As our social media life expands it appears our face-to-face relationships are starting to slip. When is the last time you had a dinner guest over or had someone sleeping on your sofa? Hospitality was always an important thing for Christians and still is in some places, but many of us have been letting it go. Remember Hebrews 13:2?
"Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it."
No earth shattering revelation here, but still important when it comes to loving kindness. If we are given an opportunity to take someone into our home, to shelter and feed, we have no idea what agent of the Lord we are blessing. In blessing them we are blessing our Lord.
Remember Abraham, as he sat near the great trees of Mamre three men came upon him. Abraham suddenly took on the role of a servant, being a great host to these angels. They went on from Abraham and encountered his nephew Lot in Sodom and this is the reception they received from him:
“Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way.” (Genesis 19:2)
These are excellent examples for Hebrews 13:2. But it isn't just a good idea to be hospitable, Jesus indicated it is his expectation of us. In the great passage of Matthew 25, Jesus gave examples of actions that bless him when we bless others:
"... for I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in..."
There are further commands in the epistles, but I will only mention two:
"Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality." (Romans 12:13)
"Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling." (1 Peter 4:9)
Simply put, our home belongs to the Lord and is to be made available to others. If he sends us people to care for then we are under the obligation of love to take them in and care for them, rich or poor. Hospitality is not just for those who need help but also an extended hand of friendship to any traveler. In fact, they don't even need to be travelers. Have someone over after worship service today and see how the Lord will bless others through you. Practice hospitality as a manifestation of Yahweh's love.
Showing posts with label angels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label angels. Show all posts
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Monday, December 2, 2013
Do Angels Still Speak?
If you ask me how God does something my response will be, however he wants to do it. If the Bible teaches us anything it is that our God responds in a diverse manner that suits the person and situation. So, would God use angels to convey something to us? It wouldn't be beyond him so I wouldn't rule it out, by why would he put a mediator between us and him?
In ancient times God had to communicate to us through prophets and angels. There are a few examples of God speaking directly to people but they were exceptions. However all of that changed with Jesus Christ:
In the past, God spoke through the prophets to our ancestors in many times and many ways. In these final days, though, he spoke to us through a Son. God made his Son the heir of everything and created the world through him. (Hebrews 1:1-2)
God revealed his heart, his plan, his great mysteries through the Son, and then something really amazing happened. Jesus returned to the Father so that he could send us the great Comforter, the Holy Spirit. This is the Spirit of God who now dwells in us, making us one with Jesus; Jesus in us and us in him. Here is the truly amazing thing:
Spiritual people comprehend everything, but they themselves aren’t understood by anyone. Who has known the mind of the Lord, who will advise him? But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:15-16)
We do not have the Holy Spirit on us like the prophets did in ancient times. The Spirit would come on them as they needed to act or speak God's will. Instead we have the Spirit of God in us, living in us, giving us the mind of Christ, that we would know and do the will of God.
There was a time when God could only speak to his people through angels and prophets but we are now one with God so that he speaks to us directly. The question is, are we listening?
We have to be careful because there is one who wants to drive us into confusion and cause blindness to God's people. He has done it to the world and of late he has been effective in the Body of Christ:
The god of this age has blinded the minds of those who don’t have faith so they couldn’t see the light of the gospel that reveals Christ’s glory. Christ is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4:4)
Don't allow the lies of the enemy to cut you off from communication with our Father. Don't listen to those who have lifted humanism, morality above the truth of our relationship with the Christ. The Father is still speaking and he is speaking with you. Set aside thoughts of angels and open your ears to the Spirit's voice. Allow him to direct your days according to the will of the Father.
In ancient times God had to communicate to us through prophets and angels. There are a few examples of God speaking directly to people but they were exceptions. However all of that changed with Jesus Christ:
In the past, God spoke through the prophets to our ancestors in many times and many ways. In these final days, though, he spoke to us through a Son. God made his Son the heir of everything and created the world through him. (Hebrews 1:1-2)
God revealed his heart, his plan, his great mysteries through the Son, and then something really amazing happened. Jesus returned to the Father so that he could send us the great Comforter, the Holy Spirit. This is the Spirit of God who now dwells in us, making us one with Jesus; Jesus in us and us in him. Here is the truly amazing thing:
Spiritual people comprehend everything, but they themselves aren’t understood by anyone. Who has known the mind of the Lord, who will advise him? But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:15-16)
We do not have the Holy Spirit on us like the prophets did in ancient times. The Spirit would come on them as they needed to act or speak God's will. Instead we have the Spirit of God in us, living in us, giving us the mind of Christ, that we would know and do the will of God.
There was a time when God could only speak to his people through angels and prophets but we are now one with God so that he speaks to us directly. The question is, are we listening?
