Restoring Integrity

/0 Comments/in , , /by

The Challenge for Church Leadership & Integrity

It is a difficult time for the church, especially for church leaders. The public failure of a church leader can have disastrous effects on the church’s members. Unfortunately, many church leaders have not taken responsibility for restoring their own and the church’s integrity. As a result, members are left to rationalize their leaders’ unethical behavior or abandon their faith altogether.

Restoration Procedures and Lack Thereof

Some denominations have established specific restoration procedures to combat this trend. However, many independent churches lack clear restoration processes to restore a fallen leader that the congregation formerly looked up to and trusted with their spiritual lives. The restoration process can vary depending on the church, with some leaders refusing to apologize and continuing in ministry without any consequences.

The Image of Christ

Leaders who refuse to take responsibility for their actions are detrimental to the image of Jesus Christ’s church, making it seem like certain people are above God’s judgment. Other church leaders may try to protect the fallen leader or leave the church altogether. However, some strive to restore their own integrity, relying on their spiritual skills to rebuild their credibility and respect.

The Apostle Paul’s Warnings

The apostle Paul warned that overseers must be above reproach and that those who sin should be reprimanded openly. However, he also taught that restoration should be conducted in a spirit of gentleness and humility. Anyone overseeing the rehabilitation of a fallen spiritual leader must also be cautious and avoid the temptation to fall themselves.

Future Forward: Prophetic Insights for Tomorrow Leaders

For church leaders who are struggling with issues of integrity, guidance and insight are crucial. That’s why we’re excited to invite you to “Future Forward: Prophetic Insights for Tomorrow Leaders,” an event featuring prophetic ministers who will share their wisdom and prophetic words to help you align with God’s plan for your life and ministry. Join us at www.prophecology.com to register and gain the direction you need to move forward confidently and purposefully in your ministry.

Accept This Invitation

Don’t miss out on Prophecology 2023! Register at  www.prophecology.com

You will soon be blessed with prophetic understanding and power. Connect with us for a personal prophecy. This is your opportunity to receive a prophetic message tailored to your life’s current stage.

Join our LIVE Conference Call!

1) Call 515-604-9266

2) Go to startmeeting.com, and use the login: BishopJordan

Integrity and Integration

/0 Comments/in /by

Becoming Complete

Integrity comes from the same root word as integrate, which means “complete.” Hawaii joined the US as the 50th state. Integrity makes a person entire. Integrity means living what they say. Even a church congregation might become morally bankrupt without integrity. In the 1960s, theologians denounced the “Death of God,” a radical movement that held that belief in God is impossible or useless in the secular world.

The Death of God movement, also known as the thanatology, explains secularity and the decline of conventional religion. William Blake, a 19th-century poet, and mystic, saw the crucifixion of Jesus Christ as a kenosis or self-emptying of God, culminating in God’s death. The Protestant theologians’ Death of God movement signified society’s growing dissatisfaction with religion and a move away from conventional values and customs. The 1970s brought the Charismatic movement and fundamentalism to the Christian church, but not before bringing existential anxiety, cynicism, spiritual doubt, and moral rot in American culture.

Some critics attribute the period’s sexual promiscuity, violence, and anti-establishment rhetoric to the Death of God movement. Modern moral relativism makes morality and truth a question of taste. The Death of God movement was paralleled by situation ethics and ethical relativism. Situation ethics, according to Bishop John A. T. Robinson and Professor Joseph Fletcher, holds that no single moral philosophy can address all situations and that each person must decide what is proper.

Situation ethics philosophers and the Death of God movement argue that integrity has withdrawn from the modern world because modern man has been too focused on obsolete mythology and not enough on quickly changing situations. Modern man has no compass or bearings since God is absent. This states that we all follow our birth religion, a cultural dice roll. The godlessness and secularism that followed this movement is understandable. The entire Christian community would need to be restored to its prophetic identity.

Accept This Invitation

You will soon be blessed with prophetic understanding and power. Connect with us for a personal prophecy. This is your opportunity to receive a prophetic message tailored to your life’s current stage.

