Romans 15:4 "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
20 Listen to advice and accept instruction, so you might grow wise in the future. 21 Many plans are in a person’s mind, but the Lord’s purpose will succeed.
The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.
A “human’s heart” is a little world, full of Dreaming, scheming, and planning.
We are always in the business of devising – we naturally call it “progress.”
There is always a “Plan A” and a “Plan” for every letter of the human Alphabet.
It does not matter what language you speak, or how many letters in your own alphabet you have which comprises your native languages or cultural dialects.
To every device of all human hearts, God’s “counsel,” His own personal design, exists parallel, whether in coincidence or in opposition to our own.
In other words,
respecting the object of every human device, God has His own divine design.
Amidst all these various human devices, there is one divine which will prevail.
God is the supreme Ruler over this universe He created.
His plan affects every detail of this creation.
This plan is eternal, and there never was, nor ever will be, another plan.
God’s complete control over His creation is based on His omniscience and omnipotence.
Since God has knowledge of all things actual and possible, His eternal plan is not based upon blind choice.
Instead, God has wisely chosen a plan in which all details will finally work together to bring about the greatest good.
Not only has God chosen the best possible plan; He also has the power and authority to bring it about.
When God promises to do something, there is no question that it will be done.
Think about it like this ….
Every manufacturer designs his product with the right components, engineered to fulfill the function that the product is created to perform.
In essence, the purpose of the product dictates the potential required to fulfill the manufacturer’s intent.
This principle holds true for all creation, including human beings.
This means the nature, design, and qualities of human beings were decided by God and created by him according to what he determined was best for the sake of his own divine purpose.
Every command in the Bible is proof of the reality of human responsibility from God’s perspective.
God is the divine Potter who has the “absolute right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special use and another for ordinary use” according to His own purpose (Romans 9:21).
Yet this “clay” has a will and is responsible for the choices it freely makes. (Read Jeremiah. 18:1-12 to see how the prophet subtly intertwines both of these concepts.)
God is a God of purpose.
Everything in life has a purpose.
Every human being entered into the earth realm with a God-given purpose.
Purpose is the reason for the creation.
In essence, it is the reason why a thing exists.
When God created humanity, He had two overarching purpose in mind: relation and vacation.
The first purpose is God’s personal reason for creating us for relationship with Himself.
The second is His executive reason for creating us for the lifework He designed us to carry out for Him on the earth.
Since we were born with a God-given purpose and fulfilling that purpose must be our primary mission in life.
Our fulfillment, satisfaction and peace of mind are all tied to that purpose.
God created us with a “Plan A” purpose in mind for our life and it’s our responsibility to find it.
The secret to accomplishing great things is simple: Find and pursue the kind of work you are meant to do—your “purpose.”
Purpose can add not only years to your life but life to your years.
Prior to your birth, God installed in you all of the necessary gifts, talents and abilities you would need to fulfill his purpose for your life.
Those gifts, talents and abilities help define your purpose. For E.g., a bird was created by God to fly. If it does not fly, then it has not fulfilled its purpose.
Without a purpose, life is an experiment or a chaotic journey that results in frustration, disappointment and failure.
In absence of purpose,
time has no meaning; energy has no reason and when we do not know our reason for existence, we are just wandering, wasting valuable time.
Without purpose, we can only exist.
Thus, to know our purpose is to know our significance, to know our significance is to know our direction, to know our direction is to know our Destiny.
Purpose is the end for which the means exist.
So, we must realize that our fulfillment in this life is dependent on our becoming and doing what we were born to be and do.
If you want to know your God-given purpose, you must know and be in bond with your maker, (Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 2:7).
When the Lord God created us, He gave each of us an instruction manual.
It is called the Bible – the Written Word of God.
It Says in Proverbs 19:21 “You can make many plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail.”
Therefore, God’s purpose is more important than our plans and His purpose will precede our plan.
Therefore, we should seek to have our plans in principle compatible with God’s counsel.
The original purpose for mankind, defined and established by God in Genesis 1, was to “rule (have dominion) over all the earth.”
Since the word “dominion” in this case means to reign and rule, the Creator wired all humans with the capacity and natural ability to lead.
God created people to reflect His image, to rule over creation, and to reproduce godly offspring.
We can conclude that human beings are wired for leadership.
There is no finer example for leadership than Lord Jesus Christ.
He declared, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).
It is within this verse that we see the perfect description of a great leader. He is one who acts as a shepherd to those “sheep” in his care.
Good leadership is always obvious by honorable character and selfless service to the society.
Jesus had confidence in His God-given purpose.
We read about this in the gospel of Luke 4:18- 21
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. And He began to say to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
Jesus was never off purpose; He always knew what He was doing because He always knew why He was doing it. So, he said “I am the good shepherd…”
The shepherd is one who has several roles in regard to his sheep.
He cares, leads, feeds, nurtures, comforts, corrects and protects.
The shepherd of the Lord’s flock leads by modeling godliness and righteousness in his own life and encouraging others to follow his example.
Hence, our ultimate example—and the One we should follow—is Christ Himself.
This is why Apostle Paul said, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).
A good leader guides, corrects and disciplines those in his care when they go astray.
Without resentment or an overbearing spirit, but with a “spirit of gentleness” (Galatians 6:2)
The leaders we remember most, in history or our own past, are the ones, who have inspired or empowered us.
The word inspire comes from the Latin, meaning “to breathe life into.”
Accordingly, when you are working toward things that inspire you, it literally makes you feel more alive.
The reason these leaders are memorable is because they have a sense of their own purpose.
Our purpose is the foundation of our leadership and life.
“Plan A” gives us the stability to stand, because when the tough times come (and they do) and the ground underneath begin to shake (and it will) it is His “Plan A” which becomes our overarching sense of purpose that keeps us firm.
Keep in mind, your existence is evidence that this generation, of which you are a part, needs something that your life contains.
Leadership is a ministry, not mere management.
It is a position of humble, loving, caring service.
Those whom God designates as leaders are called not to be governing monarchs, but humble servants, not professional celebrities, but laboring servants.
Those who would lead God’s people must above all exemplify sacrifice, devotion, submission, and lowliness.
Jesus Himself gave us the pattern when He stooped to wash His disciples’ feet, a task that was customarily done by the lowest of slaves (John 13).
If the Lord of the Creation would give literally everything up, submit Himself to do that, then no leader has a right to think of himself as a VIP.”
At the most basic level, a servant leader is someone who leads others by example.
Good leaders develop through a never-ending process of self-study, education, training, and experience.
Our quality of life depends on the quality of our leaders.
And since no one else seems to be volunteering, it’s up to each one of us.
If you have ever had those “lifelong” dreams of leadership, now is the time.
God needs you. Now you must proceed to unearth the leader hidden within you.
What is leadership?
At the most basic level, a leader is someone who leads others.
It is a process by which one person influences the thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors of others.
Leaders set a direction for the rest of us; they help us see what lies ahead; they help us visualize what we might achieve; they encourage us and inspire us.
Without humble direction and leadership of human beings quickly degenerates into argument and conflict, because we will each inevitably see one too many things in one too many different ways and will lean toward different solutions.
Leadership helps to point us in the same direction and harness our efforts jointly.
