Brussels Sprouts for Jesus

“Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up. For even Christ did not please Himself but, as it is written: ‘The insults of those who insult You have fallen on Me.’” [1]

During a preaching class at Trevecca Nazarene University, there was a discussion about Triumphalism. Triumphalism is a belief that he who does right always wins. The teacher warned us against trying to make a Bible text say what the world says and believes.

For example, the Lord says in His Word to please our neighbor for their good. Build them up! This is what He did. But then, He laments because those who hate him are more than the hairs on his head. Why would a good neighbor be insulted and hated?

I liken this situation to Brussels sprouts. Brussels sprouts are often hated while ice cream, cakes and cookies are greatly beloved. Neighbors who care for the spiritual well-being of those around them are often treated like Brussels sprouts. They are not about pleasing themselves. They are about doing what is best for people.

Jesus Christ gave His best for the people of Jerusalem, but they hated Him, bruised Him, shredded His flesh, insulted Him, and nailed Him in naked fashion to a tree. Did He fail? No, He was a very good neighbor. So, why didn’t He triumph?

After His death on the cross, two of His disciples went walking towards Emmaus. They were sad. Jesus had told them beforehand that He would resurrect from the dead, but they did not believe Him. It seemed to them that goodness had failed.

However, after Jesus revealed to them that He was alive, they were excited. Jesus did conquer sin, Satan, and death. He did win, but only after a seeming defeat.

After His victory, Jesus told us to go and preach His Gospel to the whole world. He told us that we too would experience setbacks, but that He would be with us. Jesus helps us to forgive and love those who mistreat us. This kind of love tastes bad to the self-serving people around us, but it is good for them.

What did Jesus say to Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus? After Saul fell off his high horse, Jesus said to him, “Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of Me. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.” [2]

Jesus gave Saul the mission of rescuing neighbors from darkness and from the power of Satan and turning them to Christ. And guess what? Darkness and Satan do not give up people without a fight.

God’s faithful servants have been misunderstood and mistreated throughout the ages. Take the prophets! They are often portrayed as poorly dressed cranky men, but they were bright and selfless people. They were good neighbors to duped people. Despite having few friends, they kindly told others how to enjoy a good relationship with God. They refused to play the part of neighbors who acted as though nothing was wrong when in fact very much was horribly wrong.

Perhaps, some non-Christians agree that we should be good neighbors, but what about the second part? The part about responding to insults as Jesus did? Are we ready for that?

If our neighbors are under Satan’s power, they will throw our proverbial Brussels sprouts back at us. They will demand from us chocolate. They will hurt our feelings. We made ourselves vulnerable to them. We did our best for them. They gave us hatred in return for our love.

To love our neighbor as Jesus does requires prayer, commitment, and of course His Spirit of love fueling us. Despite our best efforts to love them and do them good, they may still reject Christ and us. Should we change our flavor? Should we stop being Brussels sprouts for Jesus and join the dark side of candy and cakes?

I can’t answer for you, but as for me, I never want to go back to the dark side. I want to be the kind of neighbor Jesus has been for me. He loved me in spite of my unfair treatment of Him. He never gave up on me.

“Heavenly Father, please forgive me for failing to love my neighbors as I should. Please help me to love them even as Your Son showed me to do. Please fill me afresh with love for You and my neighbor. For the glory and honor of You God, in the Name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!”

[1] Romans 15:2-3
[2] Acts 26:16-18

Preferring God’s Standard Over the Gold Standard

Do you know what a covenant is? God made covenants with people in the Bible. Throughout the ages couples have made covenants to love each other for life. We call that marriage. When a person wants to join the body of Christ, he or she may be asked to sign a covenant of relationship with the congregation.

For example, to be responsive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and to grow in grace through worship, prayer, service, and the reading of the Bible. And to be a faithful steward of time, talent, and treasure! To be more focused on growing in God’s grace than in accumulating the world’s gold.

The stories of Achan, Balaam, Judas Iscariot, and Ananias and Sapphira [1]in the Bible expose the folly of choosing gold over God.

Achan took gold from Jericho and hid it in his tent. God told Joshua that this sin was the cause of their defeat before the Amorites. One worldly man’s lust for money brought about a significant loss in battle for the whole people of God.

Balaam betrayed his own people for money. When God prohibited Balaam from putting an evil curse on Israel for payment, Balaam advised Balak, the king of the Moabites, to send seductive women into the Israelite camp to seduce Israel’s men sexually. The Israelite men (many of them) who took Balaam’s bait, died in a plague afterwards. Balaam got rich by betraying God’s people, but later, was put to death by them.

Judas Iscariot betrayed Christ for 30 pieces of silver. Afterwards, the weight of his error struck him. He was overwhelmed by remorse and hung himself.

Ananias and Sapphira acted as though that they had sacrificed their fortune for God but had kept back the greatest portion for themselves. They lied. They tried to deceive God’s leaders. The Holy Spirit exposed them. When Peter called them out for their misbehavior, they died instantly.

Jesus warned against the love of money and against sumptuous eating. He said, “Woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.” [2]

Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Jesus said, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” [3]

Jesus told the parable of the rich man who did not share of his abundance with the poor. Instead, he built more barns to keep his wealth to himself. He died that night. His wealth was left to others. Jesus said, “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” [4]

Jesus told the parable of beggar Lazarus and the rich man. In this story, Lazarus died and went to heaven. The rich man died and went to hell. [5]

Jesus said it is harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. [6]

The Apostle John warned us in his letter to the churches: “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” [7]

The Apostle Paul warned his protégé Timothy: “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.” [8]

God’s standard is love. [9] Human hearts are most happy and content when they are filled with love for God and others. God created us to love. God says, “Better a small serving of vegetables with love than a fattened calf with hatred.” [10] God says, “Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot sweep it away. If one were to give all the wealth of one’s house for love, it would be utterly scorned.” [11] Once a person experiences God’s love, it is easier to reject the love of gold.

Have you embraced God’s standard? Or are you like the losers in the Bible who held onto the gold standard? In heaven, gold is nothing but street pavement. [12] Why would anyone prefer street pavement to paradise?

[1] Joshua 7; Numbers 22-25; 31; Matthew 26:14-16, 27:3-5
[2] Luke 6:24-25
[3] Luke 16:13; Luke 12:15
[4] Luke 12:16-21
[5] Luke 16:19-31
[6] Matthew 19:16-24
[7] 1 John 2:15-17
[8] 1 Timothy 6:9-11
[9] 1 John 4:8
[10] Proverbs 15:17
[11] Song of Songs 8:7
[12] Revelation 21:21

The Song of Moses, and of the Lamb

The Song of Moses is about God’s faithfulness to Israel. This song was his last message from God to His people. He had shepherded them for forty years.

