Seeking More Revelation Than We Need

We live in the age of the individual. We may live in community but the perspective that is most important to us is our own. We experience everything according to how it impacts us and it is difficult for us to imagine a different perspective. The last great bastion of selflessness is motherhood where one individual seems to exist only for the betterment and preservation of another. Sadly, even this is being eroded so that we find more and more children being cared for by someone who is not their mom nor even a relative.

Long live the individual (tongue in cheek) who doesn't necessarily think the world resolves around him but simply doesn't care that it includes other people. We see a lot of things being birthed in this rather self-centered atmosphere, such as relativism. It doesn't matter the truth the community sees, if an individual says he doesn't agree with truth and declares it is something that it is not, the whole community must bow to his wishes. So a boy is no longer a boy if he decides he is a girl. The whole community must agree because we must protect the individual.

In all this mess we have Jesus, who is the only source of truth because he is truth. In Luke 11 we find the religious elite asking for another sign to prove he is who he is. It isn't enough that they have witnessed hundreds of healings, the casting out of demons, the control over nature and even over death. They wanted greater revelation. Jesus told them that they would get no further revelation then what he had already provided. Then he taught about the lamp.

This teaching was a continuation to his response about the sign. His light was not hidden. It was clearly seen as if on a hill and easy to see by it. These critics need not ask to see more because he had let his light shine for all of them. Then he said this:

The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness. Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. (Luke 11:34-35)

This is related to the precepts, foundational matters that we build our life on, such as the principle that Jesus is our light. But what this entire thing is telling us is that we need to be content with the revelation and understanding that he gives to us and not waste our time going beyond what we have. Too many of us don't spend the time we need to in what we have already been given and want to rush into more. Sometimes when we reach for more we become like those of Jesus' time, full of pride, self-learning and ignorant of the real truth.

The problem was that they weren't really ignorant of the real truth. They knew, they understood, they just didn't like it because it didn't match up with what they wanted. They had reached so far that they had lost the light and had allowed their principles and foundations to shift so they were now full of darkness. Jesus told them then as he continues to tell us now:

If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light. (v. 36) 

Even though the Word of God is living and constantly increasing our revelation, some are setting it aside for what they hope will be great knowledge and truth. They are really looking for something to sustain their own individual selfish foundations. They are leading others with them and so we find increasing apostasy in the Body of Christ. The solution is a simple one: Get your eyes back on Jesus so you can be filled with light. His Word gives us great revelation into this light, and empowered by the Spirit, we have enough to sustain us for eternity.

I will continue to say it: Things are only going to get worse. For this reason we should be even more diligent to keep our eyes on Jesus, to seek greater understanding and revelation from the Word and to love him with all we have to love. Let us keep our eyes good so the light in us will be good. When we have Jesus we need nothing else. Remember that!

Not Much In Man's Eyes, But A Giant To Jesus

I am not a popular preacher and I don't expect to be. It isn't because people are jealous of my stellar righteousness. Just the opposite. I am clearly a sinner saved by grace. My sins are obvious to everyone, but the grace of Yahweh should be just as evident. My unpopularity doesn't come from jealousy over my preaching skills because most people can out preach me in the flesh. I have not been called by the Lord because he needed my public speaking skills and I certainly need his anointing to complete the task. In fact, I possess nothing that the Lord needs because he needs nothing from me at all. But I am called nonetheless. No, my unpopularity steams from my habit of preaching the Word of God.

Not a lot of people want to hear the real truth any more. Most want to be entertained. Most want to listen to a skilled speaker. Others just want knowledge. Very few are truth seekers and those who start off that way soon abandon their effort when they realize the unpopular cost associated with it. It's not a hard thing to preach the truth. Just open the Word and preach nothing but the Word and the Spirit provides the rest. That is what I am determined to do and I pray I will never stray from it. I am not saying that I am the only true preacher; far from it. I am the least of the least, not worthy to be called a preacher, and I only bring what truth I have grasped and put into practice. Others are of far greater skill and anointing. But there are not many who still abide by the Word.

Sometimes, most likely accidentally, the truth is presented to the masses instead of being confined to small pockets of believers. It is then that people are faced with a decision. They can laugh it off and claim they were mistaken in the hearing, or they can embrace the truth and immediately put it into practice. What Jesus expected from those who claimed to follow him is simple to understand:

And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!”

But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Luke 11:27-28)

This is the same message Jesus repeated throughout his ministry and one we fail to implement. Receive the Word. Do the Word. That is what is expected of us. Receive his instructions. Obey his instructions. Over and over he repeats it in varying words but the same message, "He who has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me." Again and again. Hear and obey.

Not complicated. "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow me." Obedience. Not a complicated thing to understand but we must first know the Word to know what it is that we are to obey. We need the Truth. It needs to be preached to us, taught to us, set before us. We need to read it for ourselves, study it, consume it and have the Spirit teach it directly to our hearts. And all that we receive must be lived. There is no way around it; it must be found to be the living Word.

Truth makes us uncomfortable, especially when it requires the sacrifice of self and living to love others. We would rather get lost in distractions and be entertained by fine sounding words and arguments. It's hard to come face to face with the truth because we usually end up on our faces before Yahweh. So no, I don't expect to be too popular any time soon because I am determined to know the Word and to put it into action every day for the rest of my life. I expect to live and preach in the power of the Spirit and I don't expect it to win me any popularity contests. That's fine by me because my only desire these days is to be popular with Jesus.

