Hi Brian!

As I was praying about what word or thought to share this week, I felt that I was supposed to look further into Jesus sweating great drops of blood in His struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane. I found that Rick Renner covered that very thing in his original "Sparkling Gems From The Greek". As he is the best Greek scholar I have ever met, I am going to share what he wrote!

Experiencing ‘Agony’ Over Life Situations ?

And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. — Luke 22:43-44

Have you ever wondered where all your friends were at a time when you really needed them? They pledged they would be faithful, but when you needed them, they were nowhere to be found! Did you feel abandoned in that moment of need? Jesus Himself was confronted with that same situation when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night before His crucifixion.

After Jesus was finished serving Communion to His disciples in the upper room, the Bible tells us that He went to the Garden of Gethsemane with His disciples. Knowing the Cross and the grave was before Him, Jesus felt a need to spend time in intercession so He might have the strength needed to face what lay before Him. He also requested that Peter, James, and John come apart to pray with Him.

Rarely, if ever, did Jesus need His friends’ assistance; most of the time, they needed His! But in this intense moment, Jesus really felt a need to have the three disciples who were closest to Him pray with Him. Jesus asked these disciples to pray for just one hour. But instead of faithfully praying when Jesus desperately needed their support, they kept falling asleep!

The mental and spiritual battle Jesus was experiencing that night in the Garden of Gethsemane was intense. In fact, Luke 22:44 says, “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

Today I want you to especially notice the word “agony” in this verse. It comes from the Greek word agonidzo, a word that refers to a struggle, a fight, great exertion, or effort. It is where we get the word agony — a word often used in the New Testament to convey the ideas of anguish, pain, distress, and conflict. The word agonidzo itself comes from the word agon, which is the word that depicted the athletic conflicts and competitions that were so famous in the ancient world.

The Holy Spirit used this word to picture Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of His betrayal. This tells us that Jesus was thrown into a great struggle and fight that night. Knowing that the Cross and the grave were before Him, He cried out, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me…” (Luke 22:42).

The spiritual pressure that bore down upon Jesus’ soul was so overwhelming that the Bible says it was agonidzo, or agony. It was so strenuous that it involved all of Jesus’ spirit, soul, and body. He was in the greatest fight He had ever known up to that moment.

Jesus’ intense level of agony is depicted in the phrase, “…he prayed more earnestly….” The word “earnestly” is the Greek word ektenes, a Greek word that means to be extended or to be stretched out. A person in this kind of agony might drop to the ground, writhing in pain and rolling this way and that way. This word ektenes presents the picture of a person who is pushed to the limit and can’t be stretched much more. He is on the brink of all he can possibly endure.

Jesus’ emotional state was so intense that it says “…his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” The “sweat” is the Greek word idros. The word “drops” is the Greek word thrombos, a medical word that points to blood that is unusually thickly clotted. When these two words are joined, they depict a medical condition called hematidrosis — a condition that occurs only in individuals who are in a highly emotional state.

Because the mind is under such great mental and emotional pressure, it sends signals of stress throughout the human body. These signals become so strong that the body reacts as if it were under actual physical pressure. As a result, the first and second layer of skin separate, causing a vacuum to form between them. Thickly clotted blood seeps from this vacuum, oozing through the pores of the skin. Once the blood seeps through, it mingles with the sufferer’s sweat that pours from his skin as a result of his intense inner struggle. In the end, the blood and sweat mix together and flow down the victim’s face like droplets to the ground.

This was the worst spiritual combat Jesus had ever endured up to this time. Where were His disciples when He needed them? They were sleeping! He needed His closest friends — yet they couldn’t even pray for one hour! So God provided strength for Jesus in another way, which we will see in tomorrow’s Sparkling Gem.

Have you ever felt a need for help but found your friends couldn’t be counted on? Did you find your friends sleeping on the job when you felt a deep need for help and support? Were you in a situation that caused you to feel intense agony or pushed to the limit? Are you in that kind of situation right now?

