Pastor Paul's Blog

I Am Telling You, Jesus Sent Us Out With Power

2012-02-14T14:37:00.000-05:00

I think we too easily forget who we are in Jesus Christ. We get so used to the rules of this world, the natural laws, the restrictions of our flesh that we forget that we are more than this. Have you read the gospels? Have you read the life of Jesus? Do you know who he is?

Let me tell you, Jesus was 100% man and 100% God. However, he set aside his divinity so that he could take our place. Oh, he was/is divine but he did not avail himself of these powers and privileges. He walked, lived, worked, slept, ate just like we do every day. When he hurt himself he felt pain. If this is true then how did he do the stuff he did? Good question.

You see, those who really don't know anything about Jesus simply believe that he was a good man who taught about love. They say he was a great teacher that had far greater insight into love than most people today. They put him on the same level as Gandhi. But that's because they don't really know anything about Jesus.

Jesus came to cast out demons and preach the good news. He had to get rid of the demons so people could receive the good news. Right there people start freaking out and walking away. Christians today don't want to hear it because they don't want to defend it. But that is exactly what Jesus did. Read it for yourself.

Then our compassionate God could not walk around in the suffering of mankind without responding to that suffering, so when the first person asked for healing Jesus responded from the love of his heart. Then it became a sea of requests as a suffering humanity discovered the compassionate heart of God. How did Jesus do all this if he had limited himself to his humanity? Can't only the divine do this?

Go back to where Jesus stepped away from his life in the world and presented himself for baptism. It wasn't just water Jesus was baptized with but the Holy Spirit as well. As Jesus came out of the water the Spirit of God descended on him and it was by the Spirit of God that Jesus did all these things. Why? Why would he set his divinity aside and operate in the Spirit?

There were a few reasons but the one I am addressing here right now is that he came to set for us an example of what it was to live by this same Spirit. Jesus promised this same Spirit to us and told us we would do even greater things than he did. When he left he said he was leaving so he could send the Spirit. After he left the Spirit came upon the believers and the Church was born. The book of Acts is not the Acts of the Apostles but the Acts of the Holy Spirit because it was by the Spirit they did all these things. Have you read it? It's out of this world. Nothing there about being stuck in the confines of this place. No patterns of the world found in these chapters.

Why am I telling you this? Because we have forgotten, in the trappings of this world, that we are more than this. We have forgotten that Jesus told us to live by the Spirit of God. We have forgotten that the epistles of the Apostles tell us to live by the Spirit of God. We forgot that we are God's glory and he wants to operate through us in power so that the nations will see his glory.

Instead we set up churches to sing songs, entertain people, give out food and clothing and operate like any other charity would. Meanwhile we have the resurrection power in our blood to cast out demons, heal the sick and raise the dead. Jesus first gave this authority to his 12 disciples (Luke 9). Later he gave this same authority to the 72 (Luke 10). Finally it was given to all believers with the giving of the Holy Spirit at the birth of the Church (Mark 16).

There are far too many skeptics walking around disguised as Christians. Either we believe the full gospel or we don't believe any of it. Jesus said it is all or nothing. Too many Christians are calling Jesus a liar. Too many are saying that only parts of the Bible are true. Too many say that the sink can't be healed, that the dead can't be raised, that there are no such things as demons. They say the only power we have is to live a good life. Wimps is what I call them. No spiritual muscle to them at all. No wonder this world is becoming a darker place as the Church fails to bear the Light who is Jesus. Jesus was more than a teacher, more than a statesman, more than this world deserves. We are more than teachers, more than statesmen, more than this world understands. Go ahead, read it for yourself and see if I am lying. Ask the Spirit to open your eyes and you too will see it plainly enough. God has filled us with his power to reveal his glory and he has sent us out to do it. Go ahead, open your Bibles and read. See for yourself.

And hurry up because we have a lot of work to do!

Are You Hoping To Become A Leader?

2012-02-14T06:25:00.000-05:00

This may seem like it has nothing to do with you but leadership in the Church is something we should all be concerned about, especially because we seem to be doing it wrong. Sometimes we act in the Church as if leadership is a dictatorship, not meaning that it is run by tyrants but instead that people feel they have no choice. When it comes to leaders and followers there is always a choice. No one is ever forced to follow anyone; it's a choice if we submit to that leadership or not. But even then I think we are using the wrong vocabulary in the Body of Christ.

I don't even like using the word "leader" in connection to the Church because we only have one Leader who is Christ, who directs us through the Holy Spirit in us. The pastor is not a leader in the sense that we have leaders in the world. He is not the head of the church, Christ is. It's not even "our" church; it belongs to Jesus. Maybe we may own the building but the "Church" is his Bride. The pastor and elders are there as trainers, teachers, guides, helpers. They are responsible for making sure we understand the Word and do not head off on some strangely twisted teaching. They are there to help us understand how to mature in Jesus, to train us in spiritual works so that we become productive members of the Body. Do we see that happening?

The most difficult task for the pastor and elders is to bring in correction because it has to be done right. It has to be done in a way that encourages the believer to make right choices for the Lord. It should never be a thing of punishment and vengeance. The pastor and elders should be of such incredible spiritual maturity that they are able to handle such matters in the Spirit without killing any of the sheep. I became a pastor at the age of 28 and I feel I was not mature at all. I know of pastors who started much younger and had even less spiritual maturity. Praise God for his grace.

Perhaps this is the reason Paul found it necessary to give Timothy some guidelines in the selection of elders. I don't like that some people use this as a law, eliminating grace from God's plan in his calling of under-shepherds for his children. If this was a law that was put in place then Paul was disqualified from being the servant-leader he was. He tells Timothy:

Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. (1 Timothy 3:2-3)

Can we say here that he must be a Christian, a follower of Jesus, a born again believer? You would think that this would be a given but basically what Paul is telling Timothy is an elder must have spiritual maturity to take up this responsibility. I know a lot of Christians, Jesus lovers to the core, who still have struggles they are working out. This is a daily submitting to the Spirit that they are learning but have not quite grasped yet. They are still young and needing to mature, but they are getting there. They do not qualify as an elder simply because they have not matured to that point yet.

Then Paul strikes on something that has caused a few of us to give pause and wonder if we are now disqualified as elders in the Body of Christ:

He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?) (vv. 4-5)

Does this mean that every pastor, every elder has the perfect family; that all his children are well behaved and walk around in shirt and tie? Hardly. That would remove the sin nature from children. Children will be children, always pushing the limits of the boundaries set by their parents. Only Jesus can cut off the root of that nature but salvation always remains a personal choice. No one can force salvation on someone, not even on children. Now, depending on personalities this pushing will either be a private thing or a very public. So what does Paul mean by manage? We have responsibility as parents to train and correct our children. If we allow them to run wild without correction, if we fail to instruct them in the Word and in the love of Jesus, if we are so busy with our own lives that we don't have time for our family, then we have not been good managers.

There are those who look at a pastor who has a rebellious teenage son and say that he is disqualified as an elder and must resign. I vehemently disagree and call those people immature in the Word and in the Spirit of God. If this is what disqualifies a "man of God" then should God not have to resign as God? Did he not lose "control" of Adam and Eve, and did this rebellion not plunge the entire human race into a state of rebellion? Ridiculous! God has done everything he can to love and correct this entire race. All we can ask of pastors and elders is that they do the same. What they are willing to do for their family speaks well of what they will be willing to do for the church. When you want to understand what Paul is talking about think of the priest Eli and his two sons.

Now Paul really hits the nail on the head:

He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil. (v. 6)

The type of leadership Jesus called elders to requires maturity, a great deal of spiritual maturity. A guy may make a great and wise business man but that does not make him spiritually mature. Someone could be a great musician but that does not mean he is spiritually mature. Someone could be flowing in the gifts of the Spirit, but it does not make him spiritually mature. Spiritual maturity is found in those who have discovered that love has no limits, that grace is abounding in Jesus, that they are the least and everyone else is of greater importance. Maturity is found in a servant heart and that is what is required for pastors and elders. If you think you have it you probably don't.

I have been a pastor for 20 years now and I am still sorting through some of these things. I am only now grasping the heart of the matter of servant leadership in the Body of Christ. After all this time I am only now beginning to see the real leaders among us and they are not always the ones standing behind the pulpit. I am seeing a lot more clearly what we have done to God's plan for the Church, what we have done with our "leadership" training, and the business practices of the Church. I am now only falling to me knees in repentance, seeking the forgiveness of the Lord and asking for the grace to move forward in his design. Twenty years to get to this point. I just hope I am a faster learner over the next 40 years so I can get more than two more lessons in.

What's Up With Paul Telling Women To Be Quiet In The Church?

2012-02-13T06:23:00.000-05:00

There are a few things in the Word of God that are hard for us to understand or accept in this "modern" age. One of those things is the attitude toward women. For a long time there has been a quiet debate in the Body as to the place of women. It may sound like a silly thing to discuss in an age when equal rights was dealt with a long time ago and we have moved on to other matters. However, it is still there in the Bible. What are we to do with this?

First of all, let us understand where we all are in our relationship with Jesus:

There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)

There are your equal rights long before such a phrase was ever uttered. This is a wonderful passage, beautiful in it's writing and application. The context needs to be read:

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Galatians 3:26-29)

Many people would like to leave it there and walk away but there are several passages that need to be dealt with that may make some people uncomfortable. Although our relationship with God puts us all on the same footing, God has set up a certain order for things in the Body of Christ in this world.

We may have messed things up with our own ideas but there is a type of authority God has put in place. Not authority as we understand authority but instead an authority of service. In order for people to receive from this authority there has to be a volunteer submission to it. For instance, within the context of the Body God has called a select number of people to act as servant authorities. They are the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. These are the training servants to the Church, who have the responsibility to train believers in works of service. Look it up for yourself in Ephesians 4.

In this same way God has placed the husband in this servant authority to his wife. Paul commands the husband:

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. (Ephesians 5:25-33)

I apologize that I shared so much here but it is a beautiful passage that must be read in its entirety. When a husband takes his proper place and is mature in the Lord he sees his role as fulfilling, completing and increasing his wife. His greatest joy is to offer himself to her to see her blessed, multiplied, and again I use the word, increased. But in order to receive this blessing the wife must do the same thing the Church must do with Jesus:

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. (Ephesians 5:22-24)

It is unfortunate that we have allowed the world to taint our understanding of authority and submission because God's definition is a beautiful relationship that is not based on power but on love. Jesus does not force himself on anyone nor should he be forced on anyone. The relationship only works when, out of love, we gladly surrender ourselves to him and he in turn lavishes us with his love. This is marriage.

So now, when we read Paul's statement to Timothy we can better understand what Paul is promoting here:

A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. (1 Timothy 2:11)

"Woman" here is also translated as wife. Who is the wife suppose to be in submission to? Her husband, who is her covering, who has a relationship with her to see her increase. This is also in context to worship. The passage continues:

I do not permit a woman to teach or to assume authority over a man; she must be quiet. (1 Timothy 2:12)

Understand again here that "woman" and "man" also translate as wife and husband. It is out of sync with God's order that a husband should have to be taught by his wife. The roles are reversed. Unfortunately we have a lot of that in our current age but it is seldom the woman's fault. Men do not act like real men. They shirk their responsibilities. They are lazy and do not want to take the place of authority servant. They are selfish and just want to pursue their own interests. They allow their wife to go off to church and take their place while they go golfing or watch their sports. The reason women make up so much of the leadership in churches now is because men have failed to take their place.

Not much has changed. Adam would have saved us all a lot of trouble if he had just been the man who should have been. God placed everything under his authority but he couldn't even say no to his wife when she faced temptation. He wasn't there to protect her, defend her, cover her. Oh, he was there physically but he wasn't spiritually and he allowed her to lead him instead of him leading her.

Think what you want about God's order but his Word never changes. In the context of two people filled by the Spirit of God, this is a beautiful thing. It only gets messed up when we allow selfishness, sin and the world's wisdom to enter in. Men, take your place. Love your wife in the same way Jesus loves his Bride. Give yourself fully to her and desire her increase. Women, respect you husband which is the highest form of love. Submit to him in the same manner as the Church submits to Jesus so that you may receive the blessings God will pour into you through him. Let this be done according to God's wisdom and will, not man's.

Employing A Weed Whacker To My Life

2012-02-12T06:43:00.000-05:00

Your life was meant for something more than what you have allowed it to become. I think you already know that. I think you already know you are not living what God has planned for you. I am not referring to what you do for a living but the condition of your heart and the lack of depth in your relationships. Most of us are surface dwellers but we were created to be people of the depths and people of the wind. Remember this from Jesus:

The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. (John 3:8)

Does this not speak of freedom to you? Not freedom to do as you wish but freedom in our obedience to Jesus. Nothing to cage us in or hold us back. You can't bottle a hurricane or can a tornado. You can't even package the delight of a summer breeze. Nothing holds the wind back and nothing prevents it from coming and going. That is our life in the Spirit, with no ties or bondage to this world.

Jesus told a parable of a farmer scattering his seed which, for me, speaks much of our destiny and God's purpose for us in this place. He described how the seed fell in different types of soil. First some fell on the walking path which was packed down from all the walking. This seed was easily carried away by the birds. It never had a chance. Then there was the seed that fell in soil that was not really prepared, having rocks just under the surface. The roots could not grow so when it became hot the plant simply dried up and died. The third fell in soil that also contained many weeds. The plant grew but it was so chocked off by the weeds that it produced no "fruit". The last seed fell in well prepared soil, minus weeds, where it grew and produced a huge harvest:

Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, multiplying thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times. (Mark 4:8)

That seed is the Word of God, the Holy Spirit, our life in God, and the plant is what God produces out of our heart. It is our kindness, good deeds, healing power, words of knowledge and the Word of salvation we carry with us to share with the nations. We are meant to be fruitful; it is our destiny to be multipliers of the Kingdom. It is our purpose for being in this place, to share Jesus with everyone. Unfortunately, we are more like the seed among the weeds.

We are meant to be as free as the wind from the trappings and sins of this world. Instead, we try to live a life of duplicity, chasing after the things of this world. We are more concerned about jobs, money, girlfriends and boyfriends, making the right connections, credit problems, mounting bills, health issues and so on. All the time we have the solution for all of it right in front of us in our Saviour Jesus. We fill our life with sorrow, producing nothing in our lives for the Kingdom, whereas Jesus designed us for joy, peace and his prosperity. We keep forgetting that we have died to ourselves and all of this. We act more like a sinking rock than the free roaming wind.

The solution is not a complicated one. It's time to take a weed whacker to the weeds of our life. It's time to cut loose a few things that no longer belong to us, that are no longer part of our "living for Jesus". It's time to throw off our bondage and set our sails. It's time to simplify a few things, change some priorities, face a new direction, take in a new view and step out in faith. It is time to step into our destiny and allow Jesus to produce in us a great harvest so that we can be used for his glory. It is time to move from consumer to producer, from useless to useful, from empty to full, from life to death back to life again in Jesus. It is time my friends to change from being a sinking rock to the free flowing wind, where God can be glorified in us and through us.

It is a decision. It is a decision to turn our back on the pattern of this world. It is a decision to step out of the garbage heap and into the freedom of life in the Spirit. It is a decision to say no to this world and yes to the lover of our soul. It is a decision you can make right now. Let's get that weed whacker out.

Faith Is An Amazing Thing

2012-02-11T08:28:00.000-05:00

There are a couple of things you should know about Faith:

1. Faith is a thing of quantity. Jesus said it does not take much to get it going, just a tiny seed:

I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. (Matthew 17:20)

2. Faith is a thing of quality. It must be pure, without doubt, even if it is as small as a mustard seed:

I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer. (Matthew 21:21-22)

This is the life you have been called to live in faith. Is it any wonder Jesus reflected on this:

However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth? (Luke 18:8)

Too many Christians live their life according to the restrictions of their flesh. Too many refuse to allow the power of God to flow through them. Too many live according to the patterns of this world.

Where are you in your relationship with Jesus right now? Do you live by faith or by sight? Are you stuck in the confines of the physical world or do you trust God for the impossible? Do you trust? Do you obey? Do you live for Jesus?

You Are Not Insignificant

2012-02-11T07:40:00.000-05:00

Too often we feel insignificant, a small player in this thing called life. We feel average with nothing special to offer, nothing that makes us stand out. In fact, much of the time we may even feel less than average and don't want to stand out because we have nothing to offer. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ you need to lose that attitude completely because that is not who you are. You need to spend some time in the Word, in prayer, fasting until you are changed to have Jesus' perspective on the matter, because you are not insignificant. God has done incredible things through one person simply because they were willing to believe and trust, which lead to obedience.

The prophet Zechariah had a vision in which he was given a word for Zerubbabel who was the governor of Judah. Judah was now a lowly, poor province of a foreign power and some of the Israelites were just starting to return from captivity. God chose Zerubbabel to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem but the task was huge. Who was this lowly governor of a poor state to build the magnificent, huge and expensive Temple to God? But listen to the Word that was given to him:

This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty. (Zechariah 4:6)

How quickly we forget that life is more than what we see and God is more than what we know. He isn't interested in what resources we have or what our abilities are, he is only looking for servants who are willing to believe and obey. We have nothing to offer him except our love and dedication and that's exactly what he wants. He doesn't want disobedient children who are going to argue every point with him, who are going to wrestle over everything he asks, who are going to analyze it and decide whether it is possible or not. He wants children who simply believe that what he asks is possible because it is God who asked.

Look how God speaks to the seemingly impossible task before Zerubbabel:

“What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of ‘God bless it! God bless it!’” (Zechariah 4:7)

How many of us need that same boldness of faith while facing our mountain? Hear God speak to that thing, saying "What are you mighty mountain? Before ____________ you will become level ground. And when he completes this thing I will be glorified". But get this, Jesus has now said that YOU have the authority to speak to that mountain simply because you believe and trust God:

I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. (Matthew 17:20)

And Jesus repeats himself,

I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. (Matthew 21:21)

You, child of faith, are not insignificant or unimportant. God does more through one man or woman who acts in faith than he does through a thousand millionaires. Rise up o child of the LORD God Almighty and take your place in the ranks of the great witnesses of faith who acted on their trust in God.

Here is one little footnote I want to add. God said this through Zechariah:

“Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the LORD that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone in the hand of Zerubbabel?” (Zechariah 4:10)

Whatever God starts he is going to complete. Once you put your hand to the plow don't look back. When you start you have to have the resolve in faith that God is going to complete, through the Spirit, what he has begun in and through you. The "seven eyes" that Zechariah mentions here is the Holy Spirit, so the Holy Spirit in you will rejoice over the completion of what he is doing through you. Do not despise small beginnings or what looks like the insignificant. There is more going on in the heavenly realms than we could possibly imagine here in this world, and our actions, or lack thereof, impacts what is going on there.

Rejoice in your calling! Rejoice in what Jesus is accomplishing! Rejoice that you get to serve him in this manner! Rejoice that nothing is impossible for you!

I can do everything through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:13)

How To Know You Are Living For Jesus And Not Yourself

2012-02-10T05:58:00.000-05:00

Have you ever felt that perhaps you have everything screwed up? You know what I mean, where you are doing some things right but they seem to be all twisted in things that aren't quite right but you are not sure how to untangle it all? Perhaps I am reaching too far to start with and you are still at that point where you think everything is okay. The usual reason for thinking everything is okay is because we are blind to the real situation. There is an idiom that says, "If you can keep calm while everyone around you is loosing their head in panic, it's because you don't know what's going on." Funny.

I believe many Christians are doing what they think they are suppose to do but they are doing it without power and often times without real conviction. This means that the first sign of trouble or resistance and they drop their faith and run. Perhaps we don't run from church, which has become our family, but we don't rely on God to get us out of situations, often turning to other people or trying to dig our own way out. All of this is a result of lack of prayer. It is in our prayer time that we are convicted about things in our lives, strengthened to do the right thing and are shown the correct path to take. Without prayer we are left to our own devices.

After writing to his friend Timothy concerning the importance of prayer, Paul then spoke of his desire for the Church:

Therefore I want the men everywhere to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or disputing. (1 Timothy 2:8)

This is what Paul desired to see developing out of a disciplined life of prayer, a lack of anger and disputes; a lack of arguing and division. You can't spend a great deal of time with Jesus and come away the same. Prayer and fasting changes a person; it changes them to be more like Jesus. The more time you spend with him the more he rubs off on you. You can't hate someone you are praying for. If you go into prayer angry with someone, that time with Jesus will change your heart so that you come out with forgiveness and renewed love. You can't be a prayer warrior and be filled with anger and hate. If you are, you are a fake.

Paul also expressed another desire he had for the Church:

I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God. (1 Timothy 2:9-10)

This was not a command telling women how to dress, but it was an expressed desire of Paul to see radical changes produced through prayer. You can't mandate modesty. If you try it becomes legalism. It is something that is birthed as a loving response to Jesus. You can't spend time with Jesus without it changing your thinking, perspective and desires. Fasting and prayer helps you understand the priority of the Kingdom and gives you a desire for those priorities. It causes us to let go of the things that do not bring us closer to God and of the things that are unhealthy for us.

Consider it from Jesus' perspective: Why did he die on the cross/ What was the purpose of his resurrection? Was it so we could spend all our money on fashions, jewelry, and make-up? Was it so we could fill our heads with worrying about how we look and how people perceive us? I am not saying there is anything wrong with looking presentable; I wear a suit for that exact reason, to look presentable. But when that occupies your thinking, pocket book and desires then it has taken priority over the Kingdom. Paul picked on fashion but we could use sports, cars, fitness or anything else that takes priority over God's priorities.