Join our LIVE Conference Call!

1) Call 515-604-9266

2) Go to startmeeting.com, and use the login: BishopJordan

 

The Discernment of Sin

/0 Comments/in /by

Spiritual Discernment

So, how could a leader who has failed morally, ethically, monetarily, or even theologically be restored? Pastor Larry Stockstill suggests a procedure that begins with the spiritual discernment of sin (Gal. 6:1). Prophetic discernment is not the same as sin detection. Some sins, for example, are regarded as lapses or indiscretions rather than deep-seated moral failures. An indiscretion may necessitate discipline, whereas moral loss may be terrible enough to disqualify a leader permanently. To enable spiritual overseers to recognize their sins, the fallen leader must answer the following eight questions:

  1. How deeply ingrained and long-lasting is the sin?
  2. Has the individual taken long-term steps to conceal his sin?
  3. Did the leader publicly deny his transgression, losing all credibility with his followers as the proof became unmistakable? Even in politics and sports, we’ve seen that the worst offense associated with a scandal is a public denial of wrongdoing followed by an embarrassing confession when the evidence becomes too heavy.
  4. Is he cynical about the gravity of his sin, dismissing it as typical or, at worst, marginal behavior?
  5. Is he willing to end every lousy relationship?
  6. Has he justified his sin by blaming others and portraying himself as a victim?
  7. Does he manipulate scripture to justify his behavior or label those who disagree with him as “Pharisaical” or “legalistic”?
  8. Has he shown regret?

A Willingness to Repent

Repentance must entail a commitment to renounce and forsake the sin and a willingness to surrender and submit to the demands of authority, all without changing authorities during the restoration process.

Accept This Invitation

You will soon be blessed with prophetic understanding and power. Connect with us for a personal prophecy. This is your opportunity to receive a prophetic message tailored to your life’s current stage.

Join our LIVE Conference Call!

1) Call 515-604-9266

2) Go to startmeeting.com, and use the login: BishopJordan

 

Identity and the Soul

/0 Comments/in /by

The Soul Cannot Die

Thomas Aquinas said that because the soul can’t be destroyed, the parts of a person’s soul after death should be the same as they were before the death. So, the unchangeable soul should be able to keep its identity whether it is with the physical body or temporarily separated while waiting for the last day’s resurrection. Because of this, Aquinas doesn’t see any problem with the idea that people keep their identities after death, even though the soul is no longer with the dead body.

It stays this way until the last day when it meets the resurrected body for the last time. It’s as if the soul has an eternal plan for the resurrected organic body, which will be brought back to life by divine power. This makes it possible for all people to be perfect in the end, or for those who deserve eternal damnation to be destroyed in the end. So, what does this have to do with putting things right and being honest? To answer this question, we must first look at the metaphysical connection between body and soul, between physical existence and spiritual nature. For this, we need to look at the human soul itself.

Physical Existence and Spiritual Substance

The fact that the human soul can’t be destroyed, which is a reflection of God’s divine nature, shows that the divine plan is already written all over the universe. As Genesis 1:26-27 tells us:

Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”  And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

The Divine Mind

Charles Fillmore wrote in his 1936 book Prosperity, “Divine mind is the one and only reality.” In contrast to the mortal body, the spiritual body lives forever in the heavens and is not made by people. All of creation is made up of a divine, spiritual substance that can never be used up. What we think of as physical matter is only the tip of what God made.

Spirit is not matter. God is not a physical matter but a spiritual substance. Matter has shape, but God, who is the source of all shape, has none. Spiritual substance lies beneath the physical world we see. This substance first takes shape in our minds, and we bring it into our lives by becoming one with it and reconnecting with the limitless source which we all come from.

The spiritual thing we’re talking about is alive, not just a pile of dead food that doesn’t fill you up or a pool of water that doesn’t quench your thirst. The spiritual stuff is bread and water that keep on giving life.

People who eat God’s spiritual food will never feel hungry or thirsty. You cannot win or lose spiritual substance as you can with earthly fortune. It is something that stays the same.

