Beloved, there will be those times that you will need to get by yourself in a quiet place and just spend time with God. It’s there that you will refuel, refocus and receive endurance and direction for your journey. If you don’t take the time to pray, you will burn out, fizzle out and be used up. That is not God’s desire for you. He wants to spend time with you and impart Himself to you so that you can continue the point of need ministry of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.
There’s a time for prayer and a time for action. As we follow Jesus, He will lead us in reaching our full potential in His Kingdom. Follow Jesus Beloved. Don’t expect Him to follow you. Follow Jesus. It’s an exciting journey full of love, grace, peace and freedom.
While many non-profits have went under during this great economic recession, Becky and I are still committed to live by faith and obey what God has placed on our heart for Loving God Fellowship (LGF) while steering it through these difficult times. Launching the LGF mobile site last week is testimony of this.
I'm excited about taking LGF mobile because it allows us to potentially reach 3 more billion people with the Gospel of Christ in support of our point of need ministry model. People will be able to listen to Christ Centric Bible Messages while they are on the go with their mobile devices. Our potential on the Internet is 1 billion people, so this now raises our potential to 4 billion out of 6 billion people in the world. I'm excited about this opportunity and feel that LGF needs to take full advantage of it.
Although our mobile site just has the basics now, more and better functionality will be provided as we go. Please take a look at http://mobile.lovinggodfellowship.org . If you like it, be sure and check the "like" button.
The next thing we need to add to LGF mobile is a signup for SMS texting. To provide this functionality will cost $19 per 100 users that sign up to receive text messages such as Be Encouraged! and notification of new Bible Messages on their mobile devices. Would you consider a monthly donation? A donation of $19 per month will enable us to reach 100 people around the world through their mobile device. If you desire to do more than that, each $19 will enable us to reach 100 people with the Gospel of Christ on their mobile devices.
Please know that all donations are an answer to prayer as we are not endowed by any group or denomination and we don't pass an offering plate in any church service. LGF functions only on what is donated by loving Christ followers from around the world who believe in what LGF is all about.
And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them. (Mark 1:29-31 ESV)
At first glance of this passage of Scripture it would be easy to minimize this miracle by saying “it was only a fever.” But, with closer inspection and with our own personal experiences, we know that something wrong in the body causes the fever. A fever makes a person feel bad enough and keeps one in bed, but more importantly there is something going on in the body that is causing the fever. In Jesus’ day, with limited medical knowledge, they treated a fever as a disease in itself and treated the fever instead of the cause. Many would die as a result.
We are so blessed in our day. Now we have medical science and medicine which are instruments of healing in our day, but the source of healing is always God. Whether healing comes from an instant miracle or through a process aided by medical procedures and medicine, it is God that brings the healing.
And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her. And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up, and the fever left her, and she began to serve them. (Mark 1:29-31 ESV)
Notice what Simon, Andrew, James and John does. When they leave the synagogue with Jesus, their faith in Jesus and His kingdom that He was revealing was enlarged. They go to Simon and Andrew’s house which must have just been a short distance from the synagogue as revealed through the words “and immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.” When they get there, Simon’s mother-in-law was sick with a fever. Upon the news of her illness these Christ followers had a heart to provide this lady the care she needed for her health and they tell Jesus about her fever. Their faith had grown and they now knew to take their needs to Jesus.
Beloved, we all have needs and we must take those needs to Jesus knowing that He cares for us and desires for us to place all of our cares and anxieties on Him. Jesus desires to help us and as He does, His kingdom is revealed and faith always grows.
I received the following email that I feel led to share:
Just wanted to let you know that I am enjoying the study of Mark. It is so convenient how you have set it up that the student can view the discussed scriptures right as you are teaching them. How you did that is beyond me! Also another plus to the study is that you can progress at the rate you want. Some of the studies have been so good that I have listened to them several times and each time I gain benefit!
Each study in Mark is only 9-13 minutes long. If you are not yet following along in Mark with us, please join us . Please take a moment to invite your friends to join us also. Each study can be listened to individually or in a group setting. You can even facilitate a LGF gathering right where you are at!
In Mark 1:15, we hear Jesus say "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." After making His message simple and clear, He began to call those who would follow Him and continue His point of need ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit. They immediately started to follow Christ, learn from Him and serve Him (Mark 1:16-20)
And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching. And they were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as the scribes. (Mark 1:21-22 ESV)
Capernaum was a village on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. It is possible that the fishermen whom Jesus had just called to follow Him (Mark 1:16-20) lived and worked near or in this village. We do know that there was a synagogue there and, on this occasion, Jesus and the called fishermen went to it on the Sabbath (“they went”, 1:21).
The Temple was in Jerusalem, but the Jewish law required that wherever there were at least 10 Jewish families there must be a synagogue. In the synagogue there would be no music, no singing and no sacrifice. The synagogue service would consist only of prayer, the reading of God’s Word and the exposition of it. The synagogue was a teaching institution. At the service on the Sabbath of each week, the ruler of the synagogue would call on any competent person to read the Scripture and give exposition on it so that the people in attendance could learn.
In the synagogue there was no professional minister. Scribes were experts in the Jewish law and the title of the leader among them was “Rabbi.” Scribes used the Torah which is the first five books of the Old Testament and they would develop rules and regulations for every possible situation in life. They reduced the principles of the moral law given in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20) to hundreds of manmade rules and regulations which was legalism. Their religion became a matter of obeying these rules and regulations that they taught in the synagogues.
Jesus had a message to deliver and the synagogue in each community provided a forum in which to spread that message. Mark did not find it necessary in these two verses of Scripture to repeat Jesus’ message that he communicated earlier. "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15 ESV). Instead, he gives us the response of the people who heard the message and that response describes a contrast with the Scribes. Jesus was telling them about the kingdom of God that was being established through Him. He was not reinforcing the teachings of the Scribes which demanded obedience to their rules and regulations.
Following manmade rules and regulations is religion and religion binds, but Christ sets us free. Obtain your freedom in Christ today! Allow Him to set you free and establish His kingdom in you. Those who Jesus sets free are the church; the true Bride of Christ that He is coming for. He is not coming back for a building or an institution. He is coming back for His followers who have faithfully served Him.
Jesus changes us. He changes our way of thinking towards others. He changes our behavior towards others. He changes us to be more like Him as we continually deny self and follow Him. The best is always yet to come as we follow Jesus on our journey from earth to glory.
Beloved, it’s not as much about whom we are as it is what Jesus can make us. Those Jesus calls, He will make into what He desires them to be and the finished person will not look like the one that answered the call. All that those called must do is keep their eyes fixed on Jesus and follow Him. Along the way, He will perfect the faith that He initiated in them when He first called them. God’s Word says in Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV) “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”
In what does one believe? Jesus said “repent and believe in the gospel.” One must believe that Father loves them so much that he placed in motion a plan of redemption from sin even before they were created. He wants to give us His very best to show His love for us, so He sent Jesus, His only begotten son, to be the sacrifice for our sin. We must believe in that good news. It is the good news of God. We must believe in the love of Father. We must believe that Jesus is the Savior, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
Jesus made it simple – repent and believe. Those who truly repent and believe will experience the kingdom of God now and be participants in growing His kingdom here on earth as we await the return of our Lord and King, Jesus Christ.
Beloved, Jesus’ message has not changed. It’s the same today as it was when He walked this earth over 2,000 years ago. He brought the good news of God which is that God loves us and the kingdom of God is near. We can participate in it now. We don’t have to wait for a future age. All we have to do is repent and believe. Praise the Lord! To God be all the glory! Amen.
How does one repent? Repentance is a change in the mind that results in a change in actions. A person becomes aware of their sinfulness and it sickens them so much, they no longer want to live in that sinfulness. God’s Word says “For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. ~ 2 Corinthians 7:10, NLT”
We can not confuse being sickened by the consequences of sin with being sickened of sin itself. Many are sorry for their sins because of the consequences they bring, but that sorrow does not lead to true repentance. The sorrow that leads to repentance is a sickening of sin itself. When we get to that point we will decide to run from it and run to Jesus. He will save us.
Beloved, as we follow Jesus into the wilderness, the place of helplessness, we will learn that it is there that we grow dependent upon God. It is God that leads us there because He desires to do a work in us that will allow us to reach our full potential in His Kingdom. God does this work in His timing and not ours. Temptation will come to us and as we make the right choices instead of believing the lies of the devil, we will be given strength and endurance for our journey as God ministers to us right there in our wilderness.
Know that God will minister to us in the wilderness. Beloved, as you make the right choices and not give into the temptation that comes in the wilderness, God will strengthen you. He will sustain you. He will lead you out of the wilderness in due season. He will make a way where there seems to be no way. And when He leads you out, He will lead you in to a work for Him that will be awesome. It will be mindboggling. It will be God.
The wilderness is not easy. We will be tempted to take matters into our own hands. We will be tempted to do it our own way. We will be tempted to get back to the safety and comfort of what we have grown accustomed to. We will be tempted to try to go back the way we came. Temptation will come and we will be given a choice. God will lead us into the wilderness, but he will not make choices for us there that will override our human will. If He did, he would not be a just God. So, He leads us into a position where we can become more reliant upon Him, but the enemy of our soul will try to distract us and try to get us to make the wrong choices. All the devil can do is tempt us. He can’t make choices for us and God won’t. We will have to decide to allow God to do a work in the midst of our wilderness or believe the lies of the devil. Beloved, allow God to do a work in the midst of your wilderness. You will be glad that you did.
As we follow Christ on our journey from earth to glory, it is the Spirit that drives us into the wilderness. It’s a God thing. He desires us to draw close to Him and allow Him to prepare us for the ministry ahead of us on our journey. Each Christ follower has great potential in God’s Kingdom and revealing that Kingdom here on earth, but they must be prepared. Beloved, the wilderness is where such preparation is made.
The timing of us entering the wilderness is in God’s perfect timing. In Jesus’ case, the Spirit did not waste any time. After Jesus submitted to the will of Father which was pleasing to God, the Spirit “immediately drove Him out into the wilderness”. If you are not already in the wilderness being prepared by God for the next step in your journey, you have either just came out or you are getting ready to go in. The timing is God’s. Beloved, allow Him to do a full work in you as you focus entirely upon Him.
The wilderness is a place of utter helplessness. It is where a person can be drawn close to God. It’s where we learn to trust and depend on God instead of trusting and depending upon our own abilities or the abilities of others. I have found that we can go through many wilderness periods in our life as God prepares us for what is ahead of us as we follow Christ and continue His point of need ministry. The key for us is to recognize that we are in the wilderness and utilize our time there to draw closer to God. We should not be focused on getting out of the wilderness or the time that we are allocated to stay there. Instead, our focus should be on drawing closer to God and trusting Him more.
Beloved, submit to God and His plans for your life letting him direct your every step. Follow Christ. Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Him. And be assured that you are baptized into the body of Christ by the Spirit that dwells within you.
Beloved, we are indwelt by the same Spirit that indwelt Christ. Christ walked this earth as the Son of Man, full of the Holy Spirit, heading to the cross as the Son of God to die for our sins so that we can have fullness of life in Him now and for all eternity. It is the Spirit that births us into the Kingdom of God. The church does not birth us into the Kingdom, nor does church membership. Walking an aisle and repeating a prayer does not birth us into the Kingdom. Being religious does not birth us into the Kingdom. The Spirit and the Spirit only births us into the Kingdom of God. And as we deny self, take up our cross and follow Jesus, the same Spirit that indwelt Christ indwells us.
We are to submit to God and His plans for our life. As we do, we will experience the Father’s pleasure as Jesus did.
