Christian Challenge

Jan

2011

Breaking the Chains of Sin…

“If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”

(Gen 4:7)

“For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” (Rom 6:14)

Journal,

Here it is, January 1, 2011, the first day of a new year. And here we are setting out once again with making new year’s resolutions. And here we are once again with our little traditions that supposedly will set the tone for a prosperous year to come. (Sharing a meal of cabbage and black-eyed peas, etc.)

I’ve never been one for making a list of resolutions although I do consider in my heart things that I wish to have a fresh start on. Oh yes, we all struggle. However, the problem goes far beyond making resolutions. The greater issue is how to gain a hold on life itself, and how to live a life of victory over our many struggles and failures.

I woke up this morning wondering how to begin my first journal entry for 2011. My mind kept going back to the email I had just received from a young Christian soldier concerning his struggles with sin issues. I was impressed that sharing my exchange with this young man would be an excellent way to help others who may be facing the similar struggles.

In sharing my exchange with this young soldier I’ll make adjustments for the sake of confidentiality and privacy. I’ve also reworded some of my responses for additional clarification. In the following exchange place your cursor over the Scriptures references. They will appear while you are reading. If you are a woman, transpose this exchange to suit your own life.

Here goes…

The Struggle Over Thoughts

Young soldier: “How can I stop having these bad thoughts and stop asking, why God did this and that? And sometimes make jokes about things I see in church?”

Response: “The thoughts of the heart determine our life at that moment. This is why Jesus dealt with sin as an issue of the heart. I want to encourage you to meditate on Pro4:23; “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs (issues or forces) of life.” (Read all of Proverbs 4.)

“Another thing that can help you is to stop questioning God and start trusting Him for all the issues of life. God is far greater than you and I. His understanding is inscrutable. Here are some more Scriptures that you should consider: Isaiah 40:25-31; Isaiah 45:6-11; Romans 11:33-36.

“You really need to ask the Lord to open your understanding with regard to life and to His ways.”

Note: A temptation is not a sin of itself. Jesus was tempted in all measures just as we are. A temptation is an allurement or solicitation to do evil. It is the enemies attempt to gain control over part of our life by way of our thinking and our imagination. The Lord supplies strength and power to overcome the enemies solicitation. Here are our instructions: Isaiah40:28-31; 2Co10:3-5; Col3:1-5; Phil4:6-9.

Young soldier: “…I can be in church and serving and praising the Lord and in such a great feeling. But then there are times that in my mind I start looking around and having thoughts on how nice this lady looks. I’m a little ashamed to say but while in church I have thoughts of actually seeing myself going out with other women besides my wife. Then I catch myself and in my mind I ask God to please forgive me for such thoughts and to help me stop thinking of things like that. But it happens again and it scares me because I know this is the house of God and I shouldn’t be thinking of being with other women or on how silly such person looks or how nasty that men is!”

Response: “Keep in mind that temptations are common to all men and to all women. The fact that you are able to judge things while they are still in your heart is a major plus. Also that you do pray about these things is another major plus. The Lord is going to help you work this through. Some of this is habitual. Bad habits can be replaced with good habits. (Even spiritually)

“Another thing that can help is to keep your marriage before you. Think about your wife. She is your companion for life. Then think about this — How would you feel if you knew your wife had those same thoughts running through her mind about other men? (Lustful thoughts.) Would it please you if you knew your wife wondered what it would be like to take so-and-so to bed for a sexual encounter? Would you not be very displeased.

“You need to start thanking God for your marriage and for all that He has given you. Did you know that the Bible says the wife is a gift from God. One of the greatest gifts that a man can receive from the Lord is his companion for life.

“Here are some more Scriptures for you to meditate upon: Prov5:15-23; Prov19:14; Eccl9:9; Mal2:13-16; 1Co7:2. (Take time to meditate on all the Scriptures that I am sharing. They will help strengthen your spiritual and mental life.)

Young soldier: “It Is not only in church but basically everywhere I go. I try to not make fun of people but then I catch my self doing it again! It really concerns me because I want to do the right thing. I even accepted Jesus Christ as my savior, but I’m so scared that God gets tired of me asking him to forgive me because of what I was thinking or what I said!”

Response: “God will never tire of you asking for forgiveness. It is when you stop asking for forgiveness that the Lord will need to bring a different correction in your life. (Punitive judgment.)”

Young soldier: “I grew up visiting the church. Then as a teenager I started going in other ways and use to do drugs and dated many, many women and cheated on many of them with other women, but I have changed my ways. My tour in Iraq made me appreciate many things so decided to come back to God and here I am. I pray every day and even at work while working. I’m asking God to forgive me and to take me through his path so that I can learn more of his ways. But all these thoughts keep coming to my mind. And I just fear because I know that Jesus is coming soon and we should all be in the right track!”

Response: “You are doing the right thing in keeping this before the Lord.”

Note: God gives us His own Spirit to help us maintain a strong walk before Him. There no way that we can walk in victory if we depend on our own power. The Lord knows that. Every child of God has in the deep of their heart what the Bible calls ‘a fountain of life.’ One of our greatest needs is to learn to draw from God’s fountain. Cf. Psa36:7-9; John4:14; John7:37-39; Rev22:17

Young soldier: “I hope this wasn’t too much but I’m really concerned. I love Jesus and I know he is the way but it seems so hard to earn your way to heaven and so easy to fall, I’ll still keep fighting but still wonder what God would think! Thank you and God bless you!!!”

Response: “You do not have to earn your way to heaven. You are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. He took all your sins to the cross, past, present, and future sins have already been judged in Him. Does this mean we are free to sin? Not at all. It means that sin can never again Lord over us or be our Master.

“That you love the Lord and continue to wage a fight against the issue of ungodliness is proof in itself that you belong to the Lord. A sinner sins by nature and feels no remorse. (Unless caught.) A child of God sins by temptation but sin in itself is contrary to the nature of a child of God. This is why you struggle. It is not in your Christian nature to maintain a life of sin.

Think about these things. And let me know how you are doing.

May the Lord richly reward you with a full victory in all areas of your life.

In Christ always,

Buddy”

Note: I realize there is much more that I could share with this young man. Hopefully he will continue to write me. What I wanted to do was keep my response simple and leave it open for further discussion. Also — To any of my readers. Feel free to write me by using the ‘Questions’ at the top part of my blog.

Here is an update on class schedules for the 46th CCI School for Christian Workers

May the Lord richly bless you in 2011. Why not set aside time to invest in your spiritual future. It is as the apostle Peter said:

“Since you have in obedience to the truth purified your souls for a sincere love of the brethren, fervently love one another from the heart, for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. For, ‘All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls off, but the Word of the Lord endures forever.’ And this is the word which was preached to you.” – (1Pe 1:22-25)

Always your friend in Christ,

Buddy

Sep

2010

Little is much when God is in it…

“You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. This I command you, that you love one another.” (John 15:16-17

Journal,

Did you know that God works by appointment? Yes, He truly does. But before I get into the appointments of the Lord, please take time to listen to this song, ‘Little is Much’, by the Gaithers.

