November 1, 2013

"...give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." I Thessalonians 5:18

One of the earliest lessons we learn as children is to say, "Please" and "Thank You". It is a simple concept, really.

Of course, we are taught to express our thanks whenever we are given something that is nice, or helpful, or valuable, or generous.

However, in this verse, the Apostle Paul instructs us to "give thanks in ALL circumstances". Say, what? Be thankful in "ALL circumstance"? Are you kidding me? How do I do that? Some circumstances are painful and hard and unwelcomed. Am I supposed to be thankful when stuff like that happens? Why is that?

Read the rest of the verse, "for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Oh.

Here is the deal. We don't have to be thankful for difficult things that happen to us. Am I to be thankful that I lose a job, or my health, or a loved one? I don't think so! But, what we can be thankful for is that God is in control of our circumstances and He has promised that "all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose" and "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."

So, what we can be thankful for is that when troubles come it means that God is at work! Our pain is working for our gain because that is how God works, Who He is and what He does! Thank Him that even what works against us in life works for us because His Kingdom is coming and His will is being done - in us!

October 31, 2013

"Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."  Matthew 28:16-20

If you were arrested for impersonating a disciple, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

We have been examining the evidence that identifies a true disciple. These eleven passed the test. One other, Judas Iscariot was masquerading as a disciple but was unmasked by his betrayal of Jesus.

Several years ago I was watching some of the Iowa-Indiana football game. The camera was doing a wide scan of the fans in the bleachers, with the game being played on Halloween, many fans were dressed in various costumes. There were ghouls and ghosts and cartoon characters and political figures and animals - all the normal cast of characters as the camera moved across the rows. But then there was one who stood out from the crowd and caused the camera to reverse and come back for a double-take. What costume caused such a response? Someone had dressed up like Jesus! And it was a good costume! He looked the part!

But it takes more than dressing up like Jesus to be like Jesus. This fellow was proof that you can look like Jesus and be a fake because Jesus would never be an Iowa Hawkeye fan.

You can't pretend to be a disciple. You can't just look the part or play the part and pass yourself off as a disciple. Discipleship doesn't happen from the outside in.

Just ask Judas.

True disciples are transformed by saving faith in Jesus. They live in a faith relationship with Jesus and walk by faith. They deny themselves and take up the cross of sacrifice and obedience. They live lives that show the real power and grace of God.

There is no tricking Jesus about discipleship. He has seen the real ones and is not fooled by fake disguises. He doesn't look on the outward appearance but gets to the heart of the matter.

Tricking Him is no treat.

October 30, 2013

"So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him." II Peter 3:14

There are three great qualities that mark those who are prepared for eternity. Peter mentions them here:

The morality - "spotless"

Those who want to spend a happy ever after in Heaven make sure they are living spotless lives. Spotless means that there are no unconfessed sins in their lives. They understand the truth of John's statement in I John 1:7 - "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin."

It is possible to live a spotless life by walking in the truth and living in obedience. By walking in truth and obedience you will avoid many sins and the moment you do sin the Holy Spirit will convict you of your sin and you can repent of it. When you repent the blood of Christ cleanses the spot from your life.

The motives - "blameless"

Blameless means that your motives are pure and you do not commit intentional, willful sins. Your hearts desire is to please and honor God. You are entirely committed to pleasing God. When you do sin it is because of a momentary flare up of your selfish will or a moment of weakness of the flesh.

People who are hoping for Heaven have surrendered their will to God and consecrated themselves to serving Him. They walk in the Spirit and do their best to overcome the flesh.

The mentality - "peaceful"

Heaven bound people know that they are spotless and blameless because they have peace in their spirit. God has given them a spirit of power and of love and a sound mind. He has sent their hearts in perfect peace because they have fixed their mind on Him.

They have no fear of the judgment and they have fellowship with God and know that all is well. Also, because they love God they are committed to living in fellowship with their brothers.

Heaven bound people live godly lives in the here and now. They live spotless, blameless and peaceful lives.

How are you measuring up?

October 29, 2013

"Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." Luke 9:26

Discipleship is managing your life so that you are bold in your faith and unashamed of Christ.

Here is a recent example:

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA (BosNewsLife) -- A human rights group has expressed concern about reports of wide spread persecution of Christians in rural Ethiopia where at least one evangelist has been killed "for refusing" to abandon his Christian faith, BosNewsLife monitored Thursday, September 22.Voice Of the Martyrs Canada (VOMC), which has close contacts in the region, said it has learned that 34-year old Estifanos Abate, an evangelist of the Assemblies of God church in the town of Jijiga "was shot and killed July 19 for refusing to deny his faith in Christ."In a statement to BosNewsLife News Center, VOMC said news of the killing had been slow to emerge as "communication is difficult and reports of their courage often take several weeks to reach the outside world."

The incident allegedly happened when the evangelist was traveling from Degahabour to Jijiga in eastern Ethiopia where his passenger bus was stopped by Islamic militants. "The militants boarded the bus, demanding to know the religion of each traveler. Of the 45 passengers, five were Orthodox and four were evangelical Christians. The gunmen ordered these nine [Christians] to be separated from the Muslim passengers," VOMC claimed, citing sources in the area.

