None of these things move me...

 22 And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:

23 Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.

24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

25 And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. (Acts 20:22-25)

Paul was a true man of God. He stood in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds on many occasions. He loved God. He loved God's people. 

Any way that he could find that did not break scripture to reach out to people, he was willing to give it a try. 

18 What is my reward then? Verily that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel.

19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.

20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;

21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.

22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. (1 Corinthians 9: 18-22)

What an attitude! 

In our opening passage in Acts, if you follow the story over several chapters, Paul had been told by God that he was being sent on a mission to the gentiles to bring them into the fold. As such, the Jews (who were already angry at his conversion) were ready to kill him for trying to convert the Gentiles to worshipping the one true God. This did not sit well with "God's chosen people." 

But Paul had heard from God. In fact, early on, he was told "how great things he must suffer for my names sake." (Acts 9:16).

Paul knew that Jesus had given his all for us. He also knew that, in following Jesus, we must give our all to him. No matter the sacrifice. No matter the cost. If we go broke, that's okay. If we are beaten and imprisoned, that's fine. If we die, thy will be done, Lord. 

Whatever level of our lives we are dealing with, ALL levels must be submitted to God. 

We cannot serve Jesus on Sundays and Wednesdays, but the rest of the time is ours. It doesn't work that way. 

19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

We don't get to choose ANYTHING! Our job as Christians is to do 3 things:

1) Listen (Pray and seek his will) 2) Hear (Find his will) 3) Obey (DO what his will is for all situations.) 

We don't belong to ourselves. We are his. 

As Christian leaders, we are to seek out a fresh word for those we minister to. We cannot just regurgitate a sermon from years ago. Those we are helping to feed deserve (and God requires) fresh manna from heaven. 

As husbands and fathers, we are to seek God in all situations and be willing to sacrifice ourselves (lay down our lives) for them in every way. It doesn't matter how hard I have to work to care for my family. It doesn't matter how many hours I have to work, how many jobs I have to do, to care for my family. They are my family and my responsibility. It is all a labor of love. And this doesn't negate my responsibility as spiritual leader of the home. 

God spoke to Paul about much of what he would have to suffer. In fact, on several occasions, he was told by different people that if he went to Jerusalem, he'd wind up in chains. But, Paul was trying to be used of God to win the bride of Jesus. "None of these things move me," he said. 

Jesus paid his all for his bride. Paul was willing to join him on his quest. We should be willing to die in caring for our bride and in trying to win the bride of Christ. 

When Jesus gives us a mission, we will be tested. Many times, things will come up that point out the possible negative effects of staying the course. When we come to those crossroads, we have a choice. 

Do we stay the course and suffer the affliction that may come, knowing that we are in the will of God. Or, do we leave the course and choose "the easy way." The easy way won't take us to heaven, but we can choose it. The easy way means to cater to our flesh and disavow our mission from God. The easy way may make it easier to live here, but it means hell for eternity. 

May we all take Paul's attitude when we are looking at the possible consequences of launching out in faith for Jesus. May we look at them, shrug our shoulders, and say, "None of these things move me." 

None of these things will sway me from the course that Jesus has set for me. 

  

The heat on the rock

9 The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto you.

10 For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth. (Zechariah 4:9-10)

Many times in life, following God can become frustrating. 

Now don't stop reading. I'm not putting the Lord down in any way. I'm talking about from our human perspective. 

You see, we are excited. We receive an unction from the Lord about something and start to obey whatever he has told us to do. In our minds, we picture having a huge impact on people for the kingdom of God. We believe millions will experience closer walks with God, or new walks with God, as a result of our obedience to the Lord's direction. And, who knows? This may eventually happen.

Zerubbabel had received a word from the Lord and a grant from the king to rebuild the house of the Lord. And for a while, everything seemed to go well. They finished the foundation of the house of God pretty quickly. Everyone was excited. 