I have found out in life that our plans are not always God’s plans. We will make our plans for our life and we have a choice to either follow those plans or allow God to direct our steps. If we allow God to direct our steps, we will find that the way He takes us is not the way that we would have gone.
We have the tendency to take the easy and the comfortable way that will cause us less pain. God’s way takes us into and through difficulty. As we allow Him to direct our steps, we will learn to trust Him totally with our life and everything that we have. Our rewards on this earth may not be much, but we will have rewards waiting for us in heaven.
Beloved, always remember that rewards on earth are temporary. Rewards in heaven are eternal.
Beloved, it’s all about Jesus Christ. He came to save us from our sin and he broke the power of sin that held us captive. He came into our world. He lived. He died. He rose from the dead. He ascended back to the right hand of God. And He baptizes with the Holy Spirit all who decide to follow Him and make Him their Lord and Savior. The Holy Spirit dwells within the Christ follower. Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow Jesus. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. (Mark 1:1-8)
Those who follow Christ making Him their Lord and Savior are baptized with the Holy Spirit by Jesus.
Paul explains this baptism best:
“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:5-11 ESV)”
Mark jumps right into truth as he begins the Gospel of Mark. In the first eight verses we are introduced to John the Baptist and Jesus Christ is exalted.
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, "Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,'" John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, "After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." (Mark 1:1-8 ESV)
The very first verse of Mark is short, but it speaks volumes – “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (Mark 1:1 ESV)” Throughout the entire Gospel of Mark, we are told about Jesus. It is good news to all who learn of Him, but this good news did have its beginning with Mark’s Gospel. Jesus was proclaimed throughout the Old Testament and the Prophets and Mark is implying to this with a reference to Isaiah.
Mark declares that Jesus is the Son of God and the Christ. The name “Jesus” means “Yahweh is salvation”. Matthew brings particular attention to this meaning – “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21 ESV)”
Christ is a title and means “the anointed one”, or “the Messiah”. So here at the start of the Gospel of Mark we have the declaration that Jesus is the son of God and the Messiah who saves us from our sin and delivers us out of its captivity and bondage.
I thank God that He sent Jesus into our world!
Jesus came into our world. He lived. He died. He rose again. He ascended into heaven. He has given His followers a mission to continue His ministry on earth until He comes again. And He has not left His followers powerless. He has given us the Holy Spirit that dwells within the Christ follower who has made Jesus their Lord and Savior.
If you have been a quitter and returned to where you started it doesn’t mean that God is through with you. He desires to use you and will take your failures and use them to mold and shape you into what He has for you to accomplish. Don’t beat yourself up. Don’t take to heart the criticism and rejection of others because of what you have done. Pick yourself up and become a different person. Allow your failure to propel you forward into the destiny that God has already prepared for you to walk in by His grace. The best is yet to come in your life!
Don’t be discouraged at the advancement of others even if you feel you are being bypassed. Promotion comes from the Lord. Keep yourself from complaining and becoming bitter through praying and knowing that Jesus is forming you and shaping you. Rest assured that in His due time, He will place you in the position He has for you and others will see His hand of work in your life. Learn and be patient. Allow others to mentor you. Prove yourself faithful. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus. Make yourself available for service while continuing the point of need ministry of Jesus and allow Him to do the rest.
God is everywhere. He is with us through all periods of our life. He is with us through the good times and the bad times constantly molding and shaping us to enter into our destiny. Some will refuse to ever change with us and some will reject us because of our stand for faith and justice, but God will be with us. He will never reject us or forsake us.
On your journey as you follow Christ from earth to glory, the Holy Spirit will give you guidance. That guidance will often come in times of fasting, praying, worshiping, and studying the Word of God. The guidance of the Holy Spirit will be confirmed to you through God’s Word and through the council of other Christ followers. The guidance may be vague, but details will be given along the way as you move out in total faith. As you move forward in adventurous faith, more specific guidance will come in the exact timing needed. The journey may be rough and turbulent at times, but the end result will always be Christ exalting.
Jesus promised that He would not leave us on this journey alone. He promised us the help of the Holy Spirit. As we follow Jesus on this journey from earth to glory, the Holy Spirit will guide us along the way. It will take adventurous faith for us to move forward, but Christ followers do what God wants them to do instead of what they want to do.
Be encouraged to hear God’s Word. Regularly listen to sermons and teachings delivered through God’s anointed messengers. It will grow your faith. God's Word says How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?" So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Rom 10:14-17 ESV)
Be encouraged today to read God’s Word. It was as the Ethiopian, in Acts chapter 8, was reading Isaiah that Philip meets up with him and points Him to Jesus Christ through the Scriptures (Acts 8:26-39). As we read the Scriptures, we will be pointed to Jesus Christ. God’s Word is all about Jesus and in order to have a relationship with Jesus, we must learn about him through God’s Word. The New Testament tells us that Jesus Christ is the Word. John’s Gospel says And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14 ESV)
Take time every day and read the Bible. As you read Scripture, you will be pointed to Jesus Christ and your relationship with Him grows as you will learn more and more of Him.
As you read the word and listen to the word preached through anointed messengers, your faith will grow. As your faith grows, you learn that trusting the word in all situations and circumstances will get you through anything that comes your way. Things around you may fall apart. People will disappoint you. People close to you will pass away. Money will come and go. But, the word of God will increase and multiply in your life and no person, thing or power will triumph over it!
No person, thing or power can triumph over the Word of God! As we read, hear, learn and trust the Word of God, it will triumph over everything in our life and over every trouble that comes our way. God’s Word is powerful!
For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:3-7 ESV)
Even when our faith is immature and deficient, God does a work that only He can do. And through it all, God still loves us and is perfecting our faith as we focus our attention on Jesus and follow Him.
In Acts 12:1-11 we are told of how the Apostle James was killed and Peter was placed in prison awaiting his death. After Herod Agrippa I saw that beheading James pleased the people, he decided to do the same to Peter and He had him put in prison. Because Herod was now observing the Jewish law and trying to win favor with the people, he would not put Peter to death during the Passover season. He would wait until afterward and do to Peter in front of all the people what he had already done to James. In the meantime, he would hold Peter prisoner and make it impossible for him to escape or be freed by assigning four squads of soldiers to guard him. Each squad consisted of four Roman soldiers and each squad would have a six hour shift. Two soldiers would be chained to either side of him and two soldiers would guard the door. There was seemingly no way Peter would be able to escape, but God sent an angel to deliver Peter out of the prison in the middle of the night. As Peter followed the angel, he was set free. Peter was still in a daze from it all and when his mind finally cleared, he realized that he was supernaturally delivered by God and saved from death.
When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer. Recognizing Peter's voice, in her joy she did not open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. They said to her, "You are out of your mind." But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, "It is his angel!" But Peter continued knocking, and when they opened, they saw him and were amazed. But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, "Tell these things to James and to the brothers." Then he departed and went to another place. Now when day came, there was no little disturbance among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. And after Herod searched for him and did not find him, he examined the sentries and ordered that they should be put to death. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent time there. (Acts 12:12-19 ESV)
The church survived without a church building for three hundred years. There were no building funds. There were no campaigns to pay down building debt. There were neither maintenance invoices nor utility bills to pay. Instead, Christ followers met in houses and existing facilities. At this time in Jerusalem, the church had grown to large numbers and was meeting in many houses in the city. Upon his supernatural deliverance from prison, Peter went to John Mark’s mother’s house. Many believe that this was the house that held the upper room where Jesus had His last supper with the disciples the night before His crucifixion. This was probably the house where Peter met with other Christ followers regularly and was the people he was most familiar with as Rhoda knew his voice. In any case, Peter went to where he knew people would be meeting in the middle of the night to pray for His safe release.
Prayer has always been a quality that identifies the church. Christ followers are praying people and follow the example that Christ gave as He walked this earth ministering at the point of need. Jesus took the time to pray and the disciples, seeing that this was a priority in Jesus’ life, asked for Him to teach them how to pray.
Faith is exercised as one communicates to God and asks for his help, guidance and intervention. A person prays believing in God and believing that He can do the impossible. Those who met in this house knew that Herod had beheaded the Apostle James and was planning to do the same to Peter the next day at the conclusion of the Passover. They were praying earnestly for him day and night knowing that God could deliver and in this case, it would take God.
Peter knocked at the gate indicating that this house had a courtyard which was typical of the bigger homes of that day that could accommodate many people. Rhoda goes to see who is knocking. Upon recognizing Peter’s voice and without opening the gate and letting Peter in, she goes back inside tell the people it was Peter. The people thought she was out of her mind! Anyway you look at this it is humorous. Their prayers had been answered. Evidently they had enough faith to pray knowing that God could deliver Peter out of this seemingly hopeless situation, but their faith was deficient in realizing that God was willing to deliver Peter. Even though their faith was deficient, God moved on their behalf and supernaturally delivered Peter from the chains of bondage and certain death.
Beloved, we have been supernaturally delivered from the bondage of sin and saved from death by Jesus Christ. Some may doubt our deliverance and that doubt may come from some who have prayed for our deliverance, but nevertheless we have been delivered! We didn’t do anything to deserve it. It was all God pouring our His amazing grace upon us. We were bound in the chains of sin and held captive in its prison. But Jesus set us free. And when Jesus sets us free, we are free indeed!
Not only is God able to deliver and set the captive free from the power of sin, God is willing. All Peter had to do was follow the angel the Lord sent out of the prison he was held captive in. We have been given Jesus to follow. All of those friends and loved ones that you are praying for, God can and he will deliver as they follow Jesus out of their prison. Keep praying for them. Pray earnestly for them. God will do in an instance what no person could do in a lifetime.
If you are held captive by the power of sin today, I encourage you to follow Jesus out of that prison. As you fix your eyes on Him and follow Him, He will break every shackle that binds you. He will lead you out of darkness and despair. He will take away your hopelessness and give you a reason for living. He will truly set you free!
Beloved, as we follow Christ and keep our eyes fixed on Him, our faith will grow because He is the founder and the perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2). When our faith is immature and deficient, God still loves us. He does supernatural things in our life and in our circumstances regardless of the size of our faith. And as He does, our faith grows. It is simply Jesus perfecting our faith.
It is possible for us to grow to such a point in our faith as to rest in times of trouble knowing that God is in control of our life as we follow Christ on this journey from earth to glory. He is directing our steps. He is making a way where there seems to be no way.
For the early followers of Christ there was a season after Saul became a Christ follower (Acts 9) in which they experienced a freedom from oppression and persecution brought on by the religionists of their day. It would not last long though. King Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of the King Herod of Jesus’ birth, in order to gain favor with the Jews began to observe their ways and practice their law. He had heard them complain of Christ followers spreading the message of Christ and how it threatened their religious tradition. He decided to display his hand of power against the radical Christ followers in order to win more favor with those who were merely religious.
About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword, and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, "Get up quickly." And the chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, "Dress yourself and put on your sandals." And he did so. And he said to him, "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me." And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. When Peter came to himself, he said, "Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting."
(Acts 12:1-11 ESV)
James here is the disciple of Jesus, son of Zebedee and brother of John, not to be confused with James, brother of Jesus and author of the book of James in the New Testament. James, John and Peter made up the inner circle of Jesus’ disciples while He ministered on earth. Why James would die and Peter escape is a mystery of divine providence. Peter still had much to accomplish as he would author two epistles of the New Testament. James would complete His mission and be the first of the disciples to join the glorified Christ.
