb — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 19:37:25 CDT

ارتباط با خدا به وسيله ارتباط با قوم او

زمانی كه من و همسرم در اواسط دهه 1970 در كشور سوئيس زندگی می كرديم. متوجه شديم كه فرزند دوممان در راه است. دخترمان در يكی از روستاهای كوچك آلپ در هويس،به نام چاتودوكس متولد شد. اين مكان يكی از زيباترين نقاط دنيا است. بعد از تولد او، مطمئناً ما هرگز به او نمی گفتيم،‌ "رنی، ما تو را به اين جهان آورده ايم و حال تو را در اين كوه ها به حال خود می گذاريم تا به تنهايی بزرگ شوی. ما سهم خود را با آوردن تو به اين جهان انجام داده ايم، بقيه امور ديگر با خود تو است" اين افكار ، انديشه هايی باور نكردنی و بی رحمانه بود. رنی به يك خانواده نياز داشت،‌ به پدر و مادری كه از او مراقبت كرده و امنيتی را برای او فراهم آورند. ما برای او خوراك ، پوشاك و امنيت و تكيه گاه عاطفی مهيا كرديم. نتيجتاً او رشد كرده تبديل به دختر بالغی شد كه از نظر عاطفی با ثبات و شخصيتاً متعادل است. بعد از ايمان به مسيح و يافتن تولد تازه ، ما همانند نوزادی نياز به محبت روحانی، امنيت و تشويق داريم. اغلب،‌ نوايمانان می كوشند تا بلوغ روحانی خود را در خارج از كليسا و قوم خدا بيابند. خداوند ما را به عنوان عضوی منفرد و مجزا نيافريده است بلكه به عنوان عضوی مؤثر در يك بدن،‌تا به صورت گروهی عمل كنيم. در زندگی روحانی همانند نوزادی بايد راه رفتن را آموخته و همچنين نيازمان به خوراك روحانی يعنی كلام خدا نيز بايد برآورده شود. به نظر من مشاركت با ايمانداران ديگر، يكی از مهم ترين كارهايی است كه هر مسيحی بايد انجام دهد. وقتی خدا انسان را آفريد، نياز به مشاركت با ديگران را در وجود او قرار داد. وقتی كه خداوند ما را نجات داد، نياز به مشاركت با ديگر ايمانداران را در عمق وجود ما تزريق كرد. بنابراين هر كدام از ما بايد عضو كليسايی گرديم كه كتاب مقدس به عنوان كلام خدا موعظه گردد و تعليم داده شود و اعضای آن ما را در شناخت بهتر مسيح ياری دهند. پس از گذشت سی و سه سال از ايمانم، به اين نكته واقف شده ام كه هر كليسايی مسائل خاص خود را دارد. هيچ كليسايی كامل نيست ، زيرا كليساها متشكل از افرادی می باشند كه كامل نيستند. به هر حال كليسا مجموعه ای از افرادی است كه با آمدن به سوی صليب، به مسيح ايمان آورده اند. كليسا مكان گردهم آيی مقدسين نيست بلكه بيمارستان گناهكاران است. كليسا جائی است كه ما با مراجعه به آن برای دردهايمان مرحمی يافته و از لحاظ روحانی رشد می كنيم. مسائل آسان كلام خدا برای نوايمانان كه از نظر روحانی نابالغ می باشند همچون شيری است برای نوزاد، اما ايمانداران بالغ قادر به هضم مسائل غامض كتاب مقدس نيز هستند. ما می آموزيم كه اسلحه تام خدا را پوشيده با مشكلات زندگی مقاومت كنيم و قادر می شويم كلام خدا را شنيده و با ديگر ايمانداران كه همان حقايق را تجربه كرده اند متحد شويم. در نتيجه يك كليسای خوب ، قوی و مطابق كتاب مقدس، محيطی را مهيا می سازد كه در آن رشد كرده تبديل به مردان و زنان خدا گرديم. برای داشتن حيات و سلامتی روحانی، مشاركت با ايمانداران ديگر امری ضروری است، همچنان كه آب برای ماهی، ‌هوا برای پرنده و غذا برای انسان واجب است. ما بدون آن محكوم به مرگ روحانی هستيم. مسيحيان زيادی را ديده ام كه به علت نداشتن مشاركت با ايمانداران ديگر پژمرده شده، از نظر روحانی مرده اند. احتمال دارد كه آنها از ايمانداران ديگر ناراحت بوده يا با شخصی در كليسايشان توافق نداشته اند، يا ممكن است شاهد رياكاری در زندگی مسيحيان ديگر بوده اند، ولی در هر حال ترك مشاركت با ديگر ايمانداران راه حل مشكلات فوق الذكر نبوده و فايده ای ندارد. اگر با ايماندارانی كه در تماس هستيم احساس راحتی نمی كنيم، بهتر آن است كه به گروهی از ايمانداران ديگر پيوسته و با آنها رشد كنيم. مشاركت با مسيحيان ديگر برای رشد روحانی يك امر دل بخواهی نيست بلكه امری است ضروری