But, then came the trouble. The enemy found out about what was going on and began mocking and trying to stop the building. When that didn't work, they petitioned the new King to try and stop the work of God. When that didn't work, they began trying to physically attack them.

Ever feel like everything that can go wrong, is going wrong when you're trying to live for God- especially when you're trying to do a work of some kind for God? You look up at heaven and say, "But, Lord, I'm doing what you said. Why is this happening? 

Zerubbabel and the others grew weary. At one point in Nehemiah (Nehemiah 4:10), it says that the people grew tired of the work because of the attacks of the enemy and the lack of building supplies. They had developed a case of "this is hopeless, why are we trying?" So, God sent a prophet to encourage them. 

He told them that the same man that began the work would finish the work. The enemy's attacks would come to nothing. No matter what the enemy would try, God's work would be finished. It's a promise from God written in stone. 

And here's where I wanted to get to today. That stone. 

Do you want to know why things are happening when all you're trying to do is obey God? Do you want to know why God allows it to happen? Doesn't he know how frustrating it is to you? Doesn't he care how upset these attacks make you? I'm tired and I have nearly nothing to work with, Lord!

He sees and he knows.

But, he sees what you cannot see. 

The word plummet comes from two Hebrew words. The first means "Stone." 

Don't lose heart! Because the same rock (stone) you began working with is the same rock (Jesus) that you will work with through the whole process of doing what God's called you to do! In fact, "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:!" (Philippians 1:6)

Take heart, if Jesus has given you a mission, he will help you to complete it! 

Now, the second Hebrew word that comes from "plummet" means, "alloy found in ore, mixed with silver which is separated from it by means of fire." You see, a little heat applied to the rock begins to separate the treasure and metal from the rock. 

Scripture says it this way:

 12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. (1 Peter 4:12-13)

Stay in the fight! The end of the process will be glorious to God and you'll be a part of it.

The reason that the Lord allows us to suffer is that the heat of trouble begins to work in our lives. 

It separates the impurities out of us. Fire is a much greater purifier than water. You can clean with water, but to really get into the nooks and crannies of say, an old iron chair, you gotta put some fire to it. It'll get all the grease, paint, and rust off the iron and allow it to be remolded into a usable and strong iron chair again. God allows fire in our lives to reshape, strengthen, and remold us so we're usable for him again.

The fire brings forth the metal in us that will give us the strength to not only finish the current work he has us doing but to stand firm in the face of the enemy's attacks. And it will work as the basis for beginning other (and more difficult) works that God will ask of us later. 

Furthermore, the heat of tribulation forces us to cling to God even more. This has the effect of bringing out God's treasure in our lives- his fruit. 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

These fruits are not our natural human state of being. God knows that unless we learn to trust him and let him live through us, we will never have the fruit he requires in our lives. So, he gives us tasks that he knows we cannot do. 

The enemy sees a weak spot (because we cannot do it) and attacks us. This "turns up the heat" on us. We cling to God even more. This produces God's fruit in our lives that we would never have had before. And God just sits back and smiles at his handiwork in our lives. It's a beautiful treasure to him. 

He sees his love in our lives where we were once selfish and self-absorbed. He sees joy in our hearts. He sees peace in our minds. What once was rough has become gentle. Where we were impatient with people and circumstances, now we're longsuffering. We were once evil in our thoughts and actions, now we become good- looking for and trying to develop goodness in ourselves and others. Once we trusted in no one but ourselves, but now we have faith in him and his people- and in ourselves. We used to be proud and high headed, now we have become meek. Once we gave in to every whim of the flesh, but now we have become temperate (self-controlled). 

This makes it much easier for people to accept a word from God when we need to give it. They look at our lives and see the fruit of the spirit within. They will take what you have to say much more easily because they will know you've been with Jesus. How? Because they see him in you. 

But, without the fire, it would never happen. 

