Environmentalists

As brothers in Christ, we meet to remind each other of who we are and whose we are. God has called men of God as “environmentalists”… to work with Him to create an environment where the Holy Spirit can come help himself to our lives. Many problems of our culture today are because of things not preached in church. The failure of churches today is the theme of a book called “Radical Church for Radical Times.” Another book is called, “When a Nation Forgets God.” When churches fail to support a godly environment of spiritual development and growth then the church fails to influence it’s surroundings.

If we do the work without allowing God to work in us and through us, Christianity will become like any other worldly cause and will deteriorate into an institution. In Jesus’ day, the church had deteriorated into Phariseeism influenced by the traditions of men. The Pharisees created an environment of legalism, condemnation, guilt and fear. They were self righteous and looked down on the congregation in their synagogues. Their’s was a works based religion of do’s and don’ts. Jesus said, “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisee’s, you will not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.” True righteousness is not because of our what we did but because of what Jesus Christ did. For he who was without sin became the perfect sin sacrifice on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in him.

Our responsibility in church is to influence our environment. Our environment is our surroundings that sustain life… where Jesus Christ himself is the way, the truth and the life. Jesus Christ is the solution to the problems of this world. Our assignment is to preach Jesus Christ and him crucified and then let the chips fall where they may. We’re called to cast the seed of the word of God. God will give the increase when the seed falls on good ground. According to Isaiah 55:11, “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth. It shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in that thing whereunto I sent it.” Our responsibility is our response to God’s ability. He has made us able ministers of the New Testament. For the letter of the law of the Old Testament results in death but the New Testament law of the spirit results in life through Christ.

Dictators lead by creating an environment of fear. In contrast the Gospel’s kingdom is based on God’s loving kindness and tender mercy. That’s why Jesus said, blessed are ye 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.

An environment of God’s love, mercy, grace and goodness brings men to repentance. However, sometimes the devil comes in the guise of an angel of light. His method is to deceive and accuse. When he approached Eve in the garden of Eden, he appealed to her pride… He said, if you disobey God and eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you will be like God. He will offer the lure but hide the hook. When people fall into his snare, the devil takes them captive at his will. Ye are slaves to whom you obey.

All we like sheep have gone astray. We inherited the sin nature of the flesh from Adam. However, Repentance is to turn from sin and our insidious preoccupation with self….To turn from the darkness of this world and to the light of the Lord Jesus Christ. According to 1 John 1:7, But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all unrighteousness.

The devil is the deceiver and the accuser. His minions create an environment where they call good evil and evil good. In some circles if you carry a bible, you are guilty of a “hate crime.” For he that doeth evil hates the the light, neither comes to the light lest his deeds should be reproved.

This was also true in Jesus’ time. In Matthew 23 the Pharisees wanted to trap Jesus in his words so that they could accuse him of breaking the law. However, Jesus did not come to abolish the Old Testament law, but to fulfill it. Jesus chose to suffer on our behalf because this was the will of his Heavenly Father. Jesus said of the Pharisees, “They’re hypocrites. They tell you what to do but they themselves don’t do it.” The Pharisees made up laws that were heavy burdens. They insisted that the people follow the laws but they self righteously declared themselves above the law. The Pharisees show off their “credentials” like the length of the tassels on their robes and the size of their prayer boxes or phylacteries. They live for the praise of men and for their own power by keeping others under subjection through intimidation, fear, guilt and shame.

Matthew 23:5-12 says, “But all their works they do to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, 6. And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7. And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. 8. But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. 9. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. 10. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. 11. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

In Matthew 21, Jesus had said to the Scribes and Pharisee’s, “even prostitutes and tax gatherers will enter into the kingdom of God, before you will.” These religious leaders are the people that Jesus was talking about when he said, “not everyone who calls me Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

God works all things for (his and our) good to those who love him…to those who are called according to his purpose. When we surrender our lives to him he will bless us exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or think. The greatest blessing is that we should be to the praise of the glory of his grace.. The question is “who’s blessing Whom? The abundant life is seeking the Blessor and not the blessing.

Whenever we’re confused by the doctrines of this world, we must approach the throne of grace with a broken and a contrite heart. When we turn from the world and unto the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit will show us the truth of His love, mercy and grace. When we turn our eyes upon Jesus and look full in his wonderful face, the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.

