Nothing Needing Doing

[1Sa 12:16 ESV] 16 "Now therefore stand still and see this great thing that the LORD will do before your eyes."

In the Church world we talk a great deal about all we need to do as Believers.  It is true that we need to practice our Faith in real tangible ways.  Obedience is the true mark of faith.  However, there are times when that "going" mentality can actually serve us badly.  For example when we are instructed by the Lord to "stand still!"  In the verse above the command goes out to "stand still".  I must confess that I don't do too well standing still.  I never did!  As I view the church world today I'm not sure very many Christians do as well with standing still as they do with going forth.  We like the activity of going with the drive to complete a task. It is exhilarating. In all honesty much of the church world is what my Grandmother would have called "fidgety."  If you study the book of Exodus you get the idea that Israel sat or camped before the Lord a lot more than they moved before the Lord.  A fidgety spirit is probably a symptom of a lack of faith on the part of the fidgety.  A spirit of rest is a part of the foundation of our stance of faith.  From our foundation up the rest in our feet will affect the success of our hands.   There are a lot of "stand stills" in the Bible once you start searching them out.  I'm learning (and I never stop learning) that I can only really stand still when I am standing in faith in the last instruction I heard from the Lord.  It might have been a Bible verse, a quiet whisper heard in prayer or a word from another believer that rang the bell of Truth inside my heart.  

Recently Teresa was given the diagnosis we all never want to hear.  Oh, I have been there when many others heard that simple word.  That simple word of cancer.  As a supporter of others I have been there to pray and encourage.  But when I heard it regarding Teresa it shook my spiritual equilibrium a little I must admit.  It took about a day or two to regain a focus of faith.  I don't mean that "regain" in a doing sense but in a "standing still" sense.  Then after a few days I heard that small voice say, "there is nothing you need to do in this."  I'm not sure I have ever heard those words in the face of a crisis before.  In the past I have had "regrets", "I wish I had" and "I'm going to do more now" moments that bothered me and added to the load of the moment.  This time I had this anointing to stand still.  Now we are resting in His peaceful words of stand still and see!  Where does this apply to you today?  Just remember that the stand still in God's plan is always followed by , "and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes!"

Christian Martyrs

Tortullian an ancient theologian said, "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church."  That has been accepted as fact until recently when statistics and graphs have been compared to question the validity of the statement.  Of course we know from the book of Acts that it was persecution of the first century church that drove the church outward from Jerusalem taking the Gospel message to a non Christian world.  If it is not true today then it might be an indictment upon present day believers and our level of faith and devotion to Christ and His Kingdom.  Are we willing to die for our faith and are we willing to live for our faith.  Living for our faith may be more difficult at times than actually dying for it.  Then the question arises, "can you live for the Faith without dying for the Faith?  I am writing this as one who has been young and now I'm older.  I once trained teams to go out into the "highways and hedges and compel them to come in." This phrase is taken from Luke 14:23,
"And the master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled."  The word here for "highways" mean a well traveled path.  We can see the secular world going about their busyness without much knowledge of God, His ways or His desire to become a part of their lives or endeavors.  The word "hedges" used here is a really interesting word.  The Greek definition for this word is something that hinders crossing or preventing from coming together.  The world and it's busyness and/or business and enterprise must be entered in order to bring the Gospel to them and present to them the Kingdom of God.  We must get through the hedge and not be afraid of it.  

My old way was to take disciples out on a planned adventure to confront people in malls and street corners in an effort to see them accept Jesus Christ as savior.  Some did!  Forty years ago the culture was more conducive to such tactics than they are today.  But is it possible that I was a little off even back then?  It is hard even to write that.  I'm so called "retired" now and have been for about 3 years now.  I still give pastoral input to some spiritual sons, I still preach some and teach discipleship classes, etc.  But what I am really enjoying is living outside the laboratory environment and living out in the highways and hedges.  I'm living among and enjoying friendship with people the likes of which I haven't had relationships with since I was saved several decades ago.  In honesty I didn't have time for the people of the world because I was busy running the church. I was always telllng people to get out there "among them" and make a difference.  Some did and some didn't.  Maybe most didn't.
After over 3 years now of living this life I'm seeing the fruit that comes by affecting people without a plan but by just living, talking and listening. Listening is more important and I'm not that good at it but I'm working on it.  It is hard to just live the life you believe in and let the Holy Spirit work through you as His vessel day by day.  Why should that be so hard?  Because we have been trained and conditioned to stop being who we are a night a week or for a week once a year and put on our missionary hat.  That was never God's intention.  From the beginning it was about me being changed/converted, growing in my love for Jesus and His Word, living among the world, out in the highways and hedges and serving them there.  Yes, serving the world!  Serve them away from the hedges and serve them to Jesus himself! Acts 1:8 tells us,But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”  This verse tells us that it will be the Holy Spirit that empowers us to be witnesses.  The Greek word here is martyr.  The Holy Spirit will empower us to be martyrs for Christ to the world.  There will be days when that may mean knocking on the doors of strangers.  The balance of that is that every day we are already commissioned and empowered to be martyrs to the world.  We are servants to the world in the name and power of Jesus the Supreme example of servant hood leading to redemption.  As I leave my home these days I find myself praying less for converts and more that the Holy Spirit will help me prefer and serve others.  Guess what?  It ain't easy!  It involves death to self!  I believe in this sense that the "blood of the martyrs (servants) is the life of the Church!