باتشکر از منبع مؤسسه سمی تیپیت

ارتباط با خدا از طريق كلامش

mohsenb — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 18:46:23 CDT

ارتباط با خدا از طريق كلامش

در اوايل دهه ‌1990 ،‌ به كشور مغولستان سفر كردم تا اصول دعا را كه در كتابم به نام "‌عامل دعا" نوشته بودم به گروه كوچكی از ايمانداران در سطح كشور تعليم دهم. از آغاز مسيحيت ، پيغام انجيل هرگز به مغولستان نرسيده بود. از زمانهای بسيار دور مبلغينی چند به آنجا سفر کرده بودند ولی همگی طرد شدند. برای مدت دو هزار سال در اين كشور هيچ كس پيغام شگرف نجات خداوند را نشنيده بود. اگر چه اكثر مردم در آنجا بودايی بودند ولی كمونيسم اعتقاد به خدا را به طور كامل از اين كشور برچيده بود. با برقراری آزادی در اين كشور ، درها به روی پيغام انجيل نيز باز شد. گروه كوچكی در پايتخت، اولان باتر(Ulan Batar)، به مسيح ايمان آوردند و از من خواستند كه به آنجا رفته و در مورد دعا تعليم دهم. چندين شب پی در پی، اصول دعا را به آنها آموزش دادم . در طول جلسات ،‌ خدا به طرز محسوسی عمل كرد. پس از پايان جلسات در اولان باتر به شهر دارهان (Darhan) دعوت شدم. تا آن زمان مردم آنجا هرگز پيغام انجيل را نشنيده بودند و هيچ ايمانداری در آن شهر وجود نداشت . پس از رساندن اين پيغام كه خدا كيست و اينكه قادر است چه اعمالی را در زندگيمان انجام دهد، پيرمردی سؤال بسيار مهمی از من پرسيد. وی پرسيد، "خدای شما چگونه است؟" كمی يكه خوردم . تا آن موقع هيچكس چنين سؤالی از من نكرده بود. شما چگونه به اين سؤال جواب می داديد؟ اين يكی از مشكل ترين سؤالاتی بود كه می بايست به آن پاسخ می دادم. به وی گفتم "اگر می خواهيد بدانيد خدا چگونه است بايد به كتابی كه خداوند در اختيارمان گذاشته رجوع كنيد . در اين كتاب ،‌ طبيعت ،‌ سرشت، شخصيت و صفات خداوند توصيف شده است. اين كتاب در دامنه وسيعی از تاريخ توسط مردان مقدسی كه از خدا الهام يافتند نوشته شده است. بعضی از آنها پادشاه و بعضی ديگر ماهيگيران معمولی بودند ولی همه آنها با خدايی كه خالق جهان بود ملاقات كرده بودند.