Wars and our ways

Romans 12:17-21 "Do not pay anyone back evil for evil, but focus your thoughts on what is right in the sight of all people. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live in peace with all people. Do not take revenge, dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath. For it is written, 'Vengeance belongs to me. I will pay them back, declares the Lord.' But 'if your enemy is hungry, feed him. For if he is thirsty, give him a drink. If you do this, you will pile burning coals on his head.' Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good."

I don't normally get on political rants because I don't believe this subject is typically handled well in the Church sphere, but I am reading through Romans 12 the past couple days and am blown away by the way we speak one way but scripture is in the other direction.

Over the past 11 years, we have been involved in two official wars in Afghanistan and Iraq because of an attack on our home turf. I understand why people feel the way they do. To see on tv live thousands of people murdered is painful and psychologically scarring. The idea that a group of people would do something so horrific doesn't seem possible, but how did we respond?

"If America shows weakness and uncertainty, the world will drift toward tragedy. That will not happen on my watch." -George W. Bush

"As Americans, we want peace -- we work and sacrifice for peace. But there can be no peace if our security depends on the will and whims of a ruthless and aggressive dictator. I'm not willing to stake one American life on trusting Saddam Hussein." -George W. Bush

"Whether we bring our enemies to justice or bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done." -George W. Bush

This was the response of our president. A self professed evangelical Christian. Do these quotes fit the narrative of scripture? The better question I believe we have to ask is, "Do these quotes fit the nationalism that has been mixed in with the Gospel?"

This isn't a popular statement for the typical "Gun toting, God fearing" Christian to hear, but I believe we have to begin to question the story we have been given by an American Exceptionalism driven conquest of the world.

If we are truly the shining city on the hill as Reagan claimed (through military strength), we have to ask what does scripture say about that city......not the political narrative of men.

Are we doing the will of God or men when we counter strike, embargo, and create sanctions? We ask why the world could be this way.......maybe it's because the shining city on the hill has become the fortified military instillation on the hill.

"Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror. The pictures of airplanes flying into buildings, fires burning, huge structures collapsing, have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness and a quiet, unyielding anger. -George Bush

Maybe our president was right without knowing it. The enemy has put us in a place of disbelief, sadness, and anger. None of those belong with them who trust God is on the throne.

Would love to hear thoughts :-) - Posted in the moment

Daily meditation

Romans 12:12 "Be joyful in hope, patient in trouble, and persistent in prayer."

Joyful- rejoice exceedingly and thrive

Hope- joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation

Patient- to preserve: under misfortunes and trials to hold fast to one's faith in Christ

Trouble- a pressing, pressing together, pressure

Persistent- to be steadfastly attentive unto, to give unremitting care to a thing

Prayer- prayer addressed to God

"Be rejoicing and thriving in the joyful and confident understanding that Christ will return, holdfast that Christ is with you in the midst of the pressures and struggles of this world, and always be attentive and open to the voice of Christ while in continuous communion with Him through out your day"

This scripture is such a sobering reminder to me on how I am to approach everyday and the lack of insight, care, and communion I have with God somedays. None of us are perfect, but each one of us that has believed on the Name of Jesus is being perfected by His Word both written and revelatory on His Word.

How often do I get so wrapped up in the problem of the moment and don't stop to recognize He is with me. It's a promise. My eyes everyday should be fixed on Him and His return, my feet should be steady in the trials knowing Romans 8:28 is as true today as it was when it was written, and my heart and mind should be consumed with a daily continuous communication with the one that is eternal wisdom and truth.

"Father help me to internalize this text and have it become my daily meditation through the good and hard times. You are my strength, my shield, and hope forever. Amen

Worship is so much more than an emotional feeling

Romans 12:12 "Be joyful in hope, patient in trouble, and persistent in prayer."

So I was reading Romans 12 in a study of worship, and I ran across this text. It began to speak to me. In the midst of Paul through Romans showing us this beautiful picture of the plan of God, he breaks into praise for God and His greatness.

"O how deep are God's riches, and wisdom, and knowledge! How unfathomable are his decisions and unexplainable are his ways! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has become his adviser? Or who has given him something only to have him pay it back? " For all things are from him, by him, and for him. Glory belongs to him forever! Amen."

After this interlude of praise, he begins to instruct us in how we are to worship because of this great gift of Grace from the Father through the sacrifice of Jesus. I can almost hear him getting excited as he dictates this to the person assisting him. Caught up in the presence of God he begins to exclaim to us,

"I therefore urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercies, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices that are holy and pleasing to God, for this is the reasonable way for you to worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but continually be transformed by the renewing of your minds so that you may be able to determine what God's will is- what is proper, pleasing, and perfect."

He is pleading with us, "After hearing this great story of redemption that we now have experienced personally, our only natural response is to give ourselves fully to Gods ways and plans! To live this life as a servant of the Lord impacting those around us and giving what we have recieved so freely IS WORSHIP!!!" But it doesn't end there. He begins to speak of our lives not just as doers, but students continually learning from the master. He shows us we are not to conform to this world and it's selfishness, but to be transformed by the renewing of our hearts? No! It says our minds! Worship, although impacting to our souls and hearts, is a renewing of our thinking. When we come together our objective is to hear those words we sing, to hear those words spoken by whom ever is teaching, and to listen to the testimonies of Gods goodness spoken by others. We come together to see our thinking become like Jesus' thinking. Repentance isn't defined as a change of heart, but instead a change of mind.

Prov. 18:2 "A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself."

In arother translation it say mind in place of heart, but in looking at the original word, it speaks primarily of that what is inside us. Our own personal understanding separate from the perfect understand of God.

Proverbs 28:26 "He who trusts in his own heart is a fool,But he who walks wisely will be delivered."

We must seek to worship in spirit and truth. Not from our heart out, but from the Father inward. God is the initiator of all good things, the Spirit is the teacher of what we receive, and the mind renewed directs the heart in Gods ways. I've wrote enough for now, but the scripture I started with will have to wait until tomorrow. Remember though, Worship is a response to Gods goodness and simultaneously a renewing of our minds. A perfect circle :-)

Why is corporate prayer a secondary priority so often?

"Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me, that I may be rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the saints; so that I may come to you in joy by the will of God and find refreshing rest in your company." (Romans 15:30-32 NASB) Sometimes when I read these scriptures like this, I wonder if my/our priorities are right according to scripture. I wonder if we have lost the absolute command to pray in our daily lives. At least in my circle of friends, I find devote Jesus loving people who have a heart for the goodness of God, but when I place us against the images of scripture like Acts 2 "They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." or above where Paul calls for corporate prayer on behalf of His ministry....I wonder what is missing? Is it simply we are to busy and allow things of less eternal importance to take priority over those things in Acts 2? Is it that maybe we just don't know how or wonder if it really works? My hearts mourns for a people that places prayer as a secondary activity in the same lines as playing a video game, watching a TV show, or playing a sport. Yet, I find myself doing nothing to facilitate that in my community. I desire what is right but allow fear, negative thoughts, and uncertainty to define my outlook on life..... As I think about this right now, I wonder if we don't pray because we have no way to measure or find results in the active? As Americans we so often need the instant gratification that prayer sometimes doesn't offer. We need to know we are apart of a definable cause that will produce a definable effect. We have become so sterile through our scientific methodologies when it comes to God. My friend Corban would say something like, "God is always the cause alone. We are simply and beautifully only the effect of God moving." Simply put.....when we begin to look for the effects of what we have done, we are attempting to take the place of God as the only cause that creates effects. Would we pray more if we came to the activity of prayer knowing only one thing.