The Burden of Prayer

My wife Teresa's Mother was a woman of prayer.  I could write a number of examples of her being awakened in the night or remaining awake for hours with the burden of prayer for someone.  One such occasion was a burden in the middle of the night for a missionary and his wife stationed on the other side of the globe in Singapore.  She prayed for them for hours.  She recorded the date and time of the burden and prayer.  This was before the days of social media or email.  She wrote a letter and asked the missionary about the time and date she had recorded.  He wrote back  and said, "Oh yes, that was when my wife was in labor with our daughter.  The Doctor told us that he was concerned that complications required that we make a decision to save either the mother or the child!"  They told the Doctor that they could not make such a decision.   Both mother and child came through the trial without harm!  Praise God for his power and intervention!  Praise God for His praying saints!

The burden of prayer is not intended to cause worry and dread.  Yet, it can seem that way when a believer becomes aware of a concern.  It is troubling because it can come without a shred of physical evidence of anything wrong.  There are times when you can sense a burden for someone without knowing any circumstances or details.  For the new intercessor it can be a troubling pattern of thoughts that is simply cast aside into the busyness of the day.  Each time we neglect the stirring of the Holy Spirit in our thought life we desensitize our spirit man even more.  But when we bring the thing to the Lord in prayer, even without understanding, we qualify for more usefulness to God.  How long should you pray about the burden or what feels like heaviness?  Until the burden is lifted!  That is what past generations of intercessors called "praying through!"  The lifting of the burden could be a momentary thing.  At times it might be a continuing prayer reminder that resurfaces for days in the Spirit.  The important thing is not to just suppose you are having random thoughts.  Your random thoughts may be very strategic leadership of the Holy Spirit enlisting you to enter spiritual warfare prayer on behalf of someone else in need.  Who knows how many others may be fighting the same spiritual battle for the same need you are engaging in prayer?

May we slow down today in our busy lives and keep an open ear to heaven for Kingdom purposes and assignments.

Misplaced Trust

Much has been said about covenant relationships among believers. We are reminded of David and Jonathan, Paul and Barnabas and others.  Some have taught this covenant principle to the point of trusting others to the point of death.  This sounds noble and conjures up scenes of a Navy Seal episode, but is the concept to trust another person to the point of death really Biblical?  My first thought as I write this is that even with Paul and Barnabas they actually split up with strong disagreement.  Two deeply committed men of God who were filled with the Holy Spirit had their bond tested and divided.  Before I proceed along these lines I must say that I am not writing this out of bitterness or disappointment from some past experiences.  Rather than leading you to distrust those around you I am seeking to motivate you to place your trust correctly and in the right direction.  

Because I was taught to build relationships with developing leaders to the point of covenant, that would make you think it involves total trust.  That total trust in any man will almost always lead to disappointment.  Any person on this planet has days of loyalty and days of failure.  We all have within ourselves a breaking point, a point of breaking trust.  I remember starting a church in a certain city once and one man in particular stood out as my greatest supporter.  From his words I was the greatest preacher he had ever heard and ready to become a superstar in the church world.  I trusted him so much that I asked him to be the treasurer for our newly formed church.  This particular church was in a town down the road from my home and my home church.  After a few months this man became disillusioned by my performance for some reason that I can't remember.  He left the church and no money was left in the treasury!  I had trusted him unconditionally.  The Bible calls us to love unconditionally but it does not teach us to trust man unconditionally.  Trusting man without limitation is "misplaced trust."  You can't trust any man, including this writer, unconditionally.  Trust is measured by the level of the Lordship of Jesus in the life.  And that unfortunately can be a moving target based on the day that you test it.  

