love of god

13
Jul
2011

The Shepherd After God’s Heart

“Samuel said to Saul, ‘You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, for now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.

“’But now your kingdom shall not endure. The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.’” (1Sa 13:13-14)

 

Journal,

In this study I want to deal primarily with the calling and role of a pastor.

Let’s begin with the earliest believers. It is important to understand that the first Christians were Jewish. Over time the Christian Jews were forced out of the synagogue. However, some synagogues became totally Christian. These synagogues were spoken of as ‘ha Notzri,’ or, ‘of the Nazareen.’ (This is a Talmudic note.)

Notice that when Paul writes the churches he never addresses his letters to an apostle, a prophet, or an evangelist. He directs his letters to the saints in a certain area. At times he calls attention to the leadership of the local churches.

Philippians 1:1 begins with,

“Paul and Timothy, bond- servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, including the overseers and deacons.”

The reason for including the overseers and deacons is because each Christian gathering was to act as a distinct flock. The flocks were semi-autonomous of the others. Each flock needed their own God-appointed, seasoned leaders or overseers. (The head was always Christ.)

 

The Ancient Synagogue

I believe the synagogue came into place under the guidance of the Lord. When it came time to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, the synagogues were scattered throughout the Roman Empire and beyond. The synagogues were almost always the first to hear the gospel message. It was by way of the synagogues that Christianity found its message spreading.

Here is an excellent example:

“Now when they had traveled through Amphilolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews. And according to Paul’s custom, he went to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying,


“‘This Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you is the Christ.’ And some of them were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with a large number of God-fearing Greeks and a number of the leading women.” (Act17:1-4)

The synagogue had two primary ministry roles, the elders and what we call deacons, or in Hebrew 'chazzan'. The number needed for these offices depended on the size of the synagogue. The elders had the general oversight. The ruling elder was the chief overseer.

With this in mind let’s listen to Paul:

“It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.” (1Ti3:1)

The apostle then outlines the qualifications to serve in this office. How an overseer was actually set in office is left unsaid, but we can be sure that it was under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and by recognition of the congregation. (Early on it was the apostles or their representatives that set aside elders in the churches they had established.)

 

The Overseers

As a Hebrew man, Paul drew on his rich heritage. He knew what an overseer was in the Hebrew culture. And this is where we need to define the Greek and Hebrew words for a better understanding of the Biblical overseer. (Keep in mind that the term ‘overseer’ is simply our English translation of a Greek term. The KJV uses ‘bishop.’)

Where Paul says ‘office of overseer’ this is only one word in Greek, the word ‘episkope‘. The ‘episkope’ carries two interrelated thoughts. It speaks of (divine) visitation. It also carries a meaning of overseeing, attending to, or to look after.

As for its common usage it spoke of an official set aside by appointment who had oversight of public works, that is, a superintendent. Episkope has its roots in another word which means a ‘watchman.’

In the Greek OT, we find the term ‘episkope’, used in 2 Kings 11:18:

“All the people of the land went to the house of Baal, and tore it down; his altars and his images they broke in pieces thoroughly, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. And the priest appointed OFFICERS (episkope) over the house of the Lord.”

In the New Testament the terms elder, overseer, pastor and shepherd are closely linked and are sometimes seen together. An example is Acts 20:28, where Paul addresses the elders of Ephesus:

“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.”

 

A Watchman by Calling

Elders are to be ‘guards’ (watchmen), shepherds, and overseers. But they are made overseers by the Holy Spirit. And what they oversee is a flock. The Greek term for shepherd and pastor is the same. A pastor is a shepherd. A shepherd is a pastor. That is his calling. He is to tend sheep. Sheep do not tend themselves. They are tended by a shepherd.

Since I am a pastor by calling, I want to draw a bit on my personal testimony. I think most other pastors will relate to what I have to share, at least in one way or another.

 

A Heart From God

— My first pastorate was in 1969. After six months of pastoring I quit. I decided right then that I did not want to be a pastor. My ministry would have to take other routes. What I didn’t realize was a God-called shepherd has to be shaped for his calling. Believe me, I was not yet in good shape. Still needed much smoldering in the fire. (Felt like I was pastoring goats. I was probably the hardest head in the bunch. — Grin —.)

Skipping across a bit of history, in 1974 a strange thing happened. We are at home. I’m playing my guitar and singing to the Lord. In a moment of time the Holy Spirit moves over me, and I hear, ‘Go home.’ Home was Central Louisiana. We were then living in South Louisiana.

It was so real that Betty and I took our children out of school and headed north. I did not know what the Lord wanted. I just knew the ‘go home’ was not to be ignored. In my mind I thought perhaps the Lord wanted me to go to a number of churches I had evangelized and tell my testimony.

We left our children at my sisters. Across the highway was a church that I had held a revival in. The lights were on but it was not a church night. What I didn’t know was that they had lost their pastor and had gathered to seek the Lord.

Betty and I walked in the door and sat in the back, totally unaware of what was going on. An elder who knew me said, “Brother Martin, welcome. Would you like to share something with the congregation.”

I still did not know what was going on, so I stood and said, “Brother, I don’t know why the Lord sent me, but I am here.” Things got real quiet. It was a moment of divine visitation. Then I heard weeping in the congregation. The Holy Spirit was bearing witness to their pastor.

When I realized that they wanted me to be their pastor the struggle began. My fear has always been, and remains so to this day, that I may hurt someone from the pulpit. The sacred desk will always be an awesome place to me.

But out of obedience, Betty and I began traveling 120 miles each way, every weekend to pastor this little country church. The struggle remained in place. Then it happened. Sitting on the platform, which is something I hate to do, the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, “I have given you the heart of a pastor.”

Did anything happen? It happened instantly. It was as real as when the Lord said, ‘Go home.’ That very moment God spoke to my spirit, I knew then I was a pastor. That was my calling.

 

 

Set apart by God

And that is my point. A true Biblical pastor is set apart by the Holy Spirit to be an overseer, a watchman, and a feeder (shepherd) of a flock that is assigned to him. Yet the flock belongs to the Lord. And God is very careful about who He calls as an overseer. Why so? Because the church has been purchased by His own blood. And a pastor must be very careful in how he tends the flock.

Tested and Tried

It needs to be understood that before the Lord puts anyone into any kind of ministry role, He is going to test that person to see if they will be faithful. Above all, He wants to know how that person will relate to His sheep. The apostle speaks to this:

“I thank Jesus Christ our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor…” (Cf.1Ti1:12,13)

Later Paul says,

“But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children.” (1Th2:7)

I share these particular Scriptures because I want you to see the true heart of one of God’s true shepherds. We see this again when Paul instructs young Timothy on his pastoring role. The apostle says,

“The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been help captive by him to do his will.” (2Ti2:24-26)

 

Gentleness is the Watchword of a Shepherd

Keep the afore ideas in view — gentleness, watchman, guardian, feeder, tenderness, not quarrelsome, kind to all, able to teach, and patient when wronged.

All these ideas are incorporated into what a true Biblical pastor is to show. Why is this? Because these are the spiritual traits in the Great Shepherd. They are communicated to each of His undershepherds by the Holy Spirit.

James adds to this in telling us that the wisdom that comes from above, that is, wisdom from the Holy Spirit, is not arrogant, but it is pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, and without hypocrisy. (Cf. James 3:13-18)

Hear this Old Testament prophecy about the coming of the Lord Jesus:

“Behold, the Lord God will come with might, with his arm ruling before Him. Behold, His reward is with Him and His recompense before Him. 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.” (Isa40:10,11 – Caps for emphasis only.)

Is there a more tender scene than this? A true under-shepherd will have the heart of Jesus, be tender towards God’s people, and yet vigilant against the enemy. (This links to the lamb-lion nature of Christ.)

 

God Assigns His Sheep to Shepherds

Peter said,

“Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.” (1Pe 5:1-3)

As for where you should assemble, we must leave that to the Lord. Some groups can be discounted up front. Even when home groups sound like a good thing, there are cautions to be taken. Some groups begin out of a root of bitterness.

Bitterness especially in leadership has a way of defiling the group. Make sure the home group is not simply being reactive against other Christian groups. Yet keep in mind that a great many churches had their beginnings in a home setting.

So — Can you know where you belong? I believe you can. As a long-time pastor I can just about tell every time if a family is being assigned to our ministry. It is a thing of witness. And the family will know soon enough. If our church is the flock of their assignment, they will not be able to stay away. They may wander a bit, but they’ll come home in time.

 

Look at the Heart

Beware of the charlatan whose heart is full of greed. Beware of that so-called pastor who is a manipulator of the flock to his own end. Especially beware of the man who is into self-worship. His heart is filled with pride. He does not preach Christ. He preaches himself.

So now — What should we look for in a true pastor? Certainly we should not look for perfection. Even the best of pastors is yet a man. He will have frailties. We should look for his heart. After all, should we not expect the Lord to give us a pastor who has the heart of a shepherd.

This shepherding principle is found in what God said to Israel, about their return to the Lord. He said,

“Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding.” (Jer3:15)

Where can we find such shepherds? I believe they are out there by the hundreds of thousands. These watchmen on the wall are true shepherds. They care for their flocks. They are not after money or fame.

They are not oppressive or domineering or overpowering or condemning or controlling. They can even rebuke in love. Yet they tenderly care for those assigned to them as a mother cares for her little ones.

 

Trust the Lord

I realize that I haven’t provided an answer for everyone. That isn’t my job. All of God’s people have the Holy Spirit to guide them into the realities of the Lord. The key will always be in one word – trust.

The study is open. Feel free to make a contribution.

Please take time to listen to this song. The Lord wants to speak to your heart. “I Just Want to be Where You Are.”

