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

Run to Repent

As men of God we believe that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. Jesus commended Peter when he said, “Thou art the Christ the son of the living God.” We encourage men to make Jesus Lord of their lives. We exhort men to gather together as like minded men chasing after our brothers who are chasing after Jesus. Our mission is to raise up men of God who love Jesus Christ and who want to spend the rest of their lives learning to become just like Jesus. Men of God in whom the spirit of the Lord is…for such a time as this.

Christian churches are filled with people filled with sin consciousness. However we have been delivered from the power of sin and have been given the righteousness of Christ. Because of the price Jesus paid for our sin by his death on our behalf, God has exchanged the guilt of our sin for the righteousness of Christ.

When a man of God sins, how does God restore him back into fellowship? Repentance is the inflection point, the change of direction when a man of God returns his heart to the Lord. The story of David and Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11 and 12 is the story of repentance. King David was called to lead God’s armies against Israel’s enemies. However David decided to take some time away from the battlefield. When David left the battle, he also forsook his fellowship with the Lord. An idle mind is the devil’s playground. While David was relaxing in his palace, he noticed his neighbor Bathsheba taking a bath on her roof. David lusted after her. Lust is anything that we love and long for over our desire for God. David gave into his lust and committed adultery with Bathsheba. As a result, Bathsheba became pregnant. Since David was no longer walking with God, he decided to cover up his sin. Uriah was Bathsheba’s husband who served in David’s army. As commander in Chief, David ordered Uriah to take a leave of absence from the battlefield and spend some intimate time with his wife. However, Uriah refused to sleep with his wife. Uriah was so committed to fight against Israel’s enemies that he slept outside of David’s palace so that he could rejoin his brothers-in-arms at a moment’s notice. David told his generals, “put Uriah on the front line of the battle. When the enemy attacks, have everyone retreat and leave Uriah alone exposed to enemy fire.” The generals did as David commanded and Uriah was killed as a result of David’s murderous plot.

David had walked away from fellowship to the point that he no longer feared the Lord God Jehovah. God spoke to his prophet Nathan and told him to confront David about his sin. Nathan was reluctant to confront David because he knew that he had Uriah murdered. God gave Nathan a story to tell David. Nathan told David about a poor man in his kingdom whose only possession was a precious little ewe lamb whom he cherished and loved like his own daughter. There was also a rich man in David’s kingdom who owned many flocks of sheep and herds of cattle. A traveler came to the rich man’s house for dinner. Instead of taking one from his own flock, the rich man stole the poor man’s precious little ewe lamb, butchered her, and served her to his rich guest.” David had been a shepherd as a boy so this story moved him deeply. The penalty for stealing a man’s sheep is to pay him back four times over. However David pronounced the death penalty when he said, “the man that did this thing must die.” Then Nathan stuck his finger in David’s chest and said, “You are the man.”

David was broken. When we fall from fellowship, God will call a brother to reprove and correct us. If you don’t find Nathan, then Nathan will find you. Correction is to restore to an upright position. Those who are ready to repent run TO the Lord not FROM the Lord. Jesus said, He who loses his life shall find it and he who finds his life shall lose it.

Psalm 51 is David’s prayer of repentance. This Psalm begins, “HAVE mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.” The beauty of David’s confession is that he did not hide from his sin. As he ran back to his Lord, he approached God’s throne of grace and mercy with a broken and a contrite heart. The new nature of Christ in us the hope of glory will convict our hearts when we sin. The Holy Spirit will shed the light of reproof and correction when we fall from fellowship. Jesus said that the Holy Spirit, the comforter, will teach us all things that are true according to His word.

David’s prayer continues in Psalm 51:2-4: “Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.”

The consequences of sin allows us to focus our hearts on the solution from sin. Part of repentance is to make it right with the ones we’ve wronged. An unforgiving heart is an unrepentant heart. Another part of forgiveness is forgiving those who have wronged us. That’s why the Lord’s Prayer says, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Sometimes repentance requires us to “turn the other cheek” so that we can understand the meaning of humility. The greatest freedom is freedom from the “insidious preoccupation with self.” When we repent, we can confess, “I have found the enemy and he is me.”

Verses 5 and 6 continue David’s prayer, “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.”

The secret to repentance is in John 3:20-21, for he that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light that his deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought of God.

David’s prayer in Psalm 51 concludes, “Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.”

