How To Build (2/28/11)

Shalom,

 

    Please begin by reading Prov 24:3-4.

 

    A good house, whether a family home or a body of believers, is properly built in the same manner.  Wisdom, understanding, and knowledge are very important matters in both places.  Receiving and using these blessings from Yahweh are important to remaining on the solid foundation of Jesus the Christ.  To have these three things we must trust and obey our Lord, seeking his counsel and direction above all others.  Actually, the only way we'll fully have access to these qualities is through committed obedience to our Lord.

    Let me share something from Luke 9:28-36, the Transfiguration of Jesus.  When Peter and his associates saw the awesome transformation of Jesus they pretty much freaked out.  They were so astounded they couldn't think straight.  They had nothing in their life experience to help them discern what was going on.  And in his ignorance Peter spoke, "not even knowing what he was saying" according to verse 33.  Peter didn't know what he was talking about when he spoke about building tents for Jesus and his heavenly counselors.

    Recognize that Peter was so confounded he said the opposite of what Jesus desired.  Peter, the representative of the apostles said, "Let's stay here."  Jesus told them it was time to go back down the mountain.  In other words, "it's time to leave."  The apostoplic leadership was ready to build a memorial on that mountain.  But that wasn't the Kingdom vision for the ministry of Jesus.  These men had things backwards.

    Now consider our modern day leadership.  Many of today's leaders are saying, "let's get out of here."  I'd have to say the majority of evangelicals want the Rapture to come and take them away from this evil world.  But Yahweh is speaking, "occupy the land, take back the territory."  So, just like Peter, the primary leadership of the Church of Jesus the Christ has things backwards.  Instead of working to take back territory, many bodies of believers are hiding behind their church walls and waiting to be removed from the bad situation we find our world in.  Wanting to avoid evil isn't really a bad thing, but not being brave and bold in sharing the Gospel is.

    The word apostle comes from the Greek word APOSTOLOS.  That word came from a Phoenician practice.  It was the lead ship in their navy.  The Romans took the word and amplified it.  They placed their generals and admirals on the lead ship.  When they arrived at a destination they were to reproduce the culture and climate of Rome so all who followed could settle the conquered land easier.  The first people brought into a new land were artisans and teachers and other influential leaders.  They were to spread the influence of Rome in advance of common people being brought in to fully occupy the land.

    The Body of Christ is to bring the Kingdom of Yahweh into places so that all who follow will feel more at home.  We're to establish the Kingdom wherever we go, especially those who are in leadership.  The influence of solid Christianity should overwhelm the pagan roots of our societies.  Christians living out good examples of Christianity are to be changing the atmosphere, helping people adjust to the influence of their Creator in their everday lives.

 

    1 Cor 12:28 gives an order of the established leadership of Yahweh's Kingdom.  First, apostles.  Second, prophets.  Thrid, teachers.  When these offices unite they will overcome the entrenched principalities and powers.  When the real shows up, the counterfeit always backs off.  So, for us to build the Kingdom there must be apostolic leadership, prophetic insight, and right Kingdom teaching.  Too much of Christianity insists we can get by with only the good teachers, but the Word of our God says no, you also need apostles and prophets.  Good teaching is important, but so are apostolic authority and prophetic insight.

    1 Cor 14:4 says, "He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself."  The word edifies means to build an edifice with the capacity to house Kingdom power and revelation.  The more any of us as individuals prays in tongues, the better able we'll be to handle Kingdom things.  We get built up and strengthened beyond anything we can do naturally.  We receive supernatural strength, wisdom, and power.  We need the supernatural gifts given by our Lord to be effective Kingdom builders.  So given all that, let's look at wisdom, understanding, and knowledge.

    "A house is built by wisdom."  Wisdom means learned skill.  Wisdom of this type comes through prolonged and committed study and effort.  Yahweh builds his wisdom into our intelligence when we apply ourselves to learn his ways and purposes.  The only true source of wisdom is our Creator.  No college education or book learning can give us the wisdom based in heaven.

    Remember Psalm 127:1.  "Unless Yahweh builds a house, the work of the builders is useless."  Joshua knew this when he said, "as for me and my family, we will serve Yahweh."  He committed himself and his family to the service of his Lord and God.  This is what Yahweh expects from every family.  This sort of commitment will always bless and strengthen those who obediently serve their Father.  To gain the wisdom that comes from heaven requires time and effort on our part, time studying and learning and effort put into drawing closer to our Lord.

    So if we or anyone we're responsible for are to grow in faith and grace, we must learn the ways of Yahweh.  Remember, we're talking about learned skill.  You can't just pray for some automatic download from heaven.  You have to apply yourself to learning this skill.  It's an acquired skill, not somethingwe get miraculously.  Our willingness to pursue a closer walk with Yahweh and our spiritual hunger and thirst is what will determine how much heavenly wisdom we gain.

 

    "A house becomes strong through understanding."  Understanding means experienced insight and good sense.  Again we're talking about something that takes time and effort.  If we've applied ourselves to learning Yahweh's rules for life, we'll gain his kind of understanding.  This is comprehension gained by observing and paying attention.  There's no magic pill we can swallow to attain this great blessing.  Heb 5:14 points out, "Solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil."  It takes time to mature, to learn how to use the discernment we gain from the indwelling Holy Spirit.

