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Were Not Our Hearts Burning Within Us?

Posted in Christian, Christianity, tagged , , , , , , , , on March 6, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Luke 24:13-35
13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem.
14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened.
15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them;
16 but they were kept from recognising him.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast.
18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19 “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people.
20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him;
21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place.
22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning
23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive.
24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!
26 Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”
27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going further.
29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.
30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.
31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognised him, and he disappeared from their sight.
32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together
34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.”
35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognised by them when he broke the bread. (NIV)

Here is a question (or two)…

When we spend time with Jesus, praying and reading His Word, does He speak to us and do our heart’s burn within us?

Is praying and reading His Word a hard slog or an encounter with the Living God?

Are you stuck in ‘no-man’s land’?  That is, somewhere between living for Jesus and living for this world.

Here is what the Lord is saying,

“WAKE UP!  SLEEPY HEAD, THERE IS WORK TO BE DONE!  STOP DECEIVING YOURSELF!”

You see, we don’t need information, we need revelation.  We don’t need another truth but to act on the truth the Lord has given us.  Why do we feel the Lord is so distant?  Because we have deceived ourselves and pushed Him away.

The Devil doesn’t have to work hard to deceive us, we do a great job all by ourselves!

REPENT! – so the Lord can come near

(Next  – A Word on ‘Deceiving Ourselves’)

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Revival (of the church) and the End Time Elijah (The Third Elijah)

Posted in Christian, Christianity, tagged , , , , , , , on February 24, 2009| Leave a Comment »

If there is one thing God is saying to His church in these last days what would it be?

I believe the Lord wants His church to shine in these last days.  I believe the Lord wants to REVIVE His church.  I believe the Spirit is issueing a great call of REPENTANCE on each one of our lives so that the Bride of Christ, the Church, can be all she is meant to be.  We are so distracted and deceived, so disempowered and so tainted in many areas; but there is a ‘voice in the wilderness’, ‘the Spirit of Elijah’, the Holy Spirit asking “Who are we going to serve?’ Just like Elijah challenged the people on Mount Carmel and  just like the second Elijah (John the Baptist) challenged the people, the third Elijah (the Spirit of Elijah, the Spirit of God) is sayiing “If the Holy Spirit is God serve and obey Him”.

The following excerpt is from here…

http://www.billionsoulsforchrist.com/endtimeelijahmessage.htm

and it deserves our attention and prayerful consideration…

———————- Excerpt ————————–

The prophet Elijah, asks them to make up their minds as who is God. In verse 21, it reads :

“21 And Elijah came to all the people, and said, k“How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, lfollow him.”

This is the very message that the spirit of the End Time Elijah has been given to challenge The Church or Body of Christ.  The Church has been taking each way bets regarding the Holy Spirit and His Divinity, His Person, and His role in The Church. In practice, just as the Israelites at Mt Carmel, they are between two opinions.  The time has now arrived for the decisive decision regarding the Holy Spirit. It will sharply divide those who will be made ready as the Bride of Christ and those who will be rejected like the prophets of Baal and Asherah.

When they cry out “Lord, Lord did we not serve you and cast out devils in your Name”. Jesus will reply “I never knew you” because you rejected the One Whom I sent in My Name to prepare My Bride for My Return.

Isaiah, the prophet, inspired to write the words “Prepare ye the way of the Lord. Make straight His paths”.  These words were going to be proclaimed by John the Baptist as the forerunner of the Messiah, Jesus Christ.  John the Baptist did not do any miracles unlike Elijah the prophet.  Yet Jesus and the Scriptures recognise that John the Baptist preached in the spirit and power of Elijah. Why was this?

It was the message proclaiming the imminent appearance of the Messiah as well as the powerful uncompromising message of repentance.

The message of repentance, like that of Elijah to the children of Israel on Mt Carmel, was an uncompromising call to return to the Living Lord God. John the Baptist was not sent to the Gentile nations but to the Jews challenging them to return to the Living God and to live lives  consistent with repentance.  Note that In both these instances both prophets were sent to the Jewish nation not to the Gentiles.