After Herod Agrippa I saw that beheading James pleased the people, he decided to do the same to Peter and He had him put in prison. Because Herod was now observing the Jewish law and trying to win favor with the people, he would not put Peter to death during the Passover season. He would wait until afterward and do to Peter in front of all the people what he had already done to James. In the meantime, he would hold Peter prisoner and make it impossible for him to escape or be freed by assigning four squads of soldiers to guard him. Each squad consisted of four Roman soldiers and each squad would have a six hour shift. Two soldiers would be chained to either side of him and two soldiers would guard the door. There was seemingly no way Peter would be able to escape.
Notice what the followers of Christ did. They prayed for Peter, but it was not a half hearted prayer mouthed through sleepy lips. It was earnest prayer. The oppressive hand of Herod was powerful, but not as powerful as earnest prayer that releases divine power that destroys strongholds and sets the captive free (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). Beloved, earnestly pray for those you know that are held captive by their troubles. Prayer is our spiritual weapon. Pray earnestly.
What catches my attention the most today from these paragraphs of Scripture is what Peter was doing in the midst of his troubles. He was asleep. That is an indication that his faith had grown to a point where he was able to rest in the midst of his troubles. He could not always do that, but now his faith had grown to a point where he could. He trusted God fully and understood that God was in control of his life as he followed Christ. He was at peace. He did not fear death as he realized that to be absent from the body would mean that He would be present with our Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8).
Beloved, I believe that is the faith God desires to develop in each of us. It’s a faith that will inspire our earnest prayers for those that are held captive by their troubling situations and seemingly hopeless circumstances. It’s a faith that allows us to rest in the middle of the greatest storm that life brings our way knowing that God is in control and He can either calm the storm or get us through it.
Supernatural deliverance came to Peter that night. It was an undeniable miracle that happened in a fashion in which no person could take the glory. It was all God. Peter rested. God delivered.
Beloved, allow your faith in God to produce that same rest in you today. God knows the difficulty that you are in. He knows what you are going through. He has lifted up others who are praying earnestly for you. He will make a way where there seems to be no way. He will make the impossible possible. Trust Him. Rest in Him. He will do the rest.
Regardless of one’s political and economic convictions, there is a God given relationship expressed throughout the Bible between ability and need. God blesses people with ability and it is His expectation that those with the ability take care of those in need. This is in direct opposition to greed which is not of God.
We find the Christ followers in Antioch being blessed in Acts 11:19-26. The work of God in Antioch was authenticated by good works. It was in Antioch that Christ followers were first called Christian which means good, kind, loving benevolent, useful and generous. They showed their love in practical ways.
Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). So the disciples determined, everyone according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul. (Acts 11:27-30 ESV)
Claudius Caesar ruled from A.D. 41 to 54. During this period there was a series of bad harvests and serious famines in various parts of the Roman Empire. Jewish historian Josephus wrote of a great famine during the reign of Claudius that oppressed the people of Judea. Many people starved to death without the means to obtain food. Two Roman historians, Tacitus and Suetonius, have recorded that there were several localized famines during the Claudius period. Barnabas arrived at Antioch in A.D. 41 which was the beginning of Claudius’ rule.
In this paragraph of Scripture we find that Luke, the author of Acts, was more concerned with recording the generous response of the Christ followers in Antioch than he was with the fulfillment of the prophecy of famine. We can glean much from these verses of Scripture that will help us be everything that God intends for us to be in our day.
First of all notice that the need was presented by the moving of the Holy Spirit. Prophecy is a gift of the Spirit and a verbal manifestation. Prophecy is both foretelling and forthtelling, but prophecy in the Bible is mostly forthtelling or speaking God’s message rather than foretelling the future. The important fact here is that God revealed a need to the Christ followers in Antioch by the Holy Spirit. Beloved, God identifies needs to us in our day and if we are people of the Spirit and we walk in the Spirit instead of the flesh, we will know when God is revealing a need to us that he has given us the ability to meet.
Next, notice that their faith was not dead. Their faith led to a decision and the decision led to action. Beloved, our faith will always lead to action because faith without action is dead. God’s Word says “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (James 2:14-18 ESV)
Finally, notice that they each gave according to their ability. They were not illogical in their giving and did not give beyond their means. Each one voluntarily gave what they could based on the ability that God had given them. Beloved, God blesses us so that we can bless others. The Apostle Paul wrote “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:6-8 ESV)
Beloved, God’s requirement for us in our day is very simple. As we are sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, He will show us needs that we can meet based upon the ability that He has given us. Whether we act or not will be based upon the condition of our faith. If our faith is dead, we will do nothing. If our faith is alive, we will utilize the ability that God has given us to meet the need that He reveals to us.
I encourage you today to recognize the ability that God has given you. Your ability is a gift of God’s precious and amazing grace. Be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit as He will direct you to needs that you can meet based on the ability you have been given. Be quick to act upon your faith. Decide in your heart what you are to do and act upon it, not reluctantly or under compulsion, realizing that God loves a cheerful giver.
Do you feel that you are in a hopeless situation? Nothing you try to do helps and you don’t know what to do next. Please know today that no situation is hopeless.
The central theme of the book of Acts in God’s Word is found in one verse given to us by Jesus Christ. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (Act 1:8 ESV)
Throughout the book of Acts we see this fulfilled. Stephen preached Christ to the Jews in Acts 7. In Acts 8, Phillip preached Christ to the Samaritans who were half Jews. In Acts 10, Peter preached Christ to the house of Cornelius who was non Jewish or Gentiles. The rest of the book of Acts focuses on the preaching of Christ to all people regardless of their race or social status.
Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. (Act 11:19-21 ESV)
Many Gentiles had lost their confidence in their idols and were looking for something better. Their situation looked hopeless, but God was working on their behalf. He broke down religious tradition and practices in people and sent them to Antioch to preach Jesus. Through the preaching of Christ, many non Jewish people turned from their idols, received the forgiveness of sins and became followers of Jesus Christ.
You may be saying about now, "how does this help me?" "My situation seems hopeless and I don’t understand how this is relevant to me."
Beloved, these three verses of Scripture are relevant to us today, in the midst of our seemingly hopeless situations, because God’s heart is revealed to us in them.
God goes out of his way to rescue perishing people and provide hope to the hopeless. God does not want people to be hopeless no matter where they live, what they have done or what they have become. He sent Jesus into our world to give us the hope of eternal life. Jesus showed us by example how to live a life dependent upon God, He died for our sins and on the third day He defeated the hopelessness of death giving us resurrection life.
God uses people to help others out of their hopeless situations. In God’s infinite wisdom, He uses people to help people. It is God that gives a person the heart to go out of their way utilizing their time, talent and treasure to help other people. If you are in a situation that seems hopeless today, know that God is preparing others and He will send them just at the right time to help you at your point of need.
The power of God is manifested in the midst of hopeless situations. If your situation seems hopeless, you are ready for the power of God to be manifested in your life. He will work undeniable miracles in ways in which He will be exalted.
Where Christ is exalted, hopelessness turns to faith. God’s Word is what grows our faith. Christ is exalted throughout God’s Word. As we read God’s Word and we listen to God’s Word proclaimed through His messengers our hopelessness turns to faith. As our faith in Christ grows through the consumption of God’s Word, we become strong in Him and nothing will move us.
Be encouraged today! God is for you and not against you. He is working on your behalf even when you do not realize it. As you wait on the Lord, His power will be manifested in the midst of your situation and He will be exalted in and through your life. Know today that there is no situation that is hopeless with God!
How we react to criticism will influence those who criticize. The way we react will either bring further criticism or it will be instrumental in a change of the critic’s heart.
Acts 11:1-3 tells us how Peter received criticism because of his obedience to God. After Peter hears the criticism, he responds and his response is a model to follow as it produced a change in the heart of his critics.
But Peter began and explained it to them in order: "I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me. Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. And I heard a voice saying to me, 'Rise, Peter; kill and eat.' But I said, 'By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth.' But the voice answered a second time from heaven, 'What God has made clean, do not call common.' This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven. And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house. And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, 'Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household.' As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, 'John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.' If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?" When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, "Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life." (Act 11:4-18 ESV)
When I was just beginning in pastoral ministry, one of my mentors told me that I would face much criticism if I obeyed God and not people. He said “when you receive criticism look for the truth that lies somewhere within it.” He said that “there are usually elements of truth in all criticism.”
Since receiving that advice, I have received a lot of criticism and I always try to look for the elements of truth that may be present in it. In looking for the element of truth in the criticism that Peter received in Acts 11:1-3, we see that his critics stated a fact. He indeed went into a home of a foreigner, spent time there and even ate with them. That was the truth. The non truth in their criticism, which was the result of their religious tradition, was that God was just for the Jew only.
Peter does not run from his critics. Instead, he faces them and responds. Peter’s response was not an argument. He did not allow himself to get caught up in an argument with his critics that would take away valuable energy from helping people at their point of need. Instead, his response was just simply a statement of the facts. In obedience to the leading of the Holy Spirit, he did go to the house of a foreigner and he took six fellow Christ followers with him, which would prove to be a valuable move of wisdom, as these were witnesses to what took place in that house.
The fact is that God loves ALL people and desires that ALL people receive the forgiveness of sins that comes through faith; faith which increases through hearing the good news about Jesus Christ. As one’s faith grows to the point of believing, they receive the new birth that Christ talks about; specifically His words “unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (see John 3:1-8).
Peter’s straightforward narration of his experience silenced his critics. What could they say? Peter’s preaching the good news of Jesus Christ to a house full of non-Jews grew their faith to the point that they received the forgiveness of sins. And through the Holy Spirit, God had given the Gentiles a change of mind and heart and the assurance of eternal life just as He had the Jews. Peter and six other Jewish Christ followers witnessed this move of God. Now, with Peter’s response to criticism by stating the facts of what happened, God has given these critics in the early church a change of mind and heart to receive all people into the church of Jesus Christ.
Notice their response which is an outward indicator of the change that had taken place in their heart. They “glorified God.” The fruit of their lips had changed from criticism to praise!To God be the glory!
Beloved, the Holy Spirit will take us places we would never imagine to minister Christ to people we never would have met without Him bringing it all together. As we obey God instead of people, we will face criticism. Look for elements of truth in all criticism and don’t spend energy in arguing. Just state the facts and let the Holy Spirit do the rest. If we follow Peter’s model of defense in just stating the facts we are allowing room for a change in the heart of our critics.
Prayer positions oneself for sweet encounters with the Lord resulting in immediate impact on behavior, attitudes and beliefs. An encounter with Jesus can do in an instance what could never be done by man in a lifetime.
In Acts 10, the Lord is breaking down racial barriers that had been in place for generations. For the church to be what Jesus intends it to be, there can be no discrimination. We are learning the heart of Jesus for the church in this wonderful chapter of God’s Word. We are seeing the importance of separating one’s self for the purpose of prayer which makes available the resources of heaven and opens us up to sweet encounters with our Lord.
Peter was on the house top praying when the Lord gave him a vision of all kind of animals coming from heaven on a sheet with His command for Peter to kill and eat. Peter refused because of the unclean animals, but the Lord showed him three times. Jesus was showing him that nothing He has made is unclean, including ALL people.
Now while Peter was inwardly perplexed as to what the vision that he had seen might mean, behold, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made inquiry for Simon's house, stood at the gate and called out to ask whether Simon who was called Peter was lodging there. And while Peter was pondering the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Behold, three men are looking for you. Rise and go down and accompany them without hesitation, for I have sent them." And Peter went down to the men and said, "I am the one you are looking for. What is the reason for your coming?" And they said, "Cornelius, a centurion, an upright and God-fearing man, who is well spoken of by the whole Jewish nation, was directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and to hear what you have to say." So he invited them in to be his guests. The next day he rose and went away with them, and some of the brothers from Joppa accompanied him. (Act 10:17-23 ESV)
This is a beautiful paragraph of Scripture that records the obedience to direction given through prayer. Cornelius received instructions through prayer (Acts 10:1-8) and here we see the beginning results to obeying those instructions. Peter was pondering on the meaning of the instructions he received through prayer, but the Holy Spirit was about to show him the deeper meaning which would require him to let go of traditions and practices that he had held onto entire life.
