SIN, LIGHT AND GLORY

 

            What comes to mind when you hear the words “laws”, “commandments” or “ordinances”? Do you immediately think of restriction and a loss of freedom? Well, sometimes that is the case. But in the case of God’s commandments and ordinances, it means spreading our wings, growth and freedom. It means living life to the full.

            Have you ever had an object that was broken? You knew something was wrong because it just wasn’t working right. But you couldn’t put your finger on exactly what it was that was wrong, so you didn’t even know how to begin to fix it.

            When we are still controlled by our sin nature, we may know something isn’t right, but until we understand what is broken, we can’t begin to fix it. That is why God has commandments, laws and ordinances. It isn’t to burden us down. They are the keys to how we can fix what is broken in us. When He shines His light on us, we can see clearly.

            Psalm 90:8 tells us, “You [God] have set our iniquities before You, Our secret sins in the light of Your countenance.”  God sees clearly every sin, even the ones we think we have hidden so cleverly. Some we may have even tried to hide from ourselves. But every sin is open before God. When He shines His light on our sin, we can be like Isaiah and confess it, or we can hold to it. When Isaiah confessed his sins before God, he was cleansed and called to become God’s prophet. What a difference the Light can make if we let it.

Sin is a given. We are all born with a sin nature. But it is our individual choice as to whether we will allow the light of God’s Word to shine in our hearts and begin to change us or stay as we are. When we allow the Spirit of God to do a work in us, it is the beginning of freedom.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18 says: “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

As we allow the Word of God to be actively part of our lives (not just our thoughts), we are continually being washed and cleansed. We are continually growing more and more into His glory.   

Ephesians explains how we can go through this process from sin to Light, to glory and continue to grow in that glory. Jesus has paid the price for our break from sin and the process of experiencing the glory of God in our lives. Verses 25-27 say, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church [those who are born again], and gave Himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”

This is the ongoing process of sanctification or cleansing in us. We continue to grow from glory to glory…from one height to another. The Word of God is alive and powerful. It becomes a mirror to show us blemishes that need to be dealt with by coming into agreement with the Word. God does not enjoy pointing out our sins to remind us we are flawed. He does so to bring us into a greater realm of His glory, closer to Him. It is His delight for us to continue the process of growing into His image.

Daily as we read the Word, we see areas where we are obviously growing as well as areas we need to be cleansed from.  As we obey what we read, we are cleansed. We are growing from glory to glory! From one level of manifesting Jesus in our lives to another level of manifesting Jesus in our lives! It is wonderful to know the process of sanctification is a continuing process taking us from glory to glory.

What many think of as a set of rules that are restrictive and cause us to labor is really the enlightenment to spiritual things that take us higher and higher into the kingdom of God. Psalm 19:7-14 tells us how this process can work in us.

“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul;” - God’s laws will not only “keep us in line”, but they will change our innermost being from sin to glory. He converts us by His Word and by His Spirit.

“The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;” A testimony is a declaration and evidence. God’s spoken Word and His evidence are sure. They are trustworthy and unquestionable. We can depend on Him.

“The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;” the rules and government of God are not burdensome, but will cause us to rejoice. They will set us free from our enslavement to sin.

“The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;” God’s decrees and mandates are pure. There are no ulterior motives or deceit in them. When we receive His commandments, they will open our eyes to spiritual truths that we could not see or understand before.

            “The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;” When we have a deep reverence for God, we will find that it is good. It is spotless and unpolluted and will cleanse us all the way through.

“The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.”  - There is nothing false in any of God’s judgments. They are all true and sincere with no deceit to mislead us or trick us. His decisions are all sound and based on fact. We can count on His authority.

“More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb; To know with certainty that there is a just Authority over us gives us a sweet sense of peace. We can lay our lives in His hands knowing there is no deceit in Him or His judgments. Our trust in Him will not be misplaced.

“Moreover, by them Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward.” For us to have the Word of God in our hands is great. Having it in our hearts will change our lives. His Word warns us so we can keep on the right path. There is great reward in knowing we are being guided by the One Who loves us, gave Himself for us and will lead us into His kingdom. All we have to do is follow Him.

Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression.” When we realize that on our own, we will follow the wrong voices and go in the wrong direction, we can turn wholeheartedly to Jesus. Presumptuous sins are sins committed when we are arrogant and overconfident in ourselves rather than recognizing our need to follow His Word daily.

Verse 14 is a cry for complete submission to Jesus through the Word of God being consistently in our mouth and in our hearts. It says, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.”

Psalm 119:9-11 tells us in a nutshell how to change from darkness to light.  “How shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed and keeping watch [on himself] according to Your word [conforming his life to it]. With my whole heart have I sought You, inquiring for and of You and yearning for You; Oh, let me not wander or step aside [either in ignorance or willfully] from Your commandments. Your word have I laid up in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” [AMPLIFIED BIBLE]

When we follow the Word of God, we will find His power in us enabling us to walk in the light and grow from glory to glory.

 

FOLLOWERS OF JESUS CHRIST

 

FOLLOWERS OF JESUS CHRIST

I am a firm believer in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus founded His Church by building it on Himself. [See Matthew 16:15-19.] Jesus is the Cornerstone and the Foundation that will never be removed. When we talk about the church, we usually think of a building where we assemble to sing and hear the Word of God preached. We may have our name written on the roll as a member of that group and become busy in all its activities. And that is fine. We are instructed to come together to build up one another. But the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ is much more than that. It is the overcoming power in the world.