‌ آنها از اعمال و شهادات او و اينكه خداوند چگونه آنها را عوض كرد خبر دادند و قوانين و اصول زندگيی را كه خداوند به آنها سپرده بود به نگارش درآوردند." جواب من گويی آن پيرمرد را قانع كرد. اگر واقعاً مايليد خداوند را عميقاً بشناسيد، بايد بدانيد كه شهادتی عينی وجود دارد كه به ما می گويد او كيست و چگونه عمل می كند. كتاب مقدس،كلام خداوند برای قوم خدا است. اگر حقيقتاً مشتاق شناخت خدا هستيم و می خواهيم در هماهنگی كامل با او زندگی كنيم آنگاه می بايست كلام او را مطالعه كرده و در آن تفكر نماييم. چهار دليل برای بكارگيری كلام خدا در زندگی روزانه ما وجود دارد. پولس رسول در رساله خود به تيموتاوس جوان چگونگی تأثير كلام خدا در زندگی روزمره را برای وی توضيح می دهد. او می نويسد "تمامی كتب از الهام خدا است و به جهت تعليم و تنبيه و اصلاح و تربيت در عدالت مفيد است" ( دوم تيموتاوس 16:3). پولس اشاره می كند كه چگونه خداوند با امور درست و نادرست زندگيمان برخورد می كند. ابتدا پولس می گويد كه كلام خدا به ما می آموزد كه خدا كيست و چگونه می بايست با او ارتباط داشت. دومين نكته اين است كه كلام خدا ما را در زمينه هايی از زندگی مان كه مورد پسند خدا نيست توبيخ می كند و ما نسبت به كلام خدا جوابگو بوده و آن كلام حكم غايی ما خواهد بود. خدا حدودی را برای ما مشخص می كند و به ما نشان می دهد كه آيا از آن حدود خارج شده ام يا خير؟ البته خدا فقط اشتباهاتمان را به ما گوشزد نمی كند بلكه ما را اصلاح نيز می كند يعنی به ما نشان می دهد چگونه به حدود و نواحی امنی كه از آنها خارج شده ايم برگرديم و بالاخره خدا ما را هدايت می كند تا به طرز صحيحی زيست كنيم، به گونه ای كه با او رابطه مناسب و درستی داشته باشيم. داشتن زندگی پيروزمند بدون دانستن اينكه خداوند كيست، چگونه عمل می كند و از ما چه انتظاری دارد محال است. كتاب مقدس دفترچه راهنمای خدا برای زندگی پيروزمند مسيحی است. كلام خدا همچون نقشه ای است كه ما را بسوی پيروزی هدايت می كند. يك ورزشكار به منظور برنده شدن بايد استراتژی و برنامه ای داشته باشد. خدا نيز برای برنده شدنمان استراتژی خود را به ما داده است و آن در يک كتاب بسيار قديمی بنام كتاب مقدس يافت می شود . اگر می خواهيد در اين مسابقه زندگی برنده شويد، اين كتاب كه متعلق به همه دورانها است ،‌ يعنی كتابمقدس را مطالعه كنيد. اين كتاب كلام خدا و استراتژی الهی برای زيستن می باشد و كتابچه راهنمايی است تا ما را به راههای عدالت هدايت نمايد. اما فراتر از همه اينها ، كلام خدا كامل ترين و دقيق ترين توصيف خداوند را به ما می دهد. كتاب مقدس را بخوانيد و ثمره پيروزی را برداشت كنيد.

