1Co 13:4 ¶ Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.

Is Not Boastful, Does Not Display Itself Haughtily

Love is a lifestyle that does nothing from selfishness or for ones own gain. That is of course if you want to live by the love example of Jesus. Being a braggart or being boastful and haughty is not the example of how Jesus lived His life. When Paul wrote to his supporters in Philippi he told them how they should love. To explain his exhortation to them he gave them the attitude of Jesus as the prime example of how to walk the love walk.

Phil. 2:5  Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,

6  who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,

7  but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

8  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

To walk like Jesus has to be the absolute mindset if you want to ever live the same walk in this kind of Love. First He knew who He was and that He did not consider it robbery to be equal with God. Wow, He knew He was the incarnate Word of God. John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He knew He was God, yet He made Himself of no reputation.  No reputation is the exact opposite of boasting. He didn’t come to bring glory to Himself but to Glorify His Father.

Joh 14:13 “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

The Jesus type of love comes to bring Glory to God and not to oneself. Though He was superior to all those whom He encountered He decided to take the form of a bondservant, living life like a man. A servant attitude was what He displayed and lived.

Mt 20:28 “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

He came in the appearance and likeness of mankind. He became acquainted with our feelings and all that we experience in life.

Heb 4:15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all [points] tempted as [we are, yet] without sin.

Even though He never once sinned Jesus never condemned one sinner. When He encountered sinners He was always full of Grace and Mercy. He would heal them, deliver them, and love them enough to tell them to go and sin no more (Jn.5:14; Jn. 8:11) He never displayed Himself to be proud or haughty, but humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death. Wow. True humility has within it the full surrender of ones self to the will of the Father, just as Jesus did in the Garden prayer. That is true humility, willing to be obedient even to death, the death of the cross. That means that when I disobey God it is my pride that must die if I want to ever attain to the kind of love that is obedient even to death.

“Father, I ask that You would give me a heart filled with this kind of love. The love that would obey You even to the point of death;  death of my will, my pleasure, my comfort and looking out only for myself. Let me love like your Son Jesus in true humility of obedience to Your command to love You above all and my neighbor as myself. Amen.

Have a great day!!

1Co 13:4 ¶ Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.

Love is Never envious

It is so hard to come to grips with those things that we see in others that we wish we had, or could do, or not do. I know exactly what it is like to have that kind of envy that makes you want to just give up and quit. For me envy is not a positive motivation, but negative deflation. When a ball looses its air it takes so much more effort to try and make it bounce. That is how life is for me when I allow my flesh to grovel in the mire of envy; it takes so much more energy to get the simplest things done.

Where does envy come from?

You know I thought that as I studied envy I was going to get some really deep revelation from the Lord as to where it comes from and you know what He showed me?

Ga 5:21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told [you] in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

You know what this list comes from, it comes from Galatians 5: 19 that records all the works of the flesh. THAT’S RIGHT, THE WORKS OF THE FLESH!!!

Whether I like it or not that was the big revelation that God gave me about envy. It is a work of my flesh. When I allow my flesh to rule in my life I find that it is so much easier for me to fall into envy.  Why?

Ga 5:24 And those [who are] Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

For me to live free from the passions and desires that bring about the natural course of action that my flesh wants to take, this verse says that I must crucify my flesh. Every time I hear some preacher or teacher talk about crucifying my flesh, I struggle to get a full understanding of what they are saying. My natural mind blocks me from really understanding what God is trying to say. Then He reminded me of one simple truth and here it is:

Lu 9:24 “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.

You might find that to a difficult rather than a simple truth. But when you consider who it is that is speaking, and the life He lived as an example for us, I believe the truth comes into focus. Jesus laid done His life as the ultimate expression of self-less love. He went to that cross even though His flesh wanted to find some other way around the cross. Mt 26:39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You [will].”

Thank God He didn’t give in to the passion and desires of His flesh but said to it and God, “…nevertheless, not as I will, but as You [will].”

The simplicity of realizing that what crucifying my flesh means is saying to my passions and my desires, not as I will, but as God wills. Crucifying is taking the life of my passion and putting them to death with the self-less love that Jesus displayed for the entire world to see. I must willingly take the Grace that empowers me to overcome my fleshly desire to envy.

Eph 6:10 ¶ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

You see God has provided us the ability and the strength to handle any and every temptation our flesh may try to throw at us. His Grace Is More Than Enough!!!

Have a great Day!

1Co 13:4 ¶ Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily.

Love endures long and is patient and kind.

That is a mouthful and a life long pursuit all in one small phrase. The first part of this phrase is the ability to endure long, other translations I think say it the way it feels for me; suffers long.  I really mean that. There are times it is just miserable on my flesh when I have to endure the behavior, or conversation, or eating manners, or singing style of other Christians whom I have come to love and respect.  It is not that I don’t love them, but the sad reality is I love myself more than I love them. I am more concerned, or should I say, more impressed with my behavior, conversation, eating manners, and singing style than other people. Isn’t that just pathetic, to think so highly of myself that I would get irritated at the ways’ of others. I am not talking about being irritated because of sin but over petty little things that I personally dislike or think I could do better.

Convicted yet? I am, so why don’t you pray this prayer with me?

Heavenly Father, please forgive me for my selfish attitude. When I get so irritated at others because I love myself more than I love them. Please, give me the grace to have the kind of love that will endure long with other people; In Jesus name, Amen.

I love this phrase because it doesn’t just say, have patience and endure long,  it adds the attitude that we are to have as we suffer long, and be kind. That word is so hard for me to  wrap my head around that I had to look it up. Here is what I found that it means; 1. sympathetic, friendly, gentle, tender-hearted, generous, etc.; 2. cordial (not incorrigible; hah  :). Wow! That again strikes me to the core of my heart, because I have had to struggle to be tender-hearted and sympathetic with others all the time. Note, when you endure long or suffer long, your not just to sit therewith with this type of attitude,( like “How long do I have to put up with this???”). But the God kind of love sits there with a very friendly, tender-hearted and sympathetic attitude and expression. Yes! Even our expression can speak louder than our intention. If we don’t let kindness flow from our own hearts to our face then others may not see our real intention. Love is so hard to get a handle on because it is so beyond our own ability to understand, and that is why we need to rely on His grace.

Thank God for His grace that empowers us to be able to do all things through Christ Jesus. Hallelujah!!

Have a Great day!!!

I had an absolutely wonderful time with my wife this evening when we went out to dinner to meet some friends. They were delayed for about forty-five minutes so we just sat there thoroughly enjoying every minute alone, drinking in the moment like a sommelier savors a perfect wine. While we were being served by our waitress, she so graciously informed us that she would no longer be tending our table because she was feeling ill. I just felt compassion that only comes when the Grace of God moves on my heart toward someone. I asked her if she would mind if I prayed for her that she might feel better. She said ‘Oh sure that would be great!’ all the time thinking I meant at some future moment and different place. My reply to her was ‘May I have your hand so I can pray for you?’ She tentatively stretched her hand out to grab mine and I prayed for her that the Lord would heal her and touch her body. A pretty mundane thing that I am very comfortable doing and really didn’t think much about it.

Later as our friends arrived I was so caught up in the fellowship that I had already forgotten that I had even prayed for a waitress. After we had paid and were leaving the restaurant the manager was greeting every patron as the left the establishment. When I passed by her she put her hand on my shoulder, look me straight in the eyes, and said ‘That was a really wonderful thing that you did by praying for your server. She was so moved by your concern that she left in tears.”  As our friends, my wife and I walked to the car we talked about how awesome that was that a thing like prayer, that we as Christians take for granted, so touched that waitress.

On our drive home my wife and I discussed how we take each other, our love and compassion for one another for granted. We spent the rest of the drive home recalling how fortunate we are that we have so many people in our lives who love us on a daily basis. As my wife shared her thoughts about how many people there are in our society today whom the kind of love that we have surrounding us is foreign to them, that I felt so impressed to let everyone know how a little compassion can go such a long way.

There is a world of people out there that are starving to truly be loved. Some have lost hope that they will ever find some sort of meaningful relationship in their life. It made me so aware of how blessed I am to have a family, a church and a God who loves me.

Look for an opportunity to let the love of Jesus shine!

Have a Great Day!

The Gospel of John starts off with the revelation of the Word of God. He takes us back to a time before the very beginnings of this universe and the creation of all things. John 1:1 ¶ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Let’s start with the beginning in the Book of Genesis which means the beginnings or origin of things. There is so much debate about the origin of things in the physical universe; “Creationism or Evolution?” Debates center on the age of the universe and many other subjects. My purely unscientific explanation of the age argument is that God created the universe mature, at the optimum state for all life to flourish. When He created trees they were already mature, not little saplings. This is clearly seen when God created the fruit bearing trees which were already mature enough to yield fruit. The whole planet, universe, and all matter were created by God for the development of sustainable life on Earth. Instead of light taking billions of years to travel to earth, God created the light in an instant, in a single moment from the Earth surface to the distant star. Man after the creation did not have to wait for the light to travel to them from the distant stars. He created everything mature. Think of the stars, if God had created the stars without creating the observable light of them to this planet, then the sky which He had created for mans pleasure would have been dark except for the shining of the moon. Ge 1:1 ¶ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. God created them with the very word that He had spoken. Ps 33:6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. It was the Word that created the all things. 2Pe 3:5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, The Gospel of John shows us that the Word spoken by God was not just words, but the very living, person of the Word. John reveals who the person is in vs 14  And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Jesus is the living breathing person known as the Word of God. John makes that connection in this verse; Joh 1:17 For the law was given through Moses, [but] grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Thank God for giving us His Son and bringing the opportunity of grace and truth to “…as many as received Him.”(v.12)

Have a great day!!!

