Hi Brian!

The word for this week is "liberty". That's an appropriate word for the 4th of July week! We'll be looking at two different Greek words translated "liberty" in the New Testament. The first is found in Luke 4:18-19:

18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. KJV

This is the Greek word "aphesis". Strong's Concordance says: freedom, pardon. Thayer's Greek Lexicon says: release as from bondage or imprisonment; forgiveness, pardon of sins. Look at these verses from the Amplified Bible:

18 The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon Me, because He has anointed Me [the Anointed One, the Messiah] to preach the good news (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed [who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity], 19 To proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord [the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound.] AMP

That's what Jesus came to do AND what He commissioned US to do! The liberty comes by grabbing a hold of the the preaching of the Word of God! Look at John 8:31-32:

31 So Jesus said to those Jews who had believed in Him, If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them], you are truly My disciples. 32 And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free. AMP

The word "free" here and the word "liberty" in the next verse come from the same Greek word. The verse we'll be looking at is 2 Corinthians 3:15:

17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. KJV

This is the Greek word "eleutheria". Strong's Concordance and Thayer's Greek Lexicon both say: freedom!

Liberty and freedom have always been God's perfect plan for man! Mankind has messed it up over and over again, resulting in the types of problems that our world is facing right now. Choosing God's way, the Word's way, will ALWAYS result in liberty for us as we continue in faith and patience! As your family celebrates the 4th this week, I know that you will all be thanking the One, True, Most High, Living, Almighty God of the Bible for TRUE liberty! Have a wonderful time! Here is a older song by Hillsong  called "Free To Dance":

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!

Hi Brian!

The word for this week is "communion". We usually think first of the Communion Service with the bread and juice, but we'll be looking at three verses for this word. The first is found in 2 Corinthians 6:14:

14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion has light with darkness? KJV

This is the Greek word "koinonia". Strong's Concordance says: partnership; participation or social intercourse. Thayer's Greek Lexicon says: fellowship; association; community; joint participation; contact. The Theological Dictionary adds: participation; impartation or fellowship. We can see that this involves action on the part of those having this communion! It also involves a sharing and a union together. We could say that communing with someone also involves identification with them. That aspect is shown more clearly in the Amplified Bible:

14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers [do not make mis-mated alliances with them or come under a different yoke with them, inconsistent with your faith]. For what partnership have right living and right standing with God with iniquity and lawlessness? Or how can light have fellowship with darkness? AMP

Identification also helps in understanding 1 Corinthians 10:16:

16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? KJV

We identify with Jesus in His death on the cross as though we ourselves were there with Him! In this way we can expect to also identify in and share with Him in all good things! The Complete Jewish Bible makes this more clear:

16 The “cup of blessing” over which we make the b’rakhah — isn’t it a sharing in the bloody sacrificial death of the Messiah? The bread we break, isn’t it a sharing in the body of the Messiah? CJB

This brings us to the blessing Paul gave to the church in 2 Corinthians 13:14:

14 The grace (favor and spiritual blessing) of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the presence and fellowship (the communion and sharing together, and participation) in the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen (so be it). AMP

The next time you participate in a Communion Service, remember that God sees it as though YOU were on the cross with Jesus! He sees you as a joint, equal heir in all good things with Jesus Himself (Romans 8:17)! He has imparted His nature into you and caused YOU to sit in heavenly places IN CHRIST (2 Peter 1:1; Ephesians 2:6)! What a wonderful word communion is! When you and Kristine share fellowship, love and communion together, your marriage grows even stronger! When you both "commune" with your daughters, imparting your love and wisdom and instruction to them, your family unit becomes stronger and you enable them to grow in faith in you and in God! Such a powerful word! Have a wonderful week communing with those you love, especially Jesus! Here is Hillsong with a song from their "Songs For Communion" album called "Life":

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!

Hi Brian!

I hope you're having a wonderful Father's Day! The word for this week is "temple". There are two different Greek words translated "temple" in the New Testament. One of them is found in Matthew 21:12-13 and John 7:14-15:

12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, 13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. KJV

14 Now about the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. 15 And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned? KJV

This is the Greek word "hieron".  Strong's Concordance says: a sacred place, i.e. the entire precincts.  This is referring to the entire temple complex. The other word is found in Luke 23:44-45:

44 And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. 45 And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. KJV 

This is the Greek word "naos". Thayer's Greek Lexicon says: used of the temple at Jerusalem, but only of the sacred edifice (or sanctuary) itself, consisting of the Holy place and the Holy of holies. The  thing I like the very best about this word study is that this is the same word  used in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 and 2 Corinthians 6:16:

19 Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own, 20 You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body. AMP

16 What agreement [can there be between] a temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in and with and among them and will walk in and with and among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. AMP

WE are the new Holy of holies! The Spirit of God lives IN us and there is no need to travel somewhere to get into His presence! He is ever present inside of us! Now the responsibility that goes along with this is that WE are the priests of our temple! WE must lead the worship, prayer and study in our own temples! This place referred to in Hebrews 4:16 is IN us!

