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

Shalom,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Blessings and Peace, Mike

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

Shalom,

Please begin by reading Zech 3:1-10.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Blessings & Peace, Mike

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

Shalom,

Please begin by reading John 16:22-28.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Blessings & Peace, Mike

Acknowledge Yahweh (10/10/11)

Shalom,

Please begin by reading Hosea 6:1-3.

John Wesley wrote the following to his sister Hetty: "I am glad to hear you prosper in your soul; rest in nothing you have attained; but press on till you are filled with the fullness of God."

Hosea spoke the same kind of words to Israel. "Let us press on to acknowledge Yahweh." Press on means to follow, to run after, to be zealous in chasing. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit should be the heart, the very core of our faith and worship. The rituals and religious activities we involve ourselves in aren't supposed to be the main point. In fact they're positively dangerous unless they bring us to a closer relationship with our Lord and Master. When we make our religion more important than the one who's supposed to be the focus of our devotion, we need a wake up call just like Israel did.

Some Christians are hurting themselves because they're not pressing on to know their Lord more intimately. Without this focused effort on our part we can't be instruments of righteousness in the hands of our Creator. Some have a distorted understanding of what exactly intimacy with our God actually is. Some are only flirting with their Father. They talk about how much they love him, what they're doing for him, but they never go all the way. They play games with Yahweh instead of getting serious about their relationship with him. Intimacy requires a full surrender to the one you're being intimate with. If you're holding anything back, you're not truly being intimate.

Some even go so far as to have a live-in trial with God. Just like too many humans think they have to test out their future marriage partner before making a full commitment to them, some have the mistaken belief that they can do the same kind of silly test with the Lord of Glory. So they get partially involved with Yahweh, even sharing a bit of intimacy. But in the back of their minds is a veiled threat, "If you hurt me (or any of your church people do), I'm out of here." If anything connected with God and his Church breaks their heart by not meeting their every whim or expectation, they're ready to walk away. Yahweh doesn't do prenuptial agreements, he's in the business of receiving us into his family as a gift. We're not equal partners with him.

Hosea's inspired words tell us Yahweh is concerned with our knowledge of him. We should easily recognize his voice, knowing it well because we've spent a lot of time with him. And because we've spent a lot of time with him we can also understand what our Lord's saying to us. Hosea is warning the Israelites to stop trying to use Yahweh for their own benefit and to apply themselves to truly knowing him. We should certainly heed this warning ourselves in this time of enhanced self-gratification.

The secret to solving the problems of life is to know the Creator and his ways. As Paul was nearing the end of his life, he wrote these ambitious words: "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death" (Phil 3:10). Do you have this kind of desire to know your Lord and Savior? It's the only way to avoid the kind of pain and injuries Hosea mentions. His admonition to Israel was "Come, let us return to Yahweh. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds." Sometimes our loving Father has to allow our sin to be painful to get our attention. Sometimes he sends chastising because we certainly deserve it.

Paul stressed that we're running a race. The goal of runners is to win. The goal of the Christian should be to work at completing our knowledge of Jesus and the perfection of our salvation. Christians shouldn't be discouraged by past failures, and also not overly proud of past achievements either. We must look forward and press on to the prize of eternal life in Christ. No past failure can stop us if we repent and return to our Lord. No ego trip will help us draw closer to him. Find the balance point that helps you draw closer than you ever have to your loving Master.

The ultimate goal of any believer should be to know the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit better. When we know him, truly know him like we're encouraged to in Jer 9:23-24, then we're enabled to live a new life by the "power of the resurrection." That we know him means that we progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with our Lord, clearly recognizing who he is and what he's done for us.

One of our major problems today is that we're practicing bad discipleship. We're not training new Christians into the basics of faith. We're spending too much time training them to fit into our church. We're not providing them the means to live a victorious Christian life. We're indoctrinating them into our particular brand of doctrinal belief. Consequently, they stumble and inevitably backslide. If they aren't instructed well, they'll probably just end up as nominal church members.

