Kenya Trip

Shalom,

Tomorrow afternoon I leave for Kenya. I appreciate any and all prayers you offer for the trip. I'm due to return on Sep 1st. There won't be any teachings during the month of August, but I hope to post some trip reports while I'm there. Be blessed in your service to King Jesus.

Blessings & Peace, Mike

Followers of Jesus (7/25/11)

Shalom,

Please begin by reading John 12:37-43.

In spite of a rather massive national spirit of unbelief in Israel, the situation wasn't hopeless. Yahweh always has a remnant, even within the most corrupt nations. Many people, even in Israel's leadership, did believe in Jesus. The problem we're presented with here is that they feared being put out of the synagogue if they admitted to being followers of Jesus. They were much more concerned with what other people thought of them than what their God and King thought of them.

We still have people today who are more concerned with the praise of men than the pleasure of our heavenly Father. Why should we fear the opinions of sinful mankind? What is it that keeps us from being sold out in our discipleship and faith? In spite of the way many churchgoers live their lives, there's nothing casual about following Jesus. Being cautious like these Jewish leaders is primarily a hindrance to faith. It only keeps us from enjoying the rich blessings of Yahweh. And we don't really gain anything truly worthwhile by making some other people happy, because giving anything less than our all will put a major limitation on our faith walk and will also greatly limit the benefits we gain by being a follower of our Savior.

Every Christian is called to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. A disciple is one who believes in and helps spread the teachings of his master. A disciple is an active follower of his teacher and mentor. Christian means little Christ. When our Master isn't present, we should be a good representative of him and his teachings. Are you a disciple of Jesus the Christ? Do you believe in him, help spread his teachings, actively follow him? There is no part-time option available to us when it comes to following Jesus. At least Jesus doesn't offer us any such nonsense.

The Scriptures point out several kinds of disciples. Most receive a scolding, a few are commended for their solid commitment. We all must individually examine our own hearts to see where we fall on this list.

Casual Disciples: These are people who are quick to make excuses instead of stepping out in faith. If something is inconvenient or they feel it’s too much to ask, they have a catalog of excuses to throw out to avoid the action. Luke 9:57-62 offers us some examples of this kind of behavior. Jesus called these men, but they all made excuses not to come right away. They weren’t ready to make a full commitment to following him as their Lord and Master.

The first applicant is somewhat impulsive, a Peter kind of guy. “I will follow you wherever you go.” Our Lord’s answer to him revealed the fact that Jesus knew poverty while living on earth. When he and his disciples traveled, there wouldn’t be any reservations at the nicest inns. He was told there would be no pampered service or special privileges just because he was hanging with Jesus. The implication is that this man expected to receive some kind of blessing just by associating himself with Jesus. It appears he wasn’t going to follow Jesus because of faith, but because of the expectation of a recognition or selfish benefit. We’re not told if this man stayed with Jesus or not. We can hope he did.

The second applicant wants to follow Jesus, but first he wants to be able to bury his father. Now, Jesus isn’t forbidding him from going home to do this. The implication of the verse is that his father isn’t dead yet. Whether he was waiting for his inheritance or worried about displeasing his earthly father, Jesus claims first place in his life. Instead of dealing with death, Jesus exhorted him to proclaim the Kingdom. Life, real life, is found only in the Savior’s Kingdom. When a conflict arises between our human affections and following Jesus, Jesus says we need to follow him.

The third applicant wants a leave of absence before he ever starts following Jesus. He hasn’t even entered full-time service yet. He wasn’t touched by the urgency and importance of spreading the Gospel. He didn’t feel a passion that consumed him and helped keep his eyes on Jesus. Now what Jesus speak to this man may sound a bit harsh to us, but we must remember that Jesus knows our hearts and speaks directly to the real issues This man was being half-hearted and the Bible always speaks against that selfish attitude. Jesus used a farming illustration to make his point. You can’t plow straight lines while looking behind you. You have to pick a specific point ahead of you, and stay on target.

