Times are wicked and the days are evil. School shootings are becoming commonplace. People would rather shoot than reason. Chicago is a war zone with innocent children dying in the crossfire. It reminds me of the 80's in California when the bloods and crips were killing each other over turf and for faux respect. Even in the church, preachers are watering down the gospel and limiting its effectiveness to transform lives. Even in the church, people's hearts are waxing cold, just as Jesus prophesied.
In times like these, we need one another. Believers are a peculiar bunch because we sometimes don't understand that we NEED one another. We MUST show love to one another (John 13:35; 1 John 4:20) because that is how the world will be able to identify us as Christ's disciples. We get so caught up sometimes in walking in the strength of the flesh. We covet other people's gifts. We turn away from those in need. We hurt those that try to we are supposed to be helping. The church is supposed to be a place where those that love God and those that are followers of Jesus can come in from the cold and and be warmed by the embrace of another that is dealing with the same things. Instead, people come in from the cold and need an extra coat because of the frigidity of many so-called Christians.
We are admonished and called by God to help each other! Hebrews 3:13 "But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of
you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." We are to build each other up and encourage each other every day. The word used here for exhort is the word παρακαλέω, parakaleo. What it means is this, we are to be right up close and personal with each other to support one another. I heard one pastor, Dr. Mike Fabarez refer to it this way- we are to be "knee braces" for each other so that out knees don't give out on us along the journey. We are to be braces/support/leaning posts for one another. Without this support from one another, look at what the result is: the unsupported Christian faces the possibility of being "hardened" literally, dried out or stubborn towards God because of sin's delusion! We all know that sin can make you believe a lie, it can put you into the bed of another woman or another man, it can make you think thoughts that were never designed to be in the mind of a Christian, it can blind our minds and deceive us, pulling us further and further away from God! That's why we need to be support for one another. We need to be each others' leaning post.
The book of Hebrews deals with the issue of apostasy and the issue of falling away on numerous occasions. Here is why we need encouragement. Every one of us that has walked this Christian walk will get tired at some point. We will all look back at some point and wonder "what could have been". All of us will get weary. That is why the bible is so full of encouragement of the Christian to endure until the end (Isaiah 40:31;Hebrews 3:14; 1 Corinthians 15:58; Galatians 6:9; Romans 5:3-5; Hebrews 12:1; Hebrews 10:23; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18; Hebrews 6:19).
There is another scripture in Hebrews that also charges us to build one another up and support one another. Hebrews 10:24,25 "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to
meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the
more as you see the Day drawing near" The writer here says that not only are we to encourage one another, we are to think of ways to encourage one another and stimulate each other to GOOD works! Sometimes, we are quick to stimulate each other to gossip but slow to say, "hey, I don't want to hear that." We should applaud someone for walking away from sin and find ways to keep them in that frame of mind. When we are around fellow believers, we need to create an environment whereby spiritual growth occurs, not spiritual relapse.
Meeting together, being around fellow believers and all the more as we see Jesus Christ's return approaching is vitally important. We are a family. We are His body, His ambassadors here on the earth. We have to stick together and give love, grace and strength to one another while we are here. If we love one another, then we can love those that are not in the body of Christ as well. Come on y'all. Let's get our minds right, encourage one another and love each other as we see the Day approaching! Grace and peace.
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Friday, February 15, 2013
Don't Turn Back
In the book of Hebrews, the author, in chapter 6, warns those Christians that he/she is writing to about the dangers of falling away. Some of the readers, based on what the writer says in the text at the close of chapter 5, were not growing spiritually. They were still drinking "milk" but they had left the basics regarding the elementary principles of "the oracles of God". The writer says that some had become dull of hearing.
At the beginning of chapter 6, the writer says to his readers that they are to press on to maturity. The elementary teachings, according to Hebrews 6:1,2 were: 1. repentance from dead works 2. faith toward God 3. instruction about washing and laying on of hands 4. resurrection of the dead and 5. eternal judgment. Obviously, these things had been taught at length to these readers and the writer was trying to get them past these things into something deeper within God. The writer was trying to get them to grow up- and he/she did not leave out the possibility of revisiting those topics (Hebrews 6:3). Just as a point of clarity, we all need to be schooled in the elementary principles of Christianity- and we do need to review those things, even as we move further to maturity in our walk with Christ.
There is another set of people that the readers and the writer is obviously familiar with and he begins to deal with these people in verse 4. We can see a contrast here. The writer first deals with the spiritually immature and now he/she deals with those that were mature but had "fallen away". There is no reason given for why they fell away, but they did. The Greek word for fallen away is the word παραπίπτω, parapipto. This literally means that they have fallen away from "close beside". These were believers that were extremely mature. These were ones, according to the text: 1. had once been enlightened 2. have tasted of the heavenly gift and 3. have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit 4. have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come. Wow. They were illuminated by God with knowledge and wisdom, have tasted or experienced God's grace, they were sharers with the Holy Spirit but it doesn't stop there. Where it says that they had tasted the good word of God, this is not logos word but rhema word- which usually indicates that it is a word spoken directly from God- a dialogue between himself and the believer!
