A Little Help From My Friends

Jesus’ sermon on the mount starts with God’s blessings. The blessings of God are upside down from what the world considers blessings. The world thinks that poverty, mournfulness, meekness, hunger, thirst, purity in spirit, and persecution are curses, not blessings. However, Jesus said, when those who live righteous in Christ are persecuted by the world, Great is your reward in heaven… As Paul said, the suffering of this present fleeting moment in time is not to be compared with the eternal glory that shall be revealed in us.

According to 1 Peter 3, even if you suffer for the sake of righteousness, you’re blessed. Jesus’ last beatitude says, Blessed are they 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.

Pete was journaling and writing down his list of maladies… neuropathy, planar fasciitis, Parkinson’s disease, anemia, and so on…. Then he heard God’s still small voice: “I see you’re listing your friends.” Our friends bring us closer to the Lord…. The job of the Holy Spirit is to afflict the comfortable and to comfort the afflicted. As Suzan often said, Joy is not the absence of pain. Joy is the presence of the Lord.

Paul listed his “friends” in 2 Corinthians 11. Paul suffered and endured scourgings, beatings, stoning and imprisonment.. in shipwreck often, in perils of the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils against false brethren…. These perils were his “friends” because through the pain of his “thorn in the flesh,” Paul through the patience of suffering finally understood his true calling. He came to the conclusion that for me to live is Christ and to die (to myself and to the world) is gain.

Isaiah 40 says, nothing in this world will last. This too shall pass. Even the nations of the world will rise and fall… nations are but a drop in the bucket from God’s eternal perspective. For that which is seen is temporal, but that which is unseen, the things of the spirit of God, are eternal.

The things the world considers success, God says will come to naught…. Ecclesiastes says everything is vanity… everything is “dust in the wind.”

The Pharisees thought that Paul had reached the pinnacle of success. In Philippians 3:5-7, Paul listed his worldly credentials….
If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:
circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;
concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

However in verses 8-11, Paul came to the conclusion that these worldly credentials didn’t matter:
But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Paul said, the things the world holds dear, these things I count but dung that I may receive the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, for he is my lord and every thing else is rubbish in comparison.

The world strives for trophies, medals and awards….. accolades and tokens of the world’s appreciation for excelling in the things that they value the most…. To be better than the competition… to be self assured, self fulfilled, self confident, and self sufficient… to be self actualized. However, these things will come to naught…. The warning is this: be careful what you strive for. The greatest disappointment in life is that after climbing the ladder of success, you finally discover that your ladder was leaning against the wrong wall.

Paul came to this conclusion after he had prayed three times for God to remove his painful thorn in the flesh. Twice God did not answer his prayer… Thank God for unanswered prayer. Then finally when the student is ready the teacher will come. The third time Paul prayed, God answered his prayer, but it wasn’t the answer that Paul expected. The Lord said that despite your painful thorn in the flesh…. “My strength is made perfect in thy weakness, my grace is sufficient for thee.”

The question is, when people see you and what you do, are they witnessing the gospel of Christ? As Paul said in Philippians 1:27, only let your conversation (your exemplary behavior as a citizen) be as it becometh the gospel of Christ…. The word conversation is the word for “citizenship.” Even though we hold dual citizenship as citizens of the United States and citizens of heaven, we are Christians first and Americans second. Our first allegiance is to the kingdom of heaven…. To our Sovreign Lord, for he is the king of kings and Lord of Lords.

This is the theme of Philippians 1:27-29 about our witness to the world as citizens of heaven:
Only let your (behavior as citizens of heaven) be worthy of the gospel of Christ…. standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,
and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.
For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake…

When people read the book of our lives, do our lives reflect the testimony of the Lord? As long as we draw breath upon this earth, then God hasn’t finished writing his word upon the tables of our heart. For we are his living epistles… his love letters…. living testimonies of God’s mercy, love and grace known and read of all men.