Somewhere between his walk from the rooftop to the door, it started to make sense. As Peter was obedient to the Holy Spirit’s instruction, change percolated in his behavior, attitude and beliefs. Peter did something that he would not have done before. It would shatter the way he was raised and go against everything he had been taught from a young child upward. He invited non Jews, people of a different race and different beliefs, not only into the house with him, but to be his guests for the night!
Something happened in Peter. It started when he separated himself from all distractions and went up on the rooftop to pray (Acts 10:9-16). It continued as he meditated on what he was shown as he prayed. It happened when he stepped out in obedience to the Holy Spirit; behavior, attitude and beliefs all where changed.
Beloved, as we pray, we will have times of sweet encounters with Jesus. We will receive instructions and as we obey the instructions, we will have supernatural changes in behavior, attitude and beliefs. It may shatter the way we were raised and go against everything we have been taught, but it will always line up with Scripture and take us into a deeper love of God that will result in a deeper love of ALL people.
Do you ever wish there were more hours in a day? Life can become quite overwhelming. There are deadlines to meet. There are bills that have to be paid. There are appointments to be kept. There are assets that have to be maintained such as houses and cars. There are relationships that have to be nourished. And how do we ever find time to properly take care of ourselves? To live a healthy life, we have to eat right and exercise.
Do you ever find yourself feeling overwhelmed and losing perspective? I do quite often.
God has given me a verse in His Word that puts everything back in perspective. I want to share it with you today so that you can glean from its wonderful truth.
(2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV) “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
Wow! This is the greatest double paradox in history. It is powerful and it puts everything in perspective. Understanding it will change our life and the way we live it.
GOD ARRANGED FOR JESUS TO BE MADE SIN
It’s all about divine justice, divine wrath, divine self-sacrifice and divine love. Because of God’s divine justice, His reaction to sin is divine wrath. God in His infinite wisdom decided that the penalty of sin would be death and that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (Hebrews 11:22 NIV) But the blood had to come from a perfect sacrifice; one that did not know sin. That would be the only thing that would appease God’s wrath. The only one that could fulfill this was God Himself because only God is sinless. But yet God could not die. So God came into our world. I get so excited every time I think about it. It amazes me that God left the portals of heaven and came into our world. That is how much God loves us. God has gone out of His way to save us from His wrath.
Only Jesus could be the perfect sacrifice for our sins; a sacrificial lamb without spot and without blemish. At the cross, Jesus took upon Himself every sin we ever committed. God’s Word says (Isaiah 53:6 NIV) “the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” At the cross, Jesus took upon Himself God’s divine judgment and God’s divine wrath that we deserve so that we would be shielded from God’s judgment and His wrath. Beloved, our sins were charged to Jesus’ account. It doesn’t sound right. He was innocent, we are guilty. We deserve the punishment, but God took it upon Himself instead. It was divine self-sacrifice. That’s how much God loves us.
GOD ARRANGED FOR PEOPLE TO BE MADE RIGHTEOUS
Again God’s Word says (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV) “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." Jesus’ righteousness was credited to the account of all who would believe on Him. It all happened at the cross of Christ.
MANY PEOPLE IN OUR DAY HAVE A CONFUSED UNDERSTANDING OF GOD
Many today believe that God is just waiting for us to mess up so He can pour out judgment. They live in fear and they teach fear to others in believing that everything bad that happens is God’s judgment being poured out. They tie every disaster that happens to the judgment of God. There are consequences of sin that we bring on ourselves, but God is not pouring out His judgment on us through everything bad that happens.
These people are still living under the old covenant instead of the new covenant. They are confused because they do not understand what God did for us at the cross. At the cross, Jesus took our sin upon Him. At the cross, Jesus shielded us from God’s perfect justice and His wrath. At the cross, Jesus took our punishment. Beloved, it is at the cross we see a loving God drawing lost people to Himself. Since the cross we have been living under God’s grace. God’s heart is that all be saved and come to Him. Jesus is coming again for those who have denied self, taken up their cross and followed Him. The best is yet to come!
DRAW CLOSE TO THE CROSS
Beloved we must draw close to the cross. Cling to the simplicity of the cross. Realize and believe everything that God did for you at the cross. Refuse to live in fear. Decide to live in total victory through Jesus. Remember God’s Word that says (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV) “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
And always remember the cross.
Remembering the cross will help you keep perspective no matter what comes your way!
According to an article published by WebMD Medical News “Top 10 Causes of Death Worldwide” the top two causes of death is heart disease and stroke. Doctors tell us that the main causes of heart disease and stroke are genetics, unhealthy diet, lack of exercise and stress. Genetics are out of our control, but we can eat healthier, exercise and guard our heart from the stresses of our journey. We need to look at what the Bible says about guarding our heart from the stresses of our journey and specifically look at something Jesus tells us concerning this.
In John chapter 13, Jesus is spending time with His followers in an upper room just prior to His crucifixion. Jesus predicts Judas’s betrayal and Peter’s denial and begins to prepare them for His death. You can detect the heaviness in the room as these followers begin to try to comprehend such news. They had left everything to follow Jesus – jobs, homes, families. They left everything to follow the person they thought was going to set up His Kingdom and rule on earth and deliver them from the Roman oppression that in itself was heart wrenching and depressing.
Jesus senses the heaviness, the depression, the anxiety, the worries, the stress and He ministers these words: (John 14:1-3 NIV) ""Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God ; trust also in me. {2} In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. {3} And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." In these words, Jesus gives us the cure for a troubled heart.
Do not let your heart be troubled.
We live in troubling times. There are wars being fought and genocide taking place. There are terrorists. There are famines. There are earthquakes. There are increasingly more severe and frequent natural disasters. It is like Jesus said it would be prior to His return (Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21).
Many things that are happening bring stress. When devastation occurs in our day it is because of a destructive, life destroying devil and not a loving, life giving God. Jesus said (John 10:10 NIV) "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
In the midst of all that is going on around us, we must not let our hearts be troubled. It’s a command given to us by Jesus. Jesus not only gives us this command in John 14:1, but He also gives us the methodology of keeping our hearts from being troubled.
We are to place all of our trust in Jesus.
Jesus said (John 14:1 NIV) "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God ; trust also in me." The only way we are going to keep our hearts from being troubled is to place our total trust in Jesus. We must constantly remind ourselves that He is the Good Shepherd and we are the sheep. Jesus said (John 10:11 NIV) "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."
King David knew how to trust the Lord. David said (Psalms 23 NIV) "The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. {2} He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, {3} he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. {4} Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. {5} You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. {6} Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."
Beloved, to keep our hearts from being troubled on this journey that we are on, we must place our trust in the Lord. Jesus will see us through whatever comes our way as we fix our eyes on Him and follow Him.
We are to forget the past and look beyond the present.
Some people allow their heart to be troubled by living in the past. Others are so consumed with present trials that are overwhelming. We must put the past behind us and look beyond the present in order to protect our hearts from being troubled. Jesus said “(John 14:2-3 NIV) "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. {3} And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."
Beloved, no matter what you have gone through in the past and no matter what you are going through now, you have a bright future. Jesus is preparing your eternal home and He is coming back for you. That is the very next event on God’s agenda. All Bible prophecy up to that point has been fulfilled. Jesus is returning for the beloved. God’s Word says “(1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 NIV) "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. {17} After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. {18} Therefore encourage each other with these words."
Beloved, be encouraged with these Words today! God is not against you. He is for you! Jesus is coming to rescue you! Keep following Jesus on this journey from earth to glory! Keep your eyes fixed on Him and keep your hearts from being troubled!
Prayer and Scripture is the conduit for God's revelation. Be patient though. It's in the waiting that you learn Scripture and receive His strength. His strength gives you the endurance needed to do that which is revealed and Scripture is the litmus test as to the authenticity of the revelation.
Pray.
Read and learn Scripture, especially the New Testament, since Christ came and fulfilled the Old.
Wait.
Strength for endurance will come.
Revelation will come and it will be confirmed through Scripture.
How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?" So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
(Rom 10:14-17 ESV)
This paragraph of Scripture is what drives us to make Bible messages available to be listened to online at LGF Online, LGFinternetChurch.org or GlobalChurchOnline.org . The messages we make available are Christ centric, adhere to Scripture and are relevant to our day. They will grow the faith of each listener.
Many churches and ministries charge for sermons and make CDs available for a price. We don't and we never will. All messages are FREE and we encourage people to burn their own CDs of the messages and distribute them for FREE to friends and family. We trust God that as people listen and their faith grows, they will make donations as they can to help us continue to make these messages available to people all around the world.
We produce one to two fresh Bible messages per week to be listen to online or downloaded. As of date, there are over 4 years of messages available online and they have been listened to by people all around the world. Many who listen do not have local churches available and are in countries where the preaching of the gospel is restricted if not forbidden.
If we seek God, He will find us. As we place all of our trust in Him and allow our faith to control us, He will lead us into all that He has for us and it will be good.
In Acts chapter 10 we see God breaking down racial prejudices so that the Gospel can be shared with all people regardless of their race. There is no room for any discrimination within the church of Jesus Christ. Discrimination will always divide and never unite. In the body of Christ there is unity.
In the beginning of Acts chapter 10 we are introduced to Cornelius. We learn about him and his desire for God. We also learn that if we seek God, He will find us.
At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, "Cornelius." And he stared at him in terror and said, "What is it, Lord?" And he said to him, "Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea." When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.
(Act 10:1-8 ESV)
Caesarea was the capital of Judea and was about 30 miles north of Joppa, where Peter was staying with Simon the tanner on the coast (Acts 9:43). God was doing a deep work in Peter and breaking down all prejudices as we will see further evidence of in Acts Chapter 10.
Cornelius, stationed in Caesarea, was a centurion and part of the Italian Cohort. A cohort was a group of 6 centuries which were 100 men each, so a cohort was 600 men. Each century was under the command of one Centurion. Centurions were the backbone of the Roman army and would be equivalent to a modern day Captain. Each Centurion was paid well at five times the pay of an ordinary soldier.
Cornelius was socially prominent and wealthy. Cornelius is proof that it is possible for a person to be socially prominent and wealthy while being a person of faith. Cornelius did not allow his prominence and wealth to control him. He allowed his faith to control him as we know from this paragraph of Scripture.
The evidences of his faith are:
He was devout and feared God. “God-fearer” is a term used in New Testament times for a Gentile who had attached themselves to the Jewish religion. They did not accept circumcision and the Law; but they attended the synagogue and believed in one God.
He gave generously to meet the needs of people. His search for God had made him love people and desire to meet their needs.
He prayed to God continually.
He was quick to obey God’s message when it came.
Cornelius was a Gentile and not a Jew, but he attached himself to the Jewish religion instead of the pagan beliefs of his surroundings. He wanted all that God had for him and really trusted the Lord to guide him in all things. He was certain that what God had for him was good.
Allow your faith to control you. Put all of your trust in the Lord today. He will guide you in all things. All that He has in store for you is good. As you seek Him and do all that you know to do, He will lead you into all that He has for you. Be quick to obey Him. Seek God and let Him find you.
