Divine Healing: The Purpose In The Process.***

The Holy One calls to me this morning.  We live in a word of "real time" action.  We are connected to remote places all around the world and made privy to what is happening there while it is still in process.   Mail is sent and received at the touch of the send key on my computer and the demand for instant gratification grows by the day.

Then there is JESUS! The Author of Life and the Healer of the infirmed, never in a hurry and yet always on time. 

I wonder about the miracles He executed especially as He left word for us, that those who believe on His Name would do even greater things after He departed this earth realm.  His word to me at first light helps me to grasp an important perspective as we navigate this life journey and discover His will in each situation we face.  His words are not what I expected and require further discussion:  "Instant miraculous healing is not always best".

The operative word is "best".  The Holy Spirit takes me to His Word in Luke 17:11.  This is the account of ten men who had leprosy.  They cried out to Jesus as He traveled along the road to Jerusalem. "Master, have pity on us ".  When He saw them, He said, "Go show yourselves to the priests".  AND AS THEY WENT THEY WERE CLEANSED!   One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back praising God in a loud voice.  He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked Him-- and he was a Samaritan.

Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed?  Where are the other nine?  Was no one found to return and praise God except the foreigner?"  Then He said to him "Rise and go, your faith has made you well".

We do not know the details of the nine who were never seen again in scripture.  But because they did not come back to find or thank Jesus, I assume they did not care past the healing to get to know the Healer or give Praise to the One who provided the healing.  Once He healed their physical infirmity did they simply go on with life too busy making up for lost time?   Or did the healing even remain since Jesus said to the lone returnee, "Rise and go, your faith has made you well"?

This account has so much to ponder as one who believes in supernatural healing.  There is no question in my heart and mind that Jesus responds to our cries for help.  The man who returned acknowledged the Lord who healed him and did so with utter thanksgiving, having thrown himself at Jesus feet.  He had a personal encounter with His personal healer and it changed his life forever.

The question is surely well asked "Where were the other nine"

I have come to place ultimate value on my indwelling Counselor and the wisdom He speaks.  I also have a great appreciation for the lessons I have learned in the process of receiving His resolutions.  We do not arrive on planet earth perfectly prepared to handle all the challenges here in a Godly way. Nor are we in any stretch of our pride close to the image of Jesus in character qualities that make us fit citizens for the Kingdom of Heaven.

All our trials are things permitted to challenge us, hone us, transform us but most importantly to draw us into a deep and personal relationship with our Creator and Savior God.  The Holy Spirit's wisdom this morning is a reminder to me that the process is more important than the resolution at times, and the duration of any trial should not be the consideration of its value.

If a team engaged in any sport could know at the beginning of the event that they would be the winners at the end, they might well focus more on how they played the game. 

"AS THEY WENT, THEY WERE CLEANSED"!

If I take the Lord at His word and believe in my heart that my infirmity is healed, then my concern is not laced with fear but rather focused on how I can better walk through the process to the promised end.  The question then, is not "Is it God's will to heal me", but rather "How can I appropriate the healing that is already mine?" 

I am very encouraged for myself and those I know and love who are in desperate need of healing.  The words from the Holy Spirit spoken to my heart counter the lie of the enemy that says "delayed healing is denied deliverance."

Jesus came to show us the Father and His kingdom.  Healing  by His hand is a "Kingdom" principle.  In John 9 we are told about a man who was born blind.  Jesus was asked by the disciples the reason he was born blind.  They, like us, were just trying to understand the "whys" of life.  It was thought back in the day, that personal sin was the source of such infirmity and the disciples were trying to determine in their minds the "who" and "why" cause. 

Jesus's answer in the bigger perspective was one we all can find and take comfort in:  "This happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life".   John 9:3

I cannot begin to imagine the man's joy and how many lives were touched by his healing and restoration.  The testimony of his healing brings hope for me and those I love.  I see all healing as Divine, it is just the timing that makes it "supernatural".  Divine healings came with the daily life that Jesus modeled for us and that commission to carry His life forward has been delegated to the church. 

We are the church, and the kingdom still needs to be represented by the gracious mercy and Divine power of our Healer.  Our physical lives are important but not as important as the Principles they give witness to.  Thankfully we can take claim to both the principles and the testimonies they provide of the Lord's love for us.

As a Christian and one who has always wanted a "formula" for the problems in life, I am finding the Lord does not allow nor expect us to find a "formula" to be worked, in all the books written about religion.  The blind man had a personal encounter with a personal God and no other explanation could be found.  When cross-examined by the Pharisees who wanted "the" explanation, the man was left with the simple testimony of his meeting with Jesus:  "I was blind, but now I see".   John 9:25

Jesus does truly know what is best for each one of us and that is the important point in every trial  What if we are in a "time" work that is eternally best for us?  While we are all understandably desperate for an instant fix to the troubles we experience and yes even suffer, there is much to be gleaned in the process.  But will we trust Jesus, in the process, to get us to the desperate and desirable end?