So many people fear and wonder about what happens when someone dies. This is not a complicated thing for Christians to understand.  As a Christian we know that when be die we will go and be with the Lord.

2Co 5:8 We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

After we leave this body we will be in the presence of Almighty God.  There will be no more tears or sorrow and the former things of our lives will pass away.

Re 21:4 God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more, neither shall there be anguish (sorrow and mourning) nor grief nor pain any more, for the old conditions and the former order of things have passed away.

No more anguish, no more grief nor pain any more. What a wonderful place that will be as we live in the presence of God. I can’t imagine how good that it is going be considering how awesome it feels to be in His presence now. Just imagine what it is going to be like when we don’t have the intrusion of our body with it’s hunger, pains and lusts. We will be able to stand or sit or run or dance without getting tired. Then we won’t have all the mental interference with all the doubts, fears, anguish, mourning and worry.

That place where we will be in His presence is called Heaven. There will be ample room for everyone there because of what Jesus told us in John 12:

1 ¶  “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2  “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3  “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

There will be mansions for everyone who believes in Jesus. What happens to those who don’t accept or believe in Jesus? Jesus answers this for us in

 John 12:48 “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him——the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.

What kind of judgment awaits the unbelievers?  There is going to be a day of judgment for every person on the earth believer and unbeliever alike. For the believers they will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ and receive rewards for what they have done through His Grace.

2Co 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things [done] in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. (Rom. 14:10)

For the unbelievers they will face a place called Hades or Hell when they die. This is not the judgment it is just the place of torment and separation from God that they will have to endure until the final Judgment of God. Jesus told a story of the beggar and the rich man who both died and show us what it will be like.

Lu 16:22 “So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. 23  “And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24  “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ 25  “But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.

This is just the place they are held until the Judgment and it will not be a nice place.

Mt 13:41  “The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42  “and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Sadly that is what awaits all those who do not know Jesus. That is why it is so important for us to use every opportunity that we have to reach the lost, which is anyone who doesn’t believe in Jesus and His Word. So lets ask God for the grace to reach them all before it is too late. Phil 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Have a Great Day!

Jesus asked his disciples this very question. What is your answer to that question?  You don’t have to ask people that question to find an answer. Many people out there are portraying radically different concepts of who He was or is. You might find one religion that views Jesus as just one of many deities. Another may see Him as just a prophet, a holy man. Others see Him as just being a wise man. Why are there so many differing views of the One in whom we call our Lord and Savior? The answer to that question is found in

2Co 10:4 For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5. casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

There has always been a battle in the realms of reason by which the devil has instigated deception by using arguments, scientific or philosophic, that would bring in doubts about the person of Jesus.  The devil does not want the world to know who Jesus really is, and especially what He has done. In this same letter to the Corinthians Paul tells us why the people in the world are blind to the reality of Jesus.

2Co 4:4 For the god of this world has blinded the unbelievers’ minds <that they should not discern the truth>, preventing them from seeing the illuminating light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ (the Messiah), Who is the Image and Likeness of God.

You see the god of this world is the devil. He doesn’t want anybody know that Jesus is the image and likeness of God. Not just a deity, not just a prophet, and not just a holy man. He is the Son of God;

Heb 1:5 For to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”? And again: “I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son”?

In the context of this verse we see that Paul is discussing the divinity of Jesus. He goes on to make that very statement;

Heb 1:8 But to the Son [He says]: “Your throne, O God, [is] forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness [is] the scepter of Your Kingdom.

This verse makes it very clear that Jesus is God, not a God, but God.

Joh 1:1 ¶ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The beginning of the Gospel of John declares that He is God and that all things were created by Him.(.3);

Col 1: 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.

These are just a few verses that declare who Jesus is and what He has done. There are many more and certainly not enough room on this blog. So don’t let someone come and tell you that Jesus was just a man, the angel Gabriel, or that His brother was Lucifer before they came to earth, or any other thing that contradicts the Scriptures. Here is one of Paul’s warnings in this regard:

2Co 11:4 For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or [if] you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted——you may well put up with it!

It is important to know who people say Jesus is, but it is not the most important question of all. The most important question is; Who do you say Jesus is?

I hope you say that He is your Lord and Savior; that you have been saved by grace through your trust and belief in Him;  and not by any of your Works because it is a gift of God. Study these Scriptures today that tell you who Jesus is; Isa 9:6 ; Ro 9:5; Col 2:9; 1Ti 3:16; Tit 2:13; 1Jo 5:20.  One of my favorite descriptions of Jesus is given to us by Jesus himself;

Re 1:8  “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

When compared with these scriptures from Isaiah I think you will see that Jesus is the God of Isaiah;

Isa 41:4  Who has performed and done it, Calling the generations from the beginning? ‘I, the LORD, am the first; And with the last I am He.’”Isa 44:6  “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God.

Isa 48:12  “Listen to Me, O Jacob, And Israel, My called: I am He, I am the First, I am also the Last.

Jesus is the First (Alpha) and the Last (Omega)!!

Have a Great Day!!!

Isa 51:11 Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy [shall be] upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; [and] sorrow and mourning shall flee away.

Isa 35:10 And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

I know that these two prophetic promises of Scripture primarily refer to the return of the Jews to Israel, yet I also know they belong to ever one who has accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  When the Gentiles (non-Jews) accepted Jesus as their Savior; the Apostle Paul tells us that we are partakers of these covenant promises.

2Cor.1: ²⁰For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.

If the above promises refer to the return of the Jews to Israel, where are the everlasting joy, and sorrow and mourning shall flee away?  We still see Israel engaged in a bitter battle with the nations over their very existence. Though they have returned to their homeland they have not yet been ransomed or redeemed by the Lord in its fullest meaning. I know Jews who have accepted Jesus as their Messiah, and are now the Redeemed of the Lord.  But Israel as a nation will be ransomed when Messiah comes again physically to this earth to set them free, which of course refers to a future date that I believe is not very far off. So for Israel the promised redemption is still awaiting its fulfillment, yet for us believers the promise has already begun to blossom and is ready to come into full bloom at the appearing of our Great God and Savior the Lord Jesus Christ.

Tit 2:13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14  who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.

That should cause all of us who believe to come with singing unto Zion, and everlasting joy shall be upon our heads and there in that place of worship we find gladness and joy and sorrow and mourning shall flee away. Zion refers to the place where the legendary King David brought the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem. He placed it on the highest hill and instituted a continuous chorus of praise to his and our God. That is why we refer to Zion as a place of worship.

In our times of worship we are able to transcend the difficulties and pressures of this world and find that tranquil state of peace, joy and gladness. That is why I love worship music and worship services in the midst of the congregation.  I love my personal time of worship, because it lifts my spirit and bring joy to my soul. The most awesome thing of all about the above Scriptures is that it refers to a future time for us as believers. Where we will find the final rest of our souls and be eternally united with our God. In that blessed state we will not have any sorrow and all mourning will definitely flee away!!!

Have a Great Day!!

Do you remember the lie that Aaron, the brother of Moses, told when Moses asked him why he made the People worship the golden calf?

Ex 32:24 “And I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them break [it] off.’ So they gave [it] to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.”

You see he makes the calf out to be some kind of “holy cow” because he just threw the gold into the fire and out came this calf. The Israelites committed gross sins, as they worshiped this image like the Egyptians who had enslaved them. This was just the beginnings of what they would do to anger the Lord. They fornicated with the Canaanite women at Baal Peor and 25,000 of them died in their sin. You can read all the rest of their wanderings away from the commands of God in Ps 106, 1Cor.10: 1-12. They deserved the wrath of God, but when they were afflicted they called out to God.

Ps 106:44 Nevertheless He regarded their affliction, When He heard their cry; 45  And for their sake He remembered His covenant, And relented according to the multitude of His mercies.

The children of Israel tried to mix what God wants and the ways of the world in which they lived. The two didn’t mix then and they certainly don’t mix now. They had lusted after the things of the world and Paul put it this way:

1Co 10:6 ¶ Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.

Boy, does this apply to our generation today. With so many different opinions it is hard to figure out what is meant by the term lust.
Lust is seeking after things that are bad or evil. The confusing thing about living in this generation is trying to determine what is good and what is evil. We live in an age when they call what is good in God’s eyes, evil and what God calls evil, good.

Isa 5:20 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!

The good news for this age is that we have a definitive solution to sorting out what is Good and what is Evil. It is called the Holy Bible. I like that we call it holy, because holy has a meaning of being separated from evil to Good.  The Bible has in it God’s holy advice on how to live life not just for an individual, but also for a whole society. It shows us how we can become separated from the confusion of the evil and find the wholly satisfying truth of the good.

There is only one Holy Bible that mankind can find the truth that there is no other way to the Father and heaven but Jesus!!! Those are absolute truths that people who have been compromised by the philosophies, sciences, and opinions of man, have a hard time grasping. I understand the frustration of thinking that Jesus is the only way to heaven and that all others are destined to eternal separation from God. It makes me very sad to think of all those who have died without knowing Jesus. Really it makes me want to do all that I can to tell them now while they still have a chance.  I know how hard that is to reconcile within the framework of our current world culture of tolerance and global acceptance which can be summed up in a quasi motto ‘live and let live.’