Psalm 118:8 tells us, “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.”  Isaiah says it this way, “Both he who helps will fall, and he who is helped will fall down…”  None of us has the ability to stand on our own.  Then Jeremiah drives it home.Jeremiah 17:5 and 7,  “Thus says the LORD: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD…’”  That is very interesting and enlightening.  Two words stand out here.  "Trust and hope."  The problem with trust is when we place it in someone we also attach hope with it.  Then, when a person fails us we also lose our hope.  When we lose hope we are in a real mess.  Lack of hope brings personal implosion.  There is a "curse and blessing" in this verse.  The curse comes from trusting man and the blessing always comes from trusting completely only the Lord!  Many churches have as their motto these days, "Love God, Love Man!"  That is a good general visionary thought.  But don't take that to the point of "Trust God, Trust Man."  God will NEVER fail you!  Man will fail you.  As you read this you may be thinking of someone that you trusted without reservation.  You may still feel the sting of their failure, their betrayal.  As you enter this new year it is time to forgive and release them.  You expected too much from them from the beginning   You misplaced your trust in a mere mortal when only God can fulfill that trust.  After you forgive them then face this coming year with unconditional love in your heart but measured trust in man.  Clint Eastwood said, "A Man's Got to Know his Limitations!"  We all have ours!

The Reason For Your Joy

It's that Season again when shoppers enter stores to the sound of bells ringing and voices everywhere from the crowds trying to find a bargain.  It is a time when many are buying for others as the tradition of gift giving at Christmas is in full swing.  The atmosphere is one of excitement and hope.  I have always greatly enjoyed the season of Christmas. Yes, even with all the trappings I still enjoy the season and all the festivities.  Then the big day arrives, the gift wrappings are spread across the house, feasting has ended, the crowds leave and a kind of depression can come on the scene.  Now a return to work and the routine is imminent and the bills must be paid.  Where did the joy, excitement and the hope go?  How could it vanish so quickly?  Are we really so shallow that our energy is controlled by superficial hype?  Now here is the really painful part.  What I just described is the condition of most Christians as well as the world who knows no Christ.  This observation demands a closer look at our lives and even the motivation of our hearts.  Many years ago a Pastor described a friendly man in a way I have never forgotten.  I have revisited his description many times as I examine my own life and the reason behind my motivations.  The man he described always seemed happy with a big smile upon his face.  He almost vibrated with energy and joy!  He said of the man, "he seems to be filled with unenlightened enthusiasm."  That would imply an outer excitement without an inward reason. The conclusion we must draw is that unenlightened enthusiasm leaves as quickly as it came and disappears with the decorations of the event.  In my lifetime I have watched as advertisement never stops from season to season.  There is always something we are told to celebrate.    Stores take down decorations from one season only to put up the new decorations of the next season.  It is now possible to live in a perpetual excitement, an artificial enthusiasm without any idea of why we feel excitement.  God has designed us to live from the inside and not the outside.  The outside can be artificial and relates to reason.  The inside cannot be be fooled.  The inside knows even when it doesn't truly understand.  The inside, the spirit man, is the abode of the Spirit of God.  The new birth through faith in what Jesus has done for us brings an internal inflation.  All that Jesus has is now on the inside and His Joy brings His fullness into man's emptiness.  That "Christ in Us brings the hope of glory!" As followers and disciples of Jesus we must maintain the friendship connection with Jesus throughout and above all seasons and events.  Isn't it sad that Christmas can actually become a distraction to our internal life.  When this happens our joy and hope suffers.  We may not appear any different from a lost world.  On the contrary, what a wonderful season to "shine".  This is our season to check our connections and make sure our true internal source is healthy.  We want people to see that we are different from the inside out!  Who knows, they might even ask about our difference?


1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Culture, Taste and God

Acts 10:13 13And there came a voice to him: "Rise, Peter; kill and eat."
I do understand  that this verse takes place during a time of transition from law to grace.  Actually grace had arrived at the resurrection of Jesus but I'm sure the culture was still reeling trying to adjust from law to grace.  In truth the Church is still trying to get it right!  From Peter's perspective to accept the voice as God's voice crossed religious lines but it also challenged his tastes and culture.  Someone called me one day and asked me a question about a big decision they were trying to make as a church.  As soon as the person asked the question my thought process was, "what will people think?"  The very first thing I thought was PEOPLE!  The subject of the question was nothing sinful or immoral but it would probably arouse some to cast instant judgement.  As I ran my mental search for a reason why they should not do the thing, the person asked, "do you know of a Scripture that says to do this is wrong?"  Ah, that brought me to a different level of soul searching.  Certainly there is a time that I should make sure I don't offend my brother.  Peter could have used that argument to avoid eating that which was unclean to him and in doing so he could have avoided obeying the voice of God!  We all know that if there is a clear Biblical precedent in Scripture, there is our answer.  Yet, as I pondered the question I knew there was no verse being violated.  My sole reason for wanting the folks to say "no" was because of what I felt other people would say or think.  I know talking about this leaves a lot of room for people to wonder how far I am going to take this!  Relax, I'm simply dealing with our leaning toward judging others because of our culture or taste.  We do it with our music tastes, our cultural bias and many other areas.  One day I heard a brother talking about a new worship song he was learning and he said how much it made him feel close to God.  I hate to admit this but my deep thought was, "I knew that song 30 years ago!"  Not only that but I immediately judged the brother as less mature than me.  We see a car with a license plate and we make a judgment about that person based on their home State.  We hear an accent and there we go again.  It's all sinful!  All too often our personal tastes and cultural preferences  have more power over us than the Word of God!  Now, you may be reading this and thinking that this doesn't apply to you.  I understand and appreciate that.  However, I have preached myself under conviction.  Next Time!

