Jesus

We can find out a lot about Jesus from the Bible, but can we find historic evidence for Jesus outside of the bible, plus what did Jesus look like, check out the articles and videos below to find answers to these questions

Historical sources for Jesus:

There is lots of evidence that Jesus did exist other than the bible anyone who says he didn't exist does not really understand History, all the people that said he existed below did not have anything to gain by saying he existed if he didn't exist

Historian Flavius Josephus wrote one of the earliest non-biblical accounts of Jesus.

The first-century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, who according to Ehrman “is our best source of information about first-century Palestine,” twice mentions Jesus in Jewish Antiquities, his massive 20-volume history of the Jewish people that was written around 93 A.D.

Thought to have been born a few years after the crucifixion of Jesus around 37 A.D., Josephus was a well-connected aristocrat and military leader in Palestine who served as a commander in Galilee during the First Jewish Revolt against Rome between 66 and 70 A.D. Although Josephus was not a follower of Jesus, “He was around when the early church was getting started, so he knew people who had seen and heard Jesus,” Mykytiuk says.

In one passage of Jewish Antiquities that recounts an unlawful execution, Josephus identifies the victim, James, as the “brother of Jesus-who-is-called-Messiah.” While few scholars doubt the short account’s authenticity, says Mykytiuk, more debate surrounds Josephus’s lengthier passage about Jesus, known as the “Testimonium Flavianum,” which describes a man “who did surprising deeds” and was condemned to be crucified by Pilate. Mykytiuk agrees with most scholars that Christian scribes modified portions of the passage but did not insert it wholesale into the text.

Cornelius Tacitus.

Tacitus connects Jesus to his execution by Pontius Pilate.

Another account of Jesus appears in Annals of Imperial Rome, a first-century history of the Roman Empire written around 116 A.D. by the Roman senator and historian Tacitus. In chronicling the burning of Rome in 64 A.D., Tacitus mentions that Emperor Nero falsely blamed “the persons commonly called Christians, who were hated for their enormities. Christus, the founder of the name, was put to death by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberius.”

As a Roman historian, Tacitus did not have any Christian biases in his discussion of the persecution of Christians by Nero, says Ehrman. “Just about everything he says coincides—from a completely different point of view, by a Roman author disdainful of Christians and their superstition—with what the New Testament itself says: Jesus was executed by the governor of Judea, Pontius Pilate, for crimes against the state, and a religious movement of his followers sprang up in his wake.”

“When Tacitus wrote history, if he considered the information not entirely reliable, he normally wrote some indication of that for his readers,” Mykytiuk says in vouching for the historical value of the passage. “There is no such indication of potential error in the passage that mentions Christus.”

Additional Roman texts reference Jesus.

Shortly before Tacitus penned his account of Jesus, Roman governor Pliny the Younger wrote to Emperor Trajan that early Christians would “sing hymns to Christ as to a god.” Some scholars also believe Roman historian Suetonius references Jesus in noting that Emperor Claudius had expelled Jews from Rome who “were making constant disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sources_for_the_historicity_of_Jesus
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_Jesus#:~:text=There%20is%20no%20physical%20or,were%20written%20after%20his%20death.
• https://www.history.com/news/was-jesus-real-historical-evidence
• https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/jesus-historical-jesus/did-jesus-exist/
• www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/science/scientific-insights/did-jesus-of-nazareth-actually-exist-the-evidence-says-yes/amp/
• https://www.uncover.org.uk/questions/whats-the-evidence-outside-the-bible-for-jesus-life-and-teaching/
• https://www.christianity.com/wiki/jesus-christ/does-proof-of-jesus-other-than-in-the-bible-exist.html?amp=1

Interesting article Richard Dawkins the greatest opponent against the bible proves Jesus existed

https://www.express.co.uk/news/weird/1182000/jesus-christ-proof-richard-dawkins-evidence-bible-real-god-christians-spt

What did Jesus look like

(What Did Jesus REALLY Look Like? Ethnicity, Hair, Skin, Eyes, Body Type)

https://www.history.com/news/what-did-jesus-look-like

Other interesting articles about Jesus:

• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronology_of_Jesus
• https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus

Psalm 139 - The Message

Psalm 139 - The Message //cool verse that shows God Loved us before we were even born and knew everything about us 

God, investigate my life; get all the facts firsthand.

I’m an open book to you;

even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking.

You know when I leave and when I get back;

I’m never out of your sight.

