Inflection Point

It’s easy to be caught up in current events and the affairs of this world. Psalm 73 is an appropriate reflection for our day and time and hour. God has brought us to this point in time so that we can see from His perspective to understand the situations and times of the world around us. Oswald Chambers said, “When the crisis comes and courage is required, God expects his men to have such confidence in Him that they will be the reliable ones.”

The battle raging around us and within us is a spiritual battle. Ephesians 6 says we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness from on high. The battlefield is not for territory or to gain a military advantage against our enemies. Instead it is a battle for hearts and minds. Therefore, in order to fight the spiritual battle, put on the whole armor of God that we may be able to stand in (this) the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

According to Isaiah 55: God’s ways are not our ways and his thoughts are not our thoughts. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so far above our thoughts are His thoughts, and His ways above our ways. As Christian Men of God, our challenge is in Proverbs 3:5-6: Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.

In a time of trial similar to ours, God inspired Asaph, King David’s record keeper and historian to record these words in Psalm 73:
1. TRULY God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.
2. But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped.
3. For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
4. For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm.
5. They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.
6. Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.
7. Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish.
8. They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily.
9. They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.
10. Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them.
11. And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?
12. Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches.
13. Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.
14. For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning.
15. If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children.
16. When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me;
17. Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.
18. Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction.
19. How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.
20. As a dream when one awaketh; so, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image.
21. Thus my heart was grieved, and I was pricked in my reins.
22. So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.
23. Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by my right hand.
24. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.
25. Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.
26. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.
27. For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee.
28. But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.

To look at others is repressing; to look around is distressing; to look in the mirror is depressing; but to look at Jesus is truly blessing. God has a purpose that we don’t see in the world around us. His plan and his purpose will eventually be revealed…. but not now. All things work together for good to those who love God and who are called according to His purpose.

Unto the pure in heart all things are pure… for God himself is pure. Man looks at outward appearances… the world and the troubles of the world… the lust of the eyes, and the lust of the flesh, and the deceitful pride of life, but God looks on the heart.

To look around us at the prosperity of the wicked we’ll be filled with envy and jealousy. We’ll be consumed with the lust (overdesires) of the flesh. When we lust after the things of this world, the devil has us in his snare. A heart filled with jealousy, envy, contention, strife and worldly desire is a heart that is given over to the purposes of the wicked one. For the thief cometh not but for to steal, to kill and to destroy God’s blessings.

The devil will trick us into focusing on our sins and our sin nature. He’ll ask us “have you given enough, studied the Word enough, prayed enough, served enough, loved enough?” When is enough enough? He’ll focus our attention on our shortcomings… our sins of omission… things that we could have, should have and would have done. These sins are the result of our sin nature, the nature of the flesh that we inherited from Adam.

In Psalm 73, there is an inflection point… a change of direction… a point of repentance. When we look around we’ll be stressed, distressed, and depressed. However when we look unto the Lord, we’ll be blessed.

The point of repentance, of turning from the lust of the flesh unto the Lord is in verse 17, “Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end. Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction.” God showed the Psalmist the just reward of the wicked… their ultimate payoff. They are here today and gone tomorrow, in a moment… instantaneously, they and their evil thoughts, intents, and ways shall be destroyed.

However, It is not God’s wish for any to perish, but that all would be saved and come unto a knowledge of the truth. He sent His son Jesus Christ not to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved.

When the Psalmist considered the so-called blessings of the wicked, he was like a foolish beast. But from the moment when he entered into the Lord’s sanctuary, he was continually with his Lord. According to Psalm 1, Blessed is the man who walketh not isn’t he 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. And he shall be like a tree that is planted by the rivers of waters, that bringeth forth his fruit in due season. His leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

In the evil day, we’ll be tempted to let go of the things that really matter… keeping ourselves in his proximity and connecting our hearts with God’s heart. The Lord won’t let me go even when I’m close to letting go… I came close to falling but the Lord held me up.

