Basic Spiritual Exercises That Will Profit You a Great Deal!

"...exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come." - 1Ti 4:7-8



Basic Spiritual Exercises Will Benfit You a Great Deal!

I. READ THE WORD OF GOD -- 1. The means by which we grow spiritually - 1Pe 2:2. 2. It was by the Word of God that Jesus resisted the devil - Mt 4:4,7,10  3. It is by God's Word in our hearts that we can resist sin - Psa 119:11-- The Word of God is therefore foundational to our spiritual fitness

1. Develop the habit of reading the Word daily 2. Start slow; perhaps with the NT, a chapter a day
3. Progress to reading the Bible through each year 4. Read devotionally, meditating on what you read
-- The Word of God will help you to grow in grace and knowledge

II. SPEND TIME IN PRAYER --A. THE POWER OF PRAYER...1. . There is forgiveness from God - Ac 8:22; 1Jn 1:7-10  2. There is peace from God - Php 4:6-7  3. There is strength from God - Ep 3:14-16,20  4. There is opportunity from God - Col 4:3 5. There is boldness from God - Ep 6:19-20    6. There is wisdom from God - Jm 1:5-8  7. There is healing from God - Jm 5:14-16  8. There is tranquility from God - 1Ti 2:1-4  -- Together with the Word, prayer is foundational to spiritual fitness

B. PRAYING FERVENTLY...1. As you read the Word of God, pray for wisdom   2. Pray daily for forgiveness, strength, opportunity, boldness  3. As needed, pray for peace, healing, tranquility 
4. Continue earnestly in prayer, vigilant in with thanksgiving - Col 4:2 - Consistent, fervent prayer will strengthen your relationship with God

III. SING PRAISES 1. One purpose of singing is to praise God - Ac 16:25 2. It is a type of spiritual sacrifice that we offer to God - He 13:15 3. A way to be filled with grace and melody in our hearts - Col 3:16; Ep 5:19 4. A way to respond to the goodness of God - Jm 5:13  -- Singing praises is foundational to our spiritual well-being -- Singing enriches our souls and fortifies our relationship with
God

IV. FELLOWSHIP WITH OTHER CHRISTIANS AND LOVING THOSE WHO ARE NOT CHRISTIANS -- BEING PERSONS OF LOVE AND MERCY -- LOVE THE LOST

A. THE IMPORTANCE OF FELLOWSHIP... 1. The church is the body of Christ which is built up when each part does its share - Ep 4:15-16  2. Our assembling is designed to stir one another to love and good
works - He 10:24-25  3. Our fellowship is a source of comfort and edification - 1Th 5:11 4. A way to avoid becoming hardened by the deceitfulness of sin - He 3:12-14  -- Frequent fellowship is crucial to remaining faithful and steadfast

B. EXPERIENCING FELLOWSHIP...
1. Assemble together with Christians every opportunity you can  Heb. 10:24-25
2. Take advantage of the assemblies offered by the local congregation
3. Not just one time on Sunday, but every time the door is open
4. Look for ways to be with Christians daily - by phone, Biblestudies, social activities
-- Fellowship with other Christians strengthens one's faith in God and Christ

V. DO GOOD WORKS A. THE ROLE OF GOOD WORKS...1. We are not saved by good works - Ep 2:8-9; Tit 3:4-5  2. But we are created in Christ for good works, to glorify God - Ep 2:10; Mt 5:16
3. Thus we are to be fruitful in every good work - Col 1:10 4. We are not to grow weary in doing good - 1Co 15:58; Ga 6:9-10 -- Good works are essential if we are going reap spiritual benefits

B. EXAMPLES OF GOOD WORKS... 1. Share the gospel with the lost 2. Minister to brethren and to the lost in need, whether physical or spiriutal. 3. Utilize your resources (time, money, talents) to help the poor or sick  4. Each day try to do something that blesses another person  SHARE A CUP OF COLD WATER1-- Good works, done systematically, builds spiritual endurance.

Being a Disciple of Jesus - Love God, Love Other Christians, Love the Lost!

We are called to be disciples!  The disciple of Jesus Christ is one who believes the Good News of Jesus the Messiah with all his heart and knows for sure that all his sins have been forgiven, as God has promised in His Word. God adopts such a believer as His child. Thus it is written in the Gospel: To all who receive Jesus the Messiah and believe in His name is given "the right to become children of God-children not born of natural descent…but born of God." (John 1:12,13) Dear friend, God wants you to know that if you become a child of God through faith in Christ and His sacrifice, you will never perish, and He will give you the right to live forever in His presence!

he person whom God saves and forgives has a changed heart. God washes his heart and makes it clean. The person for whom God has done this will avoid all uncleanness. That is what the Scriptures declare, saying: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Cor. 5:17)

Since the Lord God has forgiven you your great debt of sin and saved you from eternal punishment, we should live for jesus and thank him and honor Him in thought and word and deed all your life long!

Listen to what the Gospel declares concerning those who belong to the Lord Jesus. It says:

(Titus 3) 3At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

(1 Pet. 1) 14 [Therefore] As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."

How can we summarize the way of life of a disciple of Christ? Perhaps like this: God wants His children to show forth His character in their behavior here on earth. Simply put, God wants His children to be like Him. Well then, what is God like? In our studies in the Holy Scriptures we have seen that two prominent characteristics of God are holiness and love. God is the Holy One. He is also the God of Love. So what is His will for those of us who belong to Him? He wants us to be holy as He is holy, and to love one another as He loves us.

A holy life and a loving heart are what differentiates those who belong to God from those who do not. Concerning this, God's Word says:

(1 John 3) 10This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

 (Titus 2) 11For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13while we wait for the blessed hope-the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

(Eph. 4) 25Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27and do not give the devil a foothold. 28He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. 29Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

(Eph. 5) 1Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 3But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. 4Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person-such a man is an idolater-has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 8For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light. (1 John 4) 7[Therefore] dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 20If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

That is what the Scriptures say concerning the way of life for those who follow Jesus Christ. Does all this mean that the disciple of Christ can no longer sin, or that he always loves his neighbor as he loves himself? No! He still commits sin, but he no longer lingers in it. When he sins, he can put to use the promise in the Word of God that says:

(1 John 1) 7…The blood of Jesus…purifies us from all sin. 8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Amen.

Belonging to Jesus Christ is not just a religion--it is a relationship. When a person belongs to Christ, he is brought into fellowship with the holy God of love. That close relationship with God, which Adam and Eve lost because of their sin is restored to us through the blood which Jesus shed on the cross. God will no longer remember our transgressions because Jesus paid for us our debt of sin. Through our relationship with Christ, God is our heavenly Father, and we are His children. That is what the Scriptures speak of when they say: "For through [Christ] we…have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow-citizens with God's people and members of God's household." (Eph. 2:18,19)

The Disciple of Christ has three loves -- LOVE GOD, LOVE YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST, and LOVE THE LOST!  LIVE FOR JESUS AND BE A PERSON WHO LOVES!

Come Holy Spirit (Part Three)

Now, what does the Spirit do when He comes? Theologians often divide the work of the Trinity this way:

God the Father is the Source of all things.

God the Son is the Channel of all things.

God the Spirit is the Agent of all things.

As the Source, all things flow from the Father’s will. As the Channel, all of God’s blessing flow to us through Jesus Christ the Son. But it is the Holy Spirit who acts as the Agent of the Almighty, who actually carries out the directives of the Father.

A. In History

In almost every interview I’ve been asked what I have learned about the Holy Spirit from writing my book. I always say that I’ve been amazed to discover that the Holy Spirit is everywhere in the Bible. The first mention is in Genesis 1:2 and the last mention of the Spirit is in Revelation 22:17. He’s present at the moment of creation and he’s there at the very end of the Bible. In the Old Testament you see the Holy Spirit coming with great power upon kings, priests, judges and military leaders. He is also the one who inspired the poets to sing and gave the prophets a message to proclaim. He is the cloud by day and the fiery pillar by night that led Israel through the wilderness. He was the spirit that lifted Ezekiel when the people were in captivity. He was also the one who enabled Zerubbabel to rebuild the temple.