When everyone views and accepts every other religion as equal, it creates an atmosphere of such tolerance that no one group can state what it believes to be true without feeling ostracized. Those who press through being detested and stand for absolute truth find a freedom of faith. No longer motivated by the masses, but driven by divine truth. Free to stand and say what God says is Good and what God says is Evil. Liberated from the dictates of the prevailing humanistic philosophy, the truly free will find the beauty of living in His holiness. Not that we should flaunt our liberty and knowledge of the truth by offending those around us, but by truly loving them enough to share.

1Co 10:32  Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, 33  just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

How did Paul do this? 1Co 1:17  For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. 18  For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

Dare to share the truth with someone you love.

Have a Great Day!

Mt 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

I like that word go. It is a verb, which means it is an action word. Jesus tells His disciples to go and make disciples of all nations. A handful of men went into the world to make disciples and that is just what they did. Think about that for one moment, if they didn’t obey Jesus’ injunction to go, then would we as believers be here today?  How did you come to know Jesus? Somewhere along the line of your life somebody had to have told you about the Gospel. Is telling everybody about the Gospel making disciples? No, it is preaching the Gospel which is necessary for people to believe:

Ro 10:14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?

Preaching is important because it causes faith to arise within our hearts when we hear the word. So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Did you notice that there are two steps outlined in this sentence?

1. Hearing comes from the Word of God

2. Faith comes by Hearing.

So many people put the emphasis on faith that the miss the importance of hearing. I can not tell you how many people come up to me and ask; “Pastor, how can I learn to hear the Lord speaking to me?” Do you know what my answer is to them? From the above Scripture I encourage them to do certain things like;

1. Read the Word of God;

2. Think about what you are reading;

3. See how it applies to your life;

4. Do what it says.

By doing these steps the voice of God will become clearer to you. Hearing is dependent on the Word of God; so by reading, thinking, applying and doing you will develop a keen ear to hear God. Note that God didn’t tell them to go make believers, but disciples. Disciples are those who have begun to apply Gods Word to their lives to such a degree that they live it. That is abiding in the Word and that is what makes disciples.

Joh 8:31 ¶ Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.

Doing the Word of God is not complicated, it is as simple as learning to hear and in hearing you would have the faith to accomplish all that He has called you to do. So by all means go out and share the Word of God with someone today. The Word is powerful enough to accomplish all that God desires.

Isa 55:11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper [in the thing] for which I sent it.

Just be willing to send the Word out into the world you live in today. That can be accomplished in so many different ways. Find one that suits your personality and start doing it today. Our world and nation desperately need to hear from you.

Have a Great Day!!!

Did you know that you have a purpose in the plans and the schemes of God’s economy?  Though we all belong, as believers, to the body of Christ, we are still members with our own individual lives. There are certain things that are unique to you, that only you can do with your characteristic style.

1Co 12:27 ¶ Now you <collectively> are Christ’s body and <individually> you are members of it, each part severally and distinct <each with his own place and function>.

This distinct place and function you have is vital to the future health and growth of the Body of Christ in general and the individual church in which you attend.  You may feel that it was your decision to attend the church that you are currently involved in and maybe that is the case. Perhaps you know you are disobeying God by leaving and attending another church. If that is the situation you find yourself in, then you must make a decision to either return to where you know the Lord has called you or stay. The choice is yours. Will you miss God and never be used again?  I don’t believe that you will not ever be used again, but there are consequences to not obeying and following the leading of the Spirit of God which can make us miss the opportunity unique to that moment in time.  What those consequences are, I can’t even pretend to know. This I do know.  This is just one example of innumerable possibilities that may plague many a believer, so whatever your impossible circumstance might be;  God is able to do things that we cannot even conceive as possible.

Mt 19:26 But Jesus looked at [them] and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

So many Christian are living in a place of guilt and shame that God never intended for them to live. You may have missed God a hundred times and you are trying to figure out what the consequences are going to be for all you disobedience. Will there be Consequences?  Yes, but I know that God is extremely, unbelievably, unsearchably,  MERCIFUL!!!!  In the Bible this phrase appears forty-one times “……His mercy endures forever”, and twenty-six times in Psalms 136 alone. Click here to read the whole thing. Don’t read once, read it twice, read it when your feeling nice, read why chewing on ice, read it while repenting of vice ….ad infinitum or ad nausea um or ad Suess-um or enough already. But at any rate read it until you feel the shame and guilt of your past failures melt away in the loving compassion and mercy of your Heavenly Father. What the future will bring we will never really know, no we won’t ever see what those consequences might be, when we repent and fall into His arms of mercy.

Have a Great Day!!

Jesus came to this earth as the very reflection of the Father. Jesus reveals this fact in the Gospel of John;

John 14:7 “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”

Did you catch that, “…from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”  He was saying to His disciples that if they had seen Him they had seen the Father.  That didn’t sit well with Philip, because He later asks:

John 14:8 Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”

Jesus replies to Him so that the point is made even clearer for Philip:

John 14:9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

This time it is clear that Jesus came so the world could see the Father when the looked at Jesus. Jesus goes on to answer the real meaning of Philips question of wanting to see the Father and the real question behind Philip inquiry is: “How have we seen the Father when we have seen you??? Jesus answers the How??

John 14:10  “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11  “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

Did you see what Jesus said was the thing that provided the world with an accurate portrayal of the Father???  It was His Works!!!!!  The Works revealed The Father!!

That is why we must do the works that Jesus did. So the Father can continue to be Glorified in the Son!

John 14:12 ¶  “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.13  “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

There is no doubt in my mind that the way to reflect the Father to the world is to do the works of Jesus and the Greater Works!!!!   Yes Greater Works that these!!!!!!

Can you wrap your head around that?  I’ll be flat out honest with you, it is really hard to wrap my head around that one.  To think that I, Frank Kemberling, could perform the same works that Jesus did in His three yrs of ministry everyday.  HOW???

Let’s see; Do we have the same Father? Yes. Do we have the same Spirit? Again, Yes!  So, it appears that He has given us everything that He needed to do the works of His Father. Therefore we should be able to do exactly the same and now because He has risen, He said we could even do Greater.

I believe we like the children of Israel have a veil over our spiritual eyes that keep us from seeing the potential, that we all have as believers, inside.  The answer I believe is to allow the Spirit of God to lift that veil so we can begin to believe that we can do whatever He did. I believe the Spirit reveals this to us in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians;

2Co 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

To be that reflection we must work along with the Spirit of the Lord to see our lives transformed into His image. Remember, it wasn’t Jesus’ image that reflected the Father, it was His works. It will not be our image that reflects the Father, it will be our works that have come from our belief that we are being transformed, right now, into His image. It opens our eyes to see as He sees, so we can do what He does. That sounds just like what Jesus said:

Joh 5:19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.

I pray: 17  that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,

18  the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

19  and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power

Go use that power today and bring glory to His name!

Have a Great Day!!

Ps 111:1 ¶ Praise the LORD! I will praise the LORD with [my] whole heart, In the assembly of the upright and [in] the congregation.

Some of my fondest memories have been formed in a church worship service. Especially when the Presence of the Lord seems to comes into the assembly like a thick cloud. I love being there with the Creator of the Universe. O, I know that He lives in me everyday, but there is just something special about the way it feels when He comes to me in that particular time of praise and worship. As much as I like my personal time of there is nothing that compares to those times of worship in the midst of the congregation when His Presence becomes so heavy you can feel it. I believe that He comes to our places of worship and sits there on His throne.

Ps 22:3 But You [are] holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel.

You can watch praise and worship on television, but it is not the same as being there. I went to a football game yesterday; it is exhilarating when the whole crowd begins to roar in excitement after a score by the home team. I have been at home watching the same team, the same crowd and you know what? It doesn’t come close to being compared to actually being there. That is exactly how it is when its time to go to church on Sundays. You know you can stay at home and watch church on TV, but to be honest with you, it doesn’t compare to being there. I am not saying that you can’t experience the presence of the Lord in your home watching TV or worshiping on your own. There is always something special about being in the midst of a group of people all worshiping, with all their heart, the Lord. Now that is Exhilarating.

See you in church!!

Have a Great Day!

Lu 17:20 ¶ Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; 21 “nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”

When the Pharisees approached Jesus about the coming of the kingdom of God, he basically told them it would not come from without, with observation but from within, for the Kingdom of God is within you. The reason I say that Jesus is speaking about the coming of the Kingdom, is He was answer the Pharisees question of a future appearance of the Kingdom and the context is of Jesus prophesying of things that will come.

 Does this speak of an inner coming of the Kingdom of God in the hearts of all mankind?  You will find the answer to this as we look at the different stages of the coming of the Kingdom. Are all people saved no matter what they believe?  Again as we look at the Scriptures we will find an answer to this question and more.  For the Kingdom to be established there are vital steps that must be taken.

Stage One: Seek

Mt 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

The first thing that a person must do is seek the Kingdom of God. Can I tell you that the Kingdom won’t just pop-up inside someone unless they first seek for it to come! This seeking is a continuous action in the language that it was written in, meaning that we must always be seeking for His Kingdom even after we have asked for it to come into our hearts. It must grow into an impassioned quest and a sharpening focus, for and on the things of the Kingdom that are from above.

Stage Two: See

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

This stage is so important! It points out that in order to even see the Kingdom of God must be born again.  So being born again allows us to see the Kingdom of God and start to understand it. What does it mean that we must be born again? The word again here means ‘from above’ and clearly Nicodemus, whom Jesus was addressing, didn’t understand that because he asked: “Can a man enter as second time into his mothers’ womb and be born again?