So, follow and obey the Lord in all things. Do what he tells you to do. And don't be surprised, but be thankful, when the heat turns up in your life. It's just God growing a little fruit within you, purifying you, and making you stronger. 

Lord, heat up our rocks and form us into who you want us to be. 

Work in progress

Philippians 1:6King James Version (KJV)

6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Ephesians 2:10

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

1 John 3:2

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth notyet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

Romans 8:20-23King James Version (KJV)

20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,

21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.

23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

In Apostolic Pentecostal circles, we put a lot of emphasis on holiness, much of it misdirected (albeit well-intentioned.) While it is true that holiness is necessary, many paint holiness out to be a long list of rules and legislation. Indeed, to hear some tell it, we can work ourselves into heaven simply by going to church, paying tithes, obeying the leadership, dressing and acting in certain ways, etc. 

This week is Christmas, where we celebrate the birth of Jesus. Stop and think about it. Why did he come? Why did he robe himself in flesh and become a man? Consider this powerful answer: 

Isaiah 64:6 [Full Chapter]

But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness is as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

The word "filthy" here comes from the Hebrew word, "idda." It means, "menstruation." And the word "Rags" here comes from the Hebrew word, "beged," and it means, "treachery, deceit, garment." 

In other words, for all our worship, for all our praise, for all our effort, for all our giving, for all our towing the line of standards, our righteousness is as worthwhile to Jesus as a used Tampon. (Yes, I said it! But, God said it first through Isaiah.) 

We can be the most accomplished and seemingly successful Christian leader in the world, but for all our accomplishments in the eyes of mankind, we fall so very short of what God himself calls righteous. 

But, he became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God. Therefore, we can stand before him washed in his blood as his children, enjoying the full love and devotion of God towards us.

Yet, when we declare to the world that we are the children of God, they begin to nit pic us to death.

"I thought you were a Christian, Christians don't do that."  

In our flesh we can do nothing. However, WITH GOD LIVING THROUGH US, we can do all things. Just as humans have different levels of development, so do children of God. Just as we don't expect a new born to walk, or a toddler to iron their clothing, neither should anyone expect a Christian to be perfect. 

Over time, we will "grow in Grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." But, will we achieve sinless perfection? Not in this life. But, the trick to being Holy is not following standards and being religious. The trick is in allowing Jesus to live through us. The more we allow him to, the less sins we will commit and the more like him we will become. 

But, for all the fruit inspectors out there who are investigating "God's people," looking for signs of sin:

Please bear with us, we are, after all, truly a work in progress. 

Have a proper prayer life outside of ministry: Another book excerpt from "So you think you're called."

Have a proper prayer life outside of ministry.

Just as it is tempting to study only to prepare for a sermon or a lesson, it is also tempting to pray either only right before (or during) church services.
Jesus prayed daily- usually many times a day.
Note to the ministry: Ministry happens anytime, anyplace. It is not just a “church meeting thing.”
Jesus understood this. He understood that the flesh can do nothing apart from God's empowerment. So, he prayed. Daily and, in fact, several times a day.
We are to pray, first and foremost, for a closer walk (a stronger relationship) with God. Ministry flows from our walk with God. Our walk with God does not flow from our ministry. As we pray and walk and talk with God, he can guide us to minister to others in unexpected ways. He can open the door for ministry in places we never dreamed of. If we stay prayed up, he will begin to lift us up (in him, I mean. I'm not advocating a prosperity doctrine.). Why? To lift up his name to a lost and dying world!
How often should we pray?
Short answer: 1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing.”
The word “ceasing” here means “without intermission, incessantly, assiduously.”
Incessantly means “without stopping.” Without intermission means “without a break.” Assiduously means “showing great care, attention, and effort.”