When you come to the New Testament, you see him at work especially in the life of Christ. Our Lord was conceived by the Holy Spirit, who came upon him at his baptism, who led him into the wilderness, who filled him with power to work miracles, who bore witness that he was the Son of God, who was with him in the crucifixion and who raised him from the dead. All that Jesus did, he did in the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit was there at Pentecost when the church was born. He was there when Peter and Paul preached across the Roman Empire. It was the Holy Spirit who gave the apostles boldness to preach in the face of persecution and indifference. It was the Holy Spirit who brought unity to the early church and caused it to grow in spite of fierce opposition.

Everywhere you turn in the Bible, you see the Holy Spirit at work. He is the Unseen Hand of God moving through human history to accomplish God’s purposes on the earth.

And the Spirit is active in our world today! We can answer that from the words of Jesus in John 16:8, “When he (the Holy Spirit) comes, he will convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment.” The word “convict” comes from the drama of a courtroom trial. It refers to what the prosecuting attorney does when he argues his case.

He puts the defendant on the witness stand and begins to pile up the evidence. Fact upon fact, witness upon witness, truth upon truth, slowly, inexorably, irresistably building his case until finally the enormity of the evidence is so overwhelming that the judge is forced to say to the defendant, “I find you guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.” Not only that, this word means to present the evidence in such an overwhelming fashion that even the defendant is compelled at the end of the trial to step up and say, “I admit it. I confess. I am guilty.”

Therefore, I conclude that the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the world today is primarily the ministry of bringing men and women to the place of personal conviction concerning their own moral guilt before God. These words of Jesus are literally true today. The Holy Spirit works through us so that as we share the gospel with men and women, they are convicted of their true moral guilt before God. As we share the gospel they come to the conclusion, “Yes, I am guilty. Yes, I need a savior.”

Here are some of the things the Spirit does for us as beleivers:
He baptizes believers in the body of Christ (I Corinthians 12:13).
He seals every believer, thus assuring their salvation (Ephesians 1:13).

He indwells every believer with his personal presence (I Corinthians 6:19-20)

He gives spiritual gifts to every believer (I Corinthians 12:11).  This empowers the church!
He produces the fruit of a godly life in us (Galatians 5:22-23).
He enables us to put to death the deeds of the flesh (Romans 8:13).

He Fills us when we ask, as we are commanded to Be Continually Filled

Ephesians 5:18 says, “Be filled with the Spirit.” In the Greek that phrase is a present passive imperative. An imperative is a command–Be filled. The passive voice means that we are not commanded to fill ourselves but rather to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The present tense describes something that happens continually. You could legitimately translate this verse “Be continually filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Let us step out and open ourselves up to the stirrings of the Holy Spirit, to renewal, to invigoration, to new life for our churches. Pray that the mighty shaking Wind will come upon us and renew us, and let us face this powerful and renewing wind that is the Holy Spirit together, to stir our Church afresh with divine deeds of power. Like the disciples on that day in the upper room, let us too expect the miraculous filling of the Holy Spirit. 

What better way to move into the future together than by asking God for a fresh outpouring of the Spirit. What wonderful things could happen if only the Spirit of God would come in great power. May God grant it! Amen.

Come Holy Spirit (Part Two)

God fills every believer with the Holy Spirit and each in a different way. Young and old. Rich and poor. Men and women. Slave and free. God fills each one of us with his Spirit in a unique way. ALL people are filled with the Spirit, not just the religious big shots of the Old Testament nor the religious heros of the New Testament and each one of us in our day. All people, including you and me in our ordinariness, are filled with the Spirit of Christ.

But notice they were praying for the Spirit to come in the Upper Room. We need to pray, “come Holy Spirit!” We need to open ourselves to the Spirit’s power.

One of the great purposse of the Holy Spirit is to make the church alive. The Spirit of God will shake a church, move a church, renew a church. The Spirit of God blows us off the front porch, blows us out of our pews, blows us out of our institutions and safe communities and into the world.

Who is the Holy Spirit? There are two fundamental facts about the Spirit that you need to know.

A. The Holy Spirit Is a Person --This may seem obvious to you, but it is not obvious to everyone. Some people speak of the Holy Spirit as a impersonal power or influence. They speak of the Holy Spirit as an “it.” If you saw the Star Wars movies, you’ll remember the phrase, “May the force be with you.” That’s how many people think of the Spirit–as a mysterious force from heaven that somehow helps us on the earth.

Te Bible clearly refers to the Holy Spirit in terms that can only apply to a person. For instance, the Holy Spirit possesses a mind (Romans 8:27), he speaks (Acts 13:2), he commands (Acts 8:29), he has a will (I Corinthians 12:11). Ephesians 4:30 says, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit.” But you can’t grieve a force or a power. You can only grieve another person.

In John 16:13 Jesus says of the Holy Spirit, that “he will only speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” That passage is important because Jesus clearly calls the Holy Spirit a “he.”

All the attributes of personality are given to the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. Therefore, we may say that the He is a person, not a mere force or an impersonal power.

B. The Holy Spirit is God

The second truth is that the Holy Spirit is not only a person, he is a Divine Person. That is to say, he is God. In the famous story of Ananias and Sapphira in Act 5, Peter says in verse 3 that they had sinned against the Holy Spirit, but in verse 4 he says they sinned against God. Which is correct? Both, because the Holy Spirit is God. That’s why when Jesus gave the Great Commission (Matthew 29:19-20), he commanded the disciples to baptize “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” One name, three Persons. That’s the doctrine of the Trinity clearly stated. The Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God.

Now if you put these two truths together, what do you get? Since the Holy Spirit is a person, you can have a personal relationship with him. And since he is God, his power is God’s power. Therefore, in relating to the Holy Spirit, you are coming into personal contact with the God of the universe.

This week I ran across a powerful quote from J. B. Phillips: “Every time we say, ‘I believe in the Holy Spirit,’ we mean that there is a loving God able and willing to enter human personality and change it.” What a tremendous truth this is.

Come, Holy Spirit -- The Power of Pentecost Propels the Church! (Part One)

Ten days after Jesus ascended into heaven, the twelve apostles, Jesus' mother and family, and many other of His disciples, 120 in all, were gathered together in Jerusalem for the Jewish harvest festival that was celebrated on the fiftieth day of Passover. While they were indoors praying, a sound like that of a rushing wind filled the house and tongues of fire descended and rested over each of their heads.


This was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on human flesh promised by God through the prophet Joel in Joel 2nd chapter. The disciples were suddenly empowered to proclaim the gospel of the risen Christ. They went out into the streets of Jerusalem and began preaching to the crowds gathered for the festival. Not only did the disciples preach with boldness and vigor, but by a miracle of the Holy Spirit they spoke in the native languages of the people present, many who had come from all corners of the Roman Empire.

This created a sensation. The apostle Peter seized the moment and addressed the crowd, preaching to them about Jesus' death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sins. The result was that about three thousand converts were baptized that day. PRAISE THE LORD!

Red is the liturgical color for this day. Red recalls the tongues of flame in which the Holy Spirit descended on the first Pentecost. The color red also reminds us of the blood of Jesus, and also the blood of the martyrs. These are the believers of every generation who by the power of the Holy Spirit hold firm to the true faith even at the cost of their lives. Red reminds us that the Spirit testifies of Jesus, and empowers those who live for Jesus and follow His commands.

The most powerful force in the world is the love of Christ, and the Spirit rekindles that fire within us! The purpose of the Spirit is to energize the love of Christ within us.

The Spirit makes the teachings and words of Jesus alive in us. His words about forgiveness, eternal life, eternal love, that God is our loving Father. The Spirit makes the words and teachings of Jesus to become living realities in our lives.

How Goes Your Race?

The Book of Hebrews, from start to finish, is an inspired admonition to perseverance. It is an inspired motivation to faith, constantly holding before us both the example of Christ as our guide and the accomplishments of Christ as our motive. In the face of trails and temptations on every hand, we are called upon to endure unto the end and persevere in the faith, to go on following Christ. We must not quit. We must not give up. We must not go back, though…

* Temptations of every kind allure us away from our Savior

The believer’s life is compared to many things that picture the absolute necessity of perseverance in faith. We are in a warfare that will not end until we have left this world and entered into heavenly glory with Christ. We are engaged in a work, a labor, a cause from which there is no rest until our work is done. In Hebrews 12 it is compared to a race.

Our life in this world is a race, a race with a starting point, a finish line, and a prize.

(1 Corinthians 9:24) "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain."