Stage Three: Enter

“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Jesus tells him that a man must be born of Water and the Spirit. Water is defined in the Word of the Lord. When Jesus (the Word made flesh) washed the disciples’ feet it was an analogy of the Words cleansing ability in preparation for the coming of the kingdom. This born of water can mean;

1. from a human  birth (which is definitely a precondition to being saved) ; or 2. from being washed symbolically from our sins by baptism in His name.

After a person has heard, and has their mind changed with the wrong thinking washed away by the Word; a person needs to be born of the Spirit. Being born from above is clearly being born in the Spirit. Being born from above has these two aspects; being born of water, and being in the Spirit by which we enter the Kingdom.

Stage Four: Possess

Lu 21:19  “By your patience possess your souls.

Being born again by the Spirit of God we have entered the Kingdom, which is now in us (in our heart and souls). This means that the next stage possesses the things of the Kingdom. How? Let look at what possess means: to acquire, get, or procure a thing for one’s self. I believe the things of the Kingdom are not possessions, but actions. Jesus, who established the Kingdom of God on earth, didn’t possess things, but He acquired many people who believed on Him. He did this by proclaiming the Good News of the gospel, not in word only but in power; 1Co 4:20 For the kingdom of God [is] not in word but in power. Ro 14:17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. We possess our souls patiently by allowing righteousness, peace and joy to flood our souls. Part of possessing the Kingdom is realizing that God and His Kingdom have come to take up residence in us. God Live In Us!!

Stage Five: Walking

For us to walk in the Kingdom we must first realize all that God has done for us and this comes to us as we patiently endure the challenges of this life. To do this we must emulate Jesus, who is our perfect example. Jesus told us that in this world we would have tribulation and trials, but to be of good cheer because He has overcome the world. I don’t care what trials may present them to you, possess your souls with peace and joy because He has overcome the world. He has so thoroughly overcome the world that He has given us the power to walk in and do the works that He has done.

John 14:12 ¶ “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater [works] than these he will do, because I go to My Father.

Did you catch that; the works that I do he will do also and greater works. Greater Works?  Yes, Greater Works!!!! Let’s start walking in the Kingdom of God by doing those greater works that Jesus said that we could.

Have a Great Day!!

Sometimes we think of forgiveness in only inter-relational terms, they hurt me, betrayed me, and not in the spiritual context of its importance. I believe that Jesus knew beforehand what He was going to face when He made the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. This is confirmed in the garden as He prays that this cup of affliction would pass from Him. I know He knew because the Scriptures prophecy of the Messiahs’ sufferings (Ps.22; Isa. 53). Jesus knew that He was going to be the very sacrifice that would ultimately pay the price for every offense of every sin that every person would ever commit through out all ages. By paying that price, Redemption, He knew that His Fathers righteous requirements would be met by His sacrifice and brings Gods’ forgiveness to all of mankind.  Forgiveness is the open door that leads us down the path of salvation. There is a thing that can hinder us from receiving this free gift of grace provided to us by the forgiveness that Jesus won for us on the cross.

Mt 6:14  For if you forgive people their trespasses <their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment>, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.15  But if you do not forgive others their trespasses <their reckless and willful sins, leaving them, letting them go, and giving up resentment>, neither will your Father forgive you your trespasses.

Jesus later tells a parable of the kingdom of heaven being like a king who wanted to settle his accounts with his servants. He had one servant who owed him 10,000 talents, (about $10 Million). When this servant came before the king he begged him to have patience on him and he would repay all that he owed. The king had compassion on this servant and forgave his entire debt. When the servant went out from the king, he found a man who owed him $20 and took him by the throat, demanding payment. The man begged this servant to have patience and he would repay the debt, but the servant wouldn’t forgive the debt and had him thrown in debtors’ prison until he paid the full amount. When the king who had forgiven this servant a $10 million debt heard about him throwing a man into jail over $20 and he had him arrested and thrown into prison until he paid his enormous debt back. After this parable Jesus says:

Mt 18:35 “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

Here are some cross references Mt 18:35, Mr 11:25-26, Lu 6:37.

Forgiveness is the very thing that opens the door for us to receive the Grace of God. Jesus said that if we don’t forgive we will not be forgiven.  How this works into the whole “once saved always saved” camp or the “you can loose you salvation” camp, I don’t know. But I am sure of one thing and if we get so focused on proving our points of view we might very well miss the most important points of Jesus’ views.  Here He is telling us how important it is for us to forgive.

All I know is that I live everyday by going over the prayer “The Our Father”. By doing so I am confronted with “….Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us…” I have learned an important lesson over the years and I want to tell you what I have learned. Ps 119:165 ¶ Great peace have they who love Your law; nothing shall offend them or make them stumble. The way I personally apply this verse in my life is when I get offended I ask God to forgive me for not loving His law or Word enough. By having to ask God to forgive me for being offended (Great peace have they who love Your law; nothing shall offend them) it centers my thoughts away from the person who offended me and back on my own need of forgiveness. Having the need of mercy on the forefront of my mind makes it much easier to have the ability to apply mercy. I have become so accustomed to living this way that I no longer allow myself the luxury of leaving an offense hang around me for very long. I mean when I get offended I immediately turn away and say I forgive them now, in Jesus name. I can’t tell you how freeing that is and besides it as so many other spiritual benefits that it is wonderful.

Try living that way and see how it works for you!

Have a Great Day!!

The apostle Paul writes back to the Corinthians about a year later to forgive the brother he had ordered to be turned over ‘..to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.’(1Co.5:5) How important was it that they forgive this brother of his sin? Well, look what Paul wrote them:

2Co 2:10 Now whom you forgive anything, I also [forgive]. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ,

He starts by telling them that He had forgiven this brother for their sakes. For their sakes?? Apparently Paul had obtained information that this brother had repented and wanted to come back to Church and the Corinthians were having none of it. They had already been chastised by Paul, because of this man, and they weren’t going to take any chances. Paul shows them that it is okay for them to forgive him, because he had lifted the judgment he had placed on that man and had forgiven him. He didn’t leave it at that, but he tells them why He had forgiven them for their sakes:

2Co 2:11 lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

Here we see that when we fail to forgive we become susceptible to the devices of the devil.  Did you know the Devil has a method to his madness against God and the church??  The single most treacherous technique that he employs in the Church at large is offense.  He knows that if he can get them offended by those who are supposed to be the reflection of Christ, then it would be a significant, striking blow to their faith. Can you see where this leads? You can almost hear the bitter cries of those still yet offended and bound to their past ‘those…..Hypocrites.’ You see the devil has won, rather than “ Father, forgive them, for they do not what they are doing!” they spew the devils accusation ‘Hypocrites’. Instead of the being the reflection of the nature of God, they sadly sit in the seat of the scornful, demonstrating the devil’s demeanor.

The Greek word for the devil is ‘diabolos’ which means:

1) prone to slander, slanderous, accusing falsely

1a) a calumniator, false accuser, slanderer,

2) metaph. applied to a man who, by opposing the cause of God, may be said to act the part of the devil or to side with him

Oh, brother and sister, that just tears at my heart strings and makes me want to cry. Unbeknown-st to them they have fallen prey to the enemy. Their righteous souls have been contaminated. Too many times have I fallen for this simple but devastating ploy, this sickening subterfuge?  Out of a heart that has been battered by the brother who was supposed to bear my pains, but has now caused the same. I have been down to the very depths of the despair that such matters make. Drowning in my anguish, I remember crying out to God “Why?” Nothing,……Silence…….

Captivated by the whirlwind of slanderous accusation, thoughts of retribution, REVENGE! And then, a stillness indefinable, inexpressible, indescribable, enveloping my mind, heart, and will. In that instance a flash of the cross, encircled about with mouths attached to the most hateful faces man can make, spitting, cursing and jeering. Instantaneously, inside the head of Him, the object of their derision, peering down through tear soaked eyes at their ridicule. To my utter amazement, I see, not those hateful faces but each ones divine purpose as only the heart of Love can see. At that moment a gasping voice invades the din “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do!” Back in bed uncontrollably crying for forgiveness, beholding mine accusers’ ultimate purpose and plan unfold, as only the heart of Love can see. Feeling a fire rise in my belly, a prayer arises for each, declaring what had been revealed over each who had betrayed, the ultimate forgiveness. Proclaiming God’s thoughts not of evil, but of good, declaring over them a future and a hope and then the sweetest sleep ever known. I awake four hours later, not exhausted, renewed, No New, brand new. Like the day I first came to Him, the very manifestation of Love. I was free from the snare, saved from the despair.

You see, I know that it is possible for you to forgive every hurt that men may inflict, not because I have, but because HE has, once and for all… Hallelujah!!!!!  Walk in the hard choice of your will to Forgive, once and for all; a living testament of His Love.

Have a great Day!!

America is an interesting place to grow up in, especially if you happen to live in the Western states. I happened to have grown up in Arizona. In the minds of some that conjures up images of cowboys on horseback out in the Wild, Wild West and because of that we have been somewhat stigmatized by those in the East as being un-sophisticated, and lacking cultural refinement.  You see all that doesn’t matter to us natives because we boast in our spirit of independence and couldn’t care less what those in the east think. There is an underlying attitude that we can go at life on our own, we don’t necessarily need anyone.  I know that is a gross generalization of the way things are in the West, but the underlying attitude is one of independence. That being said, I believe that all Americans, for the most part, pride themselves in being independent.