The Song of Moses is mentioned along with the Song of the Lamb in Revelation 15. Overcomers of the beast are given harps to sing the Song of Moses and the Song of the Lamb. The singing of this song is the beginning of the end. After it is sung, the seven last plagues are released to complete God’s wrath against sin.

Moses instructed God’s people: “Write down this song and teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it, so that it may be a witness for me against them. When I have brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, the land I promised on oath to their ancestors, and when they eat their fill and thrive, they will turn to other gods and worship them, rejecting me and breaking my covenant. And when many disasters and calamities come on them, this song will testify against them, because it will not be forgotten by their descendants. I know what they are disposed to do, even before I bring them into the land, I promised them on oath.” [1]

God applies the discipline He imposed on Israel in the Song of Moses to the people of all the earth in the Song of the Lamb. Thus, the Revelation 15 version of the song is also called the Song of the Lamb. All nations have been invited to be God’s people. Their rebellion against Him leads to the seven last plagues.

The goal of God’s judgments is to bring about repentance of sin and salvation to people. People need the Savior to be saved. Salvation is of the Lord. All the ends of earth must turn to the Lord to be saved.

“Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints! Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy. For all nations shall come and worship before You, for Your judgments have been manifested.” [2]

[1] Deuteronomy 31:19-22
[2] Revelation 15:3-4

Wholly Devoted to the Lord

God commanded His people not to follow false prophets. They were not to join with a sibling, a child, a spouse, or a friend who wanted them to follow false gods. They were to put false prophets to death. They were to destroy cities of Israel that left God to follow false prophets and false gods. [1]

False prophets rob people of the greatest treasure, namely, eternity with God! Thus, God’s judgment of them is severe. Even so, God occasionally saves a false prophet from destruction.

Simon was such a man. He deceived people. The Lord gave him the opportunity to repent and become a devoted follower of Christ. And glory to God! He did.

“There was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, ‘This man is the great power of God.’ And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time.” [2]

Simon had everyone in Samaria convinced that he had the great power of God. But when Philip the Evangelist preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, many Samarians including Simon believed in Christ.

However, God was not through with Simon yet. When Simon saw people being filled with the Holy Spirit through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered the apostles money to give him this power. Peter rebuked him, saying, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this your wickedness and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you, for, I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity!” [3]

Wickedness relates to unresolved guilt. Bitterness stems from unforgiveness. Iniquity refers to crimes of inequality (unfairness). Simon wanted to be greater than others. He wanted to be like a god among people. He totally misunderstood the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit doesn’t exalt angels or people because “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” [4]

Thankfully, Simon responded humbly to Peter’s rebuke, asking, “Pray to the Lord for me, that none of the things which you have spoken may come upon me.” [5]

Talking about a man deceiving a city! Edgar Cayce (1877-1945) deceived many! He was touted as a disciple of Christ. He attended Liberty Christian Church. He read his Bible every year from cover to cover. He taught Sunday school. He claimed that a female angel spoke to him. She told him that he could absorb information from books by laying his head on them, and he did. He was known as the sleeping prophet because he would tell people what their illnesses were and what medicine to take by going into a trance and listening for a voice. During the first 22 years of his ministry, he used sorcery to mainly help people and did not make much money from it, but in 1923, Cayce went seriously astray from the Bible. He rejected Jesus as the Son of God. Cayce was said to heal people, but what was the price they paid for it? Perhaps, the price of their eternal salvation. [6]

How many today are deceived? Horoscopes, Ouija boards, tarot cards, palm reading, and séances are not of God. The animal that is snared by the hunter is always killed by the trap that he or she did not suspect.

God says, “If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’—which you have not known—‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, keep His commandments, and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death because he has spoken in order to turn you away from the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of bondage, to entice you from the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall put away the evil from your midst.” [7]

God says, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” [8]

The New Testament pattern of dealing with false prophets is to expose and rebuke them. To warn people about them! To fully trust God via prayer to either convert or end their influence over people!

Be wholly devoted to the Lord! Renounce the devil and all his ways. Don’t take the evil one lightly. He wants to steal your eternity with God from you. Ask the Holy Spirit to convict you in regards to faith in Christ, righteousness, and the judgment. [9] Your eternal future depends on knowing the truth and walking in it. Jesus Christ is the only One who died on the cross as an atonement for your sins and rose again on the third day for your resurrection. Be wholly devoted to Christ.

[1] Deuteronomy 13:1-18
[2] Acts 8:9-19
[3] Acts 8:20-23
[4] Revelation 19:10
[5] Acts 8:24
[6] forgottenword.org/cayce‎
[7] Deuteronomy 13:1-5
[8] 1 John 4:1-6
[9] John 16:8-10

Are You Right with God

Have you ever had a close brush with death? Did that moment make you think about the afterlife? When Jesus Christ walked this earth, He spoke often of the afterlife. Once, Jesus told religious leaders a story to help them rethink their priorities and warn them of what awaited them unless they repented. [1]

“There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

The time came when the beggar died, and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

“‘No, Father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’” [2]

Jesus Christ urges us by His Spirit to be in a right with God when we die. The outcome of not being saved by the Savior is so severe that even those who end up in hell pray that their loved ones won’t be with them.

[1] Luke 16:14
[2] Luke 16:19-31

Relinquish & Receive

A foreign power was about to conquer and destroy his nation. Life as he knew it was at an end. Jeremiah made every effort to prepare his people for the changes that were coming by pointing them back to the faithful God they had forsaken.

Walter Brueggemann in his book “Hopeful Imagination – Prophetic Voices in Exile” says Jeremiah was “intended to help the community of faith make two crucial and difficult moves, relinquishment and receiving.” He wrote that “God’s powerful governance is displacing the present idolatrous order of public life and is generating a new order that befits God’s will for the world.” God was ending their known world and inviting them to a new world of obedience and praise. Jeremiah’s task was “to help his community to face the loss of the old world of king and temple and to receive a new world defined by Yahweh.” Jeremiah’s people “wanted neither to lose the old Davidic-Jerusalem world nor to receive a new world at the hands of the Babylonian empire. So they engaged in denial, self-deception, and wishful thinking.” [1]

“Jeremiah lived in a time of turmoil. He believed it was a time of dying. He envisioned the death of a culture, a society, a tradition. He watched his world dying and he felt pain. What pained him even more was the failure of his contemporaries to notice, to care, to acknowledge, or to admit. He could not determine whether they were too stupid to understand, or whether they were so dishonest that they understood but engaged in an enormous cover-up. He could not determine whether it was a grand public deception or a pitiful self-deception. But he watched. The dying seemed so clear, so inexorable. Yet they denied. In different moments, he indicts his people of both stupidity and stubbornness.” [2]

Brueggemann wrote that Jeremiah’s enemies “are the managers of the status quo, who deceive themselves and others into pretending that there is no illness. They are fascinated with statistics. They are skillful speakers at press conferences. They believe their own propaganda. They imagine that God loves rather than judges, that the Babylonian threat will soon disappear, that the economy is almost back to normal, that Judean values will somehow survive, that religion needs to be affirmative, that things will hold together if we all hug each other.”

