This morning I felt I should read from the Prophet Isaiah. He is my favorite of the Old Testament Prophets, so I am always excited to open up that book. This morning I felt particularly led to verse fourteen - here is the particular part that I have been meditating on - Isaiah 19:14 NIV: "The Lord has poured into them a spirit of dizziness; they make Egypt stagger in all that she does, as a drunkard staggers around in his vomit." This is a bit of a surprising focus, for this chapter also has some very interesting things to say about the middle-east.
The NIV translation of this particular verse seems to me to miss a little of the meaning of the original Hebrew. I like this NASB translation better - "The LORD has mixed within her a spirit of distortion; They have led Egypt astray in all that it does, as a drunken man staggers in his vomit."
The specific phrase that grabbed my attention was "spirit of dizziness" or in the NASB, "spirit of distortion". The reason this grabbed my attention is that it seems to me that we in the USA are being affected by a similar spirit of distortion. I am not sure if you have facebook, or watch the news, but if you do you can easily find commentaries and people's perspectives about certain events that offer wildly different portrayals of the truth! Often the same situation is described by two different people as the exact opposite of each other. I believe both can't be true, but yet both believe their perspective is true.
The original Hebrew word that Isaiah uses here is the word (`av`eh) and it means distorting, perverting, warping. I do believe that part of the USA's problem is a spiritual problem. In the Bible, Jesus describes the devil as follows - John 8:44b NIV: "He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies." Later, Paul writes something similar in describing the enemy and how he affects people - 2 Thessalonians 2:10 NIV: ..."and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved." There are numerous other scriptures that offer similar descriptions of the devil and his works, and clearly from a scriptural perspective lies, deception, distortion and perverting truth are the handiwork of the enemy.
The problem with deception, delusion and even distorted perspective is the one who is affected usually doesn't know it. For them, their perspective and beliefs are true. I am reminded of the old old story of several blind men describing an elephant, each only describing what they can touch and feel. Here is a version I found online describing the six blind men as they described the elephant:
"Everyone of them touched the elephant.
"Hey, the elephant is a pillar," said the first man who touched his leg.
"Oh, no! it is like a rope," said the second man who touched the tail.
"Oh, no! it is like a thick branch of a tree," said the third man who touched the trunk of the elephant.
"It is like a big hand fan" said the fourth man who touched the ear of the elephant.
"It is like a huge wall," said the fifth man who touched the belly of the elephant.
"It is like a solid pipe," Said the sixth man who touched the tusk of the elephant.
They began to argue about the elephant and everyone of them insisted that he was right."
Sometimes our perspective is limited by our view, sometimes by our mind-set, and sometimes by our experience. In this story, each was sharing their experience, and for them it was true, but they were clearly lacking the big picture truth. If someone were to purposely only let every blind man only touch the trunk, they would all agree that the elephant was like a thick brach of a tree, and they would all be only partially correct and they would have a distorted perspective. In this case their distorted perspective would be the result of a conscious effort to influence them.
So, in today's information age where everyone has an opinion, and everyone seems to want to share their "truth" or the truth that appeals to them, how do we know what is really true? I believe the answer is that we need to go to the one that can see the whole truth, whose perspective is not tainted by delusion, deception or limited view. In my opinion, we need to go to the source of all truth and ask for clarity and right perspective. Jesus describes Himself as the truth (John 14:6) and He is willing and able to help us if we ask Him. He says the following as well concerning the Holy Spirit - John 16:13 NIV: "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come."
So, in these times of confusion, distorted truths, deception and delusion, let us turn to the one who is the Truth, and allow His truth to adjust our perspectives, and lead us to the whole truth! Help us Lord! Clear away the spirit of distortion that is affecting us!
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Monday, December 5, 2016
The Church and Sinners
Yesterday morning I was thinking about the church and its attitude towards sin and sinners. I think it is a fair statement to say that the church is often better known for its judgment of sin and sinners than it is for its loving and welcoming of all. I was thinking about how Jesus was often surrounded by what the authors of the Gospels called sinners. They described how Jesus' actions were called into question by the religious leaders of the time. Here are a couple of verses from Mark that are a good example - Mark 2:13-17 NIV:
[13] "Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. [14] As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him."
[15] "While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. [16] When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
[17] "On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
I love the heart of Jesus towards those who were considered sinners. Notice that He says He has come to call sinners, not the righteous! What an incredible statement that the church would be wise to take to heart, and consider how to reflect this in our mission. In fact, if you go back to the beginning of this little story, Jesus calls Levi to follow Him directly from his position as one of the chief sinners, as tax collectors were considered traitors since they worked for the Romans and certainly were not practicing Jews. It is widely believed that Levi (Hebrew name) is indeed Matthew (Greek name) the Apostle. In fact in Matthew's Gospel, he actually replaces the name Levi with Matthew in this same story (Matt 9:9-13).
I had read this many times before, but yesterday it just kind of grabbed me. Matthew went from being completely lost, a complete sinner, to one of Jesus' closest companions in a very short period of time. One wonders how many apostles the church has missed because they were at present sinners and just not welcome. Going back to the verses, notice that the invitation wasn't to clean up his (Matthew's) life, but rather it was an invitation to relationship.
When the church leads with judgment of sin and sinners, we are saying the opposite of what Jesus said and demonstrated here. We (the church) are saying to the sinner that they must clean up their life before they can have relationship with us or Jesus. It is no wonder that so many people don't want to go to church where they will be judged and required to change. I just don't see Jesus leading with that message.
Taking this reflection further, since Jesus hadn't already come and offered the sacrifice that bought us all forgiveness for our sins and salvation for our souls, every single person that Jesus called to be His disciple and apostle was a sinner! I think we (the church) can get so caught up with being "holy" or "sanctified" that we forget that we were all called when we were sinners. In fact, the great commission is to go to all nations and make disciples, just like Jesus did, going to sinners bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Good News is that God came to earth and is still present with us through His Holy Spirit, and that He came to have relationship with us. It is through relationship with Jesus that our lives are changed, but only after we have relationship with Him. Paul says we literally become a new creation when we are saved by faith in Jesus, not before.
For much of the church, it seems like the goal it to build these nice safe havens where we are only surrounded by others like us, others who will help us become holy and sanctified. We are afraid of the influences of the world, that we might be tainted or marred with sin. Jesus said that the gates of hell would not be able to overpower the church (Matt 16:18), not the other way around. The Kingdom of God is advancing, and to advance it must overcome the kingdom of this world. We are called to be a light, to overcome darkness and we can't do that if the only light that gets out to world is from the windows of our churches. What is this light that we are to be known for, this light that overcomes the darkness? It is our love (John 13:35) and it is the Lord present in our midst (John 8:12)! It is not our judgment of sin and sinner.
I am reminded of a few verses from John's first letter - 1 John 2:3-10 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.
[7] Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. [8] Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.
[9] Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. [10] Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble."
Here John equates loving our brother and sister with living in the light. He says that we must live like Jesus did (verse 6) , loving everyone, even the sinners.
Today I am encouraged to reflect on my heart towards sinners, towards those that are lost and clearly not following the Lord. His heart is for these people! He said He came for these very people, so how am I to represent Him to those I meet? Clearly with a demonstration of love, not judgment! Help me Lord to overcome any fear on my behalf.
[13] "Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to him, and he began to teach them. [14] As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector's booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him."
[15] "While Jesus was having dinner at Levi's house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. [16] When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
[17] "On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
I love the heart of Jesus towards those who were considered sinners. Notice that He says He has come to call sinners, not the righteous! What an incredible statement that the church would be wise to take to heart, and consider how to reflect this in our mission. In fact, if you go back to the beginning of this little story, Jesus calls Levi to follow Him directly from his position as one of the chief sinners, as tax collectors were considered traitors since they worked for the Romans and certainly were not practicing Jews. It is widely believed that Levi (Hebrew name) is indeed Matthew (Greek name) the Apostle. In fact in Matthew's Gospel, he actually replaces the name Levi with Matthew in this same story (Matt 9:9-13).
I had read this many times before, but yesterday it just kind of grabbed me. Matthew went from being completely lost, a complete sinner, to one of Jesus' closest companions in a very short period of time. One wonders how many apostles the church has missed because they were at present sinners and just not welcome. Going back to the verses, notice that the invitation wasn't to clean up his (Matthew's) life, but rather it was an invitation to relationship.
When the church leads with judgment of sin and sinners, we are saying the opposite of what Jesus said and demonstrated here. We (the church) are saying to the sinner that they must clean up their life before they can have relationship with us or Jesus. It is no wonder that so many people don't want to go to church where they will be judged and required to change. I just don't see Jesus leading with that message.
Taking this reflection further, since Jesus hadn't already come and offered the sacrifice that bought us all forgiveness for our sins and salvation for our souls, every single person that Jesus called to be His disciple and apostle was a sinner! I think we (the church) can get so caught up with being "holy" or "sanctified" that we forget that we were all called when we were sinners. In fact, the great commission is to go to all nations and make disciples, just like Jesus did, going to sinners bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Good News is that God came to earth and is still present with us through His Holy Spirit, and that He came to have relationship with us. It is through relationship with Jesus that our lives are changed, but only after we have relationship with Him. Paul says we literally become a new creation when we are saved by faith in Jesus, not before.
For much of the church, it seems like the goal it to build these nice safe havens where we are only surrounded by others like us, others who will help us become holy and sanctified. We are afraid of the influences of the world, that we might be tainted or marred with sin. Jesus said that the gates of hell would not be able to overpower the church (Matt 16:18), not the other way around. The Kingdom of God is advancing, and to advance it must overcome the kingdom of this world. We are called to be a light, to overcome darkness and we can't do that if the only light that gets out to world is from the windows of our churches. What is this light that we are to be known for, this light that overcomes the darkness? It is our love (John 13:35) and it is the Lord present in our midst (John 8:12)! It is not our judgment of sin and sinner.
I am reminded of a few verses from John's first letter - 1 John 2:3-10 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.
[7] Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. [8] Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.
[9] Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister is still in the darkness. [10] Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble."
Here John equates loving our brother and sister with living in the light. He says that we must live like Jesus did (verse 6) , loving everyone, even the sinners.
Today I am encouraged to reflect on my heart towards sinners, towards those that are lost and clearly not following the Lord. His heart is for these people! He said He came for these very people, so how am I to represent Him to those I meet? Clearly with a demonstration of love, not judgment! Help me Lord to overcome any fear on my behalf.
Monday, November 28, 2016
Relationship During Transition
This morning I felt like I should read from Luke's Gospel, even though it is very familiar. I love how the Lord can take a familiar set of verses and make them new again, or give them special renewed meaning in a new season. The verses I am reflecting on this morning are the following - Luke 11:9-13 NIV:
[9] “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. [10] For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened."
[11] “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? [12] Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? [13] If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
These verses are very encouraging to me as I am in a season of transition and waiting on the Lord to reveal His plan and purposes for me. I have been asking, and seeking, and knocking on doors a little, and knowing that He hears and responds is helpful.
I have a couple of quick thoughts about the verses without going too deep into the original language of the verses. First, it is interesting to me how the verb tense changes from verse nine to verse ten. The sentences are almost identical, except for the tense of the verbs. Apparently asking and seeking are answered immediately, but knocking on doors takes a bit of time. The verb tenses for asking and seeking are present tense, while the knocking is future tense. Going a bit deeper, the Greek word translated ask is Aiteo and it means:
1) to ask, beg, call for, crave, desire, or require.
The word translated seek is the Greek word Zeteo and it means the following:
1) to seek in order to find
a) to seek a thing
b) to seek [in order to find out] by thinking, meditating, reasoning, to enquire into
c) to seek after, seek for, aim at, strive after
2) to seek i.e. require, demand
a) to crave, demand something from someone
Now Jesus, in verse 13, places these words in the context of receiving the Holy Spirit. This is the same Holy Spirit that came upon the apostles and disciples at Pentecost (Acts 2) and is our advocate, our helper and the source of any power in our lives.
As I reflect on these verses I am reminded that everything that Jesus is speaking about is our inheritance in Him. He made a way for us to have real relationship with Him, the Holy Spirit and the Father. When we accept His salvation, we enter into a relationship with them all. So why would he be encouraging us to ask and seek for the Holy Spirit?
I believe the answer is quite simple and is related to our free will. We can just as easily decide to ask and seek for other things! We can divert our attention and our hearts away from God and in doing so, God allows us to wander away from Him. He is telling us to constantly ask for, and seek Him, to turn back to Him, to be reminded of His love for us. We need to do this every day, in fact sometimes I need to do it multiple times a day, and when we do, He is immediately available to us.
Going back the verses, I believe Jesus is talking about 2 things, relationship and direction. Relationship is related to our heart's desires and both Greek words used here describe the object of one's desire and longing. The knocking on the door, to me, sounds more like asking direction and is the way I commonly refer to decisions and direction in my own life. When I am looking for a new job, I am "knocking" on as many doors as possible. When I am going through transition, I am waiting for a new door to open so that I might walk into the new experiences and purposes that are revealed. All the while I am doing the knocking, I am constantly embracing relationship with Him.