As Christ followers wait for specific direction to come to them from their Lord, they pray and do all that they know to do to continue the point of need ministry of the One they follow. When direction comes it will always be in Christ’s timing and the Christ follower’s obedience to the direction will always result in Christ being exalted.
Acts 9:32-35 gives us account of Peter continuing the point of need ministry of Jesus outside of Jerusalem in a city named Lydda. As He followed Christ there, Peter was used as an instrument in the healing of a man who had been paralyzed and had not walked in 8 years. Jesus healed this man through Peter’s willingness to be His hand extended. Revival broke out in the city as true revival always impacts the community and brings social change to it.
Where would Peter go next? When would he go? How would he know to go? What would he do until he received direction?
Now there was in Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which, translated, means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity. In those days she became ill and died, and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to him, urging him, "Please come to us without delay." So Peter rose and went with them. And when he arrived, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him weeping and showing tunics and other garments that Dorcas made while she was with them. But Peter put them all outside, and knelt down and prayed; and turning to the body he said, "Tabitha, arise." And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter she sat up. And he gave her his hand and raised her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. And it became known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. And he stayed in Joppa for many days with one Simon, a tanner.
(Act 9:36-43 ESV)
Peter followed Christ in point of need ministry in Lydda, until He received the next step. The next step came through unlikely sources that communicated a need. Peter did not delay. He did not put it off explaining that things were happening where he was at that required his attention. When Peter found out there was a need, he got up and went. The need was the call of God. The need was the instruction of Jesus. He received all of the direction he needed to step out in obedience when he was informed of a need.
As a Christ follower, Tabitha was continuing the point of need ministry of Jesus through making undergarments and outer garments and distributing them to the poor in her city. Her city was seeing the love of Christ and the Kingdom of God demonstrated through her actions as she provided for their felt needs, but her godly life and good works did not prevent her from sickness and death. She died and the community, along with the other Christ followers, was grieving at her loss.
When Peter arrived, he separated himself from all distractions and did what Jesus showed him to do; he prayed. He prayed until he knew what to do next. He received his direction through prayer. In a boldness that only comes as a result of prayer and through the unction of the Holy Spirit, he told Tabitha to get up and he presented her to the people alive.
Notice that Peter took no credit for this miracle. All the credit belonged to Jesus. A Christ follower receives direction and obeys. Jesus does the rest. And when Jesus does it, He will be exalted. As a result of this miracle, many in Joppa believed.
All the while, God was doing a deep work in Peter, eliminating all prejudices from his heart so that he could minister at the point of need regardless of race, gender or status. How do we know such a work was being done in Peter? As he stayed in Joppa for many days waiting for his next assignment, notice that Peter stayed with Simon, a tanner. The occupation of a tanner was considered unclean. Because of the stink of the dead animals, the job was carried on outside a town or city. God was doing a work in Peter and he was overcoming the prejudices of a Jew, for he recognized God’s grace in Simon regardless of his race or his occupation.
Direction comes to those who follow Christ and pray. They may receive direction through unlikely sources, but it will come and it will always point to a need that Jesus desires that they meet. As they step out in obedience, Christ is exalted, lives are touched and the Kingdom of God is realized on earth.
Christ followers bring encouragement and healing to people as they continue the point of need ministry of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Saul deciding to deny self take up his cross and follow Jesus, as recorded in Acts chapter nine, brings peace to the church that had become scattered from Jerusalem due to the persecution spearheaded by Saul. It’s in this peace that we see Peter at the conclusion of Acts chapter nine leaving Jerusalem and visiting those who make up the church in the surrounding areas bringing encouragement and healing to them.
Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed. And Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed." And immediately he rose. And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.
(Act 9:32-35 ESV)
Peter went to the people and did not expect them to come to him. Peter could have stayed in Jerusalem and been comfortable as a leader of the early church, but he didn’t. He couldn’t and be a Christ follower. Jesus did not stay in the synagogue on the Sabbath and expect needy people to come to Him. Jesus allowed the Holy Spirit to direct His steps as he went and ministered to people at their point of need every day of the week. And now we see Peter, full of the Holy Spirit, following Jesus and continuing His point of need ministry.
Peter knew that within himself, he could do nothing. He knew the source of healing was Jesus Christ. Through the knowledge given by the Holy Spirit, Peter was able to tell Aeneas that Jesus was healing him. Aeneas had been paralyzed and confined to a bed for eight years. Peter would not dare say these words unless the Holy Spirit prompted Him. He spoke the words and the healing was immediate.
This miracle was instrumental in the residents of Lydda and Sharon deciding to become Christ followers. They could not deny the healing power of Christ when they witnessed this man walking again after eight years of bed confinement.
We need Christ exalting miracles in our day and I believe that they will increase as more and more people decide to shake off the shackles of dead stale religion and deny self, take up the cross and follow Jesus. I believe that in the last days, there will be a supernatural reaping of the harvest of souls that is already ripe for harvest. Christ exalting miracles will draw people to Him. I’m not talking about superstars making a circus out of faith healing. I’m talking about common folk, full of the Holy Spirit, continuing the point of need ministry of Jesus on a daily basis wherever the Holy Spirit directs them.
Christ followers minister encouragement and healing at the point of need. They rely on the prompting of the Holy Spirit knowing that they can not heal, but Christ will heal. They are willing to go instead of wait; act instead of just attend. They know that Jesus will do the rest as they simply follow Him.
The New Year brings new hope and new expectations.
We can not do anything about the old year.
It has passed.
We can no longer make a difference in 2009.
All that was done is now history.
We can make a difference in 2010!
The best is yet to come!
My prayer for all my friends and family at LovingGodFellowship.org, Facebook and Twitter is that God will use each of us in 2010 to continue the point of need ministry of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit while we deny self, take up the cross and follow Him.
God’s love for us and His desire to be with us amazes me. He created us to be His inheritance and He has gone out of His way to be with us. It blows me away because there are times I don’t even want to be with me! Yet God does! Isn’t that awesome? Think about it. With all of the imperfections we have, God who is perfect wants to be with us. Amazing! That’s what it is. It’s amazing grace. God loves us so much and wants to be with us so much, He has come into our world through Jesus Christ. Everything He does, He does to benefit us and our well being on this journey that we are on from earth to Glory.
Through the unction of the Holy Spirit allow me to point out a few nuggets from the Word to you today. In Mark 2:1-12, we see and sense the heart that God has for each of us.
Jesus preaches the Word.
The Word of God says (Mark 2:1-2 NIV) "A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. {2} So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them."
The first chapter of Mark tells us that Jesus came to Capernaum preaching a message of repentance for the Kingdom of God is at hand. He called people to follow Him. He set people free that were bound by evil. He healed the sick. And He went to other towns doing the same. In the second chapter of Mark Jesus comes back to Capernaum and is probably once again at the house of Peter. The house is packed with people that need God to touch them. The church growth “experts” of our day tell pastors and church leaders in America that people will not come to church if they are crowded. They have told leadership that once a building reaches 80% of capacity you have to build a bigger facility. They have told leadership that people have to be in a comfortable setting with padded seating, just the right colors on the walls and floors with the air temperature not too hot and not too cold but just right. And the sound and acoustics have to be perfect; not too loud and not too soft, but just right. Because of this, many churches have went into loads of debt and because of their debt load, the poor and needy in their communities are neglected and their city is not impacted by the love of God through the church.
The Bible tells us something different than what the church growth “experts” of our day tells us. The Bible tells us that people will come to where Jesus is present. They don’t care if they are crowded. They don’t care if the seating is not comfortable. They don’t care if it’s too hot or too cold. They don’t care if the sound and acoustics are not perfect. They just want to be in Jesus’ presence. And that’s the setting we have here in this passage. May God lift up pastors and church leaders in our day that will refuse to listen to the “experts” and get back to what God says in His Word. It is God’s Word that is the authoritative guide for all of our beliefs and actions. We must listen to God and not the “experts” in order for us to impact cities in our day.
Notice what Jesus does in this packed house setting. In verse 2 it says “he preached the word to them.” He did not entertain them. He did not start a program or conduct a special event. God knew that they did not need that because none of that would help them on their journey from earth to Glory. It would only make their flesh temporarily feel good. They needed more than that. They needed food for the spirit and soul. Jesus PREACHED THE WORD!
Beloved, in our day we need the Word of God preached! It’s only the Word that builds faith. If you are involved in a church where the Word has been diluted or replaced by entertainment, you need to run as far as you can from it. Find a church that has a pastor and church leaders that love Jesus and His Word. Find a church where the Word is preached and lived out in daily life. You don’t need entertainment. You need the Word. Entertainment will gratify the flesh, but the Word will build faith in you and sustain you on your journey from earth to Glory!
Jesus forgives sins.
The Word of God says (Mark 2:3-5 NIV) "Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. {4} Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. {5} When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven.""
God has come into our world forgiving sins. We look at people and see their great physical needs that are obvious. God looks at people and sees their greatest need and that is the forgiveness of sins. This is a need that only God can meet. Only God can forgive sins.
The religionist of our day believe that people need to come to God through their perfections. Because of this the church today has grown intolerant to those that are struggling on their journey. God help us! We don’t come to God through our perfections; we come to God through our imperfections. It’s through our imperfections that we realize we need God.
God’s Word says: (Isaiah 64:6 NIV) "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." (Romans 3:23 NIV) "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," (1 John 1:8-9 NIV) "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. {9} If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
God has come into our world forgiving sins. He knows that is our greatest need. A perfect God comes into an imperfect world riddled with sin and He reaches out to imperfect people forgiving them in the midst of their imperfections. Come to God just as you are. Don’t wait until you are good enough. If you do, you will never come to Him. Come to Him as this paralyzed man did. Come just as you are in the midst of all of your imperfections. He offers you forgiveness.
Jesus brings miracles to our lives.
God’s Word says (Mark 2:6-12 NIV) "Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, {7} "Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" {8} Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? {9} Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? {10} But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . ." He said to the paralytic, {11} "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." {12} He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!""
Wow! Jesus does not buckle under the pressures of the religionist. Instead, He works a miracle in this man’s life. God has come into our world working miracles. This man was carried into the presence of Jesus full of spiritual and physical imperfections. He walked out completely forgiven and made whole.
Beloved, that’s the God that we serve. He blows away the ideas and teachings of the religionists of our day that have put Him in a theological box that they can explain and control and He ministers to imperfect people. God has come into our world preaching the Word, forgiving sins and working miracles. That’s just what I need in my life. I don’t need entertainment. I don’t need comforts. I don’t need the religionist of my day. What I do need is the Word of God, forgiveness of sins and miracles in my life. And God has come into my world to do just that.
O how much He loves me. O how much He loves you. Rejoice Beloved! Rejoice! God loves us so much He has come into our world!
We complete a task or a project and sit back taking pleasure in our accomplishment.
We get that one thing that we always wanted, not knowing how we could continue to live without it, and we take pleasure in obtaining it.
What does God take pleasure in?
He has created all things.
As I stood 11,000 feet above, atop the wonder of Mt. Hood in the beautiful state of Oregon, I looked around at the majesty of God’s creation and I took pleasure in it.
As I sat in the crispness and silence of a pre-dawn morning in the woods of Kentucky surrounded by nothing but nature and awaiting the sunrise, I took pleasure in the quietness of anticipating another awakening of God's creation to the rays of light and warmth.
Oh the joy of taking pleasure in God’s creation recognizing Him and His greatness in it.
But, what does God take pleasure in? The beauty, vastness and majesty of what He has created?
God’s source of pleasure is more specific.
God takes pleasure in you.
Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre! He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills. He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry. His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man, but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love. (Psa 147:7-11 ESV)
God does not hold our past sins against us and we are to reflect His heart and not hold past sins against others realizing that the life changing power of God’s amazing grace is at work in us and in others.
