Merry Christmas (12/26/11)

Shalom,

I hope everyone had an enjoyable Christmas and was blessed with special moments of worship and family. We enjoyed our time at my mother's, sharing love and joy with our family. I will post a message next week. Hope you're praying and seeking Yahweh's guidance and direction for the New Year.

Blessings & Peace, Mike

The Spirit of Religion (12/19/11)

Shalom,

Please begin by reading Rom 3:19-24.

The spirit of religion drives people into many forms of religious performance in an attempt to perfect themselves through some sort of legalism rather than following the leading of the Holy Spirit. We have a tendency to grasp onto things which make sense to our finite minds and try to use them to please Yahweh. These things are rituals or specified prayers or legalistic standards or religious duties. The problem is that we elevate them above the Word of God. Instead of learning Yahweh's rules of conduct, we impose harsh directives to ensure that people are living right. The other side of the coin is that some refuse to impose any commands or rules on people, because we're free to decide for ourselves.

The Church has been attacked by the spirit of confusion, which is directly related to the spirit of religion. In our modern world Yahweh is clearly revealing his desire for his followers to become "one new man" (Eph 2:14-16). Those who are seeking him with their whole heart will be the forerunners for this prophetically revealed combination of Jew and Gentile. The Holy Spirit will spur these believers forward to open the way for the stragglers and those who will be saved in the future. Think of these forerunners like the 12 spies sent out by Moses to scout the Promised Land, and determine to be a Joshua or a Caleb. Look with your spiritual eyes and see Yahweh's goodness, not the scary giants.

If we don't overcome our religious thinking we'll get stuck in the past and be unable to discern what lies ahead of us. Once we become a Christian the spirit of religion will try to limit our advancement into Kingdom things. 2 Cor 11:3 warns that we could "be led away from our pure and simple devotion to Jesus, just as Eve was deceived by the serpent." The man-made religious rules move us away from the simplicity of following our Lord and listening to his voice. They complicate things for immature believers and hinder their spiritual growth.

The biggest strategy of the spirit of religion is to preserve the status quo. Many of us love certain traditions within the Church. What we need to remember is that the traditions and rituals are meant to point us to the realities of Yahweh's dealings with us. They're meant to be a dress rehearsal, not the real thing. When the tradition or ritual becomes more important than what it was meant to point us toward, we've fallen into the trap of the spirit of religion. We humans like to build secure places where things never change, so becoming bound in religiosity can happen very easily.

We need to remember that Yahweh works his wonders through change. In our world, if we're not changing, we're not growing. To stop the changes is to limit ourselves. If a newborn baby doesn't continue to grow and gain weight, we quickly take that child to the doctor. If a tree or plant doesn't continue to grow, it's cut down. Our security needs to be in our unchanging Lord God Almighty, not in things we foolishly grasp onto.

To battle this we need to be seeking and listening to our Father's voice. We need to be hearing the Holy Spirit's instructions so we can keep ourselves moving with the rivers of living water. We need to build our spiritual sensitivity so we don't get left behind and become overly attached to what was instead of what's to come. We can't passively sit on the riverbank and watch the good stuff float by. We've got to jump into the water and start swimming. That's where the life and joy and peace promised to us are found. The religious spirit will work to make us and keep us passive, where the only time we touch the water of life is when we dangle our toes in for a few seconds.

So how do we learn to develop true Christianity instead of getting hung up in religious legalism? We first need to avoid the idea that religion is always about a set of rules and regulations which requires our ongoing conformity to be effective. The Law was meant to point the way to Yahweh. It was to be a helper which taught us his principles of how to love and serve him as our Lord. The whole of the Law, not just the Mosaic Law but the Torah, is about how to live at peace with our heavenly Father and mankind. Most legalism only stresses limited portions of the Law.

The Law was never supposed to be about blind obedience done to appease our quick to anger God. It was meant to help us see Jesus when he came and fulfilled the requirements of the Law. It's to be our teacher, showing us Yahweh's guide to right living. Blind obedience doesn't allow us to think about the spirit of the Law, it only leads us to be bound to the letter of the Law. Yahweh never asked for robots who could only respond one way. Our Father desires thinking people who choose to love and serve him.

True spirituality is empowered by the pure love of Yahweh which knows following his commandments is the best way to live. Law-oriented religion is usually more interested in the extras we add to the Law to help us stay on the straight and narrow path. The Pharisees got in deep trouble with Jesus for doing this, so why would we also consider this a good thing to be doing? Yahweh would prefer we follow him because we love him rather than because we're scared to break some rules.

True spirituality knows that the judgments we make aren't about people's souls. We're to judge fruit, to help one another overcome sin, to give a helping hand to someone who's stumbled. Legalism and religiosity don't offer this kind of help and encouragement. They normally only condemn and criticize. A truly spiritual person will do all they can to help a fellow believer when they discern or judge that the person is struggling with a sin.

True spirituality helps us have an assurance of our faith. When we know Jesus as our Savior and Lord and we're working at walking closely by his side, we can feel secure about our salvation. Law-oriented people have many doubts. They often struggle with a sense of insecurity because their religion is performance-based. We do need to know that what we're doing is based in Yahweh's standards of holy living, but not get hung up on performance alone. When we're true seekers of Yahweh, we'll be praying and studying and ministering, walking out our faith in concrete ways. We don't do these things to earn brownie points, but because we love Jesus and want to please him.

True spirituality helps us become more forgiving, merciful, and compassionate. When we're passionately following Jesus, we'll act more like him in all our dealings with other people. Law-oriented people tend to be irritating, pointing out flaws without offering any help in correcting them. They often feel vexed and perturbed about the sinful humans all around them, and they show little or no mercy. Remember, we all used to be lost and spiritually blind, too. We need to be offering the same mercy Jesus gave to us. If we're only negative in our outreach, we'll chase more people away from our churches than we'll ever encourage to join them.

True spirituality helps us be led more by the indwelling Spirit than by our individual will power. Law-oriented people are usually relying too much on their individual will power to overcome sin. One of the most obvious things the Law was given for is to teach us that we can't be made right with Yahweh outside of what he's provided to help us draw near to him. Rom 3:20, "The more we know God's Law, the clearer it becomes that we aren't obeying it." We need the help of the indwelling Holy Spirit to be aware of our sin and to rightly repent. To remain close to the Father, Son, and Spirit requires ongoing confession of our sin. We can't atone for any of it through our religious rituals.

We need to ask our Lord to remove any legalism that stubbornly clings to us. We're made for freedom. We're made for mature decision-making based on our ongoing relationship with the One True Rule Maker. We can overcome the spirit of religion by trusting and obeying Yahweh's Word. This will bring us to the place where we do what's right because we love our Lord, not just because we're afraid of the consequences if we break the rules. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any entanglements you have with the spirit of religion. When he reveals them, repent and close off any access you've given to evil spirits, allowing them to influence you instead of the Holy Spirit.

Gal 5:1 says, "It is for freedom that Jesus has set us free." Freedom means liberated from distress, domination, or oppression. We don't have to be confused, we can find full clarity through Jesus. We can be set free from the limitations imposed through legalism. We can walk in obedience out of our love for our heavenly Father and know this wonderful freedom. We can and should be individually strong in the Spirit.

Remember the warning of Col 2:23. "Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility, and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence." Following Jesus and walking in obedient faith is the way to overcome our indulgences, not the imposing of tough standards. If we love our Father, we'll want to please him and we'll do what honors his name.

Blessings & Peace, Mike

The Real Christmas Story? (12/12/11)

Shalom,

Please begin by reading Luke 2:1-7.

We all know that the current "spirit of Christmas" is extremely corrupt and virtually ignores the birth of Jesus. People are pepper spraying other shoppers to get the special sale item. A man in West Virginia died of a heart attack while other shoppers stepped over him to grab the special deal. Even in our churches too much time is spent on the decorations and not enough time on the power of the incarnation of our Lord and Savior. The Christians need to be praying and seeking their Lord for direction on how to overcome the influx of the world's influence into something that was meant to honor Jesus our Messiah and Master.

In Luke we see Joseph and Mary, normal Jewish people of their time, except of course for this virgin birth thing. Joseph had to pay taxes to King Herod. He also had to pay a Temple tax. But worst of all was that Rome also collected taxes. Caesar wanted more money, and to be sure that everyone was accounted for, he required all of them to return to the town of their birth to register in a census.

Thankfully, yes we can be thankful about taxes and government paperwork (1 Thes 5:18), our government collects census information by mail or by sending representatives door to door. Our government collects taxes from our payrolls, at the store, no matter what we think they find us. Caesar made everyone go to him, no exceptions. So Joseph, with his very pregnant wife Mary, had to travel to Bethlehem to register in order to have the privilege of paying another tax. The "very pregnant" wife is traditional thing. All we know is that it happened after the third month of Mary's pregnancy (Luke 1:56).

I know that the majority of Christmas cards and story books depicting their travel to Bethlehem show Joseph leading a donkey with Mary riding on it. It's all very gallant and gentlemanly, but also unlikely, because nowhere in the biblical account is a donkey mentioned. They probably walked to Bethlehem. Certainly there were rich Jews who had donkeys or horses or camels for transportation, but that was a luxury at this time. In fact, if Joseph owned one it's most likely that the donkey was used to carry his carpentry tools.

Their travel was tough and spartan. There were no motels along the way as they traveled the 70-75 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem. They had to sleep in barns or stables or out in the open. This was the norm for people traveling at this time. When they finally arrived at Bethlehem they actually got what would be considered decent accommodations for their time, a stable. The innkeeper gets a bad reputation in most of our traditional stories, but again the biblical account doesn't even mention one. All it says is, "there was no room in the inn."