    This kind of understanding will help us overcome doubts and fears.  When we're uncertain of our next step, this kind of understanding will guide us to secure ground.  It will help uis see beyond the natural, giving us spiritual help in our decision-making.  Strong in this verse means established.  Understanding will help us find the firm ground we need to stand on while we face uncertainties or when we enter new territory.  Heavenly understanding builds our confidence in the one who can do all things.  It helps us trust him when our natural eyes don't see the solutions.

 

    "Through knowledge its rooms are filled with all sorts of precious riches."  Knowledge means well informed learning.  Yahweh doesn't want mindless or robotic followers.  He wants properly educated people who learn for a good purpose.  If your learning is well informed, you can apply your lessons in real life with excellent results.  A person who learns things only theoretically, often struggles in real life situations.  Those who walk with Yahweh in committed relationships will have access to Holy Spirit vision and insight.  You will be able to handle even the toughest life situation with peace and intelligence, while others are confused and overly stressed.

    Practical skills that can be learned through diligent study, training, and experience are what Yahweh desires for his followers.  We should be financially intelligent, able to deal with the ups and downs of worldly economics.  We should be excellent at our jobs because we have extra help from the Holy Spirit to accomplish them.  We should be technically proficient because we take the time to really learn how to be the best.  Our knowledge base should extend to any area our Lord leads us to participate in.  Giving godly counsel, helping people in need, and many other day to day tasks can be done better by a Spirit-led follower of Jesus.

    Acquiring life skills is good.  Yahweh expects his followers to be the best at what they do, or at least to put forth their best effort in all they do.  All Christians should be self-sufficient, able to provide for themselves and their families.  Lazy Christians give a bad testimony, and bring instability to the Body and to their own families.  Yes, there are situations that are out of our control, but if we're solidly seeking our Lord and working to be the best Kingdom builders we can be, we'll still have full confidence and trust in our Lord to see us to a safe and secure place.

    If we can apply ourselves to gaining Yahweh's wisdom, understanding, and knowledge we'll present an outstanding witness to our world.  They should like what they see in us, or be greatly offended by our diligence to walk in biblical truth.  Either way, our Christianity should be clearly recognized by all the people we encounter day to day.

 

    If we're going to build Yahweh's Kingdom in advance of those coming behind us, we must be diligent.  Our Father is telling us to occupy the land, to build his Kingdom here and now, not to wait for the Rapture to take us away from all the evil.  No, the full Kingdom doesn't come until Jesus returns, but we should be doing everything we can to make the transition from world to Kingdom easier.

    Yahweh gave us a design plan to help us build with an accurate Kingdom design plan, an active operational authority structure.  Apostles, prophets, and teachers need the synergy of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  We need all three offices filled with Spirit-led men.  We can't build according to Yahweh's plans with only one office filled.  Trust our Lord to guide us and give us insight into who should be seated in the offices of apostle and prophet.  Work together and build Yahweh's Kingdom.

 

    Blessings & Peace, Mike

The Presense of Yahweh (2/21/11)

Shalom,

 

    Please begin by reading Psalm 89:14-18.

 

    We Christians start out our life with Yahweh, our Great God Almighty, at a great advantage.  He already lives inside of us.  What we need to work harder at is abiding in him.  As we become more faithful in learning how to abide in the presence of our loving Father, it's important to understand that it will best happen as we learn to overcome human limitations.    The possibilities of what can happen when we fully surrender to the Lordship of our Savior Jesus are endless and absolutely amazing.

    Yahweh has given himself to us in full measure.  There's much more available to us that we normally access.  Yet what we partake of him from day to day is measured by our level of seeking him.  The more we hunger and seek for his presence, the deeper our relationship with him becomes, and the better we'll be able to acces all he's provided.  The measure of Yahweh that we access is fully determined by ourselves.  Allowing us more than we can manage is like giving power tools to toddlers.  He'll only entrust us with as much of himself as we can contain and manage with maturity.  Much of that will be based on how much we hunger and thirst to be in his presence frm day to day.

    Yes, sometimes our Father will totally overwhelm us with his Spirit.  He occasionally does things that short-circuit our human senses and leave us stunned and astounded.  There are times when our worship and prayer truly reaches heaven and Yahweh's glory falls.  Since we're still living in human flesh this normally causes us to be slain in the Spirit or like the priests at the dedication of the Temple we'll be unable to enter and do our service.  But on a more regular basis, the level of contact is set by our attitude and action.

 

    Bill Johnson said: "One of the conflicts we face in learning to host the presence is sometimes found in the very lessons we learned from previous seasons.  Believe it or not, those principles sometimes war against the actual presence of the Lord upon us.  We are to use principles to plan, but we must learn to live from the presence.  If there's a conflict between the two, presence always wins out over principle."

    We sometimes miss out on fresh new revelation because we're stuck in the revelation of the past.  We may misunderstand a new encounter with Yahweh because we try to view it through an old encounter's perspective.  As humans we're much to quick and dogmatic about how we experience the presence of our Magnificent God.  He's not into doing things the same old way every time he draws near to us.  There be some familiar sensations, but don't expect it to happen exactly the same way every time.  Yahweh is God of the new, and the words we find in the Bible mostly point to renewed or refreshed rather than brand new things.

    Lam 3:22 says, "Yahweh's compassions never fail.  They are new every morning."  New here means refreshed, renewed, or restored.  Whatever we wasted of his goodness yesterday doesn't matter today because he'll provide for us afresh and anew if we seek his presence.  Our loving Father reestablishes his goodness each new day.  If we'll fully surrender ourselves to serving him again, he'll provide fresh supplies and resources and opportunities.  Isn't it great toget  second and third and fourth and 862nd chances?

