Gifts, Power, Authority and the Body of Christ

This morning as I have been setting my heart and mind to the Lord, i was reminded of something Bill Johnson said in a sermon I listened to recently.  He was talking about the difference between commissioning, being given authority, and walking in power in that commission.  A great example is the great commission in given to the Apostles, and then the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. 

Matthew 28:18-20 NIV:

[18] "Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Luke 24:49 NIV: 

"I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

Acts 2:1-4 NIV:

[1] "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. [2] Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. [3] They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. [4] All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them."

In sharing these, Bill made the distinction between the commissioning (Giving of authority) and the pouring forth of power (Pentecost) and how the first was really not possible until the second (empowering) occurred.  Clearly there are callings and commissions that require both in a fullness only God can provide.

As I was thinking about the way the Lord calls and empowers us, I started thinking about the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, and how we should approach them?  Clearly these gifts are given to be used, but often received without instructions or commissioning, at least in my experience.  The question in my heart this morning is whether the gifts are given with the express authority and power to exercise them?  

I am going to look at a couple of the sections where the giving of gifts is described, starting with Romans 12:4-8 NIV:

[4] "For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, [5] so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. [6] We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; [7] if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; [8] if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully."

Adding to these verses we have Paul describing additional gifts in his letter to the 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 NIV:

[7] "Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. [8] To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, [9] to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, [10] to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. [11] All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines."

The first thing that I noticed is that Paul describes the gifts within the context of the Body of Christ.  The gifts are clearly meant to be part of our experience in the Body of Christ, and they seem to be meant for our common good.  These are all clearly gifts, and at least in my experience gifts are meant to be enjoyed, and experienced.  

The original Greek word that is translated gifts is xarisma - defined as follows:  

Cognate: 5486 xárisma (from "grace," 5485 /xáris) – properly, the operation of grace (divine favor), i.e. a grace-endowment to edify the Church (note the -ma suffix, focusing on the end-result of the endowment of grace).

5486 /xárisma ("grace-gift") divinely empowers a believer to share God's work with others, i.e. Spirit-empowered service to the Church to carry out His plan for His people.

[5486 /xárisma (but not limited to) "spiritual gifts." xarismata (the plural form) literally means "grace-endowments."]

I love how the definition essentially brings into focus not only the gifts (freely given) but also the empowering of the Holy Spirit.  In other words, we don't receive the gift without the power.  To put this in our modern vernacular, the gifts come with the batteries. :-)

While that is a semi-humorous take, this is an important distinction.  The gift includes the empowering from the Holy Spirit.  They are His gifts, and when He gives them He includes the necessary power to exercise them.  Secondly, they are grace-endowments, meaning given without any earning, something God freely chooses to do.  We don't earn these gifts through our maturation, or obedience, or anything else.  We get them because we are part of the body of Christ and they are given for us all, or for the common good.  

In regards to the common good, our experience in the Body is meant to be positively impacted and affected by the use and practice of these gifts.  We generally don't have a problem with most of the gifts described in Romans, but many places are uncomfortable with the list found in 1 Cor., for they seem more "spiritual".  Its one thing for someone to be giving the gift of leadership, its another to have someone given the gifts of miraculous powers, or speaking in tongues.  The point here is that they are all similar and all given by the same Holy Spirit, for the benefit of the whole Body of Christ.

If they are given in the context of the Body for the benefit of the Body of Christ, one would think that they also come with the authority, as well as power to be exercised.  If the Holy Spirit - who is leading and directing the Church gives out the gifts, it is for good reason, and He isn't making a mistake.  Its not like someone giving a two year-old a gift that should be used by an 18 year-old.  We need to learn to trust the Holy Spirit, believing that He fully knows what He is doing.

Lastly, while the gifts apparently come with the power, and even the authority (implicit in the giver being Holy Spirit) we can absolutely grow in maturity in our use of the gifts.  In the same way that a 16 year old can receive a license to drive (Power and authority), they usually get better at driving as they practice, so do we in our use and practicing of the gifts.  The wonderful thing is that since they are given to the members of the body, for the common good of the body, we have a built-in training center option.  They gifts are meant to be tried and exercised in the context of Body life, where older members can help guide, encourage, and hone the use of the gifts.  Our goal should be to raise up and encourage the use of the gifts every chance we get, as it is for our own benefit overall.

Without going to far down the path, what are we missing if we don't encourage the regular use of these Spiritual gifts?  We would be missing or lacking to some extent  that which these gifts were meant to impart... prophecy, service, leadership, giving, teaching, mercy, wisdom, knowledge, miraculous powers, healing, discernment of spirits, speaking in tongues and interpretation of tongues.   It's funny that those last two are the ones that get the most focus, and seem to me the least impactful to the body overall, yet are the reason many places quash the Spirit.  The other thing I noticed is that prophecy is on both the Roman list and the 1 Corinithians list (and one of the 5-fold ministries).  

In summary, as I reflect upon these few verses, it is apparent to me that we need the spiritual gifts; we need them for our own good; we need them exercised and regularly used; we need those things they are meant to impart!  Oh Lord, help us to welcome fully Your great gifts, that we might learn to use these gifts in the power and authority in which they were given!  Help us to grow and mature and experience all that You have for us!  

Amen and Amen! 

An Unusual Food

Recently I was listening to a sermon by Bill Johnson (to listen to the full sermon, see the link at the end of my note) talking about an unusual form of nourishment, that he came across in scripture.  It was a very encouraging message for those dealing with difficulty.  He starts with Numbers 14:9 NKJV: 

[9]  "Only do not rebel against the LORD, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the LORD is with us. Do not fear them.""

Looking at the subject of bread...and food.  He then tied this verse to the following 2 verses.

Matthew 6:9-13 NKJV:

[9] In this manner, therefore, pray: 

Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 

[10] Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 

[11] Give us this day our daily bread. 

[12] And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. 

[13] And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

and finally - Psalm 23:1-6 NIV:

[1] "The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 

[2] He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 

[3] he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake. 

[4] Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 

[5] You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 

[6] Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."

His message focused on the belief that that there is something we encounter in the Lord when we view it from His perspective that is food to our spirit.  Difficulty viewed rightly can nourish us, and sustain us, in the face of the opposition, in the face of our enemies.  

After listening to this sermon a couple of times, I was reminded of Jesus' comment after interacting with the woman at the well - John 4:31-34 NIV"

[31] "Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.” 

[32] But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” 

[33] Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” 

[34] “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work."

In a very real sense there is meant to be something absolutely sustaining in experiencing the Lord's will fulfilled through our life, and in our life!  I remember when the Lord had us give away one of our cars, and how in giving it, it became apparent that the Lord had been working on something for years, and meeting heart cries and prayers, and sending a message of absolute love and intimacy to the recipient of the vehicle.  I knew it was a huge confirmation to our firend, and it was so sustaining to us, to know how the Lord worked through us... and gave us a confidence.