We have to be careful because there is one who wants to drive us into confusion and cause blindness to God's people. He has done it to the world and of late he has been effective in the Body of Christ:
The god of this age has blinded the minds of those who don’t have faith so they couldn’t see the light of the gospel that reveals Christ’s glory. Christ is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4:4)
Don't allow the lies of the enemy to cut you off from communication with our Father. Don't listen to those who have lifted humanism, morality above the truth of our relationship with the Christ. The Father is still speaking and he is speaking with you. Set aside thoughts of angels and open your ears to the Spirit's voice. Allow him to direct your days according to the will of the Father.
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Christmas: A Close Encounter Of The Jesus Kind (revisited)
Have you ever been out in the countryside at night, away from the city lights? I used to live out in the country where, when you step outside at night, you disappear into the dark. The only light was from the stars and when you looked up at them it was like you could see a billion of them all at once. The longer you looked the more you could see. It was quiet, dark and lonely. That's pretty well how I imagined it was for the shepherds on the day of Jesus' birth, when God surprised them.
When I read how the glory of the Lord shone around them at the angel's sudden appearance I can understand why Scriptures say they were terrified. To have the pitch black of night go to the brilliance of the day in a second would be enough to frighten me but then we add to that the appearance of the angel. It was believed that if you saw God you would die because no sin-filled man could ever survive the brilliance of the purity of God. This is why the messengers of God always started with "Do not be afraid". But the message of the angel was more than that:
“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:8)
Note the part where he says that he was bringing good news of great joy that is for all people. The good news goes beyond the manger scene and takes us to a life lived in the Spirit as an example for us, to a cross and then to an empty grave. We have to tell people the whole story which we are not very good at any more.
We are more into one line zingers; catch phrases that people will remember. "Jesus is the reason for the season" was popular for a while, but why is Jesus the reason for the season? That's the problem with these marketing ideas, there is no substance. We are trying to reach the whole world whereas we should be taking the time to reach a few people with the substance of the good news. We need to take the time with people, one on one, and explain why we celebrate Christmas. When they come to know Jesus they will be so excited about the "good news of great joy" that they in turn will tell people they know. We can't win the world with slogans but we can by making disciples.
Notice that the angels only went to a handful of shepherds. They could have gone to the whole world at once or to the governments at that time, but perhaps God knew that only the shepherds could appreciate what was happening here and respond correctly. They went to verify what the angel told them; he basically told them to when he told them where to find the baby and how to recognize him. After they saw it with their own eyes they had to tell everyone they met:
When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. (Luke 2:17-18)
Now if the shepherds hadn't verified it with their own eyes they would have only been able to tell people what the angel said. That's what it is like for those who have never encountered Jesus for themselves but instead live off the testimony of those who have. That's what slogans produce. But those who have sought God and seen his face, have encountered Jesus for themselves, know exactly how those shepherds felt. You just can't keep that good news to yourself and you want to share it with everyone you encounter.
Let's throw away the slogans, the signs and the bumper stickers this year and actually share what that good news means to people. Let's share more than the manger scene, more than the fact that Jesus was born. Let's actually explain to people why Jesus was born, what it means for them today and how it impacts our eternity. Let's surprise a few people this season with how much God loves us and what he did for us because of that love. Then indeed it will be "good news of great joy".
Monday, August 20, 2012
Entertaining Angels
I think the message of respect is pretty clear in the Bible. We never have a just reason for showing disrespect for anyone. If Jesus tells us to love our enemies, the people who hate us and persecute us, isn't respect part of that? Colossians 3 has a clear message of respect.
Here we see instructions for wives to submit to their husbands and husbands to love their wives. Of course this is a relationship of mutual respect. The same is true for children obeying their parents and fathers not exasperating their children. Yes, parents need to have respect for their children. Then there is the part addressed to slaves.
It is difficult for most of us to relate to slavery so we liken it to work. We are to have respect for our bosses. Yes, even the bosses we disagree with and who we find unfair, we are to show respect. Of course Jesus has told us to love them but I just want to point out that respect is part of that because most of us leave that part out.
Sometimes we only respect people who deserve it. Perhaps that is the reason why there is such little respect in our society. If we don't know a person we don't consider that they might deserve respect. It is a useless argument anyway because we are to respect everyone, regardless if they deserve it our not. The surrendering of our seat to a stranger, a smile, the opening of a door, are all politeness but also a gesture of respect.
The Bible tells us to practice hospitality to strangers because we never know when it is an angel that we are showing such kindness. Respect to strangers is important because we don't know their story. I have an example of that.