What do we think Jesus' priorities are? Paul says dress to look good but your energy needs to go into the things that honour God, such as good deeds. I would add to that, working for the salvation of souls, because that is the mission we have been given. A healthy prayer life does this by keeping us in tune with the Holy Spirit. It keeps us in the mind of Christ and helps us fix our eyes on that goal of eternity. It helps put everything in it's place. There is nothing wrong with nice clothes, sports, or fitness, but when they become more important than the Kingdom of God we have begun to twist things again.

If you want to judge the health of your relationship with Jesus check your habit of prayer. Not only do we need to be praying ceaselessly, we need our relationship building time with Christ; that time we set aside just for him. The healthier that is, the healthier our relationship, the more we will walk in his conviction and power. Let's get our life untwisted by spending the time we need to with Jesus, who is our everything.

How Can We Be Sure Jesus Understands?

2012-02-09T06:00:00.001-05:00

"Jesus knows!" "Jesus cares!" Have you ever had that said to you? I have heard it countless times. In fact, I have said it countless times because it is true. Jesus set aside his divinity to walk in flesh in the same way we have to exist in flesh. As a baby he messed his diaper. As a child he skinned his knee. As an adult he felt hunger, he experienced sorrow, he was bullied, abandoned, cast out, considered a freak, a fake, a trickster and he was "stabbed" in the back. Most importantly, Jesus had to face every temptation that we face in our flesh because he was fully man. He did not walk this earth in his divinity:

Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. (Philippians 2:6-7)

The life Jesus lived he lived in the Spirit. The miracles he did he did in the Spirit. The Words that he spoke he spoke in the Spirit. The knowledge that he had came by the Spirit. This is why at his water baptism with John, the Father baptized him with the Holy Spirit. From then on everything he did was by the Spirit. Check it out for yourself, read the first few chapters of Matthew. This is the same Spirit we have been baptized with so that we can live this same life for God's glory.

This is important to note because Jesus lived a perfect life in this flesh we live in while facing everything we face. The difference was he did not have a sin nature like the rest of us have and from which we have been freed. The reason this is important is so that we know that Jesus does understand because he has been where we are. He knows all too well the war we are involved with here and this is why he is the perfect mediator between us and the Father:

For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. (1 Timothy 2:5-6)

He is the perfect mediator, which means that he is explaining to the Father what we need and why we need it. This is the reason he told us that whatever we ask the Father for in his name will be given to us. Of course that is setting aside our selfishness and greed, assuming that we are in a right relationship with Jesus. If this is true of us we know that suddenly our need looks a lot different. But the thing is Jesus knows and he cares. He's been right where we are and he has promised to see us through until the end. He knows what it takes to go all the way. His grace is more than sufficient and his strength is in wonderful supply.

Don't hesitate to take everything to Jesus in prayer. Don't think twice about calling out to him in your need. He is just waiting for you to let him in so he can deliver exactly what you need. Trust him, believe him, seek him and he will pour it on. He loves you like no other person could and he can take care of you like no other person would. Go to him now and rest on his promises.

Can We Take A Minute Here To Speak Frankly About Prayer?

2012-02-08T06:31:00.000-05:00

Can we be frank here? What is your attitude toward prayer? When I say prayer what image comes to your mind? Is it kneeling beside a bed with hands folded and head bowed? Perhaps you see ten thousand people in a stadium with music blaring and hands lifted? Perhaps it is at church as the pastor and a few others pray? Do you pray? How often? Where? For how long? Would it surprise you to know that every evening Jesus stayed up later than everyone else to spend time with his Father and he got up early than everyone to do the same thing? Unfortunately those who profuse to be Jesus followers are not very good at it. Victory Life Church in California put out these statistics:

- an average Christian prays 3-7 minutes a day, including meal time
- 52% of those who do pray do so several times a day
- 37% of Christians say they pray once a day
- 21% have extended prayer time with other family members
- only 33% of adults regularly participate in a prayer group

You know what the sad thing is?

- an average pastor prayers for 39 minutes a day; 21% spend 15 minutes or less in prayer daily

Where's the flame? Where's the passion? Most of our time is being put into ministry and not into relationship. Prayer is where we spend time with the one we love above everyone and everything else. It's where we connect, express our heart, receive correction and instruction. It is also where the most important part of the battle takes place. It is in prayer that things get done in this world, where the enemy is put to flight, where hearts are changed, situations improved, power released, and victory won.

Apostle Paul told Timothy that this was vital in the mission we have been given:

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

We are warriors on our knees and on our knees the enemy is defenseless against us. Prayer is the most powerful weapon we have. It is about relationship and about the release of God's power and will. James told us plainly:

And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5:15-16)

Many Christians today do not believe in healing or in any manifestation of the Spirit. They have died to the Spirit and no real life is found in them. It is not a judgement on my part put a repeating of what the Word of God tells us. Without the Spirit we do not have Jesus. But most Christians wouldn't know that because only 4% of Christians have read the Bible cover to cover, and only 36% of us read our Bible in a typical week. We aren't followers of anyone; we are pretenders. Without prayer there is no power. Without prayer there are no miracles, no great change; there is nothing. Just a facade.

I am not saying this to guilt anyone into anything because prayer has to be a passion. It has to be something that you long to be at. Yet, a passion must be born from somewhere and that somewhere is from a disciplined Christian life. We can't do whatever we want in our life. Well, we can but then we can't call ourselves Christians. Actually, we can call ourselves whatever we want but we are only pretenders. I can call myself a doctor but that doesn't mean I am. A Christian life is a disciplined life but not a discipline that develops from a religious thinking but instead a discipline that develops from a passion for the one we love.

When a runner has a passion for his sport he has the discipline of eating and sleeping well. He makes sure that he puts in the required time of running and he is always desiring to improve. This is true of anything that comes from passion, singing, writing, dancing, teaching; it all requires sacrifice and discipline and the greater the passion the greater the sacrifice and discipline.

Prayer is a fundamental part of the discipline that springs from our passion for Jesus. Such discipline includes:

- prayer
- Bible study
- worship
- fellowship
- witnessing
- accountability

These are all vital to our spiritual growth in Jesus Christ. We aren't talking about earning salvation here. This is relationship building, growing closer to the one we love. It doesn't happen unless we put effort into it. However, it is our attitude toward prayer that is my concern at the moment. It is true that we need to have our "closet time" like Jesus did with the Father, when we step away from everything just to be with him, to present other people and their needs to him, to fight against the darkness of this world. But our understanding of prayer has to go beyond this as well. We should have an attitude of always being connected to Jesus so we can do exactly what Paul instructed:

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. (Ephesians 6:18)

Pray without ceasing. Always be in an attitude of prayer. Pray about everything you see in a day. Intercede all the time for the people around you. Maybe there is not a lot you can do but you can do the most important and powerful thing there is, pray. On all occasions, with all kinds of prayers and requests, wrote Paul. Prayer is a fundamental part of who we are.

Lord, I ask that you would capture our hearts, minds and imaginations again. Set a fire ablaze in us, that we would again become a people of passion, or prayer and of praise. Let us not go another moment without the conviction of the need of prayer. Lord, renew the Church, your Bride, to be prayer warriors again, called to partnership with you in your desire to see everyone in this world saved. Remind us that it is you living through us not us living for ourselves. Help us Lord to be a disciplined people, dedicated to your service every moment of our day. By the power of the Spirit in us we can overcome all obstacles that would try to prevent us from giving our all to you. Amen!

How To Avoid A Shipwreck

2012-02-07T06:26:00.000-05:00

The Christian walk is not something that can be taken out every now and then and dusted off. It is a daily work out as we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to put God's will, his Word, into effect in our living. It is a full time occupation which effects every ounce of everything we do, think and claim to be. We have to be active participants, willingly setting aside everything our flesh desires and giving permission to our spirit to take the lead. It is not always easy because the desires of our flesh can be pretty strong.

Apostle Paul wrote some encouragement to his young friend Timothy. He had left Timothy responsible for the ministry in Asia Minor while he visited the churches in Macedonia. What was happening in Asia Minor was a major thing, the most fruitful ministry Paul had been involved in. This was quite the task for Timothy but I guess Paul saw a mighty work in this young man. What he wrote to him was more than encouragement, he also gave him instructions. Paul explained it this way:

"Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith." (1 Timothy 1:18-19)

That's the thing we want to avoid, a shipwrecked faith, but that is exactly what will happen if we do not realize our walk with Jesus is a daily active motivation of our living. Consider the three things Paul touched on with his instructions.

First he refers to "fight the good fight". That was a theme for Paul and in his last letter he every wrote he proclaimed that he had finished his race and fought the good fight. Paul knew our lives are a lives of mission. We weren't left here to do whatever we want to do. We aren't here for our pleasure. We aren't here to get rich and fill our lives with plenty of toys. We were saved and then sent out to make disciples, to reveal God's glory to the nations. We are active co-workers with Christ Jesus in bringing his light to those who are lost in darkness. We may all have different functions in the body put when it comes to missions we all have the same purpose, to share the Good News with the world. This is fighting the "good fight", being excellent witnesses to the love of Jesus Christ.

Second he refers to "holding on to faith". This has to be a daily pursuit where we encourage ourselves, in the Lord, in the Word, in the Spirit, in each other. This walk is not easy when you realize the character of Christ is in direct contrast to this world. It will cause some friction and difficulty. There is also the desires of our own flesh that must constantly be kept in check, kept under our feet and never allowed to have any control. On top of that we have any schemes of the enemy to derail as many of the saints as possible. It is warfare down here and too many people aren't aware of it. It is only by renewing ourselves every day through worship, Bible study, prayer and fellowship with fellow sojourners that we are able to remain strong, holding on to the faith that has been held out to us. We cannot go forward without faith because the Word tells us that anything that does not come from faith is sin. There is a shipwreck right there.

The third thing apostle Paul refers to is "a good conscience". I wish I could say that we are all perfect but we still have a weakness until the day of the Lord's return and that is our flesh. We have been given authority over this flesh but once in a while we let our guard down and we fail. It doesn't have to be in a major way, but anything that offends God is a sin. However, we are housed in this cocoon of God's grace so anything we do and deal with God, confessing and seeking his forgiveness, is dealt with and we are released from. It does not separate us from God unless it is something we hold on to, try to hide from him, refuse to confess. Sin that we do not deal with will separate us from God. We must maintain a clear conscience, always dealing with our sins with him, no matter the shame we feel in it. His grace is incredible and I am so thankful in my daily walk that I know if I fail and turn to him the matter is quickly dealt with. His grace is no excuse to sin but if it happens his grace is more than sufficient.

These are the areas we need to concentrate on in our daily walk, pushing ahead with the mission, holding on to our faith, and maintaining a good conscience. These three need daily attention. Once a week will not do, so you can forget about once a month or once a year. We are not part-time warriors. We are not part-time walkers. We are not part-time friends with Jesus Christ. It is all or nothing. It is daily or we end up shipwrecked on the rocks. Don't reject these things and end up destroyed by the enemy of your soul.

Why Did Jesus Even Bother With Me?

2012-02-06T06:11:00.000-05:00

Have you ever wondered why God even bothers with you? It's not like you are a superstar. There might be 20 or thirty people in your life that know you, perhaps 1 or 2 who know you well. You keep messing up all the time. You often forget to pray. You haven't brought anyone to the Lord and you're not even sure you know how. Maybe you came from a place of terrible sin before meeting Jesus and that stuff just will not let you go, always haunting you. How could God save someone like you let alone have any time to deal with your daily problems?

If you feel this way or even think it let me give you a bit of news. It's not something soft and tender like "God chose to love you despite your sin" which is true. There is another reason and it goes beyond the benefit of salvation for you.

Apostle Paul ended up an incredible man of God, an apostle in the Body of Christ, a man used by God to give us two thirds of the New Testament, a man who had an incredible insight into the Body of Christ, but he didn't start off that way. Paul was the great persecutor of the Church. The Church had never experienced such a vicious attack as they did under Paul. He was responsible for the beating and jailing of innocent people, Christians, whose only crime was to follow Jesus Christ. He even sanctioned murder. His persecution of the Church was so great that entire families were forced to flee to different countries, leaving behind everything they ever knew, to start over again. They had to learn a new culture, new trade, new language.

God's grace changed all that, turned Paul around as he met Jesus, and set him on a path of tremendous service to the very one he had been persecuting. That's just like God to convert his foe into his very great friend. But Paul could not or would not forget where he came from so he would always remember the grace that had been shown to him:

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. (1 Timothy 1:15)

Now, are you telling me that you have done worse than Paul against Jesus? Doesn't matter if you have, Jesus Christ came into this world for the likes of you and me. He came for you and me. Repeat that to yourself; he came for me. Say it again until it sinks in past that stubborn heart of yours; he came for me. Let it sink in real deep because I need it to go in deep enough to protect you from what is coming next. Sometimes we are so egocentric that when we find out something isn't about us it pops our balloon.

Here's the thing, Jesus saved you for more than you. He had more people in mind than just you when he extended his grace to you. I know I am repeating myself but I want the concept to be sitting there before I present the Scripture. Your salvation is bigger than you are:

But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. (1 Timothy 1:16)

Paul realized that his salvation had to do with more than just him. Jesus was using him as a trophy of grace, an example to all other sinners of what the love of God can do if a sinner is willing to repent and receive forgiveness. Consider what God did with this trophy of grace. Consider how many people came to Jesus because of this man who had been the great persecutor of the Church. Pretty amazing when you stop and think about it.

Why does Jesus bother with you? First, it is true, he loves you dearly. You are precious to him. His grace is immense and not cheap. It doesn't cost us a thing because Jesus paid the price in full with his own life. Second, he wants to use you as a trophy of grace. He wants the world to see what he does with the ugly and hideous nature of sin as he turns your life around and creates beauty from garbage. Perhaps you don't feel like it but you are beautiful as he adorns you with his great garment of grace. Your beauty is for others to behold, to marvel at, to be awestruck at the transformation. It is all for their benefit, so they will see and understand what God wants to do with those who are rebellious to him and who are ugly with sin. Your salvation is for the benefit of your friends, family, teachers, co-workers and everyone you will encounter in the future. Pretty amazing, isn't it?

Realizing this, perhaps we can shake off that egocentric perspective and begin to see things with God's eyes. As we do we can feel such great joy and peace knowing that God wants to use us for his great purpose, that everyone would be saved. Realizing this, being filled with such great joy, we join with Paul in praising such an awesome God:

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 1:17)

So go, you trophy of grace, and fulfill your destiny. Allow Jesus to use you today for his honour and glory.

What Are We Without The Spirit Of God?

2012-02-05T05:58:00.000-05:00

As I read through the books of the prophets I am continually amazed at how much of what they saw had to do with the end times. So many prophecies deal with Jesus and even the Church. Then there are the prophecies that speak directly to the end of the ages. It is hard to understand how anyone who takes the time to study the Scriptures could turn around and say there is no God. What also concerns me are those parts of the Church that continue to deny the work of the Holy Spirit. Listen to God through the prophet Joel:

“And afterward,
   I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
   your old men will dream dreams,
   your young men will see visions.
Even on my servants, both men and women,    I will pour out my Spirit in those days." (Joel 2:28-29)

We hear the words of Jesus:

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. (John 14:16-17)

We have the arrival of the Holy Spirit:

They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:3-4)

The fact is that we cannot be the children of God without the Holy Spirit. We cannot serve Jesus without the Spirit. We have no connection, no power, nothing without the Spirit. The Spirit is the only means we have to be in Jesus and for Jesus to be in us:

Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. (Romans 8:5-7)

Scripture is even stronger than this, telling us that if we are without the Spirit we are without Jesus:

You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. (Romans 8:9)

I realize that this is a lot of scripture for a blog but there is a ton more concerning the Spirit because our life here depends on him. We need a good understanding of life in the Spirit if we want to be saved and serve Jesus in this place. The only way we can have victory over our flesh is to surrender control to the Spirit.

Why then is there such skepticism at the manifestations of the Spirit? If we are possessed by the Spirit, control by the Spirit, empowered by the Spirit, should we not expect supernatural things to be occurring? Remember that Jesus set for us an example of life in the Spirit. Consider the manifestations of the Spirit through him and he turned around and said we would do greater things.

If you walk up to a person on your city streets and tell them that Jesus loves them they will probably swear at you. If you walk up to that same person and speak a word of knowledge you will have their full attention. We cannot serve the Lord in our flesh. We have to put our flesh under submission to the Spirit and then do what the Spirit tells us to do. We have to release the power of God in ourselves so that we will be effective workers in the Kingdom.

What is impossible for man is possible for God and he works those possibilities through you because of the Holy Spirit in you. We have to discover the Spirit of God, realize his role and allow him to function through us. People are screaming at us to show them our God and all the time he is right here waiting to glorify himself to the nations through us. He has poured out his Spirit on his children but his children sit in denial while the world goes to hell. Come on people, the Father is calling his children back to him so we will be obedient in all things through the Spirit who possesses us.

Even on my servants, both men and women,
   I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

Improving Our Memory With Praise

2012-02-04T06:50:00.000-05:00

We are a people of such short memories. It must frustrate our generous Father. Today we could have a huge problem, perhaps we don't have money for food, so we cry out to God. We are downcast, frightened, feeling alone and our cry to God is deep and meaningful. That day there is a miracle, God provides and we are amazed by his love. We praise him, tell people all about it and are satisfied in our relationship with the Lord. Then the next day something equally frightening happens and we find ourselves back to being downcast, frightened and feeling alone. We have already forgotten what God did for us yesterday. We have such short memories.

It is important that we remember, that we carry forward the things that God has done so we don't forget, so we remember every time we face hardships that he is our Father who provides. The psalmist tells us a way of doing this is to constantly testify about his goodness. Is that not our purpose here, to glorify our God to the nations:

Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name;    make known among the nations what he has done. (Psalm 105:1)

Praise and worship every day needs to be part of our relationship with God; to lift up our voice in praise for who he is and for what he has done. When we bring back to our memory the great things God has done for us in the past it will strengthen our resolve in the present and will chase away our fears of the future. But don't keep it to yourself, tell others, especially unbelivers, that they will look to you and see the mighty hand of God at work:

Sing to him, sing praise to him;    tell of all his wonderful acts. (v. 2)

The greatest way to keep worry and fear away from your heart and mind is to keep your heart and mind occupied with God. Praise and worship is not just about honouring God, it is also when we remind and encourage ourselves with just how great our God is. Worship keep the relationship fresh and alive. It gives a life of rejoicing in place of a life of anxiety:

Glory in his holy name;    let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. (v. 3)

Don't go from crisis to crisis with Jesus. Choose to go from glory to glory. Don't treat him like a genie that you pull out of the bottle to get you out of terrible situations. Let him be your everything every day. When is the best time to seek the Lord? Today and every day hereafter:

Look to the LORD and his strength;    seek his face always. (v. 4)

Invite him to be part of every moment of every day and you will soon discover that there is nothing in this world that can overwhelm you and his joy will carry you through everything. Then you will be a true witness of his great love and glory; the nations will look in and desire to know our God. May he receive all our praise and thanksgiving today as we increase our memory of the great things he has done.

Fasting Provokes Greater Obedience (fasting series)

2012-02-03T12:29:00.000-05:00

You can't be in the presence of Jesus without being changed. You cannot spend two hours in prayer without being changed. You cannot fast in the Spirit and not be changed. Simple fact, God changes us. He doesn't just change our thinking but our heart as well. As he changes our thinking, perspective and heart we in turn change our actions. There is no possible way that we can be in a relationship with Jesus, obedient to the Spirit and then not allow the Word of God to affect us. If we do not allow it to affect us we are lying when we say that we love Jesus.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. (James 1:22-25)

Do you want to know what is so great about fasting? It strips us of all the lies and leaves us in a place where we are honest before our LORD God Almighty. We see how bloated we were and as we are emptied of all the baggage that had us puffed up we realize the simple truth of it: if we really love Jesus we will be obedient to what he has told us. Simple. It's about obedience.

If you love me, keep my commands. (John 14:15)

It's about hearing his voice and responding. It's about hearing his voice from the Word of God and doing what we are told. It's about being open and desiring the conviction and direction of the Holy Spirit, never considering yourself and just doing it. Just do it. That's what it is about.

You say you love Jesus. How much? Enough to obey?

Remember What Jesus Did For You

2012-02-03T05:57:00.002-05:00

Imagine where you would be right now without Jesus. Sometimes we forget what we were before he saved us. Sometimes we forget what transformation we have been going through. Sometimes we forget how we used to think and act. Sometimes we forget just how wretched we were before encountering the Son of God who called us to himself, to be transformed from what we were, to become what we are, the children of God. We also forget the trust he has shown us by calling us into the mission of redeeming lost souls. When we remember all that we can say with apostle Paul:

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. (1 Timothy 1:12)

Paul served with all his heart because he never forgot what Jesus did for him. He never forgot what he was before he met Jesus:

Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. (v. 13)

This blasphemer, persecutor and violent man deserved death but he did not receive it. Instead Jesus revealed himself to Paul and called him into his service. He extended great grace to him and that grace turned Paul from a persecutor to the great champion of the Body of Christ. The Spirit poured incredible revelation through Paul so that we today could have better understanding of many spiritual matters. From a man who hated Christ to a man who has been used by Christ for nearly two thousand years. Paul's appreciation of what Jesus did for him are expressed in simple, humble words:

The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. (v. 14)

In the same way Jesus called Paul he has called you. You don't think he wants to use you in your service to him? You think you are unworthy? Yes, you are unworthy, but he has declared you to be worthy. He took a murderer and turned him into a great lover, so imagine what he can do with you if you trust him with your heart, mind and soul. Imagine what he can do with a life that presents itself like putty in his hands. Imagine what his will is for you if you would only remain sensitive to his Holy Spirit.