The End Time Elijah message is an uncompromising call to the spiritual Israel, consisting of all Christians, to repentance.  It is not a call to unbelievers to be saved. It is a call to God’s household, the Bride of Christ, to repent and return to the One Whom Christ has sent into the world to guide them in to all truth.  The Holy Spirit, Who has been rejected by the Church for 2000 years must now be restored as Lord and God over the Church as required by The Lord Jesus and The Heavenly Father

Those leaders who accept the Lordship of The Holy Spirit will be led to repentance and then intercession and worship resulting in a genuine large scale, lasting, overflowing revival within their local church that will impact their communities and beyond. The Holy Spirit will either remove those leaders who reject the offer of The Holy Spirit to become Lord of their local church from their positions or The Holy Spirit will allow that church to die.

Those Christians who refuse to recognise and worship The Holy Spirit as God will be treated by The Lord Jesus as part of the World.  Those who call themselves Christians have to contend with how they have treated the 100% alternative Helper sent by The Lord Jesus. There is an implied warning (highlighted) from The Lord Jesus Himself from John 14:15-18 below that those who cannot receive the Holy Spirit are of the world and therefore have not part in His salvation plan. This is a believers only entitlement.

“15 s“If you love Me, 4keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and tHe will give you another 5Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 uthe Spirit of truth, vwhom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you wand will be in you. 18 xI will not leave you orphans; yI will come to you. “

The Lord Jesus also further emphasised the importance of the Holy Spirit in distinguishing between believers who would be rejected and those who would be allowed to enter the wedding feast. In the parable of the wise and foolish virgins we read

“1 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming;[a] go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.
11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour[b] in which the Son of Man is coming.” Matthew 25:1-13

You will notice that they were all virgins. They were all ready for the wedding feast in terms of clothing and carrying the lamps. The ONLY difference was the LACK OF OIL for the lamp.  The oil is symbolic of The Holy Spirit throughout the Bible. The oil provides light in the darkness and it is the life in the spiritual realm.  Very significantly, The Lord Jesus Christ, through the parable showed that it was possible to be ready in every other way as well as be given the invitation to the wedding feast and yet be reject at the time of the wedding because one does not have the Holy Spirit.  The Epistles also clearly teach that The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our salvation.

Ephesians 1:13-14

“13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who[b] is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”

2 Corinthians 1:21- 2

“21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, 22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. ”

For this reason, the end-time spirit of Elijah calls upon all born-again believers to ensure that they obey the commandment of the Lord Jesus Christ to be baptised in the Holy Spirit and fire (the oil for the lamp) in order to be ready for when the messengers from Heaven declares, “Behold the bridegroom is coming: go out to meet him” Matthew 25:6

———————- Excerpt ————————–

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Being at the Knife Edge (of Faith) – Part 3

Posted in Christian, Christianity, tagged , , , , , , , , on February 22, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Continuing on from Parts 1 and 2…

I’ve been trying to explain why I feel that faith in our Lord Jesus is like ‘Being at the Knife Edge’ and relating that to Elijah.  Here are a few thoughts:

1) Genuine faith in our Lord Jesus is ‘living way beyond ourselves, it’s extreme living!’. The Spirit of God, if we listen intently and we obey completely, can have us saying and going and doing so much beyond our ‘natural man’.  Faith stretches us!

2) Genuine faith in our Lord Jesus is ‘choosing to give up control of our lives’.  Our ‘natural’ response is we want to keep control of our lives but in John 3:8 Jesus says ‘The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

3) Genuine faith in our Lord Jesus is ‘a daily challenge, a daily battle’.  Faith runs contrary to our ‘natural man’.  Faith isn’t just the occassional one off event, faith is a moment by moment choice to trust in our Heavenly Father. God desires and deserves our full attention, our complete faith and trust in him.

4) Genuine faith in our Lord Jesus ‘finds out what we are made of’.  It challenges the very core of our being.  It seeks out the ‘cracks’ in our character and refines and conforms us to the image of Christ.  ‘For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son – Rom 8:29’

5) Genuine faith in our Lord Jesus ‘challenges and overcomes our fears’.  Within each one of us there is always the choice of faith in our Lord Jesus or fear.  ‘I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life – Deut 30:19‘.  Who are we going to serve?  Faith or fear? Like Elijah;  we can be living at the ‘knife edge of faith’ and then God allows something to happen that pricks or stirs or challenges our ‘natural man’ and we can ‘slide off the edge of that knife’ and start serving our fear and despair.