In summary, if we are asking for Him and seeking Him, He is immediately available for relationship. If we are seeking direction, that may take some time for it to be revealed, for God's purposes and plans are revealed in His perfect timing. He is more than willing to be with us and help us wait, to give us clarity in our present situation, and to bless us with relational intimacy, but He is committed to His perfect plan and that does have time components.
Thus, this morning I am encouraged in this time of transition. I am encouraged that He loves me and wants me to walk with Him through this time of transition. I am encouraged because the proper door will be opened, but while I am waiting I can enjoy the blessings of relationship with Him. Lord, I ask for You, I seek You and I will continue to knock until the door is opened.
Amen!
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Thanksgiving and Reflection
A couple of days ago I felt like reading from the Gospel of Luke. Here are the two verses that captured my attention - Luke 15:1-2 NIV:
[1] "Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. [2] But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
I love that these verses, especially verse 1, are recorded in Scripture. In these, and many other stories, we find a good example of Jesus' heart, as the Father's representative, towards sinners. I can imagine what the church would be like if these verses were not included. I think that it is possible to forget that Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10) and we can also forget that we are called to continue His ministry. If sinners hung out with Jesus and felt comfortable in His presence, even welcomed, can we say the same about our lives, and our churches?
That is actually a really interesting question. We, who are saved, tend to classify ourselves as saints (small s), those that have experienced Jesus salvation and are following Him. Our lives should be marked by our desire to follow him, and hopefully we are sinning less than before. In church we probably hang around people who are similar to us, and we try to make a positive impact on our world. Sometimes we can forget where we came from and what we were like previously, and take on a judgmental attitude towards those who have not yet welcomed the Lord into their lives. However, no matter our state of holiness, in reality we are all still sinners who have been redeemed! Some questions to consider in light of Jesus' example here in Luke:
Do we classify ourselves as better then others in our church, or in our neighborhood, because our sins are not as visible?
Do we have a list of bad sins and a list of not so bad sins? Do we feel good about ourselves because we don't do any of the "bad" sins?
Do we judge people by their sin, and even identify them by their sin, as we see the Pharisees and teachers of the Law doing here?
Do we even have anything interesting to say to "sinners"?
Do we even relate to people outside the fellowship of believers?
Do we remember our lives before Christ?
Do we take the forgiveness of our sins for granted?
Do we have an us and them attitude towards those inside vs. outside the church?
As I re-read these verses today, I was thinking that on Thanksgiving we gather around family and friends and possibly some of them may not know the Lord, or maybe have fallen away. What a great opportunity we have to love them and let them know how significant they are to us! I believe that each and every one of us is significant to the Lord, and greatly loved by Him. Let us endeavor to represent Him today to all those who would be classified as "sinners". Let us be thankful that we have experienced His love and forgiveness and extend the same to those around us! Let us cultivate a grateful heart for all the mercy and grace we have received from the Lord!
I am reminded of a very interesting story Jesus told in Luke 18:9-14 NIV:
[9] "To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: [10] “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. [11] The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people---robbers, evildoers, adulterers---or even like this tax collector. [12] I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'
[13] “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'
[14] “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Let us remember our lives, and be thankful and grateful rather than prideful. God in His mercy has called us, forgiven us and made us His sons and daughters! The exact same mercy, forgiveness and invitation to relationship is available to us all! Let us be thankful that we have heard His voice, and responded.
Monday, November 21, 2016
Of Cats, Cars and Right Perspective...
This morning I was just reflecting on my relationship with our cat Wicket. He is quite the unique cat, and often is a bit stand-offish. He bites me sometimes, and sometimes bites books and cards and things he shouldn't. Regardless of what he did yesterday, or even 15 minutes ago, if he comes over and wants to snuggle on my lap, or lay against my leg, next to me on the couch, I welcome him and am glad that he wants to be by me. I was just thinking how similar this is to the Lord. His desire is always for us, He is always welcoming us, regardless of what we just did, or have done in the past. He loves me, desires me to be near, desires that I interact with Him. There is no penance necessary, no sacrifice required on my part due to my sin, for He paid for all of that previously.
He interacts with me here in time, but He sees me from His eternal, outside of time, position. Thus, when He sees me, He sees me as who I become in Him, who I am right now, and who I have been. A good analogy would be a car restoration. The really good restorers can look at an old worn out car and imagine how the vehicle will look once they are finished. They keep that image constantly in their mind as they work through the restoration process. They know what the car looked like at first, what its present state is, and what it will look like when finished. Because they know what it will look like when finished, they are able to plot out the path to get from its present state to its future state. One could say that they see through their imagination the vehicles future value and form, and it is their guiding vision.
In a very similar way, when the Lord looks at us, He sees us in our present state, and our actual future state, and He guides us. The difference is that His vision of us in not imaginary, it is reality, for He is outside of time and He can see the past, present and future all at once. He really is the beginning and the end, and everything in between. So when we look to the Lord, asking Him to guide us, we are allowing His clear perspective to guide us, rather than stumbling along trying to figure it out on our own. His love for us never changes because He has always seen us with the same perspective. I am so grateful that His perspective and opinion of me is never changing.
Probably the best part of this whole reality is that when God looks at me, He doesn't see my sin! He sees me as I am, clean without any sin to mar me, for Jesus paid for all my sins, and has forgiven me. I guess we could say that God has a really bad short-term memory concerning my sin, and fantastic long term-memory concerning me. He only has good thoughts about me, because He doesn't consider my sin (they have paid for) and He sees me as I am, hidden in His Son Jesus. How could he possibly think anything negative about me in this reality?
The key thing for all of us is to learn to live this way as well! We are invited to view ourselves, though our relationship with Him, the same way. We need to train ourselves to look at ourselves in a present/future state, rather than a past/present state. He invites us to leave all our history in the past, and step into the newness of today, the new mercies that are available today. He invites us to lay down all our memories of our sins, failures, wounds and scars so that we might see ourselves the way He sees us. Not only that, but He wants to speak to us and tell us who we become, so that we might believe and live toward that vision.
I am reminded of two great scriptural examples, first, the story of Gideon in Judges, Chapter 6. The background to the story is that Israel was being severely oppressed by the Midianites. Gideon was trying to thresh some wheat for his family, and doing so while hiding in a wine press. He has an encounter with and Angel and doesn't believe what the Angel says. Here are the two verses that demonstrate what I am saying - Judges 6:12, 15 NIV:
[12] "When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior. ”
[15] “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family". The Lord was speaking to Gideon's present/future state, but Gideon was mired in His past/present state. The Lord looked at Gideon from outside of time and rightly calls him a mighty warrior. Gideon, who can only look at his past and present, sees no reason to believe that he could be a mighty warrior. The invitation from the Lord was for Gideon to believe God's perspective rather than his own. Our invitation daily is to do the same.
The second example is the story of the prodigal son found in Luke, chapter 15. In this story the son asks for his inheritance, goes to a distant land and spends it in all sorts of sinful ways, and after becoming poor and starving, He decides to go back to his father's house and beg to just be a servant, because he was clearly no longer qualified to be called his son. Here are a couple of verses that are applicable - Luke 15:17-24 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.'
[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 son was trying to accept his past/present state and move forward in relationship with his father. The father though, would have none of that nonsense. he immediately restored the son to right relationship, as his son, and pronounced this to his whole household. It was as if he never saw this sinful son in any other way than as his son whom he loved. The father did not drag up his past, make him pay restitution, or punish him in any way. The father could only think of him as his son, whom he loved!
In the same way, our Father in heaven looks at each of us, and sees us where we are and sees us as His children. He loves us, and calls us forward in relationship with Himself. He doesn't dig up our past, call us to make restitution or make us pay any penalty. He wants us to believe in His perspective of us, and step into our identity as His sons and daughters and encourages us to live our lives with present/future perspective.
He interacts with me here in time, but He sees me from His eternal, outside of time, position. Thus, when He sees me, He sees me as who I become in Him, who I am right now, and who I have been. A good analogy would be a car restoration. The really good restorers can look at an old worn out car and imagine how the vehicle will look once they are finished. They keep that image constantly in their mind as they work through the restoration process. They know what the car looked like at first, what its present state is, and what it will look like when finished. Because they know what it will look like when finished, they are able to plot out the path to get from its present state to its future state. One could say that they see through their imagination the vehicles future value and form, and it is their guiding vision.
In a very similar way, when the Lord looks at us, He sees us in our present state, and our actual future state, and He guides us. The difference is that His vision of us in not imaginary, it is reality, for He is outside of time and He can see the past, present and future all at once. He really is the beginning and the end, and everything in between. So when we look to the Lord, asking Him to guide us, we are allowing His clear perspective to guide us, rather than stumbling along trying to figure it out on our own. His love for us never changes because He has always seen us with the same perspective. I am so grateful that His perspective and opinion of me is never changing.
Probably the best part of this whole reality is that when God looks at me, He doesn't see my sin! He sees me as I am, clean without any sin to mar me, for Jesus paid for all my sins, and has forgiven me. I guess we could say that God has a really bad short-term memory concerning my sin, and fantastic long term-memory concerning me. He only has good thoughts about me, because He doesn't consider my sin (they have paid for) and He sees me as I am, hidden in His Son Jesus. How could he possibly think anything negative about me in this reality?
The key thing for all of us is to learn to live this way as well! We are invited to view ourselves, though our relationship with Him, the same way. We need to train ourselves to look at ourselves in a present/future state, rather than a past/present state. He invites us to leave all our history in the past, and step into the newness of today, the new mercies that are available today. He invites us to lay down all our memories of our sins, failures, wounds and scars so that we might see ourselves the way He sees us. Not only that, but He wants to speak to us and tell us who we become, so that we might believe and live toward that vision.
I am reminded of two great scriptural examples, first, the story of Gideon in Judges, Chapter 6. The background to the story is that Israel was being severely oppressed by the Midianites. Gideon was trying to thresh some wheat for his family, and doing so while hiding in a wine press. He has an encounter with and Angel and doesn't believe what the Angel says. Here are the two verses that demonstrate what I am saying - Judges 6:12, 15 NIV:
[12] "When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior. ”
[15] “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family". The Lord was speaking to Gideon's present/future state, but Gideon was mired in His past/present state. The Lord looked at Gideon from outside of time and rightly calls him a mighty warrior. Gideon, who can only look at his past and present, sees no reason to believe that he could be a mighty warrior. The invitation from the Lord was for Gideon to believe God's perspective rather than his own. Our invitation daily is to do the same.
The second example is the story of the prodigal son found in Luke, chapter 15. In this story the son asks for his inheritance, goes to a distant land and spends it in all sorts of sinful ways, and after becoming poor and starving, He decides to go back to his father's house and beg to just be a servant, because he was clearly no longer qualified to be called his son. Here are a couple of verses that are applicable - Luke 15:17-24 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.'
[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 son was trying to accept his past/present state and move forward in relationship with his father. The father though, would have none of that nonsense. he immediately restored the son to right relationship, as his son, and pronounced this to his whole household. It was as if he never saw this sinful son in any other way than as his son whom he loved. The father did not drag up his past, make him pay restitution, or punish him in any way. The father could only think of him as his son, whom he loved!
In the same way, our Father in heaven looks at each of us, and sees us where we are and sees us as His children. He loves us, and calls us forward in relationship with Himself. He doesn't dig up our past, call us to make restitution or make us pay any penalty. He wants us to believe in His perspective of us, and step into our identity as His sons and daughters and encourages us to live our lives with present/future perspective.
Monday, November 14, 2016
God's Promise and Long Waits
This morning I felt like I should read from the Book of Genesis, specifically about Abraham, and God's promises and covenants with him. There are many things to learn from his story, but today the thing that stood out to me was the time between God's promises and the fulfilment of those promises. Abraham was 75 years old when God told him to leave his people and go to the land he would show him (Gen 12:1-4). God also told him that He would make Abraham into a mighty nation. In Genesis 15, God reiterates His promise to Abraham and this time is more specific, saying that a son of his own flesh will be his heir! This was after a year of craziness, as they had to go to Egypt to escape the famine in the promised land, as well as deal with Sodom and Gomorrah. At this point Abraham is 76 years old and Sarah his wife is 67 years old.
After they resettle in the land, they wait another 10 years but no children are born to Abraham and Sarah. At this point they try to figure out God's plan on their own, and Sarah figures Abraham should just sleep with her slave Hagar, who became one of Abraham's wives (Gen 16:1-4). Their plan was immediately successful, but Ishmael was not the son of the promise nor the covenant, but was the son of human effort. Over the next 13 years Ismael grows, and Abraham grows older.
Finally, after 24 years from the first invitation from God, He speaks again and tells Abraham, who is now 99, to circumcise all the males in his household, even Himself (Gen 17:1-3). It is at this time that the Lord, once again reiterates His promise, and tells Abraham that Sarah will have a son by this time next year (Gen 17: 15-21). Abraham thought it was funny, as it just didn't make sense in the natural, for he was 99 and Sarah was 90 years old.
