Author: Jacinta da Cruz Rodgers

I have been committed to teaching the truth of the Word of God beginning with Trans World Radio on Bonaire, N.A and Swaziland, Africa (1969-1980), then through churches in the United States in both English and Portuguese and then through ministry in Israel (2005-2006). This ministry continues through local Bible studies and outreach to the world via the internet. I have written a book about my life from that of an orphan in Brazil to missionary in 5 countries. You can find out more on the "Book" page of our blog site.

To The One Who Has, More Shall Be Given

(Mark 4: 2- 11; 23-25; Luke 19:12-26)

And He taught them many things in parables, and in His teaching He said to them: Give attention to this! Behold, a sower went to sow (Mark 4:2,3). From the time that the Israel’s authorities hardened their hearts to the teachings of Yahshua and considered Him do be under the influence of demons, He then used the meanings of parables to teach them. Everyone was left in the dark except His disciples whom were given the interpretation, as He said to them, To you has been entrusted the mystery of the kingdom of God; but for those outside everything becomes a parable (vs. 11). As we see in this parable, the hearts of men –hard as a path, hard as rocks, difficult and stubborn as thorns, failed to receive the Word given them. Only those whose hearts are soft to hear the Word, will be blessed with the understanding of it. Yahshua said, If any man has ears to hear, let him be listening and let him perceive and comprehend. That means, let him be making a conscious effort to hear, to take advice; to pay close attention to, to grasp mentally and understand.

The truth we hear must be received with a conscious and mental effort to acquire a deeper understanding and insight into it. Yahshua said that the measure in which we give attention to the truth we hear will be the measure of insight and understanding that will come back to us and more, and that’s why he who has, more will be given. In his diligence and faithfulness to the Word of Yahweh in his diligence in studying it and applying it to his heart, the Christian will be diligent in obedience. For him who has will more be given; and from him who has nothing, even what he has will be taken away (Mark 4:23-25).

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The Man Abram (part 2)

ANGELS OF MERCY

When Abram stretched out his hand to slay his son, angels of mercy came before the Lord pleading for him and Isaac, saying, O Lord, You are a merciful and compassionate King over all that You have created in heaven and in earth, and You support them all; give therefore ransom and redemption instead to your servant Isaac, and pity and have compassion upon Abraham and Isaac his son, who are this day performing You commands; have You not seen Isaac the son of Abram Your servant is bound down to the slaughter like an animal? Now, therefore let Your pity be roused for them, O Lord.

At that time the Lord appeared to Abram and called him from heaven saying, Lay not your hand upon your son, for now I know that you fear God in performing this act, not withholding your son from Me. Abram lifted up his eyes and behold a ram God had prepared for the sacrifice. Satan, however, kept the ram from coming to Abram. But Abram took hold of the ram and sacrificed it to the Lord. While Abram was engaged in sacrificing the ram to the Lord, Satan went to see Sarah, his wife in the form of an old man. He stirred up her heart’s emotions by telling her the lie that Abram had merciless killed her son. She lifted up her voice and wept and cried bitterly for her son. She threw herself on the ground and cast dust upon her head, weeping saying, O that I had died in your stead; my joy is turned into mourning over you. But I console myself with you, my son, in its being the word of the Lord, you performed the command of your God. She rose up afterward and went looking for Abram till she came to Hebron, inquiring of all that she saw and no one could help her. Satan came to her again in the form of an old man and said to her, I spoke falsely to you, for Abram did not kill his son; he is not dead. Hearing these words, she became extremely excited to the point of her soul leaving her. She died then without seeing her son alive. When it was all over, Abram returned home and looked for his wife, but he could not find her. After making inquiries about her, he found out she had gone to Hebron; when they got there, they found out that she had died. They wept bitterly over her; Isaac fell upon her face and wept over her, saying, O my mother, my mother, how you left me, and where have you gone? O how, how you have left me! Every one mourned for Sarah for several days a great and heavy mourning. The love of a mother is beyond what one can imagine, but Sarah’s love for her son and vice-versa touches one’s heart deeper than any other human’s love would do. YAHSHUA’S mother suffered greatly the death of her son, as the prophet Simeon warned her saying, Behold, this Child is appointed and destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against; and a sword will pierce through your own soul also – that the secret thoughts and purposes of many hearts may be brought out and disclosed (Luke 2:34-35).

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The Man Abram (part 1)

Abram, a man after God’s heart, and considered God’s friend, offers a rich history unknown to us found in the ancient non-canonical book of Jasher. Jasher is a wonderful book, covering the history from the time of Adam to Joshua. The book of Jasher is referenced more than one time in the Old Testament: Joshua 10:13: And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the nation took vengeance upon their enemies. Is not this written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of the heavens and did not hasten to go down for about a whole day; II Samuel 1: 17-18: David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son, and he commanded to teach it, the lament of the bow, to the Israelites. Behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar (Hebrew for Jasher).

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Moses and Elijah on Mount Sinai and Mount Herman

(Exodus 19; 33; I Kings 19:8-14; Luke 9: 28-33)

Moses, as Israel’s leader to the Promised Land, was a remarkable man. No one that has ever lived, has ever experienced God the way he did. He was not only a leader for the nation Israel, but a prophet, who spoke with God face to face, although he did not see His face. From the signs and wonders seen in Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, water coming from the rocks, mana coming from heaven as food for the people while in their journey of forty years through the wilderness, and much more, Moses’ life shines over all others.

As a baby, Moses was taken from the water when his mother tried to hide him in the time of the king’s command to kill all the Jews’ babies to control their population. He was rescued by Pharaoh’s daughter, who later adopted him. She named him Moses because she said, “I drew him out of the water.” For forty years he lived in the royal palace, however, he preferred to suffer with his brothers, as Hebrews 11:24-25 confirms: By faith Moses, when he had grown to maturity and become great, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter because he preferred to share the oppression and bear the shame of the people of God rather than to have the fleeting enjoyment of a sinful life.

One day, while checking out the slavery condition of his people, he saw an Egyptian beating one of his brothers. He then killed the Egyptian and buried him (Ex. 2). His zeal for the wellbeing of his people was a sign of what he was to become in the future. From that time on, he become a refugee in the land of Median, where he married and worked as a shepherd for his father- in-law. Moses had his first encounter with God at Mount Horeb, or Sinai, the mount of God, forty years after his ordeal that caused him to flee for his life. The Lord God appeared to him in a fire out of the midst of a bush. Curious about what was happening, he turned aside to see why the bush would not burn, when he heard the Lord’s voice saying, do not come near; put your shoes off your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground (Ex. 3:2-5). In that encounter, God revealed Himself to Moses as the God of his fathers- Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Moses then hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God (Ex. 3:6). God spoke to him from the fire saying, come now therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring forth My people…out of Egypt. Moses’ conscious burned with guilt and fear of his past in the presence of that fire that symbolized the unapproachable holiness of God. Mount Sinai, the pivot point of Moses’ life, stood before him with a divine call to redeem his people from bondage.

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We Do Not Know What to Do

Have you ever been in a situation when you have said, I do not know what to do? Crossroads ahead causing a moment of confusion in the midst of fear in the situation, as if your world shrunk to only you in it? You are not alone. Learning how to get our problems off our shoulders at the beginning of things, is a good thing, so not to suffer the consequences that will follow the worries. There is a path however, a narrow path, not visible at first, but nonetheless, a path we must look for to alleviate the mind from the control of fear; hear the Lord speaking, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” This is the only path to victory; the path that God has directed us to go through. “Though I walk through the valley of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.” The confidence of faith elevates us above circumstances and opens our eyes to its spiritual reality, giving us the certainty that God is ever so present with us. So, never fear, God is near.

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Iniquity, As Ice On God’s Love

Iniquity, the condition of men’s heart, runs deeply into generations from the beginning of time. Its roots reach far into generations, controlling men’s behavior and bringing them generational curses of diseases. Because men sinned, they are the recipient of its evil fruit. Iniquity is the inherited weakness in men’s DNA and in his soul. Therefore, Paul said, as sin came into the world through one man, and death as the result of sin, so death spread to all men, because all men sinned (Rom. 5:12). The transfer of sin from generation to generation constitutes the sin of iniquity. It is its power taking over our desire to do good. David said, Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity; my mother was sinful who conceived me (Ps. 139:5). Iniquity, is above all other definitions, the root of evil. It remains with a generation even to the third and fourth generation. (Ex. 34:7). Iniquity is willful sin; it is the hardness of the heart toward following what is right. The Prophet Micah gave this warning: Woe to those who devise iniquity and work out evil upon their beds! When the morning is light, they perform and practice it because it is in their power (2:1).

Mankind under such condition, is hopeless, and seemly without a way out of it. That’s why man needs a Savior, a Redeemer to uproot this evil from all of us, for we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23); we are condemned to die spiritually when without our Savior YAHSHUA’S redemption. Paul said, For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot perform it. For I fail to practice the good deeds I desire to do, but the evil deeds that I do not desire to do are what I am doing… O unhappy and pitiable and wretched man that I am! Who will release and deliver me from this body of death? O thank God! He will…(Rom 7:18-19,24).

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A Macedonia Call

(Acts 16: 9-12; 16-34)

A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man from Macedonia stood pleading with him and saying, Come over to Macedonia and help us (vs. 9)! On the way to answer the “Macedonia call” Paul and Silas had to go through the “fire” being struck with many blows to the point of bleeding; they were thrown into prison (dungeon) with their feet fastened in the stocks (vs. 10). They faced many stumbling blocks, but none of them kept them from losing the focus of the call to Macedonia. Yes, they were bleeding and hurting physically, and their feet were fastened in the stocks, but they were strong spiritually to face the enemy’s weapons with praises to God, proclaiming His love to all who were listening to them in jail; and their spirits were free in Christ to proclaim the goodness of God.

That was the beginning of the fulfillment of the call. That stumbling block in front of them didn’t indicate a stop sign or a change of calling, but a yield sign in the calendar of God; an introduction to what God had in store for them. Their submission to God followed by praises to Him caused heaven’s door to be opened for God’s Power to be expressed through a powerful earthquake, where human powers could do nothing to stop it.

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Teach Us To Number Our Days (2nd Study)

(Psalm 90)

Moses starts this Psalm by saying, Lord, You have been our dwelling place and our refuge in all generations. A testimony he could seal in truth throughout the years he and his people walked through the wilderness, facing enemies of all kinds. He, unlikely other prophets, had a very close relationship with God, Who spoke to him face to face. God said of him, With Moses I speak mouth to mouth. Clearly and not in dark speeches; and he beholds the form of the Lord… (Num. 12:8). Forty years wandering in the desert was indeed plenty time for Moses to reflect upon life in its limitations. He experienced all kinds of perils to realize that it was by the grace of God, and not by his own effort that he survived them all. He watched many suffer God’s judgments and even death at their lack of faith and disobedience. Life seemed to Moses fragile and short and uncertain. His knowledge of human’s limitations brought an awareness of its short span. Life, is really just a breath away from death in its time frame on this earth.

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Your Dead Shall Live

(Isaiah 26:19-21)

Your dead shall live [O Lord]; the bodies of our dead [saints] shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For Your dew [O Lord] is a dew of [sparkling] light [heavenly, supernatural dew]; and the earth shall cast forth the dead [to life again; for on the land of the shades of the dead You will let Your dew fall] (Isaiah 26: 19). Resurrection unto life with YAHSHUA is the promise that rings eternally in the heart of all believer. Here the Prophet Isaiah assures the promise with words that connect to the words of our Lord when He said, I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in Me, although he may die, yet he shall live; and whoever continues to live and believes in Me shall never die at all (John 11:25-24b). For the believer, death can only touch the physical part of the body. It has no power over the spirit. Life is in the spirit of the believer, although physical death has been ordained for men because of sin. Paul said, the body that is sown is perishable and decays, but [the body] that is resurrected is imperishable; it is sown in dishonor and humiliation it is raised in honor and glory. It is sown in infirmity and weakness it is resurrected in strength and endued with power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a supernatural body. [as surely as] there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body (Cor. 15:42-44). Paul referred YASHSUA as the first born from among the dead because He was the first to experience birth after death through His resurrection, so we will too. He will die no more. Many people experienced resurrection but had to die again. In the book of Revelation- the revelation of YAHSHUA the Messiah, John also referred to Him as the faithful and trustworthy Witness, the First-born of the dead… (Rev. 1: 5a). Because we were given the right to become the children of God by believing in His name, we owe our birth neither to bloods nor to the will of the flesh nor to the will of man, but to God [we are born of God] (John 1:12), even though we died physically, we shall live.

“For Your dew is a dew of light” That implies life coming from heaven in a supernatural dew. When YAHSHUA rose from the dead in the powerful resurrection power, the tombs were opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep in death were raised to life and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people (Matt. 28: 52-53). We know that these people were not resurrected in their glorified bodies, either to eternal life and like the rest who came to life, they died again. That was not the “heavenly, supernatural dew.” The impact of the resurrection of our Savior YAHSHUA- the author of Life, was so great and so powerful that caused life to enter into the lives of those saints. If they were recognizable, I presume they were saints who had died recently. I am just speculating, of course, for the Bible does not tell us whom they were.

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Who Do People Say I Am and How About You?

(Matt. 16:16; Luke 9:20; John 19:19)

After having healed all those that had come to Him and fed the multitude of thousands with seven loaves of bread and a few fish, YAHSHUA asked a very important question in two folds: Who do people say that the Son of Man is, but Who do you say that I am? The conjunction but emphasizes the importance in the clear understanding of the knowledge the disciples must have of Whom YAHSHUA was. He directs the first question in the third person – the Son of Man is, but when directed the question to them, He asks them in the first person, but Who do you say I am? Or How about you?

The Samaritan woman, after talking to YAHSHUA, went to town and she began telling the people, “Come, and see a Man Who has told me everything that I ever did”! She concluded with a curious question, Can this be the Christ? Many believed the words of the Samaritan woman enough to come and meet Him. And perhaps out of curiosity they came. But when they heard Him, they said, Now we no longer believe just because of what you said; for we have heard Him ourselves and we know that He truly is the Savior of the world, the Christ (John 4:42). Hungry for more of His words, they asked YAHSHUA to remain with them and He did stay there two days (John 4:40). Two days represent the period of two thousand years God was giving to the Gentile nations to hear the Gospel and turn to Him. In contrast with these Samaritans, the Jews of those days, in spite of all that they had witnessed in miracles, they could only conclude that He was perhaps John the Baptist, Elijah or Jeremiah, or one of the prophets (Matt. 16: 14).

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