It is an unbreakable rule that is as important to reality as the rules of math. We can’t live without God’s spiritual supply, just like we can’t live without the source of life. As God is everywhere in the universe and life is in every cell of the body, spiritual energy flows freely through people.

Accept This Invitation

God will bless you with prophetic understanding and power. Connect with us for a personal prophecy. This is your opportunity to receive a prophetic message that is tailored to the current stage of your life.

Join our LIVE Conference Call!

1) Call 515-604-9266

2) Go to startmeeting.com, and use the login: BishopJordan

Restoration of Integrity

/0 Comments/in , /by

 

Develop your character so that you are a person of integrity.

Peter Cain

Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
    but whoever follows perverse ways will be found out.

Proverbs 10:9 NRSV

Modern Society and the Loss of Integrity

Many critics have declared a conspicuous and severe loss of integrity in modern society, notably among those in positions of respect and authority and among ordinary members of American culture and life. It is one of the most prominent issues confronting churches today. But what exactly is integrity?

Integrity and Honesty

One of the first attributes we identify with integrity is honesty, an excellent foundation for a life of virtue. After all, a person of integrity cannot be dishonest. But goodness extends beyond plain honesty. Honesty is merely expressing the truth; however, as Professor Stephen L. Carter explains, integrity is having the courage of one’s convictions. Goodness does not suggest a single-minded devotion but rather a completeness in confidence, an assurance that one is conducting their life correctly.

In other words, a person of integrity is someone others can rely on to do the right thing, follow the rules, and maintain their pledges and obligations.

When we, as individual believers, lose our way and end up jeopardizing our prophetic identities, integrity is restoring ourselves to our original, undying nature. It is restoring your prophetic identity by aligning with the portion of you created in God’s image and likeness.

Accept This Invitation

You will soon be blessed with prophetic understanding and power. Connect with us for a personal prophecy. This is your opportunity to receive a prophetic message tailored to your life’s current stage.

Join our LIVE Conference Call!

1) Call 515-604-9266

2) Go to startmeeting.com, and use the login: BishopJordan

The Fundamental Basis of the Universe & the Super Mind

/0 Comments/in /by

What everything is made up

Only the Divine Mind exists. We can “well up” with power by calmly contemplating this Mind’s ideas. The spiritual body, which lives forever in paradise, would have a base. The visible, material body then conveys the spiritual body to everything we contact. Prophets’ spiritual understanding revealed a new age. New means to access goods and support are emerging now.

We can already see this in the fact that cash is becoming less common and online transactions are becoming more common. People won’t be enslaved to money in the prophets’ foretold economy. We’ll meet our daily requirements in ways that aren’t possible in capitalism. Instead, we will serve one other for the love of it, and prosperity will flow freely to and through us, according to Charles Fillmore. Fillmore adds that those who have tested the “supply and support” that love and zeal will thereafter set in motion are outspoken about how wonderfully they work.

The Supermind

People from all over the world have sometimes shown signs of the dynamic power of the supermind. When this supermind does show up, it is usually tied to mysterious rites or hidden behind religious symbols and priestly power. The “ordinary herd” doesn’t know where these occultists and holy men derive their superpowers because of obscurantism. Good news: this mysterious darkness has been replaced by light. The mind of the viewer can influence even the most basic components of nature, according to physical scientists. This discovery disproves the mechanical atomic hypothesis.

Christian metaphysicians can now think about how the Spirit functions metaphysically thanks to quantum physics. We’ll examine restoration’s relationship to the body and soul’s resurrection in the future post.

Accept This Invitation

You will soon be blessed with the prophetic understanding and power. Connect with us for a personal prophecy. This is your opportunity to receive a prophetic message that is tailored to the current stage of your life.

Join our LIVE Conference Call!

1) Call 515-604-9266

2) Go to startmeeting.com, and use the login: BishopJordan

Metaphysical Distinction of the Resurrection

/0 Comments/in , /by

As preachers of the gospel of Jesus, do not expect worldly honors: these Jesus Christ neither took to himself, nor gave to his disciples.

