Water From the Rock

This morning I felt like I should reflect on the story of 'the water from the rock' found in Exodus 17:1-7 NIV:

[1] "The whole Israelite community set out from the Desert of Sin, traveling from place to place as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. [2] So they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses replied, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?”

[3] But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses. They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”

[4] Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What am I to do with these people? They are almost ready to stone me.”

[5] The Lord answered Moses, “Go out in front of the people. Take with you some of the elders of Israel and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. [6] I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.” So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel. [7] And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the Lord saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

A couple of things pop into my mind immediately:

First, the Hebrew people were persistent in their unbelief and ungratefulness.  They were always more worried about what God was going to do today, rather than thinking about what God did yesterday and how that revealed His character and faithfulness in caring for them.  I am reminded of how often I am exactly like this, immediately starting to complain if something doesn't go my way.

Secondly, they were in this place because they were following God, as He directed them.  God had a plan.  He always does, and He was going to provide for them, as He promised He would, but the people weren't willing to wait on God.

Their perspective, once again was limited by the present situation, not having learned about God's blessing and provision from His previous acts and interactions.  He had previously provided manna and quail, had purified poisoned water, and safely protected them from the pursuing Egyptian army, a location without water was not going to be a problem for God.  The people, however, were quick to complain and grumble.

I know that by following the Lord, I have several times found myself in apparently difficult situations, and in those times I am quick to follow the Hebrew people's example of grumbling and complaining. As I think about this, I realize that this is a symptom of a unrenewed mindset, and wrong identity.  The Hebrew people were no longer slaves, they were God's chosen people, the people of His promise, but their mind-set was still slave-like.  Slaves have no choice and no freedom, and when things are difficult they complain and grumble, for that is all they can do.  Slaves are justified in their complaints against unfair and cruel masters.

The problem is that God isn't like their former masters and they were no longer slaves, they were His chosen people.  He loved them, chose them and promised to take care of them and protect them.  The people didn't trust God, didn't trust Moses, and were convinced they would have been better off to have stayed in Egypt.  They were deluded in their thinking, as we can clearly see from our perspective, but in the midst of it all, they could not see their wrong perspective.

In the same way, my sometime struggles in believing God are the result of an unrenewed mind, and wrong identity.  I am thinking like someone who hasn't met or experienced God's love, and I am not embracing my identity as His son, whom He greatly loves.  As Paul says in his letter to Colossians 3:1-14 NIV:

[1] "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. [2] Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. [3] For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. [4] When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."

[5] "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. [6] Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. [7] You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. [8] But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. [9] Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices [10] and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. [11] Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all."

[12] "Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. [13] Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. [14] And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity."

Amen!  Help me Lord to clothe myself in what is from You, embracing my new identity as Your son, holy and dearly loved.  Help me to fully believe in You, Your Word, Your promise and Your timing.

Christmas Meditation

I was thinking about the best verses for Christmas and the following two came to mind -   John 3:16-17 NIV:

[16] "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

This is the reality we celebrate at Christmas.  The Father loved us so much, and desired relationship with us once again (something lost in the Garden of Eden) so he sent us His one and only Son, to save us from our condition (sin and separation from God).  Whoever believes in Him will receive eternal life which is found in relationship with Him.  As Jesus said, "Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." (John 17:3)

So let us celebrate our God's love, His greatest gift Jesus, our salvation and eternal life, found in Him!

Merry Christmas!  May You be greatly Blessed!

God Moves in Unexpected Ways

This morning I am reflecting on the story of Jesus' birth, from Luke's Gospel - Luke 2:1-7 NIV:

[1] "In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. [2] (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) [3] And everyone went to their own town to register.

[4] So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. [5] He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. [6] While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, [7] and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them."

I was thinking recently that this is just a very interesting story and tells us much about God's character.  The first thing that strikes me is that God doesn't do things the way we would think He would do them.  Rather then a kingly birth he is born in a stable.  Rather then a royal family, he is born to a carpenter and his young wife, who aren't even married yet.  Rather than being able to rest at home and enjoy His birth, Mary is forced to ride a donkey many miles (almost 100 miles), in the 9th month of her pregnancy.  Rather than coming as a powerful leader, Jesus comes to us as a helpless human baby.  God picks this time for His Son to appear.  He is born to a lowly unmarried couple, who live in a small town far the center of the nation, who are part of a conquered people living under Roman rule. This is just not what you would think God would arrange for His Son!

This tells me a few things:

1) God isn't worried about pomp and regality, drawing attention to Himself or what He is doing
2) God works in ways that are sometimes uncomfortable, illogical, and out of our comfort-zone
3) God isn't worried about the rules or laws of religion, those are made for us, not for Him
4) God isn't worried about our opinions or thoughts about how He should do things
5) God is capable of making any circumstance work to His Glory and purposes
6) God is willing to entrust great things and purposes to people like you and me

This morning I am encouraged that God can be at work in my life in many ways, especially in ways I would not expect.  He is not like me, does not think like me, yet loves me and has purposes for me.  I must not limit myself to my understandings or expectations, but rather be open to the Lord moving in quiet, unseen, even hidden ways.  I must recognize that God sometimes, maybe often times chooses the lowly and down-trodden, out of the way people to birth huge changes and moves of God!

