Rooted in Him

Meddlers and Busybodies.

2011-08-08T16:39:00.000-04:00

1 Peter 4:15 (NASB)
Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler...

1 Peter 4:15 (Wuest Expanded Translation)
Let no one of you continue to be suffering [reproach] as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a self-appointed overseer of other men’s matters...

Two points:

1) In the Church, busybodies are the functional equivalent of murderers and thieves.

2) In an era of mass media and partisan politics, being a "self-appointed overseer of other men's matters" is the most common type of "public Christian." In other words, this is, to our shame, what non-Christians think that Christians are like. And it is a problem on the Left and on the Right.

And I just did the same thing.

Scripture Haiku. Acts 2:1-42

2011-07-30T09:01:00.000-04:00

They had gathered on
The day of wind and fire.
God praised; Christ proclaimed.

Coming short of grace (Hebrews 12:15)

2011-07-29T17:11:00.000-04:00

Hebrews 12:15
See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled... (NASB)

Exercise foresight and be on the watch to look [after one another], to see that no one falls back from and fails to secure God's grace (His unmerited favor and spiritual blessing)... (Amplified)

Looking diligently lest any man fail... (KJV)

"See to it."

"Be on the watch."

"Looking diligently."

Obviously coming "short of the grace of God" must be visible. That is, there are signs that it is happening. And it must be visible before the bitterness happens.

What are the signs of coming short of or falling back from grace?

Osama bin Laden and the Bible

2011-05-15T19:03:00.004-04:00

Romans 13:1-4 (NASB)

1Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.

2Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.

3For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same;

4for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil.

It is biblical for the government, the "ruling authorities" to take vengeance against Osama bin Laden. And since it is New Testament, Saint Paul, Biblical, it would also be Christian to expect, and desire, the government to act this way.

We cannot take delight in his death. God does not take delight in the death of anyone, desiring all men to come to repentance. But it is not wrong to expect the government to take vengeance against those who practice evil.

Love, hate, and anger

2009-09-13T18:52:00.000-04:00

James 2:18 (NASB95)

18 But someone may well say, "You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works."

Expand this for a moment. My works make evident my faith. If I believe that “Jesus is the son of God” my works are going to reflect that belief. Am I doing the works that Jesus did, and greater works than these because He returned to the Father?

This is true, not only in the long arc of my lives, but also in the moment-by-moment reactions and responses to the world around me.

One of the things that regularly get said to new Christians is that love is not just an emotion, it is actions. I may have loving emotions, but I cannot show them without works. Or, in other words, love shows itself to others in loving actions. Love , unlike faith, is also expressed in words. it may be expressed in words like, “I love you.” But it may also be expressed in words of encouragement or words of gratitude. Those words may be without any open emotional content, as may be the actions of love.

So, love, to be love, must be expressed by “word or deed.” But the words or deeds, loving as they are, do not need emotions attached to them in order to be loving. I can believe God, and do the loving deed He asks of me, without any emotion of love, and He will reckon that belief to us as righteousness, I have followed James’s example, showing my faith through my works.

Now, I am going to extend this further. If the only way that I can show my love is through loving words and actions. what about hate, anger, fear, or guilt? I can have those emotions and not show them. And no one may know that I have them. How about if I do show them? Is not anger shown through angry words? Does not hate show itself through hateful actions I may speak my angry words without a trace of anger in them, or in my heart, at that moment. Angry words that get rehearsed in an angry mood and released in a calm one are still angry words.

“Revenge is a dish best served cold,” is a common saying in the world. After the emotion of anger or hate or fear is gone, they can still drive the plotting of revenge.

Therefore, anger, hate, or fear can be shown by their deeds, and by their words. There may emotions attached at the moment the deeds or words happen, or there may not.

Or, flipped around, if there are loving actions without the emotion of love, there are also hateful or angry actions (or words) without the emotions of hate or anger. Others can say of me that I hate someone because I show my hate by my hateful words or deeds.

My works reflect my faith. They reflect what I believe in, either in the long arc of my life or in the moment-by moment reaction or response. But something else is true. I react to the world around me, much like all animals do. But I can reflect on my reaction, the emotions triggered by whatever has happened, and what I have done with those emotions.

I may then respond with loving actions and words, despite what has happened to me. I may even need to apologize. I am forbidden by Jesus to take vengeance, and to hate my enemies. I have the ability to reflect and respond. I have that freedom.

Now, animals can only react to the world around them. Their “faith” is simple and direct. Their “emotional” state is what one sees at any given moment. They do not plan revenge. Nor do they plan loving acts. They simply are.

Animals react. Humans may react. Or we may reflect and respond. To apologize is evidence of being human.

Fear of the Lord, part 2

2009-08-24T20:47:00.000-04:00

Psalm 111:10a (NASB 95)
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom...

Luke 12:5 (NASB 95)
"But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!

1 Peter 2:17 (NASB 95)
Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.

1 John 4:16-18 (NASB 95)
We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.

Thoughts:

“Perfect love casts out fear.” But what of the “fear of God?”

As I transfer my fears from the wrong things to Him, to my Lord Jesus, I declare that He is the proper recipient of the fear that I am feeling over something else.

So doing, the fear of something that is not God becomes the “reverential awe” of Him who is God. And only God deserves the fear that is also “reverential awe.”

And as I turn my fears over to Jesus, as I make Him to become the correct object of my fears, He casts them out. His love is perfected in me as I see His love for me. Ultimately, I have no fear of Jesus because I have no fear of punishment. The world may have its fears, its terrors, its worries, and its anxieties but the love that God is perfecting in me will drive it out.

I am yet living and as long as I live I will have fears, but now I know better how to deal with them, Who to give them to, and how to triumph over them. Where before I cowered before them, I now have the choice to triumph.

Fear of the Lord, part 1

2009-08-21T11:46:00.003-04:00

Psalm 19:9a (NASB 95)
The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever...

Psalm 111:10a (NASB 95)
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom...

Ecclesiastes 3:14 (NASB 95)
I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him.

Luke 12:5 (NASB 95)
"But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!

Ephesians 5:21 (NASB 95)
...And be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

1 Peter 2:17 (NASB 95)
Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.

1 Peter 5:7 (NASB 95)
...Casting all your anxiety [or “worries”] on Him, because He cares for you.

Thoughts:
Old Testament and New, the fear [also translated as “reverential awe”] of the Lord is praised and encouraged. Fear of men, other nations, and idols was discouraged. Only God deserves the fear that is also “reverential awe.”

If I fear something I am saying that it has power over me. But only God has ultimate power over me. Others may injure me, even kill me, but I am told to fear only Him who has authority to cast men into hell.

But I do fear things other than God. And I find it hard to fear a loving God, who gave up His only Son, so that I could know Him.

What then? What do I do with my fear of the wrong things? I found a clue in 1 Peter 5:7. “Casting all your anxiety on Him.” I do not need to keep my fears. I do not need to have my fears focus on things, on people, on events, on idols, that are not God. I can “cast” them onto Him.

I have for years understood this to mean that I give my fears to the Lord in prayer. I tell Him what I fear, and ask Him to set my free from them. I did this knowing that if I do, I will know the peace that passes understanding.

But I also now see that I have to give those fears to the Lord in the sense of transferring them from the wrong things to Him, to my Lord Jesus. I need to declare my Friend, my Savior, Jesus, the proper recipient of the fear that I am feeling over something else.

So doing, the “fear” of something that is not God becomes the “reverential awe” of Him who is God. This is part, for me, of bringing all things into subjection to Jesus. I see Him as the proper recipient of any fears I may have.

Exercising Gratitude

2009-08-14T08:42:00.002-04:00

Ecclesiastes 7:18 (NASB 95)
It is good that you grasp one thing and also not let go of the other; for the one who fears God comes forth with both of them.

A very long time ago, I had a dilemma. I thought I had to do one thing or the other. I was asking God, and taking counsel with friends, what I should do. And one of the friends, Lew, quoted this verse to me. I ended up successfully holding on to both things until it came time to let go of one of them.

I am grateful for that man of God, and for the many men and women of God that I have known.

Seeing Jesus - Hidden in Christ

2009-08-12T11:24:00.001-04:00

Joshua 1:8 (NASB 95)
"This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success."

Psalm 32:7 (NASB 95)
You are my hiding place; You1 preserve me from trouble;
You surround me with songs of deliverance.

Psalm 31:19-20 (NASB 95)
(19) How great is Your goodness,
Which You have stored up for those who fear You,
Which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You,
Before the sons of men!
(20)You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the conspiracies of man;
You keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues.

Psalm 119:114 (NASB 95)
You are my hiding place and my shield;
I wait for Your word.

Colossians 3:1-3 (NASB 95)
(1) Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. (2) Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. (3) For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Philippians 4:8 (NASB 77)
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let you mind dwell on these things.

Thoughts:

I am a "verbal" person. That is, I love words. I think in words. I meditate on the Word. Some people are visual and picture the things of God; some are auditory and sing "songs of deliverance."

I have a "hiding place," a place that I can set my mind on. I may meditate on a word, like "grace." Or a phrase, like "peace beyond understanding." Or a bit of a verse, like "It was for freedom that Christ set us free." As I do, Jesus reveals Himself to me. He brings the word, the phrase, the verse alive to me in a way that it has not been before.

The "hiding place" of others may be a particular style of worship: a "hymn sing" or "soaking" in anything from simple piano playing to a raucous worship band. Others use a "sanctified imagination" to picture Jesus and heaven.

In such a state, in such a place, the things that I call platitudes or cliches, the "trite" sayings that I hear from others, suddenly are profoundly real. There is a simplicity to devotion to Jesus. He gathered the simple to Himself; He gave a simple message in simple words. So simple was His call that it was considered "foolishness" by the wise and powerful.

I have a physical body and I interact with the world, but my life is now hidden with Jesus Christ. That life can be discerned by my actions and words, but in a very real sense it is hidden.

Romans 5:1-2

2009-08-01T12:03:00.000-04:00

Romans 5:1-2
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.

These two verses are an amazing summary of the purpose and accomplishments of Jesus. I am justified by faith. Not by works or accomplishments. Not by emotions or emotional state. Not by any form of political creed. Only by faith in Jesus.

Mankind’s long war with God is over. We can call that war a result of sin or a result of human nature. We have been in conflict God and now are not. But God’s peace is not just the absence of conflict. It “passes understanding;” it is a spiritual force in its own right. However, that peace is not a goal; not a weapon; not a political agenda. That peace, and the justification it springs from is “through our Lord Jesus Christ.” It has no other source, no other mediator. He alone provides the introduction and the access to the grace we stand in.

We believe that Jesus is our savior and our lord. As a result, we receive a permanent gift of salvation and, from it, peace.

Jesus, You are my access, my doorway to peace with God. And I have this access as a free gift. I have done nothing to deserve it. And I am grateful.

Seeing Jesus

2009-07-06T19:42:00.002-04:00

Job 42:1-6
Then Job answered the Lord and said, “I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ “Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” ‘Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me.’ “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You; Therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes.” (NASB95)

Thoughts:
There is a difference between knowing about someone, and knowing them by experience. Job had heard about God, His mercy, His expectations, His righteousness. But he did not know God, Face to face.
I can chose to hold God at arm’s length, decline to meet with Him, ignore Him. He allows this. But in the end I only know about God, or rather, I think that I know about Him. But even that knowledge is merely what I chose to know about Him, rather than know Him as He is.

When I only know about God, I can chose to know about some facet of Him: His grace or His love, for example. And I can chose to not know about His holiness, His wrath, or His righteousness. I can approach Him as Savior while walking away from Him as Lord and Master. And in the end, I will neither know about Him nor will know Him by experience.

Job had walked to the best of his ability in obedience to the God that he know about. And God had been profoundly good and loving to Job. But Job still did not know God until God had revealed Himself to Job.

Seeing Jesus

2009-05-03T21:12:00.002-04:00

CS Lewis. The Screwtape Letters. Letter 15

“The humans live in time but [God] destines them to eternity. He therefore, I believe, wants them to attend chiefly to two things, to eternity itself, and to that point of time which they call the Present. For the Present is the point at which time touches eternity. Of the present moment, and of it only, humans have an experience analogous to the experience which [God] has of reality as a whole; in it alone freedom and actuality are offered them. He would therefore have them continually concerned with eternity (which means being concerned with Him) or with the Present–either meditating on their eternal union with, or separation from, Himself, or else obeying the present voice of conscience, bearing the present cross, receiving the present grace, giving thanks for the present pleasure. “

Here and now. We meet Jesus in the here and the now. Yesterday is memories. Tomorrow is a set of plans, fears and hopes that may not even happen. Here and now is where I meet Jesus, where I see Him, where I wait for Him, where I praise Him, where I pray to Him.

Acts 10:33. So I sent for you immediately, and you have been kind enough to come. Now then, we are all here present before God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord."

What better place to be than to be "here present before God"?

Wrestling with one another

2009-04-25T19:13:00.004-04:00

Ephesians 6:12. For our struggle [or “wrestling”] is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

It is so easy to struggle and wrestle with other people. We are hard-wired to look for danger, categorize it, and "fight-or-flight". The emotions corresponding to "fight-or-flight,” anger and fear, are also deeply hardwired in.

Our victory over the world is that we believe that Jesus is the Son of God (I John 5:4,5), not that we can defeat fellow human beings. Jesus commanded us to love our enemies, not hate, fear, or be angry at them. Why? Because our fight is not against them. They are created in God’s image, and are beloved by Him. He desires their salvation. He sees their hatred of Him, and of "us-in-Him," as part of the damage created by the fall of man that all “flesh and blood” partake in. Yes, they can kill us, or at least try to make us miserable in one way or another. However, they deserve our compassion, because God knows how much they have damaged themselves being enemies of God and "us-in-Him."

New

2009-02-16T16:08:00.000-05:00

Ps 51:10

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

And the rest is details

2008-08-02T09:13:00.001-04:00

Psalm 24:1. The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains,
The world, and those who dwell in it.

Simple and Pure Devotion to Christ

2008-07-30T11:06:00.001-04:00

2 Corinthians 11:3. (NASB95) But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.

2 Corinthians 11:3 (KJV). But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

2 Corinthians 11:3 (Amplified). But [now] I am fearful, lest that even as the serpent beguiled Eve by his cunning, so your minds may be corrupted and seduced from wholehearted and sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

But I am afraid [“phobos,” terrified, frightened]
Paul spent the first letter correcting the Corinthians about all sorts of things. This passage is almost all the way through the second letter. But he was not afraid for them before this.

that, as the serpent [Rev 12: 9,10: “the serpent of old who is called the devil,” diabolos, the slanderer]
The serpent is the one who tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden. He did so, partly, by slandering God. [“Has God said...?” “You surely will not die.”] The devil called God a liar. And he still does. His goal is to separate us from God. He does so by questioning God, by lying about God, by denying God’s love for us. But the devil tries to separate us from God by reminding us of our unworthiness to receive God’s love for us. He speaks accusation against us, to us. He also tries to separate us from our brothers and sisters in the Lord by speaking accusation against them.

deceived [“deceived” or “seduced”]
As I wrote above, the devil deceives us by lying about God to us. He tries to woo (“seduce”) us away from God by questioning His love for us and His promises to us.

Eve by his craftiness [his subtlety],
“Craftiness” is the opposite of simplicity. “Subtlety” offers multiple options to any problem. It declares a problem to be nuanced and complex. It asks us to look at the “big picture.” It tells us to look at the “context” of the problem. Yet, God is the big picture. And the biggest context of them all is God.

your minds [or “thoughts” or “the intent of your will”]
When I think of “mind,” I think of the whole mind: all the thoughts, emotion and will that makes up what is going on in my brain. But the Greek word covers more territory. When I think of “thoughts.” I think about the train of thoughts that make up my daily life: each thought leading to the next. “The intent of my will” is another distinct concept in English. It is what I want and intend to happen.

When I put all the ideas covered by the Greek word together, I can get a clearer picture of how the devil operates. He desires to lead astray my train of thoughts so that they do not naturally tend towards Jesus. He wants to corrupt the intent of my will, so that I will not want to turn to Jesus every chance I get. He wants my mind to be occupied by things other than devotion to (worship of) the Christ who forgave my sins and set me free from bondage.

will be led astray [destroyed, corrupted, spoilt]
When I think of the word “astray,” I think of it as a synonym for “distracted.” But this is different. The devil desires to corrupt my thought processes, not just distract me (although that can happen, too). “Corrupt” is a synonym for “evil.” But evil is not necessarily wicked deeds. In terms of the Kingdom of God, evil is simply things opposed to God and any of His ways. The devil wants to make my thoughts evil, that it, opposed to God.

from the simplicity [“singleness” or “sincerity.” Wuest - “single-hearted loyalty.”]

James 1:8 says that a “double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.” James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. ...Purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

God asks us to display single-hearted loyalty to Him. He wants us to walk in simplicity with Him, to be stable. Subtlety tries to second-guess God; corruption tries to replace God with something else. If my thoughts become corrupt, if the intent of heart is turned away from God, yet I still walk with God in many ways, I will become unstable. I will become up and down emotionally, in and out of church life or even churches, always “learning, but never coming to a knowledge of the truth.”

and purity of devotion [from a word meaning “holy, sacred, undefiled, chaste, innocent.” It is the same word that the Greek word for “saint” is derived from.]
For me, this is turning to Jesus every chance I get. Or, at least, every time I think about it. It is developing a habit of mindfulness towards Jesus. Praying without ceasing, being quick to pray in tongues when the job of the moment is finished, or letting worship bubble up from my heart. “I am “taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”

to Christ. [Jesus, the Messiah, the Anointed One. ]
Jesus is the focus of attention for Paul. In 1 Corinthians 2:2, he wrote, “For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.” Jesus was crucified for the forgiveness of sins. That act opened the way for us to approach God and stand in His presence. Paul displayed to the Corinthians a “single-minded loyalty” to Jesus Christ, his Lord and Savior. Paul was afraid that the simplicity he had walked in with them, and that they had responded to, would by lost or damaged by the devil.

The slanderer, the devil, the serpent of old.

2008-07-28T13:14:00.006-04:00

Devil: Greek word, “diabolos;” slanderous, accusing falsely: devil(34), malicious gossips(3).

Every time “devil” is used in English in the New Testament, it is “diabolos” in Greek.

Revelation 12:9-10.
9 And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil [diabolos, the slanderer] and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying,
“Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he [diabolos, the slanderer] who accuses them before our God day and night.

Proverbs 16:28b. “...A slanderer separates intimate friends.” When the devil stands before God, he accuses me before God. Does he lie to God? Or does he speak truth about me? God knows the truth about me, so why would the devil, the slanderer, lie? He speaks truth about me because, he wants to separate God from me. But nothing can separate me from the love of God.

Slander is not false speech, it is divisive speech. Slander drives a wedge between intimate friends. For example, between God and me, a forgiven sinner. When the slanderer talks to God about me, he speaks the truth about my sin and my falling short. When the slanderer talks to me, he speaks truth about my sin, but he lies about God.

The slanderer says things to me like, “Look at what you just did. How can God love someone like you? Did God say that He loves you even when you do things like that? What nonsense.”

If he cannot separate God from me, he will try to separate me from God.

Ephesians 4:26-27
26 Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger
27 and do not give the devil [diabolos, the slanderer] an opportunity [or “a place”]

If I get angry at someone, I am divided from that person. That which fills my heart comes out my mouth. If I, in my anger, talk about a person, division will come out my mouth. Slander is division in spoken form. I need to deal with my anger that day, lest it fester and turn into division and slander

Ephesians 6:11. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. [diabolos, the slanderer].

1 Timothy 3:7. [An overseer]... must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil [diabolos, the slanderer].

If an overseer has a bad reputation, it will provide a place for the slanderer to bring reproach against the overseer and against the church. The slanderer has schemes and he wants to bring about division.

2 Timothy 2:24-26.
24 The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged,
25 with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,
26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil [diabolos, the slanderer], having been held captive by him to do his will [the will of diabolos, the slanderer].

Those, in the world, who are quarrelsome and “who are in opposition” have been snared by the diabolos, the slanderer. They are captives and are doing his will. However, those in the church, behaving the same way, have the same problems.

1 Peter 5:8. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil [diabolos, the slanderer], prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Lions hunt by separating one animal from the herd, and attacking it when it is by itself. The animal may be weak, old, very young, or just unlucky, turning one way then the rest of the herd turned another. In other words, it was not “on the alert.” Slander separates. When I listen to it, I am more likely to be by myself, separated from others. I may be distrustful, angry, or fearful, but I am alone. And therefore, I am in danger.

2 Corinthians 11:3. But I am afraid that, as the serpent [“the serpent of old who is called the devil,” diabolos, the slanderer] deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.

The slanderer distracts me, leads me astray, by questioning God’s motives and promises. The serpent said to Eve, “Has God said...?” This slanders God by making an false accusation against God, calling Him a liar. But the “Has God said...? question also slanders God by creating division between God and me. It raises questions about whether I can trust Him about what He says. By listening to the questioning and the lies, I become double-minded. But can also get distracted by listening to the division that the slanderer speaks about my brothers and sisters, too. He slanders them as well. And it does not matter if what he says is true or false, as long what he says divides me from Him and divides me from my brothers and sisters.

Summary: The devil’s purpose is to create division. Or to aggravate existing division. (We are quite fallen enough to generate lots of division on our own.) He has schemes, he has a will, he is deceptive and crafty, and he seeks opportunities to devour us. And yes, he also tempts us to sin.

How to overcome? Simplicity and purity of devotion to Jesus. This is by grace. We need God’s grace to see that we need God’s grace. We do not seek Jesus on our own, but by His leading. Therefore, we need to depend on Him to overcome the slanderer’s schemes.

The Withdrawal of God's Manifest Presence

2007-08-28T10:59:00.001-04:00

[The devil's] cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do [God's] will, looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys. (CS Lewis. The Screwtape Letters. Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc. New York. 1982. Page 39.)

I have been meditating on the story in Time magazine about Mother Teresa's "long, dark night of the soul.” Before beginning her ministry to the dying in Calcutta, Mother Teresa experienced the manifest presence of God, especially Jesus. Sometimes this was during the eucharist (communion) or in prayer, or at other times.

Shortly after beginning her ministry this manifest presence was withdrawn, and for most of the rest of her life, she did not experience it. The Time’s article quotes letters she wrote during this time period, including one in this passage:

...In a letter to a spiritual confidant, the Rev. Michael van der Peet, that is only now being made public, she wrote with weary familiarity of a different Christ, an absent one. "Jesus has a very special love for you," she assured Van der Peet. "[But] as for me, the silence and the emptiness is so great, that I look and do not see, — Listen and do not hear — the tongue moves [in prayer] but does not speak ... I want you to pray for me — that I let Him have [a] free hand."

Protestants, in general, and Charismatics/Pentecostals, in particular, do not have much of a theology/doctrine about God’s withdrawal and how to deal with it. I cannot remember any pastor I have ever had saying much about the topic, let alone doing a full teaching on the subject.

CS Lewis, in "The Screwtape Letters," touches on the subject of God withdrawing His presence from us as being a natural part of spiritual life, but that is all. He makes the point that is all part of what he calls the “law of undulation” where all humans experience cycles of emotion, energy, and ability.

Philippians 3:7-10 (NASB95)
7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,
9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,
10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;

Philippians 3:10 (Amplified)
10 [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death...

I love this passage from Philippians. We all have verses or passages from the Bible that become "theme" passages for our lives. This is one of mine. I have spent a long time meditating on this passage and praying about it. The only thing that I have not loved about it has been in verse 10, "the fellowship of His sufferings." I know what Jesus suffered. I am not sure that I want those sufferings.

Jesus sufferings included the scorn and rejection of the Pharisees and Sadducees (the leaders of God's people at that time). He was betrayed by one friend and denied by another. He was abused and slandered in front of the Sanhedrin. His sufferings also included his scourging, the "Via Doloroso," and the pain of the crucifixion. But one of the "sufferings" that I have always missed is the separation that occurred on the cross between Him and His beloved Father.