Appointed and anointed…

Jesus told the disciples that He had chosen them and appointed them for a special fruit-bearing role in the kingdom of God. In fulfilling their role whatever they asked of the Father in His name, the Father would give it to them.

These men were the appointed ‘Apostles of the Lamb.’ Their appointment was exclusive to them. No one else was in the upper room. And no one else could take their appointment to themselves.

The Apostles of the Lamb would have a unique role in the kingdom of God. These men would have the responsibility the ability, and the authority for laying the foundation of the new covenant church. Each apostle would be given an arena of responsibility and ministry. Whatever they bound on earth would be bound in heaven. Whatever they loosed on earth would be loosed in heaven. (Actually all binding and loosing begins with heaven.)

Here is where we need to understand special ministry anointing. Out of their apostolic appointments these men would have all they needed accomplish their role for the kingdom. This is so important to understand.

Whereas all of God’s children do share equally in the life anointing of Jesus, not all God’s children share the same assignment anointing. The anointing to carry out an assignment comes with the assignment itself. (The anointing includes whatever gifts are needed.) Thus there can be various aspects of the of anointing.

From this alone we can see that the Lord does work by appointments and callings. Yet we must not make a mistake with regard to ministry appointments. The anointing is what equips us for our ‘good works’ assignment. It can vary. But the anointing or the appointment does not place us above any other believer in the realm of being God’s children. We must not forget that aspect.

Listen to the apostle:

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Eph 2:10 NASB)

Then again,

“Now the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”(Heb 13:20-21 NASB)

Divine appointments did not cease with the apostles...

Did you catch it? These good works assignments are many. They were prepared for us to walk in before the foundation of the world. Every child of God will have ‘assignments’ or ‘appointments’ to work with. Not just one assignment. Our life will be filled with appointed works.

While we may have one special life-time appointment, we will also have many, many other assignments during our time on earth. All these assignments are for the kingdom.

Here is an example (I’ve shared this story in other journal entries):

We were on our way to a mountain village in Honduras. I knew my business was to preach the gospel. But I always ask the Lord for anything extra He would have me share.

The Lord spoke to my heart; “Tell them that you come as an ambassador from the kingdom of God, and that you have a message for them from the King.”

When I stood to address the people I said exactly what the Lord gave me to say. It was like the Holy Spirit settled down on the congregation. There was a holy hush.

I sensed a special grace for the service and we saw people birthed into the kingdom. What happened, however, is that the Lord gave the anointing or special grace for the appointed moment.

That is a simple illustration of how an appointing from the Lord can work. Each believer will have many appointed moments. The anointing to accomplish God’s will always comes with the appointment and with the moment. (You may prefer the term ‘assignment’.)

But there is another aspect of the Lord’s appointing. My primary appointing for the past 34+ years has been to raise up a ministry for training disciples. This kind of appointment takes on the measure of a ‘stewardship‘. (Oikonomia speaks of the management of a household or of someone else’s property.)

The ownership of Christian Challenge belongs to Jesus Christ. I was to be its caretaker. (Not owner.) And anything ever needed to accomplish the goal of this appointment would be supplied by the Lord. It has always been that way. The future of every ministry is always in the hands of the Lord. Over time much of the stewardship of Christian Challenge has been entrusted to my son, Nathan.

Listen to Paul:

“For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me. What then is my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel without charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.” (1Co 9:17-18 NASB)

What I wanted you to see is how that every believer’s life is going to be filled with multiple appointments, callings, assignments, stewardships from the Lord. With each of these ‘good works’ assignments will come the special grace anointing to fulfill the purpose of that appointing.

What of the day of small beginnings...

Now you see why I wanted you to hear the song, ‘Little is Much,’ at the beginning of this entry. The Lord wants to speak to your heart. Why not listen to it again.

Friend, don’t be discouraged. It doesn’t matter if your ‘good work’ appointment seems so insignificant. He will bless you for your faithfulness to the task set before you. The Lord gave you your appointment for a reason. It fits perfectly into God’s plan for the ages.

Actually there is a principle at work when it comes to the appointing of the Lord. Jesus explained it:

“He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.” (Luk 16:10 NASB)

Think about it.

In Christ always,

Buddy

Drop Buddy a line in the form below.

Aug

2010

Fruitfulness in the Kingdom

“Drip down, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds pour down righteousness; let the earth open up and salvation bear fruit, and righteousness spring up with it. I, the LORD, have created it.” (Isa45:8)

Journal,

What a celebration to be remembered. Saturday was my 70^th birthday. I could not have had a more wonderful day. All my family gathered, children, grandchildren, great-grand children. And of course the church had to pull a sneak attack with a surprise party. And to top everything, there was a request for the Martin family to share some gospel music.

My, how the time does fly. Seems of late I find myself traveling more and more down memory land.

I’ve often thought, ‘Who am I that the Lord would grant to me such a stewardship as Christian Challenge. This is such a wonderful ministry. Seems all our members carry the heart of a disciple. We are a family.’

Its not that we are bigger or better than any other ministry. Actually we have never been very large. It certainly doesn’t have anything to do with me personally. I’ve always felt very small when it comes to kingdom work. And yet the Lord has helped us to gather much fruit for His kingdom.

The Psalmist said it best of all…

“Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name give glory because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your truth.” (Psalm 115:1)

Christian Challenge began as a fledgling ministry in 1976. We had no financial backing. No denominational support. What we had was a stewardship

Through the years we’ve trained hundreds of believers for service in the kingdom of God’s beloved Son. Some have entered the mission field. Others are now pastors. But every student that has come through our School has carried something of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ from the School.

Yes, the CCI School for Christian Workers is very unique. It all relates to our ministry philosophy. We center exclusively on Biblical discipleship. The motto of Christian Challenge International is, ‘How Beautiful Upon the Mountains.’ The motto for the School for Christian Workers is, ‘Preparing Servants for the Nations.’

So, here we are again. For those who would like to know more about the world of a disciple, the 45^th CCI School for Christian Workers is forthcoming. Pray about it.

Would you like to know how a fourteen week course can radically change a believers spiritual life view. Here is your chance. (Note: The School is nondenominational. We’ve trained believers from a number of Christian backgrounds.)

Here is a short study on some of what we teach in our Disciple’s Heart Training Program.

Learn to Extract the Precious from the Worthless

This is what the Lord had to say to the prophet Jeremiah:

“Therefore, thus says the LORD, “If you return, then I will restore you– Before Me you will stand; And if you extract the precious from the worthless, You will become My spokesman. They for their part may turn to you, But as for you, you must not turn to them.” (Jer15:19)

It is crucial that believers learn how to appraise spiritual things accurately. Those who are born from above have a unique ability to recognize the things that are of God. The believer’s ability to place a value on all things becomes more acute with spiritual maturity.