Does Sin Cause Sickness?

So yesterday as I was driving to breakfast with a friend I had a thought that needs some fleshing out.  Basically it relates to the thinking that is described in John 9:1-2 NIV: "As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

This thinking that sickness and disease were caused by sin were apparently common thoughts in the Jewish society.  This thinking is roughly based on the law and the idea that God punishes law-breakers (sinners).  Here are some of the main passages that talk about this thinking:

Exodus 20:4-6 NIV:
“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. [5] You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, [6] but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments."

Leviticus 26:14-16 NIV:
“ 'But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, [15] and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant, [16] then I will do this to you: I will bring on you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and sap your strength..."

What I also find interesting is how common this thinking is in our society today, especially in the church. I must say it is present even in my own life, for one of the first things I think when I get sick is whether this is the result of some sin in my life.

Before I go on, let me say that I do NOT believe this thinking is true, even though I think that way at times.  I believe that disease and sickness are in the world as a result of our fallen nature which was the result of sin, but not that the two are directly related in our individual lives.  I believe that God is first and foremost a loving Father, and that He sent Jesus to save us, not to condemn us and punish us.  I could spend a bunch of time looking at the other passages and developing the logic to say this thinking isn't correct, but instead I am just going to jump to the thought I had yesterday.

So the thought I had yesterday was that Jesus demonstrated that God the Father (for He came to reveal the Father to us) does not cause sickness because of sin.  He demonstrated this through healing every sick person that was brought to Him.  There were only a few times that He addressed sin after healing someone, the rest of the time He just healed them!  He healed them but He didn't address their sins because apparently they weren't related!  Jesus addressed sin several times, but never said it caused our sickness or diseases.

Now imagine thinking to yourself that your sickness was caused by sin, and was the result of God's attitude towards you as a sinner.  Imagine how you would feel about your life, especially if you couldn't put your finger on the specific sin that was the cause of your punishment.  Now imagine all the people around you having the same perspective and how they would look at you, thinking you were clearly a sinner because you were sick.  The book of Job is great example of this type of thinking played out in excruciating detail.

Now imagine how you would feel if you met Jesus, the very Son of God, and rather than punishing you for your sin(s) He looked at you with love and healed you!

Imagine the impact on your self-esteem!

Imagine the relief that would sweep over you!

Now consider the fact that Jesus healed thousands and thousands of people!  He was setting them free from the accusations and judgments of their fellow men, and the enemy!  There must have been a huge uplift in in the regional psyche as thousands of people were set free of the "sinner" label.

The simple fact is that we all are sinners, and if sin and sickness were directly related we would all be sick, all the time.  Jesus, in the story from John 9, specifically says that the man's blindness was not caused by sin, and certainly alluded to that during the thousands of healings He performed without mentioning their sins.  We obviously don't have records of all of those healings, but in the vast majority of specific healings mentioned in scripture, He does not address their sin or need for forgiveness.  In His directions to the 12 He sent out to minister, He does not reference sin - Matthew 10:6-8 NIV: "Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, proclaim this message: 'The kingdom of heaven has come near.'  Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give."

In summary, I believe that the Lord wants to set us free from this wrong thinking.  I believe He wants those who are presently sick to know that they are not being punished for their sin.  I believe He wants to set us all free from this accusation and old testament thinking about sickness and disease.  I believe the Lord wants to reveal to us His true heart for us, because He loves us and desires the very best for us.  I believe the Lord continues to heal people even today, AND has defeated sin and death.

Finally, in closing I thought this was appropriate - Quoting Psalm 103:1-5 NIV:

[1] "Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
[2] Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits---
[3] who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
[4] who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
[5] who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."

Carrying God's Presence

So this morning I am reading through 1 Chronicles, which is definitely not my normal reading selection.  When I am considering what to read in the morning, I try and reflect and ask the Lord to direct me as to what I should read. This morning as I waited on the Lord, I remembered in the middle of the night looking at the clock at 1:31am.  For some reason I thought it said 13:13.  In the past the Lord has directed my reading through highlighting numbers, either a page number or chapter and verse combination, and I thought when I remembered this strange occurrence that maybe this was one of those times.  When i opened my bible I  thought I would read the 13 chapter of the 13th book, which happens to be 1 Chronicles.

That explanation might seem strange, but historically I have found that the Lord speaks to me in many different ways.  I want to be listening and learning how He speaks, so that I can be directed by Him daily.  He often highlights numbers, either in my mind, or through some external source, and when I follow what appears to be His leading, more often then not it is to a significant or helpful word.  Almost always, I feel that He is directing me into His word, as the foundation for any revelation, and today this would be an accurate description.