To know the Grace and mercy of God requires that we approach him with a broken and a contrite heart. He is gracious and merciful to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. According to Isaiah, “though your sins be as scarlet, ye shall be as white as snow.” To win the battle and keep our place standing on the wall, we must approach our Commander in Chief according to his terms…For if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

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

You Are the Man

The Prophet Isaiah said, “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” When we sin, how does God restore us back into fellowship? The story of David and Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11 and 12 is the story of sin and repentance. King David’s army fought against the enemies of Israel but David took some time off. The problem is that David also took time off from his fellowship with the Lord. A wise man said, “an idle mind is the devil’s playground.” David was in his palace and noticed his neighbor Bathsheba taking a bath on her roof. He lusted after her. Lust is any desire that takes precedence over our desire for fellowship with our Lord. David gave into his lust and committed adultery with Bathsheba. She became pregnant. David decided to cover up his adultery so he called Bathsheba’s husband Uriah who was a soldier in David’s army. David as commander in chief ordered Uriah to take a leave of absence from the battlefield and spend some intimate time with his wife. However, instead of sleeping with his wife, Uriah was so committed to his fellow soldiers that he slept outside of David’s house so that he would be on-call to rejoin his brothers in arms. Then David said to his officers, put Uriah on the front lines in the heat of the battle. Then retreat from the point of battle so that Uriah would be alone to face the enemy fire. Uriah was killed as a result David’s plot to have him murdered.

David was so out of fellowship that he no longer feared the Lord God Almighty. God told his prophet Nathan to confront David about his sin. Nathan was reluctant to face the king because he knew that David had committed murder by having Uriah killed. God gave Nathan a story to tell David. Nathan told David about a poor man in his kingdom whose only possession was his precious little ewe lamb whom he loved and cherished like his own daughter. Then a rich man who owned many flocks had one of his rich friends over for dinner. Rather than taking from his own flock, he went over to the poor man’s house, stole his precious ewe lamb, butchered her, and fed her to his rich guest. David was once a shepherd as a boy. He was deeply moved and infuriated about this injustice in his kingdom. David said to Nathan, “the man who did this must die.” David had pronounced the death sentence against the rich man. Then Nathan stuck his finger in David’s chest and said, “You are the man.”

This story broke David’s heart. He realized that he had broken fellowship and sinned against his Lord. Psalm 51 is David’s prayer of repentance. When David walked in fellowship with His Lord, he was a man after God’s own heart. Men of God are imperfect in the flesh. However, Jesus said “He who abides in me shall produce good fruit.” Psalm 51 proves the heart of true repentance. You can’t hide from God. He’s the hound of heaven who pursues us when we stray…all we like sheep have gone astray…we have returned every one to our own way. When a man of God stumbles, God will bring a brother across his path to reprove and correct him. Biblical correction means to “restore to a upright position.” A Man of God runs to God for confession of sin. Most men run away from God when they sin. Repentance means to Change direction. It means to turn around to return to God.

David returned to his Lord with a broken and a contrite heart. According to Psalm 51:1- 4, “HAVE mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. 2. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 3. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 4. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.”

It’s always emotional when a Man of God returns to his Lord. Those who are not ready for repentance hide from God. But as Jesus said, “he who saves his life shall lose it but he who loses his life for my sake shall save it…”

There are always consequences for sin. David’s baby son, the result of his adultery with Bathsheba, was taken from him in death. David mourned while his son was on death’s door. In his prayer of repentance David said in Psalm 51:7-10, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”

1 John 1:9 is the key to repentance to return to fellowship with our Lord: “For if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Every man struggles with the sin nature that we inherited from Adam. However, when we return to the Lord with a broken and a contrite heart, when our prayer is “Create in me a new Heart, O God,” he will renew a right spirit in us. To be filled with His spirt we must empty ourselves of ourselves so that He can fill us with his Holy Spirit.

In Psalm 51 verses 11 and 12 David prayed, “Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.”

After Peter had denied his Lord three times, Jesus came to restore Peter back into fellowship. Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me with the love of God?” Peter said “I love you like a brother.” He didn’t yet know how to love with the love of God. Jesus asked Peter this question three times. The third time Peter said to Jesus, “Thou knowest all things. Thou knowest that I love you the only way I know how.” Jesus said to Peter, “feed my sheep.” Peter learned to love his Lord Jesus Christ when he received the Holy Spirit at the day of Pentecost. At that time Jesus’ promise came true. Jesus had said in John 14, “The comforter, the holy spirt, will teach you all things.” The greatest thing that we know according to the Holy Spirit is to Love unconditionally with the love of God. This is the “agape” unconditional love of God.

Joe Briscoe said, “the Holy Spirit has left the church and we didn’t even know it.” Our commission is not to call people to church but rather to call people to the Lord. This is the theme of David’s prayer in Psalm 51 and Psalm 32. Our prayer is that God’s Holy Spirit of Christ in us will teach us the first of the Ten Commandments: “Thou shalt have no other Gods between your face and God’s face.” As we return our hearts back to fellowship with our Lord, may we pray the lyrics of this hymn:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face…And the things of earth shall grow strangely dim… In the light of His glory and grace.

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

Culling the Crowd

Influencers focuses on men, marriages, and missions. We believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God who gave his life so that we would be made the righteousness of God in Him. It’s important to keep the main thing the main thing.

God often culls the crowd. He did this with Gideon when he culled the army of Israel. Jesus also did this in John Chapter 6. He needed to separate the sheep from the goats. In John 6, the crowds followed Jesus around. He was the “rock star” of his day. The entourage and the paparazzi wanted to get a photo op and witness a miracle. They wanted to be entertained and Jesus was the biggest draw of his day. Jesus said to the crowd, “unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink.” Those who didn’t know Jesus didn’t understand his message. He had said, “my sheep know my voice and they know me and I give unto them eternal life.” The sheep knew their master’s voice. Jesus had told the woman at the well, I have drink you know not of. He is the fountain of living water. Jesus Christ himself is the bread of life. Whosoever eats this bread shall live forever. The multitudes didn’t understand what Jesus meant. According to John 6:66, from that day, many of his disciples went back and walked with him no more.

A man approached Pete after a marriage builders class and said, “I found a note from my wife this morning that said, “if you want to save this marriage, then go see Pete.” Pete recognized the man and thought to himself, “I’ll help you save this marriage after I levitate you off the ground and then fly you around the room.” Pete asked the man, “are you willing to do whatever it takes to save your marriage?” The man replied, “probably not.” Pete admired the man for his honesty. The word “probably means very likely. The guy had said, “based on my past actions I most likely won’t do whatever it takes.”

According to Psalm 1, there is a process for walking with the Lord. There are three things required: walk not in the counsel of the ungodly, stand not in the way of sinners, and sit not seat of the scoffers. Instead, delight thyself in the law of the lord and meditate in his word day and night. God’s promise is that when we follow this process, we shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of living water that brings forth fruit in due season…a tree whose leaf does not wither and who prospers in all things.

According to Proverbs 3:5-6, “trust in the Lord with all thy heart and lean not unto thine own understanding; in all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths.” Men ask themselves, “why can’t I make my own destiny?” Man has been asking himself this question ever since the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden. Questioning the will of God is the first step in falling away from the truth of God’s word.

The basic principle of God is that he loves us so much that he never asks us to do anything that isn’t in our own and God’s own best interest. The love of God and his grace covers a multitude of sins. In that while we were yet sinners Christ died for the ungodly. Who’s seeking whom? We didn’t chose Him, He chose us.

In Matthew 16 Jesus said, “If anyone wants to follow me, he must forsake himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” However, as one guy said, “I realized that Jesus and I were incompatible and one of us has to change.” The problem with a living sacrifice is that it wants to crawl off the altar. Jesus knew what was in the heart of man. The Apostle Paul said, “in my flesh dwelleth no good thing.” Jeremiah 17 says that the heart of man is deceitful and wicked above all things. Everything is paradoxical in the world’s “upside down” kingdom. We must die to self in order to live for him. Jesus said, “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” The first shall be last and the last shall be first. I must decrease so that he may increase. He who is chief amount you must be servant of all.

The grace of God bridges the impossible. Without grace it is impossible to approach a holy God. Grace is unmerited favor given by the one who didn’t have to give it to the one who didn’t deserve to receive it. Jesus said, “come unto me all ye who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” When we come to him he will exchange our burden of guilt for His righteousness. 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.

Jesus Christ is waiting for us to approach his throne of grace with a broken and a contrite heart. When we pray, “Lord, I know I’m not the man you meant for me to be. Lord, please make me that man”…. this is a prayer that God is eager to answer. He will exchange beauty for ashes when we approach his throne of grace with a heart of meekness and humility.

Pete prayed, “Lord teach me how to love my wife as Christ loved the church.” Pete found his wife’s journal after she had passed away. She had circled the verse that said, “wives submit yourselves to your own husbands.” She had listed several synonyms for he word “submit.” She understood that biblical submission means honor, respect, and reverence… To acknowledge, and love with loving obedience the man of God whom God by his grace has given you.”

Our question is “Am I the man that God intended me to be?” In order to follow him, our lives must be built on the firm foundation. At the end of the sermon on the mount Jesus said, “the wise man built his house upon the rock, The storms came and the waves crashed and the earth shook, but the house stood fast because it was built upon the rock.” Jesus Christ himself is the firm foundation… He is the rock of ages.

We fellowship with like minded men so that we can build each other up. The world will tear us down. For the thief cometh not but for to steal, to kill and to destroy. But Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” We are fellow laborers with Christ, built up in him to stand together as watchmen on the wall. We’re the light on the hill that cannot be hidden. Therefore let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven.

He has culled the crowd and separated us out so that we can stand apart from a world of darkness. According to 1 Peter 2:9, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light…”

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

How Firm a Foundation

When the crisis comes and courage is required God expects his men to be the reliable ones. Dependability is hard to find these days. Our culture and our families are in crisis. A crisis is a point of imminent danger; an emotionally charged situation where there is a distinct possibility of a catastrophic failure. In the midst of a crisis, what would Jesus do? Jesus said that I am the vine and you are the branches. Apart from me you can do nothing. There are many storms of life. Jesus did not come to deliver us from the storm. Rather, he came to deliver us through the storm.

There are three foundational verses for reconciling men with God. Only when we’re reconciled with God can we men reconcile with others and especially with our own wives. The first foundational verse is Psalm 127:1: Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it… The second verse is 1 Corinthians 3:11: For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. The third verse is in Matthew 7 about the wise man that built his house upon the rock. “And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.” When the storm beat against the house, that man’s house stood. Its foundation was the Rock of Ages, Jesus Christ himself. The foolish man built his house on the sand and when the storm came, great was the fall of it. You can’t avoid the crisis. According to the Word, don’t tell God how big the storm is. Tell the storm how big your God is.

Of ourselves and in our own power, we are but dust…here today and gone tomorrow. Our life is hid in Christ with God. It is he that has made us and not we ourselves. Insecurity is relying on that which cannot stand. However, the word of God liveth and abideth forever.

Pete asked Suzan before she died, “how can I live without you?” Suzan understood her husband’s concern. Her response to Pete was, “the lord will provide.” Only he is our strength and our sufficiency. He is our secure foundation. Everything else will take wings and fly away.

Men are encumbered with guilt and shame, even after salvation. The question is, “how do I deal with my sin nature?” Pete recalls that while in college, he read that Jesus Christ is on a rescue mission to deliver desperate men. When we come clean before the Lord, he will deliver us from our sin and iniquity. Not because we deserve forgiveness, but because love and forgiveness is His nature. A loving Christian brother once asked Pete, “If you died today, are you sure that you’ll go to heaven?” In his desperation Pete prayed, “Lord, I know I’m not the man you created me to be.” Then Pete asked God an honest question, “God, would you please make me that man?” That night, the spirt of God showed Pete that He had blotted out all of his transgressions. Pete knew that he knew that he was saved by grace and would inherit eternal life.

The nature of sin is pride… Pride says, I’m the captain of my own destiny. I’ll save myself and I’m my own sufficiency. The point of repentance, of turning from self to God is when we realize that as Paul said, “In my flesh dwelleth no good thing.” Like the prodigal son, when we “come to ourself” we can turn around and run back to our forgiving father.

Salvation is through faith alone by grace alone in Christ alone. The purpose is that we will become the praise of the glory of his grace who has made us acceptable in the beloved.

Pete recalls that when he played Baseball after college he was traded to the Minnesota Twins farm team. Even though he had been an all star he was put on the bench. Pete was frustrated and thought that should have been in the starting lineup. At a game in Indianapolis he was called in to pinch hit. On the mound was another minor leaguer, Pedro Borbon. He struck Pete out that evening. Pete jokes that Pedro was one of the pitchers that he helped graduate to the big leagues. Pedro was eventually was drafted by Cincinnati and was a relief pitcher for the “Big Red Machine” that won several World Series. After the game in his hotel room, Pete was reading the bible. God spoke to him and said, “You’re used to being an all star but there are some things that you can only learn on the bench. You need to learn to cheer for your team mate while you’re on the bench. You’ll learn character by sitting on the bench…things like humility, patience, endurance and putting others first.”

In Rocky Mount, NC while playing in the Southern League Pete prayed the sinners prayer. When we come to the Lord he will exchange our desperation for peace. Therefore, be anxious for nothing. But in everything by prayer and supplication and thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

The standard for truth is Jesus Christ himself. For we preach not ourselves, but Jesus Christ and him crucified. The Apostle Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ. For it is the power of God unto salvation.” We were dead in the sinfulness of our flesh. 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.

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