Conversations with Ray Martinez

Leaders often forget the four R.A.R.E. things of genuine leadership, which are:  Responsibility, Accountability, Relationships, and being an Encourager.  If you want to grow in your leadership style, listen to this simple and transparent message about your leadership style.

Any power attributed to the name of Jesus originates in the Person of Jesus. When we “believe in Jesus’ name,” we are trusting in the finished work of the risen Christ on the cross.  Jesus is not a magic word. There is nothing special about the arrangement of the letters in His name. By simply calling out the name of “Jesus,” one cannot expect a special power, outcome, or better standing with God. Praying in Jesus’ name means praying with His authority (Luke 10:19) and asking God the Father to act upon our prayers because we come by faith in the name of His Son, Jesus. In my early days as a policeman, if somebody was fleeing from me on foot, I would say “Police, stop in the name of the law“!  My authority and power came from the laws, written by the state legislators and approved by the governor in the state of Colorado. Nevertheless, we didn’t say, “stop in the name of the governor“.  My badge, or my shield, represented my authorization and authority to the state of Colorado, which I had the authority to verbalize via commands and direction to those who were in violation of the law.  Listen in for a more detailed discussion.

The term Godhead is found three times in the King James Version.  In each of the three verses, a slightly different Greek word is used, but the definition of each is the same: “deity” or “divine nature.” The word Godhead is used to refer to God’s essential nature. We’ll take a look at each of these passages and what they mean.  We are the offspring of God, not by images made by men. We were made by God or a part of his lineage.  Paul’s argument is that all of creation virtually shouts the existence of God; we can “clearly” see God’s eternal power, as well as His “Godhead” in what He has made. We know he spoke these things into existence. This is written in Genesis, chapter 1, but what we don’t realize is that once he spoke the word, then his craftsmanship started taking place by the power of his words. He went into full intelligent design, knowing that someday we would be able to see his wonders beyond the naked eye.  God intended for us to see the galaxies and the planets.  Let's take a deeper dive into this study by listening to the podcast.

In Solomon’s day information was mostly limited to books. In our day information takes many other forms. If Solomon could say this when there was no printing press, Internet, television, radio, and only a fraction of the books we have what would he say if he lived in our day? The amount of information in our day is overwhelming and untrustworthy. Plant yourself in the Bible where “the words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed; they are given by one Shepherd” (Ecclesiastes 12:11).  Scripture must be our primary read and most important reference in life. Because we learn from it, and we know that every word was inspired by God. It doesn’t get any better than that.  Listen in today for more insight on this topic.

The Holy Scriptures clearly shows us Christ’s attributes.  We can certainly identify about 20 or 30 attributes of Christ right off the top of your head. However, we’re going to focus on the four main categories that are directly attributed to Christ. So let’s zoom out and look at the big picture. We will talk about that he is: OMNISCIENCE (all-knowing), Omnipotence (all-powerful), Omnipresence (everywhere), and finally, Jesus’ Ascension.  Join me for an in-depth teaching about Christ's attributes.

What irony that Jesus was born in Bethlehem.  Bethlehem means “house of bread”.  Jesus is the bread of life, “ Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:35).  On the night when was betrayed Jesus instituted His Supper, that the bread He blessed and gave to His disciples, and us is His body. The cup (wine), that He blesses and gave to them, and us is His blood for the forgiveness of our sins. This is the New Testament!  

What did Jesus mean when he said, we must eat His flesh and drink His blood?  Jesus’ graphic imagery about eating His flesh and drinking His blood is indeed puzzling at first. 

Those who misunderstood Jesus and were offended by His talk about eating His flesh and drinking His blood were stuck in a physical mindset, ignoring the things of the Spirit. They were concerned with getting another physical meal, so Jesus uses the realm of the physical to teach a vital spiritual truth. Those who couldn’t make the jump from the physical to the spiritual turned their backs on Jesus and walked away (John 6:66).  We will take a deeper dive into this whole topic if you will listen to the podcast today.

We celebrate Christmas because, as the angel said, the birth of Jesus Christ is “good news.” Good news is meant to be celebrated. In fact, the angel said the news of Jesus’ birth would cause “great joy” and would be “for all the people”—the joyful celebration would be universal. People around the globe would be glad for this occasion.

We celebrate Christmas because, as the angel said, “A Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” The three titles the angel applies to Jesus are important. Jesus is THE SAVIOR.  He is the HUMAN MESSIAH, and he is the DIVINE LORD.  In celebrating Christmas, we celebrate the Savior, because we needed deliverance. Listen in as we did deeper in the why, the birth date of Jesus, and much more.

The powerful story of Hagar in the Bible underscores how messy and complex God’s work in history really is. As people of faith, we believe that God answers prayer and keeps his promises, but this story will shake us out of simplistic notions of God’s call, God’s promises, and God’s faithfulness. Hagar is not just a supporting character in the story of Abraham and Sarah. She is not just the mother of Ishmael.  Looking at Genesis 16 and 21 through Hagar’s eyes reveals that her story is Israel’s story. And it has a lot to teach us about how God shows up in our own stories.  I encourage you to get the book:  She Is Called Women of the Bible Study Vol. 2, by Rev. Ming Chen Lo Rohrer (Grace) is pastor of the Taiwanese Presbyterian Church of Northern Jersey in Livingston, New Jersey. Listen in as we take a deeper dive into the life of Hagar.

Yahweh is the principal name in the Old Testament by which God reveals himself and is the most sacred, distinctive and incommunicable name of God. Within all of us there exists a strong desire to be known and to know others.  We all like to think we are an influencer to others.  Jesus was the King of influence and sometimes in controversy.  The key to truly knowing God is found in what God has revealed about Himself in the Bible. He wants to be known (see Acts 17:27-28).  Jesus revealed to us who God is, so in knowing God we must look to Jesus.  Another key ingredient in truly knowing God is reading the Bible, God’s Word. In the Bible we have God’s revelation of His character, His promises, and His will. If you will listen in today, we will take a deeper dive into some key points about knowing God.

When the scripture says that God transcends or passes all understanding, this refers to the only known knowledge or capabilities of mankind. God rises above any man’s law. If God wants the law of man to work in his peoples favor, he can cause that to happen beyond circumstances that we cannot understand. So we refer to them as coincidences. There is no such thing as a coincidence. I refer to them as God-cidences.  If God does not agree with mans law, and he wants to guard or protect his people, he’s not obligated to operate within man’s realm, or known scientific facts. God is not bound by man’s absolute knowledge. Listen in and we will take a deeper dive into the transcendence of God.