Over the last few days, weeks and even years, I have been reflecting on the manifest presence of the Lord, the Glory of the Lord, His presence bringing true revival, the power and authority to heal, and such topics.  I have been reflecting upon how much of the church does not see the power or Glory of God evident in their daily lives and experiences, and longing to see that changed.  When God visits His people with His presence, they are affected powerfully.  This is the foundation upon which I reflect upon the scriptures this morning.

In 1 Chron 13, we find the story of David's first effort to return the Ark of God back to Israel, for it had been captured by the Philistines (1 Samuel 4).  The Ark of God represented the very presence of God in the midst of Israel, His awesome Glory, and Israel had lost it. It had been lost and Israel had not sought it out for many years, instead relying on their new King, Saul to lead them and guide them, the is the backdrop for these verses - 1 Chronicles 13:1-10 NIV:

[1] "David conferred with each of his officers, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. [2] He then said to the whole assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you and if it is the will of the Lord our God, let us send word far and wide to the rest of our people throughout the territories of Israel, and also to the priests and Levites who are with them in their towns and pasturelands, to come and join us. [3] Let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we did not inquire of it during the reign of Saul.” [4] The whole assembly agreed to do this, because it seemed right to all the people.

[5] So David assembled all Israel, from the Shihor River in Egypt to Lebo Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim. [6] David and all Israel went to Baalah of Judah (Kiriath Jearim) to bring up from there the ark of God the Lord, who is enthroned between the cherubim---the ark that is called by the Name.

[7] They moved the ark of God from Abinadab's house on a new cart, with Uzzah and Ahio guiding it. [8] David and all the Israelites were celebrating with all their might before God, with songs and with harps, lyres, timbrels, cymbals and trumpets.

[9] When they came to the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark, because the oxen stumbled. [10] The Lord's anger burned against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God."

There are many commentaries on these verses, and many of them seek to explain why God struck down Uzzah for touching the Ark.  This morning I just want to consider these verses from the perspective of trying to return the Glory of God to Israel, for that is literally what they were about, and that is essentially what I have been reflecting on these past days, weeks and years.

Firstly, David's desire to return the Ark of the Covenant is clearly a good thing, even God inspired.  The Ark of the Covenant was where God chose to dwell  "enthroned between the cherubim" and David knew that God's presence and Glory were critical to Israel's future.  I think the first mistake is that He inquired of the people and his military commanders, not the prophets of God, nor the book of the Law both representative of the Word of God.  So rather than asking God, he asks the people what they think.

Secondly, because they did not confer with the Word of God, they decided they could move the ark faster in a wagon pulled by oxen.  The directions for moving the Ark of the Covenant are very clearly laid out in Numbers 4 and Exodus 25, Deuteronomy 10, and it was to be carried by men of the tribe of Levi, members of the priesthood.  In Numbers 4 there was a clear warning against touching anything resulting in death, so the priests should have known that they were supposed to carry the ark and no one should touch it at all.  Thus, the approach they took to returning the Ark was wrong from the start.  They were using a cart to move the Ark, something that man had built, rather than bearing the Ark of His Presence upon their own shoulders.  I would imagine they chose the cart as a quicker way to move the Ark, and it was obviously easier as well.

Thirdly, it seemed they were so busy celebrating the soon return of God's Glory, they totally didn't give His presence the respect and significance it deserved.  The Ark was meant to be carried by 8 men, walking in unison.  Two men walking beside the cart upon which it was loaded is not ascribing the correct significance to the presence of God. I think they were looking to the effects the Ark would have on them, rather than rejoicing in the presence of God.  God's presence is meant to be borne by men, it is not meant to be accelerated by the conveyances of man, nor taken lightly.

Finally, David becomes angry and frightened of God, after Uzzah dies.  He leaves the Ark in the house of Odeb-Edom and returns to Jerusalem (1 Chron 13:11-14).  The good news is that David learned from His mistakes over the next three months.  He starts inquiring of the Lord rather then the people, he researches the right way to bring the Ark of God back to Israel.  In 1 Chron 15, we see David applying that which he learned and directing the people and priests correctly in the bringing the Ark back to Jerusalem on the shoulders of 8 priests.

Summarizing my learning this morning -

1) God desires His Glory to be with His people
2) His presence is meant to be carried by men (people) not machines or conveyances
3) We must ascribe the correct significance to Him and His presence, desiring Him present not for the effects of His presence, but to simply be in His presence.  His presence causes blessing (1 Chron 13: 14) but the blessing should not be the reason we seek His presence.

Lord, I pray that You will guide us and direct us as to how to return Your Glory to the church!  We desire to see You present once again!

Power & Authority

This morning I was reading through Luke, chapter nine, and although this is an incredible chapter full of things like the Transfiguration, I felt drawn to meditate on the first few passages of the chapter.

 Luke 9:1-6 NIV:

[1] "When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, [2] and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. [3] He told them: “Take nothing for the journey---no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. [4] Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. [5] If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” [6] So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere."

I love the first sentence - "he gave them power (dunamis) and authority (exousia) to drive out all demons and to cure diseases."