Actually, given the situation of Mary's pregnancy, they got a better deal staying in the stable. An inn (caravansary) wasn't very sanitary, with people and animals crammed into small spaces. The rooms were small and had dirt floors. It was likely a courtyard surrounded by rooms, without much privacy and a whole lot of noise.

Now there are all kinds of ideas and speculations about the stable. Some say it was a cave. Others say it was a barn made out of stone or dried clay bricks. Some even think it was a wooden barn. The only hint we have is that Jesus was laid in a manger, an animal feeding trough. If it was a cave, which is very likely given the way Bethlehem is surrounded by hills, then it was a trough carved right out of the limestone. If it was something else, then a wooden one would certainly be likely. No matter what, it was an extremely humble birth for the King of the Universe.

Now for the night of his birth. Most of our traditional stories tell us Mary was in labor the moment they entered Bethlehem. The Bible says, "While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born." That doesn't sound like such an immediate thing. They no doubt had time to settle in and find a midwife to help with the birth, or maybe an innkeeper's wife could actually fit into the story. We don't get tons of detail from the Scriptures. There's no date given, just a hint of the season. And the Magi didn't show up on the night of his birth, only the shepherds did.

The Wise Men weren't kings, but were court astrologers/advisors. They were men like what Nebuchadnezzar trained Daniel to do. They no doubt saw the star on the night Jesus was born, but they studied it a while before beginning their travels. And even if they'd started on the night of his birth, you don't get from India or Assyria or Arabia to Israel in one night riding on camels or horses or donkeys. According to he biblical account, they didn't arrive for almost two years. Why else would Herod kill all male children two and under? Compare the shepherds seeing the "baby in a manger" with the Wise Men seeing the "child in the house."

We can very well assume that there was hay, straw, and grain in this stable. If there were animals to tend, the innkeeper's personal ones or those of travelers or those of the owner, you would expect a supply would be on hand. There would be jugs or pails filled with water on hand also. Some was meant for caring for the animals, but it was also on hand for fire safety. It's likely there were lamps, open flames, and even though they were small, one accident could be disastrous. They also practiced fire safety, because we know barns are dangerous places where care is needed.

With fresh hay and straw, Mary would have had the best place available for giving birth. We really can't imagine the conditions people gave birth in during this time. They didn't know about germs and such things. They didn't have highly scrubbed sanitary birthing rooms. Sterile birth procedures weren't practiced until about the time of the Civil War. Childbirth was very private, and the only male in the vicinity would be the husband/father. But then again, doesn't it seem strange how some modern people invite their friends and relatives to witness the birth of their children, or that they videotape it for later viewing?

Luke's story specifically mentions a manger. Whether it was hollowed-out limestone or made of wood really doesn't matter. The humility of it stands out. But later Jesus would say, "Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head" (Matt 8:20). The Sovereign King of all the Universe didn't come into this world in the lap of luxury, but in the situation of a normal person.

This is hard for us to imagine in our materialistic society. Jesus owned no car, telephone, TV, computer, VCR, DVD player, or any other such gadgets. He didn't have health insurance, a pension plan, or a bank account. And yet our Lord was content and walked in his Father's will without wavering. Throughout his life on this earth he trusted in his Father's care and had all his needs supplied. The incredible humility he displayed while living as a human on this earth should shame us all when we consider how we often demand privileges.

Think of our modern problems concerning this thing called Christmas. People get upset that they can't give much for Christmas presents or they can't be home for Christmas or they didn't get what they wanted for Christmas. There is rampant holiday depression out there, people who regularly have this seasonal ailment. Maybe we need to reconsider what Christmas really is. Maybe all the stuff that's been crammed into this season has been done without seeking the Father's will. When we look at Jesus, at his extremely humble birth, we should reevaluate our traditions. If we'll quit focusing on ourselves, we can overcome all of these problems and ailments.

On the night of his birth, the only extra visitors Jesus had were the shepherds. At the invitation of the angels, they go to see the newborn King, their Messiah. This lowly group who provided so much to their society, yet were looked down on as trivial and menial, got the invitation too the King's birth, not the elite of their society. The Good Shepherd's arrival is announced only to these local shepherds. But I believe that's very appropriate because of the mission of our Lord.

These shepherds weren't only told to go see this newborn King, they were told to spread the news around town. And the Bible says that's what they did. There may have been some other curious people who went to see their Messiah after the shepherds shared what they'd seen and heard, but again we have no biblical account of this. It says people were amazed at what the shepherds reported to them, but that's all.

In the center of this whole thing is Jesus. Whether or not your Christmas cards properly depict the biblical story isn't really important. Maybe even the celebration of Christmas isn't all that important. There are no instructions to do this in the Bible. And much of what we attach to the story of Christmas is extra-biblical. Maybe we need to reconsider what we do this time of year. Instead of joining in with the pagans and selfishly clinging to our traditions, maybe we should pray and ask the Father for his will.

No matter how sentimental the Christmas season makes you feel, the point needs to be Jesus. He's central to everything we do, whether we place him there or not. He must always remain central to our lifestyle, our worship, our devotion, our everything. Don't demand that the Father, Son, or Spirit bless your traditions because you claim to be honoring them. Seek their counsel and direction for what you do, and then know that they are pleased with your actions. Christmas may be very special to you, but are you sure they way you celebrate it is glorifying the One it's named after.

Don't take it for granted that this is a "holy" time of year because the Church says so. The Church has done a lot of things to dishonor their God and King at times. We need to be sure that we're obediently following our Master. So please pray and seek his will and then be radically obedient in following what you're told - even if he tells you to abandon your Christmas traditions. May Jesus be Lord of all you do and may you be blessed as you honor him throughout the year.

Blessings & Peace, Mike

Yahweh's Kind of Love (12/5/11)

Shalom,

Please begin by reading 1 Cor 13:4-8.

The examples given in this passage put Yahweh's love on display. And how Yahweh loves is the standard for any measurements we make when considering how we are to love. These are the holy standards set forth by the Great God Almighty, the Creator, our loving heavenly Father. If we're to love as he loves us, then we need to know how to do it. What's written in these verses is the best list ever compiled concerning love. This list is the best one to do a self-evaluation with, the one to use when checking out how we're doing. Don't use it as a measure against other people and their shortcomings. Use it to ensure you're doing well.

"Love is patient." The word patient has to do with the ability to exhibit internal and external control in difficult circumstances. If we're living out Yahweh's kind of love, we can endure the many slights and snubs and hurtful things we receive from other people. If we're living out Yahweh's kind of love, we can be wronged and not have to retaliate. This patience includes self-restraint, being able to put up with other people's inadequacies and idiosyncrasies. This kind of love can suffer the pain of betrayal without ceasing to love and care for others.

"Love is kind." This word has the coloring of being useful and morally excellent. Our heavenly Father's love always seeks to do what's good and right. The ultimate purpose of this kind of love is to seek to bless others and be concerned with their welfare. Kindness can always offer encouragement. This kind of love works to bring out the best in everyone. A root of this word translates directly as easy benevolence. We're kind because our Father is. It's just the right thing to do. And because of what Yahweh's love has done for us, in spite of our rebellious hearts, we can be kind to others without demanding a return on our efforts.

"Love does not envy." This word for envy is tinged with moral corruption. Envy isn't thinking about doing good for others, but has ill will and evil in mind. Yahweh's love never does that. It rejoices in the success of others. It's content with whatever our Lord provides, without trying to determine in our own minds what's fair. Being envious means we're not grateful for how our Father has met our needs, that somehow we're lacking and must grasp at more stuff. To walk out this standard of Yahweh's love we can't be envious of those who appear to be getting a better break than we are.

"Love does not boast." Yahweh's love subdues our pridefulness and keeps us from bragging. Our Father's kind of love prefers to esteem and bless others. It works in the background, helping others without expecting recognition. This love doesn't try to place itself in the spotlight, but humbly accepts its own blessings and success. This kind of love knows and avoids haughtiness. 1 Cor 8:2 says, "The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know." Can we do our Spirit-directed tasks without the need for special recognition? If we can say yes, we're on the right track.

"Love is not proud." Proud here means arrogant and puffed up. Yahweh's love isn't conceited and never accepts flattery. This kind of love won't dismiss the needs or feelings of other because it's too focused on itself. It will seek to have true compassion, and feel the hurts of those in true need. Yahweh doesn't love us for what he gets in return, and neither should we. Yahweh doesn't withhold from us unless we pour out excessive praise first, and neither should we. His kind of pure love is mainly concerned with what's best for others, and we need to learn how to live this way.

"Love is not rude." Rude means discourteous. Probably because our society has become increasingly rude and discourteous we should ensure that we avoid this and become more loving. Yahweh's love never treats other people dishonorably or indecently. It behaves with reverence and respect toward others. It holds true love as a precious thing, and never seeks to ask others to do something contrary to our Father's loving goodness. If we live in accordance with our Lord's principles of right living, we won't be rude and crude like so much of what see in today's comedy.

"Love is not self-seeking." The breakdown of the compound Greek word used here is self- possessive seeking. This is the epitome of the greed and entitlement attitudes in our current society. In spite of the general persuasion of most people, everything isn't mine or due to me. This kind of thinking causes us to look for how anything we do is to our advantage, even when we're "helping" others. Yahweh's love is the enemy of selfishness. It doesn't seek to possess for itself. It prefers to bless others, looking out for their interests and welfare. It's not ambitious for personal gain or influence, but works hard to lift up the Body of Christ. When thinking about this attribute remember J-O-Y: Jesus first, then Others, then Yourself.

