Dr. Terry Threadwell's Blog

Bless the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing that comes from heaven.  God chose us in Christ to be holy and blameless in God’s presence before the creation of the world.  God destined us to be his adopted children through Jesus Christ because of his love. This was according to his goodwill and plan  and to honor his glorious grace that he has given to us freely through the Son whom he loves.

According to science, the earth was formed 4.58 billion years ago, that’s a long time.  What makes that fact even more amazing is the fact that you were on God’s mind. Plans were put in place, believing that you were going to achieve great things. When we come to God, we come like the Prodigal son and daughter, setting our sights low, willing to settle for anything.  Little did we know that God was looking out for us, waiting to bring us into the family of God and to love on us.

Set your sights high, God spoke great thing over you 5 billion years ago.  Those words are waiting to be fulfilled.

Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “`You shall not murder, ‘`You shall not commit adultery, ‘`You shall not steal, ‘`You shall not bear false witness,’ `Honor your father and your mother,’ and, `You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'” The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. (Mat 19:16-23 NKJ)

I teach ‘Intro to World Religions’ for American Public University, and part of the course looks at the Buddhist teaching that life is full of suffering and suffering comes from cravings. The trouble with cravings is that they often can’t be satisfied. Once you buy that new care, it becomes a used car, or that new phone becomes old as they bring out a new, more significant better model.

Even Islam says. “O you who have believed, indeed many of the scholars and the monks devour the wealth of people unjustly and avert [them] from the way of God. And those who hoard gold and silver and spend it not in the way of God – give them tidings of a painful punishment.” (Quran 9:34).

Jesus knew where this young man’s heart was—in his wealth, and he wasn’t about to part with it, not even for eternal life. ,Christian, be careful! The desire for stuff is lurking around every corner. Also when Christians talk of heaven, it’s the mansions and streets of gold that become the focus of their attention, should it not be God’s presence?

Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.  (Mat 18:21-22 NKJ)

Forgiveness and unforgiveness are powerful.  Forgiveness releases the other party and you, yes, you.  Unforgiveness has no effect on the other party, but it will stop you being receiving forgiveness from God and will eat you alive with bitterness, hatred, and feelings of the need to get revenge.  The wounds may run deep, and it may seem impossible to forgive, but the healing process cannot start until we do.

So. Peter asks, ‘how many times should I forgive, seven times?’ That’s a good number. Jesus says no, ‘seventy times seven.’  The hope is that each time you let go and let God, something happens to change you and the other person.

You shall share the blessings as an inheritance for yourselves and for the aliens who reside among you and have children among you. They shall be to you as citizens of America; with you, they shall be allotted an inheritance among the people of this United States. Ezekiel 47:22 (Paraphrased)

“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Luk 6:38 NKJ)

First Lady, Melania Trump’s jacket that she wore yesterday while visiting a detention center had the message on the back, ‘I Don’t Really Care, Do U?’ Yes, I do care because God cares. In Ezekiel God tells the people to encourage those seeking refuge, the alien and the stranger by inviting them in and giving them a place in the future of Israel and by analogy America. But how will we cover the cost, the housing, job and everything else? Simple, if a country puts God first, God will bless and not only meet the needs, but give back over and above.  As Luke puts it, ‘Give, and it will be given to you: good measure pressed down, shaken together, and running over.’

The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. Leviticus 19:34

Unless you are one of the many First Nation people, you are an immigrant and an alien.  Somewhere in your past, your ancestors came from another land to flee violence, war, poverty or economic hardship.  Twelve million came through Ellis Island; another one-million came through Angel Island.  I came through Charlotte, but I am an immigrant none the less.

As a Christian, God’s Word is very specific; we are to love them, show compassion, caring, and love in the same manner that we love ourselves because we too were once immigrants

Love, God’s greatest gift

To the woman, he said, “I will make your pregnancy very painful; in pain you will bear children. You will desire your husband, but he will rule over you.” (Gen 3:16 CEB)

Most people by now have heard of the Me Too Movement. In October 2017 the hashtag #MeToo went viral on social media to help demonstrate the widespread prevalence of sexual assault and harassment, especially in the workplace. Have you ever asked the question, ‘when did all this abuse, sexual assault and harassment start?’ The answer is simple.  It started once mankind was placed outside the Garden of God.

In the text, we see a very simple statement. “You will desire your husband, but he will rule over you.” Woman’s desire was to have a mutually appreciated love relationship, just like it was in the garden. However, man’s desire, having achieved, so he thought, god-like qualities, was to rule over and control. He didn’t realize then and still doesn’t understand now that the greatest God-like quality is love.

Unto the woman He said, ‘Multiplying I multiply thy sorrow and thy conception, in sorrow dost thou bear children, and toward thy husband is thy desire, and he doth rule over thee.’ (Gen 3:16 YLT)

I believe that giving birth to children was always painful, but now, outside the garden, the pain and sorrow is increased. The Afghan mother will see her child taken by the Taliban.  The African-American mother will see her child lying on a Chicago sidewalk, killed by a stray bullet, the mother living in suburban white America will hear that her child has been killed in a school shooting, power quickly responds not with compassion, but a cry to protect their guns. The refugee mother, escaping gang violence in South America, arrives at the border only to see her child placed in a cage and taken away and used as a political pawn in the game of empire.

In the garden, the pain of childbirth was short-lived.  Now, outside the garden, in an evil world, the pain of motherhood for some can last a lifetime.

At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them,  and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. “Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  “Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.  “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.  (Mat 18:1-6 NKJ)

Why did they ask this question, looking for a pat on the back or perhaps a promise of promotion in the age to come? The answer they received was not what they expected—the children.  Innocent, trusting, loving, and willing to imitate and learn, all traits of a child.  What followed was not expected, a word of warning.  Harm any child, and your eternal future could be at risk.

The Bible has always been passionate about caring for the alien, the stranger, the orphan and the widow.  As a nation, America has always been a beacon to those hurting and oppressed.  However, we now separate the children from illegal immigrants and incarcerate them, separate them  from their families, treating them like they are criminals—they are children, 2,000 right now are being kept in camps.  If we expect God to bless America, we need to think twice.

And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. “So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.” Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, `Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. “However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” (Mat 17:14-21 NKJ)

So, why do we need prayer and fasting when dealing with a person referred to here as an epileptic, because there is a need for discernment? Ann and I have experienced people that have manifested demonic activity, sometimes caused through drug activity, either current or past.  Then there are those that have opened themselves up to demonic activity, on one occasion, the person used an Ouija board. And finally, there are those who through an accident or illness show signs of mental illness, with seizures.

Faith is required, knowing that God has the power to heal, fasting focuses our attention and prayer makes that request known to God.

While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.  Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.” (Mat 17:5-9 NKJ)Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, (Heb 12:1 NKJ)

Overwhelmed with what they saw, heard, and felt they fell prostrate on their faces.  Jesus touched them and spoke over them.  When they lifted their eyes, only Jesus was there. What happened to Elijah and Moses? What happened to the presence and glory of God? If we read Hebrews, we’re told that nothing had changed, they were still there, in fact, we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, we just don’t have the ability to see them.  Even when we feel alone, we’re not, just believe.