Tag: quran

Follow Messiah Jesus and Become Part of His Family

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An excerpt from “The Holy One Called Isa,” by Pastor Ward Clinton:

2:13  And he went forth again by the sea side; and all the multitude resorted unto him, and he taught them.

2:14  And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the receipt of custom, and said unto him, Follow me. And he arose and followed him.

Slowly but surely the synagogue door was shutting on Jesus He could have smoothed things over but He is forcing the guardians of Jewish orthodoxy to make some personal decisions and take sides.  He is going to keep stirring things up and He is the one who is actually in control, not they.  Now He is teaching by the lakeside and letting the Synagogue simmer.

As He was walking by the lakeside He was teaching.  This was a common way for the Jewish Rabbis to teach.  As they walked the roads from one place to another their disciples grouped around them and walked with them and listened as they talked.  Therefore Jesus was doing what any Rabbi might have done.

The tax collector’s booth where Jesus found Levi was on the major international road that went from Damascus through Capernaum to the Mediterranean coast on to Egypt.

It was a saying that “Judea is on the way to nowhere; Galilee is on the way to everywhere.”  The great Road of the Sea led from Damascus, by way of Galilee, through Capernaum, down past Carmel, along the Plain of Sharon, through Gaza and on to Egypt.  Another road led from Acre on the coast across the Jordan out to Arabia (Petra not Mecca) and the frontiers of the empire, a road that was travelled by the regiments and caravans.

Capernaum was by its very nature a frontier town; because of that it was a customs center and the import and export taxes were collected there.  That is where Levi worked.  While it is true that he was not like Zacchaeus, working directly in the service of the Romans; he was working for Herod Antipas, and therefore he was a hated tax-collector, also referred to as a publican.

Levi was not a good person or he would not have been a tax-gatherer.  Still Isa choose to call this person to be part of His core group.  This does serve to demonstrate to us that Isa can change the character of anyone if they will only commit themselves to Him.  The Scripture tells us about another person who was also chosen by Jesus but who offered excuses for waiting until a more convenient time and therefore he lost out on his unique opportunity.  Levi did not risk the chance of having the offer pass him by to become a disciple of Jesus but responded immediately, wholeheartedly, and without reservation.

2:15  And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were many, and they followed him.

In 1st Kings 19:21 Elisha gave a farewell feast for his friends when he went to follow Elijah.

Of all the disciples Matthew is the one who gave up the most at the very outset in his making the commitment to follow Jesus.  Matthew in giving a farewell feast for all his friends shows thereby that with cheerfulness and thankfulness to God he has committed himself completely, and without reservation, to Christ.

Andrew and Simon and James and John could easily go back to their boats but Matthew had burned his bridges behind him as far as his livelihood was concerned and could never go back.  He left everything but his pen.  He did try to invite his friends to join him in the journey and maybe some of them did later on but probably not at that particular point in time.  Some of Matthew’s friends may have been among those converted at Pentecost; we won’t know until after our own arrival in heaven.  His friends were no doubt curious and some of them would have tried to talk him out of this move even as they may have themselves wondered whether there were any hope for them and Jesus’ presence and demeanor at the feast no doubt gave them a glimmer of hope that they also were eligible to be included in God’s forever family.

Do not be a disbeliever in Messiah Jesus

Those who don’t know history are doomed….

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For my Non-American friends; An American  Liberal is part of the Lunatic Left.

–Pastor Ward Clinton

Brother Rachid’s Video Message to Obama Regarding Islam

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Brother Rashid a former Muslim speaks to Obama about what ISIL really is.

Unfortunately I believe BHO already knows the leader of ISIS has a Phd in Islamic Studies and that the members of ISIL are the true, not radical, Muslims following in the footsteps of Mohammad.  If one does not want to call them Moslems, then perhaps you should call them “Mohammedans” because, as Brother Rachid states, they are imitating Mohammad in every way that they possibly can.

–Pastor Ward Clinton

The God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob Loves

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An excerpt from “The Holy One Called Isa,” by Pastor Ward Clinton:

2:7  Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies?  Who can forgive sins but God only?

In Jewish theology even the Messiah could not forgive sins and they were sure that Jesus was committing shirk.  However if He really is who He claimed to be then disbelieving is the worst type of shirk of all.  Al-Masihu-Isa (Jesus) is kalimat Allah and wadjih (worthy of esteem in this world and the next) according to the Quran.