Often the greatest witness is not how we handle so-called success. People will sit up and take note of how we handle adversity. Paul’s suffering, his thorn in the flesh was his “friend.” Through the suffering, like Paul, we will come to understand what God said to Paul, “my strength is made perfect in thy weakness, my grace is sufficient for thee”…….

That despite the trials, tribulation, and suffering, we may be living epistles of his strength, mercy and love…. To the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Hope Learned through Trial

Jesus said, In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world. According to Pastor Paul Nyquist of the Moody Bible Institute, persecution is a blessing and not a curse.

The world doesn’t know the meaning of the word blessing. It’s often a buzzword, a covert code word that conveys that someone is a Christian. The world thinks that blessings are favorable circumstances in the world around us… they think blessings are When you get the job you wanted, when your first grand child is born…. when the Angels finally win a game.

However Jesus’ definition of blessings are defined in the beatitudes. The final beatitude says, blessed are they 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. According to 1 Peter 3:14, if you suffer and endure for the sake of righteousness, you shall be blessed. James 1:12 says blessed is the man who remains faithful under trial.

Thomas Payne said, the great man will pursue conscience until death. The founders of America and the signers of the Declaration of Independence suffered for their convictions. They knew that they would be persecuted for their stand for their God-given inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness based on godly virtue. To these ends they pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor in firm reliance on Divine Providence (of almighty God.)

The world thinks that enough is never enough. John D Rockefeller, the richest man at the time, was asked, “when is enough enough?” His answer: Just a little bit more. The lust of the flesh and the pride of life is an insatiable hunger… enough is never enough.

The perils of Paul are mentioned in 2 Corinthians 11:24-28: Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
25 Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
28 Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches..

Through his suffering and pain Paul asked God to remove his “thorn in the flesh.” God finally answered his prayer. But God’s answer was not the answer Paul expected. God said, “My strength is made perfect in thy weakness… my grace is sufficient for thee.” The greatest life lessons are learned through the crucible of the melting pot and the refining fire of God’s purifying.

According to Philippians 3:4-10, Paul said, in the world’s eyes I had accomplished many great things…. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:
5. circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;
6. concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

Even though Paul had the right worldly credentials, He concluded, what the world values, I count worthless in order to gain Christ:
7. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
8. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
9. and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
10. that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,
11. if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Paul knew that in order to live for Christ he had to die to himself…. Even though he had the right pedigree, born of the tribe of Benjamin, one of the most favored of Israel’s sons, and even though he was schooled in the strictest teachings of the Law of the Pharisees, even though he kept all 613 of the Old Testament Laws, Paul said, these things I count but loss so that I may gain Christ. He knew that his righteousness was not in the works of the Law, but in the righteousness of Christ.

He said, all of my worldly accomplishments, I count but dung, rubbish, excrement, that I may know Christ. Everything I’ve done that the world holds dear, I flush down the toilet so that I may gain the knowledge of Christ. It’s not for my own glory but for the glory of God through my Lord Jesus Christ.

Oswald Chambers said, if you enjoy being tortured and suffering pain, then you’re insane. However, if you suffer and endure for Christ, then you’re living on a higher plane than the physical comfort of this fallen world. If you love God above all, then you’re motivated to live for him and not for the pleasures of the world.

The greatest blessings of life are learned through suffering. Pete recalls that when his wife went into the operating room at MD Anderson for delicate surgery to remove her brain tumor, the doctors said, you can’t go with her into the operating room. Then God reassured Pete, you wont be there with her, but I’ll accompany her. This was the assurance Pete needed. He remembered what Suzan said, Joy is not the absence of pain. Joy is the presence of the Lord.

James said, count it all joy when you encounter various trials. For when tribulation is completed, God will reveal his perfect work in you… that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

Paul said, that I may know the fellowship of his suffering…. That I, too, may die to self in order to live for God. Jesus said, whosoever shall hold on to his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake shall find it. As missionary Jim Elliot said, he is no fool who loses that which he cannot keep to keep that which he cannot lose.