There are many things you and I should have in common but one in particular should stand out for us: a grateful heart. Each of us should be shouting out praises as they rise up from the overflow of our gratefulness. Every morning should start off with "Thank you Jesus". Throughout our day we should be lifting our eyes up and thanking Jesus. In the sunshine and the rain it should be "Thank you Jesus". In winter and summer, spring and fall - "Thank you Jesus". Remember what you have been saved from. Remember his grace. Remember and serve him well today, with all your strength, from a thankful heart.

Are You Fasting Or Dieting? (fasting series)

2012-02-02T19:51:00.000-05:00

Jesus fasted for 40 days but it wasn`t 40 days of sitting around doing nothing. He was engaged in spiritual warfare as the enemy tried to keep him from stepping into his purpose and destiny:

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted^[a] by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. (Luke 4:1-2)

I used to struggle with fasting, not able to get past 1 or 2 days. I found it hard, getting headaches, terrible stomach cramps, feeling weak and sick. I then noticed that on a busy day I could miss both breakfast and lunch and feel no ill effect. Yet, on a day of fast I would be overcome by hunger pains an hour after missing breakfast. What was this about?

A fast is not a matter of missing meals and it is most definitely not a diet. There is one purpose to a fast and that is to hear clearly from God, to get as close as we can to him, to have all the obstacles we have gathered to be removed so we can hear. It is not a time to skip meals but instead a time for some spiritual warfare, when we get onto our knees in prayer, entering into heart worship and diving deep into the Word. If we just create emptiness we are going to struggle but if we allow this time to become a lush garden of the Spirit then the fast will go quickly and will not end in failure.

If our fast is making us weaker and taking us further from God then we have a problem with our attitude and approach. It is better for us to stop, think it through and start at another time, understanding better our aims and goals in the fast. Perhaps we need to do more than fast food. Maybe we need to find a "desert", a place where we remove all the distractions from this time. Perhaps we should also fast our television, computer, books or whatever else is interfering with us seeking God's face.

Understand, if it's just about skipping meals we are not fasting, we are dieting.

When we emerge from our "desert" we should be stronger than we were when we went in. We should come out of it with passion and desire to see God's will complete in us and through us. We can't just go back to the same old same old. If we do then we know we did not really fast. You can't spend this kind of time with God and lay out this kind of sacrifice and come out the same. Jesus came out of the desert with the enemy under his feet, with his Father fixed before him and a passion to bring the Good News into the darkness. We should have that same experience, never to be the same again, ready to see the world changed by Jesus. If you come out this way then you know it has been a good fast.

Clarity To Know God's Will (fasting series)

2012-02-02T19:23:00.000-05:00

What an incredible experience to fast and pray. There is not enough teaching or emphasis on this very special tool that has been given to us. Perhaps people have misunderstood Jesus' teaching to do it in secret and so keep it a private matter, not talking about it or encouraging others to enter into it. There is no better way to strip yourself of the useless things in your life and get a clear focus on Jesus.

There is a reason why we read in Scripture:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2)

This is definitely speaking about our daily living but our daily living gets bogged down with the unnecessary and useless things of our life. A fast brings into clear view what is and is not important. A fast cleans out the system. It reminds us that we are not living for our own pleasures. It reminds us that God has a plan and a will for our lives. How many of us have gotten trapped in this culture of entertainment, when our own needs have become more important than the needs of the lost for Jesus? How much does God's will even place in our daily thinking?

There is something amazingly wonderful about the clarity that missing 30 or 50 meals brings to your mind and perspective. It is that clarity that we are looking for, when the fog parts and we see God's glory, his purpose and his plan. The vast majority of the Body of Christ in North America has conformed to the pattern of this world and it is horrible. Millions of people are going to hell, but as long as we have our television and potato chips we are happy. How can God be pleased with his children?

We are suppose to renew our mind which happens through the Spirit and in the Word of God. There is nothing as renewing as a spiritual fast which cleans out the body, spirit and mind, as we set aside more time to be in worship, the Word and prayer. We have filled our days with so much junk how could we ever expect to know God's will? How can we hear his voice or the prompting of the Spirit over the ten murders and 20 sexual situations we will watch as entertainment on our televisions tonight?

It's time for the whole Body of Christ to return to fasting and prayer, to seeking the face of God and getting back to the reason we are still here. Forgive us Lord and show us the better way.

So If We Are Under Grace Where Does The Law Fit In?

2012-02-02T06:10:00.000-05:00

I scratch my head trying to understand the legalists in the Church. I can understand the attractiveness of it. The law is clean, simple, clear cut, easy to know what you are allowed to do and what you are not. On the other hand, love is messy and a bit confessing, very demanding and down right hard, sometimes. I am not saying there isn't a place for the Law. Apostle Paul stated:

We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. (1 Timothy 1:8)

The Law is perfect and it is holy but it is also beyond our ability to live. The reason God gave it was so that we could understand our condition and our need for his rescue. The Law simply points out that we need Jesus. We need him to cover us, to show us grace, to be the big brother who steps in to help us reach an impossible goal. Understanding then that this is the purpose of the Law, to reveal our sin so that we understand that we need God's mercy, grace and forgiveness, we can accept that there is still a need for it. But let us also understand that this place is not in the life of a follower of Jesus, a child of God.

The Law is still relevant and important but not for us to expect to be able to live but instead to reveal to the world their need for salvation. Paul wrote to Timothy:

We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me. (1 Timothy 1:9-11)

We are no longer lawbreakers or rebellious to God. Unfortunately we still break the Law even when we try to live our best for God but he doesn't consider us lawbreakers. As long as we are perfectly open with him, honest about our heart and our failings, he keeps us within his grace. If we harbour our sin, hide it away from him, excuse it or pretend that we are perfect then we can become separated from this grace. Unconfessed sin is a very damaging thing in our lives and there is no excuse for it.

Haven't we already learned how much God loves us? Don't we already know the taste of his grace? Don't we already know the power of his forgiveness and the sweetness of his presence? Then why would we be so stupid as to think he would not cover our failings, our lapses of devotion, our sin? It is possible for us to avoid most of sin by keeping our eyes on Jesus and following the direction of the Holy Spirit but none of us are perfect and we should not be legalistic about our perfection. If we are we will try to hide our sin instead of confess our imperfections.

In saying this, let me add a footnote. Apostle Paul also told us never to use God's grace as an excuse to sin. That is not acceptable behaviour for those who have confessed Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! (Romans 6:15)

We cannot be saying that we love Jesus with our entire being one minute and then in the next be planning to sin. There is a difference between premeditated sin and sins of our passion, or knee jerk sin, like when someone gets you angry and you say something that is not God honouring. We do not want to be grace abusers but neither do we want to live the life-draining attitude of the legalists.

For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. (Romans 6:14)

Let it be known that those who try to live by the law are trying to justify themselves with God and are removing themselves from the grace of Jesus Christ. This is not a good thing:

You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. (Galatians 5:4)

So there is a place for the Law but it is not found in us. The Law still continues to do what is was meant to do, reveal to the world their need for God's rescue. As for us, we live by the law of God's love because love is a much more powerful life.

Are You Promoting The Truth Or A Bunch Of Confusion?

2012-02-01T06:29:00.000-05:00

It is not easy being an ignorant follower of Jesus Christ these days. By ignorant I mean those who do not read and study the Word for themselves but instead take their knowledge from others. It may be from the pastor on Sunday morning or from little snippets off of the Internet or even just nice sounding sayings people share on their blog. Their knowledge is more "hearsay" based and is both damaging and dangerous.

As I browse through blogs and read articles on the Internet I am seeing a lot of humanism and other teachings mixed in with biblical teaching. I am also seeing people focusing on minor arguments concerning Christianity. I see in discussions a number of Christians with a little bit of knowledge attacking other people with a little bit of knowledge, both digging in their heals about minor things while losing the big picture of God's plan. There is no love in these discussions as they beat each other up and rob God of his glory. It is good then to consider what Paul had to say to his friend Timothy who was more like a son to him.

Paul had to return to Macedonia but he left Timothy responsible for the huge ministry in the region of Ephesus and he left him there with a purpose:

As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. (1 Timothy 1:3-4)

Timothy's purpose was to keep the gospel teaching pure and true, to confront any of the false teaching that was welling up from people with little knowledge. Paul was concerned because he saw how easily it was for people to turn to things that were new, exciting and nice to listen to:

Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith. (v. 4)

There it was; anything that promoted self-work over faith is a danger to the truth of the gospel. Anything that convinced people that man was capable of saving himself, by sacrifice or good living is a danger to the truth of salvation by faith. Anything that promotes the human spirit to overcome, that good lies in all of us, that we can find truth the more we look within ourselves, that the answer lies with us, comes in direct opposition to the gospel that says the answer is found in Jesus who did it all for us.

The reason Paul gave this command to Timothy is because the work of God needs to advance. The command was given for Timothy not to destroy people but instead to see them becoming mature in Jesus:

The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (v. 5)

As I have said before, love is the beginning and the end of it. Every day should be spent in the pursuit of discovering the depth of God's love and seeing it put into action in our own lives. But love does not come from a heart bent on selfishness or evil intent. Love cannot come from a heart that is plagued by a guilty conscience. We cannot put this love into affect in our lives if we do not believe it's source is pure and holy. The only way that the love of Christ can permeate our heart and overflow into others is if we accept the gospel as true and follow Jesus according to what he has taught us. Anything else will taint this love with our own failings and in the end will fail.

Paul reminds Timothy of the challenge he faces:

Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm. (vv. 6-7)

Paul is saying that people have left the importance of a pure heart, a good conscience, a sincere faith which allows for the flow of God's love. They have left these things in pursuit of lesser things, things that appear to be important, disputable matters. Often we find these people wanting to be teachers of others. They think they know without knowing and so many people fall into the trap and leave what is important.

We need to check ourselves all the time and make ourselves accountable to our pastors and elders. We need to look at what we are promoting; is it what matters? Are we promoting a pure heart, encouraging people to stop being distracted, to cut out things that take away from Christ, to keep their eyes fixed on him? Are we promoting repentance and forgiveness, good relationships between believers and neighbours, considering other people more important than self, a life of servanthood? Are we promoting Jesus Christ, who he is, what he has done, that he is the only way, that he is our everything, that he is our saviour and that we must trust him in all matters? If these are the things we are concentrating on, promoting and teaching then all other teachings will fall away and we will see his love well up in those we teach.

Some of you may think that you are not a teacher and this does not apply to you but let me point something out to you. If you have a blog where you quote scripture, reblog nice sounding sayings, share artwork with sayings or pass on little stories then you are involved in teaching or the promotion of someone's teaching. Be careful. Before you reblog something check it against the Word of God. Before you agree with someone that God is love so there can't be a hell, check it out in God's Word. Before you fall victim to fine sounding arguments and start teaching it to others, check it out against the Word of God. If you are not sure talk to your pastor or one of the elders. That's what they are there for. I encourage you my friends, know the Word of God and stick to the fundamentals: a pure heart, a good conscience, sincere faith which allows God's love to flow from us to others.

Now What Is This About Attitude? (fasting series)

2012-01-31T21:05:00.000-05:00

Fasting is not any easy thing. I find it is not so much the hunger as it is the delight of the taste of food that I miss. I never realize how much I enjoy the taste of food until I have missed 20 or 30 meals. However, I will not allow this to break my resolve to set aside these things for the purpose of being changed and brought closer to the Lord. For me it is not enough not to eat; I want a stronger resolve than this so I carry on life as normal. In fact, I go beyond normal.

I do not avoid food at all while I fast. I sit with my family for all meals and enjoy their enjoyment of the food. Truth be told, I insist on preparing all the meals for my family, baking bread and blessing whoever I may with the extra time on my hands. It is not that I believe I am supper human and I am not trying to prove anything to anyone because it is not always an easy thing to do. The fact is, my fasting has nothing to do with anyone but me and Jesus. I just want to know that my love and dedication for him is real, that I can be resolved to go the distance not matter the adversity and trials I might face. It is not easy but either is our walk with Christ in times of adversity.

I believe that is one of the greatest reminders I receive during my time of fasting; Jesus never said it would be easy to follow him but he still invited us to follow. He even warned us that choosing to follow him would be a choice for a life of adversity but he also promised that he would see us through to the end. Unfortunately, in North America and other parts of the world, we don't live our life that way. We seem to cave with every little trial that comes along. We see it as some personal affront to our person, a trampling of our rights. We fail to understand the spiritual muscle the Lord wants us to develop. We act more like cream puffs than warriors. We want the whole world to know we are suffering and why. Little do we understand that we are robbing God of his glory, that we are saying to the world "My God can't look after me".

Jesus told us that when we fast not to allow our appearance to look as if we are. If you have fasted for longer than a week you know that your appearance begins to change. You become thinner looking. You lose some energy. You may get dizzy spells and may have to turn down some of the more rigorous activities. You start minding the cold. If you want people to know you are fasting it is an easy thing to let them see. Jesus said not to. It is the same with adversity and trials in our lives. Continue on as normal, trusting that our Father will look after everything. Don't go around telling everybody your problems, looking weak and frail, robbing God of his glory by complaining about him. He said he would look after you and he will. Have a little fortitude and resolve to trust his promises, to go the distance, to come out of it with your faith and witness intact. Show Jesus you meant in when you said that you love and trust him. Tell him that when you said that you give him everything you really meant everything. Did you not promise to go all the way? Was that only as long as the sun was shining? And what about attitude? What is the sense of going through the difficulties for Jesus but then rob yourself of the glory of it my complaining or being in a rotten mood?

Psalm 100 exhorts us to worship our God with thanksgiving and praise:

"Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations." (Psalm 100:4-5)

Just as apostle Paul told us to always be joyful, we should make this psalm the anthem of all our fastings and in this way maybe we will remember to do this in all adversity and bring God great glory. Yes, I will continue to demand the greatest resolve from me in all things and I will test it in my fasting. I am resolved to go the distance in all things with the Lord. I want to give in as much as the next person but then I remember that Jesus went the distance for me. And I don't want to just do it, I want to do it in style, with laughter, joy and the praises of my Lord upon my lips at all times. He is great and he has done great things; he deserves our very best.

The Solution To The Distracted Life

2012-01-31T06:18:00.000-05:00

Have you ever gotten distracted? I see it happen to students all the time. They have a research project to do so they faithfully and diligently turn to their computers to begin. About fifteen minutes into the research they come across a related article, video, perhaps game and they check it out. This leads to another link and then another. About three hours later they realize they haven't accomplished anything on their project. I also know a lot of adults who can relate to this.

Distractions happen when we don't keep our goal in mind or in front of us. If I have ten days to drive across Canada but keep stopping at every interesting site or turning off to go on some grand adventure, I am either going to arrive much later or not at all. Deadlines help a little bit to keep us on track but the goal itself, the destination, the importance of the final product will be the true motivation. If we forget the purpose of the journey then we will probably become distracted.

However, the level of the importance of our goal is also a determining factor for staying on target. If your school project is not worth anything but is only a learning exercise you may have a different attitude toward it than if it was worth 75% of your term. If I have 30 days to complete my trip across Canada with no real importance to completing it I will have a different attitude than if I have 7 days to get to a relatives wedding. Unfortunately some of us on our Christian walk act more like a person on vacation than people who are attending a wedding.

Too many of us have a laid back attitude about the resurrection and our eternity. We act as if it is a second rate goal, something we do not need to keep in front of us, and because that is our attitude we keep getting distracted. We keep allowing other things to pull us off the trail. We wander around aimlessly for a while, realize our mistake, get back on the path and then get distracted again. Can I tell you, our resurrection is a big deal. The shedding of these mortal bodies for the immortal will be a great highlight in our eternity. Entering into God's glory and beginning our real life, one that will surpass all the pleasures of this life by a billion percent, is something we should always keep in front of us. We have a grand destination. Scripture tells us that keeping this in mind, remembering it is our destination should be a motivation to keep on keeping on:

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58)

This life we are living (our journey) is not without purpose or destination. It is not a matter of "eat and drink for tomorrow we die". In fact, this is just a precursor, a small journey we must take before we step into the full extent of God's reality. There is a lot to do along the way on this beautiful journey but we need to stand firm in what we know and in the tasks we have been given. We can't let anything distract us or persuade us to take a detour. We have to fix our eyes on Jesus as he bids us move forward.

The destination is the most important thing but the journey itself is also full of purpose. We have been given work to do along the way by our Lord Jesus. We are told to give ourselves fully to it. This means 100% concentration on the task at hand so we can reach that destination. Unfortunately we are far too distracted. The Lord's work is a hobby, something we work at in our spare time. We have weighed ourselves down with so many things but the Spirit is calling us back to renewal. He is showing us how to get out of the detour and back on the path. He is wanting to lighten the baggage that we have been carrying that slows us down. He wants us to travel light, to not get connected to anything here, to bring along as many people as we can, to send ahead our treasures of good works, kindnesses, acts of love. He wants us to arrive in style, where our Lord will welcome us with a "Well done my good and faithful servant, enter into my rest".

I urge you, examine your journey. Do you have the destination in mind? Do you know what work has been given to you to do? Have you gotten distracted at all? Is there anything that has become more important to you than Jesus himself? What has your attention? What are your priorities? Do they reflect your work, your journey, your destination? Stand form my friends, let nothing move you.

The Breaking (fasting series)

2012-01-30T19:44:00.001-05:00

In this season of fasting something incredible begins to happen; the insignificant begins to fall away and the important things of God begin to rise up. Fasting brings many things into clarity and the fact that we are an unfaithful bride is one of those things. We give ourselves to so many things, compromising without recognizing the compromise. We love our Lord but it's not as pure and wonderful as we may think. So many things have crept in that we take to be normal but when the light of Jesus falls on them we see them for what they are, ugly and unwelcomed. You will be amazed at what some of these things are. You will say, "I didn't realize".

There is a breaking that takes place as we realize what we have done with this relationship and as his glory and holiness grips us in those arms of love; we only what to live for him. We want to let go of everything and throw ourselves into those arms, giving ourselves without comprise, only wanting to see him glorified in our life. You may even feel jealous of the woman in the Bible who poured out her love with the lavish gift of expensive perfume. So many who did not understand this act of love criticized such an abandoning gift but I really don't think she noticed and if she noticed she didn't care. In Mark 14 we see Jesus accept this gift with thankfulness and look how quickly and thoroughly he defends her:

“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” (vv 6-9)

You better believe it is told. We constantly give her a big shout out, for representing us, our love for our Lord, at such a dark moment. That was an act of complete devotion that told the world to go jump off the cliff because she was going to love him any way she could.

As we draw closer to Jesus in our fasting we too will experience this and be overwhelmed by it. It will come in various forms but it will always provoke a desire to re-dedicate our all to him. His love is so great and ours is so small in comparison but we want to give to him, even if it is as poor as our love. He deserves it. He deserves so much more. He deserves our undying dedication and our full attention. Enough with these distractions and the duplicity of our lives. He said it was all or nothing. He said we could not serve two masters. He said he has done it all for us so that we could serve him with our all. The fast will bring you so close that everything that does not belong to him will become repulsive to you. Let it happen. It's a good thing.

Allow the breaking to come. Allow it to wash over you. Allow the cleansing to be complete. Allow his love to fill every crevice, crack and rough spot until his holiness makes you smooth and beautiful in his image. He is our God and we serve him all our days with all our passion and desire. To God be the glory in our life. Come Lord, be the fire inside of me.

Correction and Unfailing Love

2012-01-30T11:45:00.000-05:00

I was in prayer, worshiping the Lord while seeking his wisdom and guidance. My heart was troubled and I did not want it to be troubled. A number of things have not been right lately and I want to get my finger on it, to understand and to correct those things. I want everything to be aligned with God's heart. Generosity has been overwhelming me since the start of my fast. Generosity and grace.

As I prayed I was overwhelmed by his presence and found myself on my face in my kitchen. I was overwhelmed by his peace and a quietness came to my troubled heart. Images began to flash through my mind but I could not focus and what I saw I did not understand. The moment passed and he had me rise and turn to the Word. This is what was read:

"He has driven me away and made me walk in darkness rather than light; indeed, he has turned his hand against me again and again, all day long." (Lamentation 3:2)

I was not encouraged by this but neither did it sink deep into my heart. I read:

"He has broken my teeth with gravel; he has trampled me in the dust. I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is. So I say, 'My splendor is gone and all that I had hoped from the Lord.' I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them and my soul is downcast within me." (Lamentations 3:16-20)

Again not an encouragement and again it did not sink deep although I could easily identify with the scriptures. But then I read what caused my spirit to take flight and for my hope to be renewed:

"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.'" (Lamentations 3:21-24)

"I will wait for him." I will wait for him. I will wait for the lover of my soul to call to me, to lift me up, to bring me out of this situation, to rescue me. We call to him and wait patiently for him, not struggling in our strength but knowing he is the only one who can meet with us in this need.

