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Post by I.M.Apologetics on Apr 10, 2008 22:49:33 GMT -5
[this is an e-mail I sent to a friend. Hope it helps you too! Any objections, bring them on!] ------ Hey man, Matthew 16:18 says "you are Peter and upon this rock I will build My Church" In Greek it is "you are Petros and upon this Petra I will build My Church" And before that, Jesus says "bless are you, Peter Bar-jona" which means "son of John" in Arameic. This is important because it shows that Jesus was speaking in Arameic (and this is held by most theologians, Catholic and Protestant). So in Arameic it would read, "you are Cephas and upon this Cephas I will..." So obviously Peter is the rock. If there is unbelief, turn them to John 1:42, where Jesus changes Peter's name to Cephas: "Jesus looked at him and said, 'You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas' (which, when translated, is Peter)" They will say that Peter's confession is the rock, but this is not so (though it can be, without diminishing Peter's role) because Jesus is clearly singling Peter out, addressing him personally. They will say that Jesus is the rock, and will point to the Old Testament and to other passages in the NT, where Jesus is put as the Head of the Church, or Her foundation. You need not fear, because this is true too. But you should again point John 1:42 and rather say "see how Jesus changes Peter's name into "rock", which in the Old Testament is only given to God?" and then point to Matt 16:18 and see how Jesus clearly states that the Father has revealed this to Peter. You can also ask them if they think we are all priests, as Peter and Revelation say. They would usually say yes, then you turn them to Hebrews where Jesus is named the High Priest. You tell them that He IS the High Priests, and we are sharers with Him. (we call this "common priesthood", which is differentiated from "ministerial priesthood", which are the Priests who are ordained) The same with Peter, God/Jesus is the Rock, and so Peter shares in this too. Lastly, you can tell them how many writers in the Early Church would interpret Matt 16:18 as refering directly to Peter, Tertullian in the year 200 AD writes, "Was anything withheld from the knowledge of Peter, who is called ‘the rock on which the Church would be built’ [Matt. 16:18] with the power of ‘loosing and binding in heaven and on earth’ [Matt. 16:19]?" Or Clement in the year 220 AD writes, "Be it known to you, my lord, that Simon [Peter], who, for the sake of the true faith, and the most sure foundation of his doctrine, was set apart to be the foundation of the Church, and for this end was by Jesus himself, with his truthful mouth, named Peter" Origen in the year 248 AD, "Look at [Peter], the great foundation of the Church, that most solid of rocks, upon whom Christ built the Church [Matt. 16:18]. And what does our Lord say to him? ‘Oh you of little faith,’ he says, ‘why do you doubt?’ [Matt. 14:31]" And St. Cyprian (one of the great Church Fathers) in the year 251 AD, "The Lord says to Peter: ‘I say to you,’ he says, ‘that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it. And to you I will give the keys of the kingdom of heaven . . . ’ [Matt. 16:18–19]. On him [Peter] he builds the Church, and to him he gives the command to feed the sheep [John 21:17], and although he assigns a like power to all the apostles, yet he founded a single chair [cathedra], and he established by his own authority a source and an intrinsic reason for that unity. Indeed, the others were that also which Peter was [i.e., apostles], but a primacy is given to Peter, whereby it is made clear that there is but one Church and one chair. . . . If someone does not hold fast to this unity of Peter, can he imagine that he still holds the faith? If he [should] desert the chair of Peter upon whom the Church was built, can he still be confident that he is in the Church?" For more quotations from the Early Church Fathers see catholic.com/library/Origins_of_Peter_as_Pope.asp For a much more complete, better written, and more theologically sound article, you can check catholicconvert.com/LinkClick.aspx?link=%7e%2fPortals%2f0%2fDocuments%2fRockPeterOrConfession.doc&tabid=83&mid=371 It is a Word document, written by apologist Steve Ray. More of his writings here catholicconvert.com/Default.aspx?tabid=83 Hope this helps. God bless, pax Christi, Juan J.
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Post by Cepha on Apr 12, 2008 3:42:29 GMT -5
Trick question?
Pe·ter –noun 1. Also called Simon Peter. died a.d. 67?, one of the 12 apostles and the reputed author of two of the Epistles. 2. either of these two Epistles in the New Testament, I Peter or II Peter. 3. a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter P. 4. a male given name.