"The Christians were then ordered to repeat the Islamic creed and to bow three times toward Mecca. Everyone but Estifanos complied with the order and was allowed back on the bus. The gunmen threatened Estifanos, who calmly began to tell his attackers about Jesus, while his fellow travelers begged him to save his life by obeying their demands," VOMC said."The Muslim leader then ordered the bus to continue on its way, without Estifanos. As the bus pulled away, Estifanos was executed," VOMC added. It quoted eyewitnesses as saying that "his body was left on the side of the road for most of the day, presumably as a warning to others."

So, Brad, are you saying that dying for Christ is discipleship?

No, I am not saying that. Dying FOR Christ is martyrdom.

Discipleship is dying TO Christ! Once you die TO Christ you will be empowered to live FOR Him - and if necessary - die for Him. Discipleship is what enabled this dear brother the strength and courage to LIVE for Jesus and to submit to DYING for Him. Discipleship is denying yourself daily - putting Him first - and carrying your cross for Him daily - dying to His will.

Have you done that today?

October 28, 2013

"For in him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring." Acts 17:28

The Apostle Paul was preaching in Athens and noticed that they were very religious but did not know the One true God or His Son Jesus. In their shrines they had many idols to many idols and to make sure they did not miss a god or offend a deity they built an idol to "the unknown god".

Paul saw an opportunity to proclaim the Gospel and began to tell them about this God Who was knowable, Who wanted to be known, and Who "was not far from them."

What Paul told them about God, we could stand to hear. Let's examine it more closely:

The Centrality of God - "In Him....."

God will not settle for being "a" god. He must be "the" God. There is no god like our God. He is beyond compare. He created you for Himself. He put within you a "God-shaped" void that nothing else can satisfy. You were never designed to be happy or fulfilled without having God squarely in the center of His will.

The Vitality of God - "....we live and move......

When God identifies Himself as the "Alpha and Omega", the beginning and the end, He is acknowledging that all life begins and ends with Him. Since that glorious and ancient day when He commanded, "Let there be....", life has flourished on this beautiful planet. And He personalized life when He sent His only Son, Jesus, so that His life could flourish within us.

The Identity With God - "....and have our being."

Paul was speaking to men who were very religious and somewhat superstitious. They wanted to make sure that they covered their bases spiritually. If there was a god they needed to know - they wanted to know him. It was important for them to be right with their gods. I imagine that the Great Apostle was moved by their sincere desire to be right with a God they had yet to know. So he sweetens the deal by promising that this unknown God, his God, is One Who knows you, can be known by you, and wants to dwell in you. This God is so vast and so good that you can lose yourself in Him - and only when you lose yourself in Him do you find yourself! Some of them did!

Have you?

October 27, 2013

"Agree with each other. Don't be proud. Be willing to be a friend of people who aren't considered important. Don't think that you are better than others."  Romans 12:16

Humility is about the only way to preserve harmony. So, if you value harmony you must place a high priority on humility.

What is humility and how does it happen?

If you want to understand what it means to be humble there is not better example that this:

"Don't do anything only to get ahead. Don't do it because you are proud. Instead, be free of pride. Think of others as better than yourselves. None of you should look out just for your own good. You should also look out for the good of others. You should think in the same way Christ Jesus does. In his very nature he was God. But he did not think that being equal with God was something he should hold on to. Instead, he made himself nothing. He took on the very nature of a servant. He was made in human form. He appeared as a man. He came down to the lowest level. He obeyed God completely, even though it led to his death. In fact, he died on a cross. So God lifted him up to the highest place. He gave him the name that is above every name. When the name of Jesus is spoken, everyone's knee will bow to worship him. Every knee in heaven and on earth and under the earth will bow to worship him. Everyone's mouth will say that Jesus Christ is Lord. And God the Father will receive the glory."   Philippians 2:3-11

Humility is thinking toward others in the same way Jesus does.

He thinks about their needs and how He can meet them. Do you?

He counts others as more important than Himself and considers what is in their best interest.

He gave up His position and privilege to serve others.

He sacrificed His very life to save the eternal life of others.

Who can match the example of humility modeled by our Savior? Who has stooped lower than He did? Who suffered more that Him for the sake of others? Who has sacrificed more than Jesus?

He humbled Himself to restore harmony in the universe. He died and rose again so that it would be possible for harmony to be preserved among His people.

In short, to have humility you must have the mind of Christ. How does that happen?

"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 true worship. 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." Romans 12:1-2

Humility comes as a result of humbling yourself to God and allowing Him to purge your pride and self-centered mind and your self-seeking heart. In other words, harmony begins by getting yourself in tune with God - heart and mind.

Have you done that?

Will you?

October 26, 2013

"The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.  However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10:17-20

Jesus was sending His followers to discipleship training.

They went out in His name to preach, and testify, and to heal and deliver. They did it and they did it successfully and they returned rejoicing!

In Jesus' Name and under His authority they had healed people and they had cast out evil spirits and had demonstrated the power of God.

Jesus rejoiced with them because He had seen the Evil One defeated by His followers obediently exercising His authority! But then He put some perspective on their accomplishments with this admonition, "However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

There are several important truths to be taken from this curious statement.

1) To exercise the power of my authority be sure you are in personal relationship with me.

2) It is exciting to to have my power, but it is more important to have my provision.

3) Having God's power without living in His presence will lead to pride and corruption.

4) The power to perform signs and wonders can last for a lifetime but our place in Heaven is eternal.

5) Your position in heaven impacts your power on earth.

6) Rejoicing in what God does is good but rejoicing in Who He is much better.

Enjoy miracles!

Employ the power of God!

But more importantly, embrace the Person of God and live in His presence!