I am just thinking about how full one's life would be if they walked in a level of confidence and obedience as they pursued the Lord, stepping out of their own weakness into His strength, and seeing Him step in over and over again, providing what was needed in the time it was needed, providing victories where there shouldn't be victory, etc.

Oh Lord that You might help me to view my life from Your perspective, that I might see difficulties as opportunities for You to express Your provision and blessing!  Help me to stay in lock-step with Your plan and purpose!  Help me to not overstep and enter into presumption, but rather do Your will,a nd finsih the work offered to me!

Amen and Amen!

Link to Bill's sermon.  It is well worth listening to:  https://youtu.be/30VWk28p4WU?si=d77i05Uz82FznF7z

Dreams & Identity

Recently I had an interesting dream that got me thinking about my identity as a son of God.  We had a Men's retreat this past weekend and our speaker did a wonderful job, and the theme for the second day (Sat.) was our identity as sons of God.  Interestingly, I had the dream on Friday night.  I am so encouraged when the Lord does things like that, for it is hard to miss His message when He is providing repetition! 

Sometimes my dreams are epic dreams almost like movies and this was one of them.  My dream seemed to be a remake of a movie from the 1980s, a movie that I haven't seen in probably 20-30 years.  The movie is called Ladyhawk, and the very simple theme is that two individuals who love each other are cursed by an evil priest to never be able to fulfill their love and be together.  In my dream there was a very similar plot, an evil bishop was trying to keep two individuals apart and had cursed them and enlisted multiple demonic beings to help.  There was a group of us who came to understand what was happening and we were working to break the curse and set the two people free.  Just as the action started I woke up.  

I asked the Lord what that all meant, as He often uses dreams to communicate with me (its very common in the Bible).  I felt like He said this dream represents the spirit of religion, which tries to keep us from ever experiencing the true love of God, and establishing a real relationship.  I thought that was quite an interesting word picture and wrote it all down.  I headed to the retreat and had no real idea what the theme was for the second day, and sure enough our speaker starts talking about our identity and the way the religious spirit causes us to miss the relational nature of our identity as sons, and keeps us thinking we are just servants.  

I was reminded of the story of the prodigal son, found in Luke 15.  I am not going to quote all of the story, just a few specific verses.  It is well worth reading and reflection.  In quick summary, a man has two sons, the younger son asks for his inheritance and then leaves and blows all of the money in a sinful lifestyle. The following verses take it from that point - Luke 15:17-19 NIV:

[17] “When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! [18] I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. [19] I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.' 

Too many of us think this is the best we could ever hope for, to be a servant, working and earning what little blessings we can from God (for the Father in the story clearly represents God).  We think that we have sinned too greatly, lived a life chasing our own pleasure, whatever, and that we don't deserve a real relationship with God.  The spirit of religion would absolutely love to keep all of us in such a state, for a servant doesn't have real authority or power, and is task or rule oriented (we could say under the law). In this existence, we depend on our own efforts and the acknowledgment of a good master, but there is no true love.

Jesus in continuing the story shows us how wrong that attitude and thinking is, for the Father will have none of it!  

Luke 15: 20-24 NIV: 

[20] "So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 

[21] “The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' [22] “But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. [23] Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. [24] For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate."

The Father wants us all to recognize our identities as sons and daughters!  IN the story He immediately restores all that the son left, his authority, his identity and favor!  I love this story and the illustration of God the Father's love for all of us, His waiting patiently for us to come to our senses and turn towards Him.  The Father doesn't want servants, He wants sons and daughters!  

Paul writes about how we have in us this yearning for Abba, Father.  (Romans 8:15, Gal. 4:6)  In both of these verses Paul speaks about our adoption as sons and daughters.  To me, the idea of being an adopted son, while great, seemed one step from being a true son.  However, once I did some research into the term used by Paul, I came to realize why He used this Roman term.  Here is a link to my study on the meaning and significance of adoption, as used by Paul: 

https://amomentwithgod-srh.blogspot.com/2017/06/adoption-as-gods-sons-and-daughters-its.html

To summarize, the significance of this term, is that in this particular Roman institution, the complete previous identity of the adopted son or daughter is completely erased, as if they never existed previously.  In fact, the family relationship in this "adoption" is so strong, that the Father could never disown the adopted child!  In other words, once adopted you are forever the Father's child, son or daughter forever, and your former existence no longer exists!  In other words, you can't actually go back to being who you were before, no matter what You do, that option/identity no longer exists.

I could continue on, but suffice it to say that the Lord is desirous of our stepping into our true identity as sons and daughters!  The world and the spirit of religion, try to keep us from experiencing true relationship, for as sons and daughters we have authority and power, and the ability to walk in intimacy and favor!   The one thing the enemy of our souls fears more than anything is sons and daughters of God who learn to walk in their true identity, for they have the same inheritance as Jesus (Rom 8:17).

Oh Lord, help us to come to our senses and return to You!  Help us to step into our true identity, and live our lives as Your daughters and sons!  Help us to fully experience Your Love and acceptance, Your welcome Home!

Amen and Amen!  

Choosing to Lay Down Our Crowns

Yesterday morning I had a bit of a interesting experience walking into our church.  Earlier in the morning while praying the Lord had directed me to Matthew, chapter five and while reading it, I felt the following verses were applicable - Matthew 5:43-48 NIV:

[43] “You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' [44] But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, [45] that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. [46] If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? [47] And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? [48] Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

I love these verses as I believe they help us gain God's perspective on how we should act towards all, whether friend or enemy.  God calls us to step past our view of the world to see it as He does.  He considers us all to be His children, and is pouring blessing upon us all.  

As I was reading and reflecting on these words, I saw how they applied to every distinction and label we would affix to anyone.  Jesu could have listed nations, people groups, genders, etc. and it would be the same message, that God loves us all and blesses us all, whether we know Him or not, whether we are righteous or not. Yesterday morning, I was reminded of the increasing polarity between our two main political parties the Democrats and Republicans, and understood these verses to be applicable to those labels as well.

Recently I have been reading a book that speaks about loving the world as God loves the world, and not seeing the non-Christian people as evil or our enemy. I don't believe I have ever taken that extreme stance, and have loved the simplicity of John 3:16-17, that speaks of God's motivation of love, first and foremost. My regular prayer is that all those who don't know God would come to experience His love and the salvation available in Him. 

One of the things I am very aware is the increasing polarity we find in America.  It seems like its specifically stirred up during election years.  We are seeing plenty of inflammatory language and rhetoric, accusations abound and we are being told the candidates are lying to us, that you can't trust them, etc.  As the level of attack becomes more severe the closer we get to the election, we are in danger of believing all this and choosing sides, believing that members of the other party, regardless of where we stand, are our enemies.