    Col 3:10 instructs us to "put on the new self."  This is the Greek word NEOS.  It also means a fresh, new start.  It's connected to the word neophyte, which refers to a newly converted person or new growth on a plant.  Our new self isn't brand new, it's refreshed and restored, brought back to more of its original design.  But if we want some of that new growth to be sprouting on us we have to seek and pursue more of the presence of Yahweh without getting hung up on what we've experienced in the past.  It's good to know where we came from, but we must remember to be seeking our loving Father's direction and accepting it even when it's new and different than in the past.

    We're supposed to be well grounded in what Yahweh has said so that we can continue to discern what he's saying right now.  If we determine everything based on old revelation, we can't move forward with our Lord very well.  If we make our determinations based on old revelation, we may end up in conflict with the Holy Spirit.  If we're rightly hosting the presence of Yahweh we won't get caught up in the past, but we'll move steadily with him into the future.  What happened to us in the past, especially the good things of the Spirit, are important to remember and celebrate.  But it seems too easy for us to then dwell there and stagnate.  Keep moving witht he Spirit or you'll eventually find yourself clinging to a dead and decaying memorial of your faith.

 

    If Jesus were with you physically 24/7, every minute of every day, would your life change?  What would you do differently?  What would you leave the same?  Would he want to hang around with you?

    If we work at abiding in the presence of our Lord and Master, we'll begin to move away from the lifestyle of sinners.  Think back to the beginning of your Christian walk.  Did some of your old friends reject you?  Did some of your family members work at avoiding you?  Did you struggle to remove yourself from some worldly situations because of your spiritual immaturity?  As we begin to move away from our previously sinful lifestyles to draw closer to Jesus, most of the time we lose some relationships with those still caught up in the world.  But as we mature we begin to realize that pleasing our Father is much more important than appeasing our former friends.

    One of the hardest things for us to learn is that we can't fall into the trap of putting our stamp of approval on sinners to keep from offending them.  We must speak the truth to them and not give them tacit approval by not condemning their lifestyles.  When they ask questions like, "You don't really believe I'm on my way to Hell?"  We need to be truthful and say yes.  Please also use the discernment the Holy Spirit provides so you can tailor your words to your audience.  But the bottom line is that they're sinners in need of the Savior.  We must be honest with them that they're living apart from their Father, their Creator God.  We must speak truthfully about them being in violation of his holy and righteous standards.

    Psalm 1:1 warns us against joining in with scoffers.  We need to hate the awful condition of lost sinners.  We're still to love and serve them by sharing the Gospel with them, but we must separate ourselves from their worldy attitudes and philosophies.  We can't sit where they sit or think like they think ro do the same sort of things they do.  Avoid the places where ungodly things are prominently celebrated

 

    Whatever we truly delight in is our passion.  Yahweh is supposed to be that passion.  There are those who love music or love sports or love working with their hands or love many other things.  But our first love is supposed to be our Lord Jesus.  Our life should revolve around thoughts of him.  Scripture clearly tells us that we should be hungering and thirsting to spend time with him.  He's to be our first and greatest love.

    Matt 6:21 says, "Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will be also."  People know what you really have a passion for by watching and listening to you.  Whatever it is that stirs your heart the most will bubble out in your conversations and will be seen in what you pursue most regularly.  Whatever our passion is will come out through many areas of our lives.  If we truly love Jesus, other people will know this without us having to tell them.

    Yahweh is also supposed to be our point of focus.  Everywhere we turn our world is trying to draw our attention, to get us to focus on something worldly.  They want us to concentrate on being good consumers of their products, or believers in their way of thinking, or followers of their style of leadership.  All those commercials on TV and within our print media are trying to get us to buy specific products, with specific brand names.  The devil is also trying to get us to buy his products and his worldview and his bondage.  In Psalm 119:97 Yahweh points out that we should be meditating on him all day long.  We need to be concentrating on him, not the world.

    Our loving heavenly Father desires to spend quality time with each and every one of us.  He hungers for intimacy, but he only gets what each of us individually allows.  We sing about wanting to know him more, but then we pull back and deny him time or space.  We sing about being sold out and committed and surrendered, but then keep Yahweh out of certain portions of our lives.  We need to be giving him much more than lip service.  Jesus quoted Isa 29:13 when he told some Pharisees and religious teachers, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me" (Matt 15:8).  You can know that your Father in heaven won't be pleased with you when he recognizes this half-hearted attitude.

    We just need to quit being so human.  Our inherent selfishness keeps us from enjoying the splendors of soaking in the presence of our loving Father.  What's it take to immerse ourselves in the presence of Yahweh?  I wish I could give you a nice and easy checklist to follow.  But each one of us has to deal with different aspects of our own personalities and attitudes.  We're all different and we all need to approach this in the manner which will best deal with our specific problems.

    In spite of all the "how-to" books you can find about living a good Christian life, there are none that work for everybody.  Each of them offers help based on the author's experience or research.  My advice to you is to write your own book.  Seek godly counsel from your Christian friends, but most of all seek the presence of Yahweh for yourself.  Listen to the things your friends say, but don't try to copy their methods.  Make adjustments, fine tune their methods, make your own corrections, and most of all seek the ongoing advice and counsel of the indwelling Holy Spirit.  Your loving heavenly Father aches to spend intimate time with you.  Pour your heart into getting there.

 

    Blessings & Peace,    Mike

What's Your Big Complaint? (2/14/11)

Shalom,

    Please begin by reading Job 2:1-10.