The Church is the Bride of Christ. That is its position or status. The Church is one with Christ. Jesus loves His Church so much that He gave His life for it. The Church of Jesus Christ was created as a living entity. It was created and established by God with the same power with which He created the heavens and the earth. God spoke and it came into being. The Word of God came to earth, and the Church was established. Jesus was rejected by the religious groups and many others. “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” [John 1:12-13] The true Church is not made up of flesh and blood, but of the Living Spirit of God. Only those who have been born again by the Spirit of God and are living in His kingdom are part of God’s Church. His Church is not an organization run by programs and laws of the world system. It is alive with the Spirit of God and is on a much higher plane than this world. Its power is greater. Its knowledge is greater. Its insight is greater because it is based solely on the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

            Jesus is the whole focus of the true Church. If I asked someone who was not born again and had no local church to come to my church, I might introduce them to the pastor, the worship team, and show them all the programs that are available. But if I never introduced them to Jesus, what would have been accomplished? Every person needs the opportunity to come to their own decision whether they will be a follower of Jesus Christ or whether they will reject Him. There is a tremendous difference between being a church person and being Christ’s follower.  It is possible to be so entrenched in the business of the organized church that we lose sight of the True Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said His Church would be founded on such a powerful foundation that even the gates [authority, powers] of hell could not prevail against it. His Church is an overcoming Church.

            Considering the higher purpose and power of the true Church, I wonder if our generation has done a disservice to ourselves and those coming behind us in relation to Christianity in its true sense of denying self and coming to Christ in total surrender to Him? Have we emphasized the organized church, its work and the ministry to those within its walls in a way that puts Jesus in the shadows? Have we become in a sense so dedicated to the traditions we grew up with that we forgot to teach our children how to surrender their lives to Christ instead of just being church workers? Ordinary church workers may feel the need to attend every service but learn little of the self-sacrifice Jesus taught His disciples in following Him. Maybe we have been so busy teaching them the importance of being faithful to the church established by men that we made Jesus to be only a part of our tradition rather than lifting Him up as the Creator of heaven and earth, the Ruler of all things, the Head of the Church. In our fellowship with one another are we excluding our fellowship with Jesus, our obedience to Jesus, and His Lordship over us? No wonder this generation has become so disillusioned with what we have come to call being a Christian. No wonder they turn away when they see little commitment, little power, little concern for the lost and little spiritual enlightenment. In many cases they have been guided to the institutional church to do what only a relationship with Jesus can do, so they find no satisfaction there. When things get rough, they have nothing to get them through.

These things are not an indictment to churches. But they have been weighing heavy on my heart. I don’t want to be a hindrance in the kingdom of God. It’s so easy sometimes to get into the groove of religion. I want to teach others how to tap into the power of the gospel, to the power of Jesus Christ in our lives.

            There is power in the lives of believers. There is enlightenment to spiritual truths in the lives of believers. There is a close relationship with Jesus in the lives of believers. Have we taught those coming after us that we can have the closeness of Jesus’ presence with us in our daily lives? Have we taught them about the changing power of regeneration? Have we let them know that we can hear His voice in our spirits and have a new understanding of His Word by the Holy Spirit inside of us? Have we emphasized the power of a true Christian life? Are we showing them that power? Do they see the fruit of the Spirit in us, or the same apathy, joylessness, unkindness and lack of love that they see in the world? Are we examples of overcomers, or have we become weak, sickly Christians?

 Do we need churches? YES! ABSOLUTELY! But we, as the True Church of Jesus Christ need to rise up and be an example of the Church Jesus built. We need to tap into the same power that Jesus said we can have if we follow Him. The power of the first Church is ours, too. But we need to commit to follow Jesus completely if we are to walk in that power. He is to be our Lord over every area of our lives.

We can guide others to repent and be baptized, but they need to understand their need to know the Baptizer personally and follow Him on a daily basis. It is not a Sunday event or a one-time experience with Jesus. It is a daily walk. Surrendering our lives to Jesus is a life-changing experience. It changes who we are and what we will do for the rest of our lives. Just as He walked daily with His disciples when He was in human flesh, He walks daily with His disciples today by the Holy Spirit. The early disciples followed Jesus down whatever path He led them each day. They heard His teachings and saw the miracles He did because they were right there with Him. We need to walk with Jesus daily. We need to be right there with Him, being led by Him every step of our lives. He sent the Holy Spirit to be with us every moment of every day. We can learn to listen to His voice and follow Him just as closely as the early disciples followed Jesus.

When we read the Bible, the Word of God, His Spirit will enlighten us to understand what we read in ways that we could not understand before. Let’s seize the opportunity to know Christ, to follow Christ and to give our all to Him.

