Nearing Pentecost

Tags

Fire, Israel, Pentecost, Remnant, Upper Room

Throughout the Bible, God has always had a remnant of people, who would not bow a knee to Baal, would not be subject to the spirit of Ahab or Jezebel and would not retreat from the call, no matter how difficult the road. Men and women like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Ruth, Esther, Deborah, Elijah, Elisha, Moses, David, Sarah, Mary, Peter, James, John, Paul, Cornelius, Barnabas, Aquilla and Priscilla just to name a few. All who were apart of the remnant throughout history that paved the way for us today. Just as is common to God, there is a remnant on the earth today who are walking by faith, not compromising their convictions, who are contending for the promise and who are waiting for the call, the command.

The remnant has been on a journey with God which brought them through the wilderness, over the Jordan and even though logically they should be in the promised land, they know we made another stop that did not seem to be on the map, we were following. Many in the remnant have felt the shift in the spirit, the anticipation is building, the baby feels like it could be born any day now. But, God has brought us to one more stop, I believe a very significant stop, because our journey was not just an old testament wilderness experience, our cross over was not into Canaan as the Israelites was, but it was a crossover into the New Testament. We have left the wilderness, many of us can feel that, but we know we are not “there” yet. So, where exactly are we?

I believe we are in the upper room. I believe the remnant is assembled in the upper room and they are praying like never before, waiting for the fire to fall, for they know that without the fire there is not power evangelism. Many have said and are saying, send the fire, fire always precedes harvest, for the farmer knows they have to burn off the old harvest residue, so the soil is ready to receive the new harvest that is coming. The disciples were sent to the upper room after Jesus rose from the dead, to wait for the fire to fall. They did not know it was going to be like it was described in Acts 2, with wind, tongues of fire and speaking in other languages, but they knew they had to wait for what the Father had promised them.

We, who have been through the wilderness, crossed the Jordan have entered the upper room. That is where we are right now, some will get antsy and leave, remember there were 500 in the upper room to start but only 120 on the day the fire fell. We have come too far to leave now. I know you thought this was the crossover into the promised land, so did I, but keep waiting, we are in the upper room, the fire will fall, and we need the fire, the baptism of fire to do the work of the ministry. The prodigals are coming home, the harvest is going to be massive, we are going to need each other’s boats for the catch is going to be so large, but we must wait for the fire to fall.

I believe it is the final leg of this what seemed like a very long preparation period, but I also believe we will be thankful for the training when we start doing the works prepared in advance for us to do. It is closer than ever before, stay in the upper room, keep praying, keep contending, don’t quit now, we are in the words of Kris Vallaton, “150 feet from the mother load”. I believe we are nearing Pentecost!

What Are You Seeking?

Tags

Desire, fame, King David, One Thing, relationships, Search for Significance

Everybody is in search of something. For deep sea treasure hunters, they are in search of the box with gold coins that fell off a pirate ship; for the business men and women they are in search of the next sale, promotion or title; for the politician they are in search of the highest office in the land, President; for the religious leader they are in search of the next title of Reverend, Bishop, Cardinal or even Pope; for the single person they are in search of a spouse. The list of things people are in search of is endless and it does not take long on social media to hear and see that people are searching for many different things.

For the Christian, we are not supposed to be in search of anything, but Jesus, King David said, One thing I ask, One thing I seek…as believers we are to be in pursuit of one thing, in search of one thing, on a journey to discover over and over again one thing and that thing is actually a person, the man Jesus Christ. Matthew 6:33 says, seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. The context of this verse goes on to say, the Lord knows what you have need of so you do not need to pursue things, but seek first, meaning seek only, the kingdom of God, seek only Jesus the Christ, and all this other stuff the unbelievers are seeking, will be given unto you. But your job, your call, your pursuit is to be after God and God alone. He is the One thing you are to desire, to pursue, to seek after.

What many believers don’t understand is that when you seek fame you may find fame but you won’t find satisfaction; when you seek riches, success, or prosperity, you may find money, but you won’t find satisfaction; when you seek a spouse, you may find a handsome man or a beautiful woman, but you won’t find the love you are really looking for. The reason we are commanded in Matthew to seek first, seek only, the Lord, is because at the end of your pursuit, at the end of your journey, which actually never ends for He is an eternal God, an Everlasting Father, you will find God, but not only God, you will find you are satisfied in your soul, the hunger is quenched and kindled at the same time. When you seek God, you find God and when you find God, you find what your heart is really searching for. The reason we are called to seek God only and not these other things, is because when you spend your whole life pursuing these other things, you will find you are right where you started, even if you find what you think you are looking for.