Let’s continue with the story of Elijah and see what happens.  Just to recap.  Elijah has run in fear from Jezebel’s threat.  He has ‘slid off the knife edge’.  He has thrown in the towel.  He has spat out the dumby (Gee, I’m not being very compassionate – however God is being very compassionate).  Elijah has collapsed in a heap.  It’s all too hard!  I’m all alone!  I want to die!  An angel comes and feeds him (twice) and sets Elijah’s journey to the Mountain of God.  The writer (ie: the Holy Spirit) makes it clear the journey takes 40 days and 40 nights so Elijah has a soul searching, flesh verses Spirit, wilderness experience before he arrives at the Mountain of God.  So now, as we continue the story, we will see if Elijah is ready to continue to be a prophet.  Is God’s prize prophet still down and out!  What is God going to do?  🙂

Let’s look at 1 Kings 19:9-19a
9 There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
10 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
11 The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.
12 After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.
13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, broken down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.”
15 The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram.
16 Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet.
17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu.
18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel — all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and all whose mouths have not kissed him.”
19 So Elijah went… (NIV)

Verse 9 reminds me so much of the conversation God had with Adam and Eve.  In fact, it reminds me of the conversations God has with many people (including me).  What I mean by this is, God already knows all the facts but He asks anyway.  It’s like God is having a councelling session with Elijah – “Where are you at, Elijah?”  “Are you there yet, Elijah?”  So gently and so compassionately does the Lord deal with Elijah. Elijah’s response in verse 10 indicates he is ‘not there’ yet. He has a ways to go.

In verses 11 to 13 we have Elijah’s famous mountain top experience with God.  God chooses to reveal Himself to Elijah in an awesome way.  Elijah is going through the final part of His restoration.  Elijah is having an intimate and direct encounter with the living God.  God shows him His power and might and awesomeness and then His intimacy through His gentle whisper.  What is God doing?  He is doing what He has done to many, many people.  He is saying, I AM GOD.  I AM ALMIGHTY AND POWERFUL.  YOU MIGHT NOT UNDERSTAND BUT I AM IN FULL CONTROL OF EVERYTHING.  MY WAYS ARE HIGHER THAN YOUR WAYS.  I AM!  I AM ALL THESE AWESOME THINGS (AND DON’T GET ON MY WRONG SIDE) BUT, ALSO, I LOVE YOU AND I CARE ABOUT YOU VERY MUCH!

So what is Elijah’s response?  Verse 14, it appears Elijah gives the same response.  Here is what I want to say about this.  Elijah’s auto-response to God’s question comes blerting out again but (my belief is) it does not have the same ring or the same heart or the same hold on Elijah’s life now he has personally experienced the awesomeness and the intimacy and the rejuvination and the revelation of His Heavenly Father.

So, finally, verses 15 to 18, God tells Elijah His plan and verse 19 Elijah goes.

So what did Elijah go through?  He was controlled by his fear and anxieties and wanted to die.  He was tenderly and supernaturally fed by an angel.  His sights and journey had been set to the Mountain of God.  He has gone through a 40 day wilderness (I believe, flesh verses Spirit) experience.  He has this mountaintop experience of the awesomeness and the intimacy of God.  He has revelation of the plans of God and he IS BACK AND GOING!

May the Lord bring you revelation about this story of Elijah.

Blessings

Steve

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Being at the Knife Edge (of Faith) – Part 2

Posted in Christian, Christianity, tagged , , , , , , on February 20, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Being at the Knife Edge of Faith (Part 2)

As I have mentioned in Part 1, the Lord has had me ‘ruminating’ over the life of Elijah.  In particular, Elijah’s response to Jezebel’s death threat where he runs in fear (1 Kings 19), after having such great faith and victory on Mt Carmel in defeating 850+ prophets of Baal and Asherah (1 Kings 18).

Perhaps now is the time to explain what I mean by ‘Being at the Knife Edge of Faith’.

In 2 Cor 5:7 it says we (ie: followers of Jesus) are to live by ‘faith and not by sight’ – this is what I am calling ‘being at the knife edge’.

Genuine faith challenges all of our natural settings and senses.  Our default, human settings are to live by ‘sight’.  In other words, we normally and naturally live by all of our human senses and judgement.  Also, let us not forget, our default, human settings are also heavily tainted with the sinful condition (our fallen nature) of living and serving ‘self’.  Jeremiah 17:9 describes the human heart as ‘deceitful above all things and beyond cure’.  Romans 3:23 says ‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God‘.  When we truly come to Christ, when we are truly born again, when we truly give up our lives to Christ, God transforms our default settings.  That is, we longer live for self and we longer live by what we see. [‘I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me’ – Gal 2:20]  We live by complete faith and trust in our Heavenly Father, being led continually by the voice of our Father.  [For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God – Rom 8:13-14] [My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me – John 10:27]  Day by day we are to walk in the Spirit.  [So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature – Gal 5:16] [Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit – Gal 5:25]  Day by day we are to have our minds renewed.  [Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind – Rom 12:2]

This faith living is a challenge and an opposition for our ‘natural man’ who wants to keep control of our lives and every situation.