“In a word, they believe that grief is treason, that candor about what is underneath only causes failure or nerves and weakens the entire enterprise. They are into happiness and optimism and well-being. Is this not the indictment that Jeremiah makes?” [3]

“The grief of Jeremiah was at two levels. First, it was the grief he grieved for the end of his people. And that was genuine grief because he cared about this people, and he knew that God cared about this people. But the second dimension of his grief, more intense, was because no one would listen, and no one would see what was so apparent to him.” “Jeremiah had seen what was there for all to see if only they would look, but the others refused to look, simply denied, and were unable to see.” [4]

The promises God has brought to my attention for this season are: “Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with joy, carrying sheaves with them.” “Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” [5]

[1] Walter Brueggemann, “Hopeful Imagination – Prophetic Voices in Exile”, Fortress Press, ©1986, p. 3-5, 12
[2] Ibid, p. 32 with references to Jeremiah 4:22; 18:12
[3] Ibid, p. 42 with references to Jeremiah 28:2-4; 38:4
[4] Ibid, pp. 47, 48
[5] Psalm 126:5-6; Galatians 6:9

He has Made His Victory Ours

“The great dragon was hurled down that ancient serpent called the devil, Satan – who leads the world astray – He was hurled to the earth – and his angels with him

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: ‘Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.’

They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” [1]

The snake deceives people. He accuses day and night. But, by God’s grace, he is overcome! We are forgiven, accepted, and valued by God. Our testimony is that
Christ has won!

By the grace of God, we don’t believe the serpent. We renounce and rebuke his lies and accusations in the Name of Jesus Christ.

Greater is Christ within us than the evil without. More are those with us than those that are against us. With the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God! With the helmet of salvation! With the breastplate of righteousness! With the belt of truth! With the shield of faith! The Good News of peace for our footwear! God has conquered our foe.

Salvation and power, kingdom authority are the Lord’s. Messiah has the won the battle! He has made His victory ours. Praise the Lord!

[1] Revelation 12:9-11

Following the Call of God

God’s gracious call on Abraham’s life, and his subsequent obedience to follow God brought forth innumerable blessings to him and to those he influenced. When God invites you to follow Him, He is extending to you a wonderful privilege.

Once, Jesus turned to His disciples and said to them, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it.” [1]

You’ve got the revelation that Jesus of Nazareth is Messiah… that He is the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world… that everything good from God flows from faith in Him… then, follow Him!

“I am confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” [2] Just do it! You may not be able to envision how God will meet your needs and the needs of your ministry but do it. God’s grace fills the gaps that you cannot supply. “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” [3]

Jesus Christ disciples His followers. He teaches you as you serve Him. He never stops revealing new insights to you as you submit yourself to serve His Word.

“God is at work in you both to will and to do His good pleasure.” [4] Sometimes your flesh cries out, “Do I have to? Can’t I? What about? I Can’t! I don’t feel like it. How about tomorrow? Your flesh likes ease and predictability. But the Good Shepherd seeks to save the lost. So, trust God to work in you both to will and do His good pleasure. In regards to message preparation, “Sit down! Stay seated! Pray! Wait! Listen! Now, write down what He gives you.”

The Lord Jesus had a plan for your life even before you were born. This plan is an outcome of His grace. It has never been about you being superhuman or braver than others. It has always been about Messiah working in and through you. So, let God be God!

“God has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ.” “For the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls.” “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your calling, and election sure, for if you do these things, you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” [5]

The world has a way of filling our eyes and mind with visions and thoughts that detour us away from our calling. Peter says to be diligent about it. He reminds us that our calling culminates in an entrance into the everlasting kingdom of Christ.

“Rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.” [6] The Lord reveals Himself to us to include us in His service. He calls us to bear witness to what He has already revealed to us, and to be prepared for He is about to reveal more to us. I like how the Apostle John said it, “I… was on the island that is called Patmos for the Word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day…” [7] We are where we are for the sake of God’s Word and the testimony of Jesus. And when we are in the Spirit, that is being led by the Holy Spirit, God reveals Himself to us so that we can reveal more of Him to others.

“We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” [8] We can’t lose when we love God and live according to His purpose. Why? Because He makes all things work for our good! Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” [9]

[1] Luke 10:23-24
[2] Philippians 1:6
[3] Philippians 4:19
[4] Philippians 2:13
[5] 2 Timothy 1:8-10; Romans 9:11; 2 Peter 1:10-11
[6] Acts 26:16
[7] Revelation 1:9-10
[8] Romans 8:28
[9] John 16:33

The Story Heard Around the World

Have you experienced goose bumps? Goose bumps when the Holy Spirit is present and there is a sensation of electricity in the air? I had such an experience in China.

I was in a student’s dorm room. We were sitting on wooden furniture with no cushions. The floor decor was a concrete slab. We were wearing coats because the room was not heated. A handful of university students were there to hear what I had to say about Jesus.

The anointing of God flowed when I began to tell the story of what one woman did for Jesus. A prophecy of Jesus was fulfilled that night.

Here I am telling the story again. More people from faraway places may hear this story for the first time. The Lord said that this story will be heard wherever the Gospel is preached.

This story began in the little town of Bethany. Jesus and His disciples were sitting in the home of a man with leprosy. Suddenly, a woman with expensive perfume entered the room, broke it’s jar open and poured the perfume on Jesus. [1]

Her deed drew an immediate reaction from some. Some angrily vented, “’Why was this fragrant oil wasted? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.’ They criticized her sharply.” [2]

Who did Jesus defend in this room? He turned to the woman’s critics and said to them, “Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me. For you have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good; but Me you do not have with you always. She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this Gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.” [3]

She did a memorable deed for her Creator. She treasured the Lord. She was more in love with God than she was with His mission to the poor. She believed that Jesus would die for the sins of the world, and for hers. She believed He would resurrect from the dead. That is why she sacrificed for Him. She loved the Lord her God with all her heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Jesus told the men that day, “Truly I tell you, wherever the Gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

That is why God’s anointing flowed that night in a humble meeting room in China. I had shared the Gospel. I had told the story of the woman who did a beautiful thing for Jesus. That night, the words of Jesus, spoken nearly two thousand years prior to the event, were fulfilled. “Truly I tell you, wherever the Gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” [4]

Many aim to be influencers. How many followers do they recruit? But what’s their endgame? Are they leading people to love God? To love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength is the first and great commandment! Love God! Iti is simple! God is love. He wants to be loved.