We, as His true Church are to show others the way. If we are apathetic to our calling, we can’t do that. Just as Jesus was not called to stay comfortably in the temple, away from sinners, neither do we, as His Church, have that calling. Jesus said He came to seek and to save the lost. So, He went out and did just that. Our calling is no different. We need to realize that as born-again believers, we collectively ARE the Church. We have the same command that the first disciples had. “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” [Matthew 28:18-20]     

Surely, we, as the Church need to come together to strengthen one another, encourage one another and receive teaching. We come together to corporately worship God, to lift up Jesus Christ, and to receive instruction. But we need to be careful that we do not let the business of the local church hide the power of the Church of Jesus Christ in the world.

While some of the members of the early Church were gathered together we see how the Holy Spirit worked to give instructions. “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away. So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus. [Acts 13:2-4]   God’s Church works together all around the world to bring to pass the great commission. When we all follow the Holy Spirit, we will accomplish the great commission as one.

 

“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” [Ephesians 2:19-22]

 

 

WISDOM FROM GOD’S WORD

 

WISDOM FROM GOD’S WORD

            It is amazing what we find when we choose to read the Word of God and allow it to speak to our hearts. Many times, we are so busy that we neglect the treasure chest of wisdom God has given us in the Bible. Here are just a few of His treasures and how they can change our lives.

            Ephesians 4:32 tells us, “And be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you.” Kindness is one of the simplest character traits yet can be difficult to find in this world. To be kind is to be considerate or helpful. But it’s more than that. It can be as simple as a smile or taking notice of someone’s value. And it can be as complicated as forgiving a serious wrong committed against us. This Scripture describes kindness as having a tender heart toward others and forgiving their offenses against us even when we have a right to hold a grudge. Kindness always chooses not to exercise that right. A tender heart knows everyone needs kindness extended to them. And those who are the worst usually need it the most. If we extend love and kindness where it is undeserved, we just might change a heart that needs to see Jesus. It’s a little easier to extend kindness to those who don’t deserve it when we remember how Christ extended His great kindness and love to us when He took our sin on Himself and forgave us. We were guilty, but He made us righteous. Maybe you are thinking of somebody right now that could use a little kindness, but you have been reluctant to forgive them. Or to acknowledge them. Go ahead and be kind and see how a little kindness can change hearts.

            Psalm 39:4-7 says, “Lord, let me know my [life’s] end and [to appreciate] the extent of my days; Let me know how frail I am [how transient is my stay here]. “Behold, You have made my days as [short as] hand widths, And my lifetime is as nothing in Your sight. Surely every man at his best is a mere breath [a wisp of smoke, a vapor that vanishes]! Selah. “Surely every man walks around like a shadow; Surely, they make an uproar for nothing; Each one builds up riches, not knowing who will receive them. [gather them after they are gone]. “And now, Lord, for what do I expectantly wait? My hope [my confident expectation] is in You.” This passage from Psalms could be a very depressing passage of Scripture. Or it could be a wake-up call. At this stage in my life, I often wonder, how did I get to this point so quickly? Regardless of the pace of our lives, the important question is “What will we leave behind when we leave this life?” Actually, we have already begun that process. If we are only leaving things of worldly value, we may be like King Solomon who said: “Then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me. And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool?” If we want to leave something of value that will make the foolish wise, we can leave a godly heritage, a godly example that will be ever etched into the minds and hearts of those who come after us – both wise and foolish. It is certain that we will not take anything from this world into the next. But when our treasures are in heaven, we can spend them here and take them with us. Then we can leave the map behind for the next generation to follow. If you’ve been laboring for the treasures of this world, it’s not too late to exchange them for the treasures of the kingdom of God. Let your confident expectation be in Christ.

            Psalm 32:1-6 begins with a blessing. “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was turned into the drought of summer. Selah (That means to pause and calmly think of that). The next verse is the turning point. “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” And You forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah  For this cause everyone who is godly shall pray to You In a time when You may be found.”  As long as we try to cover our sins, rationalize why they aren’t so bad, or just refuse to confess them, we will be miserable. God’s hand will be heavy on us. [because loves us]. We will stagger under the load of guilt. We can’t hide our sins from God. He knows every one of them. But when we confess our transgressions, and repent, we can have that heavy load lifted and be free! Why do we wait so long before we will do what is right – confessing sin, turning from it and being free? Go ahead right now and agree with God about any sin in your life. Confess, repent and receive freedom!

            In Psalm 32 we found freedom from sin. In Psalm 40 we find deliverance from overwhelming circumstances. “I waited patiently and expectantly for the Lord; And He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of a horrible pit [of tumult and of destruction], out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock, steadying my footsteps and establishing my path. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear [with great reverence] And will trust confidently in the Lord.” Notice the first word in this Psalm is “I”. The only thing that “I” did was to wait patiently on the Lord; quietly and steadily. That’s all it took to bring about all the other happenings in this Psalm. “I” simply cried out to the Lord and waited for Him to do the rest. The Lord bent down to listen to the cry of His child. Then He brought order out of chaos. He removed him from the circumstances that had closed in on him. The Lord caused the path that was slippery and unsure to become solid. That reminds me of the song, “On Christ the Solid Rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.” He will do the same for you. And when He does, you can testify to the goodness of God and bring Him glory as well as hope to those who hear your praise.

            Psalm 18:30, 32 – “As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.” God never makes a mistake. He is completely flawless and has no defects. Everything He does is perfect. God never mis-speaks. Whatever He says will come to pass and He always speaks Truth, justice and mercy. We don’t have to wonder if He will do what He says. He has proven time and again that He will. Whatever He sees that needs to be done, He brings it to pass flawlessly, exactly fitting the need at exactly the right time, without fail. It’s easy to believe that about God; but what about the part that says, He makes my way perfect? When we trust the Word of God, He is our shield. Notice it says, “It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.” It is the strength of God that does the work. Not our own strength. If we just trust in Him, He will give us the Holy Spirit. That’s the Spirit of God Himself inside of us. He comes to guide us in the way we should go, give us the power we need to overcome obstacles, to say the right things at the right time. To speak Truth, justice and mercy. He will give us the strength to do what is right. He will give us His knowledge to say what is right. We can’t make our way perfect, but God can. If we  simply trust Him He will arm us with strength and make our way perfect.

                Psalm 19:14 is a prayer. “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.” That may be a prayer that seems impossible to have answered, but it’s not. Yet how many times have we had words come out of our mouths that we wished we could take back, but it was too late. One of the ways to prevent that is to think on the right things in our innermost being. Will that cure us from ever messing up again? No. But it will lead us on the path of being more like Jesus as we learn to push out thoughts that are not worthy of consuming our minds. Satan or other people may be used to put thoughts in our minds that are harmful, whether they cause us to distrust God, to think bad thoughts about others, or to cause us to fear or be angry. Those thoughts will come, but we don’t have to let them linger there. We can replace them with Scripture or other good things. Then our mouth will speak words acceptable to God. Our words are usually contingent on our meditation.

            Psalm 20:6-8 gives us great instructions on trusting in God. “Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven with the saving strength of His right hand. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the Lord our God. They have bowed down and fallen; But we have risen and stand upright.” When trouble comes our way, what is the first thing we do? A lot of people try to reason it out, work it out or bring out the trouble shooters. But the psalmist here had a better, more sure way. He looks at those who put their trust in the things of this world, and he sees their end result is destruction. So, he chooses to put his trust in the name of the Lord his God. He has full assurance that the Lord will hear from heaven and save those who call out to Him, to those who put their trust in Him. The name of God encompasses His character and His authority. When we know Him personally, we know we can trust both His character and His authority.  He is the God of the whole earth. Who are you trusting in today? We can draw strength from the Word of God and put our trust in Him without fear.

THE LIFE OF SURRENDER AND EFFECTIVENESS

 

     I love to read, and there are some books that I read at least once a year and some even more frequently than that. Most of the books in the re-reading category are the ones that inspire me and stir up the flame of God’s Spirit within me, pushing me toward God’s purpose. They remind me of the goal of the high calling of God in my life. Many of the books are life stories of some of the great men and women of God. So, they give me real-life examples of people who were nothing according to this world, but God chose to use them in a powerful way because they were available to Him. They listened for His voice and believed what He said, enough to act on it. One such book is “The D. L. Moody Collection” compiled by James S. Bell. I want to share with you what God has been speaking to me as I re-read this book.

D. L. Moody was raised in a poor home and there was no early indication that he would ever amount to anything. Even when he became involved with a Sabbath School and had a teacher that took an interest in him, the teacher didn’t really think he could amount to much. Here is what that teacher said about those early days: “I can truly say (and in saying it I magnify the infinite grace of God as bestowed upon Mr. Moody), that I have seen few persons whose minds were spiritually darker when he came into my Sabbath-school class, or one who seemed more unlikely ever to become a Christian of clear, decided views of gospel truth, still less to fill any sphere of extended public usefulness.”

Yet D.L. Moody became the greatest evangelist of his time both in America and overseas. People flocked to his meetings and were born again because the presence of God was there. They didn’t leave the meetings talking about what a great orator he was. Some actually criticized his poor grammar. But people left with changed lives. And that was D.L. Moody’s motive; to see as many people come into the kingdom of God as possible. So, it wasn’t just during his meetings that he extended an invitation for people to know Jesus Christ. Regardless of where he was, whoever happened to be around him would hear the gospel message. And many were saved that way…on trains, in homes, in barber shops or on the street. He never took a count of those saved in his meetings. He wasn’t concerned about numbers, but about souls.

            I don’t know who you are or what your standing is in the eyes of this world, but you can be used of God if you will surrender your life completely to Him. Yes, you can make a difference in every life you touch. You may ask “How?” One of D. L. Moody’s closest ministry companions was R. A. Torrey. He wrote about the attributes that allowed God to use Moody as He did. If we want to be used of God, there may be some things that need to change in our lives.

First, we need to repent and be born into the kingdom of God. We need to be fully surrendered to Jesus, not to other people and not to ourselves. What is in us that needs to be emptied so we can fully serve God? We need to remove anything that separates us from God’s presence. If we reserve part of ourselves, we are not fully surrendered to Him. So, we need to empty our selfish ambitions and take on the form of a servant. Jesus said if we want to be great in His kingdom, we need to be the servant of all - just like Jesus. If Jesus had clung to His “rights” instead of being wrongly treated and wrongly murdered; If He had been like the Pharisees and wanted to be noticed and served, we would have no hope of salvation. But Jesus gave up His rights and majesty in complete humility and obedience to the Father. When God speaks to us, we need to obey. If we are obedient and selfless, He can use us in extraordinary ways and He will be with us. We can’t trust our own understanding, so we need to be led by God. It is imperative that we know when He is speaking to us, and we need to be listening.