Within the year, as foretold by God in verse 21, Sarah had given birth to Isaac. So in total Abraham waited at least 25 years from the original promise to seeing it miraculously fulfilled by God.
I guess my encouragement this morning is to not give up on the promises of God, regardless of how long ago they were spoken, nor how impossible they seem. It is interesting that it might have been physically possible for Sarah to give birth back when Abraham first heard that promise. Every year of delay made it less and less likely, yet God was able to do what He said He would do. I am encouraged that God was revealing part of His character here, that He is faithful and His word is true. His fulfilment doesn't always take on the form, nor timing that would make sense to us as humans, and that is perfectly ok. He is God and He is Faithful.
So, whether you have been waiting for 25 years or more, or the way God appears to be moving makes no sense to you, wait on the Lord. He will show you the perfect fulfillment oh His promises.
After they resettle in the land, they wait another 10 years but no children are born to Abraham and Sarah. At this point they try to figure out God's plan on their own, and Sarah figures Abraham should just sleep with her slave Hagar, who became one of Abraham's wives (Gen 16:1-4). Their plan was immediately successful, but Ishmael was not the son of the promise nor the covenant, but was the son of human effort. Over the next 13 years Ismael grows, and Abraham grows older.
Finally, after 24 years from the first invitation from God, He speaks again and tells Abraham, who is now 99, to circumcise all the males in his household, even Himself (Gen 17:1-3). It is at this time that the Lord, once again reiterates His promise, and tells Abraham that Sarah will have a son by this time next year (Gen 17: 15-21). Abraham thought it was funny, as it just didn't make sense in the natural, for he was 99 and Sarah was 90 years old.
Within the year, as foretold by God in verse 21, Sarah had given birth to Isaac. So in total Abraham waited at least 25 years from the original promise to seeing it miraculously fulfilled by God.
I guess my encouragement this morning is to not give up on the promises of God, regardless of how long ago they were spoken, nor how impossible they seem. It is interesting that it might have been physically possible for Sarah to give birth back when Abraham first heard that promise. Every year of delay made it less and less likely, yet God was able to do what He said He would do. I am encouraged that God was revealing part of His character here, that He is faithful and His word is true. His fulfilment doesn't always take on the form, nor timing that would make sense to us as humans, and that is perfectly ok. He is God and He is Faithful.
So, whether you have been waiting for 25 years or more, or the way God appears to be moving makes no sense to you, wait on the Lord. He will show you the perfect fulfillment oh His promises.
Sunday, November 13, 2016
One Household, One Building, One Body
This morning I am reading from Ephesians 2:12-22 NIV:
[12] "...remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. [13] But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ."
[14] "For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, [15] by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, [16] and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. [17] He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. [18] For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit."
[19] "Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household, [20] built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. [21] In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. [22] And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit."
Wow, talk about loaded lines of scripture! A couple of things that stand out very clearly here. In verse fifteen, Paul is as clear as can be in stating that Jesus set aside, in His flesh, the law and its regulations. This version of translation is relatively mild in how it translates the original Greek katargeo. A better definition is as follows:
1) to render idle, unemployed, inactivate, inoperative
a) to cause a person or thing to have no further efficiency
b) to deprive of force, influence, power
2) to cause to cease, put an end to, do away with, annul, abolish
a) to cease, to pass away, be done away
b) to be severed from, separated from, discharged from, loosed from any one
c) to terminate all intercourse with one
Any way I read the definition, it is clear that the Law and its regulations and commandments are no longer enforced. Jesus did this through His body, sacrificing Himself so that we could be free of the Law. He also did this so that the way would be opened for all men, both Jew and Gentile, and in so doing making us all into one new humanity (verse 15).
Secondly, we are all members of God's household. God doesn't have multiple household, just one, and we are all members of it. Jesus himself said "in my Fathers house, there are many dwellings" (John 14:2). Thus, we are all members of this one household, the household of God. We are all built on the same foundation and are all being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives (verse 20, 22). The Greek word translated built together is Sunoikodomeo and it is defined as follows:
1) to build together
a) to build together or with others
b) to put together or construct by building, out of several things to build up one whole
1) of the human body
Again, Paul is saying though we were many parts, Jew and gentile, we are now being built together into a single building, the temple of God or just as clearly, the Body of Christ. We can not disassociate ourselves from others in the body. We may have a different focus, a different purpose, but we are all members of this same building, this same body. I also like the fact that he says we are being built together, as it is not complete yet, but in process.
Lord, I pray that the simple truths revealed here would cause us to see the Church or the Body of Christ differently. We are all one, all members of one household, one body, one building! Help us to put away our petty disagreements and those things that cause division and embrace the unity that God has made possible.
Amen!
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
For Our Nation Today...
This morning I am reminded of this pledge and today make it a prayer as well!
I pray that God's Peace may be ours today!
I pledge allegiance to the flag,
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic for which it stands,
One nation, under God,
Indivisible, with liberty and justice for all!
Monday, November 7, 2016
The Command to Love
As I sat down to pray this morning, I opened my Bible to the last location I had been reading from yesterday, out of John, and the following verses caught my eye - John 14:15-17, 21 NIV:
[15] “If you love me, keep my commands. [16] And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever--- [17] the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
[21] Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
That first sentence in verse 15 is so simple and yet one that we often don't like, for Jesus speaks of His commands, and associates our following them with loving Him. For many of us, these two ideas (love and commandments) are not closely related. We think of love as being founded in emotion and affection, but commands as being something that is demanded of us from an authoritarian ruler (at least some of the time), especially if we take them out the context and just consider them as words.
The issue for many of us is that our heart responds coolly to this type of statement. Imagine yourself saying these very words to your spouse or significant other. If I imagine my wife saying these words to me, I would likely not be pleased. We think that a mutually loving relationship of equals should not have commands and/or obedience required.
So how do we open these words up and learn to embrace them? They are clearly significant, and the fruit of our obedience appears to be unfathomable intimacy with God Himself.
First, it might be helpful to understand what exactly are Jesus' commands? Are they the rules of the church (many would want to teach that is the case)? Are they the rules for living found in the Old Covenant of the Law? I figure the best place to go is back to Scripture and see where Jesus actually gives us (His followers) commands. The language is so specific, yet up to this point in John's Gospel, Jesus has not yet given a command that would be applicable to all. If I turn the page and go to Chapter 15, I find the only times in John's Gospel that Jesus actually gives a command, and then reiterates that command. Here are the verses -
John 15:12 NIV: "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you."
- and again -
John 15:17 NIV: "This is my command: Love each other."
Isn't that incredible? In fact in all of the New Testament, these are the only times that Jesus gives a direct command to us. Now, if this is the command of Jesus that opens the door to unfathomable intimacy with Him, the Father and the Holy Spirit, then I find I am not so turned off by the command. He isn't commanding me to do things that I don't want to do, although I will be the first to say that I don't always feel like loving like He loved. He isn't demanding my adherence to some petty command, He is actually inviting me to enter into His mission and purpose! He was sent to reveal the Father to us all (Heb 1:3), to reveal the Father's love for us (John 3:16), and to love us with His whole life, demonstrating the greatest love possible by laying down His life for us (John 15:13).
Jesus is inviting us to embrace His mission and purpose out of our relationship with Him. Notice, He says, "if you love me" - then "keep my commands." If we love Him, (then) we should love one another too!
I was just thinking how different verse 14:15 would sound if we just took out the words "keep my commands" and replaced them with His actual command. It would read like this:
"If you love me, (then) love each other as I have loved you!"
This I can embrace! This is sweet to my ears, and welcome in my heart!
Going back to Jesus statement in verse 21, " Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
Oh Lord, I pray for this greater revelation of Yourself an Your love, as You promised here! Help me Holy Spirit through Your power, as promised by Jesus. Come into my life and into my being! I look to You Father, help me to understand Your love for me! Help me to take this love, revelation and power and reveal You to all those around me through my love for them!
Amen!
[15] “If you love me, keep my commands. [16] And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever--- [17] the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
[21] Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
That first sentence in verse 15 is so simple and yet one that we often don't like, for Jesus speaks of His commands, and associates our following them with loving Him. For many of us, these two ideas (love and commandments) are not closely related. We think of love as being founded in emotion and affection, but commands as being something that is demanded of us from an authoritarian ruler (at least some of the time), especially if we take them out the context and just consider them as words.
The issue for many of us is that our heart responds coolly to this type of statement. Imagine yourself saying these very words to your spouse or significant other. If I imagine my wife saying these words to me, I would likely not be pleased. We think that a mutually loving relationship of equals should not have commands and/or obedience required.
So how do we open these words up and learn to embrace them? They are clearly significant, and the fruit of our obedience appears to be unfathomable intimacy with God Himself.
First, it might be helpful to understand what exactly are Jesus' commands? Are they the rules of the church (many would want to teach that is the case)? Are they the rules for living found in the Old Covenant of the Law? I figure the best place to go is back to Scripture and see where Jesus actually gives us (His followers) commands. The language is so specific, yet up to this point in John's Gospel, Jesus has not yet given a command that would be applicable to all. If I turn the page and go to Chapter 15, I find the only times in John's Gospel that Jesus actually gives a command, and then reiterates that command. Here are the verses -
John 15:12 NIV: "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you."
- and again -
John 15:17 NIV: "This is my command: Love each other."
Isn't that incredible? In fact in all of the New Testament, these are the only times that Jesus gives a direct command to us. Now, if this is the command of Jesus that opens the door to unfathomable intimacy with Him, the Father and the Holy Spirit, then I find I am not so turned off by the command. He isn't commanding me to do things that I don't want to do, although I will be the first to say that I don't always feel like loving like He loved. He isn't demanding my adherence to some petty command, He is actually inviting me to enter into His mission and purpose! He was sent to reveal the Father to us all (Heb 1:3), to reveal the Father's love for us (John 3:16), and to love us with His whole life, demonstrating the greatest love possible by laying down His life for us (John 15:13).
Jesus is inviting us to embrace His mission and purpose out of our relationship with Him. Notice, He says, "if you love me" - then "keep my commands." If we love Him, (then) we should love one another too!
I was just thinking how different verse 14:15 would sound if we just took out the words "keep my commands" and replaced them with His actual command. It would read like this:
"If you love me, (then) love each other as I have loved you!"
This I can embrace! This is sweet to my ears, and welcome in my heart!
Going back to Jesus statement in verse 21, " Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
Oh Lord, I pray for this greater revelation of Yourself an Your love, as You promised here! Help me Holy Spirit through Your power, as promised by Jesus. Come into my life and into my being! I look to You Father, help me to understand Your love for me! Help me to take this love, revelation and power and reveal You to all those around me through my love for them!
Amen!
Sunday, November 6, 2016
The Father's Plan for the Lost: To Seek and Save
I opened up my Bible to the Gospel of Luke, and one of my favorite stories, the story of Zacchaeus. Here is the story as told by Luke 19:1-10 NIV:
[1] "Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. [2] A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. [3] He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. [4] So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
[5] When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” [6] So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
[7] All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
[8] But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
[9] Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. [10] For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
As I read through the story once again, I was most impacted by Jesus' statement, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” We know from Jesus' statements in John that He only said and did what the Father told him to do and say. When I read this statement today, it was apparent to me that Jesus was being obedient to the Father, when he told Zacchaeus that "I must stay at your house today"! It seemed clear to me that Jesus was following the Father's specific directions.
Wouldn't that be awesome to have that type of interaction with the Father?
The good news is that is exactly what we are invited to do, we are invited to have the Father and Jesus come and make their home in us (John 14:23).
So, taking that belief that it was the Father directing Jesus, we see in Jesus' words and actions the Father's heart for Zacchaeus, while he was still steeped in His sins. It was clear that the Father had been already been drawing Zacchaeus, as he had it in his mind that he wanted to see Jesus. The Father's heart is further revealed in Jesus' statement at the very end, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” That was the assignment that He had given to Jesus and that is what occurred.
What a wonderful example of the Father's heart for the lost, for those who are caught up in sin, for those that would be considered traitors and the worst of the worst. I am encouraged today, that the Father has the exact same heart for all those I know who are in the same heart condition as Zacchaeus. I am confident in His ability to find them where they are, to draw them towards Himself, and finally to encounter Him in such a way that their hearts are changed and their lives transformed.
The Father wasn't calling judgment down upon Zacchaeus and his household for his sins and evil ways! Instead the Father was visiting his whole house with salvation! Oh that all the church would learn to pray for the sinners and lost this way!
Lord, I lift up to You those that I know who have wandered away from You, have never known You, or who are worshipping money and material goods. I pray that You would seek them and save them and their whole households!
Amen and Amen!
[1] "Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. [2] A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. [3] He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. [4] So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
[5] When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” [6] So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
[7] All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
[8] But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
[9] Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. [10] For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
As I read through the story once again, I was most impacted by Jesus' statement, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” We know from Jesus' statements in John that He only said and did what the Father told him to do and say. When I read this statement today, it was apparent to me that Jesus was being obedient to the Father, when he told Zacchaeus that "I must stay at your house today"! It seemed clear to me that Jesus was following the Father's specific directions.