The Spirit is calling.  Can you  hear Him?      
  

The Dark Days Of The Tomb***

The Holy One calls to me this morning .  Encouraging words are what I hear and with so much to be discouraged by in these difficult days, the words of my Lord coming out of the darkness set the stage for our early morning conference.

"Remember the days of the tomb.  I was at work in the darkness out of the sight of human eyes". 

I cannot begin to fathom the emotional agony of the disciples in the time between the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus.  We read about it from start to finish knowing the glorious and epic end from the beginning.  We read about the unbelief of the disciples and may even wonder how in just 3 days they lost their hope and faith?   

However,  if I take a minute and turn off what I know is the end of the story, I can relate to their deep agony.  I too can live in the pain of unbelief as I await the answers to my prayers when the silence of the Tomb is deafening.

In Luke 24, we read about two of the disciples expressing the unbelief that most of them were struggling with as the two walked along the road to Emmaus: 

 "Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus about 7 miles from Jerusalem.  They were talking with each other about everything that had happened.  As they talked and discussed these things, Jesus Himself came up and walked with them but they were kept from recognizing Him.  He asked them, "What are you discussing as you walk along?"

The two began to relate to Him the events according to the sadness of their human hearts and minds.  The fact that it as the 3rd day after the Crucifixion represented the day of utter hopelessness due to the Jewish belief that after the 3rd day the soul left the body making the death final. 

They even told this "stranger" the story they heard from the women that morning about having gone to the Tomb and finding it empty including the testimony of the vision of angels and the message that Jesus was alive.  Yet their unbelief persisted for up to that point, "Him, they did not see". 

As I think about their unbelief  I am convicted by my own.  Until Jesus revealed Himself to them their faith was sealed in a tomb along with the crucified body of the One they called "Lord".  Only when Jesus revealed Himself was their faith revived and the power of His resurrection became their reality.  A personal encounter with the risen Savior was essential to their faith and essential to ours as well.

There are disturbing similarities between their faith and mine as I come to repent again for the deep and grievous sin of faithless unbelief and discouragement.  The message this morning brings me hope and in my hope I plead for more manifestations of His Presence and intervention into the deep trials of life.

I petition for more miracles of His Divine intervention, without apology, because I am merely following the Lord's  directive when He said in John 14:11, "Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me or  at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves". 

Miracles are a sign of His Divine Being, His Sovereign authority and the evidence that He is who He says He is.  He has Sovereign authority over all the circumstances and conditions of our earthbound lives and miracles are His privileged exercise of that authority.

The mystery of the Tomb cannot be explained by our finite minds, but lessons can be gleaned to comfort our discouraged souls. God's ultimate plan for humanity has never been derailed and God's ultimate plan for our personal lives will not be derailed either.  Jesus said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you", and that applies even on the days when we may not see Him at work.

The dark days of the Tomb ended when the crucified Savior emerged in His rightful role as the glorious King of Kings.  The freeze frame of that moment in history is absolutely stunning and lest we become apathetic or discouraged in the day-to-day trials of life, the promise of His present resurrected life and future glorious return has been written. 

In hope, we need to prepare the way of the Lord and not wring our hands in despair at what is happening around and to us.  As the dark days of the tomb held the suspenseful but glorious end to "death" for all who believe, it also holds our hope for some off-the-charts wondrous God resolutions to the trials we may be facing on earth as well. 

Remembering that God did His greatest work in the dark days of the tomb has provided us with a reason for our hope-filled hearts to await His appearance in all the challenges we may face here on earth. 

The Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?
           
    

Then Along Came Jesus

The Holy One call to me this morning.  He wakes me up with a sweet peace and the sense of His Presence.  Since a recent day was spent confronting the demon of fear and finding yet again, in a deeply personal way, that the Holy One never left me, today I can look back and rejoice for another testimony of His grace and mercy.

His wisdom comes as He tells me, "The end of your testimony is fixed.  I Am He Who will never leave you nor forsake you, but each person's testimony is a unique pathway to that end."

I need to settle into the word I have just heard.  It is a hope-filled word since it speaks of a fixed end that the Lord is in control of.  God's Word and His promises are like that.  His thoughts and His ways are so much higher than mine (Isaiah 55:9) which means I may not always understand what He has arranged for me outside my comprehension of the circumstances that touch my life.    However, I can trust that I will end with a good testimony of His unfailing love.