The heart of man is in pursuit of a relationship, in pursuit of satisfaction, significance, a sense of belonging and none of this is found at the end of success, money, fame, marriage, or any other pursuit you are on, but if you seek God, oh my, you will find so much more than you could ask or even imagine. The Bible says, knock and the door will be opened, seek and you will find, ask and it will be given to you, for whoever knocks, seeks and asks gets God. Revelation 3 says, behold I stand at the door and knock, whoever opens to me, I will come in and eat with him; Matthew 6 says, seek first the kingdom and all these things will be given to you, and John 15 says, if you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatsoever you will and it will be done for you. He is what you are looking for, He is the pearl of great price, He is the reward for those who diligently seek Him, He is what you need and what you want. I promise you, for I know from experience, if you seek Him, you will find Him and when you find Him, you will have found what you are seeking.

What Were You Chosen For?

Tags

Chosen, Intimacy, kingdom of God, Truth

 

Have you ever wondered why your spouse chose you? There are millions of people in the world and they chose you and you chose them. Have you ever wondered why the judges for the Miss Universe pageant choose who they choose? What are they looking for, I mean all the girls are skinny, beautiful, in bathing suits and evening gowns, why did they chose that one? Have you ever asked yourself how some people get chosen, while others are still in line waiting for their chance to be on the team, be in the band, or get their break in Hollywood? Maybe you have never wondered why some people get chosen, but I know based on the best-selling book, Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren’s record sales, that you want to know what you were chosen for, even if you don’t know the why.

 

Many books have been written on why you were created, what you are on earth for, how to discover your gifting, calling, anointing or any other thing you may be looking for. But none of this is relevant and can actually leave you more frustrated than fulfilled, not because these things are not important, rather they are not the reason for you being chosen. The Bible is full of scriptures that tell you why you were chosen and it is not to do something, it will not tell you what you were chosen to do, but it will tell you what you were chosen for.

 

The point of the Bible is to lead you to a man, whose name is Jesus. If you read the Word of God, but don’t ever enter into a relationship with the God of the word, you will live a frustrated, unfulfilled life, no matter how outwardly successful you look or may even feel. The church is riddled with sermons about how to be something, how to do something, but very few sermons will tell you what you were chosen for. Now this is mainly because they assume you already know this, but the reality is, most of us, the people preaching the sermon included, do not know what they were chosen for. But God does, for He chose you!

 

Here are three things you were chosen for, now there are many more, but these three will give you the idea:

 

1. You were chosen for nearness with God

a. Psalm 65:4 “How blessed is the one whom You choose and bring near to You…To dwell in Your courts. We will be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Your holy temple.”

 

2. You were chosen for access to God

a. Psalm 84:10 says, “For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand outside. I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.”

 

3. You were chosen to dine with God

a. Revelation 22:17 says, “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.”

 

Throughout the Bible we see that we were chosen for intimacy with God. Genesis 1 is the best description of where we came from and Revelation 22 is the best way to describe where we are going. While everything in between is an invitations to come closer to a living, loving, God. The God of the Bible does not chose you because He needs you, He lacks nothing, but He chooses you because He wants you. You are chosen for nearness, for access and for dining. He wants to commune with you, interact with you, come close to you. Jesus died not so we have to stand at a distance, but so we can come so close to Him. He chose you because He wanted to do life with you, He wants to be with you.

Most people struggle with intimacy because they have been rejected more than they have been wanted, but from before you were in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139), He wanted you. So, He waits for you to come to Him, for He chose you, keeps choosing you and will not stop choosing you, for this is what you were chosen for?

Living in Congruence

Tags

Betrayal, Harmony, leadership, Self-Deception

Mark 3:25 “If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.”

 

I John 5:7-8 “For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement.”

 

Congruence: agreement or harmony; compatibility

 

In the book Leadership and Self-Deception written by the Arbinger Institute, they talk about self-betrayal and how that causes us to live in a box towards one another, which means we do not see each other as people, but as objects. As I read this book, it had so many spiritual applications to it, brought such conviction of sin and a level of repentance I had not experienced in a long time. This book opened my eyes to the reality that when we betray ourselves by not having boundaries, not speaking the truth in love, by ignoring problems or by acting like your heart is in something when it really is not. These are all examples of self-betrayal and is actually self-deception because we are not being true to who God has created us to be.