Knowing God Is An Up To The Minute Relationship

While God is a God that doesn't change, he is in the business of bringing change everywhere he is allowed to go.  You might ask, "allowed to go?"  Certainly God can go anywhere he wants to go!  Yes, he certainly can because he is almighty God.  Yet, from a relationship perspective he seldom goes where he is not welcomed and shown an ongoing loving hospitality.  It is so interesting and even a little embarrassing to men to read of the Church as the Bride of Christ.  We read of a day coming when there will be a wedding feast and a bridal chamber.  Even as I write this I pause and look off in the distance in discomfort.  Yet, I know it is true.  To me it speaks to my need to learn how to walk with Jesus and live with him much like I have learned to walk with my wife Teresa.  We are in our 50th year of marriage as I write this.  There have been turbulent years, joyful years, adjustment years and fulfilling years.  After 50 years our marriage is so wonderful...more wonderful than ever before in every way.  Yet it has always been a learning process and a dying process or we would never have gotten to this place of reward, joy and fulfillment.  There was a time when it looked like we wouldn't make it. During that time our problem was not God not helping us, it was my lack of cooperation with God's plan of change leading to today.  Having said that, that doesn't mean that we have now arrived.  I remember walking through some very hard times in our relationship.  There were times when we didn't really like each other and even love had to be examined.  Don't let me stun you but walking with Jesus as His Bride isn't a lot different.  Walking with Jesus isn't like a wedding banquet everyday.  Again, Jesus doesn't change but when you are walking with someone who is bringing change in your life it can get a bit difficult at times.  There have even been times when I might question, "do I really want to do this?"

As I look back over the last 50 years I see clearly that all that I have experienced was necessary and not simply a bunch of mistakes.  This is true in my life, marriage and my walk with the Lord.  There are times when you have to get your head and heart clear and ask yourself the question, "what is the right thing to do at this moment in time?"  Don't rush the decision and be honest with yourself.  Then, do the right thing.  Seek with all your heart to do the best thing, the righteous thing.  You next step won't be any easier necessarily but it is the right decision leading to the right next step.  One day as you look back on you life map you will see that it was not a haphazard journey but a Divine plan with a Divine destination.  Every one of those course adjustments may have been painful but yet they were necessary to get you to today.  The worst thing is to enter into a relationship of existing.  You can do that in your marriage.  I refuse to live that way!  You can do that in your relationship with Jesus.  I refuse to live that way!  Today make a fresh commitment to welcome the loving hand of God that promises even more change ahead.  Oh yeah, before I forget...quit asking why?

Do We Need The Supernatural Gifts In The Church Today?

There are two primary views concerning the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit today.  These two opinions are cessationism and continuationism.  Cessationism says that when the New Testament was complete there was no more need for supernatural gifts in the life of the church.  Continuationism teaches that those supernatural gifts never ceased since they were given at Pentecost.  One of the reasons given as evidence for cessationism, that God stopped using these gifts in the church after the canon of Scripture was complete, was because over time those primitive gifts were witnessed less and less in practice.  The most ardent theologians amazingly arrive at this conclusion with very weak, if any, Scriptural validation.  If you read many scholars you will find they will depart from Biblical proof and use as verification the ancient writings of "church fathers."  There is certainly another obvious reason as to why the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit waned after the first century church.  That reason is a loss of a "first love" experience mentioned in Revelation 2:4.  In Revelation chapter 2 we read that Jesus is affirming the testimony of the church in that they worked hard, they stood the test of persecution but they had "left the love they had at the beginning."  
When we weaken in our faith, we weaken in our practice.  I would suggest that a major reason supernatural gifts were seen less after the first century church was not at all because God was not intending them to be functioning but because of a faith and love crisis within the church.  When that happens it is very difficult for the next generation to rediscover what has been lost.  It has never been modeled or taught to them.  It is not presented to them as something to seek and often taught as not to be sought.  Yet, even among those who teach the supernatural gifts of yesterday are not needed in the modern church, they still teach about spiritual warfare.  They tell us how we must battle in the heavenly realm with demonic powers and principalities. Certainly the use of Scripture is essential in obtaining victory.  Yet, as Peter demonstrated in his ministry the Christian ministry help for the hurting must come from the internal spring of "such as I have."  It is Christ in us that is the "hope of glory."  Christ in us consists of the Life of Christ, the Words of Christ as well as the supernatural power and authority of Christ.  As we enter deeper and deeper into the last days we encounter an amplification of Satanic and antichrist activity in the earth.  No generation in history has ever needed the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit like this generation.  Why would God withdraw this power when it is needed most?  He did not! He has not!  There is written evidence in the second and third century of spiritual gifts and miracles still happening.  They never ceased but lukewarm Christianity quenched the Spirit.  There is a direct correlation between faith and spiritual gifts.  We prophesy according to our faith.  (Romans 12:6)