Jesus said, I am come to declare the acceptable day of the Lord. When we walk not in the counsel of the ungodly and surround ourselves in the presence of the Lord, he will keep us in perfect peace. Even when we don’t feel connected to him, he keeps us in his holy hand. As the Apostle Paul said, I am apprehended (taken hold of) for that which he has taken hold of me. For God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

The psalmist concludes, the nearness of God is my good. In his presence there is comfort and peace… there is blessing, not in the blessings but in blessing Him… that I may tell of thy works.. of thy steadfast loving kindness and tender mercy…

… That despite the tribulation of this world, we would live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Reflections of 2020

It’s important to look back on our lives to see how God has brought us to this point in time. We need to assess our personal life stories in the context of His-Story for Jesus Christ himself is the cross-roads of the history of mankind.

Most of us will be glad to see 2020 in our rear view mirrors. We were blind-sided at the beginning of 2020. We didn’t foresee 2020 with 20/20 foresight and the pressures of the pestilence, pandemic, panic and pandemonium we’ve endured… but God did. God orchestrates all things to work together for good to those who love him and are called according to His purpose.

What was God’s plan and purpose for 2020? Looking back on the past eventful year with 20/20 hindsight, we reflect that part of His purpose for 2020 is that we would learn the meaning of love and hope. According to Romans 5:3 tribulation (mental pressure) worketh (proves, tests, and refines and confirms) patience (endurance) and patience experience (proven quality or tested character) and experience hope (of future promises not yet attained) and hope maketh not ashamed (of having endured the testing) for the love of God (His merciful, gracious and steadfast unconditional love) is shed abroad in (gushes out of) our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us.

There is nothing new under the sun. Today’s times are similar to Paul’s day In 2 Timothy 3 when he wrote to Timothy his dear “son in the faith” by God’s revelation:
1. THIS know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3. Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4. Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5. Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away…

7. (They are) Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth…

10. But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience,
11. Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.
12. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”
13. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
14. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
15. And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
16. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17. That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

In the history of this world there have only been two nations that were founded upon the Word of God. The first was Israel and the second was the United States of America. America’s founding fathers wrote the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution “in firm reliance upon Divine Providence” in order to secure God’s “blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.” God is faithful to His Word. He is no respecter of persons. However, he is a respecter of His Word. God will bare his mighty arm when men to him are loyal according to the truth of His revealed word.

There is a four part requirement in order for individuals and nations to hear from God. This prescription is in 2 Chronicles 7:14. The healing of the land according to the Word of God starts with humility. Then His people can pray, and seek God’s face, and turn from their wicked ways. When we as God’s people do these four things, Then shall we hear our Father’s voice from heaven. He will hear our prayer and heal our land.

Pete recalls that when he was a missionary in Europe before the fall of the iron curtain, he visited Warsaw where there was only one western-style department store. Communist Block stores were infamous for shortages of basic necessities. When a shipment of womens’ underwear arrived at the department store, the women fought over the undergarments. They were desperate for what we Westerners consider the little insignificant things of this life.

What is it that’s really important? Paul said in Philippians 3:
10. “I press toward the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
11. If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
12. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend (take hold of) that for which also I am apprehended of (taken hold of by) Christ Jesus.
13. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

A spiritual dissatisfaction with the things of this world and a hunger and thirst after righteousness is the prerequisite that allows God to fill us with the power of His Holy Spirit. When men are asked, “Do you pray enough, Give enough, Spend time in the Word of God enough, serve your church enough, or love your wife and children enough?”, most men will look down and say, “enough is never enough.” This is why Paul said, I am taken hold of so that I might take hold of that for which I have been taken hold. That I might take hold of the fullness of the completeness and sufficiency of my Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul said I haven’t attained yet…. I haven’t been perfected in the flesh. According to 1 Corinthians 13, God keeps no record of wrongs done. The love of God “thinketh no evil… it does not charge to our account evil for evil. When our Heavenly Father sees those who have received his gift of salvation, he doesn’t see the imperfection of our flesh, instead he sees the righteousness of his gracious gift of his Holy Spirit… For of Him are ye in Christ Jesus who was made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.