    At different times all of us go through periods of pressure or testing.  When we encounter these times it seems to feel like our spiritual walk may have stirred up some sort of definite demonic opposition.  Well, why not?  That's the biblical picture we get.  The more we stand for Jesus, the more Satan and his system will work to resist our influence.  The clear picture we're given in the scriptures is that there's a war going on and that we're actively involved in it.  There are no spiritual Switzerland's who can claim neutrality.  Jesus said in Matt 12:30, "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters."  You have already chosen a side, hopefully you've sided with Jesus.

    The picture of Job in this second attack allowed by Yahweh is amazing.  This passage is puzzling to some and very unpopular with others.  Many don't like to think of Yahweh allowing evil to happen.  But how do you explain the difference between his sovereignty and the allowance of evil?  If Yahweh is truly sovereign, nothing happens without his knowledge or permission.  When Satan challenged that Job was overly protected by Yahweh, he was then allowed a limit of what he could do to the man.  Yahweh was and is in full control of what the devil can do to any one of us.  He's not causing the evil, he's putting definite limits on what it can do to us.

    The words "should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad" proclaim the full sovereignty of El Shaddai, the Great God Almighty.  We know from the full story that Job was certainly a man of moral excellence and integrity.  We also know his attitude didn't always remain as pure as it could.  But he's an excellent example to us because he stood strong during a time of severe testing.  This book is a testimony to his trust in Yahweh and Yahweh's absolute sovereignty over all the activity in our world.  Aren't you glad that he holds the reins which limit the destruction the devil is allowed to visit on mankind?

    Yahweh defended Job's innocence, praised his integrity, and flaunted his determination and feistiness to Satan.  There's a Chinese saying: "True gold is not afraid of fire."  As a body, our fellowship has asked ourselves the question of why gold is so valuable lately.  There's just something about this "precious" metal that makes humans value it so much.  Yes, it looks very nice, but there's got to be something more than that which causes us to covet and crave it.  It's not just attractive to the eye, it has qualities other metals don't have.

    Gold has a very high melting point of 1945 degrees Fahrenheit.  It's considered valuable because it's almost indestructible and has been used and reused for centuries.  Many times confiscated gold is melted down and reused, whether into new statues and jewelry or in bars and ingots.  All the gold currently in existence is almost equal to all the gold that's ever been mined.  Gold is also a great medium for making jewelry because it never rusts or tarnishes.

    We'd be likely to say Job was as good as 24K gold, which is considered 100% gold.  He didn't bend in his character, and he didn't deviate from his integrity.  He may have gotten a little to fiesty in his attitude because of his frustration with his circumstances, but he still trusted in Yahweh.  The word used for maintains in verse 3 refers to his strength and courage, just like when Yahweh told Joshua to "be strong and courageous" (Josh 1:6, 7, & 9).  In the midst of severe testing, just like is done to gold, he came out purer and stronger in the end.

    We also know Job to be somewhat headstrong and thick-skinned.  He was stubborn and uncompromising.  He didn't move, budge, or retreat from his viewpoint of not having sinned.  He steadfastly defended his integrity.  When his wife challenged him, he responded strongly.  When his three friends accused him of harboring deliberate sin in his life he said, "I will never concede that you are right; until I die I will defend my innocence" (Job 27:5-6).  Yahweh's challenge to Satan that this man was a true worshiper and servant of the Most High God was proven in the furnace of affliction.  We all need to ask ourselves if we could stand that same sort of heat and come out stronger.

    It's been said that every winner has scars.  The Roman army distrusted most foreigners who tried to fit in with them.  What they did admire were battle scars.  In contrast, they also despised what were considered cowardly scars.  To have scars on your back was a mark of shame.  It showed that you'd either turned your back in battle or worse that you'd been whipped either as a slave or prisoner.  Scars on your front were thought of as a display of bravery.  It showed that you stood in the face of battle and remained strong and brave.

    To inspire his troops it's said that Alexander the Great stood in front of his men and dropped his toga.  After displaying the scars on the front of his body, he then turned to show he had none on his back.  This helped to whip his troops into a battle frenzy because they knew their leader was truly a brave man.  Anyone who had doubts about his leadership ability was given proof of his resolve in battle.

    Job didn't quit because of his pain.  He didn't hide his pain either.  He didn't grovel for help when things got intense.  With courage, he scraped himself with a piece of broken pottery to deal with the boils.  Job passed the school of hard knocks with highest honors.  Yes, he would have appreciated some sympathy from his wife and friends, but even without it he continued to stand against their misguided thinking.

    Nobody seemed to understand him, not his wife nor his friends.  Job cried out in his pain, but he didn't give in to it in despair.  He was left to stand alone by his wife and friends, yet he didn't break, he didn't quit standing for truth and righteousness.  He was discouraged with his circumstances, but he wasn't overwhelmed to the point he could no longer function rationally.  He had hope in Yahweh and clung to it.

    Yes, Job spoke some things he probably shouldn't have in his frustration, but as we know from the end of the story Yahweh accepted him.  He may have longed for death in the midst of his ordeal, but he clung to life.  He showed courage in facing evil, injustice, and heartache.  If only we had some of the resolve that led Job to say, "I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.  And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God" (Job 19:25-26).

    I can't imagine what it's like to lose all my children and all my wealth in one day.  I can only hope that I'll have the same kind of resolve about my trust and faith in Yahweh.  Job's scars help us see his bravery in facing the enemy of our souls.  This testing of Job is probably the best example of the description Jesus gave us of Satan in John 10:10.  "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy."  Job's livestock were stolen, his children killed, and his home destroyed.