If our instruction of new converts is defective, they'll only press on as far as their first emotions of conversion take them. As soon as they reach the end of their emotional strength, they'll come to a stop. What's bad about this is that at this point many will begin to decline and backslide. If our instruction of new converts is that weak, what does that say about our "more mature" members? Are they solidly grounded in the teachings of their heavenly Master, or the less than perfect example we set for them?

What we need to be teaching people is that faith isn't dependent on impulses or excitement or emotion, but that the important thing is going steadily onward to the goal of intimately knowing Jesus. Every new convert needs to know that moving forward in their personal faith journey is vital to their spiritual health. We must all press on and advance to maintain good spiritual health, that's what our Designer declares. Remember Hosea spoke of our Lord healing his people and binding up their wounds. Our Father will help us deal with the hurts and wounds we've received in the world and the Church.

We can't be like Israel, thinking that we're privileged in some special way because we're "God's People." They took things for granted because of this attitude. They didn't work at their relationship with their Father. Jer 8:11 says, "The priests and kings dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. Peace, peace, they say, when there is no peace." The picture is that their spiritual and political leaders were taking someone with a broken leg or a cut in need of stitches and only putting a band-aid on it. We must allow Yahweh to deal with the root causes of our wounds so they can be completely healed.

Israel had turned to idols, committing spiritual adultery. Yahweh will only accept an exclusive relationship with any one of us. There are no love triangles allowed. We can't split our time with him and our family, or him and our job, or him and anything else. What do we have that's more important to us than our relationship with our heavenly Father? If that relationship is right, everything else will fall into place. He wants us to take good care of our families. He wants us to be good workers. He wants us to be good citizens. He'll make sure that we're taking good care of everything if we obey him (Matt 6:33).

Yahweh knows that life on this earth is tough. He doesn't need to watch the evening news to parade a river of sorrows before him night after night. He's fully aware of our conflict. Yes, the conflict is very real and often very bitter. Many people use the escape of drugs or alcohol to attempt to numb the pain. Others use the mind-numbing capacity of TV, movies, and the Internet. Some use the pursuit of sex, money or power to avoid the pain.

Many ask, "Who wants to live forever?" They say only a fool would want the pain and suffering to continue forever. For many people the possibility of living forever is anything but good news. Instead, it's a frightening consideration, something to be feared rather than welcomed. No wonder many people will have nothing to do with the Church if we can't explain the truth to them to help them overcome their fear.

But the Word of the Lord God Almighty says: LET US PRESS ON. It gets much better is we listen and obey our Creator's plan. The resurrection of Jesus means that death isn't an end, but a beginning. It means that through the obedience of the Suffering Servant we can have eternal life. And eternal life means much more than just living forever. It also offers us the opportunity of victorious living right here and right now. It says to us that pain and suffering are only temporary.

This is what people are looking for, the power to overcome the trials and pain and suffering of this life. Through the power of the resurrection we're offered a new kind of life, a new quality of life. We secure this life by knowing the love of the Father, Son, and Spirit found in the resurrection. We can know Jesus personally in the forgiveness of our sins and the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit after we've received him as Savior.

Do you appreciate all that Yahweh has done for you? Do you cherish his presence in your life? We must press on to know him better and better. Any lack is due to our personal failure to draw as close as we can to him. We must strive to learn all we can, obediently following our Lord wherever he leads us. Yahweh wants us to know Jesus intimately and to receive his power to live a better quality of life. He wants us to let the Holy Spirit guide us. He's there to help us if we'll trust him to lift us above the nasty and less-than-likeable circumstances of life.

Henry Ward Beecher said: "The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is, that one often comes from a strong will and the other from a strong won't." Which category can you place yourself in concerning your knowledge of your Father in heaven? Are you willfully persevering or obstinately being willful?

