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"Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19

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Inextricable. Ephesians 2:10

May 23, 2020 /
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair. ~ G.K. Chesterton

Merriam Webster defines Inextricable this way: incapable of being disentangled or untied; not capable of being solved. We beloved, our life in Christ and the gifts born from it, a grand, vibrant, eternal visual of this very definition…

I recently read a quote by Charles Spurgeon that said this concerning Christians and what links us—past, present, and future. There are many chosen ones who have not yet believed in Christ, and the Church cannot be one till these are saved. These chosen ones are to believe — that is a work of grace, but they are to believe through our word. If you would promote the unity of Christ’s Church, look after His lost sheep. If you ask what is to be your word, the answer is in the text — it is to be concerning Christ. They are to believe in Him. Every soul that believes in Christ is built into the great gospel unity in its measure.

This is how I hear Jesus saying this in the Book of Revelation—His Revelation to us. “But they have gained the victory over him because of the blood of the Lamb and of the testimony which they have borne, and because they held their lives cheap and did not shrink even from death” –Revelation 12:11. Recognizing fully they would have no testimony—I wouldn’t either, neither, my Christian brother or sister, would you, except through our being chosen in Christ Jesus! Our testimony a direct result of our relationship. No Jesus—no salvation—no testimony! That is exactly what Paul is telling us in his two preceding verses, listen: “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.” –Ephesians 2:8-9. Equally then, we cannot boast of the “good things” we do as a result of this salvation—the two as inextricably linked as the mystical bond that exists between the Trinity from which they were born. One bible commentator had this to say concerning what Paul is telling us in these verses: It is here (in these verses) that we see the glorious power in the faith that He has given to us. Paul’s argument is straightforward. If we are saved, then we are saved to live out good works such as Christ would do. Paul is expanding the notion of what it means to be raised up together with Christ. Christ lives through our lives in the power of the Holy Spirit.

We have become, in Him—God’s poiēma, His artwork…

Today’s Scripture verse refers to us as God’s masterpiece—this is Truth, we are. Yet, it is only when we see ourselves through the eyes of Scripture, through the eyes of God’s Truth, that we’re able to see ourselves clearly. When we allow the Truth of who and what God says we are to overtake and fully silence our fleshly voice, that of the lying, life-stealing voice of the enemy of our soul, too—only then may we begin to see ourselves as that masterpiece our God sees each time He looks at us. Unless that is, we choose to continue seeing ourselves instead, as one of Picasso’s cubist portraits. A disjoined—distorted version of that which is beautifully and wonderfully made, in God’s eyes.“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well” –Psalm 139:14-15. Since the Word, which cannot lie, tells us that we know this “very well”, our continuing to believe anything else makes Christ a liar…

“What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar…” Romans 3:3-4

Beloved, we are quite literally connected. You and me and him and her and them way over there on the opposite end of the globe. On the opposite end of the pew—in Christ Jesus. Both in our salvation and our common predestination to do these good works God has for us to do.  Each of us chosen by God—saved in Christ—specifically for this purpose. In light of this, I lift you up today. I pray you will finish your course well.“So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 1:11-12.

If we share the same Father beloved than you are my brother. Period. Each of us using what we have been freely given, our testimony, gifts, and talents. Spending our energy, the entirety of the gift of time, to be used by God. These good works given us by God, no more our own than our salvation is. Neither can be accomplished simply because we will it or wish them to be. Paul makes this abundantly clear throughout this second chapter of Ephesians.“Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us. “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward” –Mark 9:38-41.

Nothing of Kingdom value will be gained by our being envious of each other’s giftings either. Rather, God’s will is accomplished through our gifts as we support, uphold each other, encouraging and rejoicing over them as the incredibly unique and essential treasures they are. Blessings each to His Universal Body. These seeds, placed in our belly, your belly—before the foundation of the world. That at just the right moment—God might have His Holy Spirit hover over them as surely as He hovered over Mary. Calling forth life He alone intended to birth through us. “Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.… Genesis 1:1-3. Let Him who has ears hear what the Spirit is saying here…

This free, incomprehensible gift of salvation was not given us to keep to ourselves—God forbid! Some bag of treasure we bury so as not to lose track of it. Having been entrusted with it at all, it empowers us to be the very hands and feet of Jesus, thus aiding in its multiplication. Affording us then, the divine privilege of investing every ounce of what we’ve been given, in another. Listen to how Jesus says it in the Parable of the Talents. “For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away” –Matthew 25:29.