God's Word is truth and while we can read the historical accounts of His intervention into this world He created for His beloved humanity, I see how society and not His Holy principles change over time.

I realize in an odd way the trust that God placed in His people and know He is asking us to trust Him as  well.  From the prophets of Old Testament days, God trusted men to deliver His word and exhortations as they lived lives that were different and even more difficult than those they were commissioned to deliver the Lord's messages to.

The ultimate trust in humanity was on display when God wrapped Himself in flesh and came to the earth through a very special woman called Mary.  Jesus came to earth and entered into the human arena of His creation to bring the truth about God as a loving Father.

Old Testament history recorded His Sovereign authority and Holiness, but Jesus came to convey His love and desire for relationship with every person ever born.  Jesus took the image of God out of the ethereal and gave us a flesh representation we can humanly relate to. The mercy of that action is mind blowing to say the least.  But it proves beyond any and all doubt that God wants us all in a personal relationship and was willing to wrap Himself in flesh to accomplish that end.

What more could He do to reach out from His Heavenly place than to appear to humanity in a way and a form whereby from man's end a true relationship could take place?  The disciples experienced Him.  They walked with Him.  They talked with Him.  They struggled past the rejection of thought that questioned His Deity and came to accept the insane idea that God would actually walk among men.

Before Jesus came, the Law and the Prophets established His Sovereignty and authority but in a very distant way.  Abraham and Isaac and Jacob along with a few others each experienced God personally in their own way. We interpret the accounts of God's interaction in the Old Testament more like the burning bush of Moses and the epic event of the Red Sea parting in supernatural displays of His power. 

Then came Jesus.

I wonder if the Scribes and Pharisees became resentful because Jesus was so personal.  He knocked them off their long held religious axis. They thought it preposterous that God would become flesh even though the Holy Scriptures they studied and embraced promised such a coming.

Our relationship with Him is now personal.  His life, death and resurrection changed everything relative to man's understanding of God.  The Holy Spirit is the bridge Who now connects us with the Trinity.  He is the Counselor Jesus declared He would send when He returned to the Throne of all power and authority. 

Through the indwelling Holy Spirit, we are connected with the person of Jesus and never have to live in the fear of God or in the doubt of His unconditional love ever again.  Once rescued from the sin nature and penalty that we were born with, life in our God ordained purpose carries us along forming testimonies as we go.

There is nothing new under the sun as they say.  Our trials on earth are basically the same as for any other human but the Lord has a unique way to bring about His purpose in those struggles.  His purpose and His will is not to destroy us.

The Lord reminds me again today that He is about the strengthening of His people. He is about giving us testimonies of His Presence in our lives that we can in turn share with others.   The Lord draws us out of the places of our "victimization" in life and provides us with testimonies of His good will.

There was a man born blind back in the days when God walked in flesh among His created.  When the disciples inquired as to the cause and nature of the man's blindness, Jesus made His glorious point in John 9:1-4, "As he went long he saw a man blind from birth.   His disciples  asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned this man or his parents?"  "Neither this man nor his parents sinned", said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in His life.  As long as it is day, we must do the work of Him Who sent Me.  Night is coming when no one can work.  While I am in the world I am the light of the world." 

The "Light" is truth.  Jesus is Truth.  He told the crowds who were following Him in Matt 5:14 as they listened to Him speak and accepted His word, that they too were the light of the world.   We who follow Him provide the testimony of His Light to the world.

This passage is loaded with Truth and confirms His personal word to me today.  This man born blind was in a place with a condition that facilitated a testimony of God's love and power and intervention.  The fixed end is a personal encounter with a personal God who brings a personal resolution to a personal problem.  The pathway of the blind man's life was unique to him.  How he came to be set up for that encounter took time and circumstances uniquely his own.  But just like in the life of this blind man, Jesus through our trials is providing personal testimonies for us to share. 

Testimonies of God's personal intervention are being written each and every day.  There are many life trials that we have had to face and even more yet to come so long as we have our feet on planet earth. The only question is about the unique pathway the trials will take us on to find the fixed end, and therein lies our testimony to the world.

The Holy Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?

      

                

Encouragement In Repentence **

The Holy One calls to me this morning.  Processing takes time and this post began on the National Day of Prayer. He has a "catch" phrase for me to act so when He tells me to "run like the wind with the Truth", I gather up what I have been processing and take it to the place of sharing what He has spoken to me.   Today I heard that directive.

As I prepared to join with others in interceding for our land, I heard Him speak a caution that was actually an encouragement to my heart " Do not be like those in Malachi's day who said it is futile to serve Me". 