Matthew 27:46 (NASB 95)
46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Quoting Ps 22:1)

Matthew 27:46 (Amplified)
46 And about the ninth hour (three o'clock) Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?"—that is, "My God, My God, why have You abandoned Me [leaving Me helpless, forsaking and failing Me in My need]?"

As the sin of all mankind poured out onto His Son while on the cross, God the Father turned His face from Jesus, removing His manifest presence from Him. How the “triunity” of God managed this I do not know. How God manages to withdrawn His manifest presence from a believer, from His sons, from His brothers, I do not know. I just know that it happened on the cross and it happens today to us. This has happened to me. And in this, I experience and share (in a very diluted way) some of the most intense suffering Christ underwent.

Hebrews 5:14. (NASB 95)
But solid [spiritual] food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

Hebrew 11:1 (NASB 95)
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

When this withdrawal happens, I can no longer sense God. That is, I can no longer detect Him with my eyes, ears, or “heart” (my emotions). But He has not left me.

John 14:16. (NASB 95)
And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever.

So what is my response to His withdrawal?

First, I ask Him to search me, “and see if there be any hurtful way in me.” (Psalm 139:23-24) And then I need to believe that if there is, He will let me know. In other words, a response in faith, not a reaction to my emotions.

So what next, if He is still silent? I know that the Holy Spirit is given to me, forever. My response to God’s withdrawal is faith. I believe God, and He reckons it to me as righteousness. (Romans 4:3) Even when He has withdrawn, I need to believe that He is still there, still hears and answers prayer, still values my worship and my life, and still has love for me “which surpasses knowledge” (Ephesians 3:19).

And then, I need to be obedient to what He has already called me to do. Mother Teresa continued caring for the destitute and dying.

Eventually, we cycle out of our “desert” or “winter” periods and back into times of joy, growth, life.

Our local gathering of believers has recently experienced a good deal of pain, loss and grief. I think that we spent at least a year in a corporate state of shock. And as people began to come out of the shock, some decided to leave.

I believe that we have experienced, corporately, a withdrawal of God’s manifest presence. This has been due, in part, to sin, and times of repentance have come. But I think also that we corporately cycled into, and are now cycling out of a winter period.

One of the words spoken over us at the beginning of summer had to do with yielding to and waiting on “the unforced rhythm of God.” Recently, there has been an upswing in people joyfully sharing the good things that God has done in their live. From celebrating 30 (or 33) years of marriage, to healing of physical ailments, to being set free from bondages. The elders have also been theming talks on grace.

Trust and Obey
Text: John H. Sammis, 1846-1919
Music: Daniel B. Towner, 1850-1919

1. When we walk with the Lord
in the light of his word,
what a glory he sheds on our way!
While we do his good will,
he abides with us still,
and with all who will trust and obey.

Refrain:
Trust and obey, for there's no other way
to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

2. Not a burden we bear,
not a sorrow we share,
but our toil he doth richly repay;
not a grief or a loss,
not a frown or a cross,
but is blest if we trust and obey.
(Refrain)

http://www.hymnsite.com/lyrics/umh467.sht

"Grids" Part 1

2007-08-03T09:02:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, I was talking with Pastor Tom about the church, the way we operate, and how that may have had an impact on people leaving. We both acknowledge there were a lot different reasons why people left.

However, I raised a question about our structure (or lack of it). We have little structure (and, therefore, little feedback) by which people can assess how they are "doing." I wondered if some people had left because they have felt like failures.

Most churches have various types of formal and informal methods of assessment: teaching Sunday school, various "outreach" ministries, titles of various sorts, membership in cliques, Bible studies, and various types of meetings from coffee klatsches to sewing circles to prayer meetings to whatever.

It is not that we have nothing. We do have house church leaders. And we do have cliques.

Not only do we have little structure, we insist on being Spirit-led (Romans 8:14). Being Spirit-led had implications on how we assess how we are doing.

One of the people who recently left said that he/she like the church that he was now attending because the pastor always concluded his teaching with a practical application. That is, what to do, rather than who to be. We emphasize being, especially being in Jesus. The problem with this is that we have to get our affirmation from Jesus, as we follow Him.

[Aside: ideally, we should be encouraging one another in order to fill in the gap here. however, our idea of encouragement is to tell people that there is more, to go "higher up and further in," and to "excel still more." In other words, that we are not doing good enough.]

Ephesians 1:1-14,. Part 2

2007-06-10T21:37:00.000-04:00

See "link". It will take you to the post below.

"In Christ Jesus."

There are 11 mentions in these 14 verses of being “in Christ Jesus” (and variations), one “in love,” and one “in all wisdom.”

In real estate, the joke is that the three most important things to remember are, “location, location, location.” In Christianity, the three most important things are, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.”

John 15:5. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” (Context is John 15:1-11).

Jesus used a simple picture familiar to the Jewish farmers and home-owners to whom He was talking. A vine-dresser, pruning, bearing fruit. Paul drove the same point home by repeating “in Christ” with a list of blessings, benefits, and promises.

Ephesians 1:1-14,. Part 1

2007-06-04T20:34:00.000-04:00

Ephesians 1:1-14. NASB95
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love
5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,
6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
8 which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight
9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him
10 with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him
11 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will,
12 to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.
13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise,
14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.

Verse:

In Whom:

Resulting in:

In Christ Jesus

The saints who are faithful

In Christ

Blessed us with every spiritual blessing

In Him

Chose us to be blameless and holy before Him

1:4,5

In love

He predestined us to adoption as sons

In the Beloved

His freely bestowed grace

In Him

Redemption through His blood
Forgiveness of our trespasses

In Him

The mystery of His will

1:10

In Christ

The summing up of all things

1:10,11

In Him

We have obtained an inheritance

1:12

In Christ

That we would be to the praise of His glory.

1:13

In Him

We believed the gospel of salvation

1:13

Sealed in Him

With the Holy Spirit of promise

Fear, anger, and unbelief.

2007-06-04T20:17:00.000-04:00

John 14:1,27. NASB95.

1 "Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.
27 "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.

Several years ago, one of our pastors spoke about the closeness of fear and anger. Physiologically, the reactions are similar in terms of the brain centers involved and the hormones released. A startled (and therefore fearful) animal will bite, growl, or otherwise attack. Some of us tend to respond to fear inducing situations with anxiety, others with anger.

My mother and my father-in-law are both old, frail, getting more and more vulnerable. In recent phone conversations, they lurched from anger to fear and back again, repeatedly. As they have gotten older, the ability to mask the emotions has broken down, as has the wall between anger and fear.

This has caused me to look at my own “anger triggers” and “hot buttons.” When I have a flash of anger, under that anger, or with that anger, is fear. The fear is proportional to the anger. The unbelief under that fear is proportional to the fear and anger.

Asking myself, “What am I afraid of?” is merely repenting from the sin (or “falling short”). Asking myself, “Where is my unbelief?” is still merely repenting from the sin. They are necessary questions. However, both questions keep my focus on me and my falling short. They are stepping stones to repenting (turning) to Jesus. I need to ask Jesus to “help my unbelief” (Mark 9:24). I need to ask Jesus to soften my hardened heart (Mark 16:13-14). I need His grace, His forgiveness, His hope.

I need to follow the full trail from the anger to the fear, from the fear to the unbelief, from the unbelief to believing in Jesus.

Teaching. May 20, 2007

2007-05-20T20:14:00.000-04:00

May 20, 2007

I am posting my notes on Pastor Mike’s teaching from Sunday, May 20th. These are MY notes. Not a transcript. Not his notes. Any misquotes, mistakes, or mystifications are my fault (or something like that). All verses are from NASB 1995.

What should we be intent on?

Philippians 1:27; 2:1-2.
27 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;
1Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,
2 make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.

One Spirit, one mind, same mind, same love, one purpose. In other words, Paul is writing to the Philippians and saying, “Hey, I need you all to be united.”

What is the one overriding purpose we are to have?

Jesus’s purpose was to go to Jerusalem and sacrifice Himself (2:8). God is intent on one purpose: Holy Spirit’s purpose is to glorify Jesus. Jesus’s purpose is to do the will of the Father.

What should we be intent on?

Matthew 11:28-30
28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

1) Me. It is easy to think about me. “Lord, help me to receive Your rest.” I know my weariness and heavy burdens. I know that I need His rest.
2) But, “all”. Everyone. One teacher, all learners. “Learn from Me.” What is He going to teach us? Humility, gentleness, rest, love. He teaches all of the “me’s”. And the world needs to learn this stuff.

One yoke, all of us pulling in the same direction.

Meditate on these verses:
I Cor 1:10
John 17 (all)
Romans 12:16; 15:5

Ephesians 4:1-6
1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,
2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,
3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

“Being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit...”

Diligence is work, effort, setting one’s mind on one purpose, being intent of purpose.

Be intent to hold onto the things that hold us together.

Forbearance #2

2007-05-20T20:01:00.000-04:00

Ephesians 4:1-3 (NASB)
1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance [tolerance] for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:1-3 (Amplified)
1 I therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, appeal to and beg you to walk (lead a life) worthy of the [divine] calling to which you have been called [with behavior that is a credit to the summons to God’s service,
2 Living as becomes you] with complete lowliness of mind (humility) and meekness (unselfishness, gentleness, mildness), with patience, bearing with one another and making allowances because you love one another.
3 Be eager and strive earnestly to guard and keep the harmony and oneness of [and produced by] the Spirit in the binding power of peace.

Oddly enough, I prepped this last weekend, and Pastor Mike used this verse this morning talking about "being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

Humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance, love.

One of the things that Christians get taught, usually fairly early, is that love is not just an emotion. Our culture emphasizes, even glories in, the emotion of love. However, love is also action. That is, love is demonstrated by actions. The abusive husband always “loves” his wife. But his actions are the actions of hate. We can control our emotions only to a limited extant. But we have free will over our actions. I may not have the emotion of love towards someone, but I always to the works of love.

Additionally, I was taught, early on, that if I make it a habit of doing loving actions, then the emotion will follow the habit.

This is the point that James was making in James 2:14-18. [James 2:18. But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”] By my works, I show my faith. And by my works, I show my love, my humility, gentleness, patience, and forbearance.

I tend to view humility, gentleness, etc., as attitudes, not as actions. I tend to think that humility is something I feel, or that comes from my heart. It does need to be true in my heart, but humility is also actions, deeds. I make a conscious decision to approach a situation in humility. Knowing that I am a fallen human being, I need to ask for God’s grace to do it. I need to believe in faith that He will make it possible.

Forbearance #1

2007-05-13T19:06:00.000-04:00

Ephesians 4:1-3 (NASB)
Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance [tolerance] for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:1-3 (Amplified)
1 I therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, appeal to and beg you to walk (lead a life) worthy of the [divine] calling to which you have been called [with behavior that is a credit to the summons to God’s service,
2 Living as becomes you] with complete lowliness of mind (humility) and meekness (unselfishness, gentleness, mildness), with patience, bearing with one another and making allowances because you love one another.
3 Be eager and strive earnestly to guard and keep the harmony and oneness of [and produced by] the Spirit in the binding power of peace.

Humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance, love.

One of the things that Christians get taught, usually fairly early, is that love is not just an emotion. Our culture emphasizes, even glories in, the emotion of love. However, love is also action. That is, love is demonstrated by actions. The abusive husband always “loves” his wife. But his actions are the actions of hate. We can control our emotions only to a limited extant. But we have free will over our actions. I may not have the emotion of love towards someone, but I always to the works of love.

Additionally, I was taught, early on, that if I make it a habit of doing loving actions, then the emotion will follow the habit.

This is the point that James was making in James 2:14-18. [James 2:18. But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”] By my works, I show my faith. And by my works, I show my love, my humility, gentleness, patience, and forbearance.

I tend to view humility, gentleness, etc., as attitudes, not as actions. I tend to think that humility is something I feel, or that comes from my heart. It does need to be true in my heart, but humility is also actions, deeds. I make a conscious decision to approach a situation in humility. Knowing that I am a fallen human being, I need to ask for God’s grace to do it. I need to believe in faith that He will make it possible.

As I work into my life habits of humility, of forbearance, of gentleness, then the emotions and heart attitudes will follow them.

"Me and My Shadow"

2007-01-28T20:23:00.000-05:00

Proverbs 4:25
25 Let your eyes look directly ahead
And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you.

Isaiah 60:1-3
1 “Arise, shine; for your light has come,
And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
2 “For behold, darkness will cover the earth
And deep darkness the peoples;
But the Lord will rise upon you
And His glory will appear upon you.
3 “Nations will come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.” NASB95

God is my light, the light of my soul and my spirit. He is likened to the sun rising. If I look at Him, and His light, my flesh casts a shadow behind me. There is darkness there, but light in Him.

I know that I spend more time looking backward at the shadow (my sins and failings) than I do looking at Him. Ironically, without Him, I would not know my sins at all. The Holy Spirit is the one who searches me and convicts me of sin. And yet, I look more at the results of His searching than at Him who is doing the searching.

Proportionally, I should spend just enough time looking at my sin to say, “Forgive me.” Then the rest of the time at Him who forgave me.

Lord, I end my looking at myself. I end my looking at my sins and failings. Your light casts a shadow, the shadow of my flesh, my failings. I chose not to dwell on that , but to dwell on You and Your words.

Teaching. January 28, 2007

2007-01-28T19:53:00.000-05:00

January 28, 2007

I am posting my notes on Pastor Tom’s teaching from Sunday, January 28th. These are MY notes. Not a transcript. Not his notes. Any misquotes, mistakes, or mystifications are my fault (or something like that). All verses are from NASB 1995.

Tom started off by saying that this was short teaching, an extension of what Mike had taught 2 weeks previously (scroll down). It was not what he had prepared for this morning. It was more in the nature of a "head dump" and I know that I missed some things, and mis-paraphrased others. However, I think I am pretty close to what he was saying.

Confidence, cont.

Isaiah 32:17. And the work [or fruit] of righteousness will be peace,
And the service [ or effect] of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever.

Tom: there is a gap between what I (Tom and the rest of us) confess as true and how I (we) live my life. What do we do about that gap?

Galatians 3:6. Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.

We believe, declare it to be true, and have peace. Peace is governmental, it is part of His rule and authority.

Romans 14:17. ...For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Quietness can be emptiness or contentment. We are talking about the latter. A quietness that is borne out of a relationship with God.

Confidence, here, is not bravado or bluster. It is “confide” -ence. We confide in Him. We need to know Him and who already knows us; we need to know Him by whom we are already known.

There is a gap between what I (Tom) sing during worship and how I feel at that moment. How do I respond? I chose to believe it, I proclaim it, I have faith that He will do it. And God reckons it to me as righteousness, and I have “the quietness and confidence forever.”

If I lack quietness and confience, I can back up to the righteousness, and I come back to “believe God.” I engage again, I return again to who He is.

And in that I find refreshment.

Isaiah 30:15
15 For thus the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said,
“In repentance and rest you will be saved,
In quietness and trust is your strength.”

Tom then gave an example of having surgery, then going to physical therapy. He asked Gary if he had liked it. And Gary said, “I hated it, but I needed it.” The physical therapy is not what we would like to do (our feelings), but it is what we need to do. When we least want to worship is when we most need to. We need to believe. And He is able to bring His word to pass.

Tom: “It is does not matter what we are feeling about it, but what we are ‘faithing’ about it.” (“Yes, I just made up a word today.”)

Acts 4:13. Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus.

“They... had been with Jesus.” Apostles had confidence because they had soaked and marinated in Jesus.

Your daily devotion? Do you have one (don’t raise your hand). Is it alive? (Good). Or has it become routine? (That is good also). But for all of us, Jesus wants to stir anew in our lives; to bring more life to us and bring life again to our devotion.

This week, meditate on this:

Isaiah 32:17. And the work [or fruit] of righteousness will be peace,
And the service [ or effect] of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever.

Sunday Morning

2007-01-28T19:12:00.000-05:00

There was a lot spoken this morning in Church. I did not nearly get it all.

Dr. Robert, talking about in the context of a report from the transition team said, "Our healing will come in serving." Then he said, and I am paraphrasing now, serving is a good, good thing. And it is a good thing that we can seek our own healing in reconciling others to Him.

Then, Julie sent this to me in an e-mail. I edited for this post.

This morning in the 9am prayer, Mary asked the Lord to show us what to pray, so we could pray what was on His heart. I don't remember the exact order of things, but the following things also were said:

Peggy was asking where the scripture was that began "My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh." She was struck by the phrase - "God's words are health to all their flesh" This is from Prov 4:20 - 22.

Then Rob noted the next verse: Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the wellsprings of life.

Then Mary prayed that the Lord would cause to gush the wells that were stopped up or were only a trickle -- and that there would be an overflow.

I believe that what Tom was saying about "if peace is missing, if confidence is missing, then we need to spend time in His presence, believing His word, and acting on His word in faith," is the Lord responding to the prayer for overflow. I believe He was saying: Ok, this is how the overflow works -- Believe God, Rehearse who He is, Give thanks, Engage Him (You're mine -- I'm yours) to be refreshed in His presence. And do it especially when you don't feel like it, because that's when you need it most. If we haven't been doing this, repent by starting to do it. Our righteousness, strength, and confidence will be renewed, which will result in overflow.

Prayer - Quote #2

2007-01-21T18:16:00.000-05:00

Leonhard Euler, Calvinist and Mathematician. Hat tip to The Corner

"I remark, first, that when God established the course of the universe, and arranged all the events which must come to pass in it, he paid attention to all the circumstances which should accompany each event; and particularly to the dispositions, to the desires, and prayers of every intelligent being; and that the arrangement of all events was disposed in perfect harmony with all these circumstances. When, therefore, a man addresses God a prayer worthy of being heard it must not be imagined that such a prayer came not to the knowledge of God till the moment it was formed. That prayer was already heard from all eternity; and if the Father of Mercies deemed it worthy of being answered, he arranged the world expressly in favor of that prayer, so that the accomplishment should be a consequence of the natural course of events. It is thus that God answers the prayers of men without working a miracle."

Prayer - Quote #1

2007-01-21T17:54:00.000-05:00

CS Lewis (hat tip to The Corner

Can we believe that God ever really modifies His action in response to the suggestions of men? For infinite wisdom does not need telling what is best, and infinite goodness needs no urging to do it. But neither does God need any of those things that are done by finite agents, whether living or inanimate.
He could, if He chose, repair our bodies miraculously without food; or give us food without the aid of farmers, bakers, and butchers, or knowledge without the aid of learned men; or convert the heathen without missionaries. Instead, He allows soils and weather and animals and the muscles, minds, and wills of men to cooperate in the execution of His will...
It is not really stranger, nor less strange, that my prayers should affect the course of events than that my other actions should do so. They have not advised or changed God's mind — that is, His overall purpose. But that purpose will be realized in different ways according to the actions, including the prayers, of His creatures.

Teaching. January 14, 2007

2007-01-14T16:16:00.000-05:00

January 14, 2007

I am posting my notes on Pastor Mike’s teaching from Sunday, January 14th. These are MY notes. Not a transcript. Not his notes. Any misquotes, mistakes, or mystifications are my fault (or something like that). All verses are from NASB 1995.

Confidence: A quick word study

Analogy: What do football players do after a touchdown or a big play? The celebrate. They may “dance,” do a chest bump with another player, or pump their arms in the air. Why? They are confident in their abilities.

What if they do not succeed? Sportscasters talk about a player’s need for a “short memory.” That is, the player needs to forget all of the failed tries the player may have had during the rest of the game. And retain his confidence.

Example: a corner back must prevent the receiver from catching the ball. Time and time again. They need to forget each failure and stay confident of their abilities.

Can, or should, Christians be confident? Yes. But in what? Our own abilities?

Matthew 10:18-19
18 [Jesus said] “and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.
19 But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say.”

Jesus told His disciples that they will be brought before “governors and kings.” Why did He warn them? So that they could prepare a defense in advance? Develop confidence in their own abilities? No, so that they would be ready to speak, but to speak what the Holy Spirit would give them.

[Bill’s aside: They needed to be practice listening to the Holy Spirit, so that they could easily flow in Him.]

2 Corinthians 3:1-5
1 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you?
2 You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men;
3 being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
4 Such confidence we have through Christ toward God.
5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God...

“Letters of commendation.” Examples: Letters of recommendation or book blurbs, recommending a particular book. They are from a noteworthy person to make the book noteworthy. If they are by a nobody, they would not be effective.

Despite what Paul had to say in the first letter to Corinth about Corinth, the church in Corinth was noteworthy in their godliness. Paul did not need a “book blurb” or a letter of recommendation. Everyone could see Corinth; they knew the church in Corinth; and it testified to who Paul was.

Paul’s confidence was from the Lord.

If I look at my heart, my flesh, I am disheartened. But if I look at God’s transforming work in me, I can be confident.

2 Corinthians 5:17
17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

The old things are passing away, and God is doing new things in us, changing and transforming us. Shouldn’t we be confident in the Lord? And in what He is doing?

Confidence can be a taboo word in Christianity because we place confidence in the wrong things. For example, in our own ability to be perfect. We need to be confident in the Lord. His is transforming us, changing us into His own image.

[Bill’s aside: “our own ability to be perfect” is a two-edged sword, cutting both ways. If we are “perfect” by our own standards, we are arrogant and boastful. If we fail, we blame ourselves and live under condemnation.]

2 Corinthians 3:5-11
5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,
6 who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
7 But if the ministry of death, in letters engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, fading as it was,
8 how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory?
9 For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory.
10 For indeed what had glory, in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it.
11 For if that which fades away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory.

The old covenant came with glory, even though it was only words written on stones. The new covenant should have even more glory because it is life and righteousness.

2 Corinthians 3:12. Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in our speech,

“Great boldness.” Be bold, in confidence in what we know and how we are being transformed.

2 Corinthians 3:13-16
13 and are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away.
14 But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ.
15 But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart;
16 but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

In the Spirit, in the new covenant, the veil is removed, and we can “look intently” at the Lord.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18
17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

I know what my flesh is and what it is like. Do I know what I am in Him? Do I know what I am being changed into?

Hebrews 10:22-25
22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;
24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,
25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

This sounds like “pumping yourself up.” If you are not living there, it is. If you are living there, it is reality, simply being lived.

1 John 3:18-22
18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.
19 We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him
20 in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.
21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God;
22 and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.

Vs 20. “God is greater than our heart.” Mike said to read this 30 times tomorrow.

Confidence should arise out of a clean heart. When I sin, I do not feel clean. However, if I repent, and ask for forgiveness, I am made clean.

We expect punishment for out sin, not forgiveness. We forget how easily and effortlessly God want to forgive us and what us clean.

1 John 4:16-17
16 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.
17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.

As God is, so we can be in this world. Not just in some future world.

1 John 5:14-15
14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

Confidence is linked to prayer.

2 Corinthians 2:14-16
14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.
15 For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing;
16 to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things?

We are a sweet aroma, a pleasing fragrance. Some receive it, some react badly to it.

Paul was a confident man, who wrote confident things. Do we believe Him?

Romans 8:37. But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.

Are we confident in our prayers? Confident that He hears us? Confident in being changed and transformed?

Sunday Morning

2007-01-14T16:13:00.000-05:00

During the before-meeting prayer Rob read this passage. It deeply touched both Mary and Tom.

Psalm 24:7
7 Lift up your heads, O gates,
And be lifted up, O ancient doors,
That the King of glory may come in!

At the end of worship and before the teaching Barth read this:

Matthew 11:28-30
28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

I had already spent some time this morning mediating on this one:

Galatians 5:1
1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

Essentials #11. The Blood of Jesus

2006-12-03T20:59:00.000-05:00

Essentials #11. December 4, 2006.