You know everything I’m going to say before I start the first sentence.

I look behind me and you’re there, then up ahead and you’re there, too—

your reassuring presence, coming and going.

This is too much, too wonderful, I can’t take it all in!

Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit? 

to be out of your sight?

If I climb to the sky, you’re there!

If I go underground, you’re there!

If I flew on morning’s wings to the far western horizon, 

You’d find me in a minute you’re already there waiting!

Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark!

At night I’m immersed in the light!”

It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you; night and day, 

darkness and light, they’re all the same to you.

Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; 

you formed me in my mother’s womb.

I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!

Body and soul, I am marvelously made!

I worship in adoration—what a creation!

You know me inside and out,

you know every bone in my body;

You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,

how I was sculpted from nothing into something.

Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;

all the stages of my life were spread out before you,

The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day.

Your thoughts—how rare, how beautiful!

God, I’ll never comprehend them!

I couldn’t even begin to count them any more than I could count the sand of the sea.

Oh, let me rise in the morning and live always with you!

And please, God, do away with wickedness for good!

And you murderers—out of here!—

all the men and women who belittle you, God infatuated with cheap god-imitations.

See how I hate those who hate you, God,

see how I loathe all this godless arrogance;

I hate it with pure, unadulterated hatred.

Your enemies are my enemies!

Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me;

Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I’m about;

See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong, then guide me on the road to eternal life.

 

Noah's Biblical Flood: New Evidence Suggests It Happened

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In an interview with Christiane Amanpour for ABC News, Robert Ballard, one of the world’s best-known underwater archaeologists, talked about his findings. His team is probing the depths of the Black Sea off the coast of Turkey in search of traces of an ancient civilization hidden underwater since the time of Noah.

Four hundred feet below the surface, they unearthed an ancient shoreline, proof to Ballard that a catastrophic event did happen in the Black Sea. By carbon dating shells found along the shoreline, Ballard said he believes they have established a timeline for that catastrophic event, which he estimates happened around 5,000 BC. Some experts believe this was around the time when Noah’s flood could have occurred.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/evidence-suggests-biblical-great-flood-noahs-time-happened/story?id=17884533&singlePage=true

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me church

think about this video for a moment and answer this question what does church mean to you

 
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGEmlPjgjVI

 This is a funny video, but sadly some churches are like this, some churches are inward looking when they should be outward looking. some people think that churches should be all about them and how much they can get from a church, when it should be what we can do for God, because its his church not ours.

A church should always be outward looking, in the sense that, we are doing what god wants us to do to reach the community that we live in and help people around us,

"the world knows what the Church is against, lets show world what the Church is for" mike pilavachi (soul survivor)

Yes we need to share our faith but we also we need to share our faith in a practical way by helping the needy and other people around you, you also think about where the things you buy come from, for example, coffee, tea bananas etc. consider buying fair trade products this helps the farmers who grow them have a better life, also encourage your shops to sell fair trade products, if they don't ask why not.

Another thing we can do is volunteer for Charity and below is a site with lots of volunteering ideas which we can do. http://www.do-it.org.uk/

 Jesus is our role model what would Jesus do.

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2: 1-11 (NIV)

holy spirit

HOLY SPIRIT

A IN DEPTH BIBLE STUDY ON THE SUBJECT

By Christian Gittings

HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit is a person, he’s not a it or just gas, he is part of the God head, he has a personality

• He can speak (Acts 13:2);
• He can be grieved (Eph. 4:25-30, Isa 63:10);
• He has a will (1 Cor 12:11).

The spirit brings purification and change

• Malachi 3:2-4
• Romans 2:29

The spirit helps us when we don’t know what to pray

Romans 8:26-27

The spirit leads us, frees us and witnesses to us that we are children of God if we are Christians.

Romans 8:13-16

The Holy Spirit helps us over come sin in our lives

Rom 8 (all)

The spirit helps when we are in spiritual warfare and we are in spirit warfare every day of our lives.

Ephesians 6:9-18

The Holy Spirit can take away fear and heal depression, distress and heal the problems of the mind

2 Tim 1:7 , Rom 8:26

BAPTISED IN THE HOLY SPIRIT / RECEIVING HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit is a promise, it’s a free gift, The Holy Spirit has to come he will not say no.