I am glad the Gospel is being preached to all people and so is the story of the woman who worshipped and adored Jesus Christ.

[1] Mark 14:3
[2] Mark 14:4-5
[3] Mark 14:6-9
[4] Mark 14:9

Forsaking Lies Telling Truth

How often did Lucy and Gilligan tell lies and do cover-ups? The sound effects of people laughing at their foolishness can still be heard via reruns of their shows. But are the lies and cover ups of “I Love Lucy” and “Gilligan’s Island” harmless?

The last place you would expect to find lies flourishing is in God’s house. Yet, Jesus told the people who claimed to belong to God a very pointed truth: “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” [1]

Telling lies is no laughing matter to Jesus Christ. Lying is of the devil. Lying relates to murder. Lies destroy trust and undermine vital relationships.

Jesus told Pontius Pilate that He came into our world to tell the truth. He said that everyone on the side of truth listens to Him. On a previous occasion, Jesus told His listeners, “If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” [2]

The Lord gave Zechariah a vision of giant scroll flying through the sky. The scroll contained a curse for liars and thieves. The curse entered and destroyed their homes. [3] This is good news for lovers of the truth, but bad news for liars.

A righteous man prayed that God would hear his cry. Blood-thirsty liars caused him much grief. They considered deception a sport. They enjoyed hurting him. They hurt him because he was committed to doing what was right. He tried to show them friendship by giving them trust, but they betrayed his trust and laughed at his despair. Finally, he prayed that they would fall by their own intrigues. He asked the Lord to let all who take refuge in God to be glad and sing for joy. He asked the Lord to protect and to give joy to those who love God’s name. He asked the Lord to bless the righteous and surround them with His favor like a shield. [4]

A thief once asked Jesus to remember him when Jesus came into His kingdom. Jesus told him, “Today, you will be with Me in paradise.” [5] Jesus granted His request. We need Jesus to save us just as He saved that thief. Jesus died on the cross for liars and thieves. When we believe in Christ and ask Him to forgive us, He does, and He gives to us by His Spirit a new heart that enjoys living according to His ways of righteousness, peace, and joy.

[1] John 18:36; John 8:44
[2] John 8:31-32
[3] Zechariah 5:1-4
[4] Psalm 5
[5] Luke 23:42-43

Divine Protection

I woke up this morning with a dream. A young lady was seeking to escape from a stalker. Another lady, a little older, pulled up in a Plymouth Duster, and told the younger lady to jump in the car. With great relief the young lady did so. The sexual pervert was running towards the car. The car stalled. The driver could not get the car to start. To my surprise, there was no door on the passenger side of the front seat. The stalker had open access to his prey.

Please car start.

It did!

The back tires threw up dust and gravel as the car took off just in the nick of time. The man pursued.

As the Duster turned a corner around some shrubs at the end of the drive, it stalled. The driver frantically worked the key to restart the engine. The stalker was about to pull the young lady out of the passenger seat when the car started.

They got away.

In the next scene, I was in a camp like setting. I saw that stalker on the campus. I could tell that his mind was demented from looking at pornography and from joining himself to prostitutes. Then, I noticed that he was stalking a woman of good reputation. He was going to victimize her. So, I determined I had to stop him. But then, he had a partner. I had to fight them both and win or I would die. So, I asked the Lord to strengthen me for the fight. I could not let them victimize an innocent and unsuspecting person. By the grace of God, I beat both men up and they fled.

Whew, what a dream!

I woke up.

Then, I thought of a young lady that closes a store late at night.

One night when her dad picked her up after work, a drunk man staggered out of his car and asked her dad for a band-aid. The man's hand was all bloody. Thankfully, when he said that he had no bandages, the man got back into his car and left.

There are men out there who have given their minds over to pornography and prostitutes. The devil has perverted their thinking. The more they give into his temptations, the more corrupt their thinking becomes.

I prayed this morning, "Please, protect young ladies when they come home at night. Please, don't let a stalker stalk them." I felt ashamed of myself for worrying so much about my own life when precious young lives are in more danger than me. I also thought of my wife and daughters, and prayed that the Lord would protect them from men with perverse minds. I prayed for myself, and their husbands that the Lord would make us sensitive to the danger that our spouses can be in when they are alone at night. May the Lord protect our loved ones.

Then, I thought, "But Lord, even if we were with them every minute of every day, could we stop a stalker from getting to them. What can we do? Please don't let anything happen to the ladies in our lives."

After that, I opened my Bible to my Psalm reading for today, I read Psalm 91. Perfect!

Psalm 91
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you
    from the fowler’s snare
    and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
    and under his wings you will find refuge;
    his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
    nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
    nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
    ten thousand at your right hand,
    but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
    and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
    and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
    no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
    to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.”

May this be so all our days. May the Lord protect us! May He give us wisdom to keep us out of the wrong places at the wrong times.

When the Lord convicts us not to go bars, it is to protect us from the kind of people that hang out there. The devil would have us think that the Lord is withholding good things from us. Isn't that the thought the devil planted in Eve to make her feel safe when she was actually in danger. God was trying to protect her from evil that is why He warned her.

Don't dress that way! Don't hang out with that crowd. Don't look at those pictures or watch those movies. The Lord is watching out for us not depriving us.

May the Lord give His angels charge over you to protect you in all your ways!

Treasuring Christ Not Uncertain Riches

God gives us blessings to enjoy, not to be the metric by which we judge our invincibility. It is better to worship the Blesser than His blessings.

The richest man who ever lived wrote, “Riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away like an eagle toward heaven.” [1]

Paul warned his young protégé Timothy, “Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.” [2]

The nation of Edom was exceedingly proud of themselves in the days of Obadiah the prophet. They felt invincible, but the Lord’s servant warned them...

“The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’ ‘Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down,’ declares the Lord.” [3]

Their strength had become their weakness. They had become idols unto themselves. They were no longer trusting in the grace of God to save them. They were trusting in uncertain riches.

Jesus warned against covetousness. He said, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: ‘The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.” [4]

The very last line of Obadiah’s word to Edom was... “The kingdom shall be the Lord’s.” [5]

“Dear Heavenly Father, please keep us ever mindful that this present world is passing away, and that only You, Your kingdom, and those who trust in You last forever. In Jesus’ Name I pray this. Amen.”

“Then. the seventh angel sounded: and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!’” [6]

[1] Proverbs 23:5
[2] 1 Timothy 6:17
[3] Obadiah 1:3-4
[4] Luke 12:15-21
[5] Obadiah 1:21
[6] Revelation 11:15

First published January 11, 2012

A Missionary Multiplying Missionaries

Has God ever done something beyond expectation for you?

Isaiah wrote, “For since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the ear, nor has the eye seen any God besides You, who acts for the one who waits for Him.” [1]

That’s what the missionary life was for me. God told people in China about Christ through me. He helped me die to myself so I could focus on them.