Why is suffering a blessing and not a curse? When our heart’s desire is to be conformed to his image and to his suffering…. For tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience…. Proven character, the character of Christ in us the hope of Glory…. And in endurance and long suffering we will know by experience the meaning of hope and love…. For proving the character of Christ in us produces hope of the return of our Lord, and hope maketh not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit…

That through the trial and suffering and enduring, we may live to the praise of the glory of Thy grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Focus on the Solution

Oswald Chambers said, if your eyes are on the problem, then you become the problem. The solution to the problem is not to focus on the problem but to focus on the Lord. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in his wonderful face… and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.

Despite the confusion of the world and the chaos and pandemonium around us… despite the rejection of the truth of the Word of God, we can focus on Jesus Christ instead of the world’s problems. The devil distracts us to divert our attention to the chaos, conflict and confusion of this world. Regardless of the problems the world inflicts, the solution to the problem is Jesus Christ… he is the meaning of life and the purpose of the Word of God.

Jesus said, in this world ye shall suffer tribulation, but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world. In the midst of the trials and tribulation of life, God will teach us that he alone is our sufficiency.

The world says that we should avoid persecution…. for persecution ridicules, bullies, offends and inflicts pain and humiliation. However Jesus said, blessed are they 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.

In John 5:16, the Jews persecuted Jesus and tried to kill him. Jesus had healed a lame man on the Sabbath day which was against the law of the Pharisees. Jesus asked them, what is the right thing to do on the Sabbath? Is it right to do evil or to do good? What does God reqauire of you on the sabbath? According to Isaiah 58, Is not the Sabbath to clothe the naked, to feed the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, and to welcome the needy into your house? Is this not much greater than doing the religious rituals of the Pharisees? The great law of the love of God is contrary to the rituals, traditions, and legalistic commands of the Pharisees.

What was the difference between Cain’s offering and Abel’s? Why did Cain kill Abel? Because his deeds were evil and his brother’s were righteous. Abel was slain because the darkness hates the light neither cometh to the light lest his deeds should be reproved.

Israel who had turned from God, persecuted the prophets whom God had called to teach them, reprove them and correct them. The religious leaders who plotted to murderer Jesus also tried to eliminate the disciples of Christ.

2 Timothy 3:12 says all who suffer for righteousness in Christ will be persecuted. Those who oppose the truth of the Word of God are wrong about God and they oppose followers of Christ who stand for God’s righteous standards of truth, mercy, grace, and love.

The adversary usually hides in darkness… he rarely shows his true colors. However, the “thought leaders” of this world indoctrinate the people to call evil good and good evil. They twist the truth of the Word of God into a lie. Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

Are we ready to turn the other cheek, go the second mile, and bless those who persecute us? People will not notice how well we handle successes and victory. However, They will sit up and take note how we handle adversity.

DL Moody recalls that when he conducted a revival in England, he noticed an older gentleman on the front row who was standing, singing and raising his hands in joyful praise. His smile lit up the room. After the service Moody asked him, why are you so blessed? He said, years ago, when I was in India, I was in charge of a platoon of British soldiers. I was the worst of the worst. One night I had been drinking and stumbled into the barracks. I noticed one man fast asleep in his bunk. I knew he was a Christian and I despised Christians. I dragged him out of his bunk and onto the floor. In a blind rage, I kicked him with my muddy boots and punched him until he was bloody and nearly unconscious. Then I stumbled to my bed and fell asleep in a drunken stupor. When I woke up the next morning with a hangover, I tried to open my eyes…. The first thing I noticed was my boots spit shined and polished by my footlocker. I realized the soldier I had kicked the night before had crawled through his own blood to spit shine my muddy boots. That was the first time I had ever prayed. “God, that man has something I don’t have… I want whatever he has.” That’s when I had a change of heart. God answered my prayer and I’ve been a Christian ever since.

James and John went through Samaria to prepare the way before Jesus entered into Jerusalem. When the towns people rejected them, they asked Jesus, do you want us to send down fire from heaven to rebuke them? Jesus said, you don’t know what you’re asking…. He said, you’re of the wrong spirit if you seek vengeance and the wrath of God.