These men could also be called calculating disciples. They seemed to be following Jesus for the personal benefits. Their first consideration was how they would be affected by becoming disciples of Jesus. They weren’t putting Jesus or the fellowship of believers or the cause of the Gospel first. What was important to their personal lives came first. If we consider our “needs”and desires first, we may find ourselves lacking in true belief and faith. Followers of Jesus are to be disciples, letting him be the Master while we learn as apprentices. Jesus knows our needs and calls us to full-time ministry knowing how to care for each and every one of us as individuals. We don’t have to take care of our needs if we’re sold out in serving Messiah Master Jesus.

If we’re not careful we could encounter the major problem of being callous disciples. These are ones who lose sight of what’s most important, the spreading of the Gospel and the building of Yahweh’s Kingdom. We have a very “ME” oriented church in America. Receiving MY blessing is often much more important than giving one. Many hearts are hardened to spreading the love of Jesus, because they feel they haven’t received enough for themselves yet. This is very dangerous ground to inhabit. And the problem is that the longer we stay in this place, the harder our calluses get until we’re totally insensitive to our Lord’s voice.

I met a strange man. He said he believes the Bible is the Word of God, but never reads it. He says prayer changes things, but he never prays. He said he thinks well of the Church, but he never attends. He said people need the Savior, but he doesn’t lead any to him. He said a man should be honest with God about money matters, but he never tithes. He said the Church needs dedicated people, but he isn’t volunteering. He said King Jesus is returning soon, but he lives as though he never will. He is a strange man indeed.

There are also cautious disciples. Don’t be like Peter and “follow at a distance.” When Jesus was taken before the Sanhedrin, Peter hid in the background. Yahweh calls us to the front of the line. Our Father wants his children to be noticeable amid the crowd of humanity. This doesn’t mean we should be reckless or obnoxious. It’s just that being a disciple of Jesus is meant to be a very public matter. Faith in the Savior isn’t a private matter, especially according to Matt 10:31-32. We’re given the option of acknowledging or disowning Jesus. That seems fair, but then read the next line. Whichever one we choose is the one Jesus will also do. Don’t be so cautious that you leave yourself on the outside looking in.

Now we can talk about the good disciples. These are committed disciples. They follow their Lord and Master closely, almost putting footprints right up the back of Jesus when he stops quickly. Committed disciples are eager and excited, wanting desperately to please their Master. Sometimes other people make fun of the zealous, but Yahweh encourages us to be filled with zeal. A person once said, “I’m a fool for Jesus. Whose fool are you?”

Jesus would say to us: “Keep about your work. Don’t flinch because the lions roar. Don’t stop to stone the devil’s dogs. Don’t fool around chasing the devil’s rabbits. Do your work. Let liars lie. Let the devil do his worst. But see to it that nothing hinders you from fulfilling the work your Father has given you. Keep at your work. Let your aim be as steady as a star.”

If we’re committed to following Jesus we’ll count the cost. We’ll understand that this may cost us some serious ridicule or scorn. There will be people who not only reject the message of the Gospel, but also feel offended by our presentation of Yahweh’s truth. If we’re committed to following Jesus, we can stand strong in our faith even in the worst persecution. We’ll understand that our career path may not get us the highest salary. Yahweh’s not necessarily in the business of making us all materially rich. He deals more in spiritual riches. But we’ll also understand that the eternal benefits are fantastic. Being a committed follower of Jesus allows us to trust in his provision and be less dependent on the world’s corrupt system.

If we’re committed to following Jesus, we’ll follow as soon as he calls out to us. We’ll be quick to respond whenever we hear his summons to action. We won’t waste any time completing the tasks we’re given to do, and we won’t let our personal tasks keep us from doing what we’re told. We’ll strive to be the quickest at whatever he puts in our hand to do. We’ll work to be the best servants we can be in everything we do for our Lord and Master.