I realize it is a temptation with all the evil we see that is escalating around the world, to become discouraged and even question where the Lord is in all of this?  Malachi is the last prophetic voice to speak for the Lord from out of the Old Testament, before the first coming of Christ the Messiah.  In these times before His second coming, the conditions on earth are eerily similar among His people. 

Back then God's people were discouraged having been made to wait for the glorious establishment of God's promised kingdom on earth.  The discouragement led God's people to doubt His covenant love and consequently lose their hope.  They acted out their hopelessness like so many of us do, by going on "auto-pilot" in the demonstrations of their faith.  As their doubts gave way to questions, their hearts drifted into rebellion, and they began to charge God with injustice.

The people were persistent in their faithless rebellion, so God through the Prophet Malachi brought forth His indictment.  It seems as though the people (God's chosen people) were finding more ways to get around the Law of God than faithfully living in obedience to it. They never quite made the correlation between their disobedience and what unfolded as the consequences of their rebellion.  They chose to blame God for their circumstances and complain of their lot rather than repent for their accountability in the rebellion that brought the "judgment" they were experiencing.

To be clear, God does judge His people.  But the ultimate purpose in the indictment and subsequent penalty in God's judgment is to bring about a change of heart and actions that represented defiance of the authority of the One True God over His people.  As I follow the lead of the Holy Spirit and re-read the charges God had against His people in the day of Malachi, I find some of those charges could be accurately levelled against me today as well.

Some might say, "But for the believers in Jesus, there is no guilt nor condemnation".  While that is true the behaviors, we commit are a grief to the Lord and require repentance for the relationship to grow in trust and intimacy.  In a human relationship when offenses are committed, we cannot just say "well I am entitled to grace and forgiveness" and walk away without dealing with what grief those offenses caused.

The indictment starts with the issue of blemished sacrifices.  We do not offer sacrifices on an altar to atone for our sin since the blood of Jesus and His death paid the price we could not muster. But there is still the issues of the sacrifice of our self-life.  Could it be that giving the Lord the "left-overs" of our time, energy, and gifting are like unto the blemished sacrifices offered in the days of Malachi?  The Lord deserves our best and He notices when we do not give it.

The priests were mentioned next and warned about violating their sacred trust and covenant calling as messengers of God.  His charge to them was that they turned away from true instruction and by their foul teaching caused many to stumble.  They were indicted for not following God's ways but were bending the law to show partiality in matters of the law.  Judgment within the Body of Christ gives one person a pass in mercy for what another person must pay to the last farthing for in having committed the same offense.  We look at motives for one and actions for another which speaks of partiality in judgment.    

Then comes the indictment over the people.  They intermarried women of the surrounding pagan nations in violation of the Lord's command against such inter marriage.  These marriages opened the door to the idolatry and worship of foreign gods that would corrupt the nation and break their covenant loyalty to the One True God.

The same can be said of us in the current day Body of Christ.  Against the command to not be unequally yoked, we choose to marry non-believers who have no relationship with our Jesus.  The resulting consequences are progressive and while we may or may not manage such a relationship well, we open the door to heartache trying to live in two different worlds.  

In Malachi, the issue of divorce and breaking the marriage covenant is provoking to the Lord who said, "I hate divorce". In today's society, divorce statistics are shockingly high and said to be much the same within the Church as among those in the world around us.

His warning is as vital to us today as to those who lived in the days of Malachi, "So guard yourself in your spirit and do not break faith with the wife of your youth", for the Lord is seeking godly offspring: children raised in the admonition of the Lord.

The indictment continues and speaks of His desire and will for men who will bring offerings in righteousness.   The Lord did not mince words when He said that His judgment will and must begin with His own people. We are the ones who represent Him and our increasing apathy for Holiness in the lives we live in the world of today has netted us the consequences just like it did for the nation of Israel under the indictment spoken by Malachi.

Judgment was coming against "sorcerers, adulterers, and perjurers, against those who defraud   laborers of their wages, who oppress widows, and the fatherless and deprive aliens of justice" but do not fear the Lord. 

The word of the Lord reminded them then and us now, "I, the Lord do not change" so we who are His people are not nor will we ever be destroyed, but our life of rebellion must stop.  "Return to Me and I will return to you", says the Lord Almighty".  Malachi 3:7

Then He lays out the road by which the nation can return.  In today's terms:

Stop robbing God because it is through the resources that He has given to us that the Gospel is spread around the world.

Stop saying things the Lord deems as harsh against Him.  "You have said it is futile to serve God.  What did we gain by carrying out His requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty?  But now we call the arrogant blessed. Certainly, evil doers prosper and even those who challenge God escape." 

I have a great appreciation for the Old Testament.  I actually appreciate such clear warnings and I have found that for every spoken penalty for rebellion, there comes an encouraging promise in repentance and a blessing for obedience.  Vs 16, "Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other and the Lord listened and heard. " How gracious and merciful is our Creator God and Lord.  "A scroll of remembrance was written in His Presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored His Name."