Acts 2:33, Acts 11:16, Acts 1:4-8, John 7:39

Baptised = GK Word baptizo
baptizo (bap-tid'-zo); to immerse, submerge; to make overwhelmed (i.e. fully wet); used only (in the N. T.) of ceremonial ablution, especially (technically) of the ordinance of Christian baptism:
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

Word used when dying clothes or when a ship sinks. So these two verses are saying we will be filled, overwhelmed and immersed in the Holy Spirit, when we get baptised in Holy Spirit and the holy spirit brings power see the gifts of the holy spirit section and below With the “glory of god”

2 Cor 3:7-10

GLORY OF GOD

Beauty, power, or honour; a quality of God's character that emphasizes His greatness and authority. The word is used in three senses in the Bible:
(from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Copyright (c)1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

Moses was able to part the Red sea and produce water from a rock, how much more glory will the Holy Spirit bring, the Holy Spirit also brings the “Glory of God” or the power of God as we can see above, in the verse below we can see this “when the spirit comes you will receive power”.

Acts 1:7-8

Power = (GK) dunamis (doo'-nam-is) force (literally or figuratively); specially, miraculous power (usually by implication, a miracle itself):
KJV - ability, abundance, meaning, might (-ily, -y, -y deed), (worker of) miracle (-s), power, strength, violence, mighty (wonderful) work.
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

This is where we get the word dynamite from so really the Holy Spirit can be called spiritual TNT

• Acts 2:38
• Acts 8:14-17
• Acts19:1-7

We can see from the above verses that we have a package and we need to do the entire package to benefit from and live the Christian walk

• Repent, accept Jesus as lord and saviour
• Be baptised in water (baptized in the name of Jesus Christ)
• Be baptised in Holy Spirit

Yes when we become Christians the Holy Spirit come inside us but we don’t get filled or baptised in the Holy Spirit when we become Christians that is a separate part of the package but It gives us the gifts to help people and the help to live the way god wants us to live

Paul asked in acts 19:1-7 “have you received/filled the holy spirit since you became a Christian”, this verse also means we need to keep receiving the Holy Spirit as the are human we leak see the drinking of the Holy Spirit section for more details.

Not being filled with the Holy Spirit is like having a million pounds in your account and refusing to use it, why would anyone do that, that’s just silly.

It’s the same with the Holy Spirit God has given you a resource why refuse to use it

The baptism can come at different times and different ways. Paul became a Christian on the road but he still had to be filled with Holy Spirit later by the laying on of hands please see verse below to see what happened to Paul.

Acts 9:17-18

We also saw this in happening in Acts 19:1-7, but hands do not have to laid on you other times the Holy Spirit comes and fills/Baptises people just after or seconds after the person becomes a Christian without laying on of hands as in the below verses.

Acts 10:44-46, Acts 2:1-4

But people are still filled with holy spirit and as you can see from the below passages there are lots of verses about people being filled with Holy Spirit and continuing to be filled with Holy Spirit and when you have been filled with holy spirit you know you have been filled with the holy spirit also to be filled with the holy spirit all you have do is be willing to be filled with the holy spirit and ask God that you will be filled with the Spirit..

• Acts 2:1-4
• Acts 4:31
• Acts 13:52

Other references for being baptised in the spirit and prophesies about these events

• Isaiah 44:3
• Malachi 3:2-4
• Acts 2:17
• Joel 2:28
• Luke 3:16
• John 1:33
• Acts 1:5
• Acts 2:2-4
• Acts 11:15-16

When you are baptised in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit comes inside us

1 Corinthians 6:19

DRINKING OF THE SPIRIT

A prophesy about the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament and drinking of the Holy Spirit

Isaiah 44:3

See verses below, we should be filled and drink of the Holy Spirit.

• Eph 5:18-21
• 1 Cor 12:13
• John 7:37-39

Background to the above passage and the word drink in the bible:-

Drink = (GK) potizo (pot-id'-zo);
To furnish drink, irrigate, give (make) to drink, feed, water.
To give to drink, to furnish drink, (*)
"Provided" and "satisfied" by the power and blessing of the Spirit of God, (**) as in 1 Cor 12:13
Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
* (from Thayer's Greek Lexicon, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2000, 2003 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
** (From Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright (c)1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

In the song Jesus holy and anointed one of the verses go “your Spirit’s like water to my soul”. If the living water is the Holy Spirit as we can see in John 7:37-39, the term living water is linked to the spirit as it says, “He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive”, the verses below can be about the Holy Spirit as well as it is about living water.

John 4:10-16.