 

The Bible is very clear that a house divided against itself cannot stand, the context of this verse is when the religious leaders were accusing Jesus of casting out demons by the spirit of a demon called Beelzebub. Jesus said, I cannot betray myself as God and use the devil to cast out demons. The Pharisee’s who were living in self-deception did not understand what He was talking about, because they were trained their whole life to live a life of self-betrayal and not see people as people, but to see them as objects. Henceforth, why they clung to their traditions as noted in Mark 7, but did not know how to be in a relationship with people or God. The culmination of this type of life was manifested in the murder of Jesus on the cross. When you treat people like objects you will murder them with your words and actions and more often than not be unable to recognize that you did it.

 

But there is hope, because all of us at some point in our lives have done this very thing, whether we see it or not. Some are living in self-betrayal even now and can’t see it, because it is so much a part of who they are. Jesus however, who is the Great I Am, the Great Physician, the Almighty God who called us out of darkness on more than one occasion, is inviting us to begin living in congruence. Living in congruence is living with an understanding of who God has created, called and commanded you to be. What you don’t know about yourself, can and will hurt you.

 

Living in congruence is knowing who you are, what you bring to any given situation and how you can be a servant to those around you. When you are living in congruence, you can be free to love, free to laugh, free to serve, free to give and free to live an abundant life. Jesus promised in John 10:10 that the devil came to steal, kill and destroy, but He came to give you life and life abundantly. The abundant life comes from living in congruence, being true to who God has made you to be, not seeking to be what everyone else expects you to be. Many Christians are caught in a performance trap because they don’t know who they are and they are so desperate to be affirmed, they will do anything to get the applause of men.

 

More than any time in my short history, God is highlighting the importance of knowing your identity in Christ. If you don’t know who you are, you are living a divided life and that is why you can’t stand. The Lord is seeking to show you who you are in Him, Christ in you the hope of glory, so you can stand, so you can live in congruence, so you can love God, love people and love yourself. This is how you live an abundant life and can be generous with your words, time and money on every occasion, because you have learned the timeless truth of living in congruence.

The Classroom Controversy

Christians have been in a classroom controversy ever since many of them got saved. It is a controversy they have not been able to identify, but they know they are in it. Words escape many Christians as they seek to explain the challenges they are facing, so they blame one thing or another. However, the reality is, everyone who calls themselves a Christian has been, is or will be in a classroom controversy. The controversy is this, why is what I am reading in the word of God, hearing from the pulpits of churches and seeing in my personal life, not matching the promises given from a good Father? Why does it seem like my prayers are going unanswered, my dreams are just that a dream, and my situation is seemingly not changing? Frustration, confusion, disappointment and regret are realities of most Christians lives and though there is a lot of theory being spoken, no real truth seems to resonate. This is the classroom controversy.

In Mark 4:35-41, the disciples are in a boat with Jesus, when the waves literally are flooding the boat, fear is gripping the disciples and Jesus is sleeping in the stern. Many of us can say this sounds like our reality, our experience, our challenge, we know in theory Jesus is there, but He seems to be sound asleep, while we are seemingly drowning. Just like us, the disciples experienced the classroom controversy. In John 2, Jesus, His mother and His disciples were at a wedding, the master of the banquet got word to Jesus’ mother that they had more time than they did wine, yet another classroom controversy. Jesus is at the wedding, the disciples are there, but the wine is gone and the master does not know what to do.

All over our world today, in politics, churches, families, schools, communities and corporations we are seeing and hearing about classroom controversies. People who are Christians, but are struggling financially, emotionally, physically or spiritually. Many people are talking about the problems, many are taking note that Jesus is in the boat, but it feels like He is asleep. We pray, we decree, we quote scripture, but the classroom controversy does not seem to change. So, we seek and do not find, we pray and get no answers, we prophesy but it doesn’t come to pass, so we complain, cry, call a friend, or seek counsel, but nothing changes. This is why so many people quit, because they don’t recognize the reason for the classroom controversy.

Wisdom is the ability to see behind the situation, to recognize the lesson in the midst of the speech, to see the invisible in the midst of the inevitable. Many Christians are struggling because they lack wisdom and James 1 says, if we lack wisdom we can ask God and He will give it without finding fault. The wisdom of God is beyond human comprehension and yet it is seen in every aspect of life. Wisdom is hidden in plain sight, that is why so many people miss it.