    Yahweh called Job "my servant" six times in this book.  He spoke very highly of him to Satan.  Job 1:8 says, "He is the finest man in all the earth."  But Job didn't serve Yahweh because of the hedge of protection that guarded his family and estate.  Job had always feared and served and loved the Lord.  He didn't do it for fame and fortune, but like in a marriage - he did it for better or worse.  We should think of this since we're supposed to be the Bride of Christ.  It's nice to think about the reward of eternal life awaiting us, but even more important is the intimate love relationship we're enjoying right now.

    Satan was wrong.  Job didn't just fear Yahweh, he worked at avoiding evil.  At the point when Yahweh withheld his blessing, Job didn't spout evil words, he said good things.  He blessed his Lord, praised his name, and declared Yahweh's goodness.  Job was stable, steadfast, and single-minded in his faith.  His trust in Yahweh wasn't superficial, it went much deeper than the surface.  Job knew his God, trusted in his loving-kindness, and stood strong during a time of trial.  We would do well to learn how to be as resilient in the face of troubles.

    Yes, Job wrestled and argued with Yahweh, but he never blamed or challenged him.  He was vocal in his complaints, but never defiant.  Job didn't consider that Yahweh was his enemy.  He didn't consider the Lord to be cruel, offensive, or irresponsible.  He didn't blame Yahweh for taking his stuff, he thanked him for giving the opportunity to have had something.  If Yahweh is truly sovereign, then we must also do these same things.  Is it hard to give thanks and offer praise for the tough things that come our way?  Of course it is.  But 1 Thes 5:18 clearly says, "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

    What about Yahweh's sovereignty?  We know that James 1:13 says, "God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else either."  So how can Job say we receive bad things from his hands sometimes?  We're not talking about hard-core predestination.  Everything is not set in stone.  Our actions come from our free will, not some pre-ordained script.  Yahweh's greatness, his sovereign control over all of Creation isn't changed by our free will.  What it means is that he's big enough to deal with our uncertain and wavering willfulness.  Yahweh is big enough to step out of the way and let us make our own decisions, and he's not giving up any of his sovereignty in allowing this.  He still has full say over what's allowed.  Do you remember how Yahweh challenged Satan and set the limits of what he was allowed to do?  In the first test, Yahweh allowed everything but physical harm against Job.  In the second test Satan was told to spare Job's life.

    Yahweh's sovereignty sets all the limits.  We live in a fallen world.  People make many bad choices every day, but Yahweh sets the boundaries of the affects of those bad choices.  Nothing that happens on earth is a surprise to our Almighty and Sovereign God.  He never says, "Oops, didn't mean for that to happen."  He never says, "Wow, that was a surprise."  He fully allows our free will to work while placing the absolute limits fo what happens in his Creation.

    So in the great cosmic battle between good and evil, when everything seems to be out of control - at least your control - act with courage and do what's right.  We can be triumphant in the worst of situations when we trust our Father in heaven.  We're not bystanders on this earth, we're active participants in the fight against evil.  As Paul admonished Timothy, "Fight the good fight of faith" (1 Tim 6:12).

    So having looked a little closer at what happened to Job, "What's your big complaint?"  What's going on in your life that's so hard to deal with?  After Yahweh had confronted him Job said, "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted...  Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know" (Job 42:2-3).  We need to trust our Sovereign Lord even when things get out of our control, especially when things get out of our control.  There's nothing too big for us to withstand if we put our full trust and hope in Yahweh, the Sovereign Lord God Almighty.

    Blessings & Peace,    Mike

Choose Life (2/7/11)

Shalom,

    Please begin by reading Deut 30:11-20.

    Moses is giving his farewell speech to the Israelites in this passage.  They're on the brink of entering the Promised Land.  But like their father's generation they have a decision to make first.  Are they ready to follow Yahweh's oath or are they going to reject their oath and go their own way?  Their father's had chosen poorly, and paid the consequences by dying in the wilderness.  Moses wants this generation to learn from that mistake and to choose life instead.  That choice is the one each and every human being must make today.  Will we choose life in Christ, or death without him?

    In verses 11-14 Moses talks about how some of the people might begin to speak about the impossibility of what was facing them.  He knew they might complain about the difficulty of Yahweh's requirements.  So he lets them know that they don't have to go to heaven to get what they need and they don't have to cross the ocean either.  Both of these were obviously impossible tasks.  But that's not how Yahweh operates.  He doesn't place himself completely out of our reach.  He draws near to us and helps us grab hold of the good things he sets before us.

    Yes, there are impassable barriers between us and Yahweh right now.  But he's provided for us by bringing it all down to our level.  He makes things available to us so we can take advantage of his great blessings.  So the problem isn't that we don't have access to Yahweh.  It's not that we don't know what he requires of us.  Even though many people say they can't understand the Bible, none of can say Yahweh's Word is out of our reach.  Jesus' life, death, and resurrection makes it possible for every single human being to know the Father.  If we have a seeking heart, we will find our Father in heaven.  If we hunger and thirst for him, he will be found by us.