Maybe you’ve never sweat blood and tears. But more than likely, you have struggled in your soul at one time or another because of problems with your marriage, your children, your relationships, your ministry, or your finances. If you’ve ever felt like you were constantly living in a “pressure cooker,” you know that continuous pressure is hard to deal with — especially if you have no one to lean on for strength, encouragement, and help.

If you are experiencing one of those times right now, Jesus understands because He faced the same situation in the Garden of Gethsemane. Hebrews 2:18 says, “For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.” Because of what Jesus experienced, He is able to understand everything you are thinking and feeling today. So take a few minutes to pray, and talk to Jesus about the situations you are facing. He empathizes completely, and He will give you the strength you need to make it today!

I remember growing up thinking that the cross must have been 'easy' for Jesus because He was God! It wasn't until I got into the Word that I realized that everything that Jesus did during His time on earth was as a man! He was still God, but He never operated as God on the earth, but as a man Who knew the Word as was filled with Holy Spirit. Knowing now what Jesus actually suffered and endured for OUR sake, my levels of gratefulness and thankfulness have increased tremendously! He did all of that so that WE will never have to! What a GREAT, GREAT GOD! So, in honor of all that Jesus did for us that we celebrate during this coming week, here is Hillsong with "At The Cross":

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!

Hi Brian!

The word for this week is "pity". It is found only once in the KJV New Testament. Matthew 18:23-23:

32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? KJV

This is the greek word "eleeo". Strong's Concordance says: compassionate, by word of deed, especially by divine grace. Thayer's Greek Lexicon adds: to have mercy on, to succor the afflicted, to bring help to the wretched. Vine's Expository Dictionary says: to have mercy, to show kindness, by beneficence or assistance, also translated 'have compassion'. The Theological Dictionary says: the attitude that God requires of us. Denotes kindness owed in mututal relationships. God's gracious faithfulness. In the Scripture reference above, the word is referring to how God forgave the debt of  the wicked servant, who was not wanting to grant that same forgiveness to one who owed him. The LORD expects US to give to others with the same 'measure' as He gives to us! Sometimes we think of pity as feeling sad or sorry for the predicament of another, when actually it is an active DOING of the showing of compassion, treating others as precious and valuable, as they are in the Lord's sight and should be in ours! I really LOVE how one little Word can open up so many new things to learn about our GREAT GOD! HE always see us through those eyes of mercy and compassion and LOVE! Here is Hillsong with "Mighty To Save":

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!

 Hi Brian!

The word for this week is "yoke" and I want to use Rick Renner's "Sparkling Gems From The Greek - Volume 1" for this! 

Take My Yoke Upon You

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. — Matthew 11:28-30

When our family first moved to the Soviet Union, the Soviet economy was so collapsed and the system so broken that even the most basic supplies were difficult to find. One of those hard-to-find supplies was gasoline for one’s car — and not just for the car, but for any machinery that operated on gasoline. Because of this lack of fuel, few cars were driven, and people walked great distances. There was just no available fuel to put into the tanks of the cars parked inside people’s garages.

At that time our family lived in a remote area on the edge of a small city where people were given small plots of land to grow gardens. One spring when it was time to plow the garden and plant seeds, I looked out the kitchen window of our house and saw something I could hardly believe! Our neighbor had taken an old harness, like one that would be normally placed around the neck of a cow, a horse, or an ox, and hooked it up to his wife! I watched in amazement as this man walked behind his wife, guiding the plow as she heaved forward with her neck and shoulders, dragging the plow through the hardened soil. The two of them were working to break up the ground so they could plant their seeds and produce their garden. They owned a small tractor, but because there was no fuel, they couldn’t use it. Therefore, this couple resorted to the action I beheld that day.

I called to Denise and told her to come to the kitchen. She looked out the window with me and saw this poor woman hooked up to a harness and pulling the plow, with her husband trying to guide the sharp blade through that solid ground. Denise was speechless! What this couple was doing just outside our backyard looked so hard and difficult! We both wished we had a couple of oxen to loan them that day in order to make their job a little easier!

