eternal covenant

Aug

2010

Walking down memory lane – God’s faithfulness…

“Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He will do it.” (Psa 37:3-5 NASB)

Journal,

The single most important factor that will affect a believer’s walk with the Lord has to do with coming to realize the very character and nature of God.

I have loved the Lord deeply the greater part of my life. In fact I answered my call to the ministry at age 24. This month I will turn 70.

Even though I loved Jesus fervently from my heart, I didn’t always understand that much about God’s character. Most of the preaching I had heard was filled with passion but short on teaching on the ways of the Lord, or on discovering the very heart of God. My ministry was molded around what I had heard.

In 1971, I left the full-time ministry. The drain was just too much. So, for the next three years I devoted myself to serious spiritual adjustments. Sure, I preached out and continued my ministry of winning souls to the kingdom, but I also went into business. In my mind being in full-time ministry was a thing of the past.

Those three years became a mile stone in my walk with the Lord. It was during that time that I began to experience the Lord on a level that I never knew existed. What had been a mixed struggle and a strain in my walk of faith, was now becoming a joyful walk filled with stability and grace. The Lord was teaching me His heart. A whole new world was opening up.

It is hard to find a single beginning point for this great turn around in my life. There was so much the Lord was showing me, so much about His nature that I was coming to understand.

But let me draw attention to an incident that sort of set the state. It had to do with what I will call…

God’s Psalm of Life

Here is how it went…

Psalm 37 is what can be called ‘a fullness Psalm.’ It has to do with God’s wisdom for life. Psalm 37 is designed to help shape our faith walk. The essence of this Psalm is that we need to learn to trust the Lord in every circumstance of life. I point to Psalm 37 because it had a major place in reshaping my faith walk those thirty-six years ago.

Here is the story:

It Happened in My Morning Devotion

With my first cup of coffee in place I’m into my morning devotion. That day my devotion brought me to Psalm 37. When I come to verse 4, I read, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

I had to pause. It was like a divine moment was in place. As I sat there looking at that verse, I said a prayer in my heart, ‘Lord, did you mean that?’ That was when I heard in my heart, ‘Try Me and see.’ It was like God had given me an invitation to ask of Him anything that I wanted.

I quietly responded in my heart, ‘Lord, I thank you for my sons. I would like to have a daughter.’ Almost in the twinkling of an eye, I heard once again in my heart, ‘She’s yours.’ That was it. Business had been conducted with the throne of God.

At the time Betty was expecting our fourth child. We had no idea what our next child was to be. The Lord had already blessed us with three sons.

I shared with Betty what the Lord said. Then when I shared this with some of the church members, they gave me this kindly smile, sort of like, ‘Yeah. We’ll see.’ Someone even challenged me on what I shared. It made no difference. I had heard from the Lord.

Well, see we did. The nurse walked down the corridor towards the window where I was standing behind the glass pane. She mouthed to me, ‘It’s a girl.’ The tears of happiness rolled down my face. My heart overflowed with joy. Once again the Lord had shown Himself faithful.

But my happiness was not limited to the fact that we now had a daughter. My happiness wrapped itself around a promise that the Lord had given me. The Lord had given me His Word.

For some reason this learning experience was different this time. The Lord had often shown me things. I’ve had dreams and visions. I’ve had the Lord put in my heart things that were going to happen. And they did. So what made this event so different? This time there was a direct connection with a promise written in God’s sacred Word. The Lord said that if I would delight in Him, that He would give me the desires of my heart.

What was the great lesson I was learning? Iwas learning that you cannot separate God from His Word, and that a life of faith must have an anchor. The anchor for our faith journey is to be based entirely upon the promises of God.

I was learning that everything I would ever need in life, to live by and to carry out God’s work had already been provided. God even put His provision in written form, the Bible. My entire faith journey was to be a outworking of God’s promises. The Bible is a book of living words.

Jesus Himself said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.”

Did the Lord stop dealing with me by dreams and visions and other directives in my heart? Not at all. What I had now was a deeper appreciation for God’s holy book. I found that the Bible is given to us as a guidebook that God uses to instill His promises into the deep of a believer’s heart.

Oh yes, the Bible is much more than a book of facts where we can collect information and argue doctrine. When the Holy Spirit moves on God’s Word and begins ministering to our heart, it then becomes a living book.

And this, my friend is the essence of the new covenant. Listen carefully to how God’s prophet describes the covenant of Christ:

“’Behold, days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,

“… not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,’ declares the LORD.

“‘But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will put My law [Torah means ‘instructions’] within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

“They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, “Know the LORD,” for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,’ declares the LORD,

“‘…for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.’” (Jer 31:31-34 NASB)

I broke the afore Scriptures into paragraph portions because I wanted you to read each segment on its own. God writes His instructions upon our heart.

And so not long afterwards, the Lord open the gate to miracle land for me and my family.

We walked through the Gate right into of Miracle Land

Do you remember what the Lord said about the gate and the narrow? Listen:

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Mat 7:13-14 NASB)

I’m not sure the Lord was simply referring to salvation itself. Salvation is not that hard a matter. It reduces itself down to a matter of repentance and calling upon the name of the Lord. No, it seems to me that the Lord is speaking of how we can learn to live in the life that He has for us.

In our case one more step was needed. At the end of my three years of spiritual adjustment, I made a contract with God. My heart was filled with the things of heaven. But there was something that I needed to do. I realized this sounds strange but the Lord Himself had drawn me to this place.

I made a contract with God

This was my contract – I told the Lord that I would go anywhere He wanted me to go, and I would do anything He wanted me to do, that my life was no longer mine to direct. But there were two things that I wanted from Him. 1st, I ask the Lord to tell me personally what He wanted me to do and not send someone else to tell me. And, 2nd, I must have my wife.

In such a short time the Lord opened to us the gate to miracle land. He had accepted my contract. Betty and I, along with our sons and our new daughter were back into full-time gospel ministry. That was 1975.