Getting back to Elijah.  Even with the great faith moments that he had had, Jezebel’s threat struck a chord in his humanity.  Elijah lost it.  Something deep within Elijah rose to the surface.  Fear came in, instead of faith.  Elijah chose death instead of life. Like the contest on Mount Carmel, the Spirit and the flesh had a contest, but this time the flesh won (for a while).  Elijah had fallen.  Ah!, but God can use these situations to flush something out that can deepen intimacy with Him.  I am remembering Peter when he had a ‘human moment’ and denigned Jesus 3 times.  God highlighted the weakness, repentance came in, and a greater intimacy and committment came in.

I have much more to say about Elijah but let me leave you with these verses from Colossians 3:1-10:

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.
Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.
You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived.
But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language from your lips.
Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices
and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator

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The Day the King Came to Visit

Posted in Christian, Christianity, tagged , , , , , , , on February 7, 2009| Leave a Comment »

Once upon a time there was a great King who ruled the land with justice and mercy. One day the King come to stay with the Lipona family (the Lipona’s lived in a region of the land called Religionville).  Here is the story of when the King came to visit the Lipona’s.

There was a loud knock at the door.  Mr Lipona headed for the front door.  “Who is it darling” asked Mrs Lipona.  Mr Lipona opened the door, “It’s only the King” he replied.  Mr Lipona ushered the King into the lounge room.  “Wait here” he said to the King, “You have come at a most inconvenient time.  We are in the middle of a baked dinner.  Wait here in the lounge room til we finish our dinner, and don’t touch anything OK!”  instructed Mr Lipona as he left the room.

Quite a while later Mr Lipona came back into the lounge room and said to the King “What are you doing here?”  “I have come to stay a while” said the King.  “Stay!  Stay!” exclaimed Mr Lipona, “We have no where for you to stay!”  “Haven’t you got anywhere for me to stay?” asked the King.  Mr Lipona thought intently “We have the doghouse outside, I guess Disona our dog won’t mind you sleeping in his doghouse for a day or two” he said.  “I’m a little hungry” said the King.  “You just can’t drop into people’s places around dinner time and expect to get fed can you?” replied Mr Lipona, “It’s time for you to go out to the doghouse, we are all going out to the movies tonight”.  “Maybe Disona will share with you some of his biscuits.”

The King disappointingly headed outside to sleep in the doghouse as the Lipona’s left for the movies.  The Lipona’s arrived home very late that night and they completely forgot all about the King outside in the doghouse.

The next morning, as the Lipona’s were eating their bacon and eggs at the breakfast table there was a knock at the back door.  “I wonder who that could be?” said Mr Lipona as he headed for the door.  “Oh, it’s the King” he exclaimed as he opened the door.  “Don’t come in” he said to the King, “We are already late for church.  What do you want anyway?”  “I’m a little hungry” replied the King.  Mr Lipona laughed “Didn’t you hear what I said?  We are already late for church.  There is no time to get you anything.  Look!  By the time we get home from church today we want you off this property, OK! said Mr Lipona sharply.  “OK” said the King.

You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:  “‘These people honour me with their lips,but their hearts are far from me.
They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'”

– Matt 15:7-9(NIV)

Friends, we need to stop fooling ourselves and start honouring God in all areas of our lives.  We cannot fool God.  He knows when we honour Him and He knows when we dishonour Him.

Holy Spirit, bring back the fear of the Lord into each one of our hearts so that we reverently honour the Father in all that we do, in Jesus name, Amen

“This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.”

– Isa 66:2 (NIV)

“I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies.  Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them.  Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.

But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!

– Amos 5:21-24 (NIV)

You lie on beds inlaid with ivory and lounge on your couches. You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves.
You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments.
You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions, but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph.

– Amos 6:4-6 (NIV)

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

– James 1:27(NIV)

Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.
Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the Lord God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.

– Amos 5:14-15(NIV)

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.
Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.’