"Love is not easily angered.

"Love keeps no record of wrongs." Yahweh's kind of love doesn't keep score, trying to determine who's ahead in the graciousness game. His love never thinks of revenge for wrongs done to us by others. It doesn't "get even" by heaping guilt on others with cruel words. It isn't jealous or suspicious. This kind of love doesn't suspect evil agendas, and it doesn't hold grudges when it encounters hurtful actions or words. Loving like Yahweh help us rightly forgive others, and then to also be wise in our future dealings with them.

"Love does not delight in evil." Yahweh takes no pleasure in hurting people, in spite of what some humans contend. His kind of love wishes no ill to anyone, and it won't condone evil either. If we love like our Father we don't enjoy the suffering or judgment of even the worst sinner. The obvious sins it encounters will stir up righteous action. It works to overcome evil instead of turning its head and ignoring it. This kind of love will deal directly with evil, speaking directly against the wrong done, trying to be just in its judgments and right in its actions. This means we can't let evil win by our lack of action.

"Love rejoices in truth." Yahweh's love desires to see the Gospel planted and rejoices when a person responds positively to its call for salvation. It takes no joy in sin, but rejoices and is delighted to see right living. This kind of love wants to see truth and justice rise to the top and fully influence all people. It honors those who live a biblically centered life, attempting to spread Yahweh's Kingdom wherever they go. It also readily recognizes truth, not being overcome by personal opinion or current societal acceptance of ungodly behavior. With this standard in place we believe in absolute truth which ultimately comes from our Creator God, who is Truth.

"Love always protects." This kind of protection takes endurance. It bears up under stress and strain. Yahweh's love is a shield against human flaws. It works to protect others from the anger and revenge so rampant in this world. This kind of love provides a shelter that withstands accidents and bad circumstances. It's a sheltering love providing saint and sinner with amazing grace, and especially offering the sinner another opportunity to repent.

"Love always trusts." Yahweh's love trusts first and acts in accordance with that trust. It doesn't hold back grace and mercy in doubt of how someone will or won't respond. It doesn't pre-judge situations or people. While it's not naive to the ways of the world, it's willing to give trust because it's fueled by faith in our loving heavenly Father, not in the person we're dealing with. This love loves the other person enough to give them a chance to receive a heavenly blessing by our hand. When we do this right we don't get all hung up in suspicions or conspiracies because we know Yahweh is sovereign over all things.

"Love always hopes." Yahweh's love always hopes for the best. It always trusts that the Father's goodness can be brought to bear in every circumstance and situation. It's willing to champion the cause of the underdog, to not give up when others might. This kind of love knows that failures aren't final because our heavenly Father gives many second chances. It doesn't bend to popular opinion and dash the hopes and dreams of others. It understands that our Father loves to give hope to the hopeless, and won't give up when the worldly view says that it's an impossible situation.

"Love always perseveres." Yahweh's love stands its ground, and stands strong. Though we may be mistreated, unappreciated, unloved, or not cared for - this love remains steadfast and true, seeking to do what's best for everyone. Through insult or abandonment it doesn't give up. Through trials and tribulations it keeps seeking the goal of Kingdom building. This kind of love may be shaken, but never broken. This kind of love endures because it's based on the Rock of Jesus, where we can always stand firm and secure. If we love as our Father does, it won't fade away with time or diminish with separation.

Yahweh's love is permanent. It's filled with grace. It always overcomes the world. While worldly things, even the best we humans have to offer, fade away and ultimately disappoint - Yahweh's love will endure to the end and retain its full glory. All our worldly possessions will someday be taken from us, but the love of our heavenly Father will remain with us throughout eternity. It's a precious gift we can receive and then partake of by giving it away. Blessed be Yahweh our Father who has lavished this great love on us. May we honor and glorify his name by sharing it with others.

Blessings & Peace, Mike

The Net (11/28/11)

Shalom,

Please begin by reading Luke 5:1-7.

Can you imagine Peter, the seasoned fisherman, as he tries to explain to Jesus, the carpenter and traveling preacher, why going back out to fish again is rather ridiculous? He tries to be kind. "We've worked all night and haven't caught anything." He's trying to explain without being cruel and harsh that he knows his way around the lake and doesn't want to waste anymore time. Now we can imagine that he'd like to say, "I've worked this area of the lake since I was a little boy. I know when and where to fish. Who do you think you are, non-fisherman, to tell me how to do my job?"

But Peter graciously takes his boat back out. There was just something about Jesus that convinced him to take his chances with this odd bit of advice. The Master, as he was called, had earned the respect of his disciples. They honored his request because they wanted to give him honor. They trusted him so much that they obeyed him even when he was telling them something they didn't think he fully understood. They decided that going back out to fish was a good thing because their trusted teacher said they should. Now think about it. How many times have we ourselves said something like, "But you just don't understand," after hearing an instruction from our Lord?

The first test of obedience is found in the measure we're willing to follow Jesus. For these men who had left everything to follow him, Jesus offered a test of faith. Would the fishermen obey the instructions of the carpenter when it came to fishing? We get tested in similar ways. We think we know something really well, and then the Spirit instructs us to do something in that area which we know could never work. Will we trust and obey, or will we miss out on an unexpected blessing? The fantastic results the fishermen got certainly helped them learn to trust Jesus more and more.

Two boys decide to go fishing. They tell their mother not to make anything for supper because they planned on providing the meal. They pack a lunch, hike to their favorite fishing hole, and begin to fish. One of the boys notices a snake in the water and starts to throw rocks at it. Soon the other boy joins him as they see more snakes. All too soon they notice it's getting late. They pick up their gear and head for home.

But they head home without any fish. They spent all their time throwing rocks at the snakes. They must now go home and explain this to their mother.

Did you know that there are churches who do the same sort of thing? We spend too much time throwing stones, and not enough time fishing. We throw stones against Bible translations we don't like, or doctrinal interpretations we disagree with, or styles of baptism and worship music and liturgies. We throw many stones at what we consider to be sin that needs to be repented of or demons who need to be identified. But what about spreading the Gospel and helping people come to know Jesus as their Savior?

We're to be casting our nets, both where Jesus directs us to and where we know the fishing is good. Too much time is wasted arguing and debating theological points instead of combining our efforts to bless our communities. Too much time is wasted complaining about the sin in our world instead of offering the grace of Jesus Christ to overcome the darkness. Too much time is spent defending our comfort zones and allowing the spirit of slumber to keep us from being aware of the spiritual needs in our communities.

Had Peter not gone back out to fish, because he'd already spent all night without catching anything, he would have missed out on an amazing and powerful miracle. There's an awesome wonder connected to obeying our Lord God Almighty. Without knowing what was about to happen, Peter moved his boat out into deeper water just because his Lord asked him to. There the nets were lowered and the rest of the story points to to the miraculous power of Yahweh. Peter trusted Jesus and received an overwhelming blessing. We need to do the same thing.

We have a responsibility as followers of Jesus, to be "fishers of men." We need to be reaching out with Gospel into a lost and dying world. Do you know where your net is? If we never cast out our nets, we'll never catch anything. To be "fishers of men" means to be active about sharing the Gospel with the lost. We need to use our individual nets and our corporate nets. We each have an individual fishing role, and each body of believers has a combined function. But to do this we have to know where our nets are.

Sometimes we argue within our fellowships about the style of net to be used, and then never actually use it. Sometimes we put the net on display because of the time we actually caught something with it. Sometimes we ignore our nets because it's such a crude way of fishing. Sometimes we're only willing to cast it in places where the type of fish we'll catch will be acceptable within our fellowship. It sure seems like we have a lot of excuses for not following the direction of our Lord and Master.

Are there holes in your net? Then it needs to be mended. Too often we cause the holes ourselves by backing down and not maintaining the truth of the Gospel. When we agree that there are other ways to heaven we cut huge holes in our nets. When we compromise and water down the fact that full surrender to Jesus is necessary we let people out of our nets. When we proclaim that "evangelism isn't my gift" we deny the ability of the Holy Spirit within to speak through us. We've got to work at mending our nets instead of making them less effective.

Evangelism is the duty of the whole Body of Christ. We're all called to do this ministry of evangelism. No, you may not have the specific spiritual gift of evangelism, but you still have a responsibility to be part of the mission. Pray and ask your Lord what he thinks. Read your Bible and you'll not find a place which says you're not required to be a part of the evangelistic ministry.

The wonder of it all is that Yahweh calls each and every one of us to do this important task. If he called these simple fishermen to such an important work, then he can certainly use you and me. He doesn't need super saints, he needs obedient followers. Every Christian can share the Gospel. What we need to do is share it from our perspective. People need to hear what we know about Jesus. They don't need to hear what you heard some professional evangelist say. We need to become more comfortable with telling our version of the Gospel story, the version that we don't have to study because we've lived it.

Whatever business you're engaged in, whatever your occupation, Yahweh can and will use you. Whatever your talent happens to be, if you turn it over to your Lord he can use it to advance his Kingdom. Under Yahweh's direction we won't all be doing the same thing, or even talking to the same people. There's not a program or paradigm that works for every person. We just need to be under the Spirit's leading and direction, responding to his call to evangelize.

And don't worry about being absolutely tongue-tied whenever you try to talk about your Savior, just trust in his help and you'll eventually get it right. You may have to take a course on evangelism, or read some books with suggestions on how to share your faith, or just plain get out there and fail a few times for the experience. Whatever you do, speak to people about your Savior and your faith.