Oswald Chambers said, “When God sees wrong in a man, he doesn’t say, “go fix it.” The root of our problem is not our performance. The root of our problem is our sin nature that we inherited from Adam. Jesus said, “there is none good (in the flesh) no, not one.” As Martin Luther wrote, “did we in our own flesh confide, our battle would be losing, were not the Right Man on our side, the man of God’s own choosing. Doth ask who that may be? Christ Jesus it is he, Lord Jesus Christ his name, from age to age the same, and he must win the battle.

Repentance starts with humility. We must forsake our own selves in order to approach God with a broken and a contrite heart. When Jesus saw the Pharisees proudly performing eloquent prayers, he said, “They think they will be heard for their great swelling words of vanity and for their much speaking. They have their own reward: the praise of men and glorifying themselves.” Then Jesus said, “consider the despised tax collector. He went into his closet, beat his chest, and prayed, “Lord have mercy on me, a sinner.” Which prayer do you think God heard?”

The Voices in our heads often reflect the accusations of this world. An excerpt from the song “You Say” by Lauren Daigle says, “I keep fighting voices in my mind that say, “I’m not enough…. I will never measure up.” Lord….You say I am loved when I can’t feel a thing. You say I am strong when I think I am weak. You say I am held when I think I’m falling short. When I don’t belong, you say I am yours! What you say of me, I believe!

The spiritual battlefield is in the mind. In whom do we find our worth? In whom do we find our identity? For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness from on high. Therefore, Put on the whole armor of God that we may be able to stand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. … take up the shield of believing faith that we may quench all the fiery darts (evil accusations) of the wicked one.

We didn’t see 2020 with 20/20 foresight but God did. He wasn’t blind sided. He wasn’t surprised. We’ll be glad to see 2020 with 20/20 hindsight. We anticipate 2021 so that we can look back on 2020 in our rear view mirrors to praise and glorify our Father for having brought us through trials and pressures of 2020 to teach us the meaning of hope and love.

What’s important in 2021? The story of Mary and Martha is an illustration of what really matters. Martha was upset that her sister Mary wasn’t helping her serve their guests. However, Jesus said, “Mary has chosen that better thing”… to sit at the feet of her Lord to hear the word of God.

The important thing is to align our vertical priorities. Our relationship with God and his son our Lord Jesus Christ is our most important priority. Our consumer culture tells us to long for belongings. Our minds tell us that we should also long to belong. If we be-longing for belongings and belonging, the most important question is “to whom do I belong?” The phrase “man of God” is the genitive of possession. It means God’s man. The important thing about Christianity is not who we are but whose we are! Therefore I press toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus…

…That we may ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Joy to the World, The Lord Is Come

Jesus came to a world of darkness. It had been four hundred years since the last prophet Malachi. That world was similar to ours. He came to bring the light of the gospel of the good news of redemption… he came to set the prisoner free and to open the eyes of those born spiritually blind. He came not to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved.

There are great Christmas hymns of the faith that we learned when we were children. In times past, we were taught Christmas carols in our schools and churches. However, today in the United States, we no longer sing Christmas carols in school since it’s not considered “politically correct.”

The song “Oh Holy Night” was inspired by a choir director in France to dedicate the new organ in his sanctuary….

…O Night Devine, When Christ was born!

Surely He taught us to love one another.
In His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of Joy in grateful chorus raise we…
Christ is the Lord,
Let all forever praise thee..
Noel, Noel…. O Night Devine.!

At the birth of Jesus, the world had long been in error pining, ‘til he appeared and the soul felt his worth.

He came not because we were worthy of salvation, not because we were deserving, but because of his grace and mercy. He came not because we deserved love, but because of His divine love wherewith he loved us.

We’re living in a world of darkness. Jesus Christ is the light that God sent to illuminate the darkness. According to Matthew 4:16, The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.

We’re all sinners in need of forgiveness… we could not approach a holy God until he reached down, and bent down and bowed down to our level.

Chains shall he break for the slave is our brother… According to 2 Timothy 2:26, the devil takes men captive at his will. There is no freedom without choice. We were born in trespasses and sins. We had no choice but to sin because our nature was to miss the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

John Sullivan Dwight wrote the English version of Oh Holy Night. He wrote that Jesus Christ came to erase the stain of original sin against Almighty God. Therefore bow your heads before your Redeemer. Jesus the Christ the son of the living God has broken every bond to reconcile God’s people that we who were dead in trespasses and sin through his sacrifice on our behalf may be made the righteousness of God in him.