Leadership is the ability to get other people to do something significant that they might not otherwise do.
It’s energizing people toward a goal.
Leadership is the act of influencing/serving others out of Christ’s interests in their lives, so they accomplish God’s purposes for and through them.
Influence comes from serving by modeling, instructing, exhorting, evaluating, confronting, training, and releasing, Influence does not come by overpowering, belittling, manipulating, threatening, avoiding, competing and controlling
The Bible is the first place we should look to in order to learn how to become leaders today, preparing for the world tomorrow.
The biblical record reveals God’s demand for quality leaders during times of human crisis.
His search for effective leadership is expressed in statements such as:
“The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people…” (I Samuel 13:14).
This scripture reveals that whenever an organization has a lack of quality, legitimate and just leaders, national deterioration occurs.
It also reveals that God’s remedy to this type of situation is the discovery and rising up of new leaders committed to justice and righteousness.
From page 1 of the Bible, we are put on notice that God holds us accountable for the moral choices and actions we make.
This is why the wise teacher wrote, “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)
“God is absolutely sovereign, but his sovereignty never functions in such a way that human responsibility is minimized or mitigated” (see Ephesians 1:11, Acts 17:26, Matthew 6:26, Proverbs 21:1, Jeremiah 10:23).
God will never do anything contrary His character and purpose.
He will not deceive, being of infinite goodness; He cannot be deceived by any, being of infinite wisdom.
There is no room for second thoughts or after-counsels.
Scripture teaches that “God is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just.
A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he” (Deuteronomy 32:4).
“God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5).
God also “works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will” (Ephesians 1:11).
God holds all people accountable for their deeds (Rom. 2:4-9; Rev. 20:15-20).
Scripture consistently appeals to humans in a way that recognizes their moral responsibility for the choices they make (Joshua. 24:15; I Kings 18:21; Romans 1:21-28; Jn. 11:26; Acts 7:51; 17:30).
God is able to do anything He desires. “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2).
“He does whatever he pleases in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all the ocean depths” (Psalms 135:6).
The Lord carries out everything exactly as planned.
“God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a human being, that he should repent. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not establish it?” (Numbers 23:19).
All that God has preplanned is as good as done.
Nothing can change it, for there is no authority above God.
As He says through Isaiah, “To whom can you compare me? Whom do I resemble?” (40:25).
God directs the history of the universe along the course of His foreordained plan.
This involves His ability to choose individuals and groups for special purposes in the outworking of this plan.
For instance, Jeremiah and Paul were chosen by God to have special missions even before they were formed in their mother’s wombs (Jeremiah 1:5; Galatians. 1:15).
Because of His complete uniqueness and sovereignty, God is able to declare,
“Truly I am God, I have no peer; I am God, and there is none like me, who announces the end from the beginning and reveals beforehand what has not yet occurred, who says, ‘My plan will be realized; I will accomplish what I desire ….’’’ (Isaiah. 46:9-10; see also Isaiah. 14:24; 43:13).
Proverbs 19:21 is a good word, isn’t it?
Like many are the plans in the mind of a man.
You think about all the plans you and I have come up with at different points in our lives, we’re like we’re going to do this, we’re going to do that.
Like the plans of our mind come and go. They vary, they shift.
We think about some plans we’ve made that we thought were the greatest thing in the world.
Like if only this could happen and then they actually did happen, and we realized that wasn’t the greatest thing in the world.
That actually wants helpful at all.
So, our plans created by our finite minds are often times, let’s be honest, foolish minds and I don’t mean that to sound overly negative but just to be real.
Like, we often make foolish plans because we don’t have all the knowledge, we do not have all perspective.
We make plans, we don’t realize how it’s going to affect this person or that person.
We make plans for our lives that we don’t realize it’s going to lead to this or that.
And so, in the end we make some foolish plans.
It is good to know that, like Proverbs 19:21 says, it’s the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
That God’s purpose, he doesn’t flounder, he has all the knowledge, he has all perspective, he never has done or will do anything foolish. Never. He’s all wise.
It’s good to know that it’s only the purpose of all wise God that will stand.
So does not that lead us then to pray, in the name of God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit today and just submit our plans to his purpose.
To pray oh God, you are all wise, you are all good, everything you do is good, and your purposes will be accomplished.
And we are so thankful for that.
We are so thankful because your purpose is good, it is good because it brings you glory and it is good because by your grace, it’s good for us.
Oh God, we praise you.
We praise Your “Plan A!”
We thank you for Your “Plan A!”
We reach for Your “Plan A!”
We long to hug and embrace Your “Plan A!” exactly as our Savior Jesus did.
That your purpose involves the salvation of sinners for the glory of your name.
That your purpose God, is to save sinners like me, like others who are listening to this by the cross of Christ that we might be reconciled to you, that we might live in steadfast relationship with you that will last forever, for eternal life. We are so thankful that, that it is thy divine purpose alone which will stand always.
Proverbs 19:21 Reminds Us to Submit to The Plans of The God of all Created Things.
So, Creator God we yield our plans to you today, we lay our plans down upon thy Altar, and we pray have your way. Have your way in our lives, have your way in our families, have your way in our churches, have your way with us we pray.
Lead us, guide us, direct us according to your purposes, not our plans. And as we make plans which we need to do and comes to this or that in our lives, please, please, please help us to yield our plans continually to you. And to make our plans in accordance with our purpose, in alignment with your purpose alone.
Help us to plan for the spread of your glory in the world. Help us to plan for the spread of your gospel in others’ lives. Help us to plan for your love, your mercy, your grace through made known through whatever plans we make. Because we know this is ultimately your purpose. Because we want our plans ultimately to fulfill your purpose that will stand. So, we pray yielding our plans to you for the accomplishment of your purpose in our lives, in our Savior Jesus name. Amen.
The end of the book of Zephaniah is a stunningly beautiful description of God’s redemption project.
The God of heaven and earth is out to redeem, heal, and save his people.
The vision comes to a climax with this remarkable scene in which God takes “great delight” in his people and rejoices over them “with singing.”
There’s a lot of singing in Bible.
The stars sang God’s praise at creation.
The angels sang praise in Bethlehem.
The angels and all the saints sing praise in heaven.
But God is not merely a passive listener.
God is also a singer, delighting in and cherishing us and all creation.
Singing has been practiced in virtually every culture throughout history.
Have you ever wondered why the act of singing has such universal appeal?
One important reason is that words that are sung can have a much greater impact on us than words that are only spoken.
This is why so much of the praise we offer God is done in song—and why Saint Augustine once said that “whoever sings prays twice.”
But when have you or I ever thought of, been encouraged by, God as a singer?
We might think that the reference in today’s Bible reading to God singing is not meant to be taken literally, but I’ve a feeling, in this exact “God-Moment,” it is.
Allowing God’s Word to convert and transform our imaginations so that when we think about God, when we pray, and when we live out each day, we will set aside our sub-Christian ideas about God, Jesus, our salvation, and our worship.