Paul said that a spiritual man ‘knows’ and ‘appraises’ all things.

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God.” (1Co2:12)

The word ‘know’ is *eido* in Greek. It means ‘to see, perceive, to turn the eyes, the mind, or the attention to anything; to get knowledge of; to be skilled in, or to know the meaning of.”

Then in verse 15, Paul says,

“But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.”

The word ‘appraises’ is *anakrino* in Greek. It means to examine, to ask questions, search, discern, and enquire into, to scrutinize, to sift. In a forensic sense it means to hold an investigation to determine the excellence or the defects of any thing.

The apostle is bringing out the strength and beauty of a believer’s spiritual life. The crown of a believer’s walk is his ability to know that which is of the Lord. It is this spiritual ability that protects a believer from error. Satan cannot successfully mislead a mature child of God.

This brings us to the importance of discernment. The ability to know if a thing is of God is important because the supernatural realm makes up more than the things of God. Satan is a spiritual being. The hallmark of Satan’s work is deception. Paul said,

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this spiritual darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Eph6:12)

We are especially warned that in the last days there will be a great increase of deception at work in the earth. The Lord said that this deception would be so acute that even the very elect will have to maintain a special guard. (Cf. Matt24:24; 1Tim4:1-6; 2Tim3:13.)

To take this a step further, the work of demons is closely linked to the prideful flesh of man. Demons work with fleshly people. And what the fleshly person attributes to God are ‘soulish’ powers that are in cooperation with spirits of darkness. (Cf. Gal 5:19-21)

How do we know if it is a soulish power at work in a person, or if it is truly of the Spirit? When prideful flesh is at work it glories in itself. The balance comes in where God’s people are told to keep a pilgrim attitude about life. We are to hold tightly to Jesus, and loosely to the world. Paul said,

True Biblical discipleship has a spiritual base. It is an outflow of a proper relationship with the Lord. This proper relationship has a heart attitude that is set forth in the word ‘humility.’ We are to live with humble hearts before the Lord, never striving after things of the world. The Lord Himself said that if we will seek first God’s kingdom, and His righteousness, then everything else will be provided for us.

Here are some things that can help you to maintain a proper balance in your walk with the Lord:

First – Keep in view that not all supernatural things are from God. Don’t be afraid of offending the Lord by questioning. Remember that everything the Lord has, the enemy has a substitute.

Second – Understand that anyone can be deceived, if but for a time, even the most devoted of believers, if the believer is ignorant of how Satan works. It is this knowledge that will help keep you on guard.

Third – Learn to trust your own spiritual judgment. This is what the renewing of the mind is about. As we consecrate ourselves to God’s service, we find our ability to judge becoming keener. (Cf. Rom12:1-3)

Fourth – Understand that discernment and testing aren’t necessarily the same thing. You discern by the Holy Spirit. You test by the Word of God. Therefore when you may sense a thing is wrong, don’t ignore that sensing. But the more you become acquainted with God’s Word, the more you will be able to determine why what you sense is wrong. [Be willing to test every experience; dreams, visions, etc., by the Word of God.]

Fifth – Be willing to adjust the way you do things. Even the apostles had to make changes. Peter would not go to Cornelius’ house until the Lord opened his understanding. (Cf. John7:17)

In all this, every believer must study the Scriptures to make sure they have a clear understanding of the gospel message.

The above us just a sample of what you can expect. in our School. There is so much more.

OK, let’s not leave without a song. Here is ‘Sanctuary, by Randy Rothwell…

x
May the Lord richly bless you as you learn the walk of obedience,

In Christ always,

Buddy

Jul

2010

Faith in God’s Word…

“…it is impossible for God to lie … This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil…” (Heb 6:18-19 NASB)

Journal,

One of the greatest changes in my walk with the Lord can be traced to a decision I made in Los Alamos, New Mexico, in 1971. Without going into detail as to why I made this decision, it is enough to say that a decision needed to be made.

I decided that if the Scriptures were absolutely true then no person or institution had the right to make them mean something that they don’t mean. From that moment on I would take God’s Word fully as my guide. I made a covenant with my heart to find out for myself what God’s Word had to say about whatever, and that I would do my best with God’s help to order my life accordingly. It was that decision that put me on the high ground of a faith journey far beyond anything I had ever known. That was almost forty years ago. And yes, I can truly say with David,

“For it is You who blesses the Righteous man, O Lord, You surround him with favor as with a shield.” (Psalm 5:12)

It is amazing how a quality decision concerning God’s Word can absolutely revolutionize a person’s life. From the moment of that decision I found myself entering into a new spiritual domain of adventures and vistas. I also discovered what it meant to have an Abraham-type walk with the Lord. (One-on-one; wholly separated and consecrated to the Lord.)

Yes, I had found the key to life. Jesus said that many will not find it. But it really isn’t that hard to discover. The issue is in application. The key involves the full Lordship of Jesus and in learning to live from the mouth of God.

This was the great lesson behind Israel’s wilderness wanderings. All their trials had a single focus. It is this same focus that God has been trying to teach His people in ages gone by.

Listen carefully and see if you can pick up on the key of life:

“He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.” (Deu 8:3 NASB)

Are you ready to understand? That is what I want to talk about in this journal entry.

So let’s began with...

Instructions from God

The one thing Satan must do to disrupt a Christian’s life is to cast doubt on God’s Word. This is ‘bottom-line’ spiritual warfare. You will find it in play in the garden of Eden. Notice the issue that Satan challenged Eve on —

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Indeed, has God said, “You shall not eat from any tree of the garden”‘?” (Gen 3:1 NASB)

Did you catch it? Has God said?

Satan begins by putting a twist on God’s Word. His goal is to undermine the truth of God. He does this by twisting and turning, by adding to and by taking away, by distorting and by making crooked the straight ways of the Lord.

This is Satan’s primary footing for deception. Satan is called in the Scriptures both a liar and a deceiver. Eve was deceived!

Satan is the source behind sorcery. Sorcery is spiritual rebellion against God by the use of occultic forces. Sorcerers are spiritualists or mediums who work under the false anointing of demons. This very much includes the false prophet. Little do some realize that sorcery includes astrology and other forms of fortune telling, or anything else that seeks to govern our lives aside from faithfully trusting in Jesus Christ.

Sorcery is about control. It is strongly linked to prideful flesh. Paul brings this out when Elymas the magician tries to turn a governing official away from the message of the gospel.

Notice:

“But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze on him, and said, ‘You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?'” (Act 13:9-10 NASB)

When Jesus was confronted by Satan in the wilderness what was the battle about?

“Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down…

“…for it is written, “He will command His angels concerning You; and “on their hands they will bear You up, so that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.”‘” (Mat 4:5-6 NASB)

Satan sets about with manipulation of God’s Word. He is doing much the same as he did with Eve; take things into your own hands rather than listen to the heavenly Father. How often have we fallen for this trick.