2:8  And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?

2:9  Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?

Since they believed that a person’s sins needed to be forgiven before they could be healed He has chosen to force them to engage their brains.  One purpose of the miracles was to testify to the people precisely who Jesus truly is.

2:10  But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)

2:11  I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.

2:12  And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.

Jesus saw their faith, He may have smiled as he looked at a faith strong enough to overcome the obstacles and then He looked at the Scribes – the ones who should have had faith.  Now, in part, these fellows were doing their job; they were scrutinizing this itinerant Rabbi to make sure his teaching was okay.  But these were sitting there watching for what they considered to be the slightest mistake so they could blow it all out of proportion rather than allowing themselves to be moved by the working of God which was happening right before their very eyes.

The religious leadership made a connection between sin and disease, not entirely unfounded, but they were a bit misguided.  To them a sick man was a man who had sinned.  They had already heard Jesus preach; they had already seen Jesus heal.  Still they seemed quite unmoved.  Now Jesus won’t allow anyone to remain neutral towards Him.  He has decided to up the ante, therefore he said, “Child your sins are forgiven.”  He has just challenged them head on with that phrase.  They were of the belief that the sin had to be forgiven before one could be healed.  But anyone is capable of saying “your sins are forgiven” and how can it be proved whether the statement was effective or not?  Now on the other hand, to tell the man to get up and walk would demonstrate then and there the authority, effectiveness, and reliability of His word.  Therefore in the tenth verse Jesus lets them know they have to make a choice to either believe in Him or disbelieve.  He has hoisted these experts in the law on their own petard.  It is on their own traditions and stated beliefs this man could not be cured unless he was forgiven.  In effect Jesus has said, “you say I have no right to forgive sins?  You believe that if this man is sick, he is a sinner and cannot be cured until he is forgiven?  Okay, watch this!”  Jesus spoke the word and the man was cured, therefore he must be forgiven and Jesus’ claim to be able to forgive sin must be true.

Jesus probably left them in a baffled rage.  Here was something that had to be dealt with; if this were allowed to continue all their rules and regulations would be turned on their head; maybe even worse, proven to be completely out of step with their Holy Scripture.  So, with this incident, Jesus has signed His own death warrant and He is fully aware of it.  However He is also trying to correct their understanding of God.

They had the Torah (the uncorrupted holy word from the one true God), they knew that God will not let sinners remain unpunished, but they had forgotten that the Torah also showed them a God who desired to exercise mercy and forgiveness.  Remember the pouting prophet in the Old Testament who whined, “I didn’t want to warn those people because I knew You are a merciful God”?

Today, most seem to know that God forgives but they forget there are conditions that must be met… God is holy and just, as well as merciful and forgiving.  He calls us into a holy, loving relationship with Himself which requires that sin be shunned, not embraced with a “Oh well, I’m only human” shrug of the shoulders.

ISIS/Islam Where’s the Difference?

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ISIS Koran.jpg –Pastor Ward Clinton

Islamists

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Jihad 2.jpg –Pastor Ward Clinton

Seek the Holy One of God

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Excerpt from “The Holy One Called Isa,” by Pastor Ward Clinton

1:33  And all the city was gathered together at the door.

1:34  And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.

They knew and understood Him to be the Messiah, the one true and holy Messiah; Isa, Al-Masih, is kalimat-Allah and wadjih according to the Quran and for that reason they were powerless against Isa.

Many that were possessed with devils – Dr. Lightfoot gives two sound reasons why Judea, in our Lord’s time, abounded with demoniacs. First, Because they were then advanced to the very height of impiety. See what Josephus, their own historian, says of them: There was not (said he) a nation under heaven more wicked than they were. See on Rom_1:1 (note). Secondly, Because they were then strongly addicted to magic, and so, as it were, invited evil spirits to be familiar with them. It seems strange to find men at this distance of time questioning the truth of that which neither scribes nor Pharisees then doubted; nor did they ever object against the pretensions of Christ and his apostles to cast them out. And, if the whole business of demonism had been only a vulgar error, (as “wise” men now tell us), what a fine opportunity had the “wise” men then, to unmask the whole matter, and thus pour contempt on the pretensions of our blessed Lord and his followers, who held it to be one proof of their Divine mission, that demons were subject to them! – Adam Clarke

It has been said, “Build a better mousetrap and the public will beat a path to your doorstep even if you live in the wilderness.”  Unfortunately the crowds were only coming because they wanted something; unfortunately the crowds only thought they were coming to see a wondrous physician; fortunately the crowds were coming.