16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. KJV

16 Let us then fearlessly and confidently and boldly draw near to the throne of grace (the throne of God's unmerited favor to us sinners), that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find grace to help in good time for every need [appropriate help and well-timed help, coming just when we need it]. AMP

So keep running to the temple, the Holy place, the secret place, the place of His presence to find the help you need, the answers to your questions, the solutions to any and every problem, or just to simply spend time getting to know, and love, HIM! I was going to use the song "Run" by Hillsong, but since I just used that one a few weeks ago, I decided to go with this one by Hillsong called "Father of Creation":

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!

Hi Brian!

The word for this week is "hang". We'll be looking at it from just one portion of Scripture today and it's found in Matthew 22:37-40:

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. KJV

"Hang" here is the Greek word "kremannumi". Strong's Concordance says: a prolonged form of a primary verb; to hang. Vine's Expository Dictionary says: of the dependence of the Law and the prophets upon the one great principle of love to God and one's neighbor. The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament says this: to be dependent on. It also adds this and I like the way they say it, so I'm sharing it as direct quote: "The one command of love is the fundamental law of all action in faith. Acting in the power of love, believers are freed from other demands and enjoy the liberty of sonship."

 Here is verse 40 from the Amplified Bible:

40 These two commandments sum up and upon them depend all the Law and the Prophets. AMP

The "Law of Love" sums up all of the Word of God! From John 3:16-17:

16 For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him. AMP

...to Galatians 5:6:

6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision avails anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which works by love. KJV

Our faith won't operate unless we DO walk in this love! We can't forget 1 Corinthians 13:8a either!

8 Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end] AMP

This is all referring to the "agape" love of God which is the decision to see everyone as God sees them! The love that is a decision before it is ever an emotion! THIS love, NEVER FAILS! Loving HIM and loving others, puts us in the position of confirming our part in the New Covenant and the position to walk in the fullness of Blessing! THAT is why the enemy tries to make it SO hard to do this with SOME people! The reward is well worth the cost! Here is an old song from Hillsong called "The Love of God Can Do":

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!

Hi Brian!

The word for this week is"everlasting". It's found in many places in the Word of God, but we'll just be looking at one place. Jeremiah 31:3 says this:

3 The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee. KJV

The Amplified Bible says this:

3 The Lord appeared from of old to me [Israel], saying, Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn you and continued My faithfulness to you. AMP

This is the Hebrew word "`owlam". Strong's Concordance says: time out of mind, eternity. Brown-Driver-Briggs Greek Lexicon says : long duration, antiquity, continuous existence, forever, always, unending future. 

John 3:16 gives a vivid picture of this love!

16 For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life. AMP

He who has the Son has life! 1 John  5:11-12:

11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.KJV

It is very exciting to me to know that I am loved, no matter what! Jesus loved us enough to die for us, and now He loves us enough to be interceding for us at this very moment (Romans 8:34)! When we understand how very much He loves us, then we can begin to love others with that same love! A love that never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8) and a love that never quits! Here is a new song from Hillsong United called "Relentless" that describes this everlasting love He has for us! 

Salvation sounds a new beginning
As distant hearts begin believing
Redemption's bid is unrelenting
Your love goes on
Your love goes on

You carry us
Carry us
When the world gives way
You cover us
Cover us
With Your endless grace

Your love is relentless
Your love is relentless
Your love is relentless
Your love is relentless

The time is up for chasing shadows
You gave the world a light to follow
A hope that shines beyond tomorrow
Your love goes on
Your love goes on

You carry us
Carry us
When the world gives way
You cover us
Cover us
With Your endless grace

Your love is relentless
Your love is relentless
Your love is relentless
Your love is relentless

Tearing through the veil of darkness
Breaking every chain, You set us free
Fighting for the furthest heart You gave
Your own life for all to see

Tearing through the veil of darkness
Breaking every chain, You set us free
Fighting for the furthest heart You gave
Your life

(You carry us, carry us
You cover us, cover us)
Your love is relentless
Your love is relentless
Your love is relentless
Your love is relentless...

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!