[Note: Essentials #10 was on Jesus as the bread of life. I was recovering from surgery and did not attend church that week. Therefore, I have no notes.]

I am posting my notes on Pastor Mike’s teaching from Sunday, December 4th. These are MY notes. Not a transcript. Not his notes. Any misquotes, mistakes, or mystifications are my fault (or something like that). All verses are from NASB 1995 unless noted.

Essentials #11: Atonement

Atonement is a word that is rarely used in English outside of the Church.

There are numerous passages in Leviticus chapters 4&5 that refer to atonement and atoning.

Leviticus 4:20. ‘He shall also do with the bull just as he did with the bull of the sin offering; thus he shall do with it. So the priest shall make atonement for them, and they will be forgiven.’

Leviticus 4:26. ‘All its fat he shall offer up in smoke on the altar as in the case of the fat of the sacrifice of peace offerings. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him in regard to his sin, and he will be forgiven.’

Leviticus 4:31. ‘Then he shall remove all its fat, just as the fat was removed from the sacrifice of peace offerings; and the priest shall offer it up in smoke on the altar for a soothing aroma to the Lord. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven.’

There were a variety of people, circumstances, sins and offering for sins mentioned in these passage. There are some common threads. A person comes with a sin and a sin offering. The priest kills and carves up the animal. The priest makes atonement. The person (or people) are forgiven. A life was given for every sin.

See also Leviticus 5:6,10,13, 16, 18; Leviticus 13 and Leviticus 16.

Leviticus 16 is about the atonement of the high priest and of his household. There is a bull sacrificed for the high priest. A goat is sacrificed for the people of Israel (and a “scapegoat” that is released live, to carry away the sins of the people of Israel). Some of the blood of the sacrifices is poured out onto the ground. Some of it is sprinkled on the altar. Some of it is taken into the holy of holies where it is sprinkled on the mercy seat, above the ark of the covenant.

Why is this important?
1) The nation of Israel understood the idea of the need for sacrifice for sins. They had a vivid picture of this. Sin, and atonement for it, was costly. Every sin required an animal from their own flock (or to purchase one). It cost something.

2) Blood was important. “The life was in its blood” and it had to be sprinkled on the mercy seat.

Hebrews 9 is a “Leviticus” type chapter in the New Testament.

Why is the blood of Christ important? God has established the requirements for atonement for sin: sacrifice and blood.

Hebrews 9:5-9
5 and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat; but of these things we cannot now speak in detail.
6 Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle performing the divine worship,
7 but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.
8 The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing,
9 which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience...

There is a division between God and His people that is symbolized by the veil, by the division into an outer and an inner tabernacle. The tabernacle was a symbol on earth that God dwells in a holy place in heaven. He made it clear to them that there was a division.

Jesus came from the real tabernacle, in heaven, the real Holy of Holies, from the perfect, to us.

He did not come down to offer goats or bulls, but came to offer the perfect sacrifice, His own blood. His blood was uniquely His own to offer. The cross was His altar, His place of sacrifice. He poured out all of His blood onto the earth. None of it went into the Holy of Holies, to the mercy seat. In doing this, He satisfied all of the requirements of the law.

When all of His blood was poured out, then the veil was torn, the division was ended, and there was no longer a holy of holies on the earth.

What was the purpose of sacrifice? To appease an angry God? No, to get through to me. I am the one with the problem. If God wanted to deal with fallen mankind in anger, He could have wiped us out in the Garden and started over again. He needed to dramatize to me that sin kills.

We should be excited to the point of jumping up and down on our beds when we get up in the morning. We are forgiven!

Hebrews 10:19-25
19 Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus,
20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,
21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;
24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,
25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

We can have confidence to enter the holy place. New! Living!

We can have joy every day. We can go through the veil, into the holy of holies. I do not need to worry about or try to fix the problem between me and God. I do not have to try to appease Him; I do not need to live in bondage.

We can live free, forgiving, and humble.

When I am not trying to get someone to forgive me, it makes it a lot easier to love, encourage and strengthen (Hebrews 10:24,25).

The blood of Jesus is not a stop gap measure, it is complete.

When we sin, we feel guilt and condemnation and shame. But this passage tells me that I am washed and cleansed because I am forgiven.

Rejoice in the blood that cleanses.

Benediction:

Hebrews 13:20-21
20 Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord,
21 equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

This is for you, for your family, for your neighbors and for the world.

Essentials #9. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit

2006-11-19T19:02:00.000-05:00

Teaching #9. November 19, 2006.

I am posting my notes on Pastor Tom’s teaching from Sunday, November 19th. These are MY notes. Not a transcript. Not his notes. Any misquotes, mistakes, or mystifications are my fault (or something like that). All verses are from NASB 1995 unless noted.

Opening and other things:

Tom read: Isaiah 11:1-10

1 Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse,
And a branch from his roots will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him,
The spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The spirit of counsel and strength,
The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
3 And He will delight in the fear of the Lord,
And He will not judge by what His eyes see,
Nor make a decision by what His ears hear;
4 But with righteousness He will judge the poor,
And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth;
And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth,
And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.
5 Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins,
And faithfulness the belt about His waist.
6 And the wolf will dwell with the lamb,
And the leopard will lie down with the young goat,
And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
And a little boy will lead them.
7 Also the cow and the bear will graze,
Their young will lie down together,
And the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra,
And the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den.
9 They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain,
For the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
As the waters cover the sea.
10 Then in that day
The nations will resort to the root of Jesse,
Who will stand as a signal for the peoples;
And His resting place will be glorious.

Barth read: 1 Peter 5:5-11

5 You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time,
7 casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.
8 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.
[Promise] 10 After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.
11 To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Tami. Two visions. (Paraphrased)
1) While hearing an old song [begins, “Through thick and thin....” It is called “Tapestry” and is by Teri DeSario - I think] she saw an old tapestry, the type you find in a museum. It was worn and the colors were faded. The colors of a new tapestry are bright, but side-by-side the old one is much more valuable. We are like the old tapestry: we are worn, but we are very precious in the eyes of God.
2) She saw broken pieces of pottery, but they were being picked up and put into a beautiful mosaic. God is using our broken pieces to make a beautiful mosaic.

Michelle. (paraphrased) - I had a picture of an old, run-down house, it looked abandoned. Then I saw a bright light coming down from heaven into the house. The light poured out of the windows. I was given a hammer, and I said, “Lord, I do not know how to use it.” But God said that he would show me what to do. Then I saw the brothers and sisters of this church, all coming together to the house, with tools to repair it. I could not see what the house would be like, but I knew it would be beautiful

Mike read a statement from the team that was in last week. It contained a number of scripture references that he asked us to mediate on:
1 Corinthians 13:3; 14:31-33.
Exodus 25:22; Numbers 7:89; Hebrews 4:16.
Revelation 19:10
James 3:17
1 Timothy 5:19

Tom - Essentials #9:

What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit?

There is no right or wrong way to receive Him. There is simply the invitation to come.

Tom’s testimony about a revival in Ephrata when he was 14. Tome gave his life to Jesus. Then Tom saw someone praying in tongues. He could either be envious or be humbled to seek that for himself. He chose envy, and spoke against the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Then Jesus got a hold of him in college and transformed him.

Tom: I wanted to talk about sanctification and justification today, but first I need to talk about the power that makes these possible.

Justification - “just as if” my sin never happened. It happened before us and for us.
Sanctification - we participate in being perfected by God’s hand, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:17. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

Genesis 1:2. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.

Genesis introduced the idea that “God is Spirit.” The word in Hebrew translated as spirit means “breath.” So does the word in Greek.

Luke 4:16-21
16 And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.
17 And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written,
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor.
He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives,
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set free those who are oppressed,
19 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”
20 And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him.
21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Jesus walks into His hometown, and proclaims, “This Scripture has been fulfilled.” He speaks with power and authority. How did He get like this? What changed in Him? Only a little time before, He was merely the “carpenter’s son.”

Prequel:

Luke 3:21-22
21 Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened,
22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”

The Holy Spirit descended, and God the Father announced His approval. Then He spent 40 days in the wilderness, being tempted. Then he went into the synagogue and spoke with power and authority.

Luke 3:16. John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Before Jesus had done anything of His earthly ministry, the Father approved Him, affirmed Him. We do not need to “do” or to “perform” in order to receive His approval and affirmation. Be free from the legalism that binds us.

2 Corinthians 6:4-6
4 but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses,
5 in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger,
6 in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love,

Luke 4:1-2
1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness
2 for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry.

Jesus going from the Jordan to the wilderness. The devil’s temptation of Jesus. It was attempts to provoke Jesus. Provocation is a mark of the temptor. To try to get Jesus to move away from His chosen task.

Luke 4:14. And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district.

Jesus moved in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was released and able to speak with the power of the Holy Spirit. There is no way to come to the power of Jesus except though the Holy Spirit.

John 7:38-39
38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ ”
39 But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Matthew 3:11. "As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Mark 1:8. "I baptized you with water; but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

Luke 3:16. John answered and said to them all, "As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

John 1:33. "I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.'

All four gospels bear witness that John the Baptist proclaimed that Jesus would baptize in (with or by) the Holy Spirit. It is not unusual to have the 4 synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) to say the same thing, but it is usual to have all four. And it must be significant.

Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

What does “baptism” mean? It is a Greek word, borrowed from shipping terms. A ship that sank was “baptizo..”

Illustration. Picture a sponge being placed in a bowl of water. Is the water in the sponge? Or the sponge in the water? Yes.

In baptism in the Holy Spirit, we are immersed, saturated, filled, buried, and suffused with the Holy Spirit.

Names and aliases of the Holy Spirit.

Luke 2:25. And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

The Holy Spirit as inspirer.

1 Corinthians 2:10. For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.

The Holy Spirit as revealer. God wants to reveal Himself to us.

John 14:26. “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.

The Holy Spirit as helper, teacher, counselor. (also can be translated as: confirmer, corroborater, the one who authenticates the word of God and empower us.

John 15:26. “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me...

The Holy Spirit as testifier, the Spirit of truth, the helper, comforter, ever proceeding from God, to us. Note: comfort is not the cessation difficulties, but comes from our unity with Him.

John 16:8. “And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment...”

The Holy Spirit as the one who convicts of sin, who convinces us of our sin.

The Comforter comes and brings conviction. If He did not do that, we could have have unity with God the Father or with Jesus. His conviction drives us to the cross.

Revelation 22:17. The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.

The Holy Spirit as inviter. He invites us to the water of life.

Romans 15:16. ...To be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles, ministering as a priest the gospel of God, so that my offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit as sanctifier. We are on a life-long trajectory to become like Him.

Romans 8:16. The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God...

The Holy Spirit as witness. He testifies and bears witness that we are not God’s children.

The baptism in the Holy Spirit is not getting the Holy Spirit again. It is a submission to the person of the Holy Spirit so that we can become more like Him, more like Jesus, more like the Father.

Romans 8:26. In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words...

The Holy Spirit as intercessor. He helps us in our weakness.

Acts 2 is the pivotal place where we can see the power of God unleashed upon His people. This is post-crucifixion, post-resurrection, and post accession of Jesus. A remnant, the small group of people that remained, gathered here in the upper room.

Acts 1:5. “...For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Jesus took up and confirmed the words of John the Baptist. Jesus would baptize His disciples with the Holy Spirit.

Acts 11:15-16
15 “And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning.
16 “And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’

Peter is recalling both his own baptism in the Holy Spirit and the one that happened to Cornelius the Centurion and his household. What happened to Cornelius, the gentile, was the same thing that happened to Jesus’s disciples in the upper room.

In Acts 2, 8, 9, 10, and elsewhere, there are various stories of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 10:1-48 is the story of Cornelius.

Acts 10:47. “Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?”

The received the Holy Spirit just as the disciples did at the beginning.

Acts 19:1-7 is the story of the 12 disciples found at Ephesus by Paul. “Did you receive the Holy Spirit?”

Acts 19:8. And he entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God.

Right after seeing the 12 disciples released into the baptism in the Holy Spirit, Paul is proclaiming the coming of the kingdom of God, just like Jesus did, in the power of the Holy Spirit, after His baptism.

I cannot “do” the kingdom of God without power from on high. In order to be able to obey and follow, I need power.

What was the first sign of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit? Many Pentecostals say that it is tongues. Tom says that tongues is the first sign of the real effect of the Baptism. That is, restored fellowship of man with God.

The reason that God coordinated all of history from Genesis to the Crucifixion and resurrection was not so that people could talk in tongues. He did it to reunite Himself with His precious creation, His people. He wanted to restore fellowship, communion, communication, between the Shepherd and the sheep. And with all three person of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

1 John 1:3. ...What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:9. God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

2 Corinthians 13:14. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.

1 Corinthians 14:2. For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries.

Then why tongues? First to speak to God.

In the Garden of Eden there was a breakdown of communication, of communion. But the old language remained, and it was able to unify mankind. In Genesis 11:1-7 (the story of the Tower of Babel) this perfect, unifying language helped mankind to defy God, trying (in their beliefs) to reach Him. God could have done anything: hit “restart,” smite some things, or whatever. What he chose to do was to destroy the unifying language. He took them from communion to confusion.

So why baptism in the Holy Spirit? So we could speak in tongues? A qualified “yes”. We are moving from our own government to His government. In tongues, He was doing something to man’s heart.

Mark 7:20-23
20 And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man.
21 “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries,
22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness.
23 “All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”

The baptism in the Holy Spirit and tongues was to change what was in the heart of man. He wanted to change what filled a man’s heart.

The mouth was involved in the day of Pentecost. Resurrection life was happening in the heart and coming out of the mouth.

Where we see tongues, we see the potential to rearrange hearts.

Conversion from going to God to get something to God has come to me to get something.

With the Holy Spirit, our prayer lives can become lives of prayer. Paul wrote, “Pray without ceasing.” God would not have said that without giving the power and the ability to do so. In tongues, we have intimate fellowship with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 2:6-10
6 Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away;
7 but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory;
8 the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;
9 but just as it is written,
“Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,
And which have not entered the heart of man,
All that God has prepared for those who love Him.”
10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.

The rulers of this age crucified the Lord of glory. But God has prepared marvelous things for those who love Him, revealed to us the Holy Spirit.

Worship

2006-11-15T13:02:00.000-05:00

1 Chronicles 29:13. “Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name.” NASB

1 Timothy 1:12a. “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord...” NASB

1 Timothy 1:12a. “I am constantly grateful to... the Lord Jesus Christ...” Wuest translation

I like to complicate things. But after the events in church last Sunday, I was musing about worship. It struck me that worship is simply saying, “Thank You Jesus. I love You.”

Soaring violins, plaintive guitar chords, or rumbling organs may enhance the experience, either emotionally or intellectually. So can reading a psalm or a passage in a devotional; taking communion or hearing a stirring testimonial.

But worship at its most basic is “Thank You. I love You.”

Slander and Gossip

2006-11-12T19:40:00.000-05:00

Update: I have been thinking about this topic for a number of weeks. I needed to write it down to clear my head. This did not grow out of Sunday's events, unless you want it to. However, Sunday did trigger the need to get it out of my head.

Proverbs 16:28b. “...And a slanderer separates intimate friends.” NASB

Proverbs 16:28b. “...And a gossip separates close friends.” NIV

Proverbs 16:28b. “...And a whisperer separates close friends.” Amplified

The following is my opinion on how slander operates.

Divided and fractured relationships indicate slander.

In Old Testament terms, a slanderer creates division between the person that he is slandering and the person that he is speaking slander to.

In the New Testament, Jesus has a kingdom. And Satan, the slanderer, has a kingdom.

When one Christian slanders another Christian, he is creating an additional type of division. A slanderer, a gossip, is not standing in the Kingdom of God. He is standing in the kingdom of the devil, the slanderer. He is doing the will of the devil in the Church.

The slanderer, the gossip, the accuser creates division between the person he is talking to and the person he is talking about. He also creates divisions between himself and the people that he is talking to and talking about. He is fracturing his own relationships.

Eventually, that person will only have “deep” relationships with the people who enjoy the gossip and slander. And cliques are born. With everyone else, he will have only surface relationships.

This may be a way of detecting a slanderer when one is not in the “in crowd.” Do I detect “shallowing” relationships? Does the person say he has better relationships outside of the church he is attending than inside?

Note: slander grows out of the flesh, out of fallen human nature. It is identified as a character trait of Satan, but that does not make slander “demonic” in sense that slander must be accompanied by evil spirits. I wish it would. If my skin crawled every time I heard a slander, I would see it easier.

My bible study notes for this are posted as the first comment.

Essentials #7. Salvation, Part 2

2006-11-05T22:05:00.000-05:00

Teaching #7. November 5, 2006.

I am posting my notes on Pastor Mike’s teaching from Sunday, November 5th. These are MY notes. Not a transcript. Not his notes. Any misquotes, mistakes, or mystifications are my fault (or something like that). All verses are from NASB 1995 unless noted.

Essentials #7: Salvation (part 2)

Galatians 3:1-2
1 You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?
2 This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?

Foolish! You saw Jesus crucified, you saw Him dead. Did you receive your salvation, did you receive the Spirit by faith? Or by works?

John 3 and Nicodemus - Jesus told him, all of the elite with him, that he needed a new birth. Something by faith.

Galatians 3:26-29
26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.

Now, you are all sons, through faith. Paul saying “understand again, that we all began as sinners; we all need to know Jesus.”

John 3 and Nicodemus - Nicodemus came to Jesus because he needed to know who Jesus was. “You are a teacher from God.” But he did not know who Jesus was; that He was the Son of God.

Mike: Do not listen to me. I began where you all began. I came from the same dirt. Only those who are born of the Spirit can say anything about these things, about Jesus, about the Holy Spirit. Don’t listen to me because of my position, my rank. I have not the right to say anything except that I know the grace of God. He did what He did when I was on my knees.

The love of God, poured out in Jesus is the most precious thing. And if there is something in our lives that we consider to be more important, God cannot allow that.

John 3:1-7. Recap. Nicodemus: We know that you are from God. Nicodemus did not have problems with Jesus being a teacher, but with what Jesus said about Himself, that He was God.

John 3:7. “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” Jesus is essentially saying, “You know nothing about spiritual matters.” This was a shock to him (“amazed”). But He did not say this to humiliate him, but to enlighten.

John 3:9-10
9 Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?”
10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?

Nicodemus paraphrased: He is from God, and I am teacher of Israel, but I do not understand what He is saying.

John 3:8. “The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

We see the effects of the Holy Spirit in our lives and in the lives of others, but we have not seen Him.

John 3:11. “Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know and testify of what we have seen, and you do not accept our testimony.”

Jesus paraphrased: I have experiential knowledge of the things that I have seen and that I have experienced.

John 3:12. “If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?”

Salvation is an earthly thing, because it has to do with man who is earthly.

John 3:14-15
14 “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up;
15 so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.

This is the gospel, presented by Jesus to Nicodemus in a way that he, as a good Jew, would understand. During the exodus from Egypt, the people of Israel, dying from snake bite, could “look on” the bronze snake and be healed (saved from death). [Numbers 21:6-9] Jesus will do the same for Nicodemus.

John 12:32. “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.”

“Lifted up” - not the normal Greek word for this (like being “lifted up” onto the cross). This is a word that means “to be lifted up and out from the earth.” It refers to His ascension, not to His crucifixion.

John 3:16-21. At this point, the tenses and pronouns change. It would appear that John’s quotes of Jesus ends and some commentary on what Jesus said begins. Experts disagree. However:

John 3:16. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

“Love” Greek word is “agapao.” “The love in one’s heart is a measure of the preciousness of the object loved.” This love is based on the value of the object. “I love so-and-so because he is precious to me.”

God loves us because we are precious to Him. Is it because we are good? Because we perform so well? Where did this preciousness come from? It came from the original design. The born again of “the same as the original act.” We were made in His (Their) image. We were disgusting in our sin. But God looks past that to what could be redeemed, changed, altered. That is, we need to be born again like the original.

He would change us from children of wrath to the children of God because of our preciousness to Him.

The Greeks did not have a word for this kind of love. It is not expressed in their language. Paul, Jesus, and John gave Greek a new understanding.

**Assignment
1 Corinthians 13. Redefines love
Ephesians 2:1-7. A description of the process of our transformation. We can see the salvation of God.

So what about our part? What is our response?

1) Thank you, God
2) Deeper. What do we have control over in this world? Houses? Money? Jobs? What of value do I have? What is precious to God?

Genesis 2. We got physical life and spiritual life. The spiritual life died. We have only the physical life left from the original intent, the original creation. The only thing I have left to give is my physical life, the “dead in sin” life.

The only thing that we have to give in response to this great gift is our life. “Everything that I have about me is Yours. Change and transform us.”

Matthew 10:39. “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.”

God knows how we needed to change and knows how to do it. And in Jesus, He changed mankind forever.

The only thing a church should be is a people who know that they are redeemed; with Jesus as the cornerstone and the Holy Spirit bringing transformation.

Essentials Part 6

2006-10-29T20:04:00.000-05:00

Teaching #6. October 29, 2006.

I am posting my notes on Pastor Mike’s teaching from Sunday, October 29th. These are MY notes. Not a transcript. Not his notes. Any misquotes, mistakes, or mystifications are my fault (or something like that). All verses are from NASB 1995 unless noted.

Essentials #6: Salvation (part 1)

Salvation has 2 key components. What do you need for salvation to happen ?

1) Need a savior. This is Jesus
2) Need a “savee.” The “savee” is me (all of us “me’s”).

Observation: We do not use the words salvation or savior in everyday conversation. Unless one is talking about life guards or the Lord Jesus.

Matthew 1:20-21
20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

"Jesus" [Bill's concordance - Yehoshua or "the Lord (Yhvh) is salvation"] was named Jesus because He was meant by God to save Israel from their sins. But Israel was looking for a political savior. A person who would end the wars, and save them from the oppression that they suffered.

Matthew 8:25. And they came to Him and woke Him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing!”
And
Matthew 14:30. But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Both times the disciples were “perishing.” And they asked Jesus to save them.

Luke 1:46-47
46 And Mary said:
“My soul exalts the Lord,
47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.

Mary was exalting in God because He was her savior.

Luke 1:67-71
67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:
68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,
69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of David His servant—
70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old—
71 Salvation from our enemies,
And from the hand of all who hate us;

God has “accomplished redemption.” Redemption is a form of salvation. Zacharias prophesied that God, through Jesus, would save His people.

John 3:17. “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”

When Jesus spoke to Nicodemus, He was declaring salvation.

John 4:22. “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.”

John 4:42. And they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.”

Both of these are from the Samaritan woman at the well. Salvation was from the Jews, but it was meant for all people.

John 1:1-4
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God.
3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.

Genesis 2:7
7 Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

Genesis 1:26a. Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image...”

"In Him (Jesus) was life.” Life was breathed into us, man. And this life was breathed through Jesus. The plurality of God, creating man and breathing life into us. Jesus was and is a life bringer.

John 1:5. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

Jesus is light, but man does not comprehend Him, the light, because we are in the dark.

John 1:6-9
6 There came a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him.
8 He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.
9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.

John the Baptist bore witness to the light that was coming. All of us are filled with darkness; but the light illuminated all men.

John 1:10-11
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.

The Light came into the world, but the world did not comprehend it or acknowledge Him. Even though He was the bringer of life, coming to those who were His, they still did not receive Him.

John 1:12-13
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

“But...” “s many as received Him...;” so some did recognize Him. How?

All of the nation of Israel was the blood of Abraham. But that blood was not enough. (Example: there are problems in all families. The members of a family are related by blood, but there are still divisions and disunity). Jesus came to His “blood” (His family, Israel) and they did not receive Him.

“The will of the flesh” is normal procreation; flesh begetting flesh. “The will of man” is the attempt to be righteous by the law. The ones who operated this way could not see/comprehend/recognize/receive Jesus.

Only those who are “born of God” could receive Jesus.