If we’re committed to following Jesus, we won’t look back longingly at what used be our lives. The things of the past are just that, the things of the past. Yahweh has blessed us with a wonderful future. It’s out ahead of us and we must be looking forward to get a glimpse of it. Just don’t run ahead and fail to accomplish today’s task.

Being a committed follower of Jesus doesn’t mean we have to enter what’s called “full-time Christian ministry.” You can do what he calls you to do wherever he happens to have you or send you. Being a committed follower doesn’t mean waiting until you’re retired to begin working directly for your Lord and Master. Let him use you right now. Let the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit speak through you now. Trust in his help to be the best you can be for him. Trust that your amazing and awesome God knows what’s best.

Blessings & Peace, Mike

You Can Know God (7/18/11)

Shalom,

Please begin by reading Jer 9:23-24.

Here's a little pop quiz to check your general knowledge. The questions are all really very easy.

How long did the Hundred Year War last? 116 years.

Which country makes Panama hats? Ecuador.

What is a camel's hair brush made of? Squirrel fur.

What color is a purple finch? Red.

Where are Chinese gooseberries from? New Zealand.

Somehow we know these kinds things even though they seem a little strange and rather trivial. But when it comes to the God of the Bible many people say it's impossible to really know him or they complain about the mysteries that are so difficult to understand. The Bible teaches us that Yahweh can be known. The God of Creation has chosen to reveal himself to his creation. He wants us to know him more fully, more accurately, and more personally. The wrong-headed belief that many humans have about being unable to know Yahweh is actually a cop-out, a denial of the truth of the Word of our God.

Three scripture passages speak clearly about our ability and our need to know our God. Jer 24:7 says, "I will give you a heart to know me." Our Creator and Designer states that we're made to know him. That's his choice and our great blessing. John 17:3 says, "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." Again, Yahweh initiated the contact, but the point is that we can perceive, recognize, and become acquainted with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 2 Thes 1:8 says, "God will punish those who do not know him." Yahweh will judge those who choose to ignore him. That's the only way it can happen because he's revealing himself throughout our world, and every human has the opportunity to accept or deny a relationship with him.

J. I. Packer said: "What are we made for? To know God. What aim should we set ourselves in life? To know God. What is the best thing in life, bringing more joy, delight, and contentment than anything else? Knowledge of God."

A problem we have is that we can know about the God of the Bible without really knowing him. This is the danger of using human reasoning too much. It's very easy for us to fall into the trap of knowing a lot of things about God instead of just getting to know him. The word know, in both the Old and New Testaments, is used for intimate knowledge, even to the level of sexual intercourse. We're not talking about a superficial level, but a depth of knowledge that comes only from being vulnerable with someone else.

Knowledge of the God revealed in the Bible is good and absolutely essential to us, but just because we've read the latest book or attended the newest seminar doesn't mean we really know him. Knowing the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is much deeper than knowing some facts or information. We don't know the Postmaster General just because we licked a stamp. We don't know our spouses because we read their resume. Don't get caught in the trap that knowing God is about the amount of information you've gathered. It's actually more about the level of intimacy you've attained.

One way we get to know the God of Creation is by relying on our imaginations. Each of us carries around a mental picture of who God is. That picture is a mixture of a lifetime of experiences, impressions, and assumptions. This process begins with our view of our parents, which we instinctively project into our impression of God. As we grow up, other information is added to our imagination. This includes our experiences with churches, all the sights and sounds and sermons. As we mature we keep updating our Deity database, mostly by accumulating things other Christians say and do. We also add what our culture and society think about God. Hopefully we don't give equal weight to what the world who denies Yahweh's sovereignty thinks.

Everyone has an image of God. Some of us envision a Mr. Goodwrench kind of God, the mechanic who fixes all our problems. Others imagine a grandfatherly God, the one who hardly ever speaks a discouraging word. Some see an overbearing policeman in the sky, the God who spoils all our human "fun." Some say he's their good buddy, as if he were more human than God. Of course there are many other humanly skewed views since most people don't rely on the Bible for their image.

But instead of relying on our imaginations, Yahweh gave us a better way to know him. He invited us. We really can't get to know the Lord God Almighty unless he first invites us. Yahweh understands our reluctance to come to him, so he made the first move. He extends an invitation. He wants us to listen to his words, to respond to his initiative. He decided to become our friend, making it possible for us to know him. To know our heavenly Father is to enter into a relationship with him, not just to learn some facts about him.

After we accept Yahweh's invitation, the next way we get to know him is through revelation. What we know about our God comes by way of his revelation. Yahweh is so far above and beyond us that we're totally dependent on this Spirit-revealed information. If he didn't choose to reveal himself to us, we could never know what his desire for us is. If there wasn't an opening of the veil between us and heaven, we could never attain to the level required to really know him.

At the most basic level Yahweh has revealed himself through creation. Rom 1:20 says he's "clearly seen" and that we're 'without excuse" to know him. In spite of how man has worked to remove the Creator from his Creation, it's the most basic place we can come to know him. Yahweh has also revealed himself through his great and amazing love. Jesus is a very clear revelation of our God to all of mankind. By seting aside his divinity and becoming fully human, Jesus gave us a clearly understandable picture of our God.

But probably the biggest and best revelation of our God is found in the Bible. We can't possibly know Yahweh apart from knowing him through his own Words. The more we learn about our God in the Bible, the better able we are to discern him in many other ways and places. How can we say our God is speaking to us when we don't know the Bible, His Word? The Bible is the only true point of comparison we have for testing our mystical and supernatural experiences. It's only by knowing his clear revelation to us in the Bible that we can compare information from any other source.

But you know what it all comes down to? Our own personal investigation of who and what God is. We don't have to go to seminary to know God. All we need is a desire to know him. I've witnessed to people who said they had a desire to know God, but were still struggling to grasp the concept. Actually, that's a great place to be because of what Jer 29:13 says, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." We're going to find the best information when we're hungering and thirsting for our God, not when we're intellectually pursuing him.

If we're serious about getting to know our heavenly Father, his promise is that he'll help us in our search. Read the Bible. Join Bible studies. Come to prayer meetings. Ask questions of truly spiritual people. Your personal investigation is exactly what Yahweh is looking for.

Have you ever noticed how we humans love to boast and brag? We like to boast and brag about our education levels, our promotions, our cars, our children, our accomplishments, and lots of other things. It's almost as if that's the only way we can validate our existence and feel important. In Jeremiah's day things were very similar. We read that the wise and strong and rich weren't to be boasting about their stuff. We still haven't learned. We elevate people because of mere human accomplishments. We talk of Einstein's brilliance, Michael Jordan's athletic ability, George Washington's leadership, Dwight Eisenhower's military victories, and the money of Bill Gates. But let's be honest, most of us don't qualify for any of these categories or know anyone even remotely famous. Verse 24 tells us if we want to boast or brag to tell others we know Yahweh.

We'll never understand or know Yahweh until we begin to know him personally. I can't define it clearly or tell you exactly how it will happen for you, but when you encounter the living God your life will never be the same again. Focus on knowing him and he'll let you find whatever you truly need. Psalm 34:8 says, "Taste and see that Yahweh is good." He's really good, and he's good all the time. But you'll never know this unless you experience him for yourself. Take a little sip, a little nibble, there's plenty to go around and no one will go without. Yahweh can offer all of us a little taste and still have plenty to spare.

Here's another little quiz. Listen to these character traits and tell me who I'm talking about. Faithful - Just - Unchanging - Loving - Holy - Righteous - Strong. I'm sure you know the answer is Yahweh, the God of the Bible. But one day we'll all have to take a final exam. This one will really count and determine our final destiny. The exam will consist of one question. Do you know God through Jesus Christ? Yahweh's not kidding about this. He expects us to do things his way and demands that we come to him on his terms. Don't let your imagination turn you away from Yahweh's truth.

Do you perceive and recognize the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? Have you become personally acquainted with Jesus? That's what truly matters. That's what will get you into heaven. "Let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows Yahweh."

Blessings & Peace, Mike

Ecumenism Vs. Unity (7/11/11)

Shalom,

Please begin by reading John 17:20-23.

The prayer of our Lord Jesus for his Church, his Body, is the guide to proper unity. In verse 21 he prays that we "be brought to complete unity." This means to consummate, to finish, to make perfect. We need to hear and understand this. It's taken the Church so long to get to even a small understanding of this point becuase we've allowed ourselves to be deceived by our enemy, the devil. It's not that he lured us into gross sin, but that we allowed our minds to be infiltrated and neutralized with enough good to quench our thirst for excellence, Yahweh's kind of excellence. Since the only way for us to be perfect is to be completely surrendered to our Lord Jesus, we better pay attention to how he wants us to operate as his people.

Ecumenism isn't an evil thing at its root, it's just not up to Yahweh's standard of excellence. It's a man-made entity. The definition of ecumenism is: A movement seeking worldwide unity among religions through greater cooperation and improved understanding. That sounds like a nice thing, doesn't it? But it clearly misses the target of the unity Jesus prayed for us to have. Ecumenism is about accomodating one another's different beliefs without condemning or criticizing each other. You come to our church and we'll do things our way, then we'll come to yours and you can do them your way. Ecumenism is about styles and often skips over true differences in the matter of Yahweh's truth.

When the Church of Jesus Christ truly ministers to one another, the whole Church attains a more perfect unity. This unity is based on the fundamentals of faith, so it can lift us above our petty disagreements, differing personalities, and denominational pride. Yahweh's goal is that we reach maturity in Christ so that we can come together for ministry to our lost and dying world. We don't have to agree on everything, but we must be united at the most fundamental points of our faith.

Yahweh is building a foundation of unity and openness to accomplish something new in his people. But we need to step forward in faith to meet him in this new venture. Yes, we'll make some mistakes, but that's OK. Our Father doesn't mind the mistakes as long as we're striving to learn his ways. He understands there'll be some trial and error on our parts as we discover new paths. There needs to be more freedom to allow people to try new things, things that are outside the realm of their normal religious thought. We need to allow some experimentation. Things can be tested afterwards instead of hindering and limiting everything by old systems of checks and balances.

Did you know that the two most powerful beings in the world are trying to kill you? Which one will you give in to? Yahweh and Satan are in mortal combat, contending for the souls of all mankind. One wants you to die to yourself so you can better serve him. The other wants you to die a horrible death and suffer for eternity along with him. We have an advantage because we know who wins in the end, but don't forget the devil is still working hard to change the end of the story.

Sometimes ecumenism is right in line with the wil of our heavenly Father. Other times it's drawing us into the trap of the devil. One of the main problems with ecumenism is that we're trying to unify around too many points. Instead of coming together using the things we have in common, we try to accomodate each others major differences. Yahweh prescribed two main points of focus for our untiy: Worship & Warfare. Will we worship together, working to build the Kingdom through our united prayers and efforts to minister in the name of our Lord? Will we join forces to battle against the enemy of our soul, tearing down his strongholds through a united effort?

Worship: Worshiping together is about feasting, not fasting. We should rejoice in our Lord together. It's not going to make us close our churches to then form one big church. I don't believe we're meant to be a big single church. Having different churches with different worship styles seems to go along with the diversity our Creator built into us. I look at them like the tribes of Israel. We clearly have distinctions, but we must never forget that our Lord and Master prayed for us to be united. We must work to maintain and work for that true spiritual connection which lifts up the Kingdom of our Lord instead of our individual churches.

When Jesus prayed for the unity of a single, worldwide, ecumenical church; he was praying for a unity of love, his kind of love. Jesus prayed for a unity of obedience to our God and his Word, with an understanding that we have different perspectives we view this truth from. We need a united commitment to do the will of our Lord. This isn't about uniformity, doing things exactly the same. This is about unity, having the same vision and focus for the big picture. It's not just about right and wrong, it's about us sharing what we've witnessed. Our individual experiences of the presence of our Lord should be able to interweave and produce a better picture of our eternal and extra-dimensional God.

If we can worship together we can begin to accomplish the threefold goal of the five-fold ministry found in Eph 4:11-16. First we're to have a unity of faith. We may not approach the Lord of Glory in the same manner, but we're all trying to get to the same place. Second, we're all supposed to be growing in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus. We may not agree on every point, but if our desire is to know Jesus better none of us should be critical of the other. Third, we're to be growing into the stature of the fullness of Yahweh. None of us has the complete picture, so we need one another and our different perspectives if we really want to know the fullness of our God.

Warfare: In Israel, all the tribes would mobilize to fight together. We have common enemies that we need to band together to overcome. Some of our enemies are: poverty, drugs, oppression, lack of biblical knowledge, political corruption, greed, and much more. Paul told Timothy to "fight the good fight of faith" (1 Tim 6:12). We need to bring salvation in Christ to the whole world, and a united Church will be much more effective in this mission. We may not all appreciate the way social justice is done, but it's something that the Church should be involved in. A united Christian front on this could overcome the humanistic weakness and unbiblical worldview which dominates the current liberal agenda.

Doctrinal problems don't matter, they're overrated. All churches are family in Christ. If Jesus is their Lord, we have something in common. We can't let our individual visions hinder us from a united ministry. All churches who name the name of Jesus should be working together to bring the Kingdom of God to their communities. Instead of warring against ourselves over less than vital points of doctrine, we need to join forces to fight against the demonic strongholds that surround us.

We need a new move of Joshua-style leadership, people called and anointed to lead us into spiritual warfare, real fighters. Joshua didn't settle for just knowing Moses and imitating him. He wanted to know Yahweh. Ex 33:11 tells us he stayed at the Tent of Meeting when Moses returned to the camp. He developed a close relationship for himself, longing to spend time in the presence of his Lord rather than emulating Moses. We may greatly admire the faith and spirituality of other more mature believers, but we better be like Joshua trying to cultivate our own growth in Christ instead of using a fallible human as our example.

King David is a good picture of the Warrior Worshiper. He was a mighty fighter and a man after Yahweh's own heart. He won many battles because of his dependence on his Lord, and he abandoned himself to powerful and free worship of Almighty God. Read 1 Chron 16:8-36 some time. It's David's Psalm of Thanksgiving written after the Ark of the Covenant was brought to Jerusalem. If you have a problem coming up with words to praise and exalt and worship Yahweh, these are some good ones to use.

Verses 23-31. "Sing to Yahweh, all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among the peoples. For great is Yahweh and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but Yahweh made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy in his dwelling place. Ascribe to Yahweh, O families of nations, ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength, ascribe to Yahweh the glory due his name. Bring an offering and come before him; worship Yahweh in the splendor of his holiness. Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, "Yahweh reigns!"

The goal of the unity of all believers with one another and also with Yahweh is twofold. First, that the world will believe in the divine mission of Jesus. If we can act with solid unity for the purpose of spreading the Gospel and building Yahweh's Kingdom, the world may stop ridiculing us over our petty differences and actually be drawn to Jesus. Second, that the world will sense the Father's love for his creation is as deep, intimate, and lasting as his love for his precious Son. The world needs to know that they are deeply and greatly loved, in spite of our sin. Every single human needs to know that Jesus will accept them as soon as they admit their need and seek his help.