What is our answer?  We must return to a first love faith!  Jesus must become the focus of the Church even more so than mission or movement or reaching a generation.  As we seek Him He will be found.  When He is found in his fullness the Church will manifest Him in His fullness. When His Church manifests  His fullness the world will be saved, delivered from bondage and activated into like ministry.

"Yes, this old-time pow’r was given
To our fathers who were true;
This is promised to believers,
And we all may have it too." (Charles D. Tillman 1895)

Hebrews 13:8  "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

For Glory and For Beauty

 Exodus 28:2 “And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.”

I am studying in the book of Exodus right now.  I was struck as I read this verse in Exodus 28:2.  I wasn’t able to move beyond it until I gave it some thought.  Why would the idea that God would do something for the expressed purpose of beauty surprise me?  Like some of you I was a part of a renewal movement during the 1960’s and 70’s.  It was birthed by a hunger to know God in a more intimate way than the forms and rituals of religion alone.  It produced a radical pursuit of God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  That spirit of yearning, motivated by the Love for God, created, in some ways, a disdain for the more formal forms of worship.  There was a “throwing out the baby with the bathwater” approach to this new era of church planting and Christian practice.  It was reflected in the architecture and quality of our meeting places, the lack of grandeur in our spiritual gatherings and even the clothes that we wore.  In many ways it was a necessary departure from the old norms in order to discover a more vibrant worship lifestyle.  We placed our emphasis on knowing God personally and worshipping from our hearts.  It was all centered around the indwelling, active, motivating Holy Spirit.  I have to ask if something was missing from our renewal journey?  Probably not in the sense of that time as that approach made the main thing the main thing.  Yet, God is bigger than our revelation of the hour.  He is always larger and grander than our present revelation and understanding. Now back to beauty.  God loves beauty and values beauty.  When I read of the plans for the tabernacle and the detail given to the garments of the priests I see over and again that God cares about quality and beauty.  We have almost come to believe that if the Holy Spirit does it that it must be crude with no thought of beauty being involved.  However, the first time the Scripture mentions the Holy Spirit filling someone it relates to God filling the artisans with the Holy Spirit to skillfully work on His designs in clothes and buildings.  Certainly these are Old Testament instructions and we are now the temple of the Holy Spirit but that doesn’t change God’s taste, His pleasure and His quality in all he does and leads us to do.  That brings us to appreciate His Glory and Beauty.  I visited the Louvre in Paris last winter.  It made me aware of how much of the old art had a religious theme.  Many of them were anointed to create what the Holy Spirit led them to design.  The same is true in music and much of the Arts.  That doesn’t mean that all art and all music are good.  It does mean that we need to open our minds to a broader appreciation to the work of the Holy Spirit.  May we release the gifts already given to the Church by encouraging those around us to discover their God given gifts and talents and use them for His Glory and Beauty. 

Have You Ever Seen A Miracle?

One of the most common questions I have been asked through the years is, "have you ever seen a miracle?" The short answer is Yes!  But then I wonder what generated the question.  The implication is that the person asking the question has not, or they don't think that they have.  You may not think that it matters in the world of faith.  It really does matter.  The foundational truth of Christianity is that the Christian life itself is supernatural.  There is a vast difference between joining a Church and becoming a Christian.  As a Church member I become a new attender, a rule keeper.  As a Christian I have become a new person.  The Apostle Paul describes it as becoming a new creation.  We struggle with the concept because we still see residual character traits of the old person and we are tempted to believe that we are still trapped in the old life.  The moment we truly repent of our old nature and ask God for a new nature He brokers a change of identity within us.  From that point on there is a war of identity, not in heaven but in our own minds.  Heaven knows our new identity and acknowledges it. Our names are written in the "Lambs book of Life" in heaven.   One of the biggest faith battles is the battle in our own minds.  Because the new identity or new creation happens the moment we ask God in faith, we have trouble believing it is possible with us.  We know us!  We remember the past and all our bad thoughts and evil deeds.  It can't be that easy.  Oh, it wasn't easy!  It wasn't easy for Jesus but He did the work once and for all on the cross as a sacrificial act for us.  However, we have to daily make the decision to believe that we are changed by the finished work of Jesus.  It would be easy to think that we are talking about mind over matter here. No, we are talking about a Miracle!  That's right, a miracle.  Every person who has ever become a Christian since Jesus died on the cross has become a miracle.  No miracle ever performed has come near to comparing to the miracle of you being made into a Christian.  It is an ongoing work for sure yet it is a completed work.  Romans tells us that we are transformed by the "renewing of our minds."  While we are a completely new creation we are still in process, we are in the renewing of the mind process.  The spirit man inside of us is a completely new creature and now our mind is gradually transformed to bring us outwardly in line with what has happened inwardly.  That means that you haven't just seen a miracle you are a miracle.  Keep cooperating with the inner miracle and you will continue to see and experience the outer miracle.   