1 Peter 1:1-2
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen
2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.

Three steps to salvation:
1) “Chosen according to the foreknowledge of God.” [Mike gave a demonstration. Three children volunteered/were chosen by Mike to receive a gift, by redemption. That is, by redeeming a worthless thing for a “valuable” thing (an Oreo cookie). Mike knew before hand what the gift would be, and what he would redeem it for. However He did not know which 3 children out of the church would get the gift.]

2) “Sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” Sanctified - set apart, made holy, consecrated. God did it. There is a difference between God’s choice and our decision to participate. That comes later. Even the faith to believe comes from the Holy Spirit.

We are in total darkness. We did not have any light in us, nor any desire for light. The sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit was predetermined. We did not seek Him first. But He chose us.

3) “Sprinkled by the blood” [for the remission/cleansing of sins.]. An Old Testament reference. The high priest, after killing the sin sacrifice, sprinkled the blood on and around the altar. This cleansed the sinner.

Romans 5:12-21. Read this on your own. It shows the link between sin and death. In the Garden of Eden, Satan said, “Surely, you will not die.” The sin of disobedience brought death to Adam and Eve. But what kind of death. The survived eating the fruit.

Genesis 2:7. Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

The word “life” there is plural in the Hebrew. “God...breathed...the breath of lifes.” There was a physical life breathed into man and a spiritual life breathed into him at the same time. When Adam and Eve sinned, the spiritual life was the one that died. The physical life endured on, but without God.

John 3:1-7
1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews;
2 this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
4 Nicodemus *said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”
5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.

1) “God is with You.” A testimony to what this man saw in Jesus
2) “You must be born again.”
3) This confused Nicodemus (actually it “amazed” him). One cannot enter a second time into a mother’s womb? Nicodemus was thinking of being “born of the flesh,” not “born of the spirit.” He did not see that he needed to be spiritually alive.

“Again” - there are two words meaning “again in Greek
1) “palin” - “again,” “back,” or “further.” It means “again” in the sense of “to repeat an act.”
2) “anothin” - this can be translated as “again” and as “from above.” It means “again” in the sense of “the same as the original act.” In other words, to be “born again” means the way we were in the Garden, both physically and spiritually alive. We need to be born from “above,” and born “anew.”

John 3:5. Born of water and the Spirit. What does this mean?
1) “Water” could mean “Washing with the water of the word. Or it could mean the water of baptism. Or it could mean the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is often likened to water (John 7:37-39 and Isaiah 44:3).

2) The word “and” usually is a conjugation meaning “both.” But here, the Greek word means “and” or “even,” They had to be born of ‘water, even the Spirit.” In other words, it emphasizes the role of the Holy Spirit in the being born of God

Being born of flesh, begets more flesh. Being born of the Spirit begets spirit.

Jesus is spelling this out to Nicodemus. We can be born again, from above, by the action of the Holy Spirit.

Why was Jesus saying this to Nicodemus? Nicodemus was a respected teacher. But he was stunned, marveling. He did not get it.

John 3:7 “Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

The “you” here is plural. ALL of the rulers, all of the ruling elite of Israel needed to be born again. In talking to Nicodemus, Jesus was talking to the heart of the Jewish nation.

Nicodemus had snuck out, in darkness, because the elite had rejected Jesus. But the Holy Spirit was working in him, and he had to ask, had to find out who Jesus was and what He was doing.

Why was Jesus talking about being “born again” here? He could have said anything to Nicodemus. He said all kinds of things in response to the questions He got. Even other questions from the elite. He was telling something new to Nicodemus.

To be continued, next week.

Essentials, Part 5

2006-10-22T18:30:00.000-04:00

Teaching #5. October 22, 2006.

I am posting my notes on Pastor Tom’s teaching from Sunday, October 22th [Update - I originally had the date wrong.]. These are MY notes. Not a transcript. Not his notes. Any misquotes, mistakes, or mystifications are my fault (or something like that). All verses are from NASB 1995 unless noted.

The Holy Trinity

“Lord, open Your word to us. We need You.”

If God is th way He is, in the ways that He has revealed Himself, the who is He?

Genesis 1:1. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

“God” (Hebrew is “Elohim”) is a plural, masculine noun, but the verb is singular. “In the beginning, Gods is creating...” This is the first of His names that God revealed. This name is used throughout Genesis 1 and is used over 3000 times in the Old Testament.

Deuteronomy 6:4. “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!”

This is the “shema.” It is repeated everyday by devout Jews.

In other words, in the 4th word of the Bible, there is a conflict. How can God be one and also be more than one? Can I understand that? No. Can I believe that? Yes. It is a faith thing.

Who is Elohim?

In the fourth word of the Bible we are introduced to the Trinity, the plurality of God who is one God. There is a plurality, but there is also such a unity in love that They are one.

Elohim - the strong God, three strands woven together (Ecclesiastes 4:12b. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.). The One who swears by Himself a covenant oath.

Trinity: Immutable, unchanging, from eternity to eternity.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All three separately identified as deity. (An example from nature might be water. It can be solid, liquid and gas all at the same time.

God as Father. This is the most widely used and understood version of God in the Judeo-Christian tradition.

Isaiah 64:8
But now, O Lord, You are our Father,
We are the clay, and You our potter;
And all of us are the work of Your hand.

Matthew 3:17
17 and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

In John 5:17-47 (end) there is a weaving together between Father and Son.

17 But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.”
18 For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.
19 Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.
20 “For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself is doing; and the Father will show Him greater works than these, so that you will marvel.

And so forth.

26 “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself;
27 and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.

And so on.

Romans 1:1-7.
1 Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,
2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets in the holy Scriptures,
3 concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh,
4 who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,
5 through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name’s sake,
6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;
7 to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

“God our Father” and “His Son,” “Jesus Christ our Lord.” Separate, yet united.

One Son, identified as God.

John 10:30. “I and the Father are one.”

This is the “shema,” re-spoken and re-emphasized. Greek is more literally: “I and the Father, one We are.” Also, “I and the Father, are one in essence.”

Jesus made clear His oneness with God the Father, that He and God were one essence. This is why “the Jews” tried to stone Him.

John 14:7-11
7 “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”
8 Philip *said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.”
9 Jesus *said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
10 “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.
11 “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.

Again, the interweaving of the Father and the Son. “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” “I am in the Father and the Father is in Me.” They are united, sharing all things.

Colossians 1:13-18
13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,
14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
15 He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
16 For by Him (Jesus) all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.
17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
18 He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

Jesus is the image of God; the worlds were created by Him, through Him and for Him; the kingdom of God is the kingdom of Jesus; etc.

Philippians 2:6. Who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped...

Hebrews 1:3a. And He (Jesus) is the radiance of His (the Father’s) glory and the exact representation of His (the Father’s) nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.

Again, Jesus, the Son, interwoven with God, the Father.

The Holy Spirit.

"Father" is an easy and natural concept to get a hold of. We all had fathers, even if we did not have the same experience with them. Fatherhood is understandable. "Son" is also an easy concept to get a hold of. We can naturally see both fathers and son.

But we have a lot more problem with the idea of “spirit.” We can see the effect of the wind, feel it; but our senses (and understanding) falter with God the Holy Spirit.

John 14:16-17
16 “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever;
17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.

The Spirit that the world does not and cannot know.

Matthew 3:13-17
13 Then Jesus *arrived from Galilee at the Jordan coming to John, to be baptized by him.
14 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?”
15 But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he *permitted Him.
16 After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him,
17 and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.”

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; all here together, but all pictured in different ways.

John 15:26. “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me..."

John 16:13-15
13 “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.
14 “He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.
15 “All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.

Again, all three together. The Holy Spirit acting like Jesus did, revealing the Father and the Son.

Context: In John 16:7-15, Jesus identifies Himself 13 time, God the Father twice, and the Holy Spirit 15 times.

In all these places, the Holy Spirit is identified as a person, a “He,” and being. Not as an “it” or a thing.

Acts 2:32-33
32 “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses.
33 “Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.

God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit came upon the church. He was poured out. The Holy Spirit isGod.

2 Corinthians 3:17. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

The Holy Spirit is truly God.

Matthew 28:18-20
18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

“In the name (singular) of the Father and then Son and the Holy Spirit...”

It is essential to hold the proper faith and doctrine about God: One God, three in one. All cults have something screwy, doctrinally, about the Trinity. They deny the divinity of one or another, or of two persons of the Trinity.

Essentials, Part 4

2006-10-08T16:17:00.000-04:00

How does show His love for Man?

Teaching #4. October 8, 2006.

I am posting my notes on Pastor Mike’s teaching from Sunday, October 8th. These are MY notes. Not a transcript. Not his notes. Any misquotes, mistakes, or mystifications are my fault (or something like that). All verses are from NASB 1995 unless noted.

Also. There are several times in the notes below that Mike quotes a passage without necessarily giving the scripture. I put the scripture and/or scripture reference in.

How does God show Himself, and His love, to broken humanity?

Have you ever tried to convince someone that you love them, if they do not believe you? God is trying to reach out to us, to tell us of His love.

However, we are busy thinking about ourselves, and what others may be thinking about us. We do not believe them where they try to tell us that they love or that they approve of us. Yet we desperately desire their approval. We were designed to bask in the love and approval of God. But we are broken.

1 Corinthians 13:12. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.

We see “in a mirror darkly,” even on our best days. We only see little glimpses of Him. We have trouble seeing His love and approval. God desires us to see Him. We are like a person with very poor eyesight.

What are some of the ways that God has come to us and revealed Himself to us?

In Genesis 3:1-19, according to the story of the Fall, we exchanged the abundance and blessing of the Garden of Eden for hard-labor and the curse of the Fall. God commanded us to be fruitful and multiply, but we exchanged that for childbirth with pain and difficulty.

In the Garden, Eve was the perfect helpmate. On the other side of the Fall, we now remain married only with great labor. It is not labor to maintain a relationship, especially one such as marriage.

In the Garden, Adam and Eve had joy in their labor: tending the Garden, naming the animals, being with each other, being with God.

Also, Adam and Eve had a God-given purpose in life. Do we struggle with purpose? On the other side of the Fall, of the Garden, of the apple, we struggle with purpose. “Young people, what are going to do with your lives?”

Adam and Eve had a relationship with God that was easy and open. They talked with one another. On the other side, they (and we) hid from God. Fallen man hid, fallen man blame-laid, fallen man found fault with God and God’s creation.

So man falls headlong into total self-absorption.

Genesis 4:1-8. Cain and Abel. Cain envied Abel’s relationship with God. He envied God’s approval of Abel. All he had to do was to “do good.” But he killed Abel instead.

Genesis 6:5-6
5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6 The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

The knowledge of good and evil that Man had acquired did nothing to help man see God. It did nothing to help Man be good. And God grieved over His creation.

Genesis 6:7-8
7 The Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.”
8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

God grieved, but...

But what? “Noah found grace...”

Genesis 9:1-2
1 And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.
2 “The fear of you and the terror of you will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given.

Again, “be fruitful and multiply.” God’s purpose had not changed.

Genesis 9:9-17
9 “Now behold, I Myself do establish My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you;
10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, even every beast of the earth.
11 “I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.”
12 God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations;
13 I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth.
14 “It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud,
15 and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh.
16 “When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”
17 And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

God establishes His covenant with Noah and Man. God’s rainbow is the sign of that covenant.

A covenant is a promise with some sort of sign or exchange.

Why didn’t God wipe out everyone and start over? Because of His love and because he found one person, Noah, who would listen to Him. So he made an agreement, a covenant, with him that Man and the whole earth would live. God locked Himself into an agreement to love the whole earth.

Since then, he has chose to pusue us with His love. He has pursued all of Noah’s descendents with His love. He could have wiped us out, but He has chose to love us.

The Promise (#1).
Genesis 12:1-3
1 Now the Lord said to Abram,
“Go forth from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father’s house,
To the land which I will show you;
2 And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
3 And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

Abram had a promise that God was going to bless the whole earth through him.

The Promise (#2)
Genesis 15:4
4 Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.”

The promise of a son to carry who will carry out the first promise.

The Covenant
Genesis 17:1-5
1 Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him,
“I am God Almighty;
Walk before Me, and be blameless.
2 “I will establish My covenant between Me and you,
And I will multiply you exceedingly.”
3 Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,
4 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you,
And you will be the father of a multitude of nations.
5 “No longer shall your name be called Abram,
But your name shall be Abraham;
For I will make you the father of a multitude of nations.

Abram becomes Abraham.

Genesis 17:15-16
15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.
16 “I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”

Sarai becomes Sarah.

God comes to people. He makes agreements with them. He makes exchanges: new names, fruitfulness for barrenness, promises for despair. He reveals Himself to people and blesses them.

Another Covenant
Exodus 6:1-4
1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for under compulsion he will let them go, and under compulsion he will drive them out of his land.”
2 God spoke further to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord;
3 and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name, Lord, I did not make Myself known to them.
4 “I also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they sojourned.

God had given Abraham land and promises. Here, He is exchanged His own names. He had been known to Abraham as “God Almighty.” Now, He was revealing Himself to Moses as “the Lord” (YHWH). He reveals Himself by revealing His names.

Did He do this because God has trouble revealing Himself, or because Man has trouble seeing Him.

God gave Israel a sign, circumcision. But not all who received the sign obeyed God or looked for His blessing.

Deuteronomy 6:1-3
1 “Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you, that you might do them in the land where you are going over to possess it,
2 so that you and your son and your grandson might fear the Lord your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged.
3 “O Israel, you should listen and be careful to do it, that it may be well with you and that you may multiply greatly, just as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey.

God revealed Himself to Israel by giving them His laws. “If you live this way (according to the commandments, etc.) you will be blessed.” These commandments, etc., came from God through a man, Moses. God showed His love for His people by blessing them with the Law.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9
4 “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!
5 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
6 “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.
7 You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.
8 “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.
9 “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

In other words, “Do as I say.” Why? Because God orders it? No. Because He reveals His love for them, showing that He is concerned about all of the details of their (and our) lives.

This is just the old covenants. Not the new covenant that we live under.

The New Covenant
Jeremiah 31:31-34
31 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,
32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord.
33 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
34 “They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

The new covenant (the one that Jesus made). He “took them by the hand” is a statement of His love and His tenderness for Israel. He was like a husband to them, which is another picture of tenderness.

Under the new covenant, he would show Himself and His love for His people.

Essentials, Part 3

2006-10-01T18:27:00.000-04:00

Teaching #3. October 1, 2006.

I am posting my notes on Pastor Tom’s teaching from Sunday, October 1st. These are MY notes. Not a transcript. Not his notes. Any misquotes, mistakes, or mystifications are my fault (or something like that). All verses are from NASB 1995 unless noted.

Also. There are several times in the notes below that Tom quotes a passage without necessarily giving the scripture. I put the scripture and/or scripture reference in.

The Heart of Man

Review of Essentials #2 on evil.

We do not like to look at ugliness, and that includes evil. I do not like to look at these things. But it is important to understand these things.

Evil is not the opposite of good or God. Evil is the absence of God Himself. Sin is the action of evil on the goodness of God’s creation.

The satanic question, “Has God said?” [Genesis 3:1] is really, “Does God love?” “Does He really have my best interests at heart?” It is the accusation, the question that separates and divides.

The arena of our battles is in our heart.

2 Corinthians 10:3-5
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh,
4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.
5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ...

Ever try to change your thoughts? To stop thinking certain thoughts? We can’t. We are immune to change.

The goal of evil was to divide our heart, to separate us from God.

Where does evil act? Where does it actually happen? I can learn about all of this, but it is not enough. I do not need more information, I need a revolution.

We are born in sin, divided, separated from God.

Rightness vs. wrongness has to do with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Righteousness has to do with the tree of life. Righteousness is connected, throughout the Bible, with life. We ate from the wrong tree.

Ephesians 4:17-20
17 So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,
18 being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;
19 and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.
20 But you did not learn Christ in this way,

Futility, separation, ignorance, hardness. This is the way we are before we “learned Christ.”

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24. A benediction:
23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.

God will sanctify us entirely. He will do it. We cannot change ourselves.

“Spirit and soul and body” - we are 3-fold beings.
The body is the exterior visible part. It is the part called the “temple.”
The soul or “psyche” (Greek) is the mind, will, intellect, emotions, our personality, or character. It is who we are, our uniqueness.
The spirit.

Donut analogy: The outer ring of the donut is like our body, our flesh. It is easily damaged. The inner ring is the soul. It is sturdier, harder. The “hole” is where the spirit should be. This is what died in the Garden of Eden. The place of unity with God, of fellowship, of communion is dead and empty inside of us.

Ephesians 2:1-3
1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins,
2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

What we were like before we met Jesus. When you cry out, “Jesus, I want You to be Lord of my life,” the Holy Spirit comes in to live in us. It is then that our spirit comes alive.

Where does the heart fit into this? We live in the futility of our minds. “If it feels good, do it.” Have you ever heard that? Isn’t that they way we live without Jesus?

Hebrews 4:12. For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

The word of God shows us reality. It judges the thoughts and intentions.

The heart is the centrality of our psyche. The part that we cannot control, the innermost part of our soul.

How did the heart get this way? The action of “sin on the goodness of God’s creation.” We are evil before we met Jesus. We are corrupt, and no amount of “buffing us up” is going to make us acceptable in God’s eyes.

The damage to our heart is irreparable. It cannot be fixed. Our heart can only be exchanged.

Jeremiah 17:9.
“The heart is more deceitful than all else
And is desperately sick;
Who can understand it?”

Mark 7:17-23
17 When he had left the crowd and entered the house, His disciples questioned Him about the parable.
18 And He *said to them, “Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him,
19 because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?” (Thus He declared all foods clean.)
20 And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man.
21 “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries,
22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness.
23 “All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”

Out the heart proceeds the evil things that defile man. Our heart is corrupt. We cannot change ourselves. We need to be changed by God.

We have a dead spirit. We have a soul that can see good and evil. And we have a hardened and deceitful heart. What is the result?

1 John 3:19-20
19 We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him
20 in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.

We have a process operating inside of us to condemn us. We do not need someone else to condemn us. We condemn ourselves because we know good and evil, and know that we are evil.

Psalm 73:7b. The imaginations of their heart run riot.

Hebrews 3:12. Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. (NASB)

Hebrews 3:12. [Therefore beware] brethren, take care, lest there be in any one of you a wicked, unbelieving heart [which refuses to cleave to, trust in, and rely on Him], leading you to turn away and desert or stand aloof from the living God. (Amplified)

“An evil, unbelieving heart.” Evil is linked to unbelief. Unbelief is sin, grinding away at the perfection of God’s creation.

“Has God said?” Adam and Eve went from belief to unbelief. Belief and unbelief are not opposites. Unbelief is the vacuum, the emptiness that remains when one does not believe.

The unbelieving heart refuses to cleave to the living God. It rejects life, the tree of life. It stands aloof and refuses to trust in God. These are the symptoms of the unbelieving heart.

The bad news is that we have a damaged heart. The good news? Next week.

Jeremiah 17:9-10
9 “The heart is more deceitful than all else
And is desperately sick;
Who can understand it?
10 “I, the Lord, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give to each man according to his ways,
According to the results of his deeds.

The heart is sick and deceitful. And after God searches the heart, He will judge.

Ephesians 1:15-17
15 For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints,
16 do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers;
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.

We need a spirit of wisdom and revelation.

Revelation happens at the level of the spirit. It is spirit communing with Spirit

Romans 12:2a. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind...

John 7:38. “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’"

The squeeze play. We know and learn with our minds, and our minds are being renewed and transformed. And from the inside, the spirit begins to flow with living waters, out of our innermost places.

Ephesians 3:14-19
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,
16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,
17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

Romans 10:9-10
9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;
10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

Despite all that is wrong with the heart, the only place that “saving faith” can occur is in the heart. The heart was created to believe. The tragedy of the heart is that it is believing the wrong things. The heart is going to believe whatever we fill it with.

Do you see why the heart is such a battleground?

The Lord has called us to the daily battle of giving our hearts to Him.

We do not what to get a little better. We were mastered by sin and evil. We need to learn, day by day, to triumph in the Lord.

1 John 3:1. See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

What great love You have that You would reveal all these things to us.

Update to Teaching #2

2006-10-01T18:24:00.000-04:00

A friend of mine got this quote, which I missed: "Legalistic Christianity is man's attempt to regulate his sinfulness."

Essentials, Part 2

2006-09-24T21:00:00.000-04:00

Teaching #2. September 24, 2006.

I am posting my notes on Pastor Tom’s teaching from Sunday, September 24th. These are MY notes. Not a transcript. Not his notes. Any misquotes, mistakes, or mystifications are my fault (or something like that). All verses are from NASB 1995.

Evil

If God is good, where does evil come from?

What is the antonym of evil? Synonym? What is the opposite of evil? What is its remedy?

Quoting Mike from last week: We do not need to be instructed in selfishness or self- centeredness. We are born self-centered.

When we try to describe God, we first speak the positives: Holy, righteous, good, etc. Then contrast that with what God is not: “there is no one like Thee,” etc. We need two eyes for stereo vision, two ears. We see God more clearly by seeing contrasts.

In our culture, we are losing a clear idea of goodness. Other cultures, other religions, have more of a sliding scale of goodness to badness. More of a “see-saw” approach to goodness. Good and bad are not clearly defined.

What is good? What is bad? What is evil?

Evil poses a dilemma. How do I gain an understanding of evil, when I do not want to know about it?

The Bible is the only source of defining good and evil.

Genesis 2:9. Out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

In Genesis chapters 3 & 4, we see that Adam and Eve, and Cain and Abel knew good and evil. You cannot doubt the outworking of evil in humanity.

Genesis 6:5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

The intent of humanity’s thoughts are evil. Not “good” and not merely “bad” but evil.

Isaiah 53:6
All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him.

All of us try to be good, we try to be better, but that does not work. Oh, we can beat it down, push it down here or there in our lives, but we cannot defeat it everywhere.

There are over 500 references to evil in the Bible.

Sin - the action of evil upon the goodness of God’s creation.

We pray to be good, to be a better Christian. How does that work? We have to give God our will. We used our will in the Garden to reject God. We have to reverse that.

Genesis 3:1. Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”

“Crafty” connotations of ‘subtle” and “deceitful”.

The questioning like this of God, “Has God said?” initiated the release of evil into humanity. To question God is to criticize Him, to find fault.

Revelation 12:9. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

The serpent is the devil, Satan, the slanderer, the twister of truth, the father of lies.

Who is the devil? He is a created thing, who demanded to be the Creator, God Himself. He rebelled and so fell from heaven, with a third of the heavenly host.

What is evil? Evil was not created by God. It is not the presence of something. It is not a force, not a “dark side,” not a substance. It is an absence. An absence of righteousness, of peace, of joy, of the person of God, of perfection, of goodness.

Evil is the lack of moral perfection. Evil comes in where God’s creatures (including the devil) cannot attain to God’s moral perfection.

There is not way a creature, born into the moral climate of the world, will be able to attain the moral perfection that God’s holiness requires of His creatures.

Satan has no rule, no sovereignty.

Matthew 27:18. For he (Pilate) knew that because of envy they (the Sanhedrin) had handed Him over.

It was for envy that the leaders of the Israel killed Jesus. The raging envy of the serpent, wanting to be God, desires to separate people from God, as he is separated. This is his goal.

Being better is not being good. Good is perfection.

Romans 5:8. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

God wants us to know our state, that we are eternally separated from Him. He wants to give us a choice, to chose Him.

Satan has boundaries, he is limited. He is not sovereign, he is a creature. He has his time to operate, and it will come to an end. God is not limited.

Matthew 6:13. (The Lord’s Prayer)
13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]’

We cannot work our way out of evil. We need a deliverer.

We do not want to be evil; we are willing to be bad, and we try to be better. But we are evil and there is nothing we can do about it.

Luke 4:17-18.
17 And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He (Jesus) opened the book and found the place where it was written,
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor....”