So back to my experience walking into church, I was praying for our city, the people of our church, especially for the division that is occurring between political groups.  As I walked in I saw a ton of people wearing red (It is common on the days that the KC Chiefs play for people to wear red) and I thought how interesting it is that we, as a city, can lay down our labels and division under a KC Chief's banner!  I started thinking about how, in the Chief's stadium, there is no concern for political party affiliation, that is all laid aside for the day, and we choose to see one another as fellow fans!  We lay down our other labels, whether, race, gender, political party, religion and we choose to unite.

I was reminded of the picture of heavenly worship presented to us in Revelation 4:2-4,9-11 NIV:

[2] "At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. [3] And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. [4] Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 

[9] Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, [10] the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: [11] “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”

This laying down of crowns is representative of choosing to lay down one's affiliation, one's realm of authority, and coming under the throne and rule of God.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if we all could choose to lay down all our labels, all our judgments, all our opinions to come under the banner of God's love?  We have allowed ourselves to be divided in so many ways, by gender, religion, denomination, congregations, neighborhood, political party, and hundreds of different more granular alignments.  We think our way is the right way, and hold fiercely to our beliefs, our opinions, so much so that we are willing to begin to think of anyone of differing opinion as our enemy! 

Going back to the experience I had when walking into church, in my minds eye,  I saw people in our church being called forward to align by political party, Democrat, Republican and those in between.  I saw the invitation given to purposely choose to lay down our political affiliation and choosing to cross over and hug and welcome those of a differing affiliation.  I saw the healing that simple geasture would bring, and I also saw how difficult it could be, but if we take God's perspective, there would be grace to do so.

I understood that all of these things that divide us are the result of choices we make, and we can choose differently!  I can choose to lay down my crown and welcome all I meet as God would welcome them!  I can chose to treat all with respect and love, representing the Father in loving and accepting them!  I can press forward to love the way He does, and to embrace the invitation Jesus gives us to 'be perfect as our Father in heaven'.  

Me encouragement this morning is to choose to lay down my crowns, my judgments, my opinions, my labels that I might see others as the Lord sees them. I must learn to look past the all of those to see in each one I meet the worth and value they have as a daughter or son of God!  I must choose to do so, for I know my natural proclivity is to instantly judge and label!

Lord help me to love as You love me!

Amen and Amen!

Freedom Now!

Last evening we had a worship night with our church, and it was a wonderful time.  During worship I saw in my minds-eye a couple of pictures.  The first was like a bird cage, but bigger, with someone stuck inside it.  I thought the Lord wanted to set them free, whoever it was.  Next, I saw a couple of additional pictures, the first being the cage but with solid walls and no light getting in at all,  then the cage had really thick bars, but at least there was light inside, finally I saw the picture of the cage again with very thin bars, and understood the person was so glad that things were lighter that they didn't consider that the Lord actually wanted to set them free. 

When I got home I felt like I received a bit more clarity, in the same way that a dog that is kennel trained takes comfort in their kennel, and prefers to lay there even when they are free to roam, and the doors open, there are those of us that prefer the comfort of our captivity, if you will.  However, it was clear the Lord wanted to set them free of all bondage, captivity or slavery.

As I prayed about this set of images this morning, I felt that this especially relates to those that feel trapped in certain circumstances, but because those circumstances are so much better than what was previously experienced, they think they are free and in a much more healthy place, so they don't realize the need to be set free.  

The truth is that even a cage where you have plenty of light, food and security is still a cage. Paul, when he lived in Rome was always under house arrest, even though he had certain freedoms.  The truth of the matter is that He was still a prisoner.

So whether the cage is a bad relationship, a bad job, a bad living situation, trying to earn someone's favor, whatever, the word of the Lord is FREEDOM!  His desire for us all is freedom in every part of our life!  He desires to set us wholly free that we might step fully into all of God's plans and purposes for us!   

Lord, I pray that even now You might move in our lives and proclaim FREEDOM over us, that we might be wholly free!  Move in our situations and do what only You can do!  

2 Corinthians 3:17 NIV:  "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."

Amen and Amen!

The Long Wait

The other night I had an interesting dream where I was present during Jesus' birth and time growing as a boy.  It was an interesting type of dream as I wasn't really back in those days, but more of an observer out of time, however I could interact with the people, and I was primarily interacting with Mary, the mother of Jesus.  Specifically, the topic of our conversation had to do with the long wait for Jesus to be revealed to the world as the Messiah. 

It was a very thought provoking dream and I wanted to spend some time reflecting on this theme, and how it relates to our own faith and belief that God is going to fulfill certain promises in our lives. I will start with Mary's interaction with Gabriel as recounted by Luke 1:26-38 NIV:

[26] "In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, [27] to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. [28] The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 

[29] Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 

[30] But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. [31] You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. [32] He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, [33] and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” 

[34] “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?” 

[35] The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. [36] Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. [37] For no word from God will ever fail.” 

[38] “I am the Lord's servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her."

The first thing that comes to my mind when reading this, is whether Mary understood that Jesus was going to be the Messiah?  The angle doesn't use that exact word, but I think we can make the assumption she understood.  Her son was going to be the "Son of God" and He was going to sit on David's throne and His kingdom would have no end!  These are clearly messianic terms and expectations.  

Imagine how she dealt with this event going forward.  There are some commentaries that have imagined what must have happened between her and Joseph, her and her parents, etc.  Without writing a quoting massive amounts, I think it is safe to say she likely dealt with the ramifications of this reality in private.  I mean who could you share such a word with and have them believe you, or understand the absolute, mind-blowing claim she was making?  

Thankfully she found in her kinswoman Elizabeth someone who had also experienced a miracle and angelic activity!  I can jsut imagine Mary's releif in knowing that Elizabeth believed her and even confirmed what she knew to be true!  

When I think back to events where I have experienced the Lord powerfully, they become something that I go back to regularly, as reminders of His love and personal knowledge of me, and my situation. Mary, while she had the memory of the words of Gabriel, also had the very real child growing inside of her as a present reminder.  One of the things I asked Mary in my dream, was what it was like every time she looked at Jesus as He grew up?  Was she constantly reminded of His miraculous birth and the promise of God?

Continuing on with the scriptural background, I want to look at Jesus birth, and the following interactions Mary had with the shepherds, again recounted in Luke 2:8-19 NIV:

[8] "And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. [9] An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. [10] But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. [11] Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. [12] This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 

[13] Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, [14] “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” 

[15] When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 

[16] So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. [17] When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, [18] and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. [19] But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart."