However, there is a distinct difference. With Eve there was no written Words. Just the direct instructions from the Lord. Over time the Lord gave us His written Word as an added protection in our walk of faith. It is also in the written Word that we become better acquainted with the Shepherd’s voice. Christian maturity has much to do with learning to hear from God for yourself.

The point is that God has given us words to live by. Join the book to Jesus and you have the keys to living a victorious Christian life. We find this in Paul’s instructions to Timothy:

“…and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2Ti 3:15-17 NASB)

And this brings us to a closer look at…

Distinctions on the Bible

The Bible is a book of redemption but it is also a living book. Genesis actually answers all the fundamental questions concerning God and man. It opens with, “In the beginning [absolute beginning of created things] God created the heavens and the earth.”

The Hebrew word for create is bara. It is never used in any way other than with divine activity. Genesis tells us about God, about the origin of universe, about the creation of man, and the origin of soul. It introduces the issue of sin, and gives us the promise of salvation.

It sets forth the out-calling of Israel and tells of the Messiah who will be the Savior of all mankind. Genesis is the source book from which all the Scriptures flow.

What about Revelations? This book completes God’s holy writ. If you take away Genesis you lose all explanation of heaven, the first earth, the first Adam and the fall. Take away Revelations you lose the completed truth, which is the new heaven, the new earth, man redeemed, and the last Adam.

This is why the book of Revelations concludes with,

“And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.”

The Bible is a living book. It is the only book on this planet that can prove it is from God. It is the only book that records history before it happens. It is the only book that sets forth thousands of prophecies and allows man to see those prophecies fulfilled. It names nations that will rise and fall. It proves its origin in the millions of lives that are radically changed.

Note the following:

“Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, ‘My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure'” (Isa 46:9-10 NASB)

Also,

“He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will.” (Eph 1:9-11 NASB)

The most wonderful thing about the Bible is that it tells it just like it is. It doesn’t brag on human flesh. It tells of a great fall. It tells of a great love. It tells of a great Savior.

But the Bible is especially a living book. You will literally find God speaking to you from the pages of the Bible.

Consider this prophecy that concerns Jesus and those being called out of darkness:

“On that day the deaf will hear words of a book, and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see. The afflicted also will increase their gladness in the LORD, and the needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.” (Isa 29:18-19 NASB)

So, what do we have left? It all has to do with…

The Believing

The most important thing a person can do in life is to take the message of the Bible to heart. There are many voices clamoring for our faith. The voice we must listen to is the same voice that dictated what was to be placed in the written Word. Paul tells us to learn to never exceed what is written.

If we believe wrong, we will receive for the wrong of our beliefs. Destruction always begins where the Word of God is rejected. The prophet said,

“For when the earth experiences Your judgments the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.” [Isa26:9]

What we are to believe has been clearly defined in God’s written Word. Interestingly enough, the written Word can be likened to a path that leads to God’s living Word, which is Jesus Christ Himself.

Just some things to think about. Here is a song that will speak to the deep of your heart. Take time to listen to ‘Glorious Impossible.’

In love with Jesus,

Buddy

Jul

2010

Learn to Live From Heaven’s Wisdom…

“Does not wisdom call … ‘To you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the sons of men. O naive ones, understand prudence; and, O fools, understand wisdom. Listen, for I will speak noble things; and the opening of my lips will reveal right things.

“For my mouth will utter truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the utterances of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing crooked or perverted in them. They are all straightforward to him who understands, and right to those who find knowledge.

“Take my instruction and not silver, and knowledge rather than choicest gold.

For wisdom is better than jewels; and all desirable things cannot compare with her.” (Pro 8:1-11 NASB)

Readers,

This is an entry where you would do well to follow all the Scriptures given. There is nothing more important to believers than to learn to draw on their heavenly life. This heavenly life is set forth in the Scriptures as ‘wisdom from above.’

There are five books in the Old Testament that are called ‘Wisdom books.’ These books are Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Solomon.

To God’s ancient people ‘wisdom’ was a mystery. Wisdom not only meant skillful living, but it meant directives from God. Very early on the sages saw a close connection between God’s wisdom and Light, God’s power and His Word, and with a special view to the coming Messiah.

We see this in David’s prophetic writings.

“For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.” (Psa 36:9 NASB)

In this Scripture we see the hidden Christ as the fountain of life. We also see a reflection on this, when Jesus said,

“I am the Light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the Light of life.” (John 8:12)

David knew that the true wisdom for life could only be found in the heart of God. This is why it is said that David was a man after God’s heart. Actually there were certain things hidden in God that could only be revealed after the cross. David also knew this. And Wisdom was one of the things that was hidden in God.

A Closer Look at Wisdom in the Old Testament

God’s ancient people always connected wisdom with rightness of life. Righteousness to them was defined as ‘right-wise-ness’. Yet wisdom still remained such a mystery.

Follow this reading from Job:

“But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? Man does not know its value, nor is it found in the land of the living. The deep says, ‘It is not in me’; and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’ Pure gold cannot be given in exchange for it, nor can silver be weighed as its price. It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir, in precious onyx, or sapphire.

“Gold or glass cannot equal it, nor can it be exchanged for articles of fine gold. Coral and crystal are not to be mentioned; and the acquisition of wisdom is above that of pearls. The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it, nor can it be valued in pure gold.

‘Where then does wisdom come from? And where is the place of understanding? Thus it is hidden from the eyes of all living and concealed from the birds of the sky. Abaddon and Death say, ‘With our ears we have heard a report of it.’ God understands its way, and He knows its place.” (Job 28:12-23 NASB)

Did you catch it? The wisdom of God is not an earthly wisdom. It is a wisdom that is hidden in God Himself. It is a heavenly wisdom.

Keep the term ‘hidden wisdom’ in view. This heavenly hidden wisdom is going to reappear in the new covenant writings.

The wisdom of God was also connected with creation.

“The LORD by wisdom founded the earth, by understanding He established the heavens.” (Pro 3:19 NASB)

To the ancients this wisdom from God also spoke of salvation and the coming Redeemer:

“The LORD is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness. And He will be the stability of your times, a wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is his treasure.” (Isa 33:5-6 NASB)

Now see where Job speaks of the coming Redeemer:

“As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth. Even after my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I shall see God; whom I myself shall behold, and whom my eyes will see and not another. My heart faints within me!” (Job 19:25-27 NASB)

It is important to keep in mind that Wisdom in the Bible always connects with the very life of God.

Which brings us to the issue of…

Jesus the ‘hidden wisdom’ of God

When Adam sinned against the Lord, he forfeited his life & his wisdom connection with God. Mankind would enter a world dominated by darkness & death.

In the Targums, the sages taught that the original light of creation was to provide wisdom for mankind to live by. When Adam rejected God’s command, the light of wisdom was hidden. It would only come back with the Messiah.