Adam Clarke

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live,

John 11: 25 NRSV

Crucifixion, Death, and Resurrection

What does “resurrection” mean? One definition of resurrection is the return of mind and body to their original, unkillable state. It seems easy, but there are essential parts of this definition that we need to figure out first. First, people must realize that God made man in His image and likeness. What does this mean, though? It means that because God is Spirit, we all have something in us that is like Him—something that will never die and is perfect. The prophet of God has to align with this truth to align their way of being with the divine plan for their purpose and nature.

Restoration and Resurrection

The stories about Jesus and Lazarus’s resurrections in the Gospels show that resurrection means bringing a dead body back to life. When we say “life,” we mean that a person goes back to breathing, moving around, eating, etc. But how is a dead body different from a living person? To understand this critical difference, we must first understand what it means to “restore.”

To Restore

Restoration implies that something is whole and finished, which is necessary for something to work or perform well. The essential Christian belief is that when a person dies, their body and soul are split apart. Thomas Aquinas, a Christian theologian and philosopher was interested in the human soul. He agreed with Aristotle’s idea that we all have an unchangeable soul whose natural state is to be united with the physical body. According to Aquinas, the human soul is the body’s “substantial form,” and it doesn’t usually exist apart from the body.

As Aquinas states in his Questiones de Anima:

. . . one must maintain that the soul is an entity, as being able to subsist per se but not as possessing in itself a complete specific nature, but rather as completing human nature insofar as it is the form of its body; and thus at one and the same time it is a form and an entity.

In De Spiritualibus Creatures, Aquinas says again that the soul and the body are inextricably linked:

Now the soul, although it is incorruptible, is nevertheless in no other genus than the body because, since it is a part of a human nature, to be in a genus or in a species or to be a person or hypostasis is not characteristic of the soul, but of the composite [i.e., soul and body]. And hence, also, it cannot be called ‘this something’, if by this phrase is meant an hypostasis or person, or an individual situated in a genus or in a species. But if ‘this something’ means every thing which is able to be self-subsistent, in this sense the soul is ‘this something.’

But he says later that the soul’s ability to understand does not depend on any organ in the body and that the soul’s ability to exist does not stop when the body stops being. This goes back to what we said earlier, that the resurrection involves restoring the part of us made in the image and likeness of our perfect and divine Creator. But he says later that the soul’s ability to understand does not depend on any organ in the body and that the soul’s ability to exist does not stop when the body stops being. This goes back to what we said earlier, that the resurrection involves restoring the part of us made in the image and likeness of our perfect and divine Creator.

Accept This Invitation

You will soon be blessed with prophetic understanding and power. Connect with us for a personal prophecy. This is your opportunity to receive a prophetic message tailored to your life’s current stage.

Join our LIVE Conference Call!

1) Call 515-604-9266

2) Go to startmeeting.com, and use the login: BishopJordan

The Practice of Christian Labyrinths 

/0 Comments/in /by

“The object of pilgrimage is not rest and recreation – to get away from it all. To set out on a pilgrimage is to throw down a challenge to everyday life.” 

Huston Smith 

Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. 

Leviticus 19:2 NRSV

Labyrinths

The word “labyrinth” brings up images of a maze. Daedalus, a mythical craftsman, created the Knossos Labyrinth for King Minos of Crete. It wasn’t straightforward. It housed the Minotaur, whom Theseus slew. Daedalus designed the Labyrinth so beautifully that he was unable to escape.

Prayer Labyrinths

Prayer labyrinths are used for both walking and praying. There is no magic. You can walk about and ponder on God without getting lost. Labyrinths feature a single path to the center and back. It has multiple turns but no dead ends, unlike mazes. Labyrinths can be set up inside on a canvas mat or outside on grass, tile, or stone. There are finger and online labyrinths. Labyrinths can be found worldwide and have a long history inside and outside the church. Christian labyrinths spiritually transform people. Worship and thank God as you make your way to the center of a maze, then pray for others as you return. Many Christian denominations support the use of labyrinths in holy rites.