When we abide in Christ, we will bear much fruit. Jesus said I am the vine and you are the branches. In his presence and in his strength, he will infuse his power into us according to the truth of His word. When we’re in his presence, the holy spirt will teach us the all truth. When we walk according to the spirit of life in Christ, this will produce the fruit of the spirt…love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and self control…against such there is now law.

When we abide in him, 1 Corinthians 10:13 says that He will not allow us to be tempted above that we are able. But he will with the temptation make a way of escape that we may be able to bear it. The trials he gives us are to see if we’ll pass the “smell test.” He’s showing us where our heart is. For where our treasure is there will our heart be also. We are what God made us in Christ… For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works that he’s foreordained that we should walk therein.

The question is, Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed? The holy spirt is the gift of Christ in you the hope of glory. Walking according to the spirit of life in Christ produces the fruit of the spirt. For there is therefore now no condemnation for those who walk not after the flesh but after the spirt… For the law of the spirit of life in Christ has made me free from the law of sin and death.

The doctrines of the world teach the law of sin and death. For the letter of the legalism of the law of sin and death kills but the law of the spirit gives us life through Christ. The only thing that changes the culture is the gospel of Christ. God has called us as ambassadors form our “foreign nation” in heaven to deliver the gospel message. Our mission is to influence those to whom he’s called us to minister by creating an environment where the Holy Spirit can come help himself to our lives. We are His living epistles, his “declaration of dependence”… For He alone is our sufficiency, our all in all!

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

What Does Repentance Look Like?

There is a popular style of teaching in today’s church that is “seeker-sensitive.” This is the theme of two books, Christless Christianity by Michael Horton, and Pagan Christianity by George Barna. Seeker-sensitive preaching is careful not to offend. However, when the true gospel is preached, it’s both bad news and good news. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Before we can turn our hearts around we must first acknowledge the problem of sin. The gospel is meant to disturb and intrigue…to convict our hearts of sin so that we can approach God’s throne of grace with a broken and a contrite heart. This is what true repentance looks like. Repentance means to turn our hearts from sin and to the Saviour from sin, the Lord Jesus Christ. Not everyone in church has repented. Jesus knew that all who said, “Lord , Lord” will not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

The emphasis on “seeker sensitivity” in churches is beginning to change. Bill Hybels said, “It used to be that we preached seeker sensitive messages to fill up the pews. Today, people want you to look them in the eye and tell them the truth. Jesus said, “he who is forgiven much loves much.”

All Christians have been entrusted with the testimony of Jesus Christ. We are living epistles known and read of all men. We all have a story of deliverance. Jesus expects us to take advantage of every opportunity to witness the gospel of truth and when necessary, to use words.

In Luke 5, A publican (tax collector) named Levi forsook his job to become a follower of Jesus. He gave a party to celebrate with his fellow tax collectors. He had made a living getting rich by overtaxing his own people under the authority of the Roman government. Even though he was hated by the people for unjustly taking their money, he was comfortable with his old friends from his old profession. When Jesus went to the publican’s house, the scribes and Pharisee’s grumbled among themselves that Jesus associated with tax collectors and sinners. These religious leaders assumed that Jesus was guilty by association.

Oswald Chambers said that the purpose of church is to create an environment where the Holy Spirit is welcome to come help himself to our lives. The question is, “what is the environment of your church, your home and your work place.” Environments in homes, marketplaces, and churches are created by the leaders. The environment that the scribes and Parisees created was an environment of condemnation… of exclusion, judgement, manipulation, guilt, and shame. They believed that they were self-righteous and that everyone else was inferior. It was a works-based environment to keep their own power and subjugate the people based on fear, guilt, and condemnation.

Seeker sensitive churches are afraid that if they speak the truth in love, people will be offended and never come back. The scribes and Pharisee’s were on the other extreme. When law, performance, and works is the basis for church, then the law of sin and death will dominate. A healthy Christ-centered church environment encourages relationships and dialog from a spirit filled heart that manifests the love of God. There are always differences of opinions between people even in a healthy church. However, to reconcile our hearts together as the body of Christ, we must lovingly meet each other at the foot of the cross. Jesus Christ is the one who reconciles. There is no peace without the Holy Spirit of the Prince of Peace.

The Pharisees created over four hundred laws to keep the people guilty and shameful. Jesus said, “I have not come to heal the healthy but to heal the sick.” Godly sorrow is a prerequisite to repentance. An environment of grace allows us to approach God’s throne of grace with a broken and a contrite heart. Jesus came to minister to those who are broken and repentant.

