January 3, 2018

"After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from all nations and provinces and languages, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white, with palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a mighty shout, “Salvation comes from our God upon the throne, and from the Lamb.” And now all the angels were crowding around the throne and around the Elders and the four Living Beings, and falling face down before the throne and worshiping God. “Amen!” they said. “Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be to our God forever and forever. Amen!” Then one of the twenty-four Elders asked me, “Do you know who these are, who are clothed in white, and where they come from?” “No, sir,” I replied. “Please tell me.”“These are the ones coming out of the Great Tribulation,” he said; “they washed their robes and whitened them by the blood of the Lamb. That is why they are here before the throne of God, serving him day and night in his temple. The one sitting on the throne will shelter them; they will never be hungry again, nor thirsty, and they will be fully protected from the scorching noontime heat. For the Lamb standing in front of the throne will feed them and be their Shepherd and lead them to the springs of the Water of Life. And God will wipe their tears away.” Revelation 7:9-17

The Book of the Revelation was written by the Apostle John to record a supernatural spiritual vision of Heaven and end times given to John while he was exiled to the remote Island of Patmos. 

Can you imagine how difficult it would have been to describe the incredible sights he saw in Heaven with the limited vocabulary of first century languages?

Early in John's vision was a series of seven messages delivered to the pastors of seven churches in the Middle East. These sober and prophetic messages bore wise principles that apply to the 21st Century Church as well!

Only a divinely inspired prophetic message from God could have the wisdom and power to guide the young Church of Jesus Christ for 20 centuries!

In addition to the timely message of God directed to each of the Pastors of each of the seven churches are majestic views of Heaven, our eternity and best of all Jesus!

So, one could say that among the Books of the New Testament, God saved the best for last!

From this portion of the Revelation found in the 7th chapter referenced above I will draw five activities happening in Heaven that need to be practiced on planet Earth.

Jesus taught us to pray, "Your Kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven..." So, what Heavenly activities need to come to Earth?

I will share the first one today. According to verse 9 there will be a diverse population in Heaven, "After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from all nations and provinces and languages, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb..."

Since Heaven will be a very diverse place with races and tribes from all over the Earth, shouldn't we be opposing racism and prejudice in this world?

What are you doing to fight those evils?

What should you do?

• Follow the wisdom of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and judge people by the content of their character not the color of their skin!

Look into peoples hearts don't judge them by looking upon their skin color. Are you doing that?

• Learn to see individuals not groups!

It's harder to hate an individual person than a group of people. Especially as you take the time to get to know the person rather than prejudge or generalize a group.

Do you see groups or do you see each individual person?

• Intentionally diversify your own circle of friends!

What are you doing to make friends of people from other races or backgrounds?

• Let's see how many races and tribes we can reach with the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

As the children's song says, "Red and yellow black and white they are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world."

If God loves all people of all races from every tribe and if Jesus died on the cross to save them from their sins, shouldn't His Church and His people be busy trying to reach as many with the Gospel of Salvation to all of them? To each of them?

So, Jesus says we should be doing on Earth what is being done in Heaven! That means you and I must know what is going on in Heaven so we can prepare ourselves and others for Heaven!

And, if you are planning to spend eternity in Heaven shouldn't you be practicing one earth what you will be doing in Heaven?

January 2, 2018

".....your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10

As with much of Jesus' teachings simple statements have profound implications!

If you have any questions of how God wants you to live in 2018, do what is done in heaven!

In order to know how to do that you really need to be familiar with what is going on in heaven!

Right?

Heaven isn't just something that happens when you die. By the way, do you know for sure that if you were to die today you would awake in Heaven? You need to know that and you can know that!

You have probably heard the expression, "Don't be so Heavenly minded you are of no earthly good."

Jesus would paraphrase that to, "Be so Heavenly minded that you can do more earthly good!"

As a follower of Christ, He expects you to live your life in order to bring the holiness of Heaven to your corner of the world!

If you are going to commit your life to bringing His Kingdom of Heaven to earth shouldn't you be very clear on the Heavenly activities you need to commit to?

Also, doesn't it make sense that if you plan to spend eternity in Heaven shouldn't be practicing the things you will be doing there?

In my next few posts and in my message on Sunday I will identify exactly what Jesus refers to when He says, "Your Kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven!"