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[Origin: ME; OE Petrus < L < Gk Pétros stone, trans. of Syriac kéfâ]
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Post by Cepha on Apr 12, 2008 3:48:38 GMT -5
Plus, the whole petros/petras argument is invalid.
Why? Because, that's "modern" Greek! LOL!
The NT was written in Aramaic and in Koine Greek (ancient Greek). There is no such word for little rock or pebbles. There was only one word for rock...petros.
This is, according to my Native Greek speaking friend who also majored in Greek (and yes, she was actually a Greek person).
Of course, this is when they try to switch the topic and resort to the old standby reply (which they always run to when prove wrong):
"Well, language doesn't matter (but it did when they were trying to use language to downplay Peter's role as God's choice)! The only thing that matters is Jesus! Peter doesn't save you! It wasn't Peter who died on The Cross for your sins!"
They use Jesus' name in vain to get out of a lost argument.
(Then why did you bring him up in the first place? I respond to them with! LOL! )
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Post by Cepha on Apr 12, 2008 15:35:54 GMT -5
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Post by alfie on Apr 16, 2008 20:02:54 GMT -5
If Peter was the first pope than why was he martyred? None of the other popes were martyed. You would think God would have kept him around to shepherd the church.
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Post by Cepha on Apr 16, 2008 20:33:02 GMT -5
If Peter was the first pope than why was he martyred? None of the other popes were martyed. You would think God would have kept him around to shepherd the church. Every Pope was martyred for the first 300 years of Christianity...that is, until Constantine came along and protected Christianity in the 4th Century. As for Peter, he lived to a very old age. I believe he died in his late 70's to early 80's.
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jacee
Junior Member
Posts: 83
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Post by jacee on Apr 17, 2008 0:18:54 GMT -5
Question....how do you stand on Peter when the winds of doctrine assail you?
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Post by Cepha on Apr 17, 2008 7:07:17 GMT -5
Question....how do you stand on Peter when the winds of doctrine assail you? Easy...When the winds (spirits) of doctrine of men attack The Church (us collectively) built upon Peter (rock), I don't have to do anything: Matthew 7 24 Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.
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Post by alfie on Apr 17, 2008 8:11:37 GMT -5
[this is an e-mail I sent to a friend. Hope it helps you too! Any objections, bring them on!] ------ Hey man, Matthew 16:18 says "you are Peter and upon this rock I will build My Church" In Greek it is "you are Petros and upon this Petra I will build My Church" And before that, Jesus says "bless are you, Peter Bar-jona" which means "son of John" in Arameic. This is important because it shows that Jesus was speaking in Arameic (and this is held by most theologians, Catholic and Protestant). So in Arameic it would read, "you are Cephas and upon this Cephas I will..." So obviously Peter is the rock. If there is unbelief, turn them to John 1:42, where Jesus changes Peter's name to Cephas: "Jesus looked at him and said, 'You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas' (which, when translated, is Peter)" They will say that Peter's confession is the rock, but this is not so (though it can be, without diminishing Peter's role) because Jesus is clearly singling Peter out, addressing him personally. They will say that Jesus is the rock, and will point to the Old Testament and to other passages in the NT, where Jesus is put as the Head of the Church, or Her foundation. You need not fear, because this is true too. But you should again point John 1:42 and rather say "see how Jesus changes Peter's name into "rock", which in the Old Testament is only given to God?" and then point to Matt 16:18 and see how Jesus clearly states that the Father has revealed this to Peter. You can also ask them if they think we are all priests, as Peter and Revelation say. They would usually say yes, then you turn them to Hebrews where Jesus is named the High Priest. You tell them that He IS the High Priests, and we are sharers with Him. (we call this "common priesthood", which is differentiated from "ministerial priesthood", which are the Priests who are ordained) The same with Peter, God/Jesus is the Rock, and so Peter shares in this too. Lastly, you can tell them how many writers in the Early Church would interpret Matt 16:18 as refering directly to Peter, Tertullian in the year 200 AD writes, "Was anything withheld from the knowledge of Peter, who is called ‘the rock on which the Church would be built’ [Matt. 16:18] with the power of ‘loosing and binding in heaven and on earth’ [Matt. 16:19]?" Or Clement in the year 220 AD writes, "Be it known to you, my lord, that Simon [Peter], who, for the sake of the true faith, and the most sure foundation of his doctrine, was set apart to be the foundation of the Church, and for this end was by Jesus himself, with his truthful mouth, named Peter" Origen in the year 248 AD, "Look at [Peter], the great foundation of the Church, that most solid of rocks, upon whom Christ built the Church [Matt. 16:18]. And what does our Lord say to him? ‘Oh you of little faith,’ he says, ‘why do you doubt?’ [Matt. 14:31]" And St. Cyprian (one of the great Church Fathers) in the year 251 AD, "The Lord says to Peter: ‘I say to you,’ he says, ‘that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it. And to you I will give the keys of the kingdom of heaven . . . ’ [Matt. 16:18–19]. On him [Peter] he builds the Church, and to him he gives the command to feed the sheep [John 21:17], and although he assigns a like power to all the apostles, yet he founded a single chair [cathedra], and he established by his own authority a source and an intrinsic reason for that unity. Indeed, the others were that also which Peter was [i.e., apostles], but a primacy is given to Peter, whereby it is made clear that there is but one Church and one chair. . . . If someone does not hold fast to this unity of Peter, can he imagine that he still holds the faith? If he [should] desert the chair of Peter upon whom the Church was built, can he still be confident that he is in the Church?" For more quotations from the Early Church Fathers see catholic.com/library/Origins_of_Peter_as_Pope.asp For a much more complete, better written, and more theologically sound article, you can check catholicconvert.com/LinkClick.aspx?link=%7e%2fPortals%2f0%2fDocuments%2fRockPeterOrConfession.doc&tabid=83&mid=371 It is a Word document, written by apologist Steve Ray. More of his writings here catholicconvert.com/Default.aspx?tabid=83 Hope this helps. God bless, pax Christi, Juan J. A few statistics from Father Ambrose (Orthodox) concerning Matthew 16:18 and the ECFs ...."That St. Peter is the Rock" is taught by seventeen (17) Fathers ....That the whole Apostolic College is the Rock, represented by Peter as its chief, is taught by eight (8) Church Fathers ....That St. Peter's faith is the Rock, is taught by forty-four (44) Church Fathers ....That Christ is the Rock, is taught by sixteen Fathers (16) ....That the rock is the whole body of the faithful. Archbp. Kendrick gives no figure
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Post by Cepha on Apr 17, 2008 8:24:46 GMT -5
[/quote]
Why don't you ever cite your sources?
Because you know I'd be all over them, right?
What is the source of those statistics?
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Post by Cepha on Apr 17, 2008 8:36:30 GMT -5
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Post by alfie on Apr 17, 2008 17:28:09 GMT -5
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Post by Cepha on Apr 17, 2008 20:03:40 GMT -5
No...your source of those quotes as written with stats are from that book. Maybe you didn't even know that. Did you?
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Post by alfie on Apr 27, 2008 10:08:00 GMT -5
No...your source of those quotes as written with stats are from that book. Maybe you didn't even know that. Did you? How about reading Ephesians 2:20.....having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone?
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Post by Cepha on Apr 28, 2008 8:26:20 GMT -5
No...your source of those quotes as written with stats are from that book. Maybe you didn't even know that. Did you? How about reading Ephesians 2:20.....having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone? LOL! Don't let your anti-Catholic brethren know you just used Eph 2! Funny how you "conveniently" left out that entire verse, here, let me help you with that: Eph 2 19Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
20And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
21In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.Their talking about The Church, right? Do you now what a cornerstone (sometimes called a "capstone")? It isn't in the foundation. It is placed on "top" of the foundation. It is the first stone set and all the others are based on how that one is set. It is the reference point from which the structure is built. So do you know what is being taught here? That only Jesus is the visible stone (the cornerstone is the first stone set in the creation of a building "above ground". It is the one that has the date that the building was created. When you walk by a building next time, you'll see this). The rest of the foundation is buried in the ground (soil, that which man is made of). The teaching here is that Jesus is the visible Rock of The Church for He is It's Leader. The rest of the foundation are The Apostles and The Prophets. The first one to be laid by Jesus Christ was Simon who was named literally "Rock" by Jesus...or "Cephas" in His native language of Aramaic. The Apostles and The Prophets (men) are the foundation of The Church...Jesus is the Cornerstone (not in the foundation, but on top of the foundation where He as leader belongs). He is over us (man, soil) in heaven as the cornerstone is over the foundation of a building. Nevertheless, men were chosen to run The Church by Jesus on earth, to be it's very support for that is what a foundation does for a building...it supports it. And it is The Church (not The Bible) that is the support of The Truth (which is Jesus Christ). Even The Holy Bible clearly states this.