Beloved, as God’s masterpieces, we are called to imitate Him. To love this world as our great TeacherJesus did. As God did. Both willing to lay down their absolute best for, “whosoever will.” Since we carry some spark of this Divine within us, let us then lay down our best. hat which Jesus died to give us and that which God weaved into us for such a time as this. Pouring the very last drop of them both out—in love, for the sake of our God, and those He has called us to reach. “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction” –2 Timothy 4:1-2.

Friend, if you have read this far and do not know this Jesus personally, know this: There are no coincidences. You are not here by accident—God is holding His hand out to you. Take it, please… “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—” John 1:12.

Rescued. Zechariah 3:2

February 8, 2020 /
“The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?”

You beloved are that burning stick that has been snatched from the fire. A sinner saved by His amazing grace! Like Joshua before you, you have been washed clean—made new by the sacrificial shedding of Blood. The Blood of the Spotless Lamb, Jesus, shed on your behalf. If that is, you have accepted Him as your Lord and Savior…

Entering into any meaningful and lasting relationship requires our being intentional; a deep consideration of our willingness to commit. It is a deliberate and highly personal choice born from a wanting to share and grow, exchange and receive, with another. It’s one built on a foundation of sacrifice and service to another or others; come what may. It’s a conscious laying down of one’s life, born out of genuine love for the well-being of the other. In this same sense, entering into a relationship with Jesus is no different. However, it, above all other relationships, must be birthed from a deep desire to connect with this God more intimately than with any other person. Understanding this: once that relationship has been established, you’re then set apart to serve God and His people. And, then, to spend a joy-filled eternity with Him. You, beloved, though your sins demanded it, will not spend an eternity in hell; that place of separation and torment that was neither created nor intended for you or any man. It was created for Satan, and all those fallen angels who followed him in his rebellion against God—Matthew 25:41.

You, my fellow believers, are now ministers of the Most High God. Those chosen to be royal priests. And, yet, even though you are the King’s kid still, His ownership of you stands above your service to Him. Your priesthood—your role in ministering before the Lord exists solely because He alone has bestowed its use and service, its privilege and anointing, upon you.

Ah! I have my filthy garments on. I cannot pray to Him. I cannot praise Him as I would.” I know what it is to come and preach to you sometimes, and to feel such an overwhelming sense of my own unworthiness, that, were it not, “Woe unto me if I do not preach the gospel,” I would not come on this platform again, for it is hard to feel that your garments are defiled even while endeavoring to be God’s mouth to men—Charles Spurgeon.

Friends, we cannot curry the favor of God. There’s not one thing we can do to “earn our spot.” Earn His love for us. His forgiveness. Not-one-single-thing. Without God’s mercy and His election of us, take away His unfathomable love for us; our sins demanded that we spend eternity in the hell created for Satan and his band of fallen angels; separated eternally from God. As all those who deliberately chose to rebel against Him—deny Him, will. Not popular, I know. But it’s the Truth, nonetheless. “For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?”  —1 Peter 4:17. Now, with that knowledge ever before us, may we be about working out our salvation with fear and trembling. Never forgetting the very heart of the words cried out by our brother, Paul. “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death…? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” —Romans 7:24. May this be our cry too, brothers and sisters. May we, like Joshua and Paul, and a remnant of the nation of Israel before us—like every saint that has been or is yet to come, never lose sight of how—by whose power it is, we either stand or fall; least we begin to think too highly of ourselves and risk being humbled by our Lord. My true position, as a Christian, is to be always ministering to God, always standing before His altar. –Charles Spurgeon.

Satan stood at the right hand of the Angel of the Lord accusing Joshua of every sin he and his people had committed. And Satan stands there still, pointing out our sins as well. Accusing all those who dare to believe in The Name above all names! Jesus!

But, here’s the good news, beloved: Jesus Christ has the final Word! He is our great and powerful Intercessor, a priest like Melchizedek. “He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through him, because he always lives to make intercession for them” –Hebrews 7:25. There is nothing that Satan can say or do to change the way God sees you. We stand witness to this Truth not only within our Scripture verse today, but this very same Truth permeates the Word of God. Jesus knows everything Satan will use in His attempt to destroy you—to kill you and, He’s got you covered. He’s covered your every sin with His precious Blood. You are now the righteousness of Christ Jesus! Let that sink in for a moment…

When God spoke to Zechariah concerning the forgiveness of Joshua’s sin, the stain on the priesthood, and the sins of the Israelites—you were right there in the center of His heart also; represented in the person of Joshua. You stood there before the Lord in all your sin, with all of your faults and flaws, and, you too were covered by God’s intentions towards you. Your filthy clothes were also removed, you were washed clean and, the raiment of Christ’s righteousness was placed upon you. Covering your guilt and shame, you were cleansed and redressed from head to toe!