Oh yes, there were many more lessons to learn, but into miracle land we ventured. Now we had the answer to every need, to every trial, to every circumstance that would come our way. We were experiencing God’s character, God’s heart, and God’s faithfulness.

I wish I had time and space to share more on our journey into miracle land. But alas, the story is still being written.

Now let’s hear from Peter:

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. (everything has already been provided for.)

“For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” (2Pe 1:2-4 NASB)

Did you catch it? Living by faith is nothing less than living on His precious and magnificent promises. The land of faith is also called the land of promise. You don’t earn the promises. You are an heir of the promises.

Listen to how Paul adds to this:

“For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us–by me and Silvanus and Timothy–was not yes and no, but is yes in Him. For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.” (2Co 1:19-20 NASB)

The Lord God has laid out before us great and mighty promises. We are the heirs of those promises.

Here’s the problem. How can you live by the promises of God if you don’t know what they are? Living by faith is not living by our feelings, or emotions, or ‘I hope so’, or, some esoteric experience, and so on and on. Living by faith has to have an anchor. It has to have a divine connection with the Lord Jesus Himself.

The anchor of the faith walk will always center on the Word of God. We are to believe in, and live from the promises of God. We are the very heirs of God and of all the Christ promises.

What more can I say. I shared just a bit of my walk down memory lane. I’ve had so many people ask me to write a book about the things I learned. But how can I do that. The book has already been written.

Have you made your full surrender? Here is a song. Let it speak to your heart.

Think about it.

Always your servant in Christ,

Buddy

Jul

2010

The voice of the blood…

“And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, ‘KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.'”

(Rev 19:16 NASB)

Readers,

David often spoke of the Lord as his God and as his King. He also identified the coming Messiah in terms of a King, and also as Lord and God.

Consider just a few statements from David:

“Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!” (Psa 2:12 NASB) — This Psalm is quoted from by the apostles in Acts 4, with regard to Jesus as the anointed King. —

“The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.’ The LORD will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying, ‘Rule in the midst of Your enemies.'” (Psa 110:1-2 NASB) — Quoted by Peter with a view to Jesus being exalted to the Father as King —

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of joy above Your fellows.” (Psa 45:5-7 NASB) — Quoted in the book of Hebrews with regard to the exaltation of Jesus. —

“Who is the King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O gates, and lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah.” (Psa 24:8-10 NASB) — With a view to the second coming of Jesus as the King of glory —

A King is exactly who Jesus is

While we readily acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we must always keep before us that He is a King and has a kingdom. A King is exactly what Jesus is. And in order for a king to rule, he must have a kingdom.

The term kingdom (basileia) in Greek speaks of sovereignty, or power. In an abstract sense it refers to the power exercised by a king. So the kingdom of God refers to God’s direct ruling power. The kingdom of God is a kingdom of great power.

Now we turn to Jesus. Follow carefully the conversation between Pilate and Jesus. In questioning Jesus, Pilate becomes frustrated. His wife had had a dream about Jesus and warned Pilate not to do Him any harm.

Pilate says,

“Are you the King of the Jews?”

Some think that Pilate asked this in jest. I don’t believe this is the case. Pilate is too disturbed to be joking around.

The Lord responds,

“Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?”

Pilate is confused. He responds,

“I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?”

It is here that Jesus begins to explain His kingdom. Listen carefully;

“My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”

Jesus says His kingdom is not an arrangement or an adornment to be seen with the eyes. It is not a worldly kingdom.

Then the Lord adds,

‘My kingdom is not of this realm.’

The word ‘enteuthen’ (realm) means His kingdom is not from here, or, on this side.

Pilate responds,

“So You are a king?”

What Jesus says next puts His kingdom rule into its spiritual essence.

“You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” (Cf. John 18:33-37)

A kingdom not of this world

Now we come to the crux of the matter. If the kingdom of Jesus Christ is not of this world, then His subjects must not be of this world.

The Lord points out that only His subjects are able to hear His voice.

And the Lord says His kingdom is all about truth.

Now we have all the elements that describe the Lord’s kingdom.

(1) His kingdom is not of this world.

(2) His subjects are not of this world.

(3) Only His subjects hear His voice.

(4) His subjects do not fight. (Not in the sense of worldly kingdoms. Their weaponry is not of the flesh.)

(5) His kingdom is about Truth.

What does this tell us up front? It tells us that the kingdom of Jesus Christ cannot be put in religious terms. Religion is what man does. Relationship and reality is what God does for us in Christ.

Hence the dilemma —

If His kingdom is not of this world, and His subjects are not of this world, and only His subjects can hear His voice, and His kingdom is about Truth, and His subjects do not fight, how can we ever expect to recognize His kingdom? How can anyone find it? How can anyone enter into it?

Every born again person knows the answer to this or they would not be born again. The only way to enter into what Paul calls ‘the kingdom of His Beloved Son,’ is to have a personal invitation from the King. And the only way to be born again is to take to yourself Jesus Christ as your own Lord and Savior and King.

Thus we have the gospel message. Many people are not aware of just how powerful the gospel really is. The gospel is an official message from God’s heavenly kingdom and in the gospel is a personal invitation from the King to His kingdom. The gospel carries in it the voice of the King.

I Have a Message from the King

We were on our way to a village in Honduras near the border of Guatemala. As we were nearing the village, I asked the Lord what He wanted me especially say to the people. He placed on my heart to begin my message by saying, ‘I come to you as an ambassador of the kingdom of God, and I have a message for you from the King.’ That was the first thing that came out of my mouth. A stillness settled over the crowded building. I began sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Then it happened – An old Indian stood up and began to make his way towards me. Once again I stood amazed at the power of the gospel. The old Indian heard the voice of the King. He was making his way to accept God’s invitation to enter the kingdom of His beloved Son. He was ready to give his heart to Jesus.