Wouldn't that be awesome to have that type of interaction with the Father?
The good news is that is exactly what we are invited to do, we are invited to have the Father and Jesus come and make their home in us (John 14:23).
So, taking that belief that it was the Father directing Jesus, we see in Jesus' words and actions the Father's heart for Zacchaeus, while he was still steeped in His sins. It was clear that the Father had been already been drawing Zacchaeus, as he had it in his mind that he wanted to see Jesus. The Father's heart is further revealed in Jesus' statement at the very end, "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” That was the assignment that He had given to Jesus and that is what occurred.
What a wonderful example of the Father's heart for the lost, for those who are caught up in sin, for those that would be considered traitors and the worst of the worst. I am encouraged today, that the Father has the exact same heart for all those I know who are in the same heart condition as Zacchaeus. I am confident in His ability to find them where they are, to draw them towards Himself, and finally to encounter Him in such a way that their hearts are changed and their lives transformed.
The Father wasn't calling judgment down upon Zacchaeus and his household for his sins and evil ways! Instead the Father was visiting his whole house with salvation! Oh that all the church would learn to pray for the sinners and lost this way!
Lord, I lift up to You those that I know who have wandered away from You, have never known You, or who are worshipping money and material goods. I pray that You would seek them and save them and their whole households!
Amen and Amen!
Saturday, November 5, 2016
We Are His Children and His Heirs!
This morning I opened my Bible to Galatians, and to a few verses that I was meditating on a couple of weeks back. Here are the verses - Galatians 4:4-7 NIV:
[4] "But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, [5] to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. [6] Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba , Father.” [7] So you are no longer a slave, but God's child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir."
In light of the dream I had recently (my blog about it can be found here: http://amomentwithgod-srh.blogspot.com/2016/11/dont-settle-for-mediocracy-in-your.html), I want to start at verse 7, today. Paul is writing about being under the Law, in regards to his mention of slavery here. As the Law was fulfilled by Christ Jesus, and a new covenant was established through His most precious blood, this statement is true for us all. None of us is slave to the Law!
Unfortunately, much of the church seems to want to bring parts of the Old Testament Law back in, and subject us to those requirements. There are those that preach judgment and curses upon people for sin, which is part of the Law, but not the New Covenant. There are those that think that the judgments of Israel or the Jews, apply to us, but again those are part of the Old Covenant of the Law. When the question of how much of the Law is required under the New Covenant was brought up in the early church, when those who were not Jews joined the church, the resulting discussion and agreement of the Apostles caused the following letter to be written, as found in Acts 15:22-29 NIV:
[22] "Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, men who were leaders among the believers. [23] With them they sent the following letter:
The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia:
Greetings. [24] We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. [25] So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul--- [26] men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. [27] Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. [28] It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: [29] You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.
Farewell."
This is their summation of all the things that passed from the Old Covenant Law to the new believers, who were not Jewish, under the New Covenant. That is it, nothing else was added. Paul went on later in his letter to the church in Corinth to say that really food sacrificed to idols, and really eating of anything, was actually not an issue either (1 Cor 8:1-8), so we are left really with abstaining from sexual immorality. You will note that there were no judgments, no curses or punishments added, just the requirement to abstain.
So back to His statement in verse 7, we are no longer slaves to any of the Law, we are all, each and everyone of us, God's child! No one is more favorite, no one has position or authority over you in God's family, we are all equally His children, made so by the same sacrifice of Jesus. There are no half-siblings, no step-children, all are children of God! If you have ever thought yourself as less deserving, or not properly related to God, you thought wrong. We can choose to believe other things, and apply rules and regulations to ourselves (like pieces and parts of the Old Covenant) that are not true for us, or we can choose to live as we truly are, His children, His sons and His daughters. It is our choice!
I will say that many of us have been brought up in religion, and religion works to enslave us to rules and regulations. We believe in Christ and His salvation, but we have been taught incorrectly about grace, mercy, compassion and judgment, and fed a bunch of rules and regulations that are not part of the Gospel. It is no fault of ours that we have believed that which we have been taught, but the truth, seen here in Paul's writings and of course in Jesus' teachings throughout the Gospels, is clear! When we are confronted with truth from God's Word that is not in line with our own beliefs, our choice is simple, we can repent and change the way we think and act, or we can hold onto our wrong thinking! The call from God is towards freedom, towards life full of Him as His sons and daughters.
Finally, Paul finishes his statement with the statement, "God has made you also an heir." Please note, this is God's will towards us, not something we have earned. It is through His relationship with us, established in Christ Jesus, that He extends the inheritance to include us! We are His heirs! We probably need to tell ourselves that over and over and over.
Going back to the dream I had recently, the idea is that the inheritance is our to experience now, and is just waiting for us to step into it. Jesus taught His disciples to pray the following - Matthew 6:9-10 NIV: “This, then, is how you should pray: “ 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." This prayer is not that we might make it to Heaven so that we can experience God's will there, but rather a prayer that we would experience here on earth that which is already experienced in Heaven. Jesus tells us to pray that God's will (His will states that we are His heirs) be done or experienced on earth as it is in Heaven. The Greek word that has been translated 'done' is the word Ginomai. Here is a brief definition:
1) to become, i.e. to come into existence, begin to be, receive being
2) to become, i.e. to come to pass, happen
a) of events
3) to arise, appear in history, come upon the stage
a) of men appearing in public
4) to be made, finished
a) of miracles, to be performed, wrought
5) to become, be made
When we pray as Jesus taught us, we are connecting ourselves to God's will, and asking that it would be revealed through us, to come into existence, to happen, to appear and become part of our history, to cause miracles to be performed that just need that finishing touch, to become real here on earth as it already is in Heaven! This is God's will for us, and we are His heirs, which means if it is His, it is ours as well, for we are His children. My children, when growing up in our house, never questioned if they could eat the food, or use the tools, or drink the juice - for they knew through their identity and relationship with us, their praents, that even though we paid for it, it was theirs to enjoy!
I really feel that this is God's invitation today, to step into our identity and become who we are, His sons and daughters! He is calling us to step into those things that are already in our possession as His heirs! Let us pray and believe and step into His freedom and the fullness of our relationship.
Amen and amen!
Thursday, November 3, 2016
Don't Settle For Mediocracy In Your Faith Experience!
This morning, and it seems like most of last night, I was dreaming about a mansions that we lived in. What was interesting about this dream is that we were using parts of it, or rediscovering parts of it that we haven't visited for years. We had grown so accustomed to living in the few rooms that we visited that we had forgotten about all these fantastic rooms and equipment, and stuff that was ours.
We had a whole area set aside for hosting big family events, extra kitchens, large cooking equipment, etc., almost like a commercial kitchen, but just on a different level than where we usually live. We had an area set up like a coffee shop, where we had a really cool coffee grinding mill that looked like an old water-powered grinding mill. We had a whole area that was like a concessions area for a mall, several different types of treats and food, each announced with bold Neon signs. When we opened the doors to these areas, I kept telling my children, these are here everyday, and always open for your use.
Amazingly it had been years since we had wandered through this part of the house.We had closets after closets of art work, most already framed, most done by my children, we seemed to have everything they had ever drawn or painted. We turned the corner and opened the door and there were at least 8 art studios all in this next section, separated by large sliding panels with the canvasses ready to be painted. We had rooms where I had musical equipment (guitars, drums, keyboards) and sounds systems, all ready for use. In other rooms we had all the supplies we needed, and or had bought at any time, it all looked fresh and ready to eat. There was meat in the freezers we found, and even though we hadn't been there in years, the supplies were all fresh and ready to be consumed and used, and there was no dust or cobwebs at all. It appears that someone was keeping it all in perfect readiness for the day we decided to walk back over to that part of our house. I kept telling everyone, "remember this is yours to use, and it always has been, you just need to walk into this part of the house".
As I reflect back on the dream, I do believe that I have been in this house before in my dreams, because it all seemed very familiar. What else was interesting was that my family was in town and that was why we were using the big family events section. As we walked around there were things from all of our childhood's. So this wasn't just my house, but it was the family estate!
When I woke up I felt the Lord whisper to me that this is exactly what is also available to us as His children in the spiritual realm. Most of us settle for the little areas that we are comfortable in, and never venture past our comfort, into areas that are just around the corner, or behind the next door. Each of the areas represented things that are in me, gifts and callings, and even things that I thought at one time that would be cool; it was all there in closets waiting for me to pull it out and use. I felt the strong encouragement of the Lord to revisit past words, dreams, visions, experiences and to open them back up and try them on, try them out, or enjoy them once again. Better yet, I felt like the encouragement was to invite my family and friends to enjoy these things with me. They are all just waiting and ready to be used! I felt Him say, "Don't settle for the mediocrity of what you already know and am comfortable with, but open the door and walk around, test things out, find something that interests you and give it a whirl." The best part is I don't need to ask permission, wait for clear direction, its already mine and I live right in the midst of it all, I just need to go there and open the doors.
I pray that you are encouraged to visit the mansions the Lord has prepared for you all (John 14:2 NKJV), and are a part of your inheritance as His co-heirs (Rom 8:17). He has provided for us with all the fullness of Himself. I am reminded of Paul's great prayer for the church in Ephesus, and believe this prayer is for us today.
Ephesians 3:14-19 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."
Yes, let us be filled to to the measure of all the fullness of God, and experience His love in it's breadth, depth, width and height!
We had a whole area set aside for hosting big family events, extra kitchens, large cooking equipment, etc., almost like a commercial kitchen, but just on a different level than where we usually live. We had an area set up like a coffee shop, where we had a really cool coffee grinding mill that looked like an old water-powered grinding mill. We had a whole area that was like a concessions area for a mall, several different types of treats and food, each announced with bold Neon signs. When we opened the doors to these areas, I kept telling my children, these are here everyday, and always open for your use.
Amazingly it had been years since we had wandered through this part of the house.We had closets after closets of art work, most already framed, most done by my children, we seemed to have everything they had ever drawn or painted. We turned the corner and opened the door and there were at least 8 art studios all in this next section, separated by large sliding panels with the canvasses ready to be painted. We had rooms where I had musical equipment (guitars, drums, keyboards) and sounds systems, all ready for use. In other rooms we had all the supplies we needed, and or had bought at any time, it all looked fresh and ready to eat. There was meat in the freezers we found, and even though we hadn't been there in years, the supplies were all fresh and ready to be consumed and used, and there was no dust or cobwebs at all. It appears that someone was keeping it all in perfect readiness for the day we decided to walk back over to that part of our house. I kept telling everyone, "remember this is yours to use, and it always has been, you just need to walk into this part of the house".
As I reflect back on the dream, I do believe that I have been in this house before in my dreams, because it all seemed very familiar. What else was interesting was that my family was in town and that was why we were using the big family events section. As we walked around there were things from all of our childhood's. So this wasn't just my house, but it was the family estate!
When I woke up I felt the Lord whisper to me that this is exactly what is also available to us as His children in the spiritual realm. Most of us settle for the little areas that we are comfortable in, and never venture past our comfort, into areas that are just around the corner, or behind the next door. Each of the areas represented things that are in me, gifts and callings, and even things that I thought at one time that would be cool; it was all there in closets waiting for me to pull it out and use. I felt the strong encouragement of the Lord to revisit past words, dreams, visions, experiences and to open them back up and try them on, try them out, or enjoy them once again. Better yet, I felt like the encouragement was to invite my family and friends to enjoy these things with me. They are all just waiting and ready to be used! I felt Him say, "Don't settle for the mediocrity of what you already know and am comfortable with, but open the door and walk around, test things out, find something that interests you and give it a whirl." The best part is I don't need to ask permission, wait for clear direction, its already mine and I live right in the midst of it all, I just need to go there and open the doors.
I pray that you are encouraged to visit the mansions the Lord has prepared for you all (John 14:2 NKJV), and are a part of your inheritance as His co-heirs (Rom 8:17). He has provided for us with all the fullness of Himself. I am reminded of Paul's great prayer for the church in Ephesus, and believe this prayer is for us today.
Ephesians 3:14-19 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."
Yes, let us be filled to to the measure of all the fullness of God, and experience His love in it's breadth, depth, width and height!
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Jesus' Witnesses
This morning I am doing some reflecting on God's word and felt like reading from the book of Daniel 9:9-12 NIV:
[9] "The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; [10] we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets."
[11]" All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. “Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. [12] You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem".
What caught my eye this morning was verse 11 where he writes, "Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you." As I read those words the question popped into my mind, were there any such curses and sworn judgements written in the new covenant, the one established by Jesus? I certainly can't think of any.
Scripture is very clear that Jesus fulfilled the old covenant and established a new covenant through His death and resurrection. Thus, none of us in the "Christian" church are under the old covenant with its curses and sworn judgments for we follow the one who established the New Covenant. There are those who wrongly bring the curses and sworn judgments from the old covenant into the new, and this is not correct.