Let's digest this. There were some believers that had become dull of hearing but they were at least salvageable and could be reeled in. There were other believers who were not dull of hearing at all, they were actually quite adept and skilled in the Word and had experienced everything that most believers would want. These were the ones that became apostate or decided to unfollow Christ. That is a very sobering thought. I don't know why they fell away, I don't know if they just one day decided to leave or progressively became more and more despondent with respect to the faith...but they just left the faith altogether. They turned back to their old ways. It is possible that these people got arrogant after being so enlightened. We see it every day. Folks begin to believe that it is about them and start telling you about their "anointing" before they even tell you their name. Maybe Satan robbed them of their faith (see earlier post, "What the Devil is Really After) and left them high and dry. Could it be that they zoomed through the elementary teachings and immediately tried to be Christian gurus? You know those types too, get saved on Sunday and Monday they are "theologians". We don't know and there are not a whole lot of clues here in the book of Hebrews to piece this together.
What I do know is this, there is great danger in turning back. The writer basically says this, it is impossible to restore them to repentance. They have been taught all of the elementary things and they have experienced the deep things and it was not enough for them. Why would they repent? This scripture confuses many because it is sometimes interpreted as saying that the one that walked away could never be forgiven. That's not true, there is only one sin that is beyond pardon (Matthew 12:32). It says that it is impossible to renew them again to repentance. If Jesus is not enough for them, then what else is there? Their walking away, after experiencing God's best, basically says this: Jesus needs to die again for my sins because once wasn't enough. Walking away (Verse 6) puts Jesus to open shame because by walking away, the person is saying to God, :I don't want the gift of grace, I don't want the gift of mercy, I don't need you...you gave me everything and I've decided that I do not want it. This Jesus that you have offered up as a ransom for my sins, I want no parts of." That's dangerous speech!
Let me encourage you today, if you've gotten weary on this Christian journey, don't turn back. There is nothing good in the place that God brought us out of. There is nothing holy there nor is there anything there worthy of our rejection of the true and living God. Rejecting Jesus, telling Him that his first sacrifice was no good is blasphemous and it is outright stupid. Especially in light of the fact that you/we have experienced some of the deep things of God! We know that He's real, we know that He's true, we know that He's faithful and just and loving. Why would we turn back? Stay where God has you and commit to His plan for your spiritual growth! Take some time to refresh yourself. Spend some time away from the world and reflecting on God's goodness and replenish. I don't know if these people were spiritually burnt out, but there are times that I feel burnt out and it is not a fun place to be. As a Christian, quitting is never an option. We are encouraged, even by this writer in chapter 12 to "fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of the faith." Jesus lived the life of faith to the fullest- his humanity demanded that he live by faith! Stay the course Christian soldier, don't turn back...look up! Grace and peace.
At the beginning of chapter 6, the writer says to his readers that they are to press on to maturity. The elementary teachings, according to Hebrews 6:1,2 were: 1. repentance from dead works 2. faith toward God 3. instruction about washing and laying on of hands 4. resurrection of the dead and 5. eternal judgment. Obviously, these things had been taught at length to these readers and the writer was trying to get them past these things into something deeper within God. The writer was trying to get them to grow up- and he/she did not leave out the possibility of revisiting those topics (Hebrews 6:3). Just as a point of clarity, we all need to be schooled in the elementary principles of Christianity- and we do need to review those things, even as we move further to maturity in our walk with Christ.
There is another set of people that the readers and the writer is obviously familiar with and he begins to deal with these people in verse 4. We can see a contrast here. The writer first deals with the spiritually immature and now he/she deals with those that were mature but had "fallen away". There is no reason given for why they fell away, but they did. The Greek word for fallen away is the word παραπίπτω, parapipto. This literally means that they have fallen away from "close beside". These were believers that were extremely mature. These were ones, according to the text: 1. had once been enlightened 2. have tasted of the heavenly gift and 3. have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit 4. have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come. Wow. They were illuminated by God with knowledge and wisdom, have tasted or experienced God's grace, they were sharers with the Holy Spirit but it doesn't stop there. Where it says that they had tasted the good word of God, this is not logos word but rhema word- which usually indicates that it is a word spoken directly from God- a dialogue between himself and the believer!
Let's digest this. There were some believers that had become dull of hearing but they were at least salvageable and could be reeled in. There were other believers who were not dull of hearing at all, they were actually quite adept and skilled in the Word and had experienced everything that most believers would want. These were the ones that became apostate or decided to unfollow Christ. That is a very sobering thought. I don't know why they fell away, I don't know if they just one day decided to leave or progressively became more and more despondent with respect to the faith...but they just left the faith altogether. They turned back to their old ways. It is possible that these people got arrogant after being so enlightened. We see it every day. Folks begin to believe that it is about them and start telling you about their "anointing" before they even tell you their name. Maybe Satan robbed them of their faith (see earlier post, "What the Devil is Really After) and left them high and dry. Could it be that they zoomed through the elementary teachings and immediately tried to be Christian gurus? You know those types too, get saved on Sunday and Monday they are "theologians". We don't know and there are not a whole lot of clues here in the book of Hebrews to piece this together.