Dunamis:

1. strength power, ability
a. inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, or which a person or thing exerts and puts forth
b. power for performing miracles
c. moral power and excellence of soul
d. the power and influence which belong to riches and wealth
e. power and resources arising from numbers
f. power consisting in or resting upon armies, forces, hosts

Exousia:

1. power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases
a. leave or permission
2. physical and mental power
a. the ability or strength with which one is endued, which he either possesses or exercises
3. the power of authority (influence) and of right (privilege)
4. the power of rule or government (the power of him whose will and commands must be submitted to by others and obeyed)

When I look at the definitions of those two Greek words, I can't help but notice that there is not much room to misunderstand them, they really mean power and authority, the strength and right or authority to do something.  In this case the power and authority was being directed at two things which were against the Good News of the Kingdom of God. Apparently in the Kingdom of God, sickness and disease and demonic forces do not have power to affect people's lives, and that is part of the proclamation, and then demonstration of the Good News.

The original Greek  does not say "drive out demons" but rather power and authority over demons individually and collectively.  I think the language used in the NIV reflects the fact that this is what Jesus did when He confronted demonic entities, He drove them out of the affected person.  Finally, they were  also given  the power and authority to heal or cure sickness and diseases.  The Greek word for healing used here is therapeuo:

1. to serve, do service (as in serving God, being a servant of God)
2. to heal, cure, restore to health

The word for demons is the Greek word daimonion:

1. the divine power, deity, divinity
2. a spirit, a being inferior to God, superior to men
3. evil spirits or the messengers and ministers of the devil

Thus, when reading these verses, we should understand that this is not a misinterpretation, nor something that was optional.  Jesus specifically addressed them and gave them the ability to do what He did, He passed to them both the power and authority to proclaim the Good News and then demonstrate the same.  This power and authority to serve God and act as His representative is supposed to be coupled with the proclamation.

Jesus didn't come just to tell us what the Father is like, but also to show us through demonstration, what He is like!  The Father is so good, and wants us to be able to live in freedom from sickness and disease, as well as from inferior spiritual forces.  He desires us to live in alignment with His will, and that is for our good and salvation.  He demonstrates, first through Jesus and then through the Apostles and  disciples His ability to set us free from both types of oppression.

So, today I am encouraged to believe in and learn to exercise these things (power and authority) that Jesus gave us.

Amen

Revival Fire & God's Glorious Move

This morning I was reading in Luke 7 about Jesus' answer to John's inquiry about him - Luke 7: 22 NIV: "So he replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor."

I was thinking about the fact that we need to see and experience these types of miracles in the church, in our church as part of the witness of Jesus' Lordship.  I was thinking about the fact that often revival is carried from one place to another, by those who visit the place where revival is starting and carry it back with them.  It is an interesting Spiritual reality that people can be carriers of the Spiritual fire of revival.  It has been shown to occur over and over again, and this why they call it revival fire, for people, often time without saying anything will see the very same things occurring in their churches once they return from the revival, as the Holy Spirit comes with them and releases His fire upon their congregation the next Sunday or meeting they attend.  I have heard many testimonies and had personal experiences that align with this.  Lord, we pray that You will let Your fire fall upon us as well, for we want to testify to Your Lordship and Glory in our lives.  Lord you have planted burning embers in my life many times, I pray that you would blow upon them and ignite me that I may burn for You.

One of the other verses that struck me was the following - Luke 7:47 NIV: "Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven---as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

I was thinking about this in light of the recent study I have been making regarding sin, and how we don't ever want to consider sin as light or nothing, although in God's eyes it is, for He has dealt with sin completely.  Sin, to God, is a vanquished foe.  To us though, sin can separate us from relationship with God, our Lord and Savior, causing us to live our lives devoid of His input, interaction and inheritance. God desires for us the best possible life, and He desires us to understand His will for us.  His love is what motivates Him, for He is love.

I was thinking about how one of the key indicators of true revival is the deep repentance that flows over people as they come into contact with the Lord.  People are overwhelmed by their sinfulness, weeping for their sins, and lives are radically changed.  So often we view this from a sin perspective, that people are so convicted by their sin that they respond accordingly.  That may very well be true, and I want to add a second perspective - that of an awareness of God's love for them.  I think that people actually become aware of how good God is, how much He loves them, and how wrongly they have acted in this light.  They have made wrong judgments about God, have chosen to live their lives devoid of His love and light and are now recognizing what they have missed, and are choosing to live differently going forward.

Here is a quote from the history of the Azusa Street revival:

"People were excited about what God was doing in their midst. Those who had been filled with the Holy Ghost testified about it. They said how wonderful it was. After the testimonies, someone would preach and tell what God had promised. The meetings would go on almost all night. If people were hungry, they would leave and get something to eat and return as soon as possible. W. H. McGowan hauled bricks as an occupation. Often he would stop and listen to the service while working. Sometimes, he would get so caught up in what was going on, he would forget to go back to work! McGowan characterized the meetings as the “love of God”.