Evangelist Winkey Pratney shares this story. "As a shy, ex-research chemist whose only desire in life before becoming a Christian was never to travel, speak, or meet anyone; I've learned this: We must trust God or die. A friend of mine is one of the most witty, relaxed Gospel communicators I know. To hear him, you could never tell he is a hopeless stutterer."

"Unless the Lord touches him, he's a basket case. Would that we all had his problem. It's the story of all the Bible heroes and Christian giants throughout history: Trust God or die. Or sometimes, trust God and die."

Are you willing to die to yourself, to put down the shyness and doubt and stubbornness that keeps you from sharing your faith with other people on a regular basis? If Yahweh calls you, he's also able to help you perform whatever task he desires. Evangelizing our Lost world is one of those tasks. If you're not certain that's true then you need to read Matt 28:18-20. This work is for each and every member of the Body of Christ. It's a work that must be done for the Church of the Living God to continue on.

Find your net and use it. If you don't know how to fish seek out some help. If your net needs mending, fix it. Get into action, Yahweh has already called you.

Blessings & Peace, Mike

Caring For the Weak (11/21/11)

Shalom,

Please begin by reading Rom 15:1-3.

Americans were asked: "What are you willing to do for $10 million?" These were some of their responses, and as we can see, some people don't have very good standards of right and wrong or any solid faith in anything outside themselves.

25% would abandon their family.

25% would abandon their church.

23% would become prostitutes for a week.

16% would leave their spouses.

16% would give up their citizenship.

10% would withhold testimony and let a murderer go free.

7% would kill a stranger.

3% would put their children up for adoption.

Marcus Aurelius, a noted philosopher and the Roman emperor about 100 years after the Apostle Paul's ministry, identified the following traits of a successful person. 1) Consciousness of an honest purpose in life. 2) A just estimate of himself and everyone else. 3) Frequent self-examinations. 4) Steady obedience to what he knows to be right. 5) Indifference to what others may think or say about themselves.

As we can see, standards of decency and justice haven't changed that much over the centuries. What people believe to be good and right has pretty much stayed the same throughout human history. The fact that we continue to have people who make their living caring for the weak points out that it's still a commendable thing in most people's minds. I know I appreciate those who work in nursing homes, assisted living homes, and other places where handicapped or hurting people are cared for.

Rom 15:1 says, "We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves." Failings here means frailties. We're not necessarily talking about human failings. All of us struggle to some extent with these, those things we screw up and the things we just plain don't get right from day to day. Frailties here is referring to the kind of problems we encounter which can't be overcome without the help of others.

The literal translation of weak is "non-strong." This shows us there's a definite separation between the strong and weak. The scripture says the strong"ought" to help others strictly for the benefit of those we're helping. It's in the present tense, emphasizing our continuing obligation to offer help and assistance to those who're truly in need. Offering help to people who for the most part can't take care of themselves is a very good thing in the eyes of our Lord and Master. Many times I've heard people question why there are mentally and physically handicapped people in our world. The first answer is because we live in a fallen world where there are clear differences in people's abilities and obvious needs. The question we all need to consider is as followers of Jesus, "What is my role in caring for these needy people?" Our heavenly Father expects that we'll do our best to help even the most profoundly handicapped person to live well.

Maybe we all need to think a little more clearly about who and what we are ourselves. We all need to recognize that every human is weak in some form or fashion. Now, weak and strong are relative terms. They're never used in the Bible to speak of someone being absolutely weak or strong. Rather, the Bible let's us know that we're all weak and strong in certain areas of our lives. One of the reasons we need to live in community with other humans is because our Creator designed us to live in relationship and fellowship with others. He wants us to combine our talents and resources and efforts to provide for one another.

We need to offer our strength, whatever it may be, to help others who are weaker than ourselves. We need to set aside our weaknesses to provide strength for people who need our help. Yahweh tells us to care for those who truly need our help. He often speaks of caring for widows and orphans as being something truly right and good and just in his sight. We all need to encourage one another to do this kind of good and godly work. We need to bless one another in the efforts we put forth on behalf of needy people.

How does Yahweh view weakness? Words like weak and weakness appear 87 times in the New Testament. In all these passages there's not one word of condemnation for the weakness. The weaknesses aren't lifted up as worthy of praise either. Perhaps the best way we can put it is that Yahweh tolerates weakness. He strives to free all people from weakness and to have their needs provided for, either by attaining to individual maturity and learning ourselves, or by having those who are able to care for themselves also care for those who can't. If we have a heart to serve in honor of our Lord and Master, we can accomplish great things for Yahweh's Kingdom.

Matt 12:20 says this about Jesus: "A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out." The reeds of that area grew up to 10-15 feet tall. They aren't flimsy, but are fairly strong and rigid. They were often cut off at the base and used as a measuring stick or even a walking stick. But if a reed happened to have a bruise on it, it was weak and not any good anymore. If that was the case it was broken off and cast aside.

How does Jesus view the "bruised reeds," the truly weak people in our world? He doesn't break them and cast them aside. Knowing how fragile they are, he loves them. He spends time with them. He identifies with their weakness. He doesn't cast them aside as many humans are prone to do with those they believe to be of no practical use. But he also challenges these weaker ones to attain to higher things, to attempt to become strong and able to help others.

What about the smoking wick? In those days homes were lit by lamps made from a bowl of oil with a strip of flax placed in it for a wick. When the oil burned low, the flax began to smoke and smolder. It was very irritating to have this smoke fill your house. The natural thing to do, and the simplest, was to reach over and snuff out the flax. Poof, and all you have is one dead wick. No more smoky irritation or weak light. To do this is perfectly understandable, all so perfectly human.

But Jesus wouldn't do that. He endures the irritation as he works to replenish the supply of oil. He leans over to carefully pour fresh oil into the bowl. He gently works to keep from snuffing out the wick, thereby returning the lamp to efficient use. That's how our Lord and Master tries to work with the weak. We need to learn how to use his gentleness and compassion to bless people who need our help.

Yahweh isn't naive. He knows about our weaknesses just like he knew about Peter's temper and loud mouth. Jesus knew the disciples would scatter the night he was betrayed. He accepted their weaknesses and he maintained his trust in them so they could eventually walk in spiritual strength to spread his Kingdom. Our heavenly Father loves the weak, and that includes each and every one of us. He loves those who help the weak, providing for their needs and caring for them with godly love and kindness.

Those who are stronger have a responsibility to care for those who are weaker. Strength isn't given to the strong so they can impose themselves on others, strutting around showing off their advantage. Yahweh strengthens people so they can then support the weak. We can't answer all the questions that are asked about why there's suffering and weakness in our world. But we can trust in Yahweh and believe that those who are strong can and should provide for the needs of those who are weak.

The evolutionary cry, survival of the fittest, is certainly not a godly position. We know there's some truth in this, but we also know that our Creator wants us to care for those who are weaker than ourselves. There's no room for imposing ourselves on others in Yahweh's Kingdom. The Creator, our Designer, has told us that the greatest among us will also be the greatest servant. That's a concept that we have to submit to because our natural inclination would have us striving for mastery over others. The instruction of Rom 15:1 ended with, "not to please ourselves." We're not to accommodate our own desires, but to bless and serve others first. This is what pleases our Father in heaven.

I want to say thanks to everyone for their outstanding efforts in caring for the needs of others. I want to bless anyone who does this work. I pray that the Body of Christ can step into this area with zeal and energy. May we provide comfort and care for those Yahweh places before us. May we all be more mindful of what Acts 20:35 tells us. "In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: It is more blessed to give than to receive."

Blessings & Peace, Mike

Just War (11/14/11)

Shalom,

Please begin by reading Rom 13:1-5.

Just war is a concept many people disagree about. Some say it's impossible for any war to be just. Others lean too far into the warmongering attitude and lose credibility. Just war has been debated since the beginning of Christianity. We need to consider every point and be willing to allow the Holy Spirit to guide us in our study and when we have to make the tough choices that come with man's inhumanity to man.

On November 11th America celebrates Veteran's Day. It's a day set aside to honor those who have fought and died for the cause of freedom and liberty. There are some people who would suggest to us that Veteran's Day is outmoded, that it's a holiday that should no longer be practiced, that the time for remembering the sacrifices made in wars long past is unnecessary. They want us to move on to other things that don't remind us of death and destruction.

Some of these people would even suggest that Veteran's Day glorifies war and encourages people to think and believe that it's acceptable instead of abhorrent and ungodly. Some would say that to die fighting for one's country isn't a good and honorable thing. They say, "Don't do this, don't remember. Do something else, speak about the horror of war, and proclaim that our heavenly Father is against all violence, against all forms of man's cruelty to his fellow man."

Proper Christian thinking is guided by Rom 13:1-5. These verses include some very powerful words: "the authority does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer." We should fight for justice. We should fight to punish evil. This is Yahweh's will. We don't love war. We fight because we have to.

Take for example - terrorism. The only reason to fight a war against terrorism is that by doing so we'll save lives. If our military attacks terrorists, say the leadership of Al-Queda, our main intent is to stop them from killing non-combatants. By doing this it's certain that some "innocent" people will be saved from death or injury. There is no negotiating with a people who believe it's right for them to tell lies to advance their cause.

We shouldn't be eager to go to war. Christians, especially, should go into any conflict with much sadness and humility. Our military uses smart bombs and other high-tech munitions, but smart bombs aren't omniscient. Terrorists will die. It's likely that innocent civilians will die. Our soldiers will die. But terrorists are murdering fanatics, and they've left us with some bad and hard choices.