    Yes, there are things that are hard to understand in the Bible.  But that doesn't give us the option of closing it and leaving it on the shelf.  That just means we need to concentrate on the things we do understand while we get to know our Creator better.  Then as we mature in that knowledge more of the Bible will make sense to us.  And our problem isn't likely to be that we can't understand something we need to know.  Usually our questions are about things that are beyond us and that frustrate us when we run into them.  Then like little children, we get upset and throw tantrums because our Father won't let us in on his secret.  Remember, you can't make words until you know the alphabet, you can't make sentences until you know words, and you can't write books until you can make sentences.  Allow the maturing process to work and don't seek for shortcuts.

    The offer of life is nearby and very worthwhile.  Yahweh doesn't intend for any of us to live boring and dull lives.  He wants to see us live productive and interesting lives.  He gives us the choice between "prosperity and disaster."  Prosperity here means goodness, pleasing and desirable things.  Disaster means what is disagreeable to Yahweh.  Our Father doesn't choose the path for us.  Yes, he wants us to follow the one filled with blessings, but he leaves the choice in our hands.

    We can choose to live lives that are either agreeable or disagreeable to our Creator.  Isn't that a very plain choice?  Shouldn't that be a very easy decision for us to make?  And yet Moses had to challenge these people, to basically dare them to do what's right in Yahweh's sight.  Nothing will ever change the fact that each of us is individually valuable to our Father in heaven.  He wants all of us to choose wisely.  He gives us all the information and direction he can to help us choose wisely.

    Look again at what Yahweh says is the result of choosing life.  In verse 16 it says, "you will live and become a great nation...  Yahweh your God will bless you and the land."  And yet even many Christians question whether or not being bold in a world that's antagonistic toward its Creator and his Word is worth it.  Some think, it would be easier to relax a little and not confront people with the Truth of Jesus.  Probably.  More pleasurable?  Maybe for a little while.  Worth the cost?  No way and no how.  We need to work to build Yahweh's Kingdom, even against the opposition.  The opposition is going to be absolutely and totally removed some day, and when that happens which side will you find yourself on?  Remember what Jesus said in Matt 12:30.  "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters."

    We need to choose life because the only other alternative is death and destruction.  Yahweh narrowed down the options for the Israelites and for all of us.  The choice today , and it's always been this way, is whether we'll obey or disobey our Sovereign Lord God Almighty.  Will we choose his way of life or our way of death?  This is one of those things people say isn't fair.  From their limited human minds they think Yahweh should give them more options.  But in his supernatural intelligence, he kept it simple for us.

    There are no third or fourth or multiple options.  The Bible is clear in pointing out that there is only a narrow or a wide road to follow.  Many people say, "I don't want to choose either one."  Sorry, there are no other choices, and neutrality is dangerous.  Failure to choose the right way is to choose the wrong way.  Choosing not to follow Yahweh's path of life is choosing to follow the road to death and hell.  Anyone who says they "can't" believe this is true, is actually saying they refuse to accept this truth.  All humans either will or won't trust that their Creator has set before them life and death.  It really is simple.  Answer his call and follow him to heaven.  Reject his call and follow the devil to hell.

    All who obey Jesus on this earth will enjoy life.  That's it.  That's all you have to know.  There isn't a need for great and detailed explanations.  This is the truth of the Creator of our world.  The offer of life is available all day, every day.  All we have to do is say, "Yes Lord!"  And yet many people miss it.  Many people refuse to listen.  Some just can't see how it can be so easy to access.  Some insist there has to be some big price to pay to receive eternal life.  How can it be free?

    Christians know it to be free because there's no earthly price that can be paid.  It took a perfect sacrifice to pay the price of redeeming us from our sin.  That price could only be paid by Jesus.  Only he could offer anything of sufficient value to pay the price.  For Yahweh, the Father, saving the world was worth the price of having his Son die and go to hell.  He believes we're worth the greatest price possible.  He considers each of us individually worth the effort he expended.  There's nothing that any human has done or can do that is worthy of obtaining salvation.  We all fall short of living a completely perfect life.  But our Father loves us so much he offers us his salvation for free.  All we have to do is ask for cleansing from our sin.  It's amazing that he loves us so much.

    And know that his love overcomes all our weakness.  There's nothing within any of us - no physical, emotional, or spiritual flaw - that can change the fact that each one of us is individually valuable to our Creator.  The choice of life isn't just offered to the "good" people.  That's because there are no "good" people.  We're all sinners in need of redemption.  Yahweh doesn't rank people like we do.  He just loves them and seeks to help them overcome their sin.

    We really need to hear the warnings found in this passage.  Verse 17 says, "if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen."  That's a danger we all need to overcome.  We must face up to our stubbornness and submit ourselves humbly to our Lord God Almighty.  If our affections, our attention, or our devotion turns to something other than Yahweh, we're placing ourselves in grave danger.  When we begin to disobey, to refuse to listen to the Holy Spirit, the words here say that we'll "certainly be destroyed."  I can't believe that any of us would consider anything worth losing our salvation, but many continue to make that choice daily.  If there was no danger, Yahweh wouldn't offer us so many warnings in his Word.  Heed the warnings and draw closer to him, or you'll wander off into a place where you won't find him.

    Just like Moses, I tell you, "Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses.  I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make."  Whatever choice each of us makes individually is kept on record in heaven and with any eyewitnesses here on earth who know what we've done.  Don't use the cop-out that says, "God knows my heart.  Even if I don't speak out boldly, I still believe."  The problem is that he definitely knows our hearts.  He knows when we're speaking the truth and when we're laying out a false premise.