باتشکر از منبع مؤسسه سمی تیپیت

غلبه بر قانون پرستی

mohsenb — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 03:52:03 CDT

غلبه بر قانون پرستی

چندين سال پيش در گفتگويی كه با گروهی از رهبران مسيحی داشتم، شخصی به من گفت، "من واقعاً با شما مخالفم . فكر نمی كنم شريعت خدا نيكو باشد زيرا در زندگی هايمان محكوميت را به همراه می آورد." بلافاصله فهميدم كه اين شخص درك صحيحی از شريعت خدا ندارد. هر آن چه را كه خدا به انسان می بخشد، نيكو است زيرا خدا نيكو است و اين نيكويی جزو ذات او می باشد. او برای خير و صلاح ما شريعتش را بما بخشيد. او ما را خلق كرده است. بنابراين می داند كه چگونه بايد زندگی كنيم و از چارچوب و ساختار ما مطلع است. او شريعتش را به ما داد تا زندگی های شاد و سالمی داشته باشيم. برای مثال،‌ وقتی كه به يهوديان گفت كه گوشت خوك نخورند،‌ به اين دليل نبود كه آنها را هنگام نااطاعتی كردن از اين دستور مجازات نمايد. چونكه او خالق جهان است خير و صلاح ما را می داند. او می دانست كه چه چيزهايی باعث بيماری و مرگ می شوند و چه چيزهايی موجب زندگی و سلامتی هستند. قوانين خدا نيكو است و زندگی های ما را غنی می سازد. به هر حال كتاب مقدس به ما می آموزد كه ما بايد تحت حاكميت روح القدس زندگی كنيم تا حاكميت شريعت. بسياری از رهبران مذهبی در دوره‌ مسيح اين مورد را درك نمی كردند. امروز نيز اين مسئله صادق است. رهبران مذهبی در صدد بودند تا مسيح را سنگسار كنند، چون در روز سبت مردم را شفا می داد. عيسی به آنها گفت كه سبت برای انسان ايجاد شده نه انسان برای سبت. او هدف و مقصود شريعت را می دانست. رهبران مذهبی فقط به خود قانون توجه داشتند . افرادی كه فقط از قانون خدا پيروی كرده، به روح و هدف شريعت اعتنا نمی كنند،‌در دام قانون پرستی گرفتار می شوند. قانون پرستی در نهايت منجر به شكست می شود. چندی قبل، رئيس جمهور آمريكا به داشتن رابطه ای نامشروع اعتراف كرد اما هم زمان با آن از وكلايش خواست تا روابط جنسی را از ديدگاه قانونی بطور دقيق بررسی كنند. اقدام او باعث شد كه اعضای جناحش او را محكوم كنند و سر انجام در عموم مردم اثر نامطلوبی گذاشت. او به تجزيه و تحليل قانون پرداخته بود، بدون اينكه به هدف و مقصود آن توجه كند. بسياری از ايمانداران همين كار را انجام داده اند. قانون پرستی هميشه به شكست منتهی می گردد. به همين دليل كلام خدا ما را تعليم می دهد كه تحت قوت روح القدس زندگی كنيم. هر گاه به روح زيست كنيم، تحت سلطه قانون نخواهيم بود. اين به آن معنی نيست كه قانون را ناديده گرفته، زير پا بگذاريم، بلكه تنها به اين معنی است كه اهداف عميق قانون را به اجرا در آورده، اراده خدا را از ته قلب انجام دهيم. شخصی كه تحت قدرت روح القدس زندگی كند، حقيقتاً شخص آزادی است. اين شخص نه تنها نسبت به همسرش وفادار است بلكه از شهواتی نيز كه او را به سوی غير اخلاقيات می كشانند، رها و آزاد است. اين پيروزی واقعی است – پيروزيی كه در قلب ما نقش بسته است و در زندگی روزانه ما وجود دارد ولی وقتی كه شخص می كوشد تا بر اساس شريعت عمل نمايد، در راه شكست قدم بر می دارد. ايماندار موفق شخصی است كه آموخته است تا زندگی خود را تسليم روح القدس نمايد. او اسير تبصره های قانون نيست بلكه آزادانه تبديل به شخصی می شود كه خدا از او انتظار دارد. او حتی فراتر از شريعت را نيز انجام می دهد. يك ايماندار كامياب از روح و هدف قانون اطاعت می نمايد،‌ زيرا اطاعتش نشانگر حضور روح القدس در او است. وقتی كه با قوت روح القدس زندگی كنيم ، شريعت ديگر برای ما مشكلی نخواهد بود ، زيرا هدف نهايی خدا را درزندگی هايمان عملی خواهيم ساخت. غلبه بر قانون پرستی از پيروی و مطابعت روح القدس سرچشمه می گيرد.

با تشکرازمنبع مؤسسه سمی تیپیت

Holy Touch - Recently Updated Pages

The Living Christ

Script Text

Steps To Know God

یگانه راه رستگاری

Holy touch

شهادت مدیریت سایت

فیلم عیسی براساسِ انجیلِ لوقا

دعوت دوست

پنتیکاست

.Music.

The Light

Rock of Ages

Delivered

Magnify

The Bridge to Eternal Life

God’s Simple Plan of Salvation

TV Interviews

مجلهء شبان

دنیای سایت های مفیدِ مسیحی

Enjoying Everyday Life

شهادت ها صوتی

برقراری رابطه با خداوند از طريق بشارت به دنيا

ارتباط با خدا به وسيله ارتباط با قوم او

ارتباط با خدا از طريق كلامش

غلبه بر قانون پرستی