Some people worry that viewing warfare as a positive good will incline us to be quicker to fight and slower to negotiate. But this simply isn't the case. Aquinas wrote of three requirements for just war: 1) Right Authority. 2) Just Cause. 3) Right Intention. Augustine listed sufficient provocation for waging a just war as: 1) Avenging Wrongs. 2) Punishing an Evil Nation. 3) Restoring What's Been Unjustly Seized. 4) Securing Peace. 5) Punishing Evildoers. Christians would be wise to always consider these criteria before waging war or battling evil.

The issue of how we fight is another matter. We must fight with right intention. We must intend to punish evildoers, not just anyone attached to them culturally or nationally. We should do our best to see that our use of force doesn't detract from our duty to uphold the good. Right conduct in war is dependent upon the virtues of the soldiers and their commanders. From Yahweh's point of view, he works through us to restrain evil within his creation. In using human beings to do so, Yahweh actually elevates the restrainers to a closer relationship with him. If they're just soldiers who fight for the love of God and neighbor, even in their use of force they're serving their Lord and Master. When soldiers asked John the Baptist what they should do, he didn't tell them to throw down their weapons and stop soldiering. He said, "Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely - be content with your pay" (Luke 3:14).

From the human point of view the virtue of charity, love for our God, drives just soldiers to do all they can to restrain evil, to see that justice is done, and this sometimes means using force. When evil men break into your home and begin to threaten or harm your children, isn't it right to fight for them? We're to defend those who can't defend themselves. Psalm 82:3-4 admonishes us: "Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked."

A failure to engage in a just war is a failure of Christian virtue, a failure to act well on behalf of the weak. It's a greater evil for a Christian to fail to wage just war than it is for an unbeliever. When an unbeliever fails to go to war, the cause may be lack of courage or the sense of justice. He may be a coward or indifferent to evil. These are failures of natural moral virtue. When Christians fail to engage in just war, it may involve all of these natural failures, too. But more significantly it involves a failure of charity. The Christian who fails to use force when necessary to aid or defend his neighbor is being uncharitable. Christians who willingly and knowingly refuse to engage in a just war, when they have a very real ability to help, do a vicious thing. They fail to show love toward their neighbor as well as toward their Creator.

We look at what happens in a war and we don't like it. People have died. The ability of some soldiers to walk or see has been lost. Dreams for their future have been battered and even destroyed. And amazingly we Americans have benefited from these tragic losses. One soldier went to war and didn't return. Another went and did come back, but maybe now they're unable to play ball or build a house or see a sunset. But we're blessed because we have our freedom, our security, our prosperity. And we owe it to those who've lost a life, a limb, a loved one.

When I look at the level of sacrifice that was required for me to enjoy freedom, I'm amazed. When I look at the level of responsibility required of me to maintain that freedom, I feel inadequate. I especially feel inadequate when I compare my responsibility to those who've faced actual combat. But I also know I served 12 of my 21 years in the United States Air Force living overseas and working all kinds of odd shift schedules. I worked in confined spaces due to the high security level of what I was involved in. Many people can't relate because they have no military experience. But I know I've served and done my part to preserve freedom and I'm proud that I was able to do my small part.

As a Christian and a pastor I believe we need to look to the eternal guide of the Scriptures to see how to live properly and how to stand for freedom. When the prophet Zechariah (Chap 7) responded to questions from the Israelite people he didn't encourage them to mourn as they had in the past. He told them their days of mourning were over. Instead he told them to love truth and peace, and he reminded them of what all the prophets had said so long before. He spoke of what Yahweh had stated in the past. The prophet reminded them of the promises made by Yahweh in the days of Moses and all the other prophets.

They were told, "If you forget who your God is and what he can do, if you fail to keep the commandments to love your God and your neighbor, if you do evil rather than good, if you act unkindly toward foreigners and refugees, if you lie and steal and cheat, if you take bribes and pervert justice and slander your neighbors - then your land will be destroyed, your men killed, and your women and children enslaved."

So we need to think like this: "If we do what's right, if we care for the widows and orphans, if we give justice in our courts, if we seek to follow our Lord instead of greedily seeking wealth, if we obey Yahweh's laws rather than worshiping success or seeking popularity and recognition, if we're kind and merciful to one another - then our land will prosper and we'll live long and happy lives." These are the things we need to be much more mindful of. If we're truly thankful for those who've sacrificed so we could live in freedom, then we must take the torch they pass to us and carry it on high.

We need to live in the way that Yahweh meant us to live, in freedom and with the intention of preserving that freedom. Do what's necessary to maintain freedom. Do what's necessary to bring peace. Do what's necessary to bring justice to all people. Be a merciful person, walk humbly with your Lord God. Trust in his guidance. Those who seek him with all their hearts can know him in a very personal and special way. And he promises to speak with us, walk with us, and love through us.

If we can walk as true Christians, not just as people who claim its promises, but those who own it and possess it, we can see the nations more in line with our Creator's plan and purpose. If we walk away from Yahweh and his ways we ask for trouble and set ourselves up for terrorist activity. Isa 54:14 says, "In righteousness you will be established: Tyranny will be far from you; you will have nothing to fear. Terror will be far removed; it will not come near you." Yahweh promises to protect us from terror and tyranny if we live as a righteous people. America found out it doesn't have absolute protection when the 9/11 attacks happened. We weren't standing in righteousness as a nation, and terror was allowed to strike us extremely hard.

We have a responsibility to live up to when we're a free nation. Taking our freedom for granted will only lead to an eventual loss of that freedom. We must stand strong and defend what's right and just. In a democracy we must stand strong and vote for men and women who'll lead the nation in a righteous way. We must support our military, our police forces, our firefighters - any and all who sacrifice for the greater good.

As we recall those who gave their lives for freedom, we must remember their purpose. They loved freedom and were willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice for others. Yes, remember the horror of war and work to do all you can to avoid it. But also understand that there's a time and a place for righteous people to fight for justice. Commit yourself afresh and anew to the struggle against evil. Be willing to stand up for what's right and follow your Lord's leading in doing your part. Don't rush into a fight, but don't avoid one when it's in your power to protect someone weaker than yourself.

Blessings & Peace, Mike

Yahweh the Loving Daddy (11/7/11)

Shalom,

Please begin by reading Zeph 3:14-20.

Zephaniah prophesied in the days of King Josiah. He played a major role in the revival that occurred during Josiah's reign. But even during this time of spiritual renewal Yahweh continued to use his prophet to speak words of the impending wrath to come. Yahweh understands his people well enough to know they won't maintain this spiritual upswing. He knows how they've blown hot and cold throughout their existence as a nation. Their revivals and times of good spiritual life were mostly driven by strong leadership, and often didn't last because the people hadn't really made a change of heart.

In the 3rd chapter of Zephaniah the prophet speaks of the remnant being saved and the introduction of a "pure" language to the earth. This is an obvious reference to the Gospel of Jesus the Christ. We see it envisioned as the Correct System of Thought About Our Creator. Zephaniah saw people speaking the Truth of Yahweh as normally as they speak everyday words. If we truly have the Creator in our hearts, this should be happening with us on a regular basis.

What do you believe most people think of when they attempt to picture our Creator God? Is he far or near? Is he powerful or passive? Is he disgusted with their sin or in love with all his creation? Is he like a mean old man or is he the kindly grandfatherly type? Is he listening to our cries and can he do anything to truly help?

What a person believes about our Creator is the most important thing contained in their mind. It affects everything about them. What they believe determines how they think and make choices. What they believes affects them spiritually, emotionally, and even physically. We will act in accordance with how we believe Yahweh will deal with us and our world..

Sadly there are many wrong impressions of Yahweh and how he deals with us commonly believed around the world. These misconceptions distort our prayers and in some cases they even prevent people from praying at all. For too many people, the God they envision seems remote, impersonal, and unknowable. Because of that, even some Christians suffer from the inability to feel truly forgiven or they're filled with nagging doubts or they have a general mistrust of God their Father.

Our prayers are shaped by the way we picture our heavenly Father. A dysfunctional picture of him results in a dysfunctional way of praying and sharing our faith. Those who had an earthly father who was never around when they needed him, or have experienced trauma or abuse or extreme discipline; will have a very difficult time personally pursuing an intimate, loving, and trusting relationship with Yahweh. They will more likely see him as a vengeful judge, the one who spews out wrath and retribution when sinners do what's natural by sinning.

If we've had a good relationship with our earthly father we're more likely to be able to enjoy the presence of our heavenly Father. Yahweh is a loving Father. He sent his Son to die on the cross so we could have our sins forgiven. He came to us to reconcile our broken relationship. We need to be like the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) and return to our father when things become too tough for us to handle. Actually we need to stick by his side in good and bad times, building a solid relationship of faith and obedience, because that's what our heavenly Father desires from each and every one of us.

The Bible declares that our Father's passionate rejoicing echoes throughout heaven. Luke 15:7 says, "I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine who do not need to repent." Jer 32:40-41 says, "I (Yahweh) will make an everlasting covenant with them; I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul."

Our Great and Mighty and Awesome God, the Creator of everything, takes great delight and is filled with overflowing joy when we have a right relationship with him. You already read Zeph 3:17, but lets do it again. "Yahweh your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. Our Father knows great contentment in his love for us. Someone once said that if Yahweh had a refrigerator, our picture would be on it. And if he had a wallet, our picture would be in it. He longs to hold us close and hug some peace and joy into our troubled lives. He wants to embrace us and let us feel the soothing of his closeness.

