If you have been toiling in the work of the Lord, and you have been worn out and beaten down, the Lord can give you strength. Strength may come in many ways, but sometimes it's just a word. If that is you, now, then here is the word for now:
Continue on doing what you are famous for in Heaven.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Numbers - and the Birth of the Church
Joh 20:22 MKJV
(22) And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit.
I spoke on this verse recently, and I am still stuck on it. Again, this is not Pentecost, which could be considered the birth of the Church. But it is SO SIMILAR! Let's take a closer look.
We know that Jesus was seen by His followers for 40 days after His resurrection. The number is significant. Also, we know that when Jesus breathed on His disciples, Thomas was not there. Where was Thomas? Why didn't Jesus wait on Thomas? After all, He already knew He was going to come back and visit in a few days.
Joh 20:26-29 MKJV
(26) And after eight days the disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst and said, Peace to you!
(27) Then He said to Thomas, Reach your finger here and behold My hands; and reach your hand here and thrust it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.
(28) And Thomas answered and said to Him, My Lord and my God!
(29) Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen Me you have believed. Blessed are they who have not seen and have believed.
Thomas had already said, publicly, that unless he put his finger into the nail prints and his hand into His side, He would not believe. (John 20:25)
After 8 days? 40 days... 8 days... I know there is more to this subject that I haven't researched, but this is a blog so I'll keep this as brief as I can.
What if... when Jesus breathed upon His disciples, we saw the 'conception' of the church? How many weeks from conception to birth? Forty! Again, 8 days later, Jesus sees Thomas and Thomas believes. What happens 8 weeks from conception? The eyes form! This is taken from a child-birth website:
Week 8: The eyes are formed and covered by a fold of skin, though the eyelid will not open yet.
I could certainly convince you, given the time, that although all of the disciples were given eyes to see, they truly did NOT see until the church was born - on Pentecost! None of us truly see without the Holy Spirit!
This is a signature of the Holy Spirit.
(22) And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit.
I spoke on this verse recently, and I am still stuck on it. Again, this is not Pentecost, which could be considered the birth of the Church. But it is SO SIMILAR! Let's take a closer look.
We know that Jesus was seen by His followers for 40 days after His resurrection. The number is significant. Also, we know that when Jesus breathed on His disciples, Thomas was not there. Where was Thomas? Why didn't Jesus wait on Thomas? After all, He already knew He was going to come back and visit in a few days.
Joh 20:26-29 MKJV
(26) And after eight days the disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst and said, Peace to you!
(27) Then He said to Thomas, Reach your finger here and behold My hands; and reach your hand here and thrust it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.
(28) And Thomas answered and said to Him, My Lord and my God!
(29) Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen Me you have believed. Blessed are they who have not seen and have believed.
Thomas had already said, publicly, that unless he put his finger into the nail prints and his hand into His side, He would not believe. (John 20:25)
After 8 days? 40 days... 8 days... I know there is more to this subject that I haven't researched, but this is a blog so I'll keep this as brief as I can.
What if... when Jesus breathed upon His disciples, we saw the 'conception' of the church? How many weeks from conception to birth? Forty! Again, 8 days later, Jesus sees Thomas and Thomas believes. What happens 8 weeks from conception? The eyes form! This is taken from a child-birth website:
Week 8: The eyes are formed and covered by a fold of skin, though the eyelid will not open yet.
I could certainly convince you, given the time, that although all of the disciples were given eyes to see, they truly did NOT see until the church was born - on Pentecost! None of us truly see without the Holy Spirit!
This is a signature of the Holy Spirit.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Dominant Truth
Truth is never threatened by a lie. If censorship has become prevalent, there is a liar somewhere dwelling in insecurity. Certain cults absolutely forbid their members from even conversing with people outside of their cult on a religious level. Jesus was not this way. He lived in Israel during a time of Roman rule, and under the Roman double eagles, a man was free to preach any doctrine he wished. God placed His Son on earth to live under a regime that actually protected free speech. Jesus was not threatened. Nor was Paul, whose ministry took him into the heart of paganism. It was the worshipers of Diana that hated Paul for speaking truth. Liars hate truth.
Christians today can be heard criticizing the public right to speak, even though people are speaking some pretty messed-up things. We should remember that it's this freedom of choice that people become aware of their hopelessness. It's not those of us that know the Truth that should ever feel threatened. Free speech is to be appreciated as the vehicle that the gospel travels.
Christians today can be heard criticizing the public right to speak, even though people are speaking some pretty messed-up things. We should remember that it's this freedom of choice that people become aware of their hopelessness. It's not those of us that know the Truth that should ever feel threatened. Free speech is to be appreciated as the vehicle that the gospel travels.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Herod the Scare-ed
If you will recall the story of John the Baptist and how he angered Herodias because of his 'inconvenient truth' about her infidelity, you might also recall that he was hesitant to kill John on her account. (Matt 14:9) The daughter of Herodias, Salome, had danced in her undies before Herod and his round table of visiting generals and dignitaries. All had heard Herod promise Salome anything she desired. Salome had danced with a mission - to claim the head of John for her mother.
This is where it gets interesting. Herod believed John was a man of power. He knew the masses loved John - and the masses claimed he was Elijah, returned from heaven as scripture promised:
Mal 4:5 ASV
(5) Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Jehovah come.
Herod believed that maybe it 'was' Elijah, and that perhaps he had killed the mightiest and most powerful of all the prophets. As Herod saw it, if the guy had come back from the dead once... he just might come back from the dead again, only this time with a score to settle. Herod was nervous.
Enter Jesus. Recall again... some thought Jesus was also Elijah (Elias), and He performed miracles that made John seem like a librarian. Herod became much more nervous-er. Can we see the bent against Jesus that the local politicians had? Can we see how superstition works against Love?
This is where it gets interesting. Herod believed John was a man of power. He knew the masses loved John - and the masses claimed he was Elijah, returned from heaven as scripture promised:
Mal 4:5 ASV
(5) Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Jehovah come.
Herod believed that maybe it 'was' Elijah, and that perhaps he had killed the mightiest and most powerful of all the prophets. As Herod saw it, if the guy had come back from the dead once... he just might come back from the dead again, only this time with a score to settle. Herod was nervous.
Enter Jesus. Recall again... some thought Jesus was also Elijah (Elias), and He performed miracles that made John seem like a librarian. Herod became much more nervous-er. Can we see the bent against Jesus that the local politicians had? Can we see how superstition works against Love?
Monday, October 18, 2010
The Power to Forgive
Mat 9:4-6 MKJV
(4) And Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, Why do you think evil in your hearts?
(5) For which is easier? To say, Your sins are forgiven you, or to say, Arise and walk!
(6) But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, then He said to the paralytic, Arise, take up your bed and go to your house.
Forgiving sin is not an issue of desire or will-power. It's an issue of authority. Most of us would not dare contest that Jesus walked in this authority. However, there is still a mentality in the church today that Jesus had no intentions of sharing this authority with His followers. In fact, the authority-less church is embraced because it relieves it's members of responsibility. Do we have the power and responsibility to forgive the trespasses of others? Absolutely!
(Joh 20:22-23 MKJV)
(22) And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit.
(23) Of whomever sins you remit, they are remitted to them. Of whomever sins you retain, they are retained.
This is just another example of Jesus imparting power and authority to those called by His name. This was not Pentecost, for it was Pentecost that truly empowered Jesus-followers to undo the works of the devil. But this act of breathing upon His disciples was a basic establishment of their identity - ones who carried a core ability to forgive sin - or not to forgive sin. Again, this was not done to foster a God-complex upon Jesus' followers. It was done in order to create a heart of compassion, understanding, and responsibility in the Body of Christ, for we cannot and will not be 'like' Him if we cannot forgive as He forgives.
The converse of this is that in the eternal scope of things, being without the Holy Spirit gives a person no right to forgive - or not. It's the Holy Spirit and Him alone, the righteous judge, that empowers forgiveness. Is forgiveness healthy - even to a lost person? Absolutely! It's a picture of who God is! But without being inhabited by the Holy Spirit, there are no eternal ramifications to holding a persons actions against them.
(4) And Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, Why do you think evil in your hearts?
(5) For which is easier? To say, Your sins are forgiven you, or to say, Arise and walk!
(6) But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, then He said to the paralytic, Arise, take up your bed and go to your house.
Forgiving sin is not an issue of desire or will-power. It's an issue of authority. Most of us would not dare contest that Jesus walked in this authority. However, there is still a mentality in the church today that Jesus had no intentions of sharing this authority with His followers. In fact, the authority-less church is embraced because it relieves it's members of responsibility. Do we have the power and responsibility to forgive the trespasses of others? Absolutely!
(Joh 20:22-23 MKJV)
(22) And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit.
(23) Of whomever sins you remit, they are remitted to them. Of whomever sins you retain, they are retained.
This is just another example of Jesus imparting power and authority to those called by His name. This was not Pentecost, for it was Pentecost that truly empowered Jesus-followers to undo the works of the devil. But this act of breathing upon His disciples was a basic establishment of their identity - ones who carried a core ability to forgive sin - or not to forgive sin. Again, this was not done to foster a God-complex upon Jesus' followers. It was done in order to create a heart of compassion, understanding, and responsibility in the Body of Christ, for we cannot and will not be 'like' Him if we cannot forgive as He forgives.
The converse of this is that in the eternal scope of things, being without the Holy Spirit gives a person no right to forgive - or not. It's the Holy Spirit and Him alone, the righteous judge, that empowers forgiveness. Is forgiveness healthy - even to a lost person? Absolutely! It's a picture of who God is! But without being inhabited by the Holy Spirit, there are no eternal ramifications to holding a persons actions against them.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Follow Instructions
Luk 17:3-4 LITV
(3) Take heed to yourselves. And if your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.
(4) And if seven times of the day he sins against you, and seven times of the day turns to you saying, I repent, you shall forgive him.
Have we ever done this? Most of us have been offended. How do we tend to handle it? As for me, my tendency would be to just bury it. After all, maybe the offending party didn't mean what they said. Or maybe they misspoke. Or maybe I heard wrong.
Part of our problem with relationships within the church is that we do not follow instructions. These are very simple, but the intent is to keep division out of the church - a problem running rampant in today's congregations.
The definition of 'rebuke' is to reprimand or reprove sharply. Basically, you have to get on somebody's case. We always want to be the good guy, though, which is something that Jesus wasn't so concerned with. We need to buck up.
The penalty for not doing this is very Pavlovian: we get into vicious patters that gradually degrade our fellowships into non-fellowships. We become squabbling, dis-functional families at best - Satan's plan to remove the allure of the body of Christ.
(3) Take heed to yourselves. And if your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.
(4) And if seven times of the day he sins against you, and seven times of the day turns to you saying, I repent, you shall forgive him.
Have we ever done this? Most of us have been offended. How do we tend to handle it? As for me, my tendency would be to just bury it. After all, maybe the offending party didn't mean what they said. Or maybe they misspoke. Or maybe I heard wrong.
Part of our problem with relationships within the church is that we do not follow instructions. These are very simple, but the intent is to keep division out of the church - a problem running rampant in today's congregations.
The definition of 'rebuke' is to reprimand or reprove sharply. Basically, you have to get on somebody's case. We always want to be the good guy, though, which is something that Jesus wasn't so concerned with. We need to buck up.
The penalty for not doing this is very Pavlovian: we get into vicious patters that gradually degrade our fellowships into non-fellowships. We become squabbling, dis-functional families at best - Satan's plan to remove the allure of the body of Christ.
Friday, October 08, 2010
God Is Good
People are quick to say after a catastrophe that "God wiped them out." The insurance companies call them 'acts of God'. Where did they get their theology? From us. Well you say, if God didn't do it, who did? Then let me ask you this. Whom did He leave in charge? To whom did He give His name, reveal His purpose, cause His spirit to reside within, and then commission us saying: as the Father sent Me, I send you. Mirror my heart, my words, my actions. How many storms did Jesus bless? How many times was He facing a life-threatening storm and He would just say "Go over to that city - destroy it. It will teach them to pray and they will become more like me. But that's our interpretation. Why? Because powerlessness needs an explanation - or a change - to power. - Bill Johnson
Thursday, October 07, 2010
A Numbers Game
Mat 13:27 And coming near, the slaves of the housemaster said to him, Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? Then from where does it have the darnel?
Mat 13:28 And he said to them, A man, an enemy did this. And the slaves said to him, Do you desire, then, that going out we should gather them?
Mat 13:29 But he said, No, lest gathering the darnel you should uproot the wheat with them.
In a culture of abundance - even overabundance - we have learned that a certain amount of waste is to be expected. We play the numbers and decide that as long as we have a harvest of plenty, we can absorb a certain amount of loss. This is not a Kingdom principle, and Christians need to forget it. In the Kingdom, the wheat is what we are after. These are the souls of people. The 'darnel' or tares are the plants the enemy has sowed in our midst to cause disruption, division, and chaos. Our primary reaction is to rid ourselves of these immediately, if not sooner. But Jesus said that at all costs this is not to be done. Losing a piece of wheat is not acceptable by Kingdom standards.
Remember what took place after Jesus fed the multitudes: all the remnants were taken up. There is no waste in the Kingdom. This becomes an issue of stewardship, ultimately, and we will be graded upon our ability to understand and act upon what Jesus taught and demonstrated. After all, Jesus knew Judas was a villain from the beginning. But He did not separate Himself from Judas, nor did He worry about what damage might have been done by his presence in his group of guys. Jesus knew that God would separate them when the time was right, and God did.
We are not to be playing a numbers game. No waste is permissible.
Mat 13:28 And he said to them, A man, an enemy did this. And the slaves said to him, Do you desire, then, that going out we should gather them?
Mat 13:29 But he said, No, lest gathering the darnel you should uproot the wheat with them.
In a culture of abundance - even overabundance - we have learned that a certain amount of waste is to be expected. We play the numbers and decide that as long as we have a harvest of plenty, we can absorb a certain amount of loss. This is not a Kingdom principle, and Christians need to forget it. In the Kingdom, the wheat is what we are after. These are the souls of people. The 'darnel' or tares are the plants the enemy has sowed in our midst to cause disruption, division, and chaos. Our primary reaction is to rid ourselves of these immediately, if not sooner. But Jesus said that at all costs this is not to be done. Losing a piece of wheat is not acceptable by Kingdom standards.
Remember what took place after Jesus fed the multitudes: all the remnants were taken up. There is no waste in the Kingdom. This becomes an issue of stewardship, ultimately, and we will be graded upon our ability to understand and act upon what Jesus taught and demonstrated. After all, Jesus knew Judas was a villain from the beginning. But He did not separate Himself from Judas, nor did He worry about what damage might have been done by his presence in his group of guys. Jesus knew that God would separate them when the time was right, and God did.
We are not to be playing a numbers game. No waste is permissible.
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
God Really Moved
Have you heard that phrase? We like to use it after an intense worship service, or a particularly active altar call. "God really moved last night."
God is really moving these days. Ummm... it's one of those things, you know, seeing as God is pretty much everywhere. I guess it takes a special level of maturity to tell if He is 'shifting' or not.
God is subtle, though. It's often not the big moves to the altar that really have His signature. It's the quiet little switches that flip in the minds of those who arrive quietly and depart quietly. Going to the altar can be very cathartic. It can fool us into thinking we've really turned the corner. On the other hand, God would rather one person declare themselves dead to sin and alive to His Kingdom than for an entire sanctuary to come forward and make an empty (even if well-intentioned) declaration of any sort.
It's difficult to tell how God moves, sometimes.
God is really moving these days. Ummm... it's one of those things, you know, seeing as God is pretty much everywhere. I guess it takes a special level of maturity to tell if He is 'shifting' or not.
God is subtle, though. It's often not the big moves to the altar that really have His signature. It's the quiet little switches that flip in the minds of those who arrive quietly and depart quietly. Going to the altar can be very cathartic. It can fool us into thinking we've really turned the corner. On the other hand, God would rather one person declare themselves dead to sin and alive to His Kingdom than for an entire sanctuary to come forward and make an empty (even if well-intentioned) declaration of any sort.
It's difficult to tell how God moves, sometimes.
Monday, October 04, 2010
Judge Every Word
The Gospel that Jesus brought was the gospel of the Kingdom. He taught it, and He modeled it. Anything that differs from what He taught and what He modeled needs to be brought under serious scrutiny.
Paul wrote:
Gal 1:8 LITV
(8) But even if we, or an angel out of Heaven, should preach a gospel to you beside the gospel we preached to you, let him be accursed.
Paul wrote:
Gal 1:8 LITV
(8) But even if we, or an angel out of Heaven, should preach a gospel to you beside the gospel we preached to you, let him be accursed.
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