Zephaniah 3:14-20Amplified Bible
14 Shout for joy, O Daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Israel! Rejoice, be in high spirits and glory with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem [in that day]! 15 The Lord has taken away the judgments against you; He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, even the Lord [Himself], is in your midst; You will no longer fear disaster. 16 In that day it will be said to Jerusalem: “Do not be afraid, O Zion; Do not let your hands fall limp. 17 “The Lord your God is in your midst, A Warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with joy; He will be quiet in His love [making no mention of your past sins], He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy. 18 “I will gather those [Israelites in captivity] who grieve about the appointed feasts— They came from you, [O Zion]; On whom the reproach [of exile] is a burden. 19 “Behold, at that time I am going to deal With all your oppressors; I will save the lame And gather the scattered, And I will turn their shame into praise and renown In every land [where they have suffered]. 20 “At that time I will bring you in, Yes, at the time I gather you together; For I will make you a name and a praise Among all the peoples of the earth When I restore your fortunes [and freedom] before your eyes,” Says {sings} the Lord.
The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.
Way back in Deuteronomy 31:19, God told Moses, “Write down this song and teach it to the Israelites and have them sing it”—and most of the following chapter contains the song God taught Moses so the people could learn it too.
The heavenly choir depicted in the book of Revelation also sings, and it draws from that old song of Moses as it sings “the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb” (Revelation 15:3-4).
God has other songs to teach us as well, and we will spend eternity singing them. The singing of God and the praise of all whom God has redeemed in Christ will combine to form the most beautiful music anyone has ever heard.
When you and I intentionally, seriously, “song-fully,” contemplate God’s own being and you think, sing of God looking at you, think, sing, of God rejoicing over you with singing—all because of the perfect salvation we have in Christ.
The very thought of this generates a contagious image of encouragement, joy.
Zephaniah 3:17-18Easy-to-Read Version
17 The Lord your God is with you. He is like a powerful soldier. He will save you. He will show how much he loves you and how happy he is with you. He will laugh and be happy about you, 18 like people at a party. I will take away your shame. I will make them stop hurting you. [a]
Zephaniah 3:17 is an incredibly encouraging verse.
If you’re feeling down, or overwhelmed, or not sure how you’re going to face the week ahead, check out the promises in Zephaniah 3:17.
This verse is filled with God’s truth and promises.
“The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty…”
— Not only are we promised that God is in our midst, but we are also reassured in this verse that He is mighty!
We can call on Him whenever, wherever, and for whatever, and He is right there with us.
He’s also mighty, meaning He’s stronger than any challenge we may face.
“…he will save…”
— Wherever you’ve been, whatever you’ve done, God is able to save you. He loves us so much that He sent His only Son Jesus to this earth to redeem us.
“…he will rejoice over thee with joy…”
— I love how Barnes’ Notes on the Bible describes this part of the verse:
“Love, joy, peace in man are shadows of that which is in God, by whom they are created in man. Only in God they exist undivided, uncreated.”
Genuine Joy in us is something that comes from within – joy is not based on circumstances; it is based on our knowledge, experience and love of Christ.
“…he will rest in his love…”
— And because of that, we can rest in Him. Only in God can we truly find peace and rest.
You may feel overwhelmed, or anxious, however remembering the love God has for you, and that He has His perfect timing, will help you find rest and renewal.
“…he will joy over thee with singing.”
— For the second time in this verse, we see the word joy.
God delights in us; that should be enough to make us joyful!
Singing can be used as an expression of joy.
Think about that in context of reclamation, restoration and redemption – God WILL joy over thee with singing. What an encouraging and inspiring thought!
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
ABBA, my Father, my one and only true God, I know that you love me, and you made me in your image. I thank you for the blessings you’ve given me, even though they’re too many to count. I pray that you help me to reflect on all the love you have given to me and those around me. Quiet my spirit and the noise in my head so I can struggle to hug, embrace and to understand the love and grace you have promised me. Amen.
14 Wait for and confidently expect the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for and confidently expect the Lord.
The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.
Sitting in our rocking chair on our front porch on a sunny day.
Sitting in our rocking chair under our covered front porch on a rainy day.
Sitting in our recliners, watching television, doing crosswords or Sudoku.
Sitting in our Doctor’s offices or in an Urgent Care setting or Emergency Room.
Sitting in some waiting room waiting for some report on our loved one’s health.
Sitting outside Pastor’s office – the report was not what we were waiting for.
Sitting in our Pastor’s office – the report was not what we were hoping for.
Waiting …. and waiting …… and waiting some more …… for who knows what.
Reasonable …… Unreasonable Expectation we will all be …… for some reason(s)
Patient in our afflictions.
Patient in our sufferings.
Patient in our Patience.
Demonstrating sound Christian Principles …..
Modeling those Sound, Disciplined, Expected, Christ-Like Christian Behaviors,
Patient hope.
Patient perseverance.
Patient endurance.
Patient Patience …..
as we wait for the Lord to work in the difficult circumstances of our fragile life.
Such an “I’ll try to hold myself together for as long as I am strong enough, until God arrives” exhibition encourages someone’s faith in God to be strengthened.
Conversely, as one’s faith is often tested in those long and painful seasons of life, when patient endurance is called upon as we trustingly wait for the Lord to act, submissively waiting on the Lord’s promises to be fulfilled in prayer, and praise, and thanksgiving, we actually wait not with patience – but impatience.
The reality of it all is more like – “the Lord God should have been here an hour before anything, and literally everything, went awry a hundred different ways.”
It is absolutely correct to believe that Patience is a “fruit of the Holy Spirit” –
“I just wish God had given me all of His before things suddenly just flew apart.”
There always seems to be that “I got this thing under control gap” between what is communicated to us in the Word of God for His Children and reality.
When reality hits us square in the face – and it definitely will hit us somewhere, then the lessons of Scripture, somehow seem to end up in that somewhere else.
Yes! We need to confidently wait for the Lord to act on our behalf, knowing that His promises are ‘yes’ and ‘amen’ in Christ Jesus, and we all definitely need to faithfully wait upon the Lord with His psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, making music to the Lord in our praying hearts, with thanksgiving and praise.
But we first need to discipline ourselves to actually: “Wait Upon the Lord!”
Somehow, stop ourselves from taking that one more step into our distresses!
Get a grip on ourselves …..
Look out into the world …… what is the world offering you in this moment?
Look upward unto the hills from whence cometh our help …… (Psalm 121 NIV)
1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber; 4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand; 6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; 8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
Both now and forevermore …..
Look upwards unto the Heavens …. from where our help actually did come from.
John 14:1-3 NIV
Jesus Comforts His Disciples
14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God[a]; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
When we are in step with the Holy Scriptures, when we are quieting ourselves, when we are sitting on a bench, walking in step with Christ, abiding in Christ, waiting for Christ, our inner heart is empowered, and our courage is enlarged.
When we turn our eyes upward instead of focusing outward, we are waiting for His quiet and quieting presence, resting in His love, our soul is strengthened by the Spirit of the Lord, for His strength is made perfect in our restful weakness.
When we take all of God at His Word and trust Him unquestioningly, despite our inner fleshly nature and outer distressing circumstances which scream at us to do something, we will be enabled, from within, to wait on the LORD and be of good courage. For we have been promised that He shall strengthen our heart.
The Lord has His own way of restoring us unto Him the Joy of our Salvation!