This is where the New Testament writings open up. Most Hebrew people would have understood what John was writing, when he said:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.“ (Joh 1:1-5 NASB)

To a Jewish reader all these statements about the ‘Word’, spoke to them of the Messiah.

New covenant believers are Children of Light.

The terms ‘light’ and ‘darkness’ are expressions that distinguish between those born of heaven and those who are yet in sinful darkness of this present world.

It would do you well to take note of the following Scriptures:

“At that time Jesus said, ‘I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise [worldly wise] and intelligent and have revealed them to infants.’” (Mat 11:25 NASB)

“… giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Col 1:12-14 NASB)

“…rescuing you [Paul’s commission from the Lord] from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.” (Act 26:17-18 NASB)

“Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light.” (Eph 5:6-8 NASB)

“To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.” (Eph 3:8-10 NASB)

“Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” (1Co 2:6-8 NASB)

God’s people are to learn to

Draw on our heavenly wisdom

James describes our heavenly wisdom this way:

“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” (Jas 3:17-18 NASB)

Paul explains that maturity in Christ actually involves learning to live from the wisdom that comes from above. The moment a person is born again they become a citizen of heaven. This means that all our resources in life, all our directives in life, and all our wisdom and skill in life are to come from a heavenly source.

Take note of these Scriptures:

“Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Col 3:1-3 NASB)

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Mat 6:33 NASB)

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Php 3:20 NASB)

“Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (Eph 5:15-17 NASB)

Don’t live beneath your privileges.

Many of God’s children are so caught up in a religious world that they let others do all their thinking for them. They are living far below what a walk with the Lord is all about. .

You will often hear me say this but it is worth repeating…

– Jesus did not come to give us a better religion. He did not come to give us a religion at all. Jesus came to give us a direct relationship with the heavenly Father. Jesus came to teach us how to live from our heavenly life. –

How do I learn to live in my heavenly life? You do this by taking the yoke of Christ upon yourself. Do it as an act of faith. Make a quality decision where you can say without condition, ‘Father, not my will but Yours be done.’

Learn to walk step-in-step with the Lord. This is how we actually draw on His strength and on His wisdom for life.

Here is a song for your meditations – ‘You are the Light of the World.’

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-hgd-9r56k[/youtube]

In Christ always,

Buddy

Jun

2010

It’s a matter of the heart…

Readers,

The word Christian means a follower of Christ. It also includes the idea of an anointed one. Christ in Greek is Christos, which means ‘the anointed One.’ Christianos is the Greek for Christian, or the anointed of Christ.

The word anointing by itself is the word chrisma. All these words share a common root. The anointing that Christians have in their hearts is the Spirit of Christ. Paul says it this way,

“Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Gal4:6)x

And so, it really is a matter of the heart.

The blessed of the Lord

The anointing carries its influence in the life of every believer. It is here that we can draw from another word. Grace is the word charis. Charis means kindness, mercy, or, unmerited favor. It especially speaks of God’s divine presence.

The anointing therefore is God’s influence upon and within and over the heart and soul of a believer. From this divine heart anointing the believer shows himself as a child of God. God’s grace is what puts beauty into the life of the believer. Even in our repentances there will always be a flow of grace in our lives.

In the Old Testament the term, blessed of the Lord, spoke of someone who carried divine favor. This idea is seen in the new covenant in a special way. Paul said,

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” (Eph 1:3)

So, is there a special manifestation of the anointing of Christ in our life? Most certainly there is. Notice the various cognates of the word grace, or, charis. To rejoice is chairo. Joy is chara. Synchairo means to rejoice with.

This anointing in our heart carries a Godly essence of joy, of peace, and of spiritual wellbeing. Jesus said that the joy to be given to us, no man could ever take away. It is this anointed life that we are called to live in.

The prophet Isaiah spoke of the joyful heart that would come with the new covenant;

“Then you will say on that day, ‘I will give thanks to You, O LORD; for although You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the LORD GOD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.’

“Therefore you will joyously draw water from the springs of salvation. And in that day you will say, ‘Give thanks to the LORD, call on His name. Make known His deeds among the peoples; make them remember that His name is exalted. Praise the LORD in song, for He has done excellent things; Let this be known throughout the earth. Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.'” (Isa 12:1-6 NASB)

Garnering insights…

Let’s see if we can garner insights on the inner-life of the person we call ‘Christian.’

The patriarchs and the prophets were called God’s anointed ones. A special anointing oil was made to anoint the priests, and for use in the incense lamp of the holy place. This oil was not to be duplicated or used for any other purpose on penalty of death. The oil was called ‘a fragrance incense.’ Psalm 133 is a description of the priestly anointing.

“A Song of Ascents, of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brothers to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, coming down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard, coming down upon the edge of his robes. It is like the dew of Hermon Coming down upon the mountains of Zion; for there the LORD commanded the blessing–life forever.” (Psa 133:1-3 NASB)

Now compare this to the Christian life in 2 Cor 2:14-17.

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.

“For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life.

“And who is adequate for these things? For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God.” (2Co 2:14-17 NASB)

The Life manifested.

John calls the anointing the Life. He is speaking of eternal life, which refers to the very life of God that was present in Jesus Christ, and has now been given to the saints. (Saints are believers in Jesus.) Follow this with 1 John 1:1-4.

“What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life– and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us– what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.” (1Jn 1:1-4 NASB)

The Christians that John was writing to were being undercut by the Gnostics. Gnostics were heretics who pretended to be the only ones who had God’s special life in them. Believers were suppose to come to the Gnostics in order to receive anything from the Lord.

Now compare 1 John 5:10-13.

“The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son.

“And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1Jn 5:10-13 NASB)

One of the great needs of any new believer is to be made aware of their new life in Christ. They already have eternal life. The apostle John said,

“The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son.

“And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1Jn 5:10-13 NASB)

Realizing the Life anointing

The life anointing first expresses itself as peace in our hearts. The Bible calls Jesus, ‘the Prince of Peace.’ This peace in a believer’s heart is governmental peace. It is the spiritual sign that you are living under the Lordship of Jesus. The peace of God carries with it that inward feeling of joy or of wellbeing. Paul instructed the Colossians believers concerning the peace of God. He said,

“Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

The issue is simple. To be a Christian means that Jesus Christ resides in your heart. His life has become your life. Christians are to live in such a way as to bring glory to Christ Jesus. We are not to defame His name by living a worldly life-style. At the same time we are to express His life by living in the joy and peace of His kingdom. We are to be vessels that flow forth with His life.

Paul explained it this way:

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Gal 2:20 NASB)

How is your heart today? Do you need peace from God. Let the Lord minister to your heart with ‘Peace Be Still’; by Candy Hemphill Christmas.

Much love coming your way,

Just a brother in Christ,

Buddy

Mar

2010

Faith and prayer working together…

“I, the LORD, am your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide and I will fill it.” – (Psa 81:10 NASB)

Journal,

There was a man in England named George Muller who cared for thousands of orphans. He kept a prayer diary. Muller recorded over 50,000 specific prayers that had been answered. The strange part is that Muller never took up offerings. He would only accepted unsolicited free-will offerings for his care of the orphans. He felt that these gifts had to be from the heart or he did not want them.