It was a blessing to bear this cross. Souls were saved by Jesus. My Heavenly Father transformed me into a missionary multiplying missionaries!

Thanks to God’s grace, I can relate with Paul’s testimony, “By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” [2]

“Heavenly Father, please continue to the good work which you have begun in me, and in the lives of those who read this message. In the Name of Your Son Jesus Messiah, I pray. Amen.”

[1] Isaiah 64:4
[2] 1 Corinthians 15:10

Joyfully Happy

I saw a promise

The other day

It looked like a

Yellow butterfly

I was standing by

Rippling waters

Hands to the sky

Prayed to my Father

Trees on mountains

Gentle breeze blowing

Clouds white and free

Peace so abundant

Thank You Father

Your Creation

You shared with me

Sun-glazed crystal-sea

When I think of

What You have done

And think of me

I am so amazed

You have made me

Joyful happy

And free like a

Yellow butterfly

A Christian View of Foreigners

“When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the Lord your God.” [1]

“Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.” [2]

We were foreigners to God’s country... heaven... but He invited us in through the precious blood of the Lamb: our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We certainly did not deserve such lavish treatment from God.

“Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.” [3]

Christians throughout history have been persecuted, mistreated, and martyred for their faith. America got its start after persecuted Christians fled here to start a colony where the Bible could be the rule of the law. Still, we are to remember that America, in fact, all nations on earth are only temporary residing places. The main residing place we should be concerned about is where we will reside for all eternity. Thus, the Apostle Peter advises us to live out our time here on earth as foreigners.

The key point here is that God’s ultimate goal is that the whole human race would unite in love.

God has scheduled an international praise and worship service in heaven that includes people from every nation and language: “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” [4]

[1] Leviticus 23:22
[2] Ephesians 2:12
[3] 1 Peter 1:17
[4] Revelation 7:9

Repentance & Forgiveness

“A person’s own folly leads to their ruin, yet their heart rages against the Lord.” [1]

“Heavenly Father, please forgive me for the times that I have ruined lives. Please change me by Your grace with wisdom, meekness, humility, and integrity. In the Name of Your Son Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.”

“Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” [2]

“Heavenly Father, I am not at peace with __________. Please help me to live peacefully with ___________. In the Name of Your Son Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.”

“See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” [3]

“Heavenly Father, I do not want to fall short of Your grace by failing to forgive the one who has sinned against me. Please uproot that bitter root from me. Don’t let me trouble and defile people. Please grant me to drink of the river of life that flows from Your throne of grace. The one that makes me gracious like You are gracious! I want life, not death, to flow from me. In the Name of Your Son Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.”

“See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.” [4]

“Heavenly Father, without Your help, I choose temporary pleasures over eternal ones. Please keep me mindful that a day is coming when it will be too late to change what I have done. It will be too late to wish that I had made choices for eternity. Help me to choose Your ways. In the Name of Your Son Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.”

“If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared.” [5]

“O Almighty God, merciful Father, I a poor, miserable sinner, confess to You all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended You and justly deserved Your punishment now and forever. But I am heartily sorry for them and sincerely repent of them, And I pray You of Your boundless mercy, and for the sake of the holy, innocent, bitter sufferings and death of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to be gracious and merciful to me, a poor sinful being.” [6]

What does the Lord say about His forgiveness?

He says, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” [7]

[1] Proverbs 19:3
[2] Hebrews 12:14
[3] Hebrews 12:15
[4] Hebrews 12:16-17
[5] Psalm 130:3-4
[6] The Lutheran Service Book, © 2006
[7] 1 John 1:8-9

He that Wins Souls is Wise

Christianity is not rocket science. A Christian believes in Christ and leads others to do the same. Our purpose is to testify for Jesus Christ. Our commission is to win souls to Him. Proverbs 11:30 advises, “He that wins souls is wise.”

Prayer fuels soul winning and soul winning fuels prayer. If we are not soul winning, our prayer life is weak. Soul winning requires prayer for God’s leading and anointing to speak, prayer for the soul we will witness to, and prayer for the person who opens their heart to Jesus.

William Booth called his soul winning movement, “The Salvation Army” because it is a battle. If we daily share Christ with others, we will be driven to our knees, because: apart from Christ we can do nothing. Apart from Christ listeners won’t respond. Apart from Christ the enemy will win. With Christ all things are possible.

Prayer is vital to vigilance. Prayer is imperative for preparedness. Prayer is asking Almighty God Maker of heaven and earth for HELP.

“The Hour that Changes the World” movement began after Dick Eastman saw how many souls in China needed Jesus. He recruited people to pray for China. After 25 years of prayer, the organization he is a part of has reached 800 of China’s largest cities. 40 million families have been given the Gospel home by home.

Four Prayers Needs

Workers for the Harvest

Nothing can be built or maintained without workers

Open Doors

A third of the world lives where Gospel sharing is prohibited

Fruit that Remains

In many cultures converts are rejected by family and society

Resources

Most people do not realize how expensive it is to spread the Gospel

“Dear Heavenly Father, please make us wise in regards to winning souls to believe in Your Son Jesus Christ. In His Name I pray. Amen.”

Middle Easterners Shall Worship Yahweh

The day is approaching when the people of the Middle East will worship the Lord (Yahweh). During 739-690 BC, the area of Egypt and the Assyrian Empire included nearly all of the Middle East stretching from western Iran, the Persian Gulf region, most of Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, as well as Egypt. The Lord predicts that the people of this region shall become His people.

“In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the heart of Egypt, and a monument to the Lord at its border. It will be a sign and witness to the Lord Almighty in the land of Egypt.

When they cry out to the Lord because of their oppressors, He will send them a Savior and Defender, and He will rescue them. So, the Lord will make Himself known to the Egyptians and in that day, they will acknowledge the Lord. They will worship with sacrifices and grain offerings; they will make vows to the Lord and keep them.

The Lord will strike Egypt with a plague; He will strike them and heal them. They will turn to the Lord, and He will respond to their pleas and heal them. In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together.

In that day Israel will be the third, along with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing on the earth. The Lord Almighty will bless them, saying, ‘Blessed be Egypt My people, and Assyria My handiwork, and Israel My inheritance.’” [1]

[1] Isaiah 19:19-25

The Mystery of Lawlessness

Why do some earthly governments oppose God’s law? Why do they consider God an enemy of the State? God gave us His laws for our good. Stephen the martyr revealed that Biblical law was given to people by God’s angels. God’s Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. He who loves fulfills God’s law. [1]

Something’s wrong when a society considers God’s commands offensive. The Bible says we love the children of God when we love God and carry out His commands. [2] It is when we throw off His commands that people get hurt.