As we listen for God to speak something into us trusting he is the cause, we then in effect pray it out-not looking for the effect to measure, but instead that the prayer we pray is the effect itself.

"So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure." (Philippians 2:12, 13 NASB) Although it seems that we are at work this scripture brings us back into alignment with the truth. Everything we do for the Lord is in reality an effect of what He has already done in us. My thoughts today..... Lord work a work of Faith in me that I would pray your will recognizing you are the cause of all things and I am simply and beautifully only an effect of that great work you are doing in this world.

Name above every name

Ephesians 1:21-23
He is far above every ruler, authority, power, dominion, and every name that can be named, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. God has put everything under the Messiah's feet and has made him the head of everything for the good of the church, which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills everything in every way.

Do we really believe His name is above all names and therefore has rule, authority, power, and dominion over all things? I can't say I always do. I remember as a new believer, I was on fire for Jesus. I would see a situation, put it under the feet of Jesus, and pray with an authority by the power of the name of Jesus!

Why has that bonfire become more of a slow ember? Maybe you could say it's because of a sense of aloneness in my passionate pursuit? Maybe cases of feeling failure in a situation, not seeing what I prayed for coming about? Maybe just because it's easier to be lazy? Probably a little of all......

I feel like I'm suffocating at times because what gave me life, energy, and joy has been put to the way side in the attempt to have a comfortable life. I have traded the passion of following Jesus with fire in my heart for a life without conflict and confrontation. Am I alone in this? I don't think so....

Reading this passage today triggered something. Why did God put everything under Jesus' feet?

which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills everything in every way.

We are called to be the fullness of Jesus here on earth......we are to live out the life He lived.....we are unique creations of God.....not God but filled by God.....human but distinctly different from the fallen homo sapien or "Knowing Man"......we are homo divina! "Divine man"

I have a lot to think about........

- Posted in the moment

How we hinder the work of the Spirit

Galatians 5:19-21
Now the actions of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, rivalry, jealously, outbursts of anger, quarrels, conflicts, factions, envy, murder, drunkenness, wild partying, and things like that. I am telling you now, as I have told you in the past, that people who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, good ness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.

At times, I am faced with situations in my life and in the lives of people I lead that are difficult. Not because I or they are purposely or intentionally trying to be difficult, but because we are products of an inner war that Paul expresses so wonderfully in his letters. In Romans, he speaks of a conflict where we know what is right yet do not do it, and speaks of us knowing what is wrong yet doing it. This struggle between allegiance to a flesh which leads to destruction and sin and a Spirit which seeks life and holiness.

We see here in Galatians, he is speaking to a people group that has been invaded by those that would turn people away from the Grace of God that empowers us to live a life foreign to our past understanding. A focus on the exterior and ritual; on managing the flesh or living in submission to the Spirit.

I know we (the assemblies of God) see the evidence of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in the speaking of other tongues, but I have began recently to ask the question posed by a friend a while back to me:

If we see that, yet not the fruit of the Spirit, what are we really seeing?

We can easily check the "don't do it box" to many of the first list of flesh actions. Sexual immorality, check! Impurity, check! Promiscuity, check! Idolatry, check! Witchcraft, check! Then, we get to hatred......well it's happened. Rivalry.....maybe. Jealously, outbursts of anger, quarrels, conflicts, factions, envy........okay so maybe there's something going on here!

These things happen in our encounters with other believers more than I think we would like to admit, but what creates this? Is this part of who we are....our identity? No! These are products of a flesh that is in rebellion to the Spirit of God. A flesh that feeds on past hurts, let downs, and feelings of insecurity and mistrust. I find it interesting that it says, "Now the actions of the flesh are obvious!" We know and can see the flesh at work because when the flesh is at work we see destruction in its wake, but the fruit of the spirit maybe is a little more subtle?

We are no longer like the unbeliever, veiled in a lie. We have experienced the love and grace of God and are with out excuse. We must recognize that we have a choice. Do we live controlled by our need to be right, in charge, heard, or vindicated, or do we answer this call to live like Jesus? Ready to take a curse for others blessing?

The question is:

Where do find our identity, empowerment, and leading?

Maybe you have never been told this. Maybe I never fully realized this, but those characteristics Paul is speaking of, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, good ness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, are already in you and me! We don't have to somehow work hard to achieve them. If Jesus is your Lord and you have been inhabited by the Holy Spirit, you posses each one of those wonderful characteristics already!!

But..........

In the grace and wisdom of God, He has given me and you the choice who we will follow. Are we choosing to be bringers of life or death? Light or dark? Grace or condemnation?

The answer is:

Our identity is in Jesus. Our empowerment comes by His name. Our leading by His Holy Spirit.

We find a hard truth in scripture just before these lists.

Galatians 5:14-17
For the whole law is summarized in a single statement: "You must love your neighbor as yourself." But if you bite and devour one another, be careful that you are not destroyed by each other. So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will never fulfill the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh wants is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit wants is opposed to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, and so you do not do what you want to do.

We scream for revival.....the Holy Spirit whispers love one another. If we desire to see the Spirit of the living God move among us, we must live by His leading bearing the fruit of that same Spirit. If we choose to live by the flesh, we stand opposed to the Spirit.

Let's choose life :-)


- Posted in the moment

Are we judge of this world or ambassador?

Psalms 5:7-12
But I, because of the abundance of your gracious love,
may come into your house.
In awe of you, I will worship in your holy temple.
LORD, lead me in your righteousness because of my enemies.
Make your path straight before me.
But as for the wicked,
they do not speak truth at all.
Inside them there is only wickedness.
Their throat is an open grave,
on their tongue is deceitful flattery.
Declare them guilty, God!
Let them fall by their own schemes.
Drive them away because of their many transgressions,
for they have rebelled against you.
Let all those who take refuge in you rejoice!
Let them shout for joy forever,
and may you protect them.
Let those who love your name exult in you.
Indeed, you will bless the righteous one, LORD,
like a large shield, you will surround him with favor.

I love this statement, "LORD, lead me in your righteousness because of my enemies." Righteousness by definition is being found doing the perfect will of God and doing what is right in His sight. He says lead me into doing what is right in your perfect will because of my enemies.....not to my enemies. So many times we see this world as a battle field working against our enemies. Struggling against a political system, religious system, or social economic system. Working to change how they work. David is saying, "God change me!" He isn't hiding from the fact that his enemy is evil....they are! They are in rebellion to Gods ways, but isn't this whole world in that place? The fall of man because of disobedience to Gods perfect ways?
He openly states his case to God that they are wicked, liars, and deceitful, but what does he say next?

"Declare them guilty, God!
Let them fall by their own schemes.
Drive them away because of their many transgressions,
for they have rebelled against you."

He isn't asking for the ability to judge these people, but instead recognizes Who is in charge. Who is Judge. Who is condemner and redeemer! Then precedes to remind us of the glorious promise in times of struggle. Take refuge and rejoice! Shout for joy! Exult God!

Sometimes I want to be judge. Maybe you, in seeing injustice, do to at times too, but we need to remember who is judge and savior all in one. God who sets the standard, judges by that standard, and saves us when we on our own have no ability to satisfy that standard.

1 Peter 5:6-11
Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time he may exalt you. Throw all your worry on him, because he cares for you. Be clear-minded and alert. Your opponent, the devil, is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Resist him and be firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you by the Messiah Jesus to his eternal glory, will restore you, establish you, strengthen you, and support you. Power belongs to him forever and ever! Amen.

Maybe we easily remove the end of this scripture, but when honest in the whole picture we see at times resisting and being firm in our faith will take us through struggle to the other side......not by our actions to change the world, but by Gods plan to change us in front of a world looking for something to hold on to :-)

Be blessed and be a blessing!


- Posted in the moment

Carefully seeking the context of scripture

James 4:17
"Therefore, anyone who knows what is right but fails to do it is guilty of sin."

I am so getting my butt kicked on the idea of not just plucking a verse out of the contextual garden of scripture. We bumper sticker so many scriptures and make our own context, but then we set ourselves up for being blow out of the water when Gods will and our idea of a verse don't line up.

This scripture was being talked about on a forum recently and the ideas were running wild on what exactly this meant. With out context of what James is saying before this statement, it becomes a blanket statement about sin and knowing what is right because of Jesus shining a light into our life, but we miss the grand picture for a simple religious idea.
When we do what we know is wrong and against Gods word, we do know it is a sin. But why the "therefore"? I've heard it said many times, "if there is a therefore, find out why it's there for!" :-)
The rest of this thought of James is:

James 4:13-16
Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town, stay there a year, conduct business, and make money." You do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead you should say, "If the Lord wants us to, we will live-and do this or that." But you boast about your proud intentions. All such boasting is evil.

All the sudden, we see a picture not of James simply rebuking known sin, but tell these people and us that we are made for Gods purposes and His mission. We make decisions in our life so flippantly without seeking to know Gods will or why He has placed us in a place, time, or situation. We declare our intentions with well built scriptural defenses, but he his declaring, "Find Gods intentions!"

Therefore, this statement in verse 17 is saying, "If you know Gods will for a situation, and you choose to do something else......that is sin!" After all, the core defining issues of sin is REBELLION TO GODS WILL. When God says, "Talk to this person", or "Stay at your job", he has a reason and to do otherwise is rebellion to His plan.

Where have you in the past, known or felt God was leading you into a situation that you choose to go your own way?

He has the perfect plan.......It just doesn't always look like it from our earthly perspective. Choose His will and you will find the blessing, honor, and glory of God over your life. Never miss the greater context and miss His plan for you.

Be blessed :-)


- Posted in the moment

Location:Wealthy St SE,Grand Rapids,United States

Don't command away what God seeks to develop character

Romans 8:31-39

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written,

“FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG;
WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.”

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I have always read this with a presupposition or pre set idea of what Paul was saying. WE ARE CONQUERORS IN JESUS!!! No situation will stand against His might! Sickness be gone! Finances get in order! In Jesus name........

But is that what he is saying? That our life's will be made easier or right in our context? He seems to be asking more questions than solutions!

He says, "If God is for us, who is against us?", but then follows it up with, "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?" he answers with another question and it involves Him give His own son over to death!

Then he says, "Who will separate us from the love of Christ?", but again follows it up with, "Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written,

“FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG;
WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED.”

Another question with a stark reality of suffering! Not a fixing of the situation, not a answer that would make this life easier, just a reality that in this world there will be suffering. Jesus said that we would be persecuted because he was first persecuted! But that doesn't fit our quick fix, genie in a bottle theology does it?

He then says, "But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Maybe the most important thing Paul is exposing here isn't that God will change our situations every time we ask, but that the love of God many times will change us through circumstances.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not a doom and gloomier and I am very Pentecostal......but I am waking up to the reality that God is more concerned with developing the character of Christ in me......and not the superhero cartoon character we have made HIM to be.

- Posted in the moment

Life and all it's fun

I haven't blogged in awhile.......

Life has been busy with writing messages, worship stuff, running my delivery biz, and a family of six that is always on the move :-)

Life can get by you so quickly if you let it.

My marriage has seemed to stabilized into a pretty great situation. We still have moments of struggle, but we get through with out the explosions and fireworks we use to see. Being a dad still has it's challenges. Four kids - four stages of life - four perspectives on the world, and our job to help center those unique views on Jesus and love. Discipling your children is so much more challenging than a friend, co-worker, or stranger. I know God will take these kids the distance. Hopefully they will experience life to a greater level than the struggles and wrong choices me and my wife have made.

I have amazing friends that I don't see often, but when I do, it's always fun. One couple blessed me and my wife in a difficult time recently. Sometimes you get to see who your real friends are simply when your on the ground and look up and they're there with a open hand to pick you up.

I recently got the opportunity the preach at our church for a couple weeks. I really enjoy doing what I'm made for. My business pays the bills and I find ways to enjoy it, but when I get to study the Word and share with others...... I know I am making a difference. I don't really care if people were entertained, but when someone says they were able share what you taught with someone else and it made a difference.....that's so good! Changing the world one person, one idea, and one conversation at a time!

Things should start slowing down here soon...... I'll be able to take a couple classes and go on a vacation with the family.

Life can get by you so quickly if you let it.......but I'm going to soak it all in :-)

Psalms 39:5-6

Look, you have made my life span fit in your hand;
It is nothing compared to yours.
Surely every person at their best is a puff of wind.
In fact, people walk around as shadows.
Surely, they busy themselves for nothing,
heaping up possessions but not knowing who will get them.

- Posted in the moment

Location:Wealthy St SE,Grand Rapids,United States

Bigger picture

Lately, I have been in intensive study and meditation on the Law and the Gospel. As I have, it has began to change how I look at this subject and how I look at how we view ourselves as Christians.
The question many wonder in the back of their minds (I think) is how does the Law effect or apply to us today? Do we follow a limited version of the Law? Does it all apply and we are missing something? Is it all gone because of what Jesus did on the cross? The answer is more complex than a yes or no which we always prefer LOL.
My first idea I was taught indirectly through others teaching was: There is the Law and there is the Gospel. Separate and different. Pointing to Jesus, but ultimately no good. The law is bad because it only shows us our sin without any chance for Salvation and the Gospel is good because it shows us the road to salvation in Jesus. Martin Luther taught this very clearly and you see it through out his writing with little difference except for what a friend and philosopher added to his discourse. Does this add up to all the writings of Paul or the the others in the New Testament? Or to what Jesus said?
Paul says,

Romans 7:6-7
For we have been released from the law by dying to what enslaved us, so that we may serve in the new life of the Spirit, not under the old writings.What should we say, then? Is the law sinful? Of course not! In fact, I wouldn't have become aware of sin if it had not been for the law. I wouldn't have known what it means to covet if the law had not said, "You must not covet."

Paul very clearly points put that the Law itself is not sinful, yet sin in us uses the law to then draw us to desires opposite of Gods truth.

Recently, I have studied Calvin at a glance and as a contemporary of this reformation movement, he had a slightly different take on this subject. He saw the law and the gospel as interconnected and pointing in the same direction to salvation through Jesus as fulfillment of the law, but I had to ask is there more to Gods story? Is it simply that God laid down the Law and then responded with Jesus to his own Law? Is it simply that we now carry the promise of salvation through Jesus apart but yet still guided by the Law? What is the promise and where did it come from?

Paul says,

Galatians 3:16-18
Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his descendant. It doesn't say "descendants," referring to many, but "your descendant," referring to one person, who is the Messiah. This is what I mean: The law that came 430 years later did not cancel the covenant that God ratified previously. The promise was never nullified. For if the inheritance comes about through the law, it no longer comes about through the promise. But it was through a promise that God so graciously gave it to Abraham.

Paul is showing us a bigger picture. Not just of the nation of Israel or of us as believers in Jesus, but that God had a plan from the beginning not set of course by a speed bump by the devil in the Garden. Instead, from the beginning there was the promise and covenant with mankind.

Paul say,

Galatians 3:7-9
You see, then, that those who have faith are Abraham's real descendants. Because the Scripture saw ahead of time that God would justify the gentiles by faith, it announced the gospel to Abraham beforehand when it said, "Through you all nations will be blessed." Therefore, those who believe are blessed together with Abraham, the one who believed.

So if the promise we receive is apart from the law because of the covenant we are apart of through the promise given to Abraham, what do we then see in this idea of the Law? Is it for us fully, in part, or not at all?

Paul says,

Galatians 3:23-25
Now before faith came about, we were held in custody and confined under the law in preparation for the faith that was to be revealed. And so the law was our guardian until the Messiah came, so that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come about, we are no longer under a guardian.
We are no longer held by the Law as guardian held in custody as slave, but now shown the truth of the Law which is Love.

Jesus say,

Matthew 22:36-40
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?"
Jesus said to him,"'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and most important commandment. The second is like it: 'You must love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments."

Paul says,

Galatians 5:6
For in union with the Messiah Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision matters. What matters is faith expressed through love.

We call no longer held to a Law unable to save us, or a Law pointing us to Jesus only for salvation, but in seeing the promise we are apart of, we are called by this Law, no longer external but now in us, to love those around us to see the Kingdom Of God here on earth.

Next blog: Civil, Sacrificial, and Moral Law? Where did they go and are they still at work in the world and us?
- Posted in the moment

Location:Sherman St SE,East Grand Rapids,United States

Achievements are a stumbling block to understand salvation

Romans 9:30-32
What can we say, then? Gentiles, who were not pursuing righteousness, have attained righteousness, a righteousness that comes through faith. But Israel, who pursued righteous ness based on the law, did not achieve the law. Why not? Because they did not pursue it on the basis of faith, but as if it were based on achievements. They stumbled over the stone that causes people to stumble.

We try so hard sometimes to please God. We stop this, don't that, and give, but do we do it in faith or because of a Law unable to save?

Scripture says we can only please God by having faith or more clearly trusting in Him. Yet, we work and work and work and quote scripture, "Faith without works is DEAD!" Are we still stumbling over the same block they did 2000 years ago?

And how do we know what those works by faith are? Listening.....something lost in a age of noise. Listen today. "I can't ever hear him!?" Allow yourself to rest in him. Take a deep breath. Read scripture. I don't have a formula, but I can say one thing. Faith is trusting God to speak a word that will empower you. Where is your focus?

Hebrews 3 says you are apart of the divine mission and your first assignment is "Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus". There's where we can start :-)

- Posted in the moment

Location:Coffee shop

Haven't being writing much for the blog

Romans 8:22-24

For we know that all the rest of creation has been groaning with the pains of childbirth up to the present time. However, not only the creation, but we who have the first fruits of the Spirit also groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For we were saved with this hope in mind.

I long for the day when I receive my new body. Being tired and in conflict with what my body and this world wants from me and what I know the fullness of Gods glory will reveal in that moment of adoption presses me forward toward the hope and promise of completeness in Jesus.

It doesn't stop the conflict in whole but gives me hope for the future to come. It gives me joy in loving my wife, kids, and friends, but the groaning continues at a deep level. I do what must, but long to do what I am made for. Time will come.

Sometimes I wonder if others feel this way. If just attending church really satisfies, or if there is a congregational groan to study, pray, and seek more of God? What would that look like? Is Survivor, Americas Got Talent, American Idol, Jersey Shore, and Law and Order enough to pacify us into slumber, or do we secretly want something more fulfilling and just don't know how to access it?

If I resign to a life of the lowest common denominator, will I have anything to say to Jesus on the day of his coming? Or just give him the update on who's not talking to who in the real world 23 house?

Sorry if this seems not as up beat as usual.......these are my thoughts in the moment :-)

- Posted in the moment

Location:In a funk

Where does faith come from?

Matthew 8:5-13
When Jesus returned to Capernaum, a centurion came up to him and begged him repeatedly, "Sir, my servant is lying at home paralyzed and in terrible pain."
Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him."
The centurion replied, "Sir, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed, because I, too, am a man under authority and I have soldiers under me. I say to one of them 'Go' and he goes, to another 'Come' and he comes, and to my servant 'Do this' and he does it."
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those who were following him, "I tell you with certainty, not even in Israel have I found this kind of faith! I tell you, many will come from east and west and will feast with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the unfaithful heirs of that kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."
Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go, and it will be done for you just as you have believed." And his servant was healed that very hour.

I have found interesting lately that I hear the phrase, "You just have to have faith!", but every time, the question stirs in my mind, "But where do I get that faith?"
It's so common to hear the word Faith. There's a Faith movement, people of the faith, and faith healers, but what is the definition of that word? It seems that if you gather 20 believers together, you could get 25 answers. Even if you get a consensus of the definition, you still get even more answers about where it comes from and how it works.
I have found an answer to the definition I think in studying the Greek. I know I have lost half of you by mentioning Greek, but it's important to see the full context of the language of that time. In the Greek, the word faith is defined as:

The religious beliefs of Christians
belief with the predominate idea of trust (or confidence) whether in God or in Christ.

I keep coming to this idea that it's all about trust. All we are asked of by the creator of the universe is trust. The failure of Adam and Eve.....trust. The failure of Abraham in bearing a son not of Sarah.....trust. The failure of Johan....trust. Through out the history of this world, we find the greatest failure of human kind isn't our consent desire to do evil, although that is a symptom of the greater problem. It's that we don't truly trust God or have "Faith" His word is true and what He has for us is better than anything we can devise on our own.
The story of the centurion is a great story of understanding authority and many other things, but I believe the greatest lesson Jesus is teaching us is that this man trusted God (had faith) to do what only God could do. This man knew he had no right to the healing from a God he wasn't in covenant with, but he trusted the word of Jesus. "YOU SAY THE WORD AND MY SERVANT WILL BE HEALED!"

He came to the source and looked for a Word. Scripture says that the patriarchs were accredited righteousness by faith. What do we find in common about these people of faith? They received a Word and that Word empowered them to trust God or have faith. Abraham left his home. He went to sacrifice his son of promise. Noah built an ark while being mocked by every person passing by him. Joseph spoke of taking his bones to a promised land. Moses took a unequipped people through a wilderness of wild beasts and enemies. All by a Word supernaturally spoken to them.
Maybe the greatest failure of the modern church isn't style, format, music, dress, or presentation, but that we lost the desire to wait and listen for a Word from God? We are so busy in trying to "Do the will of God", we have forgot to listen for the will of God.
Maybe Abel's sacrifice was accepted, not because it fit some prescribed sacrificial acceptability, but instead while Cain gave what he thought was right in his own mind and expected it to be pleasing to God........ Abel gave in faith trusting God.

Hebrews 11:4
By faith (trusting God and not himself) Abel offered to God a better sacrifice than Cain did, and by faith he was declared to be righteous, since God himself accepted his offerings. And by faith he continues to speak, even though he is dead.

Hebrews 11:6
Now without faith (trusting God) it is impossible to please God, for whoever comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who diligently search for him.

- Posted in the moment

Location:Coffee shop

Leveling the marriage field

Romans 3:22-23
For there is no distinction among people, since all have sinned and continue to fall short of God's glory.

This scripture has been sitting in my mind lately as My wife and I have been going through the growing experience of cultivating a better scripture based marriage. So often we find ourselves at different "levels" of faith in and devotion to God, His Word, and life in general, but how easily we are tricked to genuinely believe that on our lives. We can find ourselves portraying an image of perfection to those we love by our actions and words. Nothing new under the sun right? Satan fell to this and then fell to earth apart from God's presence.
We can, in the desire to be so "Holy and Righteous", find ourselves forgetting neither come from us or our works, but instead from Jesus - the only perfect man.

Isaiah 64:6
"All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away."

Galatians 2:20
I no longer live, but the Messiah lives in me, and the life that I am now living in this body I live by the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

We forget that we are all sinners saved by grace through faith, not by our own works, because we are prone to boasting, positioning, and ranking in a Kingdom that isn't a democracy or capitalist system of greater or lesser than, but a Kingdom with a King on the throne and all His children co-laboring as equals pressing for the same goal.
We have a life based not on how much we do, but how much Jesus did! When My wife and I realized, we both are not perfect and are struggling no different than any believer that is on this side of The veil, freedom came. Breakthrough came in knowing we are and have been side by side this whole time even though our eyes weren't open to it.

Romans 12:3
For by the grace given to me I ask every one of you not to think of yourself more highly than you should think, rather to think of yourself with sober judgment on the measure of faith that God has assigned each of you.

This scripture is still my central theme of this season,

Hebrews 3:1
"Therefore, holy brothers, partners in a heavenly calling, keep your focus on Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession."

Learning more and more it's never about looking at ourselves or others, but to keep focus on Jesus as our perfecter of Faith through grace and love.
- Posted in the moment

Location:Coffee shop

I done positioning so maybe I might be positioned....

I have for awhile been in conflict about what it is that God is doing. A God that never changes, but always is doing a new thing. Our ability to become comfortable in how we see God work as a constant in our lives, but recognizing growth doesn't come from setting up camp permanently. We struggle within the ranks because we love to camp in the Glory moments, but not recognizing there are new glory moments happening everyday.
God has made every generation to seek Him and know Him. Every generation has a call to continue the work of the Kingdom. Every generation has been made to grow older and disciple the next in following Jesus. Every generation as it gets older has a call to pass on the work of the Kingdom by transitioning from doing the work to discipling and living it out with next. I have, at times, been fixed on certain scripture and this is the scripture for my season I'm in:

Hebrews 3:1

"Therefore, holy brothers, partners in a heavenly calling, keep your focus on Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession."

We get so focused on methodology, mediums used, style, and so many other things, we lose sight of the only thing we are called to do. Keep your focus on Jesus!
What if for one Sunday we stopped looking for our favorite song, speaker, coffee, or seat, and entered focused on Jesus? I'm not saying we aren't doing that in some respect, but we come bustling in with the world nipping at our heels, fitting in a church service, and watching the clock because time is valuable and in short supply.
Maybe I'm in the minority or even a single voice, but I don't feel satisfied in the seeker sensitive, time sensitive, culturally sensitive church services I see or am apart of! This isn't a slap in the face of the church I attend, but a realization from many churches I have attended, seen on TV, and listened to via podcast.
We are called to gather together to place unwavering focus on Jesus. The music we play, the conversations we share, the message that is preached, the gathering to pray for one another. All centered on Jesus. We have produced a church service that is the primary vehicle for evangelism and therefore produce a gathering sensitive to the needs of the lost and not a gathering sensitive to what the Holy Spirit desires to instill in us for the work of evangelism.
Don't get me wrong. At times, the lost will enter our gatherings, but will they be impressed by our gift of candy and pleasant conversation, or by a group of people so sold out that every action is an action of worshipping a living, active God who has the answer to the question of their heart, "Why do I feel lost in a world, so set on pleasing my every desire?"
Our gatherings prepare us to answer the call of every generation young and old! Hebrews tells us to focus on Jesus as partners of the great calling:

Matthew 28:18-20

Then Jesus came up and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, as you go, disciple people in all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that I've commanded you. And remember, I am with you each and every day until the end of the age."

So here is my mathematical picture I have for all of us:

(Gathering together with a total focus on Jesus - the cares of what needs to be done next) + the work of the Holy Spirit = the ability to carry on the calling of evangelizing, discipling, teaching, and loving the lost.

Or

Hebrews 3:1 + 1 Peter 5:6-7=Matthew 28:18-20


- Posted in the moment

Location:Coffee time

What does church look like for you?

Hebrews 10:23-25

"Let us continue to hold firmly to the hope that we confess without wavering, for the one who made the promise is faithful. And let us continue to consider how to motivate one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another even more as you see the day of the Lord coming nearer."

I hear this scripture a lot about not letting go of coming together as believers and worshipping together, but what does this mean? What does it look like? Is there a form superior to other ideas?
It's a big question in a age of highway speed life, digital connectivity, and increasing loss of one on one discipleship. "Church" has, since the transition by Constantine into the Christendom World view, been about ritual and form centralized around the church organization, but is that the look of the church we must except or is there more to our rich history?
From what I have studied, I find a church format brought together under a Roman form that took away the individual expression of the local church and made it cookie cutter led by a single organizational structure instead of a movement of people led by the Holy Spirit.
Is church simply a gathering together or is there more we are called to? Is it about gathering at one place or is it more about sharing our lives in the personal places where we live? Can church exist only in that one place or can it exist in small gathers around the dinner table? Is it about one man preaching or the voices of the individual coming together as a symphony of the one voice of God? Do we play some music to prepare our hearts to receive, or can we sing as an expression of what we have received? Is the end of the service the end of our service or is it only the beginning of the true mission and gathering?

So many questions and so many opportunities for understanding :-) I'm still coming to my own conclusion through scripture and prayer......what do you think?

- Posted in the moment

Location:Work

Sometimes we hide mistakes in the pursuit of perfection.....

Nothing can separate
Even if I ran away
Your love never fails

I know I still make mistakes
But You have new mercies for me everyday
Your love never fails

You stay the same through the ages
Your love never changes
There maybe pain in the night but joy comes in the morning

And when the oceans rage
I don't have to be afraid
Because I know that You love me
Your love never fails

The wind is strong and the water's deep
But I'm not alone in these open seas
Cause Your love never fails

The chasm is far too wide
I never thought I'd reach the other side
But Your love never fails

You make all things work together for my good

I am loving this song right now because of hard times in my marriage. In my attempt to be Superman for my wife, I failed to share with her I am just as imperfect as I make her feel sometimes. I wanted to so desperately be the standard that I forgot I'm not....Jesus is. She doesn't have to live up to me because I'm trying to do the same thing she is. Just be more like Jesus....not be Jesus.
This lyric is really speaking to me:

I know I still make mistakes
But You have new mercies for me everyday
Your love never fails

It's reminding me that we all make mistakes and all we can do is love each other through them because God loves us through the mistakes.
I wonder how many times our half truths, masks, and fear of rejection stop us from seeing God's great mercies in times of trouble and doubt. We become like Adam and Eve hiding in the garden from each other and God.
Fellowship and marriage alike is based on a raw honesty without fear of condemnation. It's hard to get there because we think, "Will they still accept me when they find out who I really am and what I really am going through?" We end up living these superficial life's based on what we think we can and cannot let out. Distance of the heart is first born as a seed within the distance of space I think.
But we have this promise at the end of this song that comes from Romans,

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

1. When our focus is on loving God, we can live His purpose of loving others.
2. We are not to conform others to our image or understanding, but we are together called to conform to the image and love of Jesus.
3. If we are in God and God is in us, nothing can stop a marriage or an assembly of believers from becoming what God has called them to be.

I am encouraged for the future and what God has predestined from the beginning.....If God is for us, who is against us?

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Amen
- Posted in the moment

Location:Coffee shop

When people believe in your calling, you are encouraged to believe in your calling

1 Timothy 1:18-19a

"Timothy, my child, I am instructing you in keeping with the prophecies made earlier about you, so that by following them you may continue to fight the good fight with faith and a good conscience."

I am recently in the midst of some conflict with a couple people. Not things that will end friendships or the fellowship of believers, but stuff that can either leave lasting hurts or be taken care of with care and healing. It's not easy because I like to be friends with everyone and although I do enjoy stirring up conversation on things that we don't always question in our faith, I don't like to see things become division and anger.
I recently began to question my calling because I couldn't believe God would call me into a ministry calling that created so much disruption and uneasy feelings on the part of others I respect greatly. I had to ask God, "Why am I seeing so much pushing back? Am I really in the right place at your right timing?"
Then I had a conversation with my mentor and he shared his heart for my calling. He encouraged me to keep going and I am a little uncomfortable by that only because I have only had that kind of confidence in my life from someone else a couple times. Maybe only three times....one being my wife and one being my mom.
I look at what Paul is saying here and recognize that same spirit in my mentor and I appreciate it greatly because at times you question where you are and it's good to have someone farther down the trail at a greater vantage point that reminds you, "continue the good fight of faith son!" I hope will be able to do the same for someone else someday.......




Thank you Pastor :-)
- Posted in the moment

Location:Coffee

Taking responsibility for your calling

Hebrews 3:1-6

The Messiah is Superior to Moses
Therefore, holy brothers, partners in a heavenly calling, keep your focus on Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession. He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was in all God's household, because he is worthy of greater glory than Moses in the same way that the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. After all, every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. Moses was faithful in all God's household as a servant who was to testify to what would be said later, but the Messiah was faithful as the Son in charge of God's household, and we are his household if we hold on to our courage and the hope in which we rejoice.

I have been thinking a lot lately of this shadow and fulfillment idea. We so many times transport a inferior revelation of Old Testament understanding into the superior revelation in the New Testament Gospel understanding of Jesus our messiah. I blogged last time about the shadow of the tabernacle and the fulfillment of that shadow in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us as the tabernacle of His presence.
This week I have been thinking about our O.T. Understanding of leadership. We so often use Moses as a model of true Godly leadership and he is a great example of leadership in time of great struggle, but is he the perfect example or the shadow of someone greater?
I believe Jesus is the model we should look to in the N.T. Understanding of leadership. In Hebrews, he is shown to be the greater revelation of leadership. He is the good Shepard, the great apostle, and the high priest. He is the fulfillment of an imperfect shadow we see from the High priest of the temple era, moses as prophet, and even Abraham the apostle (the first apostle or "sent one").
In doing what Jesus did, he unleashed the Holy Spirit in a new way upon the world. No longer was the Holy Spirit upon people, but now is in us and therefore unlocking the Gifts of the Holy Spirit into each believer.
If this is true, Jesus is the head and we are the body. Our job as the body is to listen for the mind of Christ to speak and we are to act accordingly. Does only the finger move to pick up a glass? Does the palm have the only contact? Does the arm have no responsibly to move?
I believe pregnant in this new understanding of Gospel Revelation is that each member is being spoken to, not for their own edification, but the direction of the body as a whole! We demand that our leaders stand as prophet, high priest, apostle, pastor, evangelist, and teacher, but does this show our confidence in that leader, or does it show a disregard for our own responsibility in the body? There is only one who can bear all those callings and that is Jesus.
Moses was faithful as a servant of Gods house, but Jesus was faithful as a Son. If we believe scripture when it says:

Romans 8:29-30

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that the Son might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined, he also called; and those whom he called, he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Then we have to begin to take responsibility for our calling as Sons and Daughters of the Father. No longer as mere servants of His house, but faithful in adoption!

What is God saying to you that when shared will edify and build up the body for a new dimension of Gods reality in your local gathering? He's speaking.....or you listening?

- Posted in the moment

Location:Coffee shop

The shadow of the temple

I recently spoke with the worship team about the focus we are beginning in this season. The focus is that we no longer try to seek an Old Testament temple experience in the attempt to "bait" God into our worship, but instead worship known he is already with us. I hope it made sense because I seem to speak better in front of large groups of people than smaller ones (I have to get past this and God is using this small team to do it I think lol).

I am deeply inspired by conversations I have had recently that confirmed my internal fire about God's presence and our awareness of Him. Corban Robbe likes to say, "We have to understand that in worship we don't need to play a minor key to signify that we are entering the Holy of Holies.....we are the carrier of that experience through the Holy Spirit dwelling in us!" (paraphrase)

I have for sometime been confused why we call God down when scripture clearly shows He already has come in Jesus and now is with us in every moment. I wonder sometimes if we do this not out of ignorance because we do know this truth, but out of a void of daily relationship with our creator. It's easy to see why I would feel the need to call on Him if I am not aware of Him in an eternal way. The questions I have had to answer are: Is the temple form of worship and life changed in Jesus and how do we become aware of that change daily?

Scripture says in the times of Solomon that experience was this.

2 Chronicles 7:1-3

Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt-offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of Jehovah filled the house. And the priests could not enter into the house of Jehovah, because the glory of Jehovah filled Jehovah's house. And all the children of Israel looked on, when the fire came down, and the glory of Jehovah was upon the house; and they bowed themselves with their faces to the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and gave thanks unto Jehovah, saying, For he is good; for his lovingkindness endureth for ever.

We look at this and desire it because it was a powerful act of God to the point where people were so in awe of God's presence on the temple they could not even enter, but why were they unable to enter? Was it because it was so powerful it was just impossible, or could it be because with out a Savior that washes away the sin of this world, they were unable to walking into the glory of God's sinless and righteous presence? Did this moment expose what Hebrews says about the sin condition in the people of Israel and what Jesus has done to make a way and in seeking this shadow of the Promise, do we feel let down when we don't experience this in our worship?

Hebrews 8:7-13

The New Covenant is Better Than the Old

For if the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need to look for a second one. But God found something wrong with his people when he said,
"Look! The days are coming, declares the Lord,
when I will establish a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors at the time
when I took them by the hand
and brought them out of the land of Egypt.
Because they did not remain loyal to my covenant,
I ignored them, declares the Lord.
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel
after that time, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
Never again will everyone teach his neighbor
or his brother by saying, 'Know the Lord,'
because all of them will know me,
from the least important to the most important.
For I will be merciful regarding their wrong deeds,
and I will never again remember their sins."
In speaking of a "new" covenant, he has made the first one obsolete, and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.

Jesus is a mediator of a new covenant where we no longer seek Him in ignorance of His righteousness, holiness, and power, but that we would carry His law of life internally written on our hearts and minds! We become a living temple and a carrier of His presence in the now.

So how do we become aware of this in our daily lives? It may seem over simplified, but i believe it is just this simple. Prayer, study of scripture, repentance, and living a life that brings Heaven to earth for those ignorant to the love of Jesus and what he has done for them.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

You know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God, don't you? You do not belong to yourselves, because you were bought for a price. Therefore, glorify God with your bodies.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Lord's Spirit is, there is freedom. As all of us reflect the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces, we are becoming more like him with ever-increasing glory by the Lord's Spirit.

If we are to become more aware of Him, we need to immerse ourselves in Him through His word that speaks of Him and speak with him and listen to him to better know His voice of instruction. We must recognize he is not seeking to inhabit a buildings as in the Old Testament shadow, but inhabit us that we would be aware of Him and His plan moment by moment. In that, we would become more and more like His Son with EVER-INCREASING GLORY by His Spirit!




- Posted in the moment

Location:Coffee shop

Disciplines that produce a harvest

Hebrews 12:8-11

Now if you are without any discipline, in which all sons share, then you are illegitimate and not God's sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them for it. We should submit even more to the Father of our spirits and live, shouldn't we? For a short time they disciplined us as they thought best, but God does it for our good, so that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, for those who have been trained by it, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace.

This morning as I'm in prayer, I have this thought of discipline. Do we really carry out the life style of discipline? I am going to share today at a luncheon about the need to refocus our life's around the four windows of discipleship:

(Courtesy of Corban Robbe)

1. Prayer
2. Scripture
3. Openness with one another
4. Life of service in the community

These things might the beginning of a harvest of Righteouness and Peace. Please God show us your heart and character!


- Posted in the moment

Location:Church

Knowing grace beyond my ability

Romans 4:1-8

What, then, are we to say about Abraham, our human ancestor? For if Abraham was justified by actions, he would have had something to boast about-though not before God. For what does the Scripture say? "Abra ham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." Now to someone who works, wages are not considered a gift but an obligation. However, to someone who does not work, but simply believes in the one who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.

Likewise, David also speaks of the blessedness of the person whom God regards as righteous apart from actions:

"How blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven
and whose sins are covered!
How blessed is the person whose sins
the Lord will never charge against him!"

I'm so interested in this idea of grace. What the Law showed was impossible through your own ability and action, God does in His goodness without any requirements other than, "Follow Me".
I think sometimes that we in our struggle to explain grace add a measure of Law to someone that has come to Jesus. In an attempt to disciple people, we Set up regulations and requirements to follow to see positive external results and then wonder why we don't see internal results. This scripture talks of a man who internally believed and therefore given credit in the form of righteousness. Did we see this man live a perfect life? No.... But we see a man internally following God on credit. In moments of failure, God reached into the bank account of credit (grace) and covered him.
Do we try so hard to see external fruit and neglect the internal and eternal fruit of the spirit? Grace makes way for the inner Kingdom to show in our external life and kingdom. Not reverse.
Don't get me wrong. God has called us to a pure life, but we must check the way we approach His kingdom and how HE approaches our salvation moment by moment.......

2 Corinthians 3:18
But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.



- Posted in the moment

Location:Lunch

When Liberty can get in the way of love

1 Corinthians 6:12-14

Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is helpful. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not allow anything to control me. Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for food, but God will make them both unnecessary. The body is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. God raised the Lord, and by his power he will also raise us.

I think sometimes I misuse the freedom I gain in Jesus. We no longer have condemnation in Christ because in Him we now live by grace, completely undeserved in our own ability. That means to me that in Him, we no longer have final judgement of Hell over us. We can be convicted (shown to be lacking by our own actions), but Christ is faithful to take it and show us the way back to Him. Thankfully, He took the condemnation for our sin and was found perfect.

In this great concept, I sometimes do things that are permissible and no longer under the curse, but in the moment God asks me to lay it down for His reasons, do I fully? Not always. Do I question Him or have my own reasons to explain? Yeah sometimes. I know these things are permissible, but do I take the liberty to decide what is helpful instead of God making that decision. Probably more than I should. I think only God, in His eternal understanding of this life and the next, can make that judgement.

I thank God for His grace and that as a child I'm bound to make mistakes in my speech and actions, but I pray God gives me the wisdom to ask Him the right questions and when I'm not to ask, but just obey. I pray that nothing else, but Him would be in control.

- Posted in the moment

Location:A momentary break from the race

Joy in His presence

I'm still on this idea of joy in worshiping God.......

I have began to see this connection between cultivating a heart that desires God's presence. Not in a showboat, lights camera action way, but in a true want to be surrounded by His character and love. The previous scripture I posted from Psalms 33 says twice to do this with Joy and where does joy come from?

Psalms 43:4

Then I will approach the altar of God,
even to God in whom my joy finds its source.
Then I will praise you with the lyre,
God, my God.....

Psalms 16:11

You cause me to know the path of life;
in your presence is joy in abundance,
at your right hand there are pleasures forever.

If I am to be able to hear His new song, I must long for His presence where I will find the joy that makes my soul sing a new song. I must cultivate and seek His word, both logos and rhema. I want to hear His voice and become an instrument for Him vibrating at His frequency and in harmony with the angelic song. Still so much to understand when it comes to Joy and being in His presence.

- Posted in the moment

Location:At work......

Joy and skill

Sing for joy in the LORD, O you righteous ones;
Praise is becoming to the upright.
Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre;
Sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings.
Sing to Him a new song;
Play skillfully with a shout of joy.

Worship is so much more than just making great music. If that was true coldplay would be worship music. We are called to be skilled but also to do it with joy. I wonder sometimes if I cultivate the joy of the lord in my life before I step up on the riser to be a part of worship? I think I will have to become more intentional about this! If I don't, how will I receive His new song?


- Posted in the moment

Location:Claremont Pl NE,Grand Rapids,United States

Power and wisdom from where?

For the message about the cross is nonsense to those who are being destroyed, but it is God’s power to us who are being saved. For it is written,

"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the intelligence of the intelligent I will reject."

Where is the wise person? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? God has turned the wisdom of the world into nonsense, hasn’t he? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know God, God was pleased to save those who believe through the nonsense of our preaching. Jews ask for signs, and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach the Messiah crucified. He is a stumbling block to Jews and nonsense to gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, the Messiah is God’s power and God’s wisdom. For God’s nonsense is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

Brothers, think about your own calling. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is nonsense in the world to make the wise feel ashamed.God chose what is weak in the world to make the strong feel ashamed. And God chose what is insignificant in the world, what is despised, what is nothing, in order to destroy what is something, so that no one may boast in God’s presence. It is because of God that you are in union with the Messiah Jesus, who for us has become wisdom from God, as well as our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. There-fore, as it is written‚The person who boasts must boast in the Lord.

I find myself in the modern Pentecostal movement so often talking to two groups of people: The miracles, signs, and wonders crowd and the academics. It seems like more and more in a world increasingly in need of a church active in sharing the Gospel, we are seeing a divide within the Church based on an all or nothing mentality of reaching people.

Many say we need a strong apologetic with well thought out arguments. Peter does command this and rightfully so! If someone is to hear the message, it must be preached, but is it merely the clever putting together of scientific and philosophical arguments? Does God need the wisdom of man to explain the wisdom and mystery of God? In an attempt to reach a more scientific culture, are we using the weaker to try to explain the greater?

Others say we need to seek after the Holy Spirit and miracles, signs, and wonders. They quote Paul of the many times he talks of coming not in intellect, but in the Power of God. Once again, these people are also very right scripturally. We are to be conduits and vessels for God to pour out his love and healing. After all, we carry the ministry of reconciliation where in people can see the love of God through His miraculous and powerful works! Is it possible we can become so focused on the person of the trinity that has been tasked to point us to Christ? Can we elevate the Holy Spirit beyond His mission? Can we become so miracle focused we lose the actual mission of Christ?

The Jews desire miracles.....the Greek desire wisdom. We preach Christ crucified as the true power AND wisdom of God! We preach resurrection as foolishness to those who do not understand that in God all things are possible. I am starting to see that Peter and Paul both are speaking a clear message. It's not about being of signs and miracles or great learning and wisdom although both are important disciplines when following Jesus, but It's about making sure that our first priority is the Cross and the perfection of Jesus taking the imperfection of the world, so that we could be accounted as righteous before God when we turn our everything to Jesus.

Maybe with all the hype of revivals, we should recognize through Jesus we were once dead, but are NOW alive and only the sleeping and dead need to be revived.

In the face of the interest in scientific understanding of proof of a God, we should recognize that the greatest and rarely heard message of the cross and repentance is the initial evidence of Gods existence for those who choose to believe because Jesus came to be light in the darkness that some might see the truth.

Maybe it's time to place things back into proper order and put are actions and arguments in subjection to Lord Jesus and the cross? That in the end we can say we preach Christ and Him crucified, the hope and glory forever. Amen

Lord help me to not become an idol to my self through spiritualism or Gnosticism. Help me to be the worshiper Jesus talked about in John 4. I want to worship you in spirit and truth. Not mine but yours, in Jesus name.
Amen

Location:1900 wealthy st, 49506

When We Major On The Minors

1 Corinthians 1:10-17

Brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, I urge all of you to be in agreement and not to have divisions among you, so that you may be perfectly united in your understanding and opinions. My brothers, some members of Chloe's family have made it clear to me that there are quarrels among you. This is what I mean: Each of you is saying, "I belong to Paul," or "I belong to Apollos," or "I belong to Cephas," or "I belong to the Messiah." Is the Messiah divided? Paul wasn't crucified for you, was he? You weren't baptized in Paul's name, were you? I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. (Oh yes, I also baptized the family of Stephanus. Beyond that, I'm not sure whether I baptized anyone else.) For the Messiah did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, not with eloquent wisdom, so the cross of the Messiah won't be emptied of its power.

Agreement.....what a big concept to wrap our brains around. We hear lots of people say we should be in agreement, but what is agreement? Websters says,

1
a : the act or fact of agreeing
b : harmony of opinion, action, or character : concord

The act of agreeing with a harmony of opinion. It sounds so clean and easy but can we remember anyone in our lives that we in every aspect of life agreed with completely? My parents....no. Any friends......no. Teachers or bosses....no. Not even my wife lol!
These people found themselves in division and disagreement and Paul exhorts them to agree and not have divisions, but what is Paul saying with the word agreement? Is he saying they should agree in all things or he is simply showing that we should agree in the major pillars of the faith and allow minors to simply fall to the wayside for the greater unity?
Paul says who cares who baptized them because it wasn't the baptism that was primary, but the power of the cross and the messiah that died and rose again for us!
How often do we let minors hinder the greater unity of the body. I follow 16 fundamental doctrines of my denomination, but some are debatable without division.......others are not. Are we looking for unity or uniformity when we come in contact with other believers? I choose unity in diversity under the fundamental truth of Jesus, my messiah.

Lord, I ask you show me how to handle minors without compromising your majors. Show me where I can be a vessel for unity and help me to not make people like me, but show them how they can become more like Jesus in His name. Amen

Location:S Lincoln St,Portland,United States

A walk through 1 Corinthians

From: Paul, called to be an apostle of the Messiah Jesus by the will of God, and from our brother Sosthenes.
To: God's church in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified by the Messiah Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those every where who call on the name of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah-their Lord and ours. May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, be yours!
I always thank my God for you because of the grace of God given you by the Messiah Jesus. For by him you have become rich in every way-in speech and knowledge of every kind- while, our testimony about the Messiah has been confirmed among you. Therefore, you don't lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus the Messiah to be revealed. He will keep you strong until the end, so that you will be blameless on the Day of our Lord Jesus the Messiah. Faithful is the God by whom you were called into fellowship with his son Jesus the Messiah, our Lord.

I have started to reread this letter and am amazed how Paul starts this letter. If you have read this book, you know he is writing to correct some incorrect doctrine and behavior. These people have been immoral and inconsistent with a life set on the discipleship of Jesus. They have become self centered and unloving toward one another to the point of factions and divisions within the church. Yet Paul starts this letter with words of encouragement and confirmation of the work God has done in these peoples lives through grace.

So many times we see fellow believers around us not living up to our expectations and personal standards. Some truly are even in deception, but how do we respond? Do we come from a place of grace? Do we first remind others who they are in Christ? I appreciate Paul's love for the people and desire to edify and build up even when things don't look so neat and tidy.

Lord, I pray you give me the grace in moments when things look unsure, love when things seem distorted, and discernment for what is right in your sight. In Jesus name, Amen.

Location:S Lincoln St,Portland,United States