For those of you who occasionally like to watch a good animal documentary (I know there are many of you who do...) you have probably seen one that depicts dangerous encounters. The one that comes to mind for me is the problem polar bear in some remote Canadian town. You've seen it - the authorities are shooting firecrackers and shotguns in the air to frighten the creature out of town.
The problem typically occurs when an animal becomes so hungry that its hunger surpasses its fear.
As followers of Jesus, we have to reach this point. Walking like Jesus is not easy. It's not easy to take a stand, or to be different, or to deny the flesh. But the Holy Spirit creates such a hunger in us that eventually - hopefully - the hunger trumps everything else. Then we can step into the frontier of risk.
It is difficult to separate flesh from spirit. In the scriptures, the flesh was the skin and hide, and spirit was the fat. There is a way to separate it, but it takes FIRE. It's the fire within - the hunger within - that drives us into our destiny. If we don't have that, we should be praying for it.
Showing posts with label Fire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fire. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Does Your Sacrifice Stink?
I've had this verse lodged in my skull for quite a while now. It just looked... odd.
Matthew 3:11-12 LITV
(11) I indeed baptize you in water to repentance; but He who is coming after me is stronger than me, of whom I am not able to lift The sandals. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire,
(12) whose fan is in His hand, and He will cleanse His floor and will gather His wheat into the storehouse. But He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
We are talking about the Fire of GOD falling in our lives! This is a picture of sacrifice. Don't all Christians have a deep-rooted desire to be accepted of God? Even Cain had a desire to be accepted.
But the sacrifice is just a stinky carcass until His fire falls on it. ANY sacrifice is this way. It just draws flies. So if we are giving our all to the church but neglecting our family, His fire wont fall on it, and it will never be holy. In fact, the longer we pretend, the stinkier it will become until nobody wishes to be near us.
I was wondering... why did John say "baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with Fire"? Why that order? I've always thought I needed the fire so the Holy Spirit would come. But He comes so the fire will fall. That second verse reminded me of this verse:
Mal 3:3 LITV (3) And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and He shall purify the sons of Levi and purge them like gold and like silver, that they may be presenters of a grain offering in righteousness to Jehovah.
Who is the priesthood? It 'was' Levi, but now it's us! He purges us first - THEN we can be presenters of our sacrifice.
As born-again Christians, we have been empowered to do EVERYTHING that God commissioned us to do. He doesn't commission us then expect us to beg for the tools to do the job. We walk as Jesus did - having open heavens above our head. The power of Heaven is at our disposal. We do not have to 'earn' it, or become 'holy enough' to use it. We simply realize that it's there - for us - and grasp it in order to achieve our purpose of representing Jesus to everyone we meet.
Matthew 3:11-12 LITV
(11) I indeed baptize you in water to repentance; but He who is coming after me is stronger than me, of whom I am not able to lift The sandals. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire,
(12) whose fan is in His hand, and He will cleanse His floor and will gather His wheat into the storehouse. But He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
We are talking about the Fire of GOD falling in our lives! This is a picture of sacrifice. Don't all Christians have a deep-rooted desire to be accepted of God? Even Cain had a desire to be accepted.
But the sacrifice is just a stinky carcass until His fire falls on it. ANY sacrifice is this way. It just draws flies. So if we are giving our all to the church but neglecting our family, His fire wont fall on it, and it will never be holy. In fact, the longer we pretend, the stinkier it will become until nobody wishes to be near us.
I was wondering... why did John say "baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with Fire"? Why that order? I've always thought I needed the fire so the Holy Spirit would come. But He comes so the fire will fall. That second verse reminded me of this verse:
Mal 3:3 LITV (3) And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; and He shall purify the sons of Levi and purge them like gold and like silver, that they may be presenters of a grain offering in righteousness to Jehovah.
Who is the priesthood? It 'was' Levi, but now it's us! He purges us first - THEN we can be presenters of our sacrifice.
As born-again Christians, we have been empowered to do EVERYTHING that God commissioned us to do. He doesn't commission us then expect us to beg for the tools to do the job. We walk as Jesus did - having open heavens above our head. The power of Heaven is at our disposal. We do not have to 'earn' it, or become 'holy enough' to use it. We simply realize that it's there - for us - and grasp it in order to achieve our purpose of representing Jesus to everyone we meet.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Children of the Kingdom - Pt2
Mat 8:5-12 KJVR
(5) And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,
(6) And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.
(7) And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.
(8) The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.
(9) For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
(10) When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
(11) And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
(12) But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
(13) And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.
But what about this passage in verse 12? The children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness. What? Why? Who are the children of the kingdom?
Let's look further. The phrase 'children of the kingdom' is only used one other time by Jesus:
Mat 13:37-38 KJVR
(37) He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
(38) The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
The good seed is the children of the kingdom, but a good seed that does not sprout and bear fruit – which apparently is VERY possible – is tossed out. All good seed 'is expected' to sprout into a tree that produces fruit.
If we do not produce fruit, we will be cast into the fire. That's offensive in many ways, but John said it, and then Jesus said it. That's twice, and by the testimony of two or more shall a matter be decided.
Mat 7:19 KJVR(19) Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Why did Jesus say this? Scare tactics? Should this be personally frightening to anyone seeking the will of God for their life? No, but we should be motivated to bear good fruit.
Let's finish with this parable:
Luk 13:6-9 MKJV
(6) He also spoke this parable: A certain man had a fig-tree planted in his vineyard. And he came and sought fruit on it, and found none.
(7) And he said to the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree, and find none. Cut it down, why does it encumber the ground?
(8) And answering, he said to him, Lord, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and throw manure.
(9) And if it bears fruit, well; and if not, then after that you shall cut it down.
See, God is patient with us and our fruit-bearing. He intends for us to 'get around to it', but sometimes we are too stubborn. And we wonder why we have so much 'crap' in our lives. Maybe it's a last-ditch effort to get us to bear fruit.
(5) And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,
(6) And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.
(7) And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.
(8) The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.
(9) For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.
(10) When Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.
(11) And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.
(12) But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
(13) And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.
But what about this passage in verse 12? The children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness. What? Why? Who are the children of the kingdom?
Let's look further. The phrase 'children of the kingdom' is only used one other time by Jesus:
Mat 13:37-38 KJVR
(37) He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
(38) The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
The good seed is the children of the kingdom, but a good seed that does not sprout and bear fruit – which apparently is VERY possible – is tossed out. All good seed 'is expected' to sprout into a tree that produces fruit.
If we do not produce fruit, we will be cast into the fire. That's offensive in many ways, but John said it, and then Jesus said it. That's twice, and by the testimony of two or more shall a matter be decided.
Mat 7:19 KJVR(19) Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Why did Jesus say this? Scare tactics? Should this be personally frightening to anyone seeking the will of God for their life? No, but we should be motivated to bear good fruit.
Let's finish with this parable:
Luk 13:6-9 MKJV
(6) He also spoke this parable: A certain man had a fig-tree planted in his vineyard. And he came and sought fruit on it, and found none.
(7) And he said to the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree, and find none. Cut it down, why does it encumber the ground?
(8) And answering, he said to him, Lord, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and throw manure.
(9) And if it bears fruit, well; and if not, then after that you shall cut it down.
See, God is patient with us and our fruit-bearing. He intends for us to 'get around to it', but sometimes we are too stubborn. And we wonder why we have so much 'crap' in our lives. Maybe it's a last-ditch effort to get us to bear fruit.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Falling Fire
In the Old Testament, how did they know that the sacrifices were accepted? History says that fire actually fell from heaven and consumed the sacrifices - totally - and that was the indication of acceptance. Our clearest picture of that is when Elijah offered the bulls on Mt Carmel. The fire of God came down in a violent display, leaving no question as to whether or not the sacrifice was acceptable.
As Christians, many of us want to see the fire of God in our lives. We want it to fall on us, personally! Whenever I see a man who literally has the fire of God upon him, I refocus my own passions upon God. There is only one way to obtain the fire of God in your life.
Rom 12:1-2
(1) Therefore, brothers, I call on you through the compassions of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service.
(2) And be not conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, in order to prove by you what is the good and pleasing and perfect will of God.
If there is no fire falling in your life, look to see if there has been any sacrifice.
As Christians, many of us want to see the fire of God in our lives. We want it to fall on us, personally! Whenever I see a man who literally has the fire of God upon him, I refocus my own passions upon God. There is only one way to obtain the fire of God in your life.
Rom 12:1-2
(1) Therefore, brothers, I call on you through the compassions of God to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service.
(2) And be not conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, in order to prove by you what is the good and pleasing and perfect will of God.
If there is no fire falling in your life, look to see if there has been any sacrifice.
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