Street Beggars

It is a difficult thing to see beggars on the street corner.  All that we say we believe flashes before our eyes and burns in our hearts.  I was raised in a hard working blue collar world that rewarded the industrious and penalized the lazy. More often than not when I see one of these unfortunates, I'm not moved with compassion but with indignation.  (Please don't write me to correct me as I already struggle with what is right!)  I often think of the words in Scripture, "if a man won't work, neither let him eat."  I see those asking for handouts and I study their appearance. Some of them are obviously well fed, smoking expensive cigarettes and have fat well fed dogs with them.  Then the inner war begins.  Are these folks con men and women?  Out on the streets taking advantage of our Christian compassion?  I have seen some reject food, refuse to work even while holding a sign, "will work for food!"  I have seen teams of them unloading from vans, working an area in the city and regrouping later to share their spoils!  My humanity wants to scream, "Get a job, you bum!"  Then as I drive away the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit begins to seep into my consciousness.  "How do you know the truth of this person's condition or need?"  They may be whole physically but crippled emotionally.  Then I am reminded that we might be "entertaining angels and not be aware."  Certainly there are professional beggars who learn to play upon our Christian conviction and conscience.  But what if our turning away from them has calloused our hearts to the point that we are now insulated against genuine needs or even angels?  The enemy has now positioned us into a place where we may be robbed of a "God event" in our future.   What a difficult dilemma!   I believe the Holy Spirit can reveal to us the difference between the real and the fake but how good are we at discerning in this way?  I'll leave you with words from the Bible commentator Matthew Henry who lived between 1662-1714: 

"It is better to feed five drones, or wasps, than to starve one bee."

 Matthew Henry

IS THE NEW THING REALLY AN OLD THING?

I must admit that I like new shiny and up to date things.  I don't have to have them but I do prefer new.  That isn't always a good thing.  I have to be careful not to go on the Amazon website too often because I always see something new that I think "I really need!"  Advertising has mastered the art of appealing to the "lust of the eyes."  I remember a time about a quarter of a century ago I witnessed as a traveling preacher a great appetite within the church world for something new.  There was a pride that said, "ho hum, I've heard that before."  There seemed to be professional hearers within the church.  Of course we all know that hearing is not possessing.  To possess Truth we must seek it, comprehend it and draw it into our hearts by faith with a desire to live it out in our lives.  We must understand that we cannot attain Truth without a humility that knows that truth is not ours for the taking.  Truth becomes living truth when we humble ourselves and seek to be conformed to it.  There is a negative and positive aspect to being changed by truth in actual life.  The negative aspect is a realization that we don't possess it, we can't obtain it in our own efforts and we are destitute without it.  The positive aspect is that embodied truth comes and takes shape in us only after we have stood in the naked reality of our need of Him.  From this we see that the "negative" isn't really a negative but a launching pad for the positive, obtaining truth.  There is therefore a negative and positive aspect to preaching or sharing the Gospel. Certainly there is the "good news" that Jesus has already settled the sin problem and He freely offers that cure to all of sin-sick mankind.  Yet, before any man can obtain the personified truth in the form of Salvation he must first recognize he is eternally destined for hell and a separation from God.  I can't remember when I last heard that coming from a pulpit.  It is sometimes alluded to but not clearly communicated.  There is a vast overemphasis on God's forgiving nature with little emphasis on the penalty for those who have not truly repented.  Certainly none of us want to return to the "hell fire and brimstone" sermons of times past.  Certainly the "kindness of God brings men to repentance" but there must be the understanding of the negative before the positive can become a reality.

In this era in church history where a strong desire exists to become more relevant to the world in order to win the world, preachers and teachers stand precariously on the edge of  a slope of a false gospel.  In our efforts to reach the new generation we must be careful not to leave out the ancient Truths of past generations.  It is not knowledge or behavioral changes that sets the captives free but only Truth, God's Truth.  As we seek to reach a new generation we must remember that the new thing is really an old thing.