We must not allow that spirit of independence to drive us along on our own spiritual journey where we don’t need anyone else’s input and especially their opinions. The Scriptures tell us of this prevalent attitude in all mankind;

Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Did you know that Christianity is not like a buffet where you get to choose the things you like and avoid the things you don’t?  When I came to the Lord there was this saying, “It was all or nothing baby!” I lived in a Christian community of men and women called ‘Maranatha House’.  Coming out of the rebellion against the “Establishment”, which we thought was freedom, and into the true freedom of submission to God.  Now most of us can handle the submission to God part, but have a little difficulty with the idea of  submitting to a church, pastor, or elder.

Heb 13:17  Obey your spiritual leaders and submit to them <continually recognizing their authority over you>, for they are constantly keeping watch over your souls and guarding your spiritual welfare, as men who will have to render an account <of their trust>. <Do your part to> let them do this with gladness and not with sighing and groaning, for that would not be profitable to you <either>. (cf 1Co16:16; 1Pe. 5:5)

I know that for some those 3 Scriptures are a bitter pill to swallow. There are article after article in all kinds of publications that speak out about church leaders abuse of power. I can sympathize with you in that regard, yet I have found that it was easier to forget the past, then to let the past frame my future. I have sadly seen those who have experienced hurt at the hands of leadership fall prey to the bondage of bitterness and walk in far less than what God had intended.

Php 3:13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing [I do], forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,

I believe that the spirit of independence makes us vulnerable to the offense by those in authority. The opposite of independence is submission. Wow, is that an unpopular word! Wait it gets worse when you look up the Greek definition. I say worse because you have to remember where I live.  Here is the Greek word;

hupotasso hupotasso

1) to arrange under, to subordinate

2) to subject, put in subjection

3) to subject one’s self, obey

4) to submit to one’s control

5) to yield to one’s admonition or advice

6) to obey, be subject

I think we have seen or heard a parody of a parent spanking their child and saying “This really hurts me more than you.”  But really when I talk of ridding ourselves of a spirit of independence it comes back and hits me square between the eyes. So, when I say lets repent of this spirit and ask God for the Grace and Wisdom to walk this out, I mean to include myself. It is not easy for us to do the definition of that word without freaking out a little. That is where having faith in God comes in to play. You see we need to trust God to work in the lives of that other person, as we submit to them. As difficult as that may seem, it is not without an incredible reward. Try it, you might like it!!

Have a Great Day!!!

When I was writing the blog for the Leaven of Herod, I knew then that I was just scratching the service of one of the biggest problems that face the Church today. Worldliness; it is the quality or condition of being worldly. A worldly Christian would be one who is more concerned with the affairs and pleasures of this world than the affairs of the Kingdom of God. The affairs of this world would include the current political atmosphere in America today. Are you more concerned about the current course of this nation than of the current condition of the Kingdom?  It is so easy to get caught up in all of the facts, worries, and concern that many Christian commentators have in regard to this current administration. Whatever side you find yourself in this debate, which has been reaching a crescendo that has not let up since the inauguration. It is like a whirlpool that wants to suck you down into an endless pit of time consuming apprehension.

Before the election of last November I had been caught up in all the alarm over the positions that President Obama had run on in regard to abortion, DOMA, Israel, finances….etc.  I like many American Christians had committed themselves to pray for these elections. In all my life, I had not seen that many prayer gatherings, and people praying for an election ever before. It was really quite an awesome sight. I was certain of what I thought would be the outcome, God’s perfect choice as President. As with all elections I believe with all my heart that God removes kings and raises up kings (Dan. 2:21; 4:17); so the end result is always God’s will.

That honestly was hard for me to take at the moment. But as time has come and gone I have begun to understand the Hand of Lord in regard to this matter.  It has awakened in me a desire to have this nation’ eyes open to the importance of the Lord in their lives. As I have prayed for that to happen the Lord began to deal with some things in my own life.

Don’t you love the way the Lord always does that?? He always goes after the beam in your eye so you don’t kill somebody by trying to take the speck out of theirs.

I can still hear myself screaming inside my head, You mean you want this socialist, pro-abortion, pro-gay marriage, man and government to ruin this nation? I couldn’t believe that this was God’s will for the America I so love. How could it be???

Da 4:17 ‘This decision [is] by the decree of the watchers, And the sentence by the word of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever He will, And sets over it the lowest of men.

Well I began to read Rom 13:1-7 and I was instantly convicted. I know that when Paul wrote that epistle from Corinth to the mission of believers in Rome, Nero was Caesar over the empire for four years. This is the same Nero who murdered his way to the imperial throne, and whose life was described as full of debauchery and violence (he effectively had his own mother killed), and excessive extravagance. With that in mind read this passage of Scripture?

 Rom.13:¹Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. ²Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. ³For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. ⁴For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. ⁵Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. ⁶This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing. ⁷Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

As I struggle to apply this to the current situations that are taking place in our nation, my mind begins to race, even now. Why?  All I can tell is that I had become too concerned about the affairs of this world rather than the spreading of the Good News of the Gospel. Not that being aware of the current affairs is wrong.  It only becomes wrong when that becomes the predominate focus of my life. I had to repent and regroup. That means I needed to change what I was focusing on. If the early church had to live under the tyranny of Nero, then I could certainly live in our current conditions, which are far better.

Have a Great Day!!!

Mr 8:17 But Jesus, being aware of [it], said to them, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? 18 “Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember?

After Jesus had multiplied the provisions, loaves of bread and fishes, to feed 4,000 and then again for 5,000, He was amazed at the apostles answer to His warning about the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod. Jesus mentions six things in these two verses that can hinder us from doing the works that Jesus did and greater:

Ø      Why do you reason….?

Ø      Do you not yet perceive nor understand?

Ø      Is your heart still hardened?

Ø      Having eyes, do you not see?

Ø      And having ears, do you not hear?

Ø      And do you not remember?

Why do you reason….?

Our minds can get us to miss what God has intended for us to do. Paul warned us in Col. 2:8 “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy…etc. One of those underlying philosophies that we must battle everyday is called relativism. Encarta Dictionary of English defines relativism as: the belief that concepts such as right and wrong, goodness and badness, or truth and falsehood are not absolute but change from culture to culture and situation to situation.  With this belief you have changeable standards. God has one Standard that never changes. We must not let this philosophy influence our reasoning, it will cheat you. Cheat you of all that God has for you. You can believer His Word always, in every circumstance, culture and situation. The Word tells us what is right or wrong, true or false, or good or bad. It is all in the Bible so don’t reason it away because you don’t like it. Accept it, you will find peace and an end to your spiritual search for significance.

Do you not yet perceive nor understand?

Our perception is based on what we’ve been taught and on our own personal experience. Don’t let those things keep you from what God has for you (read “Do you not yet perceive nor understand?)

Is your heart still hardened?

Jesus was not questioning there ability to believe Him, but their inability to grasp the miracles they had seen. Mr 6:52 For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened. In Robertson’s NT Word Pictures he says this about the hardened heart: Today some men have such intellectual hardness or denseness that they cannot believe that God can or would work miracles, least of all nature miracles. Don’t let the impossibility of a miracle harden your heart so you won’t believe. I have seen many miracles in my life, healings,…etc. Every time I had to overcome my natural reasoning and the impossibility of the situation.

Having eyes, do you not see?

This has to do with our ability to see the potential of what God can do in every situation.  To grow in our ability is based on what we are looking to for inspiration or to find truth. The truth is in the Word of God, so when we look at that perfect law of liberty we will be blessed in everything we do (James 1:25).

And having ears, do you not hear?

Can you hear the voice of the Lord? Yes, you can!!!

2Tim.3:16  All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

17  that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The Word of God is the way that we can hear the voice of God speaking in our live. Charles Finney in his “Revival Lectures” talks about how there is always a promise of God in the Scriptures that will reveal Gods will for every situation and circumstance that will ever come. So “Take the time to read, because Jesus took the time to bleed “ (old song).

And do you not remember?

It is so important to take the time to remember the blessings and the miracles that God has done in your life. If you want to really get blessed, then go find a quiet place to get alone with God and start remembering.

Ps 77:10  And I said, “This is my anguish; But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High.” 11  I will remember the works of the LORD; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.

Have a Great Day!!!

After Jesus had multiplied the provisions,  loaves of bread and fishes, for 4,000 and then again for 5,000, He addressed His disciples with these questions:

Mr 8:17 But Jesus, being aware of [it], said to them, “Why do you reason because you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? 18  “Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember?

His disciples had reasoned inside their minds that when Jesus had warned them about the Leaven of the Pharisees and the Leaven of Herod, that it was about not having brought bread with them on the boat headed across the Sea.  How could they have possibly missed the entire gist of His warning to them?

I know how they could have missed the main point of His warning and come up with the lame answer that it was about not having any bread.  They had been following this man Jesus, whom they have seen and believed that He must be the Messiah or some major prophet in their midst. He warns them about the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod and their minds begin to race. Some of them must have wondered ‘What on earth is He saying?? And this wasn’t the first time they had been asked something that their natural minds couldn’t possibly have comprehended. For example: When Jesus asked them to feed the 5,000 they reasoned that they couldn’t possibly accomplish that with the little money they had; And the distance they were from any market whereby they could purchase the food. But that was not what Jesus had asked them.

Lu 9:13 But He said to them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people.”

He simply asked them to give them something to eat. Had they simply obeyed and not reasoned they would have seen a miracle. Not one performed by Jesus alone, but one in which their very hands would have been used to achieve. It would have been something to see those disciples take those five loaves and two fish, break them and break them and break them…..until all had been fed. What a missed opportunity?