This brings us to the blood of the King

To enter into the kingdom of the beloved Son, you must have an invitation. This is the job of the servant of God and of the Holy Spirit. The invitation is sent through God’s servants in the gospel message.

Jesus said,

“And He [the Holy Spirit], when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” (Joh 16:8 NASB)

In the gospel comes God’s invitation to the kingdom of His beloved Son. And here comes the issue of the blood. The blood speaks to the throne of God. First, as a person turns from their former master Satan, and thus receives Jesus Christ as Lord, and Savior, and King, something marvelous takes place in their heart.

Listen very carefully to Peter:

“…according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1Pe 1:2-5 NASB)

Every statement that Peter makes is without measure. Let me paraphrase just a bit —

Our salvation is in accordance with God’s divine plan and foreknowledge. The Holy Spirit separates us apart to Jesus. The moment we gazed upon Jesus with our heart, the moment we hear Him calling to us, the moment we respond and acknowledge Jesus as our Lord, Savior, and King, at that very moment the Holy Spirit takes of the divine blood of Jesus, sprinkles it on our heart, and we through this sprinkling become born-from-above people who are not of this world. We become the born-of-the-blood children of God, blood bought, blood sprinkled, blood sealed, and forever under the presence of the blood of the King. This is why Peter said that we are of a royal priestly. (Kingly priests are a family of royalty.) Paul said that the one joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him.

What does the blood of the King speak over us? It speaks mercy and grace. You may be concerned with the idea of the blood of Jesus speaking. Listen:

“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.” (Heb 12:22-24 NASB)

Abel’s blood cried our for vengeance against his brother Cain. The blood of Jesus speaks from the finished work of the cross. It speaks of mercy and truth and grace and forgiveness and love and acceptance.

This is why we sing,

‘What can take away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.’

A invitation of life.

The world has a standing invitation.

John says,

“He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” (John 1:11,12)

The word ‘receive’ in Greek, is ‘paralambano.’ It means to take someone to yourself or to your heart. We get the idea from the wedding vow, where the minister says, “Do you, Bill, take Susan to be your wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, etc.”

The minister is asking Bill if he will take Susan to his heart and life in holy union. This is what receiving Jesus means. It is a thing of the heart. It is a thing of union. It does require a confession of faith. It has to be stated. This is why the early Christians were known as, ‘The people of the great confession.’

It is important to understand what John says about believing. Our salvation is not based on some emotional experience. It is based on an open declaration of faith in Jesus Christ. Believing in the Bible is something you do with your heart and nut just with your mind.

John says,

“Even to those who believe in His name.”

The Greek word for believe, that is, ‘pisteuo’, means to put faith in a person, to rely on, to trust in, to adhere to. (It is the Greek word that we get our English word ‘glue’.) To believe in His name means to accept who Jesus really is, that is, to believe in the full message of the gospel, and in His authority. We actually believe into life.

What happens when a person takes to themself Jesus Christ? They are born into the kingdom of God’s Son. Paul says a kingdom transfer takes place;

“For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.” (Col 1:13)

What about the truth part and the voice part?

Well, I’ve covered this quite a bit. The gospel is a message from heaven. It carries all the authority and power that is needed to cause a person to be born again. This is why Paul said,

“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”
(Word, or rhema, speaks of a living voice.)

The word ‘Truth’ in Greek, speaks of the reality that is behind an appearance. To realize truth is to become fully cognizant of the Person and Presence of Jesus Christ. Jesus said,

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.”

When a person is born from above, that birth brings a new spiritual reality into their life. The realness does not go away. It will be there from day, to day, to day.

His voice also speaks of the Lord’s Kingly ministry. The issue of Jesus being our King is very real to a believer. And hearing His voice is also very real. Jesus explained it this way;

“I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.”

And again,

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” (Cf. John 10)

Where do we go from here?

How about a song. I always love to finish each of my entries with a special song.

Much love,

Buddy

Jul

2010

Crucified to the world…

“But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. Amen.” (Gal6:14-16)

Readers,

I want to draw attention to the essential issue of the new covenant. The cross of Christ resulted in a new creation. Every person of the new creation is sealed in Christ with the seal of redemption. That seal can only broken by God and this He will not do. Paul says that we cannot be separated from God’s love. All who belong to Christ have an eternal seal.

When Paul says, “But may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,” he is giving a summation of true Biblical Christianity.

I like the way it is translated in the NLT:

“As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died.” (Gal 6:14 NLT)

The summing up of those who have been to the cross is two fold:

(1) Our interest in the world has been crucified.

(2) The world’s interest in us has died.

That City on Mount Zion

This is why so many of our Christian songs are about the cross and about heaven. We sing as pilgrims on a journey. We sing with longings in our heart for the city of God.

Our confession is that we are not of this world. And with the saints of old we are reaching forward to what lies ahead.

We bear witness in our heart to the cross.

Paul was a pilgrim. Abraham was a pilgrim. David was a pilgrim. Buddy Martin is a pilgrim. How about you. Are you a pilgrim?

Hear what the Bible says about God’s pilgrims:

“…they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.” (Heb 11:16 NASB)

Before reading any further take a moment to listen to one of our pilgrim songs. It is titled, ‘When I Reach That City’.

The Seal of Eternity

The new creation has been sealed in Christ for eternity. This is why the Bible accords our salvation as an eternal redemption. The Bible speaks of salvation as eternal life.

Paul addresses our redemption in Christ:

“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation–having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” (Eph 1:13-14 NASB)

Did you notice that heaven’s seal is based on one premise alone? It is the premise of believing in Jesus Christ. The word ‘believe’ in the Bible involves a heart connection that cannot be broken. It is with our hearts that we connect with Jesus.

“Having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise.”

The covenant of Christ…

The covenant of Christ supersedes and does away with the Law of Moses. The new covenant is for a distinct people.

The Jews outside of Christ based their salvation upon two things: being lineal descendants of Abraham, which leaves much to be desired, and doing the works of the Law, which no one ever did or could do or can do.