Verse 19 is really the whole theme of my dream, the pondering and treasuring of these things by Mary, in her heart.  Other than the coming baptism of Jesus and the prophetic words spoken by Anna and Simeon, and Jesus' visit to the temple when he was about 12, we know very little of the life of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.  We can make some assumptions about their life, based on the response to the people of their home town of Nazareth when Jesus starts to minister there... they are amazed and wondered where He got all this wisdom?   We find this recounted by Matthew 13:54-56 NIV:

[54] "Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. [55] “Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? [56] Aren't all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?”

In other words, they knew Jesus, and his family and they were normal, not unusual, accepted as part of the community.  No one was expecting Jesus to have miraculous power or wisdom from the Father, except Mary, and she clearly hadn't told anyone!  

I know I am pushing past the words here, but I am trying to understand the internal belief in the promise of God that Mary must have clung to, and held onto for 30+ years.  She pondered and treasured these things in her heart, but she must not have said anything to those around her.  I am sure Jesus became aware of His purpose and the Father's plan for Him at some point in His life, most likely before He was 12, but again, others around Him were not aware.  

In my dream,  I asked Mary what it was like watching Jesus grow up (He was still a young boy in the background of the dream), knowing who He was, but keeping that promise hidden in her heart?  She didn't really respond with words, but she looked at me with eyes that showed the pain and long suffering of the life-time of waiting.  I woke up shortly after that interaction, and have been thinking about it since.

I can't even fathom what she went through, watching her son for 30 years, wondering when He was going to be revealed to the world!  I can't imagine the countless times she must have gone back in her mind to the visit of Gabriel, or the shepherds, or the words of Ann or Simeon, to help her hold onto the promise, believing the word of the Lord, watching Jesus' apparently normal growth and development.  I know I am skipping over  a few other times where the Angel of the Lord visited and provided guidance and direction,  which would have been helpful indications God's word and promise were still in play, but those were relatively early in Jesus life.  From the time Jesus was 12 until he reaches 30 years of age, we know basically nothing or their lives, but based on the verses from Matthew above, it seems like they were very normal.  

I wonder how many times Mary reminded Jesus who He was, whispering it in His ear?

I wonder how she felt when her husband Joseph died, for he was clearly one who understood what she was carrying in her heart?

I wonder how many times she questioned if God's promise was actually real, if He was going to fulfill His whole word?

I wonder if much of the reason she hid all this in her heart, was due to King Herod trying to kill Jesus when He was an infant?  

I wonder if Mary had any other confirmations in her daily life that she was on the right path, and Jesus was where he needed to be?

I wonder how many times Mary had imagined her life, following Gabriel's visitation, being very different than it was?

I could go on and on, but the thing that I understood from the dream, is that there is grace for those who have been waiting a lifetime to see God's plan and purpose come to  fruition!  I understood that anything I am carrying in my heart pales in comparison to what Mary carried!  God's word is true, His promises are real, and He is capable and will fulfill them!  No matter how long its been, how normal our life seems, God will sustain us, and keep us to until the day of fulfillment.  I am convinced that He is Always Good, even when we don't understand or fully see!

I am encouraged that we can take Mary as a great example of one who believed, and kept on believing, kept on holding onto the words that had been spoken, and the promises given!  I am encouraged that in her quiet pondering and treasuring, she was to be found exactly where she was supposed to be.  She knew this promise of God, while physically present in her household, was beyond her ability to make happen.  She knew God was capable and after great things!  I am encouraged that Mary is a fantastic model for being a humble servant of God who never loses sight of the bigger promise! 

Oh Lord, help us today to learn to trust You, trust in your ability to fulfill Your word, Your Promises, and Your purpose for us, and for all our family!  Whether its been one year or 30+ years, God's word, promises and capabilities have not changed!  He is with us in the long wait!

Amen and amen!

A Positive Action List

This morning I decided to read through the whole of Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians.  It is always interesting to read larger chunks of scripture to pull many themes together into a single stream of thought.  There is much to reflect upon in this letter, but I found myself drawn to the  last several verses, the encouragements that Paul gives to the people.  Here are the verses I am reviewing - 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24 NIV:

[12] "Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. [13] Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. [14] And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. [15] Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. 

[16] Rejoice always, [17] pray continually, [18] give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 

[19] Do not quench the Spirit. [20] Do not treat prophecies with contempt [21] but test them all; hold on to what is good, [22] reject every kind of evil. 

[23] May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. [24] The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it."

The first thing that grabbed my attention was the end of verse 12, "Who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you."  Specifically I wanted to understand "admonish" as the original recipients would understand it.  I find, especially with words that have a slight negative understanding in our modern English, that often times the original Greek word is not so negatively bent. 

In this case the original Greek word is "nouthetéō (from 3563 /noús, "mind" and 5087 /títhēmi, "to place") – properly, to place the mind, i.e. reasoning with someone by warning (admonishing) them.  (continuing) 3560 /nouthetéō ("admonish through instruction") especially appeals to the mind, supplying doctrinal and spiritual substance (content). This "exerts positive pressure" on someone's logic (reasoning), i.e. urging them to choose (turn to) God's best." (Strong's Concordance)

I like that description, placing something in another's mind.  That is the heart of instruction and good teaching.  I have a few teachers that I listen to that do this so well, they gather scattered thoughts, organize and correlate them and place them nicely into our minds.  Having new thoughts in our minds is a necessary part of repentance, our learning to think differently, or better, so that our actions can then line up with our thinking.

The rest of Paul's final exhortation is fairly action packed:

Live in peace

Warn those who are idle or disruptive

Encourage the disheartened

Help the weak

Be patient with everyone

Do what is good for each other 

Rejoice always

Pray continually

Give thanks in all circumstances

Do not quench the Spirit

Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all

Hold onto what is good

Reject every kind of evil

Wouldn't this be a good list of things to keep about, rather than all the negative focus on sinful behavior on things not to do?  This list is more positive and as I mentioned, action oriented.  I was just thinking how wonderful it would be if we could embrace these as a congregation, or as the whole Body of Christ!

Oh Lord, help us!  We can get so distracted, so focused on little things and allow them to distract us and even divide us!  Help us to live at peace with each other, embracing the call to Love one another!  

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you (us) through and through!  Lord, help us to place these things in our minds, that we might live them out for Your Glory!

Amen and Amen!

Prayer and Power

Yesterday, right before I woke up, I had a dream where my wife and I were hanging with a bunch of friends from Church.  Two of the people in the group were friends who are well-known intercessors, and we were talking about Church History.   I said to my honey, "if you want power, pray!  The powerful people always prayed!"  Our intercessor friend said, "AMEN!"  that is where I woke up....  

I started reflecting on the theme of prayer yesterday and ended up snoozing during my quiet time, partly due to the allergy medicines I am taking, but the theme of prayer settled into my consciousness and I returned to it over and over, as I drifted in and out of my slumber.   Since I was unable to fully engage yesterday, it seemed like a good theme for my prayer this morning.  