– Zech 7:9-10 (NIV)

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices — mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law — justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practised the latter, without neglecting the former.

– Matt 23:23(NIV)

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Prayer (Part 3)

Posted in Christian, Christianity, tagged , , , , , on July 4, 2008| Leave a Comment »

A small ‘word’ on prayer…

Pray and Don’t Give Up!

Have you ever prayed for something or someone and it appeared that nothing happened? (Haven’t we all) Perhaps it was a desperate cry for help from the Lord and it looked as though God was out to lunch. Are you praying for something right now and God seems quite silent? I want to encourage you… KEEP PRAYING AND DON’T GIVE UP!

In Luke 18:1-8 Jesus says:
18:1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, ‘Grant me justice against my adversary.’
4 “For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming!'”
6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? 8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” NIV

Notice the last verse, ‘when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?’ Prayer and faith are intimately inter-twined! We live in an ‘instant’ culture with instant solutions and instant gratifications. ‘God time’ can be very different to our time and the world’s time.

CONTINUE TO PRAY IN FAITH!

In James 5:15 the Word says:
And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. NIV

Has a (perceived) lack of a response from God had a negative effect on your prayer life and on your faith?

Do you pray less because of the lack of answers to prayer? Have you given up on prayer? I heard a wise saying last year at the Hillsong Conference

“If you want to see more people healed PRAY FOR MORE PEOPLE”

God is calling us to pray!

The results of prayer are up to God and not to us. God is ‘just’ calling us to pray.

Has the results of prayer (somehow) wrapped themselves into our egos?

If someone is healed because of your prayer do you take the accolades? No way! Conversely, do you take the ‘blame’ if someone is not healed through your prayers? No way! God is ‘just’ calling us to pray. Forget about past results! JUST PRAY!

Prayer makes a difference even when we physically can’t see the results. Genuine (God’s heart) prayer’ at the very least, changes our hearts into line with God’s heart but (I believe and I am sure many others believe) it does a whole lot more than that. It ushers in the Kingdom of God here on earth. The Kingdom of God is established here on earth through the prayers of His people.

KEEP PRAYING!

.

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Cursing the Fig Tree

Posted in Christian, Christianity, tagged , , , , , on July 2, 2008| 2 Comments »

This follows on from ‘Does God Really Know Us?’…

I hadn’t planned my morning very well yesterday morning and I had missed breakfast. At around 10am I was feeling quite hungry. I knew my wife had packed me some fruit so I was looking forward to a nice, juicy apple or something. I reached into my lunch box to pick out an apple and… “Oh no! the apple is rotten!” Well, it wasn’t completely rotten. I was able to salvage quite a few bites out of it but I was really looking forward to a nice, juicy, ripe apple.

I remembered about Jesus, when He was hungry, and He walked over to a fig tree to grab some fruit…

Matthew 21:18-19
18 Early in the morning, as he (ie: Jesus) was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered. NIV

In Luke Jesus tells a parable about a fig tree…

Luke 13:6-9
6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree , planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’
8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.'” NIV

Are you seeing where this is heading?  In the physical, how disappointing it is when you are hungry and there is no fruit (or in my case, rotten fruit).  OK, now in a Spiritual sense, how sad it is for God to see His children bearing NO FRUIT or BAD FRUIT!

Consider the grace of God that He would allow us to do the very things that grieve His heart all because He wants us to enjoy the freedom of a free will.  He allows us to break His heart!

What comes to mind is the heart of God just before the flood (in Noah’s day). I think the following verses capture the grieving heart of God when our lives are centred on ourselves and there is no good fruit and lots of bad fruit coming from our lives.

Genesis 6:5-8
5 The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6 The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. 7 So the LORD said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth — men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air — for I am grieved that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. NIV

And, finally, back at Matthew 7… (ie: if you have been following my blog)

Matthew 7:17-20
17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. NIV

When our hearts fall into line with God’s heart we will bear much good fruit and will be well on the journey of becoming good friends with God!

Father, by your Spirit, make your home within us that we can truly be your children of light and bear much good fruit to glorify you.  Help us to take our eyes off ourselves and onto you, our creator and Heavenly Father and King, in Jesus Name, Amen!