By this definition, if we take it literally, we would all die soon after becoming a Christian. If we could never take a break, or stop praying, then we would never be able to eat, drink,sleep, potty, study the word, work for our living, etc. So, is he truly saying we must physically pray all day, every day?
I think not?
However, I do believe he is telling us not to neglect our prayer time with God. Always have an attitude of prayer. Always make prayer a priority. Do not let it get lost in the business of life or ministry. Make it a priority. Do it with “great care, attention, and effort.” Don't let it become a ritual of words. Don't reduce it to a short phrase or two. Do it with all we have!
David says in Psalms 63:1:
“O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; “
So, we should start our day, even if we must get up a little earlier, with concentrated and consistant prayer. Is that all?
Isaiah 26:9 seems to hint at night time prayer, in addition to morning prayer:
“With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. “
Daniel prayed three times a day:

Daniel 6:10

Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

And this he did, in spite of the kings order that no man should pray to any other god, besides the statue that he had just erected. Daniel knew he was risking his life by praying to God. But, he also knew that his time with God was the most important thing in his life. He might die from his choice, but at least he'd be right with God.
As far as I know, there is no limit on how many times a day we should pray- just as there is no prescribed time period we should pray for. Follow the leading of the spirit of God. Allow him to lead you. But, do not neglect prayer. Make it your top priority every day.

Without it, we become dry and hard. With it, we are watered with his spirit and pliable in his hands. Without it, we become a Pharisee. With it, we have his love to reach out with. 

Do we have rights?

Judges 17:6

In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

Matthew 24:14

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in allthe world for a witness unto all nations; and then shallthe end come.

I enjoy politics, I guess. As a political conservative, I focus mainly on what the Constitution does and doesn't say. I love the Constitution, for it is a document that allows freedom and protects our citizens from the evils of big government.

On the other side of the political aisle are the progressives/liberals. These have spent the last 100 plus years chipping away at the Constitution in order to give the federal government more and more control of our individual lives. This is a very bad thing and I will fight it to my dying breath.

However, in the church world, we have the opposite problem. 

We spend a great deal of time "spreading the gospel" and trying to get people "saved." 

That's all well and good, except our focus is wrong. 

We teach lessons, sing songs, write books, etc the goal of which are to show people what God will do for them. I guess the theory is that, in order to reach the "me generation," we have to "get them saved" by explaining the benefits of becoming a Christian. After all, everybody needs Jesus as their savior, right?

That's true.

But, we do them a disservice because we are only showing them half (if that) of the picture.

Jesus didn't come just to seek and save that which was lost. He came to impose his kingdom and displace the devil's kingdom. 

Every step he took towards Calvary and beyond was in direct and open warfare with the devil's kingdom.  

For example, Jesus didn't heal everybody he met that were sick and injured. He could have. Why didn't he? 

Acts 10:38

how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

If he didn't heal someone, they were sick of natural, not supernatural, causes. 

Put simply, the kingdom of God had come to war with the kingdom of Satan. And Jesus won! 

But, there are some things that we must understand.

Jesus MUST be savior AND Lord (supreme controller) or he cannot be savior at all.

Human nature is that if we do not have an authority above us that we must follow and obey, we will do whatever we think is right.

The gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). We must obey that gospel to enter into his kingdom and become a citizen (John 3:1-8, Acts 2:38, 1 Peter 4:27, 2 Thes. 1:8). 

But, when we enter the kingdom, we have been bought with a price and are no longer our own (1 Corinthians 6:20; 7:23). We can no longer do anything we want. There's a higher authority that we must (and will) answer to.

The kingdom of God has a king. His name is Jesus. As king, he has the right to allow us to do something. He also has the right to tell us no. 

As citizens of his kingdom, we have the right to ask, and we have the responsibility to obey the ruling that the king gives on any given matter.

The reason the church cannot allow a homosexual teacher/preacher/singer in it's walls is not that God (and we) don't love them. It's because the king's decree (the Bible) forbids it.

The reason we must stand against all sin is because our king has decreed that sin will keep men out of his kingdom and condemn them to eternal punishment in hell. 