What I do know is this, there is great danger in turning back. The writer basically says this, it is impossible to restore them to repentance. They have been taught all of the elementary things and they have experienced the deep things and it was not enough for them. Why would they repent? This scripture confuses many because it is sometimes interpreted as saying that the one that walked away could never be forgiven. That's not true, there is only one sin that is beyond pardon (Matthew 12:32). It says that it is impossible to renew them again to repentance. If Jesus is not enough for them, then what else is there? Their walking away, after experiencing God's best, basically says this: Jesus needs to die again for my sins because once wasn't enough. Walking away (Verse 6) puts Jesus to open shame because by walking away, the person is saying to God, :I don't want the gift of grace, I don't want the gift of mercy, I don't need you...you gave me everything and I've decided that I do not want it. This Jesus that you have offered up as a ransom for my sins, I want no parts of." That's dangerous speech!
Let me encourage you today, if you've gotten weary on this Christian journey, don't turn back. There is nothing good in the place that God brought us out of. There is nothing holy there nor is there anything there worthy of our rejection of the true and living God. Rejecting Jesus, telling Him that his first sacrifice was no good is blasphemous and it is outright stupid. Especially in light of the fact that you/we have experienced some of the deep things of God! We know that He's real, we know that He's true, we know that He's faithful and just and loving. Why would we turn back? Stay where God has you and commit to His plan for your spiritual growth! Take some time to refresh yourself. Spend some time away from the world and reflecting on God's goodness and replenish. I don't know if these people were spiritually burnt out, but there are times that I feel burnt out and it is not a fun place to be. As a Christian, quitting is never an option. We are encouraged, even by this writer in chapter 12 to "fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of the faith." Jesus lived the life of faith to the fullest- his humanity demanded that he live by faith! Stay the course Christian soldier, don't turn back...look up! Grace and peace.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
What the Devil is Really After
There is a popular refrain repeated, especially in the Black church, that the devil wants to rob us of our praise. While that maybe true in some instances, that is not what the devil is really after. Jesus said it best when he quoted Isaiah the prophet and said "These people honor Me with their lips but their hearts are far from Me" (Mark 7:6). You can praise all Sunday and still leave church as full of hell as you did when you came in. It's not really about your praise. God is definitely praiseworthy and we all praise Him in our own way, but praise can be fabricated. Praise can be faked, what looks like praise might just be an emotional release that is not led by the Spirit of God. Praise can be duplicated as many of us have undoubtedly seen a baby imitating a grown up in church at some point in time.
What Satan is really after, is our faith. Hebrews 11:6 is about as plain as it can get, without faith it is impossible to please God. There is a reason Jesus said what he said to Peter in Luke 22:31. He told Peter that the devil demanded permission to sift him (and the other disciples as well) as wheat. He also said to Peter in verse 32, but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail. Sentence structure in Luke 22:32 indicates that Jesus was saying, because I have pray for you, your faith will not fail. Jesus understood that once Peter got onto the sifter, Satan would be ruthless and relentless. He knew this because the devil was just as relentless towards Him in the wilderness. We only catch a short glimpse of Christ's temptation in the gospels, but He was there for 40 days listening to the prince of the air lie to Him and tempt Him. Jesus understood the severity of Satan's attacks because he withstood them.
Fast forward to Peter's epistle and we see the older, wiser Peter giving sage advice to the Christians that he was writing to. 1 Peter 1:6,7 "In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." Peter knew full well about faith being tested. This is the same man that denied Christ three times and then presided over the greatest evangelistic moment in the history of Christianity at Pentecost. If gold, as precious as it is, must be tested and found to be true...and we were redeemed with the precious blood of Jesus, which is much more expensive than gold, then it stands to reason that our faith must also be tested and found to be genuine.
Genuine faith is a faith that endures until the end. It is not a Hebrews 6 faith (see Hebrews 6:1-5) which crucifies Christ all over again and rejects the blessings of God and His eternal grace. Genuine faith is not a 1 John chapter 2 faith in which John said they were never apart of us because they went out from us (1 John 2:19). Genuine faith is a Matthew 24:13, 1 Corinthians 15:2 type of faith where are the one who endures to the end shall be saved.
Faith is the basis of our relationship with God and it the only way that we are saved. The devil is smart enough to know what to go after. He wants to take away the very thing that God requires if we are to reconcile with Him, faith in His Son. If you are in a situation where your faith is being tested, speak out loud and remind yourself of why you came to believe in the first place. Remind yourself of how good God has been to you, how far you have progressed in the Lord and what Jesus did for you at Calvary. Pray this prayer, "Jesus, intercede for me at God's right hand...seal my faith so that it will not fail. Give me genuine faith so that I am able to see you in glory when you return. In Jesus' name, Amen." Grace and Peace.
I am Who I am
Watching Judge Mathis just now, there was a mother and daughter in court. The mother was suing the daughter or maybe it was the other way around. The mother was in her 50's with a cougar tatooed on her leg. I was really tripping out because her daughter called her out for dating these "younger men". What really tripped me out is her response to the judge..."well judge, I am who I am. I am not ashamed of it."
How many times have you heard someone say that? Let's take it further, how many times have you heard someone say that that was not saved? That is one of the most dangerous statements that anyone could make. What this lady was saying is this...I'm not interested in changing. I'm only interested in being "me".