I was also reading the account of the New Hebrides revival from the 1950's - at the following link: http://www.born-again-christian.info/scottish.hebrides.revival.duncan.campbell.testimony.htm

That whole article is definitely worth reading, what an awesome move of God!

Lord, I pray that we will once again see You move in power and Glory upon Your church and upon our towns and cities!

Amen!

Secure in Your Love

This morning I am just reflecting on the amazing message of hope found in these verses from Paul's letter to the Romans.

Romans 8:28-39 NIV:

[28] "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. [29] For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. [30] And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

[31] What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? [32] He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all---how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? [33] Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. [34] Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died---more than that, who was raised to life---is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. [35] Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

[36] As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

[37] No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. [38] For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, [39] neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

My heart settles on verses 31 and 34 and just rests in these truths.  If God is for us, who can be against us (of any consequence)?  If God will not condemn us, but has called us to life, then who would condemn us?

We may become convinced through the forces of religion, those who sell a works mentality, that we stand condemned and our only hope is through constant purification, sacrifice and penance.  Yet the message of these verses is quite clear.  God has done all the work. God is the only one who judges and whose condemnation we need worry about, for His is eternal, and He is the very one who defends us and has chosen us.  This is the very message of the Gospel of grace, it is a free gift not because of anything we have accomplished, but because of God's love for us, and His actions on our behalf.

The bookends of these verses is love, us loving God (verse 28) and God loving us (verse 39).  God is Love (1 John 4:8) and if we embrace Love, for Him and for each other, we live in Him and He in us (1 John 4:12).  How then could we ever be separated from Him?

Lord, help me to Love all. Help me to rest in the truth of these verses.  In Your love I am secure.

Manifest Presence and Pageantry

Last night as I was sitting at church (Catholic Feast Day of Mary's Immaculate Conception) I was thinking about the rich liturgical expression that has developed over the centuries, and how much of it is to honor God and His greatness.  I was thinking about how much of that can now be empty ritual that can tend to get in the way of our understanding God's desire for relationship with each of us.  The rich and extravagant ceremony can cause us to think that God is far off and unapprochable, when the opposite is true - when we gather we are in His presence and all are welcome.

There is a rightful place for ceremony and honoring God's glory - in fact nothing we could ever do here with music and song, or anything extravagant could ever come close to giving God the glory He deserves. God is majestic and Glorious and His very presence is overwhelming.  We try to create masterpieces of liturgy to inject some awe into our church experiences.  I would much rather experience the awe of God's manifest presence than be wowed by beautiful music and pageantry, the problem is that I think much of the Church has no idea what that really feels like, nor have they ever experienced it.

We don't want to give up on worship, song and pageantry, for they are meant to draw our minds and hearts towards the Lord, but they are no  substitute for His real presence!  The problem for us all is that God is God and while He is always present when we gather, He is not always manifestly present and thus we try to work up an approximation of that, or something that reminds us of that.  However, if it has been long enough, or enough generations have passed, we forget what God's presence really feels like and settle for the man-made version.   My prayer for the whole of the church is that we would not settle for anything less than the real manifest presence of God, and that we would all experience His manifest presence in our lifetime, that there would be a fresh awakening of hearts and souls to the greatness of God.

Here is an excerpt describing one example of what the manifest presence of God can look like - a revival that took place on Azusa Street in LA, California as described by Dr. Reve' M. Pete ( http://www.revempete.us/research/holiness/azusa.html)

"Services were not prearranged. No subjects were announced in advance. The Holy Ghost ordered the service in meekness and humility. Most of the time, Seymour sat with his head in the makeshift box pulpit – praying. The message of the meeting was love.

After Seymour began preaching at the “Azusa Stable”, “a monumental revival began”. People fell under the power of God and rose speaking in tongues. Worshippers, both men and women, shouted, wept, danced, fell into trances, spoke and sang in tongues and interpreted [what had been said in tongues] into English. The Holy Ghost was so powerful at “Azusa Stable”, men would come under conviction within two or three blocks of the mission. Persons were baptized in the Holy Ghost on their seats in the assembly room as well as in the “tarrying room” upstairs. When the Holy Ghost would make an altar call, men all over the building would be slain in the Spirit.

Service attendance grew from approximately a dozen persons – African-American and Caucasian-American – to hundreds and thousands from the Los Angeles area. People of every race and nationality were found in the crowds that converged on the mission. No respect of persons was found among the worshippers. The rich and educated were the same as the poor and uneducated. Pride, self-assertion and self-importance could not survive there. Races were completely integrated. There was no racial prejudice in the service.African-Americans, Caucasian-Americans, Chinese and Jews attended the services. Because of this, Frank Bartleman believed and exclaimed, “The color line is washed away in the blood!”

Eventually, the services ran day and night. The building was never closed or locked. Each night service was packed out. Holiness meetings, tents and missions closed for lack of attendance. Special prayer meetings broke out everywhere. People would meet early in the morning and start singing. S. Henry McGowan, son of Seymour’s friend, W. H. McGowan, recalled of the singing, “…oh what singing!”