“The mystery of lawlessness is already at work, only He who is keeping down now [will hinder] -- till He may be out of the way, and then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of His mouth and shall destroy with the manifestation of His presence.” [3]

Do we want anarchy? Do we want unfettered evil? Do we want the Lord to depart from our country? Do we want the Lord to stop holding back the forces of evil?

In Jeremiah’s days, God’s people no longer wanted to obey His commands. They wanted to be free to choose whatever behavior they preferred. The problem was that evildoers felt free to destroy the godly people in the nation.

As a result, Jeremiah’s nation became dark and evil. Finally, God gave them up to the King of Babylon. They lived under this cruel pagan king for seventy years. It was terrible.

I pray Americans will not have to live under the rule of a cruel tyrant for seventy years before returning to God. Paul said that when people refuse to know God, refuse to give Him thanks, and refuse to give Him glory, He hands them over to futility. To darkened hearts! The increase of sexual impurity and shameful lusts is a sign of God’s judgment not His blessing on a nation. When people curse the name of God, refuse to repent, and refuse to give Him glory, it is not a question of if they will experience plagues and suffering but a question of when. [4]

Do we want to live in a dirty aquarium? Fish die in murky water. “Like a muddied spring or a polluted well are the righteous who give way to the wicked.” [5] Let’s not compromise. Let’s ask God to help us clean up our country.

What can wash away our sins, nothing but the blood of Jesus! Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. There is no other name than the name of Jesus for salvation. Peter said to repent and be baptized in the Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and for the gift of the Holy Spirit. [6]

So why do some rulers oppose faith in Jesus Christ? Why would anyone oppose the laws of God given to us by angels for our good? Could it be that their minds have been alienated from Christ by the devil? This is the mystery of lawlessness.

The Holy Spirit has been saying to me to turn from sin for the sake of love. Sin has bad consequences. I want to avoid bad consequences. But even more so, I want to love the Lord! Obedience to God’s commands is our Lord’s love language.

A greater mystery than the mystery of lawlessness is God’s love for us sinners. We have all sinned and fallen short of His glory, and yet He loves us. In Jeremiah’s day, God’s heart was broken over the punishment of the wicked. [7] God doesn’t want anyone to perish, but that all would repent and be saved.

[1] Deuteronomy 6:24; Acts 7:53; Psalm 119:105; Romans 13:8
[2] 1 John 5:2
[3] 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8
[4] Romans 1:21, 24, 26
[5] Proverbs 25:26
[6] Hebrews 9:22; Acts 4:12; Acts 2:38
[7] Jeremiah 23:9

Boasting

“If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” [1]

Hop, hop, hop! Her right foot was damaged by a heavy round table falling on it at the church. She was embarrassed. She wanted to stay home. But returned to work the next day using crutches. The crutches added to her pain. So, next, she resorted to a wheelchair. The enemy dropped discouragement bombs on her. I did my best to encourage my wife. That is when the Holy Spirit reminded me of how the Apostle Paul boasted about his sufferings for Christ. Let’s read what Paul wrote!

“I hope you will put up with me in a little foolishness. Yes, please put up with me! I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different Gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.” [2]

False apostles were presenting a different kind of Jesus to people than the One who revealed Himself to Paul on the road to Damascus. The Corinthians were beginning to shift their pure devotion from Christ to self-serving imposters. Paul sought to rescue them by reminding them how a true servant of Christ leads.

“I do not think I am in the least inferior to those super-apostles. I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way. Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the Gospel of God to you free of charge? I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you. And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way and will continue to do so.” [3]

Paul avoided becoming a burden to those he served. Nehemiah and Jeremiah were like that. They left good lives to selflessly serve others. Nehemiah had numerous enemies attempt to sabotage him. Jeremiah spoke faithfully for God to people who mistreated him. Christlike leaders put the well-being of others before themselves.

“As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this boasting of mine. Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” [4]

What should you do when self-serving leaders are leading God’s people astray? Paul called them imposters. The sufferings that the false apostles ridiculed him for, Paul used to defend the credibility of his authenticity.

The deceitful workers boasted that they were apostles of Christ. Paul boasted about his weaknesses so people would know that the power that was coming out of him was from Christ and not from himself. A servant of Christ points people to Christ.

People need leaders who point them to God. Jeremiah asked the people of his day what wrong God had committed that they forsook Him. [5] Their desire to sin had led them from God. They wanted boundless self-indulgence not boundless salvation.

“I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then tolerate me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting. In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would, but as a fool. Since many are boasting in the way the world does, I too will boast. You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise! In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you, exploits you, takes advantage of you, or puts on airs or slaps you in the face. To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that!” [6]

Paul did not want to boast, but he did want his readers to discern between imposter leaders and true servants of Christ. Imposter leaders sought to enslave, exploit, demean, and physically abuse them. Paul professed himself to be too weak to do that to them. Paul felt better about himself when he was not a burden to anyone. The imposters were foxes seeking to enter the hen house for self-serving purposes.

“Whatever anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?” [7]

How many churches today would call Paul to be their pastor? His previous experiences included audiences who imprisoned, whipped, and beat him with rods. Paul did not take God lightly. He didn’t pamper his congregants. He called them to work. He urged them to testify for Christ.

The other day I saw a jigsaw puzzle. The words, “killing time” came to mind. Why do people spend money on items that kill time. I prayed, “Lord, please raise up laborers for the harvest.” Advancing the kingdom of God to unreached people is work. People who live for pleasure do not get the job done. Soldiers do!

Jesus Christ came down from heaven not to do His own will. He had marching orders from His Heavenly Father, and He completed His mission perfectly. He was a laborer for God working alongside others who wanted to work for God.

“If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying. In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me. But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands.” [8]

Paul boasted about the difficult circumstances he had endured to advance the Gospel. I heard preachers in China boast like this. For example, Pastor Samuel Lamb boasted that he coupled train cars for twenty years in a political reeducation camp, and never lost a finger by the grace of God.

As for me, once, a co-worker representing other co-workers said to me, “We know you are of God because we see how much you suffer and yet you keep serving the Lord.” That was one of the best compliments I ever received. Glory to God!

“If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.” May Jesus be glorified in our lives by whatever means it takes to spread His Gospel!

[1] 2 Corinthians 11:30
[2] 2 Corinthians 11:1-4
[3] 2 Corinthians 11:5-9
[4] 2 Corinthians 11:10-15
[5] Jeremiah 2:4
[6] 2 Corinthians 11:16-21
[7] 2 Corinthians 11:22-29
[8] 2 Corinthians 11:30-33

Who Is Your Sculptor

Our lives are like clay.

God allows us to choose our sculptor.

There is no sculptor like Jesus.

We become the finest artwork when yielded to Him.