Interested?

January 1, 2018

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.  And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the third day. And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day." Genesis 1

There is a significant reoccurring phrase in Chapter 1 of Genesis. Can you find it?

You are right! It is, "And God said......"!

Actually, anything God says is significant, because of Who says it AND because of WHAT HAPPENS when He speaks!

In this dramatic account of the creation of the universe whenever God says, "Let there be...." - there was! God spoke and His words created! Whatever God commanded became a reality. And everything that happened as a result of His words were perfect!

It figures that perfect words from the mind and the mouth of a perfect God would result in the creation of perfection. Everything He spoke appeared and He pronounced it, "Good"!

The lesson for us, other than awe over the power over of our God, is that everything in the universe obeys God - except people. And everything that obeys Him becomes perfect - even people. His creation was perfect until one person refused to obey God. And it is Adam's disobedience that has ruined the perfect creation and sent the world into chaos.

What would it take to restore order? Is there a way for God's perfect will to be reestablished in His creation?

If there was any hope of it happening it would have to happen through perfect obedience. Perfect obedience by someone like --- Jesus.

Want to add a little perfection to your 2018? 

Want to be used by God to create a better world? 

Try a little obedience - or a lot of it!

December 31, 2017

"For with God nothing shall be impossible." Luke 1:37

On this final day of 2017 I want to remind you that not only does God have a plan and a purpose for your life but He has the power to make it happen. Christmas proves it!

There was no way Christmas could happen. Nothing had ever happened like it before or since. Mary's question was quite legitimate, "How can a virgin conceive a child?" It just doesn't happen - unless God wants it to. And He did.

When Mary heard the explanation from the angel, "And the angel answered and said unto her, 'The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God'", she needed no further explanation. Mary knew that God had power to fulfill His purpose.

For God's plan and purpose to be fulfilled, it would be necessary for a "Second Adam" to be born, one without a sin nature. The only way that could happen was for a virgin to become pregnant without the seed of a human. How could such a thing happen?

Only through the power of God and only through the purpose of the Holy Spirit. It was an ingenious plan - and an impossible one! Except "nothing is impossible with God"!

It is possible that someone might conjure up the idea that a Savior would have to be born of a virgin conceived by the Holy Spirit. The prophets had foretold it, so it was information that was available. But discovering the plan and executing it are two very different things! Only God could do it!

So, the good news heading into 2018 is that God has a plan and a purpose for your life. It will be something so big and wonderful that you will not have the power to make it happen. But God does! And He delights in the miraculous! He brought new life from a dead womb and John the Baptist blessed the world. And He created life in a virgin womb and the Savior was born!

God has everything He needs to bring His plan to fruition in your life to enable you to fulfill His purpose. You don't have to know how it will happen, just know Who will make it happen. And celebrate the God of possibilities Who is your God!

You may be facing some daunting circumstances right now! Perhaps life has ganged up on you and you feel weak and powerless. Maybe you have tried for years to make God's plan happen for you only to be disappointed.

The good news of Christmas is that God has a plan, He has a purpose AND He has the power to pull it off! 2018 will be a year of possibilities!

December 30, 2017

"For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 5:19-21

Christmas wasn't an accident but the fulfillment of a glorious plan that God had envisioned from the beginning of time. His plan was to redeem the human race from the judgment of its sins. Jesus - the God/man came to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

That is only the beginning of the good news about Christmas!

Christmas also proves that God had a purpose! What an exciting purpose it is!

God's Word makes it clear from the moment God created man that He desired to enjoy fellowship with him. A paradise called Eden was created for them to spend time together. How many amazing walks they had winding their way through the incredible beauty of that garden. To make Adam's experience even more complete, God created a human partner for him. God was totally committed to the joy of this crown jewel of His creation.

Unfortunately, even tragically, this paradise was lost when the creatures betrayed their Creator. They exercised their will against their Holy Father and sinned. With the loss of their holiness their fellowship with God was broken. That was very disappointing to God and extremely devastating to man.

So, the plan of a loving God to lavish His love on His creation was interrupted and frustrated. How could a God Who is perfect and holy fellowship with a sinful race of human beings? There was no way His nature would allow Him to become sinful and there was no way that Adam could redeem himself. This was the seemingly hopeless dilemma that gripped the world as the sun rose on that first Christmas day.