May the Word of God and the guiding light of the Holy Spirit empower us to reach our generation with Truth that brings men to true repentance and salvation.  Truth must be embraced before it can bring transformation.  

Mystery of the Gospel

"The mystery made known to me by revelation..." Ephesians 3:3

The word "mystery" refers to something that is hidden.  Why would God want to hide Truth from people?  Even that thought is something of a mystery.  Having had a personal friendship, relationship with God for most of my life I still stand amazed at the ever unfolding discovery of His identity.  The deeper I travel into the knowledge of Him the more I discover His vastness.  Who He is doesn't change but it expands.  It is like walking down a street and getting familiar with all the sights and sounds on that street and you might think that is the entirety of a town.  You may live on that street for years and one day you venture around a corner to find that the small town is really a large city.  It goes on and on.  How sad it would be to live on one street and experience the limitations of that short street, never knowing that with exploration there is much, much more to experience.  Paul's words here in Ephesians 3:3 and in other of his writings reveals to us that there are mysteries to be discovered.  It seems that the Word of God itself and the life giving power of living in that Word is a great mystery to most of the world.  True believers read the Bible in faith and a supernatural impartation occurs within them.  A non believer may pick it up without faith or without interest and it might be just another book to them.  

The late Derek Prince was a Kings Scholar from Eton College in England.  He was a philosopher who began to read the Bible to disprove it.  He said that as he read the Scripture something amazing happened.  He started changing on the inside.  He said it was the only book that he had ever read that was a living book.  As he read, something living was happening on the inside.  That is a part of how revelation is experienced and how mysteries are revealed. We have heard it said that some people say, "when I see I will believe."  Believers in Jesus know that "when we believe we will see."  God wants to make his Truth known but not to intellect alone but to the spirit man first then comes the understanding.  Faith comes first and revelation will follow.  As we face ongoing mysteries may we approach them in faith.  Then and only then will we see new revelation.  
What question is troubling you now?  Don't approach God with an eye of distrust but settle it in your heart that God is for you and your ultimate good.  

The Privilege of Church Inclusion

2 Timothy 3:1 “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.”

Recently I was speaking in a church on the Presence of God and our need to live daily in the enabling power of His Presence.  A week later a sweet lady came to me and said, “I’ve been struggling to understand what you meant by “avoiding such people.”  Certainly we are to be kind and longsuffering with everyone in an effort to reach people with the love and forgiveness of Jesus, right?  Yet, here in black and white we read that there is a time when we “avoid” certain people.  That sounds like shunning doesn’t it?  How could that be possible?  We have to take this verse, as we always must, in context with the rest of the passage.  Paul is address the atmosphere of the church in the last days.  He says in the King James Version that it will be “perilous” times.  Here in the ESV it says “times of difficulty.  It will not be a good time or atmosphere.  We are talking about the condition of the church.  The Church throughout history has had more threat to its life and mission from within than without.  Outward enemies cause the Church to persist and prevail.  Inward enemies can cause the church to decay and implode.  Therefore for the sake of the Body of Christ there are times when some people must be avoided. 

We don’t value the honor, blessing and power of being a participating part of the Body of Jesus, the Church as much as we should.  We don’t understand fully the dynamic potential of being one of the members where every part contributes.(Ephesians 4:16) 

Paul is addressing those who have been a part of the church but are not living under the Lordship of Christ. They are out of control! They look and talk about religious things but deny the Power of the Gospel to save and set the captives free.  They are “spies in the camp” who weaken and undermine the faith of the Church.  These people are unwilling to repent.  They are unholy and live only for themselves.  These are the ones that Paul says, “avoid such people.”  We are not to arrive at this quickly.  It should come after a clear understanding of the true identity of these false brothers and sisters.  We see their potential of harm to the church.  It makes me uncomfortable to even write about this but there is a time when we must do this. Being a member of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is not a right it is a privilege. 

Looking Unto Jesus

There is a theme in Scripture that what we behold we become.  When we have a target we will move toward it.  Hebrews 12:2 exhorts us "Looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our Faith."  Just as Jesus the Messiah is the author of our faith, only he can continue to build upon it.  There is a danger in this regard.  If we hear a certain doctrine that excites us, it is only human to want to pursue it.  I remember a decade in the church when it became popular to always have a "new teaching".  Teachers everywhere it seemed were unfolding new ideas, explanations to old truths or "new light" and understanding of old teachings.  One traveling preacher said of those days, "if you started preaching a known doctrine it seemed as if the congregation would just tune you out with the attitude, "oh, we have heard that!"  Pressure was placed on ministers to bring forth "fresh manna."  That kind of pressure is really dangerous for the teacher as well as the hearer.  It draws attention away from Jesus and focuses on revelation.  It also develops a pride and arrogance in the teacher when he thinks he has found a new revelation.  If you stop and think about it, it is very arrogant to think that after thousands of years of laboring over the Scripture in the light of the Holy Spirit that I now understand something that has never been seen!  Really!!  Certainly new revelation can be uncovered as we near the second coming of Jesus.  But the rarity of such an event needs to be considered carefully by the teacher.  He needs to be willing to submit the "new thing" to seasoned teachers of the Bible for judging and confirmation.