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Heavenly Father, too often my old sin nature calls upon me to take hold of the reins of my life instead of waiting, abiding in You and resting in Your promises. Help me to learn to wait on You alone and to be of good courage, knowing that You are in perfect control of my life and all I am called upon to do is to quietly wait for You to act on my behalf and to confidently wait on You with prayer and worship and a heart of blest and blessed thanksgiving and praise. In Jesus’ name, Gloria! Alleluia! AMEN.
29 You, divine beings! Give to the Lord— give to the Lord glory and power! 2 Give to the Lord the glory due his name! Bow down to the Lord in holy splendor!
The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.
The Wife and I plus a mutually unwelcome Covid virus have been back from our nine-day cruise up and down the New England Coast – from the port of New Jersey to Boston, Bar Harbor, Halifax Nova Scotia and back – for five days now.
The trip itself ….
A time of fellowship, shared with two very dear and precious friends ….
It was a precious time of Praise and Shabbot with my God and with my wife.
A much-needed time of Shabbot for both my wife and me and with our God.
The picture of the morning sunrise above is one taken from our balcony. It was one which captivated my wife and I while we waited for our ship to reach port.
It was such a rare sight for my wife and I that early in the morning. The gentle sound of the waters clapping upon the side of the ship and a cool ocean breeze.
We just kind of sat there on our balcony, putting our feet up, holding our hands.
The awesome presence of the face of God upon the far-off morning horizon, upon the far-as the eye can see, expansive waters of vast the Atlantic Ocean.
Psalm 29:1-2 Complete Jewish Bible
29 (0) A psalm of David:
(1) Give Adonai his due, you who are godly; give Adonai his due of glory and strength; 2 give Adonai the glory due his name; worship Adonai in holy splendor.
As we meet with God in the light of the morning, as our thoughts turn either to Him alone, His exclusive place in our lives in this moment, or the journey to our workplaces, or getting children to their schools or some other worldly concern,
we take at least a few quiet breaths to relax ourselves – to make a silent choice:
“Today, I will choose to see the awesome Face of God in those whom I Meet!”
In the adrenaline rush of the coming day, as we each move into the noise of the coming day, we intentionally find the time to weave into the noise, the silence of the Lord’s Sanctuary and remember this is the day that the Lord hath made and this is the day the Lord alone hath gifted to each and every one of us today.
Know that He takes His place upon the throne of our hearts and our souls when we deliberately give Him those precious few moments of our personal Shabbot.
We bow our heads, bend our knees and bow our spirits, but for a few precious moments throughout the day, each and every day – let the voice of God speak!
Our attentive spirits open the doors to heaven.
It is a doorway which swings both ways – for God comes to us no matter where we are or when we are or why we are – however it is we happen to be feeling.
The Wonder of such a simple worship is the wonder of His very real presence.
It is a chorus of singing angels, it is blessed, blest music from another world, wonder that floods out all the darkness and the dust of death this life contains.
We somewhere, somehow, rediscover the innocence of waves as they are heard peacefully clapping upon the sides of the ship and then returning to the ocean.
We somewhere, somehow, rediscover the innocence of children again as we are taken back to when our moms first held us upon their chests when first borne.
We praise and exalt the greater and greatest name of the Lord our Saving God.
He opens Himself to us – again and again and again – with the same measure of unwavering, unrelenting unconditional love and mercy and, grace, compassion.
It is the most awesome moment of our life for that day – beyond all other times!
Now, let’s consider taking ownership of those second to none “God Moments!”
Exalt, Worship and Praise the Lord in the Beauty of HIS HOLINESS – not ours!
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
O God, whose voice spoke the heavens into being,
whose Spirit hovered over the great expanse of waters
whose holiness is not limited to grand cathedrals or saintly persons,
spectacular mountains or mountain-moving leaders;
O God,
whose holiness is often discovered in simple everyday places
and simple everyday folk,
plant Your holiness in this place, in us now.
Grow us this very moment, throughout each coming hour,
nourished by your sunshine,
watered by the life-giving waters of your Son,
that we might blossom and flower, right where we are,
8 “Remember the Sabbath (seventh) day to keep it holy (set apart, dedicated to God). 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath [a day of rest dedicated] to the Lord your God; on that day you shall not do any work, you or your son, or your daughter, or your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock or the temporary resident (foreigner) who stays within your [city] gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and everything that is in them, and He rested (ceased) on the seventh day. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy [that is, set it apart for His purposes].
The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.
Just look up at the stars and think about our Creator who knows each and every one of us by name and how much more He knows ME and knows YOU by name, knows EXACTLY what situation we are facing. Our way is not hidden from God.
Just as an entire body of any of the world’s ocean cannot be seen in a bay, or when looked at from a horizon, there is a vastness to God that cannot even be seen in the incarnation of Jesus. He was limited in time and space, but not God.
God is still ever alert, seated on his throne, and we can trust in His sovereignty.
He does not slumber, nor does He sleep, He will always act at the proper time.
Such a magnificent view of God is essential for great hope and great energy.
Humanity’s physical and mental fatigue have a deeper cause in a tired spirit.
Frustrations and dashed hopes mean we need to lift our eyes unto the Hills and the Heavens and change our focus to an everlasting God who never grows tired.
He gifts, He gives, His strength to the weary, increases the power of the weak.
Sometimes we must rest and sometimes we must reset ourselves, so we have the strength, alertness to lift up our heads unto the hills to see our Salvation.
We must mentally and physically “take a deep breath or two” wait upon and wait for the Lord to intervene, then He raises us up as on the wings of an eagle again and we can continue effortlessly propelled by the spirit of the living God.
Eagles will lock their wings in a storm and allow the strong winds to lift them and they soar above the storm. That is exactly what God will do for us when we “lock our wings,” rest and reset, simply trust him during our “busy” of living.
God made the Eagle ….
God made You ….
God made Me ….
God made My Wife
God gave me My Wife to love, cherish, care for “as unto the Lord, my God!”
Sometimes we just need to rest, reset and redeem the time God is gifted to us.
We have a Covenant Obligation to Remember the Sabbath and Keep it Holy.
But we cannot do that if we try too hard to be “perpetual motion” Christians, loving and serving the Lord our God and our neighbors in His Neighborhood.
The Great Commandment is to not just Love God and our Neighbors with all of our might, all of our hearts and souls and minds – but to LOVE OURSELVES too in the same zealous manner we love and serve the One God who is our Salvation.
So, after 295 consecutive days of studying, praying writing these devotions as my act of obedience to my Creator and my Redeemer, it is time to rest and reset.
My wife and I have not had a time and season to be “set apart, to spend with our God,” any vacation, since the Pandemic began and two plus years prior to that.
So, we will be taking the next two weeks or so to rest, refresh our love for each other and God and reset, redeem our time with our Savior upon the High Seas.
Exodus 20:8-11Amplified Bible
8 “Remember the Sabbath (seventh) day to keep it holy (set apart, dedicated to God). 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath [a day of rest dedicated] to the Lord your God; on that day you shall not do any work, you or your son, or your daughter, or your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock or the temporary resident (foreigner) who stays within your [city] gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and everything that is in them, and He rested (ceased) on the seventh day. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy [that is, set it apart for His purposes].