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Post by Cepha on Apr 28, 2008 8:31:16 GMT -5
PS
While the foudation of a building isn't visibly seen once the building is constructed, it is the most important part of the structure besides the cornerstone.
The cornerstone (Jesus) anchors the building, the foundation (The Apostles & Prophets) supports what the cornerstone represents. The foundation follows the cornerstone.
One cannot believe in Jesus as The Cornerstone of The Church and then reject The Apostles and Prophets..."men" chosen by God.
If one follows Christ, then they have to follow the men whom He chose to lead us. To reject them is to reject Christ.
Even Jesus said this, that whoever rejects them rejects Him and The One Who sent Him...God The Father.
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Post by emily445455 on May 1, 2008 10:53:46 GMT -5
I'm not sure if this is where I wanted to post this...but oh well. My study Bible:
"Matthew 6:18 The word church is a translation of ekklesia, meaning "called out" or "assembly". In the NT it usually refers to a local group of Chrisitans. In this sense a church is an assembly of baptized beleivers wunder the discipline of the Word of God. They are organized to carry out the Great Commission, the admimistration of the NT ordin ances, and the exercise of spirtual gifts. When a group of CHristians today follows this example, it is a church in the biblical sense of the word. In the NT, Christians assembled as churches for fellowship, instruction, and worship, and to carry out the Great COmmission. Illustration: Perhaps the best-known NT churches were at Jerusalem, Antioch, Thessalonica, PHilippi, Corinth, Ephesus, and the other six cities mentioned in Rev 2 and 3. Application: Every Christian should follow the example of the NT believers by identifying with a local church and getting involved in its ministy. (References Matt 16:18, Acts 2:42)
Matthew 16:18 The Greek word used for rock (petra) is played against the name Peter (Gr. Petros). Some use this passage to teach that Peter was the foundation stone of the church, that he had a primacy among the apostles, and that he became Bishop of Rome. The verse will scarcely bear the first of these propositions and certainly none of the others. Peter may be meant by thte rock, but he is not the exclusive foundation. For the twelvefold foundation of the apostles of the church, see Esphesians 2:20 and Rev 21:14. This seems borne out by the fact that the same words are spoken to all the disciples in Matt 18:18 as are spoken to Simon Peter in 16:19. Therefore, the rock or foundation of the church is the confession (ultimately, the doctrine) of the apostles, which became normative for the true church. The word here tranlated church (Gr. ekklesia) means literally "a chosen or called-out assembly". Thus the use of the word as a technical term for an assembly or group of beleivers in Christ was quite normal. It is not viewed as an external organization, denomination, or hierarchical system. The NT church, therefore, is a local autonomous congregation or assembly of believers, which is a "church" in and of itself. This is the first occurence of the word in the HT. Since the commission in Matt 10 sent the apostles only to the "house of Israel", and no further commission was given until chapter 28, there was no worldwide task for the disciples until the physical manifestation of the church on the Day of Pentecost. Jesus promises that the gates of hell shall not precail against the church. The phrase "shall not prevail" should be understood as meaning "shall not stand against". The imagery would then picture the church as being on the offensive against the gates of hell. Here hell (Gr haides) probably represnets the kingdom of satan, not just death and the grace. While Jesus' resurrection certainly will overcome the sting of death, it will also enable His church to aggressively and offensively attack the gates of hell (cf. usuage as satan's kingdom in Job 38:17, Is. 38:10, Ps 107:18) by snatching out civtims from darkness into His glorious kingdom of light. The church is on the offensive here and hell is on the defensive."
Sorry it's so long, and sorry for any typos I may have typed.
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Post by redsoxfan on May 1, 2008 16:44:34 GMT -5
interesting approach, but flawed. If Peter was named a cornerstone to say that other stones were used in the construction of the early church does nothing to hinder the fact that none of them are as important as the cornerstone.