The moment we begin to place our vision upon a doctrine, teaching or philosophy, we of necessity must take our full vision off Jesus.  The proper perspective is to realize that interpretation of Scripture requires comparison with the entirety of Scripture.  Jesus is the fulfillment of the Bible.  The more we study the Scripture the more we gain insight into a more complete understanding.  When we open the Bible we need to ask Jesus to open His eyes in us to comprehend Truth.  We need to walk in humility as we journey through the Word of God without a hint of a desire to impress with our teaching.  A.S. Worley was a humble man who taught the Bible with great power and authority.  After sitting under his teaching a few times I was struck that when he left us that our focus was not on the gifts of a man but the power of the Word of God.  Lord, deliver us from pride of understanding some new thing and help us to look to Jesus and may He develop us along the lines of Your Truth!

Living on the Frontier

Recently I watched as a rocket exploded on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral.  The Space X rocket is a part of private industry working to make space travel less expensive and more attainable.  As I watched I thought how I might feel if those billions of dollars belonged to me!  I wondered if I would be willing to try it again. A few days later I was watching the morning news when a scientist was asked about the explosion and the negative impact it might have on future efforts.  He surprised me when he said, "it's a good thing!"  Really!!??  Then he said something that grabbed me.  He said "any entity that is unwilling to experience failure is not living on the frontier."  Wow! I wonder how many times we have stopped after failure because it cost us our pride or our reputation?  I wonder how close we were to success or a miracle  and missed it because we couldn't (or wouldn't) pay the price of fully funding the adventure of faith?  It probably isn't too late.  You could be one attempt from success.  Just continuing to struggle toward a dream or vision is much better than living in disappointment over failure.  A lot of people are immobilized by the fear of failure so much that they never actually start.  Since my retirement from serving as a pastor of a church I have experimented with painting.  People told me how relaxing it was to them.  Not so with me!  My painting experiences have been filled with anxiety.  My perfectionism (a weakness) has taken the joy out of painting.  The fear of failure has stopped me in my tracks.  A good friend is an avid painter.  I look at his work and I think, "that's not perfect."  As a matter of fact, some of his work is unrecognizable because it is abstract.  People pay money for his art!  He didn't allow his own fear to stop his ongoing attempts.  He is an artist living on the frontier!  He has motivated me to get back at it with a motivation of enjoying the effort. What area in life will you give another attempt?  What thing will you dust off and try again?  Faith is just such and effort.  Believe again!

Grace to Obey

Luke 1:38
And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

Here is the beginning of the Christmas story.  The angel of the Lord speaks to a young virgin girl from a little unimpressive location and tells her she will conceive and give birth to the Son of God, The Messiah.  As the angel tells Mary of God's intentions all of Heaven pauses awaiting her response.  It is an amazing thing that we mortals often hold the key to unlocking immortality.  Certainly, only God can work miracles but we must cooperate with an obedient will.  If Mary had protested or allowed her understanding to be the lord of her life, what would have been the outcome?  Only heaven knows.  Everything about this conversation challenged Mary to her core.  Myriads of thoughts had to have rushed through her mind about what people would think and the outcome of such circumstances. Certainly she knew the course of her life would be changed forever.  Her answer is the true test of Lordship for us all.  First, she address her identity.  To ask first, "what will people think of me", is a clear declaration that what people think is a major part of personal identity.  She declared her identity:  "I am the servant of the Lord."  She was a humble and obedient servant of God.  That identity was a major part of why she had been chosen.  Then came the real meat of her surrender.  "Let it be to me according to your word."  She was saying, I submit to what you have declared will happen to and through me. The resulting success, failure, shame or glory I lay down to simply obey the Lord.  Then the Word says, "and the angel departed."  The angel came representing the power and authority of God to fulfill the prophesies of old.  Within the will of this young virgin was held the key to releasing the greatest power and gift the world will ever know.  The Messiah, Emmanuel, God with us!  

As we approach a new year, may we submit afresh to a new and deeper level of humble submission to the Word of God without reservation.  New power and grace will be released from our unquestioning obedience.