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.

Listen to the Spirit Call

Soft as a breeze going across the earth, a whisper in the ear is the voice of the Holy Spirit calling you and me, ever so gentle and peacefully His voice echoes in our inmost being- our spirit. Elijah, while running away for his life from Queen Jezabel heard that voice coming in a soft wind. The Lord told him to go out to stand on the mount before Him. And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire [a sound of gentle stillness and] small voice. When Elijah heard the voice, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave… (I Kings 19:11-13a). For Elijah to hear the Lord’s gentle voice, he had to be in the right place, that is, the place the Lord ordered him to be. In the quietness of a cave, Elijah defined the voice of God. The Lord God was not in the strong wind, not in the earthquake, neither in the fire; but He was in a “gentle, stillness and small voice.” The prophet Elijah, after winning a great victory over Jezabel’s false prophets, was running away, afraid of her, who intended to kill him. Hungry and tired from a great conflict over Jezabel’s false prophets, whom were all killed, he desired to die. But God had other plan for him, for Elijah was not to taste death. He was to be taken to heaven alive, as Enoch did.

When the Holy Spirit first came to earth, He came in a sound from heaven like the rushing of a violent tempest blast, and it filled the whole house in which they were sitting; and there appeared to them tongues resembling fire, which were separated and distributed and which settled on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit kept giving them clear and loud expression (Acts 2:2-4). The Holy Spirit expressed His power in that day, when He came down to establish YAHSHUA’S church. That was the manifestation of His presence on earth; confirming to all the arrival of His long promised coming. All experienced His power in that place and the tongues of fire. Fire speaks of cleansing. He came to convict the world of sin. Also to abide in every born-again person, fulfilling the words of YAHSHUA to the disciples, when He said, I will not leave you orphans. I will come back to you (John 15:18). The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Truth; the world will not receive Him, as it hates truth, as it did not receive YAHSHUA, Who is the Way the Truth and the Life. There is a difference between those who know YAHSHUA, and those who don’t. The evidence is on hearing His voice. YAHSHUA said, My sheep hears My voice. His presence in every believer, shows the difference in our lifestyle. Paul calls us sons of light. As sons and daughters of light, we walk according to the dictates of the Holy Spirit, while those of the world, according the dictates of the flesh.

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The Body, Our Earthly Tent

When we think of tents, we think of a temporary shelter used for camping, as well as for revival tent meetings. Although, large enough for many people to congregate, it does not provide the necessary features to satisfy our daily needs. In the second letter to the Corinthians, Paul makes a very interesting comment related to our body as a tent in this earthly home: For we know, he said, that if the tent which is our earthly home is destroyed, we have from God a building, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heaven. Allegorically speaking, he made the point that the body that hosts our soul and spirit is temporary and will be destroyed. Sin, the culprit of our eternal destination, has changed the direction of our eternal life as well as our life here on earth. Until Our Lord YAHSHUA came and freed us from eternal condemnation, we were slaves to sin and to the flesh, following Satan’s destination-hell. While in this mode, there was no hope for us. The Apostle Paul cries the miseries of a non-generated body expressing hopelessness asking the question: O unhappy and pitiable and wretched man that I am! Who will release and deliver me from [the shackles of] this body of death? Then he answers, O thank God! [He will] through YAHSHUA Messiah, our Lord! (Rom.7:25b). This earthly tent is subject to all kind of temptations and torment of the mind. Without the atonement of our Lord YHASHUA, we are desperately lost. Paul said that the mind of the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God’s Law; indeed, it cannot (Rom. 8:7).

Our earthly tent in its natural form is under condemnation, for no sacrifice of bull or any other animal to cleanse men from sin is enough; it is powerless to take away sins; Hence when He [Messiah] entered into the world, He said, sacrifices and offerings You have not desired, but instead, You have made ready a body for Me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings You have taken no delight. Then I said, Behold, here I am, coming to do Your will, O God- [to fulfill] what is written of Me in the volume of the Book (Heb. 10). Here stands the verdict that all who have accepted YAHSHUA as Lord and Savior and live accordingly to the Word of God, are indeed born- again and sealed with the Holy Spirit, Who guarantees their salvation; at the same time, they were given the right of sonship. God has become the Father of the redeemed by the blood of His Son, and waiting, we remain for the promise to be fulfilled, when we will be transformed into our glorified body. While in this body -tent, we groan for our freedom from it, for it is a tent of suffering. “Here indeed, in this [present abode, body] we sigh and groan inwardly, because we yearn to be clothed over with our heavenly dwelling. For while we are still in this tent, we groan under the burden and sigh deeply… (II Cor. 5:2,4a).