Another beloved Christmas hymn is Silent Night. This song originated in a German town on the banks of the Rhine river by priests who took up the challenge to write a song that didn’t need accompaniment since their church organ had broken. Today, this song is one of our most cherished and popular Christmas carols:
Silent night, Holy night, All is calm, All is bright,
Round yon virgin, mother and child, Holy infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace.

Jesus Christ came with the dawn of redeeming grace… For although we were deserving of death, He who was without sin was made the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf…. he bore the penalty of our sin. For in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for the ungodly. His birth was the dawn of redeeming grace.

He came to a world dead in trespasses and sin… a world deserving of death and condemnation. However, though we were unworthy, he made us worthy and now by his grace, his mercy has made us his own.

Because Jesus Christ was born as the Redeemer, we can have joy. This is the theme of the carol Joy to the World:
Joy to the world, the Lord is come
Let heaven and nature sing…
The glories of his righteousness and wonders of His love.
He rules the world with truth and grace
And makes the the nations prove,
The glory of His righteousness and wonder of His love.

The birth of Christ confirmed the angels proclamation to certain shepherds on a Judean hillside: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

Even though the enemy’s ploys to enslave men has not changed, Jesus Christ was born to set the prisoners free.

The essay, “One Solitary Life” from a sermon attributed to James Allen Francis says, “He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant. He grew up in another village, where he worked in a carpenter shop until he was 30. Then, for three years, he was an itinerant preacher.He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a home. He didn’t go to college. He never lived in a big city. He never traveled 200 miles from the place where he was born. He did none of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but himself.

Twenty centuries have come and gone, and today he is the central figure of the human race. I am well within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned–put together–have not affected the life of man on this earth as much as that one, solitary life.*

Jesus Christ is the central theme of the history of mankind. He came to bring the light of the gospel of peace to a world of darkness. The Christmas message is that we are reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. The greatest Christmas present is the presence of God in Christ in us the hope of glory. Rejoice! Rejoice, Christ the Savior is born…

… that we may ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Fear Not

David Hess has been called as minister to the Middle East to proclaim the truth of the gospel… the good news of Jesus Christ. He was led to present a 2020 vision to believers at his local church a few weeks ago.

Proverbs says that where there is no vision the people perish. Many churches around the world had no vision for 2020 and they were caught totally unaware when the worldwide pandemic laid bare those who were unprepared. There is much confusion in the world today. However, God has given his church an opportunity to either listen to the bad news according to the prince of the power of the air or to listen to His Word which liveth and abideth forever.

The world is searching for reliable sources of truth… of good news to counteract the bad news of the world. James says, count it all joy when you fall into diverse temptations for the testing of your faith produces patience and endurance which when they have finished make you perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

God will make a way where there is no way. When we cooperate with the revelation of His Holy Spirit. His mercies are new every morning. This year has been a year of purification… of trial by the refining fire of tribulation. In the midst of the trials God will bear his mighty arm when men forsake their own power to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit.

Updraft turbulence is the air pressure gradient that allows an eagle to soar. Despite the wind and turbulence around us, the power of God is the wind beneath our wings. Isaiah 40 concludes….. they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

God presents us with a choice to proceed with either fear or faith. He never honors fear… he always honors faith. The faith is in the Word of God. God is faithful to His word. He is no respecter of persons. He is a respecter of the conditions according to his revealed word.

The command “do not fear” is the most common commandment in scripture. The Lord said to Israel through the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 41:10: “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.“ 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

The church thrives and proliferates in the midst of persecution. What men meant for evil, God meant for good. In the first century the church multiplied when the Christians in Jerusalem were persecuted and scattered to distant lands.

Hebrews chapter 2 says that Jesus Christ himself took part of the same nature as ours…. that we would no longer fear death. So that he through his own death would render powerless the one who had the power of death, that is the devil. God has called a remnant unto him to show the world that His church would thrive in the midst of the turmoil and confusion of this world of darkness. God will use what the devil throws at us in order to show that light triumphs over the darkness.