What we are going through as Christians is a dislike of the classroom that the Master Teacher has chosen to make us wise, mature, complete, lacking nothing. The classroom of marriage, money problems, promotion or lack thereof, hiddenness, rebellious children, family problems, health issues, you name the problem and I will show you your classroom. Jesus used a boat in a storm to be the classroom for the disciples, He used the woman caught in adultery as a classroom, He uses our everyday lives and challenges as a classroom.

The reason we are having a classroom controversy is because we do not recognize the Master Teacher who is training us, equipping us and will eventually deploy us. Reputations follow teachers not the classrooms they choose and Jesus, our Master Teacher has the best reputation in the world. The apostle Paul’s classroom is spoken about in 2 Corinthians, Moses’s classroom is seen in the desert, David’s classroom was in a field tending sheep, Joseph’s classroom was a pit, a palace, a prison and a promotion. If we get tripped up by the classroom, we will miss the Master Teacher and the lessons we supposed to be learning. My prayer is that you will not be confused by the classroom controversy.

Throwing Stones

Tags

Character, Christians, church, Election, Politics, President, Social Media

The funny thing about character is that it is an inside job, but it is evident on the outside when something does not go someone’s way. We call it the fires of adversity, that brings the dross to the surface. Fire not only reveals the impurities in a person’s life, it also reveals that which has been hidden. In a very public world with social media, people can no longer just have opinions over coffee, they feel the need to go public with their thoughts. Jesus never had a problem with people’s opinions, Peter rebuked Him in public, the sons of Zebedee called fire down from heaven, and Thomas said, if I don’t see I won’t believe. So, going public is not the issue, the issue is what you are revealing about yourself by going public. One of the many things God is doing right now is exposing people for who they really are.

There are many things being exposed right now in a very public way and I think many more things will be exposed, but this is not a license to start throwing stones. When the disciples were publically discussing who was the greatest among them, Jesus did not say, how dare you want to be great, but tweaked their understanding of what greatness is by bringing a little child near and saying, if you want to be great, be like a child. I am thankful the church is speaking out, I am glad people have a platform to share their ideas, thoughts and opinions about a variety of subjects. Religion and political correctness seeks to silence people, but Jesus liberates them and the first sign of freedom is getting your voice back. So, speak, share, disagree, promote, but in doing these things, don’t forget Luke 6:45 that says, “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.”

This election process for the President of the United States has brought out some things that give me grave concern for us a church. One, there is much evidence to the fact that we as Christians believe in selective righteousness. When we can assault someone with our words because of how many times they’ve been married, but have the same level of divorce in the church, this is stone throwing. When we can measure a candidate by their morality, when we have rampant sex before marriage among believers, this is selective righteousness. When we think their attitude and views on people is crass, rude and dishonoring, but we slam them with our words, this is selective righteousness. Many Christians are against someone more than they are for someone and it is evidenced in our Facebook posts, blogs, radio interviews, conversations and sermons.

People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones. – Author Unknown

He that is without sin among you, let him cast a stone… – Jesus (John 8:7)

Humility is not passivity, rather it is teachability. When we measure our level of righteousness, purity, or holiness against someone else, we are using false weights. The only person we are to compare ourselves to in these areas is Jesus Himself and He was without sin, so we ALL fall short (Romans 3:23). What I see happening is Christians wanting to take a place above others in order to look down on them. This is called self-righteousness and was the very thing Jesus dealt with when He walked the earth. If Christians are not careful, we are going to miss the next move of God, because Jesus never came the way the religious people thought He would come. They wanted a conquering king and He came as a humble servant. He came to lift people up and the religious leaders wanted Him to tear people down.

As Christians we have enough of our own issues to deal with both internally and externally. Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this ALL men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). The litmus test for discipleship is love and I Corinthians 13:4-8 gives you practical evidence of a lover. Love is fierce, but it is not mean! God so loved the world…(John 3:16). Unbelievers are not going to become believers because we throw another stone at them, nor are believers who are acting like unbelievers going to return if we continue to throw stones. Love is the answer! Shawn Bolz in his book Translating God says, “You can only influence that which you love.” If we are going to be world changers, we must become lovers of God and lovers of people, for last time I checked God’s kindness led people to repentance (Romans 2:4). I came to Christ in January 1989 not because someone threw a stone at me, but because someone showed me the love and kindness of God. Stone throwing isn’t a kingdom concept, so please, stop throwing stones and start sharing the good news, that once I was lost, but now I am found!