People were excited about what God was doing in their midst. Those who had been filled with the Holy Ghost testified about it. They said how wonderful it was. After the testimonies, someone would preach and tell what God had promised. The meetings would go on almost all night. If people were hungry, they would leave and get something to eat and return as soon as possible. W. H. McGowan hauled bricks as an occupation. Often he would stop and listen to the service while working. Sometimes, he would get so caught up in what was going on, he would forget to go back to work! McGowan characterized the meetings as the “love of God”.

Oh, that we would once again experience the indwelling and infilling of the Holy Spirit in all of our churches and gatherings.  We pray for a great outpouring, that once again the church would understand experientially what God's manifest presence really feels like.

Amen!

Living As Jesus Did...

This morning I am continuing my working through John's first letter.  His letter is loaded with good stuff, and this morning's verses are no exception - 1 John 2:3-6 NIV:

[3] "We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. [4] Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. [5] But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: [6] Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did."

Again, the context for these comments is clearly relationship, for he talks about coming to know Jesus.  The Greek word in use is Ginosko and it means the following:

1. to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel
    a. to become known
2. to know, understand, perceive, have knowledge of
    a. to understand
3. to knowJewish idiom for sexual intercourse between a man and a woman
4. to become acquainted with, to know

So often when people read these sentences, I think they might get caught up on the word  "commands" and think that this is all about obedience, and such.  When I read these sentences I understand it to mean that if we really enter into relationship with the Lord, we are changed, and start to become more like Him.  Relationships are based on relational paradigms, not commands and obedience, as in a ruler and subject, where the subject has no choice but to obey.

I believe that what John is getting at here is that when we come to really know Jesus, we start understanding His incredible love for us, the fact that He is our advocate and helper, the fact that He has paid the price for our sins that we might have relationship.  It is in that context that we being to understand His love for us includes His plans and purposes, His perfect will which is for our absolutely best life possible.  As we get to know Him we begin to love Him, and that love is what opens our life to His "commands" which are His desires for us, His hopes for us, His plans for us which we are free to embrace because we understand His love.

The bottom line is that when we come into relationship with the Lord, we are affected and our lives bear witness to that change.  It is just like when I fell in love with my soon-to-be wife, my life was changed, and others could observe that change.  To say that I was in love with her, but to not change my lifestyle, and not desire to spend time with her, and not begin to live my live in such a way to bring her pleasure and joy would indicate the opposite, and I would be lying.  That is John's point here -  if we say we are in relationship with Jesus, but our lives are not affected, then we are lying.  The affect of relationship with Jesus is that we become more and more like Him, for His life becomes our life (Col 3:3).

John says this very clearly in verse six. "Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did." (1 John 2:6 NIV)    Jesus two primary commands are to live our lives the way He lived.  We are to love God and love one another.  This is the model for our life that Jesus passed to us, loving Him and loving each other.  The two are inseparable and are supposed to be the foundations of our lives.  If we live a life of love, mercy, compassion, and grace towards one another we are living like Jesus did.  If we live a life of relationship with Him, we live like He lived, for His was a life of embracing relationship with the Father.

So let us embrace relationship with the One who loves us! Let us allow His love to wash over into our lives, changing us as we reflect His Glory and love Him and one another!

Amen!

Jesus Our Advocate and Propitiation

This morning I am continuing my reading from John's first letter.  He is continuing to address sin and forgiveness.

1 John 2:1-2 NIV:

[1] "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father---Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. [2] He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world."

John describes Jesus as our advocate with the Father.  The word translated advocate is the Greek word Parakletos, and is defined as:

1.summoned, called to one's side, esp. called to one's aid
   a.one who pleads another's cause before a judge, a pleader, counsel for defense, legal assistant, an advocate
   b. one who pleads another's cause with one, an intercessor
2. of Christ in his exaltation at God's right hand, pleading with God the Father for the pardon of our sins
   a. in the widest sense, a helper, succourer, aider, assistant
3. of the Holy Spirit destined to take the place of Christ with the apostles (after his ascension to the Father), to lead them to a deeper knowledge of the gospel truth, and give them divine strength needed to enable them to undergo trials and persecutions on behalf of the divine kingdom

John also describes Jesus as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.  The Greek word used by him, here translated atoning sacrifice, is Hilasmos and its meaning is better translated propitiation.  Webster's dictionary defines this as "to gain or regain the favor or goodwill of".

In both of these definitions I noticed something interesting, if we sin, whose side (if you imagined a courtroom) is Jesus on?  He is our advocate, our intercessor pleading OUR cause, for OUR pardon.  He is the one who helps us gain or regain the Father's favor.  We know that sin causes relational separation, and yet when we sin, Jesus is our advocate, effectively right there by our side, on our side.   It is clear that the relational separation is on our part, not on God's.  He does not take away His help when we sin, leaving us to justify or defend ourselves, no he provides us the best advocate possible, Christ Jesus.