God shows up and shows off when men to him are loyal. God calls us to bloom where he’s planted us. We’re given the choice to prove whether or not the Bible is the true word of God. In Luke 18, “will the son of Man find faith when he returns?” The question is this: are you driven by faith or fear? There is no fear in love, for perfect love casts out fear. He who fears is not made perfect in love. We’re called to contend for the faith that was once given to the saints. According to Jude 1:3, …contend earnestly for the faith which was once delivered to the saints. Our challenge is to remain in the arena, striving to press toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Tribulation separates out the true believers. Those who are afraid will cut and run when the crisis comes. However, when the crisis comes and coiurage Is required, God expects his men to have such faith and confidence in him that they will be the faithful reliable ones.

According to Romans 8:28, all things work together for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose. What men meant for evil God meant for good. Despite the darkness of this world, the darker the night the brighter the light shines. Therefore, let your light so shine among men, that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven…

… that we may live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Calvary’s Anthem

God has elected us and named us as His called-out ones, His church, the temple, His dwelling place. Collectively the church is the body of Christ and Jesus Christ is the head. We were not called as lone rangers in a wilderness walk. He’s called us as a “band of brothers” choking in in each other’s dust as together we follow in the “dust of the rabbi.”

None of us individually is as effective as all of us pulling together. God orchestrates all things according to the good pleasure of His will. We’re individual voices in God’s choir. As the choir director, He “tunes our hearts to sing thy praise.” We each sing different parts harmoniously fit together to the praise of the glory of His grace. We don’t sing the same part, but our voices blend together harmoniously according to His resonant frequency. God has gifted us each with a unique instrument to raise our voices in an anthem to the praise of the glory of His grace.

In Galatians 5 the liberty that we have in Christ is to serve one another in love… to bear one another’s burdens. Some people think that the blessing is in helping ourselves to God’s blessings. However, God has called us to the body of Christ so that we could bless God by blessing one another in the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.

Mark 2, contains the record of four men who personified Galatians 6:2, “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.” These men were blessed to bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus for healing so they went to a house in Capernaum where Jesus was speaking to a crowd in a packed house.

The paralyzed man knew that he needed healing and that Jesus could heal him. He also knew that although he could not approach Jesus’ on his own, he had four faithful friends who were blessed to bring him to Jesus. However, it was so crowded in the room where Jesus was speaking that they couldn’t get in. It would have been easy for them to rationalize, “we’ve run into a closed door. Let’s just go home and we’ll see if we can see Jesus another day.” However, when some doors close, this is a challenge to test our faith, our resolve, and our perseverance.

In all of our lives, when doors close, sometimes God opens a window instead. We can all recall times when things did not work out as we had planned even though we had the best of intentions. Sometimes God wants us to adapt in order to accomplish his will and his purpose for our lives. When God gives us an assignment, it doesn’t matter that the door is blocked. God gives us opportunities to overcome the obstacles and the barricades in the trials of this life. When God gives us a mission, the important thing is to persevere to accomplish His mission and get the job done. It’s not about the method, rather it’s about delivering the Lord’s intended result.

The four men knew they needed to get creative in order to bring their paralyzed friend to the Lord. Military Generals often say to their troops, “don’t come to me with your problems and complaints. Instead come with four solutions to your problem.” In the military, an important part of each mission is that there is “no man left behind.” Men don’t risk their lives for the glory of their country, instead they gladly give their lives for their brothers-in-arms. The military term, “I’ve got your six,” means that I have my brother’s back and he has mine.

In this life, misery is inevitable. However, joy is a choice. The paralyzed man’s friends risked being scorned and ridiculed. They didn’t worry about shame and humiliation. They had one objective… to present their friend to Jesus so that he could be healed. Their creative solution was to take the tiles from the roof and lower their friend right in front of Jesus.