Rather than going to Church history and digging into the stories of people who were great prayers, like Praying Hyde, George Muller, or Count Zinzendorf, I decided to go to our best example, Jesus!  Just searching for the word pray in the New Testament in my online bible provided a more than ample list of verses to read and pray through! 

While we do see many references to Jesus praying, the Gospels do spend more time on His words and teaching to His disciples, which only makes sense as His prayer was to our Heavenly Father.  I am only going to quote a couple of verses, but there are over 150 times that pray, prayer or praying are used in the New Testament, so there are plenty of other verses to reflect upon.

Here are the verses I am going to look at this morning.

Mark 1:35 NIV:  "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed."

Mark 6:46 NIV: "After leaving them, he went up on a mountainside to pray."

John 5:19 NIV:  "Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does."

John 12:49 NIV: "For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken."

I am not sure what comes to mind when we hear the word prayer, having grown up Catholic I was certainly familiar with the word, and practice of repeating prayers, but not so familiar with what we see in these four verses.  The idea of going somewhere separate, and praying for long periods of time seemed like something monks and nuns would do, but not a regular congregant.  

Jesus describes a level of intimacy with His Father that was remarkable, in that every word He spoke and everything He did came from the Father   My early understanding of prayer was to send plenty of words towards heaven and hope that God heard and moved on whatever situation I was praying about.  It never really crossed my mind that prayer was actually another way of referring to a RELATIONSHIP with God. That is what what Jesus modelled to us all.  Its not the words we speak that change us, but rather the words we hear, and what we see in prayer that are important!  We are changed, not by our flurry of words but by our listening, hearing and conversing.

I think its safe to say that Jesus didn't repeat the "Our Father" prayer over and over again when He went up on the mountain to pray.  Instead He conversed with the Father!  As a younger man, I figured Jesus, as God's Son and part of the Trinity, really didn't have to "pray" so much as He just knew what to say and do as a part of the Trinity.  However, as Paul writes, Jesus laid down His divinity in some way, becoming fully man (see Philippians 2: 6-8), and thus what He modelled to us is what is available to any of us, as mere humans.  We can have an intimate relationship with the Father, where we know what He is saying and see what He is doing! 

The three people I mentioned earlier as great prayers, were all people who understood this simple reality and pursued it with a wholehearted passion.  They too were not repeating a set of words over and over again in their prayers, instead they were conversing with God!  Because of their intimacy with the Father, they experienced great power, for they saw what the Father was doing, heard what He was saying and came into agreement with Him!  They had no power of their own but stepped into the flow of power that flows from the Father, Son and Holy Spirit!  

In the same way that Jesus demonstrated the power of His words, things like "Lazarus, Come Forth!" He modelled for us the ability God has made available to us to speak into existence His plan and purpose, with power and authority.  Jesus handed His ministry to the church and fully expects and knows that somehow we will fulfill the great commission, and come to a place of unity and purity.  We are unable to accomplish any of this on our own, from our own reserves of power, but only through uniting ourselves to Him through intimate relationship, through prayer.

For some heavenly reason that we cannot fathom, God chooses to work in and through us to accomplish His will on the earth!  He wants to bring about change, and He will do it through us!  

While I cannot claim any great intimate relationship with the Lord, I am certainly trying to pursue that type of relationship with Him.  I too get up early to pray!  I go to someplace where I won't be interrupted and work on listening and seeing!  Oftentimes I need to get all of the stuff that is running around in my mind, cleared out before I can truly listen and see.  My time of prayer is mostly listening and allowing the Lord to direct my thoughts, what I read, even what I reflect upon.  There is a simple rhythm of relationship that I try ot live within every day, as I know intimacy does not come from occasional interactions, but rather through regular conversation, transparency and humility.

As I often do, as I reflect on my relationship with the Lord, I see parallels to my relationship with my sweetheart.  Early on in our relationship we spent hours in conversation, getting to know each other, learning what was important, asking questions, and listening as much as sharing.  As we have grown, our relationship has gone much deeper, often I don't need to ask what she is thinking, as I know what she is thinking.  (Note:  I still ask most of the time, just so I don't assume and get it wrong).  I communicate constantly so that I know wat she is thinking, what she would like me to do, etc. not because of some fearful response, but because of my great affection.

In the same way, I spend time every day, usually at the start of the day, not because of some religious rule, but because of my great affection for Him.  I try to remember throughout the day to seek His presence and guidance as I work, interact with others, or just relax.  I am nowhere near proficient nor understanding everything the Lord is doing or saying, but I am getting better, growing my relationship with Him.

Ultimately, I do believe that the Lord wants this type of relationship with all of us!  That we might know what He is thinking, saying and wanting to do through us!  I believe He wants to partner through us releasing great power to change our lives and the lives of those around us!  He is looking for faithful, trustworthy people to invite into a place of intimacy so that He can entrust them with greater vision for what He wants to do!  I think its safe to say that much of what He wants to accomplish is impossible without His involvement and His power.  "Jesus looked at them (us) and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” ( Matthew 19:26 NIV).

Amen!  Let us believe that He wants to show us great things that He wants us to pray and speak into reality here on earth!  Let us be witnesses and ambassadors of His love and power to the world!  Let us learn to pray / relate with Him in deep intimacy!  Let us Pray!

Amen and Amen!

As I Have Loved You!

I ended up snoozing yesterday morning, and was not able to spend much time thinking a theme I that had recently come to mind.  On Sunday, I started thinking  about the New Commandment that Jesus gave us, found in John 13:34-35 NIV:  “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. [35] By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

This simple statement, while similar to the the previously quoted, "love you neighbor as yourself" seems to me to be a significant change in how we are supposed to live, and I wanted to spend some time reflecting on this and researching it from that perspective.  

As I noted earlier we are familiar with a similar statement, spoken by Jesus in summarizing the commandments.  We find it quoted in Matthew 22:37-40 NIV:

[37] Jesus replied: “ 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' [38] This is the first and greatest commandment. [39] And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' [40] All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

I have heard this described as a vertical love and a horizontal love.  Loving god who is above, and loving our neighbors who are on our level. One could use the cross with its vertical beam and horizontal beam signifying these two expressions of love.   While challenging, I do think that I could fulfill these two commandments on my own, or at least it seems possible.  

The new commandment, however, calls us to love each other as Jesus loves us, and this is a whole different level of love!  If we were to sketch this commandment out, we must always looks at others as Jesus looks at them, so that we might understand how to love them as He loves them, and that requires us to view others from His vantage point.  In other words, my love for others must always start with our unity with Him, an intimate relationship where we can hear His words and see what He is doing.  While we could think this might think this requires us to ascend to heaven and then look down upon earth to one another, I think that in reality it is more of what Jesus demonstrated, as described by Paul in his letter to the Philippians.  Here are the verses - Philippians 2:1-8 NIV:

[1] "Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, [2] then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. [3] Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, [4] not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."