Jesus said, blessed are the poor in spirit and blessed are those who mourn…. Blessed are the peacemakers. Now is the acceptable year of the Lord. He came not to condemn the world…. The son of God came not into the world to destroy the world, but that the world through him might be saved.

The zealots of Jesus’ time thought it was their duty to drive out the Romans. However, Jesus didn’t come to make war but to bring peace… blessed are the peacemakers, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. There is no peace without the Prince of Peace. Peace is the result of reconciliation and Jesus is the one who reconciles…. He reconciles our hearts with God’s heart, for there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

The Love of God compels a man to approach God’s throne of grace.. The wrath of God doesn’t call a man to Jesus Christ. Instead, it is the kindness, gentleness, goodness and love of God that calls a man to repentance.

Jesus said to his disciples, If they rejected you, they have rejected me. If they hate you it’s because they hated me. However, as Paul said, be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good. Jesus Christ himself is our example. For even while we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly.

In Mark 12 what are the basic precepts? Thou shalt love the lord thy God with all thy heart, with, with all thy soul, and with all thy might and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Why? Because Love covers a multitude of sins…. Love is the fulfillment of the law.. Love is the nature of God himself.

What is it that you love most? Do you love God above all? To love God above all is to die to self.… The Apostle Paul said, That I may know him and the power of the resurrection, being conformed to his death, even the death of the cross. According to Galatians 2:20, for I was crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life that I now live I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.

The world says, get what you deserve… you deserve a break today. Therefore take it all in… grab for all the gusto you can get. Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die. Men of this world say, “I want my just desserts.” But be careful what you desire. Because if God gave you your just desserts, the wages of sin is death.

Contrary to the world’s doctrine, To die to self is to live for Christ. James and John were known as sons of thunder. However, our prayer is not that God would cast the lightning bolt of judgement down from heaven. Instead Jesus said, bless them that persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake, for great is your reward in heaven. To love with the love of God is to be not overcome of evil but to overcome evil with good. Abraham Lincoln said, the best way to defeat your enemy is to make him your friend…. For love covers a multitude of sins. Through believing faith that works in love, greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world….

That despite the persecution of this world, we may live and love to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Death to Self…. Alive to Christ

Dave Hess served as a missionary to the Middle East for thirty years. His calling as a missionary was clear…. God called him to build God’s church abroad. Recently God called him back to the United States to minister to former Muslims who have turned to Christ. They have been delivered by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, from the false the false teachings of Islam.

Is humility the greatest need in God’s kingdom? Some say love is the greatest need. Humility and love are closely related. To come to Jesus Christ requires a heart of humility and meekness. Jesus said, whoever wants to be my disciple must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me. To live unto Christ we must die to self…. This is a cardinal tenet of our church fathers… theirs is a history of death to self to live for Christ.

The message of Brokenness and death to self is the message of the cross. All other biblical teaching springs from the foundation of the cross of Christ.

AB Simpson says True humility is not thinking merely of ourselves, it is not thinking of ourselves at all. This message flies in the face of the cult of people-worship. The message of hero worship is a toxic doctrine.

Some of the most popular books are the biographies of so-called great men. They may have been on fire with zeal and enthusiasm to follow God’s calling for one “brief and shining moment.” The problem with a charismatic leader is that if their appeal is based on the cult of personality, then their flame will quickly flame out.

Roy Hession wrote the book The Calvary Road. This book was required reading when David was training to be a missionary. The theme of this book is humility…. that we should die to self to live for Christ. When we feel the tinge of envy, criticism, irritability, covetousness, fear or any other earthly passion, triggered by our interaction with others —- then give it to Jesus and he will cleanse our heart. When we look around and are irritated by certain traits in another person, take this irritation and leave it the foot of the cross of Calvary. To do this, We must first be frozen in humility. That is, we must yield to God over the whole question, what did that person do or say that offended me? When we approach God’s throne of grace, he will reconcile our hearts with his heart through the power of the cross of Christ…. Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf reconciles our hearts with God’s heart. Then when our hearts are vertically aligned with God’s heart, he will change our hearts to love others horizontally. Then with loving compassion we can pray for them as Jesus prayed, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.