Cultural Influence

The labyrinth existed before Christianity. It is used in many civilizations for a variety of purposes. The Christian church has used it since the fourth century. Thousands of Christians worldwide use it for prayer, meditation, contemplation, worship, celebration, and spiritual growth. In 324 AD, the Algerian Basilica of St. Reparatus had the first Christian labyrinth. In the labyrinth’s heart were the words “Sancta Ecclesia” (Holy Church), reminding Christians of their focus.

The medieval Holy Lands were either dangerous or inaccessible. By walking church labyrinths, many European Christians replicated pilgrimage. With rituals and routines, this became a standard habit.

This change from secular to sacred may have occurred by chance when culture penetrated the church, or it may have been intentional because the church used mythological imagery as an allegory. In any case, medieval labyrinths were Christian in nature. In medieval texts, a priest walked the labyrinth and threw a yellow woolen ball to parishioners dancing and shouting “Praises to the Easter Victim.”

Today, a Christian church might choose to continue this long-standing tradition. Using the labyrinth for prayer, worship, and spiritual growth is a personal choice. On the other hand, Christians who include the maze in their spiritual walk will be in excellent company both historically and today.

Accept This Invitation

You will soon be blessed with prophetic understanding and power. Connect with us for a personal prophecy. This is your opportunity to receive a prophetic message tailored to your life’s current stage.

Join our LIVE Conference Call!

1) Call 515-604-9266

2) Go to startmeeting.com, and use the login: BishopJordan

Accept This Invitation

You will soon be blessed with prophetic understanding and power. Connect with us for a personal prophecy. This is your opportunity to receive a prophetic message tailored to your life’s current stage.

Join our LIVE Conference Call!

1) Call 515-604-9266

2) Go to startmeeting.com, and use the login: BishopJordan

The Deaths of the Apostles 

/0 Comments/in , /by

Christian tradition has it that all but one of the twelve Apostles held the title after Matthias was killed. John was the only one who lived to old age. Only James, the son of Zebedee’s death, is discussed in the New Testament. Matthew 27:5 says that Judas Iscariot threw the money he got for betraying Jesus down in the Temple and then went and hung himself. Acts 1:18 says that he bought a field, then “when he fell headfirst, he burst open in the middle, and all his bowels gushed out.”

Even though the many stories and legends aren’t always true, it’s safe to say that the apostles spread the message of the risen Christ far and wide. An old account says they threw dice to decide who would go where so everyone could hear about Jesus. They went through a lot for their faith, and most died of violent deaths because of their brave journeys worldwide.

Peter and Paul 

Both were martyred in Rome about 66 AD, during the persecution under Emperor Nero. Paul was beheaded. Peter asked to be crucified upside down because he didn’t think he was good enough to die the same way as his Lord. 

Andrew 

            He was said to have gone to the “land of the man-eaters” in the Soviet Union. Christians there claim him as the first to bring the gospel to their land. He also preached in Asia Minor, modern-day Turkey, and in Greece, where he is said to have been crucified. 

Thomas 

            Famously known as “Doubting Thomas,” he was probably most active in the east of Syria. Tradition has him preaching as far east as India, where the ancient Marthoma Christians revere him as their founder. They claim that he died there when pierced through with the spears of four soldiers. 

Philip 

            This apostle possibly had a powerful ministry in Carthage in North Africa and Asia Minor, where he converted the wife of a Roman proconsul. In retaliation, the proconsul had Philip arrested and cruelly put to death. 

Matthew 

            Also known as Levi, the tax collector and writer of a Gospel ministered in Persia and Ethiopia. Some of the oldest reports say he was not martyred, while others say he was stabbed to death in Ethiopia. 

Bartholomew 

            A true pilgrim, this apostle had widespread missionary travels attributed to him by tradition: to India with Thomas, back to Armenia, Ethiopia, and Southern Arabia. There are various accounts of how he met his death as a martyr for the gospel. 

James 

            This James, the son of Alpheus, is one of at least three James referred to in the New Testament. There is some confusion about which is which, but this James is reckoned to have ministered in Syria. The Jewish historian Josephus reported that he was stoned and then clubbed to death. 

Simon the Zealot 

            As the story goes, he ministered in Persia and was killed after refusing to sacrifice to the sun god. 