Many times Denise and I have worked so hard in the ministry that we felt like we had given every ounce of our strength; yet there always seemed to be so much more that we needed to give. On several occasions, I told my wife, “I guess it’s time for us to hook up the plow and press through this hard ground! Let’s go for it, Sweetheart!” We’d laugh and then remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30, where He said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

The word “labour” in verse 28 is from the Greek word kopaio, which describes the most wearisome kind of labor. This is a person who is giving everything he has to a project or assignment. He is striving, laboring, and working with every fiber of his being. But the Greek tense describes people who have been laboring under this load without a pause for a very long time. Their work has been wearisome, exhausting, and unending.

The words “heavy laden” tell us why these people are so weary from their labors. These words are from the Greek word phortidzo, which denotes a load or burden that is normal and expected for an individual to carry in life. It was a military term that described the backpack or bag that every soldier was required to carry as a part of his career as a soldier. Carrying such a weight was a normal and expected requirement for soldiers. The weight of these backpacks and bags was determined by the length of the soldier’s journey. If his trip was short, the weight would be less. But if the assignment mandated a longer journey, the weight of the backpack or bag would be much heavier laden.

This means Jesus was referring to people who had been doing their job for a very long time — and their job wasn’t done yet. Their journey had not been a quick, short, and easy one, and much of it was still before them. They had quite a long distance yet to go before they reached their destination. Knowing how exhausted they were and yet how much further they had to go before they were finished, Jesus told them, “Come unto me…and I will give you rest” (verse 28).

The word “rest” is from the Greek word anapauo, which means to rest, to relax, to calm, or to refresh. The root is pauo, from which we get the word pause. So in Matthew 11:28, the word anapauo carries the meaning of to pause, to cease, to desist, or to refrain. In our modern-day language, it could be translated to take a breather; to have a break; to have a hiatus, a lull, an interval, an interruption; or to take time to get away from something or some responsibility.

Jesus never promised that He would take difficult assignments away from you. However, He did promise that if you would come to Him, He would give you the rest you need in order to be refreshed for the continuation and conclusion of the journey. So when it seems like you’ve given all you have, but there’s still so much more for you to do before you’re finished, just take a break from your journey and go to Jesus for some supernatural refreshing!

Then in Matthew 11:29, Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you.…” The word “take” is the word airo, meaning to deliberately lift or to deliberately take up. The fact that Jesus used the word airo implies that one must deliberately invite Jesus into the harness so He can help you pull the plow. The word “yoke” is the Greek word zugos, which describes the wooden yoke that joined two animals together so they could combine their strength to pull a load that generally would have been too difficult for one animal to pull by itself. This “yoke” made the team inseparable. As a result, they were stronger, and their combined strength made their task easier.

This is Jesus’ offer to the weary and tired worker. Jesus offers to come alongside the worker and join him in his assignment or affairs. However, the worker — the weary soul — has to make the deliberate choice to enter into this working relationship and to come under the yoke of Jesus. He has to take the “yoke” of Jesus upon himself, reaching out by faith to lift it up and place it upon himself.

Becoming “yoked” to Jesus in your life, your ministry, your business, and your personal affairs is a premeditated, determined choice — not something that occurs accidentally. But just as two animals that are “yoked” together make a job much more easy and manageable, the strength of you and Jesus together is unbeatable! That is why the Lord went on to say, “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30).

The word “easy” is the Greek word chrestos, meaning pleasurable, delightful, or comfortable. This means it is a delight to work with the Lord. When you are yoked together with Jesus, even the most difficult assignments become pleasurable! Situations that would normally make you uneasy become comfortable. Being “yoked” together with Him changes the atmosphere and brings peace and strength to your soul. It is the most pleasurable experience in the world!