Our reading from the Hebrew Testament today states that “in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth … but he rested on the seventh day.”
The ambition and creativity we bring to our love of God and our labors in God’s Neighborhood is a reflection of our Creator’s. love and labors on our behalf.
It’s part of how we live out our covenant obligations, reflect his image and a big part of how we “tirelessly” try to minister, “tirelessly” serve as HIS witnesses.
God also rested on the seventh day, however, and he calls us to do the same.
For us, good work hinges on good rest.
Without rest, our love, our labors, our work in Ministry and Mission slows.
That is why, from time to time, Holy Spirit “hits our “rest and reset” buttons.
A divine reminder: Our obedience to our Covenant Obligation to Ministry and Mission, our discipline of a ‘regular rest and reset’ becomes our witness in our fast-paced world, especially when that time is focused on enjoying our Creator.
It speaks of God’s love to command what’s good for us.
Our zealous, over-zealous, attention to our (over) ambitious, ambitions would risk hindering, distract us from him and drive us into the ground if we let them.
How will you live out your Covenant Obligation to “rest and reset and redeem?”
How will you rest and reset and redeem your time this week and this weekend?
For the sake of good work later, let’s rest.
For the sake of good works of Ministry and Mission later, please rest and reset.
For the sake of our own SHALOM’s, please ‘rest, reset and redeem’ God’s time.
For the sake of sanity, let’s rest. For the sake of glory to God in regular worship and fellowship, let’s rest, reset. God blesses those who “work hard” at resting.
Let’s trust him to establish our work, give rest to our hearts, reset to our souls.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 90Amplified Bible
Book Four
God’s Eternity and Man’s Transitoriness.
A Prayer of Moses the man of God.
90 Lord, You have been our dwelling place [our refuge, our sanctuary, our stability] in all generations. 2 Before the mountains were born Or before You had given birth to the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are [the eternal] God.
3 You turn man back to dust, And say, “Return [to the earth], O children of [mortal] men!” 4 For a [a]thousand years in Your sight Are like yesterday when it is past, Or as a watch in the night. 5 You have swept them away like a flood, they fall asleep [forgotten as soon as they are gone]; In the morning they are like grass which grows anew— 6 In the morning it flourishes and springs up; In the evening it wilts and withers away.
7 For we have been consumed by Your anger And by Your wrath we have been terrified. 8 You have placed our wickedness before you, Our secret sins [which we tried to conceal, You have placed] in the [revealing] light of Your presence. 9 For all our days pass away in Your wrath; We have finished our years like a whispered sigh. 10 The days of our life are [b]seventy years— Or even, if because of strength, eighty years; Yet their pride [in additional years] is only labor and sorrow, For it is soon gone and we fly away. 11 Who understands the power of Your anger? [Who connects this brevity of life among us with Your judgment of sin?] And Your wrath, [who connects it] with the [reverent] fear that is due You? 12 So teach us to number our days, That we may cultivate and bring to You a heart of wisdom.
13 Turn, O Lord [from Your fierce anger]; how long will it be? Be compassionate toward Your servants—revoke Your sentence. 14 O satisfy us with Your lovingkindness in the morning [now, before we grow older], That we may rejoice and be glad all our days. 15 Make us glad in proportion to the days You have afflicted us, And the years we have suffered evil. 16 Let Your work [the signs of Your power] be revealed to Your servants And Your [glorious] majesty to their children. 17 And let the [gracious] favor of the Lord our God be on us; Confirm for us the work of our hands— Yes, confirm the work of our hands.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Gloria! Gloria! Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen!
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith [your trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness] is being proclaimed in all the world. 9 For God, whom I serve with my spirit by preaching the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how continuously I mention you 10 in my prayers; always pleading that somehow, by God’s will, I may now at last come to you. 11 For I long to see you so that I may share with you some spiritual gift, to strengthen and establish you; 12 that is, that we may be mutually encouraged and comforted by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. 13 I do not want you to be unaware, [a] brothers and sisters, that many times I have planned to come to you, (and have been prevented so far) so that I may have some fruit [of my labors] among you, even as I have among the rest of the Gentiles. 14 I have a duty to perform and a debt to pay both to Greeks and to barbarians [the cultured and the uncultured], both to the wise and to the foolish. 15 So, for my part, I am ready and eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.
The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.
In my brief experience as a pastor, and now as a writer of these devotions, I would never try to describe preaching as either easy or boast as simply fun.
But it can be incredibly meaningful when you sense that something in your message of God’s love connects with your listeners.
So, I can appreciate that the Apostle Paul is indescribably eager to preach the gospel to the people he most adamantly cares about in Rome.
The Apostle Paul is eager not because he thinks he’s so good at what he does or because he desperately desires to become the headliner for a few performances before tens of thousands of Roman citizens in the empire’s great colosseum.
The reason for his eagerness comes from the fact the gospel is the power of God.
And it is power for a specific purpose – Salvation.
The gospel is not power to get a new bill of health, to gain a reputation, or to sell a specific bill of goods or services or to gain the friend or spouse you desire.
It’s not power for financial success or fault-free parenting. It’s not power to get into heaven when you die.
It is God’s power for salvation.
And salvation has absolutely everything to do with getting to where we most desperately desire to be in our connection, Koinonia, relationship with God.
Paul’s eagerness in all this is a reflection of God’s desire.
God wants me to belong to him as fully and as completely and as maximally as I can in the life I am now trying to live.
That’s the point of the gospel, and that is its power.
The challenge for me is to have the same eagerness for God that God has for me.
The same eagerness which Apostle Paul expresses in His Epistle to the Romans.
Introducing himself, Paul gives us concise statements of the Gospel of God.
• The good news has absolutely everything to do with Lord Jesus Christ, the descendant of David by birth and declared the Son of God by His resurrection.
• Jesus’ death and resurrection brought us into a new relationship with God.
In these few lines, Paul laid out the thrust of his letter – the message of the Gospel.
This letter of Romans is different from the other letters he wrote, which concern the churches and their problems and needs.
• Romans focuses on God and His plan of salvation for man, both Jews and Gentiles.
Why Romans?
• Paul wrote the letter while he was in Corinth during his 3rd missionary journey.
• He was on his way back to Jerusalem with the collections from the Gentiles churches.
• So, the practical reason for the Letter was to communicate to the Roman Christians that he was planning to visit them after this trip to Jerusalem.
More importantly, he writes to present a clear explanation of the Gospel, the message that he has been entrusted with and proclaiming all this while.
• This was called for because of the differences in understanding between the Jewish and Gentile believers, with regards to their salvation in Christ Jesus.
Is there not now, in these times and seasons of 2022 great differences and even greater divides and chasms among Christians with regards to their salvation?
Are there not, even today, great expressions among “the believers” of ……
“You take your ‘theology’ and go your way towards your salvation!” and
“I will take my ‘theology’ and go my way towards my salvation!” and
“In the end we will see who is right, know who’s wrong, by who is in Heaven!”
Paul set forth the Gospel to unite us theologically and present Christianity fully.
• Romans turn out to be the longest of Paul’s letters that we have and the most in-depth, comprehensive exposition of the Gospel of Salvation in Jesus Christ.