The Holy Spirit will teach us all things. We’ll be convicted of sin so that when we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. The first commandment is to love God above all. With a heart of love we’re convicted to turn our hearts away from sin and toward the Saviour from sin, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Like the Pharisees, many who have grown up in the church find it easy to look down on people who are held captive by their sin nature. If we’re not driven by God’s love and grace, we’ll call men to performance and not repentance. The key to forgiveness is to confess our sins to our Heavenly Father. Then we can lovingly reconcile with others within the body of Christ.

Luke 7:36-48 answers the question “what does true repentance look like?” Beginning in verse 36: “And one of the Pharisees desired him (Jesus) that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat.
37. And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment…”

Like many of those in her community, this “woman of ill-repute” came to the Pharisee’s house to listen to the rabbi speak. She knew she was a sinner. Her heart was broken. She was convicted of her sin and sat at Jesus’ feet and wept:
38. And (she) stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.”
39. Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.

Jesus knew the woman’s heart of true repentance. He also knew Simon the Pharisee’s heart of judgement, condemnation, and guilt by association.

40. And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. 41. There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. 42. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?”

Jesus asked the Pharisee a question to see if he could teach him a lesson about the value of forgiveness. The Pharisee answered correctly: 43. “Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.”

Jesus, Simon the Pharisee, and the “woman of ill-repute” all knew what was required in their culture to show respect, honor, and humility to a teacher whom they highly regarded. He said to the Pharisee beginning in verse 44: “Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. 45. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. 46. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. 47. Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. 48. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.”

The antidote to a hard heart is to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. The woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive ointment and washed his feet with her tears offered her most precious possession as a sacrifice at the feet of her Lord. In Old Testament times, many believed that the tears they shed in service to God would be weighed to see if they would enter into life after death. According to Psalm 56:8 they saved their priceless “tears in a bottle” as a record in God’s book of life. As the song says, “All my trophies at last I lay down.” She gave to Jesus an offering of her most precious possession when she washed Jesus’ feet with her tears.

She knew that she was a sinner and that only by God’s grace had He allowed her to enter into the presence of her Saviour and Lord. This is what true repentance looks like. As Peter said in Acts 2:38, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

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

True Repentance

Jesus said, “Not everyone who calls me Lord, Lord, will enter into the kingdom of heaven.” This is a bothersome verse for many Christians. Are they really followers of the Lord Jesus Christ? We all have a sinful nature to contend with. This is why John the Baptist preached a message of repentance. Repentance means to turn our hearts around. In order to approach God’s throne of grace, we must come to him with a broken and a contrite heart.

In Matthew 7 Jesus said, “you’ll know them by their fruit.” A bad tree cannot produce good fruit and a good tree cannot produce bad fruit. There are many things that people do that appear to be Christian-like. But God did not call us to be judges. He called us to be fruit inspectors… By their fruit shall ye know them.

According to Luke 7:36 and following, “And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat.
37. And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment…”

Like many of those in her community, this “woman of ill-repute” came to the Pharisee’s house to listen to the rabbi speak. She knew she was a sinner. She was convicted of her sin and sat at Jesus’ feet and wept:
38. And (she) stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.”

Jesus understood her heart of love and repentance. He also knew the heart of the Pharisee that had invited him to speak at his house. Jesus knew that Pharisees didn’t associate with people they deemed sinners and “undesirables.” Why did the Pharisee invite Jesus into his house? It may have been that he was a sympathizer of Jesus and a believer in his message. Most likely he was like many of his other self-righteous Pharisee friends who wanted to trap Jesus in his words so he could accuse him of breaking the law.

39. Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner. 40. And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on. 41. There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. 42. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?”

Jesus asked the Pharisee a question to see if he could teach him a lesson about the value of forgiveness. The Pharisee answered correctly: 43. “Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.”

Jesus and Simon the Pharisee both knew what was required in that culture to approach an honored guest whom they highly regarded. He said to the Pharisee beginning in verse 44: “Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head. 45. Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. 46. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment. 47. Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. 48. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.”

The question is, “how do you know your sins are forgiven?” Pete recalls that his wife Suzan had noticed a change in Pete’s heart when she came to visit him after college. She didn’t know what had happened to Pete but when she saw the change in his life, she liked what she saw. Suzan was a “good” girl, but she had not yet accepted Christ.