Paul writes that once we are saved we are hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:3).  As one who is hidden in Christ, our actions are always viewed by God the Father in that context. If we are hidden in Christ, it would make sense that He is our propitiation, the reason we gain and regain the Father's favor.  He is perfect in obedience to the Father, does exactly what the Father wills always, so how could the Father ever look with anything other than favor.  If we are hidden in Jesus, His favor (and righteousness) is extended to us as well.

No where in these two sentences, or in the Greek language used by John, is there any mention of penance, paying God back through some works, etc.  That makes perfect sense if from God's side there was never any separation or loss of favor cause by our sin.

Wow!  Thank You Lord for Your never-ending mercy and grace.  Thank You for allowing me to be hidden in You.

The Father's Heart Towards Sinners

Recently, I spent some time looking at sin and forgiveness, God's attitude towards sin, etc.  I was conjecturing that sin is primarily about relationship with God and intimacy with Him.  Afterwards I was thinking some more about the story of the wayward or prodigal son found in Luke 15.  I realized that it wasn't just relationship and intimacy with the Father that was restored upon the son's return home, but also his true identity.  In the story, the young man thought that he no longer qualified as a son, so was going to offer to be a servant in his Father's house.  However, the Father would not even allow him to think that way, and immediately called for his robe  and ring, both symbols of his identity as a son (Luke 15:21-22).

This is so significant - what we have done, or are even still doing, cannot cause us to lose our identity as sons and daughters of the Father!   In the Father's mind and heart He never stopped loving the son, never considered him to have lost his identity or relationship.  The Father still loved him, still considered him His son, still welcomed him back home, still extended to him His authority, and still welcomed him warmly back into intimate relationship.

The Father's statement about why He was throwing a party for the son who returned is very interesting.  He says, "...For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found." (Luke 15:24NIV).  He was speaking about the effect of the son's decisions on their relationship, not his attitude towards his son.  The son had caused all of the separation and relational loss, not the Father.  The Father never stopped looking for him, waiting for him, and longing for him because of His love for His son.  This is the Father's heart towards all of those who are walking a path of separation from Him, missing the opportunities for intimacy and relationship with Him.

I believe Jesus told this story to illuminate to us the Father's heart towards sinners.  The young man broke tons of laws, many if not all of the commandments, and yet the Father's heart towards the son was full of love, mercy and compassion.  There is no angry father waiting to punish the son for his sins, assigning him tons of penance or some subservient role or limited relationship as just punishment!  Jesus was giving us a clear picture of the Father's heart towards sinners.  Everything Jesus said and did was directly from the Father (John 12:49), so we know that the Father had Jesus tell this story to reveal His Heart to us.
 
This is what our Father in heaven is like; this is what His heart is like towards us, even if we are sinners.  He is waiting for us to return to Him, waiting with His arms open wide, ready to welcome us back into intimate relationship and restoration of our true identity as His son or daughter.  He is not angry at us or repulsed by our sins.  He desires more than anything for us to come into relationship with Him that we might experience His marvelously perfect will, and His overwhelming love.  What a great God we serve!

More on Sin, and God's Response

Yesterday I spent a bit of time looking at John's first letter, and thinking about sin and its effects, and the amazing good news of God's plan for our salvation and relationship and forgiveness.  I was thinking about what I wrote the last couple of days and thinking that it seems like a pretty minimal perspective on sin, almost too easy, and God's forgiveness so complete.  I was thinking it seemed too good to be true.

Could sin really be about relationship?  Could the reason that God is so against sin be that it means that the sinner is embracing life outside of His perfect will, and that by definition means we are experiencing less than He desires for us?  If we go back to the story of Adam and Eve, their choosing to disobey God cost them a loss of intimacy with God.  Prior to their sin they were able to walk in the garden with God in the cool of the day, afterwards they were cast out, away from His presence (Gen. 3) and lost that intimacy with God. Prior to their sin, they didn't have to work for food or provision, for everything was available to them.  Afterwards they had to work and toil, experience pain and difficulty.  They were clearly no longer experiencing the joys and benefits of God's perfect will for them - symbolized by their life in the Garden.

If I look at this from a loving Father's perspective I imagine the sadness over the poor choice, the perfect provision that is not enjoyed, and the choosing of something less then had been provided for your child.  Putting it in a modern context - imagine a father who purchases a brand new Maserati for his child's 21st birthday, and instead the child chooses to keep riding their old broken down bicycle, rejecting the father's extravagant gift.  Now imagine that in the choosing the child had believed that the gift of the Maserati was really just a means for the father to control the child from that point forward.  So not only was the child choosing to reject the father's gift but was also believing wrongly about the father's character.  Now think about the father's reaction to this, in his heart.  If I were the father, I would be quite angry with the source of the lie about my character, and greatly saddened that my child so clearly misunderstood me and my intentions.