God has promised that He will show us to be His possession and we "will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked between those who serve God and those who do not".

Waiting is the hard part, and it is in the waiting that discouragement hits and we are tempted to give up and give in.  The Lord's counsel today is my caution against that temptation.  I choose to take it to heart and let the waiting have its perfect result: A detection of weakness that needs to be strengthened in my faith walk with the Lord.

The National Day of Prayer needs to start with confession and repentance of the corporate sin since all of us may be accountable for having betrayed our Lord's directives.  While we understand that we have escaped the ultimate judgment of Holiness, the age of Grace is not an excuse to let depravity rule our lives.

Repentance is still required in our love relationship with the Holy One.  Today I realize the encouragement in repentance.  I need to ask His forgiveness for the doubts that may not make it past my lips but yet still represent what causes Him grief within my heart.

The Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?



      

Saving Souls or Bringing In People? ***

The Holy One calls to me this morning to share the beginning of a new day.  His voice is clear and His directive undeniable:  "Focus on souls, not on the temporal things, and ask that the Lord of the harvest, therefore to send out workers into His harvest fields".

Taking care of an elderly, dependent parent brings a sense of responsibility not unlike taking care of a child.  We can worry about provisions and meeting the temporal needs of another human to the exclusion of the great commission. 

The Holy One is not telling me to ditch my assignment to go to the front lines of the war for souls but His gentle message does cause me to look at my priorities.  I know that the battle for souls is raging and time on the clock and calendar is running out.  The sand in the hourglass is almost all in the bottom chamber and we must realize time itself is about to end.

One of the things I love and appreciate about eternity is that eternity is time-less and I look forward to that aspect of our eternal destiny: leisurely living.  The older I get, the slower I go, so eternity as a clock-absent existence gets more and more endearing as the years on earth fade into history.

Here on earth and throughout my life, time has provided a sense of urgency and been like a whip driving me on to the next thing I feel that I need to accomplish.  Its a flesh thing and I will be glad when it is no longer a calculation to be considered.  The clock and calendar represent a time cycle of needs vs getting the resources to meet them and priorities can start with pursing the god of this world AKA money.

I hear His voice and my inward thoughts go to the objective of the "church".  We are made up of commissioned individuals who come together for community.  We are like-minded and like-commissioned people with different gifts called to accomplish the objective: to grow the Kingdom of Heaven for our King.   For He is not content that any should eternally perish without Him. 

When I read about the beginnings of the "Church of the Way",  on the day called Pentecost, the message delivered to the audience of listeners brought 3000 "souls" into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Acts 2:17, Peter addressed the crows, "In the last days, God says, "I will pour out My Spirit on all people:" and he proceeds to tell of Jesus and how prophecies from ancient days spoke of Him.  The power of the Spirit was so strong upon Peter and his message, that 3000 accepted his message, believed in Jesus and were baptized and were added to their numbers that day. 

The church as a community of like-minded people who believed and were saved was established.

The early church is a model for us of true fellowship and family love but then I come to the question and wonder is there a difference between winning souls and adding people in our efforts to grow the church today?  Then there is the issue of persecution and how does that factor into church growth or withering?  Persecution is one litmus test in the issue of loyalty to our Lord Jesus Christ.

The early church knew the danger of following Christ and many had to face the decision between death or denial. Therein also became their life and death dependency on each other as they lived under the persecution and its threats.

The church today is much different, at least here in America.  We live far removed from dire persecution and our belief in Jesus can stem from an intellectual religious schematic rather than a deep emotional attachment from our hearts and soul.

Priorities are different when we are committed to winning souls for the Kingdom rather than people for the Church.  We are all brought to a place where we must decide where we place the priority of monetary pursuits and the church is no different, just corporate in that decision making. Building the Church on earth as opposed to building the Kingdom of Heaven has different priorities and I wonder if the Lord is pleased with our efforts?

Money to keep the doors open and programs functioning is a necessary part of the administration of an organization, but the Church is not to be so much an organization as an organism with each committed individual doing his or her part.  At the top of the "must do" list of each and very one of us should be the priority to pray for lost souls "that the Lord of the harvest" send workers to reap those His Holy Spirit has made ripe unto harvest.

This conviction leads me to to pray for "eyes" to see others as the Lord sees others which may be the key to viewing souls as Jesus does: lost and in need of a Savior.  And then to co-labor with Him in His mission to bring these lost souls into His Kingdom.

If we can just diligently pray for more souls to come into the Kingdom of Heaven, I trust that more people will be brought into the church.

The Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?