    If you choose life, "you and your descendants" will be blessed.  Remember that your choices affect your children and grandchildren.  When we trust and obey our Lord and Savior, Jesus, we gain blessings for ourselves and our children and our grandchildren.  This decision isn't just important to us as individuals, it also affects the generations that will follow us.  It opens the door to greater possibilities for them.  They still have to make their own individual decision as to whether or not they'll follow Jesus, but we put them in a better place to make their decision by being committed followers of Jesus ourselves.

    We may not have a specific Promised Land before us to help guide our choice.  But we do have a God who wants us to be blessed in every aspect of our lives.  The only way to receive the joy and grace and provision necessary for good living is to obey the Word of our God.  To receive the life and blessings of Yahweh we must listen to his voice and do what he tells us.  I hope each of you is choosing life and passing this blessing on to others.  Don't wait for a better opportunity or a more opportune time.  The sooner you're solidly in line with Yahweh's plan and purpose for your life, the sooner the blessings are available to you.

    Blessings & Peace,    Mike

Just One Person (1/31/11)

Shalom,

 

    Please begin by reading Luke 17:11-19.

 

    Normally when this passage is talked about in church we hear about the wonderful faith of the Samaritan who returned to Jesus to thank him.  I'd like to present a different perspective of the Jewish men who didn't come back.  As we hear one man's story maybe we won't be so harsh on the nine who didn't personally return to thank Jesus.

 

    He knew!  He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt what was wrong.  He knew!  He knew, but he couldn't believe what he knew was actually true.  It was too terrible to be true.  So he kept it a secret, a secret that haunted him day and night.  He would wake up in the middle of the night, tangled in the covers, his body slick with sweat.  Other nights, nightmares would haunt him, pulling him screaming from the blessing of sleep.  His shouts of "No! No!" shattered the silence of the night air.  The days weren't much better as his tormented thoughts just wouldn't leave him alone.

    It's true... You know it's true... Admit it... It's true!  His family and his friends were worried about him.  He'd lost weight.  He was preoccupied, ignoring them.  He no longer had the time to stop and sit for a while and chat.  They pleaded with him to let them help, but since he wouldn't admit to anything being wrong, they couldn't help.  He couldn't tell them.  They wouldn't understand.  But then how could they understand, when he didn't understand himself.

    Finally, despair drove him to the point where he had to do something.  So early one morning, before his family rose from their beds, he snuck out of the house.  He didn't tell a soul where he was going.  Maybe he was wrong, but worse was the fact that maybe he was right.  The trip took forever.  He'd walked this way many times before, but today he didn't notice the familiar sights.  He just concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other and praying that he wouldn't run into anyone he knew.  When he arrived in the city, he took a different route to a familiar location, the great Temple.  When he arrived at the place, he didn't go in the front door, instead he walked down a back alley and went in through a narrow door.  The room he entered was pitch black and he had to feel his way along a wall in order to find a bench to sit on.  He sat and waited.  Finally, a door opened and a priest entered carrying a lamp.

    This priest didn't speak.  He didn't ask a question.  There was no doubt in his mind why the man was sitting on that bench.  People only came for one reason... to verify what they already knew was true.  The exam took less than five minutes after which the priest said with a fearsome voice... You are condemned!  You are a leper!  No more were the first words spoken than the man dropped to his knees and cried with a sorrowful voice: "O God, why me?  Lord God of Zion, have mercy on me!"

    Having uttered the plea, the man began to rip the beautiful robe his wife had made for him.  The priest held out a bowl of mud and man plunged his hands into it.  Then he rubbed the dirt into his hair and onto his beard and across his face until he looked filthy and disgusting.  Then he opened the door and went out into the sunlight.  Only this time everything was different.  HE WAS A LEPER!  As he neared the end of the alleyway, just where it intersected with a major street, he knew what he had to do.  So he practiced a time or two.  Putting his hand over his upper lip, he issued the traditional warning:  Unclean!  Unclean!

    But the practice time was soon over.  As he joined the throng of Temple visitors he called out: "Unclean!  Unclean!"  But no one responded and he knew he would have to be louder.  He had to be heard, or risk causing the contamination of an innocent person.  Unclean!  Unclean!  This time they heard him, and their response was immediate.  Mothers hid their children under their cloaks, fearful that just a look would contaminate their children.  Older men turned away in contempt and younger men pelted him with chunks of garbage and with stones.  Never before in all his life had he been treated like this.  Never before had he walked through the streets of Jerusalem without being greeted by many people.  Never in all his life had he felt so alone.  But the worst was yet to come.  He still had to go home and tell his family.

    The trip that had taken so long that morning was far too short as he returned home.  He knew that his family would be waiting for him.  He knew that as soon as his children saw him, they would fly to jump in his arms.  He knew that if they did, if they so much as touched him, they too would be considered lepers and be forced to leave the village and live near the dump on the outskirts of town.  How could he tell them?  What would they think?  Would they wonder what he had done to make God punish him in this way?  Would they ever be able to forgive him?  His mind reeled with questions, but he would have many a lonely day to contemplate the answers soon enough.

    As he turned onto his street, the scene was just as he had anticipated.  His wife was sitting in fornt of their house as the children played outside their home.  And as soon as they spotted him they began to shout and to run towards him.  He had to do something fast.  So he cried out:: Unclean!  Unclean!  And as they had been taught, they froze in place, frantically looking around to see where the leper was.  But there was no one else there, just their Daddy.  And as they watched, he raised his hand to his lip and cried Unclean!  He could see it in their expressions, "How could this be?"  The confusion in his children's eyes and the pain and anguish he saw in his wife's eyes tormented him as he turned to leave.  His steps were slow and heavy as he headed for the exile of the leper colony.