You can’t just pick one part of the law that you want to keep and leave the rest untouched. The Law carried a requirement and a curse. The requirement pertained to keeping the whole law. Failure to do so places one under the curse of the law.

The Judaisers followed behind Paul wherever he went, attempting to destroy his gospel message of grace. This is what Paul is referring to when he called for a curse upon those who preach a gospel other than that which the apostles had been given to preach, that is, the gospel of grace. If you don’t know for certain what the apostles actually preached, then note these Scriptures:

“But what does it say? ‘The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’–that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Rom 10:8-9 NASB)

“But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!” (Gal 1:8 NASB)

Did you make the connection?

The Judaisers of Paul’s day were telling Gentile believers that they had keep the law of Moses, which essentially meant they must become Jews through circumcision in order to be saved. They were distorting God’s grace message to the world.

Grace is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help us God

There is no way under God’s blue heaven than a person can merit salvation. The apostles made this very plain. The prophets made this very plain. The apostle says,

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Eph2:8,9)

Isaiah said,

“For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” (64:6)

This brings us to the cross.

Listen to those awful words.

“Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” (My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”)

Finally we hear in the final gasp of the Lord,

“It is finished!”

Those words made heaven and earth tremble. The skies darkened. The curtain in the temple ripped in two. The sins of the whole world were now laid on Jesus.

What was finished? The cross fulfilled God’s work of redemption. The sacrifice was offered! From the cross they carried Jesus to the tomb. From the tomb He resurrected and ascended into glory. Out of this would come our completed salvation. This is true gospel.

This is our completed salvation. God made no mistakes. He has saved forever all who have come to faith in Jesus. No one can be any more saved that what the Scriptures tell us.

Listen with your heart:

‘But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (Eph 2:4-6 NASB)

Here is another ‘did you catch it’?

Even when we were dead in our transgressions…

He made us alive together with Christ.

(By grace you have been saved)

And raised us up together with Him

And seated us with Him in the heavenly places.

Notice that all of this is past tense. Believers are not merely going to be saved. We are already as saved as saved can be. This is what ‘seated with Him in the heavenly places’ means.

God is at work

And this is why the term ‘new creation’ is the center piece of God’s new covenant in Christ. It is all God’s work. The new creation has already been raised up. We are a heavenly people, adorned in earthly bodies. One day all that will change.

Now take note of how the book of Hebrews begins its closure:

“Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead 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.” (Heb13:20,21)

Notice who is doing the works in the believer? God works in us that which is pleasing in His sight. God Himself equips us to do His will. This is why it is so important to give your brother and sister breathing room to do what the Lord has for them to do.

And this is where we must be careful with our language, our accusations, or our condemnations. No one can condemn those for whom Christ died. Paul said we are to walk by this rule.

Remember the rule?

“For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision (religious works), but a new creation. And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them.”

Paul’s point is that a person is either born from above as part of God’s new creation, or they are not part of God’s new creation. If they are part of God’s new creation, then you will see heaven’s influence in this person. When Paul says, “Neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision,” he is stating that the former covenant has no jurisdiction over anyone in the new covenant.

The reason for this great change is that in the new covenant every born again person is given the nature of Christ. God deals directly with our nature. Certainly believers can sin, but sin is contrary to their nature. When we sin, we have this grieving in our spirit. What is it that grieves in us. It is the Holy Spirit, by whom we were sealed for the day of redemption.

The work of the cross is to remove believers from their former state of being, to place them into a new state of being, and to cause believers to know the Lord personally.

Are you carrying the imprint of the cross —

True believers cannot give up their testimony of faith. We are His witnesses. Our life began at the cross. We are a new creation. There is no witness on earth greater than this, and Satan knows it. We bear witness to the power of the cross.

So I guess the only questions left are these —

Has your interest in the world been crucified?

Has the world’s interest in you died.

Just something to think about.

Always in Christ,

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

Dec

2009

Honoring God with first fruits…

“Honor the LORD from your wealth and from the first of all your produce; so your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine.” (Pro 3:9-10 nasb)

Journal,

Ever had a burn out hearing about ‘paying’ tithes? Actually no one in the new covenant is supposed to ‘pay’ tithes. Though the word tithe is a Bible term, it cannot be applied to the new covenant in the same sense as it is found in the covenant of Moses. I think this area of ‘paying tithes’ is likely one of the most misunderstood issues today.

Here’s snippets of the Scriptures most often used for the ‘paying’ the tithe:

“Will a man rob God … You are cursed with a curse … ‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.'” Mal3:8-10)

Now that I have your attention, let’s look at another term that speaks more in line with how believers can honor the Lord in the new covenant. The term ‘first fruits’ speaks to honoring the Lord, but it must be understood correctly.

The struggle folk often have is wondering where a tithe fits in the new covenant. Actually it doesn’t fit, not in the sense of what it relates to under the law of Moses. No one has to tithe to be saved. Next we hear, ‘But wouldn’t NOT tithing put us under a curse?’ The simple answer is, no. The Law of Moses is not the instrument of righteousness for God’s people of the new covenant. Jesus alone is our righteousness.

Yet, the apostle says that the Law of Moses is good if we learn to use it lawfully. Using it lawfully speaks of learning to view the Law through the lens of the new covenant. This simply means that the Law does contain certain principles of guidance that we can appropriate into our walk with the Lord. These principles of guidance pertain to life itself. They are not simply a matter of which covenant they belong to.

A place to begin is where Paul says that the curse placed upon a non-performance of the Law of Moses is removed in Christ. The Law of Moses was a separate covenant given only to the nation of Israel. Even at that, the Law was nailed to the cross. This means that the Law as a covenant is no longer in effect.

If the curse has been removed, what then remains? What remains is the blessings of the Lord, that is, the blessings that belong to a walk of righteousness. But even the blessings have to be understood properly.

This is where the term ‘first fruits’ takes on a special meaning for new covenant believers. Listen to the Sage:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes … Honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all your produce; so your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine.” (Pro3:5-10)

Did you catch it The issue of first fruits is an issue of honoring the Lord from one’s heart. This is what the first fruits is teaching. The apostolic writer said that in the new covenant, God places His laws into our minds and writes them on our hearts. What laws is he speaking of. Certainly not the Law of Moses. (Heb8:10)

The laws the Holy Spirit writes in our hearts are the laws of learning how to live. They are laws of life. Listen to these New Testament Scriptures: (Pay close attention to the words in ‘CAPS’. They are for emphasis only.)

“Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure–pressed down, shaken together and running over. FOR BY YOUR STANDARD OF MEASURE IT WILL BE MEASURED TO YOU IN RETURN.” (Luke 6:38. Notice how the Lord says our returned ‘blessings’ are measured by our own measure of giving.)

Another:

“The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him. Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.” (Gal6:6,7. God expects His servants to be provided for. To be a receiver of good teaching with no regard to blessing the teacher is something God does not overlook.)

And again:

“This I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. EACH ONE MUST DO JUST AS HE HAS PURPOSED IN HIS HEART, NOT GRUDGINGLY OR UNDER COMPULSION, FOR GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.” (2Co9:6-8. In this case the giving is in regard to helping others who belong to the Lord.)

What we need to key in on is that giving must always be in accordance with our heart. Our giving is never to be grudgingly, or under compulsion.

See where the struggle comes in? The laws of life don’t swing back and forth according to the covenants. Spiritual laws are always in place. One of the greatest of God’s laws is the law of sowing and reaping. The difference in the new covenant is that the Holy Spirit teaches us how to give, what to give, where to give, and when to give. It will always be a thing of the heart. If it is not in your heart to give, then don’t give.

However, you also need to be forewarned. Don’t expect the blessings of the giver if you have not learned to be a giver yourself. So ask yourself these questions; ‘Am I having all sufficiency in everything?‘ Or, ‘Do I have an abundance for every good deed?’ ‘Or am I living on barely get along avenue?” Keep in mind what Paul said about not being deceived.

A young couple in our church shared this testimony. They were into tithing on a regular basis. But things were slipping. They would wait until everything else was paid, then they would write a check to Christian Challenge. Even at that, some times they would hold on to their tithe checks for a while just to make sure things balanced out right.

Their ears perked up over something that Nathan or I had said by way of a passing remark. They went home and talked about whether they were honoring the Lord, as they should. This is where they made a decision. From that moment on the very first check they would write would be their first fruits. It would be on the gross and not on what ever was left after taxes. (I’m simply relating a testimony. Not telling you to do anything.)

Guess what? They got so excited. The very next week the blessings began to roll in. They started naming the things that began to happen to their finances. It was as if the windows of heaven had opened.

Here is the lesson. What the Bible teaches is that we should always sow with a view to righteousness. Jesus told us not to judge by appearance, but to judge with righteous judgment. This means that we must let the Lord lead us in what is right in His sight. We do this by learning to listen to Him.

So what do we have left? Perhaps this – It is crucial to understand that righteousness is not simply a confession we make because our salvation in Jesus Christ is completed. Yes, our salvation is complete in Christ. However, righteousness is also a path that we learn to walk in. It is a way of living. Do you want to be a wise man or woman? Learn to walk in the ways of the Lord.

With this in mind, never think that simply giving from first fruits is going to be a cure all for everything in life. It does not work that way. There may be other issues that need to be considered. The apostle said that we must examine ourselves to make sure we are in the faith.

Why not begin by counting your blessings. And in doing this, ask the Lord if He has any special directions for your life. He has promises to lead you in the paths of righteousness. After all, He is your Father.

So I will simply leave you with what the apostle told his young disciple:

“Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” (2Ti 2:7)

Here is your song for today:

Your servant in Christ,

Buddy

Dec

2009

Speaking in other languages

“Indeed, He will speak to THIS people through stammering lips and a foreign tongue, He who said to THEM, ‘Here is rest, give rest to the weary,’ and, ‘Here is repost,’ but THEY would not listen.” (Isa 28:11,12 NASB)

Journal,

The subject of speaking in a foreign tongue is one of the most controversial and often one of the most contentious subjects to be found today. Hopefully I can share some things that will help give understanding to the Biblical subject of speaking in other languages.

First let’s consider the above Scripture where the prophet Isaiah calls attention to speaking in a foreign tongue. Here are the terms we need to note:

‘He will speak to THIS people.’ The Isaiah prophecy is specific to a single people group, the Jews.

“He who said to them, ‘Here is rest, give rest to the weary.'” Jesus is the one who called attention to God’s rest to be found in Him.

‘But they would not listen.’ Reflects on the leaders in particular rejecting Jesus Christ as Lord and Messiah of Israel.

Which brings us to Pentecost, 33 a.d.

Jews once again gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish pilgrim festivals. They came from many cultures and nations. They spoke many different languages.

However, this Pentecost would be different. It would be the ushering in of God’s new eternal covenant in Christ.

Suddenly a sound like a rushing wind filled the temple complex. A band of 120 men and women began speaking of the glory of God in the varied languages of the multitudes.

A question stirs through the crowd of worshippers,

“How is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born?’

Thus we see the miracle of speaking in foreign languages with the prophecy of Isaiah coming to pass. The speaking in tongues on that day of Pentecost had a defined purpose. The Rest Giver had come.

The Promised Rest Giver.

From long ages past there had been a deep hunger in the hearts of God’s people to find the promised rest from their painful labors. This longing is described in the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament as, ‘the desire of the nations.’

When Noah was born, they wondered if he was the Rest Giver.

“Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and became the father of a son. Now he called his name Noah, saying, ‘This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our handsarising from the ground which the LORD has cursed.” Gen 5:28-29 nasb

But Noah was not the Rest Giver. Only God could do that. We catch just a glimpse of this when Moses was speaking with the Lord God.

‘Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found favor in Your sight, let me know Your ways that I may know You, so that I may find favor in Your sight. Consider too, that this nation is Your people.’ And He said, ‘My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.’“

Why is this language of, ‘I will give you rest,’ so hauntingly familiar? It is because we are hearing the voice of the Rest Giver. Now hear it from Jesus:

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Mat 11:28-30

And so the purpose for speaking in other languages on the day of Pentecost was to call attention that Jesus Christ was the promised ‘Rest Giver.’

This day of Pentecost was a fulfillment to what had been written by the prophet Isaiah. The Messiah had come, died on the cross, was buried, resurrected, and ascended into heaven. When Peter stood up to preach, he drew attention to the ancient prophets in declaring that Jesus was the Christ of God.

Additional Background on Speaking in Tongues

It should be understood, however, that through the centuries the Church has placed little attention on speaking in tongues. The early church accepted tongues as one gift among many. But this still leaves us with unanswered issues concerning speaking in other languages. Here is where we can take time to understand some Greek terms that relate to speaking in foreign languages.

The term ‘glossolalia‘ was introduced into English in 1879. It comes from glossais lelein, a term used in the New Testament, meaning “To speak in [with or by] tongues.” From this comes the expression, ‘the gift of tongues.’ The precise term ‘gift of tongues’ does not occur in the Scriptures.

One early Christian writer used the Greek term ‘glossomania‘ to describe the insane speech of Greek philosophers. The philosophers would jabber and babble in a way that made no sense whatsoever.

The Greek ‘akolalia‘ had to do with the perceived hearing of another language even when one was not spoken.

‘Echolalia‘ speaks of an agitated repetition of the words of another.

‘Idiolect‘ refers to a glossolalic dialect peculiar to an individual. Televangelists made this term popular by calling it a ‘prayer language.’

Then we have ‘exnoglossia.’ This word was coined in 1905, to describe a spiritualist medium, who, in a trance, wrote in modern Greek, without having knowledge of that language.

Now we see that there is a problem that has to be addressed. The problem is that ‘speaking in tongues is not peculiar to certain Christian groups. Speaking in tongues is a known phenomenon from around the world. You find it in Mormon history. You find it with Hindus and Muslims. It is found it in African occultic religions.

Here is a quote from the Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, page 336;

“Spiritualistic glossolalia and related phenomena among spiritual mediums were among the first studied by psychologists near the beginning of the twentieth century. … Pathological glossolalia is known to medicine and psychiatry, the result of such causes as organic neurological damage, effects of drugs, or psychotic disorders. Schizophrenic disorders have furnished examples of glossolalia. Most relevant to Christian glossolalia are clearly reported cases of pagan glossolalia, both ancient and modern…. [Glossolalia] was used sparingly among American Indians but was widespread in African tribal religions.”

Paul likely ran into some of this pagan speaking in tongues. When he wrote the Corinthian Church, some of the background for the problems of this Church actually was pagan glossolalia. Less than 50 miles from Corinth, was Delphi. An inquirer would be brought into the presence of a young woman, a priestess of Apollo, who was said to possess a “pythonic spirit.” The priestess would speak in tongues and a male prophet would interpret. Paul may have had this in mind when he said,

“You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led.” (1Co12:2)

Let’s consider the Biblical position.

There is no question that speaking in tongues on the day of Pentecost was a supernatural act of God. There have also been documented cases in Church history where missionaries have found themselves able to speak in the language of a primitive tribe, having had no knowledge of their language.

It is also possible that the Lord intended to bring this gift forward at different points in history to meet a purpose at the time. Paul seems to indicate such may be the case. He said,

“Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.” (1Co13:8)

The Greek word for cease is pauo. This is where we get our English word pause. Pauo means to make cease, or to no longer be stirred, or to idle or unemployed. In context, Paul is using terms that point to a maturing factor.

Some say Paul is speaking of heaven. This may be the case, but it is odd that Paul’s entire teaching takes its center on ‘maturity.’ He may have been telling the Corinthian believers not to overly concern themselves with the Delphic oracles. He also tried to place speaking in tongues as a less important gift in comparison to other gifts. He says,

“When I was a child, I use to speak as a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.” (1Co13:11)

My encouragement for any child of God is not to take speaking in tongues beyond Scriptural precedents. When the apostles preached the gospel, they saw no need to put an emphasis upon speaking in tongues.

The Acts of the Apostles is conclusive in this regard. The three recorded times that people spoke in other languages, were all sovereign acts of God. They were in a group setting. And each time it was unexpected. And Acts covers over 35 years of early Church history.

In all this each believer needs to reach their own conclusions.

Finally a call for caution

A major study by K. G. Meador and other researchers reported in a monthly journal of the American Psychiatric Association, that the rate of major depression in Pentecostals was three times greater than in any other religious affiliation.

(Pentecostal is a general term for any group that places a great stress on esoteric experiences and in particular on speaking in tongues. The study covered several thousand cases.)

I have seen that when an undue emphasis is placed on speaking in tongues it can cause mental and spiritual disturbances in a person that is not healthy. Paul tried to warn the Corinthians about putting too much stress on the supernatural.

“But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by is craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.

“For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.” (2Co11:3,4)

What are we left with? Perhaps the way to deal with the gift of speaking in other languages is to make sure that we are following clear Biblical instructions. Paul said,

“All do not speak in tongues, do they?”

He then went on,

“But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I show you still a more excellent way.” (1Co12:30,31)

What did he mean, ‘a still more excellent way?’ Paul went on to outline the walk of love. He said that when everything else fails, love will stand the test of time. He said,

“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”

Just some things to think about

Always in Christ,

Buddy

You can send a private email to me with this form:

Dec

2009

What happened to your hand…

Journal Readers,

I am going to share some things in this entry that most folk are not aware of. For instance did you know that under Talmudic Law there is a curse placed upon the reading of the book of Daniel?

May the bones of the hands and the bones of the fingers decay and decompose, of him who turns the pages of the book of Daniel, to find out the time of Daniel 9:24-27, and may his memory rot from off the face of the earth forever. – Talmudic Law, p978, Section 2, Line 28)

Why the curse? Other than Isaiah 53, the writings of Daniel have brought more Jews, including rabbis, to Jesus than any other OT Scriptures. Daniel 9:24-27 gave the exact timing for Messiah. The Rabbis knew this. When Jesus did not appeal to their leadership, they tried to hide Daniel from the people. This is one reason John the Baptist and Jesus called them, ‘a brood of vipers.’

The book of Daniel was written about 530 B.C. As with many of the OT prophecies, Daniel was written in prophetic perfects, which means it was as though the prophet was actually seeing what was happening.

Without going into detail, here is the prophecy that gave concern to the rabbis.

“So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.” (Dan 9:25-26)

I don’t wish to take up time to explain these times of weeks. The Jews readily understood them to mean years. This is why there was such a movement towards John the Baptist to be baptized in preparation for Messiah. But there was also another vision that Daniel had that revealed the Messiah in His lifting up and in His receiving His kingdom. Daniel saw this from heaven’s view. The apostles saw it from the earthly view. Let me share both views:

Daniel’s heaven view: “I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed.” (Dan 7:13-14)

The apostle’s earthly view: “And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.'” (Act 1:9-11)

It was from these visions that Peter could preach, saying, “Let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ–this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Act 2:36)

Let’s now take note of the prophet Isaiah. God spoke through the prophet saying,

“Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, ‘Here is your God.’ Behold the Lord will come with might, with His arm ruling for Him and His recompense before Him. Like a shepherd He will tend His flock. In His arm He will gather then lambs and carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes.” Isaiah 40:9-11 nasb

The afore Scriptures speaks to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The term, ‘bearer of good news,’ has regard to the apostles and the New Testament church declaring that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior. Also in this portion we see a prophecy of John the Baptist, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.'”

What is the redemption message of this text? The message begins with, ‘Say to the cities of Judah, ‘Here is your God.’ It goes on to speak to the heart of the new covenant; “Like a shepherd He will tend His flock, in His arm He will gather the lambs and carry them in His bosom; He will gently lead the nursing ewes.”

From this alone we can see that the Lord God is a Shepherd God. Jesus is the good Shepherd. But this isn’t the first time we see the term ‘Shepherd’ applied to the Lord. The first time the Lord God is called Shepherd is when Jacob is blessing his sons. Listen carefully:

“He blessed Joseph, and said, ‘The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and may my name live on in them, and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and may they grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.” (Gen 48:15-16)

When you look at Jacob’s life, you see ups and downs, fears with struggles, blessings and providence. Yet in all this we see that Jacob was redeemed from all evil. This is what Jesus does for all God’s children.

There is so much more to be said about God redeeming His people from all evil. David sets forth this truth in a favorite Psalm of all believers.

David wrote:

“The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” (Psa 23:1-6)

But what of the Lord’s death on the cross? Oh yes, this was also foretold. Listen to this prophecy from Isaiah:

‘But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.’ (Isa 53:5-6)

The best thing you could ever tell a Jewish person is to set aside the Talmudic writings, and begin to read their own Bible for themself. This is also the best thing you could tell anyone caught up in a legalistic Christian movement.

Finally, did you notice the little girl’s picture where she asked the Lord what happened to His hand. This was also a picture of what will take place among the Jewish nation in a not-too-distant future. Listen to the prophet Zechariah:

“And in that day I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. “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.

(Zec 12:9-10)

“And in that day I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. “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.” (Zec 12:9-10)

Oh Lord, we look for the day when the blinded eyes are opened. In the meantime, to all you who have been to the cross, I dedicate this song. ‘Down at the Cross’ by the Hayes Family:

There is so much more to be said. The prophets painted exact pictures from the birth of Jesus to his cross and resurrection. But that’s ecnough for now.

Grace and peace to you in the name of the Lord Jesus,

Buddy

Nov

2009

Kindred of the blood…

Journal,

Old Testament covenants among various people groups carried the idea of ‘kinship’ with the god of the covenant. This was an ‘adopted’ kinship. While the Lord God did adopt Israel as His people, Israel was unable to aligned herself fully with God in a spiritual sense. This was because of the fall of Adam. The history of Israel was a history of continual straying into various forms of idolatry. True spiritual alignment with God would only take place through the cross of Jesus Christ.

In the new covenant the idea of ‘kinship’ with God changes. The reality in the new covenant is that believers actually become ‘blood kin’ of God. This is why Paul said, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.” (Rom 8:16)

But let’s come back to the Old Testament idea of covenant. It was the tribal fathers who cut the covenant. The children entered into the covenant of the fathers. To cut the covenant in the former testament was generally done by taking a sacrificial animal, splitting it in two, with the parties of the covenant passing between the pieces. In the cutting of the covenant, the god of the fathers became known as ‘the father’s god.’ Thus we have the statement, ‘The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’

In a blood covenant the members were considered one blood. If aggression is made against one, it was aggression against all. Blood covenants ran deep. This thinking is still prevalent in the middle east today, and this is why you see acts of blood vengeance and blood feuds.

You also see a picture of ‘blood kin’ in the dedication of the tabernacle of Moses. Listen to Hebrews 9:19-22:

“For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, ‘This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you.’ And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of the ministry with the blood.”

The sprinkling of blood was not simply to the forgiveness of sins, but signified oneness with the God of Israel. Thus if anyone touched Israel, they touched the God of Israel. But this brings us back to the idea of adoption. The people of Israel were not spiritual children of God, that is, they were not children by blood. They were adopted children.

When the blood of the animal was sprinkled the people ‘came under’ the blood of the covenant. The people themselves were adopted. But they were still not by nature God’s children. Their nature was unlike His. Thus the sprinkled blood served as a symbol. The blood of the eternal covenant was yet to be sprinkled.

Aaron brings out this fact when Moses became so angry over the calf idolatry of Israel. Aaron says to Moses, “Do not let the anger of my lord burn; you know the people yourself, that they are prone to evil.” (Exodus 32:22) The term ‘prone’ speaks of an evil impulse that was theirs by nature.

Paul explains Israel’s issue of adoption, when he said,

“Who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory, and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises.” (Romans 9:4)

Notice when Paul speaks of ‘the adoption as sons,’ he precludes any idea of a spiritual birth. No one in the Old Testament could be born of God until the Lamb came on the scene. Moses himself makes this distinction. Before I quote from Moses, let me first draw attention to how Peter concluded his Pentecost message.

As Peter is concluding his message, he says, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” (Acts 2:40) Why would Peter make such a disparaging remark? After all, he himself was of the same lineage as the people he was addressing. Peter was quoting Moses.

Those listening to Peter would have recognized what he meant by ‘perverse.’ In the natural Peter was saying no more than what could be said to any lost man; “You must flee from the land of lostness, and into the land of salvation.”

But the idea went deeper for the Jewish people of the time. They minds would be drawn to the great lawgiver of Israel, a man to whom they were deeply devoted.

When Moses was completing his final address to Israel, he broke into a prophetic song of redemption. It is this song that Peter quotes from on the day of Pentecost. In the song Moses brings attention to the ‘unspiritual’ state of the people. He sings,

“They have acted corruptly toward Him, they are not His children, because of their defect; but are a perverse and crooked generation.” (Deuteronomy 32:5)

He says Israel was not God’s children because of their defect? The term ‘defect’ is ‘mum’ in Hebrew. It refers to any physical or moral blemish. Moses was saying that Israel had a moral blemish. He was calling attention to the fall of Adam.

All unsaved peoples carry in them the moral blemish of Adam. This is also why the sacrificial animals under the covenant of Moses had to be without blemish. The sacrifice was a picture of Jesus, who would offer Himself “without blemish to God.” (Hebrews 9:14) But until Jesus came, all men had the defect.

We don’t have space to get into the song of Moses, but in the book of Revelation this song is spoken of as ‘the song of Moses, the bond servant of God, and the song of the Lamb.’ (Rev 15:3) It is a song of redemption. It is also a song of the history of Israel. It would only be through the sacrifice of Jesus, the true unblemished Lamb of God, that a person could be born again, and in this birth, the person would be born into a true spiritual and blood kinship with the Almighty.

Peter again draws attention this fact, when he writes,

“If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.” (1 Peter 1:17-19)

Peter says our redemption is with ‘precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.’ The blood of the ‘unblemished’ Lamb of God is sprinkled on the human spirit, and thus, we become children of God without defect. (Cf. 1 Peter 1:1,2)

[Without defect speaks of our identification with Jesus Christ. He has become our righteousness. His life is made our life. His life is placed on our record. Thus we have perfect righteousness before God. — Yet in our flesh we still have the moral defect. This is why even the most spiritual of believers can have a conflict between their flesh and their spiritual nature. We must always remember that the Greater One lives in us. We are to learn to live by the Spirit and not the flesh.]

Also note that Peter calls attention to a “futile way of life inherited from your fathers.” Peter is not disparaging the patriarchs of Israel, nor is he drawing attention to the wickedness of their forefathers. He is simply calling attention to the same thing that Moses called attention to. The term ‘futile way of life’ fits every class of the human family, aside from those born of Christ.

The apostle’s point was that no person who has ever lived on this planet could be said to be of ‘blood kin’ to God without the Lamb’s precious blood being applied. To become kin to God, a person must pass through the cross, from the death side to the life side.

This issue of salvation must never be overlooked. The Jewish peoples during the time of Christ believed that they could not be lost because of their natural line to Abraham. John the Baptist and Jesus Himself and all the apostles came against any such notion. This is why John said that God could raise up stones to be children of Abraham.

The whole human race was contaminated by sin. We were all of a ‘crooked and perverse’ generation. This came from our father Adam. The bloodline of Abraham was no exception.

But now through Christ Jesus we have the reality of what the Old Testament types could only point to. The blood that Moses sprinkled on the people could only speak of their adoption to God, but it could not remove their sins, nor could it actually make them true spiritual children of God. No animal blood could do that. Only the blood of Jesus could make our kinship a reality.

It is Peter once again who explains what happens when a person is born again. He says,

“By the sanctifying work of the Spirit [our separation and drawing to Christ], to obey Jesus Christ [receive him as Lord and Savior] and be sprinkled with His blood.” (1 Peter 1:2)

The apostle Paul explains that the blood than ran through the veins of Jesus was literally God’s blood. So when the blood of Jesus is sprinkled on the human spirit, that human being becomes a totally new creature, both from heaven. This corresponds to the promise given to Abraham, when the Lord said, “’Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’” (Genesis 15:5)

Are you kin to God? Yes, if you are born again, you are born of His blood and His Spirit. You are His very child, nature of His nature, blood of His blood, seed of His seed. And it is our ‘blood kinship’ to God that holds the promise of a future resurrection to glory. We are marked out as the very children of God. We have a destiny that is beyond anything to be imagined.

Paul said it plain enough:

“Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

(Act 20:28)

“Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” (Act 20:28)

What is it all about? Listen and you will find the answer…

Here is one final Scripture potion to consider:

“Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead 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)

Have you become blood kin to God? If so, then you are now a child of the Great I Am.

Think about it.

Buddy

eternal covenant

Walking down memory lane – God’s faithfulness…

We walked through the Gate right into of Miracle Land

Now let’s hear from Peter:

The voice of the blood…

Crucified to the world…

Faith in God’s Word…

Honoring God with first fruits…

Speaking in other languages

What happened to your hand…

Kindred of the blood…

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