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Does God Really Know Us? (Part 2)

Posted in Christian, Christianity, tagged , , , , , , , on June 28, 2008| Leave a Comment »

“21 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord , Lord , did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ NIV

Matthew 7:21-23

The more I think and pray about Matthew 7:21-23 the more I am convinced that this is THE BIG QUESTION. Ie:

DOES GOD REALLY KNOW US?

So what am I trying to say? Well, really, it’s not what I am trying to say, it’s what the scriptures and Jesus are saying. The scripture says there will be MANY who will come before Jesus at the end of their lives and they will think they know Jesus but Jesus will say to them ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ They think they know Jesus but Jesus doesn’t know them.

As another way to explain this, I am sure you have some close friends and then there are other people that you may know about. Now your friends are the people that you enjoy to be around. They think a little like you and act a little like you. You have things in common that bind you together. It’s the same here in these scriptures! We know Jesus knows all about everyone but He has those who are His close friends. Not because He ‘plays favourites’ but because they share the same heart. They do His will because they have His heart and they are His close friends. Let’s look through the scriptures at some close friends of God.

Moses…

Exodus 33:11a & 17
11 The LORD would speak to Moses face to face,

as a man speaks with his friend

17 And the LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and

I know you by name

Abraham…

James 2:23
And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called

God’s friend.

Noah…

Genesis 6:9
9 This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he

walked with God

David…

Acts 13:22
After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse

a man after my own heart

he will do everything I want him to do.‘ NIV

DOES GOD REALLY KNOW US (AS HIS FRIEND)?

In John 10:27‘Jesus says: ‘My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.’ NIV

In John 15:14 Jesus says: ‘You are my friends if you do what I command.’ NIV

If God really doesn’t KNOW US ‘as His friend’ or ‘by name’ or by ‘walking with Him’ or by ‘following Him’ or by ‘having God’s heart’ we might be self deluded about our relationship will Him and may be in grave and eternal danger.

Father, teach me, transform me, help me to completely die to myself and to completely live for you so that you may truly know me as one of your friends, in Jesus Name, Amen

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Does God Really Know Us?

Posted in Christian, Christianity, tagged , , , , , , on June 27, 2008| Leave a Comment »

Revisitting Matthew 7:21-23:

“21 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord , Lord , did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ NIV

The more I think and pray about Matthew 7:21-23 the more I am convinced that this is THE BIG QUESTION. Ie:

DOES GOD REALLY KNOW US?

Now before you start thinking I am going a bit weird and disregarding half of the Bible let me explain what I mean. I know that God created us. I know God knows everything about us. I know God knows what is in our hearts. I know He has a plan and a purpose for each one of our lives. I know that He loves us otherwise He wouldn’t of sent Jesus to die for us. So why am I asking ‘DOES GOD REALLY KNOW US‘?

Let me explain why I think this is the big question (ie: not ‘a big question’ but ‘the big question’). Let us try to understand Matthew 7:21-23.

Firstly, we have a conversation between Jesus and someone who thinks that they know Him. So, my first point:

1) We can deceive ourselves into thinking we know Jesus!

Wow! I mean we can ‘get it’ that we need to be in relationship with Jesus but the relationship is one sided and hollow and empty. We deceive ourselves. The relationship isn’t really a relationship in the true sense of a reciprocal healthy relationship. It is a one sided relationship that is really no relationship at all! We deceive ourselves. Perhaps we treat our relationship with Jesus the same way we treat all our other relationships ie: ‘what can I get out of this relationship’, or ‘what is in this for me’, or ‘God, meet my needs’. Well, that leaves us in a pretty precarious position. If we can deceive ourselves about our relationship with Jesus how do we really know Him or rather how do we put ourselves in the position of God knowing us?

Context of the Verses:

Let’s look at the context of Jesus’ Words. These verses come at the end of what we call ‘The Sermon on the Mount’ (which consumes all of Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7, so read it all). These verses come nearly at the end of Jesus’ message, in the midst of teachings about ‘the narrow gate’, ‘false prophets and good and bad fruit’ and ‘putting Jesus’ Word into practice’.

So, these verses come towards the end of Jesus’ message. He is giving this warning, don’t deceive yourselves, v21 ‘DO THE WILL OF THE FATHER’! and in His final Words in verses 24 to 27(read about building on the rock and not upon the sand) about not just hearing His Word but PUTTING HIS WORD INTO PRACTICE.

My second point:

2) Are we just hearer of the Word or do we put Jesus’ Words into practise?