Pete shared the four spiritual laws with her and asked, “Is there anything that would keep you from accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?” She accepted Christ that day. She prayed a prayer of repentance and realized that she needed a savior and forgiveness for her sins.

Many people walk down the aisle at the invitation after a sermon. However, the question is, “have you repented.” Repentance means to change direction. It means to change Lords. I’m no longer lord of my own life… He is. Salvation is not a matter of do’s and dont’s… It’s not just forsaking sin, rather It’s committing to the Saviour from sin. According to Romans 10:9-10, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Lord means owner. Christianity is not who we are but rather whose we are.

Unrepentant Sinners become hardened to the sin in their lives. However, when they’re ready to repent God breaks their hardened heart. Those who turn from their sin approach the throne of grace with a broken and a contrite heart. When Isaiah was confronted with God’s holiness, his response was “woe is me. I’m a man of unclean lips.” When he confessed, an angel touched a coal of fire to his lips and cleansed him by God’s power and grace.

Prior to salvation, sin is a problem that no man can fix. For all men have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our lord.

The antidote to a hard heart is to humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. The woman who anointed Jesus’ feet with expensive ointment and washed his feet with her tears offered her most precious possession as a sacrifice at the feet of her Lord. In Old Testament times, many believed that the tears they shed in service to God would be weighed to see if they would enter into heaven. According to Psalm 56:8 they saved their “tears in a bottle” as a record in God’s book of life. As the song says, “All my trophies at last I lay down.” She gave to Jesus an offering of her most precious possession when she washed Jesus’ feet with her tears.

She knew that she was a sinner and that only by God’s grace had He allowed her to enter into the presence of her Saviour and Lord. This is true repentance. As Peter said in Acts 2:38, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

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

Useful

Pete just returned from a trip to Colorado to visit his friend Jerry Leachman. As Moses climbed Mount Sinai to meet with the Lord, we need to stop and deliberately ascend the heights to encounter the Lord in a mountain top experience. We need to take time to be alone with God in order to meditate upon the word of God, to commit ourselves wholly to his word so that our profiting may appear unto all.

To understand and accept God’s ways we need to get to the point that we accept the mysteries, paradoxes and contradictions of this life. The new man of the spirit of life in Christ must understand that the kingdom of this world is upside down relative to the kingdom of heaven. God’s ways are not our ways and his thoughts are not our thoughts…for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so much higher are his ways than our ways and his thoughts than our thoughts. The law of the spirit of life in Christ is in antithetical to the law of sin and death. To go up you must go down. Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and in due time he will lift you up. The first shall be last and the last shall be first. He that is chief among you must be servant of all. To be rich, you have to become poor. Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. To be right you must acknowledge that you’re wrong. For God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. As John the Baptist said, “I must decrease so that he may increase.” To be useful to God, you have to realize you’re useless without his purpose. The question is, “Am I prepared to be used by my Lord.” Like Samuel said, “here am I Lord, send me.”

According to Oswald Chambers’ devotional, there’s no such thing as a private life to those who know and understand Jesus’ suffering on our behalf. We have been called to the fellowship of the gospel. Our lives are a thoroughfare for those to whom God has called us to minister. Our response to the trials of life will either further the progress of the Gospel or hinder it. God orchestrates and works all things for the good of the Gospel for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. Our sufferings are given for the furtherance of the gospel. In the midst of a trial God will ask, “Whatever the outcome of this trial, will you still purpose in your heart to love, honor and serve me?” Our challenge is to pray, “Have thine own way, Lord…thou art the potter I am the clay.”

When the world calls evil good and good evil, when the politically correct forbid to speak the truth of the Gospel in public places, aquit ye like men, be strong in the Lord and the power of his might. As Peter and John said in Acts 4:19-20 “Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things that we have seen and heard.”

When our good is evil spoken of, the proof of a man of God is his response in the face of a crisis. As Peter and the other apostles said in Acts 5, “we should obey God rather than men.”

A man of God is not a man of God because of disappointments in life. He’s a man of God because his identity is in Christ. A man of God is God’s man. It’s not who we are…it’s whose we are. Ye are of God little children and have overcome them because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.