The Good News, the gospel, is that Jesus wants to deliver us from evil.

Jesus is the antidote to evil because He is everything that evil is not. He is good, all the time.

God reveals evil by being good.

God's Perspective, cont.

2006-07-09T21:16:00.000-04:00

I am posting my notes on Pastor Mike’s teaching from Sunday, July 9th. These are MY notes. Not a transcript. Not his notes. Any misquotes, mistakes, or mystifications are my fault (or something like that). All verses are from NASB 1995.

This a continuation for a series that Mike has been teaching about God’s perspective on things and that God is light. I have only one of the previous teaching as I was absent for the first two.

Psalm 27:1-3
1 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the defense of my life;
Whom shall I dread?
2 When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh,
My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell.
3 Though a host encamp against me,
My heart will not fear;
Though war arise against me,
In spite of this I shall be confident.

“The Lord is my light, my salvation..., and my defense.” If I understand who my King is, I will not be intimidated or fearful.

Psalm 27:4
4 One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord
And to meditate in His temple.

Americans can have most things just for the asking. How much are we willing to seek (to work)?

David was king. He could have/should have asked for many things. He chose to ask to dwell in the Lord’s house. David’s desire was to see the beauty of the lord and to meditate in His temple.

All of us would like this. Are we willing to seek, to do the work?

It is always intriguing to see what Hollywood and the media are up to.

[Extended reference to the new Superman movie]

It begins with Lois Lane writing an article on why the wold does not seen Superman. At the end, she sits down to write an article on why the world does need Superman. That is, she repented (changed her mind).

[paraphrased] Superman is flying, carrying Lois high above the earth.

Superman: What do you hear?
Lois: Nothing
Superman: I hear everything. I hear people everywhere asking for a savior.

David, in Ps 27:4, says that the most important thing for him was to see God’s beauty, to know God, to experience Him, to dwell with Him.

But being alone with God is not the end of the story.

He wanst those who dwell with Him to do more that just soak it up. He wants them also to tell the world with is crying out for a savioiur about His beauty and about dwelling in His temple.

Dwell in His temple and in His purpose. Be part of the promise and part of His purpose.

God wants not a few to dwell with Him, but that all would see and know Him.

Soak it up AND give it away.

Steadfast

2006-05-28T21:07:00.000-04:00

I was reading a posting by the Anchoress (see "link") about President Bush. Recently, the President has been on the receiving end of a lot of criticism from conservatives.

The gist of a long article, for me, was that Mr. Bush really has not changed very much over the last 6 years. He has been steadfast.

Therefore, I have begun praying these three verses for him.

Isaiah 26:3. The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You.

Psalm 51:10. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

1 Corinthians 15:57-58. ...but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.

Disclaimer: I quite recognize that "the victory through our Lord..." is not a political victory.

Memorized Verses #1

2006-05-18T20:52:00.000-04:00

Christ the Center #1.

See Link below.

2 Corinthians 5:17
17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

While Paul, the man tho wrote this, knew that he was a new creature, he also knew that the old creature was not yet full dead (see Romans 7).

When I became a Christian, this is one of the verses that I memorized first. There was a lot of that “old creature” that I wanted to “pass away.” Now. Immediately. Because it did not, I struggled with condemnation, and I still do, though less so, 30 years later. However, now I know more of what Paul knew then. The new creature that I am will take a life time to grow to full adulthood.

And the old creature with its old things will take a life time to die. That old creature is like a child, sometimes like a two-year-old, sometimes like a teenager. It is full of rebellion, full of sin, full of bad attitudes, full of selfishness, full of narcissistic self-love. But it is passing away (and it does not like that). In God’s economy, in God’s kingdom, in a “God’s eye view,” it is already dead, and I am fully His new creature. Its death is a promise to me, both already fulfilled in eternity, and being fulfilled now.

I am no longer under condemnation. Not because I am fully, here and now, a new creature. Nor am I free from the “old things.” Nor because I am fully obedient, righteous, and sanctified. I chose to believe the promise in this verse, and God reckons it to me as righteousness. On the basis of grace, through faith, through my believing, I am that new creature.

Prologue to "Memorized Verses"

2006-05-18T19:05:00.000-04:00

Prologue

I became a Christian, long ago and far away, when I had two roommates who were active in the Navigators. The Navigators were (and are) heavily committed to God’s word and to evangelism.

Because of decisions that the local leadership made, the graduate students (there were at least 4 of us) were mostly left alone. We attended the general meetings and all went to church together, but they otherwise ignored us.

At that time, they had two “programs” that they wanted everyone who wanted to be in the Navigators to do: a Bible study called “The Design for Discipleship” and a set of verses to memorize called “The Topical Memory System." (TMS)

The TMS is a set of 60 verses. There are 5 major topics and each of those has 6 sub-topics. The expected rate of memorization is one verse a day, reviewing each verse for at least 30 days. I was not that fast.

However, these 60 verses, and about 120 more, are the foundation of my reputation as a “walking concordance.” Well, that and the ability to use the concordance and references in a normal Bible.

I am taking a long time to get to a point. Recently, pastor Tom recounted something that he had heard someone say. The person said that he thought that modern Christians were “perverting” the word of God because they do not spend long periods of time meditating on it. The criticism may sound harsh here. However, the remark, in its context, was a loving and compassionate word spoken in humility.

What struck me, as Tom spoke this, was that there are a number of verses that I have meditated on for years. The TMS verses I memorized 30 years ago. I dug out my old packs, and began to look at them.

I am going to post on them from time to time.

Righteousness by Faith

2006-05-08T22:19:00.000-04:00

All quotes are from the NASB95.

Matthew 5:20. “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

What kind of righteousness did the Pharisees have?

How do I surpass it?

Philippians 3:4-6
4 although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more:
5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee;
6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.

The Pharisees had, if Paul is any indication, a righteousness of blamelessness. Now blamelessness is good. I like blamelessness. I cannot imagine ending a day and being (or at least feeling) blameless.

Luke 1:5-6.
5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
6 They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.

Again, blamelessness is good.

Zacharias and Elizabeth were the parents of John the Baptist.

Luke 1:8-10
8 Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division,
9 according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
10 And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering.

He is standing just outside of the Holy of Holies. The only thing separates him from it is the veil, a curtain. This veil tore in two as Jesus died on the cross (Luke 23:45). [Talk about Tom’s “law of first and last mention.” We start off Luke with a miracle in the Temple, and end it with one.]

This is the difference between the righteousness of men, of the law, and the righteousness of God. The one will take me right up to the Holy of Holies, right up to the veil to point of being able to touch, but will not let me step through the veil into the presence of God. The righteousness of God tore the veil and allowed me, us, through. Which kind of righteousness do I want to have?

Luke 1:11-13
11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense.
12 Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him.
13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John.

And Zacharias did not believe what the angel told him (1:18). He stood just outside that veil, announcing his unbelief to an angel. For his unbelief, he was unable to speak (1:20).

As blameless as Zacharias is, as righteous as he is in God’s sight, he does not believe.

Acts 15:9-11
9 [Peter said,] “He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.”
10 “Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?
11 “But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”

Here Peter rejected the idea that the gentile believers need to walk under the law, and the righteousness that comes from the law. Notice “faith” in 15:9 and “grace” in 15:10. They are indicators of where I am going.

I am, as all of us are, under a death penalty because of Adam and Eve. Blamelessness, the righteousness of the law, is like driving to my own execution. A policeman stops me, checks out everything, and then he tells me that with regard to the righteousness that is by the laws of driving, I am blameless. I am free to continue driving. To my execution. Being blameless is good, but it is not salvation. It is not God’s righteousness. God’s righteousness is different.

Matthew 6:33. “But seek first His kingdom [which is different from the kingdoms of the earth] and His righteousness [which is different than the righteousness that the disciples, and the Pharisees, and the Priests knew about], and all these things will be added to you.

God’s righteousness is more than the righteousness of blamelessness.

Genesis 15. Another old man, another barren wife, another visitation, another promise of a miracle.

Genesis 15:1-6
1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying,
“Do not fear, Abram,
I am a shield to you;
Your reward shall be very great.”
2 Abram said, “O Lord God, what will You give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”
3 And Abram said, “Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.”
4 Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.”
5 And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”
6 Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.

The blessing of Zacharias, of knowing all the right things to say and do, versus the blessing of Abram, which is the blessing of a personal relationship, being a friend of God.

Romans 4:1-3
1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found?
2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

Romans 4:16-22
16 For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all,
17 (as it is written, "A father of many nations have I made you") in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.
18 In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, "So shall your descendants be."
19 Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb;
20 yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God,
21 and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.
22 Therefore it was also credited to him as righteousness.

God’s righteousness is a righteousness by faith.

Philippians 3:4-9
4 although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more:
5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee;
6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.
7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,
9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,

Ephesians 2:8-10
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

And the first belief, the first faith, is for salvation. Blamelessness takes me to the Holy of Holies. God’s righteousness, the righteousness that is by faith, through grace, takes me into the Holy of Holies and into the presence of God.

How do I walk this out?

We were talking a couple of Sundays ago about the problem we have in doing the things we are supposed to: praying for someone, or some situation, laying on hands to pray for healing or blessing, believing the best about someone, or whatever it is. That we are of two minds about these things, and we tend to get bogged down in the unbelief half of our mind.

Well, yeah. So what? I should not be concerned about that half. It is the flesh. It is dying. It is going to be dead. Soon. Forever. Yeah, it is going to whine, and squawk, throw up excuses, and complain for a long time yet. It is going to die. God says so. I can believe Him that it is going to die, and He reckons it to me as righteousness.

Instead, I need to believe God. I need to focus on the half of my mind that is being renewed, transformed, that has the mind of Christ. Whatever He asks, says, prompts, leads, quickens me to do, I believe Him. And He then credits this to me as righteousness. And part of the evidence that I believe Him, is that I do something in response to His prompting.

Every time I believe Him, He reckons it to my account as righteousness. I do not need more righteousness, in a sense. When I believed Him for salvation, I received the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. That is an infinite amount I expect. Why would I need more? And yet it pleases our heavenly Father to give us opportunity to “run up the account.” He wants us to look up at Him, as Daddy, and believe Him over all the things, big and little. of our days.

Eph 2:10. Here is mystery of works. Works come after faith. Works come after salvation Works comes after believing God. Works even come after believing God for the good works, themselves. Not before. He prepares them. He tells us that they are there. And we believe Him and He reckons that to us as righteousness, not the works themselves. Then we walk in works that He has prepared.

Some of the good works are the small stuff of daily life.

Some of those good works last for years. Hear that mothers? Home schoolers? Hear that cubical farm dwellers? It is not a dreary obligation. He called you were you are. Believe God. It is the good work that He has prepared for us from the foundation of the universe. Just for us. Believe God for your calling, and He reckons it as righteousness. OK, it helps to remember that every day, or twenty times a day, if necessary.

Let’s look at one last thing, and apply some of the “believe God, and He reckons it to as righteousness.

Take some of these promises and practice believing God for them. Let Him “reckon” some righteousness in your direction.

The beatitudes, a nice concentrated assortment of promises.

Matthew 5:3-10.
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

MODEL: There are two promises here, and I can believe both of them. I can believe God that the kingdom of heaven is mine, and He will reckon that to me as righteousness. If I look at myself and see, not “spiritual bankruptcy,” but pride and self-sufficiency; I can believe God that He is going to change me, and He reckons that to me as righteousness.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness [by faith], for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Model: I have thought that Jesus was being cruel here. If I am going to have to wait to see God until I am pure in heart, I think to myself, well I am going to wait a long time.

However, I can believe God that I shall see Him, and see Him now. I can believe that I will be pure in heart. I can also believe that in God’s eyes, in God’s economy and in God’s eternal NOW I am already pure in heart, and that I can already see Him. And He reckons the whole thing to me as righteousness.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness [by faith, not of works, not being able to say the right thing], for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

Practicing “righteousness by faith”

Romans 14:17
17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness [by faith] and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 6:13-14
13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness [by faith],

1 Timothy 6:11. But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness [by faith], godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.

2 Timothy 2:22. Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.

2 Timothy 3:16. ll Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness [by faith];

2 Timothy 4:8. ...In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness [by faith], which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.

The Grace of God, Part 3

2006-04-30T20:22:00.000-04:00

I am posting my notes on Pastor Tom’s teaching from Sunday, April 30th. These are MY notes. Not a transcript. Not his notes. Any misquotes, mistakes, or mystifications are my fault (or something like that). All verses are from NASB 1995.

The Grace of God, part 3

Both Tom and Mike spoke this morning. Mike spoke first on Exodus 32:1. He was responding to a word from the Lord through Barth about rejecting our idols.

Then Tom picked up his idea and wove it into what he has been doing with grace.

Tom:

Are you willing to let the word of the Lord penetrate your life this morning. I ask permission to speak the word so we are all participants in the word of God. Not just hearers. I noted when I came in this morning a sleepiness and I want you to be awake to the word.

Isaiah 30:15
15 For thus the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, has said,
“In repentance and rest you will be saved,
In quietness and trust is your strength.”
But you were not willing,

Do I ask God for rest? Do I ask Him like He is a vending machine, dispensing rest? Am I asking for it and not receiving it? Repentance comes first, then rest, salvation, quietness, trust, strength.

“But you were not willing.”

Isaiah 30:18-22
18 Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you,
And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you.
For the Lord is a God of justice;
How blessed are all those who long for Him.
19 O people in Zion, inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will weep no longer. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you.
20 Although the Lord has given you bread of privation and water of oppression, He, your Teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher.
21 Your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left.
22 And you will defile your graven images overlaid with silver, and your molten images plated with gold. You will scatter them as an impure thing, and say to them, “Be gone!”

The Good News: The Lord longs to be gracious to us.

Bread can look like deprivation when we are used to bounty. Even bread from heaven can look like deprivation. Water of oppression.

God has and can give them to us. Are we willing to receive these from God for the season that He gives them to us?

In grace, God will reveal Himself, teach us, and we throw away our idols. We will scatter them, they will be impure and rejected.

God wants to be a gracious God to us. But we need to change. What is valuable to me? What kind of idols do I have tucked away?

Amos 5:25-26. Did you present Me with sacrifices and grain offerings in the wilderness for forty years, O house of Israel? You also carried along Sikkuth your king and Kiyyun, your images, the star of your gods which you made for yourselves.

What do I carry with me, even as I acknowledge God as Lord? What is in my saddle bags?

Grace: Do we want radical grace? Do we want explosive grace?

Isaiah 30:23-26. After the repentance there is blessing, we come to abundance and to bounty.

Are you willing to see grace today? To see the wonderful compassion of God through His Son, Jesus Christ?

Grace in the book of Acts

Ask the Holy Spirit to tag this together, to connect the dots, to paint the picture.

Acts 4:32-33. And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all.

Grace is abundant, it is immeasurable and unmerited. This carcass, this flesh (Romans 7) is at war with the Spirit of God. I need abundant grace. When I do not see it, it is because my idols have blinded me.

Acts 6:8. And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people.

The story of Stephen, the first martyr. Stephen was full of grace and power. Grace and power come as a package. If we want grace, we will need to grasp the power, too.

Acts 11:23. (Context, Acts 11:21-24). Then when he arrived and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced and began to encourage them all with resolute heart to remain true to the Lord...

The Church at Antioch. Barnabas witnessed grace. It was obvious. It was observable.

Acts 13:43. Now when the meeting of the synagogue had broken up, many of the Jews and of the God-fearing proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas, who, speaking to them, were urging them to continue in the grace of God.

Grace is something to continue in. Grace is as good as I am walking in now. It is “instantaneous.” Grace is relationship. It is part of our love relationship with God.

Acts 14:3 (Context 14:1-3). Therefore they spent a long time there speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of His grace, granting that signs and wonders be done by their hands.

The word of grace AND signs and wonders. Do we want the signs and wonders? Get rid of the stuff in the saddle bags. Ask God for grace. If we are testifying about grace, we see grace. And signs and wonders.

Acts 14:26. (Context 14:21-26). From there they sailed to Antioch, from which they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had accomplished.

Paul had been commended to the grace of God. They had kept themselves in the grace of God throughout the missionary journey.

Acts 15:11. “But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”

Salvation by grace.

Acts 15:40. But Paul chose Silas and left, being committed by the brethren to the grace of the Lord.

Barnabas and Paul had a disagreement. Grace in a puzzling situation.

Acts 18:24-28. The story of Apollos. Apollos was mighty in the word, but he was missing something. Remember that grace is observable. When Priscilla and Aquila heard Apollos, they saw that something was missing. They took him aside and explained things to him more fully. Then Apollos spoke with grace and power.

Acts 20:24. (Context 20:24-32) “But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God."

The “gospel” is good news. But what is the good news? Elsewhere, it usually the “gospel of the kingdom of God.” But here, it is gospel of the grace of God. Mix “kingdom” and “grace” together. The kingdom involves scattering the impure things (back to Isaiah 40).

Acts 20:32. “And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

The word of grace builds us and gives an inheritance.

Are we interested in being built up? In receiving our inheritance? Grace is necessary.

Immanuel or God in our midst

2006-04-30T20:20:00.000-04:00

I am posting my notes on Pastor Mike’s teaching from Sunday, April 30th. These are MY notes. Not a transcript. Not his notes. Any misquotes, mistakes, or mystifications are my fault (or something like that). All verses are from NASB 1995.

Both Tom and Mike spoke this morning. Mike spoke first on Exodus 32:1. He was responding to a word from the Lord through Barth about rejecting our idols.

Then Tom picked up his idea and wove it into what he has been doing with grace.

Mike:

Exodus 32:1. Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”

Immanuel - “God with us.” We were created to want God in our midst. Israel wanted God in their midst, but Moses was up on the mountain. They had lost God’s spokesman in their midst.

They were in despair. Their lack of God commanded their attention. The thing that commands attention in us is an idol or it is the Lord.

We can have God in our midst when we do what we do: job, dishes, school, driving, tests, etc. Or we can let whatever it is command our attention and he happy or despairing or frustrated by it. And it will be an idol to us.

Immanuel or an idol?

“I will drive them out before you little by little”

2006-04-22T21:47:00.000-04:00

Exodus 23:20-33. NASB95
20 “Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.
21 “Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since My name is in him.
22 “But if you truly obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.
23 “For My angel will go before you and bring you in to the land of the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will completely destroy them.
24 “You shall not worship their gods, nor serve them, nor do according to their deeds; but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their sacred pillars in pieces.
25 “But you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water; and I will remove sickness from your midst.
26 “There shall be no one miscarrying or barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.
27 “I will send My terror ahead of you, and throw into confusion all the people among whom you come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.
28 “I will send hornets ahead of you so that they will drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites before you.
29 “I will not drive them out before you in a single year, that the land may not become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you.
30 “I will drive them out before you little by little, until you become fruitful and take possession of the land.
31 “I will fix your boundary from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the River Euphrates; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand, and you will drive them out before you.
32 “You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods.
33 “They shall not live in your land, because they will make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”

This passage was shared on Friday night. It was used to illustrate several ideas about how God works in bringing change to an area. However, a long time ago, when I first became a Christian, the Holy Spirit quickened a part of it to me as a personal promise. I have not thought about it for a long time.

Exodus 23:29-30. “I will not drive them out before you in a single year, that the land may not become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. I will drive them out before you little by little, until you become fruitful and take possession of the land.”

The Lord was promising that I would “be transformed by the renewing of [my] mind” [ Romans 12:2]. This is a process and it takes time. I want the whole land to be cleared NOW. But that is not how the Lord works. He had a lot of work to do. It was going to take time. And I needed to be patient.

CS Lewis writes, calling our bodies: “Those vast and perilous estates, pulsating with the energy that created the universe.” And this is true not just about our bodies.

I became a Christian in my mid-twenties. That “estate” had gotten pretty run-down. Its grounds were weedy and its buildings dilapidated. Transforming me from a fallen man into His image is the work of a lifetime.

One of the reasons God takes a gradual pace is that we do not get proud, believing that we somehow did it on our own. The gradual pace not only grinds down my pride, it shows me my true nature without the Lord. It shows my desperate need for Him and for His cross (last week was Good Friday and Easter). Only by repeatedly coming to Him about my needs, both for personal renewal and for what He calls me to do can I come to “experientially know” Him.

The Lord also brings me repeatedly to what seems to be the same place.

Strange play interlude:

Me: “Not the Perizzites again? I thought that we dealt with them last year.”

The Lord: “No, this is another village of them.”

Me: “OK, but this better be the last time.”

The Lord in an aside: “Bill, only 27 more villages of Perrizzites to go. But, next week there is a troublesome little village of Hivites that I have been wanting to deal with for DECADES.”

If I apply this to the Lord wanting to change the spiritual climate in a town, a county, a state or a country I realize that the Lord can take the same approach. He quietly deals with the strongholds in the life of community, until He has “broken through with a breakthrough ” [2 Samuel 6:8, margin note]. Then He can bring revival and renewal.

In church, we have something we regularly pray, that “The Lord would make it hard to go Hell from [home town].” Ideally, this will happen when the local churches (plural) are ready before the Lord to take care of all of the sheep that He has called. Or the local churches gradually “become fruitful and take possession of the land.” Of all of the land.

The Grace of God, Part 2

2006-04-17T12:18:00.000-04:00

I am posting my notes on Pastor Tom’s teaching from Easter Sunday, April 16th. These are MY notes. Not a transcript. Not his notes. Any misquotes, mistakes, or mystifications are my fault (or something like that). All verses are from NASB 1995. I added some scripture references to things that Tom alluded to, but did not actually quote the scriptures. See brackets [].

The Grace of God, part 2

Now is “the acceptable time of the Lord” [2Cor 6:2] to look anew, afresh at the cross and God’s grace.

Prayer: “Father if you do not reveal, we cannot see.”

GRACE - God’s riches at Christ’s expense.

Christ’s expense was the cross, but the cross is meaningless without the resurrection. Jesus died on the cross for our sins. But death could not hold Him.

Mark 16:9-11
9 Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons.
10 She went and reported to those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping.
11 When they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they refused to believe it.

Who was worthy to see Jesus first? It was the one whom He had cast 7 demons out of. The disciples, the apostles refused to believe her.

Do we believe? Are we hypocrites? Do we say we believe, but do not? I [Tom] am a hypocrite. And I know that I need Jesus.

I [Tom] get asked, “Is this Easter more relevant than any other?” [Given what has happened over the last year.]

Yes, Easter is more relevant to me this year than before, but not because of the events of the last year. It is more relevant to me because I breath. And I have to reckon with my sin and my desperate neediness for Him all the more.

We do not have what it takes to get where we need to be. Only grace can get us there.

Acts 1:3. To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God.

Jesus presented Himself alive. Jesus promised that He would reveal Himself to us alive.

Acts 25:18-19
18 “When the accusers stood up, they began bringing charges against him not of such crimes as I was expecting,
19 but they simply had some points of disagreement with him about their own religion and about a dead man, Jesus, whom Paul asserted to be alive.

What got Paul in trouble was not that he presented a new religious ethic, but that Paul proclaimed that Jesus was dead and was now alive.

The gospel of John has several themes, but one of them is life.

God’s riches is not heaven, not freedom from sorrow or grief, but life.

Prayer: “Jesus, will you teach me of Your life. Holy Spirit stir something afresh in my life.” Renovation, rebuilding.

John 5:26. “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself...”

Jesus had life in Himself. Our hope is rooted in the truth that Jesus has life and is risen from the dead. All the mess I have made of my life I surrender to You.

If I want hope, don’t look for hope, look for grace.

WWJD? - “What would Jesus do?” is the wrong question. We have a Bible full of things that Jesus would do. The right question is, “What will I do?”

The old hymn asks, “Were you there when they crucified my Lord?” It is a good question, but “Are you there..? is a better one.

Am I exploding with life, or yawning? Is there resurrection power in my life? Is there hope in my life?