[5] "In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: [6] Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; [7] rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. [8] And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death---even death on a cross!"

Verses 3 & 4 are where the rubber really hits the road, in my opinion.  Essentially we are called to servant-hood, valuing others above ourselves, and looking to their interests before our own.... a laying down of our life so that we might love and serve others. Paul continues on and invites us to have the same mindset of Jesus in our relationships with one another!  

I am convinced that this invitation, this new commandment is absolutely impossible to do on our own, or at least it is for me!  I can handle loving god, and loving others as long as they are on my same level, but this call is to humility and serving one another, before our own interests, and that just wars against my inner self, my flesh and personal mindset, if I am being honest.  It is all good to say those lovely words, its a whole other thing to embrace them and try to live them!  

I believe that I am only capable of doing this, if I unite myself to Christ to such an extent that my life becomes His.  I must choose this life, this is not something that He will come and force upon me.  In doing so, I will absolutely be invited to lay down my life, for that is what Jesus did for me. 

Oh Lord, I see how much more this commandment is than it seems on the surface!  Help me to lean into You, to learn from You, to trust in You, to unite myself with You!  I want to be able to walk out my remaining days representing You, having Your mindset, and loving others as You love them, and as You love me.  I know I am not capable of this love without You help, but I know You will help me!  

Thank You Lord for loving me!

Amen!

Power, Authority and Feeding the Masses

Here are the verses for my meditation today - Luke 9:1-2,10-17 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.

[10] When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, [11] but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.

[12] Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.”

[13] He replied, “You give them something to eat.”
They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish---unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” [14] (About five thousand men were there.)

But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” [15] The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. [16] Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. [17] They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over."

A couple of things caught my eye today as I was reading through this familiar chapter in Luke.

First, I included verses 1 & 2 for I believe they are important for context.  Jesus gave them power and authority in verse 1.  We know that they must have received something when He gave them this power and authority for they went out and did the very things Jesus directed them to do.  The Greek word that is translated power is the word dunamis:

Definition: (miraculous) power, might, strength
Usage: (a) physical power, force, might, ability, efficacy, energy, meaning (b) plur: powerful deeds, deeds showing (physical) power, marvelous works.

HELPS Word-studies

1411 dýnamis (from 1410 /dýnamai, "able, having ability") – properly, "ability to perform" (L-N); for the believer, power to achieve by applying the Lord's inherent abilities. "Power through God's ability".

It is my belief that this was given to them in some convincing way, for the word exudes power and strength, and this is something we feel and cooperate with in our ministry.  I believe this was a pre-cursor to the actual filling of the Holy Spirit, for they were changed and able from that moment on to cast out demons and cure the sick.  Until Jesus came and started ministering, only a few prophets had been able to do such works, so this healing ministry was not something that the apostles would have thought common nor something they were capable of doing.  The fact that they went out and had successful ministry trips, healing the sick, casting out demons, meant they were actually operating n the power and authority Jesus gave them.

Secondly, I think Jesus' statement in verse 13 is related to verse 1, in that they were given power and authority, and Jesus was inviting them to press beyond what they had previously done, into something new.  They were given power and authority in both spiritual (demons) and natural (healing) realms, and the need to feed many people clearly falls into the second category. However, it was something new to them, and they didn't make that jump in faith.

Jesus tells them to give them something to eat, then takes their loaves and fish, giving thanks to the Father, breaks them and gives them back to the disciples to distribute.  Interestingly, the fish and loaves were now in the hands of the disciples and that is where the miracle occurs, from the hands of the disciples to the people.  They were all satisfied, including the disciples.  I find it interesting that Jesus enabled the disciples to do exactly what He told them to do, "you give them something to eat." 

I find it very encouraging that the Lord directed and then enabled them to do that very thing.  We don't find Jesus giving them any other directions, speaking about how the miracle was going to unfold, instead just handing the fish and loaves to the disciples to distribute.  He certainly might have said something else, but in my experience, He doesn't always provide a super clear explanation, instead he invites me to step into a place of faith. 

I think that Jesus was demonstrating and teaching the disciples that their power and authority was more extensive than they thought, and included such things in the natural realm, that they had not even thought possible.  I think there may very well be a connection between these verses, where the they gave Jesus everything they had, and the stories in Acts where people shared everything in common and no one had any needs.  Luke records the following - Acts 4:31-35 NIV:

[31] "After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly."

[32] "All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. [33] With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all [34] that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales [35] and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need."

I find it interesting as well that at the time the verses above were written that the Church in Jerusalem had grown to about 5000 (see Luke 4:4) roughly the same number as were fed in Luke 9.

This morning I am encouraged that the Lord has authority over both the spiritual realm, as well as the natural realm, and as His followers, who are hidden in Him, we should as well!  None of this comes from our own effort, but rather it is the Lord who gives both the power and the authority.  I believe that the Lord is encouraging us to think differently, to listen to Him when He tells us to do something that is impossible in our own abilities.  I believe that He wants to broaden our understanding of His power and authority, given to us, that we might step into more effectively representing His ministry to the world! 

Oh Lord, increase our faith!  Oh Lord, pour forth Your Power and Authority to Your Church.  Help us to listen to You and follow Your directions!  Help us to embrace all that You have for us!  Help us to give You everything we have, trusting that You will do great things through us, when we do!

Amen and Amen!

Dangerous Yeast

This morning I felt like I should read and reflect on John's Gospel, chapter 11.  This is a great chapter or reflection as this includes the account of the raising of Lazarus.  However, today I am going to look at the immediate aftermath to that miracle.  Here are verses - John 11:45-54 NIV:

[45] "Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him. [46] But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. [47] Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. 

“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. [48] If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.” 

[49] Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! [50] You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.” 

[51] He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, [52] and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. [53] So from that day on they plotted to take his life. 

[54] Therefore Jesus no longer moved about publicly among the people of Judea. Instead he withdrew to a region near the wilderness, to a village called Ephraim, where he stayed with his disciples."

When I read these verses this morning, the first thing that caught my eye was the line from the meeting of the Sanhedrin, "the Romans will com e and take away both our temple and our nation."  Recently in church we have been discussing the danger of the political and religious spirits, and especially the mixing of the two of them.  Today, in America we have groups on the far right and the far left who are trying to tell us that only "true" Christians believe exactly like they do, and that is a very dangerous prospect, from either side.  

I am reminded of Jesus' comment found in Mark 8:15 NIV:  “Be careful,” Jesus warned them. “Watch out for the yeast of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”  He is essentially warning the apostles of falling into thinking that elevates either religion or the state as more important that God.  In the verses this morning from John 11, we see exactly that!  They have the Son of God in their midst, performing amazing miracles, and they are concerned Rome will take away "OUR temple and OUR nation".  Their quest for power and control was more important to them then the Messiah, and because of that they were plotting to kill Jesus. 