May we pray like David, “Blot out my transgressions and create in me a new heart O Lord.” In the body of Christ we’re either a weight and a hinderance or we run with patience the race that is set before us. Encumberances handicap the movement of the truth of the Word. The solution is to pray, “have thine own way Lord, remove my transgressions and the weight that so easily besets us and create in me a new heart.”

Paul was determined to go to Jerusalem to spread the gospel despite prophecies of hardships and tribulation. Paul’s response was, “for me to live is Christ and to die is gain”….to be useful to Christ we must die to self in order to live for him.

What will it cost to be used of God? Our attitude must be, “Lord come help yourself to my life…take my life and let it be consecrated Lord to thee.” More of thee and less of me. God will teach us humility. This lesson may come at a high price.

The story of Joseph is the story of God teaching His man a lesson in humility. Joseph was his father’s favorite son. He told his brothers about a dream where they were bowing down to him. Joseph’s brothers were so jealous that they sold him to a caravan who sold him into slavery in Egypt. As a slave in the house of a rich Egyptian named Potiphar, Joseph found favor and became Potiphar’s chief administrator. When Pothphar’s wife tried to seduce Joseph, he ran from her but she took hold of his coat and stripped it from him. Potiphar’s wife showed her husband Joseph’s coat and accused him of raping her. He was thrown into prison for many years. In prison, Joseph interpreted the dreams of the Pharaoh’s baker and his cup bearer. After many years Pharaoh had a dream that troubled him and he called his wise men to interpret his dream. No one could interpret Pharaoh’s dream. Then his cup bearer remembered that when he was in prison, a prisoner named Joseph had interpreted his dream many years before. Joseph was summoned to the palace and brought before Pharaoh. Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dream and was made prime minister of Egypt. What men meant for evil, God meant for good.

When Jesus calls a man, he bids him, “come and die.” We must die to self in order to live for him. To be used of God, compared to the love we have for God we must “hate” all else. Therefore Jesus said in Luke 14:26, “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” In order to be useful to God we must approach the cross of Christ on his terms, not ours.

Beware of the man who recruits you because of your usefulness. God doesn’t want our ambition to achieve something high and great for ourselves. To seek great things for God’s glory, we must be willing to praise, love, and serve him through the storms of life. Our purpose in all things is that we should be to the praise of the glory of his grace.

To be used of God may we pray like Saint Francis of Assisi:

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love;

For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Many we ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace,
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Glory to God

It’s the spirit of the living God that gives us life. For in Him we live, and move, and have our being. He’s the breath in our lungs and the reason we draw breath. Therefore, May the words of our mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable unto thee, O Lord our strength and our redeemer. He has sanctified us, set us apart for his purpose, that we should be to the praise of the glory of His grace who has made us acceptable in the beloved.

John Chapter 1 is the foundational doctrine of who Jesus Christ is as God’s only begotten son. The light which enlightened the whole world came into the world but the world didn’t know him. Before the arrival of God’s prophet John the Baptist, there had been 400 years of silence since God’s last prophet Malachi. Despite the prolonged darkness, It takes only an instant to turn on the light. John the Baptist came as a precursor of the light of the world, Jesus Christ himself. Those who are born of God according to the seed of the Word of God have received the light to perceive truth from a spiritual perspective. The truth is Jesus Christ…the Word of God made flesh to declare the glory of the Father. Those who are born again of the spirt of God know the truth, for Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life.

God saves to the uttermost…in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly. Not because we were deserving but because of his loving kindness and tender mercy. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus Christ came not to condemn the world, but so that the world through him might be saved.

The love of God is a committed love. This agape love is the highest form of love. According to John 3, those who rejected Christ loved the world. They were so committed to love the world and their sin that they could not commit to love the Lord God Jehovah. God the righteous Judge will judge their sin. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

God doesn’t condemn the heathen to death for their sin. They condemn themselves by rejecting the savior from sin, God’s plan of salvation… the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 6 says, treasure not treasures upon the earth. But rather, treasures treasures in heaven. If you live for glory and treasures upon the earth, you will have temporary rewards, but they’re fleeting…here today and gone tomorrow. If you treasure the praise of men and rewards for worldly accomplishments, the reward is in this earth and not in heaven. The love of this world and the praise of men will choke out the desire for treasures in heaven. “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” The things that are highly esteemed among men are an abomination to God. The lusts of the flesh are anything that takes our desire over our desire to love and serve God. Lusts are an abomination because they take our hearts away from the one true God. According to Deuteronomy, God himself gave us the ability to attain wealth. It’s not in our power but in His alone. Jeremiah says, “Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.”… For the Lord God alone is worthy of glory and praise.