That means we need to be people of prayer and come to recognize the voice of God. Prayer is a two-way conversation between us and God. We are not to spend all our time asking Him to do our will but asking Him what His will is for us. Are we spending time with God and actually listening to His voice? If we are open to Him, His Spirit will speak to our spirits. We will have a knowing within us as to which direction we are to go, what to do or who we are to speak to.

Another way we can hear God speak to us is through His Word, the Bible. If we want to grow in our Christian walk, we need to know what God is like. We need to be diligent students of His Word. When we are born into the kingdom of God, the Bible becomes our light in the darkness of this world. We can understand the Word of God because we have come to know the God of the Word and He will enlighten us to its meaning. If we want to make a difference in our world for Christ, we need to read and obey His Word.

Humility is another characteristic that seems to be very difficult for people to accept these days. Everybody wants to be looked up to. They want to make sure they get their fair share of attention and applause for their lofty deeds. Humility is not like that. Neither is it thinking of yourself in a negative way. It’s simply not considering self at all because we are considering the purpose of Jesus Christ. If we think of ourselves more highly than we ought, we are not much use to God. Let’s look at the humility of Jesus in Philippians 2:5-10: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;” Imagine God taking on human flesh so He could redeem us! Why was Jesus willing to do that? Because He loves us and because it was the will of the Father.

The Apostle Paul suffered so much persecution, but he didn’t let it stop him from proclaiming the gospel. He never stopped preaching God’s Word regardless of whether it was accepted or rejected. His passion was to carry out the great commission. He did it because it was the will of God. We need that same passion in walking with God. His passion should be our passion. His desires and goals, our desires and goals. We need a renewed passion for the salvation of the lost. There are only two eternal destinations – heaven and hell. They are both endless destinations, so it is vitally important that everyone hears the gospel message so they can make a decision for Christ before it’s too late. That’s our job.

 Another important element of being useful in God’s kingdom is to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. Jesus told His disciples to wait for the promise of the Father. Without the power of the Holy Spirit, He knew they would not be able to do the work He had called them to. He knew they needed the Holy Spirit to empower them and lead them in the way they should go. Many messages are good, but few change lives without the power of the Spirit of God being present. We need the Holy Spirit if we are to obey Jesus’ command to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel.” Paul said he did not bring the message of Jesus Christ in word only, but in “demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” If a person is a great orator and can move a crowd with their words, their message will point to the speaker. If a person is empowered by the Holy Spirit, their message will point to Jesus Christ. During a writer’s conference some years ago, one of the presenters made it very clear that they were an inspirational publication. They did not mention the name of Jesus in any of their publications. I marked them off my list of publishers to submit articles to in the future. I didn’t care how well known they were if they did not lift up the name of Jesus, the Name above all Names. We need the power of the Holy Spirit if we are to make a difference. We need to speak the Truth of God’s Word and let people know how to be saved. If they don’t know what it is to be saved, they will be deceived into believing they are going to heaven when they are not. If you have not taken the first step toward Jesus, which is repentance; turning away from sin and turning to Jesus as Lord and Savior, you can do that right now. If you are not born again and following Jesus, you are not saved. John 3:3 says, “except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Works will not get us into the kingdom of God. Our knowledge of the Bible will not get us in. Our good intentions won’t get us in. Our sincerity in believing the wrong thing won’t get us in. We must hear the Word of God and obey in repentance and surrender to Him. If we sincerely believe in another way to heaven, we will be sorely disappointed when we stand before God and hear, “I never knew you…depart from Me.” Just any way is not THE Way. We must be born of the Spirit. We can be wrong about many things, but it is eternally destructive to be wrong about the way to heaven. Read the Bible.

Isaiah 55:6-7 says, “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”

 

 

RESTORATION AND RELEASE

 

 The chapter in Scripture that foretells the release of the Jews from the Babylonian captivity and the rebuilding of the old waste places, also foretells what Jesus would do for us in the spiritual realm.  It’s found in Isaiah 61. These words of Isaiah the prophet were fulfilled by God when Cyrus allowed the captives to go back to their homeland. Much later, Jesus declared to be the fulfillment of those words when He read them in the synagogue in Nazareth where He had been brought up. He said, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” All that was lost to Judah, God would restore. All that was lost in the Garden of Eden, Jesus restores to us. Jesus came to restore what was broken – our fellowship with God and our ability to relate on a higher spiritual plane.

            Jesus is the antidote for every part of us that has been left in ruins. Matthew Henry said of Isaiah 61, “As Isaiah was directed to proclaim liberty to the Jews in Babylon, so was Christ, God’s messenger, to publish a more joyful jubilee to a lost world.”

There are many people who wind up with broken lives - some even shattered into pieces. As a matter of fact, we all start out with broken lives because we are born with a sin nature. Jesus does not want any life thrown away. He wants to renew, rebuild, and restore every damaged or ruined life. Jesus not only can restore broken lives to usefulness, but He is also willing to do it. Most of us need restoration in at least one area of our lives. Yet nobody is worthless.  Nobody is useless. We just need the touch of the Master’s hand. Jesus came to rebuild and restore us! God has a plan. He is a builder and a rebuilder. God is a creator and a recreator. He is a restorer of broken lives. If something needs to be restored, it was obviously once in its prime, in healthy working condition. And it has somehow fallen from that condition.