Being a pastor of a small church in a difficult and spiritually dark part of the world, the Lord has provided a job that I can do on the side to put food on the table. I work from home as a customer care agent for a large tech company. Last month I took a call from a lady who was extremely rude and insulting. Nothing I did was good or fast enough for her. She spoke in a way to try to make me feel small and insignificant. At one point she even called me idiot.
These type of calls don't usually have any affect on me because I know where my worth and identity comes from but something this lady said as we were finishing our business together really shocked me. After treating me like a pile of dirt this lady ended the call with "God bless". What? This rude, uncaring, disrespectful woman was a sister in the Lord?
I can't help but wonder how she would have treated me if I had been invited as a guest preacher in her church. I wonder what she would have thought of me as me credentials were presented with all my various ministries I have led over the last twenty years. I wonder what she would have said to me after hearing me preaching with the anointing of God. I wonder.
But it should not matter that I am an elder of the church, an anointed preacher and teacher of the Word. I could be a homeless man looking for a dollar for a meal and she would still need to respect me according to Jesus. Respect is born out of love and we have been told by Jesus that we must love.
Of course love can't be commanded but that is not what Jesus was saying. Jesus said that IF we love him we would obey him. IF we love someone we will respect them. IF we have a real relationship with Jesus it is because his love for us has provoked that relationship. No one can be forced to love Jesus but love is the natural response when we meet him and know what he has done.
Apostle John makes it very clear if we do not love our brother then we do not love Jesus. After all, how can you love someone you don't see when you don't love the people you do see? That lady demonstrated to me that she just doesn't get it. She may know the words, she may go to church, she may even know about Jesus but her lack of love and respect to a stranger shows that she just doesn't get it. My friends, be careful how you treat people because regardless of who they are, this one thing you must remember: they are the object of our Father's affection and thus deserving of our respect.
Here we see instructions for wives to submit to their husbands and husbands to love their wives. Of course this is a relationship of mutual respect. The same is true for children obeying their parents and fathers not exasperating their children. Yes, parents need to have respect for their children. Then there is the part addressed to slaves.
It is difficult for most of us to relate to slavery so we liken it to work. We are to have respect for our bosses. Yes, even the bosses we disagree with and who we find unfair, we are to show respect. Of course Jesus has told us to love them but I just want to point out that respect is part of that because most of us leave that part out.
Sometimes we only respect people who deserve it. Perhaps that is the reason why there is such little respect in our society. If we don't know a person we don't consider that they might deserve respect. It is a useless argument anyway because we are to respect everyone, regardless if they deserve it our not. The surrendering of our seat to a stranger, a smile, the opening of a door, are all politeness but also a gesture of respect.
The Bible tells us to practice hospitality to strangers because we never know when it is an angel that we are showing such kindness. Respect to strangers is important because we don't know their story. I have an example of that.
Being a pastor of a small church in a difficult and spiritually dark part of the world, the Lord has provided a job that I can do on the side to put food on the table. I work from home as a customer care agent for a large tech company. Last month I took a call from a lady who was extremely rude and insulting. Nothing I did was good or fast enough for her. She spoke in a way to try to make me feel small and insignificant. At one point she even called me idiot.
These type of calls don't usually have any affect on me because I know where my worth and identity comes from but something this lady said as we were finishing our business together really shocked me. After treating me like a pile of dirt this lady ended the call with "God bless". What? This rude, uncaring, disrespectful woman was a sister in the Lord?
I can't help but wonder how she would have treated me if I had been invited as a guest preacher in her church. I wonder what she would have thought of me as me credentials were presented with all my various ministries I have led over the last twenty years. I wonder what she would have said to me after hearing me preaching with the anointing of God. I wonder.
But it should not matter that I am an elder of the church, an anointed preacher and teacher of the Word. I could be a homeless man looking for a dollar for a meal and she would still need to respect me according to Jesus. Respect is born out of love and we have been told by Jesus that we must love.
Of course love can't be commanded but that is not what Jesus was saying. Jesus said that IF we love him we would obey him. IF we love someone we will respect them. IF we have a real relationship with Jesus it is because his love for us has provoked that relationship. No one can be forced to love Jesus but love is the natural response when we meet him and know what he has done.
Apostle John makes it very clear if we do not love our brother then we do not love Jesus. After all, how can you love someone you don't see when you don't love the people you do see? That lady demonstrated to me that she just doesn't get it. She may know the words, she may go to church, she may even know about Jesus but her lack of love and respect to a stranger shows that she just doesn't get it. My friends, be careful how you treat people because regardless of who they are, this one thing you must remember: they are the object of our Father's affection and thus deserving of our respect.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Christmas: A Close Encounter Of The Jesus Kind
Have you ever been out in the countryside at night, away from the city lights? I used to live out in the country where, when you step outside at night, you disappear into the dark. The only light was from the stars and when you looked up at them it was like you could see a billion of them all at once. The longer you looked the more you could see. It was quiet, dark and lonely. That's pretty well how I imagined it was for the shepherds on the day of Jesus' birth, when God surprised them.