"The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord." (Lamentations 3:25-26)

But while we wait on the Lord let us follow the direction given to us. Let us seek him with all our heart, an openness to be examined and corrected:

"Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord. Let us lift up our hearts and our hands to God in heaven, and say: 'We have sinned and rebelled and you have not forgiven.'" (Lamentations 3:40-42

Only, we do know that he forgives. Through Jesus we are covered by his mercy and grace. If only we would turn our face, our hearts to him, to look upon his glory and understand where we have wandered from his path, his direction and his purpose. Nothing is hidden from the Lord but everything is forgiven when we turn back to him. Let us lift up Holy Hands and worship him with all our passion and strength, confessing our sins and waiting on him for our rescue.

You are faithful Lord and we trust you. We empty ourselves to you and seek your council, your direction, your purpose for us. We believe Lord in your unfailing love. Here we are, we stand with our arms wide open, to the One, the Son, the everlasting God.

God Has A Plan And You Are In It

2012-01-30T05:43:00.000-05:00

Way back in the beginning, in the garden where God had placed Adam, he gave him one rule: don't eat from the tree of knowledge. The fruit of this tree would bring man into the awareness of good and evil, would destroy this wonderful place of innocence. He had also warned Adam that to eat from this tree would bring death. God had created man with this wonderful ability to think for himself, to make choices, to have his own will. Unfortunately Adam and Eve exercised this gift in choosing to disobey this one rule.

That choice did bring death on two levels. One was the physical death that we all now have to face. Only Enoch and Elijah escaped this experience but everyone else from Adam on down has had to face the consequence of this choice. The other death was the death of that innocence and the wonderful relationship there was between God and man. A barrier now existed where God had to separate himself from this creation that was now tainted by sin. I can only imagine what it must have been like for Adam and Eve to go from that wonderful place of innocence and intimacy with God to the harsh, cold reality of being removed from God's presence.

Unfortunately this was lost on the generations to follow. God was unknown to them. They knew there was someone but they did not know who. They were not even aware of what they were compared to what God had desired them to be. So God raised up a people who would belong to him, so that through them he could reveal himself to all the nations. He gave these people a law, a most holy law, so that they could understand what they were in comparison to where he wanted them to be. He knew they could not live by this law because it was perfect and they weren't, so he gave them a temporary system of sacrifice that would allow God to forgive them. This was important so that he could dwell with them. Without this forgiveness they could not experience the blessing of his presence. All of this was so that his glory would be seen by all the nations. But it was a temporary solution while he worked on the final fix.

The final fix was for God to remove what caused the barrier in the first place, the sin of the disobedience. This was impossible for man to do for himself so God would have to do it for him. It was a complicated thing because a sacrifice had to be made so the barrier could be removed but it had to be a sacrifice that was not tainted with sin and, unfortunately, everything in creation was tainted. Only God himself was without sin, so the Father sent the Son on this very important mission, to rescue man from his own destruction.

Yet, this plan could not be forced on man; God would not take away man's free will. He had to be given a choice. So Jesus came and lived an example of how to live a life by the Spirit of God while still clothed in mortality. Then he became the sacrifice so that man could receive forgiveness and have the barrier removed, if he so chose. But that was not the end of the plan because there was still the matter of the consequence of sin which was death. Jesus was then raised from the dead, breaking the barrier of death, making a path for those who would follow him, so that man could be clothed in immortality again. This put an end to the two deaths that resulted from Adam's sin. It has made it possible for us now to say:

“Death has been swallowed up in victory.” (1 Corinthians 15:54)

And,

“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55)

We can say this because Jesus dealt with this with one mighty blow. He brought us out from underneath the perfect law that condemned and placed us under grace which promises life. We did not earn or deserve this rescue and we have paid nothing for it. It was a direct gift from God, by his grace which sprung from his love. The Scriptures say:

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:56)

Because Jesus brought us from under the law and has covered us by grace, sin no longer has any power over us. We have been set free. Now because sin is powerless it means that the sting has been removed from death. There is no longer any defeat in death because Jesus has taken victory over it, so we no longer die in sin but instead sleep in Christ until he comes to call us to him in the great resurrection. Can you imagine the celebration on Resurrection Day? God is good. How can we not spend our days praising the name of the one who has brought us such great victory? Praise the name of Jesus from now to evermore for only he is worthy to be praised! Today, this very day, we enjoy the fellowship of the Holy Spirit and experience the presence of the LORD God Almighty. Thank you Jesus!

What Does A Fast Change, If Anything? (fasting series)

2012-01-29T16:59:00.000-05:00

Do you mind if I ask you a personal question? Why are you fasting? No, I am being serious. What are you hoping to get out of it? Some people do it to lose weight even though fasting in the Body of Christ is a spiritual matter. Others fast because they want something from God? They want to earn his favour or twist his arm to get what they want. Fasting is neither of these, and if it is for you, you may find yourself complaining like this lot:

‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’ (Isaiah 58:3)

Of these people God said:

For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them. (Isaiah 58:2)

But God sees more than intention, he also observes the fruit of our heart. They may have been fasting and seeking to come closer to him but their action toward others during their fast showed anything but a heart for God:

Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.

Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high. (Isaiah 58:3-4)

If our fast is not changing who we are, bringing us closer to our Lord, allowing our heart to be changed to be more like his, then we are wasting our time and sacrifice. God asks this question of us:

Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? (Isaiah 58:5)

What kind of fast do you consider would be acceptable to the Lord? One that has benefit for our eternity, one the brings us more into line with his heart, one that changes us:

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? (Isaiah 58:6-7)

Consider for a moment what you want from this fast. Consider your motives and desires. Honestly, what do you want from this? If there is an selfishness or manipulation involved then either change your heart or quit the fast. We can't earn anything from God. Everything comes from his point of grace. The greatest thing we can desire for ourselves is a heart like Jesus and if fasting opens me up to this change then I will fast. That is the purpose of fasting, to be changed so that we would desire and understand the will of God. If we enter into it with this purpose, to be changed, he tells us things are going to happen:

Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.

Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. (Isaiah 58:8-9)

Isn't that our great desire, to hear the voice of God say to us "Here am I". Open our eyes Lord! We can't live without your presence.

Are You Sure You Want To Hear From God?

2012-01-29T06:29:00.000-05:00

Have you ever desired to hear from God directly on something you were facing? Perhaps it was something of such great importance that you wanted to hear directly from him because you feared making a mistake. Did you listen and actually follow his directions or do you think he just didn't bother with you? He actually answers us every time, it's just that most of the time we don't like the answer.

In the book of Jeremiah we see our human tendency to not really want an answer from God. To make a long story short, the king of Babylon had taken most of Jerusalem into captivity but left an Israelite in charge to give guidance to the remnant. Some other Jews, who had fled to other countries, came back and killed this man, even though he was a good man. The few Jewish solders who were left tracked down and killed the murderers. Now they had a problem; what were the Babylonians going to do when they discovered the man they had put in charge was killed?

This is when they turned to Jeremiah and asked him to inquire of the Lord for them, as to whether they should stay in this promised land given to them by God or hide away in Egypt. They said to Jeremiah:

“May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the LORD your God sends you to tell us. Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the LORD our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the LORD our God.” (Jeremiah 42:5-6)

Sounds great, right? Sounds great if you think God is going to respond with what you want. The problem comes when God doesn't want you to do what you want to do. They really wanted to go to Egypt but God told them to stay. He promised them if they stayed he would bless them, protect them and they did not need to fear the Babylonians. It really wasn't what they wanted to hear. In fact, he told them if they didn't stay they would be killed in Egypt. He told them the thing they feared happening where they were would follow them to Egypt and it would happen there. Can you guess how they reacted? Of course their fear won out and they blamed the messenger:

“You are lying! The LORD our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to settle there.’ But Baruch son of Neriah is inciting you against us to hand us over to the Babylonians, so they may kill us or carry us into exile to Babylon.” (Jeremiah 43:2-3)

Yes, this is our typical response and is the reason we think we don't hear from God when we inquire of him. What a foolish people we are. We tend to always allow our fear to speak louder than anything God has to say. We don't really want to know God's will, we only want him to rubber stamp what we have already decided to do. When he responds to us we twist and turn what he says so that it ends up being in our favour and we convince ourselves it is what he wants.

If we really want to hear from God we need to throw out all our ideas, thoughts and opinions and come to him with a blank sheet for him to write on. Before we approach him with our inquiries we should ask ourselves what is more important to us, what we want or what God wants? Don't answer that too quickly. You may even want to take a few days to ponder the question. We have a long list of our own plans, ideas, dreams, desires, but to truly follow Jesus we have to die to all of these, to what we think is logical and instead go with the direction of the Spirit.

Of course it only made sense that these solders would flee to Egypt with the remnant of their nation and try to protect them from harm. But God does not work according to our logic. He told us through the prophet Isaiah that our thoughts are not his thoughts. He doesn't operate according to our logic or feelings. He operates according to his unfailing love, his grace and his power. So if you are asking God for direction today make sure you are actually willing to be obedient to it. "Not my will but yours be done."

Don't Leave Out The Conversation (fasting series)

2012-01-28T20:44:00.001-05:00

With fasting it is important that we do not make the fast the focus of this precious time we have set aside in consecration with God. We must not focus on what we have given up but instead on what it is we are doing in the place of that thing. Perhaps we are fasting food, maybe just animal products, perhaps sugar, television, FaceBook or any number of other things. The reason we are doing this is to try to remove some distractions from our life so that we are able to more fully concentrate on God. We want to draw as close as we can to him, to hear his voice without the filter of the distractions. So the last thing we want to do is forget about God.

I have written previously about the importance of God's Word in our fast but let us not forget prayer either. That is a tragic waste of time and of a precious sacrifice if we leave out such an important part of our fast, our conversation with God. This is the private, intimate time we have with Jesus, that is referred to as our closet time:

"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." (Matthew 6:6)

Public prayer is great, both encouraging and powerful, but our time alone with the Lord is precious and comforting. It is the time to express love and seek forgiveness. It is the time of breaking and building up. Jesus told us to make sure it was not a time of silly babbling, a repeating of words that mean nothing:

"And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." (Matthew 6:7-8)

Jesus told us there needs to be certain elements to our conversation but he did not intend for us to repeat a prayer that has no meaning to most people who repeat it. Didn't he just say not to do that? He did say to include worship, a desire for God's will over our own, an explanation of our needs, repentance and petition for others, as well as protection as we do his work. Too many of us are too busy with his work to actually take the time to fast and pray. This needs to change. How can we be in ministry, doing his work with no connection or at best a fleeting connection every day? We need intimacy. He longs for intimacy. Fasting is a great tool to open the door to this greater level of intimacy.

Make sure your fasting is not simply a physical thing like a diet and don't let it become a mechanical sacrifice that is void of purpose. Along with your fast dwell in his Word and spend lots of time in conversation. Fasting is all about better intimacy with Jesus.

Fasting With The Bread Of Life (fasting series)

2012-01-28T16:04:00.001-05:00

What is a fast without the Word of God and prayer? The answer, is a diet. We need to fast in the same way we need baptism and communion. None of it has anything to do with our salvation but everything to do with obedience and relationship.

Fasting has no power in of itself but it is a tremendous instrument in changing us so that we are better focused on the lover of our soul. Now who wouldn't want that? But like the psalmist, we have to have a hunger and longing for the Word of God. Instead of filling our bellies with food, we are taking the time to fill our spirit on the Bread of Life.

Reading and studying the Word of God should never be a chore for those who love the Lord their God with all their heart, mind, should and strength. It is our sustenance. And we say with the psalmist:

"I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word." (Psalm 119:15-16)

As you fast, draw close to God by dwelling in his Word. Listen carefully to what he has to say directly to your heart. Don't allow your fast to be considered a diet but instead allow it to be what it is intended for, an instrument to hear clearly from God.

Radical Christianity - Is There Any Other Kind?

2012-01-28T07:22:00.000-05:00

There seems to be a real disconnect in this age of mass marketing Christianity as to what it means to "follow" Jesus Christ. Following Jesus is not a convenient thing. At times it is not even a pleasant thing but it is always a joyful thing that is marked by daily surrender. Unfortunately people do not understand this because much of our spiritual understanding is now mixed with the spiritual understanding of the world. We are so full of humanism now that we find ourselves agreeing when people quote "We are the masters of our own destiny". The only sense that this can be true for anyone is that Jesus has given us a choice of our destiny but we are masters of nothing.

The prophet Jeremiah very simply confessed to God:

"I know , O Lord, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps." (Jeremiah 10:23)

If believers could understand this to be truth there would be a lot less anxiety, fear and worry in existence. Jesus spoke the only reality that we should understand as followers, the only option there is for us:

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Matthew 16:24)

"In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:33)

"For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?" (Luke 9:24-25)

I hear people talk about radical living and radical Christianity. Is there any other kind? If these quotes aren't clear enough then try this:

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. >>>>> FOR YOU DIED <<<<< and your life is not hidden in Christ." (Colossians 3:1-3)

The emphasis there is mine. But get what follows next:

"When Christ, >>>>> WHO IS YOUR LIFE <<<<< appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3:4)

You can't be a follower of Jesus if he is only part of your life. Jesus has to be your life. He has to be the reason for you breathing, thinking, talking and doing. He has to be the very essence of life to you. We have to be able to say with Paul:

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)

"I no longer live." Say that a few times and let the reality of it sink to the depth of you consciousness. There is no part time Christian or partial Christian or "I go to church" Christian. It is either all or nothing. And it isn't a sentiment. It is a radical change, a new birth, a death to self. That means everything we do must have purpose in Jesus, directed by Jesus. We do not get to control our life. We don't get to decide. It is as Jeremiah said: "A man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps."

What does this mean for you? A lot. But the exact details are only discovered as we live a daily surrendered life. We do a lot of things in our life every day that are still focused on us. It is habit. We have to ask the Spirit's help in breaking those habits. Our life is not our own, it belongs to Jesus and we must be living for his purpose. Examine your day and see what you do for your own gratification, what has nothing to do with Jesus whatsoever, how you are wasting this life you are suppose to be living in and through Jesus. Remember, you have been crucified with Jesus and the only life you have is the one Christ lives in you. To this world, the only Christian life there is is a radical one. Remember, you no longer live, it is Christ who lives in you.

Resolved To Go The Distance (fasting series)

2012-01-27T12:28:00.000-05:00

As I read through the book of Daniel again I am struck by the very first chapter. It is something that I believe would help us today improve our service to our Lord:

But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. (Daniel 1:8)

For whatever reason Daniel was given not to take part in the rich foods of the royal court. This is a type of fasting and Daniel was resolved that he would serve the Lord even in this place according to what was laid on his heart. Do we really think that would have been an easy thing? All that choice food and wine, rich in its appearance and aroma? But Daniel was resolved.

We could use a lot of resolve in our walk with Jesus these days. Far too many of us are allowing ourselves to be "defiled" as we are attracted to the richness of sin and distraction. There is very little resolve in us to give all of ourselves to God. I think we believe we can do it on a payment plan or something, giving a little bit every day until our account is paid up. But this is not what the Lord has called us too.

There are certain things in our life that reveal the lack of discipline and resolve in us and one of those things is the discipline of fasting. Perhaps you have never gone there and perhaps you see no need for it. That is the current attitude of the Church that not everything is necessary that we read in the Word, but I find it in great men of faith like Daniel, in the prophets and even in our Lord Jesus Christ. Our problem is that our lack of resolve in this reveals the lack of resolve in our walk in Jesus Christ. The Christian walk is not a flimsy thing that you can drop off and pick up where you want to. If you want to be used of God, to be convinced of the presence of Jesus and overwhelmed by the power of the Spirit we must learn the discipline of going the distance and serving in the hardest of circumstances. Discipline, resolve, sticktoitness is what we are missing.

Yet, even in this God's grace covers us. Where we are lacking he will provide. If you simply put your hand to it, determined to go all the way, he will enable you to go all the way with him. You will be known as a person who goes the distance. Even if you have failed in this in the past he will make you capable today. You can do it because he enables you to do it. Let's be a people of resolve. Let's set aside the things that defile and seek his will in everything in our lives.

Sorry, I Thought You Said You Trust God

2012-01-27T11:10:00.001-05:00

Sometimes we don't have to say very much about God's Word, it speaks for itself:

Cursed is the one who trusts in man,
   who depends on flesh for his strength    and whose heart turns away from the LORD. (Jeremiah 17:5)

It is the ongoing message of the Scriptures; trust in man and you are doomed to misery and failure. Often we make plans or have ideas that we think will please the Lord but they come from our own wisdom. We even declare God's Word thinking it means one thing in our flesh but when we are tested in it we discover that either it wasn't what we thought or that we weren't really living it in the first place. How can a man say that he "loves Jesus and will follow him even to death" one day and the very next day be lost in despair and fear over something to do with the flesh? Either God is God or he isn't. Either he is in charge or he isn't. Either we are believers or we are not.

Who are we trusting, God or man? God or ourselves? God or our bank account? God or our employment? The Word is not gentle with those who say they trust God but trust man instead, who turn from the Lord and lose themselves in the despair of the flesh:

He will be like a bush in the wastelands;
   he will not see prosperity when it comes.
He will dwell in the parched places of the desert,   in a salt land where no one lives. (Jeremiah 17:6)

That is not God's choice for us but instead the result of our poor choices, to rely on our flesh. However, it is a completely different situation for those who do trust God, even when it looks like death is what is waiting for us. Maybe it's not that drastic. Maybe it is only a broken heart or lost employment but those things can feel like death. Yet look at what the Word says is the result for those who choose to trust:

But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,    whose confidence is in him. (Jeremiah 17:7)

He calls us blessed. And for good reason. Realize what is promised to those who trust:

He will be like a tree planted by the water
   that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
   its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought    and never fails to bear fruit. (Jeremiah 17:8)

Do you see that? The man who trusts in the Lord, who continues as he must, who continues in his place of witness, who allows joy to be his attitude, will never fail to bear fruit. Our roots will always be in Jesus Christ who will sustain us in all kinds of circumstances. We will not fear the heat, we will be kept green, full of life and we will have no worries in the time of drought, during difficult circumstances.

It comes down to choice. In our times of crisis our "knee jerk" reaction tells us a lot about our character, the condition of our heart. To come back after a blow is good but to stand up under it with joy is far better. To return after running away shows good character but to not run away in the first place shows mature character. To trust at all times is a sign of maturity, a sign of mature love. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him!

To Live Is Christ, To Die Is Gain

2012-01-27T06:20:00.001-05:00

I realize I have been harping on the same subject now for a number of days but it is an important subject. It is so important that when we start living its reality much of our perspective is changed. Eternity is real and we will be part of it. The resurrection is real, Jesus defeated death and the resurrection of those asleep in Christ is set. We will not be going into his glory as we are, we have to be changed. When we realize that what we are heading for, the things of this world start to become pretty dull and boring; our problems begin to look pretty small.. As we gain an eternal perspective our priorities in this place begin to change and they must because they are really messed up right now.

Let's start with the fact that what we are right now cannot inherit eternity. First our hearts must be completely reborn. We are not talking about a renovation job, I mean a complete refit. The old is cast aside and the new is installed. Jesus referred to it as a second birth. Then our minds must also be renewed. This can only happen with a new heart. So everything is being redeemed, brought into alignment with God. The slavery to sin is broken as our sin nature is overcome by the power and forgiveness of God. It is still around but it does not have the control over us as it once did. It no longer dictates to us. However, there is still a major stumbling block.

Our heart and mind are made new but they are still housed in this weak flesh that we have. It is why Jesus said that our spirit is willing but our flesh is weak. It is why apostle Paul spoke of disciplining the body, keeping it in check, making it answerable to our spirit. The Scriptures teach that in submission to the spirit our bodies can be used to glorify Jesus Christ. Paul describes them as jars of clay:

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. (2 Corinthians 4:7)

Clay jars were cheap and disposable. When you look at how fragile our life is, how easily it is ended and how these bodies are discarded, and the fact we are made from the dust of the earth, clay jars is a fitting term. But they will not be coming with us into eternity. They serve a purpose now but just as our hearts and minds have been transformed so will be our bodies. They have to be:

For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” (1 Corinthians 15:53-54)

When Jesus was resurrected he appeared in his resurrected state to well over five hundred people. He entered locked rooms, ate with people, walked with them, spoke with them, they touched him yet he appeared different to them. Mary did not recognize him until he spoke her name. The two disciples on their way to Emmaus did not recognize him until he did something they were very familiar with. These clay jars of ours will be replaced by the imperishable and immortal.

Always keep in mind that Jesus came not only as the sacrifice for our sin but as the seed to what we will be. He showed us how to live a life in this body under the power of the Holy Spirit. What he did we can do too and what he was we are by the Holy Spirit. He was also the fore runner, the first born, the one who blazed the trail for us. He went ahead of us and destroyed the power of death. The cross meant forgiveness in this place but the empty grave means eternity with God. Jesus made it all possible. Although we serve here with all that we are, our focus, our longing needs to be eternity. If that is where our focus is we will do everything in this place that we can to bring God glory. Heaven is where we are to store our treasure and that is what makes life here tolerable. In all that you face and do today remember that Jesus has given us greater victory than we can presently grasp and also remember this scripture to keep it all in perspective:

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. (2 Corinthians 4:17)

Have You Prepared What You Are Taking With You When Jesus Calls?