My good friend Vince Staggs writes the following yesterday on his Facebook feed- "I think Jesus' followers are going to have to settle, once and for all, which covenant—Old or New—is now in effect for humanity. We can’t afford to be of two minds about this. Here's my understanding: When Hebrews was written the Old Covenant was obsolete and “ready to disappear” (8:13). Not long after God ended that covenant in spectacular fashion with the destruction of the Temple in 70AD, permanently ending the Jewish priesthood and animal sacrifices.
The Law brings wrath (Rom 4:15). But Jesus fulfilled that Law and became the atoning sacrifice “not only for our sins, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 Jn 2:2). The Law was about blessings and curses; Jesus redeemed us from the Law’s curse, becoming a curse for us (Gal 3:13). Whereas 3,000 people died the day the Law was given, 3,000 were saved with the Spirit’s coming at Pentecost. Now, instead of cursing the wicked with drought, God sends rain on both the righteous *and* the unrighteous, showing kindness to wicked and ungrateful people. He’s not counting humanity’s sins against us (2 Cor 5:19). (If he is, why do so many mass murderers live to ripe old ages: Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, etc.?)
I don't think God is judging cities, much less nations. Jesus is the one entrusted with all judgment, and he wasn’t sent to judge—on the contrary, God sent him to *save* the world. The last city destroyed in judgment was Jerusalem in 70AD, destroyed in the final fulfillment of the Old Covenant as God invoked the curses specified in the Law on those who refused the safety of the New Covenant (including Jesus’ warnings to flee the city when they saw Rome surrounding it with armies, which the Christians did). This doesn’t mean there isn’t an appointed day (singular) of judgment at Jesus’ final return, but I believe we live in the favorable year of the Lord."
As we examine our lives it is right to repent, to change the way we think and act, as we are confronted with God's truth as demonstrated and fulfilled by Jesus. There are many times in my life that I have come to recognize that my thoughts or ways of thinking were not in line with His revealed truth, and I have changed. I don't do this because I fear His judgment or curse, but rather because I want to fully embrace and experience the intimacy and blessing of walking in unity with Him. HE is the greatest treasure that has been given to us and my goal is to experience as much of His goodness as is humanly possible.
As people groups and Nations, it is also right for us to change the way we think and act (repent) towards God and His beautiful Son and Holy Spirit. Again we are note called to do this out of fear, but rather as a result of our loving relationship. We are called to let our light shine to all men, that they might see and be drawn to the one who loves them from before the creation of the world. When we mis-characterize who God is, or what He is like through our words or actions, we affect others who do not know Him. I think it is time for many of us to repent of how we represent Jesus to the world. We were told to go and spread the Kingdom of God, to make disciples of all nations, to be witnesses for Him to all the world.
In the Catholic Church, today (Nov. 1st) is the Feast of All Saints, when we celebrate the lives of many who were faithful in being witnesses of Jesus through their life and death. Let us reflect on our lives and also accept this call and let us be true witnesses to Him who has loved us before the creation of the world.
Amen and Amen!
[9] "The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; [10] we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets."
[11]" All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. “Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. [12] You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem".
What caught my eye this morning was verse 11 where he writes, "Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you." As I read those words the question popped into my mind, were there any such curses and sworn judgements written in the new covenant, the one established by Jesus? I certainly can't think of any.
Scripture is very clear that Jesus fulfilled the old covenant and established a new covenant through His death and resurrection. Thus, none of us in the "Christian" church are under the old covenant with its curses and sworn judgments for we follow the one who established the New Covenant. There are those who wrongly bring the curses and sworn judgments from the old covenant into the new, and this is not correct.
My good friend Vince Staggs writes the following yesterday on his Facebook feed- "I think Jesus' followers are going to have to settle, once and for all, which covenant—Old or New—is now in effect for humanity. We can’t afford to be of two minds about this. Here's my understanding: When Hebrews was written the Old Covenant was obsolete and “ready to disappear” (8:13). Not long after God ended that covenant in spectacular fashion with the destruction of the Temple in 70AD, permanently ending the Jewish priesthood and animal sacrifices.
The Law brings wrath (Rom 4:15). But Jesus fulfilled that Law and became the atoning sacrifice “not only for our sins, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 Jn 2:2). The Law was about blessings and curses; Jesus redeemed us from the Law’s curse, becoming a curse for us (Gal 3:13). Whereas 3,000 people died the day the Law was given, 3,000 were saved with the Spirit’s coming at Pentecost. Now, instead of cursing the wicked with drought, God sends rain on both the righteous *and* the unrighteous, showing kindness to wicked and ungrateful people. He’s not counting humanity’s sins against us (2 Cor 5:19). (If he is, why do so many mass murderers live to ripe old ages: Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, etc.?)
I don't think God is judging cities, much less nations. Jesus is the one entrusted with all judgment, and he wasn’t sent to judge—on the contrary, God sent him to *save* the world. The last city destroyed in judgment was Jerusalem in 70AD, destroyed in the final fulfillment of the Old Covenant as God invoked the curses specified in the Law on those who refused the safety of the New Covenant (including Jesus’ warnings to flee the city when they saw Rome surrounding it with armies, which the Christians did). This doesn’t mean there isn’t an appointed day (singular) of judgment at Jesus’ final return, but I believe we live in the favorable year of the Lord."
As we examine our lives it is right to repent, to change the way we think and act, as we are confronted with God's truth as demonstrated and fulfilled by Jesus. There are many times in my life that I have come to recognize that my thoughts or ways of thinking were not in line with His revealed truth, and I have changed. I don't do this because I fear His judgment or curse, but rather because I want to fully embrace and experience the intimacy and blessing of walking in unity with Him. HE is the greatest treasure that has been given to us and my goal is to experience as much of His goodness as is humanly possible.
As people groups and Nations, it is also right for us to change the way we think and act (repent) towards God and His beautiful Son and Holy Spirit. Again we are note called to do this out of fear, but rather as a result of our loving relationship. We are called to let our light shine to all men, that they might see and be drawn to the one who loves them from before the creation of the world. When we mis-characterize who God is, or what He is like through our words or actions, we affect others who do not know Him. I think it is time for many of us to repent of how we represent Jesus to the world. We were told to go and spread the Kingdom of God, to make disciples of all nations, to be witnesses for Him to all the world.
In the Catholic Church, today (Nov. 1st) is the Feast of All Saints, when we celebrate the lives of many who were faithful in being witnesses of Jesus through their life and death. Let us reflect on our lives and also accept this call and let us be true witnesses to Him who has loved us before the creation of the world.
Amen and Amen!
Sunday, October 23, 2016
Adopted Children of God
This morning I am thinking about the following verses from Paul's letter to the Galatians 4:4-7 NIV:
[4] "But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, [5] to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. [6] Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba , Father.” [7] So you are no longer a slave, but God's child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir."
As someone who never knew what it was like to live under the law, the first verse and a half don't really have as much weight as they would have to a Jew, living during that time. To the Jew, the Law controlled much of their life, and their identity was interwoven with the Law. Much of who they were and how they thought about themselves was because of the Law. Thus, being redeemed out from under the law would have had a huge impact in their life.
Another thing that we probably don't fully understand is what it means to be redeemed. The word used by Paul that is translated redeem is the Greek word Exagorazo:
Definition:
1) to redeem
a) by payment of a price to recover from the power of another, to ransom, buy off
b) metaph. of Christ freeing the elect from the dominion of the Mosaic Law at the price of his vicarious death
2) to buy up, to buy up for one's self, for one's use
a) to make wise and sacred use of every opportunity for doing good, so that zeal and well doing are as it were the purchase money by which we make the time our own
The primary definition is related to the practice of attacking villages and or other tribes and taking hostages or slaves. The rescue of these hostages through either monetary exchange (ransom) or battle is what exagorazo means. The second definition under this is described as Jesus freeing the elect out from under the dominion of the Law by His death. His death was the price that He paid. Think of it as a hostage exchange. For those who are familiar with the book, "The Lion, the witch and the Wardrobe", C.S.Lewis included a great example of redemption when Aslan the Lion (symbolizing Jesus) offered to be exchanged for Edward, who would have died for His actions. This is such a great example of redemption, and what Jesus has done for each of us. I like that the author, who wrote the definition above, described Jesus' death as vicarious. Webster's Dictionary defines vicarious as follows:
1 a : serving instead of someone or something else
b : that has been delegated
2 : performed or suffered by one person as a substitute for another or to the benefit or advantage of another :substitutionary
Again relating this to modern literature, in the book and movie "The Hunger Games", Katniss volunteers to take her sister Prim's place in the Reaping, which was a sort of human sacrifice to maintain peace for all or her region. This is a great example of what vicarious means. She served the sentence, which was effectively a death sentence, and suffered through the Games rather than allowing her sister to go to her almost certain death. In the same way, Jesus vicariously died for each of us, taking upon Himself the suffering that we might have experienced, the condemnation for our sins, and allowing His blood and Life to pay the ransom for our life.
One could stop right here, and we would have enough to be extremely grateful to Jesus, redeeming us and setting us free from the Law. However, God is the God of abounding love, and rather than just redeeming us, He takes another step and adopts us as His own children! Paul says that we become God's child, and because of this we also become heirs!
I know I have no idea what God means when He says I am His heir, but that is what He calls us. We can somewhat understand this word through its use in our culture. A good example would be the children of Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart. They are all on the list of the most wealthy 100 Americans, and they are on the list because of what they inherited from their father. This is just a microcosmic understanding of what it must mean to be God's heir. The Lord doesn't just bless us with material wealth, but pours forth spiritual blessings, identity, authority, and the like. The story of the wayward son found in Luke 15, is a good example of how the Father blesses us. When His wayward son comes home he immediately calls for his robe, his ring, his sandals and a feast. These three articles are signs of his restored identity, authority and provision, and the feast is indicative of God's joy in his salvation and redemption.
In summary, I am so grateful for Jesus taking my place, and redeeming me. I am so grateful for His vicarious death. I am just beginning to grasp what it means to be His adopted child! Lord, I pray that you would help us all understand this great gift that You have provided to us in adopting us as Your children!
[4] "But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, [5] to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. [6] Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba , Father.” [7] So you are no longer a slave, but God's child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir."
As someone who never knew what it was like to live under the law, the first verse and a half don't really have as much weight as they would have to a Jew, living during that time. To the Jew, the Law controlled much of their life, and their identity was interwoven with the Law. Much of who they were and how they thought about themselves was because of the Law. Thus, being redeemed out from under the law would have had a huge impact in their life.
Another thing that we probably don't fully understand is what it means to be redeemed. The word used by Paul that is translated redeem is the Greek word Exagorazo:
Definition:
1) to redeem
a) by payment of a price to recover from the power of another, to ransom, buy off
b) metaph. of Christ freeing the elect from the dominion of the Mosaic Law at the price of his vicarious death
2) to buy up, to buy up for one's self, for one's use
a) to make wise and sacred use of every opportunity for doing good, so that zeal and well doing are as it were the purchase money by which we make the time our own
The primary definition is related to the practice of attacking villages and or other tribes and taking hostages or slaves. The rescue of these hostages through either monetary exchange (ransom) or battle is what exagorazo means. The second definition under this is described as Jesus freeing the elect out from under the dominion of the Law by His death. His death was the price that He paid. Think of it as a hostage exchange. For those who are familiar with the book, "The Lion, the witch and the Wardrobe", C.S.Lewis included a great example of redemption when Aslan the Lion (symbolizing Jesus) offered to be exchanged for Edward, who would have died for His actions. This is such a great example of redemption, and what Jesus has done for each of us. I like that the author, who wrote the definition above, described Jesus' death as vicarious. Webster's Dictionary defines vicarious as follows:
1 a : serving instead of someone or something else
b : that has been delegated
2 : performed or suffered by one person as a substitute for another or to the benefit or advantage of another :substitutionary
Again relating this to modern literature, in the book and movie "The Hunger Games", Katniss volunteers to take her sister Prim's place in the Reaping, which was a sort of human sacrifice to maintain peace for all or her region. This is a great example of what vicarious means. She served the sentence, which was effectively a death sentence, and suffered through the Games rather than allowing her sister to go to her almost certain death. In the same way, Jesus vicariously died for each of us, taking upon Himself the suffering that we might have experienced, the condemnation for our sins, and allowing His blood and Life to pay the ransom for our life.
One could stop right here, and we would have enough to be extremely grateful to Jesus, redeeming us and setting us free from the Law. However, God is the God of abounding love, and rather than just redeeming us, He takes another step and adopts us as His own children! Paul says that we become God's child, and because of this we also become heirs!
I know I have no idea what God means when He says I am His heir, but that is what He calls us. We can somewhat understand this word through its use in our culture. A good example would be the children of Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart. They are all on the list of the most wealthy 100 Americans, and they are on the list because of what they inherited from their father. This is just a microcosmic understanding of what it must mean to be God's heir. The Lord doesn't just bless us with material wealth, but pours forth spiritual blessings, identity, authority, and the like. The story of the wayward son found in Luke 15, is a good example of how the Father blesses us. When His wayward son comes home he immediately calls for his robe, his ring, his sandals and a feast. These three articles are signs of his restored identity, authority and provision, and the feast is indicative of God's joy in his salvation and redemption.