It was not always that way. Before he met Jesus, George Muller was a drunk, a liar, a thief, and spent time in jail. Naturally the Lord was not pleased with his life. And so Mueller was brought to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as his own Lord and Savior.

But why did George Muller decide to never let his needs for the care of the orphans be made known to anyone other than his staff? It was because Muller took God at His word. He was what we would call a radical believer.

On a personal note, it was George Muller who gave me inspiration to raise up a ministry to be called Christian Challenge International, on the same basis of taking God at His word. The ministry would be built on prayer and faith alone. Here it is thirty four years later and we still do not take up offerings. I have found that God is the God of His Word.

Let’s talk about how prayer and faith work together.

Notice carefully what Jesus had to say about prayer:

“When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.

x

“But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. Pray then in this way…” (Matthew 6:5-9 nasb)

Jesus gave a simple prayer model. The whole sum of the prayer is based upon a personal relationship with the Father. And this is the very thing that George Muller grounded his prayer on. Actually Muller based his prayers on a single Scripture, where Psalm 81:10 says, “I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide and I will fill it.”

Sometimes it only takes one verse to change our whole course of life.

The point is that as sons and daughters of the new covenant, our interchanges with heaven should always be on a heart level and deeply personal. It is to be One on one. The reason is because the new covenant is filled with rich promises that are made literal between the heavenly Father and his children, One on one.

For every believer, the real issue is singleness of heart. And this brings me to the most important element in prayer. It is important to understand that God is not to be separated from His Word. How can a believer have a rewarding walk of faith if he knows so little about God Himself? Faith is believing what God says is true. But if we don’t know what the Word of God says, then our prayers will lack a foundation.

God doesn’t answer our prayers simply because we pray loud and long. Some people have the idea that we have to ‘pray through’ to God, as though our long prayers will eventually obtain God’s attention. That is a sad note on prayer. We are the very children of God. We have His full attention every moment of every day.

The whole purpose of Jesus coming into the world was children!

Paul said,

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; …

x

“…and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” (Eph3:14-21 nasb)

I realize that the foregoing is a lot of reading but it truly lays out the very heart of our childhood in Christ and of prayer. We have a loving Father who has caused us to be born of His very Spirit, and who desires to have true spiritual interchanges with us. The prophet of old said that our Father God longs to be gracious to us. (Is30:18)

And this was the secret that George Muller came to understand.

The second issue with regard to God’s Word and prayer is that the prayer itself is divine communication. We speak to God in prayer. He speaks to us largely through His Word. This is why David said, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your LAW.” [Torah means instructions.]

It is on the basis of divine communication that we begin to understand where our faith really comes from. Paul said that our faith is the result of Christ communicating to our hearts. Jesus said it thus, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (Jn10:27)

The faith we are called to live by is not something that we conjure up. It is not a matter of working five principles of this or seven principles of that. We have a living faith and this living faith is a matter of divine communication, that is, from the heart of God to our heart.

Let me share three reason why we should be devoted to prayer.

First of all, prayer is balm for the soul. It is not merely a matter of who you are praying for. The one who receives the greatest benefit is the person praying. Balm speaks of God’s healing medicine. It is in prayer that our souls become settled with God’s peacefulness.

A second issue is that prayer actually gives the believer power over temptation. This is the major reason Satan does not want believers to pray. The point is that a simple prayer under the Holy Spirit guidance is worth more than a thousand rote prayers. Jesus said to the disciples, “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Mt26:41)

Then the third reason for prayer, is that prayer puts us on God’s page. And this is where I need to tread lightly. In all our teachings on our security in Christ, and of God’s love for us, we must take care that we do not neglect our part in the walk of faith. Knowledge by itself can cause a person to lose their spiritual bearing and become prideful. This was the the major accusation against the church of Laodicea.

Jude said, “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.” (Jude 1:20,21)

This brings me to a great key with regard to prayer in the new covenant.

Where Jude says, “Praying in the Holy Spirit,” he is telling us to pray under the auspices or direct influence of the Holy Spirit. This kind of praying simply speaks of Spirit guided prayers.

Were it not for the Holy Spirit we would be left drifting about in the land of prayer with little knowledge of what we should be praying for. Nor does this mean as some teach, that praying in the Holy Spirit means to pray in an unknown language. That is a grave misteaching of what praying under the influence of the Spirit really means.

God sent the Holy Spirit into the church to be the divine administrator of all that pertains to God’s family and to kingdom business. This is why Paul said, “For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Rm14:17)

Having the Spirit of the Lord in our hearts is the awesome treasure of the new covenant. Jesus said, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” (Jn14:26)

From this the Lord gave us a basic model of simple prayer. He wasn’t give us a rote prayer as some suppose. He was telling us how to honor God in our prayers.

It seems that George Muller found the secret of prayer. Have you found the secret? Just something to think about.

In Christ always,

Buddy

Mar

2010

Potentials of the human spirit…

x”When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained; what is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God, and You crown him with glory and majesty!” (Psa 8:3-5 nasb)

Journal,

When David says, “What is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him,’ place in your thoughts that the term ‘Son of Man’ is also a unique designation for God’s Messiah, that is, the Son of God.

The statement ‘son of man’ has so many reflective truths in it. By extension it speaks of the first Adam. And by extension it also speaks of the last Adam. But it also includes God’s original design and purpose for the whole of the human family.

Oh my, how the human race has fallen. Yet, in Christ we have been redeemed and restored to our rightful place as the sons and daughters of God Most High. And in our unique spectrum of relationship to God Himself, the potential of the human spirit is now beyond measure.

Through our connect to Christ Jesus, and in our learning to live under the auspices of God’s Holy Spirit, the limit of what the children of God can accomplish for God’s kingdom cannot even be fathomed.

Paul called attention this in his letter to the Ephesians:

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.” (Eph 3:20-21)

Does Satan know about all this potential?

Of course Satan knows this. This is why he does all he can to tap into the unredeemed human spirit. Satan goes about to provide the world with a Hitler, and many such like, with false prophets, with false messiahs, with false religions, and finally with an antichrist. According to the Scriptures the antichrist will actually rule the world during a time until he is overthrown at the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Satan in Red, Orange, or Any Old Light by A Quinn Martin Production.

Why is Satan shown with horns? Horns are a Bible symbol of power.

No Satan is not to be feared. However, neither is he to be ignored. Believers are always to be conscious of how the enemy works. And though Satan has already been judged, that full judgment has yet to be carried out. Thus Satan is still called ‘the god of this world’, and, ‘the prince of the power of the air’, and other such titles remain his during this stage of God’s redemption program.

But let’s not be so concerned with Satan in this writing that we lose the essence of what our aim is. Our aim is to talk about…

The potential of the human spirit.