            Let’s look at the first part of Isaiah 61. Jesus read, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord has anointed me. Anointed means to rub with oil. Oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. That is what we need above all, to have the Holy Spirit in us, leading us and empowering us.

Jesus said one of the things He was anointed to do was to preach good tidings to the meek. Good tidings are glad news. We are the meek. We are the poor and afflicted, needy in circumstances. But the good news is that we can be raised up and anointed. Then we can be the bearers of the good news! We can be on both sides of this – We receive, then we give. We need to look at ourselves as both receivers, and givers.

            This passage of scripture goes on to say, “he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted. Our heart is our mind, our will and emotions. Our heart is the very center of who we are. That’s why we are told in Proverbs 4:23 to “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” What is in our hearts will spill out in everything we do. And we don’t have to be broken. To be broken is to be hurt, crushed or broken in pieces. Jesus can bind us up when we are broken. Just like a broken bone is set and wrapped to cause it to merge together again, we can be wrapped tightly with Jesus and grow as one with Him. We are the brokenhearted, yet we are the binders of the brokenhearted by the anointing! Our restoration is the catalyst by which we can offer others restoration through Jesus.

Jesus also came to proclaim liberty to the captives and “and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.” This tells us we can be free from our sins. Chains and yokes can be cut off. Isaiah 10:27 says “And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing. The sin nature can be broken, and we can be free to be joined to Jesus. But there is more. He said He would bring recovering of sight to the blind. We all know Jesus restored blinded physical eyes, but He will also restore our spiritual insight and enlighten us to the kingdom of God. No more thinking from a darkened mind but having insight into spiritual things by the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes I think we are not fully aware of how blessed we are to be able to see spiritually and be free spiritually. We are blessed to be able to understand spiritual things.

            Jesus also came to “proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord”.  Every 50th year in Israel was the Year of Jubilee, the year of release. Servants were set at liberty. Debtors had their debts wiped out, those who had mortgaged their lands, had them returned to them again. And in our spiritual jubilee we have our sins washed away, our sin debt paid and the blessings of the Lord restored to us! GOD IS A RESTORER!

            Next, He speaks of “the day of vengeance of our God.” Vengeance is revenge. Satan had taken possession of God’s creation, but Jesus took it back. Jesus overcame.  He conquered.  If we are in Christ, we too are overcomers!

He also came to comfort all that mourn, to give unto them beauty for ashes. What kind of ashes do we have in our lives? Ashes are the charred remains of what used to be alive and useful. You can’t recognize what it used to be from looking at the ashes left behind. What places in us used to be thriving, but are now a pile of ashes? He will give us beauty for those ashes. And He will give us “the oil of joy for mourning”. Not just any joy, but joy unspeakable! It comes from God, not the world. And the joy of the Lord is our strength. His joy will raise us up in power. Have we lost it? Have we lost the joy of the Lord? It can be found in His presence, in being connected to Him. Our joy can be full by the Holy Spirit within us.

            He gives us “the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Heaviness is a burdened, failing spirit. But Jesus will replace it with a spirit of praise if we let Him.

Jesus fulfilled all this so that we might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord so that that He might be glorified. That God’s glory would be openly seen through us as others see His righteousness in us.

This is what God desires for us. We don’t have to beg Him to do it. It is already done. We just need to receive it.

What has been damaged in your life?  What is no longer working in you?  What lies in ruins and ashes?  What has you so burdened that your shoulders are drooping, and your legs are shaking under the weight? You can be stored!

Hebrews 12:12-13 says, “Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.”

            This prophecy that Jesus fulfilled goes on to say, “And they shall build the old wastes,

“ancient ruins”. Those are the places in our lives that have been ruined and destroyed. They crumbled slowly, a little at a time, so we accepted it as part of our lives a little bit at a time. Jesus came so those places can be restored, rebuilt and repaired. Are we willing to live with things as they are, or do we want to rebuild? Are we okay with being frail and unable to move forward, or have we decided to rise up?

            I love the wording here. It says, “they shall raise up the former desolations” They aren’t just seeing the unfruitful deserts that used to be lush and green and remembering when it was full of life and bearing much fruit. They aren’t just wishing for the glory days when all was good. They decide to do something about it. Where we have been unfruitful, are we willing to accept it, or do we want to raise it back up by the anointing of the Holy Spirit?

            “And they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.” It may have been in that sad condition for a long time, but today can be the day to change it all. We don’t have to accept things in the broken condition they are in, no matter how long they have been that way. Instead of saying, “Well, that’s how it’s always been.”, we can bring back the glory of God to it and shine in righteousness. It can be repaired, new, put back in good condition, renewed, restored. Iniquitous traits are passed from generation to generation when people say, “Well, that’s how it has always been.” But they can stop the cycle when someone finally says, “Jesus restores. We can put a stop to it because of what Jesus has done for us.” Are we willing to break free from how it’s always been when “how it’s always been” is less than what God has for us? We have a part in it.  God will help us, but we have to take the first step. Remember, before healing people or having them join Him, Jesus often said things like, “Stretch forth your hand”, “Go wash in the pool of Siloam”, “Follow Me” “Come unto Me”. We have a part to play. We have a choice to make. Are we willing to live with things broken down and in ruins, or do we want to be restored, rebuilt, renewed and made useful again?