Oh, yes, I know how they felt when He warned them about the Pharisees and Herod. They were probably thinking’ What does He want us to do or say now?’ I have been there many times when He has impressed me to do or say something that I had no idea what was going to happen. Haven’t you ever felt like He wanted you to do something beyond what you could perceive or comprehend?

I believe most of us have and we either ignored it (hoping it would go away) or couldn’t reasonable figure out how to do what He had just asked. You see that is where the disciples were. They couldn’t perceive nor understand because it was beyond what they had ever experienced or known. God wants us to be challenged to walk in things that will stretch our ability to believe. If we never dare to believe that He is able to do whatever He asks us to do, then we will never be able to see the miracles that await us.

Joh 14:12 ¶ “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater [works] than these he will do, because I go to My Father.

Dare to believe this scripture. Don’t reason it away just because it goes beyond your own experience or your reason to believe. He said that he who believes in Me, the works I do he will do also; and greater works than these…. Does that make your mind race to find an answer that will help you understand why this isn’t happening in your life? Don’t reason away a miracle today. Please open your heart and let that word sink in and the Holy Spirit will do the rest. It is possible to do what Jesus did, the early church of believers did do them and greater.

Please choose to believe that you can do what Paul the apostle said: Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Have a Great Day!!

Col 2:8 See to it that no one carries you off as spoil or makes you yourselves captive by his so-called philosophy and intellectualism and vain deceit (idle fancies and plain nonsense), following human tradition (men’s ideas of the material rather than the spiritual world), just crude notions following the rudimentary and elemental teachings of the universe and disregarding <the teachings of> Christ (the Messiah).

This is the real battle for the souls of all mankind.  It is a clash of two world-views or ideologies. Paul warned that the worlds system of belief can carry you off as spoil by these:

            1.  Philosophy (Intellectualism)

            2.  Vain deceit (idle fancies and plain nonsense)

            3.  Human traditions (men’s ideas of the material rather than the spiritual world)

            4.  Science (Rudimentary and elemental teachings of the universe)

This world view can be summed up as Secularism. A brief history: Secularism is an outgrowth of Humanism that started in late 15^th and 16^th century which aspired to reestablish the human values of classical antiquity (Greek and Roman) by reviving its language, philosophy and literature and replacing what they saw as the debased, medieval scholasticism of their time. In latter years Humanism gave birth to Existentialism: a doctrine derived from Kierkegaard (1813-55)[ by Heidegger: (1889-1976) the father of existentialism]which stated that man is not part of an ordered metaphysical scheme, rather individuals must create their own being, each in his own specific situation and environment. His contemporary Hegel (1770-1831, also a humanist) promoted the concept of a historical development of the human mind from consciousness of mere sensory experience to reflective thought and ultimate awareness of itself as absolute knowledge. He is accredited with the dialectic process of logic “the Hegelian Triad:” thesis, antithesis, synthesis. These thoughts are the basis for what we call today Secular Humanism. Secularism is the belief in rational man as a source of his own salvation and a rejection of the supernatural. It incorporates Science, Human Classical traditions, Philosophy and vain deceit (this is the simplified secular worldview).

You can clearly see that the Secular worldview is the very thing that the Apostle Paul was warning the saints at Colossi to avoid. He wanted them to keep themselves from this philosophy by holding to Biblical Truth, which believes that man is dependent on the mercy and forgiveness of the Creator and salvation only comes through His grace as we receive Jesus as Lord. This very definition is the exact opposite of what Secularism teaches.  The battle is for our minds, and the minds of our children. This secular philosophy is the underlying theme of science and the arts in our society today. We are constantly bombarded with it, and must make a conscious effort to hold onto the truth.

I believe you can find many of these secular ideas that have crept into the Church and our lives. We must get back to this reality:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
the Maker of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord:

Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;

He descended into hell.

The third day He arose again from the dead;

He ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost;
the holy catholic (all encompassing) church;
the communion of saints;
the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body;
and the life everlasting.

Amen.

This is known as the Apostles’ Creed which dates back to the earliest days of the Church. Let’s begin to conquer secularism by uniting behind this banner of truth.

Have a Great Day.

Ps 18:2 The Lord is my Rock, my Fortress, and my Deliverer; my God, my keen and firm Strength in Whom I will trust and take refuge, my Shield, and the Horn of my salvation, my High Tower.

The Lord is my Rock. When life is like sinking sand then we can find that Rock upon which we can stand. Life can seem so overwhelming at times it feels like your faith and your hope are sinking in the surrounding sands of anxious despair. Jesus said:

Mt 7:24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 “and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

If our heart is right towards God, then His words should be music to our ears, and comfort to our souls. One Word from Him will delight our hearts and bring resolve to the determination of our will. As we are determined to obey it does not matter what Hell and it’s forces may assail, we shall prevail for we are like a house that is founded on the Rock.

As we stand against every assault the enemy may bring there remains yet another comfort for us weary warriors. We can rest our feet inside the tower of His fortress, impenetrably surrounded by ramparts built with the Rock of Ages. No foe can enter its solid gates, no ladder is tall enough to reach it’s lofty spires, and no weapon is strong enough to breach it’s fortified walls. There we can enter that place of rest promised to the heavy soul:

Mt 11:28 “Come to Me, all [you] who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Yet in Him there still remains another benefit that He supplies us the ultimate refuge. Though surrounded by the adversary our fortress will remain secure, for our God shall deliver us from every enemy, and vanquish every foe. Victory, Sweet victory, He will Secure!!!

1Co 15:57 But thanks [be] to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

With the fragrance of victory defused about us, the antagonist of our souls shall flounder in defeat.

2Co 2:14 Now thanks [be] to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

This revelation once realized will bolster and strengthen us for every battle that may confront us everyday. The knowledge of His enduring love and the security of living in His realm will lift the heaviest head.
Have a Great Day!!!

Today, that should be the focus of our lives. We need to live in today, not yesterday, and not to worry about tomorrow.

Mt 6:34 “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day [is] its own trouble.

We spend so much time worrying about what might happen tomorrow that we can’t focus our attention on what needs to be done today. The Message translation of v. 34 says it this way:

34″Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

I like that “ Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now.  The beautiful thing about that is you will be hearing and seeing what God wants you to accomplish today. You see we all need to get our instructions from God, so we can fulfill the things He has planned for us this day.

Eph 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

God has a plan for your life, which he prepared long ago, that you should accomplish. It shouldn’t be a mystery for you to find out what God has planned for you. He will tell you and probably has already given you a pretty good idea. You will find a lot of what God has for you in His Word.

John 5:19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.

The plan for Jesus’ life was pretty much outlined for Him in prophecies that foretold of His coming. He fulfilled everything that His Father had shown the prophets. It was in the Scriptures that Jesus found His identity and His purpose.

Lu 4:43  but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.”
John 12:27  “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.

You can find your purpose outlined in the same Scriptures that Jesus Himself found.  You see you are all called to influence those He has placed around you for good.  You are to shine the light of the gospel in your life so that others may see and know the truth.

Finding out that you have been called to express the love of God to others, like Jesus, will help you catapult your purpose onto the stage of life today.

You need to determine in your mind that you are going to express His love to someone today. You might ask, How can I do that?  When I was growing up, the Boy Scouts were known for doing good deeds by randomly helping people; an elderly person cross the street, open a door for someone else, carry something for someone…etc.

Look for opportunities today, where you can do a Random Act of Service to someone in the name of the Lord. Let Jesus Shine Today!!!

Go Have a Great Day!!!

We don’t have to worry about the conditions of this world economy, if it is going to recover or I crash.  There is a way to help steady your soul, your mind, will and emotions, in the Lord. Christians should always be the ones who shine with optimism when everyone in the world is living under a dark cloud of gloom. There are certain things that we can do so that our lives stay in a place of His continual Blessing.

Psalms 1:1. ¶  Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;  2.  But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3.  He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.

The first thing that we can do to stay blessed is be one“…Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly.” What is the Counsel of the Ungodly?

Counsel of the Ungodly.

1.   Counsel simply means seeking or taking advice from somebody.

2.   The people we should not take advice from is the ungodly.

a. Who are the Ungodly?

i.  All of mankind by nature are ungodly, without God, without the knowledge of truth, fear and worship of God, and are antagonisic toward Him.

These are the people that we need to avoid taking advice from if we want to stay in that blessed state.  We can take advice from ungodly, by letting what they say influence our lives. This can happen as we go about the simple task of living. When we relax before the television, watch news, shows, listen to lyrics in songs, watch movies, go social interaction sites, read online news, commentaries …etc. To stay in that blessed state we need to pay attention to what we allow to enter our minds and hearts, they can influence us more than you can imagine.

Stand in the Path of Sinners.

1.  Stand in this verse means to remain or dwell.

2.  Path means the way or manner (of living)

3.  Sinners, those who are in the habit of practicing sin.

To stay blessed we need to make sure that we are not hanging with those who practice sin. That means those who justify the sin they commit and don’t want to repent. This is why Paul warned the Corinthians 1Co 15:33 Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”  I have observed, sadly, many well intentioned Christians reaching out to those who have never repented of their sins, make friends, remain in close contact, and slowly change. Some I am sad to say have even lost their faith entirely or are so mixed in their views that their faith hardly resembles Christianity (read Culture Cult).

Sit in the Seat of the Scornful.