Jesus said, Judge not lest ye be not judged. He did not call us to judge… only God himself is the righteous judge. If we consider the sin of others and judge them with a heart of condemnation, then ours is the greater sin. Jesus said, “yank the plank”. The plank is the sin of thinking that we can look down on them from a position of superiority. To yank the plank means to confess our sin of judgementalism. Then we can see clearly to minister to others.

There are many verses on humility. Jesus said in Matthew 16:24-25, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

In some parts of the Middle East, when a Christian invites a Muslim to follow Christ, it literally means that they may lose their life. The message of salvation to Muslims is clear: in order to follow Chist, we must die to self…. Christianity is not an enhancement to build up yourself… instead Christianity is to die to self to live for Christ.

According toJohn 3:30, John the Baptist said, I must decrease that he might increase. John 15:5 says, apart from me you can do nothing. 1 Peter 5:5 says, clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

According to James 4, Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will exalt you.

Some false teachers emphasize “what’s in it for me?” The preferred pronouns for the false gospel of prosperity are me, myself, and I. They say, God’s purpose is that I would be self fulfilled, self actualized and self glorified. However, the pride of man goes before a fall. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

John the Baptist, whom Jesus said is the greatest man born of a woman, said, Jesus must become more important that I may become less important. According to the King James Version John said, “I must decrease that he may increase.”

In the vernacular of today’s social media culture, “Jesus must get more followers, likes, and partners on His greater social media platform, while I lose followers and donors as my reputation fades into obscurity.” We would not see John the Baptist’s website entitled “www.none is greater than me.com.”

Pass It On

Paul said in Romans 12, Condescend to men of low estate. God has chosen the weak and foolish things of this world to confound the wise. For the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men and the weakness of God is mightier than men.

Paul was ordained of God with the ministry of an Apostle. As he approached the end of his life, Paul said to his “son in the faith” Timothy, be strong in the Lord and the power of his might. For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)

When we divert our eyes from following Jesus Christ, we will be caught up in the affairs of this world. Paul continued in 2 Timothy 1:8, for I am not ashamed of the gospel, Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;
Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus…
That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.

Paul knew that he was approaching the end of his earthly life and ministry. In his second letter to Timothy, Paul passed the torch of the light of truth to his protege and son in the faith. As Timothy’s mentor and coach, Paul trained him up in God’s truth… to grow up into the man of God for the purpose God intended. Holding fast the sound word that we have heard and witnessed in others, is secured in believing faith, activated by the love of Christ in us.

Paul continued his letter to Timothy in 2 Timothy chapter 2 with four illustrations. A Man of God is a teacher of truth, a soldier in the spiritual battle, an athlete in a spiritual completion, and a farmer…. One who sows the seed of the word, waters and tends the crop and, reaps good fruit at harvest time.

2 Timothy 2:2 says, 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.

How do you teach others? How do you commit that which you’ve learned to the next generations? The growth of the church the body of Christ grows exponentially…. Raised to power of 4…. Four Generations to come. To yourself, your children, and your children’s children, and to your children’s children’s children.. Jesus rarely spoke to the multitudes. He had twelve disciples and an inner circle of three men. The question is, who are your twelve and who are your three. 4M is four men, discipling each other in the love of God and the power of God raised to the exponential power of 4.

How do you teach those with whom you associate? You teach by your actions…. As the old poem says, “I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day. I’d rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way.” James said, you say you have faith? Your faith is demonstrated by your actions.

Paul continued his letter to Timothy in verses 3-4, Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
God called his men of God to the front lines of the spiritual battle. The soldier spends his time training for the battle. No soldier in active duty entangles himself with the affairs of this world, that he may please him who has called him and appointed him to be a soldier.