Condemning Condemnation Welcoming Conviction

Satan hurt Job deeply. He ruthlessly attacked him and deceived even his best friends into thinking God had done it to Job. Thus, further deepening Job’s wounds!

Job lamented, “I have been allotted months of futility, and nights of misery have been assigned to me. When I lie down, I think, ‘How long before I get up?’ The night drags on, and I toss and turn until dawn. My body is clothed with worms and scabs, my skin is broken and festering. My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and they come to an end without hope.” [1]

No Job, you’re going to be all right. I read the end of the book. God comes through for you!

God helped Paul overcome condemnation, “At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.” [2]

The Lord helps His people to overcome condemnation: “I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know about the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you; the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give to you a victor’s crown of life.” [3]

The devil tempts people to sin. He hurts people with afflictions. He robs people. He trips people. Then, he slanders and condemns them for falling.

The Lord Jesus underwent trials and temptations in this world. He empathizes with our sufferings. Jesus says to His co-laborer, “Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give to you a victor’s crown of life.”

The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin to help us avoid its consequences. He convicts us of sin to help us make choices that lead to eternal rewards. He convicts us of sin to lead us to good behavior such as sharing the Gospel with the lost, and praying for people.

Be comforted in knowing that the Lord is for not against you!

“He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who then is the one who condemns? No one! Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” [4]

Praise the Lord!

[1] Job 7:3-6
[2] 2 Timothy 4:16-17
[3] Revelation 2:9-10
[4] Romans 8:32-34

Know Your Niche

Who am I? Where do I fit in? What is my purpose? According to Christian psychologists Tim Clinton and Chap Clark these are questions we need to answer. They suggested the following questions for us to answer:

“Tell me the choice you are concerned about today. What are the options you have considered? If you picture a future in a career path, what do you envision?

What input have you gotten from people who know you best? What would your peers say your talents and skills are? Do you value their insights into your life? Do you agree with them?

Are there any Biblical principles or directives that are guiding you? If so, what are they? As you pray, do you have a sense that God’s Spirit is leading you in a direction? Are you willing to do God’s will if He shows it to you clearly?

What are the doors that are open to you at this point? On a scale of 0-10, how well would you say you are obeying God and pursuing Him now? How will you be convinced that you know what God wants you to do?” [1]

Consider the long-term implications of your decisions.

If you are not where you should be, ask the Lord to get you on track. Make your request known to God with thanksgiving. God says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” [2] God will lead you.

The love chapter follows the spiritual gifts chapter. In the love chapter, the Lord tells us that no matter what our calling and gifting is, the foundation for making it work is love.

“If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” [3] All work unless done out of love is unprofitable.

In the parable of the Good Samaritan, the Levite and Priest were highly trained in the Word of God. They had position and authority, but they lacked love. When they saw a person in need, they passed him right up. In America, people become famous and rich because they can do something better than others or because they look good. But do we ever stop and ask ourselves if this person is doing what he or she does out of love?

When thinking about our niche, we need to know what God wants. Not what the world wants.

For example, my passion is to speak and to write for the Lord, but the world is full of speakers and writers. I hear preachers who are better than me. When I look at the book section at Walmart there are many writers better than me. Who am I that I should serve the Lord in this way?

However, dollars and cents do not validate my calling. Popularity does not validate my calling. It is NOT about me. It is about love. God’s love!

In God’s economy, unless I have love I am nothing. There are a lot of great speeches and books that are going to burn someday, but what has been spoken, written, or done out of love for God and neighbor shall endure.

The world lightly values what is of great worth to God. The world does not value God. BUT embrace God anyway. God is the best employer. He pays good wages. He supplies all our needs according to His riches and glory.

God pays for what He wants done. Hudson Taylor once said, “God’s work done in God’s way will have God’s provision.

In regards to personal appearance, Dustin Hoffman recently asked the question, “How many interesting women have I written off because their outward appearance didn't meet my expectation?” It is so easy to rate people by their outward appearance and miss their great inner worth.

“The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” [4]

I like God’s economy. He takes people like Fanny Crosby, a blind woman and calls her to help seeing people see. She wrote some of Christendom’s most beautiful hymns. God takes people like Joni Eareckson-Tada, a quadriplegic, and calls her to teach people with operational limbs how to serve the Lord well.

Our Father is a Gardener. [5] We are in the best of care when we put ourselves in His care. Consider all the plant life He sustains! Let God cultivate you! Let God nurture you! Let Him fight off your pests and pestilences! In His hands you will bear much fruit.

When I was a boy, one uncle asked me, “Are you a conformist or nonconformist?” I aim to be a conformist to the will of God, and a non-conformist to the will of the world. I do my best for God and the herd when I be who God made me to be. My goal is to serve the Word of God and to testify for Jesus. [6]

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” [7]

Present yourself to God. Let God have you. Do not allow your lack of experience or ability to stop you from serving God.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will.” [8]

How do I become better? The answer is transformation!

Transformation is what made the Rocky movies so powerful. When that song “Feeling Strong Now” starts and Rocky Balboa starts working out, it is like, okay, I have been going nowhere, but now with an excellent mentor and steadfast commitment to the mission, I am going to win.

For me, the movie was never about Rocky becoming the heavy weight champion of the world. It was about me doing what God made me to do.

“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment...” [9]

God has us at our best when He has us humbly serving Him. Proud people are hard to teach. Hard to mold! Who can tell them anything? They know it all. In their mind, the entire world is out of step with them. They are hard to work with. They are not team players. God prefers to work through a BODY of believers.

Good coaches build on positives but confront players who fail to put forth effort. Diligence is the difference maker between professionals and amateurs. “Do you see a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.” [10]

Finally, consider this, God did His best for us when He gave us His only begotten Son. Should we not do the same for Him? Let us respect and cheer one another on in this game called life. God has given us gifts. Let God identify, cultivate, and make them produce for you. God knows our niche and He helps us fulfill it!

[1] Dr. Tim Clinton, Dr, Chap Clark with Dr. Joshua Straub, The Quick Reference Guide to Counseling Teenagers, Baker Books Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, MI 49516, © 2010, p. 155
[2] James 1:5-6
[3] 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
[4] 1 Samuel 16:7
[5] John 15:1
[6] Revelation 1:2
[7] Romans 12:1
[8] Romans 12:2
[9] Romans 12:3-5
[10] Proverbs 22:29

Spiritual Fire Versus Fiery Judgmental

“Jesus sent messengers before His face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for Him. But they did not receive Him, because His face was set towards Jerusalem. And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, ‘Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elijah did?’ But Jesus turned, and rebuked them, and said, ‘You know not what manner of spirit you are of; for the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.’ And they went to another village.” [1]

Jesus Christ is God’s Savior. He seeks to save people. That is what He does. He also allows people to refuse His saving grace. The Lord is not quick to anger.