Beloved, now, when God looks at you, it is His Son—The Spotless Lamb slain for your sins that He sees.

The rebuke is forcibly applicable to the case in hand. He says, “Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire.” Satan says, “The man’s garments are filthy…” “Well,” says Jesus, “how do you expect them to be otherwise? When you pull a brand out of the fire, do you expect to find it milk-white or polished?” No, it had begun to crack and burn, and though you have plucked it out of the fire, it is in itself still black and charred. So it is with the child of God. What is he at his best? Till he is taken up to heaven, he is nothing, but a brand plucked out of the fire—Charles Spurgeon.

Can you even fathom so great a love, my friends? Whether or not we can wrap our heads around this great Truth, God’s love stands fixed, nonetheless. It ever remains our firm foundation on which to build. “God loves you and He gave His only begotten Son to die for you that you might be restored into right relationship with Him”—John 3:16.

That is the very heart of the Father’s love towards you, beloved.

The Apostle Paul says it this way: Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” He redeemed us so that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit —Galatians 3:13-15.

You have been snatched from the fire to have a relationship with the Father. That you might spend your remaining days running after Him. Seeking Him out. Loving Him and spending time with Him. Desiring Him above all else. Above everyone and every-thing—placing even yourself at the very top of that list of those you are willing to sacrifice up to Jesus. Understanding, somehow, that you are no longer your own. You have been purchased at an exceedingly high price—1 Corinthians 7:23. So, then, be re-minded beloved: Just as Joshua was lovingly and thoroughly cleansed and prepared, so too have you been cleansed. You too are being prepared for something unimaginable beloved; to become the bride of this Christ who came and gave His life in exchange for yours. That’s Good News! The very One who reached into that all-consuming fire and said, “Not this one. This one is my own.” Accordingly, as it was with Joshua and Peter and Noah and Mary, with Paul and John and Father Abraham, brides each, made ready for their wedding day; so too has every detail of your life been, and will forever remain in, the All-Knowing and capable hands of the Father.

He has spared no expense on preparing you for that day that will rival no other. The day you meet Him face to face. That day when your fullness of joy spills out at His feet in loving gratitude, a crown. One of praise and thanksgiving…

I believe each of us needs to stop, from time to time, and reflect on this enormous Truth. To recalibrate, realigning ourselves with our True North. Therefore beloved, if you have forgotten, as we sometimes do, just how deeply you are loved and cherished by God, then please, ask the Holy Spirit to re-mind you. To fill you, once again, with the fullness of His Word concerning His great love for you. May you experience renewal, being re-united with the One it is you belong to; have been betrothed to. The One in whose name you have been called to minister…

 “See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end”—Hebrews 3:12-14.

I like that closing sentence, “And the angel of the LORD stood by.” Oh, yes, we want Him always to stand by. When you have your new garments on, when you wear your mitre, you still want His presence. “Abide with us,” must be our daily prayer. We want still His strength, His comfort, His smile, the help of His arm, the light of His countenance—for if we have Him not, we shall soon slip from our steadfastness, and have reason to stand again, like Joshua, with filthy garments on—Charles Spurgeon.

Friend, if you are here today and have not asked Jesus into your heart know this; God Himself has called you here. These words should be little more than a confirmation. A quickening inside of you that says, “I believe this is God. I believe this is Him answering my question: “God, would you truly love someone like me?” He says yes. Yes, I love you. Yes, I led you here. And no, there is nothing that you have ever done that is so filthy that my Sons Spotless Blood will not wash it clean. Just ask me in and let us begin the journey I have planned for you… 

“The Lord said to the prophet Jeremiah concerning the Israelites, concerning you and me: For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”—Jeremiah 29:11.

“Who Are You?” John 1:19-28

April 30, 2017 /

  

“And this is the testimony of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites to him from Jerusalem to ask him, Who are you? He confessed (admitted the truth) and did not try to conceal it, but acknowledged, I am not the Christ! They asked him, What then? Are you Elijah? And he said, I am not! Are you the Prophet? And he answered, No! Then they said to him, Who are you?…” (John 1:19-22)

The moment we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior our identity is changed. Not outwardly mind you—rather, Spiritually. We are born again. If that confuses you, you’re in good company. Nicodemus, a Pharisee, a teacher of the Law, was equally perplexed (John 3:1-3).