Romans 5:17. For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

Transgression; grace and life. “Grace reigning” is a kingdom term. We did not buy grace, we do not own it ourselves. Grace is a gift.

We need the gift afresh today, life afresh today, hope afresh today. If we surrender afresh today.

And we are not going to see grace today without revelation.

The Grace of God, Part 1

2006-04-17T11:53:00.000-04:00

I am posting my notes on Pastor Tom’s teaching from Sunday, April 2nd. These are MY notes. Not a transcript. Not his notes. Any misquotes, mistakes, or mystifications are my fault (or something like that). All verses are from NASB 1995. I added some scripture references to things that Tom alluded to, but did not actually quote the scriptures. See brackets [].

The Grace of God, part 1

Prayer: Show me about Your grace. Lord, we need to find your grace afresh.

What is grace? Well, we know a definition, but what is it really? What does it mean?

GRACE: God’s riches at Christ’s expense.

God’s riches - all that He has for us.

Christ’s expense - the cross.

Grace: What is it? Where do we find it? How do I get it? How do I receive it? How does grace fit into the whole of the Bible?

In literature and other writings there is a “law “of first and last mention - What is mentioned first? First sentence tells you what the paragraph is about. The first paragraph tells you what the chapter is about, and so forth. The last paragraph/sentence summarizes the thought, the chapter, the book.

Jesus is the first and the last, the alpha and the omega.

In some of the gospels, the first thing Jesus says is “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” In Acts, just before He departs, He tells the disciples about the kingdom. The Lord’s Prayer begins and ends with “kingdom.” It must have been important to Jesus. “Kingdom” brackets everything Tom wants to say about grace.

Grace permeates the kingdom of God. Let’s take a look afresh at grace.

In the New Testament, the emphasis is on grace. In the Old Testament, the emphasis is on mercy. Mercy and grace are similar in meaning and connotation.
• Mercy means not getting what I deserve.
• Grace means getting what I do not deserve.

Luke 2:40
40 The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

John wrote both a gospel and the last book of the Bible. What does John say about grace?

John 1:1-18 (context)
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:15-17
John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ ”
16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.
17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.

How does John see Jesus? How is he representing Him?

Jesus, pre-existing as the Son of God, came among us, full of grace, wrapped up in the glory of God.

Tom related a story, the gist of which is that “grace is the base.” Everything we do is by grace, modified by grace.

John 1:16. “For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.”

Grace upon grace. Grace piled up into heaps of grace. Grace multiplied.

John 1:17. “ For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.”

We need the law because we would not see our need for grace. The law shows us how we need His grace and mercy.

Where everyone (Pharisees, Sadducees, and the lawyers) got skewed was they tried to follow the law perfectly, to obey every jot and tittle,. The missed that the law was also supposed to show us God’s grace.

Revelation 22:21. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

This is the last verse in the Bible. The first and last in John’s writing is about grace.

Grace is not just poetry to sing about. There is something real about grace also. Do you want to look at grace in a new and fresh way?

John 1:17. “ For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.”

Moses was the “mailman.” He delivered the law to Israel. Jesus came as the reality of grace and truth. Do I know the difference between law and grace?

Am I willing to look straight at the Lamb of God who is the embodiment of grace? Have I received His fulness? Grace upon grace?

John was the disciple whom Jesus loved, who leaned on Jesus breast. He understood grace.

At this point, Tom begins a run-through of the New Testament showing “first and last mentions” in many of the epistles. He sometimes just quoted the passages, sometimes he did more elaboration. I caught what I could.

Romans 1:5-7; 16:24.

1 Corinthians 1:3, 16:23. Corinth was a messy place. Tom reads these two passages and sees the “grace sandwich.” What is going on in Corinth? How does God’s grace change the church in Corinth between the writing of the first and second epistles to them?

Paul chose Corinth, of all the place he had ministered, to represent his apostleship, his seal [I Cor 9:2].

Re-read Corinthians to see how grace gripped them.

2 Corinthians 1:2; 13:14. Paul is bracketing what he is saying to the Corinthians by grace.

Galatians 1:3; 6:18. I want all the stuff in the Bible I hear about to work now. I want the reality now. And that reality has to be in grace, as I look to Jesus Himself.

Ephesians 1:2; 6:24. Grace is not a “heavenly ooze,” not a salve. We are not going to God to get something dispensed. Grace and reality comes as a result of loving Jesus.

Philippians 1:2; 4:23. Does the mention of grace bring a smile in any face? There is a joy in grace.

Colossians 1:2; 4:18. Paul was imprisoned. Grace in imprisonment. Grace is costly.

1 Thessalonians 1:1; 5:28.

2 Thessalonians 1:2; 3:18.

In all these letters, grace begins and ends, grace is the prevailing bent of everything Paul is writing.

Heb 2:9; 13:25.

John 1:17. “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.”

As we move towards Palm Sunday, Easter, and Pentecost, look as these events in the light of grace. Ask God to make grace real and fresh to us.

Ask God to show me “grace upon grace.” As you go, ask God, pray for these things: “grace upon grace,” “grace upon you.”

And the rest is details...

2006-03-26T21:06:00.001-05:00

Romans 8:15-17
15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”
16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

The fresh, new wind of the Holy Spirit

2006-03-26T19:18:00.000-05:00

NOTE: What I wrote below is my observations. I came to the central insight a long time ago, and had it renewed a couple of weeks before Mike began his teaching about newness. And what I have heard him say over the last three weeks seems to confirm my observations.

I have been pondering over something for several weeks now. I have had two different people talk to me about the teachings at church. Having been in this particular church for 25 years, I am very used to the pastors and how they teach. Used to it to the point of no longer noticing (or being blind to) what they are up to.

The first comment was something about their teaching that I had heard the person make previously, and then recently heard again. I will not repeat it here because of what I am about to say, and because the person who said it will be instantly recognizable. It stimulated a lot of thought on what the pastors talk about, how they do it, and what their expectations are.

The second was a comment my wife made. She observed that the elders have never done a teaching on heaven, and rarely mention heaven in church. (Other than as the “kingdom of heaven.”) This was not meant as a criticism, just an observation. My wife had been watching two Bill Gaither “Homecoming” videos on heaven. She had been very moved by them. It helped that a lot of the hymns on the videos were ones that she had sung growing up and had not heard in many years.

Being who I am, I immediately took what she said and generalized it. I realized that the pastors actually rarely take on any of the common “theological” topics: salvation, grace, eschatology, prayer, apologetics, or whatever else. At least as individual, self-contained topics. In fact, we are a charismatic church whose pastors did not talk about the baptism in Holy Spirit for years. And it is not because we lack the intellectual firepower in the pews to handle intense theological discussions.

So what are they doing and why?

The long and short of it is that they are listening to the Holy Spirit. That determines the general topic, how the topic is focused (that is, the specific theme of the teaching), and the outline of what is to be said. In the end, they rarely do the three-point sermons beloved of professors in theological seminaries. They are listening to today’s, fresh, new wind of the Holy Spirit. (Which was actually the topic of today’s teaching.)

They teach what He is prompting them to teach.

And they expect each of us in church, and they include themselves in this, to go to the Holy Spirit. They expect to have the Holy Spirit extract for each of us what He wants to talk to us about. It may be an attitude that needs to be adjusted. It may be sin to repent of. It may be an action that He wants us to take. Or to stop taking (even righteous actions may be less than what He wants from us at a particular time.) It may be just being still and listening to Him.

The primary focus of what they say, for as long as I have been here, has been on what Jesus is saying. [Mike’s emphasis on “Today, if you hear His voice” is typical.] Their emphasis is on an on-going, sustained relationship with Jesus. And the teaching on a Sunday morning is just one, possibly minor, aspect of that on-going relationship.

However, there is a problem with what they do. Sort of. It is not their problem. It is a problem on the part of the listener. The listener has to be listening in a particular way. The listener must be constantly attentive to both the teaching, and to the Holy Spirit. Or be willing to take notes and then pray over them during the week. Meditate on them. Listen for the fresh, new wind of the Holy Spirit.

If a person is unwilling to listen this way, it is going to be frustrating. If they are not willing to ask others for help, it is going to be frustrating. If they want a theology lesson, it is going to be frustrating. If they want to leave church feeling good, it is going to be frustrating. If they want to have their ears tickled, they may be satisfied for a few Sundays, and then it is going to be frustrating. If they want a “good work of the week” to perform, it is going to be frustrating. That is not how they operate.

Newness, cont. Putting On Newness.

2006-03-26T17:05:00.000-05:00

I am posting my notes on Pastor Mike’s teaching from Sunday, March26th. These are MY notes. Not a transcript. Not his notes. Any misquotes, mistakes, or mystifications are my fault (or something like that). All verses are from NASB 1995. I added some scripture references to things that Mike alluded to, but did not actually quote the scriptures. See brackets [].

Newness, cont. Putting On Newness.

Manna in the wilderness: newness and oldness were only a day apart. Good one day; old, wormy, and rotten the next. [Exodus 16] Our hearts and minds get excited by newness. New projects are exciting. But, by about 3/4 of the way through a project, it gets hard because it now old, and you are tired of oldness. It is hard to get it to the end.

Hebrews 3:12-13
12 Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.
13 But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

So, how does deceitfulness crawl into us? One day at a time. We are either encouraging one another, pressing in to newness each day. Or the heart will harden. And hardening can result from holding onto yesterday’s newness.

What was Israel holding onto in the wilderness? Yesterday, the things of Egypt. [Exodus 16]

Why does God recycle things back into our lives, our minds? So that He can make them new again.

The Holy Spirit is compared to the wind. [John 3:8] Does the wind blow from the same direction everyday? No. Is it the same wind each day? The Holy Spirit makes old, well-read scriptures new to us all the time.

Colossians 3:5-17
5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
6 For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience,
7 and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.
8 But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.
9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices,
10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—
11 a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.
12 So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;
13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.
14 Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

“Put on the new self”
“Put on a heart of compassion, kindness...” This list is like the fruit of the Holy Spirit [Galatians 5:22,23] The fruit of the spirit is the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives AND we have to also put on these things. Both our work and the Holy Spirit's.

Patience, compassion, forgiveness, etc. are all hard work. We have to put them on. Anger, lying, etc are not hard.

It is work to put on the things God wants us to put on.

[Added. 2 Corinthians 5:16-17
16 Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer.
17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.]

We should not recognize the old creature, but be recognized as new creatures. I am called to be made new again. Just because I was new yesterday, does not mean that I am new today.

[Added. Ephesians 6:11
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. (Context - Ephesians 6:11-18). ]

Newness doe not just happen, it must be put on.

Adoption. We have all been adopted by God, but He did not “poof” [by magic] us. [Romans 8:15] We have to receive what He is doing. Each day. We have to receive adoption, put on the new self, put on the armor of God, etc.

The disciples had to “put on” being “fishers of men.” They probably did not realize what Jesus meant when H e called them, not even when was teaching or when He died. They probably began to realize when they received the out-pouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Then they had a new Helper to explain it to them, to show them how to do it.

Colossians 3:10-16
“Put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge...”
“Put on the bond of unity”
“Allow the peace of God to rule in our hearts”
“Allow the word of God to dwell richly in us”

[Added. Matthew 9:16-17
16 “But no one puts a patch of unshrunk [new] cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results.
17 “Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”]

Are we putting on the old or the new?

Are we putting new wine into new, flexible, wineskins? Or are we putting old wine into old, stiff, inflexible wineskins? If we say that the old wine is good enough, we are unlikely to get new wine.

Prayer: Lord, what are you saying about newness and oldness? Lord, we ask you to speak to us again today. We thank you for speaking to us yesterday. Teaching us, reminding us yesterday. But we ask for it again today.

And help us to encourage and remind each other to hear You again today.

Remind us to live in newness, and not be satisfied with oldness.

2006-03-25T22:11:00.000-05:00

I am posting my notes on Pastor Mike’s teaching from Sunday, March19th. These are MY notes. Not a transcript. Not his notes. Any misquotes, mistakes, or mystifications are my fault (or something like that). I also “zoned out” a couple of times, so I know I missed things. All verses are from NASB 1995.

Things in brackets [] are my additions.

Isaiah 42:1-4
1 “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold;
My chosen one in whom My soul delights.
I have put My Spirit upon Him;
He will bring forth justice to the nations.
2 “He will not cry out or raise His voice,
Nor make His voice heard in the street.
3 “A bruised reed He will not break
And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish;
He will faithfully bring forth justice.
4 “He will not be disheartened or crushed
Until He has established justice in the earth;
And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law.”

This is about Jesus the King. He was not “disheartened or crushed.” He died on a cross, but this did not “dishearten or crush” Him.

Isaiah 42:5-8
5 Thus says God the Lord,
Who created the heavens and stretched them out,
Who spread out the earth and its offspring,
Who gives breath to the people on it
And spirit to those who walk in it,
6 “I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness,
I will also hold you by the hand and watch over you,
And I will appoint you as a covenant to the people,
As a light to the nations,
7 To open blind eyes,
To bring out prisoners from the dungeon
And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.
8 “I am the Lord, that is My name;
I will not give My glory to another,
Nor My praise to graven images.

The wilderness was a forming place for the covenant people of God. God had established a covenant, a contract, with the His people. He put them in the most corrupt [Babylon] and barren [wilderness] places. And there He purified and prospered them.

People have asked Mike to prove the existence of God. His answer could be look at the beauty and complexity of the world. But people have been told that this is a result of evolution.

But he can point to one thing that defies explanation: the continued existence of the people of Israel. Why have they continued to exist? Because they are a “covenant people.” God has preserved them in face of centuries of persecution. [He made them to be a “light to the nations.”]

He was faithful to them, even when they were not faithful to Him, as in the wilderness. He did not give them the land of Israel because they were perfect or because they were faithful. He gave it to them because He chose them to have it. [He does the same with us.]

Either you are terrified of a God like this or you are glad that you know Him.

Isaiah 42:9-10
9 “Behold, the former things have come to pass,
Now I declare new things;
Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.”
10 Sing to the Lord a new song,
Sing His praise from the end of the earth!
You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it.
You islands, and those who dwell on them.

So, what is our response to this kind of God? Sing a new song. Why? Because God is who He has said He is. Who He is does not depend on who I am or how faithful I have been , or who He was to me 10 years ago. His mercies are new this morning and every morning. If I hear His voice today, I am to respond to Him today.

Isaiah 42:11-13
11 Let the wilderness and its cities lift up their voices,
The settlements where Kedar inhabits.
Let the inhabitants of Sela sing aloud,
Let them shout for joy from the tops of the mountains.
12 Let them give glory to the Lord
And declare His praise in the coastlands.
13 The Lord will go forth like a warrior,
He will arouse His zeal like a man of war.
He will utter a shout, yes, He will raise a war cry.
He will prevail against His enemies.

God is a warrior, but He does not war against men. He goes to war for people. His covenant people are to sing a new song.

Ps 51 “ Psalm of David, who Nathan, the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.” See 2 Samuel 11,12.

David had sinned, and he was caught in the sin. He then cried out to God. He did not have to. But if David was gong to be a man after God’s own heart, he needed to walk in purity. He had not done so, and now he repented. And he repented publically.

He asked God to spare the live of the child that he, in his sin, had created. He lay on the ground, and refused to eat. When the child died, then he washed and went into the house of God and worshiped. He went into the house of the God who had not answered his prayer.

Ps 51 was written out of his experiences: sinning and repenting.

God did not spare the life of the child, but he was still compassionate to David.

Psalm 51:1,4
1 Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;
According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.

4 Against You, You only, I have sinned
And done what is evil in Your sight,
So that You are justified when You speak
And blameless when You judge.

David’s transgression was against God and against Him alone. David could not undo what happened to Uriah, Bathsheba, the baby, and his own reputation.

The only thing that he could do, the only hope he had was that God would bring restoration.

He had destroyed his reputation, and his ability to do things in his own strength. His new reputation was now staked on God. Not his own strength. He went into the house of God to worship. “I stake my claim on God and what does with it is His business.”

Psalm 51:13
13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners will be converted to You.

I am not going to be their king, but their teacher:”Look at God.”

He could not be king except by letting God be king.

Repentant sinners testify best to the grace of God. The rest of us testify to the things we do or have happen to us.

Newness

2006-03-12T16:12:00.000-05:00

Newness

I am posting my notes on Pastor Mike’s teaching this morning. These are MY notes. Not a transcript. Not his notes. Any misquotes, mistakes, or mystifications are my fault (or something like that). All verses are from NASB 1995.

Matthew 9:16-17
16 “But no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear results.
17 “Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the wineskins burst, and the wine pours out and the wineskins are ruined; but they put new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Newness is not an age-related issue, but a state of the heart. Who is interested in new things?

Jesus chose 12 disciples from among those who were not normally noted for religious devotion. He taught them new things. He had great conflict with those who knew the old things. They had already figured out how God wanted things to be.

Our lives can be new everyday, or it can be the same old thing. Whose choice is this? Ours or God’s?

Isaiah 42:10a
10 Sing to the Lord a new song,
Sing His praise from the end of the earth!

Here, and many places elsewhere, God encourages us to sing a new song. The words may be old, but the heart and the attitude towards them may be new. Or they may be a new song, with new words.

Psalm 51:10
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

How do you renew your spirit?

What lives in our hearts?
The Holy Spirit
Thoughts. Evil thoughts are old, part of the old man. Good thoughts renew. Our mind needs to be changed.
Faith - seeing our faith increase brings newness.

Psalm 103:5
5 Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.

Renewed youth, vitality, energy.

What tires us? What makes us old? Discouragement, emotional and mental. We need a renewed heart and a renewed spirit.

Colossians 3:8-16
8 But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.
9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices,
10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—
11 a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.
12 So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;
13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.
14 Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.
16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

The new self. What is involved? Knowledge, the heart, the mind, and effort. There are lot of action verbs and action in the passage. “Put on.” “Be renewed.”

Newness does not just mean a “mighty rushing wind out the east.” We need to “put on” newness ourselves. We need to make the effort.

“Receiving/receive” is a common word in scripture. It is an active word. [Note: Tom likes to illustrate this by taking out his wallet and handing it to someone. They have to “receive” it or it falls to the floor.] We need to actively receive, reach out, take, putting something on, allowing ourselves to be open [to newness, or whatever].

The wineskins must be flexible enough to receive new wine.

Colossians 3:8-12
12 So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;

“Put on” newness.

Romans 12:1,2
1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

God is in the business of transformation. It is not destructive. It is going from one thing to another. New things change and transform us. Renewal is not a bad thing.

Last week was about compassion. Jesus was not only new, He was transforming. The things that He taught transformed others. Look at the disciples, how they changed from the way the were when He called them to they way they were in the book of Acts.

These is a link between newness and renewal on one hand and compassion on the other.

The disciples were not only transformed, themselves, from sinner to saints. But they were also radically transformed, vocationally, from fishermen to fishers of men.

One of the transforming or renewing factors that affected the disciples was compassion. Compassion moved Jesus. It became a motivating factor in the lives of the disciples.

It motivated them to transform occupationally from fishermen to fishers of men.

Some additional verses on newness:

2 Corinthians 4:11-18
2 Corinthians 5:14-21
Ephesians 4:20-24
Titus 3:1-7.

Holy Brethren

2006-03-07T21:11:00.000-05:00

Hebrews 3:1. NASB 1995.
1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession;

Holy - set apart, saints, “set-apart ones.”

Brethren - the children of God the Father, the brothers and sisters of Jesus, the body of Christ, a family united by the Holy Spirit.

As I was reading Hebrews 3, this phrase really struck me. I have let “the Word dwell in my richly” the last couple of days, letting the Lord turn it over in my mind, speaking to me about through the day.

I’ve spent some time thinking about my brothers and sisters in the Lord. Praying for them as the Lord leads. Reminding myself that they are “holy brethren.”

And the rest is details...

2006-03-05T18:41:00.000-05:00

Matthew 11:25-30. NASB 1995.
25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants.
26 “Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight.
27 “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.
28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

With a thanks to Tom.

The compassion of Jesus

2006-03-05T15:42:00.000-05:00

I am posting my notes on Pastor Mike’s teaching this morning. These are MY notes. Not a transcript. Not his notes. Any misquotes, mistakes, or mistifications are my fault (or something like that).

Colossians 3:12. NASB 1995.
So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience...

Most of these focus on our behavior towards others. We do not usually focus these on ourselves. They are mostly focused on others in the church. Jesus focused these on those outside the church.

Jesus is an example of having a heart of compassion.

Matthew 9:9-13
9 As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector’s booth; and He *said to him, “Follow Me!” And he got up and followed Him.
10 Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples.
11 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?”
12 But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick.
13 “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus had compassion on the tax-gatherer, and he ended up eating with Matthew, tax-gatherers, other sinners, and his disciples. This offended the Pharisees. But Jesus had compassion even for them, telling them to learn something from the Bible: “But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’”

Jesus laid out his desire: “I came for sinners.” His motivation was compassion. He wanted those who were good at sacrifice to learn to be compassionate.

Matthew 9:35-38
35 Jesus was going through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.
36 Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd.
37 Then He *said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.
38 “Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

Jesus came teaching, proclaiming, healing. Why? He felt compassion. They were “distressed and downcast.”

Compassion, not theories, not duty, not philosophy.

Matthew 14:13-16
13 Now when Jesus heard about John, He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself; and when the people heard of this, they followed Him on foot from the cities.
14 When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick.
15 When it was evening, the disciples came to Him and said, “This place is desolate and the hour is already late; so send the crowds away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.”
16 But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!”

Jesus felt compassion for them so he healed them and fed them.

Matthew 15:32
32 And Jesus called His disciples to Him, and said, “I feel compassion for the people, because they have remained with Me now three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not want to send them away hungry, for they might faint on the way.”

Jesus felt compassion, so he fed the multitudes.

Compassion is not a feeling that gives goose bumps. It was the state of Jesus’s heart that moved him to the things that he did.

Matthew 18:23-27
23 “For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves.
24 “When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him.
25 “But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made.
26 “So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.’
27 “And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt.

Jesus teaching about compassion. The king who felt compassion for his servant who was also his debtor. Jesus was teaching about himself in the form of a story.

Matthew 20:34
34 Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes; and immediately they regained their sight and followed Him.

Jesus healed the blind out of compassion.

Luke 7:1-10. The story of the centurion with the sick servant. Jesus saw his faith and was moved to heal him.

Luke 7:11-17. Jesus raised a man from the dead because he had compassion for the mother.

Luke 15:11-24. The story of the prodigal son. The father felt compassion for his son. Again, Jesus was telling a story about his own compassion for the lost and sinful.

Philosophy, good ideas, the way of the world would have required that the father wait for the son to return, confess his sin, and wait and see if he had really repented.

Compassion drove the father to run to his son, embrace him and order a celebration.

So, where do you get compassion?

Jesus was God and man. Was it a human emotion, or just something special to the God side of the Jesus?

Colossians 3:12. NASB 1995.
So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience...

Paul saw it as something for all of us. Something that we can put on.

We can not look at people through the lenses of right and wrong. Looking at people through the lenses of right and wrong does not bring compassion.

Mike: “I need a huge does, an IV of compassion. I do not need a shot once a day. I need to be hooked up 24/7.”

Jesus could heal and teach all day long. He seemed to have huge amounts of compassion. Where did it come from?

It is free, It will cost everything. But it is free.

Pray for compassion.

Be Sensible

2006-02-20T12:16:00.001-05:00

Titus 2:6. Likewise urge the young men to be sensible;

I was doing a “read through” of Titus and was struck by two things.

1) Paul uses a word (or words) translated as “sensible” 4 times in14 verses (5 times in 20 verses, if one includes “sensibly” in Titus 2:12). Off hand, I could not think of any other times the English word is used in the New Testament. I did a quick concordance check and found out that there were few uses of the English word “sensible,” or its equivalent Greek word, in the New Testament.

