We are beginning a Bible study in Philippians on our website  - www.preciousjewelsministries.com

Click on "Mining God's Word" and follow the instructions to register. This is a FREE study lasting about 8 weeks with 2 posts a week on Monday and Wednesday. The introduction is already on the site, and the first post from chapter one will be Monday, April 13th. We hope you will join us and will contribute by commenting!

ACTS 1:8-9 POWER TO PRAISE AND PREACH

POWER TO PRAISE AND PREACH

But ye shall receive power,

after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:

and ye shall be witnesses³¹⁴⁴ unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

And when he had spoken these things,

while they beheld, he was taken up;

and a cloud received him out of their sight.

Acts 1:8-9

In His parting words before returning to the Father’s side, Jesus assured the disciples they would be filled with power as the Holy Spirit came upon them. Power to do what? The power of the Holy Spirit would enable them to fulfill their calling to be His witnesses. We read that word and think of people going out and sharing a gospel tract or a memorized message to “win” people to Christ. But the word is much deeper than that. A witness testifies as to what he or she has seen or heard. They would do that. But the Greek word for witnesses (Strong’s G3144) is the same word used for martyrs. They would receive the strength to boldly proclaim the Gospel and even to be persecuted or martyred. After telling them they would spread His message all over the world, Jesus miraculously rose up into the sky until a cloud hid Him. Remember, the story of the Exodus? God’s presence led the Israelites as a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Could it be that as Jesus was enveloped by the cloud, He was being welcomed into His father’s presence?

Father, because we are Your children, we are filled with Your Holy Spirit. Our witnessing, our representing You on earth as Your ambassadors is the direct result of being Your children. Help us to honor You in all we say and do.  

LUKE 24:41a TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE?

TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE?

Now their fear gives way to joy;

but it seems too good to be true,

and they’re still unsure.

Luke 24:41a

The disciples in Jerusalem had been joined by two disciples who had talked with Jesus on their way home to Emmaus. Those in Jerusalem testified that Jesus was alive and appeared to Simon Peter, and the Emmaus travelers told how He had explained Scripture to them and revealed Himself as He broke bread and blessed it. Suddenly Jesus appears in the middle of them even though they were in a room with the door locked! At first, they were terrified, thinking He was a ghost. Then Jesus invited them to examine Him closely and even touch Him to prove He had flesh and bones. Now their abject fear turned to joyful confetti bursting forth inside them and they were exuberant. However, the whole situation made their brains go tilt. A little nagging voice in their heads tells them it is all too awesome to be real, too good to be true. Jesus patiently indulged their doubt and proved the reality of His bodily resurrection by eating a piece of fish in their presence.

When presenting the Gospel, we are sometimes met with skepticism. Salvation, forgiveness, and Heaven without having to do anything to earn them seems too good to be true. However, the fact is that we could never be good enough to earn or deserve what God has offered us for free. Jesus died to make our salvation possible. It was not free to Jesus because He paid the price for us. Scripture confirms that salvation is a gift. The facts are there. We can only present them and pray the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of the person in need of Jesus.

Father, like these first disciples, You sometimes inundate us with undeniable facts, yet we still doubt. Father, please forgive us for doubting and increase our faith!

LUKE 24:32 HEART AFIRE

HEART AFIRE

And they said one to another,

Did not our heart burn within us,

while he talked with us by the way,

and while he opened to us the scriptures?

Luke 24:32

Have you ever experienced this type of “heart burn?” I would welcome this heart burn every day! It is a reminder of Jesus’s presence, His nearness to us. I remember an incident that the Holy Spirit used to set my heart ablaze. A man I did not know at the time, but I would later admire greatly stopped me as I rolled past him and another man talking on my way out of a worship service. He said, “Excuse me. When you walked past me, I felt the power of God all over you and your life. May I pray for you?” He prayed, “May all the dreams and visions according to God’s will for your life come to full and complete fruition.” He then assured me that God said I was loved and beautiful just as I am, cerebral palsy and all. I left feeling as if I were impermeable, insulated by the Spirit of God. I knew I was empowered as if I could soar to the highest heavens. It was a supernatural high that no drug could possibly imitate. This burning awareness of the Lord’s presence lasted for several hours. I was overwhelmed with joy, and the limitations of my earth-suit could not affect it. My shell no longer mattered. I was aware only of the wondrous connection of my relationship with Jesus.

Father, thank You for the times that we literally feel Your power burning within us. Help us to remember those moments in the times that we may feel distant from You. Reveal Yourself to us in Your word and draw us nearer to You. 

JOHN 20:18a I HAVE SEEN THE LORD

I HAVE SEEN THE LORD!

Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.

John 20:18

Mary Magdalene had gone early in the morning with some of the other women to complete the process of putting spices on Jesus’s body for burial now that the Sabbath had passed. The stone had been rolled away, and the astonished women reported this to the disciples. As Peter and John entered the empty tomb, Mary stood outside weeping. Two angels asked why she was crying and she, still not comprehending the meaning of the empty tomb, told them the body of her Lord had been moved. Mary turned around and saw Jesus behind her but thought He was the gardener who had moved the body. When Jesus called her by name, she fell at His feet and called Him “Teacher.” Jesus urged her not to cling to Him, giving her a message for the disciples that He would soon be returning to be with God the Father. At first the disciples did not believe Mary Magdalene or the other women. After all, a woman’s testimony would not hold up in their courts of law. But Jesus chose to have women be the first to see the resurrected Savior standing before them in human skin. According to Mark’s gospel, Jesus reproached those unbelieving men. Mary Magdalene, who was not only a woman but had once been delivered from demons by Jesus Christ had the extreme privilege to be the first to see Him alive and give testimony to His resurrection! We may think, “How dense could these disciples and women followers of Jesus be to not realize immediately that the empty tomb meant He had risen from death. After all, on more than one occasion, Jesus had point blank told them He would rise on the third day.” However, can we honestly say if we had seen Him hanging drained of life on the cross, wrapped in linen, and laid in the tomb, we would be able to fathom the idea that He was alive again?

Father, we thank You that Jesus not only died for us but was raised to life again to pave the way for us to be resurrected and join You in Heaven. As Gloria Gaither penned, “Life is worth the living just because He lives.” We thank You that Jesus’s death purchased us not only life, but abundant life both here on earth and eventually in His presence. 

MATTHEW 27:59-61 BORROWED TOMB

BORROWED TOMB

Jesus’ cradle was a feeding trough

Because the inn had no more room

And when He died upon the cross

Was laid in a borrowed tomb.

He had not much to show

For His thirty-three years on earth.

His status was not much changed

From the poverty of His birth.

His true identity was hidden

From all but a chosen few,

And even those closest to Him

Doubted what they knew.

As they laid Him in the tomb,

They wept with tears of mourning.

Their terror made them forget

What He had promised for Sunday morning.

They solemnly laid Jesus in the grave,

and sealed it with a large boulder.

The Jews feared men would steal His body,

So, the place was guarded by soldiers.

Joseph of Arimethea,

Nicodemus, and the Marys

Left to prepare for the Sabbath.

It was late and they could not tarry.

They thought all hope was gone now.

They had buried their Messiah and Lord.

But they had forgotten His promise.

He had given them His word.

He had said He would rise on the third day.

When reading God’s word, it seems plain.

But they had seen their Master crucified

And were shaken with terror and pain.

MARK 15:39 CENTURION'S DECLARATION

CENTURION’S DECLARATION

And when the centurion,

which stood over against him,

saw that he so cried out,

and gave up the ghost, he said,

Truly this man was the Son of God.

Mark 15:39

This centurion had watched as Jesus was nailed naked and beaten beyond recognition to the cross. He had stood close by as part of his job was to verify when the condemned had expired. He had witnessed Jesus forgiving those who thus abused Him and assuring the believing thief he would join Him in paradise. Then the soldier heard Jesus cry out, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46) and die. This man had not been one of Jesus’s disciples, nor was he a Jew who recognized Him as Messiah. He was a Roman who did not even believe in Israel’s God. What prompted the declaration he exclaimed as Jesus breathed His last? He had seen no miracles except the darkness for three hours in the middle of the day (Matthew 27:45) which a person might be able to explain away. However, He had seen grace in action as Jesus forgave all who persecuted Him. He had seen the kindness of the Lord as He spoke with the thief who expressed belief. He saw Jesus’s love and compassion toward all and especially expressed in designating John to take care of His mother. He had witnessed a person who in the direst of pain cared more about others than Himself. He had seen the Lord’s confidence that His Spirit was in God’s hands.  Therefore, though he had probably never heard Jesus preach or witnessed with his own eyes His miraculous healing power, he could see that Jesus was completely different than any man he had seen crucified. Tradition says this man later professed Christianity and became a martyr but there is no concrete proof of that. But at least in that moment, He was touched by the Spirit of God to declare truth. What do you see when you gaze upon the cross? Do you see an unfortunate man who was crucified despite His innocence? Or do you see the Son of God willingly sacrificing His own life to save yours?

Father, may we reflect upon Jesus dying on the cross and see the attributes of God in His demeanor and His words. May we always remember that He endured those things willingly on our behalf. He was not martyred but was the voluntary Lamb of God dying for those He loves. 