When I read how the glory of the Lord shone around them at the angel's sudden appearance I can understand why Scriptures say they were terrified. To have the pitch black of night go to the brilliance of the day in a second would be enough to frighten me but then we add to that the appearance of the angel. It was believed that if you saw God you would die because no sin-filled man could ever survive the brilliance of the purity of God. This is why the messengers of God always started with "Do not be afraid". But the message of the angel was more than that:
“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:8)
Note the part where he says that he was bringing good news of great joy that is for all people. The good news goes beyond the manger scene and takes us to a life lived in the Spirit as an example for us, to a cross and then to an empty grave. We have to tell people the whole story which we are not very good at any more.
We are more into one line zingers; catch phrases that people will remember. "Jesus is the reason for the season" was popular for a while, but why is Jesus the reason for the season? That's the problem with these marketing ideas, there is no substance. We are trying to reach the whole world whereas we should be taking the time to reach a few people with the substance of the good news. We need to take the time with people, one on one, and explain why we celebrate Christmas. When they come to know Jesus they will be so excited about the "good news of great joy" that they in turn will tell people they know. We can't win the world with slogans but we can by making disciples.
Notice that the angels only went to a handful of shepherds. They could have gone to the whole world at once or to the governments at that time, but perhaps God knew that only the shepherds could appreciate what was happening here and respond correctly. They went to verify what the angel told them; he basically told them to when he told them where to find the baby and how to recognize him. After they saw it with their own eyes they had to tell everyone they met:
When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. (Luke 2:17-18)
Now if the shepherds hadn't verified it with their own eyes they would have only been able to tell people what the angel said. That's what it is like for those who have never encountered Jesus for themselves but instead live off the testimony of those who have. That's what slogans produce. But those who have sought God and seen his face, have encountered Jesus for themselves, know exactly how those shepherds felt. You just can't keep that good news to yourself and you want to share it with everyone you encounter.
Let's throw away the slogans, the signs and the bumper stickers this year and actually share what that good news means to people. Let's share more than the manger scene, more than the fact that Jesus was born. Let's actually explain to people why Jesus was born, what it means for them today and how it impacts our eternity. Let's surprise a few people this season with how much God loves us and what he did for us because of that love. Then indeed it will be "good news of great joy".
When I read how the glory of the Lord shone around them at the angel's sudden appearance I can understand why Scriptures say they were terrified. To have the pitch black of night go to the brilliance of the day in a second would be enough to frighten me but then we add to that the appearance of the angel. It was believed that if you saw God you would die because no sin-filled man could ever survive the brilliance of the purity of God. This is why the messengers of God always started with "Do not be afraid". But the message of the angel was more than that:
“Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:8)
Note the part where he says that he was bringing good news of great joy that is for all people. The good news goes beyond the manger scene and takes us to a life lived in the Spirit as an example for us, to a cross and then to an empty grave. We have to tell people the whole story which we are not very good at any more.
We are more into one line zingers; catch phrases that people will remember. "Jesus is the reason for the season" was popular for a while, but why is Jesus the reason for the season? That's the problem with these marketing ideas, there is no substance. We are trying to reach the whole world whereas we should be taking the time to reach a few people with the substance of the good news. We need to take the time with people, one on one, and explain why we celebrate Christmas. When they come to know Jesus they will be so excited about the "good news of great joy" that they in turn will tell people they know. We can't win the world with slogans but we can by making disciples.
Notice that the angels only went to a handful of shepherds. They could have gone to the whole world at once or to the governments at that time, but perhaps God knew that only the shepherds could appreciate what was happening here and respond correctly. They went to verify what the angel told them; he basically told them to when he told them where to find the baby and how to recognize him. After they saw it with their own eyes they had to tell everyone they met:
When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. (Luke 2:17-18)
Now if the shepherds hadn't verified it with their own eyes they would have only been able to tell people what the angel said. That's what it is like for those who have never encountered Jesus for themselves but instead live off the testimony of those who have. That's what slogans produce. But those who have sought God and seen his face, have encountered Jesus for themselves, know exactly how those shepherds felt. You just can't keep that good news to yourself and you want to share it with everyone you encounter.
Let's throw away the slogans, the signs and the bumper stickers this year and actually share what that good news means to people. Let's share more than the manger scene, more than the fact that Jesus was born. Let's actually explain to people why Jesus was born, what it means for them today and how it impacts our eternity. Let's surprise a few people this season with how much God loves us and what he did for us because of that love. Then indeed it will be "good news of great joy".
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