Watching this and having previously watched the Sisterhood (actually being forced to watch by my wife) made me realize that there are many people that do not want to become the new creature (2 Cor 5:17) that God's grace so freely allows those that have accepted Christ to be. It's different if we struggle with the flesh, but if there is no struggle, you might as well not even put your Converse on to get into the game. Don't bother calling yourself a Christian if you are content to be the same person that you were when you first walked through the church doors. That's a waste of time and unless there is some repentance, some fruit being bore and some spiritual growth, there is a cold end to that life style. "I never knew you...depart from me, you workers of iniquity."
I am glad that Jesus met the old me, hung him on a cross and left him there to die while the new me, born in His image and being conformed to His likeness, walks in the newness of life. We are so afraid that we are going to miss something or that we will be bored, but there is no better life than being a Christian and being free in Jesus. When Jesus says that no man, after putting his hand to the plow share, and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God, that sounds pretty harsh at first. But when we look at that scripture and the verb for "looking back", βλέπων (blepon) is in the present active tense. What it literally means is that there is a constant looking back, even while the hands are affixed to the plow- that can't be. We can't plow a straight line if we are not looking in front of us!
Don't be who you are, be who God wants you to be. That's the real issue. Who you "are" outside of Christ should not control who you are in Christ. As a matter of fact, it has zero bearing on who you are in Christ. Because in Christ, the old things have passed away and all things have become new. Whatever I was is washed away by the blood of Jesus. Thank God that the new me and the old me are not one in the same. I pray that the same is the case for you. Hebrews 6 is chilling when you think about it. Verse 7 and 8 reads: "For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned." Don't be dry land that bears thorns and thistles, don't be the ground on which seed falls and is choked out by the worries and cares of this world! Be who God called you to be, not who you "are". Grace and peace.
How many times have you heard someone say that? Let's take it further, how many times have you heard someone say that that was not saved? That is one of the most dangerous statements that anyone could make. What this lady was saying is this...I'm not interested in changing. I'm only interested in being "me".
Watching this and having previously watched the Sisterhood (actually being forced to watch by my wife) made me realize that there are many people that do not want to become the new creature (2 Cor 5:17) that God's grace so freely allows those that have accepted Christ to be. It's different if we struggle with the flesh, but if there is no struggle, you might as well not even put your Converse on to get into the game. Don't bother calling yourself a Christian if you are content to be the same person that you were when you first walked through the church doors. That's a waste of time and unless there is some repentance, some fruit being bore and some spiritual growth, there is a cold end to that life style. "I never knew you...depart from me, you workers of iniquity."
I am glad that Jesus met the old me, hung him on a cross and left him there to die while the new me, born in His image and being conformed to His likeness, walks in the newness of life. We are so afraid that we are going to miss something or that we will be bored, but there is no better life than being a Christian and being free in Jesus. When Jesus says that no man, after putting his hand to the plow share, and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God, that sounds pretty harsh at first. But when we look at that scripture and the verb for "looking back", βλέπων (blepon) is in the present active tense. What it literally means is that there is a constant looking back, even while the hands are affixed to the plow- that can't be. We can't plow a straight line if we are not looking in front of us!
Don't be who you are, be who God wants you to be. That's the real issue. Who you "are" outside of Christ should not control who you are in Christ. As a matter of fact, it has zero bearing on who you are in Christ. Because in Christ, the old things have passed away and all things have become new. Whatever I was is washed away by the blood of Jesus. Thank God that the new me and the old me are not one in the same. I pray that the same is the case for you. Hebrews 6 is chilling when you think about it. Verse 7 and 8 reads: "For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned." Don't be dry land that bears thorns and thistles, don't be the ground on which seed falls and is choked out by the worries and cares of this world! Be who God called you to be, not who you "are". Grace and peace.
Monday, February 11, 2013
The Lord Will Make A Way
The book of Haggai, which is also connected to the books of Ezra, Nehemiah
and Zechariah is an interesting, terse and revealing book in the section of the
Bible that we consider the Minor Prophets. They are not minor because of
content, but minor because of the brevity of their works. Consider that Isaiah
is 66 chapters whereas Haggai is only two chapters.
In reading the book of Haggai, there is some important information that needs to be shared in order for us to understand and appreciate what is going on here.Nebuchadnezzar had destroyed the temple in Jerusalem and taken
the Israelites into captivity. Jeremiah (Jeremiah 25) and Daniel (Daniel 9)
both prophesied this and God allowed the people to be taken into captivity as
punishment for their disobedience and their idolatry. Haggai discusses some of
the events after the return from Babylonian captivity which consisted mainly of
rebuilding the temple. There were interruptions and distractions (See Ezra 4-6
and Nehemiah 4) but eventually the temple was finished. The foundation was laid
first (See Ezra 3), there was a lag because of fear of enemies (15-16 years to
be exact) and then the temple was completed.
With this in mind, let's rewind to the book of Haggai.
Haggai, Ezra and Zechariah were catalysts to the rebuilding process. They had
to remind the people that the state of God's temple was important as it represented
their spiritual health. According to Haggai, the people had become self
absorbed and were only concerned with their own places and their
"paneled" houses. Because of their neglect of God's house, they were
constantly chasing their tails. Read the first chapter of Haggai for a clear
picture of this. One verse in particular says it all:
Haggai 1:9 "You looked for much, and behold, it came
to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the LORD
of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies
himself with his own house."