 

In Christ always,

Buddy

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29
Jun
2011

Will Israel Turn to Jesus

“Truly, You are a God who hides Himself, O God of Israel, Savior! They will be put to shame and even humiliated, all of them; the manufacturers of idols will go away together in humiliation. Israel has been saved by the LORD with an everlasting salvation; You will not be put to shame or humiliated to all eternity.” (Isa 45:15-17)


“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)

 

 

Journal,

There is a mystery that exists between Christianity and Judaism. If you were to categorize the two religions it would be fairly simple: Christianity rests its case upon Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah of the ages. Judaism does not. The picture can be much more complicated but this is the bottom line issue.

Another reason that must be taken into consideration is that the new covenant was actually made with Israel as a people group. This is plainly stated in Scripture. And so the redemption of the cross began in Jerusalem, it reaches into all the world, and it will fulfill its end in Jerusalem.

Yes, Israel is going to turn to Jesus.

 

A Story not Ended

In this very hour there are untold numbers of Jews who are turning to Jesus as the true Messiah of Israel. The hearts of many Jews are tiring of all the misinformation written about Jesus by their sages and otherwise.

For centuries the Jewish people did not even know that Jesus and all the apostles were ‘sabras’. (Native born Israeli.) It had been planted in their thinking that Jesus was some sort of Roman god, or at best an apostate Jew. Jews everywhere are beginning to realize that Jesus Christ is indeed the Savior of all people.

The heart of the Jew is turning.

It is here that I would like to share the testimony of how certain Jewish notables over time have come to view Jesus. Please take your time to read these testimonies:

 

The testimony of notable Jews, about Jesus…

Joseph Klausner, Jewish author:

“Jesus was a Jew and a Jew he remained till his last breath. His one idea was to implant within his nation the idea of the coming of the Messiah and, by repentance and good works, hasten the ‘end’…. In all this, Jesus is the most Jewish of Jews, more Jewish than Simeon ben Shetah, more Jewish even than Hillel.”

 

Modern Jewish theologian and rabbi, Pinchas Lapide, notes:

“The love of Jesus and the academic interest in him and his impact were implanted in me by Jewish teachers like Joseph Klausner, for whom Jesus was ‘The most Jewish of all Jews,’ Martin Buber, who perceived him as ‘his great brother,’ and Leo Baeck, the last luminary of the German school of rabbis, who in the year 1938 at the time of the Nazi Kristallnacht managed to write of him: ‘We see before us a man who according to all the signs of his personality discloses the Jewish character, in whom the purity and worth of Judaism is so specially and so clearly revealed.’”

 

Heinrich Graetz, considered by many to be the greatest of Jewish historians:

“Like Hillel, Jesus looked on the promotion of peace and forgiveness of injuries as the highest forms of virtue. His whole being was permeated by that deeper religion which contributed to the mildness of his face. He has made humanity honour; he has carried the highest wisdom to the homes of the lowly and the ignorant of the world. He has carried it beyond all barriers of schools and temples, and for this, only, he had to die a death of shame.

“The redeemer of the poor, the teacher of the ignorant, the friend of all that faint with toil and are oppressed with cares must die on the cross. Over the supreme tragedy let the angel of sorrow spread his wings. Veil thy face, sun! Be darkened, sky! Let the earth tremble and men mourn in tears! The most angelic of men, the most loving of teachers, the meek and humble prophet is to die by the death of the cross.

“He felt within himself the call to save the lost sheep of the house of Israel…. He, by word and example, raised the sinner and the publican, and filled the hearts of those poor, neglected, thoughtless beings with the love of God, transforming them into dutiful children of their Heavenly Father. He animated them with his own piety and fervor, and improved their conduct by the hope he gave them of being able to enter the kingdom of heaven.”

 

Moritz Lazarus, philosopher:

“I am of the opinion that we should endeavor with all possible zeal to obtain an exact understanding of the great personality of Jesus and to reclaim him for Judaism.”

 

Christ was the mouthpiece of God…

Baruch Spinoza, the great Jewish philosopher:

“Christ was not so much a prophet as the mouthpiece of God. Christ was sent to teach not only Jews, but the whole human race; and therefore it was not enough that his mind should be accommodated to the opinions of the Jews alone, but also to the opinion and fundamental teaching common to the whole human race; in other words, to ideas universal and truth.”

 

Max Nordau, author and Zionist leader:

“Jesus is the soul of our soul as he is the flesh of our flesh. Who then could think of excluding him from the people of Israel? St. Peter will remain the only Jew who said of the Son of David: ‘I know not the man.’ If the Jews up to the present have not rendered homage to the sublime beauty of the figure of Jesus, it is because their tormentors have always persecuted, tortured and assassinated in his name.”

 

Dr. Claude Montefiore, president of the Jewish Religious Union:

“I cannot conceive that a time will come when the figure of Jesus will no longer be a star of the first magnitude in the spiritual heavens, when he will no longer be regarded as one of the greatest religious heroes and teachers the world has seen….

“The religion of the future will be, as I believe, a developed and purified Judaism, but from that developed and purified Judaism the records will tell, however imperfectly, of perhaps its greatest teacher. Certainly its most potent and influential teacher will not be excluded.

“We Jews do not mind saying that the greatest influence upon European and American history and civilization has been the Bible. But we too often forget that the Bible which has had this influence is not merely the Old Testament. It is the Old Testament and the New Testament combined.

“And of the two, it is the New Testament which has undoubtedly had the greater influence and has been of the greater importance. Jesus is the most important Jew that has ever lived, to whom the sinner and the outcast age after age have owed a great debt of gratitude.”

 

Hans Joachim Schoeps, Jewish theologian:

“The church of Jesus Christ has preserved no portrait of its lord and saviour. If Jesus were to come again tomorrow, no Christian would know his face. But it might well be that he who is coming at the end of days, he who is awaited by the synagogue as by the church, is one, with one and the same face.”

 

Let us Jews be thankful there was a Jesus…

Rabbi Emmanuel Weill:

“Let us then as Jews be thankful there was a Jesus and a Paul. I do not know the secret of God, but I believe that Jesus and Christianity were providential means, useful to the Deity in guiding all men gradually and by an effort, keeping pace with the mental state of the majority of men, from paganism up to the pure and true idea of the divinity.”

 

Rabbi J.L. Levy:

“I have little but contempt for those who cannot see in Jesus of Nazareth something to admire. I have little respect for those who cannot find in the Nazarene something good and worthy of our deep esteem. I personally regard him as one of the greatest spiritual teachers the world has ever known. I look upon him as one of the noblest spiritual teachers the human family has ever had the privilege of observing. We have great faith in the noble character of his life, in the beauty of his teaching that may safely be attributed to him. We have great admiration for the pure life offered for the good of humanity.”

 

Rabbi H.G. Enelow, D.D., reform rabbi, writer and scholar:

“Among the great and the good that the human race has produced, none has ever approached Jesus in universality of appeal and sway. He has become the most fascinating figure in history. In him is combined what is best and most mysterious and most enchanting in Israel — the eternal people whose child he was. The Jew cannot help glorying in what he has meant to the world, nor can he help hoping that Jesus may yet serve as a bond of union between Jew and Christian.

“What does the modern Jew think of Jesus? A Prophet? Yes, crowning a great tradition, and who can compute all that Jesus has meant to humanity? The love he has inspired, the solace he has given, the good he has engendered, the hope and joy he has kindled — all that is unequaled in human history.”

 

Rabbi David Phillipson, Ph.D., reform Jewish leader:

“There is no backwardness nor hesitancy on the part of modern Jewish thought in acknowledging the greatness of the teacher of Nazareth, the sweetness of his character, the power of his genius.”

 

He was a gift of love…

Rabbi Gross of Brooklyn’s Union Temple:

“I, a rabbi of Israel, think we should accept Jesus. I think we should teach Jesus to children much as we teach them about Abraham, Moses and Jeremiah, and the rest of the great teachers and prophets. Jesus, as we all know, was a Jew. He was a gift of love.”

 

Rabbi Rudolph Grossman, D.D.:

“We Jews honor the Nazarene as our brother in faith, sprung from our loins, nurtured at Israel’s knee, a teacher of sweet and beautiful ideals, a preacher whose influence has been and still is among the mightiest spiritualizing factors in the world.”

 

Rabbi Gustav Gottheil, Ph.D., one of the founders of the Federation of American Zionists:

“The keynote of prophetic religion of the Jewish prophets was holiness of life and purity of heart…. To place the Master of Nazareth by their side can surely be no dishonor to him, nor can it dim the luster of his name. If he has added to their spiritual bequests new jewels of religious truth, and spoken words which are words of life, because they touch the deepest springs of the human heart, why should we Jews not glorify in him?”

 

Rabbi Maurice H. Harris:

“Unlike the Messiahs before him — all mediocre men — his name (Jesus) has been treasured ever since as one of the great religious teachers of the world…. Let us not lose our Almighty Father in pantheistic vagueness, merging Him in nature; let us view Him as our Living redeemer, our Saviour, for we often need to be saved –sometimes from the world, sometimes from ourselves.”

 

Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, Ph.D., founder of the American Jewish Congress and the Federation of American Zionists:

“Even if Jesus had not been born unto Israel, even if he had borne no relation to the people of Israel, it becomes of importance for Israel to determine for itself what shall be its relation to the man who has touched the world nearly two thousand years as has no other single figure in history….It is no mean joy and ignoble pride in us of the House of Israel to recognize, to honor and to cherish among our brothers — Jesus the Jew.”

 

Had it not been for Jesus, the Jews would be little known…

Benjamin Disraeli, Prime Minister of England:

“The pupil of Moses may ask himself whether all the princes of the House of David have done so much for the Jews as that Prince who was crucified…. Had it not been for him, the Jews would have been comparatively unknown or known only as a high Oriental Caste which had lost its country. Has not he made their history the most famous history in the world?”

 

Rabbi Kaufmann Kohler, President of Hebrew Union College:

“No ethical system or religious catechism, however broad and pure, could equal the efficiency of this great personality, standing, unlike any other, midway between heaven and earth, equally near to God and to man….

“Jesus, the helper of the poor, the friend of the sinner, the brother of every fellow-sufferer, the comforter of every sorrow-laden, the healer of the sick, the up-lifter of the fallen, the lover of man, the redeemer of woman, won the heart of mankind by storm. Jesus, the meekest of men, the most despised of the despised race of the Jews, mounted the world’s throne to be the earth’s Great King.”

 

Rabbi Solomon B. Freehof, reform rabbi, scholar and author:

“Scores of men have believed themselves to be the Messiah and have convinced many of their contemporaries, but those who believed Jesus to be the Messiah have built a great church upon
the rock of their belief. He is still the living comrade of countless lives. No Moslem ever sings, ‘Mohammed, lover of my soul’, nor does any Jew say of Moses, the Teacher, ‘I need thee every hour.'”

 

Ellis Rivkin, professor of Jewish history at Hebrew Union College:

“Of these Messianic claimants, only one, Jesus of Nazareth, so impressed his disciples that he became their Messiah. And he did so after the very crucifixion which should have refuted his claims decisively. But it was not Jesus’ life which proved beyond question that he was the Messiah, the Christ. It was his resurrection.”

 

Pinchas E. Lapide, senior lecturer at Bar-Ilan University:

“I have the suspicion that Jesus was more loyal to the Torah than I am as an Orthodox Jew.”

David Flusser, professor of religious history at Hebrew University in Jerusalem:

“I do not think that many Jews would object if the Messiah — when he came — was the Jew Jesus.”

Dr. Chaim Zhitlowsky, Jewish scholar and author:

“Every Jew should be proud of the fact that Jesus is our brother, flesh of our flesh and blood of our blood. We desire to put him back where he belongs.”

 

Is it only the Jew who is unable to see and hear? …

Constantine Brunner, Jewish philosopher:

“What is this? Is it only the Jew who is unable to see and hear? Are the Jews stricken with blindness and deafness as regards Christ, so that to them only he has nothing to say? Is he to be of no importance to us Jews? Understand then what we shall do. We shall bring him back to us.

“Christ is not dead for us — for us he has not yet lived; and he will not slay us, he will make us live again. His profound and holy words, and all that is true and heart-appealing in the New Testament, must from now on be heard in our synagogues and taught to our children, in order that the wrong we had committed may be made good, the curse turned into a blessing, and that he at last may find us who has always been seeking after us.”

 

Israel Zangwill, Jewish author:

“We shall never get the future straight until we disentangle the past. To disentangle the past means to re-examine the trial of Jesus — myths woven purposely by our leaders around the greatest and most notable personality in history, only that we may not see and recognize the real Jesus.

“To us, my brethren, in this our day, is given the privilege to reclaim the Christ we have lost for so many centuries. Has not the crucified Christ more than fulfilled the highest and noblest of our greatest prophets? Is not he the incarnation of the essence of what the Law, the Psalms and the Prophets taught?”

 

When Jews become Christians…

Max Brod, Jewish author:

“I am constantly amazed at the naiveté of our teachers and leaders who are surprised when I tell them that the best of our youth, our intellectuals, become Christians out of conviction…. Our ‘leaders’ do not believe it. To them, a Jew never becomes a Christian unless he wants to better his position.

“That Christianity has drawn to itself such noble souls as Pascal, Novalis, Kirkegaard, Amiel, Dostoyevsky, Claudel, etc., etc., and that it exercises a most overwhelming influence on the most earnest truth-seekers among us, of that our teachers know nothing.”

 

Gustav Lazlo, Jewish author:

“The movement for the recognition of Christ by the Jews is not a fantasy arising from (my) brain. In the hearts and minds of many men, ordinary men like myself, traders, men of affairs, the fact that Christ is the only leader who can take us anywhere worth going to is coming to new recognition.”

 

Ernest R. Trattner, Jewish author:

“No Jewish prophet before Jesus ever searched out the miserable, the sick, the weak, and the down-trodden in order to pour forth love and compassionate service. He went out of his way to redeem the lowly by a touch of human sympathy that is altogether unique in Jewish history.”

 

Sholem Asch, Jewish novelist:

“Jesus Christ, to me, is the outstanding personality of all time, of all history, both as Son of God and as Son of Man. Everything he ever said or did has value for us today, and that is something you can say of no other man, alive or dead….

“Every act and word of Jesus has value for all of us, wherever we are. He became the Light of the World. Why shouldn’t I, a Jew, be proud of that? No other religious leader, either, has ever become so personal a part of people as the Nazarene. When you understand Jesus, you understand that he came to save you, to come into your personality. It isn’t just a case of a misty, uncertain relationship between a worshiper and an unseen God. That is abstract; Jesus is personal.”

 

Jesus of Nazareth, the Jew of Jews…

Isidore Singer, Ph.D., managing editor of The Jewish Encyclopedia:

“I regard Jesus of Nazareth as a Jew of Jews, one whom all Jewish people are learning to love. His teachings have been an immense service to the world in bringing Israel’s God to the knowledge of hundreds of millions of mankind…. We are all glad to claim Jesus as one of our people.”

 

Harris Weinstock, labor leader:

“Without Jesus and without Paul, the God of Israel would still have been the God of a handful, the God of a petty, obscure and insignificant tribe. Let the Jew, despite the centuries of persecution and suffering,

“…be thankful that there was a Jesus and a Paul. Let him more fully appreciate that through the wonderful influence of these heroic characters the mission of the Jew is being fulfilled, and his teachings are being spread to the remotest nooks and corners of the world by Christianity.”

 

An interview with Albert Einstein…

Saturday Evening Post, in 1929:

“To what extent are you influenced by Christianity?”

“As a child I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene.”

“Have you read Emil Ludwig’s book on Jesus?”

“Emil Ludwig’s Jesus is shallow. Jesus is too colossal for the pen of phrasemongers, however artful. No man can dispose of Christianity with a bon mot.”

“You accept the historical Jesus?”

“Unquestionably! No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life.”

 

……. End of quotes ……

 

Here is a web site with a vast list of notable Jews who turned to Jesus as Messiah and Savior of Israel. Included are testimonies of former Chief Rabbis, of Jewish Nobel Prize winners, Prime Ministers, professors and many more.

http://www.israelinprophecy.org/ENGLISH/live_site/brief_list-most_famous_messianic_jews.html

 

 

There it is. I’ve only scratched the surface. According to one Jewish writer, more Jews have turned to Jesus in the last nineteen years than in the last nineteen hundred hears. Something to think about.

And it has just begun. Paul said that at the proper point in God’s plan of redemption all of Israel will turn to Jesus. Isn’t it interesting that the Bible is the only book on earth that tells history before it happens!

Think on these things. Here is a song for your meditation. ‘Shalom Jerusalem’ by Paul Wilbur.

 



Much love coming your way,

Buddy

 

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25
Jun
2011

A Case for the Christian

“If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler; but if anyone suffers as a Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to glorify God in this name.“ (1Pe 4:14-16)

 

Journal,

Christianity of itself is not essentially a religion. It is a kingdom. In order to have a kingdom you must have a king. Take note of this description of Jesus Christ about His second coming and His titles:

“He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Rev 19:13-16)

Then there is this issue. There are no naturalized citizens in the kingdom of God’s beloved Son. The only way to enter the kingdom of God’s Son is to be born into it. When a person is born from heaven, this is also a citizenship birth. With each kingdom birth there is a register. Listen to Paul:

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” (Php 3:20-21)

So, where does religion enter the picture? Good question. Religion is what we manage to do. A kingdom birth is what God does.

 

Born from Above

Let’s begin with the thinker – What is it that makes an Irishman an Irishman, or a Cajun a Cajun? (Pass the crawfish please.) The simple answer is that the Irishman and the Cajun are born to a particular cultural grouping. Each group has its own natural proclivities.

What then is it that makes a human a human? The answer is that all humans share a nature that belongs exclusively to humankind in general. Neither angels nor animals have a human nature. They have a nature that is exclusively theirs. So there is an angelic nature, an animal nature, and there is a human nature.

And here is the problem. The human nature is in disrepair. Our souls were damaged in the fall of Adam. Thus our physical life and our spiritual life have need for repair. While the holy angels of God continue with their original nature intact, the deepest part of our humanity, that is, our spiritual identity with God has been displaced.

Whether we understand it or not, Adam and Eve had in their original nature that which is only found in God Himself. They carried in them a certain spiritual likeness of God. The image and likeness had to do with their basic nature. It is that part of man’s inward nature that is in need of repair.

Satan took advantage of Adam’s fallen state and built his earthly kingdom around the aspect of disrepair. Satan is called the god of this world, the ruler of this world, the prince of the power of the air, and the authority of ‘the domain of darkness.’ Thus Adam found himself in a twisted world filled with wrath and discord. Everything was out of balance.

 

Repaired Through the Cross

In essence what makes a Christian a Christian is that our spiritual identity with God has restored through a heavenly birth. This was the purpose of the cross.

Jesus said

“The thief [Satan’s environs and activities] comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (Jn10:10)

Listen to these Scriptures that describe the two kinds of humans on planet earth today:

Paul: “[We] formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were BY NATURE CHILDREN OF WRATH, even as the rest.” (Eph2:2,3)

Peter: “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.” (2Pet1:4)

When a person is born from above their severance from God is remedied. The born again person is now a very child of the living God and a citizen of heaven. This means that on planet Earth there are two kinds of humans, those who have been spiritually repaired and restored to God, and those who are still in disrepair. Is it any wonder that the strongest impulse of Christians is to get the message of the gospel out to our fallen kin.

 

 

The Wonder of a New Creation

Here we need to understand the critical element of what makes a Christian a Christian. The disrepair of our humanity can only be corrected one way. It has to be God’s way. God’s way is found in the working of the cross. No person is ever born again because they shook a preachers hand or that they prayed through to some esoteric experience.

The only way for a person to be born from above is that they must consciously recognize Jesus Christ as Lord, and receive Him personally as their own Lord and Savior. This accepting Jesus Christ as Lord is the heart and soul of the new creation.

And so, it is to Jesus alone that we bring our broken humanity. It is to Him that we make our appeal to His Lordship and to His saving grace. This is why the true apostolic message never changes, which says, “And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” To call upon the name of the Lord means to recognize His Lordship and to appeal to Him as our own Lord.

This is why salvation can never be based on an emotional experience where we have set aside our minds and now depend on certain euphoric feelings. Drugs can induce euphoric feelings. A person can even become euphoric on their own emotions. There is such a thing as an emotional drunkenness.

The point is that our salvation is be based upon the fact alone. We are to become convinced of the death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and glorification of Jesus Christ, and that He is now both Lord and Christ, and that there is no other way to be saved other than to call upon Him, and to acknowledge and confess His Lordship. Aside from this act of believing and confessing, there is no salvation.

Believing in Jesus Christ is an act of our will. The faith to be born again is a gift from God.

“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. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Eph 2:8-10)

Every time a person is born from above, there is an act of creation. In this new creation a new humanity comes into place. We are a people born-from-above, that is, a heavenly people. We now share a heart like God’s heart.

This brings us to…

 

The Reborn Heart

In the Bible the term heart speaks of the very center of our being. It is where our spirit life evolves. This is why the Scriptures make a distinction between man’s soul and man’s spirit. The soul is generally thought to be our mind, our will, and our emotions, that is, what identifies us as an individual. But our spirit is that part that relates closest to God. In is in our spirit where we have our God-awareness, our conscious spiritual life, our intuition, our fellowship and communion. This is why it is our spirit that is born again and not our soul. Our soul undergoes transformations over time.

The prophet described our new life this way:

“And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God.” (Eze 11:19-20)

It all begins with the Lord getting our attention. The word repentance in the Greek speaks to a moral conquest of the mind. It begins as an intellectual process. We are made aware of and become convinced of the message of the cross. We realize our lostness. We change our minds about the path we’ve lived. And we turn to Jesus as our own Lord and Savior. Every bit of this involves our thinking. The mind is the way to the heart. Salvation involves both the mind and the heart.

It is under this strong convicting work of the Holy Spirit that our heart is brought to the place of being born again. The power that makes a Christian a Christian is not our power. It is the power of heaven.

Paul explains where the power of life comes from. Listen carefully:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Rom1:16)

The power of new life is found in the message of the cross itself.

Listen again to Paul:

“For this reason we also constantly thank God, that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.” (1Th2:13)

The point is that the beginning place of salvation has to include our mind. The very word repentance speaks to the mind. Salvation is made upon a decision for Christ. This is why the Billy Graham crusades have such a tremendous effect on the crowds. He preaches the simple message of the cross. The respondents are openly declaring their faith in Jesus Christ.

 

A Seal that Cannot be Broken

When the Holy Spirit enters the heart of the believing one, that person becomes sealed for eternity. The Spirit will be there tomorrow, and the next tomorrow, and the next tomorrow. This is called the testimony of the Spirit. The apostle calls this the seal of redemption. This new believer has become a child of the living God. He can never be separated from the loving Father.

This does not mean that the newly born-again person is incapable of sin. Yes, the child of God can sin and will have failures in his life. However, sin will always be contrary to the child of God’s nature. He will sin by temptation. Yet the Spirit of Christ within him will now allow him to stay in a condition of sin. Sin hurts too much.

Think about these things. Feel free to offer your comments. I would love to hear from you.

In the meantime here is a song that will speak to your heart.

The King is Coming by the Bill Gaither Trio

 

 

Yours in Christ,

Buddy

 

 

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28
Apr
2011

There really are two worlds



“Jesus answered, ‘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.’

“Therefore Pilate said to Him, ‘So You are a king?’ Jesus answered, ‘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.'” (Joh 18:35-37)


Journal,

For the past few days I’ve had this feeling that I was to write a blog on the other world Jesus spoke to Pilate about. Then I remembered a blog I shared last year entitled, ‘Made in the Divine Image.’ So I decided to use that blog as a backdrop and share more insights that hopefully will bless my readers.

Here is the bottom line issue. While the angels of God continue with their nature intact, our spiritual nature and personal identity with God was displaced in the fall of Adam. We forfeited our unique relationship with all of creation. We lost something of our original nature.  

I realize that the idea of humans having something of the divine is difficult to grasp. Yet a restoration of Adam’s lost glory is at the very heart of our redemption in Christ Jesus. And this restoration includes something of the divine nature.

Pay attention to these Scriptures —

“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Rom3:23)

Another,
“For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren.” (Heb 2:10-11 NASB)
And again,
“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 1:4)

Jesus entered the fallen world of Adam

Jesus took to Himself the fallen human race. Satan’s authority over all humanity was broken at the cross. From that moment on any person who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Calling on Jesus relates to His becoming Lord and Savior to the one calling on Him.)

But it doesn’t stop there. Peter gave more insight:

“… 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.” (2Pe 1:3 NASB)

That which was lost in the fall of Adam, has been restored in Jesus Christ.

The point is that Satan was able to take advantage of Adam’s fallen state and build his earthly kingdom around this aspect of disrepair. Satan is called the god of this world, the ruler of this world, the prince of the power of the air, and the authority of ‘the domain of darkness.’ All that changed with the coming of Jesus Christ.

 

The two worlds and the two kinds of humans…

So now there actually are two kinds of humans on this planet. You have the ‘in Adam’ human. And you have the ‘in Christ’ human. Those who are in Christ, have turned to Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior. They belong to a new creation. Those who have not turned to Jesus still yet remain under the domain of the old creation. They are still under Satan’s jurisdiction.

Listen to these Scriptures that describe the two kinds of humans on planet earth today:

“[We all] formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were BY NATURE CHILDREN OF WRATH, even as the rest.” (Eph2:2,3)

In speaking to the Jewish leaders in the temple, He said,

“‘I go away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin; where I am going, you cannot come.’ So the Jews were saying, ‘Surely He will not kill Himself, will He, since He says, “Where I am going, you cannot come’?”‘ And He was saying to them, ‘You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.‘” (Joh 8:21-23)

Again,

“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (Joh 8:44)

Here is the description of those who have turned to Jesus Christ:

“For we are [God’s] workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we would walk in them.” (Eph2:10)

Again,

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature, the old things passed away, new things have come.” (2Co5:17)

To the disciples and by extension to all believers through the age.,

“If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.” (Joh 15:19)

 

See the distinction?

You have humans in disrepair and you have humans who have been restored to their proper nature and in right relationship with God.

Once the human nature has been repaired this brings the principle of godliness back in place, and that which most closely relates to the divine. We now have a heart that is very much like God’s heart.

This does not mean that the repaired Christian cannot sin. No person on this planet has as sensitive a conscience as that of a person who has been born again. It is the nature of a Christian to seek cleansing from sin.

 

Born from above…

With that being said let’s take a closer look at the believer’s new status with God. Jesus said,

“The thief [Satan’s environs and activities] comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (Jn10:10)

The true believer is born from above. When a person is born from above their human nature has undergone a spiritual repair, and is in the process of being restored to its proper purpose.

The born again person is now a very child of God. The child of God once again has something of the divine within him. He belongs to the family of God.

The heavenly Father spoke life to him. This is what Jesus meant when he said,

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the word that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” (John 6:63)

Through our journey in this world, the Lord gives us life words. He speaks to us as our Father. But He also brings healing where healing is needed.

 

Repairing the broken…

The disrepair of our humanity can only be corrected one way. It is found in the working principle of the cross. Jesus alone is the One who repairs us. It is to Him alone that we bring our broken humanity. It is to Him that we make our appeal to His Lordship and to His saving grace. This is why the true apostolic message never changes, which says,

“And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved [repaired].”

The word salvation [soteria] in Greek speaks of preservation and deliverance. The word ‘save’ [sozo] means, to bring safely, get well, to restore, etc.

Listen to angel’s message to Joseph about Mary having a Son:

“She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Mark 1:21)

Being saved from our sins is not a one time event. It is the maxim of the cross. Being saved from our sins is a process of life. The Lord saved us, He is saving us, He will save us. Jesus came to save us from all our sins, past, present and future.

“He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.” (Tit 3:5 NASB)

 

The glory to be revealed…

Here is the Scripture that troubles some folk:

“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 8:4-5 NASB)

Yes, Adam did share in the divine nature, that is, in those godly traits that are found in God Himself. Adam was God’s very child and he carried in his person something of the nature of his Father.
I hope you are seeing the picture. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you also are God’s very child.

We have yet to receive our full glory, but it will happen.

Paul said this:

“For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” (Rom 8:29-30)

In all this always keep in mind that you do have authority over Satan. How to use this authority properly is a way of learning the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Think about these things. In the meantime here is a song what will minister to your heart, “The Glorious Impossible,” by the Gaither Band:

 

 

May the Lord ‘s richest blessing overflow your life as you seek His face,

Buddy

 

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07
Apr
2011

The Gospel is like a Caged Lion

“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. And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh. Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” (Jud 1:20-25)

 

Journal,

I’ve been in and out of Latin America countries on a number of mission trips. This time we were among the Mayan Indians in the mountains of Belize. Walking down a mountain trail with some of our group, I noticed that an old Indian gentleman had stopped at the side of the trail to let us pass. That’s when it happened.

I stop and said to the old Indian, “Sabes tu que Christo te ama?” The elderly gentleman put his hands over his face and began to weep. I could hardly believe my eyes. My Spanish was so meager that I felt at a loss. I assured him of God’s love. His eyes were still wet with tears as we parted. (I slaughter Spanish fluently.)

Now my heart was broken. How can one simple statement have such an effect on any one. But now I also understood why the Holy Spirit impressed me to use that phrase. The love of Jesus is the message of the cross. The old Indian did not need to hear a message of condemnation. He lived in a state of condemnation. He needed to know that God really truly loved him.

 

Fear controlled lives

These Indians were steeped in idolatry. Fear controlled their lives. They had mountain gods, and witches, and dark spirits at work in their lives. As I preached that evening in the open building I was aware of the oppressing spirits. The darkness felt so strong that I left the building for a moment just for fresh air. Yet the message had to go forth, and it did. More people were added to God’s holy kingdom. Was Satan mad? You bet. Could he do anything about it? Not a thing in the world.

This was only one of some instances where the Lord had me speak to the Latin-American people about God’s love for them. There were more moments. We were in a barrio (village) south of Reynosa. I had a Mexican-American singing group with me. We walked through the barrio inviting the people to a service that evening. A wealthy Christian woman had made her courtyard available for our use.

The courtyard filled up. This time I am startled but for a different reason. I had never seen physical conditions of that nature. One person literally had tumors hanging from her body. I asked the Lord what He wanted me to say. He said that I was to tell them three things. First, tell them that He loved them. Then tell them that He wanted to heal their lives. And finally tell them that they must learn to walk in His ways and not in the ways of darkness.

That barrio saw our first church raised up in Mexico. It was all a result of telling the people that Jesus Christ truly loved them. We also saw a deaf-mute in a wheel chair speak for the first time. On a later trip to the village the people told me that the deaf-mute was singing in the school yard. (He wasn’t in the village on that trip.)

 

Speak as an ambassador

We were again in Honduras in a village near the border of Guatemala. It was during the time that war was going on in El Salvador. (We could hear the cannons firing.) Again I ask the Lord what He wanted me to say. He said, “Tell them that you come as an ambassador from the kingdom of God and that you have a message for them from the King.”

The building packed out. Men were in the windows and bunched up around the entry area. Children pressed to the front. Mothers with their babies filled the seating. No seats were left. It happened again. The moment I said, “I come as an ambassador from the kingdom of God, and I have a message for you from the King,” it became totally silent. You could hear a pin drop.

What message did I have? You guessed it. I preached to them about God’s love through the cross. It happened again. At the end of my message, and old Indian gentleman stood up, began walking to the front. He was coming to meet his King. He heard. He believe. He came. The altar area packed with people. The kingdom was enlarging.

I have many more such stories about the power of the gospel and of God’s love. We were in another mountain village in Honduras. I began to preach the message of the cross. At the end of the message I saw the crowd parting. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on an elderly woman.

What was happening? The elderly woman was a witch who had held much sway over the non-Christian people of that village. This night it was to be different. She was coming to meet her King. She heard the message that God loved her too.

 

The gospel is the message of God’s love

Shall I go on? I stood behind the casket of a young man who had died. It was at one of the larger churches also in Honduras. Again I preached the simple message of God’s love. And again the people lined up across the front. They were presenting themselves to the King. He accepted them all.

I think you are getting the picture. What is it we need to understand? It is this. If the gospel of Jesus Christ is not about the love of God, it is no gospel at all. The gospel is good news. It is happy tidings. Why would God send His Son into the world to die for our sins, if it was not because He loved us so much. There is no other gospel.

It is the gospel of God’s love that melts the human heart. Yes, judgment has its place in the message. Sin must be dealt with. For those who reject Jesus Christ, the message must become clear on the issue of judgment. But the message must be imbued with the purpose of the cross. The cross is the measure and message of God’s love.

 

The Gospel is like a caged lion

Yes, I’ve seen times where mockery was clear. We were holding meetings at a banana plantation. This time the crowd had a strong mixture of homosexuals. Their intent was to keep the gospel from going forth. They began mocking me as I preached. Then in a moment of time everything became suddenly silent. The presence of the Lord manifested. This always happens when the King has something to say. I don’t know how many came to the Lord that night. I certainly hope the bondage of homosexuality was broken over the people.

Yes, my son Nathan has been shot at and has had rocks thrown at him while doing mission work in Latin America. Yet in all this he helped start thirteen churches in the most troublesome areas of south Mexico. Nathan and his missionary buddy, Joel, were not black-top missionaries. They went where the black top stopped. They went on donkeys, and then further on foot. Was it worth it? A thousands times more. Eternity will tell the story.

 

Don’t miss the point

If it seems that I am bragging in any of this, please be sure that you are missing the point. This is to testify to the love of God. Any boasting to be done is to be directed to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I have seen the power of God’s transforming love in the most sinful of lives. Never can I take credit for any of this. I will always love the statement Charles H. Spurgeon made when he was asked to write a defense of the gospel. He said, “The gospel does not need to be defended. It is like a caged lion. Turn it lose. It can take care of itself.”

Does all this mean there is no judgment to come, that there is no eternal damnation, that we should just overlook sin? Never. Eternal judgment is also part of the gospel message. Judgment is coming much more swiftly that we realize. This is why the brother of Jesus gave us our instructions. Listen to them again.

“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. And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.”

 

Perhaps I do have another point after all —

It disturbs me greatly when I hear of preachers treating sinners as though they were dogs, and abusing God’s people as though their lives had little value to God. Who is the man who would abuse the very ones that God loves so deeply? Jesus did not tell Peter to beat His sheep. He told Peter to love them, to care for them, to feed them.

My point is that God has given us a message. The message is the message of the cross. One thing must always be made clear. The people need to know that Jesus loves them. He loves them enough to come and live with them, in their heart, and all the days of their life.

Jesus is a great Savior. He is a Savior that finishes what He begins. This is why the Bible says that Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith.

Think about it.

Here is your song for today. Let it reach into the deep of your heart. It tells why I preach the gospel. – ‘Yes, I Know,’ by the Gaither Vocal Band.

 [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5T2XED-0sE[/youtube]

Much love,

Buddy

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28
Mar
2011

Reflections on Love

“Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.” (Joh 13:1 nasb)

Note: This entry is a contemplation from an entry I shared in February 4, 2010, entitled, ‘The Great Mystery of the Christian Faith.’ In view of the times I wanted to give an encouragement to my readers about the depth of God’s love. The apostle said that God’s love in its perfect work will cast out all our fears. Yes, the love of God is both a mystery and wondrous indeed. And nothing in all of creation will ever be able to separate believers from the love of God that is found in Jesus Christ.

 

Journal,

John chapter 13 through 17 is a stand alone part of the gospels. These chapters can be called the ‘holiest of holies’ of God Word. There are no crowds. No blind men. No lame men. No woman at the well. No John the Baptist. No debates with Pharisees and Sadducees. There are only a handful of Hebrew men chosen to be the apostles of the Lamb. It is now time for the Lord to pour His heart into these men. The journey of the cross is near at hand.

It is in these chapters that we hear the heart of the new covenant. Thus when we read John 13:1, we hear, “Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.”

Did you catch it? “He loved them to the end.” Did you know that this statement applies to every believer. The apostle said that nothing would ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is found in Jesus Christ. Let’s talk about it.

 

What began as a fledgling movement…

… in a tiny country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea mushroomed into the largest in-gathering of people this planet has ever known. Even in all its diversity, there is one thing that makes Christianity unique in the world. The love of God is the secret to the phenomena of Christianity. To discover Jesus Christ is to discover God’s love.

Most believers can quote John 3:16, which says,

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”

But John 3:17 is equally important. It says,

“For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”

But can we leave it there? John 3:18 continues with,

“He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

 

The apostles were given a message

The apostles were given a message to carry into all the world. The message was a message of love. This is why the subject of ‘love’ is found so much in their writings. Paul says it best when he wrote,

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom8:38,39)

 

So, the great mystery of the Christian faith is really the mystery of God’s love

He loved us before we ever knew Him. He never stops loving us. This is why our faith can rest firmly on John 13:1, which says, “He loved them to the end.” God’s love is an eternal love.

We catch a tiny reflection of God’s love when we think of our love for our children. Stop and consider. Did you love your baby the first time you saw him or her? Why? The love was in your heart. This baby belonged to you.

Did you love your baby before it was actually born? Sure you did. And how about when you and your spouse were talking about having a baby? Did you love the very thought of having a baby? The answer to all these questions is ‘yes.’

These thoughts are miniature reflections on God’s love for us. The Bible says that God is love. The apostle said that we were not saved because we loved God, but because He loved us. All of this belongs to the mystery of God’s love.

When Paul said that nothing can separate us from the love of God, he may have reflected off of something the prophet said. The prophet Isaiah gives us a glimpse into the very heart of God. The Lord said,

“Can a woman forget her nursing child and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will never forget you.” (Isa49:15)

Notice that the Lord said His love far exceeds the love that a mother has for her nursing child. There is no greater picture of love on this planet than that of a mother for her child.

 

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me

The more you study the gospels the more your understanding will be opened to the love of God and to the wonders of redemption. Not only were we chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, but our entire life was set before God at that time. And not only that, but our times on earth – where we would be born, what our nationality would be, and many more factors – were determined beforehand. And behind all this stands the love of God.

The Lord gave David insight into this awesome area of spiritual realities. What is said by David is to be said by every child of God. David said,

“Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O Lord, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot attain to it.” (Psa139:4-6)

 

A love that is incomprehensible

Paul concurs in saying that God’s love for us is incomprehensible. Incomprehensible simply means that the mind cannot grasp it. Believers soon come to realize that there are things we can perceive with our hearts, that cannot be fully expressed to others. Why? They are things of the heart, incomprehensible things. Paul said,

“Who knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.” (1Co2:11)

Things of the heart are things that God opens our hearts to perceive. They are instilled within us by the Holy Spirit.

But what is it about God’s love that is so incomprehensible? We know the answer to that only so well. We have all found that God’s love is not static. His love surrounds us. God’s love reaches into our pits and draws us out. How often have we been ashamed of a misdeed, wondering how God could ever love us still, and yet, in our turning to Him, we found Him ever there.

I have never met a Christian who could not look back on their childhood, and say, “Lord, You were there even then.” Not even the prophets understood this. And even when they were issuing stern pronouncements, in a moment of time a love song would burst forth. This song was about God and His children.

A good example is with the prophet Micah. After dealing with issues of judgments, the prophet writes,

“Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the rebellious act of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in unchanging love … You will give truth to Jacob and unchanging love to Abraham…” (Micah 7:18-20)

 

God’s unchanging love in Christ Jesus

Unchanging love to Abraham is the catch phrase. All true believers have been made children of Abraham through our faith in Jesus Christ. Paul says that we are the children of promise.

Then we have this from Jeremiah, which again speaks of God’s love for His people;

“The Lord appeared to him from afar, saying, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.'” (Jer31:3)

Again we hear a call of eternity. Jesus expresses this eternal call in saying,

“Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you, abide in My love.” (John 15:9)

Did you know that the single greatest testimony that God is your very own Father is the testimony of your love for Jesus Christ? Jesus said to certain of the Jews,

“If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me.” (John 8:42)

Now couple this with how the apostle Peter described the heart of a true believer;

“And though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.” (1Pet1:8)

 

The greatest love story ever told

And so the gospel is actually the greatest love story ever told. This is why Christians sing love songs to Jesus. We sing love songs to the Father. We sing of His love to us. We sing, “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world.” We sing, “Love lifted me. Love lifted me.” We sing, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”

But why? Why do we Christians have such passion over the love of God. After all, you don’t hear Muslims singing, ‘Mohammed, lover of my soul.’ It can be summed up in the cry of the human heart. This cry can only be met in an encounter with Jesus. Paul describes it as the ‘Abba! Father!‘ cry. ‘We have found our Father!’

Abba, Father, is an expression of true sonship. It speaks of intimacy. It is a cry of recognition. It is a cry that goes far beyond religion. It is the cry of a child’s whose heart has been filled with ‘Father consciousness.’ But it is a cry that goes both ways. We say, “My Father.” God says, “My beloved child.”

Did you know that more and more Jews are discovering the Father’s love in Jesus.  I must not leave this journal entry without a song from the heart of the Hebrew believer, Jonathan Settel. Listen as he sings,  ‘Amen.’ It carries the heart of the gospel in Hebrew. (Subtitled in English.)

 

 

So we ask, ‘How much to you love me, Jesus.’

He stretches out His arms, and says, ‘This much.’

What do you think?

Does He love us to the end?

I say, yes, a thousand times yes. The Lord said that He would never leave us or forsake us.

In fact Jesus said it this way,

“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. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” (Joh 10:27-29)

Always in Christ,

Buddy

 

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18
Feb
2011

The Mysteries of the Ages

Journal

There are a number of hidden mysteries in God’s Word. For example the Lord Jesus can be seen throughout the prophetic writings and yet He is declared to be a mystery. The Church is in the writings of the prophets, but is also declared to be a mystery. Then we have the unfolding mystery of redemption.

In this entry I will deal with the mystery of our redemption in Christ Jesus, and how that the believer’s salvation was set forth from the foundation of the world. The entry is a bit lengthy but well worth the reading. It will help my readers understand why Jesus tells us not to be troubled when we see the nations in an upheaval.

Place your cursor over a Scripture reference and it will appear.


Take time to meditate on the following Scriptures where you will see some of the wonder and mystery of redemption.


A Word from the Prophets


[Moses] “Give ear, O heavens, and let me speak; and let the earth hear the words of my mouth. Let my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, as the droplets on the fresh grass and as the showers on the herb. For I proclaim the name of the LORD; ascribe greatness to our God! The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and upright is He. They have acted corruptly toward Him, They are not His children, because of their defect; but are a perverse and crooked generation.” (Deu 32:1-5)

“You neglected the Rock who begot you, and forgot the God who gave you birth. … Then He said, ‘I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end shall be; for they are a perverse generation, sons in whom is no faithfulness.’ … Would that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would discern their future!” (Deu 32:18-20)

[This is from the Song of Moses; 1400 years before Christ. Cf. Rev15:3. The Song of Moses is a prophetic outline of Israel, including her rejection of Jesus Christ. ‘The Rock’ is Christ. ‘His work is perfect’ speaks of the new creation. ‘They are a perverse and crooked generation’ speaks to the Christ rejecters. Peter quoted from this. Cf. Acts 2:40]


[Isaiah] “A voice says, ‘Call out.’ Then he answered, ‘What shall I call out?’ All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the LORD blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever. 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!’” (Isa 40:6-9)

[Isaiah wrote this 700 years before Christ. Here we see John the Baptist’s call to the people, that God’s Word is true. The gospel message begins in Jerusalem with, ‘Do not fear, here is your God!’]


[Hosea] “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.” (Hos 5:15; John 6:62; 7:33,34; 8:21)

[Hosea the prophet also wrote about 700 years before Christ. He sets forth the rejection of Jesus until the time of the second coming. In Israel’s tribulation they will seek the Lord and find Jesus. Cf. Zech12:8-10. Hosea 6:1-3 includes the second coming


[Jesus] “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it! Behold, your house is left to you desolate; and I say to you, you will not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!'” (Luk 13:34-35)


[Daniel] “Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.” (Dan 12:3-4)

The book of Daniel sets forth both the first and the second coming of Jesus. Written 500+ years before Christ. The later rabbis placed a curse on anyone who attempted to calculate the time of Messiah by the use of Daniel.


All the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge

Paul said that all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in Christ Jesus Himself. This can only mean that these Christ-treasures were not to be hidden from us. They have been hidden for us. In writing the Colossian believers, Paul said…

“… that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Col 2:2-3)

It is because of these hidden treasures that the apostle prayed for the Church …

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.” (Cf. Eph1:15-23)

And this also is why we should learn to pray the prayer of David, when he said,

“Open my eyes, that I may behold Wonderful things from Your law.” (Ps119:18)


From the foundation of the world

When David ask the Lord to open his eyes so he could behold Wonderful things from His ‘law’, we need to understand that the Hebrew word for law does not simply mean the Law of Moses. The word ‘torah‘ in Hebrew is a feminine noun. It speaks of instruction and direction.

David is asking the Lord to open his eyes to divine instruction and to the divine things of God. He wants to see into the eternity of God. David also uses the word ‘Wonderful‘ in a unique way. It has to do with the Man called Wonderful. (Isa9:6)

This is a very personal request. It is the kind of prayer we should take to heart.

The Bible has much to say about the things of eternity. The term ‘from the foundation of the world’ is used several times in the new covenant writings to express the eternity of God. Let’s look at them: (Caps are for emphasis only.)

(1) Concerning Messiah, it says, “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter THINGS HIDDEN SINCE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.” (Matt13:35)

This reflects back on Deu29:29; “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.”

When we stop to consider that the Torah of Moses, that is, the first five books of the Bible, are filled with the ‘secret’ treasures of Christ, it gives us pause to consider just how rich the revelation of Jesus Christ is in the Old Testament writings. The entire Bible wraps itself around Jesus as a cloak. He said, “In the scroll [volume] of the book it is written of Me.” (Psa40:7)


(2) As to one phase of the kingdom of God, the King says to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed of my Father, INHERIT THE KINGDOM PREPARED FOR YOU FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.” (Matt25:34)

Did you catch it? The kingdom of the beloved Son was prepared long before the world was created. This would certainly mean that all of creation was planned for Christ and for the people of Christ.


(3) Of the Christ-rejecting leadership, the Lord said, “The blood of all the prophets, shed since the foundation of the world, may be charged to this generation.” (Luke11:50)

The Greek term ‘generation’ [genea] can express more than a meaning of time. It includes the idea of a multitude of contemporaries. Hence it speaks to an affinity of communion, or a grouping of people who share the sameness of character. We need to understand that there has always been a wicked element in the earth that has set itself against the Lord and against His Christ.

Moses spoke of this group; “They have acted corrupted toward Him, they are not His children, because of their defect; but are a perverse and crooked generation.” (Deu32:5) — This is part of the song of Moses, which Revelation calls ‘the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb.” (Rev15:3)


(4) Jesus prayed, He said, “Father….YOU LOVED ME BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.” (John17:24)

Jesus said that He experienced the Father before the world was.


(5) Paul says of all believers, “HE CHOSE US IN HIM BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD, that we should be holy and blameless before Him in love.” (Eph1:4)

What is left to be said on this one? God determined to gives us His own holiness. All the guilt of our sins would be placed upon Jesus.


(6) The book of Hebrews speaks of God’s rest in the Messiah, in saying that, “HIS WORKS WERE FINISHED FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.” (Heb4:3)


(7) Of Christ’s pre-existence in eternity, and with regard to our salvation, it says,

“He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” (Heb9:26)


(8) Peter says the Christ, “Was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you, who through Him are believers in God…” (1Pet1:20,21)


(9) Both Rev13:7 and Rev17:8 speak of the names of the saved written in the Lamb’s book of life, “from the foundation of the world.”

Wow — How did God know what your name was going to be? Have you ever considered just how deeply involved the Lord has been in your life from here to yon?


(10) The apostle said, “But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren, beloved by the Lord, BECAUSE GOD CHOSE YOU FROM THE BEGINNING for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.” (2Th2:13)



The seal of sanctification

Every believer has a seal of sanctification upon his or her heart. Satan knows it. The angels know it. The seal belongs to God. The seal means,‘This child is Mine.’ It can only be broken by God and He promised that nothing would ever be able to separate us from His love.

Thus we hear God say of Jeremiah,

“Before I formed you in the womb I KNEW you, and before you were born I consecrated you…” (Jer.1:5)

The Hebrew word for ‘knew’ is quite interesting. Yada (yaw-dah’) means to know, to learn, to perceive, to discern, and to experience. It carries more thoughts, but this gives an idea of the strength of what God is saying. He ‘knew’ and even ‘experienced’ Jeremiah before the prophet was formed in his mother’s womb.

David talked about this very thing, and then confessed,

“Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot attain to it.” (Ps139:6)

How about you? Do you feel that such knowledge is too high for you? To say that God knew and experienced us before the foundation of the world is an awesome thing to say. This is God thing, a treasure hidden in Christ.

The issue in all this that all believers need to have their conscious life filled with assurances of their salvation. This is what moves our salvation out of the emotional realm, and even the intellectual realm, into the very heart of new covenant salvation.

Jesus Himself said that His sheep walked with Him in a ‘knowing’ relationship. This can only mean that the people of the Lamb have an intuitive knowing about God that is far beyond anything this present world can offer. We have come to ‘experience’ God Himself in the deep of our inward man. We found Him in Christ.

It was Jesus who said,

“I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants.” (Matt11:25)

Paul said the new covenant experience is based upon a believer’s conscious relationship with the Father. This relationship is brought into reality by the Spirit of God. He said,

“The Spirit Himself testifies [bears witness] with our spirit that we are children of God.” (Rom8:16)

In another place Paul says,

“Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!'”

The Abba Father cry is not merely our cry, even though we feel it deep in our spirit life. It is actually the cry of Sonship. It is our birthing cry made by the Spirit of Jesus. This cry speaks of a joining of our life to the Father of eternity.

This cry of sonship speaks of God’s eternal redemption that was set in place from the foundation of the world. The prophet heard God say it this way;

“Thus says the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, ‘Ask Me the things to come concerning My sons, and you will commit to Me the work of My hands.” (Isa45:11)


The Children of Eternity

We are the children of eternity. We are the work of His hands. We carry in our hearts an eternal perspective. We long for eternal things. We have a grasp of eternal things even when we are unable to put them down on paper. That is just the way we are. Yes, we are sinners saved by grace, but saved we are. We are the children that God’s removes from the earth as part of our redemption in Jesus.

It is wonderful to think about.

Here is a song for your heart, – I’m Redeemed I Am Saved – (By Sounding Joy).


In Christ’s Love Always,

Buddy

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13
Dec
2010

Ten Nuggets of Gold


“Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. [Ps. 110:1.]” (Heb 12:2 Amplified Bible)



Journal,

This journal entry is primarily for those who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The Bible tells believers not to be sluggish in our faith walk but to follow after those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. In this study I will share ten things that can help make up for a strong walk of faith. These ‘nuggets of gold’ are some of things that I’ve learned in my forty-five years as a servant of the Lord.

Rather than provide a fuller commentary with each nugget, I will generally give Scripture references that apply to that nugget. Place your cursor over the Scripture reference and it will appear. (If the full reference doesn’t show, click on the ‘more’ at the bottom left where the Scripture is shown.) Each nugget of gold addresses an issue to take to heart…

I – Leave the Old Life Behind

Keys: Rom4:5-8; 2Co5:17-21.

Whether as a sinner, or you stumbled as a believer.

 

 

II – Do a Faith Check Up

Keys: The ‘working out’ and ‘testing’ principles: Cf. Phil2:12,13; 2Co13:5.

Our faith walk is deeply personal. Don’t compare yourself to others.

 

 

III – Draw on God’s Grace

Keys: Grace for today. Lam3:21-24; John1:16

Learn to dine from God’s table daily.

 

 

VI – Retake Lost Ground

Keys: Isa30:15; 54:17 – Repentance is worship

 

 

IV – Strengthen Your Heart in Faith

Keys: Prov4:20-23

‘Speak truth in your heart’ means to meditate on that which is of the Lord.

 

 

V – Don’t be a Doubter

Keys: James 1:5-8.

Doubt can honeycomb your whole personality.

 

 

VII – Allow the Lord to Choose for You

Keys: Gen13:14; Psa16:5,6; Isa25:1; Jer29:11. Throw away your design for life.

 

 

VII – Live by Your Last Instructions

Keys: John 21:20-22. Remember Jonah

 

 

VIII – Leave Room for the Unexpected

Keys: Isa55:8-11; Eph3:20,21 Stop measuring.

 

 

X – The Language of Faith is Laughter

Keys: Gen17:15-19; 18:10-15; Psalm 126:1-3

Isaac means ‘laughter.’ Paul says that we are the children of laughter. Gal4:28

 

 

Do you remember a special time when the Lord put laughter in your mouth? Laughter and joy are the natural outflow of a heart filled with faith. We laugh because we know that God is true to all His promises.

While you meditate on these ‘nuggets’ here is a song that will minister to your heart.

‘He Came Down To My Level’ by the Gaithers.

 


Much love coming your way,

Buddy


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04
Nov
2010

To be Known by God

“I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me.” (John 10:14)


Journal,

In this study we will look more closely at a spiritual phenomenon that is unique to the Christian faith. It can be compared to ‘imprinting’ that takes place between children and their parents, and to the imprinting that takes place in nature.

Jesus spoke of the new covenant imprinting experience by the use of a prophetic picture. He said of true believers,

Out of your innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38)

This is a picture of a believer who is deeply acquainted with the spiritual life that comes to us from our heavenly Father. The living waters accords to the revelation of Jesus and to the covenant life that we share with Him.


Nature itself calls attention to our imprint from God.

You see it everywhere. Imprinting is what causes the penguin chick, and the mother penguin to recognize one another. Even in the midst of literally hundreds of thousands of birds chirping loudly, and covering the beaches like a huge blanket, the mother penguin knows her chick.

How does the mother penguin know her chick? Imprinting. The mother penguin knows sooner than does the chick. It is the same with our heavenly Father. He knew us, and loved us long before we had a capacity to return our love to Him.

John wrote,

In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” (1John4:10)

Paul also wrote,

Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, ‘The Lord knows those who are His,’ and, ‘Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.'” (2Tim2:19)


Did you notice that the foundation of God carries a double seal? Look closely. God knows everyone one of His people, and, His people are to stay away from wickedness.

Also keep the word ‘knows‘ those who are His in view. Later we will read of a group who claimed to do all their works in the name of Jesus, but Jesus said that He never ‘knew‘ them. The same Greek word is used in both instances. The comparison is to the false prophet who operates under in occultism. (More later.)


A closer look at the human family.

Infants imprint with the mother soon after birth and even to some extent while in her womb. What happens is that the infant begins to recognize the ‘sounds‘ of the mother, of her smell, and various other stimuli. The baby remembers her voice as she sang over him while still in the womb.

Think about it. Why does the mother adjust her voice to a special tone when speaking, or singing, or playing with the infant. Fathers do this also. This is nature. It relates to imprinting.

One of the strongest stimuli is always, ‘the voice.’

Is there any Bible for such a thing as imprinting in a spiritual sense? Jesus said,

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.” (John 10:27,28)


And again,

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.” (John 10:16)


Now hear it from David, from Jeremiah, and from Paul:

[David]

For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.” (Psa 139:13-14 NASB)

[To Jeremiah]

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (Jer 1:5 NASB)

[Paul]

But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son…” (Gal 1:15-16 NASB)





God’s heavenly children

In the case of God’s heavenly children, imprinting is a work of the Holy Spirit. It begins with our heavenly birth. It is through the spiritual process of imprinting that believers come to know and to recognize the voice of Jesus.

This is why Jesus said,

I am the good Shepherd, and I know My own and my own know Me.” (John 10:14)

Sometimes there is a struggle with imprinting on the side of the believer. Paul wrote the Galatian Christians, and said,


My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you.” (Gal 4:19)

Paul was not speaking of them being born again, again. His concern was for their inability to know and recognize the things of the Lord in their lives. The Greek word for ‘formed’ is ‘morphoo.’ It literally means ‘to form the nature of.’

This statement can be translated, “Until you become Christ like in your life and attitude.” The idea carries over as a sense of imprinting.

Generally new believers begin to imprint quickly. This is especially true when their spiritual environment is conducive to learning the voice of Jesus early on. But bad teaching can interfere to some degree with the imprinting process for new believers. This was happening with the Galatians believers. .

Paul said a similar thing to the Ephesian Christians. He said,

We are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him.” (Ephesians 4:14)


Bonding with the heavenly Father

A major cause of immaturity among believers is their failure to bond properly with the heavenly Father. They become restless and unbalanced. They are easily misled. Sometimes you find them wandering from one church to another. (A pastor’s greatest job is to help believers bond with God.)

If a young believer is not under the kind of teaching that will lead him to believe deeply in his salvation and in God’s love, this believer can become fear driven. God is a loving Father. The first need of a child of God, is the need to know they are loved without conditions. This is set forth by the apostle John when he said that God loved us before we were able to love Him.

This is also why Paul instructed us to be very careful with the weak and to never put an obstacle or stumbling block in a brother’s way. We are to encourage and let each believer progress on the level where he is. He said,

To his own Master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” (Romans 14:4)


The saddest story of all.

Jesus said there would be a group standing before Him who had used His name, yet He consigned them to a state of eternal lostness.

Listen carefully:

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” (Mat 7:21-23 NASB)

This portion is not as difficult to understand as it may seem. Jesus is addressing false prophets. The false prophets will use the name of Jesus but it isn’t Jesus of the Bible or the God of redemption that they are representing. They were preaching ‘another’ Jesus. They are preaching a false gospel.

The apostle said that these false preachers are actually under a curse:

 

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)



To be accursed means to be devoted to destruction. Paul explains how this realm of ‘falseness’ is occultism at work. (Read my prior journal entry, ‘The Corinthian Dilemma – The Demise of a Church.’)

Follow closely:

“But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his 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. …

“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.” (Cf. 2Co 11:3,4,13-15 NASB)

When Jesus said of the false prophet, ‘I never knew you,’ this simply means that they were never born of His Spirit. (Jesus knows all who belong to Him.) Their imprint was from the evil one.

Think about these things. The Lord will give you the understanding that you need.

In the meanwhile, here is a song that will minister to our heart…‘He Leadeth Me,’ by the Martins.


Much love to be found in Jesus.

In Christ always,

Buddy

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16
Aug
2010

The Prostitute Will Enter First

“But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went. The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go. ‘Which of the two did the will of his father?’ They said, ‘The first.’ Jesus *said to them, ‘Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you.’” (Mat 21:28-31 NASB)

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Journal,

In this entry I want to follow two closely related tracks. One will concern itself with those who have a self-righteous religious attitude. The other track will address the Church that Jesus established, that is, the church made up of prostitutes and tax collectors. The tracks will run together.

To appreciate what Jesus had to say about prostitutes and tax collectors entering the kingdom of God before the religious authorities of that hour, we need a bit of background. The day prior, Jesus ran the money changers out of the temple area. When He returned to the temple the following day, He was confronted by the authorities:

“…the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?’ Jesus said to them, ‘I will also ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I will also tell you by what authority I do these things.'” (Mat 21:23-24 NASB)
When Jesus asked them if the baptism of John was from heaven or from men, it caught them completely off guard. They were unable to respond. The crowds saw John as a prophet, and were being drawn to Jesus as the Messiah of Israel. They were calling Him, ‘Son of David.’ (This term had regard to the promised Messiah.)

The religious leaders refused to answer. Thereby Jesus refused to tell them where His authority came from. It is at this point that the Lord gives the parable of the two sons.

It is how Jesus ends this parable that is so interesting. He simply says that the prostitutes and tax collectors would enter the kingdom of God, ahead of these Jewish leaders?

Think about it. The Lord was in the temple complex speaking to the recognized leaders of world Judaism. Included in this group would be those who would have Him crucified.

Yes, you guessed it. Religion crucified Jesus.

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The gospel of the prostitute

But why did Jesus draw attention to prostitutes and tax collectors? After all they were considered the very dregs of Jewish society, the very worst of sinners. For one reason they were utterly detested especially by the Pharisees. And so you have the dregs of society versus the high and mighty. You have those who know they are sinners, and you have the religious bigots, the very epitome of the self righteous, those who look down their noses at everyone not of their sort.

Yet it is in the prostitutes and tax collectors that we see the true gospel story.

Strangely enough the verity of ‘the prostitutes entering first’ can be seen of a sorts in Biblical form. In the very genealogy of Jesus Christ, only four women are recorded. Three of the four women were non-Hebrew in ancestry; Tamar the Canaanite, Rahab the Canaanite, and Ruth the Moabite. Two had prostitution written in their lives, Tamar and Rahab. One was an adulteress, Bathsheba. (Bathsheba was the only Hebrew of the four. She was from the tribe of Judah.)

All four of these women were in the direct lineage of Jesus Christ. Does that tell us anything at all? Why were these the only women recorded? Perhaps it is because in these women we see the very heart of the gospel story and of God’s love for all of humanity.

Here is a brief rundown.

  • Tamar dressed herself as a temple prostitute in order to deceive Judah. Through Judah would come King David, and thus Messiah. (Story in Genesis 38)
  • Rahab was a ‘harlot.’ [Hebrew is ‘zanah’ which means to be a harlot or to commit fornication.] The two spies were to sent spy out Jericho. Rahab protected them. She believed in the Lord God of Israel. (Story in Joshua 2)
  • Ruth’s story is one of the most beautiful in all the Bible. She was a Moabitess. Once again we have a non-Israelite woman preserving the seed of Messiah. (See the book of Ruth.)
  • Finally we have Bathsheba. She was married to Uriah the Hittite. David paid dearly for his sin of adultry with Bathsheba. And yet this is another of the four women who are written into the genealogy of Jesus.

It is important to understand that this is not an issue of lifting up immoral sexual behavior. If we knew the times well enough, we would know how much the women were at the mercy of the men. A woman was born under complete control of the father. This went to the husband. And as a rule, she received no inheritance from her dead husband. It passed to the sons. The sons were to care for the mother. If she did not have sons, her situation was not good. The sons were the social security system of the time. (There are variations on this, so I’m not being technical.)

Now back to the prostitutes entering the kingdom of God first. What is Jesus speaking to with the story of the two sons. One thing it tells us is that religion in itself can become the very destroyer of faith. Sometimes we exalt our religion to the extent that we’ve become ‘religion worshipers.’ This is what had happened in Israel’s religious establishment.

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We say stone her! What do you say?

We see religious blindness in the gospel story of Jesus. When the men wanted to stone a woman caught in adultery, Jesus diverted the attention of the men to their own sins. He spoke nothing but kindness to the frightened woman. Jesus said two things to her that we must never forget. First, He did not allow her to remain under the bondage of condemnation. And secondly, Jesus simply told her to free herself from the sin that she was involved in. He Himself would be her freedom.

The woman at the well is another classic example. This lady had been married five times and was then living with a guy. How did Jesus handle her? He began by helping her process her life. He spoke to her heart. He awakened something in her. Jesus Himself would be her answer.

But notice that the woman has a final argument. It had to do with religion. She said,

“Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.”

There it is. See how our religion can get in the way. All she knew was religion. She had a pain in her heart and couldn’t do anything about it. The Lord took it out of the hands of religion. He said,

“Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.”

He goes one to say,

“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Now we know the primary reason the temple authorities hated Jesus. He was dismantling their power over the people.

Jesus was telling the lady at the well that there wasn’t going to be any more special mountains she needed to go to. There will be no anointed places you need to seek out. There will be no great religious figures you will need to bless you. True worship will be a matter of the heart. It will be as personal as a kiss. (The Greek for worship, proskuneo, literally means ‘to kiss.’ It is a very intimate word. True worship is deeply personal.)

Paul later expounded on this, in saying,

“Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.” (Phil3:2,3)

This brings us full circle back to the high priests, the elders, the prostitutes, and the tax collectors. We need to stop looking at the religions of the world for answers. This includes all the hype you see on the television tube. Jesus is present with every one of His people. He is in their hearts. He is in their mouths. He is in their lives. You see, religion stopped at the cross. It was nailed there in the body of Christ.

What does all this mean? It means the door to heaven has been flung open. The curtain has been ripped. No one can ever again stand between you and the Lord God. There is no prophet that you need to go to. Just listen with your heart. Jesus said,

“I have other sheep also, 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.”

Does this do away with the Church? May it never be. It establishes God’s true Church. The Church has never been a building. Christ Himself builds His Church, and He flocks His people as He wills. We just need to find out where we need to be.

Jesus dismantled religion

Did the Lord not say,

“Heaven is my throne and the earth is My footstool. Where then is a house you could build for Me?” (Isa66:1)

Well, God did build a house to contain His glory. He built it out of fallen humanity. The apostle said it well enough;

“For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts (this is the glory shining) to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face [exact presence] of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels…” (2Co4:6,7)

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The flock of God

So, whence went religion? If the glory is shining in our hearts, why would we need an outward system of symbols and rituals, with vestments and forms, to tell us what God is like? Well, we don’t need any of that. The Messiah of God said,

“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.” (Jn10:27,28)

Now another question – What need do we have for flocking together as a Church?

The need is great. God has ordained that each of His people be assigned to a particular flock for their care and safety.

There are hundreds of thousands of gospel believing churches with the same hundreds of thousands of godly pastors who care deeply for their flock. We just need to look to the Lord to place us in our proper flock.

It should go without saying that we aren’t in heaven yet. Nor are we secured from the presence of evil. And so God has decreed that He will meet with every flock, regardless of how tiny it may be, and in these flockings, He will make Himself known in special ways. (This does not preclude the fact that we have the glory in our hearts.)

There is another reason for God flocking His people. The young lambs need a place of security so they can grow properly, and be taught the ways of the Lord, and not have to worry about harassment by wolves. Mature believers are a safe guard against spoilers of the flock.

Paul warned us about them. Wolves are sly. They often try to enter the flocks disguised as sheep. But you can recognize them after a bit. They emit an order that is unpleasant to the sheep. Besides that, wolves are really stuck on themselves. They can’t hide it. On the other hand, sheep are humble creatures and non-threatening.

But even here we need caution. Systems of worship are not necessarily wrong. Neither are they necessarily right. The problem is that God does not deal with us according to our systems of worship. He deals with us one on one on one. He deals with us family by family. He deals with us flock by flock.

Isn’t it wonderful to know that you don’t have to worry about which system is right. None of them are right. The question is whether we are right with the Lord.

I have been a pastor for a long time. My greatest joy is to look at those who have been made part of God’s church. All I can say is…

“Thank you Lord, for every prostitute and every tax collecter. Thank you for all these beautiful people. They were once sickened in sin, but you have glorified Yourself in them. Thank you Jesus.”

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Well, I must not leave this entry without a song. Here is the story of the believer’s faith in Jesus Christ. Please take time to listen. The Lord wants to speak to your heart. It is titled, ‘Through It All.’ (By the Booth Brothers)

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Much love in Jesus,
 Buddy

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