In Hebrew the word rejoice means dancing for joy or leaping for joy. The root meaning is to spin around with intense emotion. When we enter into our Father's presence, our great and mighty and awesome God will spin and dance in joy, displaying his great love for us. The word for singing means a shout of joy or loud cheering in triumph. Can you picture Yahweh hooting and hollering out of intense joy just because you showed up to visit him? Maybe we all should try very hard to see this beautiful picture.

The image portrayed in Zeph

Problematically, there are also unbelievers within our churches who cloak their activities away from the fellowship while "playing church" when in attendance. They're determined to continue to do what they want. They put on a mask to appear religious, but their lifestyle shows their bad fruit. Their major problem is that they believe in the concept of a God, but they have no experiential knowledge of him as a loving Father who hungers for intimacy with them. They must have some concept of their need for the God of the Bible, but they refuse to use the Bible as the instruction book for having a good relationship with its author.

This type of person spoils the image of love and joy in the heart of Christians because outsiders see these sourpusses and the devil lies to them that we're all hypocrites. Maybe these people are the ones who had rotten earthly fathers and they won't surrender deep enough to Yahweh because they're afraid of getting hurt again. Maybe these people are superficial because that's the way religion was taught to them. Whatever their reason, we need to encourage them to encounter the joyous singing and dancing of their heavenly Father.

If we expect Yahweh to be with us, we need to obey his Word. Throughout the Bible we can see him telling us, "If you will, then I will." His continued blessing of our efforts is conditional. We can't do our own thing and then expect him to pour out his spiritual riches on us. There's no automatic blessing for having said the sinner's prayer, nothing that opens up the windows of heaven so we can receive his riches without continued efforts at obedience. Only by obediently serving our Father can we obtain the promised blessings and avoid the curses.

We must first accept Jesus as our Savior if we expect to partake of Zephaniah's promise that Yahweh "will take great delight in us." To have our sins washed away, and then to obediently continue to serve our Master is the requirement for us to maintain our Lord's presence in our lives. Yahweh abides with those who abide with him. Where is your home? Do you live in his presence or just show up for an occasional visit? To enjoy all benefits of being children of the King means we have to abide with him. We have to purposefully work at living in his presence.

Every Christian is a love gift given by the Father to the Son. Jesus sees each individual believer as another opportunity to heal our broken relationship with our Creator. In his prayer of intercession in John 17, Jesus thanks his Father seven times for giving the true believers to him. The Father's deep love for the Son can be experienced by all of us. We can join the family through spiritual adoption and be as greatly loved as Jesus. His love is filled with joy and delight and anticipation just like any newlywed. Isa 62:5 says, "As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you."

Yahweh's delight in his children is seen throughout the Bible. Deut 30:9 tells us, he "delights in making you prosper." David understood the love of the Father and exclaimed to the world that "no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless" (Psalm 84:11). David also wrote Psalm 23:6. "Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of Yahweh forever." David also wrote Psalm 37:4. "Delight yourself in Yahweh and he will give you the desires of your heart." Jer 29:11 tells us of our loving Father's good plans for his children. "I know the plans I have for you, declares Yahweh, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and future." None of these mean we get what we selfishly hunger after or greedily desire, but that we get what's in our Father's heart for us because we've obediently sought and served him.

Our heavenly Father's love is explained to us in Rom 8:28. "We know that in all things Yahweh works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Please don't misunderstand that this verse means all things that happen to us are good. What Yahweh is able to do is work everything out for our good. When evil occurs in our lives, he can overcome it and heal us. When we fall in sin, he can turn the consequences into a learning experience or at the very least an opportunity for building our godly character. There's no magic in what he does for us, just good old-fashioned teaching moments if we're paying attention.

Yahweh is love! Yahweh is Great! Yahweh is our Father! We can call him Abba, PaPa, Daddy, Dad, or whatever intimate title we favor. Because Yahweh's our Daddy, we need to give the gift of loving him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. And we do that because that's the way he loves us.

Blessings & Peace, Mike

Ruth: an Inheritance Restored(10/31/11)

Shalom,

We'll be reading through portions Ruth 3 & 4 as we go along. It's a short book. It will bless you to read it all as we look at Ruth's story.

The story of Ruth opens with Naomi. Her family had wealth and land, living in Bethlehem. A severe famine came upon the land, causing them to leave their property and inheritance behind to settle in Moab. Her two sons married Moabite women while living there. The names of her two sons stand out in the issues and circumstances she ends up facing. Mahlon means sickly and Kilion means failing or dying. And of course, they ended up dying while living in the land of Moab.

In Moab Naomi also lost her husband. Famine, death, and desolation caused all her hope for inheritance and restoration to be lost. She had nothing left but two Moabite daughter-in-laws. She felt so bad she changed her name from Naomi (pleasant) to Mara (bitter). Naomi had nothing left in her heart but bitterness. She fell victim to Satan's assault. He's always trying to afflict us and make us think the very opposite of what Yahweh intends for us.

But somehow Naomi heard that things had improved back in Bethlehem, and she decided to return to her homeland. She brought Orpah (neck or the girl with the full mane) and Ruth (companion, friendship) together and told them to go back to their homes because she had nothing to offer them. One decided to stay in Moab, while the other chose to go with Naomi. Yahweh always has places of choice for us. When we come to a key deciding point in our lives, we'll find a biblical principle at work. Yahweh gives us the opportunity to continue on our journey or to turn back to what we knew in the past.

Ruth committed herself to go with Naomi. Her words are profound. "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried. May Yahweh deal with me, be it ever so severely, if anything but death separates you and me."

Ruth made a covenant with Naomi when she repeatedly said "I wll." Ruth committed to remain by Naomi's side despite any enemies or difficulties that might come their way. Most of us don't really understand the true power of covenant to affect us and any territory/property we influence. This covenant stirred things up in Bethlehem. Two widows entering a city was hardly cause for a celebration, but the Bible says that the city was excited when they arrived.

At their arrival in Bethlehem, all Naomi and Ruth have is a covenant and a long-lost inheritance. Ruth served Naomi faithfully. She was a woman of virtue, filled with grace and power because of her commitment. She gleaned the fields to provide food for Naomi and herself, picking up the leftover grain to make bread to sustain them from day-to-day.

Read Ruth 3:1-6. Eventually Naomi began to remember some important things about inheritance that Yahweh had set forth for Israel. She knew that gleaning wouldn't provide for them through the long-term. So Naomi decided to seek security for Ruth. She wanted to secure her family's inheritance for this loving daughter-in-law. Naomi realized that Boaz was a near relative and that there was a spiritual law in Israel that provided for a relative to bring the two of them back into their inheritance. A light went on in her head because of the Yahweh-established provision for them in the Levitical Law that said they had a right to family inheritance if the near relative would become their kinsman redeemer.

So Naomi laid out a plan for Ruth to secure her inheritance. This is what she told her to do.

1. Wash Yourself. Ruth had been gleaning in the fields. She was tired and no doubt smelled sour due to her hard work. Naomi knew they weren't going to come into their inheritance with the way Ruth looked and smelled. So Ruth got water and washed herself. Today our Lord is sweeping across his Body with cleansing revelation. We've worked hard. We've toiled in the fields and our Father says, "Stop. Wash yourself. Let the Word of God flow over you. Take a rest. Soak for a little while and allow me to cleanse and refresh and renew you. Make yourself a presentable bride for my Son."

2. Anoint Yourself. To anoint means to be smeared with fragrant oil. Ruth needed a new fragrance for a new season. Isaiah 61:3 speaks of the oil of joy which replaces the mourning of our souls. This is also part of Jubilee. Ruth hadn't been in a season of joy, she's a widow. But in order to move into her new season of inheritance, she needed a new anointing of oil which would put forth a pleasant fragrance. As we move into our season of inheritance, we need to allow the Holy Spirit to cover us with a new anointing. Allow the oil of joy to replace the unpleasant odor of mourning in your life.

3. Put on Your Best Garment. The garment Ruth had been wearing to work in the fields was inappropriate to meet her possible future husband. Ruth was still wearing her widow's clothing. In order to secure her future, the widowhood which she was wearing had to come off. The grief that she'd been wearing was not valid for this new season. It wouldn't draw anyone to her. Here's a lesson for us: Take off the grief. Yes, we go through some hard, hard things in this world. But when Yahweh says it's time to change our garments and remove our grief, we can't let self-pity keep that old garment buttoned up tight around us. Can we draw people to Jesus if we're clothed in grief? It's not likely. Yahweh is going to have us put on a new garment which will show the world his comfort and encouragement, exactly what they need for themselves.

4. Go to the Threshing Floor. The threshing floor had a dual purpose. It was where the wheat and the chaff were separated, and it was also a place of feasting. So Naomi tells Ruth, "Go to the place where the party is being held." As we make ourselves ready, Yahweh is preparing a feast. And he's preparing us to go to the place where the party is happening. We must go where our Bridegroom can be found. Remember the Ten Virgins (Matt 25:1-13), only those who were prepared and waiting by the door got in to the party.

5. Wait for Yahweh's Timing. Naomi told Ruth not to enter into the party right away. She was to stand back and wait until all the fun had stopped and then come out of the shadows. Yahweh's getting us established in our abiding place so we can be ready when his timing is complete. When the party was over, Ruth was to go lay down at Boaz's feet, and as she did this a clear and distinct decision was being made. In this culture she was offering herself completely to this man. He could have taken her sexually without any promise of marriage. Can you imagine what Ruth must have been thinking? She was a virtuous woman, and she was told to lay down at the feet of a man. This was a true test of obedience and submission. Yahweh is bringing the Body of Christ to his feet, and we're to stay there until we receive his best.