Let me pause here to ask, have we been in a situation where we have put ourselves before God and because of that, we have lost more than we gained? If we ever get to the point where our life is more important that God's will, we can always expect trouble.
So we see, close to the end of chapter 1, God getting the people ready to work. God says in verse 7, "Consider your ways, go up to the mountains and get wood and build my house. that I may be pleased with it and be glorified." God gives the people the directive to build. They have resources but not enough to build a temple! So, here is the question, IF God has commissioned this rebuilding, how would they carry it out? Once the people obeyed and showed reverence to God, the bible says that He promised His presence and stirred the spirits of the governor, the high priest and the people (Haggai 1:13,14). They had the energy but they did not have the resources...what were they to do? Here is another great point, reverence + obedience will ALWAYS lead to God's presence and His divine energy to do whatever He has purposed!
Now we get to the meat of this post. I want to encourage anyone reading that the Lord will make a way, sometimes out of no way- but always when He has given us an assignment! Let's look at it beginning in chapter 2. What do we need to see in order to understand that the Lord will make a way?
1. We need to arecognize the truth, admit the severity of the situation and be OK with it. Chapter 2, verse 3 speaks of the former glory of the temple. "‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes?" The old men that saw this foundation wept when they thought back to the previous temple (See Ezra 3:13). They were devastated but that's OK. When there is a rebuilding project that must take place in our lives, we need to understand that if it is bad, that's OK, because God specializes in turning bad into good and that He can do miraculous things when we trust Him and operate in faith.
2. We need to be willing to do what God requires to bring His will to fruition. Verse 4: "now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the Lord. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord. Work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts..." God says here, first of all, be encouraged, secondly...WORK! We cannot think that things will simply fall into our laps. God making a way will always require some effort on our part. If God supplies the job, doesn't it seem logical that we might have to show up to the interview? God values work, especially work done in faith.
3. We need to understand that God is with us regardless of the circumstances. Verse 5: "according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not." God says three times in these two chapters (1:13, 2:4, 2:5) that He is with them. How can we fear when God gives this type of reassurance?! In Joshua 1:5, God gave Joshua a promise that has lasted throughout the ages. Interestingly enough, God said to Joshua, "I will never leave you nor forsake you..." and this is the ONLY time in the Bible where God says this. It is repeated by Joshua in several places and in Hebrews 13:5 it is quoted, but God only said it once. There is a reason for that...God doesn't break promises and therefore doesn't have to keep repeating Himself. He repeats Himself for our benefit to strengthen our faith, but once He says anything, that is it; It is settled and His word cannot come back void.
4. Know that God controls ALL resources, all people and all things! This is how God is able to make a way, because EVERYTHING belongs to Him. When God gives a task but we cannot see where the resources are coming from...that is not time to check out and go to la la land. That is the time to realize that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. Psalm 24:1 says that the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and all that dwell within it! When the resources are scant, trust God that IF He has commissioned it, He will "finance" it, spiritually or materially! Look at the text: Verses 6-8 "For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts."
Here, it says that God will SHAKE the heavens, the earth, the seas and the nations and the treasures of the nations will come in. Here, God provided everything that the Israelites needed to finish their project. Do you not think that He will do the same for us? The bible says that God shall supply ALL of our needs according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19)! He controls all the resources in the earth, there is nothing that he will withhold from those of us that walk uprightly (Psalm 84:11). We are not to try to figure out where the shaking is occurring, who the resources are coming from or anything like that. Our job is to simply trust God!
Hebrews 12:26 repeats this same scripture with a clearer picture. When shaking occurs, the things that move are in the kingdom but have not submitted to God...therefore they are movable, whereas everything that is in the kingdom of God is immovable, including those of us who have reconciled with God the Father through Jesus the Son! Everything that moves is fair game for those that are immovable and that's good news. That lets me know that I serve a God in heaven that can take care of me even when I cannot see where the resources are coming from. Here is a great time to remember the scripture in 2 Corinthians 5:7...we walk by faith and not by sight!
Now, let's connect this to the most important event that happens in the life of every believer in Jesus. Before we met Jesus, all of our temples were decimated and destroyed. Believe it or not, many times our temples were destroyed by self-inflicted wounds. God's grace is such that although our temples were in ruins, He says, "Consider your ways...build my house!" God wants his house not only rebuilt but holy. God asks us to be holy as He is holy…He’s given us a huge task, but it is not something that we can accomplish on our own. God says, to us we need to rebuild the temples of our lives- sin was dominant, sin was controlling us and it was not just enough to be a “good person”
You may ask, "How do I get there? My temple is a mess!"God says,
"it’s going to cost!"You ask, "where are the resources, How do I
pay?"God says, “you don’t have enough to pay!”
God says, "I have to shake some things
up"…so God shook up heaven! ALL the
silver and gold in the world couldn’t pay for OUR rebuilding projects! We
needed something lasting and something more precious than gold, we needed the
precious blood of a Lamb without spot or blemish. We needed Jesus to get up off
His throne, come to earth, lay aside his prerogative to his godly attributes,
suffer the same things we suffer and come PAY for your sins and my sins! There
is a popular song that says Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe, sin left a
crimson stain but He washed me white as snow! Thank you Jesus for being the
payment for my sins (1 John 2:2)and giving me the right to eternal life.