Then in verse 5, Paul likens the calling of a man of God to training for an athletic competition: And if a man also strive for masteries (of the competition,) yet is he not crowned, (with a victory wreath) except he strive lawfully. An athlete must compete according to the rules of the game or he will be disqualified. As spiritual athletes, we must compete, striving according to the righteous standard of God’s spirit…. The spirit of truth… Christ in you the hope of glory.

If we fail to keep the rules and stumble and fall, then we fall into the net of God’s grace…. For if we sin, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

In verse 8, Paul compares the man of God to a farmer: The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits. Paul had said before, I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. When the seed of the word of God you sow falls on the good ground of a receptive heart, it will bear much fruit… some thirty fold, some sixty fold and some a hundred fold. There is no glory in the one who sows, plants and waters…. The glory is in God who gives the increase.

If life on earth is a race, the winning is not in finishing first place, but in finishing well…. At the end of his life, Paul handed his ministry to Timothy. Paul’s legacy was that whatever he did, he did all for the advancement of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul’s benediction is in 2 Timothy 4:6-8:
For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

May this also be our own benediction…. That we may live not for our own glory, but to the praise of the glory of His grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Men of Action

John Schaefer served as police chief for both Placentia and San Marino. This had been his ambition since he was a cadet in Police Academy. When he transitioned out of civil service and into church leadership, the minister who interviewed him said, “Are you willing to step down from being the man in charge to not being the man in charge?” This is the same question that a man of God asks himself every day…. Am I in charge or is Jesus Christ Lord?

No disciple of Jesus Christ was ever given a diploma that said, your training is complete. A disciple is a disciplined follower of Jesus Christ.. In this life we never arrive. As Paul said, I count myself not to have apprehended, (of having taken hold of the ultimate prize) but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth toward those things that are before me.…..we press toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

There is a difference between success and significance. John recalls that in the public sector he was given many commendations and awards to recognize his service to his community. However, as Jesus said to the Pharisees, they have their reward of men. But when you pray, go into your prayer closet so that you’re not heard of men but of God. The significance is that God is the one who is glorified.

Every disciple of Christ is discipled by another brother in Christ. Ananias was the one God called to disciple the Apostle Paul.

God calls us to be a laser and not a shotgun. The laser focuses energy on the target, whereas a shotgun scatters the shot. As God’s ordnance, his smart bombs, we press toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus according to the guidance, control, and propulsion of the Holy Spirit.

A prayer from the Jesusit prayer book says, I pray that others may be esteemed more than I, and that in the opinion of the world, others may increase that I may decrease, that others may become holier than I.

Our prayer is that others may be recognized for their significance in glorifying not themselves, but God himself.

God has called each of us and has entrusted us with talents to invest so that they increase and grow exponentially to God’s glory.

Therefore 1 Corinthians 16:13 says, be watchful, stand firm in the faith, be strong.

God has called his men as men of action. Men who act according to God’s calling come to understand the meaning of biblical manhood. Manhoood makes a family whole, a woman safe, a child confident and a community strong.

Men are known by who they are, evidenced by what they believe and what they do. Even though men often fail, they are not known for their defeats, but for how they handle adversity.

What is the significance of your life? The question for a man of God is, if you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

Men of this world trend toward passivity…. Since today’s women are more involved with higher education and thrive in the workplace, men look at them and say, If I can’t win, I’l just sit back. These men are lambasted and ridiculed as becoming marginalized in their roles, and because they have become passive, women step up and take leadership responsibility.

However, God says through the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthian 16:18 and following: Aquit ye like men, be strong in the Lord and the power of his might. Do all things with the love of God.

Faith without works is dead… therefore, work out your own salvation, your wholeness in Christ, with awe, respect, and reverence for God…. Then when our will is aligned with. God’s will and our heart with God’s heart, as men of action, it is God who works in you to will and to do of His good pleasure.

Success is not what the world considers success. Success is the impact we have for Our Lord Jesus Christ according the power of God energized as we act empowered by God’s Holy Spirit to the praise of the glory of His grace!