Boaz awoke from his sleep and found Ruth laying at his feet. Then Boaz, a beautiful picture of our kinsman redeemer - our Lord Jesus, asked her who she was. Ruth identified herself as a close relative and asked him to draw her in close and cover her. In doing this Ruth declared, "I need a redeemer. You can take my shame and poverty away and give me an inheritance." We also need to speak like this to our Kinsman Redeemer. We need to answer his question of who we are with, "I am yours if you'll have me. You can take my shame and poverty away and give me an inheritance."

Read Ruth 4:1-6. Boaz explained to Ruth that there was a closer relative than himself, and the issue of proper order must be dealt with. When we stop and listen, Yahweh will show us some key issues of order that we haven't seen before. Then Boaz went to see this relative who had first rights to Ruth and her inheritance. He was determined to help her secure this inheritance one way or another. If we, Yahweh's people, will stop and listen as we lay at our Father's feet today, if we'll willingly submit ourselves to him and obediently do what he says, our Lord will secure our inheritance for us. Yahweh is saying to us, "Come to my feet. You won't lose out. I will see that your inheritnace is secured. For you are at a crossroads, but when the day breaks, your inheritance will be there for you one way or another."

Then Boaz stood at the gates of Bethlehem and warred for Ruth before receiving her as his wife. The redemptive plan of Yahweh couldn't be stopped. The seed of inheritance went into Ruth, and she conceived a child. That child was brought to Naomi who was still holding some bitterness. Yet she began to nurture the child, and a flow of life began to pour out on Naomi and nourish the seed of her inheritance. This child produced from Ruth's union with Boaz was Obed, King David's grandfather and a direct ancestor of our Messiah Jesus. As such, all generations have been blessed by the restoration of Naomi's inheritance, Ruth's covenant alliance, and Boaz's obedience at the gates of Bethlehem.

Boaz means "God is my strength." Yahweh can be our strength to restore everything we have lost. Yahweh is drawing us under his protective care. As we understand his covenant with us, we'll have the ability to do the things he requires of us. Some of these things may seem strange and unusual, but they will be for his plans and purposes so we can trust that they're good. Then he'll draw us near and redeem us fully. Get ready, we're changing seasons, and because of our obedience Yahweh has a plan to bring us out of shame and poverty to his glory in the latter days. He has a plan to see that we possess and secure our inheritance individually, for our families, and for our fellowships.

We must hope in our Father to see this come to pass. Don't be blinded by the world's confusion and busyness. Jer 29:11 is a great hope for us. "I know the plans I have for you, declares Yahweh, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." There is hope available if we'll seek our Lord with all of our heart. Every fellowship of believers can become what Yahweh desires. This portion of upstate New York can become what Yahweh desires. It can be hopeful and successful. Be a Ruth and refuse to accept less than our Father's best.

Blessings and Peace, Mike

I Have Taken Away Your Sin (10/24/11)

Shalom,

Please begin by reading Zech 3:1-10.

Zechariah was a contemporary of Haggai, except he was known to be a much younger man. He spent four years exhorting, encouraging, helping, and working shoulder to shoulder with the people of Jerusalem for the completion of the rebuilt Temple. His book is one of the largest among the group referred to as the "Minor Prophets." It's filled with messianic prophecies, mentioning many details that would be fulfilled by the life and work of Jesus. His name means Yahweh remembers.

There are eight significant glimpses of Jesus in Zechariah's writings. The one we're most familiar with is Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem on what's called Palm Sunday (Zech 9:9). There are also references to his betrayal for 30 pieces of silver (11:12), the piercing of his hands (12:10), and a reference to his being the smitten shepherd (13:7). The one we're focusing on in this lesson concerns the redeeming death of Jesus on our behalf.

In this vision Satan is standing at Joshua the High Priest's right hand. Josuha is accused of being an unfaithful servant. There are scholars who say this accusation of unfaithfulness is being brought because priests under his authority had married foreign women in direct violation of the Mosaic Law. The men who did this included his own son. As Yahweh was working to reestablish a working priesthood, Satan brings a charge against the High Priest which would render him unworthy of his office.

It's normally by our own foolishness that we give Satan any advantages over us. We're usually the ones who furnish him with situations and circumstances allowing us to receive reproach and accusation. If any fault is found within us Satan will use it to file complaints with Yahweh. In this vision Satan is standing before Yahweh with Joshua to oppose his service for the public good. He stood at Joshua's right hand, the hand of action and authority, to discourage Joshua and place obstacles in the way of his service. He knows the priesthood is appointed by our Lord and Master, so he'll work hard to limit our effectiveness or completely ruin our testimony.

When we're fulfilling our call to serve our Lord and Master we must expect to meet with all the resistance that Satan can stir up with his schemes and malice. We have to resist the one who resists us before our Lord. We must never let the obstacles placed in our path discourage us or turn us away from the course set before us by the Holy Spirit. The root cause of sin in our lives is our sinful hearts, not Satan's temptations. This has been his work for a very long time, so he knows how to work against our human frailty.

Today we often tend to blame our sins on circumstances and situations, somehow claiming that what happened was beyond our control. But we can't claim this because our Lord has offered us an escape from every snare and temptation (1 Cor 10:13). We say, "my socio-economic condition is to blame or my genetics or my bad home life or many other excuses." To be sure, these things can affect and influence us, but what we forget is that the most influential ingredient in our failure is our own attitude. Our attitude is totally our responsibility, and that means we can overcome its effects with the help of the Holy Spirit. As Christians we dare to proclaim the possibility of a changed heart, and Yahweh is trustworthy to provide the help we need. He's dealing with us internally and externally to make the changes which produce Christ likeness in us.

Joshua is described as "a burning stick snatched from the fire." He's been wonderfully delivered out of the fire of condemnation and captivity. All converted souls are sticks pulled out of the fire by the miracle of grace. When we cry out or reach out or surrender to Yahweh, he cleanses us just like he did with Joshua. Our Father rebukes the devil and stakes his claim on our penitent hearts.

Yahweh directly rebukes Satan to silence his condemnation of Joshua. The devil is silenced by the One who has all authority. His accusation is crushed, his charge against Joshua is exposed as malicious and frivolous. All who belong to Jesus have his vigorous defense on their behalf to overcome all condemnation. There's no plea bargaining with the devil, there's only clear and direct rebuke of his lies.

Now in the midst of all this Joshua is portrayed as standing before Yahweh dirty and polluted. His clothing isn't fitting or worthy of his position as High Priest. He wasn't in the clean linen the Law directed the priests to wear as they minister before Yahweh. This conveys the idea that the whole priesthood at this time was not only poor, despised, and loaded with contemptible guilt; but there was also iniquity clinging to the holy things within the Temple. The nation had begun to turn away from idolatry, but the sin still needed to be directly dealt with.

Jesus stands with all whose hearts are right with him. He bears us up in our struggles. He admits us into communion with him to cleanse us and help us overcome our failures and sins. The picture of Joshua's cleansing is the same as what happens to us. Jesus gives orders to the angels to put "rich garments" on us replacing the ones stained with our sins. Jesus has compassion on us in our great need of being freed from our sin. Our Lord and Master hates the filth of our sin-stained garments, but he works with us to remove the filth and give us holiness because of our repentance.

Joshua is fully reinstated and established in his office as High Priest. He not only has his sins pardoned, he's acquitted by being furnished with sufficient grace from the hand of his God. The crown of the priesthood is placed on his head. The same thing happens to us when we confess our sin and receive cleansing from the blood of our Savior. When Yahweh plans the restoration or revival of his people, he stirs up the prophets to speak and the people to pray. The solemn charge given to Joshua is one we also need to remember. "If you walk in my ways and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here" (Verse 7).

Just like Joshua, if we'll perform our priestly duty we'll enjoy the dignity and rewards of our service. Joshua was put on notice and we also must be aware of our Lord watching over us. We must live a good and holy life. We must lead others in obeying our Lord and walking in holiness. We must carefully act as priests of the Most High God, pointing people to his grace and forgiveness. Good Christians are good priests. We have a trust committed to our care. We're not just standing before people as priests. We're standing before our Lord God Almighty who assigned us the priestly task.

As priests we're not allowed to make any new laws or rites or anything. Only Yahweh has the right to do those things. We can't come up with new ways to approach him. We must trust that he's already provided for every possibility. Our duty as Christians isn't to come up with new ways to introduce Jesus into our world. Yes, there are new songs and concepts and other things that come into our minds for our evangelistic efforts. But none of those is new to our all-knowing Father. To make new laws or rules or doctrines or "isms" is to reject what Yahweh has already set in place for us. We must be good servants, obeying our Master and sharing the Good news of salvation with all who will listen. We must be good priests, serving as a mediator who brings people to our Lord.

If you've read the Book of 1st John you've seen some very clear pictures of belief and unbelief. In this book we're told of the great love of Yahweh that takes away our sins. Joshua was told, "I have taken away your sin." According to 1st John, if we live a life of sin we don't know Yahweh. If we live in the hope of salvation, we're purified. It's all very clear and direct. There's no need for confusion. The only reason for us to be confused is because we're listening more to the accusations of Satan than to the redeeming grace of Jesus.

John Underwood of the Boston Globe wrote: "When a society decides that anything goes, pretty soon, everything does." Yahweh plants his motives within our hearts. Our hearts and Yahweh's heart should be in alignment. That's how we overcome the limitations of the Law, because we understand where it came from and its true purpose. The Law pointed anyone with a seeking heart to the Messiah. The Law continues to teach us that we need grace and mercy to overcome our sinful natures. What we want is to become like this quote from the Roman Seneca. "I no longer obey God... I agree with him."