Acts chapter nine begins with Saul heading from Jerusalem to Damascus as a persecutor. It concludes with Saul going back to Jerusalem as the persecuted. He goes to Damascus to arrest and destroy Christ followers. He returns to Jerusalem as a Christ follower. The changes in Saul’s life are brought about through grace. It truly is amazing.
And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But they were seeking to kill him. And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. (Act 9:26-31 ESV)
Saul’s return to Jerusalem puts him in a very difficult position. All of his religious buddies there know that he is now a radical Christ follower. And the Christ followers in Jerusalem had not forgotten his self led drive to destroy them. But just as there was a Christ follower in Damascus that accepted Saul and brought him into the gathering, there is also one in Jerusalem. Thank God for Ananias in Damascus and Barnabus in Jerusalem.
Ananias and Barnabus had a couple of things in common. They believed the best in others and they did not hold a person’s past against them. This is the heart of God. He does not hold our past sins against us and we are to reflect His heart and not hold past sins against others realizing that God’s amazing grace changes us and others.
Saul was brought to the local gathering because true conversion involves joining the Christ following community where encouragement can be received and given. Not only must converts join the Christ following community, but the Christ following community must welcome converts, including those from different religious, ethnic or social backgrounds. May God lift up Ananiases and Barnabuses in our day that will take the initiative to be friends with newcomers who have decided to deny self, take up the cross and follow Jesus.
A true community of Christ followers will always welcome others regardless of who they are and what they have done in the past. It is a community of sinners who have been arrested by Jesus and dramatically impacted by the life changing grace of God and they quickly recognize that God’s grace is at work in others.
The Holy Spirit intervenes in the life of a Christ follower again and again, providing direction and protection needed to not only enter into one’s destiny, but also to complete the journey.
In Damascus, Saul had entered into his destiny as he denied self, took up the cross and followed Jesus. Entering into one’s destiny is not entering into some waiting pattern until a future event takes place. Instead, it is a life long journey that is full of adventure and excitement. Saul had just started on his journey and there was much for him to accomplish for Christ and His kingdom,
When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket. (Act 9:23-25 ESV)
Saul had entered into his destiny but had not completed his journey. There was much to do ahead of him.
He would go on to become the apostle to the Gentiles.
He would go on to establish churches on his missionary journeys.
He would go on to write two thirds of the New Testament.
The Holy Spirit intervened again and again to direct and protect Saul and assure that he completed his journey as He followed Jesus.
Beloved, you have a destiny. The moment you denied self, took up the cross and began to follow Jesus, you took your first step into your God given destiny of continuing the point of need ministry of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit. What all you will accomplish for Jesus and His kingdom is still yet to be written. It’s a journey. The Holy Spirit will intervene again and again in your life providing you the direction and the protection needed to complete the journey and accomplish everything God has intended.
The days in front of the Christ follower are always exciting and adventuresome. From the first step of entering one’s destiny to completing the journey, there is much to be accomplished for Jesus and His kingdom. The Holy Spirit has been given as a supernatural partner and He will direct and protect. The Christ follower marches forward knowing that the best is yet to come!
Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments! His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous. It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice. For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever. He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries. He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn is exalted in honor. The wicked man sees it and is angry; he gnashes his teeth and melts away; the desire of the wicked will perish!
(Psa 112:1-10 ESV)
I wonder if we at times base our understanding of God’s willingness to help us on man’s willingness to help us. Let me give you some examples of what I mean. There is the job interview. The interviewer is able to hire, but is the interviewer willing to hire you? There is the loan process. The loan officer is able to give a loan, but is the loan officer willing to give the loan to you? There is that house that you want. The seller is able to agree to your offer, but is the seller willing to agree to your offer? There is your education. Your teacher is able to take your late assignment because your dog ate your homework, but is your teacher willing to take your late assignment? The police officer that pulls you over for going just a little over the speed limit is able to let you go with just a warning, but is the police officer willing to let you go with just a warning? People are able, but are they willing?
You may be thinking, “I don’t get it. What’s your point and how is it relevant to me?” My point is this: we can not base our understanding of God’s willingness to help us on people’s willingness to help us. We must base our understanding of God on the Bible. The Bible is our authoritative guide to all of our beliefs and our actions.
At the end of Mark Chapter one, we meet a man that has a need. A job is not his primary need. Neither is a loan, a house or an education. This man needs health care. "A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, If you are willing, you can make me clean." (Mark 1:40 NIV)
Leprosy is a terrible disease. In Jesus’ day, leprosy is incurable. Lepers were separated from society and considered to be outcasts. With the disease, skin decays off of the bones. Once a person was diagnosed with this disease, they were separated from their family and could no longer touch or be touched. Can you imagine living the rest of your life and not being able to touch and be touched? - A child no longer feeling the touch of a parent and a parent no longer feeling the touch of a child, a husband no longer feeling the touch of his wife and a wife no longer feeling the touch of her husband. The disease itself brought much physical suffering and disability, but the mental and emotional suffering due to being an untouchable was just as continually tormenting.
To make matters worse, the leper was required by law to walk through the crowded walkways of the city declaring at the top of their voice “UNCLEAN, UNCLEAN, LEPER, UNCLEAN.” Upon hearing this, the crowd would part and allow the leper to come through making sure that no one touched the outcast. That pretty much describes this man’s world that we read about in Mark chapter one; untouchable and a social outcast.
This man brought his need to Jesus.
In the midst of his physical suffering and mental anguish; in the midst of emotional devastation, this man did the right thing. He came to Jesus with his need. In the first part of Mark chapter one, we see Jesus healing people and setting captives free from the bondages of sin and evil. The whole city of Capernaum in the providence of Galilee is impacted. Can you imagine the crowds that are now following Jesus? This man with leprosy, void of any self esteem or respect from others presses through the crowd to bring his need to Jesus. His steps to Jesus were humiliating as he shouted “UNCLEAN, UNCLEAN, LEPER, UNCLEAN.” As the people moved out of the way to let him by, he could undoubtedly feel the stares and hear the whispers. But he pressed onward knowing that he had to get to Jesus with his need.
Beloved, we have to press through whatever life deals us and get to Jesus just like this man did. What are you going through right now in your life? What are your needs? What are you struggling with? Do you need a miracle? I encourage you to press through until you get to Jesus. He is able to help you.
Expectations shaped by human treatment.
I imagine that this man turned to many people that were able to help him in some way or fashion, but they were not willing to help him. Listen to his words to Jesus as he says "If you are willing, you can make me clean." (Mark 1:40 NIV) I believe this man went to many people that could help him, but were not willing to help him. His expectations were shaped by others actions and reactions to him. You can hear in his words that he had great faith in Jesus’ ability to help him, but he was not sure if Jesus was willing. This man with leprosy knew that Jesus could help him, but he was managing his expectations based on how others had treated him.
As I meditated on the words of this man with leprosy, God began to show me that our expectations in our day have been shaped by human treatment. We live in a world where others have the ability to meet needs of people, yet they are not willing. In our day, there seems to be more concern over oil in the Middle East than genocide in Sudan. It spills over to our understanding of God and it diminishes our level of faith. We approach God, not doubting His ability, but doubting His willingness to meet our need. That’s why we pray prayers like “God, if it is your will, please heal my body…..” We are not questioning God’s ability to heal, we are questioning His willingness to heal. Our expectations have been shaped by human treatment.
Jesus reveals His heart to us in the way He responds to this man.
Jesus responds to this man’s request, which was conditioned by his experiences of denial for help. "Filled with compassion, Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man.”I am willing," he said. "Be clean!"" (Mark 1:41 NIV) Notice that Jesus does not condemn this man for lack of faith in Jesus’ willingness. No, instead Jesus reaches out and touches the man. This is very significant. Jesus touched the one that was untouchable showing physical evidence that He was willing to help this man. Can you imagine? Who knows how long it had been since this man had felt someone’s touch and here the Son of God reaches out and touches him.
Not only does Jesus physically touch the man, but He verbally tells him that He is willing to meet his need. With a spoken command of “Be Clean!” Jesus demonstrates not only His ability to meet needs, but also His willingness to meet needs. The result of the man coming to Jesus and Jesus touching the man was supernatural. "Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cured." (Mark 1:42 NIV)
Beloved, this has great relevance to us in our day. As we press through whatever we are going through and we take our needs to Jesus, He has compassion on us and works miracles in our life. Please know that according to the Word of God, Jesus has not changed. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8 NIV) Not only is Jesus able to meet your every need, He is also willing. Continually bring your needs to Jesus Christ. Jesus will have compassion on you. Jesus will reach out and touch you. Jesus will defy the natural and will work the supernatural in you. In these days that we live, refuse to let human treatment shape your expectations in what God can do. Expect a miracle each time you come in contact with Jesus!
As Christ followers, we are to minister at the point of need as Jesus did. I call it, "getting our hands dirty." As Jesus leads us to where the need is and has given us the resources of time, talent and treasure to meet the need, we are to be willing. The recipient of point of need ministry will see Jesus in us and experience His love and willingness to help through us. His point of need ministry will continue.
I believe that one of Satan’s greatest tactics that he uses against us is distractions. If he can keep us distracted, he will keep us from fulfilling our purpose and our mission here on earth. We must recognize this tactic and overcome it.
Throughout the Bible we learn of how people were distracted by Satan.
Eve was distracted by a quest for knowledge.
Adam was distracted by peer pressure.
Cain was distracted by jealousy.
Moses was distracted by anger.
Samson was distracted by self sufficiency.
Saul was distracted by human reasoning.
David was distracted by lust.
Solomon was distracted by all the stuff he had accumulated.
Judas was distracted by love of money or greed.
The disciples were distracted at the cross by fear and unbelief.
Please know that Satan will try his best to distract you and keep you from fulfilling your purpose and your mission. Distractions will come your way.
Jesus was in Capernaum. The Word of God says "That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was." (Mark 1:32-34 NIV) In the first chapter of Mark we see Jesus entering into powerful ministry. People are healed and captives are set free. An entire city is impacted. What a powerful ministry
Jesus knew the source of His power
The Word of God says "Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed." (Mark 1:35 NIV) At this point in the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, His followers did not understand the importance of prayer. Later on as they saw Jesus move and minister with a powerful anointing, they understood that Jesus received anointing and instructions through His prayer life and they asked Jesus to teach them how to pray.
Jesus placed priority on prayer. There were a lot of people to minister to as there were a lot of people in need, but Jesus always made time to get by Himself and pray. Here we see Him getting up early in the morning, going off by Himself and praying. He had ministered all day to needy people and now He was refueling through prayer; spending time with His God the Father.
Beloved, Prayer is vital for the follower of Jesus Christ. It is where instruction for our journey is given and strength for our journey is supplied. If we are to continue the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, we must spend time in prayer. We must spend time with Jesus.
Distractions will come
The devil watched Jesus and observed His prayer life. The devil knows the power of prayer. He tried to distract Jesus. He will try to distract you.
God’s Word says "Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: "Everyone is looking for you!"" (Mark 1:36-37 NIV) Jesus is in prayer and Simon Peter comes looking for Him because he thinks Jesus should be back at the house ministering to people. What a distraction! Here we have the second person of the Godhead spending intimate time with the first person of the Godhead; the Son of God spending time with the Father refueling for the mission and Peter interrupts! I believe Satan used Peter to try to distract Jesus from His mission just as Satan tries to distract us from our mission.