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Post by Cepha on May 1, 2008 22:19:42 GMT -5
I'm not sure if this is where I wanted to post this...but oh well. My study Bible: "Matthew 6:18 The word church is a translation of ekklesia, meaning "called out" or "assembly". In the NT it usually refers to a local group of Chrisitans. In this sense a church is an assembly of baptized beleivers wunder the discipline of the Word of God. They are organized to carry out the Great Commission, the admimistration of the NT ordin ances, and the exercise of spirtual gifts. When a group of CHristians today follows this example, it is a church in the biblical sense of the word. In the NT, Christians assembled as churches for fellowship, instruction, and worship, and to carry out the Great COmmission. Illustration: Perhaps the best-known NT churches were at Jerusalem, Antioch, Thessalonica, PHilippi, Corinth, Ephesus, and the other six cities mentioned in Rev 2 and 3. Application: Every Christian should follow the example of the NT believers by identifying with a local church and getting involved in its ministy. (References Matt 16:18, Acts 2:42) Matthew 16:18 The Greek word used for rock (petra) is played against the name Peter (Gr. Petros). Some use this passage to teach that Peter was the foundation stone of the church, that he had a primacy among the apostles, and that he became Bishop of Rome. The verse will scarcely bear the first of these propositions and certainly none of the others. Peter may be meant by thte rock, but he is not the exclusive foundation. For the twelvefold foundation of the apostles of the church, see Esphesians 2:20 and Rev 21:14. This seems borne out by the fact that the same words are spoken to all the disciples in Matt 18:18 as are spoken to Simon Peter in 16:19. Therefore, the rock or foundation of the church is the confession (ultimately, the doctrine) of the apostles, which became normative for the true church. The word here tranlated church (Gr. ekklesia) means literally "a chosen or called-out assembly". Thus the use of the word as a technical term for an assembly or group of beleivers in Christ was quite normal. It is not viewed as an external organization, denomination, or hierarchical system. The NT church, therefore, is a local autonomous congregation or assembly of believers, which is a "church" in and of itself. This is the first occurence of the word in the HT. Since the commission in Matt 10 sent the apostles only to the "house of Israel", and no further commission was given until chapter 28, there was no worldwide task for the disciples until the physical manifestation of the church on the Day of Pentecost. Jesus promises that the gates of hell shall not precail against the church. The phrase "shall not prevail" should be understood as meaning "shall not stand against". The imagery would then picture the church as being on the offensive against the gates of hell. Here hell (Gr haides) probably represnets the kingdom of satan, not just death and the grace. While Jesus' resurrection certainly will overcome the sting of death, it will also enable His church to aggressively and offensively attack the gates of hell (cf. usuage as satan's kingdom in Job 38:17, Is. 38:10, Ps 107:18) by snatching out civtims from darkness into His glorious kingdom of light. The church is on the offensive here and hell is on the defensive." Sorry it's so long, and sorry for any typos I may have typed. That's modern Greek you're using. The New Testament was written in Koine Greek. Besides all of that, Jesus called Peter "Cephas" in Aramaic, not in Greek.
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jacee
Junior Member
Posts: 83
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Post by jacee on May 6, 2008 12:43:34 GMT -5
This is from Bishop Carlucci thought it was good. Πέτρος Petros pet'-ros Apparently a primary word; a (piece of) rock (larger than G3037); as a name, Petrus, an apostle: - Peter, rock. Compare G2786. Supernatural SUPERNAT'URAL, a. [super and natural.] Being beyond or exceeding the powers or laws of nature; miraculous. A supernatural event is one which is not produced according to the ordinary or established laws of natural things. Thus if iron has more specific gravity than water, it will sink in that fluid; and the floating of iron on water must be a supernatural event. Now no human being can alter a law of nature; the floating of iron on water therefore must be caused by divine power specially exerted to suspend, in this instance, a law of nature. Hence supernatural events or miracles can be produced only by the immediate agency of divine power. Etymology: Middle English, from Medieval Latin supernaturalis, from Latin super- + natura nature 1 : of or relating to an order of existence beyond the visible observable universe; especially : of or relating to God or a god, demigod, spirit, or devil - VERB- weird 2 a : departing from what is usual or normal especially so as to appear to transcend the laws of nature b : attributed to an invisible agent (as a ghost or spirit) Mat 14:25 But in the fourth watch of