We needed to rebuild our temples and restore our relationship with the Father- BUT WE COULDN’T AFFORD WHAT IT WOULD COST TO DO THAT! WE DIDN’T HAVE THE RESOURCES! That's why the Lord had to make a way! I don't know about you but I am so glad that He made a way. Our temples were in shambles and we did not have the resources to rebuild them but God said, “I will make a way!” Jesus is our rebuilding resource! In Him, all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. In Him, we live and move and have our being. In Him, we are justified (Romans 5:21), we are sanctified (John 17:17) and we are the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21)! He is the way, the truth and the life! The Lord made a way for us to return home from wandering in the far country, He made a way for us to reconcile with Him and He made a way for us to live with Him for all eternity. The Way is Jesus. Grace and peace to you.
In reading the book of Haggai, there is some important information that needs to be shared in order for us to understand and appreciate what is going on here.
Let me pause here to ask, have we been in a situation where we have put ourselves before God and because of that, we have lost more than we gained? If we ever get to the point where our life is more important that God's will, we can always expect trouble.
So we see, close to the end of chapter 1, God getting the people ready to work. God says in verse 7, "Consider your ways, go up to the mountains and get wood and build my house. that I may be pleased with it and be glorified." God gives the people the directive to build. They have resources but not enough to build a temple! So, here is the question, IF God has commissioned this rebuilding, how would they carry it out? Once the people obeyed and showed reverence to God, the bible says that He promised His presence and stirred the spirits of the governor, the high priest and the people (Haggai 1:13,14). They had the energy but they did not have the resources...what were they to do? Here is another great point, reverence + obedience will ALWAYS lead to God's presence and His divine energy to do whatever He has purposed!
Now we get to the meat of this post. I want to encourage anyone reading that the Lord will make a way, sometimes out of no way- but always when He has given us an assignment! Let's look at it beginning in chapter 2. What do we need to see in order to understand that the Lord will make a way?
1. We need to arecognize the truth, admit the severity of the situation and be OK with it. Chapter 2, verse 3 speaks of the former glory of the temple. "‘Who is left among you who saw this house in its former glory? How do you see it now? Is it not as nothing in your eyes?" The old men that saw this foundation wept when they thought back to the previous temple (See Ezra 3:13). They were devastated but that's OK. When there is a rebuilding project that must take place in our lives, we need to understand that if it is bad, that's OK, because God specializes in turning bad into good and that He can do miraculous things when we trust Him and operate in faith.
2. We need to be willing to do what God requires to bring His will to fruition. Verse 4: "now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the Lord. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord. Work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts..." God says here, first of all, be encouraged, secondly...WORK! We cannot think that things will simply fall into our laps. God making a way will always require some effort on our part. If God supplies the job, doesn't it seem logical that we might have to show up to the interview? God values work, especially work done in faith.
3. We need to understand that God is with us regardless of the circumstances. Verse 5: "according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not." God says three times in these two chapters (1:13, 2:4, 2:5) that He is with them. How can we fear when God gives this type of reassurance?! In Joshua 1:5, God gave Joshua a promise that has lasted throughout the ages. Interestingly enough, God said to Joshua, "I will never leave you nor forsake you..." and this is the ONLY time in the Bible where God says this. It is repeated by Joshua in several places and in Hebrews 13:5 it is quoted, but God only said it once. There is a reason for that...God doesn't break promises and therefore doesn't have to keep repeating Himself. He repeats Himself for our benefit to strengthen our faith, but once He says anything, that is it; It is settled and His word cannot come back void.
4. Know that God controls ALL resources, all people and all things! This is how God is able to make a way, because EVERYTHING belongs to Him. When God gives a task but we cannot see where the resources are coming from...that is not time to check out and go to la la land. That is the time to realize that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. Psalm 24:1 says that the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and all that dwell within it! When the resources are scant, trust God that IF He has commissioned it, He will "finance" it, spiritually or materially! Look at the text: Verses 6-8 "For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. And I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts."
Here, it says that God will SHAKE the heavens, the earth, the seas and the nations and the treasures of the nations will come in. Here, God provided everything that the Israelites needed to finish their project. Do you not think that He will do the same for us? The bible says that God shall supply ALL of our needs according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19)! He controls all the resources in the earth, there is nothing that he will withhold from those of us that walk uprightly (Psalm 84:11). We are not to try to figure out where the shaking is occurring, who the resources are coming from or anything like that. Our job is to simply trust God!
Hebrews 12:26 repeats this same scripture with a clearer picture. When shaking occurs, the things that move are in the kingdom but have not submitted to God...therefore they are movable, whereas everything that is in the kingdom of God is immovable, including those of us who have reconciled with God the Father through Jesus the Son! Everything that moves is fair game for those that are immovable and that's good news. That lets me know that I serve a God in heaven that can take care of me even when I cannot see where the resources are coming from. Here is a great time to remember the scripture in 2 Corinthians 5:7...we walk by faith and not by sight!