(Philippians 3:14) "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

Contrary to what most seem to think, the prize is obtained not when the race is begun, but when it is done (Phil. 3:3-14). It is not he who begins the race and runs well for a season that wins the prize, but he who finishes the race. It is not he who runs fast, or even he who runs well, but he who runs to the end who wins the prize. "The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong" (Ecc. 9:11).

* We are sealed by God the Holy Spirit unto the day of redemption.

The Word of God is crystal clear. We must persevere unto the end.

(Hebrews 3:14) "For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end."

The purpose, the intent of the Holy Spirit in Hebrews 12:1-2 is to show us the necessity of perseverance in faith.

(Hebrews 12:1-4) "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, 2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Christ Arose, Part Two -- Rejoice, Rejoice, O Christian!

The good news of Easter is, not only can you know Jesus, but he can be close to you all the time, through every situation. The risen Lord offers to share his victory with you, to take you through whatever you must face as your close and competent Companion who will never, never leave you.

Some of you have to face very serious problems this week. Some confront what looks like the end of their hopes and dreams. Fears and anxieties, loneliness, emptiness, heartache and sorrow are before them. But the good news of Easter is, you don't have to face any of that alone.

Listen to Jesus' exact words, from Revelation 3:20:

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any one hear my voice, and open the door, I will come into him and will live with him and he with me."

That is the promise that millions have trusted. They have asked Jesus to enter their lives, to come and dwell with them, to go with them through life, not only through death. To their joy they found that every word was true. They can face tomorrow because He lives. And that strength is available to each one of us today. That is what makes this day a celebration of the resurrection, and a time for the greatest rejoicing.
Do you love God? Is Jesus Christ Your Lord and Savior? Is He the Lord of your life, not just on Sunday morning but on every day and night of the week? Is so, then enjoy this beautiful bright festival of the Resurrection of our Lord!

Are you His grateful servant?

Then rejoice and enter into the joy of their Lord!

Have you worked hard in the fields of our Lord doing good deeds, helping the poor, the hurting, the lonely? Then rejoice and receive you’re the blessing He won for you on the cross!  Praise His Holy Name!

Christ Arose -- The Exulatation of the Resurrection! Part One

It was Paul who included the great Christ Hymn of Philippians 2:5-11, stating that there is coming a time when, at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. That is our future. Our Lord will come again and set all things right.

Remarkably, however, the very first news of Easter was not good news at all. It was terrible news that Mary Magdalene brought to the Apostles Peter and John when she came running with the announcement that the body of Jesus had disappeared. What a shock that must have been.

When the body of Abraham Lincoln was almost stolen back in 1876, some years after his death, to be held for ransom, our entire nation was shocked and dismayed. Thankfully, the plot to steal the body was uncovered at the last minute. But it caused his son Robert Lincoln to make sure his father’s body was put in a permanent tomb, buried ten feet deep under 4000 pounds of cement in 1901, so that no future plots could disturb his dad’s remains..

We can only imagine the shock of these disciples of Jesus, smitten and numbed as they already were at the unexpected death of their Lord, when they heard Mary's hysterical announcement.

On hearing this, both Peter and John immediately left for the tomb, running through the streets of Jerusalem and through the Damascus Gate to the tomb. John, the younger of the two, outran Peter and, stooping down, he looked into the tomb. They both saw that Jesus was not there. And they did not understand the full meaning of it all. The New International Version renders that verse: "They still did not understand from the Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead." That suggests that Peter and John did not believe that Jesus had risen.

That brief account focuses first upon the sobbing of Mary, standing outside the tomb, still convinced that her Lord was dead and his body had been stolen. Then, looking in, she saw two young men, "angels" we read, sitting inside. "Woman, why are you weeping?" they asked her. In the early light of dawn they seemed to be looking not at her, but at someone behind her. Turning, she saw a man standing there whom she took to be the gardener, who asked her the same question, "Woman, why are you weeping?"

There is a gentle rebuke inherent in that twice-asked question. It is saying, "This is no time for weeping, but for rejoicing, praise and thanksgiving." It implies that she could and should have known that. Jesus had clearly said several times, as the Gospels record, that he would rise again on the third day. One of the striking phenomena of the Gospels is the deafness of the disciples to the consistent revelations of Jesus concerning his resurrection. He had great difficulty convincing them that he was going to die in the first place. It was only as they saw the opposition closing in on him that they realized his words were true. But even then none of them seemed to grasp that every time he mentioned his death he also added that he would rise again on the third day.

This is a legitimate part of the message of Easter. It does indeed give us a glorious hope when we face death's door. You know, there are three questions we all ask of ourselves at one time or another, "Where do I come from?" "Why am I here?" and “what happens when we die/” We Christians have the answer to that, but still we often ask the question. "Is it really necessary to leave?"

Most of us wish we didn't have to say "Yes" to the third. But that is not what comforted Mary or any of the disciples at this point. It never crossed their minds that this event would give them a hope in the hour of death. What brought them deliri But Mary was just like us! Have you ever found yourself in a distressing circumstance, when the sky seemed to come crashing down on you, and Christian that you are, sometimes you temporarily forget all the promises of God? You felt sorry for yourself, you became anxious and upset. I have. We so quickly forget the promises of God.

Martin Luther once spent three days in a black depression over something that had gone wrong. And he had lots of things go wrong. On the third day his wife Katie came downstairs dressed in mourning clothes, all dressed in black. "Who's dead?" he asked her. "God," she replied. Luther rebuked her, saying, "What do you mean, God is dead? God cannot die." "Well," she replied, "the way you've been acting I was sure He had!"

Many of us have been caught in that trap. We forget who is in charge. We forget whose children we really are. This is also what had happened to Mary.

But Jesus has to speak but one word to her to open her eyes. With indescribable tenderness he simply uttered her name -- not Mary, which is what the account here says, but "Miriam," as he reverted to their native Aramaic. Mary instantly recognized his voice, just as any one of us would recognize a loved one's voice on the telephone. Responding in Aramaic, Mary flung herself at his feet and cried, "Rabboni!" (which means "Teacher"). She seized him by the feet and began to weep tears of joy.

Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"

And Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her. She was the Apostle to the Apostles. She told them that Jesus Lives. He lives!

I believe this is the first and the chief "good news" of Easter. Most celebrate Easter as a reminder that there is hope on the day when they have to leave this earth -- that Easter means because he lives we shall live also. The hymn says,

Jesus lives, and so shall I,

Death, thy sting is gone forever.

ous gladness of heart was the realization, "Jesus is back again! We haven't lost him! He is here with us, and he will always be with us!"

That is the truly good news of Easter. Through two thousand years of Christian witness what has sustained the hearts of millions is the realization that Jesus can enter one's life and go with you through the trials, pressures, tears and joys of life right here on earth. He will be with you at the hour of death, yes, but not as a stranger just then entering your experience. He will already long have been a trusted Friend, not merely a comforting Companion, but as Lord, Sovereign, authoritative and able to work through the difficulties you face. No one wants to face pressures all alone; it helps to have someone with you. And not only someone like yourself, one who can understand how you feel, but if it can also be someone who has authority and power, one who can work out solutions to your seemingly insoluble problems, what a comfort that is!

At the Cross Where I First Saw the Light!

In Sequoia National Park in California, There is a big tree that stands 275 feet high and is 36 feet in diameter. It is called the Christ – General Sherman. It is known as the biggest tree in the world. Today I want to talk to you about a tree that reaches from earth all the way to heaven and reaches all away around the world! And extends itself throughout all eternity!

I speak of the Tree - The Cross of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Calvary’s Tree!

You see the devil had made a road for man to travel that led straight to a place called Hell But Praise God - God did not want man to go to hell – So God slammed a Cross right in the middle of the road and said to man I love you and don’t want you to go to hell and if man goes to hell – He has to go around the Cross!

Just think God created the tree that He knew His Son would be crucified on!

There was a Savior before Sin – There was Grace before Guilt – There was Promise of Life before Death – There was a Heaven before there was a Hell.

Where sin did abound – Grace did much more abound! Adam sold us out – But Praise the Lord Jesus bought us back! HALLELUJAH FOR THE CROSS – IT IS THE POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION!

THE CROSS IS A CONSTANT REMINDER OF GOD’S LOVE

Every time you see the cross – it should remind you of the marvelous Love of God!