We must watch ourselves, watch our thinking to make sure that we don't add something to the Gospel so that our message become the Gospel+!  This is what was seen in the early Church, when the Circumcision party was preaching the Gospel + Circumcision, and Paul absolutely rejected that message.  He covers that topic several times and spent much of his letter to the church in Galatia addressing this concern.  He had previously had to confront Peter to his face, for Peter had started to agree with this circumision teaching and thought.  Paul saw the absolute danger of this message, for it effectively says the passion and death of Jesus on the Cros```s really didn't accomplish everything.  

Paul writes the following - Galatians 5:2-9 NIV:

[2] "Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. [3] Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. [4] You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. [5] For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. [6] For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. 

[7] You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? [8] That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. [9] “A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough.”

Here we see the yeast of the Pharisees (For they held the Law as most important) infiltrating the Galatian's thinking, and Paul is warning them, even as Jesus warned His apostles.  

We must watch our thinking, for ultimately any Gospel+anything is actually laying the groundwork for getting rid of Jesus completely.  The Pharisees certainly didn't want Jesus around and neither did Herod.  They wanted all the control, and were unwilling to share that with God.  In their eyes, it was "OUR" temple and "OUR" nation!  Losing control of either would have been catastrophic to their own positions and ability to influence others.  

We must remain anchored in Christ, our identity is in Him alone.  We must reject the convincing arguments that say there is a more full expression of our faith that is the Gospel+, tor the only true Christians who preach the Gospel plus whatever they decide is the right viewpoint.  

Finally we should listen to God when He says - 1 Kings 9:3 NIV  “I have heard the prayer and plea you have made before me; I have consecrated this temple, which you have built, by putting my Name there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there."

-and- 

Leviticus 20:26 NIV: "You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own."

I am pretty sure the temple and nation were God's, not the Pharisees, Herodians or anything other group vying for power and control.

This morning I am encouraged to check my heart and mind to make sure that I am embracing a faith where Jesus is Lord, period!  As Paul writes, "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation."  ( Galatians 6:14-15 NIV)

Amen!

Vanity and Friendship With The World

This morning I felt like I should read from James.  It is always important to get ready for James, as He is quite straight-forward in his speech.  I do appreciate that fact.  The verses for this morning are from James 4:1-10 NIV:

[1] What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? [2] You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. [3] When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

[4] "You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. [5] Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us ? [6] But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” 

[7] Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. [8] Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. [9] Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. [10] Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up."

I was originally going to start with verse 4, but that seemed like a rough opening line!  :-)

James is addressing our present state, that of being a new creation (See 2 Cor 5:17 and Gal 6:15) living in our old-creation mindset. We are meant for eternal and Kingdom purposes, and in Christ we are able to do join ourselves to His ministry, His purpose.  Our common issue is that we struggle to look beyond ourselves and our old ways of thinking.  Our natural proclivity is to be concerned about ourselves first and foremost, I guess you could say we have a bit of a survival instinct. We embrace this to the extent that we effectively "worship" our wants and desires.

If we look around us, we see many great examples of how we should live, how we should treat ourselves, what we should eat, what we should wear, what we should drive, where we should live, all presented to us in the most appealing packages by the marketing companies who are appealing to our wants and desires. 

As Christians we are to worship God, first and foremost in our lives, and the temptation is to try to worship both our wants and God.  In a covenant relationship, such as marriage, being in love with and actively engaging in loving another is adultery, and James just comes out swinging with that term.  He softens it a bit by calling it friendship with the world, but that is still an issue.  He calls us to embrace a focus on God alone, to resist the temptation of thinking only about ourselves.

I think that many of us would consider it a bit unnatural, maybe even abnormal, if we meet a person who is more concerned about others, let along God, than themselves. I remember a young family from our church long ago.  They got a call from school about their  7-8 year old daughter.  The teacher was concerned for her, because she was so empathetic and compassionate that she would give her mittens or coat away, on cold days, to children who were lacking.  She would give food away at lunch and just seemed to have an abnormal lack of self-concern.  The teacher was gravely concerned, and the parents had to explain that their child was just very compassionate and embraced the teachings of Christ.

I have quoted many times, Paul's wonderful encouragement from Philippians 2:1-4 NIV:

[1] "Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, [2] then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. [3] Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, [4] not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others."

If we were to meet someone like this, I think we would be slightly uncomfortable, which is really just the conviction of the Holy Spirit.  I know I enjoy the things I like and want and don't like feeling that I should lay them aside for the sake of someone else.  I certainly don't enjoy putting others needs before my own.  At times  I have an absurdly vain imagination, where I am the center of everyone's attention.  I am fine with others who agree with my opinions, just as long as I don't have to change mine.

James rightly calls this all pride.  I don't think of myself as a prideful individual, just someone who has above average intelligence, and usually has a balanced and correct perspective. :-)  I like to soften the truth so I feel better about myself, but the truth is I need to really look at my inner thoughts and pull the reins back on my self-focus and wants.  Rather than only focusing on saying no to myself, James encourages an engagement towards God, which is really the point. its not enough to say no to ourselves, we need to say yes to something else, namely God!  If we come near to Him, He will come near to us!  

This morning I am encouraged to look in teh mirror and see myself more clearly!  I am encouraged to look at what I spend my time and energy doing.  I am encouraged to change my thinking, to change my actions, to consider others before I consider my own wants and desires.  And primarily I am encouraged to more fully embrace a life lived for God.

Amen!

Peace, Be Still!

Yesterday during worship I saw this image of a pool with perfectly still water.  As I reflected on it, I was reminded of two different scriptures.  They came to mind in a specific order, and I think that was for a reason.  THe first scripture was Jesus sleeping during the storm found in Luke 8:22-25 NIV:

[22] "One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. [23] As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. 

[24] The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we're going to drown!” 

He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. [25] “Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. 

In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.”

The understanding I had when I remembered this scripture was that Jesus was able to sleep in the storm because inside of Him, He had perfect peace, and His soul was like that perfectly still water.  When He stood up, his command stilled storm, and He essentially extended the peace that was in Him to the surrounding sea!  

I felt that the Lord wanted to extend His peace to us, especially those of us who find themselves in personal storms, or whatever kind.  Jesus had perfect peace in the midst of raging societal, cultural, relational, political, and even natural storms.  He was unstirred by all that was occurring around Him, instead He kept His eyes on the Father, knowing full well that the Father was firmly in control of everything, and absolutely faithful.

A bit later, I was reminded of Psalm 23 and the beautiful imagery that David provides.  Psalm 23:1-6 NASB:

[1] "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. 

[2] He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. 

[3] He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. 