[I posted the word study as the first comment.]

2) In Titus, Paul as a lot to say to old men, old women, slaves, young women, and to people seeking to be overseers or elders. Most of that includes the word “sensible.” However, he has only one short verse specifically dedicated to young men. And the only thing it commands them to do (or be) is to be sensible.

I wondered why Paul would emphasize this characteristic in this book and why he used it specifically for young men.

When I think of behaving “sensibly,” I think of behaving thoughtfully, of using reason, of not behaving impulsively. Since Paul is writing to Titus who is ministering to the Cretans, I assume that this is a special problem for them. (See Titus 1:10-14).

What is behaving “sensibly”? For me, it is when I stand back from what I am doing, and believing, in order to ask myself:

1) what am I doing?

2) why am I doing what I do?

3) what do I believe? (Paul contrasts the behavior of the Cretans with being “sound in the faith”) And how does that relate to what I am doing.

Impulsiveness is a defining characteristic of young men. It can be tremendously valuable in many circumstances. It can also be self-destructive and dangerous, too.

Of all the things that the Holy Spirit could have inspired Paul to say to the young men of Crete, Paul wrote “be sensible” and only that.

It is both a daunting challenge to many young men. It is also a liberating one. There is a lot Paul is not saying. He is not laying the burden on the young men of having an old man’s wisdom, or an old man’s restraint, NOW.

He is saying, “You, young men, think about what you do. Don’t be impulsive. Ask yourself, ‘What am I doing?’ Ask yourself, ‘Why?’ Build a habit of being thoughtful. Be sound in the faith in this way.”

Schadenfreude

2006-01-15T19:55:00.000-05:00

I have posted on the German word, schadenfreude, before. However, it must have been on my other site, now lost. I cannot find it on this site.

A few years ago, I began to see this word in various places. I asked one of my pastors, fluent in German, what it meant. He said, "Sin." A fair and accurate answer, although not a definition.

schadenfreude - A malicious satisfaction in the misfortunes of others. From German words meaning "damage" and "joy".

One place states that there is no word in English that is the same. However, there is one: gloating.

gloat - to observe or think about something with triumphant and often malicious satisfaction, gratification, or delight

word origin: probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse, glotta, to grin scornfully.

And as for it being sin:

Obadiah 12,13 (NASB 95)
12 “Do not gloat over your (Edom’s or Esau’s) brother’s day,
The day of his misfortune.
And do not rejoice over the sons of Judah
In the day of their destruction;
Yes, do not boast
In the day of their distress.
13 “Do not enter the gate of My people
In the day of their disaster.
Yes, you, do not gloat over their calamity
In the day of their disaster.
And do not loot their wealth
In the day of their disaster.

Proverbs 17:5 (NASB 95)
5 He who mocks the poor taunts his Maker;
He who rejoices at calamity will not go unpunished.

Ezekial 36:5. (NASB 95) “wholehearted joy with scorn of soul”

Context: Ezekiel 36:5 (NASB 95)
5 therefore thus says the Lord God, “Surely in the fire of My jealousy I have spoken against the rest of the nations, and against all Edom, who appropriated My land for themselves as a possession with wholehearted joy and with scorn of soul, to drive it out for a prey.”

Job 31:29,30 (NASB 95)
29 “Have I rejoiced at the extinction of my enemy,
Or exulted when evil befell him?
30 “No, I have not allowed my mouth to sin
By asking for his life in a curse.

Proverbs 24:17-18 (NASB 95)
17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls,
And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles;
18 Or the Lord will see it and be displeased,
And turn His anger away from him.

"Can God make a rock...

2005-12-18T22:14:00.000-05:00

...too large for Him to lift?"

Warning: the following post contains a paradox.

One of our pastors was teaching this morning our of Isaiah 7

Isaiah 7:14. NASB95. “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.”

Matthew 1:23 NASB95. “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”

He noted, and I am paraphrasing, that God had warned His people that He was going to show up as a man, “God with us.” They had 700 years of warning, and they missed it. He was born; was a toddler, a child, a young man, a carpenter, and an itinerant preacher; performed miracles and all the rest.

He became a man, the normal way, but being a baby and child first. And they missed it.

An angel shows up and has to say “be not afraid” before he can deliver a message.

God was born a baby, lived a full life, and no one noticed that He was God. He “made a rock so heavy that He could not lift,” and then lifted it.

An additional point he made: What would God look like if He showed up today? Would we recognize him?

Exercising Gratitude

2005-12-15T21:43:00.000-05:00

Colossians 3:15 NASB95. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Kenneth Wuest Translation: And the peace of Christ, let it be acting as umpire in your hearts, into which also you were called in one body. And be constantly thankful persons.

"Self-made religion"

2005-12-15T21:37:00.000-05:00

Colossians 2:20-23, 3:1-4. NASB 95
20 If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as,
21 “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!”
22 (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?
23 These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.
1 Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.
3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

Colossians 2:20-23 refers to “self-made religion" (Wuest translation: “self-made, self-imposed worship”). As a result of the fall, we want to make our own religion. It looks good; it has an appearance of wisdom, but it is useless. The mind set in 2:20-23 is the mind set on the things of this earth (3:2).

What then is “true religion” (other than James 1:27)?

I suggest I can find some of it in Colossians 3:1-4: “keep seeking the things above, where Christ is.”

This is where my mind and my heart needs to be, laying up treasures in heaven. Or, as we would say it today, "putting my stock" in heaven.

Exercising Gratitude

2005-12-11T19:47:00.000-05:00

Hebrews 13:15 NASB95
"Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name."

Life in the cubicle farm

2005-12-11T18:52:00.000-05:00

Genesis 3:17-19 NASB95.
17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’;
Cursed is the ground because of you;
In toil you will eat of it
All the days of your life.
18 “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you;
And you will eat the plants of the field;
19 By the sweat of your face
You will eat bread,
Till you return to the ground,
Because from it you were taken;
For you are dust,
And to dust you shall return.”

Matthew 11:28 NASB95
28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

In contemporary America, the literal curse of the fall applies to few. In fact, only to those of us who make our living farming. But have the rest of us escaped it? Does trading the field for the factory floor or for the desk in a cubicle farm mean we don’t “earn our bread by the sweat of our face?”

For what have we traded fear of weather, insects, plant diseases, wolves, and bank foreclosures?

The cubicle farm and its relatives look wonderful; full of creature comforts, quiet and secure. At what cost?

The curse of the fall is not going to end just by entering another field of work. The air-conditioned cool of an office has its own sweaty labor and set of fears. Financial worries, unreasonable bosses and co-workers, an insecure economy. But even more so, we bring the curse of the fall with us.

You can take the sweaty farmer out of the field, but not the fearful and tired dirt farmer out of the cubical farmer. He (or she) is still inside each of us.

Jesus alone can lift the curse of the fall. Where we deserve the thorns and thistles of memos, meetings, and “voluntary separations,” He gives us His rest. Not rest from the labor, not while we are alive, but rest in the midst of the labor.

Ask and receive. He has promised it.

Blogging The Friendship Factor. Conclusion

2005-12-04T20:04:00.000-05:00

Reading this book (Amazon link) has been a very convicting experience.

And I have enjoyed it very much.

This last post is a summary of things that I have learned.

John 15:13 (NASB) “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”

First, being a friend means a laying down of myself in specific, concrete ways:
• a willingness to listen (and to be silent)
• to make eye contact (this is difficult for me)
• a willingness to spend my time with others (rather than on myself)
• a willingness to talk about emotions (never easy in a guy)

I John 1:9 (NASB) “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

James 5:16a (NASB) “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed.”

Second, being a friend means a willingness to be vulnerable, and to face the fear of rejection:
• facing our “shadow side,” our fallen human nature and being transparent with one another
• in appropriate setting and with appropriate people, confessing our sins.
• “sharing deeply of hurts, joys, sins, and excesses.” page 37

I Peter 1:22 (NASB) “Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love (affection or fondness) of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart.”

Third, “love is something that you do”
• being thoughtful to give gifts to others and to give thoughtful gifts
• being thankful for what someone has done for you
• “express it when you feel it.” (Rob during our discussion of Ch 4)
• “doing” love

Fourth, do not be manipulative in relationships. Allow the other person room to be himself. Let him talk, do not be free with advice, do not dominate the friendship.

Blogging The Friendship Factor. Chapter 10

2005-12-04T19:55:00.000-05:00

Chapter 10: How to Improve Your Conversation Skills

This is the last chapter that we are doing as a group. The guy that has been leading the group says that he saved the best for last. And this is the best chapter that we have done.

The basic idea of the chapter is that the best way to improve one’s conversation skills, and to be a better friend, is to learn to listen to others, ask questions, and keep your mouth shut about what you hear.

Sound advice.

I think that is a reflection of the pastor’s heart of this man that he got stuck on this chapter. One of the key things about being a pastor is an ability to lay one’s self aside in order to serve another person by listening.

The section headings tell the story:
• Good listeners listen with their eyes
• Good listeners never break a confidence
• Good listeners complete the loop (responding to comments)
• Good listeners show gratitude when someone confides

The first and third are characteristic of “active” listeners. That is, listeners who are paying close attention to what is being said.

One of the things that Dr. McGinnis emphasizes is that being a good listener does not mean giving advice or sound counsel. There is a time and place for that, but being a friend means being an “ear” first.

When I was in high school, a friend of mine complimented me on being a good “ear.” I think that was because I was so ignorant that I never knew what to say, so I listened. Somewhere along the line, I learned a lot of stuff, and I like talking. As I have said in other posts, when it comes to teaching, that is a feature not a bug.

Sadly, I have stopped listening to an extent, and I am full of advice (well, I am 52 and have made mistakes in all the major and most of the minor aspects of being alive).

See the post above for more about this.

Blogging The Friendship Factor. Chapter 6, part 2

2005-11-08T21:27:00.001-05:00

Chapter 6. Neglect this and watch your friends flee. Part 2

The Take-Charge Manipulator.

Dr. McGinnis talks about 3 types of manipulators, but this is the only one that is common among guys. (The others being the "poor-me" and the "needed-to-be-needed" manipulators.)

The Test (scroll down to see part 1):

a. Do we usually end up going to the restaurant or movie I prefer? (no)

b. Do I enjoy correcting factual errors in other people's conversation? (I am a teacher; that is a feature, not a bug.)

c. Do I use humor to put down my friends? (Does the needle count?)

d. Do I have to know more about a topic than others to feel comfortable discussing it? (I am a teacher; that is a feature, not a bug.)

OK, 'b' involves enjoying correcting errors and 'd' is an occupational hazzard of being "the sage on the stage."

The key to these being manipulation is using these to "get the upper hand" in a relationship.

“c. Do I use humor to put down my friends?” Does this refer to the “needle”? From Hugh Hewitt’s blog (no link, alas):

“The FMH and I are off to the beach this morning --the first such outing of the summer. As always, fellow runner Bill has warned that many may try to toll me back into the ocean. This is the defining characteristic of male friendship --the needle. Joseph Epstein is working on a book about friendship, and it should include a chapter on the needle. In fact, all the chapters should be about the needle. When the needle is withdrawn, the friendship is in decline.”

Is the needle godly? Hugh Hewitt is a Christian, but more of a main-line one. Does needling fall under the coarse-jesting, good-natured-buffoonery category of Ephesians 5:4?

Ephesians 5:4 (NASB95). “...And there must be no filthiness and silly talk (‘morologia’), or coarse jesting (‘eutrapelia,’ also means “ready wit”), which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.”

Women who can handle the needle tend to be accepted by male groups. While we have a number of female teachers in our department, at ‘my’ end of the building, there are 7 men and one woman. Different groups of us hang out together at the intersection of two halls at different times. And she can give and take the needle with the best of them.

I know that there is a difference between the needle and the sort of insult humor that men use on one another. Whether that difference holds up in the eyes of the Lord, I do not know.

“Strange as it may seem, the person who always has to look superior may be the least secure.”

“Always having to look superior”/arrogance/”haughty spirit” are rooted in fear (insecurity). Fear is rooted in unbelief. The more I base my life in faith, faith in Jesus and His word, the more secure I will be. The more secure that I am in Jesus, the less I will need to look superior. The more secure that I am in Jesus, the less I will need to manipulate others.

Romans 12:3 (NASB95). “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”

Blogging The Friendship Factor. A Grumble

2005-11-08T20:31:00.000-05:00

The Friendship Factor: A Grumble.

Dr. McGinnis discusses four different levels or types of friendship as they relate to a number of topics, more or less simultaneously:

1) your friendship with your spouse
2) deep, same-sex friendships
3) how to make and hold new friends
4) casual friendships, like those with co-workers and others.

He will move from one to the other type of friendship without warning. And while a lot of the advice is good, I would find it more helpful if took the time to draw attention to the specific types of friendships and how to handle each within the topic he is covering in each chapter.

I frequently lose the thread of each topic, and how to apply it, because he really never makes it clear which type of friendship that he is talking about. And what is appropriate for one type is not appropriate for another.

Our book discussion group consists of 10-12 middle-aged men, mostly married. We are doing this as men, looking to improve our friendships with other men. (OK, and with our wives.)

Maybe if I have time, I will attempt to re-organize some of his topics to specifically address male friendships.

Blogging The Friendship Factor. Chapter 6, part 1

2005-11-07T21:34:00.000-05:00

Chapter 6. Neglect this and watch your friends flee

This chapter is on the very human (and fallen) tendency to try to control others.

“To see if you fit into this category, give yourself a test...” And the test follows.

Well, yes, but....

Psalm 139:23-24a (NASB95)
“Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
And see if there be any hurtful way in me...”

Psalm 26:2. (NASB95)
“Examine me, O Lord, and try me;
Test my mind and my heart.”

1 Corinthians 4:3-4 (NASB95)
“But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord.”

One of the dangers of “give yourself a test” is that some of us always pass with flying colors, no matter what. And others get bogged down in condemnation, no matter what.

Let God search, let God examine. Use the “test” to allow God to speak. Our flesh has a tendency to lurch off in one direction or another. Do not let it have a chance to get a word in. Go directly to God and ask Him what is up.

Now to the test:

a. Do we usually end up going to the restaurant or movie I prefer?
b. Do I enjoy correcting factual errors in other people's conversation?
c. Do I use humor to put down my friends?
d. Do I have to know more about a topic than others to feel comfortable discussing it?

You know what? If we are honest, we are all going to fail that test, or some variation of it.

Controlling people to get what we want is part of the basic operating system of fallen humanity. We need to treat it as a "bug, not a feature." We can become very skilled in controlling and manipulating others. But it is a "bug."

This failing is a direct result of rejecting God as Lord of our lives. If we do not give Him control of our lives, we have to be in control ourselves. And we will use the techniques of control to get what we want, rather than trust God for what we need.

Blogging The Friendship Factor. Reflections

2005-11-07T21:11:00.000-05:00

Reflections so far.

Whenever I have done a deep study of a book of the Bible, taken a long or short retreat, heard a good teaching or sermon, or gotten a good, hefty chunk of sound counsel I have found that it takes me a while to digest what I have taken in.

The changes that happen are often permanent. However, they are often below the surface; subterranean, as it were. Thus, they are not easily separated out from the rest of my life for comment on or discussion later.

We have spent three weeks discussing five chapters. We have done a lot of fairly open discussion and have done some fairly obvious avoidance of discussion as well. While most of us have been in the same church for years, I think that most of us are uncomfortable with intimacy in a large (12 or so) group. (See the link below about introverts. The problem is not that introverts do not talk about deep things, but rather the emotional cost of being deeply open to a large group of people at the same time. We cannot handle the social aspects. Too draining.)

However, spending a lot of time talking about the issues involved in male friendships has started, for me, a lot of ideas running in different directions and changes all happening at once.

One of the central “knots” in my life has involved a sense of inferiority (not to be confused with humility) to my fellow Christians, especially to my fellow male Christians. Some of this is related to my upbringing and being an introvert. Some of this is related to sins I walked in both before and after becoming a Christian (and the subsequent counseling, correction, and repentance). Some of it is related to the vision (and, therefore, the structure) of the church I have walked in for 25 years. Some of this is related to how we guys judge one another.

I am a teacher, but because of the structure of the church, I have had little outlet for walking out my gifts. In a church of about 100 adults, we have had only three people who regularly do any teaching. This is changing and I am getting more of an outlet. However, I have spent years knowing that my gifts are unnecessary. While I recognize that God has a purpose for all these things, it is tough to be in a church that praises the kinds of activities that I am not good at, while not having an outlet for the sort of things that I am. (And, yes, I do know that pride is involved.)

So, I have spent the time pursuing Jesus in the context of loving my family. And that is no waste.

However, there has been, as a result of all of this, a small “knot” of despair in my life. We men are action orientated, even someone like me. We like to do stuff. We judge our self-worth, and the worth of others, based on what we do and what we accomplish. (And do not try to tell me that the people in our church do not. I know better. Experientially.) Judging myself this way is something I have been repenting of for a long time, gradually wearing it away, as I focus more and more on the simplicity of devotion to Jesus.

But we men are the way we are.

Using the book discussion, the Lord has been putting His finger on this knot.

Romans 12:3: “For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.”

In true humility I can know my own worth, with sound judgment (by grace, through faith). The Lord has been showing me how to let down my guard (insecurity breeds guardedness). How to look at myself clearly. How to be more open and free with my brothers, generally. And not just the 3-4 “old-timers.”

Actually, this has been going on in a general sort of way for about a year. There are aspects of this issue that have come to the fore, though, because of the book, and its discussion.

The book discussion has made me more aware of how I interact with people. However, I have also noticed some changes that I have not consciously worked on.

For example, I find myself looking people in the eyes more. This has always been difficult for me, for whatever reason (including "all of the above"). Looking someone in the eyes is a way of affirming them. I need to do it, even if I am uncomfortable with it. Doing it is a laying down of myself for others. But I am doing it more.

I also suddenly find myself calling people by their first names. This may seem odd. Someone might say, “What would you call people by in place of that?“

One reason for not using first names is that I do not easily recall names, even those of people I have known for 20 years. It is apparently an in-born thing, and many people share this problem. I often hesitate before saying a name and that is socially inappropriate. I have developed a number of mechanisms to do get around that. But now I am simply doing it. And being surprised by it.

I also find myself praising others more. This is especially noticeable with my students. Of course, I see a lot more of them, in situations where they can be praised, that I do of my brothers in the Lord. But still, it is not something that I am doing consciously, I am just doing it.

Blogging The Friendship Factor. Links

2005-11-06T20:28:00.000-05:00

A couple of links related to friends.

The first is from Scott at the Powerline on Abraham Lincoln's ability to make friends: How to win friends.

The second is not about friends directly. It is from The Atlantic and is titled, Caring for your introvert.

"Do you know someone who needs hours alone every day? Who loves quiet conversations about feelings or ideas, and can give a dynamite presentation to a big audience, but seems awkward in groups and maladroit at small talk? Who has to be dragged to parties and then needs the rest of the day to recuperate? Who growls or scowls or grunts or winces when accosted with pleasantries by people who are just trying to be nice?

"If so, do you tell this person he is "too serious," or ask if he is okay? Regard him as aloof, arrogant, rude? Redouble your efforts to draw him out?

"If you answered yes to these questions, chances are that you have an introvert on your hands..."

I wonder how many of us in the Friendship Factor book discussion see themselves as introverts?

Blogging The Friendship Factor. Chapter 5

2005-11-06T18:53:00.000-05:00

Chapter 5: Love is something you do

1. Rule number four: Learn the gestures of love.

Show... small expressions of affection. These are gestures that bond people together. Little courtesies do count. The minuscule act of kindness has great powers.

2. The significance of rituals

Meals together, walks, working together, helping someone with a task, ‘favors done back and forth.;

3. The art of giving gifts

Thoughtfulness, discover people’s little preferences, exchanging gifts, a single rose.

4. When kindness becomes a habit.

Habit of looking for gestures that build kindliness, express appreciation. “It is insufficiently considered how much of human life passes in little incidents.” Samuel Johnson.

Blogging The Friendship Factor. Chapter 4

2005-11-01T21:49:00.000-05:00

I spent a couple of hours reading over this chapter and thinking about. I have yet to pull anything out of it other than, "Well that makes sense."

Chapter 4: How to communicate warmth.

1. Rule number three: Dare to talk about your affections

2. The hard-to-get woman

3. How to generate an emotional field

“If you wish to be loved, love” Seneca

Those people who will let their hearts go and who will freely declare their admiration and affection are very hard to turn down.

When people care for us and show that appreciation with their eyes, their attention and their declarations of affection, we find a certain passion generated.

Speaking from personal experience, I will say that the last two are difficult to do if one has problems with guilt or condemnation. "How can anyone love me?" is a good way to defeat attempts to love others.

But this problem is at least partly due to self-centeredness. Loving others is getting out of the self-centeredness into something else. Hopefully, first, God-centeredness, and then allowing God to let us love others.

4. In defense of passion

5. Some traps in saying, “I love you.”

Don’t gush. Don’t pressure. Don’t be insensitive.

6. The tragedy of waiting till it is too late

“Speak ill of no man, but speak all the good you know of everybody.” Ben Franklin

Rob talked about the friendship between David and Jonathan during the first meeting. Jonathan and David were quite expressive about their friendship and stand as one biblical model of close friends.

David had many other friends, as well. He seemed to draw people to him, who were very loyal to him. Both the son and the grandson of his “enemy,” Saul, loved him. He had his “mighty men” who followed him when he had no power or authority (or even food, at times, to feed them).

Blogging The Friendship Factor. Chapter 3

2005-10-25T21:33:00.000-04:00

Chapter 3: The Art of Self-disclosure

Or, in which, the good doctor discovers the fall of mankind and its effect on human nature.

Rule number two of deepening friendships is: Cultivate transparency. (Page 27)

Opening stories about the transparency of Betty Ford and Pope John XXIII and how loved they were.

“[Psychologist Sidney Jourard’s] major finding is that the human personality has a natural, built-in inclination to reveal itself. “

[snip]

‘[He] stumbled onto this concept when he puzzled over the frequency with which patients said to him: ‘you are the first person I have ever been completely honest with.” ‘

[snip]

“His conclusion was that habitual dissembling [lying] and withdrawal leads to disintegration of the personality, and that, on the other hand, honesty literally can be a health insurance policy, preventing both mental illness and certain kinds of physical sickness. “ (pages 28-9)

James 5:16. "Confess your sins one to another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed." (Dr. McGinnis then quotes this on page 35.) Sin makes us sick. Confession, both to God and to brothers and sisters (as appropriate) brings healing.

It is interesting that Dr. Jourard finds that humans are hard-wired for confession of sin. Though if he is a typical, secular psychologist, he does not believe in sin.

Masks.

“Why, then, do we so often hide behind masks?” (Page 29)

1) Our culture admires cool heroes and rugged individualists. James Bond given as an example. (Page 29)

2) Fear of rejection. (Page 29)

Rejection can take many forms: outright rejection, gossip (about things shared), indifference. What do we do with the fear of these things? What do we do when they happen?

“If we build more windows and fewer walls we have more friends.” (Page 30)

No comment necessary.

“James Joyce recognized that sometimes in the tiny moments of life light suddenly is shed on our whole existence. He would have called this man’s experience an epiphany.” (Page 33)

From the poemhunter.com, About James Joyce:

“By an epiphany he meant a sudden spiritual manifestation, whether in the vulgarity of speech or of gesture or in a memorable phase of the mind itself. He believed that it was for the man of letters to record these epiphanies with extreme care, seeing that they themselves are the most delicate and evanescent of moments.”

(James Joyce (1882-1941), Irish author. Stephen Hero, episode 25, New Directions (1944). The passage refers to Stephen Daedalus of Joyce's unfinished manuscript, Stephen Hero. Less than half the manuscript exists, and it was published only after Joyce's death.)

The context of the quote from the "Friendship Factor" was a conversation that a man had with his mother that opened up his eyes about her relationship with his father.