the night ( Between three and six o'clock in the morning,) Jesus went out to them, walking on the sea. it was dark. The next verse says they SAW Him. Walking on the SEA. There is a Neo Phosphorescence that makes the waves light from the pull of the moon. They actually glow as they roll. These were not just small rolling waves, they were trying to turn the boat over and drown the apostles. You know the devil was watching and tried to do a quick kill on them. I can see the boat being carried 10-25 feet high rolling up and down and the apostles holding on for dear life, probably upchucking here and there. It had to be the end as far as they knew. Why did Jesus compel Peter the ROCK to step out? ROCKS usually were on the bottom of the see. They sunk. They were heavier than water. Peter almost acted like a normal ROCK and sank. Jesus brought the natural and the supernatural into a Heavenly Realm Here on this Earth. There is only one of many hidden mysteries and revelations IN this teaching. Rocks that transcend to Heavenly Places. Rocks that don't sink. Mat 14:26 And seeing Him walking on the sea, the disciples were troubled, saying, It is a phantom! And they cried out from the fear. The night was not the norm. They saw the eerie things and Fear drove it down their imagination. They were about to go under. These were seasoned fisherman, used to these storms. But they had never seen anything this weird. They saw a Ghost they thought. Yet it was Jesus saying "DO NOT FEAR". Mat 14:27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, Be comforted! I AM! Do not fear. Peter has never been looked at in a supernatural or weird way. Everyone just saw him as a man who blew his faith. Many look at Peter as a loser. When we read this, we see Peter betraying Jesus and running away. We see ourselves really. Yet we forget that Peter was the ONLY White man in ALL of history, BESIDES Jesus Himself to actually walk ON water. Jesus built HIS Church on Peters desire and his fears. most of all, his faith. You see Jesus saw Peter all cleaned up and willing to step out INTO the supernatural, into places no one ever walked before. He saw his mind imagining places INNNN Heavenly realms and his desire to go beyond NORMAL religion and all the NORMAL traditions. HE Saw Peter broke and willing to do anything to please his Lord. He sees that INNN us. He wanted to have us see the supernatural abilities and realms that he taught. He told us "ON EARTH, as IT IS INNNNN HEAVEN. That was what we were to pray for. We were to seek HIM and Heaven INNNNNN us FIRST. Then He would take us all on a walk. On water, through mountains, to hell and to Heaven and all the realms IN between. We got ceiling off in religious mindsets and teachings that stopped just short of the GATE and DOORS to the INNER SANCTUM of Heaven in Earth. Yet Peter knew these things in his worse time of trouble. A example to us we did not see. " Keep our eyes ALWAYS ON JESUS and we will not fear or sink. Even when Peter lost sight of Jesus he called out HIS NAME above all names. Hope rang INNNN Peter that night and FAITH was shown in it's purest form between this natural and supernatural place. Peter taught us a real lesson. He stepped out. Have we? Do we run to the side of the boat or do we stay in the boat? Do we do a 2 1/2 gainer over the side or pray about it and hope boat it to never know the victory we should have, could have, would have? We only have to run our race INNN Jesus In His Faith. When we are NOT faithful, He remains faithful yet. What a encouragement. Mat 14:28 And answering Him, Peter said, Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the waters. Mat 14:29 And He said, Come! And going down from the boat, Peter walked on the waters to go to Jesus. The question is, How far did he walk? What did he feel when he actually stepped over the rail and put his foot down on the water? What was that sensation of actually putting the other foot on the water and knowing he was REALLY standing on the water? What did Peter feel like then? When he stepped out, looking at Jesus what was THAT feeling? Man it had to be soooo good. Did he feel like dancing, running or walking? He had his eyes on Jesus and things were not NATURAL even though it seemed that way Peter had been in this kind of stoems before.. They were outside of time and space. They were INNN another dimension of time and space. We have all walked on wet pavement. Is that what it felt like? Jesus and Peter were flat footed on the water. How was Peters thoughts and they must have been wild and out of all his normal thinking. He was blown away. I would have been. Have we walked the mile or feet INNN Peters sandals? NO. We just drew conclusions, instead of looking INTO the deep wells of the Mysteries of God and the Revelation of Jesus. We stop them both when we JUDGE and draw our own conclusions Here is where we see Peter and never see the true faith lesson here- Mat 14:30But seeing the wind strong, he was afraid, and beginning to sink, he cried out, saying, Lord, save me! Here Peter sees all the mess again around him and forgets the Lord is there