That explains the introduction. He set the tone right.
• It is not about Paul’s message, or Peter’s message but the message of God; a message that is built upon the foundation of God’s revelation in the Scriptures.
• Salvation through Christ ALONE!
It is not any mere or meager afterthought but the plan of God all along and fulfilled in the Person and work of Jesus Christ – his death and resurrection.
• To bring lost humanity back to an eternally living relationship with Christ!
Romans 1:8-10Amplified Bible
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith [your trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness] is being proclaimed in all the world. 9 For God, whom I serve with my spirit by preaching the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how continuously I mention you 10 in my prayers; always pleading that somehow, by God’s will, I may now at last come to you.
A deep and abiding concern for the believers in Rome was reflected in Paul’s opening message of thankful praise for each of them.
Indeed, their faith in the Lord Jesus had been made known throughout the Roman Empire.
What a wonderful, inspiring testimony of these dear saints of God, and what an awesome message of encouragement to all of us to boldly proclaim the glorious gospel of Christ, which is the power of God unto salvation for all who believe.
Paul desperately did not want any single part of this important epistle to be lightly received, or lightly taken for granted and so he laid emphasis on his calling, his apostleship, and his bond service for the Lord Jesus Christ alone.
But infinitely more than this Paul called upon the eternal God of the universe, Creator of heaven and earth, as witness to his own deep and loving concern for their planted by God, blossoming, growing and maturing spiritual wellbeing.
Like all who trust in Jesus Christ, Paul had been given a new nature – a new life in Christ which delighted to spread the good news of the glorious gospel of Christ in spirit and truth, which loved these believers with a Christ-like love.
Paul’s love for these believers was reflected in his deep and earnest concern for them, as he constantly made mention of them to the Lord Jesus in daily prayer.
Let us seek to develop the same eagerness to preach and proclaim the Gospel.
The most eager and deep and loving concern for ALL our brothers and sisters in Christ, as we, like Paul, lift them up in earnest prayer to our Father in heaven.
Imagine yourself being a part of a faith community that was famous around the world because of its active faith.
When I meditate and ponder upon this Epistle to the Romans, it’s interesting the Roman believers did not have a previous visit from one of the Apostles.
After the persecution broke out in Jerusalem and the true believers fanned out, they spread the gospel everywhere. They made it as far as Rome and their church was thriving, and soon reports of their faith made it back to Paul.
One of Paul’s main goals in life was to visit Rome for mutual encouragement (Romans 1:11-12).
Paul was actively praying for an opportunity to go, but later in this letter he explains why he hadn’t been able to come (Romans 15:20-22).
He was hindered because there were many places in between that needed the gospel, which delayed his trip.
Amazingly, Paul reveals a bit of his passionate nature in midst of his waiting, “I remember you in my prayers at all times.”
Paul is simply reminding the Romans that, in the same way he serves the Lord wholeheartedly, this is the same way he remembers them in prayer. He thanks God for them and their faith and asks that the way be opened for him to come.
We can learn much from Paul.
Today, if you and I genuinely want to pray for people and do not know where to start, then start thanking God for their faith and what He is doing in their lives.
When we can recognize the way, He is working in others, we will see how He’s working in us and then find mutual encouragement through the Gospel of God.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
O Lord my God, you are my shield and my strength. Help me to trust you with my decisions and my future. Let me lean on you and the message of your Gospel, with all my heart instead of relying on my own frail, faulty, failed understanding. Give me clear guidance in my life Lord. As I submit myself to your Gospel, I know that you will direct my paths and I can have confidence that your direction is always the best way to go. Lord, bless me and keep me, make your face shine upon me. Turn your face towards me and give me peace. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Alleluia! Amen.
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan [River], to be baptized by him. 14 But John tried to prevent Him [vigorously protesting], saying, “It is I who need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” 15 But Jesus replied to him, “Permit it just now; for this is the fitting way for us [a]to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John permitted [it and baptized] Him. 16 After Jesus was baptized, He came up immediately out of the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he (John) saw the [b]Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him (Jesus), 17 and behold, a [c]voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased and delighted!”
The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.
Each Baptism brings a special Joy.
This morning, our Pastor is dedicating an infant
This morning at the Pentecostal Church of which my wife and I are members, is baptizing seven individuals by complete immersion – so it is going to be a truly joyous and an exceptionally special time of magnifying our Savior, Jesus Christ.
The dedication of an infant as Christ was dedicated at the Temple.
Seven people placing Jesus Christ into the direct center of their lives.
Oh, what a day of rejoicing and celebration it will certainly be for many.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit!
There are many days when I consider my own baptism and its deeper meaning.
It is a complicated subject for me because my faith upbringing is a complicated one – born into the Church of the Brethren and I believe baptized as an infant.
Converted to the Jewish faith when I was 8 years old – Mikvah at 9 years old.
Came back to the Methodist Church at 41 years old, “conditionally baptized” by the sprinkling of water over my head.
Now, a member of the Pentecostal Church which does not baptize infants and baptizes with full immersion as Jesus was in Matthew Chapter Three.
I have considered being baptized by immersion in the Pentecostal Church.
But I am not sure of the theology – One God! One Baptism is how I was taught.
I am not sure that being Baptized in the Pentecostal Church would not be taking God’s Grace for granted – as God said,
“Thou shalt not test me as you did at the Waters of Meribah ……” which cost Moses dearly – being able to look at the “promised land” FROM A DISTANCE! and NOT BEING ABLE TO ENTER IT!
So, I am in kind of a quandary – seeking scriptural guidance and my Pastors.
And today, with the joy of the Holy Spirit before me and 7 baptisms about to unfold before me today at worship …. I am pondering “my Baptism” again.
Untold thousands of churches around the world consider the story of Jesus’ baptism every year.
That helps people reflect on their own baptism.
Maybe you were baptized because of your own decision.
Or maybe your parents presented you for baptism.
What might change if we thought of baptism as the defining reality of our life?
What does the Bible teach about water baptism?
• Is it necessary for salvation?
• Who’s it for?
• Is it optional?
• How important is it?
• What does it mean?
• Is any mode of baptism, whether sprinkling, pouring or full immersion, acceptable?
I’ll seek to answer each of these questions today from our only authority—the Bible.
Let’s explore six truths about baptism, each beginning with an “I” to remember more easily.
I. FIRST, I WOULD LIKE TO EXPLORE – BAPTISM IS INSUFFICIENT
What I mean is that water baptism is insufficient to save you from sin.
Baptism does not impart to us any grace, merit, or goodness before a holy God.
It does not take away original sin.
Jesus was the perfect Son of God who never sinned, so He certainly did not need salvation from sin, but in our text, we see that He came to John to be baptized.
The Bible is very clear that the only way to be saved is by believing in Jesus for our salvation, not by anything WE do, even if it’s religious in nature.
There are only three verses in the Bible that SEEM to imply that baptism is necessary for salvation, but a closer examination of the context and the original language clears up every one of them, as any good commentary will do.
On the other hand, there are scores, if not hundreds, of Bible verses that teach in unequivocal terms salvation is obtained by faith in Jesus for your salvation.
If baptism were necessary for salvation, Jesus and these writers of Scripture would have been grossly negligent to say that we’re saved by believing in Jesus Christ for our salvation without mentioning the co-condition of baptism!
Add to this the fact that the thief on the cross simply BELIEVED in Jesus, but obviously had not been baptized—yet a dying Jesus assured him that by his believing on Him: “Today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43).
And what do we do with John 4:2, where John tells us that “…Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples.” or 1 Corinthians 1:17, where Paul says, “For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel…”
– If baptism were a condition of salvation, is it even remotely conceivable that Jesus and Paul would have delegated this soul-saving responsibility to others?
—I do not believe it would be so.
Obviously, as important as baptism is, it is INSUFFICIENT to save.
II. SECOND, EXPLORING THAT BAPTISM IS ILLUSTRATIVE –
In Romans 6:3-4, Paul says, “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
In New Testament days, symbols were very important.
Christ instituted two ordinances for the church to follow, and both of them are extremely and visually rich symbols expressing the core truths of God’s Gospel.
1. One was communion, or the Lord’s Supper.
We are all familiar with the fact that the bread is symbolic of Jesus’ body that was given for us, and the juice symbolizes the blood Jesus shed for our sins.
That is indeed, a potent and a powerful visual picture, isn’t it?
2. From Romans 6, Paul teaches that baptism pictures the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, which Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:1-7 is what the Gospel is.
Now there’s only one mode of baptism that can symbolize death, burial and resurrection, and that’s immersion.
There are other reasons why we might come believe that only baptism by complete immersion is biblical water baptism:
1. First, the Greek word for baptize is ‘baptizō’ which literally means “to dip, submerge, plunge.”
Matthew 3:11 KJV …… 11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
It was the word used by cloth sellers for dying cloth and fabrics.
They would COMPLETELY SUBMERGE the fabric into the dye.
The command to be baptized was literally a command to be SUBMERGED.
2. Another line of evidence is that in many instances of baptism in the Gospels and Acts, we are told that they went “DOWN INTO” the water to be baptized or that they “CAME UP OUT OF” the water after baptism.
–We see that in our text, Matthew 3, in verse 16: “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water…”
–In the story of the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8:38, Luke says, “And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.”
Question: Why go “down into” the water and have to “come out of” the water just to be sprinkled or poured on?
Wouldn’t it make more sense for the baptizer to get a bowl and enough water from the river and pour it over the head rather than having to go down into the water, dunk and get your clothes soaking wet just to be sprinkled or poured on?
3. Other evidence is the fact that the early church only practiced immersion, a fact admitted even by the Roman Catholic Church, Reformers Martin Luther and John Calvin and many additional prominent Anglican scholars …… —
Baptism by immersion ILLUSTRATES something—the death, burial and resurrection of our Savior for our sins.
III. THIRD, I WOULD LIKE TO EXPLORE THAT BAPTISM IS IDENTIFICATION
Historically baptism was how a person publicly IDENTIFIED himself with Christ and the core teachings of the Gospel.
Reverend Dr. M.R. DeHaan put it this way:
In the early days of the church…, baptism was a declaration that the believer was definitely identifying himself with that group of people who were called Christians and were despised and hated.
To be a Christian meant something. To identify yourself with those who were called Christians meant persecution, maybe death; it meant being ostracized from your family, shunned by friends.
And the one act, the final declaration of this identification was BAPTISM.
As long as a man gathered with Christians, he was tolerated, but when once he submitted to baptism, he declared to the world, I BELONG TO THIS DESPISED GROUP, and immediately he was persecuted, hated, and despised.
In baptism, therefore, the believer entered into the fellowship of the sufferings of Christ. A person might be a believer and keep it strictly a secret and thus they avoid unpleasantness and suffering, but once he submitted to public baptism, he had burned his bridges behind him. . .”
When we are baptized, we are publicly confessing our allegiance to Christ.
Jesus said, “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32)
By identifying with Christ and God’s Gospel message of His death, burial and resurrection, we are, most decisively, publicly, taking our stand with Christ.
You and I are saying, “I belong to Christ and I’m signifying so with the symbol of baptism,” much the same way a person who wears their wedding ring does.
When I wear my wedding ring, I’m saying to everyone out there, “I belong to someone, and I am not in the very least bit ashamed to let everyone know it.”
The person being baptized is saying the same thing: He’s saying,
“I belong to Jesus Christ, and I am never ashamed to let everyone know it.”
IV. I WOULD LIKE TO EXPLORE THAT BAPTISM IS INTENTIONAL
Every instance is a person being baptized AFTER his salvation—choosing intentionally to obey Christ’s command of his own free will to be baptized.
Acts 16:28-31 Amplified
28 But Paul shouted, saying, “Do not hurt yourself, we are all here!” 29 Then the jailer called for torches and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas, 30 and after he brought them out [of the inner prison], he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
The Jailer Converted
31 And they answered, “Believe in the Lord Jesus [as your personal Savior and entrust yourself to Him] and you will be saved, you and your household [if they also believe].”
In this passage, the Philippian jailor asked Paul and Barnabas in verse 30, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Paul didn’t miss a beat and his answer was simple in verse 31: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.”
Paul didn’t mean that if this jailor trusted in Christ, his whole household would be saved by proxy, but if he and his household would be saved, they must each [intentionally] believe on [that is, “rely on” or “trust in”] the Lord Jesus Christ.
Then verse 32 says, “And they spoke unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.”
Why would this be emphasized?
To show that the household heard the Gospel so, with intent, they could believe.
Verse 33 continues: “And he took them [with intent] the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.”
Nope—Luke lays the matter to rest once and for all in verse 34 where he says:
“And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.”
Did we get that? —He and all his house BELIEVED!
Lest you’re unsure that’s what Luke meant, the Greek scholar, A.T. Robertson, says this ……
“The whole household (family, warden, slaves) heard the word of the Lord, believed in the Lord Jesus Christ…and were baptized, and rejoiced.”
Baptism is for believers, and since he and everyone in his house BELIEVED, they were acceptable candidates for baptism.
V. FIFTH, I WOULD LIKE TO EXPLORE THAT BAPTISM IS IMITATION
Matthew 3:14-15 Amplified
14 But John tried to prevent Him [vigorously protesting], saying, “It is I who need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” 15 But Jesus replied to him, “Permit it just now; for this is the fitting way for us [a]to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John permitted [it and baptized] Him.
Our text tells us that Jesus was baptized.
He explained the reason in verse 15 – “…to fulfill all righteousness.”
By being baptized, we are doing something righteous because God has now commanded it.
Jesus wanted to set an example for us because He always did what was righteous.
In 1 Peter 2:21 Peter said, “For even hereunto were ye called…that ye should follow his steps.”
Jesus commanded all believers to be baptized in Matthew 28:19, and He was always obedient to the Father.
You should follow His example by obeying His command to be baptized.
VI. LASTLY, PLEASE NOTE THAT BAPTISM IS IMPORTANT
In verse 13 of our text, we read something significant, where Matthew says,
“Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.”
Mark’s Gospel tells us that the city in Galilee Jesus came from was Nazareth.
A quick look at a map shows that Jesus walked 60 miles ON FOOT to be baptized.
It must have been very important to Him, and it should likewise be for us.