I believe that Jesus described the Father's heart towards us sinners, those who chose poorly, in His story of the wayward son (Luke 15:11-32).  The Father is clearly saddened by his son's choices, and every day is waiting for him to come home, and when he does, restores him to rightful relationship and his status as a son.  In the story, it does not matter to the father what the son did, only that he is home, and restored to relationship and intimacy with the Father - for the first thing the Father does is embrace him.  There is no call for restitution, penance, or anything other than love and acceptance.  Again, in my mind, this just doesn't seem like a hard enough line for the Father to take, but it is exactly what Jesus describes.

In summary, I am encouraged that the Father loves us and has made a way for us to walk in relationship, through the forgiveness of our sins bu=y the Blood of Jesus.  I am so amazed that this offer is even available!   Thank You Lord!

Blessed Forgiveness

This morning I am continuing my read and think approach on John's first letter.  On Monday I spent some time on sin, looking at how the word is defined and applied by John.  Today I continue that theme with the addition of forgiveness.  Here are the verses I am thinking on - 1 John 1:8-10 NIV:

[8] "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. [9] If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. [10] If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us."

Going back to the definition of the Sin - the Greek word translated sin is the word Hamartia or Hamartano (in this verse the first) and the word is defined as follows:

1. to be without a share in
2. to miss the mark
3. to err, be mistaken
4. to miss or wander from the path of uprightness and honour, to do or go wrong
5. to wander from the law of God, violate God's law, sin

In my mind, I define sin as anything that misses the mark of God's perfect will for my life.  Jesus talks about relationship, obedience and ultimately intimacy in being united with Him and the Father, as the result of being in His will.  So in a very real sense, if we take the definition of sin missing the path which leads to intimacy and relationship, then sin causes us to move away from that and brings separation from God.

If I am walking in His perfect will for my life, I am in unity with His mind and heart for me, I am perfectly obeying His commands, and I am experiencing intimate relationship for that is the promise of Jesus -  John 14:23 NIV: "Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them."

Sin causes us to miss this perfect relationship, walking in God's perfect will, to some degree, for we are all sinners. To think any differently, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth (who is Jesus) is not in us (1 John 1:8).  If we confess, agree with the word (Greek - Homologeo), He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and also purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).  The Greek word, here translated forgive is the word aphiemi, and it is defined as follows:

1) to send away
  a) to bid going away or depart
  b) to send forth, yield up, to expire
  c) to let go, let alone, let be
     1. to disregard
     2. to leave, not to discuss now, (a topic)
2) of teachers, writers and speakers
     1.to omit, neglect
   a) to let go, give up a debt, forgive, to remit
   b) to give up, keep no longer
3) to permit, allow, not to hinder, to give up a thing to a person
4) to leave, go way from one

Summarizing these, there is an idea that whatever wrong was done, that is it cancelled, no longer called to mind, literally no longer there.  If we are speaking about relationship with the Lord, than this would basically mean that He acts as if nothing happened, and He is still in relationship with us, and we are walking in intimacy and His perfect will.  It is completely illogical to our human minds, but God is quite clear.  If we go back to the Old Testament there a couple of scriptures that help us understand forgiveness from God's perspective.

Isaiah 1:18 NIV:
“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."

Psalm 103:11-12 NIV:
[11] "For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; [12] as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us."

There is a sense of complete cleansing (Isaiah 1) and separation from the sin (Psalms 103).  When God forgives us, He washes our sins away with His own blood, which is what purchased forgiveness.  The author of the letter to the Hebrews said it this way - Hebrews 9:14, 22 NIV:

[14] "How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!"

[22] "In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness."

Going back to our goal - walking in God's perfect will, in the intimacy of relationship -  then the Blood of Jesus is what allows us to experience this, for that is what provides forgiveness.  It is as if His precious blood is the bridge across which we are constantly brought back into relationship with the Lord.  His Blood brings us back into His perfect will, into relationship, because once applied to our lives, it is as if our sin(s) never happened as far as God is concerned.  That is just amazing to me...clearly too good to be true, but it is!

Once we step into the place of forgiveness, God is also faithful to purify us from our unrighteousness.  Only He can make us righteous, for only in Jesus, hidden in Him in intimate relationship, are we made righteous.  Righteousness is only possible via faith, never through our own works (Rom 3:21-28).  What amazingly good news! If we confess our sin ( the fact that we have missed the mark, lived a life embracing less than His perfect will) then He forgives us and declares us righteous!  Because He forgives our sin and declares us righteous, we can now walk in intimate relationship with Him.  Our job is to recognize and confess our sins, He does all rest!

Finally, going back to John's letter - if we claim we have never sinned, we make God out to be a liar (1 John 1:10).  That is a very scary statement - for in that place we are agreeing with the accusations of satan, saying that God is not true, just, perfect, faithful, holy,  loving, merciful and compassionate.  We are saying that we don't need God, or that our will is the same God's perfect will because we say so.  Clearly in this place we are not intimate relationship with Him, and His word (Jesus) is not in us.

This morning I am very grateful for the gift of forgiveness through the Blood of Jesus, by which I am restored to intimate relationship with God.  In that place I experience the joys of relationship as if I have never missed His will, or sinned.  Simply Amazing!

Thank You Lord!