Now how are we to understand v22 ‘Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord , Lord , did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ It seems they are doing the Word of God??? I have said in a previous blog that Jesus still honours His name through them even though He doesn’t know them. I think that sounds like a load of gobbligook! I am coming to the conclusion that these people in v22 know (about) the Word of God and are in a setting (ie: a church) and OTHERS are DOING the Word of God and therefore are saying to Jesus ‘didn’t WE‘ do these things instead of ‘didn’t I‘ do these things. So these verses (I believe) are for those who hear the Word of God and are deceiving themselves about their relationship with God. They aren’t LIVING His Word and DOING His will and are somehow thinking they are going to enter Heaven by association with others (that are doing His will). How many people would think that way?…

Jesus says ‘MANY will say didn’t we…’

There’s so much more I need to say but….

I’ve got to go to work 🙂

Lord, allow your Word to speak to us today!

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Repent, Be Cleansed and Arise!

Posted in Christian, Christianity, tagged , , , on June 26, 2008| Leave a Comment »

Two scriptures from Isaiah today.  One about (in my words) God’s people ‘playing church’ and being ‘religious’ and God calling them to repentance and cleansing.  And the other about God’s people arising (waking up) and being His light to the nations and His glory shining through them!

Isaiah 1:10-20
10 Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the law of our God,you people of Gomorrah! 11 “The multitude of your sacrifices — what are they to me?” says the LORD.”I have more than enough of burnt offerings,of rams and the fat of fattened animals;I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. 12 When you come to appear before me,who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? 13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations — I cannot bear your evil assemblies. 14 Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts my soul hates .They have become a burden to me;I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood; 16 wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, 17 learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless,plead the case of the widow.
18 “Come now, let us reason together,”says the LORD.”Though your sins are like scarlet,they shall be as white as snow;though they are red as crimson,they shall be like wool. 19 If you are willing and obedient,you will eat the best from the land; 20 but if you resist and rebel,you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the LORD has spoken. NIV

Isaiah 60:1-22
“Arise, shine, for your light has come,and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. 2 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples,but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. 3 Nations will come to your light,and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
4 “Lift up your eyes and look about you:All assemble and come to you;your sons come from afar,and your daughters are carried on the arm. 5 Then you will look and be radiant,your heart will throb and swell with joy;the wealth on the seas will be brought to you,to you the riches of the nations will come. 6 Herds of camels will cover your land,young camels of Midian and Ephah.And all from Sheba will come,bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the LORD. 7 All Kedar’s flocks will be gathered to you,the rams of Nebaioth will serve you;they will be accepted as offerings on my altar,and I will adorn my glorious temple.
8 “Who are these that fly along like clouds,like doves to their nests? 9 Surely the islands look to me;in the lead are the ships of Tarshish, bringing your sons from afar,with their silver and gold,to the honor of the LORD your God,the Holy One of Israel,for he has endowed you with splendor.
10 “Foreigners will rebuild your walls,and their kings will serve you.Though in anger I struck you,in favor I will show you compassion. 11 Your gates will always stand open,they will never be shut, day or night,so that men may bring you the wealth of the nations — their kings led in triumphal procession. 12 For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish;it will be utterly ruined.
13 “The glory of Lebanon will come to you,the pine, the fir and the cypress together,to adorn the place of my sanctuary;and I will glorify the place of my feet. 14 The sons of your oppressors will come bowing before you;all who despise you will bow down at your feet and will call you the City of the LORD,Zion of the Holy One of Israel.
15 “Although you have been forsaken and hated ,with no one traveling through,I will make you the everlasting pride and the joy of all generations. 16 You will drink the milk of nations and be nursed at royal breasts.Then you will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior,your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. 17 Instead of bronze I will bring you gold,and silver in place of iron.Instead of wood I will bring you bronze,and iron in place of stones.I will make peace your governor and righteousness your ruler. 18 No longer will violence be heard in your land,nor ruin or destruction within your borders,but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise. 19 The sun will no more be your light by day,nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,for the LORD will be your everlasting light,and your God will be your glory. 20 Your sun will never set again,and your moon will wane no more;the LORD will be your everlasting light,and your days of sorrow will end. 21 Then will all your people be righteous and they will possess the land forever.They are the shoot I have planted,the work of my hands,for the display of my splendor. 22 The least of you will become a thousand,the smallest a mighty nation.I am the LORD;in its time I will do this swiftly.” NIV

May the Lord speak to us through His Word.

Steve

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