 

    Life at the leper colony was different, although he was treated well.  Everyone there knew what it was like to be an outcact, to be cut off from your family and friends, to have people run away from you.  They all knew the overwhelming feeling of loneliness caused by their exile from family and friends.  They became family to one another, but it just wasn't the same.  Everyone had someone back home they missed terribly.

    With a suddenness that was still hard for him to grasp or understand, this man who had been so proud all his life was forced to beg for survival.  This man who worked hard to support his family, to provide for them, must now rely on the charity of others.  This man who had always observed all of the Jewish Law about cleanliness, well, now he stunk to high heaven.  He prayed long and hard for healing, or at least for an explanation of why this had happened to him.  He  longed to be able to return to his family.  He spent many hours day-dreaming about what it would be like to go back home, to be able to walk down the street with dignity again.

    Then one day a man he had known before his leprosy came to the edge of the leper camp and called out, "My friend, I have heard about this man called Jesus.  It's said that he's helped others just like yourself.  And he might be able to help you, too.  He's supposed to be going through the village just north of here in about two days time.  Won't you go and see if he can help you?"  Then his friend left.  That night at the campfire, the man talked to some of his comrades about this news.  They discussed and debated and bantered late into the night.  Finally the man said, "Let's go together.  It will be safer for all of us.  Besides, we have nothing to lose and everything to gain."

    The next day he and nine of his fellow lepers traveled to that nearby village.  Which brings us to the familiar part of this passage from Luke: "As Jesus was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him.  They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, 'Jesus, Master, have pity on us!'  When he saw them, he said, 'Go, show yourselves to the priests."

    And you had better believe that our man did just that.  He didn't stop and think about anything.  He just followed the instructions of Jesus, the Healer.  He raced down the road, burst into the back room of the Temple, and demanded to see a priest so he could be declared free of leprosy.  The priest who checked him was amazed at what he saw, or should we say at what he didn't see.

    But he was a new Leper Checker, so he decided to call on one of the more experienced Leper Checkers.  This man wanted to know what had happened and our man told him all about how he was healed by Jesus.  That probably wasn't a good idea.  Jesus wasn't very popular with the establishment, the preistly leadership.  So that Leper Checker decided to consult with a few more Leper Checkers.  Well, by that time there was so much commotion that the Head Leper Checker appeared, demanding to know what was going on.  Hearing the story, the Head Leper Checker decided that he would personally check this leper.  The only thing was the leper was now a former leper.  The priest found nothing, absolutely nothing, not even a scar.  The man was pronounced clean.  Not clean enough to go home, but clean enough to begin the ritual of cleansing mandated in the Book of Leviticus.

    First, two birds are brought in.  One is killed and the other kept alive.  Hyssop is dipped in the blood and sprinkled on the leper seven times.  Then the live bird is set free.  Then the man must take a bath, wash his clothes, shave his head, his beard, and his eyebrows.  Then he must sleep outside for seven days.  Then the ritual begins again.  This time lambs and oil are used, and again the man must bathe and shave.  This goes on for three weeks, until the man is declared clean and free of leprosy.

    The torment of waiting for the three weeks of cleansing to be over was hard, but now he can finally go home.  I can just see him now.  Running and dancing and skipping and praising God.  The sun shining off his clean shaven head, his tattered robe flapping in the breeze, and his voice crying out to all he passes: I'm clean!  I'm free!  Can't you just see him as he rounds the corner onto his street, his face a massive smile and tears flowing down his cheeks.  What a reunion that must have been.  This time he didn't stop his children when they flew into his arms.  He held them and kissed them and savored their familar feel and smell.  He then gently put them down and swept his wife into a bear hug and twirled her around in a little dance of celebration.  And as word spread around the village, the party grew and grew.

    The story of how he was healed was told and retold.  Then someone asked, "But how did you know where to go?  How did you know who to ask for?"  The man paused, looking through the crowd for one man.  Where was he?  Where was the one man who had dared to come  near the leper camp to tell him about Jesus?  Where was the man who had actually introduced him to Jesus?  Where was the man who had made such a difference in his life?  Eventually, he spotted him and his smile was accompanied with tears of joy.

 

    We don't have many lepers in this country, but we have a lot of people who like lepers are outcasts.  They don't have any true frineds, at least not Christian friends.  These are people who are too sick, too poor, too lazy, too old, out of work, out of luck.  You know, the people it's all too easy to ignore.  They're the people who feel unloved and unwanted, disconnected from their community and even their families.  Granted some of them put on a good front and are quick to assure you that they're just fine.  But there's hardly a day that goes by that's not plagued with uncertainty.  They ask themselves the same questions the leper asked: What's going to happen next?  How am I ever going to make it through another day?

    The man in our story needed the help of a friend to find Jesus.  Without the loving concern this friend displayed for his exiled neighbor, the man with leprosy may have ended up dying in the leper colony.  We need to show the same concern for those who don't knwo Jesus as their Savior.  We need to go out of our way, walk the extra mile, to reach the lost and dying world with the Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ.

    I believe that Jesus can and will make a difference in people's lives, any person's life.  But someone has to tell them where to find Jesus.  Someone has to pray for them.  Someone has to invite them to church.  Someone has to be their friend.  Someone has to risk being told to go away and mind their own business.  Someone has to risk being laughed at and called a radical Christian.  But the good news is that it will only take one person.  Will you be that one person?

 

    Blessings & Peace,    Mike