Now, let's connect this to the most important event that happens in the life of every believer in Jesus. Before we met Jesus, all of our temples were decimated and destroyed. Believe it or not, many times our temples were destroyed by self-inflicted wounds. God's grace is such that although our temples were in ruins, He says, "Consider your ways...build my house!" God wants his house not only rebuilt but holy. God asks us to be holy as He is holy…He’s given us a huge task, but it is not something that we can accomplish on our own. God says, to us we need to rebuild the temples of our lives- sin was dominant, sin was controlling us and it was not just enough to be a “good person”
We needed to rebuild our temples and restore our relationship with the Father- BUT WE COULDN’T AFFORD WHAT IT WOULD COST TO DO THAT! WE DIDN’T HAVE THE RESOURCES! That's why the Lord had to make a way! I don't know about you but I am so glad that He made a way. Our temples were in shambles and we did not have the resources to rebuild them but God said, “I will make a way!” Jesus is our rebuilding resource! In Him, all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. In Him, we live and move and have our being. In Him, we are justified (Romans 5:21), we are sanctified (John 17:17) and we are the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21)! He is the way, the truth and the life! The Lord made a way for us to return home from wandering in the far country, He made a way for us to reconcile with Him and He made a way for us to live with Him for all eternity. The Way is Jesus. Grace and peace to you.
Friday, February 8, 2013
Just Say His Name...Please
We have a problem in our society today. We are lovers of "god" but when it comes to Jesus, we want no parts of Him. When I listen to some of the music that we call gospel, you rarely ever really hear the gospel. The gospel proclaims that Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, the second person in the Trinity came to earth as a human being to be the atoning sacrifice for all mankind. He was crucified on a cross at Calvary, buried in a borrowed tomb and raised on the third day with all power. His sacrifice makes it possible for men/women to be forgiven of our sins IF we repent of sin and confess them to God. Forgiveness does not happen outside of repentance but is a outcome of repentance. The Bible says in 1 John 1:9 that IF we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us. Confession says that we admit that we have sinned, we take responsibility for our sin and we are willing to turn from our sins. It is that simple. All of this is made possible because of what Jesus did at Calvary.
Why are folks so afraid to speak His name? What's the problem? I will tell you. Jesus, at the core of his message, is offensive to many. Though the Bible is complex, there are some very simple messages that Jesus has. First off, those that accept Him only do so because God has taken the blinders off of their eyes and revealed Himself to them (John 6:44). Why is that offensive? None of us want to believe that we ever had blinders on. Secondly, Jesus exposes us for the wretches that we are. No one wants to believe that they are a sinner or that they are not inherently good...but that is the case for all mankind born in the likeness of Adam (Psalm 51:5, 1 Cor 15:49, Mark 10:18). Thirdly, Jesus forces us to humble ourselves before Him because of His Godhood. Man, by nature, is arrogant and we wish to be the masters of our own fates. Jesus says, "not so fast". When Jesus presents the Father to us as holy and exposes us as unholy, there really is no recourse other than humility. There is no other path to holiness nor is there another path to the Father who no one will see without this holiness that is only in Christ (Matthew 5:48, John 14:6, Hebrews 12:14)! Because Jesus usurps every little god's power and crushes every little god's plans for dominance, people don't like Him very much because people would much rather worship their little gods than the REAL God. Little gods do not cause ripples, they don't upset our apple carts, they don't force us to do things differently...they simply allow us to exist. Paul said it simply, to those that are perishing, the message of the cross is foolishness (1 Cor 1:18).
Why am I posting this? For one, I am tired of Jesus constantly being backseated for everything else. Secondly, I am tired of having to decode gospel music to tell whether or not they are talking about Jesus, a man, a woman or whoever? Songs have such a secular sound these days, it's hard to tell. There are scores of artists that do this and it irks me to no end. Be Be and Ce Ce are masters at it- you don't know if they are singing love songs (some of them are) or gospel or R&B or what. Kirk Franklin sings inspirational music, very little actual "gospel". Many others, but no need to run down the list.
So, I was listening to Forever Jones' "He Wants it All" and I started thinking, "who wants it all?" Are they talking about Jesus? If you listen to the song without any presuppositions, you could easily think that they were talking about Satan with the exception of the part about letting go of the idols.
Here are the lyrics to the first verse (the Him's and God was capitalized by the website that I retrieved these lyrics from- I do not know if they are in the CD insert this way):
There's a voice that cries out in the silence
Searching for a heart that will love Him
Longing for a child that will give Him their all
Give it all, He wants it all
And there's a God that walks over the earth
He's searching for a heart that is desperate
And longing for a child
That will give Him their all
Give it all, He wants it all
OK, so there is a "God" that walks over the earth, searching for a desperate heart. That sounds familiar, doesn't it? Job 1:7 "The LORD said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.”" 1 Peter 5:8 "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." Now, without the capitalized letters in the lyrics and just listening to this, it hit me...wow, they could be talking about anyone...and that sounds a lot like Satan! I guess the late hour is messing with me but I stopped the song to pull the lyrics. To be sure, God does not walk about the earth, He is seated on His throne- Satan, the "god of this world (2 Cor 4:4)" is the one that walks over the earth. Sure, we might give the group the benefit of the doubt, but wouldn't simply saying the name Jesus somewhere in here have fixed this problem? Well that, and a better choice of lyrics. And just to put the icing on the cake, Satan also wants it all. Everything, even our souls.