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life! Romans 5:8 – But God commendeth His love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Romans 8:32 – He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all.

The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell; it goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell

WHEN THE DEVIL COMES AND TRIES TO TELL YOU GOD DOES NOT LOVE YOU – TAKE HIM TO THE CROSS!

THE CROSS IS A CONSTANT REMINDER OF GOD’S GRACE

Eph. 2:8,9 – For by Grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God: Not of works lest any man should boast.

GRACE – The Unmerited Favor of God --- G.R.A.C.E – God’s Riches At Christ Expense!

Grace is free but it is not cheap – It cost Jesus His life on the cruel cross of Calvary!

THE CROSS REMINDS US OF THE PAYMENT FOR SIN!

When the devil comes –Jesus paid it all – All to him I owe – Sin has left a crimson flow – He washed it white as snow!

At the cross – At the cross – Where I first saw the light – and the burdened of my heart rolled away –

What does the cross mean to the church? What does the cross mean to you?

Galatians 6:14 contains an important answer: “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” The Apostles Creed declares, “I believe in Jesus Christ who was crucified.” When we say those words, we mean that the Son of God was murdered on a Roman cross at a place called Skull Hill outside the city walls of Jerusalem. We believe it literally happened — that if you and I had been there, we would have seen with our own eyes the slow, agonizing death of Jesus of Nazareth. We would have witnessed the humiliation of Christ as he died between two thieves, we would have seen the blood drip from his wounds, we would have heard him cry out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”  He did it all for us -- AT THE CROSS -- Praise His Holy Name!

People Get Ready -- Jesus is Coming Again, Part Two

Some Christians in every generation since then have believed the same thing. For instance, Christopher Columbus thought that his voyages were part of God’s ordained plan and that Jesus would return in the year 1650 (or thereabouts). In the 1840s a man named William Miller convinced his followers to sell all their worldly goods because he believed that the Second Coming was at hand. The 20th century has seen many similar predictions: 1914 (connected with World War 1-"The war to end all wars") … 1975 (a date suggested by the Jehovah’s Witnesses) … 1982 (connected with an unusual planetary conjunction) … 1988 (predicted by a Bible teacher who wrote a book that sold hundreds of thousands of copies) … 1994 (suggested by a prominent radio Bible teacher). 2000 – suggested by many. 2012 -- Suggested by the Mayan calendar, and some Christians think God may have revealed it to them so that non-beleivers might eventually come to Christ.

All these dates have this in common: they were all wrong. In fact, every date for the Second Coming that has been suggested over the last 2000 years has been proven wrong. That should tell us something. It is not for us to know the exact date and time. But Jesus told us that fact long ago! Why do not people read the Bible?

Jesus says in Matthew 24:36 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

Despite this clear, black and white statement people still continue to examine the details of prophecy to calculate when Jesus will return. It is like well, maybe we cannot know the day or hour but maybe the week or month or year! Verse 36, is very clear “no one knows” means no one can. Not the angels, not even Jesus himself. But this knowledge is only known by God the Father.

But, brothers and sisters, Prophecy has lost its purpose when it merely becomes predicting the future. Prophecy is for warning and a calling to repent. We are all called to repent! We are all called to get right with God through our faith in Jesus Christ and in confessing our sins to Him. People get ready – the Lord is coming. He desires us to be ready for His return!

Though, we do expect that on the day Jesus returns there will be something special happening, some forewarning, some change in the wind, a feeling in our bones, writing in the sky, a spiritual discernment, an announcement in the newsletter, something… but this is the thing, Jesus introduces to us the mundane of advent. Jesus emphasises the monotony, the humdrum of the second coming. Jesus likens the second coming to the times of Noah (v37-39):

37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
It took Noah quite a long time to build the ark. A lot of planning, a lot of hard work, a lot of mockery. In contrast to the length of time it took the flood was swift, it was sudden. Jesus doesn’t emphasise the sinfulness of the people in Noah’s time instead he emphasises something else to make his point. The people of the time were simply living life. “People were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage...” nothing sinful here, just life. Life was merely rolling along as it usually did. This is what Jesus wants to make clear about his return is that people will still be doing the normal things of life. Back then, you would have been able to see Noah building the ark and back then you would have heard as to why, but as life went on no one cared. Life just rolled on until it was too late.

Jesus gives two other examples to emphasise, in (v40-41): Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

Do you want to be the one life behind? Like the image of division in the parable of the sheep and the goats (25:31-46) there is a dividing between those who live life without God, who have lived with God as their purpose for living.
We are saved through faith but this faith is not merely a mental ascent or agreement but a living faith; a faith in action, of obeying Christ, of loving Him and loving others. Our life of obedience to Jesus is what gives our faith substance; our love for Jesus flows into an action of love for the people/world around us whom need to know – to taste the sacrificial love of which Jesus is our example. This, then, is how we live a life of expectation and readiness for Jesus’ return. The whole message of advent and our response to the second coming is about “being ready”.Jesus tells us to"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.

44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

Keep watch or watching and be ready, Jesus says. The purpose of prophecy is to serve as warnings to be ready. They’re not to tell you the exact “when” in the future to get ready for, but to get ready now! I ask you now: Are we ready for that day – that glorious day – that day where Jesus who once came into the world to be judged will be the judge of the world – are we ready for that day – that day when Jesus breaks in as Saviour & King – the last day – that day of His glorious return?  Are you friends ready?  Is your family ready?  Are you ready?

We Must Be Ready -- Jesus is Coming Again! Part One

Let me be straight to you up front. As sure as I have a voice that you can hear or a face that you can see, you can write it down in the book of your heart – Jesus saves! He is the only way to our salvation. If you believe in Him you shall have eternal life. There is a heaven. There is a hell. You want to go to heaven. You do not want to go to hell. But some of you may end up there if you do not repent and embrace the Lord Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savoir. No asbestos suit will save you. No earthly riches wills save you. Only Jesus Christ can save you. Amen?

Yes, people get ready. The Lord Jesus Christ is coming again. The “second” coming of Jesus Christ is the contrast to his first coming in the virgin birth. Through the incarnation Jesus arrives as a helpless, crying, baby; that needs to be fed, changed and entertained. In Christ’s return he comes as a glorious, powerful, authoritative judge over the entire world. And we do not know exactly when that will be, but we know we are closer now than ever before. Every day we get a little bit closer to that blessed day when He shall return and set things right.

This is truly an astounding thought. The same Jesus who was born in Bethlehem is coming again. The same Jesus who grew up in Nazareth is coming again. The same Jesus who turned the water into wine is coming again. The same Jesus who walked on water is coming again. The same Jesus who healed the nobleman’s son is coming again. The same Jesus who raised Lazarus is coming again. The same Jesus who wept over Jerusalem is coming again. The same Jesus who was betrayed by Judas is coming again. The same Jesus who was whipped, beaten, scourged, mocked, and condemned to death is coming again. The same Jesus who died on Mount Calvary is coming again. The same Jesus who rose from the dead on Easter Sunday morning is coming again. The same Jesus who ascended into heaven is coming again.

That’s what we mean when we say that Jesus is coming again. The actual, historical figure who lived 2000 years ago on the other side of the world is returning to the earth one more time.

Kind of blows your mind to think about it, doesn’t it?

Now I must tell you that there is a lot of information out there of an end times nature, and a lot of it is not scriptural, or is just partly scriptural. So beware what you read and here – test it with the Bible before you swallow it hook, line and sinker. Today, apocalyptic imagery is everywhere: in … corner bookstores, where the prophecies of Nostradamus, The Bible Code, and an array of American Indian and New Age books are hot sellers; and in theaters, where movies like Contact and The Seventh Sign of the last decade, and Knowing and 2012 of this past year draw viewers with their apocalyptic themes. Huge disasters like tsunami of a few years back and Haiti and Chile in the past few month make people pause and think.. And on television, glimmerings of Armageddon flicker across the screen – in fictional tv shows and in news footage on the news programs.

None of this should surprise us since Christians have always believed in the Second Coming of Christ. Jesus himself declared, “I will come back” (John 14:3). And when Christ ascended into heaven, the angels promised the disciples that “this same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). Belief in the Second Coming has always been considered one of the fundamental truths of our faith. Even though we have often argued about the details surrounding his return, Christians of every denomination have agreed on this fact: Jesus Christ is coming again. By that we mean that Jesus himself ("this same Jesus") is coming back to the earth. Physically, visibly, bodily, personally.