Learning something intimate about others can lead to illumination about ourselves. Dr. McGinnis then goes on to note, elsewhere in the chapter, that sharing something intimate about ourselves with others can be illuminating to us, as well.

“The brilliant Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung advised his patients to become acquainted with what he call the "shadow side" of themselves, or the "inferior part of the personality." Indeed, there is a hidden portion of our minds that is comprised of memories from past which terrify us and of which we are ashamed, plus the mean, selfish, and base nature which erupts occasionally and which we try to excuse and explain away in a thousand different ways.”

“We will be very reluctant to reveal this side of ourselves to another so long as it scares us. The natural assumption is that if we let others see this dark side, they too will hate us. But generally, they are able to be more lenient with us than we are with ourselves. And a curious kind of chemistry begins to work. Because we have told another our deepest secrets, we begin to understand ourselves better.” (page 34)

Uh, isn’t this just an accurate description of what the fall of mankind did to us? We fell, we rejected God as God, we are then filled with fears. And all of us have the same fears about ourselves. These things keep us sealed away from one another.

“Oh the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person; having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words but to pour them all out, just as it is, chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keeping what is worth keeping, and then, with the breath of kindness blow the rest away.” George Eliot. (Page 36)

Why can’t we, as Christians... Especially, we, as Christians...

“[Dr. Paul Tournier] attended a small meeting in a home where people were simply being themselves, sharing deeply of hurts, joys, sins, excesses. Although he had been a religious man before, Tournier says that in this climate he was spiritually transformed.” (Page 37)

This is interesting. He described an ideal house church.

Jesus and His “remarkable transparency.” John 15:15.

Transparency, but not “total honesty.”(Pages 38-9)

Added thought:

"Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket--safe, dark, motionless, airless--it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable."
C.S. Lewis

Blogging The Friendship Factor. Chapter 2

2005-10-18T22:19:00.000-04:00

Chapter 2 Why some people never lack friends

Opening discussion about Howard Hughs

It is an old axiom that God gave us things to use and people to enjoy.

People are made in the image of God. They are not things. God cherishes each of His creatures.

Their [people who are deeply loved] companions are very important to them, and no matter how busy their schedule, they have developed a life-style and a way of dispensing their time that allows them to have several profound relationships with people.

So rule number one for deepening your friendships is: Assign top priority to your relationships.

First: Am I assigning top priority to my relationship with God? Then look at the other relationships: spouse, other family, then “mere” friends. Many people have deep friendship relationships with their families: siblings, parents, nieces and nephews, etc. My father’s deepest friendships were with his siblings and their spouses, then my mother’s siblings and families. The early death of his sister’s husband hit him very hard. These are “natural” friendships to form. They are nurtured by years of picnics and holidays, weddings and funerals. They can be a model for friendships outside of the family.

Questions about relationships:
• Do you have at least one person nearby whom you can call on in times of personal distress?
• Do you have several people whom you can visit with little advance warning without apology?
• Do you have several people with whom you can share recreational activities?
• Do you have people who will lend you money if you need it, or those who will care for you in practical ways if the need arises?

I can answer, “yes,” to each of these. But I think more because I go a church where this is normal behavior than because of the deep friendships I have.

The fact of the matter is that one cannot have a profound connection with more than a few people. Time prohibits it. Deep friendship requires cultivation over the years—evenings before the fire, long walks and lots of time for talk.

Watching lots of football games, lifting heavy objects, spitting. (Did I miss anything?) Seriously, you have to be in this for the long haul. With most good relationships you say something like, “We just picked up where we left off.”

Few of the valuable things in life “just happen.”

Blogging The Friendship Factor. Chapter 1

2005-10-16T22:15:00.000-04:00

A group of us are doing a book discussion on The Friendship Factor (Alan Loy McGinnis. Augsburg Publishing House. Minneapolis. 1979). I am going to blog about the what I am seeing as I read it. I may also blog about the actual book discussion.

Lord, I give you this book. Bring revelation and conviction. Keep me from the condemnation and self-criticism that usually bothers me when I read self-help books.

[Update: we are only doing the first 6 chapters of the book]

The first friendship that is described is the legendary friendship between George Burns and Jack Benny (page 9). George had only to look at Jack and Jack would dissolve into laughter. Laughter in that kind of friendship is a result of ‘overflow.’ They knew each other so well, that a mere look would pull up years of happy memories, shared jokes, and simply living life with each other. Both were comedians on radio and TV and stage. They could have been rivals, and bitter. They were not, they were friends.

“The basic ingredients for a good marriage, according to sociologist Andrew Greeley, are friendship plus sex.” (Page 9)

OK. This is true, but rather coarsely phrased, Father. Next thought please.

Richard Farson, professor at the Humanistic Psychology Institute in San Francisco, says, "Millions of people in America have never had one minute in their whole lifetime where they could 'let down' and share with another person their deeper feelings."

The first place where we need to do this is with God in prayer. Out of that intimacy, and the security of that intimacy, intimacy with other people can flourish. In reverse, difficulty in being intimate with others may reflect an inability to be intimate with God.

Why are such friendships so rare among men? Conditioning, of course. In our society, except to shake hands, men are not even allowed to touch each other. Dick and Paula McDonald explain the phenomenon:

“Most men have had no practice in the art of intimacy nor role models to point the way. Little girls can walk to school hand in hand, hold each other up skating, hug and cry and say, "You're my best friend. I need you. I love you." Little boys wouldn't dare. The enormous blackening cloud of homosexuality is always present, and the devastating power of the snicker begins in playground days. "Fag" is a word every little boy learns to fear, and it forever after affects his behavior toward other men who might become his friends.” (Page 10-11).

Ouch! Men are still suffering from the wounds of elementary and junior high schools. Twisted by peer pressure to reject intimacy in friendship. Lord, deliver me from fear. [John 14:27. NASB95. “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”]

“Since so few males have been allowed the luxury of openness and vulnerability in a relationship, they are not aware of the gaping void in their emotional lives. In short, they don't know what they're missing.” (Page 11)

No comment.

“Its okay to be an introvert.” (page 12)
“Some people suppose that their basic shyness is the problem.” (p 12)

McGinnis makes the point that being a introvert (or extrovert) bears no relationship with whether or not one has many or few friends. A glad-handing extrovert can have many acquaintances, and still have no friends.

“One of the dangers of being a psychologist-reformer is that you may be tempted to try to remake all patients in your own image. But God made each of unique, and there is vast mystery and beauty surround the human soul.” (page 13)

Wonderfully put. It sounds something from CS Lewis.

John 13:34-35. NASB95.
34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

John 15:12-17. NASB95.
12 “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.
13 “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
14 “You are My friends if you do what I command you.
15 “No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.
16 “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.
17 “This I command you, that you love one another.

philos - beloved, dear, friendly - the usual word that is translated “friend” in the New Testament.

McGinnis quotes John 13:34-35. I added John 15:12-17. Our ability to make friends is rooted in something God placed in us at the creation of universe. Friendship is something that pre-existed man and we were made to have friendship with God and with each other. It has, like all else, been damaged and twisted by the fall. And it can, like all else, be redeemed.

Philos, the "brotherly love," actually carries more with it than I had suspected. "Beloved" is term I use for my daughters. It is not a word I would to use for my male friends, at least not many of them. I can only think of two brothers in Lord that I have addressed that way.

Lord, redeem friendship from the damage of the fall. Allow us, as men reading this book and in the church, to approach each other as beloved friends. Thank you.

CS Lewis on Uniqueness

2005-10-16T20:28:00.000-04:00

Each of the redeemed shall forever know and praise some one aspect of the divine beauty better than any other creature can. Why else were individuals created but that God, loving all infinitely should love each differently. [The Problem of Pain. Ch 10. From "The Quotable Lewis."]

I am not certain that I would make a doctrine out of this. However, it is an insight that reminds us that God saves us as individuals, that He treasure each one of us, even as He builds us into a body.

Spurgeon on Prayer

2005-10-15T22:36:00.000-04:00

In a response to her child's question, ("Why do we pray?") Kim of The Upward Call quotes Charles Spurgeon from Morning by Morning about prayer. [See link below]

The act of prayer teaches us our unworthiness, which is a very salutary lesson for such proud beings as we are. If God gave us favors without constraining us to pray for them, we should never know how poor we are; but a true prayer is an inventory of wants, a catalog of necessities, a revelation of hidden poverty. While it is an application to divine wealth, it is a confession of human emptiness. The most healthy state of a Christian is to be always empty in self and constantly depending upon the Lord for supplies; to be always poor in self and rich in Jesus; weak as water personally, but mighty through God to do great exploits; and hence the use of prayer, because, while it adores God, it lays the creature it should be, in the very dust.

Of course, the 4 word answer is, "God told us to." That may sound like a cop-out. However, I think that one can get to a point in his walk with the Lord that "God said it" is enough of a reason.

And the rest is details....

2005-10-13T19:16:00.000-04:00

I Corinthians 15;10. NASB95.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; But I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.

Head Dump: Prayer (Summary)

2005-10-11T21:00:00.000-04:00

I do not know if this complete yet. However, I thought that I would post this as an index of what I have been doing. They are not as nice and neat as the titles of each "dump" make them sound. Alas.

Prayer 12. Waiting on the Lord

Prayer 11. Prophetic Prayer

Prayer 10. Praying Scripture

Prayer 9. Lectio Divina

Prayer 8. Praying in the Spirit

Prayer 7. Intercession

Prayer 6. "Pray Without Ceasing"

Prayer 5. To Whom Do I Pray?

Prayer 4. Prayer and the Rest of Our Walk

Prayer 3. Freedom in Prayer

Prayer 2. Parts of Prayer

Prayer 1. Prayer is Simple

Head Dump: Prayer 12

2005-10-11T20:37:00.000-04:00

Waiting on the Lord.

Many years ago, one of the pastors of my church spoke about a spiritual exercise he practiced called waiting on the Lord. I do not know the origin of the practice, whether he had developed it himself or whether it was something he had picked up elsewhere. I think that there are many of these exercises that various parts of the church practice (the world-wide church). They are specific to one or another group. However, because there are divisions in the visible church they are not widely known. I had never heard of lectio divina until recently, for example.

He used several illustrations and pegged the practice to several passages in the Old Testament.

One of the illustrations was out of Psalm 42.

Psalm 42:1,2,11. NASB95
1 As the deer pants (lit., “longs for”) for the water brooks,
So my soul pants for You, O God.
2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;
When shall I come and appear before God?
11 Why are you in despair, O my soul?
And why have you become disturbed within me?
Hope in (or “wait for” or “wait on”) God, for I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God.

The deer’s attention is on the water. “My soul’s” attention is on God.

Another illustration was that of a deer hunter. The hunter is alone in the woods. He is in his blind or his tree stand or leaning up against a tree somewhere in the woods. He is still and he is quiet. He needs to be alert for things that he is not normally alert for. To do so, he must ignore all the noise of his regular thoughts.

Because of the underbrush and because deer do not like to leave the cover of the underbrush, the hunter is attentive to small things. He will not see the whole deer. He will listen for the crack of a twig or the rustle of leaves on the ground. He looks for parts of a deer: the straight line of the back, an eye or an ear where none should be, the flash of white on the tail or the belly. He is looking for things that are not part of the woods, but part of the deer. That may be all that he sees of the deer before he can fire his gun.

He is waiting on the deer.

Imagine a person at an airport. He is are there to pick up an old friend. He has done many things with this person over the years, but has not seen him/her for a long time. What might he be thinking? How might he feel? He watches expectantly for his friend. He looks for a person who carries himself the way he did, is his height or build or hair color. His ears listen for the sound of his voice.

He is waiting on his friend.

Likewise, when I wait for the Lord. I still my soul. [Psalm 46:10a. "Cease striving (or, 'be still') and know that I am God." NASB95.] But this waiting is not passive. I am expectant. In my heart, my eyes rove to and fro. I watch for a glimpse. I listen for the voice of a beloved friend.

I am waiting on the Lord.

Frankly, it is very easy to become distracted while doing this. I will have all sorts of thoughts rise to the surface if I try to clear my mind. Here is what I do about them. I keep a note pad nearby for things I need to remember to do. And I return to waiting. I give the worries to the Lord. And I return to waiting. I confess the sins. And return to waiting.

I also meditate on a single verse. Something small, easily remembered, easily held in the mind. Therefore, my mind is somewhat engaged.

The purpose of waiting, though, is not be still or to meditate on a verse. It is to catch glimpses of the Lord. I do not want, therefore, to get caught up in trying to be still or in thinking about the verse.

The purpose of waiting on the Lord is being with the Lord. Just as the deer’s focus is on the water, and the hunter’s focus is on the deer, and the person in the airport is on finding his friend, so my purpose is find Him.

And in my experience, that rarely happens while waiting. I will catch a glimpse of Him later in the day or in the week: an insight, a word of wisdom or encouragement for another, the realization that He is with me in a more tangible way than normal, a conviction about a course of action. Sometimes it is the sense of being more alive, more attuned to the wonders around me. A glass of water may taste wonderful. A tiny flower catches my attention because of its miniature beauty. And I give glory to God.

Some other verses related to waiting.

Isaiah 40:29-31. NASB95.
29 He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. 30 Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, 31 yet those who wait for (or “on”) the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.

Habakkuk 2:1-3. NASB 95.
I will stand on my guard post and station myself on the rampart; and I will keep watch to see what He will speak to me, and how I may reply when I am reproved. Then the Lord answered me and said, “Record the vision and inscribe it on tablets, that the one who reads it may run. “For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; for it will certainly come, it will not delay.

Romans 8:19. NASB95. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.

Looking at the verses, "waiting on the Lord" could just as easily be called "longing for the Lord."

I have placed other verses related to waiting in the comments.

And the rest is details....

2005-10-10T21:37:00.000-04:00

Ephesians 2:8,9. NASB
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a results of works, that no one should boast.

Ephesians 2:8,9. Wuest Expanded Translation
For by grace have you been saved in time past completely, through faith, with the result that your salvation persists through present time; and this [salvation] is not from you as a source; of God it is the gift, not from a source of works, in order that on one might boast.

The pithiness of these two verses contains many wonders. The revelation of salvation, the mystery of how our faith interacts with God’s grace, the mercy of an undeserved gift.

The blessing of the gift is that I have been completely saved already. And that salvation persists through time into today, and into the future.

The passage turns upside down all the conventional wisdom of the world: you get that which you earn. It turns upside down the commercials and ads that announce to us all the things that we deserve.

Glory to God that we do not get that which we have earned! That we do not get what we deserve!

CS Lewis on Sanctification

2005-10-09T20:44:00.000-04:00

"I cannot, by direct moral effort, give myself new motives. After the first few steps in the Christian life we realise that everything which really needs to be done in our souls can be done only by God." CS Lewis. [See link below.]

2 Corinthians 3:18. NASB95
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:18. Amplified
18 And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:18. Wuest
Now, as for us, we all, with uncovered face, reflecting as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are having our outward expressions changed into the same image from one degree of glory to another according as this change of expression proceeds from the Lord, the Spirit, this outward expression coming from and being truly representative of our Lord.

Paraphrasing 1 Peter 3:7

2005-10-08T20:11:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday, several of us were praying before church. Peggy, an older woman who richly loves the Lord, said that she will be talking on 1 Peter 3:7 at a wedding that she would be attending shortly. She asked us if any of us had any insight into this verse.

I have spent some time on it. I have a load of alternate translations, etc. that I am placing in the comments.

1 Peter 3:7,8. NASB95
7 You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.
8 To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit;

Paraphrasing 1 Peter 3:7. Husbands, I just got finished telling your wives to be submissive, respectful, gentle, and quiet. In others words, I told them to think about how they should live with you, before a loving God who holds you in high esteem. Now, think about this. She is weaker than you are. Be gentle with her. She breaks easily. And not just physically. She easily wounds emotionally, too. Hold her in high esteem, respect her. She will inherit from God everything that you will. She receives the same grace from God that you do and you will. She will have eternal life just like you do. If you do honor her, then your communion and communication with God will not be hindered, blocked, or delayed. And your prayer will flow easily to Him who hears us all.

Now for the hard part. How does one walk this out? How have I walked this out?

Unpacking: Revelation 5:12

2005-10-03T20:24:00.000-04:00

We regularly sing a chorus based on this verse. I decided I wanted to "unpack" the words of the verse. This is not to be mistaken for a word study, but rather it is a look at how some of the words are used elsewhere. The "elsewhere" based on other favorite verses of mine.

Revelation 5:12. NASB 95. Saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”

“Worthy is the Lamb” - the young of sheep or goats, one of Jesus’s titles,

“Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”
“Your lamb shall be an unblemished male a year old; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats.”
“On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was being sacrificed, His disciples *said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare for You to eat the Passover?”“For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread...”
“And one of the elders *said to me, “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals.” And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain,”

“To receive” - to take, as in a gift, a free-will offering, to take hold, to claim as one’s own.

“To receive power” - “dunamis” - English derivatives are “dynamic” and “dynamite” and “dynamo. ” Also translated as miracles, might, and strength. An authority term.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
“But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.”
“But we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

“To receive riches” - to flow, abound, wealth. Derived from a word we get Pluto and Plutocrat from.

“For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills.”
“To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ...”
“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,”

“To receive wisdom” - Wisdom is applied knowledge, Wisdom is knowing what to do with what you know.

“You shall speak to all the skillful persons whom I have endowed with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him, that he may minister as priest to Me.”
“Now God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment and breadth of mind, like the sand that is on the seashore.”
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom...”
“And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power...”
“For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit...”

“To receive might” - might or strength.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.”
Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.”

“To receive honor” - Hebrew: to be heavy, weighty, or burdensome. Greek: (to value, honor); a valuing, a price; also translated as precious.

‘Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, that your days may be prolonged and that it may go well with you on the land which the Lord your God gives you.”
“In His teaching He was saying: “Beware of the scribes who like to walk around in long robes, and like respectful greetings in the market places, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets...”
“For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him”
“For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

“To receive glory” - Hebrew abundance, honor, glory

“The glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days; and on the seventh day He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud.”
“Then Moses said, “I pray You, show me Your glory!”
“Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle...”
“It happened that when the priests came from the holy place, the cloud filled the house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord...”
“ Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.”
“And He [Jesus] is the radiance of His [God’s] glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

“To receive blessing” - Greek - blessed, happy. Also from eulogia; praise, blessing.

While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”
“In order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
“If the house is worthy, give it your blessing of peace. But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace.”
“For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

I teach... Part 2

2005-10-02T21:55:00.000-04:00

In a previous post (see link below), I commented that the start of school is upon me and might decrease my postings. Well, I did.

Today in church, I suddenly realized that September was over and October has begun. I wanted to run around the room telling people.

September is a hard month for teachers (not to mention parents and homeschoolers, I suppose). There are so many adjustments to make, so many new things, people, situations. Additionally, I find that how I start a new school year often has a huge effect on my walk with the Lord for that year. Habits get cemented into place quickly and are hard to change until next summer's break (there is good news and bad news in that).

Generally, my wife and I joke about it, that the time between Labor Day and October 1 does not have a spare moment and goes by very quickly.

This year, I was concerned about the beginning of school for all the usual reasons and because of the blog. Would I be able to keep it up? The pastors of my church have been encouraging me to make a general announcement about doing writing it, but I have been holding off because of that concern.

Today, the Lord set me free from my worries. That is why I wanted to go running around the church and announcing the end of September.

Then, He dumped 6 different things into my lap to write on and gave me time to "hare" off after something else. Thank you, Lord.

Schadenfreude

2005-10-02T21:37:00.000-04:00

I Corinthians 13:6. "Love... does not rejoice in unrighteousness"

There is a German word, schadenfreude, whose usage in English has become common. I asked one of my pastors, who is fluent in German, what it meant. His response was, "Sin."

The word covers a concept that English does not have a word for. Roughly, it means "the joy one takes in the misfortune of others."

I normally do not comment on the "And the rest is detail..." posts because I like them as unadorned encouragement. However, I could not resist a little word play.

And the rest is details....

2005-10-02T21:32:00.000-04:00

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a. NASB95.
4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant,
5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,
6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8a Love never fails...

Head Dump: Prayer 11

2005-10-02T21:18:00.000-04:00

Prophetic prayer.

While I am praying, some prayer does not seem to flow out of my conscious mind. God calls things to my mind (scripture, songs, pictures, insights, etc.) to be prayed about. I believe that it is the Lord revealing to me things He wants me to pray about, how to pray for a particular situation, etc.

I have had this happen any number of times, often in the context of group prayer.

I think that may be related to what Paul calls, in I Corinthians 12:8, words of knowledge and wisdom. However, I do not think that this a gift limited only to those have "it." But rather can be a normal function of prayer, if one is open to the Lord speaking to (and through) us.

"How hard is it to be saved?"

2005-10-02T21:03:00.000-04:00

As noted by the author of the linked article, Dan Edelen, and in the comments to his article, there has been a lot of chatter on the “Godblogosphere” about salvation.

The author of the site posed one question, and then a reformulation of that question: “How hard is it to be saved?” and “Are we adding too many qualifiers to a person's coming to Christ?” The context concerned a movement among various evangelicals, if I am getting this right, to make it a “decision for Christ” less of a “snap” decision. The ultimate goal, again if I am getting this right, is to have fewer people claim to be born again, and more of them actually born again.

I am going to deal with the second one first. The question answers itself. We cannot add a qualifier to salvation. It is not ours to do, not even theoretically. All we can do is to stand back and let the Holy Spirit do His work of bringing conviction and salvation.

I realize that the author was trying a reformulation of the original question to draw out thought. God knows that I have phrased any number of things badly myself. I have seen enough of his gentle pastor’s heart reflected in his writings to know that he was not trying to add to the qualifications for salvation.

On the first one: Given all that I have read in the original post and the comment thread, my guess is that we are not supposed to know.

God could have easily made the answer to the question clear, simple, and straight-forward. He could have inspired the human authors of the New Testament to make a single, often repeated formulation.

He chose not to.

Rather, He gave us a dozen (a score?) of different examples of salvation experiences in Acts and elsewhere. Attempts to make a doctrine of 2 or 3 are contradicted by others.

And I am certain that we are not going to find out why He did it this way until we see Him face to face.

But being an arrogant, fallen human being who likes to think and insists on having an opinion (I am mocking myself), I have two speculations about as to why:

One. On the one hand, the lack of a clear answer keeps those who might become complacent under a “once-saved-always-saved” doctrine from becoming complacent. On the other hand, it gives encouragement to those who are fearful, that they may trust in a loving God who did not save them because they were good, but because they were sinners and needed it. (I fall into the latter category).

Two. “You shall know them by their fruit.” Thorn bushes tend to be interested in pointing fingers, judging others, laying blame, finding heretics, sitting in the seat of Moses and adding to the law, etc. Fruit trees bear fruit: “love, joy, peace, patience, etc.” There is a time to look for fruit of salvation, but that is in the context of the local body of believers. (And may I add “Period“?)

Oh, and don’t we all tend to be thorn bushes? Lord, save me from my “thorn-bush-iness.”

As a related aside, we had a missionary from the Netherlands in church today. She told a story about three young men in the church that she attends there. One of them is a former Muslim. He became a Christian when he "accidently" (his accident, God was deliberate) stayed at a Christian youth hostel (a kind of hotel). While there, the Holy Spirit came upon him, with obvious manifestation. He is still walking with the Lord two years later.

One of the pastors then shared a quick story that he heard from Derek Prince. The story seems to confirm this as a pattern of how God brings salvation to Muslims.

25 Gifts of the Spirit

2005-09-30T20:57:00.000-04:00

A non-exhaustive list at Jeff Garrett's Blog. I have printed out a copy to meditate on. See link below.

And the rest is details....

2005-09-26T20:39:00.000-04:00

Ephesians 1:3-6. NASB95.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love
5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,
6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.