We Possess The Answer To The Brokenness

Let's strip it all down. Let's get rid of the stuff that is distracting us. Let's bring it back to what is the fundamentals about the Kingdom. Ready? Love Yahweh with everything you have to love him. Love him enough to obey him. Love him enough to want to tell everyone about him. Love him enough to love everyone he loves, who is everyone. Love him enough to spend your life bringing people to the Son. Simple. But how do you do it when you are dysfunctional?

Yah, that's right, we are all dysfunctional. There's a group of people who celebrate their dysfunction and others who try to ignore it and others who try to hide it but the fact is we are all damaged goods. Sin has damaged us. But Jesus is all about healing damaged goods. Then he uses those recovering people to reach out to others who need the same healing because we all need it. It doesn't matter how strange you are or how you see yourself or the world, it only matters how Father sees it and he sees you healed in it. So how do those who are recovering from brokenness possibly find the ability to be used by such an incredible Father?

Ask!

It isn't about you or your intelligence or your talents. It's about Jesus. It's about the Spirit. Jesus does the Father's will through you by the Holy Spirit. He has empowered you, beyond any ability you have, to be who he needs you to be. We make it all about us but Jesus makes it all about the people who need him. You may say, "I need him". Listen carefully: You already have him. Give it up. Stop being selfish. Start seeing what Jesus sees and what he sees is a whole bunch of broken people who need to hear what you know and what has healed you. They need healing and Jesus wants to do it through you. How?

By The Spirit!

Once again it comes down to you asking. Do you want to be used by Jesus? Do you want to fulfill your destiny? Then let the resurrection power flow through you by the Holy Spirit. If you have not allowed the Spirit to have full authority through you, if you have not experienced this power, then ask:

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him! (Luke 11:13)

You see, the Holy Spirit is the best thing Jesus has given to us since the cross and empty grave. He has given us the power, the ability, his presence to live his glory in the world so that people would see and believe. People are asking for proof because we haven't been living our destiny, because we are not the people he has intended us to be, giants of healing in a land of brokenness. If he didn't want us to have it he wouldn't have told us to ask for it. So why aren't we asking?

We aren't asking because we are prejudiced in our thinking, understanding, and expectations. We are comfortable in our ignorance and selfishness. Nuts! That's what I have to say, nuts to that. We have a world dying from it's brokenness and we are sitting comfortably in our selfishness with the healing for that brokenness. Shame on us. Shame!

How To Unlock The Full Arsenal Of Heaven

Sitting at your computer, re-blogging other people's inspirations is not Jesus' plan for you. You have greater responsibilities than that and it is time for us to stop seeking the easy way out. Yes, I know, you are an introvert. So am I. Big deal. I still have to get up and preach to a congregation each week. I still have to lead Bible Study. I still have to met with people throughout the week, invite them into my home, respond to invitations to go to theirs. The Lord does not call us to what is comfortable for us; he calls us to his work and empowers us to do it.

It is the responsibility of every Christian to make disciples. There is not a specific calling, category or gift called the disciplers. Did you notice there is no spiritual gift by that name? Each of us have that responsibility as followers of Jesus. It is not something that the local church does but it is what the Universal Church does, which is you and me, the Body of Christ. It is Jesus Follower 101.

You probably feel inadequate, not up to the task, unqualified for such responsibility. That's because we refuse to grow up. We would rather take the easy way, share some scripture and inspiration on FaceBook or tumblr and feel good about spreading the news of Jesus. But Jesus is not about cold, mass production. He is about relationships, the personal touch, an embrace, a listening ear, eye contact, a smile, a shared tear, the Good News, revelation, redemption and reconciliation. Do you really think that if Jesus told the parable of the prodigal son today he would have the father texting or tweeting his son instead of jumping off the porch and running to him to embrace him?

You have never been asked to do this by yourself or without resources. In fact, all the resources of heaven lay available to you. Whatever you need for the task is yours for the asking. That's the thing, it requires some action on our part. One of the most incredible verses on how we are to complete any task for the Kingdom is found in Luke 11:

So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. (v. 9-10)

It's sad that we don't even know enough to ask. We may not even want to ask because then we know we need to do it. But those who have decided to walk in obedience, this is your tool chest, your equipment, your great source of all things needed. But it requires action. You need to ask so that you will receive. Don't simply walk into a situation unprepared; equip yourself from Jesus' storehouse. If you need wisdom ask for it. If you need greater understanding, knock so it will be opened to you. Maybe you need opportunities. Knock and that door will open to you. I know it works, I have proven it. And if you need greater revelation of Jesus, seek it and you will find it.

I have no idea what you think you are lacking to complete the task that has been assigned to each of us but I do know you aren't lacking. It is all available to you but you need to take action to get equipped. But if you ask you need to be prepared to receive. Don't be turning the delivery man away at the door. If you knock you better be prepared to walk through the door when it opens. A lot of people knock but few are willing to be bold enough to follow through. If you are seeking you need to expect to find it, and you need to be prepared to do something with it.

We are without excuse. Time is short and more people need to hear about Jesus than ever before. They need more than words, they need to see actions of love and grace. They also need to see a demonstration of the power of Jesus. There is purpose for it, not to prove his existence but to show that they can trust his promises. We need to be prepared to operate in obedience, not limited by our own prejudices. We need to stop being hardhearted, get rid of the unbelief and move out with the full arsenal of heaven's resources. We are the true commissioners of Jesus's truth and reconciliation mission. Let's move out, fully equipped, and engage with the lost.