In this case I am directing attention to that child of God who will fully align his heart and life with the Son of God. This is where our potential for kingdom work can be unleashed. And this is where I cannot help but think of two very young men, with their very young wives, who some many years ago set out to become missionaries in Old Mexico. Such faith!

And now this very moment my son, Nathan and Joel Dyke are in south Mexico as speakers of a leadership conference for at least 400 ministers and untold others. Who would have thought that two green boys from small towns in Louisiana, boys who would take their young wives into Mexico many years ago to raise up churches, would be seeing the fruit of their labors to become one of the wonderful branches in God’s Vine that wraps around the world. How great their service to God’s kingdom has become.

Not only did they began new churches among the Indian tribes in South Mexico, but the last church Baptism 17 by yospyn. Joel and Nathan established has now grown to great numbers, has branched out with daughter churches, is sending out their own missionaries, and all the while looks to Nathan and Joel as their spiritual fathers. Such human potential for God.

Is it any wonder that the world hates Christian missionaries? Is it any wonder that the world hates Christians? This is why Jesus instructed us not to be amazed when we find that the world hates us.

Listen:

Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying, ‘What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are–the Holy One of God!'” (Mar 1:23-24)

Note: Did you know that in the Bible, Christians are also called ‘holy ones of God’? What message do demons have for is? ‘Leave us alone!’ ‘Go away!’ ‘We are just doing our job of killing, stealing, and destroying.’ ‘Go to a movie. Go play some games. Don’t get involved with us. Leave these lost souls with us. We aren’t bothering you. Leave us alone! –

Don’t forget to mark these dates…

Don’t miss out on another CCI Jubilee? Jubilee is on its way.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday, March 19 through 20.

The Christian Challenge International 34th Homecoming Jubilee is fast approaching. Friday evening and Saturday morning will be two session in a marriage seminar, titled, ‘Marriage Unleashed!’ Open to anyone but without children.

Sunday is Jubilee! If you have never been to a Christian Challenge Jubilee, you do not know what you are missing. Worship, special singing, testimonies, skits, Joel Dyke as our special speaker, dinner-on-the-grounds. Who knows what else.

Last but not least.

Do you want an example of the human spirit unleashed. Take time to view this video of a five year old blind Korean girl playing the piano. She was taught by God. And listen to her sing as she speaks of God Himself. The subtitles will be in English.

Don’t let life pass you by!

Decide this very moment that you are going to align your heart and life with the kingdom of God’s beloved Son. Let Him know it. Tell Him, ‘Lord, I am beginning today! No more living in the mess of this world. I’m moving up on the high road of a sanctified life!’

What potential to be had between you and the Lord.

In love with Jesus,

Buddy

Feb

2010

Where is the God of Israel…

Jesus Christ by AshraFekry. Journal,

Did you know that the greater part of the citizenry of Israel is secular and not religious. How can that be?

We know that Israel fulfilled prophecy in becoming a nation among nations in 1948. The prophets foretold the gathering of the Jewish people in the latter days. Since all this was written beforehand, how can it be that so many Jews in Israel are either secular, and with a great many who are either atheists or agnostics?

Does that surprise you that many Jews are atheists? According to statistics a full 37% of the people of Israel are either atheists or agnostics. This makes Israel fourth on the list of nations with the highest percentage of atheists.

It is not as if the Bible leaves all this unsaid. The Bible is the only book in existence that records history before it happens. It would not be difficult to give an extended list of Scriptures to show just how relevant all this is to the days that we live in. Rather than do that, we can pick up a Scripture here and there that will make that point well enough. Heroes of Israel by Templar1307.

Now for another surprise. There is a Rabbi in Jerusalem who is very much anti-missionary. Rabbi Tovia Singer of Jerusalem often places an ad in the Jerusalem Post to try to sell his anti-missionary tapes. Listen carefully to the following statement that is part of his ad.

“What Are We Doing Wrong, and What are They doing right? Why Have more Jews Converted to Christianity in the Last 19 Years than in the Last 1,900 Years?”

Now, if I were a Jew in Israel and read such a statement by a noted Rabbi, it would not make me want to buy Tovia’s tapes. It would make me want to look into WHY so many Jews were coming Christian.

The time clock of redemption was set in Jerusalem, 2000 years ago

It began with the rejection of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah and the King of Israel. When they rejected Jesus, they lost citizen rights to being the people of God. There is no kingdom without a king. The Jews who rejected Jesus, became a people without God. This does not mean that the people of Israel no longer figured into God’s plan for the ages. Quite the contrary. Their rejection of Jesus and God’s rejection of them as His people is well noted in Scripture. But also noted in Scripture is their coming to know Jesus as their Messiah.

I realize that the first thing that is thrown at anyone who would place the Jews in a bad light, is the term ‘anti-Semitic.’ But anyone who reads and studies the Scriptures knows how ridiculous that statement is. If someone like me is anti-Semitic, then Moses, the prophets, the apostles, and even Jesus would have to be called anti-Semitic. The very things that I share come from the writings of the Old Testament prophets, and the new covenant apostolic writers.

Actually it all goes back to the first books of the Bible, that is, to the writings of Moses. Moses wrote Genesis.

When Moses was about to leave the earthly scene, he sang a prophetic song over Israel. In this song Moses called attention to the falling away of Israel, of Israels wandering through the nations, of their peril of life, and of Israel’s return. Moses actually lays out the history of Israel. (Found in Deu32),

In his song, Moses says, “They have acted corrupted toward Him, they are not his children, because of their defect; but are a perverse and crooked generation.” (v5) Peter quotes from this verse of the song of Moses on the day of Pentecost.

Moses goes on to call them a foolish and an unwise people from whom He will hide His face. He says that God will make Israel jealous with a people who were not a people. He also says, “Would that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would discern their future.”

When God hid His face

The fact that God would hide His face from Israel is a theme that trances its way through the Bible. God speaks through the prophet Hosea, saying,

I will go away and return to My place until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face; in their affliction they will earnestly seek Me.” (Hosea 5:15)

Recall what Jesus said over Jerusalem? “You will not see Me until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”

Yet there is something else I need to share about Moses. Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible. Did you know that the rest of the Bible including the New Testament actually work out from the books of Moses? If there were no Genesis, the book of Revelation would make little sense, and thus and so.

I wish I had time to take my readers through the entire song of Moses. Hopefully many of you are already picking up on the prophetic elements in this song. But that is not the end of the story of Israel. Paul said,

For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?” (Rom11:15)

Does any of this tell us why Israel is so secular with so many atheists and agnostics among here citizenry? Yes, there is a lot to be said. There are two elements that help to understand this dilemma. For one thing, the Jews are only of late rediscovering Jesus for themselves. For the most part the Jews never knew that Jesus was Jewish and that He and the apostles were ‘sabras.’ (Of the land.) They were led to believe that Jesus was some kind of Roman or Greek God. They are now intrigued with Jesus.

The people are turned off

A second issue is that their rabbis have misled them so often that the people by and large are turned off by the Jewish religion. The Bible also told us this would happen. God spoke through Isaiah, saying,

Therefore behold, I will once again deal marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous; and the wisdom of their wise men [rabbis] will perish, and the discernment of their discernment men will be concealed.” (Isa 29:14)

But one major fact remains — In the heart of the Jew is a vacancy that can only be filled by the God of Israel Himself.

This is why so many Jews are finding Jesus as their Messiah. And this vacancy will be the turning point of the nation. Keep in mind what Jesus said, “Until you say, ‘blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’

The prophet Zechariah told us how this would happen. Israel and Jerusalem are going to face a war in the not too distant future that will bring about this cry for Jesus. I would encourage my readers to read the whole of Zechariah 12.

Listen to this one verse:

I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of Grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.” (Zech12:10)

What will happen to Israel? Paul said that all Israel would be saved. Listen:

For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery–so that you will not be wise in your own estimation–that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “THE DELIVERER WILL COME FROM ZION, HE WILL REMOVE UNGODLINESS FROM JACOB. THIS IS MY COVENANT WITH THEM, WHEN I TAKE AWAY THEIR SINS.” (Rom 11:25-27)

Friends, it began in Jerusalem. It has to end in Jerusalem. And remember the church cannot be fully completed without Israel. Yes it is an enigma. The apostle said, “From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; for the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable.”

Think about it. Here is your song by the Hoppers – ‘Jerusalem’

Much love to be found in Jesus,

Buddy

Feb

2010

The Call of the Eagle’s Heart…

Journal,

The apostle speaks of an upward call that all true believers share in Christ Jesus. It is our heavenward call. But the call also speaks to believers about learning how to live in their upward life.

Let me share a story that best describes this aspect of our heavenly life. Let’s see if you can identify with the eagle’s heart. (The is an old story that has taken many forms. I’ll give it one more form.)

Let’s tag this story…

The Call of the Eagle’s Heartx

Somehow an eagle’s egg became mixed with a number of chicken eggs that had been set aside to be hatched. The little eaglet hatched right along with a brood of chicks. The eagle looked a bit different, but for all she knew she was just another chicken.

Yet something deep in the little eaglet’s heart was restless. She had this tugging in her heart that could not be explained. The eaglet kept stretching her wings. It made the other chicks look at her as an odd ball. But since chickens do very limited flying, the eaglet simply had to accept things as they were.

But it wasn’t just the stretching of her wings. For some strange reason she didn’t like the food that all the chickens were eating.

Now that was a real problem. All the other chickens continuously looked at the ground for bugs or corn or whatever they could find. But this growing young eagle just couldn’t keep her eyes off the sky.

So it happened. As was her habit, one day while looking up at the sky, behold the young eaglet saw some majestic birds soaring on the air currents. She couldn’t explain her feelings. Tears filled her eyes. Her heart-strings were being tugged at. Who are those birds? They sure don’t look like chickens.

She could not get her mind off of the majestic birds. What kind of chickens were they? None of the chickens she knew could fly. In fact the farmer kept their wings clipped so that they could not fly. And it was getting close to the time for the young eagle’s wings to be clipped.

And that is when it happened. One of the majestic birds spotted the young eagle and flew down to check things out. The great eagle said, ‘What are you doing in that chicken pen?’ The young eagle said, ‘This is where all the chickens that I know, live.” The great bird said, ‘You are not a chicken. You are an eagle.’

Something just went off inside the young eagle’s heart. It was like an eruption of all her pent-up emotions. She thought to herself, ‘Is it possible that I am not a chicken?!’

She began flapping her wings as hard as she could. Her feet lifted off the ground but not enough for flying. The majestic eagle said, ‘You are doing it wrong. Come here. Climb on my back. I’ll show you how its done.’

Boy was she nervous. On the majestic eagle’s back she climbed. He spread out his mighty pinions and with a lifting of his wings, off they soared, higher, and higher. The wind flushed through her feathers. How wonderful it felt.

The eagle spoke to the young eaglet and said, ‘Don’t be afraid. Its your turn. You were designed to fly.’ The majestic eagle suddenly did a backward flip and off into nothing went the young eagle. ‘I’m falling! I’m falling!’

‘No you aren’t. Just spread out your wings! You’ll see.’

She spread out her wings and instantly the wind beneath her wings began to lift her up, and fly she did. Upward and upward she flew. She soared and soared and soared. The young eaglet could not believe how easy it was to fly. And, oh the view. She could see forever. The young eagle could not get enough flying. On top of everything else, the eaglet had also found a great family of eagles to be with. They were just like her.

OK, so now you know the story of the eaglet who thought she was a chicken.

No, she never went back to the chicken pen. After all, she was an eagle and eagles are birds of majesty. They are designed to soar in the heavenly places.

How about you – Do you have the heart of an eagle?

If you are one of those who has an eagle heart, then this story has already resonated deep within you. In fact I really don’t need to fill in many blanks. You know full well what the eagle story is about. It is about you and you know it. x

A certain thing happens when a person is truly born again. This certain thing is a discernible awareness that a change has taken place in life. It’s not merely an emotion. This change has a permanent effect. The newly born person now has what can be called ‘God awareness.’ And the interesting thing is that the God awareness doesn’t go away. It is a constant reminder that you were designed for something better. Something higher. You know that there is something missing in your life.

Paul explains it this way,

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God.” He then says, “Which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.” (1 Cor. 2:12,13)

As for the testimony that cannot be refuted, the apostle said,

The Spirit Himself testifies (bears witness) with our spirit that we are children of God.” (Romans 8:16)

Think about it. Is it time for you to learn to fly? Listen to what the prophet had to say about the wings of an eagle:

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power.

“Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” (Isa 40:28-31)

What else can I say that the eagle story doesn’t already address

Read the story again. Listen to its message and its music. The Lord has something to say to you. I am going to leave that between you and Him. After all, I too am an eagle. Why not ask the Lord to teach you how to fly. That is what I did.

If the eagle story has spoken to your heart, please send me a response. I really want to hear from you. Maybe there is something I can share that will help you with your higher-life journey.

In the meantime, listen to this song. It too will speak to your heart. It is titled, ‘The Power of Your Love.’

From one eagle to another, ‘Lift your wings. It is time to fly.’

Forever in Christ Jesus,

Buddy

Christian Challenge

Breaking the Chains of Sin…

Little is much when God is in it…

Fruitfulness in the Kingdom

Faith in God’s Word…

Learn to Live From Heaven’s Wisdom…

It’s a matter of the heart…

Faith and prayer working together…

Potentials of the human spirit…

Where is the God of Israel…

The time clock of redemption was set in Jerusalem, 2000 years ago

When God hid His face

The people are turned off

The Call of the Eagle’s Heart…

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