Let me prove it to you that this has been a long time Christian belief – stand and recite with me the beliefs of our Christian faith as written in the Apostle’s Creed – no. 8 in your hymnal.  The Apostle's Creed clearly states the Christian beleif that "From heaven Jesus will come again to judge the quick (the living) and the dead."

Yes, He is Coming Again!  Here’s an interesting corollary to that truth. Because Christians have always believed in the Second Coming, there have always been Christians who believed that Jesus would come back in their own lifetime. It’s clear that the earliest Christians expected Christ to return to the earth in just a few years. That’s why the Apostle Paul could say in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 that “the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” Paul clearly believed that Jesus would return in his own lifetime. He never expected to have his head chopped off in Rome; he fervently thought that he would live to see the Second Coming.

Open Our Eyes Lord, Part Four -- The Story of Elisha and His Servant and the Chariots of Fire!

Travel back with me to the city of Dothan in the eighth century B.C. It’s the era of Elisha, prophet of the Lord and successor to Elijah. Mighty Syria is determined to subdue little Israel.  The story is found in 2 Kings 6:8-23.

The king of Israel is advised by Elisha (whose name means “God is salvation”), who informs him of the location of the Syrian Troops, to the great frustration of the Syrian King. Eventually, the king learns that Elisha is the culprit—it is he who, with prophetic insight, briefs the Israelite king on “whatever you speak in the privacy of your bedroom. So, King,” said his servants, in effect, “your problem is not a traitor problem: what you have is prophet problem”

Spies were sent out, and they found Elisha in Dothan. The king immediately assembled a large army and marched to Dothan. The force, complete with horses and chariots, and traveling under the cover of darkness, surrounded the city of Dothan. A mighty army circles a city in pursuit of one man!

Early the next morning Elisha’s personal servant rises from sleep. He walks out to the cool of the early dawn, shakes the cobwebs from his eyes, and what he sees fills him with terrible fear. His eyes scan the hills about Dothan, and they make 360 degree circuit. Wherever he looks, he sees horses and chariots and the great Syrian host. Completely shaken, outwardly and internally, he rushes to awaken Elisha. With fear and trembling he asks the only question available to him: “Master! What shall we do?” In other words -- “We’re surrounded. What shall we do? Our capture is inevitable, and our fate uncertain. What shall we do?”

People still ask s, “What shall we do?” When perverted power holds sway, what shall we do? When conscienceless power suppresses powerless conscience, what shall we do? When mean—spirited people speak with ungodly audacity, what shall we do? When gripped by the terrible twins of helplessness and hopelessness what shall we do? When gossip and tale bearing idly is bantered about our community by evil-spirited people with serpentine tongues, what shall we do?

When these words stumbled out of the servant’s mouth, Elisha the man of God simply stood up in the strength that comes from another quarter, and said calm assurance, “Fear not; we’re in the majority.”

You see, We Need To See Beyond the Physical

Now, you know what this servant is thinking: What’s wrong with Elisha today? Can’t Elisha see what I see? Has this sudden unexpected happening affected his rationality? What’s wrong with his vision? Doesn’t he see those Syrian soldiers, with horses and chariots, all around Dothan? He says, “Fear not: we’re the majority. Majority? You and me? Don’t you see what I see? “Yes,” I imagine Elisha saying to him, “I see what you see. But I also see more than you see! We’re not alone! We’re buttressed. We’ve got a support system. They that are with us are more than they that are with them. We are the majority.”

Then the prophet proceeds to pray. Not a panic prayer. Instead, he prays for his panic-stricken servant: Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes that he may see. He has eyesight, but he needs sight beyond sight. He can see the visible; he needs to see the invisible. He sees the temporal; he needs to recognize the eternal. Open his eyes that he may see. He sees defeat and destruction. He sees doubt and disillusionment. Help him to see faith and certainty. He sees the valley of the shadow of death. Lord, help him to see goodness and mercy.

Lord, open his eyes that he may see! He sees the king of Syria. Help him to see the King of kings. He sees with the naked eye; help him to see beyond the horizon. Lord, open his eyes that he may see.”

Oh, there is a kind of seeing that transcends eyesight. There is a kind of vision that optometrists cannot measure. There is the kind of perception that comes only by prayer. And when the prophet prays, the Divine Ophthalmologist begins His healing work. He removes scales from the eyes. He takes away the disease of doubt, and He removes the cataract of uncertainty. He gives you a new kind of vision that soothes you doubts and calms your fears—I hope somebody knows what I’m talking about!

When Elisha prayed, God answered. Yes! The Lord answered. The Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. He sees the mountain full of horses and chariots of fire. He sees horses from another stable. He sees royal steeds from the stable of His Majesty on high. He sees horses of regal bearing and hears the hoofbeats of eternity. He sees horses and unusual chariots, chariots of fire. And these horses and chariots have a missionary purpose. They are not doing battle with the Syrian hosts. No, they are simply gathered round about Elisha. The young man is seeing clearly now.

My brothers and my sisters, whenever you see clearly, when the Lord opens your eyes, then you begin to understand! Now the young man understands how it is that Elisha can declare without hesitations and without reservation, “Fear not! We’re the majority. They that are with us are more than they that are with them. We are in the majority. The majority that matters!”

In a world like we live in today, where evil is so pronounced and where mercy is so rare, I’m glad that I can see. I’m glad that I’ve had an encounter with the second person of the adorable Trinity. I’m glad I have been touched by the hand of Jesus, and when He touched me I came back seeing, Ijust like Amazing Grace says -- once was blind, but now I see.  Praise the Lord!

Open Our Eyes, Lord, Part Three -- Psalm 119:18

There is great truth in Psalm 119:18. "Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law." This verse combines prayer and the Word, and we need to see how, so that we can combine them this way in our lives and in our church. There are three things that we learn from this verse.

One is that there are wonderful things in the Word of God. "Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law." The word "law" is "Torah" and means "instruction" or "teaching" in this psalm. There are wonderful things in God's teaching to us. In fact, they are so wonderful that when you really see them, they change you profoundly and empower holiness and love and missions (2 Corinthians 3:18). Which is why reading and knowing and meditating on and memorizing the Word of God is so crucial.

The second thing we learn from this verse is that no one can see these wonderful things for what they really are without God's supernatural help. "Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law." If God does not open our eyes, we will not see the wonder of the Word. We are not naturally able to see spiritual beauty. When we read the Bible without the help of God, the glory of God in the teachings and events of the Bible is like the sun shining in the face of a blind man. Not that you can't construe its surface meaning, but you can't see the wonder, the beauty, the glory of it such that it wins your heart. The Holy Spirit does that for us. He gives us spiritual contact lenses, so to speak.

Which leads to the third thing we learn from this verse, namely, that we must pray to God for supernatural illumination when we read the Bible. "Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law." Since we are helpless in ourselves to see spiritual beauty and the wonder of God in the teachings and events of the Bible without God's gracious illumination, we should ask him for it. "Open my eyes."

And God just needs to open our eyes so that we can see that He is with us and we can live lives as children of the Living God, as ambassadors of Christ, as Chrsitian soldiers, not afraid, but bold in our love of God and the things of God.

Open Our Eyes, Lord, Part Two

In Ephesians Chapter One, Paul wanted our eyes to be opened so we can see our hope. But he also wanted our eyes opened so we see …18 “… what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,”
Paul wanted us to see the riches bestowed upon us in Christ! Some people may get carried away with the idea that God wants all of us to become wealthy with money in this life, but I think if God had wanted us to be rich He would have seen to it that Christians of all time would have been wealthy. But history reveals that God chooses to call both the rich and the poor, yet he bestows HIS RICHES on them all!

The richness of the glory of God’s inheritance is so much more than money!

Paul began describing the riches of our inheritance in verse seven of Ephesians chapter one.
Eph 1:7 In Christ we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

Our riches are found in knowing that a King, the God of all Creation, took our punishment in order that we could be forgiven of our sins! That is rich! We were guilty and He was innocent! Peter exclaimed that we were not redeemed with silver or gold, but by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. We are loved that much by God! How can you put a price on that? Then again--

10 … in the of the fullness of time He will gather together in one all things in Christ,
God’s plan is to gather us together in His love. Our sins forgiven, our wounds healed, and He would draw us all together as His Family in a way that is pure and lovely where we will all be able to walk together in harmony! Being rich is to be cherished by God and by your fellowman!