1.  Sit means more that sitting down to rest, it implies a constant abiding or     dwelling.

2.  The Scornful are those who boast or scorn.

With the Scornful being those who boast or scorn then we need to almost always avoid sitting and listening to most talk radio or mainstream media. Instead of intelligent conversation and reporting they have taken to bragging, boasting and mocking.

These three things only lead to us being overly weighed down in the stream of the worlds perspective of life.  If you have been fighting, fear, depression, anxiety or an overtly worrisome expression, then you need to quit doing those three things and then watch what happens.

But his delight…

The secret to staying in that blessed state is not in just avoiding things. It involves us pleasantly pursuing “…law of the LORD.”  When David uses the term law of the Lord or statutes, or ordinances, he is poetically saying the Word of God. David delighted in the Word and the way of living that such a love would naturally produce. He so loved it that you can see him encouraging:

And in His law he meditates day and night.

To meditate means to muse, mutter, meditate and imagine. Start taking control of those day dreams, those mumblings to yourself and the things on which you ponder. Let your mind be filled with His Word instead of the things that you usually thing about. Find out what God has to say about a certain circumstance or situation you find yourself in and then write it down, read it over and over throughout the day. When you get home at night spend the last 30 minutes of your day musing on those things.

Get Ready to Be Blessed!!!!

After Jesus had feed the 4,000 he gets in a boat with the Apostles to go to the other side. As He enters the boat he gives them this warning:

Mr 8:15 And Jesus <repeatedly and expressly> charged and admonished them, saying, Look out; keep on your guard and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod and the Herodians.

Jesus warned them of against two beliefs systems that could spread like leaven in their lives. The First is the Leaven of the Pharisees and the Second is the Leaven of Herod and the Herodians.  To understand the leaven of the Herodians we must look at who Herod was and how he lived.

Herod was the tetrarch of Galilee, the son of Herod the Great. Under the Roman system of government the territory of Galilee was under the joint rule of four rulers.  He was ruthless in his rule, like his father Herod the Great. He was Jewish only by the lineage of his mother who was a Samaritan. He was responsible for the death of John the Baptist and mocked Jesus before his court. His government was corrupt and had even influenced the election of the high priests.  John the Baptist was beheaded because he withstood Herod  for his marriage to his brother’s wife Herodias.

Mr 6:18 For John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”

Mt 14:3  For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife.

 It was Herodias daughter who after winning the Herod’s favor asked for the head of John the Baptist.

Mr 6:25 Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

We can see the corruption of his rule from these glimpses into his life from Scripture. Rule in the Roman system was bestowed to those who had gained (by bribes, or service) the favor of the Caesar. The whole system was corrupt.

It was not I believe the office that Jesus warned about, but the influence that office had on the society of Israel. It was a corrupt and worldly influence. Here is what I believe to be the Leaven of Herod: It is the influence of worldliness that causes the focus of life to be in the natural world and it’s governments instead of God.

It is so important to keep our focus on God and His Word. We can so easily be lead into believing that it is the rule of Government that gives us freedom.  Government’s through-out history have more than not restricted freedoms rather than endorse or allow them.  Freedom I believe comes from those who are governed by God, whom have submitted to His regulations in their lives leading to a society of those who would be self regulated. This was God’s original intent for His people, the descendents of Abraham, when He brought them into the promise land. They lived under a Theocracy and the rule of law was prescribed in the Torah. They lived by the law of Moses, towns were ruled by elders in regard to social law, and by priest in regard to religious law. When they began to depart from the law of God, he sent prophets to judge them.  A true self-regulated society. No taxes, no king, and no bureaucracy. It wasn’t until generations after coming into the land that the people asked for a king so they could be like the other nations. Worldliness had crept into the lives of the people of God.

1Sa 8:5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.

Monarchy didn’t provide more freedom, it took away many of their freedoms by taxation and mandatory service to their kings.

Jesus came after the monarchies of Israel had totally collapsed. It was the worldliness that had crept in and had overtaken them. This is what Jesus was warning His disciples against. We must take up that fight again. We must fight the influence of this world upon our doctrines of truth and our lifestyles. To win this fight we must pray that the eyes of the believers in America would be opened to see the worldliness in their lives and that they return to God wholeheartedly.

Have a Great Day!!

With all the mostly bad news swirling around on every source of media that is available today, we need help to keep from Going Crazy Scared or just Downright Depressed. There has to be a place for us Christians that can help us find that peace and joy in the midst of the whirlwind of the world that surrounds. Can I tell you that the hidden between the pages of that leather bound book we call the Bible, is a place that one can find solace in the midst of life’s storms.

Ps.16:8 ¶  I have set the LORD always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.

9  Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope.

10  For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.

11  You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

The Psalmist David is preaching and teaching us the secrets of living a life in a peaceful place regardless of the circumstances of life. First He directs us to be ever diligent to put or set the Lord before us. The important word in this first verse is the verb, set. We can set our gaze on things so far away from the Lord, yet He will always be at our side. It is so important what we place before our eyes to read, watch and focus upon, if we want the benefits that come with abiding in His presence. Our focus can cause us to despair, even if we are in the safety of His lap and embraced by His everlasting arms. He has allowed us the freedom to be able to set His face before us whenever we want. It is our choice to look at the fearful or the Faithful, the panic or the Peace, the worrisome or the Wonder.

Whatever we choose will determine whether or not our heart will be glad. This is David’s first lesson of the persistence of His presence and the second deals with the permanence of His presence.

The second, I believe, starts with the phrase, ‘My flesh also will rest in hope.’ Though are flesh may perish it will always abide in the hope of the Permanence of His Presence. For He will never leave us or forsake us, even at deaths very door; or as we pass from this life to the eternal life. David saw into the future to the hope of all humanity by stating “For You will not leave my soul in Sheol, Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.” Jesus, the Hope of all humanity, the Holy One of David’s dream, speaks to us from the threshold of eternity’s door; “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.” Our hope is anchored in this very fact, that the power Hades and Death no longer has any hold on us. “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” Knowing that His presence is always with us should comfort us and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.(Heb.2:15)  Having our eyes focus on His loving presence will deal a death blow to fear, forever.

1Jo 4:18  There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

The two lessons that David has laid before us in this Psalm when applied will constantly lead us in the path of life and have our mouths proclaim; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore

Have a Great Day!!!

After Jesus had feed the 4,000 he gets in a boat with the Apostles to go to the other side. As He enters the boat he gives them this warning:

Mr 8:15 And Jesus <repeatedly and expressly> charged and admonished them, saying, Look out; keep on your guard and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod and the Herodians.

He was warning them of two systems of belief that were likened to leaven. Leaven as you know is the yeast that is put into our bread that makes it light and fluffy. After being add to the flour and sugar the yeast begins to digest the sugar and starts to multiply. This multiplication causes the dough to rise until every part of it is thoroughly incorporated into the mixture. After the yeast is added there is no way to separate it out of the dough. Leaven in the Bible is likened to sin by Paul:

1Co 5:6 Your glorying [is] not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?

Jesus warned them about the leaven of the Pharisees, because He did not want it to get into the minds and lives of His disciples. To find out what Jesus was talking about I read every exchange of communication between Jesus and the Pharisees. I also read the infamous rebuke that Jesus proclaimed against them which I refer to as “The Woes”.

After reading all those scriptures I came to this definition of what I believe the leaven of the Pharisees are:

It is the clinging to outward religious forms and not dealing with the inner hidden sin.  No matter how pious or orthodox it might seem it is the worship of religion = self and not of the Living God.

We are constantly in a struggle with trying to live a godly life in the midst of this ever declining moral climate.  No matter where we live there is a constant pressure from what I believe are evil spiritual forces that try to get us to listen to the lust of our baser selves or our old man.  When the Scriptures tell us to put off this old man with its deceitful lust we can easily become overwhelmed by this seemly impossible task. Sometimes it is just easier to put on an outward display of holiness and righteousness then deal with those deeply engrained behaviors that need to change (the Leaven of the Pharisees).

The problem with that is sin is like leaven and it will begin to multiply unless it is killed. Our old nature doesn’t want to be ignored even though it was defeated when we were baptized into Christ. The hardest thing for us to understand is how to kill or put to death our old man. Remember that the old man was in bondage to sin and Paul likens sin to leaven. The sure way to kill leaven is with heat. Heat will kill it and cause it not to grow anymore. When the Jews offered up sacrifices they burned them with fire on an altar. Paul gives us this admonition:

Ro 12:1 ¶ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, [which is] your reasonable service.

We present our bodies to God as a living sacrifice. So how does it get burned up? Is that our responsibility in offering ourselves to God? NO, and NO!! We offer our lives to God and He is the one that will apply the fire to consume the offering. Our responsibility is to keep our lives in that constant state of being an offering. Remember the Leaven of the Pharisees was the worship of religion and self, not of God.  The focus was on their accomplishments in regard to holiness. It is sometimes so tempting to compare our accomplishments to others, so we can feel good about our self. But Paul warned us; 2Co 10:12 ¶ Not that we <have the audacity to> venture to class or <even to> compare ourselves with some who exalt and furnish testimonials for themselves! However, when they measure themselves with themselves and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding and behave unwisely.  This behavior is borne out of not understanding the true working of God’s mercy and grace, which are the outward manifestation of His unsearchable, incomprehensible love.

As the offering cannot of itself burn on the altar, unless the priest sets the wood under it on fire, so we cannot of ourselves accomplish anything without the helping hand of His Grace. Here are the first verses of an old song that clearly states the importance of His Grace;

Only by grace can we enter

Only by grace can we stand

Not by our human endeavour

But by the blood of the Lamb

The heat that God applies to our living sacrifice is the fire of His passion for us. That fire lights a fire in us that causes us to grow in our understanding of His love.