Beloved, Satan will try everything he can to try to distract you from your purpose and your mission. Satan will try his best to get you so busy that you don’t have quality time to spend praying; having little or no intimacy time with Jesus. He will try to bring interruptions as you try to spend time with Jesus. You must identify this tactic and overcome this brazen scheme of the enemy of our souls. If Satan succeeds, he will get us off track and will keep us from fulfilling our mission in this life.
We must stay focused on Jesus for He is our mission
Notice Jesus’ response to Simon. Jesus replied, "Let us go somewhere else--to the nearby villages--so I can preach there also. That is why I have come." So he traveled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons." (Mark 1:38-39 NIV) Jesus refused to be distracted from his mission. He refused to buckle under the pressure of man. He had spent time with the Father and received instructions and anointing to move on in the mission. He was not going to stay in Capernaum. His message was that the Kingdom of God was hear; to repent and believe. There were so many more that needed to hear the message. He moved forward with anointing and continued to minister to people at their point of need.
Beloved, we must stay focused on Jesus. If we are going to impact our cities in our day, we must stay focused on Jesus. We can not be distracted from the mission. We must spend time with Him in prayer getting our instructions and receiving our anointing. There is no other way. We are called to continue the ministry of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit and we must keep our focus on Him. Satan will try to shift our focus, but we must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. As we keep Jesus the center of our attention. As we focus on Him. We will make a difference for Jesus in our day.
(Heb 12:2 NIV) Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Praise the Lord Beloved. Overcome all distractions. Stay focused. Continue the ministry of Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit until He comes!
We live in a world that is constantly changing. People change. Relationships change. Morals change. Fashions change. Trends change. We constantly have to deal with change.
In the workplace we have been introduce to terms such as reengineering and downsizing. In education and health care we are constantly seeing changes as new academic and scientific studies are completed. We are seeing changes in the environment with global warming. The world around us is constantly changing and the changes grow more rapid with time.
We don’t have to look far for change. You probably don’t have to think real hard to realize a change that you had to deal with just this week. Every day our bodies are changing as each day we grow older.
Who can you depend on in a changing world? God’s Word says "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8 NIV) In the midst of a constantly changing world, you can depend on Jesus. Jesus has not changed! Jesus will not change!
Jesus continues to speak the same message
God’s Word says "After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"" (Mark 1:14-15 NIV)
Jesus came preaching good news. The people of Jesus’ day believed in two ages; the present age ruled by Satan and the future kingdom ruled by God. Jesus came telling them that the Kingdom of God was near. Jesus told His disciples that when He returned to glory that He would send the Holy Spirit to dwell within them.
Praise the Lord Beloved! We can live in this present age which belongs to Satan with a deposit of God’s kingdom deposited within us now. It’s our down payment of that which is to come. As we follow Christ, He deposits within us His Kingdom. Jesus deposits the Holy Spirit in His followers.
What a message! And the message has not changed. The kingdom of God is near. God’s Kingdom is coming, and we have a deposit of that Kingdom now on our journey from earth to glory as we follow Christ.
Beloved, Jesus has not changed. He continues to speak the same message!
Jesus continues to call
Continuing in the first chapter of Mark we read "As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him. When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him." (Mark 1:16-20 NIV)
Jesus walked this earth calling people to follow Him. He is still calling people today. Notice with me that Jesus doesn’t call people to join a denomination. Jesus doesn’t call people to join a church. Jesus just simply calls people to follow Him. That’s all. Just drop the nets, get out of the boat and follow Jesus. As we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, He will take us on a wonderful journey from earth to glory.
There are so many that have heard the call and decided to stay in the boat. They hang on to the nets, the things of this world, with a white knuckled intensity. Beloved, we can not hang on to the things of this world and follow Jesus at the same time. We must constantly evaluate what we are hanging onto because the world creeps into our lives in subtle ways. Those that get out of the boat, drop the nets and follow Jesus will live an exciting life on a wonderful journey from earth to glory!
Beloved, Jesus has not changed. He continues to call people to follow Him!
Jesus continues to set the captive free
Let’s read on in this powerful first chapter of Mark. "They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an evil spirit cried out, "What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God!" "Be quiet!" said Jesus sternly. "Come out of him!" The evil spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek." (Mark 1:21-26 NIV)
Here we see Jesus setting the captive free. This man had been held in bondage by a controlling evil spirit. With just a Word, Jesus sets this captive free.
There are so many today that are held captive. Materialism holds people captive. Drug addiction holds people captive. Alcohol addiction holds people captive. Food addiction holds people captive. Sexual deviancy and perversion holds people captive. Pornography holds people captive. People are held captive by anger, jealousy, bitterness etc…. The good news is that Jesus continues to set the captive free. As we follow Jesus, He sets us free from what holds us captive. He fills us full of His Holy Spirit that empowers and enables us to walk in victory. God’s Word declares that if we walk in the Spirit, we will not gratify the desires of the flesh!
Beloved, Jesus has not changed. He continues to set the captive free!
Jesus continues to bring healing
We must read on in Mark Chapter one. "As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. Simon's mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told Jesus about her. So he went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to wait on them." (Mark 1:29-31 NIV)
Here we see this woman that receives healing by coming in contact with Jesus. You see, Jesus is healing. God’s Word declares in Isaiah 53 that it is because of the stripes that Jesus took on His back that we receive our healing. Jesus did so much for us at the cross. Not only did He take the punishment for our sins, but He physically suffered for our healing.
I believe that Jesus still works miracles and brings His healing to people today. Whether it be an instantaneous miracle or a process through medical science, it is only God who heals. I believe in these last days we will see an increase in the miraculous as people place their faith in what Jesus did for them at the cross. As they come in contact with the suffering Christ, He imparts His healing to them.
Beloved, Jesus has not changed. He continues to bring healing!
Jesus continues to impact cities
We have to read just a bit further. "That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed. The whole town gathered at the door, and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was." (Mark 1:32-34 NIV)
Jesus came to this world to not only touch individuals, but to impact entire cities. What our cities need in our day is to be impacted by Jesus. Jesus has left us here and He has filled us with His Holy Spirit to continue His ministry. That is what Loving God Fellowship is all about. People around the world that are loving God and loving people; touching people at their point of need and impacting entire cities for Jesus in our day.
Beloved, Jesus has not changed. He continues to impact cities in our day!
As everything around you constantly changes, you can hold on to Jesus who never changes. There are never any surprises with Jesus. He stays the same yesterday, today and forever.
“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2 NIV)
As we continually choose to follow Jesus and we keep our eyes fixed on Him, He changes us. We develop more of His mind and more of His heart which impacts our behavior each step of the way on our journey from earth to glory.
In Acts 8:14-25 we see Jesus changing three individuals as they make the right choices to believe, repent and follow Him. And if Jesus changed these people, He will change whoever decides to follow Him.
Peter was a fisherman who decided to follow Jesus. At the cross of Christ, Peter denied knowing Jesus although he had followed Him for three years. Jesus didn’t give up on Peter though. After the resurrection, Jesus went looking for Peter, not to condemn him or judge him, but to renew and restore him. After the ascension of Jesus, Peter stayed in Jerusalem to wait for what Jesus had promised – the Holy Spirit. On the day of Pentecost, Peter was used to deliver a basic message (Acts 2) and three thousand people decided to become Christ followers that day. But Peter still has some prejudices in His heart that have to be eliminated so He is one of the Apostles that goes to Samaria to see if it could really be true that Samaritans and not just Jews could become Christ followers. As He sees that it is true, the racial prejudices that have gripped his heart begin to loosen and His heart becomes more like that of Jesus, the One he follows.
The apostle John joins the apostle Peter on this trip to Samaria. John like Peter, had prejudices in His heart that have to be eliminated. It was John who had wanted to call fire from heaven to destroy a village in Samaria when they had rejected Jesus during Jesus’ ministry on earth (Luke 9:51-56). Of course, Jesus rebuked John’s actions teaching John an important lesson at that time and directing his steps to Samaria this time to further purge the prejudices of John’s heart.
It was not by chance or accident that these two men were chosen as the delegation of the apostles to test the authenticity of the new non-Jewish Christ followers. They were following Jesus once again to Samaria. He was directing their every step and was going to bring more change to their heart and way of thinking that would impact their behavior.
Simon was a Samaritan entertainer who had just decided to follow Jesus. He had much to learn and it would require the rebuke of a fellow Christ follower to straighten his walk with Christ. Simon witnessed the effect produced by the laying on of hands, practiced by the apostles Peter and John, and offered them money in order to acquire the same power. Ever since that day, the attempt to turn the spiritual into the commercial has been given the term “simony”. Peter gave Simon a stern rebuke for his actions (Acts 8:23-24) and Simon’s motives were checked. He learned a lot about humility and repentance that day.
As Peter and John witnessed the authenticity of non-Jewish people who had become Christ followers, prejudices were broken down in their heart and their way of thinking toward others changed impacting their behavior toward others. On their journey from Jerusalem to Samaria, they did not bother communicating with those in the villages of Samaria. As they left Samaria to return to Jerusalem, they preached the gospel to the villages of the Samaritans (Acts 8:25). Jesus had brought more change to them. They now were looking at people through the eyes of Jesus instead of the eyes of the prejudices that they had learned all their life.
Jesus changes us. He changes our way of thinking towards others. He changes our behavior towards others. He changes us to be more like Him as we continually deny self and follow Him. The best is always yet to come as we follow Jesus on our journey from earth to glory.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge cloud of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.
Let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him...Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise.
Have you ever been in a middle of a trial in your life where you questioned God’s presence? To be very transparent with you, I’ve been there. I have been to the place where God seems thousands of miles away and I’m here all alone dealing with life.
Maybe you have been hurt by someone close to you. Maybe you have suffered violence. Maybe you are fighting a physical ailment. Maybe you have been accused unjustly. Maybe you are going through one of the greatest storms of your life and you feel like God is absent.
Look at all of the suffering happening around the world even as you read this. There are people starving. There are people without fresh water. There are wars. There are natural disasters. There is genocide. Where is God?
I received an email from an individual that caught my attention. In the email they said (and I am quoting):
“Where is god? Sitting in heaven eating grapes when there is rape, murder, wars, starvation, etc., etc.
Kinda reminds one of an absentee father, has a child and then runs off and doesn’t support him.”
As I thought on this email, I prayed and asked God to help me answer it. I can only answer it by going to God’s Word, the Bible. The Bible is the only absolute truth we have to stand on today. Let’s look to what God says in His Word as His Word is our authoritative guide for all of our beliefs and our actions.
God is not far away eating grapes as wickedness abounds in this world. God’s Word says "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" --which means, "God with us.”” (Matthew 1:23 NIV) Jesus came as Immanuel, God with us. God left heaven to come to this wicked world to be with us.
This present world that we live in is not God’s Kingdom. This world is the devil’s kingdom. God’s heart is to save us from this world and place His kingdom within us. That is why He came into the world.
Jesus said “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10 NIV). This world is presently the devil’s kingdom and he is the one that is stealing, killing and destroying. Not God. In the midst of all of the injustice, God is drawing people to Him through the cross of Jesus Christ.
Jesus said “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." (John 3:14-21 NIV)
At the cross, God Himself experienced the wickedness and the cruelty of this sinful world. God Himself came from heaven to earth and was born of a virgin. He gave of Himself in helping others. He was innocent of any crimes and was totally sinless. Yet, He was tortured beyond imagination. He experienced excruciating pain as He was beaten unjustly, His beard was plucked out, He was spat upon, and He was nailed to a cross. On the cross, He was thirsty and they gave Him vinegar to drink. At the cross, God experienced every thing that Satan and his kingdom could throw at Him. It was at the cross that He died so that we could experience a better life in His Kingdom.