Lord, open our eyes to your calling, to your riches, and to your power! Paul included one more item which we need to see with spiritual eyes:

19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe,

There is a power from God that is working in His Church which destroys the power of sin and brings deliverance to the captives! We may see ourselves as being helplessly caught in the situations of life and having no hope of deliverance. That is not true! Through faith in Christ, you and I have “exceeding great power from God to overcome!  Does that mean that we are in charge of the universe? No. God is. But as we follow the dream He has given to us … obey the calling … we can meet the challenges of life with a voice of victory! We have been made rich in the love of God and we can be loving and kind and powerful in prayer!

Paul describes this power as being … Eohesians 1:19 ….. according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

Talk about power! When Christ was raised from the dead it was an act of creation similar to the one of creating the world! God the Father gave Him the authority to be seated as God in heaven and have authority over everything in the spirit realm and in the realm of the natural! That is the mighty power that is at work in us as we follow the calling which God has given to us!

Open Our Eyes Lord, That We May See! How Good is Your Spiritual Vision? Part One

Did you ever play pin the tail on the donkey? It is a children’s game that gives us an idea of how difficult it is to not have the physical sense of sight. The Bible shows us that it is sometimes even more difficult if we lose our spiritual way, if we are spiritual blind.

Jesus is in the business of opening blind eyes, both physically and spiritually. We all know how he healed the blind – remember the story of the healing of blind Bartimeus in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 10? In Luke 4:18 Jesus says in his famous “mission Statement”, quoting Isaiah 62:1, that he is in his earthly mission to “preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set free the oppressed and the imprisoned.”

Sometimes we pray for Jesus to open people’s eyes so that they can see the great offer of salvation that He died on the cross so that they might be free. There are a lot of people who walk around in darkness and do not see His lights. Sometimes we pray for Jesus to help people to open their eyes and see the blessings God has for them, but they are not receiving them, because their eyes are closed – blessings right in front of them – just like a good meal but someone is too lazy to lift their fork or to smell the aroma of the feast. Paul prays in Ephesians 1 for spiritual eyes to be opened. It is a prayer we can also pray.

In his great prayer of Ephesians 1 – A wonderful prayer for us to learn from and to imitate in praying for each other, for our families and friends, for our Christian brothers and sisters, Paul prays for the eyes of the minds of the believers to be enlightened. Paul prayed for the Spirit of God to enlighten the Christians in in that they would know the hope of God's calling ; and what are the riches of His inheritance among the saints; and that they would know the exceeding greatness of His power that works in them. Those are great prayers for us today. All of us need the Holy Spirit to open our spiritual eyes that we may see.

John Calvin wrote – “It is true that our eyes are instruments of God’s power and goodness by which he makes us enjoy the light, but that is something common to all. But here St. Paul shows us that we are blind and that we understand nothing of God’s spiritual grace, unless he opens our eyes and takes away the veil that is before them, and even gives us a new sight which we do not have. For our eyes are worse than put out until he enlightens them by his Holy Spirit.”

The apostle Paul wants us to have a spirit of wisdom and revelation that we may be able see how great the things are which God has provided for us! Faith arises in us when God enlightens our minds with His Holy Spirit. We pray and we read the Word and it becomes a living instrument in our hands as God speaks to us through it!

When we have the revelation provided by the Holy Spirit … we begin to see with eyes of faith!

But what did Paul want us to see?  18 “… that you may know what is the hope of His calling,”

He wanted us to know the Hope which is ours because of God’s calling. Our hope lies in Him alone and without Christ we are without Hope!

Much of the world lives without hope. They have nothing good to anticipate. There is not expectation of change or fulfillment. But Jesus did not intend for any of us to live without hope! Hope declares that we have a future … we have a destiny!

Satan does all that he can to destroy hope! In his world he creates dreams, expectation and possibilities and then does his best to pull them out from under you! All of Satan’s expectations are like the euphoria of a hallucinogenic drug. You feel things that are not real, you see things that are not real, your senses are heightened … and then you come down to withdrawals, pain, and emptiness! The pleasures of sin are delightful for a season … but then reality sets in and the pain begins!

The hope in Christ is not like that at all! The hope that Christ provided for us comes from His calling. Jesus is the real Dream Giver! His has given you a calling … a dream! You have a specific reason for living which God has given to you and you alone! You have been chosen by Him from before time began to fulfill your destiny! No one else will ever do the same things which you do! In His calling there is fulfillment and joy!

You have been blessed with a calling, God’s dream. He has chosen you for His purposes, having predestined you before time to be adopted into God’s family, and you have been accepted by Him! When we lose hope it is because we have lost sight of this calling of God! Our dream dies! It therefore becomes necessary that we return to the Lord time and time again and ask for our eyes to be opened again! We must carry a vision in us of the calling which God has given to us! That is where hope lies!

Friends Are Gifts of Our Loving God, Part Two

The Bible shows us pictures of friendship. In the story of David and Jonathan we get a good vision of a strong earthly friendship with God as a part of the trust between the two of them. We also see friendship exampled in the stories of Jesus and the disciples.  Friendship pervades the Bible, most obviously but not only in the gospels where Jesus called his disciples friends. But true friendship was not all one way: he was influenced and changed, challenged and comforted by his friends, by Peter and John, by Joanna and the many Marys we hear of, by Joseph and Lazarus, Judas and Nathaniel.

"Love one another,"says Jesus in the Book of John, and "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's lifefor one's friends."ii These statements are part of Jesus' final commandments to his disciples on the night he was to be arrested and taken away to be crucified. So clearly we need to read into this passage Jesus' own sacrifice -- his own love for his disciples, and indeed for all of humanity, for which he was willing to lay down his own life. Yet, he also makes clear that these words are meant for his followers, and by extension for us here today: "I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."

Who are your friends? Do you appreciate them? Have you told them so?

What is a friend? Friends are people with whom you dare to be yourself.
One example of friendship remains with me as vividly as the moment I first heard of it as a boy. In his first seasons with the Brooklyn Dodgers, Jackie Robinson, the first black man to play Major League baseball, faced venom nearly everywhere he traveled--fastballs at his head, spikings on the bases, brutal epithets from the opposing dugouts and from the crowds.

During one game in Boston, the taunts and racial slurs seemed to reach a peak. In the midst of this, another Dodger, a Southern white named Pee Wee Reese, called timeout. He walked from his position at shortstop toward Robinson at second base, put his arm around Robinson's shoulder, and stood there with him for what seemed like a long time. The gesture spoke more eloquently than the words: This man is my friend. Robinson said that Reese saved his career on that day. He was a true friend.

A small boy defined a friend as "Someone who knows all about you and likes you just the same."

Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing friends.. B. Franklin.

In a survey of more than 40,000 Americans said these qualities were most valued in a friend: 1. The ability to keep confidences 2. Loyalty 3. Warmth and affection.

I would add another key attribute – someone who prays for you!

Here is a question – what kind of friend are you? Are you loyal, do you keep confidences, are you warm and affectionate, do you pray earnestly for your friends?

Of course, when we think of friends we have the great model in Jesus, and He says He is our friend. “what a friend we have in Jesus." He is our best friend and if our relationship with him is what it ought to be, then our relationship with others is going to be growing strong each day. In fact, if your relationship with Jesus Christ is a deep, beautiful, personal, intimate relationship, you are going to want to bring your family and friends to the Lord Jesus Christ. He will provide a wonderful new dimension for their lives and He will be a friend who will never leave them nor forsake them.

Have you ever thought about what it means to be a friend in Jesus? You know, when we talk about something like friendship with Jesus it is absolutely thrilled to realize that the Son of God who is responsible for the creation and the upholding of the universe is literally a personal, intimate friend of those who are His own. It is an overwhelming thing when you really grasp that truth. This morning I want you to see what it really means to be a friend of Jesus.

We know what He did for us – He laid down His life for you. What have you done for Him? What are you doing for Him? What do you plan to do for Jesus? What kind of friend are you to Him?

Many times, we imagine the church as the family of God. And we are the family of God. But we are also a a community of friends. Into this community of friends, Jesus invites you, invites you to love the other friends of Jesus with a love that accepts, that cherishes, that challenges, that supports.

We are not all called to give our lives for one another as Jesus did for us. Yet we are all called to that difficult task of loving one another with that same passionate love that carried Jesus through the cross to the transformation of the resurrection.

Jesus opens his arms to you in friendship. Jesus opens his arms to you in sacrifice. Will you follow and do the same? Let me close with just a couple of questions.

1. Are you the friend of Jesus?  2. Are you a friend like Jesus?3. Are you willing to become His friend and a friend like Him?

Friends Are Gifts of Our Loving God -- Are You a Friend Others? Are You a Friend to Jesus? Part One

Friends are never earned they're a gift from the loving God
And they're precious beyond human evaluation
But you dare not take them for granted or they'll lift away like a smoke
And the warmth of their caring will vanish into the chill of the endless nights
Who is your friend he's someone who warms you with a nod
Or with an unspoken word in hard times when you're hurting beyond words
Who is your friend he's someone who holds you hand And sighs softly and prays with you when no other medicine could possibly stop the pain
A friend is someone who listens when you are hurting
Or answers the phone at three in the morning when you're lost
And with a few words of encouragement and concern
Makes you realize that you're not really lost at all
Friends come in both sexes in all shapes and sizes
The most imprtant thing they have in common is their ability
To share with you your most sky splitting joys
Or your deepest most awesome sorrows, for they are your friends.

Friendship – real friendship – is a gift from God. Be thankful for your friends. The Book of Proverbs tells us in Proverbs 17:17 that “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” A good friend is with your through thick and thin.

Think on that fact from the Good Book -- :a friend loveth at all times and a brother is born for adversity.” One of the basic needs and longings of life is for a friend, a real friend, a true friend. I want to talk to you about friends, what they're like, how to have a friend, how to be a friend, and then I want to talk to you about the friend of all friends, what a friend we have in Jesus and, and you know, many people have given definitions of friends.

A friend is one who strengthens you with his prayers, blesses you with his love and encourages you with his hope or somebody else said a friend is one whom distance is no barrier to communication or to concern or to caring. A friend is someone who believes in you when you have ceased to believe in yourself. A friend is somebody who is on the scene when you need him and quietly leaves when you want to be left alone. Somebody else said a friend is someone who is there when you call and sometimes even before you call.

Now, all of these are nice and some of them are very good thoughts, some of them are frivolous, but what does the bible say, what does the bible say about a friend, a real friend, a true friend, what is the friendship factor that we find in the word of God? You will be pleased, perhaps amazed to see that the bible places a great emphasis upon friends. And so, first of all, I want you to think with me on what I'm going to call the value, the value of friendship. The bible says “A friend loveth at all times.”Now, friend, if you have a friend, a real friend, a true friend, you indeed have something of great, great value

But the Bible also tells to beware the company we keep – Because untrue “friends” can be a problem. Bad people can bring you down. Proverbs 20:19 urges us to avoid gossiping people. It plainly states that “A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid a man who talks too much.” And Proverbs 22:24 says to avoid a person who is angry all the time, less you learn his or her ways!” And Proverbs also says not to hang around winebibbers – those who drink too much, or in our time, those who drug it up. And the Bible says to stay away from liars and the untrustworthy.

You want your friends to have wisdom, and if you want them to have the right kind of wisdom, you need to seek out Christian friends, like friends from your church family. Christian friends are the ones who will stick closer than a brother or a sister, because friends are friends forever, when the Lord is the Lord of them.

God Has Plans for You to Succeed, to Have Abundant Life in Christ

God showed Joshua the way of success.  Joshua 1:7-9 states: “Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. (8) This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (9) Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

First, Joshua was to know God’s Word. Although not spelled out in so many words, every thing depended on Joshua knowing and studying the word of God. If law to be his guide in everything he did, and it was, then Joshua would have to know what the law said. If you feel that God may be calling you into some sphere of service, the best thing that you can do is to prepare yourself by studying and seeking to know more about the word of God.

Secondly, Joshua was to talk about God’s Word. The text says in verse 8, “this Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, …” Clearly, Joshua is called upon to include the word of God in his daily conversation and to speak the truth according to the Word. he was to speak to his mountains in God's name (Mark 11:22-26).
Third, Joshua was to mediate on God’s Word. Not just read it, but soak it into himself.  He is told “…. but you shall meditate in it day and night.” Mediation is the next step beyond just knowing about and talking about the word of God. Mediation means to think about or contemplate how to apply the word in your life. Mediation has application as a goal. It is only when the word of God gets into our minds and affects our normal day to day decision making that we begin to act differently.

Finally, Joshua was to Obey God’s Word In Its Entirety. This is the last element and is the most important. Joshua is told that not only is he to know, speak about, and mediate on the word, he was to obey it.

Yes, God plans for us to succeed. We see this in the lives of many men and women in the Bible. For example, do you remember the story of Joseph in Genesis chapters 37-50? By the world’s standards, he was doomed from the start. The young Hebrew had been beaten and sold into slavery by his own brothers, and for years he lived a life of servitude and imprisonment. However, in everything Joseph did, God made him thrive. God had planned for the faithful servant’s good fortune, even during those years when all seemed hopeless.

We see similar accounts throughout biblical history. Moses, David, Nehemiah, and Joshua all demonstrate this same kind of greater divine plan for distinction. And, of course, let’s not forget the apostles—they thrived in the first century and spread the good news of salvation around the world. No doubt, their mission must be considered a success, or we would have no churches or record of Jesus Christ at all.

In each of these examples, people discovered what the Lord wanted them to do, committed their lives to it, followed godly principles, and achieved their goals. In the eyes of God, they were all successful.

Second, God provides for our success. I have shelves of books on this topic, and I’ve yet to find an overriding principle of achievement that is not also found in God’s Word. The Bible contains every fundamental concept on success that I’ve ever read in any other book. Different authors may pluck an idea out of the Scriptures and write a book about it, but they didn’t create the principle.

Remember, the source of our strength: almighty God, who cares for us. You see, God alone is the author of lasting success. Without Him, a person will ultimately know only failure—and in the meantime, perishable wealth at best.

Third, God equips us for success. Because He calls us to be shining lights in a dark world, He has provided what we need in order to be successful men and women. For example, every believer has been given certain abilities, or spiritual gifts. These are amazing endowments that enable us to do the things that God calls us to do.

The Lord has also equipped us by giving every believer the presence of His indwelling Spirit. The Holy Spirit brings us into intimate contact with the heavenly Father, empowers our daily lives, teaches us the things of God, and gives us His discernment.

In the power of the Holy Spirit, we have access to supernatural decision-making processes. You see, the Lord doesn’t set people up to fail. He would get no glory from that. Instead, He gives us what we need to be successful in what He has called us to do.

Fourth, God promises us success. You may argue, “Well, if God has promised me success, then somewhere along the way, He messed up.” No, He hasn’t. However, if we’re struggling to find any areas of accomplishment in our lives, it may be that we ourselves have gotten off course.

Remember again what the Lord told Joshua? He told him to be strong and courageous, to obey His Word, and to be careful to keep His commandments. And the result? “For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success” (Josh. 1:7-8). Do you see? The formula for success is right there in black and white in the pages of Scripture.

We must rely fully upon the Holy Spirit as we practice godly principles of success. We cannot go about the Christian life as though we were acting in a one-man show. We can be successful in Christ when we submit completely to the leading, direction, and empowerment of God’s Spirit.

The Lord is intimately concerned with our success. He offers abundant life in Christ (John 10:10).

Reach your full potential in God by walking God's way, with the Word as your guide and strength!

God's School of Prayer, Second Semester, No.5: The Prayer of Surrender to God: Jonah in the Belly of the Big Fish

The story of Jonah and the big fish (we don't know that it was a whale from the actual words of the Old Testament) has always been tremendously popular reading, especially with children. That's easy to understand because it has all the elements of great drama. Rebellion, storms at sea, swallowed alive inside an enormous fish, survival, risky business in an alien land--it sure works like a modern day comic book adventure. Couple that with the fact that the whole story is packed into four brief chapters and you can see why it has always had universal appeal.

Because it is so action packed it would be easy to overlook the fact that within Jonah is one of the great prayers of the Bible. Tucked into Chapter 2 is a profound prayer that Jonah prayed from inside the fish's belly. This was a prayer of acknowledgement of God's sovereignty, a final surrender to God's plan and a prayer of faith for deliverance. Let's do a quick review on why Jonah was in this predicament in the first place.

Jonah was a prophet living in a time when Israel was severely harassed by the pagan Assyrians, Israel's long standing enemy. God told Jonah to go to the Assyrian's chief city, Nineveh, and preach against their wickedness and call them to repentance. The fact that God would offer the Ninevites an opportunity to repent made Jonah mad. He did not want any mercy doled out to this hated enemy. So he got on a ship going in the absolute opposite direction in order to get out of God's presence and hopefully away from being used in God's plan. But it didn't work.

Jonah in the deep

While at sea, God caused such a severe storm to arise that the ship's crew cast lots to see who was responsible for what they assumed correctly was a divine calamity. The lot fell to Jonah and he admitted that he was the culprit and he told them to throw him overboard so that the sea would become calm again. It probably seems strange that Jonah would suggest such a thing. One way you could look at it is that he didn't want to follow God's plan for him so badly that he would rather die than do it. Now that's rebellion. Or maybe he felt drowning was all he deserved after his direct disobedience. Jonah was a melancholy sort of guy. Whatever the reason; "they picked Jonah up and threw him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging." (Jonah 1:15)

The Bible says; "Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights." (1:17) It is in this predicament that Jonah prayed his great prayer. Notice that God is the one who prepared the fish and in this act he demonstrated his sovereignty - and also his mercy. He did not allow Jonah to be drowned because he still had a plan for his life and he still had a plan for Nineveh.

Here is what the prayer says: "I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, and He answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and You heard my voice. For You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, And the floods surrounded me; all Your billows and Your waves passed over me. Then I said, 'I have been cast out of Your sight; Yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.' The waters surrounded me, even to my soul; the deep closed around me; Weeds were wrapped around my head. I went down to the moorings of the mountains; the earth with its bars closed behind me forever; Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord, my God. When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; and my prayer went up to You, Into Your holy temple." (Jonah 2:2-7)

Part description about what happened to him and part prayer to God, we sense an emotional tangle as dense as the sea bottom. I think when Jonah was thrown overboard he fully expected to die. He seemed resigned to it and at the same time a hope was rising from within him because he says; "Yet I will look again toward Your holy temple." Something from inside him still trusted even though he also felt that he had been cast outside of God's sight - outside of God's favor.

He must have come awfully close to death because he says that "the earth with its bars closed behind me forever" and then in the next moment he acknowledges that God brought his life back from the pit. His best moment is when he says that when his soul fainted within him, he remembered the Lord. It is the moment of the surrender of his will. He would no longer turn and run the other way; he would no longer fight the plan of God; he would no longer rebel.

Surrender, finally

Jonah is now ready to cooperate with God as he states in verse 9; "But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay what I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord." After some 72 hours in the belly of the fish he vowed that he would now do whatever God wanted him to do. That's what God was waiting for. The next verse tells us that "the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land." When the Lord said a second time to go to Nineveh, Jonah went and preached God's message to the great city.

The book of Jonah is the story of the sovereignty of God. Sovereignty means that God is ultimately in control of, well-everything. History, kings and rulers, the seas and the land, weather, the destiny of great cities, the path of a man. It also is the story of God's compassion. Maybe Jonah didn't want Nineveh to repent but God did. He wanted to show them his mercy in spite of the fact that they were heathens who did not worship him or follow his ways.

Okay, you might say, but what makes Jonah's prayer so great? Jonah's prayer is great because he finally surrendered. The story starts with a hard hearted and rebellious man who ultimately bowed his will before a sovereign God and obeyed. Jesus tells a similar story in Matthew 21:28-32 of the New Testament. A father had two sons and he told each of them to go work in his vineyard. The first son said "I will not". But then he regretted his decision and went out into the field to work. The second son said he would go but then did not. Jesus asks which of the two did the will of his father. The answer, of course, is the first son who initially refused.

God did not reject Jonah because he disobeyed; in fact, he patiently kept pursuing him and protecting him until he had a change of heart. This is good news for you if you have been in rebellion or disobedience. God will give you another chance. Maybe you are in a mess right now because of your own choices; maybe you are reaping what you have sown. Because of that you may have felt that you couldn't expect much help from God or that there was no way back to God's plan for your life. It should comfort you to know that God is still sovereign and he is still in the forgiving and restoration business.

If this is you, surrender is your key. Finally, once and for all, surrender your whole self to God's will and be determined that you will obey from now on no matter what he tells you to do. Then see what happens. You may have your own "Big Fish" story to tell someday. We all need to surrender to God.  It is never too late to surrender.  If you have one foot in the church and one foot in the world, give in to God, give up the playing around and get both feet in God's house.  Now is the time to surrender! Pray the prayer of surrender to God.

God's School of Prayer, Number 5: The Prayer of Faith: To Receive You Must Believe

To receive from God we must have faith.  To receive healing you must beleive God heals.  You must have faith in God.  It is the foundation of all prayer.  Have faith in God.  He rewards those who seek Him!  "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly, diligently seek Him." -- Hebrews ll:6

As Jesus promised us, when we ask we will receive, as long as we do our part and ask in faith, believing that God will answer. Look at verse 6 here,and note James is using a command again. “But when he asks, he MUST believe and not doubt.” It is a two part command. First, note the parallel of this verse to a statement of Jesus’ in Matthew 21:21-22: Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, `Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

Sound familiar? The book of James tells us similar truths. James was an excellent student of his brother’s teachings wasn’t he? The first command we find is we must believe or have faith. It doesn’t read we should have faith. The word here is pisteou which means “belief and conviction and assurance in,” and it refers to something more than just believing God will give us what we ask for, but also includes a confident, unwavering, and complete trust in God and submission to His will. Notice the connection here with the unwavering nature of God in His desire to give, and the nwavering trust we should have in Him in order to receive.

The true Christian prays with this kind of faith, not just lip service. Merely invoking God’s name doesn’t cut it, there must be faith. God will answer the prayers of Christians who have faith in Him. . Do you want access to all the great gifts God can give, including joy in the midst of trials? Then believe and have complete faith in God. If you don’t want to do that, then don’t waste your breath. 

A big key to the prayer of faith is, “You must not doubt.” Not only do you have to be a believing Christian, but you must also not doubt. The word “doubt” or diakrino literally means “a divided calling or judgment.” Yes, you may be a Christian, but don’t expect to receive from God if you doubt.  James wants us to have that absolute confidence and absolute faith in God. We cannot be half-mast Christians.  Half way leads to nowhere.

James 5"16 states firmly that “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” God listens to His people and answers their prayers, if they are offered with the kind of faith James has mentioned.  As an example, James gives us Elijah who, under the direction of God, prayed for no rain, and it didn’t rain. Then he prayed for rain, and the rains came. Prayers offered in faith by God’s children can do wonderful things! Without them we are like the dry land of the desert, parched and dry, thirsting for God.

Be diligent in your prayer life.  Keep on praying. In your trouble, pray. In your happiness offer praises and prayers of thanks. In your illness, have others pray with you. Whatever your circumstances, be in prayer for those around you, whether they be your brothers and sisters in Christ, or family and friends who need the Lord. Pray.

Paul’s exhortation from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 serves as a nice summary of James’ exhortations: "Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in things."

Are you a man or woman of prater and faith? Such a man was Edward McKendree Bounds was born in northeastern Missouri on August 15, 1835, served as a confederate chaplain in the civil war and experienced something of the mighty work of God in the ranks of that army. He became a minister and retired at 60 to spend the last nineteen years of his life praying and writing about prayer. He arose at 4 a.m. each day. He completed eight books but only two were published during his lifetime, his most famous, "Power through Prayer" was one of those, published in 1907. Bounds' great insistence is upon the place of man or woman in prayer.

 He famously wrote these words, "The trend of the day has a tendency to lose sight of man or sink the man in the plan or organisation. God's plan is to make much of the man, far more of him than of anything else. Men are God's method. The church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men. 'There was a man sent from God whose name was John'...What the church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organisations, or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Spirit can use - men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Spirit does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men - men of prayer"

Those words are as true today as the day E.M. Bounds wrote them over a century ago.  We need men and women of prayer, now, more than ever.