2012-01-26T06:06:00.000-05:00

Are you ready? Seriously, are you ready? So often we get ourselves ready for vacations, exams, even for emergencies. Here in Canada intelligent drivers carry a winter emergency kit in their car, just in case. We are also encouraged to have at least a three day supply of food and water on hand at all times in our homes. Students spend long hours in preparation for their exams. Parents spend nine months in preparation for the arrival of their baby, with eager anticipation. There are so many things that we spend time preparing for so shouldn't we also be preparing for eternity?

In fact, Jesus instructed us to be doing just that, preparing for the life to come:

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)

We are pretty distracted from what I can see, too busy storing up treasures here to give much consideration to the life to come. We allow worries, fears, anxieties, busyness, and plans all centered on self to distract us from the vehicles for storing up treasures in heaven, which are summarized by loving God and your neighbour. Paul gave this instruction to Timothy:

Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. (1 Timothy 6:18-19)

The reason it is important is because we have not been given the departure date. We have no idea when it will be time to go but we do know one thing, we aren't taking anything with us except those things we have sent on ahead of us. Our "treasures" will be waiting for us but everything else will be left behind to be destroyed:

I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. (1 Corinthians 15:50)

All those things that you have worked so hard for, all those treasures in this place, even the hard work you put into being physically beautiful will all be gone. It's going to happen so quickly you won't have time to pack a bag or even prepare yourself. You need to be prepared to go at every moment of every day:

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

In a flash we will all be changed so that we can take the voyage; so that we can move from this life into what is real life. All our tiny problems, useless plans, wrong priorities will be left behind. There will be no time for preparation so we must make sure that every moment of every day our goal is to know Jesus more, to love our neighbour as ourselves. Now is the time to be storing up those treasures, those acts of kindness, the acts of love and compassion. Now is the time to go as deep as we can with Jesus so that our heart fully belongs to him. Now is the time because when that trumpet blows our time will be up. When it does blow I think we will realize how much time we wasted on things that have no importance. Perhaps it is better for us to evaluate that now and make the changes that are necessary so that we are investing in eternity instead of in this temporary land of shadows.

Are you ready?

A Body To Match The Beauty Of Our Spirit

2012-01-25T06:25:00.000-05:00

It is sad that so many people are bent on making life a dull existence. The "eat and drink for tomorrow we die" group want everyone to believe that "here and now" is all there is. Look around, this is all you get so make the most out of it. No wonder there are people who choose to end their life if there is no hope beyond this. Who would want to live knowing that there is absolutely no meaning to anything? You are born, you struggle with life, you die. I am thankful we know the truth of the matter.

Praise our wonderful Father that this is not all there is. Since the dawn of time man has worshiped that which is beyond him, even if he struggled to know what that was. He could see God all around him but he could not know him until God made himself known, which he did at the time of Moses. He birthed a nation to represent him to the world, so that he could glorify himself through them and draw all the nations to him. Unfortunately Israel wanted to keep God all to themselves but that didn't stop God and his plan to reconcile the world to him. So he sent Jesus. We know the plan and we are thankful today for that plan but my point is that there is more to us and to life than what we see. We are more than flesh. Our flesh only houses the greater part which is spiritual.

There is more than what we see and Paul wrote to the Corinthians: "If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body." (1 Corinthians 15:44) Even followers of Jesus sometimes act like there is nothing more than this as they desperately try to build a life for themselves with all the comforts they can manage. But consider a moment what we have to look forward to. How many of you are suffering from diseases or perhaps birth defects. These are natural to this sin burdened life. Disease and defects are all a result of the fallen state of this world. Our bodies are weak, frail, and susceptible to temptation. But God has a plan to redeem our bodies along with our heart and mind:

So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. (1 Corinthians 15:45-49)

I get excited about this by many of us don't, dismissing it as uninteresting as we pursue whatever comfort we can here. I am looking forward to it because I will finally be able to shed the thing that hinders me from expressing the full joy that I feel. Sure I can sing, dance and shout now, but imagine what we will be able to do with our spiritual body. Imagine how much more beautiful we can sing the praises of our Lord with this spiritual body. Presently I do not have a good singing voice but in our perfect spiritual bodies we will all have great voices. We will have endless energy to dance, shout, leap with the praises of our God. Right now I get tired, I have to sleep. My voice gets sore, my legs weak. I have limits. But not with the spiritual body we will be receiving.

I realize it is hard to imagine but just try for a moment. This spiritual body that will be ours at the resurrection will be absolutely perfect. No blemishes, no eating disorders, no diseases, no concern about beauty or of growing old. There will be no dieting, plastic surgery, beauty contests, ugly comments. There will be no lose of energy, sleepless nights, aches or pains. We will be fully transformed and redeemed with a body created to last for eternity. When God looks upon us now that is how he sees us because he has already declared it. We are now only waiting for the appointed day for it to be done.

Please, when you look in the mirror don't look at the temporary shell we have been given but look at what God has declared and planned for us. See yourself with God's eyes. You will soon have a body that matches the beauty of your spirit and most importantly we will be just like Jesus. What we have is temporary, in seed form and when we are buried, as if dead, that seed will be transformed into the beauty of God's design. So rejoice, God has a plan and you are included in it.

Eat And Drink For Tomorrow We Die

2012-01-24T06:15:00.000-05:00

Spiritual maturity comes with understanding and accepting the full plan of God. Some people live as if this is all we are getting. They may follow Jesus but feel cheated if their life is more difficult than someone else's. We have this attitude that we need to eat and drink today because tomorrow we die. What foolish people to think that what we are experiencing here is of any value compared to what we are maturing towards. This place is a brief staging area for the eternity Jesus is preparing us for.

If we could understand what will happen with the resurrection I think many of our attitudes would change in this place. We would be less concerned about what we don't have and we would be less bothered by any troubles we have to live through. Paul expressed it this way:

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. (2 Corinthians 4:17)

If we are bothered and disturbed by the things of this life it means we are too attached to it and may not understand what is coming. It is like those who are afraid of death. They don't want to experience death because they are too in love with this life. They have yet to realize that death is simply the door to the eternity that has been planned for us. In fact, to call it death is not a correct term for Christians as we know that we are simply falling asleep in Christ until his return. And what a return it will be.

Have you stopped to think about the resurrection and the new body you will receive? This body we have, this flimsy vessel, so weak and prone to sin is only a seed to be planted so that the eternal body may be born from it. The Scriptures are clear in regards to our eternal body:

What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. (1 Corinthians 15:36-38)

We fret so much over this temporary thing that houses us. We regret that we were made too short or too tall. We try to measure the beauty of it but we are always seeing the imperfection. We try to convince ourselves to "love the skin you're in" as if this is all we will ever have. Well, this skin grows old, it only lasts so long. It will have pimples and blemishes when it is young and it will be wrinkled when it is old. It is susceptible to disease, it requires lots of attention to remain healthy. If we abuse it it will break down and cost our society tonnes of money. It is described as a clay vessel because at that time clay was cheap, weak and disposable. Yet we waste so much time on it. It's just temporary folks, disposable, a seed to be planted to become what we were intended for:

So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. (1 Corinthians 15:42-44)

This is our reality! This body and this place is temporary for us. This perishable, dishonoured, weak, natural body is going to be reborn, transformed just like our heart and mind so that it is imperishable, glorified, powerful and spiritual.

So stop living the attitude of "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die". That is the attitude of those who do not believe in the resurrection of the dead. It is the attitude of those who do not have faith in Christ. It is the attitude of those who believe that "this" is all there is so enjoy it while you can. Don't be one of those people, it is a sad life. Instead, invest what you have been given. Store up for yourself treasures in heaven. Spend your life in service to the King, not worrying about the distractions this world has to offer. Live in such a way that you show that this world is only a shadow of what has been promised to us, so to die is gain for us. To die is to plant that perishable seed so that it becomes the imperishable in Christ. Live your life to the fullest in Jesus and stop worrying that you are missing out on something. The best is yet to come.

Why Is Life So Complicated?

2012-01-23T06:11:00.000-05:00

So much noise. So many voices. So many distractions. It's a wonder we can hear God's voice at all as we overcrowd our life and complicate it beyond anything reasonable. It would be interesting to make a list of all the essential things and activities in our day and then make a list of all the non-essential. I wonder which would be the longer list? I wonder if we would be able to tell the difference between the two? No wonder we are getting the philosophies and ideas of the world so mixed up with God's Word.

Every day I am hearing or reading things from Christians that come directly from the current thinking in the world system. "Believe in yourself." "You can do anything you put your mind to." "If you think you can, you will." Yet, until we realize our total fallen state and that we have nothing of any worth to offer Jesus, we will not be able to fully accept his grace, mercy and compassion. As long as we believe that there is some good in us God can do nothing for us. We have to realize that Jesus must and has done it all for us, that there is nothing we can do for ourselves, before we will begin to understand the extent of his love for us and everyone else.

Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth:

Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame. (1 Corinthians 15:34)

There are two parts to this. First of all we need to come back to our senses and stop sinning. The problem with the Corinthians is that they had started twisting the gospel Paul had brought to them. They started rejecting the fact of the resurrection. They were philosophers and they loved talking about new ideas and new religions which they would then take on or reject. Somehow they were allowing the philosophies to dilute the truth of the gospel. Not unlike today as we pick and choose from a whole grocery store of thoughts, ideas, and life philosophies. Instead of sticking to the clear Word of God we are creating our own beliefs from bits and pieces of everything that tickles our ears.

Second, these people were distracted from their purpose. Instead of doing what God has called us all to do they were distracted by their great debates and discussions. They preferred to sit around and talk about the gospel instead of actually doing the gospel. Paul said it was to their shame that some people were still ignorant of God. Isn't that crazy? It's like working at a grocery store and spending all day discussing the best way of stocking the shelves without actually stocking the shelves. It is great that we have opportunities to study the Bible but the Bible is more than a piece of literature to be discussed and studied; it is an instruction manual that tells us what we are suppose to be doing. The most important thing for us to be doing is getting out of our churches and into life so we can share the good news of Jesus Christ.

We are complicating our lives whereas God has made it simple for us. You have not been saved for your own pleasure but so that you could be used as an instrument in someone else's salvation. We have not been left in this place to chase after the things of the pagans, to pursue our own entertainment and pleasures but instead to live for Jesus by serving other people. It's all about getting your head screwed on right, coming back to your senses, to stop sinning, to stop making life about you and instead making life about Jesus and others. Examine your day, cut out the non-essentials and see what you are left with. Then start filling your day with the purpose of your life. Remember, you died to yourself and now you live in Jesus. Without him you have no life. As Paul stated, Jesus is our life and we live for his purpose, not our own.

God Has A Plan

2012-01-22T04:39:00.000-05:00

It is easy to forget in this world that God has a plan and we are part of it. Sometimes we may wonder what God is doing as we see so much ugliness, hatred and injustice in the world. At times it seems so out of control and we may even be tempted to say, "Where are you God?" It's at these times we need to take a step back and remember some of the big picture.

Do you remember the parable Jesus told about the farmer who planted good seed and the enemy who came in and planted weeds? When the farm workers realized what had happened they asked the farmer if they should pull up the weeds. Makes sense, right? But the farmer told them to leave the weeds and the good seed to grow together because pulling up the weeds might damage the seed. He told them at the harvest they will separate the good from the bad. That's the big picture we need to remember.

This is the reason Jesus told us not to be afraid of the world because he had overcome it. He told us that there would be bad things because we are left to grow among the weeds, but he would strengthen us to go all the way. This was the same encouragement Paul was telling us when he told us to run the race to win, to go to the end of it. Our responsibility is to not allow the weeds to overwhelm us but instead to remember we are the good seed and we must go to the end of it to see God's justice. Don't let the evil, the hatred, the ugliness take away God's glory from you, he has a plan.

The good seed says together:

For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD;
   I sing for joy at the works of your hands.
How great are your works, O LORD,    how profound your thoughts! (Psalm 92:4-5)

We do not fret over evil but instead we fix our eyes on the maker of heaven and earth and trust his plan. We are not overcome by evil but instead we overcome evil with good. We allow his light to shine through us with love and are determined never to take glory away from that light by allowing sin to overwhelm us. We do not belong to the weeds, we are of a different nature. We know the full story. We know how it ends:

The senseless man does not know,
   fools do not understand,
that though the wicked spring up like grass
   and all evildoers flourish, they will be forever destroyed. (Psalm 92:6-7)

It doesn't matter if the weeds seem to be winning or taking over. It doesn't matter if we seem to be outnumbered a thousand to one or even a million to one. It doesn't matter if our whole society slips into the anarchy of godlessness, Jesus Christ is still going to win, has already won, has snatched victory away from the enemy. If you have read the book then you know you have a choice to remain a weed or be transformed into the seed and if you have read the book then you know which will be victorious in the end.

No matter what we have to grow up with, the good seed can rejoice because God has a plan and together we proclaim:

But you, O LORD, are exalted forever. (Psalm 92:8)

This is what we know to be the truth, the promise we have been given because it is the plan of our Lord and nothing can come against him. This is his plan for us and because of it we gather to rejoice today:

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
   they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
planted in the house of the LORD,
   they will flourish in the courts of our God.
They will still bear fruit in old age,
   they will stay fresh and green,
proclaiming, “The LORD is upright;    he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.” (Psalm 92:12-15)

Let Us Keep In Step With The Spirit

2012-01-21T07:57:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I worry that with all our vision and planning in the Church we are sending the wrong message to our youth. Scripture makes it clear that we are to be attached to nothing in this place. We who are controlled by the Spirit should have the freedom to come and go as the wind. We are to take our direction from the Spirit, sometimes through visions and dreams and other times from what the Spirit lays on our heart through the Word. Too often we move ahead with plans because they seem good and reasonable. Good and reasonable does not mean they are the will of God. I can do a lot of good things in my flesh, powerful things, great things but good, powerful and great are not always what God desires. Sometimes he wants simple and steady.

For too long we have taken our lead, even submitted ourselves to the the teachings of men and women who have fashioned the Church after business principles. This has led to some success in numerical growth but in the Kingdom we are not interested in such growth if there is no spiritual growth to accompany it. As a people of the Spirit of God we can fully understand the psalmist as he wrote:

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
   will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress,    my God, in whom I trust.” (Psalm 91:1-2)

That is the experience that we live every day, or at least we should. Instead we have large segments of the Church that look no different from the world as people are overwhelmed by fear, worry and anxiety which leads to physical and mental illnesses. The only thing I can conclude is that we are doing this wrong. God is who he is but are we who we are suppose to be? First of all it might help if we took our counsel from the Word of God and the Holy Spirit instead of the wisdom of man:

Stop trusting in man,
   who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he? (Isaiah 2:22)

You should read the context of that message from the prophet Isaiah, you may find it interesting. It is the mistake that the people made when they wanted Moses to be between them and God and again when Israel wanted a man-king instead of allowing God to be their king. We are always wanting to put someone between us and God. That is exactly how the Church ended up with clergy whereas we were called into a direct relationship with Jesus in the context of the Body of Christ. (read 1 Corinthians 12).

Our problem now is that we are trusting people to interpret God's Word and teach it to us. Yes, some have been called for this purpose but we have also been given the Holy Spirit as our teacher so we can know the Word directly, to know whether what is taught is of God or man. We have been given apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to keep us on track but we in turn must have enough of the Word and be in the Spirit to know if what is preached is correct. It sometimes happens that it goes wrong. Wrong people with wrong motivations end up in wrong positions of spiritual authority. They are not to be confused with men of God who are sincere in their calling and teaching but who on occasion may speak a lesser teaching only because of their lack of maturity. Isaiah warned again:

Woe to those who call evil good
   and good evil,
who put darkness for light
   and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet    and sweet for bitter. (Isaiah 5:20)

A teacher of the Word must chiefly desire to remain humble and empty of self, self opinion, self direction, self wisdom. Too easily a little bit of knowledge puffs up:

We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. (1 Corinthians 8:1)

We must be careful every day that we remain in submission to the Holy Spirit, that we do not think too highly of ourselves, that we do not allow our calling to become our god:

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes    and clever in their own sight. (Isaiah 5:21)

It is never about us and always about Jesus. Our knowledge and wisdom amounts to nothing in comparison to the riches we find in Jesus Christ. We must make sure that we are not using God's Word for our own agenda, that it is his truths we are speaking and not our own opinion. We can't allow fickle popularity to become a sign of God's approval. Success does not make it right and failure does not make it wrong. All things must be according to God's will for God's glory. That is the biggest thing we need to keep in mind: none of the glory belongs to us and all of the glory belongs to God. Let's make sure we are living by the Spirit of God, the will of God and not by our own feeble goals and wisdom.

I Bet You Didn't Even Know You Were Being Corrupted

2012-01-20T06:29:00.000-05:00

If it wasn't so tragic it would be funny how we always think we are the exception. It doesn't matter how old we are or from what generation, we always think we can get away with something that others cannot. For years I was told that I needed to be careful about the people I hung out with, the movies I watched, the books I read and the music I listened to. I never believed it. I read anything that looked interesting and watched whatever came out and it did a number on me.

We find this in Scripture:

Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” (1 Corinthians 15:33)

It's there because it is the truth. Whatever you submit yourself to will have an effect on you. It isn't that we lack intelligence or that we are brainless droids, it's simply that most people are open to suggestion. That is why advertising works. Wait a second. You probably think you are immune to that as well, right? I was raised in an area of the country where Coca-Cola was the dominant advertiser. It is what my family drank. Before I quit soft drinks Coke was the only thing I would drink. Same with my tooth paste brand. It was what I was raised with because it was advertised the most and until I married I was a devote believer in only one brand being of any use. I do not consider myself weak. I am a very strong character; stubborn as a mule, my dad used to say (probably still says it). But even the strongest, most stubborn people can be influenced.

You don't realize it but you are being shaped by everyone in your life, the things you watch, the things you listen to, the things you read. We need to make wise choices and parents need to help their children make those wise choices until they have the maturity to make the choices on their own. It is amazing the number of parents who will allow their children to watch things that are damaging just because it is popular, their friends watch it or because parents think their children are exceptionally mature. They have no idea the hidden damage they are causing in their children, what influences they are allowing to take root, and how much they are contributing to the corruption of their mind and heart.

There is a reason the Scriptures guide us with this:

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. (Colossians 3:1)

This is an awesome passage; you should read the whole thing. After we are told to set our hearts we are told to do the same thing with our minds:

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. (Colossians 3:2)

And why should we do this? Because of what we claim to be. Because we say that we are followers of Jesus. Because as followers of Jesus we do not think, perceive or pursue things like non-believers:

For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3)

And in case you were not sure what it meant to be a follower of Jesus:

When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:4)

That's important right there: "When Christ, who is your life...". We tend to forget. Church becomes something we do, not something we are. Jesus is a concept not our reality because if he was our reality a lot of things would change. We wouldn't be interested in entertaining ourselves with sin. What do I mean by that? We don't kill but we are entertained by murder. We don't have sex with a hundred different people but we are entertained by it in our prime time television drama shows. We don't believe in people living together but we accept it in our entertainment. We think homosexuality is wrong but we allow our children to see it as acceptable as they are entertained by it in almost every movie and television show they watch. See what I mean? All of this begins to influence us and we begin to accept it and maybe even practice it. Just consider some of the things our younger generation is beginning to accept because of the "bad character" they have been influenced by. Do you realize how many young people believe that a person can be a practicing homosexual and a follower of Jesus Christ? Do you know how many people believe it is possible to live with their boyfriend or girlfriend and still follow Jesus? This is all a result of the influence of the things they watch and read, not as a result of learning from Scripture or from the Holy Spirit.

Hate me for this if you want but the truth of the matter is we have allowed ourselves to be corrupted by bad character. If we want to love God with all our heart, to love our neighbour as ourselves and serve Jesus with our entire being, we need to start making wise choices of who we "hang out" with. We need to start turning off the TV, switching our music, looking at our friends, considering the books we read and start getting our hearts and minds back on Jesus. After all, we do claim that he is our everything.

The Importance Of Our Resurrection

2012-01-19T06:25:00.000-05:00

I realize that the easiest thing about our faith is to simply talk about God's love and look for his blessing in this life. It encourages us every day as we remember that he is with us and knows everything that is going to happen and has made his plans for us accordingly. All good stuff. But it is equally important for us to remember God's full plan so that we do not fear death. After all, Scriptures tell us:

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. (1 Corinthians 15:19)

The mature Christian has no fear of death and has no desire to hold on to this life when the time comes to leave it. As a young person it may be hard to grasp the willingness to let go of life here but "falling asleep in Christ" is a reality just as much as life is. This too is a matter of faith, trusting what Jesus has promised. For this reason it is important for every Christian to understand the significance of the resurrection:

But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:20)

"Firstfruits" is why Jesus came, to become the first born of many. He trail blazed the way for us because no one else could. He had to go first so that we could follow when the time comes for him to bring us home. It is for this reason Paul refers to believers as "falling asleep in Christ" because upon his return they will be "woken up".

We have a poetic God in the manner in which he does things. We look at how he turned the great persecutor of the Church, Saul of Tarsus, into her greatest champion, Paul the apostle. He also took the destruction that one man brought to the world, Adam, and countered it by the life that another man brought, Jesus:

For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:21-22)

The first man God had created, the first model, brought death to all of creation, but then God sent Jesus to create a second model, one not just born of flesh but also born of the Spirit. The true work of God did not take place in the manger; that was only the entrance point. The real work began with the baptism of the Spirit and was made complete with the resurrection from the dead. We too must walk through this process as we are baptized by the Spirit, made a new creation and must wait for completion with the resurrection of the dead. It is in this resurrection that our transformation is made complete, as our flesh is the last to go through the transformation into new life. We have the Holy Spirit as a deposit guaranteeing what is to come.