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The Holy Spirit, Our Intercessor

The Holy Spirit, the third person of the trinity, is our comforter, helper, advocate, Intercessor, strengthener, the Spirit of Truth Who comes from the Father, He will testify regarding Me (YAHSHUA) (John 15:26). He is the Spirit of Truth, Whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know and recognize Him, for He lives and will be in you (14:17). YAHSHUA promised the disciples before He left the world, saying, I will not leave you as orphans; I will come [back] to you (14:18). How could the disciples understand this promise, unless they were tuned in to every word that YAHSHUA was saying? After our Lord made known His death and departure from the world, He knew how deeply it would affect His disciples. The words of comfort He offered them echoed through ages to come. In chapter 14:1-3, of John, very well- known verses, spark hope in every believer when reading them: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me; In My father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you; for I am going away to prepare a place for you; and when I go and make ready a place for you, I will come back again ad will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also”. In the midst of sorrow, knowing that their Lord was going to die and leave them, the disciples had these words to lean on for comfort.

The Holy Spirit faithfully leads us into all truth; faithfully teaches us the truth; faithfully convicts us of sin and guides us to repentance. He is preparing every believer in Him to meet YAHSHUA through the work of sanctification- through molding us to be more like Him. Sometimes we hear His voice audible, sometimes softly as He communicates to us through our conscience. In first Peter 1:2 we find the trinity involved in the work of redemption: God chose us, the Holy Spirit sanctifies us and YAHSHUA the Messiah sprinkled us with His precious blood in His redemptive act. Led by the Holy Spirit, we are His children; He has performed the work of adoption when He freed us from bondage to fear; He testifies with our spirit assuring us that we are children of God. That gives us the right to call Him Abba (Rom. 8) for He foreordained us to be adopted as His own children through YAHSHUA Messiah, in accordance with the purpose of His will (Ephe.1:5). Because we are sealed with the Holy Spirit, we are guaranteed our salvation. It is part of our spiritual blessings. Paul gives a list of all the spiritual blessings available to all who believes in YAHSHUA. One of them is we have been stamped with the seal of the long-promised Holy Spirit. He is a guarantee of our inheritance, in anticipation of its full redemption and our acquiring [complete] possession of it – to the praise of His glory (Ephe. 1:13-14). In Him we also were made [God’s] heritage and we obtained an inheritance. Therefore, we live for the praise of His glory! (Ephe. 1).

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Job and His Three Friends

There was upon a time, a righteous man before God and man, a leader of the community in which he lived, and respected by all. There was a day, however when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan also came among them, who had been gone to and fro on the earth and from walking up and down on it, when the Lord made mention of this man’s righteousness to Satan, he answered, Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not put a hedge about him and his house and all that he has on every side? You have conferred prosperity and happiness upon him in the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land. But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has, and he will curse You to Your face…. God then put Job to the test. Satan wanted Job destroyed to prove to God that he was righteous because he was blessed with riches. The Bible says that Satan moved God against Job without cause. As a result, he lost everything including his health, his children, and his properties. Job was covered with sores in his body. Day and night, he struggled without sleep. Life was now for him a moan and groan, for pain had taken his entire body. In that condition, he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself. Seeing the misery he was in, his wife suggested to him to curse God and die. But Job called her a fool (and said), Shall we accept good at the hand of God and shall we not accept misfortune?… In all this, Job did not sin with his lips. (Job 2). Thinking about Job’s experience, it comes to mind the two women Eve and Sarah who changed the world for their idea contrary to God’s plan for the world.

Much we learn when we read the book of Job, for its poetic writings and for his knowledge of God in Job 9:4-10: “God is wise in heart and mighty in strength; who has [ever] hardened himself against Him and prospered or even been safe? God, Who removes the mountains, and they know it not when He overturns them in His anger; Who commands the sun and it rises not; Who seals up the stars; Who alone stretches out the heavens and treads upon the waves and high places of the sea; Who made [the constellation] the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades and the [vast starry] spaces of the south; Who does great things past finding out, yes, marvelous things without number.” This was the God Job knew and feared and worshipped.

Job had a close relationship with God by the way that he expresses himself. It shows throughout the book. “Oh, that I knew where I might find God, (was his desire) that I might come even to His seat! I would lay my cause before Him and fill my mouth with arguments. I would learn what He would answer me, and understand what He would say to me… He knows the way that I take. When He has tried me, I shall come forth as refined gold; I have not gone back from the commandment of His lips; I have esteemed and treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food; He performs [that which He has] planned for me, and of many such matters He is mindful” (Job 23:3-5,10,12-,14). Amidst his sufferings, Job never denied Who God was; he believed in God’s sovereignty and also in God’s works of sanctification. Knowledgeable of God’s creation, he understood his position with God’s protection and guidance. His relationship with God showed his spiritual maturity in those days when there was not a Bible to be guided by. He was an amazing man of faith, believing even the resurrection of the righteous in the last days, saying, “For I know that my Redeemer and Vindicator lives and at last He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin, even this body, has been destroyed, then from my flesh or without it I shall see God, Whom I, even I, shall see for myself and on my side! And my eyes shall behold Him, and not as a stranger! My heart pines away and is consumed within me” (Job 19:25-28).

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Children of Light

Peace and safety will bring sudden destruction according to Paul to the letter to the Thessalonians. No one heard of such thing, for we all desire peace and safety, especially in our days, when the world is unsafe and chaotic. We must understand that “peace and safety” at the end of times, will be a sign of sudden destruction, as the church of YAHSHUA will be taken from it all.

World’s chaos has been created by a controlling and powerful small group of people, so that it will heavily depend on them to function. While there is political order in the world, there will never be possible for them to implement their plan. It is only when the countries are in chaos through wars and other means that they will surrender their sovereignty and they will take over the world as one. The Bible predicts this event coming to all that inhabits the earth. The entire world will surrender to one world order of government and religion. The antichrist and the false prophet will control all the aspects of government and religion. As it were in the days of Nebuchadnezzar when he forced all to worship his statue, so it will be then, when a statue will be erected in the image of the antichrist and forced all to worship it. Those who will reject the idea, will be killed. There will be no way of escape alive. Technology has been developed in part for purpose as surveillance of everyone, for a while now. So, there will be no way out for those who refuse to worship the Beast. Freedom lost today, will be non-existent freedom of tomorrow. When children of Light will be gone from this world, the presence of the Holy Spirit will be taken with them. The remnant Jews- four hundred forty-four thousand will carry the message of the Gospel to those left behind under the power of the Holy Spirit, Who will still operate in this world through them.

Many people today call themselves Christians according to their own way, not that of Christ. YAHSHUA so expressed their fate: Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father Who is in heaven; many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name and driven out demons in Your name and done many mighty works in Your name? And I will say to them openly, Never knew you; depart from Me, you who act wickedly (Matt. 7:22-23). They are not sons of Light, but of darkness and destined to perdition, unless they repent even in the time of tribulation through the preaching of the Gospel by the Jewish remnant. They will suffer persecution and pay with their lives, because they rejected the Lord in time of salvation. This is a time of deceit and it will get worse, bringing great confusion.

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YAHSHUA, the First Born of the Dead

And He died for all, so that all those who live might live no longer to and for themselves, but to and for Him Who died and was raised again for their sake (II Corinthians 5:15).

The ministry of reconciliation between God and men cost the life of YAHSHUA, for it was done by the shedding of His own blood. Reconciled with God, men are forgiven and given the position of God’s sons and daughters. We became God’s firstborn and part of the harvest of souls. But the fact is that Christ has been raised from the dead, and He became the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep; for since through a man that death [came into the world, it is] also through a Man that the resurrection of the dead [has come]. Therefore, if any person is in Christ he is a new creation; the old has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come! But all things are from God, who through YAHSHUA Messiah reconciled us to Himself and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation. It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against their trespasses and committing to us the message of reconciliation (I Cor. 5:17-19).