in front of him even forgets the miracle of walking flat footed on the water. ( We sometimes TOOO quickly forget the greatness of the Heavenlies around us. We just see a person healed and BAM, we forget like Elijah and run for the nearest cave.) We see the lesson of "keep our eyes on Jesus" but do we see Peter saying " I am not worthy to be crucified like my Lord Jesus" and opting for the feet first nailed to the tree? Do we see that after the Baptism of the Holy Spirit that all of them were willing to turn over all they had and die for Jesus? See Jesus saw that all before Peter was ever born. He knew He had it in him. He knew he would fear and deny Him, not seeing HIM. He knew the importance of Keeping our eyes on HIM as He kept His Eyes on the Father. He knew just as the AX HEAD floated for Elijah, that the ROCK would walk again. He would stretch his faith INTO the Heavenly realms and not sink, just like he knows we will. There is many days that come for us to step out IN faith and walk on the water. When are we going to leap INTO The Realms of Heaven and hold on to Jesus for the ride of our lives? Make this your day. When the water gets shaky keep your eyes on Jesus and keep stepping on out. Grab that person in the wheelchair and ask to pray for them. Mat 14:31 And immediately stretching out the hand, Jesus took hold of him, and said to him, Little-faith stone, why did you doubt? You see, there is a place right INNN that place, you are, right this second. There is a dimension called Heaven. It is of the spirit realms. Jesus said it is WITHINNNN you. Jesus is a Spirit and we must worship Him INNN Spirit and INNNN truth. Jesus told us to continually pray for Heaven to invade this earth, everywhere we set our feet. It does whether we know it or not. It waits for us to CALL it INNN at anytime. He was our example. We are being conformed day by day INTO His Image. We were supposed to step on out and ASK, SEEK AND KNOCK, to find Jesus INNHN all around us. He is right INNNN you, waiting to manifest HIS Power through you and all around you, just by you speaking it INTO existence. When you see that person in the wheel chair or the one with a brace or deaf one, Run to him and ask to pray for them, ASKING Jesus to manifest Himself to all around you. Invite the Holy Spirit INNNto the place you are. Listen for a WORD Jesus has for you, to impart faith to that person and anyone else around you. You will be surprised at the results. Someone will get blessed for sure. A few months ago, we were in the same dope zones I almost died in. There were 2 women sitting in the shade under a tree. One was detoxing and the other had already. The one detoxing was getting sicker. She told me she had just been ripped off and was sick. There was others around her. I asked her to pray with her. I laid hands on her head and bound the withdrawal symptoms and report to the feet of Jesus. Right then, she felt a heat and electric current run through her body. She instantly felt better. While I was talking to her and everyone was praising Jesus for her recovery, many other dope dealers on the other corner had seen us and was starting to come over to see what was going on. They said, “hey man what’s happening over here? We saw a light bolt come through the trees into your group, what was all that about? They just had come to church because the Spirit was present and working the crowd. She held up her hand and she had a surgical glove on over her thumb. She said the doctors had told her that she would have to lose that thumb in about 6 weeks. I grabbed it and loosed life back into it and bound it from dying as the group interceded all around us. I loosed the Holy Ghost on it to restore and resurrect life back into it. I let go and told her to move it. She touched her little finger and thumb together and was totally shocked. She could instantly move it and pinch her fingers together. She was ecstatic and everyone around us was watching. Every one danced to the Lord Jesus. They saw 2 miracles that 30 years of great sermons could have never touched. They saw Jesus INNN action. No need to explain anything else. We prayed for everyone to receive Jesus. What a day. Jesus was the Glory of the day, all because we stepped into the realms of the supernatural, where ax heads float and rocks walk on water. wow. Listen to this.... Mat 14:32 And coming into the boat, the wind ceased. Walked Peter back through the wind and waves. We need to remember Peter was still walking and Jesus was holding his hand most likely. BUT: He was WALKING on the water. The message is, when we have Jesus with and INNN us, we can do the same. Keep our eyes and ears glued to HIM and look at the supernatural places that are all around us. He might just call us faithful and I told you , “If you ONLY believe". We will lift from GLORY to GLORY and watch things we never saw before, just because we looked and listened. He will walk you back to this world with a residue of His realm stuck all over us. Walk onnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn, PC
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