Yahweh's call to us is dependent on our response. If we want the power and ability he freely offers to his children, we must attempt to know him better and better. Here and now he wants all Christians to press in and press on. For the new convert, he calls the mature Christians to encourage and teach them so they won't fall away after the surge of energy that accompanies salvation fades. For the one who's been a Christian for some time, do the new things the Spirit leads you to. They're necessary for our faith to stay fresh and vital and lively.

Our Lord will surely respond favorably to our loyal efforts at getting to know him. The rains Hosea mentioned in verse 3 were vital to Israel's agricultural prosperity, and the regularity of the rains was taken as a sign of Yahweh's favor on them. We need some spiritual rain to soften the gorund so the Gospel seed will more readily take in the hearts of the lost.

Press on and show some zeal for the things of our Lord. Can you imagine how pleased our Father will be if we zealously chase after him? Wouldn't you like to be well-received in heaven because you worked at getting to know your Lord better and better? I know I want to be revived and restored and living in his presence.

Blessings & Peace, Mike

Community of Believers (10/3/11)

Shalom,

Please begin by reading Acts 2:42-47.

"They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people." Doesn't that sound absolutely wonderful? Wouldn't it be thrilling to experience that kind of fellowship and the appreciation of people outside our churches? The joy of our Lord so filled the lives of these early believers that they enjoyed each other's ongoing company and the people of Jerusalem liked them, too.

Does your local population like you? Do they even know you exist? We need to find this same kind of joy in our fellowship and service so we can also have the same kind of strong influence on our communities. Not only will we experience a greater sense of the joy of our salvation, but others will be drawn to our good witness of faith. Our individual and corporate relationships with the Father, Son, and Spirit should be having a good influence on the people all around us. I know we don't live in a perfect world where everyone wants to know how to be saved, but we can certainly do a better job than we've done in the past to share the Kingdom of our Lord with our communities.

We hear a lot about "inter-faith" gatherings in our world today. All sorts of religious people are meeting together for prayer and service and other activities. The ongoing dialogue between many different faiths appears to be gaining momentum for a greater ecumenical agreement. The move toward being tolerant of every belief system is overwhelming many people. I'll be honest. I can't accept that this is what Yahweh wants us to be doing. He's a very jealous God and doesn't like it when we compromise his truth to be more accepting of one another.

"Inter" means: between, among, in the midst of, mutual, and reciprocal. How can we be true Christians, following the Word of our Almighty God, and fully accept the beliefs of those who deny and reject the truth of the Bible? According to his Holy Word, Yahweh set apart a people to proclaim his name, shine his light, and share his truth with the world. The people who trust in him for salvation and who strive to live holy lives will be blessed. The people who reject his salvation and deny his truth will not. If we want to see the same kind of results as the early Church, we have to stand against the ways of the world and their "tolerant' outlook. If we're going to serve the One True God, we can't tolerate anything but the Gospel of Jesus the Christ.

When we proclaim a message of Jesus being "the Way and the Truth and the Life" (John 14:6) we'll definitely stand out. And doing this could mean being very successful in bringing more people into the Kingdom, or being persecuted for proclaiming the truth that many don't want to hear. We can read in the Book of Acts how the early Church had favor in some places, and were jailed or killed for their faith in others. Their evangelistic efforts were strong and brought many people to the place of receiving Jesus as their Savior. But they also faced terrible persecutions for not aligning with the "system." We can see the same sort of thing throughout history, or still ongoing in various parts of our world today.

If we're unwilling to face opposition by proclaiming the straight and pure Truth of the Gospel, we'll never see anything like the early Church did happening in our communities. We must make a decision to stand strong for the Gospel and our Lord, no matter what other people think or do. If we shut ourselves up inside our buildings and bask in the good feelings we have in fellowship with one another, we're missing out on the blessings of sharing the Gospel. It's great to love one another and enjoy each other's company, but without new growth our individual bodies with wither and fade away. It's definitely time to expend more of our energy into evangelism and the public proclamation of the Gospel.