The Scriptures remind us of the order:

But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. (1 Corinthians 15:23)

This is why we must work so hard to testify about Jesus and the Good News. We don't want anyone to miss out on this transformation. We don't want anyone to be stuck in the old model which leads to death. It is what God had warned Adam about. He told him if he ate from that tree he would die and he did, along with everyone who followed. But those who have received Jesus have been preserved by the Spirit as they sleep in Christ so that when Jesus returns to defeat his final enemy they will rise with him:

Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he “has put everything under his feet.” (1 Corinthians 15:24-27)

It is for this reason we cannot say that the resurrection is not so important. The resurrection is vital to the completion of our transformation. At the present moment we are still tripped up by this weak vessel; weak in sin and disease. It grows old, becomes feeble, becomes like a jail for our spirit. It is with the resurrection that our bodies are transformed and brought into alignment with our new heart and new mind. Come on now, that must be a day that we are all looking forward to, when we receive everything that has been promised to us. For those who have not fallen asleep in Christ when he returns, we are told they will be changed in a blink of an eye. I get ahead of myself but a little further down in this chapter we read:

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

Rejoice because Jesus is coming soon. There is nothing to fear. Your sins have been forgiven. You have been baptized in the Spirit. You are serving Jesus faithfully. You stand on that firm ground of faith. All is well and he is coming back to claim what belongs to him. Amen!

With Jesus It Is All Or Nothing

2012-01-18T06:12:00.000-05:00

I have heard some people defend their faith by saying that even if it turns out that God is not real they have had the benefit of living a good life. On the surface this looks fine but when you consider a life based on a lie you realize what a sad statement it is. Apparently some people in the Corinthian church were saying something similar which is the reason Paul had reminded them that the gospel message was based on a few simple truths:

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. (1 Corinthians 15:3-5)

None of this is disposable. Our belief is not vague, our faith is does not lack focus. We do not hold on to an idea but the person of Jesus Christ, who had purpose in being born, living and dying and then being raised from that death. We cannot set aside his death and still "believe". We cannot set aside the resurrection and still "believe". In fact Paul but it this way to the Corinthians:

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. (1 Corinthians 15:19)

We are living in an age when people like to pick and chose what they believe. Some have chosen to leave hell out of the picture. Others have dismissed the miracles. Some have set aside the cross and others the resurrection. Yet, all of these people still call themselves Christian and still claim to be defenders of the faith. They follow a supposed moral code laid down by Jesus but Paul said that if our hope is only for this life we are a pitiful creature.

Paul makes it clear how important the resurrection is to us. Let me give it to you in the points Paul makes:

- If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. (v. 13)

- And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. (v. 14)

- More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. (v. 15)

- And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. (v. 17)

- Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. (v. 18)

With Jesus it is all or nothing. There is no fence sitting; no selective belief; no excusing away what looks like silliness to the world today. Everything that Jesus taught and revealed and did is interconnected so that if you take one thing away it all falls apart. We can't say that Jesus was a prophet, a good man, a wonderful teacher when he has claimed to be the Son of God. He either is who he says he is and has done what has been reported as doing, or he is a complete madman, a liar and we are fools.

We know that many have rejected Jesus and do consider us fools but we can't set aside our faith to try to make Jesus more believable to an unbelieving world. It is a foolish thing to do because people cannot come to know God by fine sounding arguments. Man's wisdom cannot convince people to believe. Salvation is the work of the Holy Spirit who convicts people of their sin and of the love, mercy and grace of Jesus Christ. Salvation is a spiritual work, not a work of the flesh. What seems impossible to man is possible for God.

My friends, especially you college and university students, do not wander from the path of faith in an attempt to prove God is real. The proof is found in the Holy Spirit who lives in you. The proof is supernatural. If you want your friends to come to know Jesus then continue to live by the Spirit, never compromising in love, making the most of every opportunity, testifying to Jesus' goodness, praying over them continually, and standing firm in the tenets of our faith:

- Jesus died for our sins
- he was buried
- he was raised from the dead
- he was seen by hundreds of people after his resurrection

The fact that Jesus died as the penalty for our sins tells us that reconciliation with God has been made possible. The fact that Jesus was raised from death tells us that death has been defeated and that the promise that we too will be resurrected is true. His burial is proof of his death. The witnesses are proof of his resurrection. Don't let go of what you have been taught.

Handcuffed By Our Past

2012-01-17T05:58:00.001-05:00

Too many of us are handcuffed by our past. God has called us, equipped us and put us in place but we fail to rise up to our calling because we continue to limit ourselves according to what we were or what we have done. We are afraid. I am not sure that we are afraid of failing or if we are afraid of being called impostors. We know that people know our past so who are we to try to be anything different, especially so radically different? We can say with David:

For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. (Psalm 51:3)

Now imagine if your past was known throughout the world. Imagine if people in the Body of Christ had suffered at your hands. Imagine if thousands of people blamed you for the lose of their home, for being forced to move away from family, for having to learn new languages, new customs in a new country. Now imagine you were told by God to go to these same people to encourage them with the gospel. Would you do it, or would your past handcuff you?

Perhaps we can begin to understand the faith and obedience apostle Paul had to show by doing this. It is different then going to those who harmed you. Giving forgiveness is one thing, seeking it is another. It takes a lot of confidence in God to face those you have harmed and be God's representative to them. The world and even some in the Church would say you are disqualified, but not God:

For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. (1 Corinthians 15:9)

There was always this sense in Paul that his sin was always before him. It is not that he did not accept God's forgiveness nor that he did not forgive himself, he just always remembered what he was saved from. It kept him humble and appreciative of God's grace. However, he also knew the value of that grace and would not allow his past to prevent his present:

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. (1 Corinthians 15:10)

It was by that grace that Paul was able to stand before those people he had sent to flight during his persecution of the Church and to minister to them by the Spirit. We hope it was also by that same grace that they forgave and accepted Paul and the message he bore.

It is this grace that allowed Paul to say "I am what I am". There is the key to those handcuffs. By the grace of God I am what I am. Paul said that he did not deserve this but he found himself in this position because of God's grace. We deserve death not life but by God's grace we have life in abundance. We deserve to be kicked to the curb because of our past but by God's grace we are more than forgiven, we are also called to serve. We can't do anything about the perceptions of others who know our past but we can know who we are in Jesus today. We are who we are because of what Jesus has done, not that we deserved it but we have received it by his grace.

You are real, you are authentic, you have been called by God, you have received his grace. Your past is real but it is now forgiven so allow it to remind you of God's grace but today live in his love, forgiveness and power to do what he has called you to do. No excuses are accepted. You are what you are by the grace of Jesus Christ.

The Simplicity Of Telling Others About Jesus

2012-01-16T05:54:00.000-05:00

How difficult do you make it for people to come to the Lord? We take such a simple matter and make it so complicated that there is very little attractive about knowing Jesus Christ. We spend our time telling people how they have to change, what they are doing wrong, giving them a list of do's and don'ts before they have even discovered the incredible news of God's love. Instead of conveying the Good News we spend our time condemning the natural actions of sinners, completely forgetting that the Scriptures tell us:

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

While we were still sinners; still! We need to know the Word but we need to understand the simplicity of it for sinners, for the lost, the ones who we have been left here to seek out, to influence for Jesus. Once they have met Jesus and claimed him for their own, the Holy Spirit will begin his work, which they will be glad for, and there will be a transforming instead of a conforming. At the end of his first letter to the Corinthians Paul wanted to make sure that the Corinthians stuck to the gospel. The Word of God is the lamp to our feet, and we need to make sure that we are living and serving according to it:

Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:1-2)

The only way we are going to reach maturity in Christ is within the written Word of God. Those who have not bothered to study and learn the Word chase after all other kinds of ideas, thoughts and teachings. They use human logic to fill in their learning gaps and they make assumptions; assumptions that lead them away from the truth instead of into it. How can we help others discover the Light if we ourselves are still paddling around in the dark? We have to make sure we have taken our stand on the Word of God.

Paul made it clear what we need to accept in order to have salvation. This is all we need to tell those who are lost. We do not need to get into great theology or discussions about their actions, what is acceptable to God and what isn't. All we have to do is present these things as facts, as what we know and the Spirit of God does the rest. Let me give them to you in point form and you can look them up yourself in 1 Corinthians 15. This is the gospel we need to present as mature Christians to those who are without Christ:

- Jesus died for our sins
- he was buried
- he was raised from the dead on the third day
- he appeared to Peter and the other disciples
- he appeared to 500 followers at the same time
- he appeared to others as well

That's it. It's as simple as that. No need for great arguments. If they want to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour that is all they need to start off with. That is the basic gospel. All the other stuff comes after and is called discipleship. Jesus died for our sins, was buried, raised from the dead and appeared to many people who became his witnesses.

Jesus told us not to cast our pearls to the pigs. It is not as mean as it may sound. How can such an animal appreciated the beauty of pearls? How can those without Jesus appreciate the deeper teachings of the Word? How can they appreciate the wisdom of God? How can they appreciate who he is? They can't, not without Jesus, so let's not complicate it. "Jesus loves you and this is how he loves you, he died for you." Make sure they know the whole story, that he was buried but he wasn't left that way because he was raised from the dead and appeared to many people. If people are not ready to accept this then we have nothing else to offer.

Let's keep the preaching for the saved and the witnessing for the unsaved. The Good News is a simple thing so let's keep it simple.

Restore Us Again, O God Our Saviour

2012-01-15T07:05:00.000-05:00

Maybe it's just me. Maybe it's just where I live and serve the Lord. Maybe it's just my part of the world. When I dwell in the Word of God I am overwhelmed with a desire to possess what the early Church had. Then I look around at where I am and all I see is what man has done with it. It's not the same thing. I know there are a lot of good people out there who are trying to get there with their churches but often the majority of believers keep the leaders boxed into what the majority see as the way to go, which is often just gimmicks of the world. Maybe I am being overly critical but I am tired of all the marketing, the showmanship, the "cool" kid syndrome, the leadership worship, the facade.

I honestly believe that we are missing the blessings of the Lord, the anointing in ministry, the headship of Jesus. Is it possible for God to remove his favour from his people due to disobedience and we not notice? Have we continued on with the "appearance of godliness" without the power? Have we become a bunch of teachers because no one has a clue how to actually live the Spirit-filled life? Are we nothing more than academics in pursuit of knowledge without the actual "fear" of the Lord?

There were many times in Israel's history where God had to remove his favour from his people due to their disobedience. He didn't remove his love or they would have been destroyed but he removed his favour and they became subject to other kingdoms until they turned back to him with all their heart. During one of these times a psalmist wrote:

You showed favor to your land, O LORD;
   you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
You forgave the iniquity of your people
   and covered all their sins.
You set aside all your wrath    and turned from your fierce anger. (Psalm 85:1-3)

This was an acknowledgement of what God had done in the past, the forgiveness he had shown his people for their past disobedience. Because God has set this pattern and has consistently forgiven his people in the past the psalmist prayed he would do it again:

Restore us again, O God our Savior,
   and put away your displeasure toward us.
Will you be angry with us forever?
   Will you prolong your anger through all generations?
Will you not revive us again,
   that your people may rejoice in you?
Show us your unfailing love, O LORD,    and grant us your salvation. (vv. 4-7)

Today we act more as individuals with God than we do as a nation of his people. We know what it is to repent and seek forgiveness for our own individual disobedience but how often do we do that as a people, as a church? Most churches will never repent because they do not recognize their own folly. They do not see what they are doing as wrong. As long as they pay their bills and new people are showing up now and then they are doing okay and obeying the great commission of Jesus Christ - is what they think. We have gotten so use to man's traditions that we do not even see how far off the mark we have gotten.

The Church is filled with self, materialism, greed, idol worship, self-determination. We make our own plans and then ask God to bless them. We treat Jesus as a genie granting us our wishes instead of as the Head of the Body from where we take our orders. We are governed by man's wisdom, traditions and ideas and have lost the ability to hear and follow the Holy Spirit. It has become much more about growing the numbers in our churches instead of growing the people in our churches. We are so messed up and we don't even see it. When is the last time the Spirit took over in your church and turned the meeting upside down? I know it happens with some of you but the vast majority deny the Spirit and stick to their own agenda.

It's never too late to say we are sorry, to turn back to God with all our heart and obey him:

I will listen to what God the LORD will say;
   he promises peace to his people, his saints—
   but let them not return to folly.
Surely his salvation is near those who fear him,    that his glory may dwell in our land. (vv. 8-9)

I am telling you God has intended great blessings for his people, the Church, the Body of Christ but disobedience blocks those blessings. Jesus has all the answers we are looking for, the solutions for our needs, the direction for us to take. We only need to set aside ourselves and make the decision to fully surrender and to fully obey. Not obey part of his commands but to obey all of his commands. It starts with love. He desires for the blessings to flow through us so that his glory may dwell in our land:

Love and faithfulness meet together;
   righteousness and peace kiss each other.
Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,
   and righteousness looks down from heaven.
The LORD will indeed give what is good,    and our land will yield its harvest. (vv. 10-12)

That is the description of a blessed nation, a blessed people, the blessed children of our heavenly Father. It is not too late for the Church as it is not too late for any individual to repent and turn in obedience to the Lord. Throw off all the trappings, all traditions of man, all the idols and self notion and walk in God's righteousness:

Righteousness goes before him    and prepares the way for his steps. (v. 13)

Perhaps we don`t realize it yet but much of God`s great river of blessings have been stopped up by our own disobedience. Let us repent as a people, recognize our folly, submit ourselves to the Spirit`s control again and see that river set free. Let our desire not be for self but that the glory of our Lord will once again fill our land, that the nations will know that there is a God and he has revealed himself through Jesus.

A Mistake We Make In This Modern Age Of Parenting - We Forget What It Is To Be A Teen

2012-01-14T08:16:00.000-05:00

This may seem a little off beat from my usual blog but a verse really grabbed me the other day as I was doing my daily reading. It struck me because in this modern age of communication we have greater access to people's thoughts and communications than at any other time in history. We get to hear things that in the past we would have no access too:

Do not pay attention to every word people say,
   or you may hear your servant cursing you—
for you know in your heart    that many times you yourself have cursed others. (Ecclesiastes 7:21-22)

When I read this I actually read it like:

"Do not pay attention to every word your children say,
or you may hear your children cursing you -
for you know in your heart
that many times you yourself have cursed your parents."

Think about that for a minute. When we were young our parents didn't have access to our FaceBook and they weren't able to check up on our histories to see our conversations. Imagine what may have resulted if they had heard some of the private conversation we had with our friends. We all have frustrating days, especially children who have to deal with the inconsistencies of their parents. As parents we try our best to be consistent but there are days when we are overwhelmed, distracted, stressed and we are less than our ideal desire as a parent. Our children don't have the maturity to understand this and or what we are dealing with. All they see is that last week we said that and now we are saying this.

You know our tendency to complain as adults but do you also remember that we were complainers as kids? Who did we complain to? Our friends of course. On the way to school, at school, on the way home, at the neighbourhood hang out, we voiced our complaints, opinions and desires about our parents. It was not always kind but it helped to vent our frustrations. But we didn't stay there in that place of immaturity; we grew up, matured and came to appreciate our parents for everything they did and put up with and we never stopped loving them, even in the midst of the complaints.

Fast forward to today, the age of social networking and parent policing. In our desire to protect our children from the evil that is in this world, from people who would want to harm them, we have access to the conversations they have with their friends. It is like our parents riding the school bus with us or listening in at the neighbourhood hang out. We have an unprecedented access to their complaints, opinions and thoughts which are sometimes about us. It is not abnormal the things that they say but we take it personally. All I can say is, imagine if our parents had heard us, yet we turned out to love and respect our parents.

Children, teens, youth need to have some space to vent, even if they are off the wall wrong about what they are saying. I have made the mistake too many times to count, not understanding that fine line of protecting them from evil and allowing them some freedom to express their frustration. The only thing it accomplished was causing my children to take a step further away from me. Instead of looking at the natural need to vent frustration, I wanted to correct their perception. Not the wisest thing to do in the midst of venting. Now I hear Solomon's words:

Do not pay attention to every word people say,
   or you may hear your servant cursing you—
for you know in your heart
   that many times you yourself have cursed others.

We still need access to their FaceBook and we still need to check their conversations but we need to apply a filter so we are only looking for the really dangerous stuff. We need to get a thick skin, filter out the complaints and venting with their friends and allow them that time of awkwardness while moving from child to adult. Some of the things they say may be unjustified and may even sting but remember what you said about your parents and let it go. If you have been training them in the way of the Lord it will all even out when they are adults.

What Have We Done To God's Design?

2012-01-13T06:25:00.000-05:00

As a youth I was always fascinated with 1 Corinthians 14 and the description of what a Christian gathering looked like. As one who found church absolutely boring and predictable, I was intrigued by the inclusiveness of Paul's description of the order that was needed because of everyone's preparedness to participate:

When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church. (1 Corinthians 14:26)

Church in my youth was not unlike it is today. There may be a bit more singing and the songs may be a bit more upbeat and modern but the format is still the same:

- greeted at the door
- find a seat
- listen to the welcome and announcements
- sing some songs
- tithes and offerings
- listen to the preacher
- prayer
- go home or out to lunch

Not a lot of participation or even potential participation. It is all very predictable and controlled. Man got his hands on the new thing that God was doing and had to control it. Take note in this passage that Paul was not trying to control the Spirit but simply to help the Corinthians understand that there must be some order to it all:

- If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. (v. 27)

- Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. (v. 29)

- And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. (v. 30)

Wow! I wonder what the experience must have been like? The freedom to speak through as many people as he chose, the various revelations that would come in, the variety of speakers, no long winded preaching. Realize the beauty of this:

For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. (v. 31)

I point this out to you because it is important for us to understand that we are still often governed by the traditions of man. Many of us think that we walk in the freedom of the Spirit believing that what was done by the previous generation was God ordained. I think God has a lot of patience with us, that he has permitted many things that are not his will, and that we should really examine what governs us.

As far as I am concerned every generation should question what has been handed down to it and every person should seek God's will for themselves. There have been many incorrect teachings in the past. Perhaps the evil age of denominations is now over. I certainly see a lot more mix of Christians online. I rarely hear people online discussing their denominational differences. But I am still thinking we don't do church right.

We have become very professional with our clergy, our priests. I don't care what denomination you are from, we treat our ministers, our pastors, our clergy like priests and that is not what we see here in this passage. It was recognized that everyone was filled by the Spirit and had received spiritual gifts for the Church. No one had to show their credentials before bringing a word. There was no requirement to obtain a bachelor degree before being accepted to speak. The traditions of man did not exist yet and the Spirit flowed with incredible power.

Just as we have seen a revolution take place in our worship, where there is more freedom now to worship and praise with our spirit, so we must see a great change in our approach to our gatherings. I still long, as I did as a youth, to see the Spirit move again like he did in the beginning, when we will recognize that we are all members of the royal priesthood, that everyone is capable of being used by the Spirit to bring instruction and encouragement to the Body of Christ. Learn to distinguish the difference between the traditions of man and the will of God.

What Is The Greatest Benefit Of Knowing Jesus?

2012-01-12T06:24:00.000-05:00

What would you say is the most important thing about our relationship with Jesus Christ? What is the greatest benefit of knowing Jesus? Most of us would answer with "our salvation" which is most definitely a major benefit but such an answer reveals how self-centered we are. I'll be honest with you, it is how I would answer the question but as I pondered 1 Corinthians 14 this morning the Spirit shifted my perspective.

Paul was bringing correction to the Corinthians concerning their attitude with spiritual gifts. The Corinthians were a wonderfully gifted congregation but they lacked a great deal of spiritual maturity and it showed in where they were putting their priority in spiritual gifts. We have been given all kinds of gifts, each having a different purpose. The gift of prophecy (in this case meaning the anointed preaching of God's Word) is of the greatest benefit to everyone. The gift of tongues (a heavenly language used by our spirit to express things beyond words) is a private gift given for our own edification. The Corinthians, being as self-centered as they were, were using this private gift in place of the preaching. They chose self-edification over the edification of others. Paul wrote to them:

I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue. (1 Corinthians 14:18-19)

This can be compared to many different things we do in the Body of Christ today. The greatest task we have been given is the task of witnessing for Jesus. This is far more important than any personal need we may have but in the Church we continue to make the mistake of turning out selfish children; people who are constantly focused on themselves. You may hear them leave the worship service with such words:

"Something was off today. I didn't feel anything."
"They seemed too loud today."
"The poor pastor must not have gotten a good night's rest, he wasn't very good today."

It's all about what they felt, received or perceived. Consider for a moment what your focus is when you join in the gathering on Sunday. Is it to receive something or to give something? Do you come to be ministered to or to minister? We have allowed ourselves to become consumers and contribute very little to the Body. We have either never grasped or have forgotten what Jesus was saying when he said that we have to die to gain. We totally miss the point when Scripture says that we die and are buried and then we rise alive in Jesus. Most people do not even understand the symbolism of baptism. For most it seems like just a quick dunk in the pool not realizing they are stating that they have died to everything that is self and now the only way they function is through Jesus.