Jesus didn’t see their humility and shame. He looked down and saw the paralyzed man. He didn’t say, “son, you’re healed.” Instead he said, “your sins are forgiven.” Jesus didn’t go to the symptoms. He went right to the root of the problem. The paralyzed man’s problem was not that he couldn’t walk…. his problem was that he was a sinner in need of forgiveness. Then Jesus said, “pick up your bed and walk.” Jesus has authority over sin and the consequences of sin. The crowd and the Pharisees marveled that Jesus claimed power over sin. They thought only God could forgive sin. They didn’t believe what Jesus had said, “I always do my Father’s will.” The power of Jesus Christ was the super-natural spiritual power of God according to his Father’s revelation of His will.

Jesus knew what was in the heart of man. He understood the sin nature that all men had inherited from Adam. Jesus met the paralyzed man’s greatest need… his need to be forgiven of his sins.

Hebrews 10:25 says to stimulate one another to love and good deeds. Therefore forsake not the assembly of yourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching. Our calling is to minister one to another and intercede in prayer according to the power of the Holy Spirit.

An excerpt from the prayer entitled “Calvary’s Anthem,” from the Puritan Prayer Book The Valley of Vision says,
“Heavenly Father, Thou hast led me singing to the cross where I fling down all my burdens and see them vanish,
where my mountains of guilt are leveled to a plain, where my sins disappear,
though they are the greatest that exist, and more in number than the grains of fine sand;
Thou hast given me a hillside spring that washes clear and white, and I go as a sinner to its waters, bathing without hindrance in its crystal streams….
The blood of the Lamb is like a great river of infinite grace with never any diminishing of its fullness as the thirsty ones without number drink of it…
In the midst of a world of pain it is a subject to praise in every place,
a song on earth, an anthem in heaven,
its love and virtue knowing no end.
I have a longing for the world above where multitudes sing the great song…
…May I always know that a clean heart full of goodness is more beautiful than the lily, that only a clean heart can sing by night and by and by day,
that such a heart is mine when I shall abide at Calvary…

That at Calvary we may die to self in order to live to Him… that we may know him and the power of his Resurrection being conformed to the power of his death on our behalf… where we continue to sing Calvary’s anthem of his cleansing wholeness…

… That we may ever live to sing the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Rise Up Oh Men of God

The church in America has been marginalized by the “politically correct” popular culture. However, according to Ephesians 6, we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against spiritual wickedness from on high. It’s important that we put on the whole armor of God that we may be able to stand in the evil day and having done all, to stand.

A popular hymn of the faith says, “Rise up O men of God, the church for you doth wait. As brothers of the Son of Man, rise up O men of God.”

William Merrill who wrote this song was inspired to call Christian men to rise up as followers of their commander in chief, Jesus Christ. There have always been organizations and fellowships of Christian women. However, Merrill understood that in order for the Church to influence society, Men of God would need to rise up.

This was Jesus’ encouragement to Peter, James, and John in the Garden of Gethsemane. Awake you who are asleep. The day is at hand. Walk in the light while it is day. Now is the acceptable day of the Lord.

The zealous Jews of Jesus’ day wanted to make Jesus their earthly King. He said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” They asked him, “What’s your plan?” Jesus pointed to a despised tax gatherer and a group of lowly fishermen. He said, “Those guys over there, they’re the plan.” God has called the weak and the foolish things of the world to confound the wise and to bring to naught the things that are. For the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men. And the weak things of God are greater than the power of men.

To rise up O men of God is to increase fervor, intensity, and commitment. It means to step out of your own comfort zone and step into the comfort of the Holy Spirit. It means to step away from my own power and into the spiritual power of God.

Influencers 4M (Four Men Groups) is a movement of men who want to spend time in the Word of God and in the presence of their Lord Jesus Christ. The concept of 4M is taken from Jesus’ example. Jesus rarely spoke to large crowds. He spent his time with twelve apostles and an inner circle of three other men: Peter, James, and John. 4M groups start with the questions, who are your twelve, and who are your three? Beginning with four men dedicated to walk with their Lord Jesus Christ, Christianity has changed the world.

The biblical instruction for the rise and expansion of the Christian church is in 2 Timothy 2:2, “And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.” Growth is an exponential equation to the power of three. There are four generations in this one short verse. This logarithmic function means that four men replicating for four generations of growth raised to the power of three yields 716 “faithful men.” One more generation results in 2172 faithful men.