Sadly, for one prayer that goes up to God in days of prosperity ten thousand go up in times of adversity.  Many a man who has never prayed when the sun was shining begins to pray when the cold winds come.  So many people regard religion as belonging “to the ambulance corps and not to the firing-line of life.”  Therefore religion, to them, is merely a crisis affair.  Only when life has got into a mess do they begin to remember God but it is in the sunshine that we need to polish the communication lines so that when the darkness settles over us we don’t find ourselves trying to figure out how to establish a connection.  God is not someone to be sought only in the day of misfortune; He is someone to be loved and remembered every day of our lives.  Although the recognition of one’s failure to come to Him during the sunny time should not be allowed to hinder the seeking of Him in the dark time – it is just so much better, so much wiser, and so much safer to remember Him in the sunny time when one may be assured of finding Him.

Messiah Jesus is the True One of God

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Looked on His disciples – That they might all the more closely pay attention to what He was about to say.  He knew that Peter was not alone in his failure to correctly comprehend Christ’s commission.  Just because all men choose to walk a different path than what God requires doesn’t mean the God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will change His standards to accommodate them.  Man-made kingdoms may modify their laws when all fail to comply.  He is God, we aren’t; we get heaven God’s way, not ours.  Generality in sins is no means by which to escape God’s judgment.  Remember the account regarding Noah as recorded in the Al Kitab ul Muqaddas.  God does not change and although He desires that all should be saved, the wicked, as defined by His standard which is revealed in the Injil, will be punished unless they repent and comply with His commands.

8:34  And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

8:35  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it.

8:36  For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

8:37  Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

“Martyr” yourself on the word of some Imam and you will be trapped forever in the abode of the jinn with no way to escape.  The One True God, the God of Father Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the God who loves and does not deceive.  It is the god of death who deceives and destroys.

8:38  Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me (Messiah Jesus) and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

The Holy One Called Isa

 

 

Follow Isa not Muhammad

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The call to discipleship is definite and requires a personal choice be made to either accept or reject.  The call to believe or to disbelieve in Messiah Isa, the holy one actually comes to each one of us in one way or another.

1:18  And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.

1:19  And when he had gone a little further thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.

1:20  And straightway he called them: and they left their father Zebedee in the ship with the hired servants, and went after him.

Jesus didn’t call the big shots nor did He call those who were sitting around waiting for opportunity to come knocking.  These were average people who were faithfully and diligently going about their business but they were also noble in that they didn’t cling to the world or the traditions of the others; they obeyed the Savior.

1:21  And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.

Synagogue – a very important place for the assembly of persons for worship.  Not less than ten persons of respectability composed a synagogue.  Jerusalem is said to have had 480 of them plus the Temple.  Isa (PBUH) took advantage of the custom that allowed visiting teachers to participate in the worship service by invitation of the synagogue leaders.

1:22  And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.

Mark frequently reports the amazement that Isa’s teaching and actions produced.  The Scribes tended to teach the words of other teachers and the traditions of men.      Part of what was happening with the teaching from Jesus was that He was teaching Scripture, not tradition of men; He was teaching them what God said, not what some famous Rabbi of bygone days had said.  When a man teaches that a Hadith or a fitnah supersedes something in the Quran is he not claiming the Quran is mistaken?

Part of what was happening with the teaching from Isa was that He was teaching Al kitab, not tradition of men; He was teaching them what God said, not what some famous Rabbi of bygone days had said.  When an Imam teaches something contrary to the Al kitab ul muqaddas then he is acting exactly like the Rabbis who were opposing Isa and he is not one iota less corrupt than they were. – an excerpt from my book “The Holy One called Isa”

Don’t be afraid to follow the holy one of God, Jesus for he cares about you. –Pastor Ward Clinton

Face of Islam

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Face of Islam.jpg

–Pastor Ward Clinton