Therefore, let your light of Christ shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael

Fanning the Flame

In the midst of tribulation, The Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome: Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer…. (Romans 12:10-12)
In other words, stoke The fire of the holy spirit. Despite the persecution, the fellowship of the church the body of Christ binds us together in the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.

The world stands against the truth of the Word of God. Men of God are called to lead their families in the love of God. According to 3 John 1:4, I have no greater joy than to see that my children walk in truth.

The world and the popular culture, influenced by the god of this world, has marginalized men in our society. The most-used adjective to describe men today is the word “toxic.” They say the term “toxic masculinity” is redundant…. What other type of masculinity is there? However, the word of God says, God has called men of God to stand for the truth of His world…. Our righteousness is not in our own ability, but in the power of the holy spirit.

Salvation is both a one time event and also an ongoing practice…. This is why Philippians 2:12 says, work out your own salvation, your wholeness, your ongoing redemption, with fear and reverence…. With awe, respect, and love of God. Maintaining our vertical relationship in fellowship with God is ongoing… it is taking action intentionally, and purposefully moment by moment to deliberately and lovingly walk with the Lord.

As Men of God, our responsibility is our response to God’s ability. Following after Christ, growing in the love of God, and fanning the flame of the Holy Spirit is based on Influencers’ five foundational truths. The first is Jesus Christ is Lord of our lives. Second, the word of God truth. Therefore, the Bible is our sole rule of faith and practice. The third is, We are men of prayer. Fourth, we link together with likeminded believers. Fifth, we give it away.

Paul said, quench not the spirit. Sin will quench the spirit of God. Sin separates our heart from God’s heart…. Sin focuses on the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Sin puts the desires of the flesh over the desires of the spirit of God in Christ. To turn from sin is to return to our Lord Jesus Christ.

If our concept of God is that he is a hard taskmaster whose purpose is to condemn us when we sin, then we will fall away from the grace, mercy, and love of God. The parable of the talents is an illustration of the steward who was motivated by fear instead of love.

God will make a way to return to fellowship… to realign our hearts with His heart. Psalm 51 is the record of David’s repentance and restoration after he had fallen into sin. A broken and a contrite heart God will not forsake.

Matthew 12 says, a battered reed he will not break off until in his name the gentiles will put their hope. The battered reed and a dimly burning wick he will not extinguish. Even though the flame of the Holy Spirit may flicker and smolder, God will not allow his Holy Spirit to be extinguished…. Until he sends forth his judgement to victory and until the Gentiles put their trust in him.

It’s easy to be discouraged by the world and the trials and tribulations that surround us. However, God makes a way of deliverance where the world seems bleak and hopeless…. For there has no temptation taken you, but such as is common to all men. But God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above that which you are able but will with the temptation make a way to escape that you may be able to bear it.

For even when we sin and break fellowship with God, if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Life is a series of choices. God himself is pro-choice…. Given the choice between life and death, choose life. As Joshua said after he had led the children of Israel into the promised land, Choose ye this day whom ye shall serve, as for me and my house we shall serve the Lord.

Serving the Lord from a heart of love, fans the flame of the Holy Spirit. As we work out our salvation with awe, reverence, respect, and love of God… as we quench not the Holy Spirit of promise, then the next verse, Philippians 2:13 says… it is God who worketh in you to will and to do of His good pleasure.

God will respond when we cry out to him. Jesus said, ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you.

Psalm 133 says, how good and pleasant it is that my people walk in unity…
It’s important to assemble together as the called of God, his church… like minded men standing together to fan one another’s flame in the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.

Lord Give us men…. Men who are living epistles of salt and light to all they meet… men who are known to have spent time with you…. Men of faith and action who have you as their passion and reason for living.. even though these men are few, these men choose to decrease that you may increase.
Lord Give us Men…. Men who give their lives to you in total abandonment and absolute trust..
Lord, make me a man like this among men like this that together we may ever live to glorify you.

Fanning the flame, quenching not the Holy Spirit of God in Christ in us that we may together shine as lights in a world of darkness, to the praise of the glory of thy grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael