Zeal for Your House Consumes Me

Zeal from the Greek word ζῆλος (zelos). Definition: eagerness, zeal, rivalry; to have warmth of feeling for or against, to be zealous or jealous. Jesus Messiah had zeal for His Father’s house. He said to Jews who were profiteering in the temple, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’” (Mark 11:17) After He made a whip of cords and drove the thieves out of the temple, His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for Your house has consumed Me.’” (John 2:13-17)

King David who wrote by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote, “Today, if you will hear His voice: ‘Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion, as in the day of trial in the wilderness, when your fathers tested Me; they tried Me, though they saw My work. For forty years I was grieved with that generation, and said, ‘It is a people who go astray in their hearts, and they do not know My ways.’ So, I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’” (Psalm 95:7-11)

Hardening of the heart is not something to hang onto. When God the Holy Spirit speaks, listen. Do not grieve God! “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” (Ephesians 4:30)

The disciples of Jesus had the zeal of the Lord. They prayed, “Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.’ And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:29-31)

What was the outcome of such zeal for the Lord?

“Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.” (Acts 4:32-35)

The outcome of their zealous faith in Jesus was oneness, sharing, and great witnessing for Jesus. God gave them GREAT GRACE! No one lacked anything. There was no needy among them.

“Dear Heavenly Father, please stir up zeal for Your house in the Name of Your Son Jesus, and by the power of the Holy Spirit working among us who believe in You.”

Relying on Divine Intervention

The angel of the Lord gave Joseph a prophetic dream. He said to him, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” It is safe to say that Joseph would not have known to leave Bethlehem if the angel had not spoken to him. Joseph was not doing anything at then but sleeping and God graciously spoke to him. He and his family were spared from harm. [1]

Paul testified of an angel of God coming to him in the night. The angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed, God has granted you all those who sail with you.” By this angelic appearance in his dream, he knew that he and his ship’s crew would reach their destination. [2]

“He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.” [3]

There are times when we don’t know what to do. We have no reference point for our circumstance. There is no one around to advise us. And thankfully, God intervenes! How does He intervene? By protecting us with His angels,

God gives us revelation by His angels! Throughout the Book of Revelation, Jesus uses angels to reveal to John what is about to happen. Christianity is a revealed religion. Stephen said that the law was received by the direction of angels. One of the ways God saves us is to give us direction via the Law. [4]

“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. They are more to be desired than gold, yes, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover, by them Your servant is warned, and in keeping them there is great reward.” [5]

The angel showed John the destiny of those who refuse to repent of sin and give God the glory. [6] It is horrible! Holy Spirit revelation that Jesus is Messiah is grace. Without this revelation people perish.

“Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.” [7] Some people get the revelation but reject it. God says, “Don’t do that!” Holy Spirit revelation that Jesus is Messiah is grace. Receive this revelation and profess it and He will save you. There’s a knowing, an assurance, all will be well when the Spirit reveals to you God’s saving grace.

The prophet Elisha relied on the Lord for revelation. Elisha’s servant Gehazi was going to push a woman away from him. But Elisha said to him, “Let her alone; for her soul is in deep distress, and the Lord has hidden it from me, and has not told me.” [8] When Elisha did perceive hidden things, it was because of God’s Spirit helped him to do so.

The Lord says to rely on His power. “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit.” “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit…” [9] We must rely on the Lord to reveal Himself to us so we can reveal Him to others.

“Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory.” [10] Praise the Lord! Let us rejoice in the Lord as Paul did for revealing Himself to us.

[1] Matthew 2:13
[2] Acts 27:23-24
[3] Psalm 91:11-13
[4] Acts 7:53
[5] Psalm 19:7-11
[6] Revelation 16:9
[7] Hebrews 3:1
[8] 2 Kings 4:27
[9] Zechariah 4:6; John 15:5
[10] 1 Timothy 3:16

Guarding Your Relationship with God

“Pilate said to them, ‘You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.’” “From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, ‘If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar’s friend. Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.’” [1]

Pilate turned against an innocent man, in fact against his Savior and Lord, due to pressure from others.

“He who loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.” [2]

Love of pleasure, drinking alcohol and extravagant spending… these ill-advised choices can cause one to lose the richness of a close relationship with God which they once enjoyed.

King David wrote a song that could be summarized as guarding one’s relationship with God:

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law, he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, which brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.” [3]

This person guards his/her relationship with God more than anything else.

On the flipside is the person who is careless about their relationship with God…

“The ungodly are not so but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.” [4]

There is a way of escape from deadly peer pressure, from the love of pleasure, and from ungodliness. It is via repentance of sin to God, asking His pardon and admitting one’s need for Him, and asking for His help.

“Who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again have compassion for us and will subdue our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” [5]

[1] John 19:7, 12
[2] Proverbs 21:17
[3] Psalm 1:1-3
[4] Psalm 1:4-6
[5] Micah 7:18-19

Knowing Jesus Whom God Sent

Such an amazing revelation! Jesus prays to the Father for His disciples and for those who will believe in Him via their witness, that’s people like you and me… Christians!

His words to His Father convey respect and affection: “Father.” “O Father.” “Holy Father.” “O Righteous Father.” [1]

He recognizes that the men to whom He manifested God’s Name were His Father’s, and that His Father gave them to Him. These men kept His Word, knew that He (Jesus) was sent from the Father and believed in Him. [2]

Jesus is praying for these men (His disciples), that His Father will keep them that may be one as He and the Father are one. In other words, do not let distance grow between them. Let them remain steadfastly close to the Father even as He is close to the Father.

“I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.” [3]

He acknowledges that the world hates these men because they are not of the world. He prays that the Father will keep them from the evil one.

“I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.” [4]

Next, He prays for the ongoing oneness of people who believe in God through the witness of His disciples, that they too will enjoy oneness with God.

“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” [5]

“…that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.” [6]

That they… “May be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” [7]

God reveals His heart for humans who believe in Him and walk with Him via this prayer of Jesus. A key truth for us to be ever mindful of from the prayer of Jesus is, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” [8]

[1] John 17:1, 5, 11, 25

[2] John 17:6-8

[3] John 17:9, 11

[4] John 17:14-15

[5] John 17:20-21

[6] John 17:23

[7] John 17:24

[8] John 17:3

God’s Word a Wonderful Gift

The Word of God is a wonderful gift! By His Word God created the heavens and earth. God’s Word transform lives! And God is willing to entrust His Word to us who are seldom aware of what a great gift it is to us.

“Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah…” [1] God gave Jonah His Word, and what did Jonah do with it? “Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.” [2] Like so many, his initial response was to run from God. God wants us to receive and believe His Word, and to help others do the same.

“The Lord sent out a great wind on the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship was about to be broken up.” [3] In a sense, the storm symbolized God’s faithfulness to Jonah. He was not going to let Jonah flee from Him unchallenged. First, God sent a storm, and then, He sent a great fish. “Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” [4]

What did Jonah do?” Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish’s belly.” [5] “So the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.” [6] Was that the end of the story? No. “Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time…” [7] God gave Jonah another opportunity to receive His Word and bear fruit with it. Jonah preached God’s Word and his audience didn’t flee from the Lord, they fled to Him. “So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them.” [8] His listeners repented to God and were spared from the consequences of sin.

Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” [9] “I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” [10] “By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” [11] He urges us to abide in Him who is the Living Word. While in Him, in Christ, fruit comes forth from us.

To be chosen to receive and proclaim, God’s Word is a gift of God. Jesus said, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” [12] Notice the mention of prayer! When Jonah prayed about what God said instead of fleeing from Him, good fruit came forth. Jesus urged us to pray to the Father in His Name for success.

“But when the Helper [the Holy Spirit] comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.” [13] Receive the Word of the Lord. Pray about it. Rely on the Holy Spirit as you testify for God.

[1] Jonah 1:1
[2] Jonah 1:3
[3] Jonah 1:4
[4] Jonah 1:17
[5] Jonah 2:1
[6] Jonah 2:10
[7] Jonah 3:1
[8] Jonah 3:5
[9] John 15:1-2
[10] John 15:5
[11] John 15:8
[12] John 15:16
[13] John 15:26

Receive The Holy Spirit

 

Faithful Love

“He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, ‘You are not all clean.’” [1]

Clean and unclean were often used terms among Jewish priests. The priests were tasked with the work of helping God’s people to discern between that which was considered clean in God’s sight and that which was not. Clean is synonymous with holy and unclean is synonymous with sinful. Here, Jesus applies “not clean” to the disciple who was about to betray Him.

“I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, ‘He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.’

When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit, and testified and said, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.’” [2]

The most grievous sin against love is betrayal. Betrayal is unclean in God’s sight. Especially, betrayal of His Son who gave His life as a ransom for our sins. This is a sin that we should pray that the Holy Spirit will convict us not to commit: “Holy Spirit, please graciously grant us the gift of repentance to repent of not steadfastly loving our Savior Jesus Christ as we should.”

After announcing His betrayal, and after His betrayer Judas Iscariot left the room, Jesus said to the remnant, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” [3]

“Dear Heavenly Father, please help us to be faithful in love towards You, towards Your Son Jesus Christ, and towards those who are our fellow disciples. May You be glorified in us! In Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen.”

[1] John 13:11
[2] John 13:18, 21
[3] John 13:34-35

Holy Spirit Rain Down

Discern the times! Take appropriate action! Sound the alarm! Call people to gather to fast and pray. Pray specifically for believers in GOD to be spared from the calamities that are coming on the world for its sin and to be delivered from the insults with which the enemy tries to destroy faith in GOD. [1]

In response to our obedience to pray, God pours out His Holy Spirit on us and gives praying people prophetic messages, dreams, visions, and salvation. [2]

We need a mighty movement of the Holy Spirit to overcome the works of our enemy. The devil is destroying many lives. We need to be filled and led by the Holy Spirit to overcome the evil one and to save those that he is destroying.

[1] Joel 2:15, 17
[2] Joel 2:28-29, 32

Jesus Christ Alone Conquered the Grave

 I took the picture for the background of this message while standing inside the empty tomb in Israel where it is believed that the body of Jesus came back to life after being dead for three days. No other religious leader left behind an empty tomb after he died. Only Jesus Christ did that. He said that His resurrection is the proof that He was sent from God and that He is the Messiah. The Savior of all who believe in Him!

From Mess to Message

Their nation was in a mess. God asked them, “Has anything like this happened in your days, or even in the days of your fathers?” [1] Bugs had decimated their land. [2] A strong nation fiercely attacked them. [3] The priests were mourning. [4] Farmers were wailing because they had no harvest. Trees gave forth no fruit. Joy had withered away. [5]

What did the Lord urge them to do? He urged them to call a fast. Call a sacred assembly! Gather in the house of God and cry out to the Lord! [6] Blow the trumpet in Zion and sound an alarm in My holy mountain! [7] “’Now, therefore,’ says the Lord, ‘Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.’ So rend your heart, and not your garments; return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm.” [8]

As they sought the Lord, the question came up, “Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’” [9]

Then, the Lord said to them, “Be glad then, you children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God; for He has given you the former rain faithfully, and He will cause the rain to come down for you—the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. The threshing floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil.” [10] “You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who has dealt wondrously with you; and My people shall never be put to shame.” [11]

But the Lord did more than restore their land, He poured out His Holy Spirit on them so that prophesying, dreams, and visions were happening in abundance. “And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants, I will pour out My Spirit in those days.” [12]

People were getting saved! “And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” [13]

As the people seriously and earnestly sought the Lord, He brought them from mess to message… a message of salvation that yielded increase both physically and spiritually.

Therefore, may the Lord help us to fast, to gather together and to cry out to the Lord for an outpouring of His Holy Spirit on our land.

[1] Joel 1:2
[2] Joel 1:4
[3] Joel 1:6
[4] Joel 1:9
[5] Joel 1:11-12
[6] Joel 1:14
[7] Joel 2:1-2
[8] Joel 2:12-13
[9] Joel 2:17
[10] Joel 2:23-24
[11] Joel 2:26
[12] Joel 2:38-39
[13] Joel 2:32

Do You Believe in the Son of God?

The event might have seemed happenstance to some, but it was divinely driven. Jesus and His disciples met a man who was blind from birth. The disciples wanted to know if the man’s blindness was due to his sin or the sin of his parents. Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.

This man had been destined by God for many years to show forth the mighty work of God.

After Jesus opened the blind man’s eyes, a group of religious leaders brought the man in for questioning. When he did not give them the answer they were looking for, they brought his parents in for questioning. When the parents did not give the answer, they were looking for, they turned back to the man, and commanded him, “Give God the glory! We know that this Man [Jesus] is a sinner.”

The religious leaders did not see a miracle in what happened, they saw an offence, namely that Jesus had healed a man who had been born blind. The narrative that they wanted the blind man and his parents to profess was a false one, namely that Jesus was a sinner. The now seeing-blindman said to them, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.”

The religious leaders reviled the man.

He answered and said to them, “Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. Since the world began it has been unheard of anyone who opened the eyes of one who was born blind. If this Man [Jesus] were not from God, He could do nothing.”

There the man’s witness for God. He stood up for Jesus God’s Messiah! He gave glory to God!

The religious leaders insulted him and cast him away.

“Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, ‘Do you believe in the Son of God?’ He answered and said, ‘Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?’ And Jesus said to him, ‘You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.’ Then he said, ‘Lord, I believe!’ And he worshiped Him.”

Do you believe that Jesus Christ the Son of God? If you do, good, because that is indeed who He is, but beware! There are a whole lot of powerful and influential people in this world who want to silence believers in Jesus. Let God have them! But as for you and me, let us continue to do as the healed blindman did… He believed that Jesus is the Son of God and He worshipped Him!

(See John 9 for the complete text of this story)

The Fallow Versus the Fertile Ground

“Break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till He come and rain righteousness on you” [1]

Commentary below from A.W. Tozer:

“Here are two kinds of ground: fallow ground and ground that has been broken up by the plow.

The fallow field is smug, contented, protected from the shock of the plow and the agitation of the harrow. Such a field… can be counted upon to remain always the same, while the fields around it change from brown to green and back to brown again. Safe and undisturbed, it sprawls lazily in the sunshine, the picture of sleepy contentment.

But it is paying a terrible price for its tranquility; never does it feel the motions of mounting life, nor see the wonders of bursting seed, nor the beauty of ripening grain. Fruit it can never know because it is afraid of the plow and the harrow.

In direct opposite to this, the cultivated field has yielded itself to the adventure of living. The protecting fence has opened to admit the plow… Peace has been shattered by the shouting farmer and the rattle of machinery. The field has felt the travail of change; it has been upset, turned over, bruised, and broken.

All over the field, the hand of God is at work... New things are born, to grow, mature, and consummate the grand prophecy latent in the seed when it entered the ground. Wonders follow the plow.

There are two kinds of lives also: the fallow and the plowed. For example, of the fallow life, we need not go far. They are all too plentiful among us.

The man of fallow life is contented with himself and the fruit he once bore. He does not want to be disturbed. He smiles in tolerant superiority at revivals, fasting, self-searching, and all the travail of fruit bearing and the anguish of advance. The spirit of adventure is dead within him. He is steady, “faithful,” always in his accustomed place (like the old field) … but he is fruitless.

The curse of such a life is that it is fixed, both in size and in content. “To be” has taken the place of “to become.” He has fenced himself in, and by the same act he has fenced out God...

The plowed life is the life that has, in the act of repentance, thrown down the protecting fences and sent the plow of confession into the soul. The urge of the Spirit, the pressure of circumstances and the distress of fruitless living have combined thoroughly to humble the heart. Such a life has put away defense and has forsaken the safety of death for the peril of life.

As always, fruit follows the plow. Life and growth begin as God “rains down righteousness.” Such a one can testify, “And the hand of the Lord was upon me there.” [2]

Corresponding to these two kinds of life, religious history shows two phases, the dynamic and the static. The dynamic periods were those heroic times when God’s people stirred themselves to do the Lord’s bidding and went out fearlessly to carry His witness to the world. They exchanged the safety of inaction for the hazards of God-inspired progress. Invariably, the power of God followed such action. The miracle of God went when and where his people went. It stayed when His people stopped.

The static periods were those times when the people of God tired of the struggle and sought a life of peace and security. They busied themselves, trying to conserve the gains made in those more-daring times when the power of God moved among them.

Bible history is replete with examples. Abraham “went out” on his great adventure of faith, and God went with him. Revelations, theophanies, the gift of Palestine, covenants, and the promises of rich blessings to come were the result. Then Israel went down into Egypt, and the wonders ceased for four hundred years. At the end of that time, Moses heard the call of God and stepped forth to challenge the oppressor. A whirlwind of power accompanied that challenge, and Israel soon began to march. As long as she dared to march, God sent out His miracles to clear a way for her. Whenever she lay down like a fallow field, God turned off His blessing and waited for her to rise again and command his power.

This is a brief but fair outline of the history of Israel and the Church as well. As long as they “went forth and preached everywhere,” the Lord worked “with them…confirming the Word with signs following.” [3] But when they retreated to monasteries or played at building pretty cathedrals, the help of God was withdrawn ’till a Luther or a Wesley arose to challenge hell again. Then, invariably, God poured out His power as before.

In every denomination, missionary society, local church or individual Christian, this law operates. God works as long as His people live daringly: He ceases when they no longer need His aid. As soon as we seek protection out of God, we find it to our own undoing. Let us build a safety-wall of endowments, by-laws, prestige, multiplied agencies for the delegation of our duties, and creeping paralysis sets in at once, a paralysis which can only end in death.

The power of God comes only where it is called out by the plow. It is released into the Church only when she is doing something that demands it. By the word “doing,” I do not mean mere activity. The Church has plenty of “hustle” as it is, but in all her activities, she is careful to leave her fallow ground mostly untouched. She is careful to confine her hustling within the fear-marked boundaries of complete safety. That is why she is fruitless; she is safe, but fallow.

The only way to power for such a church is to come out of hiding and once more take the danger-encircled path of obedience. Its security is its deadliest foe. The church that fears the plow writes its own epitaph. The church that uses the plow walks in the way of revival.”

[1] Hosea 10:12

[2] Ezekiel 3:22

[3] Mark 16:20

For Christ Amidst Againsters

“The Jews sought to kill Him…” [1]

Jesus told His own brothers, who incidentally did not believe in Him, “The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.” [2]

“There was much complaining among the people concerning Him. Some said, ‘He is good;’ others said, ‘No, on the contrary, He deceives the people.’” [3]

Some Jews marveled, saying, “How does this Man know letters, having never studied?” [4]

Jesus urged the people, “Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” [5]

“Some of them from Jerusalem said, ‘Is this not He whom they seek to kill? But look! He speaks boldly, and they say nothing to Him. Do the rulers know indeed that this is truly the Christ?’” [6]

“Many of the people believed in Him, and said, ‘When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?’” [7]

Many from the crowd said, “Truly this is the Prophet.” Others said, “This is the Christ.” [8]

“But some said, ‘Will the Christ come out of Galilee? Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the seed of David and from the town of Bethlehem, where David was?’ So, there was a division among the people because of Him.” [9]

“And everyone went to his own house.” [10]

Do you see it? The responses to Jesus were diverse then, and the responses to Him are diverse now. What is your response to Jesus? Especially when He is bringing the conviction of sin? The proper response to Jesus is to acknowledge that He alone is the Messiah sent from God. The only Savior of the world. The only one who gives the Holy Spirit to whosoever believes in His Name.

The problem with the Christian faith is not its Founder and Leader… our Lord Jesus Christ, but the opposition that comes from those who refuse to believe in Him and persecute those who do. Righteous ones! You who confess Christ as your Lord and Savior below are some of God’s promises of protection and faithfulness to you:

“Do not fret because of evildoers… they shall soon be cut down like the grass…” [11]

“Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. Cease from anger and forsake wrath; do not fret—it only causes harm. For evildoers shall be cut off; but those who wait on the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. For yet a little while and the wicked shall be no more; indeed, you will look carefully for his place, but it shall be no more. But the meek shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.” [12]

“For those blessed by Him shall inherit the earth, but those cursed by Him shall be cut off.” [13]

“I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread. He is ever merciful and lends; and his descendants are blessed.” [14]

“For the Lord loves justice and does not forsake His saints; they are preserved forever, but the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell in it forever.” [15]

“The wicked watches the righteous and seeks to slay him. The Lord will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.” [16]

“I have seen the wicked in great power and spreading himself like a native green tree. Yet he passed away, and behold, he was no more; indeed, I sought him, but he could not be found.” [17]

“The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him.” [18]

[1] John 7:1
[2] John 7:5-7
[3] John 7:12
[4] John 7:15
[5] John 7:24
[6] John 7:25-26
[7] John 7:31
[8] John 7:40-41
[9] John 7:41-43
[10] John 7:53
[11] Psalm 37:1-2
[12] Psalm 37:7-11
[13] Psalm 37:22
[14] Psalm 37:25-26
[15] Psalm 37:28-29
[16] Psalm 37:32-33
[17] Psalm 37:35-36
[18] Psalm 37:39-40

God Wants a Close Relationship with Us

“I will return to My place till they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.” [1]

The Lord pulls back and the hedge of protection around decreases. The ensuing afflictions bring about a change of perspective in the people that He is pursuing. They say…

“Come and let us return to the Lord; for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up. After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight. Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the Lord. …He will come to us like the rain...” [2]

They seek the Lord for healing. They seek Him for revival. They pursue the Lord and He responds…

“Your faithfulness is like a morning cloud, and like the early dew it goes away. Therefore, I have hewn them by the prophets, I have slain them by the words of My mouth; and your judgments are like light that goes forth. For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” [3]

The Lord knows that their faithfulness to Him is short-lived. His prophets are His hands to shape them aright. His Word speaks death to that in them which needs to die so that they can truly live. His judgments provide light for them. The Lord wants to see reflections of His mercy in their lives. They considered their sacrifices for sin sufficient to please God, but no, He was looking for a change in their feelings towards Him. He wanted them to genuinely love Him! To know Him! To love Him which is the first commandment. God wants to be loved by people. He didn’t want to mete out judgments and rebukes to bring them back to Him, but He did so because only He could save them from sin and transform them. He cared for them.

“Then they said to Him, ‘What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.’” [4]

To do a pleasing work for God, believe in His Messiah. Walk with Him! Learn from Him! Love Him!

“Then Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me.’” [5]

Know and believe God’s Messiah, also partake of Him! We partake of Christ when we eat the bread which is His body and drink the fruit of vine which is His blood. This refers to the new covenant Jesus made. The new covenant is that He became our sacrificial lamb. The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! We eat His bread and drink His blood for the forgiveness of our sins, to have communion with Him and to proclaim that He will come again.

The relationship God wants with us is a close one.

[1] Hosea 5:15
[2] Hosea 6:1-3
[3] Hosea 6:4-6
[4] John 6:28-29
[5] John 6:53-57

The Importance of Christian Faith

By Christian faith I mean believing inwardly and professing outwardly that Jesus Christ alone is your Lord and Savior. To be a Christian in the Biblical sense is to be one who believes that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah promised by Moses and all the prophets.

Jesus went as far as to tell Jews who had a head knowledge of the Scriptures that they did not have the God’s Word abiding in them. They did not have the One from whom all Scripture came. They did not have the One who reveals the meaning of the Scripture, namely Jesus Messiah.

“You do not have His Word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe. You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.” [1]

These Jews had the Scriptures but not the Author of the Scriptures. Jesus told them, “You are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” [2]

Jesus pinpointed what was lacking in their faith:

1) They would not come to Him… they did not receive Him as their Messiah. They were unwilling to be Christians. To be identified with Christ!

2) They did not have the love of God in them. [3]

3) They were apt to receive a self-appointed messiah but not the One whom the Father sent them. [4]

4) They were more interested in being honored by human peers than by God. [5]

5) They claimed to be followers of Moses, but Moses prophesied of Jesus in his five books (Genesis – Deuteronomy). Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of Moses. Jesus told them, “If you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me.” [6]

The Christian faith is important. Be a person identified with Christ! A Christ-centered and Christ-exalting believer!

A spiritual stronghold to overcome is the lie which says no one should say that salvation is only in the Name of Jesus. A second stronghold to overcome is the lie which says that no one should speak the Name of Jesus in public places. The early Christians countered these lies with truth…

“Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This [Jesus] is the ‘stone, which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other Name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” [7]

“So, they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His Name.” [8]

“Dear Heavenly Father, please help all of us Christians to believe that the prophecies of the coming Messiah have all been fulfilled by Your Son, Jesus of Nazareth. Please fill us afresh with Your Holy Spirit so that we unashamedly identify ourselves as Christians and lead others to believe in Him. In Christ’s Name I pray. Amen.”

[1] John 5:38-39
[2] John 5:40
[3] John 5:42
[4] John 5:43
[5] John 5:44
[6] John 5:46
[7] Acts 4:10-12
[8] Acts 5:41

Love for the Lord Restored

“’I will punish her for the days of the Baals [false gods] to which she burned incense. She decked herself with her earrings and jewelry and went after her lovers [idols]; but Me she forgot,’ says the Lord.”

Our Lord is faithful in love. He desires faithful love to be mutual. Israel had failed the relationship by giving to other idols what should have been given to the Lord.

“Therefore, behold, I will allure her, will bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfort to her. I will give her vineyards from there, and the Valley of Achor as a door of hope; she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, as in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.”

The Lord took her away from the place of her failings in relationship and caused her to be fruitful in a place that was not normally considered a place to bear fruit – namely a wilderness. She became aware of God’s mercy toward her and His love for her was a door of hope. She began to sing to the Lord as in the days of her first love for Him.

“’And it shall be, on that day,’ says the Lord, ‘that you will call Me ‘My Husband,’ and no longer call Me ‘My Master,’ for I will take from her mouth the names of the Baals [idols], and they shall be remembered by their name no more. In that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, with the birds of the air, and with the creeping things of the ground. Bow and sword of battle I will shatter from the earth, to make them lie down safely. I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in lovingkindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and you shall know the Lord.”

“Heavenly Father and Christ Jesus the Son, thank You for Your faithful love for us Your people. Thank You for loving us so much that even when we disappoint and fail You, You do not give up on us, but You bring about favorable circumstances for us to be renewed in our love for You. You restore us in the qualities that make You so beautiful and unique in this world. The qualities of righteous and just living, as well as lovingkindness, mercy, and faithfulness. Thank You for revealing Yourself to us so that we know You and walk with You as Your betrothed. We look forward to the day when You bring us to Your house, and we will dwell in Your house forever. In the Name of Jesus Your Son Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.”

The Scripture verses are from Hosea 2:13-20 NKJV

The Despicable And The Discerning

The despicable man destroys people and nations via intrigue and deception. The discerning people of God turn many to righteousness and shine like the stars forever.

The Lord described a despicable despot to the Prophet Daniel.

“There will arise in his place a despicable man not entitled to inherit the majesty of the kingdom, but he will come without warning and gain the kingdom by intrigue.” [1]

“Large armies will be broken and swept away before him…” [2]

“…Alliances will be made with him, but he will undermine them by deceit. …He will have but a small following, he will emerge and become strong.” [3]

“Without warning, he will assail the most powerful men… he will reward them with plunder, spoil and wealth while devising plots against their strongholds…” [4]

“…He will take furious action against the holy covenant, again showing favor to those who abandon the holy covenant.” [5]

“His armed forces will profane the sanctuary and fortress. They will abolish the daily burnt offering and set up the abomination that causes desolation.” [6]

“Those who act wickedly against the covenant he will corrupt with his blandishments, but the people who know their God will stand firm and prevail.” [7]

“Those among the people who have discernment will cause the rest of the people to understand what is happening; nevertheless, for a while they will fall victim to sword, fire, exile and pillage.” [8]

“Even some of those with discernment will stumble, so that some of them will be refined, purified and cleansed for an end yet to come at the designated time.” [9]

“The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt himself and consider himself greater than any god, and he will utter monstrous blasphemies against the God of gods.” [10]

“He won’t show respect for any god, because he will consider himself greater than all of them.” [11]

“He will honor the god of strongholds; with gold, silver, precious stones and other costly things he will honor a god unknown to his ancestors.” [12]

“…He will confer honor on those he acknowledges, causing them to rule over many and distributing land as a reward.” [13]

“Finally, when he pitches the tents of his palace between the seas and the mountain of the holy Glory, he will come to his end, with no one to help him.” [14]

“There will be a time of distress unparalleled… At that time, your people [Daniel’s] will be delivered, everyone whose name is found written in the book. Many of those sleeping in the dust of the earth will awaken, some to everlasting life and some to everlasting shame and abhorrence. But those who can discern will shine like the brightness of heaven’s dome, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.” [15]

This is good news! The discerning people of God will be shining brightly and turning many people to righteousness even during the days of the despicable despot’s reign.

“…Many will rush here and there as knowledge increases.” [16]

“Many will purify, cleanse, and refine themselves; but the wicked will keep on acting wickedly, and none of the wicked will understand. But those with discernment will understand.” [17]

“But you [Daniel], go your way until the end comes. Then you will rest and rise for your reward, at the end of days.” [18]

[1] Daniel 11:21
[2] Daniel 11:22
[3] Daniel 11:23
[4] Daniel 11:24
[5] Daniel 11:30
[6] Daniel 11:31
[7] Daniel 11:32
[8] Daniel 11:33
[9] Daniel 11:35
[10] Daniel 11:36
[11] Daniel 11:37
[12] Daniel 11:38
[13] Daniel 11:39
[14] Daniel 11:45
[15] Daniel 12:1-3
[16] Daniel 12:4
[17] Daniel 12:10
[18] Daniel 12:13

All Bible quotes from the Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

Let the Revival Begin

Where do we start? How does revival begin? It begins with prayer. Christians, we need to gather together for prayer and pray for revival in our city, across the USA and throughout the world.

 
God is looking for people to stand in the gap and pray.  I think even if a couple of us set a time to pray and gather together each day, God will honor our prayers and send the revival.

Listen to our Lord Jesus Christ not to the Thief

“Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’ And Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you.’”

Matthew 24:3-4