As the Church proclaims the significance of the the redeeming work of Jesus on the Cross, it can be united in our Father's purposes and his redemptive plan for the whole world. The union of Christians, "that they may be one," is likened to the unity the Son has with the Father. This union is linked by Christ's indwelling of believers, "I in them." If the same Jesus lives in our hearts, how can we be so divided? Unity comes when we set aside petty differences for the ultimate goal of preaching the Gospel of salvation to the lost and dying of our world.

I'm happy that there's an ecumenical movement, but I know it has human shortcomings. I pray that we'll truly become united in Christ, worshiping together in Spirit and truth, warring together to bring the Kingdom to our communities. The power and effectiveness of the Gospel will be greatly increased if we unite and serve our Lord above our little churches. Jesus prayed for our unity, so it's not an impossible task. We need to trust him and seek his direction as to how we can overcome our pack mentality and become the mighty warriors of the Kingdom we're meant to be.

Blessings & Peace, Mike

Interdependance Days (7/4/11)

Shalom,

Please begin by reading 1 Pet 3:8-16.

As we in America contemplate and celebrate Independence Day, we need to be reminded that it's necessary for the Body of Christ to have a spirit of interdependence. Yahweh has called us to work together, to combine our gifts so we can fulfill the ministry of the Church of Jesus Christ. It's great to honor those who have been a part of making this a great nation, but we must also become part of the fight to help it remain a great nation. Without some dedicated prayer and effort, especially on the part of the Body of Christ, our nation won't remain a beacon of hope for the rest of the world. Too much about our Christian heritage is being removed and denied in the teaching of our history. The Church, every fellowship and congregation which names Jesus as their Lord and Master, must stand up and proclaim the need for our nation to repent and return to the one who helped us become a nation in the first place.

The key for the Church is found in the first verse of what we just read. "Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another, be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble." Living in harmony means being of the same mind, united in the Spirit. It doesn't mean we agree on everything, but that our vision and mission are the same. Being sympathetic is to sympathize with one another. We have common troubles that we face in our world and society. Loving as brothers means to love as members of a single household. In spite of the fact that we meet in different places and see things differently, we're still family and should have a love that overcomes our differences. To be compassionate and humble is to be tenderhearted and courteous with one another. We're supposed to honor others before seeking honor for ourselves. You know, our greatest task is to serve one another.

If we can live with each other in this manner we can overcome a lot of the problems we have between denominations and doctrinal positions. When we focus on our need to serve one another we go a long way toward overcoming the individualism that does great harm to our churches. The spirit of rugged individualism that's worshiped in America must be dealt with. Our culture has raised up the person who can do it for themselves, who can go it alone. There are all kinds of rah-rah, egotistical statements we use to honor rugged individualism. For many it's a highly respected and esteemed characteristic. But in the Body of Christ those qualities can actually be very hurtful. The Bible, the Word of our Creator and Lord, clearly states that we need interdependence to function properly.

In Numbers 20 we find Moses getting himself in trouble for his independence. The Israelites need water. They're murmuring against Moses and Aaron, as usual. Moses must once again, in Yahweh's name, command water to come from a rock. His instructions were to only speak to thr rock for the water to come forth, a definite miracle which would show the Israelites, again, the power of their mighty God.

But Moses and Aaron got it wrong this time. Because of his aggravation with these complainers, Moses took the glory for himself. In verse 10 we read, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" There's a lot of arrogance in that WE because it wasn't them who brought forth the water. They were told to speak to the rock, not hit it. They didn't give Yahweh the glory that was due only to him. Instead of a mighty miracle of seeing water come forth from a rock just by a word from the prophet, the people saw Moses hit the rock, not once but twice.

Moses spoke unwisely, using his lips for the wrong reason. His pride and frustration made him step out of his role as mediator. His sinful independence and rebellion to a direct word from Yahweh is condemned, and it keeps him out of the Promised Land. We all have to be careful how we allow what others do to affect us. Dealings with those who murmur and complain are never easy. Many times we can speak truth plainly and clearly but the grumbling will continue because they refuse to listen. But we must remain steadfast in trusting and believing what our Lord God Almighty has spoken to us.

John Wesley wrote about a man who "wanted for nothing." He spoke about him already having all the "necessaries, conveniences, and superfluities of life." He asked the question, "For what salary will you abstain from all other diversions, than the doing of good, and the praising of God?" His conclusion was that this sort of person wasn't likely to travel thousands of miles per year on horseback, through all kinds of weather to deliver the Gospel to needy people. This kind of person wouldn't preach "18 or 19 times every week."

The independence that being without human need brings often turns people away from their dependence on godly provision or interdependence with other Christians. Mr. Wesley's answer for himself is, of course, very scriptural. "What comfort would it be to my soul that I had left behind me gold as dust? Will it follow me over the great gulf, or can I go back to it?"

The person who thinks he doesn't need anything from anybody else is an extremely poor person. Yahweh designed us to work together, to help one another, to be incomplete without each other. It works that way in marriage and in the Church and even in our society. We're designed to live in community with a sharing of our gifts and blessings. Don't think communes or communism, but genuine love for one another which drives us to do what's best for somebody else.

We run into problems in the Body of Christ when we put too much emphasis on "my" faith. Some people make their faith out to be the most important thing in the world, even making faith the independent source of their individual salvation. But the Bible clearly points out that we live and move and breathe through Jesus, not our faith. Yes, by faith all things become possible, but the power isn't in our faith. It's strictly in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - the source of our faith. Yes, we must exercise faith to continue to grow spiritually, but again we must remember that our Lord gives us the faith to operate in obedience and trust. We need individuals with strong faith to be a strong body, but too many separate themselves from the ministry of the body through their selfishness. It's silly how some avoid contact with other Christians either because they feel arrogance about their level of faith as compared to others or they feel doubt that they can fit in with others because of their weak faith. Both are selfish positions.

The goodness of faith isn't found in its moral excellence or our ability to "have faith." Faith originates in the righteousness of Jesus, our Messiah and Master, and grace is the power source. The peace that passes all understanding doesn't come from our faith. It comes from Yahweh, the God who is our Shalom, the ultimate in peace. Faith reaches out and touches the hem of our Lord's garment as he passes by. It's only then that healing virtue comes out from him and into our being. We must remember that our faith is our Lord's faith, and that we must be sold out and surrendered to following him before it operates with heavenly power. Eph 4:5 mentions "one faith" as part of what helps us work in unity. So let's put our individual faith together and become a strong body.

It's a good thing to celebrate the independence of our nation. Without that independence we wouldn't have the kind of freedom we have to worship and serve our heavenly Father. We should respect and honor the sacrifices of those who helped to win our freedom and maintain it throughout our existence. But we shouldn't then think it's OK for us to do whatever we please. The freedom bought with the blood of patriots doesn't give us the right to be Lone Rangers, making our own rules for living. It calls us to work together to keep the hard-fought freedom in place for generations to come through whatever level of personal sacrifice is necessary.

Yahweh calls us to be interdependent. He calls us to be unified in our efforts to spread the Gospel around our world. He calls us to be a team building his Kingdom. Rugged individualists don't fit into this picture. Surrendered, obedient followers of Jesus do. We're to be a family united in bringing the Good News of the Father of the whole world to those who don't know or recognize him. Most families have problems, but even the most dysfunctional can set aside differences for a common cause. The true children of the Most High God must set aside their differences and be interdependent, using our individual gifts for the building of Yahweh's Kingdom instead of our little physical and intellectual properties.

Yahweh is the one who placed us together in our churches and fellowships. The process is supposed to be that the Holy Spirit draws us together so we can do good work as the priests and kings of our Savior's Kingdom. It's our responsibility to work to preserve unity, to help one another strengthen the Body of Christ. As the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one - so is His True Church. We need one another, that's the way we're designed. Denial of this need is denial of our Lord's Word. Let's quit being so selfish and work together because Daddy says so.

Blessings & Peace, Mike