What A Helper!!

Instead of condensing into a haiku, today God had me dig into definitions, expanding my understanding of who the Holy Spirit is and what He does for me. Praise God! I encourage you to read this aloud for yourself. Every believer had the Holy Spirit in them. This is for you.

The Holy Spirit is with me forever.
He is the Spirit of truth.
The world cannot receive Him, because it doesn't see Him or know Him.
I know the Holy Spirit.
He abides with me and is in me.
The Holy Spirit is my Helper.
     He gives me assistance and promotes me.
     He contributes to and promotes me.
     He gives me relief and eases me.
     He changes me for the better and improves me.
The Holy Spirit is my Advocate.
     He speaks, pleads and argues in my favor.
     He argues for my cause.
     He pleads on my behalf.
     He is my lawyer.
The Holy Spirit is my Comforter.
     He soothes me in time of affliction or distress.
     He puts me in a condition of pleasurable ease and well-being.
The Holy Spirit is my Counselor.
     He gives me adivce and a plan of action.
     He is my attorney, especially my trial lawyer.
The Holy Spirit is my Intercessor.
     He pleads on my behalf.
     He mediates for me, resolving differences by working with all conflicting parties.
The Holy Spirit is my Strengthener.
     He makes me strong and stronger.
     He gives me the power to resist attack and makes me impregnable.
     He makes me able to resist strain or stress and to be durable.
     He gives me moral and intellectual power.
The Holy Spirit is my Standby.
     He is One that can always be relied on; He can be relied on in an emergency.

from John 14:16-17

Why four gospels? - revised-

Good morning! I scheduled this post to publish, but did not complete my revisions and edits before 6am this morning. This is reposted in it's complete form. Enjoy! -DCP

Why four gospels? Why is Jesus' genealogy different in Matthew and Luke? Why doesn't Mark include the "Christmas story"? Last year I took a New Testament Survey class that cleared up a lot of questions I had. God knew exactly what He was doing when He put His word together.

Matthew

Originally to Jewish audience

Reveals Jesus "The Jewish Messiah"

Jesus' genealogy given from Abraham to Joseph, husband of Mary

Old Testament quoted by Christ over 40 times

Jews were (and are) looking for their earthly, Jewish Messiah to come. His genealogy to Abraham was crucial to establish for this audience. They already understood that all mankind goes back to Adam through their study and reading of the Tanak (the Old Testament portion of the Bible). Jews then and now love the Tanak and live by it. Matthew quotes it frequently throughout his writing to prove to them from the Scripture that Jesus was the one for whom they had been waiting. Matthew is a teaching book and early on became the most read gospel.

Mark

Originally to Roman audience

Reveals Jesus "The Perfect Servant and Burden-bearer"

No genealogy given

Old Testament quoted by Christ 20 times

Mark (who worked closely with both Paul and Peter) most likely wrote his gospel account first. His Roman audience had a "get-to-the-point" mindset, and Mark does just that. His account is a very quick read. He keeps the reader engaged with stories and extensive dialog. Mark jumps in at the "action" part of the gospel - the beginning of Jesus' ministry. Mark includes Hebrew scriptures, but not as frequently or lengthily as Matthew. He also excludes any genealogy. Romans would not have been interested in where a servant came from, only why He came.

Luke

Originally to Greek audience

Reveals Jesus "The Perfect Son of Man"

Jesus' genealogy from Mary to Adam

Old Testament quoted by Christ 16 times

Luke was a Greek physician who travelled with Paul on many of his missionary journeys. In Luke 1:1 he gives his reason for writing: "to give an orderly account." Greek/western thinking wanted things in order of when they happened. If you want to know chronology look at Luke. Luke also has a strong emphasis on the  Holy Ghost and on Jesus prayer life. This gospel is really part one of a two part series by Luke that includes Luke and Acts. His emphasis on women also reflects the more Gentile flavor of Luke's writing.

John

Originally to believers

Reveals Jesus "The Son of God"

Jesus' genealogy "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God."

Old Testament quoted by Christ four times

John's gospel was written much later than the first three, to a different audience and for a different reason. It is not a synoptic gospel. (Synoptic means "to see the same".) By the time John wrote his account, the church was an established institution and there were believers in Christ throughout the Roman Empire. John answers the question: "Who is Jesus really?" John includes only 7 miracles in his account, 5 of which are not in the other gospels. He also includes seven "I am" statements from Jesus, found in 6:35, 8:12, 10:7, 10:11&14, 11:25, 14:6 and 15:1. All Christ's OT quotes in John are unique to this gospel.

Jesus in the Gospel of John

John's gospel shows us Jesus is...

the Word (1:1)

       the Light (1:4)

              Son of Man (1:51)

only begotten Son of God (3:16)

the bread from heaven (6:35)

the light of the world (8:12)          

the light of life (8:12)                           

I AM (8:58)

 the Shepherd (10:11)
                      the door (10:7)
                                   the resurrection and the life (11:25)     
                                                     Teacher (13:13)                      
                                         Lord (13:13)

the Way (14:6)

the Truth (14:6)

the Life (14:6)

                                                                                     
                                        the true Vine (15:1)
                                                 come forth from the Father (16:27)
                                                                     before the world was (17:5)
                                    the manifestation of God's name (17:6)
                       one with the Father (17:11)
King (18:37)



From heaven to earth

Word made flesh, dwelling with us

Jesus - Lamb of God.

-John 1:1-29

Gospel of John

Just a head's up that I added info to my sidebar about how Jesus is revealed to us through the Gospel of John. I love the Bible! What an awesome gift! God revealing Himself to His creation.

Enjoy!