Second verse:
And He says love me, love me with your whole heart
He wants it all today
Serve me, serve me with your life now
He wants it all today
Bow down, let go of your idols
He wants it all today [x3]
He wants it all
More of the same, no Jesus, just words. Serve me, love me (aha, Satan doesn't want our love, you are being hypercritical). Well, even if I am being hypercritical, I think I have a solid case. Bow down...etc. Do you see my point? Just say His name...His name is Jesus! That changes the perspective and it does not allow for any confusion. God is not the author of confusion but Satan is. I have seen this group perform, I've heard them say the name of Christ, and I am not trying to belittle them in any way...but just now, in this moment, I had this thought and decided to share it with you all. You might disagree with me. I am cool with that. But I cannot deny what just hit me like a ton of bricks. Let's pray for these artist that they would forego the lure of radio play and take up the cross and not be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the power of God unto salvation! Grace and peace, in Jesus' name.
Why are folks so afraid to speak His name? What's the problem? I will tell you. Jesus, at the core of his message, is offensive to many. Though the Bible is complex, there are some very simple messages that Jesus has. First off, those that accept Him only do so because God has taken the blinders off of their eyes and revealed Himself to them (John 6:44). Why is that offensive? None of us want to believe that we ever had blinders on. Secondly, Jesus exposes us for the wretches that we are. No one wants to believe that they are a sinner or that they are not inherently good...but that is the case for all mankind born in the likeness of Adam (Psalm 51:5, 1 Cor 15:49, Mark 10:18). Thirdly, Jesus forces us to humble ourselves before Him because of His Godhood. Man, by nature, is arrogant and we wish to be the masters of our own fates. Jesus says, "not so fast". When Jesus presents the Father to us as holy and exposes us as unholy, there really is no recourse other than humility. There is no other path to holiness nor is there another path to the Father who no one will see without this holiness that is only in Christ (Matthew 5:48, John 14:6, Hebrews 12:14)! Because Jesus usurps every little god's power and crushes every little god's plans for dominance, people don't like Him very much because people would much rather worship their little gods than the REAL God. Little gods do not cause ripples, they don't upset our apple carts, they don't force us to do things differently...they simply allow us to exist. Paul said it simply, to those that are perishing, the message of the cross is foolishness (1 Cor 1:18).
Why am I posting this? For one, I am tired of Jesus constantly being backseated for everything else. Secondly, I am tired of having to decode gospel music to tell whether or not they are talking about Jesus, a man, a woman or whoever? Songs have such a secular sound these days, it's hard to tell. There are scores of artists that do this and it irks me to no end. Be Be and Ce Ce are masters at it- you don't know if they are singing love songs (some of them are) or gospel or R&B or what. Kirk Franklin sings inspirational music, very little actual "gospel". Many others, but no need to run down the list.
So, I was listening to Forever Jones' "He Wants it All" and I started thinking, "who wants it all?" Are they talking about Jesus? If you listen to the song without any presuppositions, you could easily think that they were talking about Satan with the exception of the part about letting go of the idols.
Here are the lyrics to the first verse (the Him's and God was capitalized by the website that I retrieved these lyrics from- I do not know if they are in the CD insert this way):
There's a voice that cries out in the silence
Searching for a heart that will love Him
Longing for a child that will give Him their all
Give it all, He wants it all
And there's a God that walks over the earth
He's searching for a heart that is desperate
And longing for a child
That will give Him their all
Give it all, He wants it all
OK, so there is a "God" that walks over the earth, searching for a desperate heart. That sounds familiar, doesn't it? Job 1:7 "The LORD said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.”" 1 Peter 5:8 "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." Now, without the capitalized letters in the lyrics and just listening to this, it hit me...wow, they could be talking about anyone...and that sounds a lot like Satan! I guess the late hour is messing with me but I stopped the song to pull the lyrics. To be sure, God does not walk about the earth, He is seated on His throne- Satan, the "god of this world (2 Cor 4:4)" is the one that walks over the earth. Sure, we might give the group the benefit of the doubt, but wouldn't simply saying the name Jesus somewhere in here have fixed this problem? Well that, and a better choice of lyrics. And just to put the icing on the cake, Satan also wants it all. Everything, even our souls.
Second verse:
And He says love me, love me with your whole heart
He wants it all today
Serve me, serve me with your life now
He wants it all today
Bow down, let go of your idols
He wants it all today [x3]
He wants it all
More of the same, no Jesus, just words. Serve me, love me (aha, Satan doesn't want our love, you are being hypercritical). Well, even if I am being hypercritical, I think I have a solid case. Bow down...etc. Do you see my point? Just say His name...His name is Jesus! That changes the perspective and it does not allow for any confusion. God is not the author of confusion but Satan is. I have seen this group perform, I've heard them say the name of Christ, and I am not trying to belittle them in any way...but just now, in this moment, I had this thought and decided to share it with you all. You might disagree with me. I am cool with that. But I cannot deny what just hit me like a ton of bricks. Let's pray for these artist that they would forego the lure of radio play and take up the cross and not be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the power of God unto salvation! Grace and peace, in Jesus' name.
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