Only God knew the promise that day held as He anxiously awaited the birth of His Son, the Child of Purpose.

In a humble stable in lowly Bethlehem under the supervision of two teen-agers, God's Son came, born sinless as a man conceived by the Holy Spirit so He could offer Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. This "second Adam" would restore the fellowship that was broken by the failure of the first Adam.

Christmas proves that God is seriously committed to His purpose. He desires fellowship with us so badly that He gave up His Son to redeem us. God, Who is love, needs an object for His love and through the grace of Jesus He can once more lavish His love on us.

Christmas was God's plan to fulfill His purpose. It happened on purpose and demonstrates how far God will go to know you and to be known by you!

If God is that determined to know you, how will you respond? 

What will you live for? 

Who will you live for? 

Will you purpose to know Him and receive His lavish love? 

Why not begin today?

December 29, 2017

"But God commended his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."Romans 5:8

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

The messages of Christmas are the essence of the "good news of great joy" which is to all the people.

God's message to the world is that He has a plan, He has a purpose, and He has the power to pull them off!

What was His plan?

His plan was to undo what Adam did. He wanted to restore the Paradise that was lost when Adam surrendered to sin. That plan was announced to the serpent in the garden.

"And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." Genesis 3:14-15

In fact, God had a plan for redemption even BEFORE Adam fell!

"but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God." I Peter 1:19-21

Abraham was a huge part of God's plan because through Him, God established a race of people through whom He could send a redeemer.

Moses was a huge part of God's plan to deliver His people, to receive the Law and to follow God to the Promised Land.

The priests and the sacrificial system was part of the plan to foreshadow the coming of One Who would do away with sins.

God even used the Greeks and the Romans to set up the structure and the mindset that set the stage for Christ to come.

When you study history you cannot miss HIS STORY - His plan is evident in every development of mankind!

GOD HAS ALWAYS HAD A PLAN! Jesus was at the center of it! His coming at Christmas proved that God had a plan and He is serious about its execution!

You are part of God's plan! 

Do you know how you fit in? What will you do today to find God's plan?

December 28, 2017

"In everything you do, stay away from complaining and arguing so that no one can speak a word of blame against you. You are to live clean, innocent lives as children of God in a dark world full of people who are crooked and stubborn. Shine out among them like beacon lights, holding out to them the Word of Life." Philippians 2:14-16

Certainly there is nothing funny about terrorism. Terrorist acts and the fear of more have dramatically changed our world.

The news has been preoccupied this year with a succession of tragic events at the hands of terrorists.

But in light of those realities, a friend sent me this:

Beware of Terrorist Groups in Church

Latest news reports are that five terrorist groups have been operating in many of our churches.

They have been identified as:

Bin Sleepin'

Bin Arguin'

Bin Fightin'

Bin Complainin'

Bin Missin'

Their leader, Lucifer Bin Workin', trained these groups to destroy the Body of Christ. The plan is to come into the church disguised as Christians and to work in the church to discourage, disrupt and destroy.However, there have been reports of a sixth group. A tiny cell known by the name Bin Prayin' is actually the only effective counter terrorism force in the church. Unlike other terrorist cells, the Bin Prayin' team does not blend in with whoever and whatever comes along.Bin Prayin' does whatever is needed to uplift and encourage the Body of Christ. We have noticed that the Bin Prayin' cell group has different characteristics than the others.

They have:

Bin Watching

Bin Waiting

Bin Fasting

Bin Longing for their Master, Jesus Christ, to return.

NO CHURCH IS EXEMPT!

(However, you can spot them if you bin looking and bin going)

Satan is the original terrorist. He had the audacity to make a terror attempt against Heaven! After that failed he corrupted Paradise with his insidious notions and when Adam fell, he planted within us a rebellious nature that terrorizes us and those around us. This is humorously illustrated by the "bins", but it is serious business.

Jesus was born on Christmas Day to defeat Satan and destroy the terrorist within us so that we, the Church, can rescue the world. He is the Prince of Peace, but it happens one victory at a time. Victory comes through surrender. Surrender means we free God's Spirit to come against every thought, act or attitude that allows the enemy to terrorize us or causes us to terrorize others.

Will you join the war against terror?