Saving Souls or Just Adding Bodies?

The Holy One calls to me this morning to share the beginning of a new day. His voice is clear and His directive undeniable: "Focus on souls, not on the temporal things, and ask that the Lord of the harvest, therefore to send out workers into His harvest fields".

Taking care of an elderly, dependent parent for years brings a sense of responsibility not unlike taking care of a child. We can worry about provisions and meeting the temporal needs of another human to the exclusion of the great commission. However, wherever we find ourselves in the boundaries of our circumstances, there is always something we can do to advance our Kingdom and glorify our King.

In that season of my life, the Holy One was not telling me to ditch my assignment to go to the front lines of the war for souls but His gentle message caused me to look at my priorities. I know that the battle for souls is raging and time on the clock and calendar is running out. The sand in the hourglass is almost all in the bottom chamber and we must realize time itself is about to end.

One of the things I love and appreciate about eternity is that eternity is time-less and I look forward to that aspect of our eternal destiny: leisurely living. The older I get, the slower I go, so eternity as a clock-absent existence gets more and more endearing as the years on earth fade into history.

Here on earth and throughout my life, time has provided a sense of urgency and been like a whip driving me on to the next thing I feel that I need to accomplish. Its a flesh thing and I will be glad when it is no longer a calculation to be considered. The clock and calendar represent a time cycle of needs vs getting the resources to meet them and priorities can start with pursing the god of this world AKA money.

I hear His voice and my inward thoughts go to the objective of the "church". We are made up of commissioned individuals who come together for community. We are like-minded and like-commissioned people with different gifts called to accomplish the objective: to grow the Kingdom of Heaven for our King. For He is not content that any should eternally perish without Him.

When I read about the beginnings of the "Church of the Way", on the day called Pentecost, the message delivered to the audience of listeners brought 3000 "souls" into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Acts 2:17, Peter addressed the crows, "In the last days, God says, "I will pour out My Spirit on all people:" and he proceeds to tell of Jesus and how prophecies from ancient days spoke of Him. The power of the Spirit was so strong upon Peter and his message, that 3000 accepted his message, believed in Jesus and were baptized and were added to their numbers that day.

The church as a community of like-minded people who believed and were saved was established.

The early church is a model for us of true fellowship and family love but then I come to the question and wonder is there a difference between winning souls and adding people in our efforts to grow the church today? Then there is the issue of persecution and how does that factor into church growth or withering? Persecution is one litmus test in the issue of loyalty to our Lord Jesus Christ.

The early church knew the danger of following Christ and many had to face the decision between death or denial. Therein also became their life and death dependency on each other as they lived under the persecution and its threats.

The church today is much different, at least here in America. We live far removed from dire persecution and our belief in Jesus can stem from an intellectual religious schematic rather than a deep emotional attachment from our hearts and soul.

Priorities are different when we are committed to winning souls for the Kingdom rather than people for the Church. We are all brought to a place where we must decide where we place the priority of monetary pursuits and the church is no different, just corporate in that decision making. Building the Church on earth as opposed to building the Kingdom of Heaven has different priorities and I wonder if the Lord is pleased with our efforts?

Money to keep the doors open and programs functioning is a necessary part of the administration of an organization, but the Church is not to be so much an organization as an organism with each committed individual doing his or her part. At the top of the "must do" list of each and very one of us should be the priority to pray for lost souls "that the Lord of the harvest" send workers to reap those His Holy Spirit has made ripe unto harvest.

This conviction leads me to to pray for "eyes" to see others as the Lord sees others which may be the key to viewing souls as Jesus does: lost and in need of a Savior. And then to co-labor with Him in His mission to bring these lost souls into His Kingdom.

The Lords final words to His followers was the "Great Commission": "Go into all the world and make disciples".......

If we can just diligently pray for more souls to come into the Kingdom of Heaven, seek and seize the opportunities we are given to model what it is to be a "Child of the King", I trust that more people will be brought into the church as well as into the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?

               

Perspective: From Battlefield To Throne***

The Holy One calls to me this morning.  Questions abound as the devil plays his hand of evil in the great game of life.  It would seem that he holds all the cards and has stacked the deck against us, yet I know the Lord has promised victory and just wonder how and when it will come to pass for His Beloved.

It's the old question of "When"?   "When will You fulfill Your Word and answer what I know to be a personal promise?"  Of course the Lord brings daily and even hourly blessings as I journey with Jesus, but the biggest problems seem to stretch out for so long with no speedy relief or resolution.

I am a warrior type and I see life as a battlefield and the devil with his demons as enemy combatants.  Being a warrior type I am one who wrestles the reasons I go to war.  Kingdom causes are my motivations not "land disputes" on earth.  Personal rights however, must be surrendered as Holy principles are enforced. 