 

“Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.”

BREAKTHROUGH

 

     How many times have you come to a point in your life that you needed a breakthrough? Maybe you ran into a problem that seemed insurmountable or a decision that you couldn’t make because you kept vacillating back and forth.

But what about the breakthroughs that come out of the clear blue and turn your life around in a new direction that God has planned for you?

This Christmas season I have been thinking of all the breakthroughs those in the Bible experienced because God wanted to use them in a wonderful way for their good and His glory.

Zacharias was a priest, and it was his time to minister to the Lord in the temple at Jerusalem on behalf of the people. But this time God broke through to speak to Zacharias through the angel Gabriel. Gabriel told Zacharias that his aged wife would have a son. That in itself was a miracle because she had always been barren and was old now. But He also told Zacharias that his son would be the forerunner of the Messiah. That was huge news. And Zacharias had a hard time believing it. “Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years. And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.” And it did come to pass. Zacharias and Elizabeth became the parents of John the Baptist. And Zacharias regained his voice after John’s birth.

As far as we can tell, Mary was an ordinary girl who was engaged to be married to Joseph. She was probably preparing for the wedding when she experienced a breakthrough. Again, Garbriel was sent to tell Mary that she would have a baby and He would be the long-awaited Messiah. Mary had questions about how this would happen but was believing and willing to take on this new turn in her life. Regardless of how misunderstood she would be and the possibility of losing Joseph, she was willing to be part of God’s plan. “Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible.” Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.” Notice how Gabriel gave Mary a link to another miracle that was close to her. Elizabeth, Mary’s relative, was also the wife of Zacharias. Mary went to see Elizabeth, and they greatly encouraged one another.  So, Mary became the mother of Jesus.

When Joseph learned Mary’s news, he was about to back out of the marriage until he had a breakthrough. Joseph’s breakthrough came through a dream. “But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.  And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Joseph took that calling seriously and took Mary as his wife, protecting her and the new Life inside her. He also protected them after Jesus was born. And Joseph became known as the father of Jesus. Yet he knew God was the Father.

The shepherds outside tending their sheep had a breakthrough when an angel startled them with his presence. But the angel said, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. “Then a multitude of angels joined him praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will to men.” That is an amazing breakthrough for a group of shepherds who were just working their shift on a normal night. But these shepherds went to the place the angel told them about and saw for themselves the truth of the angel’s words. Then they all became missionaries as they told everybody they saw about their breakthrough and about the birth of the Messiah.

It seems the wise men had a breakthrough, too. They studied the stars and God gave them the wisdom and enlightenment to know what the stars were saying to them. It took them awhile to arrive at their destination, but they met Jesus when He was about two years old and gave Him extravagant gifts.

If we fast-forward to the time of Jesus’ ministry, we find Him asking His disciples who the people were saying He was. They gave him the answer to what they had been hearing. Then Jesus narrowed it down to this. He asked, “Who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. Peter did not come up with that knowledge on his own. He had a breakthrough from God that enlightened him to the truth of Who Jesus really is. His breakthrough was probably a light to the other disciples also. So, Peter became a disciple of Jesus Christ for the rest of his life.

When Saul [who later became Paul] was on his way to persecute those who believed in Jesus, he was well-meaning but wrong. He thought this was a cult that was trying to lead people away from the true God. But then Paul had a breakthrough – a major breakthrough. “As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” Paul remained a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ from that moment on. He suffered a lot of persecution but he also wrote a large part of the New Testament by the leading of the Holy Spirit.

There was a little girl who was always taken to church but didn’t really know Jesus. She was at a youth camp when she was eleven years old and the Holy Spirit drew her to the altar where she was born again. When she was born into the kingdom of God she came alive spiritually and was never the same again. She became a disciple of Jesus Christ. That little girl was me. I have never regretted giving my life to Jesus. He gives me the strength, power and wisdom I need. He is faithful to me and I want to remain faithful to Him.

Could you add your breakthrough story to this list? Has God broken into your life and asked you to come with Him as He leads you on the wonderful journey He has for you? If He has, have you accepted this new adventure? Life in the spiritual realm is more certain and more alive than life in this world. Maybe it’s time to ask for a breakthrough. Maybe it’s time to allow God to redirect your life and lead you into life more abundant than what you have experienced so far. The best thing that could happen to us this Christmas is to have a breakthrough from God. The breakthrough is God’s part. Following Him in it is ours.

If you are already a follower of Jesus, keep looking for the breakthroughs yet to come. He will lead us in different paths in the various seasons of our lives.