Salvation is a benefit of being in Jesus but the greatest benefit isn't even about us, it is about the salvation of lost souls. We are saved, that's great, but now the real work is what Jesus wants to do through us for others. He wants to work through us to benefit other people. We act as if he is our own little personal God for us to keep all to ourselves. Paul was so desperate for others to know Jesus that he stated we would gladly give up his own salvation if it would mean that they would be saved.

For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel. (Romans 9:3-4)

Now there was a man who understood that the old was gone and the new had come. Here was a man who understood the love of Jesus Christ and what his sacrifice for us on the cross actually meant. Here was a man who understood what Jesus meant when he told us to love each other as he loved us. As he loved us. As he loved us. As he loved us. Get it?

Jesus never sought anything for himself. His life was a life of service as he set for us an example of how to live a life by the Spirit of God. We, on the other hand, make a mockery of this by serving Jesus part-time, according to our availability and our desires. Our service is always measured against our needs. If we are too sick we don't serve. If we are too hungry we don't serve. If we are too tired, too heart broken, too depressed, too distracted, too busy, really too anything we don't serve. God is always about us, what we want, what we need, what we desire. It is about our agenda, our time table, our plans. Our prayers are often filled with ourselves or those who are close to us who affect us. If we are honest and really examine the matter and hold ourselves up to Jesus and men such as Paul we can see how twisted and distorted we have made it.

For us, the greatest benefit to following Jesus is our own salvation but that's because we are so self-centered. The greatest benefit should be that we are equipped, anointed and called for the salvation of others. That is our purpose, our focus, our mission regardless of what other gifts and talents we have. In our prayer closets God has equipped us for our edification with him but outside of that closet it is always about others.

But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.

Don't Dismiss Something From God Just Because You Don't Understand It

2012-01-11T06:33:00.000-05:00

It is funny that I often find myself in a position of defending a spiritual gift such as speaking in tongues. I have no Pentecostal background neither have I had any involvement with the Charismatic movement, but what I am is a student of the Word of God and Holy Spirit possessed. The gift of tongues is real, it is special and it is given for our private edification with God. You could call it a love language between you and God. It is not necessary for your salvation nor is it the only sign of being possessed by the Holy Spirit, but it is wonderfully special and mysterious.

In Paul's argument as to the place of tongues in the life of a follower of Jesus, he gave us a bit of insight into what takes place with this gift. Paul is adamant that the gift of tongues should not fill our meetings because it holds no value for anyone without Jesus. As he explains this he also tells us what transpires as we use this gift. He points out some dangers:

For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. (1 Corinthians 14:14-15)

The gift of tongues is a wonderful mystery. You can hear yourself praying but you don't understand any of it, yet you know that the deep longing, desires, passions and love are being communicated to God. You can feel the possession of God throughout but at the same time your mind is left disengaged from the communication. There is a real danger that your mind can wonder and wherever it wonders to your heart will be sure to follow. It is important that while your spirit is engaged that you engage your mind in prayer as well. It is a difficult thing to explain the process but it is wonderfully fulfilling and encouraging. Most people have no idea the incredible experience of singing with their spirit.

Too many people dismiss speaking in tongues as useless and plain bunk. It is useless for other people. It communicates nothing to anyone but yourself. It holds no value in the higher priority of communicating the message of Jesus to the lost, as Paul explained to the Corinthians:

If you are praising God with your spirit, how can one who finds himself among those who do not understand say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying? You may be giving thanks well enough, but the other man is not edified. (1 Corinthians 14:16-17)

This is plainly understood. Our public worship and thanksgiving glorifies God to other people. Paul states clearly here:

I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue. (1 Corinthians 14:18-19)

However, just because it has no place in our public meetings does not mean it does not have a great value in our relationship with God. It has great importance in our personal growth with Jesus and it is a very personal gift that he has given to us through the Holy Spirit. It is a gift I strongly encourage you to explore as you seek to love God with all your mind, heart, soul and strength. It truly is a great personal spiritual gift from our loving Lord Jesus. Don't dismiss it just because you don't understand it. The Spirit gives understanding to everyone who seeks it. God ahead, enjoy this gift from God.

Are We Being Too Selfish In Our Sunday Worship?

2012-01-10T06:19:00.000-05:00

Christianity is not just about going to church and singing. It is not just about a label and a moral code. Christianity is about a relationship with Jesus Christ, being an active member of the Body of Christ and about a lot of work. As followers of Jesus we are this wonderful mix of children who serve in their Father's business and the family business is an incredible spiritual work. Our Father makes sure that we are equipped for this work by providing us spiritual gifts through the Holy Spirit. These gifts are not for our personal enjoyment but instead are for the work we have been assigned.

Our foundation of operation is God's love which we have been told we must know well enough to operate from. Paul wrote to the Corinthians:

Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. (1 Corinthians 14:1)

I don't see a lot of people eagerly desiring spiritual gifts these days. In fact, I only ever hear these being discussed in select circles of like-minded Christians. Everyone else seems to have forgotten the whole thing, giving it over to the "Charismatics". Here Paul clearly states that we should be desiring these gifts, especially that of prophecy.

In this context prophecy is not as we hear it spoken of today. Yes, there are prophets and yes there are times when people are given knowledge of coming events, but in this passage the sense of prophecy is the preaching of God's Word via the anointing of the Holy Spirit. This is the one gift that Paul saw as the greatest of all gifts because it had the most benefit for those who listened. Back in Paul's day it was much the same as it is today, where the spectacular spiritual gifts grab all of the attention. Paul chose as an example the one gift that seemed to grab the attention of the Corinthians, that of speaking in tongues. He told them:

For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit. But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. (1 Corinthians 14:2-3)

There is a place and a purpose for the gift of tongues. It is a prayer language that expresses to God what words cannot. It is accepted by some and rejected by others. I am not sure how anyone can reject what the Word clearly states is a gift but if they do not want to use this gift that is their choice. The important thing here is that Paul considered anything that built up the Church to be of greater value than what benefits us personally, at least in our public meetings.

Mind you, such meetings looked far different than our present day meetings. At that time there were definite leaders in place to bring guidance and training to the people but when it came time to gathering together anyone who received the anointing of "prophecy" stood and spoke. There was no clergy or distinction between the members of the Body. Every member was filled by the Spirit and would respond to the direction of the Spirit. In this atmosphere of spiritual service Paul saw the greatest gift to be that which brought strength, encouragement and comfort to the Body.

In case Paul was not clear about it, he stressed it further:

He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy. He who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be edified. (1 Corinthians 14:4-5)

Most of the Church may have let go of much of the spiritual gifts but we still see that lack of ministry in our assemblies. Most people who attend church do so to get something out of it. Few of us understand any more that we gather to allow the Spirit to minister to others through us. We will be looking at this further in the coming weeks but at least take note of this one thing: we are too selfish to see any great move of the Holy Spirit in the Church today. We may not fill our services with speaking in tongues but we do fill it with self-absorbed music. We worship without understanding service. We sing with our eyes closed. In a crowded church we wall ourselves in so it is only us and God. Jesus told us to do that in our prayer closet. Paul makes it clear that we gather to minister to one another, for the strengthening, encouraging and comforting of one another.

The problem with the Church is not our lack of understanding of spiritual gifts (as bad as that is), but instead our selfish attitude in our relationship with God. We need to study Jesus' life again to discover the example he set for us; an example of service.

Speaking In Tongues Is Different From Speaking Different Languages

2012-01-09T06:25:00.000-05:00

It is amazing how we make the Word say something different from it's intention when we either can't accept it or don't understand it. It's bad to do that when we are just an ordinary person but it is far worse when we are suppose to be Bible scholars. When we don't understand something we should not try to explain it away but ask God for better insight.

We are picking up where we left off in 1 Corinthians. We last dealt with 1 Corinthians 13, when Paul explained how it is possible to function as the Body of Christ. Now he is moving into dealing with some trouble spots. One of those areas was speaking in tongues.

I want to make it clear that I do not have a Pentecostal background. I was baptized by the Spirit at the age of 19 without understanding what I had experienced. My whole life has been a journey of discovery as God has led me from pillar to post, teaching me what it is to live by the Spirit. I had no personal experience with tongues until 10 years ago. I never had a problem with tongues but then again I had never hung out with anyone who spoke in tongues. However, I accepted what the Bible had to say about it.

I realize that certain parts of Scripture refer to different languages when it talks about speaking in different tongues but I disagree with the publishers of my Bible when they say that this is what is being referred to in 1 Corinthians 14. This passage makes no sense if we consider the reference to tongues here to be different languages. Just look at the context:

For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit. (v. 2)

There were many different languages being spoken at this time in history but Paul was writing to an educated people who spoke and understood many different languages. There were many languages at this time in history but they were not beyond understanding. How does speaking another language in a multi-cultural age make it that we are speaking to God and not to man? Do I need to speak French in order to express mysteries with my spirit? Not at all. There is a heavenly language that many are gifted with, that expresses what we cannot express with words. In this tongue we are not speaking to man but to God. It is our spirit speaking the deeper things to God's Spirit, things we cannot express in an other manner.

He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself. (v. 4)

The only purpose of the spiritual gift of tongues is to allow individuals to express themselves to God. It edifies the person, and there is nothing wrong with that because we need that in our relationship with God. To me it is a complete mystery but I know enough to accept that such expression and communication with God increases my relationship with him. When I has expressed myself in tongues I know that I have expressed things beyond words and God has responded in a marvelous manner. However, my speaking in tongues holds no value for anyone else. It is a "God and me" thing. Me speaking french does not edify me. It is a language that I use to communicate with people who speak french.

For this reason anyone who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret what he says. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. (vv. 13-14)

If I didn't know what I was saying in French and had to pray that I would understand enough to interpret for people, there is a problem. It is a rather useless spiritual gift to have the ability to speak a language I did not understand to a people who did not understand that language. If we are talking about a supernatural ability to learn different languages then those of you who do speak a second language know that your mind is fully engaged in the process. Even if it was a supernatural ability to communicate in a foreign language, why would God have us do that as we pray? How does me praying in French edify me? To put that kind of interpretation of tongues on this passage makes no sense whatsoever.

All this to avoid what people do not understand. If we don't understand something then just say we don't understand. Don't twist the meaning of Scripture to make it more acceptable to your limited thinking. There is a heavenly language that has been given to many believers for the purpose of prayer, to express to God what our words are too limited to express. There was an abuse of this going on in Corinth and Paul needed to set them straight on the matter. Understanding that we have been given this edifying gift we will consider this passage tomorrow to see where this wonderful spiritual gift fits in.

Let's Not Fail Our Children

2012-01-08T06:28:00.000-05:00

I once heard a man, who looked around at the new generation that was emerging, utter these words: "We have failed them". He was referring to the "lawlessness" of his children's generation, their cavalier attitude toward God. They had become a generation that was turning their back on their parents' belief and the only trust they had was in themselves. It was a generation that was dropping the torch being handed to them for the sake of chasing after self-interests. We see from this that since then each generation is getting a bit worse than the one that came before it. Now, one of the greatest industries is that of entertainment and the thing that occupies a great portion of our days is entertainment.

It's not a difficult thing. God told us to teach our children all about him so they too would learn to put their trust in him. There is even a promises that states that if we teach our children the way of the Lord, as they grow they will not depart from it. The psalmist wrote:

He decreed statutes for Jacob
   and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our forefathers
   to teach their children,
so the next generation would know them,
   even the children yet to be born,    and they in turn would tell their children. (Psalm 78:5-6)

It's only natural and it only makes sense, giving a positive result:

Then they would put their trust in God
   and would not forget his deeds    but would keep his commands. (Psalm 78:7)

This is what was commanded about the teaching of God and the law, so how much more important is it to teach about God's grace through Jesus Christ? The thing with parents is that they get to teach it in word and then to demonstrate it in deed. We can can teach the importance of love and trust but if we don't demonstrate it in our actions the lesson is not going to go very deep.

There are no greater teachers than parents. There are no more natural teachers than parents. If a parent can teach a child how to eat, walk, run, how to dress themselves, make their bed, brush their teeth, then surely to teach them about Jesus is an easy thing. We teach them to be polite and kind so why not teach them why we must be kind; that Jesus taught us to love? It should be an easy thing to teach our children the foundation for our own living, what motivates us to do what we do, and why it is so important to have Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

We may not be able to do much about the mistakes of previous generations but we certainly can stand in the responsibility we have been given to teach our children. It is great that the Church provides Sunday School and other youth training programs, but the greatest lessons still come from the parents and this is where the responsibility lay; on the parents. Let's not lose our children while trying to save the world. Let's start at home before we look to our neighbour. Let's not fail our children.

Looking For A Way Out Of Dark Emotions

2012-01-07T08:08:00.001-05:00

In times of trouble what do you do to encourage yourself or do you allow yourself to be pulled down into the darkness of despair? It would be great to think that every New Year brings with it a clean slate, but it doesn't. All the baggage we were carrying on December 31st follows us into January 1st. There is no magic to it and we usually realize that within the first week as the baggage makes itself evident. We can't avoid our problems. We may put them off for a bit of time but eventually we are going to have to face them. So what do you do to encourage yourself during these times or do you just slip into the darkness?

It is something the psalmist of Psalm 77 had to make a decision on. We have no idea what he was facing but it had brought him to that dark place:

When I was in distress, I sought the Lord;
at night I stretched out untiring hands
and my soul refused to be comforted.

I remembered you, O God, and I groaned;
I mused, and my spirit grew faint. (vv. 2-3)

I wonder how many of us could have used those words, "my spirit grew faint", to describe how we felt as the darkness tugged at the corners of our reality and threatened to overwhelm us completely. The psalmist seemed to try to encourage himself with God, "I sought the Lord", "I remembered you":

You kept my eyes from closing;
I was too troubled to speak.
I thought about the former days,
the years of long ago; I remembered my songs in the night. (vv. 4-6)

It sounds good but the psalmist better describes what we was actually doing:

My heart mused and my spirit inquired:

“Will the Lord reject forever?
   Will he never show his favor again?
Has his unfailing love vanished forever?
   Has his promise failed for all time?
Has God forgotten to be merciful?
   Has he in anger withheld his compassion?” (vv. 6-9)

The psalmist mentioned it a couple of times, he "mused". There is a difference between musing and trusting. He was dwelling on his problems and remembering things of the past. He was remembering with no real conviction. It was like longing for "the good old days" when things seemed to be easier. He remembered and thought about God but there was no action to it, it produced nothing in him. It would be like looking at old photographs and then closing the album and continuing on with no change to anything. But then the psalmist made a decision that did change things for him:

Then I thought, “To this I will appeal:
   the years of the right hand of the Most High.”
I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
   yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
I will meditate on all your works    and consider all your mighty deeds. (vv. 10-12)

Instead of confining himself to musing he decided he would remember and reflect on the character of God and the actions that character provoked in God. It's one thing to acknowledge God's unfailing love but it's another thing entirely to reflect on the actions this provoked in the past and believe it for the present:

Your ways, O God, are holy.
   What god is so great as our God?
You are the God who performs miracles;
   you display your power among the peoples.
With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,    the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. (vv. 13-15)

It is great that we try to encourage ourselves by seeking God but the real difference happens when we remember who it is that we are seeking. So many call out to God with no expectations because they call out to a concept and not the person of God. They do not know who he is. They have no idea what power they are trying to call upon. They seek him with some vague hope, without the confidence of knowing his character and his promises. When we know him we ask with confidence, boldness and expectation. It is one thing to hear that God's love is unfailing but it is another thing to actually swim in it.

If you are looking to encourage yourself as you walk through that "valley of the shadow of death", start by remember who God is, what he has done, and what he has promised. This alone will bring the light back into your heart and will put your problems in perspective. Don't call out to emptiness but instead reach out for the comforting arms of our Father. Jesus has made it all possible and for God nothing is impossible. Dance, sing, rejoice as you praise our God who has chosen you as his object of affection.

A Tough Lesson From My Wife

2012-01-06T07:38:00.000-05:00

I married an incredible lady. She is many years younger than me but age has nothing to do with the wisdom God gives to us. One of the things she does that astounds me is her natural way to never give up in love. No matter how people treat her, what they say against her, or even the hate she sometimes faces, she presses on in love. Beyond tolerating these people she actually takes determined actions to show her love to them through all kinds of acts of kindness. She has a greater understanding of righteousness simply because she allows herself to be governed by what is right and not by her feelings.

I will be quite honest with you, if I had faced some of the situations she has faced I would have given up on the people a long time ago. I am not talking about a simple matter of her showing love to a person and winning them over in a few months. I am talking about a number of years where she has shown kindness after kindness and yet they still attack her character. My wife follows the character of Christ which has been given to her by the Holy Spirit. She has as many faults as I do but in this one thing she shows more maturity than I find in the most ancient and wise people. Remember this proverb:

If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
   if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head,    and the LORD will reward you. (Proverb 25:21-22)

Remember Jesus' words:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matthew 5:43-45)

My wife does this with a natural grace that steals my breath away when I witness it. The problem is that some of those people she must be determined to love have been Christians for decades. It saddens my heart that she and anyone else must experience such things in the Church, the Body of Christ where Jesus is glorified by our love for each other. Yet, her example provokes in me a desire to learn to love with such determination, to never give up, to be willing to sacrifice to love those who hate me.

We give up too easily on this command to love our enemy. We give up usually after the first kindness is turned away. We certainly give up on the relationship when it produces no fruit after a couple of years. We treat relationships as if they must have some advantage for us, some benefit, something we can get out of it. Yet, I don't read anywhere that Jesus gave us permission to give up on love after a period of time. In fact, when Peter asked about forgiving an offending brother Jesus basically told him that forgiveness is infinite. That challenges me on a few different levels.

So yes, my wife may be young but she certainly surpasses me and a few others in a mature understanding of love. We are to love all people all the time, no matter the cost to us and no matter their reaction. I see some repenting in my very near future. May Jesus be glorified in all of our relationships, even the ones that seem to have no benefit.

When I Find Myself In Times Of Trouble ...

2012-01-05T07:32:00.000-05:00

Perspective is everything in life. If we lose it we lose the ability to keep everything in its proper proportion and in its proper place. Our emotions can lead us to the heights and lows of life but a well grounded proper perspective allows us to experience straight paths. There are some days or even seasons when we feel exactly like the psalmist who wrote:

Why have you rejected us forever, O God? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture? (Psalm 74:1)

There are so many things that can go wrong in a day, so many disasters that can come upon us. Many will automatically turn and say "Where is your God now?" We may even find ourselves asking that question, "Where are you God?" "Why are you allowing this?" "Have I done something to offend you?"

Our perspective is all messed up. We forget where we are and what battles we face. We think we are in the Garden of Eden and are surprised when bad things happen or when we come across evil. We forget that Jesus told us that we would have trouble in this world. It is only natural because it is a troubled world, a fallen world, a world in rebellion against God. He said that we would have trouble but that we are not to let our hearts be troubled by it because he has overcome the world.

That's the point right there; when trouble comes upon us we are not to be troubled by it but instead to trust the one who is over all things. This psalmist understood as he recorded God's message to us:

When the earth and all its people quake, it is I who hold its pillars firm. (Psalm 75:3)

There is an important point here in the perspective we are to maintain. The earth may shake but it is God who prevents it from overcoming us. He is the one who holds the pillars, who tells the earth how far it can go and no further. He was the one who drew the line for Satan not to cross in his dealings with Job. He is the one who protects us from the worse parts of the storm and tells us to stand firm. However terrible you may think your day is you can be thankful that God has placed limits on it so that you will not be overwhelmed.

God is not raising wimps but warriors. He called the cowardly Gideon a "mighty warrior" and then led him into that reality. Jesus did not die for you so that you would be defeated by the storms of your life. While our Father puts limits on those storms Jesus is providing you with the strength to stand up in it. The Father is training you for eternity and we can praise him that he loves us this much. Hear his words: "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified or discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." An incredible command and promise.

So have a little perspective in these matters and remain strong, not blaming God but realizing he is putting limits on these things because he loves you. Be encouraged as the "earth shakes" realizing that it is God who is holding the pillars firm. May God be glorified in and through our lives.

Forget Not God's Benefits

2012-01-04T07:37:00.000-05:00

I love the brutal honesty of the psalmists who often examined themselves and presented what they found to God. I think more of us could use a bit of that in our closet time with God. Too bad we are so busy that we rarely even reflect on our own condition. Consider Psalm 73 for just a few moments. The psalmist starts off with:

Surely God is good to Israel,    to those who are pure in heart. (v. 1)

A great way to start a psalm of praise; lift up the one you are praising. However, he then interjects a "but":

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
   I had nearly lost my foothold.
For I envied the arrogant    when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. (vv. 2-3)

It would appear that our psalmist friend allowed envy to play a mind job on him. He knew God, had a relationship with him but he expected to have some advantage from this relationship that was not working out for him. He puts into words perhaps that which a few of us can identify with:

This is what the wicked are like—
always carefree, they increase in wealth.

Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure;
in vain have I washed my hands in innocence.
All day long I have been plagued;
I have been punished every morning. (vv. 12-14)

Have you ever been there, wondering why you are putting such limitations on yourself when those without God seem to have such an easy time of it? Have you ever thought of giving up simply because there didn't seem to be any benefit, any difference between you, who pray faithfully, and those who give God the finger? Don't be afraid to be honest about it because if we are not honest the matter can't be settled to our advantage.