Politics involves compromise. In the kingdom of God there is no compromise. 

When you become a citizen of the kingdom of God, you willingly submit yourself to his rule over your life- in all areas. 

There is no middle ground. It's the kings way, or the devils way.

Do we have rights? Yes. The right to obey God in all things. Period. 

.

How gray is our God?

2 Corinthians 1:20

For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

Matthew 5:17-18Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)

17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

There is a song by Chris Tomlin called "How great is our God." Aside from some minor theological disagreement, I love the song. However, when I hear it sung, the singer in me cringes at the same time the preacher in me does. 

Why?

Basic singing instruction teaches us to enunciate clearly so that we can be clearly understood. Therefore, the word "great" ends in a "t" and that letter needs to be clearly pronounced when it is sung. 

Why does it matter?

Which version sounds like a true gospel song to you? How gray is our God? Or how great is our God? The "t" is extremely important! Without it, the whole message is changed. God is changed from great to gray! Not a good change.

Is this important enough for a blog? Yes...with a twist.

You see, the modern "church" is under the impression that God has completely done away with the old testament law through Calvary. Yet, Jesus said none of it would go away until all be fulfilled.

The "church" says, "Yes! That's what he did on Calvary."

I beg to differ. Jesus says here in verse 18 that the law would still be in force "until heaven and earth pass away." Jesus fulfilled the sacrificial and ceremonial parts of the law. However, the moral laws that show us what sin is, are still in force. 

The reason this is an important distinction is that the modern "church", because of a misunderstanding of Calvary and Grace, practices what many call, "greasy Grace." They believe that everything is already settled for them. They're saved. It's done. Now we can live, talk, act, dress, however we wish. It's party time! "I got a blank check!"

WRONG!!!!!

This is why there is so much despute over what is a sin and what ain't. If you do away with the Old Testament foundation, then anything goes. 

"Churches" can ordain homosexuals. Women can lead their home. "White lies" are OK as long as they accomplish something good. A drunk can die in their sins and "preachers" say they are "in a better place." 

Indeed, perhaps the way many sing Chris Tomlin's song (without proper diction) is symbolic of how most modern "Christians" see God: "How gray is our God."

Yet, the scriptures declare that the righteous will scarcely make it in (1 Peter 4:18). We give it all we have and, with the help of God, we will barely make it in. 

Perhaps we could all learn a lesson from king David. 

2 Samuel 24:18-25Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)

18 And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto theLord in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite. 19 And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the Lord commanded. 20 And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground. 21 And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the Lord, that the plague may be stayed from the people. 22 And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him: behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and otherinstruments of the oxen for wood. 23 All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The Lord thy God accept thee. 24 And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25 And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So theLord was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.

How can we offer ourselves a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, and believe that it should cost us nothing? 

No, my friend, there are two crosses in Biblical Christianity. A) The cross of Jesus. Truly without his shed blood there would be no hope for us at all! B) Our cross! Jesus says for us to take up our cross and follow him. Paul said that to live is Christ and to die is gain. 

We must allow God to crucify our flesh. We MUST walk after his spirit and keep our flesh under subjection. Otherwise, we risk the same thing Paul was afraid of: becoming a castaway. 

So, which is it for you?

Do you want "How gray is our God?" Do you want to use "greasy grace" and slide into hell? 

Or, do you want the narrow road that tells us "How great is our God?" The way of the disciple. The way of submission, love, and obedience to our Lord (Supreme Controller) that will lead to hearing him say, "Well done." (Oops! I guess there are some things we must do to be his. Otherwise, he wouldn't say, "Well done." He'd say, "Well believed.")

Of course, James states: 

James 2:14-26Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)

14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; whatdoth it profit? 17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. 19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. 20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. 24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. 25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Do you want 50 shades of gray and an eternity in hell? Or do you want the true faith of Jesus? Choose you this day whom ye shall serve!