Look at the beautiful time these early believers were having. They shared their assets with one another. They met "daily" for prayer and praise and worship and teaching. Miracles were happening. Doesn't that sound good? Wouldn't you like to experience this kind of Christianity? How have we become so ingrown and separated from our communities? We have to make some kind of effort to reach out beyond ourselves.

Look at the way they influenced their community. Does our community look on us with favor? I believe for the most part we could say yes, but I also believe there are many who hardly know we exist. We're the people of Yahweh. We claim to have the Truth, the one and only Truth that comes directly from the Creator. We're to be expressing the heavenly Father's love toward others in the way we treat and serve them. We give to missions to help spread the Gospel around the world. But what about those within our own towns and communities? What are we doing to bless and reach them?

The alcoholic or the single mother or the abused child down the street doesn't know or care about how we sent needed items to Africa, or how we provided food after the floods, or how we support a seminary in India. They know they have needs and we haven't made them aware of the amazing God and Savior we serve. They know they're hurting and we haven't reached them with the loving concern their Maker has for each and every one of them.

After the time for the service had come and gone, the student began to wonder if he'd got his directions mixed up and gone to the wrong church. He was just leaving a note when a pickup truck slid to a stop at the bottom of the steps. A man in overalls jumped out and asked, "Are you the guest preacher?" The young man replied, "Yes, I am." Then the man began to apologize and explained, "Joe Crane's fence broke and some of his stock got loose. We've all been over there rounding up cows and repairing the fence. Every one's there. You can come and speak to us there if you'd like." The student thought a little and said, "No, thank you. You're preaching a better sermon than I ever could. I'll just come and join you in the work."

Our communities need to be aware of our presence in the same sort of way. If something is needed, we should be some of the first people to respond. If someone is hurting they should know they can come to us to talk and pray about their concerns. Our best sermons are our loving service and friendly actions to others, especially to those outside our fellowships. I need to do better at this myself. We're to be affecting our community by sharing the Gospel, but we're also to be the best citizens of our communities.

It's much more than doing "nice" things for people. The Gospel of Nice has become a cheap human substitute for biblical service done in the light of our Savior's love. We need to help them and then also tell them we're doing it because our Lord and Savior sent us. We need to proclaim the Gospel in some way. When we let people know we're helping them in the Name of our Lord and Savior, they are made aware that we serve a loving God. When we have the opportunity we can then tell them the whole Gospel story and attempt to draw them closer to the one who can save them. Jesus is the most important part of doing this community service. It's not about letting people know how loving our church is, but how loving Jesus is. He's the reason we to work at blessing other people.

Our communities and nations need another Great Awakening. We need a move of the Holy Spirit to bring peace, righteousness and godly living to the forefront again. According to Henry Blackaby and Claude King's book Fresh Encounters, a spiritual awakening occurs when large numbers of people experience new birth in spiritual life in a short period of time. Spiritual awakenings aren't just times of mass decisions for Jesus, it's more about people's lives being radically changed by the Gospel of the Kingdom.

Here are some examples of the kinds of things that we should see taking place:

Bars closing for lack of business.

Police work dropping due to a decrease in crime.

Stores receiving money and stolen merchandise from people convicted by their sin.

Reconciliation taking place between racial and ethnic groups, individual relationships being healed.

Foul language being replaced by more civil and wholesome speaking.

Private and public acts of immorality decreasing.

Marriages being restored and family life becoming stronger.

Don't those things sound great? We can work toward making them a reality. Standing in the presence of our Holy God is an awesome experience. Any encounter with the Father, Son, and Spirit carries with it responsibility and accountability. No one can be in their presence without a serious response. If we've truly met and invited Jesus into our hearts, we're now responsible to help other people do the very same thing.

Yahweh is holy and demands holiness from his people. If we've met Jesus in salvation, we have the responsibility of sharing him with others. We can be more like the early Church and impact our communities with the love of our Savior. People need Jesus. We have the words of life. Somehow we've got to bring these words of life to more people, especially those in our own communities.

Blessings & Peace, Mike