YAHSHUA died and was raised for the sake of those who live for Him. That is, who had been born again. His resurrection foreshadows the resurrection of believers at the time when He calls us up to heaven. The Prophet Isaiah prophesized saying, “Your dead will live; Their corpses will rise. You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy, for Your dew is as the dew of the dawn; and the earth will give birth to the departed spirits” (Isa. 26:19). The redemptive work of YAHSHUA would be incomplete without His resurrection. Had He remained in the grave, we would be without hope and doomed to hell. Paul said, “But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not risen; and if Christ has not risen, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is devoid of truth and is fruitless; and further, those who have died in Christ have perished; if we who are [abiding] in Christ have hope only in this life and that is all, then we are of all people most miserable and to pitied. But the fact is that Christ has been raised from the dead, and He became the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep [in death]. For since through a man that death [came into the world, it is] also through a Man that the resurrection of the dead [has come]. For just as in Adam all people die, so also shall all in Christ be made alive But each in his own rank and turn: Christ is the first fruits, then those who are Christ’s at His coming” (I Cor. 15:13-14;16-23)

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Simon and the Cross

Beaten beyond recognition, weak, bones out of joint, His heart was like wax; softened; His strength was dried up like a fragment of clay pottery, so thirsty He was that His tongue cleaved to his jaws (Ps 22:15). That’s how YAHSHUA was found after they scourged Him merciless. At the right time, a man called Simon was coming from in (Jerusalem) from the country, when they laid on him the cross and made him carry it behind YAHSHUA. (Luke 23:26). I wonder if he knew what was going on that day, with YAHSHUA accompanied by soldiers and a host of people behind Him. Did he even know who YAHSHUA was, since he lived in a “Greek city in the province of Cyrenaica. This was a place where 100,000 Judean Jews had been forced to settle in 323-285 BC.” (Wikipedia). He was the father of Alexander and Rufus, who together with their mother were saved. Nothing is said in the Bible concerning Simon’s relationship with YAHSHUA. His name is of Jewish origin, but that does not confirm that he was a Jewish man. We read that he was made to carry the cross behind the Lord. That reminds us of YAHSHUA’S teaching about following Him; one must deny self, take up the cross and follow Him. Simon, here was doing what he was told to do, without realizing the deep meaning that was hid in that event. First of all, the cross he was carrying was not YAHSHUA’S. That cross was his and the world’s. Simon unaware of all the spiritual meaning of what was happening, was representing the world’s spiritual condition and in need of a Savior to save it. That cross signified a curse. The Bible says “Cursed is everyone who is hung on the tree (cross). Christ purchased our freedom from the curse of the Law by [Himself] becoming a curse for us, for it is written, Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (Gal. 3:13). Simon was carrying a curse we all were under. Since Simon could not liberate us from it, YAHSHUA took it when arriving to the place for the sacrifice by means of crucifixion. That’s all Simon could have done, for he too needed a Savior to free him from the curse.

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He Makes Me to Lie Down

Life is for many of us a go, go without making time to ponder on its spiritual consequences. The physical part of life demands without excuses. People work three jobs to meet the everyday needs. Not making time for enough rest or sleep to restore the body’s energy. Life is without a doubt a run, run 24/7 for some. Like robots disregarding the importance of caring for the body, people live under the influence of having to work for things, in many cases to pay for unnecessary accumulated debts. We Christians follow the way of the world, sinking into the love of things as well. They are the sheep who strayed from the way that led them to a closer relationship with God. The Bible, yes, their Bibles lie collecting dust, while they find time to go to church once a week to appease their conscience. YAHSHUA, our Shepherd, faithfully leads with His staff and His rod, calling all to hear and follow Him. Always providing, always listening to the needs of His sheep.

He even gave His life to save them from eternal destruction, offering forgiveness and restauration of their soul to unite with Him. He says, I am the good shepherd. The good Shepherd risks and lays down His life for the sheep; “I am the good Shepherd; and I know and recognize My own, and My own knows Me- even as [truly as] the Father knows Me and I also know the Father- and I am giving My [very own] life and laying it down on behalf of the sheep” (John 10:11,14-15). That’s the love our Shepherd has demonstrated to us.

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Then Came the Morning to the Life of Job

This is an interesting and to us a controversy story about a just and blameless man under a test proposed by Satan to God. He was from the land of Uz. He possessed a host of sheep, camels, oxen, donkeys and a very great body of servants (Job 1). He feared God and shunned evil. He was a wealthy man, but not one prideful and selfish. His life was always a light to his world. God took notice of it and said to Satan: “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and abstains from and shuns all evil; and still he holds fast his integrity although you moved Me against him to destroy him without cause” (Job 2: 3). At Satan’s request, God allowed him to touch Job with the death of his family, destruction of his proprieties and disease on his entire body. As a matter of fact, he was disfigured beyond imagination. To that his friends lifted up their voices and wept; and each one tore his robe and they cast dust over their heads toward the heavens (Job 2). Job used a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself, and he sat down among the ashes. His ordeal continued for a long time. His wife suggested him to renounce God and die. In time, his friends from pity to the pointing of the finger, blamed him for his situation.

The time of his illness became a debate time among Job and his friends. He defended himself by saying, “Surely, I wish to speak to the Almighty, and I desire to argue and reason my case with God” (Job 13:3); “though He will slay me, yet will I wait for and trust Him”. (Job 13:15). “Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and He who vouches for me is on high” (Job 16:19); “Oh, that there were one who might plead for a man with God and that he might maintain his right with Him as a son of man pleads with or for his neighbor” (Job 16:21); “I was living at ease, but [Satan] crushed me and broke me apart; yes, he seized me by the neck and dashed me in pieces; then he set me up for his target; his arrows whiz around me. He slashes open my vitals and does not spare; he pours out my gall on the ground; he stabs me making breach after breach and attacking again and again; he runs at me like a giant and irresistible warrior; I have sewed sackcloth over my skin and have defiled my horn in the dust” (Job 16:12-15).

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The Glory of the Gospel in YAHSHUA’S Face Overwhelmed the Glory of the Law in Moses’ Face

(Exodus34:28-33; II Corinthians 3:10-18)

“Shekinah Glory is a visible manifestation of God on earth, whose presence is portrayed through a natural occurrence. The word shekinah is a Hebrew name meaning “dwelling” or “one who dwells”. Shekinah Glory means “He caused to dwell,” referring to the divine presence of God. It is the majestic presence or manifestation of God in which He descends to dwell among men. Whenever the invisible God becomes visible, and whenever the omnipresence of God is localized, this is the Shekinah Glory.”

Ref: Christianity.com, What is the meaning of shekinah glory Biblestudytools.com, The abiding presence of God.

When our Lord and Savior came to earth as a baby, a bright star shone in that dark night announcing His birth. That was a very special star. The Magi of those days well understood the meaning of that star and took years traveling to meet the King that star was pointing to. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, (the shepherds) and the glory of the Lord flashed and shone all about them and they were terribly frightened; but the angel said to them, Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the town of David a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord! (Luke 2:11). The Shekinah Glory of the Gospel is YAHSHUA incarnated, bringing forgiveness to all who will receive Him as Lord and Savior- as the Son of God. John testified about Him and cried out, This was He of Whom I said He Who comes after me has priority over me, for He was before me. For out of His fullness, we have all received one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift, for while the Law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through YAHSHUA Messiah. (John 1:15-17).

When God came to mount Sinai, in His holiness, He came to establish the law with all its demands and consequences to covenant with Israel. The Bible says, Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, for the Lord Descended upon it in fire; its smoke ascended like that of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. (Exodus 19). God showed Israel His holiness, as never they had seen before. He said to Moses, Write these words, for after the purpose and character of these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel; Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he ate no bread and drank no water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments. When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tables of the testimony in his hand, he did not know that the skin of his face shone and sent forth beams by reasons of his speaking with the Lord. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone and they feared to come near him…Afterword, all Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all the Lord had said to him in Mount Sinai. And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face. The Israelites saw the face of Moses, how the skin of it shone; and Moses put the veil on his face again until he went in to speak with God (Exodus34).

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