The devil has a part to play but in the end, it all boils down to the relationship between me and my God.  The Holy One speaks into my wrestle today, "Are you sure this is what you want Me to do?"  

Perspective is interesting and can change depending upon where you stand on any issue. I am suddenly taken up from the battlefield to the Throne in my thoughts.  The question from the Holy Spirit requires me to think at a different level.  He is not asking me to be God and I am not demanding to have His power.  This is just the sweet blessing of our friendship and the privilege of being in unity with Him.

Our trials can last a long time on the earth clock and calendar.  But to our eternal God, time is not an issue. It may seem cruel to our carnal mind that we struggle and suffer without immediate resolution or speedy victories even those we think would glorify God.  But today as He asks me to wrestle yet again I grasp a little more of His wisdom in the struggle.

I have taken great comfort in the parable of the "Persistent Widow" of Luke 18:2-8:

"In a certain town, there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men and there was a widow in that town who kept coming  him with the plea, "Grant me justice against my adversary".  For some time he refused but finally said to himself "even though I do not fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice so that she won't wear me out with her coming."

And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says and will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones who cry out to Him day and night.  I tell you the truth, He will see that they get justice and quickly, however, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?"

Re-reading the parable I can get caught up on the temporal word, "quickly" unless I remember that God's timetable is eternity.  Since the justice of my "causes" are ultimately in the Lord's hands, I can focus on my end of the parable as the petitioner.  Will He find me faithful in the waiting?

When I am bringing my grievance to the Sovereign Judge, I find that the wrestles are an important part of the petitioning process.  Delayed resolutions,  allow time for me to do deep and personal soul searching.  I have an opportunity to search the Word for the Will of the Lord as I am required to wait for an answer.

I have seen over the course of my life that my opinions and conclusions can lack an understanding of the great principles that Holiness has to teach.  Knee jerk reactions to pain and confusion of emotions have caused me to cut off  more ears than I can count and brought more regrets than I care to mention.

The truth is that in our relationship with the Lord, we grow in our understanding of Him and His ways and mostly through the wrestles that come from His delayed responses to our painful circumstances and urgent requests. In light of eternity most things look different.  In the perspective of our carnal nature Holiness can be elusive unless we pursue it with all of our will.

The delay of answers seems to work in different ways.  We can give up and resign ourselves to accept delay as denial or we can remain persistent and continue to make our petitions known.  In the process of being persistent something interesting begin to take place in me.

It is subtle at first, when my sense of right and wrong, good and bad gets challenged. Of course, I look for human justification for my opinions.   I  look through the Word to find my argument and His promise of Divine intervention.  Promises are there to claim but not always with the precision or exact replication of my personal circumstances.  In an effort to under gird my "right" to an answer, if I am honest, scripture begins to challenge my position.  I come to realize my own accountability for where I am.  Repentance clears the air and the wrestle continues. 

I press in, not with the same justification but with a better picture of the principle upon which I stand, and the wrestle continues.  Other things get exposed like unbelief and fear; layers like the skin of an onion begin to get removed.  Deeper and deeper we go, the Lord and I, touching on things that have little to do with the problem at hand or so I think. And the wrestle continues.

Then comes a day like today when the Lord asks me to confirm, "What do you will that I should do for you?"  In the beginning of the issue, I might have given a "no-brainer" answer like when the Lord asked the blind man in Mark 10:51 NIV "What do you want me to do for you?"  In the KJV, the word "want" is actually transcribed as "wilt", and I catch a slight but important intensity difference to the question. 

What we "want" and what we "will" can actually define our petitions and could radically affect the Lord's intervention.  God has given us free will and I believe He wants us to passionately use it but not as a lone ranger or free agent.  God wants us to use our free will to accomplish His will.   So He asked the blind man to articulate his need and heart desire.  The man who was a beggar might have said, "I want a day's rations of food in my cup".  Fortunately his small cup did not define his petition and he walked away with a miracle he probably could not have fathomed before he met Jesus.

The blind man wanted his sight and the Lord wanted to give it to him.  There was a unity between the petitioner and the Provider.  Thy Kingdom come Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

As I wrestle yet again the issues that touch my life I can confidently say, "Lord, the petition has not changed; the need and desire and principle remain the same."  Wrestles have strengthen the warrior but not changed the war.  There are times when our faith needs a different perspective than the one we see from the battlefield and I am so thankful to realize He is willing to let me see the war from His Throne.  Today I am confident of my petition and I am drawn closer to the One who will provide the answer to it. 

The Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?             