John, known as the Baptist, was called to point all men towards the One who would follow him—but, was not in the least inferior to him. He was called to make all men aware of their sin, and to call them to repent of those sins. Yet, John was different from those of his station. You see, John was born to Zechariah—a priest from the line of Aaron, and from Elizabeth, a relative—the cousin in fact, of Mary, Jesus’ mom. So by all accounts, he should have been found wearing a fine linen tunic and been seen serving inside the splendor and protection of the Temple.

But that’s not where we meet him—God called John—predestining him to be a forerunner. A herald. To be a voice crying out in the wilderness and, that is precisely where we come across him. Clad not in a tunic of fine linen, but rather of rough camel’s hair. In fact, it is safe to say that John was very rough. And not merely in his appearance…

Aside from his severe clothing and wild haired appearance, John also spoke coarsely. Calling those, who perhaps at a different time, would have been his contemporaries, his peers—vipers and hypocrites! You must be dead certain—so to speak, confident, of who you are, and know exactly what it is God has called you to do to be that emboldened—that antagonistic, and impertinently dismissive—of the ruling religious powers of the day! And John was.

He lived to please an audience of One, and only One…

He knew his only mission in life was to prepare the way for the coming of Messiah…

He also knew he was not that Messiah. Nor was he the Prophet Elijah—though in defense of the Pharisees and Priests, John had apparently, somewhat, adopted the appearance of Elijah in that he wore a hair-tunic tied at the waist with a leather belt (2 Kings 1:8). Nor did John consider himself a Prophet. So, when these same authorities came challenging him—asking in whose authority did he rebuke the people, calling them to repent and be baptized, he emphatically stated that his authority came from the One that was standing right in front of them—The One whom their false-piety and high-mindedness would never allow for them to truly see…

John knew both who he was, and who he was not…

He stayed in his own lane—in complete obedience to God’s call on his life—even unto death…

When challenged, concerning your faith, your calling—the work the Lord has placed before you to do, how will you answer? Because, at one time or another, you will be challenged. Are you, like John, rock solid—laser-focused in your certainty of what God has called you to be, or speak, or, to do for the advancement of His Kingdom?

Will you be able to refute others when they challenge your faith or your ministry?

If so how? And by whose authority? What is the basis of the certainty of your calling/ your relationship with Jesus? It, your confidence, should stem from your relationship with the Father. And, to fully grasp His will for your life—you must first know (ginskō, in the Greek; yada, in Hebrew) Him. “Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits” (Dan. 11:32; emphasis my own).

This “Knowing” according to John Rittenbaugh, indicates a close, warm, and even passionate intimacy combined with head knowledge that produces an “edge” in a person’s life. This enables us to trust God and, at the same time, to perceive what He is doing. It is this factor that makes God’s Word authoritative to us.

John had it, this knowing. Jesus Himself confirms that he did, listen to what He tells two of John’s disciples sent to Him for answers: This is the one about whom it is written: “Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way before You. Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist” (Matt.11:10-11).

And, there is yet another—One greater than John, if fact, He is the One John states that He was unworthy to even unlace the sandals of, Jesus—our example. Jesus had the greatest, most pure, form of this knowing of God and His will. “It is He Who, coming after me, is preferred before me, the string of Whose sandal I am not worthy to unloose” (John 1:27).

Jesus too, knew who He was. He was certain of it. As with John Jesus too was certain unto death. And, as with John, it was, in part, the certainty of that knowledge that emboldened Jesus also, to fulfill the will of the One that had called Him—sent Him, predestined Him, to save souls, to draw all men unto Himself, to restore to right relationship to Himself everyone that has, is, and, will ever, go astray…

So, in order to answer the question posed to you today, like John, you must first know Jesus. And, like Jesus—you must know God—His will for your life, starting with His deepest desire. And that is for you to have a relationship with Him. That He be both Lord and Savior of your life.

And that can only happen when you accept Jesus into your heart…

Then, and only then, will you, too, be truly able to state emphatically who you are! “My Father is honored by this, that you bear much fruit and show that you are my disciples” (John 15:8).

And, if you’re reading this and you’re not sure who you are, then I beg you—now, to ask Jesus into your life as both your Lord and Savior. “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” (Romans 10:9-10).

Plainly stated, you will be able to boldly reply to anyone that may ask, who are you? I am a Son/Daughter of The Most High God, saved by His amazing grace…

And that is the most potentially life-changing answer you may ever give to anyone!  Just ask John, or better still, Jesus. “And they overcame him (Satan) because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death” ( Rev.12:11).

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