The best thing to do when you have thoughts, feelings, doubts of any nature is to take it before the Lord. I don't mean in a rushed manner. I mean sitting in his presence, listening for him to respond to your honesty:

When I tried to understand all this,
   it was oppressive to me
till I entered the sanctuary of God;    then I understood their final destiny. (vv. 16-17)

My spirit stands up every time I read that one line "till I entered the sanctuary of God" ; till I came into the presence of God ; till I took to my God my condition ; till I presented my troubled heart in all honesty to my God. That's when things happen. That's when we are given eyes to see and understanding for our heart:

Surely you place them on slippery ground;
   you cast them down to ruin.
How suddenly are they destroyed,
   completely swept away by terrors!
As a dream when one awakes,
   so when you arise, O Lord,    you will despise them as fantasies. (vv. 18-20)

We must understand that our old nature is always waiting to re-assert itself on us and when we give permission for something like envy to enter in we allow the Spirit to be handcuffed. We start taking on the nature of the brute beast again:

When my heart was grieved
   and my spirit embittered,
I was senseless and ignorant;    I was a brute beast before you. (vv. 21-22)

The longer we remain away from God the worse our condition but when we enter his "sanctuary", come into his presence, allow him to speak to us, to touch our heart again, we realize the truth of the matter. There is wonderful advantage in our relationship with God and it is difficult to count all the benefits. The arrogant may look okay today but a time is coming when we will be glad we stuck with our Lord Jesus:

Yet I am always with you;
   you hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
   and afterward you will take me into glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
   And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
   but God is the strength of my heart    and my portion forever. (vv. 23-26)

Such an overwhelming beautiful truth that my spirit leaps, shouts and dances on the rooftop. The arrogant have nothing on us. My cup is full and overflowing. My joy is not tied to anything on this earth. I have a peace that goes beyond anyone's understanding. The wisdom of this place pales in comparison to the wisdom of my God. I have all that I need in Jesus. God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. My friend, trust the Lord, he will see you through.

Where Are The Dreams And Visions?

2012-01-03T07:42:00.000-05:00

We live in a special and blessed age, a time that the prophets could only desire to see, a time when God has poured out his Spirit upon his people. No longer has God limited himself to priests and prophets as he has called all of his children as ministers. The prophet Joel recorded God as saying of this age:

And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. (Joel 2:28)

But where are the dreams and visions of this age? Have you had any lately? Where is the inspiration of the Spirit of God that is suppose to encourage and fortify us? We can look at the recorded history of Peter and Paul in the book of Acts and we see the place of visions as God taught and directed these men. But such wonderful things are not limited to history and a couple of unique leaders. No, the Word says that God has poured out his Spirit on all people.

I am convinced that the problem rests with our receptors. God is speaking to us but there is so much noise we have allowed in our lives that we can't really hear him. We have a lack of vision and dreams because our minds are clogged with daily worries and fears. Remember the parable Jesus told of the various soils? He was referring to the the various conditions of our heart and how it makes it hard for us to received and to be changed. The one that has always gotten me is where the weeds choked out the plant before it could grow. This is the truth of the matter for many of us.

Jesus saved us from everything in this world, including all worries and fears that act to choke out God's blessings. Do you remember what he said about this place and our relationship with it?

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Maybe you should read this through a few times to allow it to sink in. Jesus has given us his peace and promised to never take it away from us. We only lose this peace when we allow the things of this world to overwhelm us which is a silly thing considering that Jesus said he has overcome this world. Do you believe him? He said we will have trouble here but we are to take heart, be encouraged, because he has overcome it all. Peace is ours in every situation because of Jesus and in this state of peace the Spirit of God moves. But do we believe?

In this age we have practically no evidence of God over our lives because we are too busy with the noise of this world. We fill our days with meaningless activities and words. We are distracted in such a major way that the voice of God comes across as background noise and is almost impossible to hear over everything else. If we really want to hear from God, to gain those dreams and visions again, we have to get rid of the noise.

You don`t have to get rid of the noise. Maybe you are happy where you are and don`t really have a desire to be taught and directed by God. You can continue in your mediocracy if you wish but it will not please our Father as he told us he requires our full love and attention. He wants all of our heart, not a piece of it. However, if you desire such a relationship with God in which you are a recipient of his teaching and guidance through dreams and visions, it will cost us this world. We can't have both, Jesus said so. We have to decide who we love and who we will serve and then serve with all of our heart. It really comes down to what or who you love more. At the beginning of this new year it is a good time to ask yourself what or who will receive your time and attention?

The Secret To A Blessed Life Is No Secret At All

2012-01-02T07:15:00.000-05:00

There are no conditions on God`s love but there are conditions on his blessings. Sometimes we are too free and easy with God`s grace and become abusers of God`s love believing there to be no consequences. Such behaviour will never stop him from loving us but it will block up the flow of his blessings. We are a silly people living in shadows instead of in the reality of the full measure of all that he desires to pour out upon us. He has called us blessed but we prevent the blessings. Jesus said:

"If you love me, you will obey what I command." (John 14:15)

Every parent desires to give every good thing to their child. If they have the means they will bless that child again and again but if the child is rebellious and disobedient they are blocked from blessing them. Such blessings could spoil them even further, causing more harm than good. Such disobedience sours the relationship, making life difficult in the family and putting an unnecessary stress on the parents. All their time is taken up with correcting and resolving the difficulties so there is no time for the blessings.

Obedience is a sign of good character in any child but especially in a child of God. As Jesus put it, it is a sign of love. Jesus did not ask for obedience born in a vacuum but instead in a relationship of love. Such love births trust; trust and love go hand in hand giving birth to obedience. We can't say that we love Jesus and then refuse to obey him. We can't love the idea of God and ignore the substance. Our every waking moment should be filled with the desire to walk in obedience to God's law of love. The apostle Paul put it this way:

Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey - whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? (Romans 6:16)

You say you love your parents but do you do right by them? You say that you love Jesus but do you show it beyond words? God warned the Israelites, before he blessed them with the Promised Land, that this continued blessing required obedience because without obedience they would lose the blessing. The strange thing is that all the law could be summed up with one simple thing: love God with your entire being. Really God was only interested in their heart condition as he is today.

Many of us live in a spiritual shadow world, building a new gospel to explain away the lack of blessing. The fact is that our God loves us and desires to fulfill all the promises he has given to us but our rebellious hearts are blocking him. His love is not conditional but the promises are so let's throw off this rebellious nature and walk in the power of Jesus Christ to be an obedient nation. It is not obedience to a list of do's and don'ts but instead to the law of love, from which everything else springs. Disobedience is a result of rebellion against that love. Let's choose love and a life of God's ever flowing blessings.

My Heart's Desire In This Brand New Year

2012-01-01T06:42:00.000-05:00

Sometimes great things come out of New Year resolutions, especially when they are provoked by the Holy Spirit. A year ago I was challenged by the Spirit to write my blog every single day of the year. This was a challenge for me, especially on Sundays because often the blog was a separate subject from what I was preaching that day. I stuck to it and ended up writing my 369th blog of the year yesterday and I was blessed in doing it. Now, what about this year?

I woke up this morning with one thought in my heart and one prayer on my lips. I was speaking to the Lord even before I realized I was awake and what I heard my spirit say is, "Lord, I give to you all 365 days of this new year. My desire is to seek nothing for myself in these days but to only seek you and your will; to serve, love, and seek you with all my heart, mind, body and strength."

Almost from day 1 of 2010 I faced overwhelming challenges that threatened to destroy me and my faith. I identified with the psalmist as he wrote:

Do not cast me away when I am old;
   do not forsake me when my strength is gone.
For my enemies speak against me;
   those who wait to kill me conspire together.
They say, “God has forsaken him;
   pursue him and seize him,    for no one will rescue him.” (Psalm 71:9-11)

I had a choice, I could hold on to my faith and trust my Lord or I could allow myself to be pulled down into despair and be lost to my God and those who love me. I chose the Lord because he is all I have known since my youth and he has never failed me, not even during those times I failed him. He always stayed close and covered me by his grace which sprang from his love. So as I look at what he has done for me over this past year my heart yearns with a desire to bless him will all my love and life. Again I find my words on the psalmist's tongue:

But as for me, I will always have hope;
   I will praise you more and more.
My mouth will tell of your righteousness,
   of your salvation all day long,
   though I know not its measure.
I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign LORD;   I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone. (Psalm 71:14-16)

As I look at this past year I have no doubt that I accomplished nothing of any worthy yet God accomplished great things through me. I want to see more of that. Less of me everyday in this new year and more of Jesus. He has provoked such a song in my heart by his great acts of mercy and grace. He has revealed a greater portion of his heart and given me understanding to comprehend it. The more I understand the more I realize I want all of him and nothing of myself. My greatest worth is found in what he has done for me and what he has called me too. Nothing I have pursued for myself has stood the test of the fires and been of any benefit. All I know is I want to be faithful to him from my youth to my last breath, when I no longer have any strength in this feeble body to carry on:

Since my youth, O God, you have taught me,
   and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds.
Even when I am old and gray,
   do not forsake me, O God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,    your might to all who are to come. (Psalm 71:17-18)

After all he has done for me in this past year, how could I have any other response than to give him my all in this new year. Every day, each moment of each day, in all that I pursue and desire, I pray his glory will shine as I follow his will. May this year bring you and yours even greater revelation of the depth of God's love and may the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ shine through you for all the world to see. May you be faithful to him in all that he desires for you and your family. May his praise be forever found on your lips in this brand new year.

When Being Needy Is A Good Thing

2011-12-31T06:44:00.000-05:00

Would you consider yourself a needy person? I doubt very few people want to consider themselves that way. Most of us want to see ourselves as strong, independent people who survive by whit and talent. We don't need help from anyone, parents, friends, teachers, because we are determined to succeed by our own merit. No one else is going to lay claim to our success.

Okay, so that may be a bit excessive but it's not too far from where most people are because we have no idea that we were created to be needy. The last thing Jesus wants us to be is independent and strong. Perhaps that is a shock to some people as it flies in the face of today's philosophies of life. I like the honesty of the psalmist:

Yet I am poor and needy;
come quickly to me, O God.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O Lord, do not delay. (Psalm 70:5)

We were created to be dependent on God because he wants to lavish his love on us. We can do incredible things on our own, in our own independence but they are nothing compared to what God wants to do through us. We can become famous and rich but it is still nothing compared to what God wants to do in us. We were created in such a way that God is the only one who can make us feel complete and at peace. Whether we want to admit it or not, we are dependent on Jesus, and that's a good thing.

We are at the last day of the year, when many people make resolutions and promises, all of which have to do with improving our condition. Many follow the philosophy that we can do whatever we put our mind to. It is a very self-centered and rebellious philosophy where we say "No one can tell me what to do". Such a philosophy leads to a lot of disappointment, broken hearts and disillusionment with life. The fact is we can't do whatever we put our mind to because we have limitations, either in ourselves or in our environment.

However, when you change your desire from self-improvement to relationship improvement many things will change. When you realize your dependence on Jesus and make the decision that you want to improve the relationship, get to know him better, become more reliant on him, to stop making all the decisions on your own and to consult God on your plans, then you will see real improvement taking root. When you realize that you can't do all things in yourself but that you can do all things through Jesus, then you are in for an incredible year.

The fact is that we are not so independent, we have been created to be needy and the one we need is Jesus. Don't go it alone this year. Trust Jesus.

Most Christians Are Possessed And They Don't Even Know It

2011-12-30T07:49:00.000-05:00

A couple of days before the new year and the reality of the Christmas season is setting in on some people who are receiving their first bills. Unfortunately too many of us didn't follow our plan, if we had a plan in the first place. Unfortunately too many of us rely on credit, living far beyond our means. Unfortunately there are too many of us who are feeling like the psalmist as the bills come rolling in:

Save me, O God,
   for the waters have come up to my neck.
I sink in the miry depths,
   where there is no foothold.
I have come into the deep waters;
   the floods engulf me.
I am worn out calling for help;
   my throat is parched.
My eyes fail,    looking for my God. (Psalm 69:1-3)

The question we should ask ourselves is, who is our god, because it certainly does not appear to be Jesus. If it is then we seem to turn our back on him during the Christmas season.

I am not judging any of you here because the vast majority of us are in the same place. I have no credit available to me but I am sure that if I did I would have used it. I managed to live within my means this Christmas but only because I was forced to. But what we are really saying as we rack up the credit is: "Daddy you are not a good provider."

I know a number of you are going to take exception to that. You will say that credit is necessary for cars and houses, that you need to use a credit card to establish your credit. Yes, I understand and agree to all that but it is only a theory. In reality we are owned by the credit card companies. A few people of exception pay the balance off at the end of each month but the large majority of us carry a balance from month to month. Come on, be honest here. If we carry a balance we are not living within our means which means we are saying to our Father: "You are not a good provider", because we have to go beyond what he has supplied us with. I really believe that we need to say with the psalmist:

You know my folly, O God;
my guilt is not hidden from you.

May those who hope in you
   not be disgraced because of me,
   O Lord, the LORD Almighty;
may those who seek you
   not be put to shame because of me,
   O God of Israel. (Psalm 69:5-6)

It is wrong of us to live this way. It destroys our witness and robs God of his glory. If you are going to make any resolutions for the new year, one of the ones near the top should be to become satisfied with God's provision; to live within your means. You can get help with this if your "god" has you suppressed. There are credit experts that can exercise that demon right out of you. They can help you get the thing under control and then vanquished from your life. The motivation should not be to save money but because you recognize that you are robbing God of his glory. Your motivation should be love and if it is then I am sure you will be able to beat this thing.

For those of you who do not consider this problem with credit a spiritual matter, I leave you with the apostle Paul's instructions to his friend Timothy:

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:6-10)

Do something about this before it destroys you and your faith.

This New Year Keep Smiling

2011-12-29T08:24:00.000-05:00

As we face yet another new year we also face a lot of uncertainty. Young people often only consider their immediate environment failing to understand that the local is often a victim of the global. As we get older we take more notice of what is going on in the world and how fragile everything seems. The economy is not great and appears ready to tank at any hint of a crisis. The Arab states continue to be a powder keg, with the relationship between Israel and Iran always on the front burner. We add to that the uncertainty of the new leader in North Korea and we have have a lot of unstable regions in the world. Then we have the various famines, crop failures, wacky weather, the rising cost of food and we realize that nothing is certain for 2012. Well, at least if you are not a follower of Jesus Christ it is not certain.

That's the thing for Christians to keep in mind, we don't belong to this place or receive our peace from it. Whether you are concerned about things in your school, community or the global situation there is no reason for us to feel any fear or trepidation about our future. In fact that should be the hall mark of any Christian, the peace we have in any and all situations. Ours should be a path of certainty as we realize that joy is ours in everything. The psalmist wrote:

But may the righteous be glad
and rejoice before God;
may they be happy and joyful. (Psalm 69:3)

Look at the vocabulary here: be glad, rejoice, be happy, be joyful. Why? Because of who our God is, because of his promises, because of what he has done in the past and because of what he promises for the future. It should be enough for us to consider the eternity Jesus has prepared for us to see joy poring out of us. This is to God's glory. Forget about the health benefits of a cheerful and thankful heart that the doctors talk about, it is enough that we bring glory to God through these things. Too many of us have witnessed the ill effects of a mean tempered person who claims Jesus as lord. I really don't think they would know Jesus to trip over him. In Proverbs we read:

A happy heart makes the face cheerful. (Proverbs 15:13)

How can we ignore the great theme of all the writers of the New Testament:

Be joyful always. (1 Thess. 5:16)

Joy is ours because Jesus Christ is ours and that is all that matters to us. If we trust him then we have joy but if we do not trust him we do not possess his peace which allows for joy. Most of the time what troubles us are things we have no control over so it is always best to trust the one who has control over everything.

I am not one who sticks my head in the sand, I do not ignore problems hoping they go away, but neither do I allow those problems to so block my vision that I can no longer see Jesus. Our Father is in the rescuing business and he loves to look after his children. I am very aware of what is going on in the world but I am more aware of what is going on in my relationship with God. I have a purpose and a function in the Kingdom and despite what it looks like in the world I will be faith to my duties. I know I have a duty to reveal God's glory in every situation. I refuse to rob him of this glory by failing to be joyful in my relationship with Jesus. It gives me great joy that, despite the changing times in the world, our God never changes. I leave you with this blessing:

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

Keep smiling!

Motivation Is The Determining Factor To Resolutions

2011-12-28T08:07:00.000-05:00

People have begun their preparations for the new year, buying new agendas, making new resolutions, planning to make it a better year than the one before. We can't help ourselves as we desire to be better, to do better. We have the right idea as we make efforts to become organized, set goals, determining new priorities, but Jesus' words come to mind: "The spirit is willing but the body is weak."

We know that in most cases we fail to keep our resolutions and it is often a fault of our motivation. When our motivation is wrong then our determination can be rather weak as well. Remember what James said, "You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures". We often fail because what we attempt to do only has the motivation of self but when you do things for the benefit of others we tend to have greater determination.

As followers of Jesus we tend to seek greater blessings at this time as well. We make greater covenants with God, promising to be more Christ-centered, desiring to receive more from God. This brings to mind Psalm 67 which starts with:

"May God be gracious to us and bless us,
and make his face shine upon us ..."

That's where many of us are, constantly seeking greater blessings from God. We may not say it and we may not even see it in ourselves but check your prayers and your thinking and see if you detect any of it in you. There is nothing wrong with this prayer but the question is why are you asking for it? What is your motivation? What do you think is the purpose of God's blessing? The psalmist continues:

"... that your ways may be known on the earth,
your salvation among all nations."

The last thing we want to do as God's nation is become selfish and self-centered as was the Israelite nation. Our salvation is bigger than ourselves as is God's blessings. We are intended to be advertising for God in our words, actions, attitudes, generosity and the sharing of God's great blessings. We act like a great dam, selfishly holding in all the blessings for ourselves but we are intended to be as free flowing as the mighty Saint Lawrence river. God cannot be glorified among the nations and a lost people cannot discover his incredible love.

If we are looking for change in ourselves that is great but let's make it a positive change that benefits the nations. Let's ask God to change our perspective, to shift our thinking, to improve our vision so that we no longer see ourselves at the center of the universe but instead as a member of God's family with the mission of sharing God's blessings. We should be the most generous people on the planet; generous with time, talent, possession, friendship. As we seek God's blessings for this New Year let us check our attitude and gain the perspective that we are the vessels of God's blessings and glory to the World. May the New Year see the nations bend their knees to Jesus, not because they are forced but because they are convinced of God's love.

Joy In The Midst Of Boxing Day Madness

2011-12-27T08:31:00.000-05:00

I did something yesterday that I have never done in my entire life: I went shopping on Boxing Day. The rest of the world probably doesn't have this tradition but in most of North America the stores offer deep discounts on their products the day after Christmas. In the province of Quebec the stores are not permitted to open until 1 pm but the line ups start forming hours before that. Thankfully it was not a terribly cold day but after a couple of hours in minus degree weather anything feels cold.

So we stood in line to get into the store. Then we stood in line in the store for certain products. Then in another line for another group of products. Then there was the huge line to actually purchase the products. And after that? Another line to get into another store. I felt like I was at Disney World but as my wife and I stood in those various lines I enjoyed watching the character of people come to the surface by way of their actions.

There were the polite and patient people who quietly stood in line chatting with people they had only now met. Then there were the people who felt they were above the rules and shouldn't have to wait in line, cutting in despite the protests of the people around them. There were those protesting people who wanted justice for the inappropriate actions of people who were not following the rules. There were people who should not ever get involved in events like this, who's anger simmered just below the surface, ready to explode at the least provocation. Then there were the poor store workers who steeled their heart in preparation for the worse of human behaviour.

Some of these workers dealt with various problems with humour, always laughing, smiling and making the customer feel glad to be dealing with them even if they could not help them. Others dealt with it in almost an emotionless state, not caring, just doing their job. Then other workers should have just stayed at home. They were the grumpy ones, the ones that convinced you never to shop at that store again. They are the ones who are probably going through a divorce or whose mother is in hospital dying or who just had a car accident that morning. Their head just isn't there but none of the customers knows or understands that. Some wouldn't care even if they did know.

I enjoyed myself yesterday because I went with the Spirit of Christ. I was determined that the character of Jesus was going to be seen in me in the midst of the chaos. I kept a smile on my face and I meant it; I was glad to be there. I spoke politely and showed courtesy to fellow customers and store clerks. I especially spoke kindly to those workers who seemed to be having a really bad day. You know what? I got a lot of smiles and kind gestures back.

What really amazed me was that I had gone into the day determined to be a blessing and I came home blessed. My determination to allow the Spirit to reveal the character of Christ in me turned the day into a great experience. I felt happy, joyful, full of peace and very much content as I walked through my front door. Because I was determined in this way I also saw a lot of good things in people while dismissing the bad. My heart was warmed as I saw kind gestures, heard polite words and saw the evidence of forgiving hearts. The character of Christ really does not keep record of wrongs and sees the best in people.

Where we choose to fix our eyes, mind and heart every day and in every situation really does have an impact on how we see and react to things. As followers of Jesus we should make it our desire and ambition to allow the Spirit to reveal the character of Jesus in us. The first and most important step is remembering that, despite the behaviour of people, God loves every last one of them, and so should we.