In the model prayer Jesus told us to pray to God that His Kingdom would come. Every time we pray that prayer, we are one second closer to the return of Jesus as King to establish God’s Kingdom to earth as it is in heaven. Until He comes, He has placed a deposit of His kingdom in every Christ follower.
After experiencing death, the ultimate blow that Satan and his kingdom could throw, Jesus was filled with resurrection power and came walking out of a cold and damp tomb after three days. The grave could not hold Him. He went in dead, He came out full of life.
It is this resurrection power that comes into every person that puts their faith and trust in God and what He has accomplished at Calvary on our behalf. He conquered this present world and all of its wickedness. He conquered the devil. He conquered death, hell and the grave. As we become Christ followers, God fills us full of His presence. He fills us full of resurrection power.
Where is God? No, He is not far away eating grapes as sin and wickedness abounds. I will tell you where God is. God is always present with the believer.
Beloved, God is with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you according to His Word. In the midst of all the wickedness in a world that grows increasingly out of step with God’s Word, God Himself is with you. He dwells in you! He is your peace! He is your strength! He is your comfort! He has gone through pain and suffering just like you. He knows what you are going through and He is going to bring you through victoriously!
No matter what comes your way beloved, look to the cross of Jesus Christ. See there a God who cares about you enough to endure all that Satan and this evil world could throw at Him so that you can have abundant and everlasting life.
God is not like an absentee father. God did not run off from His children. No, His children ran off from Him.
In the Bible Jesus tells us about a Father and his sons. Jesus said "There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them. Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate." (Luke 15:11-24 NIV)
Please make some observations with me.
The son left the father. The father did not leave the son.
The father did not run after the son and clean up the mess caused by his son’s sin.
The father patiently waited for his son to return home.
The father’s love for his son never changed.
When the son came home, he was fully accepted.
Beloved, we can relate to this parable. God did not abandon us. We abandoned him when we went our own way and did our own thing. God patiently waited for us to come home. And when we did come home, we were fully accepted by Him. It didn’t matter where we had been and what we had done, His love had not changed and He accepted us just as we were.
Hallelujah! Rejoice that God is with you! He has never abandoned you! He loves you with a perfect Father’s love. He loves you so much, He sent Jesus to take care of your sin problem so that you can spend eternity with Him in His perfect kingdom!
You are in the world to change the world. Don’t believe the lie that you have no purpose or no reason for being. Don't believe that you can not make a difference in our day. You are not here by chance or accident and as long as you have a pulse and are breathing, you can use your life and available resources to change the world.
Always remember that God uses common folk with crazy faith to accomplish great things. Don’t believe me? Check out for your self the team that Jesus put together in the Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Notice who He picked and how He trained them. After that, check out the book of Acts and look at what they did to change the world in their day. Jesus desires to use you in our day. You are here to change the world!
No, O people, the Lord has already told you what is good, and this is what He requires: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. ~ Micah 6:8, NLT
You may have just completed the worse week in your life; be strong and courageous.You may be getting ready to go into the worse week in your life; be strong and courageous.Your health may be failing; be strong and courageous.Your finances may not be enough; be strong and courageous.
In the midst of a world that grows increasingly out of step with the Gospel, be strong and courageous.In the midst of world terrorism, be strong and courageous.In the midst of economic uncertainty, be strong and courageous.In the midst of wars and rumors of wars, be strong and courageous.In the midst of global warming and record setting numbers of natural disasters, be strong and courageous.In the midst of a flu pandemic, be strong and courageous.
In Joshua Chapter 1 of God’s Word, God tells Joshua repeatedly to “be strong and courageous.”God is getting ready to take Joshua and the people of Israel on a journey out of the wilderness in which they had been wondering in for forty years and into the Promised Land.It won’t be easy.They would face a lot of obstacles on their journey that they would have to overcome, but God is telling them to be strong and courageous.
We likewise are on a journey.On our journey, we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.Jesus is taking us out of the wilderness and into the Promised Land.It’s a journey from earth to Glory.We will face a lot of obstacles on our journey that we will have to overcome, but God encourages us to be strong and courageous.
In the midst of known and unknown obstacles in life, how do we stay strong and courageous?
We stay strong and courageous by knowing and obeying God’s written Word.God tells Joshua "Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." (Joshua 1:7-8 NIV)
God’s instruction to Joshua was 1) Talk about the Word 2) Meditate on the Word 3) Do the Word.God was telling Joshua to make God’s Word the authoritative guide for all beliefs and actions.
Beloved, we are to make the Bible the authoritative guide for all of our beliefs and our actions.It is so vital, especially in the day that we are living.The Word of God is the only absolute truth that we have to stand on.As we talk about the Word of God, as we meditate on the Word of God and as we do the Word of God, we will obtain strength and courage for the journey ahead of us.Whatever obstacles that we are confronted with, we will be able to overcome!Nothing, absolutely nothing will conquer us on our journey from earth to glory!
Joshua is an Old Testament type of Christ.Joshua points to Jesus.The name Joshua means “the Lord saves” and the Greek form of the name Joshua is Jesus.Jesus came to earth and showed us how to be strong and courageous on our journey.He talked about the Word, He meditated on the Word and He did the Word.He fulfilled everything that was written about Him in the prophetic books of the Bible.From His virgin birth to His death on the cross to His resurrection; He did the Word.He overcame every obstacle including an old rugged cross and a cold damp tomb.
Hallelujah Beloved!Talk about the Word of God.Meditate on the Word of God.Do the Word of God.God will strengthen you.God will give you courage.God will take you out of the wilderness and place you in His Promised Land!Glory Be to God!
We stay strong and courageous because of God’s abiding presence.God tells Joshua "No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you."(Joshua 1:5 NIV)God also tells Joshua "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9 NIV)
God is not telling Joshua that the journey is going to be easy.No, it is going to be everything but easy.Get your Bible out and read the book of Joshua and you will see how uneasy it was.God didn’t say it would be easy, but God did say that no one would be able to stand against him so there is no need to be terrified or discouraged.
In the midst of huge obstacles, Joshua was able to overcome and not be terrified or discouraged because of God’s abiding presence.God told Joshua that He would be with him wherever he went and that God would never leave him or forsake him.Joshua found out in all situations that if God is with you, it doesn’t matter how big the obstacle is, you will prevail.
Beloved, what obstacles are you facing in your journey?What seems to be insurmountable?What’s taking your joy?What’s taking your peace?What do you lie awake thinking about?Know this, that if God is with you, it doesn’t matter how big the obstacle is, you will prevail!You will overcome!When you look at that big obstacle, don’t be terrified and don’t be discouraged.God is with you and you will prevail!
The moment that you decided to follow Jesus and accepted the work He did for you on the cross, the Holy Spirit set up residence in you.He abides in you!You are now a temple of God.You house His Holy Spirit.That is the abiding presence of God in you.
It’s all because of what Jesus did for us on the cross.He took our punishment.He shielded us from the wrath of God.He suffered, bled and died so that we could experience the abiding presence of God for now and for all eternity!And now God has set up residence in us.In earthen vessels that are nothing but jars of clay.Everywhere we go, God goes with us.He will never leave us nor forsake us!He will get us through every obstacle on our journey from earth to Glory!
Praise God Beloved!Don’t be terrified!Don’t be discouraged!God is with you and has given you His Word.Talk about it!Meditate on it!Do it!God will give you the strength and the courage to be successful on your journey from earth to Glory!Nothing, absolutely nothing will prevail against you!No obstacle will hinder you on your Journey!God is taking you out of the wilderness and into His Promised Land.Be strong and courageous!
Once you become aware that the main business that you are here for is to know God, most of life's problems fall into place of their own accord. -- J. I. Packer
Many in our day go through tremendous suffering. I get prayer requests sent to me from all around the world and I pray for each of them. Most of the situations make my heart weep. Sometimes, I don’t even know how to pray for them, but I ask for God’s grace and peace to be given to them in abundant measure.
When we go through suffering, we have a tendency to focus in on our present situation and allow it to consume our thoughts and impact our functioning. I want to encourage you today. As a Christ Follower, look past the present and realize that the best is yet to come in your life. In His timing, God will lift you up and reveal His glory.
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. -- Romans 8:18
Do you know someone that is suffering today?
I encourage you to click on the "E-mail this" link below and send this encouragement to them. May God bless you and them.
We have been enjoying going out in the backyard at night this week and watching the Perseid meteor showers. Amazing!
It has reminded me of just how big God is and how spectacular is His creation, but yet out of everything, He favors us and takes care of us.
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? - Psalm 8:3-4
From time to time we all need encouragement.I try to keep as many people as I can encouraged and uplifted throughout the week because we all are called to be encouragers ( Hebrews 10:24-25 ).When we are fulfilling that purpose, there is a joy that is unspeakable that comes to us.
It’s great to be encouraged by others and we all need that in exponential measure, but we can also help keep ourselves encouraged.Let me give you a formula for doing that and you can practice it and prove the equation in your life if you are not already doing so.
Encouragement = Rejoicing + Patience + Praying.
The basis for this formula is given to us in God’s Word.
Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. ~ Romans 12:12, NLT
Our confident hope is in Jesus Christ, the One we follow.
When trouble comes our way, we know that it is just for a season and as we follow Him, He will get us through because He has overcome the world and its troubles.
Praying is the privilege that we are given by God that allows us to talk to Him about everything we are going through.It’s where we release our life to Him and leave our present and our future in His hands knowing that He is in total control and is directing our steps.
Always remember that Encouragement = Rejoicing + Patience + Praying.It’s an equation that we all can live by and be blessed!
My son Austin and I have been real busy the last couple of years replacing the non-edible landscaping in our backyard with edible landscaping.We have a really small backyard.I can mow it with four trips of the lawnmower back and forth, but there is a lot of landscaping around the entire perimeter of the back yard.Now we have blueberry bushes, blackberry bushes, strawberries, a four way pear tree, a 5 way apple tree and I’ve grown tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, cabbage, bell peppers, pumpkins and cauliflower right in my landscape.This summer we are enjoying the fruit of our labor.
Our labor was pretty intense.We dug up trees and bushes that had been established for years.We did it all by hand.Some only had surface roots and were easy to get out.Others had roots that went deep.We would dig and dig and the roots kept going and going.Some trees we had to spend a few days working on because the roots went so deep.There were some that we dug down three to four feet and the roots kept going so we had to cut them off to get the tree out.
We learned a lot about roots.The deeper they go, the harder it is to move the plant.For those that grow deep spiritual roots in Jesus, they are hard to move when the storms of life hit with ever increasing winds of adversity.They are determined to stand strong in the midst of it all and it’s their roots that are grounded in Jesus that enables and empowers them when it would seem they should be toppling over.
Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness.~ Colossians 2:7, NLT
Let your roots grow deep in Him friend.Read the Scriptures, pray, deny yourself, follow Him and continue His point of need ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit.Let your roots grow deep in Him.Nothing will move you.
I read a great book several years ago on the subject of change titled “Who Moved My Cheese” by Spencer Johnson ( Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life ).I highly recommend it because everything around us is in constant change and that oftentimes can bring much anxiety to our lives because it is our nature to resist change.
When it comes to relationships, we find out how rapidly people can change.Our ideas, beliefs, personalities, moods, knowledge and intelligence can be in constant change.Who can we look to for stability?There is only one person that I know that never changes.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. ~ Hebrews 13:8, NLT
As we look to Him and as we follow Him, we will find the stability we need in an environment that is in constant change and we will feel the anxiety that comes with change dissipate.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. (Heb 12:1-2 ESV)
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said “The best and brightest of God's saints is but a poor mixed being.” 
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