So the spirit becomes a fountain in inside us which can "Provide" and "satisfy" us by the spirits power and blessing in our lives, as in the song Jesus holy and anointed one of the verses go “your Spirit’s like water to my soul” in other words your spirit gives us refreshment.

These verses can also be about the word of god as the Holy Spirit makes the word of god come alive and enables it to talk into our lives and change us into the people that god wants us to be,

2 Tim 3:16
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”:
KJV
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness”,
(New International Version)
“Every Writing [is] God-breathed, and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for setting aright, for instruction that [is] in righteousness”,
YLT

Inspiration of God = (GK theopneustos (theh-op'-nyoo-stos) divinely breathed in:
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

As we can see from below spirit and God’s breath is the same thing

Breath or Spirit = GK pneuma (pnyoo'-mah); a current of air, i.e. breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively, a spirit, i.e. (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman) an angel, demon, or (divine) God, Christ's spirit, the Holy Spirit as in John 3:8. Acts 2:2, describe the Holy Spirit being like wind.
KJV - ghost, life, spirit (-ual, -ually), mind.
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)

The spirit brings the fruits of the spirit and this is how we know we are filled with the Holy Spirit not the gifts.

Gal 5:22-23

Healing the sick is a powerful testimony it can make people want to become christian, but the only way to do it is the holy spirit, as the holy spirit brings healing and faith.

James 5:15

The Holy Spirit is a gentleman he will not force us do anything we don’t want to do or to accept him but we need to ask him to come. John 4:10 and John 4:13-16 can also be about salvation as the spirit makes salvation possible, it guides people into salvation, we can do nothing to save people, it’s only god and his spirit can save people.

John 4:23-24, John 3:5-8

In the above verse we can see the spirit enables us to worship God and it is impossible to serve and to worship god without the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Please note the word worship and the word service in the bible are interchangeable as service is part of worship see below

Background to the word worship

The word worship is broken down into the following parts

(GK) proskuneo (pros-koo-neh'-o); (meaning to kiss, like a dog licking his master's hand); to fawn or crouch to, i.e. (literally or figuratively) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore):
(GK) latreuo (lat-ryoo'-o); to minister (to God), i.e. render, religious homage:
"to serve, do service to"
(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
eusebeoo, euseboo: to be eusebees (pious), to act piously or reverently
1 Tim 5:4
"to reverence, to show piety" towards any to whom dutiful regard is due (akin to eusebes, "pious, godly, devout"), is used in 1 Tim 5:4 of the obligation on the part of children and grandchildren (RV) to express in a practical way their dutifulness "towards their own family"; in Acts 17:23 of worshiping God
The worship of God is nowhere defined in Scripture. A consideration of the above verbs shows that it is not confined to praise; broadly it may be regarded as the direct acknowledgement to God, of His nature, attributes, ways and claims, whether by the outgoing of the heart in praise and thanksgiving or by deed done in such acknowledgment.
(from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words, Copyright (c)1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers)

After we have learnt this John 4:23-24 can now say “true servants, serve the lord in spirit and in truth, or by the spirit”, a way to serve god is by the gifts of the spirit see next section.

GIFTS OF HOLY SPIRIT

We need to desire after the gifts of the holy spirit:-

1 Corinthians 14:1-15

So what are the gifts of the holy spirit:-

• 1 Corinthians 12:1-11
• 1 Corinthians 12:28-31

You can be healed by the of the Holy Spirit and miracles do happen, if these things don’t happen it would not be in the word that it does, and as we have discovered the holy spirit brings the “glory of god” = the power of God.

The power of God that raised Jesus from the dead is inside you in the form of the Holy Spirit, so every thing Jesus did i.e. raise the dead, heal the sick is possible by the holy spirit living inside us and in the name and power of Jesus.

Romans 8:11

These gifts of the holy spirit help us to live as part of the body, and the edify the church and Its important to do our bit in the church

Romans 12:5-21

The gifts verifiers the message of salvation

Hebrews 2:3-4

FURTHER READING

WEBSITES

• Spirituality and Faith Resources
  [www] http://www.spirithome.com/
• christian faith.com (all About Christian Faith)
  [www] http://www.christian-faith.com/
• Christian Apologetics and Research ministry (CARM)
  [www] http://www.carm.org/
• Who is Jesus
  [www] http://www.greatcom.org

BOOKS

• Good Morning, Holy Spirit by Benny Hinn, Published by Thomas Nelson
• Come Holy Spirit by David Pytches, Published by Hodder & Stoughton