According to Matthew 6, the beatitudes are the blessed attitudes. These attitudes define our relationship with our Heavenly Father and with his son, our Lord Jesus Christ. The sermon on the mount is foundational for keeping our hearts right to receive all of Jesus’ teachings.

God is the one who has made us acceptable in the beloved through the righteous payment of His son, our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who was without sin was made the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in Him. Therefore in the words of the old Hymn, 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.

For He alone is worthy of praise, honor and glory!

May we ever live to the praise of the glory of His grace, Your brother in Christ, Michael

The Parable of the Sower

Ryan reports that God was on the move throughout his mission trip to Mexico, Israel, and Ethiopia. The highlight of his trip was the privilege of ministering God’s word in Ethiopia. Ryan marveled that as his host pastor said, “we are witnessing a revival in Ethiopia by the word of God.” It’s the word of God that gives life to a lifeless culture. It’s the Word of God that is exciting men of God to rise up to will and to do of God’s good pleasure.

While the Word is moving In Ethiopia, there are also many false prophets. These charlatans call attention to themselves whereas true prophets give glory, praise, and honor only to God. The false prophets appeal to the crowds who want to see so-called “miracles” of “deliverance.” They deceive the crowds to sacrifice their meager wages to witness deceptions disguised as great and mighty works.

The prime minister of Ethiopia is a born-again believer and God is on the move in the evangelical churches there. In the remote countryside, however, there is heavy persecution of these churches by the Muslim majorities. One of the ways the Muslim leaders persecute the Christians is by charging them exorbitant monthly rents for meeting places. But God is still on the move and working within the hearts of men and women of God.

Mark 4 and Matthew 13 record Jesus’ parable of the sower. This is a story of how God works through his Word in the hearts of men. The question is, what type of soil represents your heart? The seed in this parable is the Word of God. The word of God has the potential to grow, but whether it grows and flourishes depends on the type of soil. The sower went forth to sow. The seed fell on four different types of soil. When the sower scattered the seed, some fell on the hard packed earth. This type of soil represents the hearts of men that are impermeable and the seed cannot penetrate. The birds came and ate the seed before it could germinate. The second type of soil is the stony ground. The seed enters into the stony ground but since there is no depth of soil, the seed quickly springs up but then withers and dies. This type of heart receives the word at first but since there is no depth of root, the word quickly fades away. The fleeting emotional joy of receiving the word doesn’t last. The third type of soil is the thorny ground. This soil receives the seed and it takes root and starts to grow. However, over time the thorns choke out the seedling before it can grow to maturity. This soil represents the hearts of men where the weeds of riches and cares of this world choke out the seed of the word of God so it cannot bring forth fruit. The persecution or the deceitful riches of this world take over and choke the life out of the young plant so that it cannot produce fruit. The purpose of the seed and the seedling is to bring forth fruit, a harvest for the next generation. If the plant doesn’t produce fruit, it’s worthless and is cast into the fire and burned.

The fourth type of soil is the good ground. This soil represents the hearts of men that receive the seed of the word of God and it springs up into life eternal. Jesus Christ himself prepared the hearts of men represented by the good ground. He is the “hound of heaven” that pursues those who are chosen to receive the seed of the word of truth.

Sin is the root of evil. All we like sheep have gone astray and have turned each one to his own way. All men have inherited the sin nature from Adam who disobeyed God’s only command. God told Adam, “on the day that you eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt surely die.” Jesus Christ was God’s plan to redeem mankind from Adam’s original sin. When a person dies in his sinful state without Christ, he is judged by God’s righteous standard of His word. The wages of sin is death….but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. God made a way of redemption through his saving grace. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. For he who was without sin became the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in Him.

Therefore those who accept Jesus Christ are born again of the incorruptible seed of the Word of God which liveth and abideth forever. The seed of the word that falls on good ground brings forth fruit for the next generation, some thirty fold, some sixty fold and some an hundred fold.

God has called us as sowers of the seed. He has called us to plant and water and in due season to bring in the fruitful harvest. When the seed falls on good ground God will give the increase unto the harvest. According to Psalm 1, blessed is the man whose delight is in the law of the Lord. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of living waters that brings forth fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

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