[4] Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. 

[5] You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. 

[6] Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."

There have been many reflections and commentaries on this beautiful Psalm so I won't try to expand on these verses.  The one verse that caught my mind and heart was verse 2, "He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters."   The original word that was translated quiet is the Hebrew word mnuchach which Strongs  provides the following word helps: 

comfortable, ease, quiet, resting place, still

Or mnuchah {men-oo-khaw'}; feminine of Manowach; 

repose or (adverbially) peacefully; 

figuratively, consolation (specifically, matrimony); 

hence (concretely) an abode -- comfortable, ease, quiet, rest(-ing place), still.

This word clearly has broader connotations than just water without waves.  I believe that the Lord is inviting us into His peace!  He desires to restore the peace in our souls, the peace in our lives, the peace in our marriages.  I believe that His invitation is to look at Him, to see that He is perfectly at peace, and that same peace is available to us.

My encouragement today is to allow the Lord to minister His peace over me.  I believe He is speaking the command, "Peace, be still!"  over our lives and over our situations! 

My prayer is that our hearts, souls and minds would come to a place a perfect peace, only available in Him!

Oh Lord, extend the peace that is in You!

Amen and Amen!  Peace be with You!

More Than You Can Ask or Imagine

Yesterday during some corporate prayer at our church, I was praying about God's future plans and paraphrased some verses from Ephesians about God doing more than we can think or imagine.  I said, "I can imagine a lot, Lord"!  Afterwards, I felt like the Lord whispered back a bit of a reply, "yes, but you don't think like I do, so everything you imagine is from man's perspective not mine!"

To put this in context, here are the verses from Paul's letter to the Ephesians 3:14-21 NIV:

[14] "For this reason I kneel before the Father, [15] from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. [16] I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, [17] so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, [18] may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, [19] and to know this love that surpasses knowledge---that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 

[20] Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, [21] to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

I must say His word, while gentle, caught my attention, and I knew it was an invitation to begin pressing further into Him, that I might grow and learn to see things from His perspective, learning to think more like Him.  Recently, I was listening to John Wimber, one of the founders of the Vineyard Churches, giving his testimony about how the Lord moved in his life, and spoke something similar.  He was desperate to see God move and was crying out to the Lord and heard the Lord say something that changed everything.  The Lord said to him, "John I have seen your ministry, now I am going to show you mine!"

Up until that point John had been doing all the church things he knew to grow and establish the church, he was obeying the leading of the Lord, teaching from the Word, praying for healing, everything he could do from his own knowledge and experience, but it just wasn't enough, and John knew there had to be more.  

These verses from Paul's letter, help me to understand that there is so much more, things beyond which I can even think.... for I haven't been able to grasp the fullness of God's love for me, the lost, the poor and downtrodden, the lonely, the weak, etc.  I am aware of how limited my thinking really is, and how so much of my thinking is based on what I have read, what I have heard others teach!  I am limited and I know it... and I feel like the invitation is to press pass my own understanding into new things that He speaks and does!  

Oh Lord, help me!  Oh Lord, help us to not settle for that which we can do, or think on our own!  Help us to press further into You to discover what You purpose to do!  Help us to lay down our understanding and frameworks and allow You to speak new things into existence!  Show us Your ministry!  Show us Your Love!  Fill us with the whole measure of the fullness of You! 

Amen and Amen!

Light and Momentary?

This morning I continue my reading from Mark, moving on a bit to the following verses - Mark 8:34-38 NIV:

[34] "Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. [35] For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. [36] What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? [37] Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? [38] If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels.”

These verses probably don't make anyone's list of top favorite verses of all time, and for that very reason it is important that we spend time with them.  I believe there is a brand of Christianity today that preaches only blessing and good things.  This stream has no aswers for difficulty or struggles other than to cast blame, or at least suspicion upon the person walking through difficulty.  The logic of this approach follows that if God only brings blessings and good things than people struggling must have some amount of secret sin, or that they are in rebellion and God is punishing them.  I would imagine that these statements by Jesus are never heard in those churches.  

Jesus is quite descriptive of the cost of following Him, and while He had not yet gone to the cross, one expects His listeners understood what He meant when He said "take up their cross".  Apparently it was a form of punishment used by the Greeks as well as the Romans that was used prior to their time by the Phoenicians.  Thus, it was likely a widely understood term.  Some commentators believe that in this instance it was understood to mean persecution.  Here is a note from the Discovery Bible: "The "cross" (Mk 8:34) is not a symbol for suffering in general. Rather it refers to withstanding persecution (difficult times), by the Lord's power, as He directs the circumstances of life. As Christ's disciples, believers are to hold true – even when attacked by the ungodly.]"  Regardless of exact meaning, it is clear that Jesus' description of following Him would not be a life of all blessings and good things!   

It is important how we process such statements in our lives of faith.  If we look at the lives of the Apostles, and many in the early church, their lives while filled with miraculous experiences, opportunities to witness healings and other signs and wonders, and yet they were far from perfectly comfortable.  They understood the reality that following Jesus would invite persecution and derision from the family, friends, neighbors and government, yet they gladly embraced faith in Jesus!  They understood that the eternal benefits of being part of the Kingdom of God, followers of Christ Jesus, far outweighed the difficulties.  

Paul writes 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV:  "Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. [17] For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. [18] So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

Paul obviously writes these words post resurrection, and when we read Jesus' words above, we also must understand them from the place of the completed revelation of Christ Jesus' passion, death, resurrection and ascension!  He wasn't a popular leader looking for followers, He was the Son of God, come to earth, preparing the way for restoration of relationship with our heavenly Father!   His call and invitation is for us to take up this ministry of reconciliation.  

Paul writes the following further on in his letter to the Church in Corinth - 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 NIV: "So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. [17] Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! [18] All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: [19] that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. [20] We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. [21] God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

Our call in following Jesus is to be like Him, to take up His ministry, as Paul points out in the verses above.  Our moment of salvation, while it does seal our eternal destiny, is not a one-way ticket to heaven, and a "get out of all difficulty and pain" card.  When we choose to follow Christ we join ourselves to His Body here on earth, and our ministry becomes His ministry, our life becomes His life!  We have become a new creation, and our old life is no longer ours!  

While this may not seem the most encouraging word this morning, let me say that is only because we don't fully comprehend the eternal glory that far outweighs every trouble we may experience here.  Our invitation is to bring Heaven to earth (Matt 6:10), to proclaim the Kingdom of God present, and then demonstrate that reality, that the world might see, understand and be reconciled to God!  

Oh Lord, help us!  Oh Lord, show Yourself mighty to this, our fallen world.  Help us to follow you daily!  Help us to bear witness to Your Gospel of Grace!  Help us to bear up under the trials and difficulties that we might reveal You in all Your Glory!

Amen and Amen!