In summary, I am so grateful for Jesus taking my place, and redeeming me. I am so grateful for His vicarious death. I am just beginning to grasp what it means to be His adopted child! Lord, I pray that you would help us all understand this great gift that You have provided to us in adopting us as Your children!
Thursday, October 20, 2016
Power to Witness to the Ends of the Earth!
This morning I am considering the beginning of the Acts. Here are the verses - Acts 1:1-8 NIV:
[1] In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach [2] until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. [3] After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. [4] On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. [5] For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
[6] Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
[7] He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. [8] But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
There are a few things that stick out to me immediately:
1) Jesus spoke to them about the Kingdom of God. He knew now that His time on earth was very short, so He would have been speaking about the most important things, and his subject was the Kingdom of God. Thus, we can place the Kingdom of God very high on our list of important topics to understand, pursue and experience.
2) He taught them about the Kingdom and then He told them to wait for the baptism in the Holy Spirit that they would have the power to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth. If they were called to be His witnesses, that which they were supposed to bear witness to was His teaching, His death, His resurrection, and the Kingdom of God. If the Apostles and other disciples, those that were personally taught by and lived with Jesus, needed the power of the Holy Spirit to be His witnesses, how much more do we need the power of the Holy Spirit to enable our witness to these very same things.
3) Jesus speaks of a baptism with the Holy Spirit, and then describes it as the Holy Spirit coming upon you, and power being received. The Greek word used by Luke here, and the meaning conveyed by Jesus, is the word Baptizo. Here is the definition and a brief explanation of this word:
1: to dip repeatedly, to immerse, to submerge (of vessels sunk)
2: to cleanse by dipping or submerging, to wash, to make clean with water, to wash one's self, bathe
3: to overwhelm
"Not to be confused with the Greek word 'bapto'. The clearest example that shows the meaning of baptizo is a text from the Greek poet and physician Nicander, who lived about 200 B.C. It is a recipe for making pickles and is helpful because it uses both words. Nicander says that in order to make a pickle, the vegetable should first be 'dipped' (bapto) into boiling water and then 'baptised' (baptizo) in the vinegar solution. Both verbs concern the immersing of vegetables in a solution. But the first is temporary. The second, the act of baptising the vegetable, produces a permanent change. When used in the New Testament, this word more often refers to our union and identification with Christ than to our water baptism. e.g. Mark 16:16. 'He that believes and is baptised shall be saved'. Christ is saying that mere intellectual assent is not enough. There must be a union with him, a real change, like the vegetable to the pickle!" Bible Study Magazine, James Montgomery Boice, May 1989.
Thus, Jesus is speaking of more than just a temporary power boost, but an infilling and changing of the internal nature of oneself. I think the pickle is a great example. You can wash a cucumber in water - which would be a proper use of the word 'Bapto', but the pickling process is representative of a complete change of the character of the cucumber. Depending on the solution, one can make either sweet pickles or dill pickles using the same cucumbers, and depending on the solution the taste of these same cucumbers becomes quite different. I believe that this kind of change is what Jesus is referring to in these verses. The Apostles had operated in the power of the Holy Spirit while performing miracles and healing during their ministry tours, and they had been breathed on by Jesus (John 20:22) to receive the Holy Spirit, but this was different. This time a permanent change would be experienced. We see this coming to pass in Acts 2, they are filled with power and courage!
I am conscious of the fact that I need this type of change to my character! I also know that in many ways I am significantly different than the person I was prior to the infilling of the Holy Spirit, but I don't think I have experienced the complete change of my internal character that Jesus refers to here. My experience so far, although I have been filled with power several times, not a change of nature or character. I have read several biographies of men and women whose nature and character were radically changed by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, people like Smith Wigglesworth, Rees Howells, David du Plessis, Kathryn Kuhlman, St. Francis, Heidi Baker, Che Ahn, and John Wimber.
I am also aware of the fact that much of the church would limit the Holy Spirit to being basically Godly wisdom, a sort of wise counselor who helps us figure out what we should do. There are those who understand and teach about the fuller release of power that accompanies the baptism with the Holy Spirit, and are open to the full release of the Power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. As I noted above, if the Apostles required this power, how can we think for a moment that we could accomplish God's purposes and plans without also experiencing this infilling, this coming upon by the Holy Spirit?
Lord, I pray that You would once again move upon Your Church, and release onto us the Holy Spirit! I pray that the Holy Spirit would come upon us and would radically change us, change our character, and our gifts. As I was praying this - I was just thinking of the difference between a manual hand-drill, the type that was used for hundreds of years, compared to the powerful electric drill. They are both capable of the same thing at a basic level, drilling holes in wood. However, when the material is changed to metal or stone, the one using the electric drill will have a distinct advantage, and much quicker success. In a way, the addition of power provides acceleration, as well as the ability to do more than previously experienced. Lord, that is my prayer for the Church!
I am reminded of verses from:
2 Corinthians 9:10-11 NIV
[10] "Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. [11] You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God."
- and -
1 Thessalonians 3:12 NIV: "May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you."
- and finally -
Amos 9:13 NIV: “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills,..."
Yes Lord, make our Love increase, provide an increase of seed which will result in an increase of generosity, and finally release the days of acceleration, through the power of the Holy Spirit, that the one planting is followed immediately by the one harvesting and treading the grapes! We want to see new wine pouring forth, overflowing!
Amen and Amen! Release to Your Church the power required to be a witness, even to the ends of the earth!
[1] In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach [2] until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. [3] After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. [4] On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. [5] For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
[6] Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
[7] He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. [8] But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
There are a few things that stick out to me immediately:
1) Jesus spoke to them about the Kingdom of God. He knew now that His time on earth was very short, so He would have been speaking about the most important things, and his subject was the Kingdom of God. Thus, we can place the Kingdom of God very high on our list of important topics to understand, pursue and experience.
2) He taught them about the Kingdom and then He told them to wait for the baptism in the Holy Spirit that they would have the power to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth. If they were called to be His witnesses, that which they were supposed to bear witness to was His teaching, His death, His resurrection, and the Kingdom of God. If the Apostles and other disciples, those that were personally taught by and lived with Jesus, needed the power of the Holy Spirit to be His witnesses, how much more do we need the power of the Holy Spirit to enable our witness to these very same things.
3) Jesus speaks of a baptism with the Holy Spirit, and then describes it as the Holy Spirit coming upon you, and power being received. The Greek word used by Luke here, and the meaning conveyed by Jesus, is the word Baptizo. Here is the definition and a brief explanation of this word:
1: to dip repeatedly, to immerse, to submerge (of vessels sunk)
2: to cleanse by dipping or submerging, to wash, to make clean with water, to wash one's self, bathe
3: to overwhelm
"Not to be confused with the Greek word 'bapto'. The clearest example that shows the meaning of baptizo is a text from the Greek poet and physician Nicander, who lived about 200 B.C. It is a recipe for making pickles and is helpful because it uses both words. Nicander says that in order to make a pickle, the vegetable should first be 'dipped' (bapto) into boiling water and then 'baptised' (baptizo) in the vinegar solution. Both verbs concern the immersing of vegetables in a solution. But the first is temporary. The second, the act of baptising the vegetable, produces a permanent change. When used in the New Testament, this word more often refers to our union and identification with Christ than to our water baptism. e.g. Mark 16:16. 'He that believes and is baptised shall be saved'. Christ is saying that mere intellectual assent is not enough. There must be a union with him, a real change, like the vegetable to the pickle!" Bible Study Magazine, James Montgomery Boice, May 1989.
Thus, Jesus is speaking of more than just a temporary power boost, but an infilling and changing of the internal nature of oneself. I think the pickle is a great example. You can wash a cucumber in water - which would be a proper use of the word 'Bapto', but the pickling process is representative of a complete change of the character of the cucumber. Depending on the solution, one can make either sweet pickles or dill pickles using the same cucumbers, and depending on the solution the taste of these same cucumbers becomes quite different. I believe that this kind of change is what Jesus is referring to in these verses. The Apostles had operated in the power of the Holy Spirit while performing miracles and healing during their ministry tours, and they had been breathed on by Jesus (John 20:22) to receive the Holy Spirit, but this was different. This time a permanent change would be experienced. We see this coming to pass in Acts 2, they are filled with power and courage!
I am conscious of the fact that I need this type of change to my character! I also know that in many ways I am significantly different than the person I was prior to the infilling of the Holy Spirit, but I don't think I have experienced the complete change of my internal character that Jesus refers to here. My experience so far, although I have been filled with power several times, not a change of nature or character. I have read several biographies of men and women whose nature and character were radically changed by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, people like Smith Wigglesworth, Rees Howells, David du Plessis, Kathryn Kuhlman, St. Francis, Heidi Baker, Che Ahn, and John Wimber.
I am also aware of the fact that much of the church would limit the Holy Spirit to being basically Godly wisdom, a sort of wise counselor who helps us figure out what we should do. There are those who understand and teach about the fuller release of power that accompanies the baptism with the Holy Spirit, and are open to the full release of the Power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. As I noted above, if the Apostles required this power, how can we think for a moment that we could accomplish God's purposes and plans without also experiencing this infilling, this coming upon by the Holy Spirit?
Lord, I pray that You would once again move upon Your Church, and release onto us the Holy Spirit! I pray that the Holy Spirit would come upon us and would radically change us, change our character, and our gifts. As I was praying this - I was just thinking of the difference between a manual hand-drill, the type that was used for hundreds of years, compared to the powerful electric drill. They are both capable of the same thing at a basic level, drilling holes in wood. However, when the material is changed to metal or stone, the one using the electric drill will have a distinct advantage, and much quicker success. In a way, the addition of power provides acceleration, as well as the ability to do more than previously experienced. Lord, that is my prayer for the Church!
I am reminded of verses from:
2 Corinthians 9:10-11 NIV
[10] "Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. [11] You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God."
- and -
1 Thessalonians 3:12 NIV: "May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you."
- and finally -
Amos 9:13 NIV: “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills,..."
Yes Lord, make our Love increase, provide an increase of seed which will result in an increase of generosity, and finally release the days of acceleration, through the power of the Holy Spirit, that the one planting is followed immediately by the one harvesting and treading the grapes! We want to see new wine pouring forth, overflowing!
Amen and Amen! Release to Your Church the power required to be a witness, even to the ends of the earth!
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Perseverence Through Trials
This morning I felt lead to read from the Letter of James. It is interesting that he is addressing the 12 tribes that are scattered among the nations. In other words, he is writing to the Jewish believers, those whose background was the Covenant of the Law. Like the Letter to the Hebrews, the background of His audience has a very different background than the believers that Paul was generally writing too, those previously considered gentiles. Sometimes it is good to be mindful of the audience when reading the letter.
The verses I am meditating on this morning are from James 1:2-8, 12 NIV:
[2] "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, [3] because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. [4] Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. [5] If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. [6] But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. [7] That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. [8] Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do."
[12] "Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him."
These verses are an interesting mix of encouragement and direction. James starts out by directing people to adopt an attitude and perspective when they are confronted by trials, namely that they rejoice in them, or as he says "consider it pure joy". This is perhaps one of the hardest things to do when confronted with trials, changing one's perspective. He is saying that we should take on a Heavenly mindset when confronted with trials. The heavenly mindset allows us to see things from God's perspective, and everything from Him is Good! I love the following quote from St. Alphonsus de Ligouri,, he said: "All things in our life are either for God's greater glory or our own greater sanctification." This is a great example of choosing a heavenly mindset.
If we look at out situation from God's perspective, we will see His provision, His love and His mercy. When we look to Him, our focus on our trials and problems becomes much less. God is good all the time, and when we look at our situation from His perspective, we start to see His goodness towards us. If we embrace trials as things that will cause us to grow in love and faith, which should be our goal in life, than we can welcome them with pure joy.
James continues on with that thought, directing people to take on the attitude that testing produces perseverance, which results in maturity and completeness. That is such an interesting concept. If I say it another way, we aren't mature nor complete until we have experienced and overcome trials. There is something in this, namely perseverance, that we all need to become mature. A good analogy would be our drivers license, we don't receive our drivers license until we take and succeed at two tests, both a written test and an actual driving test. Having one's drivers license is in some ways a right of passage to becoming an adult, and trials which require perseverance fulfill the same role in our faith lives.
Another perspective is that as Christians we are called to be like Christ in all things, and perseverance during trials was one of the things that Jesus did, and thus we must do as well. His perseverance was rooted in His understanding of who His Father was and what He was like. Jesus understood that everything the Father directed Him to say and do was for our good, and the Father's greater Glory! He knew the Father intimately, knew His character, knew His enduring Love, His mighty Power and His ability to save. Jesus was fully confident in His Father's love, so He could endure everything. He persevered on the path set before Him, never losing hope or faith, nor His way. We are called to a similar maturity. We are called to Know the Father (and Jesus demonstrated exactly what the Father is like) and to be mature in our walk, believing and knowing the Father will deal with us exactly the same way He dealt with Jesus.
Another thought is that the Father must have great perseverance, as Jesus, during His time on earth, was an exact representation of the Father (Heb 1:3). Thus, Jesus is really just reflecting the Father in every way, and perseverance is one of the character traits He was reflecting. The Father demonstrates incredible perseverance in all of our lives. Graham Cooke says it this way, "whether we do well or badly, the Lord is consistent in His heart towards us." In other words, He perseveres in His love through all of our ups and downs, our faithfulness and our sin, our victories and our defeats, the Father never changes His heart towards us!
James continues on with another character trait that some might need to become mature, namely wisdom. He said all we need to do was ask the Father for this, and He would give it to us. He said we must ask with no doubt, in other words, we need to believe in the Father, in His goodness and character just like Jesus did. James cautions us against double-mindedness, and what that basically means is thinking two things about God at the same time an example would be - 'that God is Good, and that He hates me and is punishing me'. He can't do both, for God is eternally consistent. Being double-minded towards God means that we really haven't matured in our faith and in our understanding of God. I keep going back to the words of A.W.Tozer - "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." We must learn who God is and allow Him to show us His character, so that we can think correctly about God, and not be double-minded.
Finally, James comes back to perseverance, and gives one final encouragement to the reader to persevere, so that they might receive the crown of life, given by the Lord to those that Love Him. It is interesting that here James basically equates love with perseverance, that one proves the other, that perseverance proves the Love. If we want an example of that we need only look at marriage. Marriage is an outworking of our relationship, which is based on love. However it is only those who persevere in marriage who are able to prove their love. The traditional marriage vows say that the individuals will be true (persevere) in sickness and in health, whether wealthy or poor, in good times or bad. That is a great example of perseverance. James says that those of us who do persevere will receive the "Crown of Life". Some of the commentators that I read talk about the crown signifying a Kingdom, our relation to the King, our eternal inheritance. I like all of that - but mostly I just want the Lord.
I have heard some people preach about attaining positions in the new millennium, the 1000 year reign described in Revelations. They have identified all the things needed to become one of the favorites of the Lord, and have plans on being one who gains the right to rule over cities through their faithfulness to God. Me, I might be wrong, but I figure when I make it to heaven, I will be too engrossed in the Lord to care about ruling over cities! I just want to know the Lord, to Love Him and be loved by Him, to marvel at His ever-increasing Kingdom and Glory!
So today, I am encouraged to persevere in my love for the Lord, my faith in the Lord and my reliance in the Lord, regardless of the trials I encounter. I find that in life, if I encounter a trail in my life, as a married man I can either try to tough it out on my own, or I can turn to my sweetheart and walk through the trial together. If I choose the latter option, I find that my relationship with her deepens and becomes stronger. That is what we are being encouraged to do in our relationship with God! Walk through the trials with Him and let Him show you His love and faithfulness! He isn't punishing us, He is giving us an opportunity to grow in love and intimacy!
Amen!
The verses I am meditating on this morning are from James 1:2-8, 12 NIV:
[2] "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, [3] because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. [4] Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. [5] If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. [6] But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. [7] That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. [8] Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do."
[12] "Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him."
These verses are an interesting mix of encouragement and direction. James starts out by directing people to adopt an attitude and perspective when they are confronted by trials, namely that they rejoice in them, or as he says "consider it pure joy". This is perhaps one of the hardest things to do when confronted with trials, changing one's perspective. He is saying that we should take on a Heavenly mindset when confronted with trials. The heavenly mindset allows us to see things from God's perspective, and everything from Him is Good! I love the following quote from St. Alphonsus de Ligouri,, he said: "All things in our life are either for God's greater glory or our own greater sanctification." This is a great example of choosing a heavenly mindset.
If we look at out situation from God's perspective, we will see His provision, His love and His mercy. When we look to Him, our focus on our trials and problems becomes much less. God is good all the time, and when we look at our situation from His perspective, we start to see His goodness towards us. If we embrace trials as things that will cause us to grow in love and faith, which should be our goal in life, than we can welcome them with pure joy.
James continues on with that thought, directing people to take on the attitude that testing produces perseverance, which results in maturity and completeness. That is such an interesting concept. If I say it another way, we aren't mature nor complete until we have experienced and overcome trials. There is something in this, namely perseverance, that we all need to become mature. A good analogy would be our drivers license, we don't receive our drivers license until we take and succeed at two tests, both a written test and an actual driving test. Having one's drivers license is in some ways a right of passage to becoming an adult, and trials which require perseverance fulfill the same role in our faith lives.
Another perspective is that as Christians we are called to be like Christ in all things, and perseverance during trials was one of the things that Jesus did, and thus we must do as well. His perseverance was rooted in His understanding of who His Father was and what He was like. Jesus understood that everything the Father directed Him to say and do was for our good, and the Father's greater Glory! He knew the Father intimately, knew His character, knew His enduring Love, His mighty Power and His ability to save. Jesus was fully confident in His Father's love, so He could endure everything. He persevered on the path set before Him, never losing hope or faith, nor His way. We are called to a similar maturity. We are called to Know the Father (and Jesus demonstrated exactly what the Father is like) and to be mature in our walk, believing and knowing the Father will deal with us exactly the same way He dealt with Jesus.
Another thought is that the Father must have great perseverance, as Jesus, during His time on earth, was an exact representation of the Father (Heb 1:3). Thus, Jesus is really just reflecting the Father in every way, and perseverance is one of the character traits He was reflecting. The Father demonstrates incredible perseverance in all of our lives. Graham Cooke says it this way, "whether we do well or badly, the Lord is consistent in His heart towards us." In other words, He perseveres in His love through all of our ups and downs, our faithfulness and our sin, our victories and our defeats, the Father never changes His heart towards us!
James continues on with another character trait that some might need to become mature, namely wisdom. He said all we need to do was ask the Father for this, and He would give it to us. He said we must ask with no doubt, in other words, we need to believe in the Father, in His goodness and character just like Jesus did. James cautions us against double-mindedness, and what that basically means is thinking two things about God at the same time an example would be - 'that God is Good, and that He hates me and is punishing me'. He can't do both, for God is eternally consistent. Being double-minded towards God means that we really haven't matured in our faith and in our understanding of God. I keep going back to the words of A.W.Tozer - "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." We must learn who God is and allow Him to show us His character, so that we can think correctly about God, and not be double-minded.
Finally, James comes back to perseverance, and gives one final encouragement to the reader to persevere, so that they might receive the crown of life, given by the Lord to those that Love Him. It is interesting that here James basically equates love with perseverance, that one proves the other, that perseverance proves the Love. If we want an example of that we need only look at marriage. Marriage is an outworking of our relationship, which is based on love. However it is only those who persevere in marriage who are able to prove their love. The traditional marriage vows say that the individuals will be true (persevere) in sickness and in health, whether wealthy or poor, in good times or bad. That is a great example of perseverance. James says that those of us who do persevere will receive the "Crown of Life". Some of the commentators that I read talk about the crown signifying a Kingdom, our relation to the King, our eternal inheritance. I like all of that - but mostly I just want the Lord.
I have heard some people preach about attaining positions in the new millennium, the 1000 year reign described in Revelations. They have identified all the things needed to become one of the favorites of the Lord, and have plans on being one who gains the right to rule over cities through their faithfulness to God. Me, I might be wrong, but I figure when I make it to heaven, I will be too engrossed in the Lord to care about ruling over cities! I just want to know the Lord, to Love Him and be loved by Him, to marvel at His ever-increasing Kingdom and Glory!
So today, I am encouraged to persevere in my love for the Lord, my faith in the Lord and my reliance in the Lord, regardless of the trials I encounter. I find that in life, if I encounter a trail in my life, as a married man I can either try to tough it out on my own, or I can turn to my sweetheart and walk through the trial together. If I choose the latter option, I find that my relationship with her deepens and becomes stronger. That is what we are being encouraged to do in our relationship with God! Walk through the trials with Him and let Him show you His love and faithfulness! He isn't punishing us, He is giving us an opportunity to grow in love and intimacy!
Amen!
Monday, October 17, 2016
Hope in Predicaments!
This morning I am reflecting on verses from John 11:1-7 NIV:
[1] "Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. [2] (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) [3] So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
[4] When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it.” [5] Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. [6] So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, [7] and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
There verses should bring comfort to anyone who is waiting on God to do something. If we grab hold of the spiritual principles revealed here, we will find ourselves, and our spirits well guarded against the lies of the enemy. He would try to convince us that God doesn't care, that God doesn't love us, that He is unaware of our circumstances. All of these are lies from the pit of hell.
The truth is that the Lord loves each and every one of us deeply. The truth is that He knows the intimate details of our lives. The truth is that He is actively interceding for us to his Father. The truth is that any delay is going to result in greater Glory of God. The truth is that He is moved by our pain and suffering. The truth is that He knows exactly how we feel! The truth is that it is because of His love for us that He waits to fulfill the Father's will.
As I have quoted many times, 'our ways are not God's ways' (Is 55:8) and 'His thoughts are not our thoughts'. His perspective is completely different than ours, for He views us outside of time and knows every detail of our lives. He knows how it will work out, how He will bless us, how He will be glorified, etc. We just need to trust Him, and trust His promises. He doesn't act like us, and thus we can't figure out exactly what He will do, and our expectations are often wrong. Regardless of our thoughts, our belief that we know what He will do, we need to trust in the One who loves us!
So let us turn to the Lord in prayer over the situations and struggle, the predicaments and trials we face. Let us remember that even though the situation looks beyond hope, that God is the God of the impossible, and it is right to hope in Him.
[1] "Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. [2] (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) [3] So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”
[4] When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it.” [5] Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. [6] So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, [7] and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”
There verses should bring comfort to anyone who is waiting on God to do something. If we grab hold of the spiritual principles revealed here, we will find ourselves, and our spirits well guarded against the lies of the enemy. He would try to convince us that God doesn't care, that God doesn't love us, that He is unaware of our circumstances. All of these are lies from the pit of hell.
The truth is that the Lord loves each and every one of us deeply. The truth is that He knows the intimate details of our lives. The truth is that He is actively interceding for us to his Father. The truth is that any delay is going to result in greater Glory of God. The truth is that He is moved by our pain and suffering. The truth is that He knows exactly how we feel! The truth is that it is because of His love for us that He waits to fulfill the Father's will.
As I have quoted many times, 'our ways are not God's ways' (Is 55:8) and 'His thoughts are not our thoughts'. His perspective is completely different than ours, for He views us outside of time and knows every detail of our lives. He knows how it will work out, how He will bless us, how He will be glorified, etc. We just need to trust Him, and trust His promises. He doesn't act like us, and thus we can't figure out exactly what He will do, and our expectations are often wrong. Regardless of our thoughts, our belief that we know what He will do, we need to trust in the One who loves us!
So let us turn to the Lord in prayer over the situations and struggle, the predicaments and trials we face. Let us remember that even though the situation looks beyond hope, that God is the God of the impossible, and it is right to hope in Him.
Thursday, October 13, 2016
Maturity and Gifts in the Body
This morning I am reading from Paul's letter to the Ephesians 4:11-16 NIV:
[11] "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, [12] to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up [13] until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."
[14] "Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. [15] Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. [16] From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."
Recently I have been reading a book by Alan Hirsch where he talks about the importance and necessity of the five-fold ministry as described by Paul here in Ephesians. I have always believed that it was important for the Church to learn to encourage these ministries and gifts in the body. When reading through Paul's writing again, it is clear that these ministries were meant to work together to bring about spiritual maturity in the Body of Christ. I think it is fair to say that alternatively, if these ministries are not present in the church that the church will not mature to the level it needs to, in Christ.
Immaturity is a very difficult thing to overcome, because the spiritually immature may not know they are experiencing less than the Lord desires for them. Physically, immaturity is easy to see for the Lord has designed into us key indicators like physical size, certain attributes that are only experienced when maturity is reached, but spiritually maturity is much more difficult to identify. An analogy that might be helpful is that if a person was only ever exposed to baby food, and never saw a regular meal they would think that all food came in a jar and was soft and pureed, and this was true of all food. They would have no knowledge of real food preparation, or the texture of different types of food, or even the need for forks and knifes.
In the same way, churches who are only exposed to pastoring or teaching, would have no real experience or understanding of true apostolic ministry, discerning strategic and tactical approaches to grow the church and protecting the truths of the Gospel. They would have minimal understanding of the revelatory gifts of the prophetic ministry, and either fear them or misunderstand the purpose of these gifts. They would be very limited in their evangelical outreachs and understanding of how to approach diverse people groups.
As Paul writes, all five of these gifts, at least, are required for the body of Christ to grow and mature, for each part must do its work. In a church that is lead by an individual with a teaching gift, they will learn much, but have no idea how to move forward as a body, and what pitfalls they need to steer away from. Likewise, churches that are only experiencing teaching do not experience the pastoral care required to deal with the hurts and pains caused by our broken humanity, nor would they likely have any real strategies for reaching the lost.
Finally churches that do not regularly experience all the giftings and ministries, would have no idea how to grow people in each of these disparate areas. Maturity in ministry is best accomplished through mentoring and the guidance of other more seasoned individuals who have experience operating in these gifts.
If we want to grow to maturity, and not be tossed back and forth by every wind of teaching and cunning craftiness and deceitful scheming, we need to encourage these ministries, align ourselves relationally with others that operate in these gifts and ministries, have regular experience of these ministries, and have these gifts called out and recognized in the local body. If these ministries are called out through the Holy Spirit in Paul's writings, we can be sure that they are part of God's plan for the church, and as such that He has made provision for these gifts within the local church, and through relationships with other parts of the Body. These are not gifts and ministries that were limited to the time of apostles, but are meant for every church throughout all the ages.
So, let us pray for the Church. Let us pray that all of the gifts and ministries planned by the Lord and encouraged by the Lord find their home in our churches. Let us pray that Church might mature and reach a place of unity and connectedness.
Amen and Amen!
[11] "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, [12] to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up [13] until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."
[14] "Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. [15] Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. [16] From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."
Recently I have been reading a book by Alan Hirsch where he talks about the importance and necessity of the five-fold ministry as described by Paul here in Ephesians. I have always believed that it was important for the Church to learn to encourage these ministries and gifts in the body. When reading through Paul's writing again, it is clear that these ministries were meant to work together to bring about spiritual maturity in the Body of Christ. I think it is fair to say that alternatively, if these ministries are not present in the church that the church will not mature to the level it needs to, in Christ.
Immaturity is a very difficult thing to overcome, because the spiritually immature may not know they are experiencing less than the Lord desires for them. Physically, immaturity is easy to see for the Lord has designed into us key indicators like physical size, certain attributes that are only experienced when maturity is reached, but spiritually maturity is much more difficult to identify. An analogy that might be helpful is that if a person was only ever exposed to baby food, and never saw a regular meal they would think that all food came in a jar and was soft and pureed, and this was true of all food. They would have no knowledge of real food preparation, or the texture of different types of food, or even the need for forks and knifes.
In the same way, churches who are only exposed to pastoring or teaching, would have no real experience or understanding of true apostolic ministry, discerning strategic and tactical approaches to grow the church and protecting the truths of the Gospel. They would have minimal understanding of the revelatory gifts of the prophetic ministry, and either fear them or misunderstand the purpose of these gifts. They would be very limited in their evangelical outreachs and understanding of how to approach diverse people groups.
As Paul writes, all five of these gifts, at least, are required for the body of Christ to grow and mature, for each part must do its work. In a church that is lead by an individual with a teaching gift, they will learn much, but have no idea how to move forward as a body, and what pitfalls they need to steer away from. Likewise, churches that are only experiencing teaching do not experience the pastoral care required to deal with the hurts and pains caused by our broken humanity, nor would they likely have any real strategies for reaching the lost.
Finally churches that do not regularly experience all the giftings and ministries, would have no idea how to grow people in each of these disparate areas. Maturity in ministry is best accomplished through mentoring and the guidance of other more seasoned individuals who have experience operating in these gifts.
If we want to grow to maturity, and not be tossed back and forth by every wind of teaching and cunning craftiness and deceitful scheming, we need to encourage these ministries, align ourselves relationally with others that operate in these gifts and ministries, have regular experience of these ministries, and have these gifts called out and recognized in the local body. If these ministries are called out through the Holy Spirit in Paul's writings, we can be sure that they are part of God's plan for the church, and as such that He has made provision for these gifts within the local church, and through relationships with other parts of the Body. These are not gifts and ministries that were limited to the time of apostles, but are meant for every church throughout all the ages.
So, let us pray for the Church. Let us pray that all of the gifts and ministries planned by the Lord and encouraged by the Lord find their home in our churches. Let us pray that Church might mature and reach a place of unity and connectedness.
Amen and Amen!
Sunday, October 9, 2016
Sent Into the Harvest
This morning I was reading through Matthew and came across one of my favorite verses, one that inspires me to try to love and accept everyone I interact with in my day to day life. Here are the verses - Matthew 9:35-38 NIV:
[35] "Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. [36] When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. [37] Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. [38] Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
I love the fact that Jesus' primary reaction to seeing crowds of people, who were hungry for the touch of God, was compassion! The Greek word that is translated as compassion is the word Splagchnizomai. It is defined as follows:
1. to be moved as to one's bowels, hence to be moved with compassion, have compassion (for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity)
The root of that word is Splagchnon and it is defined as follows:
1. bowels, intestines, (the heart, lungs, liver, etc.)
a. bowels
b. the bowels were regarded as the seat of the more violent passions, such as anger and love; but by the Hebrews as the seat of the tenderer affections, esp. kindness, benevolence, compassion; hence our heart (tender mercies, affections, etc.)
c. a heart in which mercy resides
Matthew writes that Jesus had compassion on the crowds of people when He saw them. It wasn't when he interacted with them, or healed their diseases or wounds, but rather at his first sighting of them. I pray that compassion will be my first reaction as well, for at present I am much more inclined to classify people and judge them when I first see them.
Secondly, Matthew writes that Jesus had compassion on them. The word he used, and the root of that word talk about deep feelings, being moved in one's deepest places, having a heart of mercy towards someone or something. When I read through the definitions, in my mind this is much more than just kindness or gentleness, but rather something that is visible and moving. I think that Jesus' emotions were visible to everyone, and that they could see Him being physically moved by the crowds, and see His heart expressed in actions towards all these people.
I love the fact that Jesus was moved deeply by the crowds. Later in John 5:19 Jesus says that everything He does comes from the Father, so if Jesus is moved with compassion, then the Father is moved with compassion when He sees the crowds of people who are hungry for His visitation!
What an encouraging thought as we prepare to gather with others on a Sunday! We should go to church with an expectant heart, knowing that the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are all moved with compassion when they see us. They desire to fill us with their love, to touch us and heal us, to let us know that they care for us deeply!
Finally, Jesus encourages the apostles to ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into the fields that are ripe for the harvest. I believe He is looking at the hearts of the people when He says this, and we should recognize that people truly are hungry for God, ready to be harvested (to receive salvation and God's touch). Specifically Jesus says to ask that workers be sent into the Lord of the harvest's fields. In other words, He will direct and guide us to His fields, to the ones where the harvest will be plentiful because it is already ripe for the harvest. Notice that Jesus said this to His disciples, the very ones that He would send out to world as His last words on earth, recorded by Matthew as follows - 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.”
Amen!
[35] "Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. [36] When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. [37] Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. [38] Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
I love the fact that Jesus' primary reaction to seeing crowds of people, who were hungry for the touch of God, was compassion! The Greek word that is translated as compassion is the word Splagchnizomai. It is defined as follows:
1. to be moved as to one's bowels, hence to be moved with compassion, have compassion (for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity)
The root of that word is Splagchnon and it is defined as follows:
1. bowels, intestines, (the heart, lungs, liver, etc.)
a. bowels
b. the bowels were regarded as the seat of the more violent passions, such as anger and love; but by the Hebrews as the seat of the tenderer affections, esp. kindness, benevolence, compassion; hence our heart (tender mercies, affections, etc.)
c. a heart in which mercy resides
Matthew writes that Jesus had compassion on the crowds of people when He saw them. It wasn't when he interacted with them, or healed their diseases or wounds, but rather at his first sighting of them. I pray that compassion will be my first reaction as well, for at present I am much more inclined to classify people and judge them when I first see them.
Secondly, Matthew writes that Jesus had compassion on them. The word he used, and the root of that word talk about deep feelings, being moved in one's deepest places, having a heart of mercy towards someone or something. When I read through the definitions, in my mind this is much more than just kindness or gentleness, but rather something that is visible and moving. I think that Jesus' emotions were visible to everyone, and that they could see Him being physically moved by the crowds, and see His heart expressed in actions towards all these people.
I love the fact that Jesus was moved deeply by the crowds. Later in John 5:19 Jesus says that everything He does comes from the Father, so if Jesus is moved with compassion, then the Father is moved with compassion when He sees the crowds of people who are hungry for His visitation!
What an encouraging thought as we prepare to gather with others on a Sunday! We should go to church with an expectant heart, knowing that the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are all moved with compassion when they see us. They desire to fill us with their love, to touch us and heal us, to let us know that they care for us deeply!
Finally, Jesus encourages the apostles to ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into the fields that are ripe for the harvest. I believe He is looking at the hearts of the people when He says this, and we should recognize that people truly are hungry for God, ready to be harvested (to receive salvation and God's touch). Specifically Jesus says to ask that workers be sent into the Lord of the harvest's fields. In other words, He will direct and guide us to His fields, to the ones where the harvest will be plentiful because it is already ripe for the harvest. Notice that Jesus said this to His disciples, the very ones that He would send out to world as His last words on earth, recorded by Matthew as follows - 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.”
Amen!
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
A Foundation for Thinking
This morning I am reflecting on verses from James' letter to the Twelve tribes of Israel, chapter three. I like James' letter because he takes a practical look at the Christian walk, and counters some of the extreme positions that developed over time. Here are the particular verses I am reflecting on this morning - James 3:17-18 NIV:
[17] "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. [18] Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness."
In these verses James is providing a counter to the other type of thinking, or wisdom, that is common in the world, and calls that thinking bitter envy and selfish ambition. He is addressing those that might desire to follow the way and gives them a good list of internal checks to validate when their thoughts are in line with God's.
First off, he says that before all else the thoughts must be pure. This is the foundational description, and all the others build upon it. The Greek word used by James is Hagnos and it is defined as:
1. exciting reverence, venerable, sacred
2. pure
a. pure from carnality, chaste, modest
b. pure from every fault, immaculate
c. clean
One gets a sense of what James is encouraging his fellow Christians, and former Jews to pursue, namely thinking like Jesus did. Elsewhere in scripture it talks about how Jesus was fully human and tempted in every way we are, yet never sinned (Heb 4:15), and this would include His thoughts. His thoughts were always holy and pure, and in this one characteristic, He set himself apart from all of mankind, for we, by our very nature tend towards selfish thoughts. If we want to act like Jesus, we first of all need to think like Jesus.
I am reminded of the Seinfeld show where in one episode George decides to act in the exact opposite way than his natural instinct. This is similar to what James is encouraging his audience to do, to live and think in a way they normally do not. The good news is that after a while, this becomes our default way of thinking, as we build a pattern of thought, modeled after the Lord.
I find this single area one in which the Lord has helped me significantly this past year. For years I struggled daily with my thought life, and at times it was a real battle. My issue was that there were so many thoughts that were clearly vain, selfish and brought forth by evil. I didn't realize that I had given the enemy an open door to my mind, and was allowing him to have access to my mind where he could harass me and introduce all sorts of vain and selfish thoughts, and thoughts that were clearly sinful.
The Lord, in His great mercy, opened my eyes to this and showed me how to shut that door. Since that time and through a couple of other personal revelations, I am much much more at peace in my thought life, and more often than not actually able to think pure thoughts. It is wonderful being at peace internally! I find that this allows me to more easily pursue being peace-loving, considerate, submissive, merciful, impartial and sincere in my thoughts and actions.
Lord, thank you for helping me to establish a firm foundation for my thought life, patterned after You.
[17] "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. [18] Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness."
In these verses James is providing a counter to the other type of thinking, or wisdom, that is common in the world, and calls that thinking bitter envy and selfish ambition. He is addressing those that might desire to follow the way and gives them a good list of internal checks to validate when their thoughts are in line with God's.
First off, he says that before all else the thoughts must be pure. This is the foundational description, and all the others build upon it. The Greek word used by James is Hagnos and it is defined as:
1. exciting reverence, venerable, sacred
2. pure
a. pure from carnality, chaste, modest
b. pure from every fault, immaculate
c. clean
One gets a sense of what James is encouraging his fellow Christians, and former Jews to pursue, namely thinking like Jesus did. Elsewhere in scripture it talks about how Jesus was fully human and tempted in every way we are, yet never sinned (Heb 4:15), and this would include His thoughts. His thoughts were always holy and pure, and in this one characteristic, He set himself apart from all of mankind, for we, by our very nature tend towards selfish thoughts. If we want to act like Jesus, we first of all need to think like Jesus.
I am reminded of the Seinfeld show where in one episode George decides to act in the exact opposite way than his natural instinct. This is similar to what James is encouraging his audience to do, to live and think in a way they normally do not. The good news is that after a while, this becomes our default way of thinking, as we build a pattern of thought, modeled after the Lord.
I find this single area one in which the Lord has helped me significantly this past year. For years I struggled daily with my thought life, and at times it was a real battle. My issue was that there were so many thoughts that were clearly vain, selfish and brought forth by evil. I didn't realize that I had given the enemy an open door to my mind, and was allowing him to have access to my mind where he could harass me and introduce all sorts of vain and selfish thoughts, and thoughts that were clearly sinful.
The Lord, in His great mercy, opened my eyes to this and showed me how to shut that door. Since that time and through a couple of other personal revelations, I am much much more at peace in my thought life, and more often than not actually able to think pure thoughts. It is wonderful being at peace internally! I find that this allows me to more easily pursue being peace-loving, considerate, submissive, merciful, impartial and sincere in my thoughts and actions.
Lord, thank you for helping me to establish a firm foundation for my thought life, patterned after You.
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