We're just like Joshua the High Priest. Satan is standing before Yahweh accusing us of our sin. But through the sacrifice of Jesus our clothes are changed from filthy rags to spotless and rich garments. If we've asked Jesus to wash away our sin and come into our hearts we're living out this scripture. Yahweh is the only one who can take away our sin. We have no standing before him without the redeeming blood of Jesus.

John 3:21 says, "Whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be plainly seen that what he has done has been done through God." Yahweh is our source. He's the only one we can turn to for salvation. Unless he changes our hearts we have no place in his Kingdom. Don't blow off these Old Testament pictures of Yahweh's grace. Know and understand that the whole Bible is the whole Word of our God. Seek his truth throughout it and strive to learn his ways.

Blessings & Peace, Mike

The Lord's Prayer (10/17/11)

Shalom,

Please begin by reading John 16:22-28.

I believe that many Christians have never been taught how to pray properly. They have no understanding of what Yahweh expects of us in our prayers, and struggle with spending the necessary and appropriate amount of time in their prayers. Something as basic as how to pray is very often neglected as a subject in our Sunday Schools and Bible studies. Could you help a new Christian learn how to pray?

Prayer isn't about overcoming our Father's reluctance, it's about laying hold of his willingness. Too many people take the Lord's Prayer too lightly. First, it probably should be called the Disciple's prayer because it's teaching us how to pray. Second, it's something that should be used throughout the week, not just during our worship services. Not that we recite it regularly, but that we let it guide the way we pray. When we say, "Your will be done" we need to realize that we're asking our Lord and Master to truly be the God we believe him to be. We're asking the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to do what they want instead of what we want.

We need prayer because without Yahweh's influence and activity we can't do anything that's truly worthwhile. Without the Creator we're nothing. He's everything of value within us. The Holy Spirit within us is the source of our strength, wisdom, and abilities. The only way for us to be truly successful is to listen to and obey his counsel and guidance. And the best way to do that is through our prayer life.

The disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray and he began with "Our Father." The "our" reminds us that we're never fully alone in our prayers. This speaks directly to our need for corporate prayer. We need to pray together because that's how Jesus taught his disciples to pray. "Father" is there because we're all part of one big family. We're knit together as brothers and sisters by our heavenly Father. We belong together and must treat one another with love. We're not allowed to reject one of our family members just because we don't agree with how they approach or understand our Father.

We pray this way because Immanuel, God with us, told us this is the way we're supposed to pray. Yahweh intruded on our world in a spectacularly weird and peculiar manner. He became human and dwelt with us. We should realize that if we love and serve him we'll be just as odd to this world. And if we pray as we're directed to by Jesus, we'll definitely be odd to the people of this world. In fact, don't pray this prayer of you don't want to stand out as odd.

Being a Christian isn't something that comes to us naturally. We're strangers to our Father's way until we receive Jesus as our Savior. Then and only then can we pray the way Jesus taught us to: "Our Father." Maybe one of the reasons it's called the Lord's Prayer is because it's not a way for us to get our desires and wants. This prayer is for bending our desires and wants toward what Yahweh wants.

Notice that this prayer has a definite place in mind, an address - Heaven. We need to be reminded of this, to know it deep down in our hearts. Even though Yahweh lives above us and is higher than we can reach, he tells us he's real and he's made himself approachable. If Jesus is no more than a helpful moral example, or a wise teacher of ethics, then why pray at all? It makes a great deal of difference whether or not Yahweh hears us and acts in our behalf. Otherwise, our prayers are merely autosuggestion and self-therapy, not spiritual warfare.

And we say "Hallowed be your name." The God we pray to has a name. The name he gave us to speak and use is Yahweh. He has other names and titles throughout the Bible based on experiences people had with him. But he shared his name with us and told us to use it to bless one another (Num 6:24-27). Not to know his name and how hallowed/holy it is hinders our prayers. Not to know how to worship him because of his holiness is to live in conflict with what he's graciously taught us about approaching him.

The Psalms teach us the grand and glorious worship of Yahweh the Almighty God. Praises are lifted up and sung with enthusiasm. Instruments are played with vigor. All creation is called on to sing joyous praise to their Maker. This is to be a daily reminder that we're not on our own and that we're Yahweh's sheep. We don't belong to ourselves, but to the one who created us. The Lord's Prayer teaches us the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are absolutely worthy of our praise.

Then we say "Your Kingdom come." To say this is to be willing to become part of a rather weird gathering of truly strange people. The people who come to Yahweh are often the ones this world regards as outsiders. Jesus was scolded for hanging out with sinners and tax collectors. In the KJV 1 Pet 2:9 states, "ye are a peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises of God." If we truly love and worship and serve the Living God, we're peculiar and strange to the people of this world. Which group do you fit into: Yahweh's Kingdom people or the sinful world system?

Then we pray for Yahweh's will to be done on this earth. In praying for his will to be done "on earth as it is in heaven," we're attempting to learn what our Father wants from and for us. As we pray this we should receive a vision of who he truly is and what he's already doing in our midst. This is all about submission to his Lordship. Are we willing to set aside our agendas to work with our Lord and Master for the purpose of expanding his Kingdom?

This phrase means we're seeking for our Father's desire not our own. Actually, praying this should cause us to forget the lessons this world taught us. It should help us overcome our bent toward satisfying our personal desires. We should get caught up in what Yahweh is actively doing in our world to reach everyone with the Gospel. To pray "your will be done" is to beg to have our lives caught up in a project greater than the import of our individual lives. We need to be like Jesus, praying not my will but yours be done.

Then we come to the part of the prayer that requires real boldness. Give us. Forgive us. Don't test us. Deliver us. We ask because we can do nothing without Yahweh and we're nothing without his presence in our lives.

What about this "daily bread?" Our bread isn't ours to hoard. Our bread belongs to our brothers and sisters. Bread is our Father's gift to us which we often pervert by our selfishness. To pray "give us our daily bread" should be cause to radically reexamine ourselves, to acknowledge the claim that our Lord has placed on us. He provides the bread to sustain and nurture us. He provides the bread so we can help others in need. He provides!

To reach out in forgiveness we need to be forgiven first. It also means I'm not the sole author of my life story. Actually my life is in someone else's hands. It's our sinful desire to be in control of our own lives that leads to "trespasses." Jesus taught us to seek reconciliation with the only one who can offer us a full pardon. To get the real forgiveness which brings us supernatural peace, we must be willing to forgive the ones who hurt and offend us. Every time we pray the Lord's Prayer we either condemn or pardon our sin. If we hold unforgivness in our hearts, we can't be forgiven ourselves. Beware the danger of unforgivness.

Paul's writings teach us about the spiritual powers and authorities we face. Jesus taught us to pray for deliverance from them. In praying that Yahweh will keep us from temptation we're asking for help against the powers fighting to overthrow Yahweh's Kingdom. Evil is large, cosmic, organized, subtle, and very real. We're not just talking about personal faults and prevailing sins, but about "principalities and powers."

Many times these powers masquerade as freedoms. The demonic deceivers will try to get us to to deny Yahweh's boundaries and limits by telling us these freedoms have been won through great battles. Other times they try to get us to accept them as necessities that are part of our human makeup, that God knew we had these desires and won't punish us for indulging ourselves. But Yahweh clearly speaks to us of right living, and that we must have self-control.

In praying for our Father to deliver us we acknowledge that he's greater than any of his foes. Evil is a threatening power, but also a defeated one. Though the battle continues to rage, we know who's already won the war. But we need Yahweh's help to resist the ongoing evil. In our human weakness, we seek the hand of our Savior in deliverance.

The Kingdom, the power, and the glory: three very large words are piled on at the end of this powerful prayer. The prayer ends in a shout of praise to the Almighty and Holy God of Glory. Any army knows the importance of having the right sort of music to inspire their troops. These words should stir our hearts because they give us a glorious vision of our Supreme Commander, Yahweh the Most High God.

But what do we mean when we say these words? These words are dangerous. The world loves to corrupt these words and use them for themselves. Earthly kings build their kingdoms and defend them with these words. And these powers were what Satan tempted Jesus to use wrongly in the wilderness. The devil continues to deceive and tempt mankind with the idea that they can control these powers for themselves. These powers are only for our benefit when their strength rests in Yahweh's hands, not ours.

And we say "now and forever." The Kingdom of Yahweh is here, but not in its fullness yet. Yahweh's Kingdom is now, but only as a foretaste of the glory that's to come. Yahweh isn't finished with us or this world yet. We're on the way to his perfection, but we haven't arrived at that destination yet. When we say "Kingdom Now" we don't mean taking dominion over the whole world, but working for the day when Jesus returns and sets everything in proper order.

In teaching us to pray, Jesus is trying to make us more truthful and more faithful. Jesus wants to make us his disciples, true followers of the Anointed One, the Messiah. In praying, our lives are being transformed from our natural inclinations to sin toward an intimacy with our heavenly Father. We're becoming like Jesus in holiness, obedience, and forgiveness - the things we're told to ask for in our prayers.

When we truly pray this prayer, we find our little lives caught up in the great drama of Yahweh's redemptive plan for a lost world. It sweeps us up into a great adventure much more significant than our lives can ever be without our Maker. Let your life be embodied in this prayer. This is what Jesus was trying to teach his disciples. This is what it means to to receive the gift of prayer.

Jesus gave us this prayer because we need it. Let's use it wisely and pray it boldly. But remember: Be careful, you just might get what you ask for. John 16:24, "Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete."

Blessings & Peace, Mike