Matthias 

            He was the apostle chosen to replace Judas. Tradition sends him to Syria with Andrew and to death by burning. 

John 

            John the Evangelist is the only one of the original 12 generally thought to have died a natural death from old age. He was the church leader in the Ephesus area and is said to have taken care of Mary, the mother of Jesus, in his home. During Domitian’s persecution in the middle ’90s, he was exiled to the island of Patmos. He is credited with writing the last New Testament book, Revelation. An early Latin tradition has him escaping unhurt after being cast into boiling oil in Rome. 

Accept This Invitation

You will soon be blessed with prophetic understanding and power. Connect with us for a personal prophecy. This is your opportunity to receive a prophetic message tailored to your life’s current stage.

Join our LIVE Conference Call!

1) Call 515-604-9266

2) Go to startmeeting.com, and use the login: BishopJordan

 

the star

The Star in the East 

/0 Comments/in , /by

The Guiding Star

A star in the East led the Magi on their trek. This matched their studies and observation. God can utilize science, literature, and work to bring us to Christ. He used Magi’s astrology.

Ancients valued the stars. 2000 years ago, folks in the Middle East and on the seas didn’t have compasses or highway signs saying “50 miles to Bethlehem.” They relied on fixed stars for direction. They felt God formed them that way. When anything new happened in the sky, like a comet, meteor shower, or a planet or star blazing brighter, the ancients thought it was a message from God, the creator of the heavens and earth. They studied the stars to find God’s message.

The Sybilline Prophecy

Women called Sybils prophesied the birth of a global king outside of Israel. One Sybilline prophecy claimed that a heavenly sign would precede the king’s birth. Suetonius claimed in his “Life of Vespasian” that “there was a deep persuasion… that at this very moment, the East was to grow great and rulers from Judaea were to achieve global empire” This is why the wise men looked up. When they watched the star rise, they thought God was communicating something to them and announcing the birth of a global ruler in the east. They weren’t just curious astrologers. God-seekers. The wise men followed the star and their simple faith to the Holy Land. We don’t know how long their journey was, but the Gospel suggests it was long. Herod asked when the star appeared, and when they didn’t return, he killed every boy under 2 in Bethlehem. The magi believed God spoke to them through the star and traveled for months on each trip.

They visited Jerusalem before Bethlehem. Bethlehem is only six miles from Jerusalem, so they likely assumed the star was coming to rest over the Jewish city rather than a little village. They undoubtedly expected the newborn King of the Jews would be Herod’s son, so they wanted to meet him. They told Herod why they had traveled so far to worship a child to whom God had pointed with a star. Herod questioned his experts on the birthplace of the universal king. In Micah’s book, they told him he’d be born in Judea’s Bethlehem.

The Magi Stayed the Course

Only the Magi remained. None of Herod’s Bible specialists were curious enough to undertake the short journey, but the wise men, who had previously traveled hundreds of miles, left with zeal. Herod pretended to be interested in meeting the kid so he might assassinate him; the Magi had no desire to find out if the Messiah was around. Not only the Magi saw the star. Only they were hungry and brave enough to pursue its light. The magi provide a good example. Wise men were ready. Even though they had wonderful lives where they were (they could afford a lengthy journey and expensive presents), they considered being with the newborn universal king more essential. They left all behind to follow a star in the East.

We must also make a spiritual pilgrimage. The Christian life begins with baptism and ends in Bethlehem and Jerusalem. The wise men were surprised to find Jesus. They expected to see the newborn king in a palace, not a stable, draped in royal silk, surrounded by courtiers, not animals and shepherds. After finding him, they didn’t turn back. They let God adapt their categories rather than fitting God into them. They needed to rethink their notions about power, God, and man and recognize that God’s power is not like the power of this world. God’s ways aren’t what we imagine or want. God’s unique. Throughout life, we must study God’s ways and conform to them, especially when he asks us to model our lives on the Cross.

The Magi gave the Child their riches. They intended to adore him. Therefore, they did so. They sacrificed in their liturgy. Only seeking Christ for our good is unworthy. We can show our appreciation by serving and sacrificing.

Invitation

Prophetic wisdom and anointing await you. Connect for a personal prophecy.

 Join our LIVE Conference Call!

1) Call 515-604-9266

2) Go to startmeeting.com, and use the login: BishopJordan

the star

 

gifts

Three Gifts of the Magi

/0 Comments/in , /by

Three Gifts of the Magi

Christmas is passed, but it’s important to remember the traditional story of the Three Wise Men making a pilgrimage to worship Jesus.

There are two major hypotheses on the gifts:

All three presents are both regular offerings and gifts to a king. Myrrh is a standard anointing oil, frankincense is a fragrant, and gold is a value.

The three presents each had a spiritual meaning: gold represented earthly kingship, frankincense (an incense) represented a deity, and myrrh (an embalming ointment) represented death. Until the 15th century, myrrh was employed as an embalming ointment and a penitential incense in funerals and cremations. The Eastern Orthodox Church’s “holy oil” for conducting the sacraments of chrismation and unction is traditionally perfumed with myrrh. Receiving either of these sacraments is usually called “receiving the myrrh.”

In most Western Christian denominations, the visit of the Magi is honored by the celebration of Epiphany, January 6th, which also serves as the feast of the three saints. On December 25th, the Eastern Orthodox celebrate the Magi’s visit.

Invitation

Prophetic wisdom and anointing await you. Connect for a personal prophecy.

Join our LIVE Conference Call!

1) Call 515-604-9266

2) Go to startmeeting.com, and use the login: BishopJordan

gifts

the Magi 

The Pilgrimage of the Magi 

/4 Comments/in , , /by

The Pilgrimage of the Magi :

“Pilgrimage to the place of the wise is to find escape from the flame of separateness.” 

Rumi 

POWER TRUTH 

Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 

Matthew 18:18 NRSV 

 Three Kings

The biblical Magi, also known as the Three Wise Men or Three Kings, were famous foreigners who visited Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These are according to the Gospel of Matthew and Christian tradition. They appear frequently in traditional narratives of Christmas nativity festivities and are vital to Christian tradition. The Magi are only mentioned in Matthew, one of the four canonical gospels. According to Matthew, they came “from the east” to worship the “king of the Jews.” The number of Magi is never mentioned in the gospel, but most western Christian denominations have generally concluded they were three, based on the assertion that they brought three presents. The Magi are frequently twelve in Eastern Christianity, particularly in Syriac churches. Their recognition as kings in later Christian writings is most likely related to Psalm 72:11, “May all kings fall down before him.”

Traditional nativity scenes show three “Wise Men” visiting the infant Jesus in a manger on the night of his birth, accompanied by shepherds and angels. But this should be interpreted as an artistic convention that allows the two separate scenes of the Adoration of the Shepherds on the birth night. And the later Adoration of the Magi to be combined for convenience.

The Three Wise Men

The Magi are popularly referred to as wise men and kings. The word magi is the plural of Latin magus, borrowed from the Greek magos, as used in the original Greek text of the Gospel of Matthew (in the plural: magoi). Greek magos is derived from Old Persian maguŝ from the Avestan magâunô, i.e., the religious caste Zoroaster was born into. The term refers to the Persian priestly caste of Zoroastrianism.

            As part of their faith, these priests paid special attention to the stars and established an international reputation for astrology, considered science at the time. Because of their religious activities and use of astrology, derivatives of the term Magi were used for the occult in general, giving rise to the English term magic. Even though Zoroastrianism was firmly opposed to sorcery. Although the Magi are usually referred to as “kings,” there is nothing in Matthew’s story that suggests they were rulers of any kind. Early readers understood Matthew in light of these prophecies, elevating the Magi to the status of kings. By AD 500, all commentators had accepted the widely held belief that the three were monarchs.

Invitation

Prophetic wisdom and anointing await you. Connect for a personal prophecy.

Join our LIVE Conference Call!

1) Call 515-604-9266

2) Go to startmeeting.com, and use the login: BishopJordan

 

the Magi