Have a great day!!

I sometimes wonder if we are facing more difficulty in our era then our fore-fathers in the faith faced in there time. Do you ever wonder about that?  Really, I think every generation has wondered that very thing, but the reality of it is that every generation has it own unique difficulties. I really don’t think we have it nearly as bad as our brothers and sisters who live in countries that outlaw the way they practice their Christian faith. The persecution they face makes our difficulties in this culture seem pretty little in comparison. Their plight reminds us of the problems that the apostle Paul wrote about in this passage:

2Co 11:23  Are they ministers of Christ? ——I speak as a fool——I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. 24  From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one;

25  Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep;

26  in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;

27  in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness——

28  besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.

When I look at my life through the lens of apostle Paul’s life, my daily struggles don’t seem to be all that bad after all. I am certain that in those countries that I have mentioned already these Scriptures bring comfort to them in their daily struggles. Sometimes we need a little reality check, just to help us keep life in focus.  We need to realize how good and gracious God has been to us, and go to church this morning with a heart filled with gratitude. Ready to give the Lord praise and thanks for all that you have been given.

Have a Great Day!!

See you in church!

Today, I went to a political gathering, which I can’t remember ever doing in my hometown of Tucson, called a “Tea Party”. I was curious about these gatherings because I had heard that Judge Napolitano of “Fox News” had called them an ‘awakening’. Knowing that the origin of the word “Awakening” came from Jonathan Edwards, a leader in the first “ Great Awakening” in the New England colonies (mentioned in America Wake Up).  The reason I went to the “Tea Party” was not to support or protest some political movement, it was to share the Truth of the Gospel with whomever. Judge Napolitano was one of the speakers who was scheduled to speak this morning.  While I was walking around the gathering passing out New Testaments with the Title “Abundant Life” I could not help put hear his speech to a crowd of about 5,000 people.

I heard a lot of conservative speech about returning to the original intent of the founding Fathers of America and the Constitution. I agreed with most of what I heard, except that I didn’t hear about the real intent of the founding of this nation, which is, that the Gospel would go to the ends of the world. There was a lot about the importance of the freedoms given to all humanity and the triumph of the human spirit. That was the underlying premise of many of the speeches that I heard today.

Freedom doesn’t come from the triumph of the human spirit but from the gift of God’s Holy Spirit given to those who would believe.

2Co 3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom).

The freedoms that have been given to mankind came when the Son of God came to bring us the Truth.

 Jn.8: 31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Notice that freedom comes to those who:

1.  Abide in His Word

2.  Are Disciples indeed

3.  Know the Truth

If we fail to do these three things, we will not be free. First we must abide in the Word. To abide means to live in. What Jesus was saying we must live in the truth. That means we live what we believe, walk what we talk and live a life of truth. The second thing we must do to experience freedom is to be a disciple. A disciple was a person who was a disciplined learner of the truth that Jesus preached. The third thing is just a natural progression of the other two steps and that is to know the Truth. To know the Truth, you must get to know the One who is the embodiment of Truth, Jesus.(John 14:6)

I talked to a woman who was in here 50’s who was going around taking up donations for the Tea Party. I asked her if she would like a free book and she saw what it was and began to tear up.  She told me that she had been raised a Southern Baptist as a child, but had walked away from the truths that she had learned. As she began to see all that was happening in our nation she became very scared and went in search of a church. She had just started going to a church so she was overwhelmed with emotion when she saw the New Testament. Usually, I don’t give them to believers when I am out talking to people about the Gospel, but she pleaded with me to keep the book so I let her.

I thought it was significant that when her eyes were opened to the goings on in our government that she ran back to God. Maybe this is really just the first steps in what Jonathan Edwards said was a General Awakening!!!

Have a Great Day!!!

In these uncertain times it is so nice to have an assurance that something is going to turn out the way that it should or was promised that it would.  So often, we put our trust in a person, or a thing (government) and are utterly let down. Can I tell you to not loose heart, there is still a God in Heaven who is faithful to every Word He has ever spoke.

De 7:9 “Therefore know that the LORD your God, He [is] God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;

David’s son, King Solomon, prayed a prayer at the dedication of the temple, and when he was done praying addressed the people, saying “….There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He has promised …”  I want to tell you, that no matter what circumstance you are in, God is faithful to help.  Find one of the promises that He has made in the Bible that is similar to what you need to change the situation you are in. Then take the promise and put it into a prayer that will ask God to help you in your situation (supplication).  Then wait patiently for God to answer, because I can tell you with all certainty that He will definitely answer your supplication to Him.

Heb 10:23  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

It seems to us that the hardest thing to do is wait; but if you will look at it from a different perspective then from the place of desperation. You will find out that you are good at waiting. You have been waiting your whole Christian life for God to answer His promise of salvation for you. That is what Paul was referring to above, and that is the attitude we need to have if we want to see His promises fulfilled in our daily lives. Don’t look at the situations or circumstances but look at the promise and the One who has made that promise. Know that He is absolutely faithful to what He has said, He will never lie!!

Nu 23:19  God is not a man, that He should tell or act a lie, neither the son of man, that He should feel repentance or compunction <for what He has promised>. Has He said and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken and shall He not make it good?

Recently, the last couple of months, my wife and I have found ourselves, like many people today, in a place of desperate financial need. We had done all that we knew to do, like what I just wrote above, yet the promise that we had been standing on did not come. I hate to tell you, but for just one moment, what seemed to be the very last moment, I broke down.  I didn’t give up, but I let the pressure of the circumstance define my actions and emotions, more than the promise. You see, my wife had already heard the Lord tell her that “Help is on the way.” I already had known that God would come through, but  in that moment it all became overwhelming. I repented (changed my mind) and went into a time of prayer. While in this time of prayer an idea came to mind (God speaking to me). So I did what I had received from the Lord and the next morning we received notice that a check, which was exactly what we needed, was on the way.

Later, looking at the situation from the other side, the place were the promised had been fulfilled, we wondered why it seems like He waits till the last minute to answer.

My brother was there and he read this Scripture that seemed to answer our very question:

Isa 30:18 ¶ Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the LORD [is] a God of justice; Blessed [are] all those who wait for Him.

God wanted to bless us. Notice that those who wait are blessed. He didn’t want to rob us of the blessing of seeing our patience pay off. The Amplified version really blessed me when my wife read:

Isa 30:18 ¶ And therefore the Lord <earnestly> waits <expecting, looking, and longing> to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who <earnestly> wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him <for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship>!

Look at that, God the creator of the Universe, earnestly waits to be gracious to you. So, as you wait, He can bless you with His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship!!!!  Praise the Lord!!

So many people have such a difficult time in trying to understand the Will of God. In the Bible you will find that when you search for the Will of God, most of the Scriptures will be in the New Testament. There is a reason for that and I will address that later.

Jesus used the terms:

The will of the My Father?  Mt 7:21; 12:50

The will of God? Mark 3:35; Luke 7:30; John 1:13

The will of Him who sent me? John 5:30; 6:39, 40

Most of these deal with the Will of God in regard to people coming to the saving knowledge of the Messiah, Jesus.

Paul used these terms, in salutations, and in many of his letters (epistles):

The will of God Rom. 1:10; 8:27; 12:2; 1Co. 1:1; 2Co. 1:1; 8:5; Ga. 1:4; Eph. 1:1, 6:6; Col. 1:1, 4:12; 1 Th. 5:18; 2 Tim. 1:1; Heb. 10 36

The will of the Lord. Eph. 5:17

The Apostle Peter used these terms in referring to the will of God:

The will of God. 1Pe. 2:15, 3:17; 4:2

He used these in reference to walking in the righteousness of God and holding fast to the confession of faith.

The Apostle John uses it in the general term of: The will of God. 1Jn. 2:17, according to His will:

1Jo 5:14 ¶ Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

I think that it is this last verse of Scripture that gives us the most trouble. How can I ask God for something and know that it is the Will of God? Many of us ask that very question, and we have a difficult time praying for things with confidence, believing that we will receive them from God.  All, because we don’t understand what His will is for us.

This is where the Jews, in the Old Testament had a lot of understanding. They didn’t have a question of what is the will of God, because God had clearly answered that by giving them the Law of Moses.  All of us who understand Grace, kind of, cringe when we think of that, because we are no longer under the Law but under Grace. Right? You see, we Christian use the will of God in ways that are confusing to us. Like is the will of God that I should marry so and so….etc? That is not a matter of the will of God, but God destiny for your life. The will of God is anything that doesn’t violate the commands of God; which are these:

1.   Have no other gods.

2.   Have no idols.

3.   Honor God’s name.

4.   Honor the Sabbath day.

5.   Honor your parents.

6.   Do not murder.

7.   Do not commit adultery.

8.   Do not steal.

9.   Do not perjure yourself.

10. Do not covet.

This is what was understood as the General will of God. Anything and everything else was permissible to God. David understood this:

Ps 37:4 Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Now think of this, He will give you the desire of your heart, as long as it is not in violation of His Word. When you understand this, I believe it will open up so many things to you to believe God for, that you had previously given up on because you weren’t certain that it was His will.

Start asking God for the desires of your heart and get ready for the ride of your life. Remember always, that He is faithful to answer everyone of His promises to you, because all the promises of God, are “Yes and Amen in Him.”

Have A Great Day!