   

Shallow Love is Hard to Bear***

The Holy One calls to me this morning. Our friendship involves sharing my emotions and seeking His wisdom to navigate life here on earth. On some rare days, the Holy Spirit will share His grief, today is one of those days.

I hear Him say, "Shallow love is hard to bear". This makes for a deep sadness yet it gives me an opportunity to reaffirm my love and declare my complete dependency on Him.

The love relationship the Lord desires to share with all of us is a constant friendship, a constant companionship, a constant romance yet because He is Spirit we can sometimes forget, ignore, or otherwise get distracted and allow distance and emotional separation to come between us. Just as a side note on "love" defined is the understanding that love is and always has been a choice and decision. Conditional love is just that: a decision based on self-serving conditions. Unconditional love on the other had makes no conditions for it's decision.

What the disciples enjoyed in their flesh relationship with Jesus, we, through the Holy Spirit and in a mysterious and "super-natural" way, can enjoy His presence in a much more "intimate" way. In flesh, Jesus was constrained to a physical body. As He was limited by geography, He was therefore limited in His ability to touch hearts and minds of people not present with Him while in the body of His flesh.

Before Jesus, Abraham and Moses knew God in a personal spiritual way, but again their relationship was external and while it served God's purpose to reveal Himself as the One True Sovereign God to the Nation of Israel, the people did not experience the God-intimacy that we can and do through the indwelling Holy Spirit of our Lord. 

Try explaining in human terms the indwelling Presence of God and there is just no way for words to describe it. We can see the evidence of Him within a person's life but the mystery of that unity is beyond explanation. Here is where it becomes a matter of the heart and where we can and must nurture that love relationship with the Lord.

The whole of scripture is about God reaching out to His Beloved creation, humanity. The Old Testament is the picture of His love through a nation, Israel. The New Testament is a picture of His love for us through a person and not just any person. That person who came to show us the Love of God is none other than His only begotten son, Jesus the Christ.

But then, as the ultimate love story reaches its climax, God brings us into complete personal intimate unity through His indwelling Spirit. God pursues, God reveals Himself and God awaits for us to accept His proposal. There is no greater love and no greater romance than the one we have available with the One who created us for Himself.

As I ponder His words about "shallow love" I see how in life today, busyness and work, even good work, can separate us from Him and what may be His idea of our love relationship. In the human arena we all have ideas, expectations, and even requirements in our love relationships with each other. So many "love" relationships end up in a ditch for failure to meet the expectations of the other person.

While we do not consider that our love relationship with God can end up in a ditch, it can be put on a shelf. We can leave Him for other loves and return to look for Him on that shelf only when other lovers disappoint us, whether that other "lover" be a person or persons, a "mistress" business or a "siren" chemical that numbs the rejected heart. 

As He speaks to me about shallow love, I understand He is calling me to a deeper one. His goal is not to shame me but to open my eyes to a perspective outside my own self- centeredness. To further my understanding, He takes me to Numbers 11. This is a part of the wilderness journey the children of Israel made on their way to the promised land. It holds some important symbolic elements for me to ponder today.

Moses was in the lead of 600,000 men (not counting women and children). They left Egypt with nothing they could not carry. They were taken through the Red Sea and ended up in a wilderness and with few supplies to sustain them.

They were living on a daily ration of "manna" that the Lord had supernaturally and graciously supplied but the people were bitter and complaining all the way. They seemed to have no appreciation for the most outrageous blessing a human could ever experience: God was with them!

His Holy Presence was in the midst of their community and was visually seen by them
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In Ex 40:34 it is written:
 

"Then a cloud covered the tent of meeting and the Gory of the Lord filled the tabernacle". . And vs 36 says, "In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out but if the cloud did not lift they did not set out until the day it lifted. So the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day and fire was in the cloud by night in the sight of the House of Israel during all their travels."

What a powerful image and picture of God's Presence, and yet they grumbled and complained. They focused on their immediate displeasure rather than on the future Promised Land. They did not consider the Presence of God among them nor appreciate the love of God for them as the most valuable and promising aspect of their lives.

Their love of the Lord was shallow based on what He provided to meet their physical and temporal needs at the moment. The testing of their faith was really an indictment of their love, and it was shallow.

Reading this account of their relational failure causes me to think about how my attitude reflects my love for the Lord. As an indwelling Presence, the Holy Spirit of Christ governs my life and provides endless opportunities to grow and then show Him how much I care. Deeper love finds it's pleasure in Who He is not just in what He does for me. 

There will always be temporal discomfort and even things I must wait for Him to provide or resolve, but those things must never be allowed to define my love for Him. Today I can rejoice in His Presence and delight in His love not dependent on circumstances to be the reason. I truly "get" His point today and how "shallow love is hard to bear"

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The Spirit is calling. Can you hear Him?