The Samaritans did not receive Jesus into their city because of a disappointment. He was just passing through and not staying to minister. So, behind their rejection was a desire to receive Him. Later, an entire village of Samaritans believed in Jesus.

“Many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, ‘He told me all that I ever did.’ So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His own word.” [2]

Jesus also spoke well of a Samaritan to harsh religious leaders. He told them of a certain Samaritan who understood well what to do with the divine mandate to love one’s neighbor. [3]

James and John were too quick to condemn the Samaritans when they said to Jesus, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elijah did?” Jesus rebuked them. [4]

Jesus told these same disciples that after they received His Holy Spirit, they would be His witnesses in Samaria. And they were! The city of Samaria was under the spell of a sorcerer named Simon until Philip came and did healing miracles among them. They believed in Jesus and were baptized in water. Afterwards, Peter and John laid hands on them, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. The Samaritans got the fire. The fire of God’s indwelling Holy Spirit! [5]

Let no one be quick to condemn people. Jesus does not want to destroy people with fire, He wants to transform them with the fire of the Holy Spirit so they can be saved and live with Him in paradise.

Later on life, Peter wrote about God’s judgement. God threw the angels who sinned down to hell. God did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness. God turned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes. He made them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly. God judges unjust, lustful, self-willed people who are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, but He is not hasty to condemn them. Peter wrote, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” [6]

In the Old Testament, King Saul persecuted God’s servant David. King Saul died in defeat before his enemies. In the New Testament, Saul of Tarsus persecuted believers in Jesus Christ. Rather than send fire from the sky to destroy Saul of Tarsus, God sent Saul the revelation of Jesus Christ. Saul believed in Jesus and became one of His most prolific writers and speakers. Our Lord prefers to fire up His enemies not fire them away.

May we all become more like Jesus Christ in this way!

[1] Luke 9:52-56
[2] John 4:39-41
[3] Luke 10:25-37
[4] Luke 9:54-55
[5] Acts 1:8; Acts 8:6-17
[6] 2 Peter 2:4-10; 2 Peter 3:9

Millions of Muslims Converting to Christ

Salem Voice Ministries recently reported that more Muslims have converted to faith in Christ over the past decade than at any other time in human history. Muslims from Morocco, Somalia, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Maldives have embraced Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah.

In Iraq, more than five thousand Muslims converted to Christ since the end of major combat operations. Fourteen new churches opened in Baghdad. Dozens of new churches opened in Kurdistan, some with between five and eight hundred members. More than one million Bibles have been shipped into the country since 2003. Iraqis are snatching Bibles up so fast they constantly need more.

There were only five hundred known Christians in Iran in 1979, but there are more than one million Iranians who believe in Christ today.

Around a million Muslims believed in Jesus over the past decade in Egypt. The Egyptian Bible Society used to sell about three thousand copies of the JESUS film a year in the early 1990’s. In the year 2000, they sold 600,000 copies, plus 750,000 copies of the individual cassette tapes and about a half million copies of the Arabic New Testament. There’s one congregation which meets in an enormous cave on the outskirts of Cairo. Some ten thousand believers worship there every weekend. A prayer conference there drew some twenty thousand believers.

There were only seventeen known Afghan Christians in 2001. There are more than ten thousand believers in Christ now. Dozens of baptisms are done each week!

In 1990, there were only three known Christians in Kazakhstan and no Christians in Uzbekistan, but now there are more than 15,000 in Kazakhstan and 30,000 in Uzbekistan.

In Sudan, more than one million Muslims have converted since 2000, and some five million have become Christians since the early 1990’s despite persecution that has killed more than 200,000 Christians. Bible instruction happens even in caves.

In December 2001, Sheikh Ahmad al Qataani, a leading Saudi cleric, appeared on a live interview on Al-Jazeera satellite television to confirm that, sure enough, Muslims were turning to Jesus in alarming numbers. “Every hour, 667 Muslims convert to Christianity,” Al Qataani warned. “Every day, 16,000 Muslims convert to Christianity. Every year, 6 million Muslims convert to Christianity.”

One of the most dramatic developments is that many Muslims are seeing dreams and visions of Jesus and thus coming into churches explaining that they have already converted and now need a Bible. This fulfills a Bible prophecy spoken by Joel, “In the last days, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days... And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” [1]

[1] Joel 2:28-32

Divine Intervention

Divine intervention

Yes we need it

Yes we want it

Divine intervention

After God established him

After God made him strong

He abandoned God

Due to his unfaithfulness

War broke out and many died

Twelve hundred chariots

Sixty thousand horsemen

Troops beyond count

Fortified cities fell to his foes

He became subject to foreigners

Foreigners took his treasures

They replaced finery with poverty

Rehoboam and his leaders

Humbled themselves

The king had not set his heart

To serve the Lord

The Lord intervened

The king repented

God’s anger turned from him

The king’s life was spared

Divine intervention

Yes we need it

Yes we want it

Divine intervention

Based on 2 Chronicles 12:1-14

Receive The Holy Spirit

Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is to make Him out to be evil. [1] For example, if we don’t talk about Him because of the tongues or gifts controversy or snake handling controversy. If we fear to enter dialogue about the Holy Spirit because of these issues, we are essence saying the Holy Spirit is undesirable in our midst.

The truth is the Holy Spirit bears witness to Jesus. He reveals truth to us. The Holy Spirit empowers us to testify for truth and to worship the Father in truth. He is the love of God shed abroad in our hearts. [2] His baptism is a baptism of love for God and others. He is not an unclean spirit. He is the HOLY Spirit. He helps us to say no to sin, and yes to righteousness.

The Holy Spirit is the Comforter (Paraclete) who comes along side of us. He is our Advocate and Helper. He sighs in groans too deep for us to discern when we don’t know how to pray. He is Christ in us, the hope of glory. [3] God indwells people by His Spirit. Instead of Jesus walking in one place in Galilee, we have Jesus walking all over the world in many places at the same time, through His people the Church.

The Church is where the Holy Spirit is. The Church began when the Holy Spirit filled believers in Christ on the Day of Pentecost. Jesus is the baptizer in the Holy Spirit. We must be born of the Spirit to enter God’s kingdom. People profess that Jesus is their Lord by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit bears fruit in believers. He gives grace-gifts to believers. In a world full of put-downs, the Holy Spirit is the builder-up. The Holy Spirit is the source of our fellowship with God.

Jesus is still saying to disciples today, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” [5]

[1] Matthew 12:31-32
[2] John 15:25; John 16:13; Acts 1:8; John 4:24; Romans 5:5
[3] John 14:26; Romans 8:26; Colossians 1:27
[4] Acts 2:4; Mark 1:4; John 3:6; 1 Corinthians 12:3; Galatians 5:22-23; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; 2 Corinthians 13:14
[5] John 20:22