Bonhoeffer said when Jesus bids a man come, he bids him “come and die.” In order to live for Him we must die to self. What’s the cost of following Him? Philippians 1:21 says, “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

Every earthly relationship will end in pain. Life on this earth is but for a moment, a vapor in the context of eternity. It is appointed for all men once to die and then comes the judgement. Therefore, live not for this fleeting moment in time but with our eternal destiny in mind.

A soldier in training has no time for civilian matters. Soldiers must concentrate on their training because in the heat of battle, their lives will depend on performing as they have been trained. They must give heart and soul and mind and strength to focus on their training drills. Then after the battle has been won, when the grateful civilians honor them for their bravery in the heat of battle, the soldier will say, “I’m no hero. I just did what I was trained to do.”

The world insists that we perform with all of our heart according to that which our worldly authorities require. It’s not about the cost, rather it’s about our value and our contribution to the success of our worldly enterprises.

The greatest disappointment in this life is not failure to climb the ladder of success, but that after a lifetime of work we realize that our ladder was leaning against the wrong wall.

Therefore rise up O men of God, have done with lesser things.
Give heart and soul and mind and strength to serve the King of Kings.

Rise up oh men of God. His kingdom tarries long.
Bring in the day of brotherhood and end the night of wrong.
Once the last person is won for God’s kingdom, the judgement of God will be manifest after Christ’s return for His church. Jesus said, Now is the time to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. Now is the time of brotherhood with those who are born again of God’s spirit.

God is no respecter of persons. He is, however a respecter of His word. When we make God’s word our word, then we will do according to His will. The doing of the Word is to accept the promises of God. We accept God’s promises by obedience… by being doers of the Word and not hearers only.

The church of God thrives in persecution. For tribulation worketh patience and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us.

Rise up oh men of God. The church for you doth wait.
Her strength unequal to her task, Rise up and make her great.
The church that relies on the power of men is unequal to the task to which we have been called. The power is not in our own power but in the power of the Holy Spirit. As the Apostle Paul came to understand after he had prayed three times for God to remove his thorn in the flesh, Thy strength is made perfect in my weakness, thy grace is sufficient for me.

Bonhoeffer said that in WWII the German church was sleep-walking toward a terrible precipice and they didn’t even recognize it. A crisis is when decisive action is required to avoid a catastrophic failure. The atrocities of Nazi Germany were the result of the church’s acquiescence to Hitler’s mandate that the German church must “go along to get along.”

Men must find their place in God’s economy. God’s economy is to exchange my life in the flesh for the spiritual life in His Son. The world doesn’t need more programs and organizations. The world needs for men to rise up in the power of God. Men who chase after men who chase after Christ. Men who find their identity in Christ.

When you call a man, “Man of God,” most men will look down and look away in shame. They think to themselves, “I’m not worthy.” However when we confess “Jesus is Lord,” it means that I’m no longer Lord of my own life, he is. The phrase “Man of God,” is the “genitive of possession.” It means God’s man. Our identity in Christ is not “who we are,” but “WHOSE we are.” Therefore, Lift high the cross of Christ. Tread where his feet have trod.
As brothers of the Son of Man, Rise up oh men of God….

…that we may ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Thankful

Prayer and praise to our Heavenly Father is the outpouring of a thankful heart. King David himself was a man after God’s own heart.

Psalm 100 says: “MAKE a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”

Thanksgiving in The United States is a uniquely American holiday. The first thanksgiving was celebrated by the Pilgrims… Puritan Christians celebrating in gratitude to God for His divine providence for blessing them with fellowship, peace, and the bounty of an abundant harvest.

George Washington wrote a declaration of Thanksgiving as the first president of the United States. According to Washington’s declaration, “Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor—and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”

During the civil war, Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving as a national holiday. An excerpt from Lincoln’s Thanksgiving declaration says, “It has seemed to me fit and proper that the (gracious gifts of the Most High God) should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American people. I do, therefore, invite my fellow-citizens of the United States… to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November… as a Day of Thanksgiving and Prayer to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.”

In Luke 17 Jesus illustrated the importance of a thankful heart. This is the record of his healing ten lepers. As Jesus went into Galilee after passing through Samaria, ten lepers called out to Jesus, “Master, have mercy on us.” Jesus said to them, “Go show yourselves to the priest.” As they were walking, they were healed. When they realized that they had been healed, only one of the ten lepers ran back after Jesus to thank him. This man was a Samaritan. Jesus said, “Weren’t’ there ten lepers? Where are the other nine?”

The lesson to the nine lepers is to beware of the sin of ingratitude. The lesson to the one Samaritan is the duty and the beauty of a thankful heart.

In the Jewish tradition, proper Jews would avoid going through Samaria on their way to Galilee. Jesus never followed this tradition. The Jews considered Samaritans as half breeds. They were descendants of the twelve tribes of Israel whose blood line was contaminated by taking wives from heathen nations. Even though proper Jews traveled the long way around, Jesus often went right through Samaria.

Lepers were outcasts in their society. However, in a leper colony, it didn’t matter who your relatives were or your country of origin. Their common bond was their disease which required them to be quarantined and set apart from their communities. They were joined by their common bond of disease and misery. Their hearts were likeminded in their desire to be delivered from their debilitating disease.

Leprosy is a picture of sin. One of the worst aspects of leprosy is that it numbs pain. Sores and gangrene from this disease don’t cry out for attention. Likewise, sin “sears the conscious like a hot iron.” When we are indoctrinated by the world to accept sin, then we’re in the devil’s domain. When we convince our own minds to call good evil and evil good, sin no longer convicts us. God sent his Holy Spirit to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable.

Salvation’s healing wholeness starts with humility and shame about sin and iniquity. To seek deliverance from disease requires that we first realize that we are sick. Jesus came not to minister to those who thought they were healthy but to those who realized they were in need of healing. David was living comfortably in sin with Bathsheba. David’s confrontation with the Prophet Nathan is an example of his becoming aware of his need for deliverance. Repentance, turning from sin to righteousness, is the first requirement for returning back to the Lord.

The Lepers realized their position as outcasts who were in need of healing and restoration. Jesus healed different people in different ways. Jesus said, “I always do my father’s will.” Jesus did not use a common method to heal the sick. Instead, he listened to the specific instructions of his Father and did exactly as his Father revealed to him according to his Father’s will.

When Jesus cleansed the ten lepers, only one came back to thank him. All ten had been ostracized from their families and communities. Their heart’s desire was to be delivered from this disease to be reconciled back with their families, friends, and circles of fellowship. However, when they were healed, they forgot to be thankful.

Only the one leper, a Samaritan, returned to Jesus, fell on his face, and worshipped his Lord. Jesus had said, “I am the way, the truth, and the light. No man cometh to the father except by me.” The story fo the ten lepers proves Jesus’ parable that said, “Broad is the way that leads to destruction. But narrow is the way and narrow is the gate that leads to eternal life.”

In John 2, Jesus was in Jerusalem for the Passover. However Jesus did not commit himself to anyone, for he knew what was in the fickle heart of man. He knew that man’s fallen nature was to be double minded. The natural man without God’s Holy Spirit is without conviction. James says, “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” Double minded men blow hot and cold… they are here today and gone tomorrow.

The one leper who thanked Jesus was the one out of ten who came through the narrow gate to follow his Lord. He fell at the feet of Jesus indicating his complete surrender and acknowledgement of his commitment that Jesus is Lord.

Jesus had said to the ten lepers, “Go show yourselves to the priest.” According to Old Testament law, the priest is the one who would certify that a leper had been cleansed and could enter back into society. The Samaritan returned to Jesus, the high priest after the order of Melchizedek. The Old Testament priests offered sacrifices over and over on behalf of the people. However, Jesus Christ our high priest after the order of Melchizedek offered himself as the spotless lamb of God once for all time. For Jesus Christ who was was without sin was made the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in him. Jesus Christ is the true high priest, for there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

Our joy, rejoicing, prayer and praise is to be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For what are we thankful? God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. The greatest blessing is the resurrection… that in him we died and that in him we were raised again from the dead when we were justified at his resurrection.

Therefore, be thankful unto him and bless his name. For the Lord is good, His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endureth to all generations…

… That we may ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael