There are five things to be excited about walking with God: Forgiveness, Purpose, building Character in our lives, Peace, and Security.

You can’t have peace until you have the Prince of Peace. Peace is the result of reconciliation. To reconcile is to bring back together that which has been separated. We were reconciled to God because of the sacrifice Jesus made when he offered himself as the sacrificial lamb of God. What was the price Jesus paid to reconcile the scale of God’s righteous justice? He was beaten with rods and whipped with a scourge; a cat-o-nine tails that ripped his flesh from his body. He bore his cross. He was nailed to the torture stake. For he who knew no sin was made the perfect sin sacrifice on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in him.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed, “If there be any other way, let this cup (of suffering, humiliation, and death) pass from me. Nevertheless not my will, but thine be done.” To realize the worth of our reconciliation to God, we must realize the value that God placed on our atonement… the price of the innocent sinless blood of his only begotten Son.

We have peace with God because we have been reconciled to God. When we were born the first time, the sin nature that we inherited from Adam separated us from God. The scale of God’s righteous justice was reconciled because Jesus Christ shed his innocent blood as full payment for our sin. At the crucifixion, the Roman soldiers did not take his life. Rather, Jesus willingly laid down his life… According to Romans 5: But God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us… And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. (For) where sin abounded grace abounded much more. So that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For he who knew no sin became the perfect sin sacrifice on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in him.”

According to Colossians 1:20-22, And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself… And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight.

When we practice the presence of God, when we meditate on his Word day and night, we will walk in fellowship with God, his son Jesus Christ, and one another in the household of faith. In John 16 Jesus said, “I have told you these things that even though you will have tribulation in this world, take heart, for I have overcome the world.” According to Hebrews “let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross and is set down upon the right hand of God.”

Because of the payment he made on our behalf Jesus said, “My peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. Not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” In Romans 8 Paul exhorts us: there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit. For what the (Old Testament) law could not do in that it was weak in the flesh, God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit.

Because of the priceless payment of the innocent blood of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, we have been reconciled to God. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

May God richly bless you.
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

By Divine Design

In Matthew 24, the disciples asked Jesus how they could recognize the signs of his second coming. When we look back through the perspective of human history, we must keep in mind His Story, the story of Jesus Christ from the heavenly perspective of the Word of God. The first point of the Gospel is that the nature of man is sinful, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We were born with the sinful nature that we inherited from Adam. God originally designed Adam according to his own spiritual nature. Adam’s spirit of God died the day that he disobeyed God by eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The fallen nature of the flesh that we inherited from Adam is opposed to God’s spiritual nature. However, when we were born again, God created within us a new spiritual nature. The new nature of the spirit that we inherited when we were born again allows us to see heaven and to perceive the contrast between the sinful nature of the flesh and the righteous nature of the spirit of God in Christ in us. If we, having been born again, don’t have eternity in our hearts by setting our affections on things above, we cannot understand God’s eternal perspective.

According to Ephesians Chapter 2: And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

When the crisis comes and courage is required, God expects his men to have such confidence in Him that they will be the dependable ones. They will have the peace that passes all understanding and the joy that cannot be stolen. They are the ones who are willing to sacrifice for the good of others. This is the example of our Lord Jesus Christ who looked evil in the face and acknowledged his mission that he came not to condemn the world but rather to shed his innocent blood that the world through him might be saved.

When Saint Thomas Moore was sentenced to death for his faithful stand, he said to his executioner, “thank you for sending me to my father.” He understood the purpose for which God designed him. As the Apostle Paul said,” I press toward the mark of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus.” According to Micah 6:8, “But what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”

The devil’s purpose is the exact opposite of God’s design for our lives. Jesus said, “the Thief cometh not but for to steal and to kill and to destroy. I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.” Our adversary the devil was a murderer and a liar from the beginning. This is the nature of the adversary and the fallen nature that we inherited from Adam. The natural man cannot help but sin… it’s hard wired into the fallen nature of the flesh. Before we were born again, we were slaves to sin because we had no choice. We were held captive to the flesh and to the adversary’s destructive purpose.

Having been born again, when Jesus asks us if we are willing to follow him, our answer like Peter’s is, “where else can we go.” Since we were born again, how can we who are dead to sin live any longer therein? I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back… no turning back. We have been called to the body of Christ and into the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. Jesus Christ has called us to be his dependable ones for such a time as this. According to Ephesians 4, we have been called as fittings within the body of Christ fitly framed together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth according to the effectual working of every part to the edifying of the body in love. We need Godly men in our life to see us through the tribulations of life… men who put Jesus first despite the confusion and disillusionment of this world of Vanity Faire. As we look back over the years, we need to appreciate those whom God has called to surround us and to influence our lives. Talk is cheap. You can fake caring but you can’t fake showing up. Disappointment is the result of failing to meet God and those he has called at the appointed time.

You teach what you know but you reproduce who you are. Who are you in Christ? Jesus has called men whose heart’s desire is to be just like their master… his hands behind our hands, his feet behind our feet, his eyes behind our eyes, his heart behind our heart. Jesus answered the rich young ruler who asked, “what must I do to be saved?” He said you have a problem with materialism. You need to go and sell everything that you have, give the proceeds to the poor, and come and follow me.” The first and greatest commandment is “thou shall have no other gods between your face and my face.” What comes between me and God? To approach the throne of God I must forsake myself, and approach the holy of holies with a humble, broken and contrite heart.

To be excited about following Christ, we need to understand that God is doing everything to build Christ’s character into our life. Seek and ye shall find… when the student is ready the teacher will come. We can come to him the hard way or the easy way. We can be brought to our knees by the trials and the tribulations of this world or we can come willingly with personal abandonment and absolute trust. This is the essence of faith. Can you trust God with your career, your spouse, your children, your worldly possessions? What must God do to teach us that all I have is thine… Jesus said that he who loses his life for my sake shall find it. The last beattitude says, “blessed are they when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you for my sake for great is your reward in heaven.”

The world’s way is diametrically opposed to the Word’s way. Choose ye this day whom ye will serve… as for me and my house, we will serve the lord. As long as we can pray, we will always have strength to shine as lights in this world of darkness. Our prayer must be, Lord not my will but thine be done.

What is the purpose for which God designed me? It is he who has made us and not we ourselves. We are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Be thankful unto him and bless his name… For he who knew no sin was made the perfect sin sacrifice on our behalf, that we may be made the righteousness of God in Him. God has designed us according to his Divine purpose… to the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he has made us acceptable in the beloved.

May God richly bless you.
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Behind Enemy Lines

God calls his men to retreat in order to advance in the midst of the spiritual battle. The Lord says that apart from me you can do nothing. According to Psalm 46:1, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble. John 17 is the account of our Lord’s prayer. This prayer reveals the heart of our Lord Jesus Christ as our high priest. The High Priest is the one who is ordained to speak directly to God on behalf of God’s people. Jesus’ high priestly prayer is his prayer of intercession on behalf of those whom God elected in his foreknowledge to be disciples of Christ:

These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them. And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one…

I in thee and thee in me. God sent his only begotten son so that God’s elect could witness the truth of the word of God made flesh. He came as the rose of heaven, trampled underfoot. He came into the devil’s enemy territory to show the world that he who knew no sin may be made the sacrifice for sinful man. He came to show that in our flesh dwelleth no good thing. We know what it means to declare our independence from God’s will for our lives. There is none good, no not one. Jesus came behind enemy lines to substitute his life for our sins… to deliver us from the power of the evil one. Jesus was resolute in this mission and was not to be dissuaded. He chose twelve ordinary men and called them to a mysterious mission to be fishers of men. They followed him because of his calling. They were not the cream of the crop. He chose them not because they were accomplished but because of what he could accomplish in them and through them. He called them not to deliver the mission but to be the mission. God calls the world’s rejects to become the righteousness of God in him.

America idealizes independence and values the worldly ideal of the enemy’s aspiration of the “self made man.” However, the message of God’s grace is that apart from me, you can do nothing. We’re on a mission and a pilgrimage: Ephesians 2:19 says that you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but ye are fellow citizens of heaven with the saints and of the household of God. According to 2 Corinthians 5, ye are ambassadors for Christ. As ambassadors, we are called as the highest ranking officials sent from our homeland to represent heaven, our home country in the midst of a wicked and perverse nation. In Romans 12, since we are not of this world, God exhorts us, “don’t be squeezed into the world’s mold, but be transformed by the “upward renewing” of your mind.

We are in the world but are not of the world. Therefore, according to John 17, our joy is not in the things of this world. Our Joy is not contingent on circumstances and situations. Rather, our joy is in him… it is a joy that cannot be taken away… it is the joy found in the presence of God and the promises of God that he will never leave us or forsake us. Our joy is in the things above and not in the things of the flesh and of this earth. Our joy is in the truth of the Word that defines who we are and whose we are. Therefore, covet not the things of this world, for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of things which he posesseth. Rather, covet earnestly the best gifts. For though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels and have not the love of God in the renewed mind in manifestation, I am nothing. God has not called us to an easy escapism. Rather, he has called us to love the unloveable. God has not called us to rejoice in the comforts of the flesh. He said blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake, for great is your reward in heaven. Our joy is not of this world… rather our joy is in our heavenly homeland where Christ dwells on the right hand of God.

Behind enemy lines, the adversary is lurking to steal, kill, and destroy us physically, mentally, and spiritually. He is the accuser of the brethren: Behind enemy lines we will be accused falsely. The adversary makes us despised as the dregs of the world. However, this world is not my home… I’m just a-passing through. God has called us to his front lines in the charge of the light brigade. He has also called us to rest and retreat in him behind enemy lines. He has called us to be strengthened and refreshed… God’s recreation (re-creation) on the new day. We are called as a peculiar people to be distinctively different… to be outliers from this world of darkness.. Christians have enjoyed the applause of Americans for about 250 years. These days are over. Christians are now persecuted for being “politically incorrect.” However we must realize that to be politically correct according to our heavenly homeland is to be politically incorrect in a world of darkness. Until we reach heaven, we are behind enemy lines. When the crisis comes, God has called us to have such confidence in him that we will be the dependable ones to wield the light of the Word of God in the midst of the darkness of a fallen world.

Before we can reach the world for Christ, we must reach our own hearts for Christ. For he who knew no sin was made the perfect sin sacrifice on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in him. Our refuge and our rest is only in him. He is our mighty fortress to whom we must retreat. After retreating, our charge is to be his ambassadors… to pray ye in Christ stead, be ye reconciled to God. God has called his men for such a time as this.

May God richly bless you.
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

God Loves You My Muslim Friend

Samy Tanagho wrote a book entitled “Good News! God Loves You My Muslim Friend” to minister to Muslims. Samy’s calling is to speak logically and convincingly about the Glad Tidings of the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who follow the teachings of Mohammed in the Qu’ran. Samy’s book answers devout Muslims’ sincere questions about Jesus Christ and Christianity. Today God is opening doors of witness to those of the Muslim faith. There are 500,000 Muslims in Orange County and over 1 million in Los Angeles County. Worldwide, one quarter of the world’s population is Muslim.

The attacks on 9/11 were the devil’s ploy to turn our hearts against Muslims. The devil’s diversionary attack was to deceive us into thinking that the battle is against Muslim extremists instead of against the devil himself and spiritual wickedness from on high. In our “politically correct” culture, most Muslims have never had a chance to hear about the truth of the Good News of Jesus Christ from the Word of God. For Jesus came not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved.

When Muslims ask, “How can Jesus be the son of God?” they are asking a sincere question. They have never been presented the logic of Christianity. Our churches need to be equipped to answer their questions. There are many points of agreement between the Qu’ran and the Bible. Muslims and Christians believe that Abraham was the father of both faiths. Muslims question why a loving God would ask Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. The purpose of God’s challenge to Abraham to offer his son Isaac was to prove that Abraham was willing to sacrifice his most precious earthly possession. Both faiths emphasize that “Thou must worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve.” Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac was an illustration of God’s willing sacrifice of his only begotten son Jesus Christ as a sacrifice for our own sins. Sincere Muslims will understand this logic. Devout Muslims want to obey God’s will and prove their faithfulness to him.

Cultural thoughts and connections are important, especially when trying to connect with those who were thought to think and relate differently than we do. According to Genesis 16:11, God promised a son to Hagar. According to Genesis 21, God heard Ishmael’s mother Hagar crying. God saved the lives of both Hagar and Ishmael. God promised that he would make Ishmael a great nation. I Chronicles 1:28 lists Ishmael’s genealogies. 1 Chronicles 21:13-17 links Kedar, Ishmael’s grandson to the Arab people. Isaiah 60:7 is a prophesy about Kedar’s flocks. According to this significant prophecy about Ismael and his seed, God will accept Kedar’s flocks and rams as offerings on His altar. In John 8:16 Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. I have other sheep that are not of this sheepfold (of Israel), I will bring them also. They will listen to my voice and there will be one flock with one shepherd.” According to Jeremiah 49:38-39, the people of Elam (Iranian Muslims) will come back captive to the Lord.

Muslims need to hear the message in their own language. According to Isaiah 19 verses 21 and 25 God said, “blessed is Egypt my people and Assria the work of my hands and Israel my inheritance.” In Acts 2, the Arab people were evangelized in their own language at Pentecost… they were witnesses of the outpouring of the holy spirit at the birthday of the Church of grace. In Revelation 5:9… the promise of God is redemption out of every tribe and every tongue.

God is working to attract Muslims to himself. Muslims are taught to openly display their emotions and God has called us to appeal to their emotions. Their culture and traditions teach them to live and behave passionately and from the heart. Sincere Muslims are seeking for a meaningful relationship with God. However, they have not been taught that God is a God of love. They have not been shown that Jesus Christ is the Way the Truth and the Life.

The Quran references the Bible and says that the Bible is the Word of God. The Qu’ran instructs Mohammed (and all Muslims) in Surah 10:94 to treat the Bible as the primary source of enlightenment: “If thou (Muhammed) were in doubt as to what We (God) have revealed unto thee, then ask those who have been reading the Book from before thee…” It is clear from this verse that in the event of any doubt about certain revelations in the Qu’ran, Muhammed is instructed to consult with the Christians and Jews who have been reading the Holy Scriptures. Most Muslims are thirsty to hear form God through his Word. The best way to defeat your enemy is to make him your friend. Our battle is not against Muslims, rather our battle is against the devil himself and the powers of wickedness from on high. “God Loves You My Muslim Friend” is a book available in several languages to introduce Muslims to Christ and to equip Christians to effectively witness to our Muslim friends. This book is available through the web site www.gladnewsministry.com. According to Ephesians 4:11-12 God gave his church apostles, evangelists, pastors, and teachers for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. The fields are white and ready for harvest… our prayer is that we may be called to gather in the harvest of his people in this the fertile field to which he has called us.

May God richly bless you,
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Ambassadors for Christ

The life of a Christian is filled with pitfalls and dangers in a world of darkness. To navigate the spiritual battlefield, we must keep our eyes, our hearts and our thoughts illuminated by the light of the Word of God. In Matthew 24 Jesus spoke about the signs of his return. He said it would be like the days of Noah. For over 100 years Noah warned the people of the impending flood, yet only eight people were saved in the ark. God always warns his people about the coming judgement. In Matthew 13, Jesus quoting from Isaiah said, “people will be ever hearing but never understanding, they will be ever seeing but never perceiving.” They may come to hear a great sermon. They hear but do not practice my words. Hearing they do not hear, and seeing they do not see. Many will fall away through trial and tribulation but he who calls upon the name of the Lord and endures to the end will be saved.

Often we see only in retrospect God’s hand of blessing, grace, and mercy. Although spiritual hindsight is 20/20, we must also understand the long view of the long and winding road of life that he has prepared for us. In Acts, Jesus said, you shall receive power after the holy spirit has come upon you. In the western world, if you can’t see it in the physical realm, then it must not exist. However, according to the Word, there is a spiritual reality behind the physical reality. Jesus had trained his disciples for over two and a half years. Their calling was to preach and teach the gospel of the resurrection. Therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh but according to the spirit. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness from on high. Second Timothy 2:26 says those of the world are held captive by the devil against their wills. It’s easy to justify sin according to the flesh. However, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creature, old things are passed away and all things are become new. In 2 Corinthians 5, we have been committed the Word of reconciliation and have been given the ministry of reconciliation. We have been called to reconcile God’s people back to him. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ. Therefore we pray ye in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he who knew no sin became the perfect sin sacrifice on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in him.

Why is Christianity growing around the world but there is no growth in the church in the United States? Why did God send fire as a sign from heaven in Fuji? Why was the crime rate in one city so low that after 8 months they had to close down the jails? God called his people to be new creatures in Christ, having torn down the veil to the holy of holies, so that his children could have direct access to the living God. He did not call us to build a building, rather he has made each of us a temple of the holy spirit, Gods dwelling place. According to 2 Chronicles 7:14, If my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

God called us first to declare his excellency. Our calling is not to be loyal to the “church.” Rather our call is to be loyal to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. People need Jesus Christ before they need the church. We’re born again into the body of Christ, not into the local denomination. “Churchianity” can be a bloody battlefield. Only Jesus Christ is the perfect pastor. Although the assembly of God’s people is good thing, God has called his men first to be ministers in their own homes to their own families. Going to Church is like going to the grocery store. You stock up on a week’s worth of food, but you bring it home to share it with your family. Our relationship with our families is a personal moment by moment intimate fellowship. God’s exhortation is to feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not of necessity, but willingly, not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind.

In our culture, the question is, “has the church influenced the culture or has the culture influenced the church?” In order to win the world do you have to be like the world? According to Romans 12, we are not to be squeezed into the world’s mold… be not conformed to the world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of the mind.

Our job is to rebuild the family altar… to put God first in our homes where fellowship is central. We have been called to build our homes as an embassy for God’s kingdom in a world of darkness. The embassy is where the ambassador lives. The ambassador is the highest ranking government official sent from his home government to a foreign land to represent his homeland. The embassy is a piece of the ambassador’s homeland in a foreign realm. As ambassadors in our neighborhoods, God has called us to represent the kingdom of heaven. Our homes are embassies… outposts of heaven in the kingdom of darkness. The calling is not to change the worldly government but rather to change men’s hearts by bringing a peace treaty from the Prince of Peace. As ambassadors, our job is to love one another as Christ loved the church.

Revival is not “changing the world.” Revival starts with changing our hearts and our families. Revival is a one on one exponential explosion to the power of three. Jesus did not change the world by ministering to the thousands. He called 12 disciples to be “fishers of men.” Who are your three and who are your twelve? As fishers of men God called his disciples to be “nodes in the network of his fishing net.” The first step is to pray for your neighborhood. Then knock on your neighbors’ doors to see who’s hungry for prayer and fellowship. We’re looking for those who say, “you’re an answer to my prayer for God to send someone to tell me about Jesus Christ.” We have been called as his ambassadors to serve, not to be served. As ambassadors of our heavenly homeland, our mission is this, “ask not what my country can do for me, ask what I can do for my country.”

May God richly bless you.
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Tough Questions… Tougher Answers

Jesus took three years of his precious life to disciple twelve men. They had the honor of walking with him to witness up close and personally the way the truth and the life. You’re most like the ones with whom you spend time… the ones with whom you associate. Who are your three and who are your twelve? Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful, but his delight is in the law of the lord and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

When Jesus taught his disciples, he asked them the hard questions… penetrating questions to see if they understood the walk and the talk. The lesson of Matthew Chapter 8 is that when the crisis comes, and courage is required, God expects his disciples to be his reliable ones who stand strong in the Lord in the face of the storms of life. This is the essence of life in a fallen world. The crisis reveals our character and our faith. The crisis is our training to test our faith so that our faith may grow. Adversity and failure prepare us to trust not in the power of our own might, but rather in his strength alone. The man of God is the one who is faithful to rise to the challenge and to learn from the lessons of adversity. The account of the storm in Matthew 28 occurs after Jesus healed the Centurion’s servant. Jesus marveled at the faith of the Centurion because he said to Jesus, you don’t need to come minister to my servant, just say the Word, and he will be healed. In Matthew 8:23 Jesus was asleep in the boat while the storm raged across the Sea of Galilee. The disciples were terrified and awoke Jesus. Jesus said, “why are you so afraid, O ye of little faith?” Is the storm you confront, bigger than the God whom you profess to believe? God always proves himself in the midst of the storms of life. Don’t tell God how big your storm is, rather, tell the storm how big your God is. The more helpless we are, the more God’s grace and mercy covers for our weakness. We must become child-like in our believing: Jesus said, “Suffer the little children to come unto me for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” On our own there is no way that we can approach the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Turning from my own strength unto his strength is the meaning of repentance. I must decrease that he may increase. One of the hardest questions is, “do you want to spend the rest of your life learning to become just like him?” If the answer is yes, you will be tested by trials and tribulations. Crisis and calamity strike suddenly and without warning. Our hearts must have been prepared in advance. Jesus rebuked the waves and the raging storm when he said, “peace be still.” Who is this man that even the winds and sea obey him? The crises in life ask the great questions of life. Little crises are the tests for the bigger crises. He that is faithful in that which is least shall be faithful also in much. According to 2 Timothy 3:16, The Word of God is profitable for reproof and correction once we have heard the doctrine of how to believe rightly. The purpose is that the man of God may be perfect… perfected through and through unto all good works.

There are two types of storms: Storms of correction and storms of perfection. The disciples had already obeyed Jesus who had said, “let’s get in the boat and go to the other side.” They were within the will of God when the storm came. When God asks us to follow him, there are four levels of obedience: 1. I’ll do what God wants me to do if it lines up with what I want to do. 2. I’ll do what God wants me to do if he’ll do what I want him to do. 3. I’ll do what he wants me to do as long as I’m comfortable and it’s convenient. 4. I’ll do whatever you want me to do Lord, because I want to be just like Jesus. If you choose door number four, the storms of life will rage. These are the storms of perfection. According to James 1:3-4, “Knowing this, that the trying of your patience worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” Jesus said, “You must take up your cross daily and follow me.” Wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction. However, Straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth to life, and few there be that find it. Only Jesus Christ is the way the truth and the life. He said, “no man cometh to the father except by me.” Those who choose to follow him are a peculiar people, a royal priesthood, an holy nation. We’re outliers from this world as citizens of heaven. Nations of this world will come and go but the our heavenly homeland abideth forever. We’ve been redeemed from the bondage of this fallen world, having been reconciled to God through the finished work of his son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

What is the storm raging in your life today? My times are in thy hands… God’s question to his men is, “no matter the storms of life, will you still purpose in your heart to love me and to serve me?” Are you a man of God absolutely? I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice holy (and wholly) acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Are you all in? Take my life and let it be consecrated Lord to thee…

May God richly bless you.
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Get Real

Are you living in reality, or are you just holding on to your possessions? Are you playing with fake “Monopoly money” or are you investing in eternity? He is not a fool who loses what he cannot keep to keep that which he cannot lose. What endures? Jesus said, “He who loses his life for my sake shall find it.” For that which is seen is temporal, but that which is unseen is eternal. According to Ephesians 5, “let no man deceive you with empty words.” Galations 6:7 says, “Be not deceived, God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Are we able in our own power to access God’s throne of grace? There is a fine line between empty words and confession of our Lord Jesus Christ which gives us access to God’s holy of holies only through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Many men major in “theology.” Theology is the study of God. However, who am I to study God? Henry could study the Ford but the Ford could not study Henry. From God’s perspective, it is He that hath made us and not we ourselves. Therefore, beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the cunning craftiness of this world and not after Christ. We are not here to “study God,” Rather, we’re here to live by the believing faith of the gospel of Jesus Christ which is the power of God unto salvation. Jesus said, the gospel is the good news –that the kingdom of God is at hand. There is a battle raging between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the prince of the power of the air. Jesus said, “Upon this rock (of truth) I will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” The devil is the father of all lies. However, Jesus is the Truth of the Word of God in manifestation. If you know the truth, the truth will set you free. Our authority in Truth is the same promise that God gave Joshua: “be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with you whithersoever thou goest.” According to Romans, we are more than conquerers through him who loved us.

God has called us as his emissaries to represent his kingdom in a foreign land. This world is not my home, we’re representatives of our heavenly homeland, for we are citizens of heaven. Now then, we are ambassadors of Christ, walking in this world according to the authority we have been given by our Lord to represent our homeland in a crooked and perverse nation among whom we shine as lights in this world. Therefore, we are called not only to deliver the message, but also to be the message: We pray you in Christ’s stead, be reconciled to God. We have not been called to overcome the world. We have not been called to condemn the world, but to deliver the message of reconciliation. This is the message of salvation by grace alone through faith alone through Christ alone. For he who knew no sin was made the perfect sin sacrifice on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in him. According to Romans 8, “who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? Shall tribulation or nakedness or famine or peril or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us… for I am persuaded that neither life, not death, nor Angels, nor principalities,nor powers, nor dominions nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Our challenge is this: get real. Reality is not in the things of this world. It is not in the physical battles of this s present life. Reality is only in Him… the things of this world will soon be passed, only that which is done in Christ will last. Therefore be thankful into him and bless his name. For the Lord is good, his mercy is everlasting, and his Truth endureth to all generations.

May God richly bless you.
Your brother in Christ,

Michael