GALATIANS 2:20 CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST

CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST

When the Messiah was executed on the stake as a criminal, I was too;

so that my proud ego no longer lives.

But the Messiah lives in me,

and the life I now live in my body

I live by the same trusting faithfulness

that the Son of God had, who loved me

and gave himself up for me.

Galatians 2:20 (CJB)

The logo for Precious Jewels Ministries is designed to depict our three foundational scripture verses, one of which is Galatians 2:20 which in the King James Version begins, “I am crucified with Christ.” If you look at our logo, you will see the letters PJM as if they are hanging on the cross. It is our way of visualizing that Christ nailed our sin to the cross thus crucifying our sin nature when we trust totally in Him. What exactly does it mean in terms of my daily life on this planet to be “crucified with Christ?” It means that I am no longer ego-centric (self-centered). I choose, instead to be self-less and Christ-centered. It means His Holy Spirit is working to make me more like Jesus every day, or as Paul put it, “to be conformed to the image of his Son.” What does that look like? It involves exhibiting the Fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” This can only be achieved when the Holy Spirit lives in me. The Holy Spirit enters my life when I trust completely in Jesus just as He trusted in and obeyed the Heavenly Father completely. I must let go of selfish ambitions and instead have “the mind of Christ” (Philippians 2:5). I was crucified with Christ the moment I surrendered my life to Him but dying to self and living in Christ is a daily choice. Each day I must “take up my cross” (Matthew 16:24) and walk the path Jesus shows me. Yes, the logo advertises our ministry, but for us, it is a reminder to make that daily surrender to be “living sacrifices, holy, acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service” (Romans 12:1).

Father, thank You for nailing our sin on the cross by sacrificing Your only begotten Son, Jesus. Thank You, that His death and resurrection enable us to be at peace with You, Holy God, and live daily as You would have us live. Help us to wake up each day with praises on our lips and the determination to be completely surrendered to Your will, to live as ones who have been forgiven and purchased with the blood of Jesus. 

Phillips, Craig, and Dean have a beautiful song based on Galatians 2:20. You can listen to it here:
https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=I+am+crucified+with+christ+with+lyrics&hspart=att&hsimp=yhs-att_001#id=1&vid=b522395474002816bbdc8323baf081e6&action=view

LUKE 23:23 - WHO SENT JESUS TO THE CROSS?

WHO SENT JESUS TO THE CROSS?

But they would not relent.

They shouted louder and louder

that He should be crucified,

and eventually Pilate capitulated.

Luke 23:23 (VOICE)

Who killed Jesus? The Jews? Pilate? The Roman soldiers? God? Jesus Himself? Me? You? YES! The Jews plotted to kill Him and accused Him before Pilate (Acts 2:22-23 and Acts 4:10). Pilate sentenced Jesus to death even though he found no fault in Him (Luke 23:4,13-15,22-23). The Roman soldiers carried out their orders without question (John 19:16-18). It was God’s plan from the foundation of the world that Jesus be slain (Acts 2:23, Mark 14:35-36, Revelation 13:8). Jesus willingly surrendered Himself to be killed (John 10:14-18). My sin was the reason He went to the cross, and so was yours (Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:8-10). Who killed Jesus? All of the above. Not one of us can point a finger at another person, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23). But the good news is Jesus did not die in vain. His death accomplished God’s purpose of providing redemption from our sin and guilt. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord,” (Romans 6:23).

Father, thank You for convicting us of our sin, our turning away from You in disobedience. Thank You for providing Jesus to suffer the death penalty demanded for sinners in our place. Thank You for forgiving us and adopting us into Your forever family—we who killed Your Son.

JOHN 18:37 THE TRUTH

The Truth

The Jews’ accusation against Jesus

Was that He claimed to be a King.

They wanted Jesus crucified,

manipulating Pilate to do this thing.

If Jesus admitted a claim to kingship,

A usurper to Caesar He’d be,

And Pilate’s hands would be tied.

He could not easily set Him free.

Jesus verified His kingship

Otherworldly and supreme,

But He had come into this world

To bring Truth’s eternal beam.

Jesus is the only Way

To forever peace with God.

He is The Truth, The Light, The Life

Who walked on this earth’s sod.

He did not defend Himself

As before Pilate He stood

For He knew crucifixion was God’s plan

To bring about ultimate good.

Pilate thought he had power,

But in reality he had none

Except what the Father had given

As verified by Jesus, the Son.

Jesus spoke always only

The truth which He had heard

In the voice of the Heavenly Father

Now recorded in God’s word.