 

HAVE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

CONTEND FOR THE FAITH

 

 My Mom passed from this life September 21, 2023. She was taken quickly out of this world by an aneurysm and was ushered into the presence of Jesus. We were very close, so I am sad for me because this life will never be the same. But I am happy for her because she is in the presence of Jesus, the One she lived her life for. She has reached the goal we all should be striving for. Mom was a prayer warrior, and she prayed on a daily basis for many of you who receive this newsletter. She was the one who led me down the path where I could meet Jesus. She was also the one who proofread, folded, stapled and stamped all these newsletters. She had a desire for every lost soul to be saved and prayed diligently every day toward that end. I thank God for what she taught me and what she brought to my life. She was a voice in this world proclaiming truth, grace, righteousness and faith in Christ Jesus. She proclaimed it in her conversations and her life. She proclaimed it in the poems she wrote. She even proclaimed it on Facebook. Now she has her eternal reward.

Most of us are willing to take a stand for the things we really believe in, the things that are of great importance to us. But it’s not always easy. We are not always popular when we stand for God’s Word, but truth is truth, and we cannot afford to hide it from others. Everyone needs to know. We are called to be a voice that proclaims Him. But are we? Are we really a voice to this world that proclaims God’s truth, grace, righteousness and faith in Jesus Christ?

 If we want to gain a reward that will not fade away, and if we want to bring others to Jesus, we need to learn how to work together as the people of God for the faith of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We need to be His voice in this world. His voice is very unwelcome among many, but Truth still needs to be proclaimed. There are those who will hear and welcome the good news. There are those who will hear and reject. Proclaiming the gospel isn’t just with words. It is also through our lives and actions. We can show people the gospel message by how we act, how we respond to them, and how we love. Those first Christians had a great love for one another and were one in Christ. They were the body of Christ in this world who shared the pure message of the gospel without adding or taking away from what the Lord had first spoken to them. They received a lot of opposition, but their message was more important than the opposition against them.

            Philippians 1:27-30 says, “Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God. For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.”

            Paul wrote that to the Christians in Philippi as well as to you and me today. He preached truth. He made sure it was available to everyone he spoke with. He underwent great persecution because of the message of Jesus Christ. But he continued to strive to make Truth known to as many as he could reach.

            What does it actually mean to strive? It means to make strenuous efforts toward any goal. And what more worthy goal than the gospel of Jesus Christ? It also means to contend in opposition, battle, or any conflict. It takes effort and determination. We must strive, because if we retreat, who will teach others the Truth? How can people hear without someone telling them? Jesus told us to go and make disciples. That means to teach others the Word of God and the ways of God. We cannot afford to retreat. We must continue to move forward. No soldier ever won a battle by retreating. We don’t have to be afraid of those who oppose us. Our job is to make the truth of the gospel known. Then others can choose to accept salvation (a state of final spiritual bliss) or perdition. (a state of final spiritual ruin). So you can see that the reason we are to strive is because eternal souls are at stake. We can’t force anyone to follow Jesus, but we can make sure they have knowledge so they can make their own choice.

Jude wanted to write about the joys of the salvation we share, but God had a different message for him. So he wrote, “Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people. For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.” Jude warned them that everyone does not teach the truth of the gospel and they needed to be aware of those who taught false doctrines. We need to know Truth and stand for it.

Paul wrote to the Christians in Galatia, “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert [distort] the gospel of Christ; But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.” [Galatians 1:6-9]

There are those who try to change the Word of God, but they cannot. They can write their own gospel, but God’s Word is Truth and Truth never changes. It remains absolute…complete and unadulterated. That’s why we need to contend for the faith, the Word of God. To contend simply  means to struggle in opposition; to exert oneself vigorously. If there was anyone who contended for the faith, it was the apostle, Paul. He struggled in opposition with those who tried to pervert the gospel of Jesus Christ. It wasn’t a physical battle, but a spiritual battle. Paul wasn’t a fighter in the physical sense. Physically he seemed to be constantly being beat up because he taught the Scripture. Look at 2 Corinthians 11:24-28. Here Paul outlines a few examples of the opposition against him. He said, “ Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.” But he never quit being the voice of God in this earth until he was beheaded and received his reward in heaven.

What kept Paul from getting burned out and leaving the ministry? His love for Jesus Christ, his disregard for himself, his passion to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit even when he stood alone in dangerous territory, his stand to follow Jesus rather than do what everyone else was doing. I can’t imagine him following the notion of ‘church as usual’ with its form and lack of God’s Spirit. He didn’t have a goal he had set for himself. He had a message that burned in him and the world became his pulpit. He even said, “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship.” [1 Corinthians 9:16-17] Even with all the trials Paul endured, he said, “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” [Philippians 4:11-13] When he was on the top, he was content. When he was on the bottom, he was content. When he was in the middle, he was content because his contentment was in Christ, not in goals he had carefully crafted out. We burn out when we get our eyes on what we are doing instead of Who we are serving. We get burnt out when we go through the form that is expected of us instead of following the leading of the Holy Spirit burning inside of us. One is focusing on pleasing people. The other is focused on pleasing God. Paul wanted to please God, so he followed what He said and let God handle the consequences. His experiences taught him that even in the worst circumstance, Jesus was with him.

“Striving together for the faith of the gospel” is a concept we may find strange. But every true believer in Jesus is part of His body today. We are His hands, feet and voice. If we as the people of God do not strive together and contend for the gospel of Jesus Christ, who will? 

In all the ups and downs in our lives, we can strive together for the gospel of Jesus Christ. We can stand together and make a difference. And Jesus promised He would never leave us or forsake us.