Jesus concluded this verse by saying that being “yoked” together with Him is “light.” The word “light” is the Greek word elaphron, describing something that is not burdensome, but light or easy. I can tell you from personal experience — what was once hard, wearisome, and troubling because you were doing it all alone becomes pleasurable and lighter when you are partners with Jesus!

So what about you, friend? Are you going to keep pulling that plow through that solid ground all by yourself? Or are you going to allow Jesus to become partnered with you in your endeavors? Going it alone is the hardest course you can take. But when you choose to be yoked together with Jesus, you suddenly have the greatest Partner in the universe who will turn a once-hard situation into the most pleasurable experience of your life!

This also made me think of Ecclesiastes 4:9-12:

9 Two are better than one, because they have a good [more satisfying] reward for their labor; 10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! 11 Again, if two lie down together, then they have warmth; but how can one be warm alone? 12 And though a man might prevail against him who is alone, two will withstand him. A threefold cord is not quickly broken.

You and Kristine are 'yoked' together in this life that you have made, but you are also joined with Holy Spirit Who makes that three-fold cord! You are unbeatable in all that you do when you are in one accord! We are looking forward to hearing more of your fun and fascinating family adventures in this next year! Here is Hillsong with a song that honors the third 'fold' in that cord Who is 'yoked' with you! "Here's To The One":

VERSE 1

Here’s to the One who made the morning bright

Here’s to the One who taught the stars to shine

Here’s to the One who graced the dead of night

Pulled me from the dark set my heart alight

VERSE 2

Here’s to the One who made my heart to sing

Opened up my eyes washed away my sin

Here’s to the One who gave His life for mine

Broke all my chains and set me free alright

CHORUS

To the Way

To the Truth

To the life I live in the light You give

Jesus here’s to Your Name over everything

VERSE 3

Here’s to all the things that Your love has done

Here’s to the way You wiped away my past

Here’s to the future and the things to come

Here’s to my Saviour’s everlasting love

BRIDGE

Here’s to Your kindness

Here’s to Your goodness

Here’s to Your freedom

Here’s to the day I see You Jesus

Here’s to Your glory

Here’s to Your greatness

Here’s to Your kingdom

Here’s to the Name of Jesus

TAG

Here’s to our Saviour

Here’s to the Name of Jesus

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!

 Hi Brian!

The word for this week is "least". We see it in these verses:

Matthew 11:11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. KJV

Matthew 13:31 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: 32 Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof. KJV

These are both the Greek word "mikros". Strong's Concordance says: small in size, quantity, number or dignity. The Theological Dictionary adds: small in compass or significance. Short in time (young in age). Short in stature (as Zacchaeus). John the Baptist was great among those born under the Old Covenant, but he was not born again because he died before Jesus died becoming sin with our sin and rose to give us His LIFE. Even the 'least' significant born again person is 'greater' than John because we have been recreated in the image of God (perfect spirits) and have Holy Spirit living IN us. Then we have these verses:

Matthew 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. KJV

Luke 16:10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. KJV

1 Corinthians 15:8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. KJV

These are all the Greek word "elachistos". Vine's Expository Dictionary says: least, little, used of size, amount, authority, estimation. The Theological Dictionary says: in the Greek world "mikros" means small while elachistos means smallest. In Matthew Jesus was saying that even the least significant person in His body still represents HIM! In Luke He is saying that the person who is faithful in even the least important things (that maybe no one else sees or appreciates) can be trusted to be faithful in even bigger things. I remember Bob Yandian teaching once that you can teach anyone skills if they are faithful, but that you cannot teach faithfulness. In 1 Corinthians Paul is saying that he considers himself to be the least of all the apostles because of how he treated the believers before he was born again. Yet God did not see him that way as He had Paul write a great portion of the Epistles! Whether other people, or even we ourselves, see us as the 'least' significant, God sees all of us as precious and valuable enough to have sent His Son to die for us! Our obligation to God is to stop seeing ourselves as other people see us, or as we see ourselves, and instead to see ourselves as HE sees us! And that brings us to the song for this week, "Who You Say I Am" by Hillsong Kids:

Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!