Being baptized is important because we’re COMMANDED to be baptized.
JESUS commanded us to be baptized once we have believed.
Well, do we need any other reason than that?
It’s a serious thing to intentionally disobey the Lord’s commands.
The APOSTLES also commanded baptism.
In our modernized, “comfort zone Christianity,” believers tend to take God’s commandments too lightly, and that’s increasingly true of believers’ baptism.
But where Christianity shines brightest and strongest, the opposite is true.
As Chuck Colson points out in his book, The Body: Being Light in Darkness:
“Most Westerners take baptism for granted, but for many in the world the act requires immense courage. Countries like Nepal, it once meant imprisonment. For Soviet or Chinese or Eastern bloc believers, it was like putting their own signatures to their own death warrant.” (The Body: Being Light in Darkness by Charles Colson and Ellen Santilli Vaughn, 1992, Word Publishing, page 137.)
Folks, obeying the Lord in believer’s baptism is IMPORTANT!
Search the book of Acts—the history book of the first century church—and you’ll find one consistent pattern
—believers uniformly followed the Lord in believer’s baptism.
It was so important in the early church, that even those who had already been baptized under John the Baptist’s baptism were re-baptized in Jesus’ name to publicly declare their maximum allegiance to Jesus Christ and their maximum expression of their complete faith in His life, death, burial and resurrection.
It was so important in the book of Acts believers didn’t go through discipleship classes before submitting to baptism or wait to make sure they were “ready.”
Every instance of baptism in Acts was IMMEDIATELY after they believed in Christ for salvation.
If we have placed our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for our salvation and have the assurance that we are saved, we don’t need to understand fully its meaning, or wait till you feel worthy, or feel you have to prepare in some way.
If you and I have an obedient heart to your Lord, you and I will intentionally obey His command and to follow His example and be baptized without delay.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Dear heavenly Father, we give you thanks and praise that in your mercy you brought us to baptism, and there gave us Jesus’ holiness in exchange for our sin and impurity. Thank you for our parents who brought us up in the faith and to our baptism, thank you for those other people whom you used to bring us the complete Gospel truth, and thank you for our pastors and teachers in the faith.
We pray for the baptized people of God, that we may hang on to the fullness of your promises in true faith, especially when we experience the wilderness of sin and the evil within, and temptations and trials from outside. I Pray, strengthen us with your Holy Spirit so that our Savior Jesus’ victory may be our victory. Alleluia! Amen!
8 Now when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent word to the king, asking, “Why have you torn your clothes? Just let Naaman come to me, and he shall know that there is a [true] prophet in Israel.” 9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stopped at the entrance of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you, and you will be clean.” 11 But Naaman was furious and went away and said, “Indeed! I thought ‘He would at least come out to [see] me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God and wave his hand over the place [of leprosy] and heal the leper.’ 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus [in Aram], better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So, he turned and went away in a rage. 13 Then his servants approached and said to him, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he has said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean?’” 14 So he went down and plunged himself into the Jordan seven times, just as the man of God had said; and his flesh was restored like that of a little child, and he was clean.
The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.
He was the top commander in a powerful army.
He knew all the right people. His king regarded him as “a great man.”
He was a great military leader with many great victories on the battlefield.
He was a powerful man and a powerful leader.
His soldiers followed him, put their lives on the line without question, onto the fields of combat assured he would always lead them to victory after victory,
He had not failed his men or his king.
He was a confident man and had every reason to be.
He had influence and money.
He had an Army which was loyal to him.
He had servants at his beck and call.
He had an entourage that followed him everywhere.
His every command was followed.
And he was a leper.
Leprosy changed everything for Naaman. And this leprosy set the stage for an intriguing drama, a story that tells us something of what baptism is about.
Most of us, in our most honest moments, would choose to exercise power over walking in weakness, influence over being ignored, and prestige over neglect.
We love to be the ones who are in command, making the decisions and getting the perks and the promotions, not the one who depends on another’s mercy.
Yet, with all of his influence, Naaman found that no one could help him. And in this one area of his life, he couldn’t help himself. He was at the end of his rope.
So he went to see the prophet of God in Israel.
The prophet’s instructions, though, seemed like a joke, an insult.
Wash in the Jordan?!
What was wrong with the waters of the rivers of his native country?
Yet, they were insufficient – they had not cleansed him of his leprosy.
Now, he was desperate – his circumstances and condition were intolerable.
Naaman would gladly have done some great deed—anything!
—to be cleansed of his leprosy and to earn the favor of the God of Israel.
But the God of Israel doesn’t work that way.
God remembers His own and cares for His own, but His own does not mean only the people of Israel.
• It refers ultimately to everyone who is willing to acknowledge God, believe and worship Him, as the one and only true God.
• So, God’s grace is not going to be confined within the borders of Israel.
God wants to bring the world back to Himself, starting with Israel.
We see here the grace of God extending to a foreigner, an Aramean commander of the Syrian army.
• Naaman had everything – position, status, fame, success – and leprosy.
• The last one spoilt everything. With leprosy, the rest matters little. He has a need that is beyond him.
The author of this passage was inspired by it, wanted us to see this. Look at the words he used to describe his good life – a great man in the sight of his master (King), highly regarded, gained many victories in battles, and a valiant soldier.
• He is a great man, with great reputation, great capability, great courage, great accomplishments, AND a great sickness.
• The author ended the trail of accolades with “and he had leprosy”.
He needs God.
At the end of the day, what we really need isn’t what this world can offer us.
• Naaman needs a miraculous cure for his leprosy.
His own native waters were insufficient for the task.
It seems Naaman’s influences did not extend to his commanding the waters of his native land to cleanse him. His presence did not move the waters one inch.
I can envision him, in his desperation, standing on the water’s edge and over and over again, shouting command after command – “cleanse me my waters!”
That failing him, further enraged at the desperation of his physical plight, walking into the waters of his native land, raising his fist against his waters.
He would walk, maybe even run, deeper and deeper into the waters, dunking himself over and over and over again yelling, “cleanse me, I command you!”
Yet for all of his power and influence, for all of the victories he achieved on the battlefield, for all the loyalty he commanded of others, the love of his own king,
The Leprosy moved not one inch from his body.
He had no command over his own body – he could not command his Leprosy to leave him – he commanded thousands but could not command his own healing.
None of his servants had any power to heal him.
None of his own loyal soldiers could do anything to help their commander.
Anyone and everyone around him only communicated their utter helplessness.
Thousands and thousands and thousands of shoulders shrugging, apologizing.
What did that kind of helplessness look like to Naaman?
What does that kind of helplessness look like to us right now.
What did those feelings of complete helplessness do for Naaman’s self-esteem?
What do those feelings of complete helplessness do for our own self-esteem?
What does Helpless Pie taste like?
What does Hopeless Pie taste like?
What does Humble Pie taste like?
For Naaman, it tasted a whole lot like Leprosy.
What a new experience for Naaman – In complete command of everything and of everyone around him – except in this one thing – commanding his healing.
The author was moved by this, wanted us to see this. Look at the words he used to describe Naaman’s good life – a great man in the sight of his master (King), highly regarded, gained many victories in battles, and a loyal, valiant soldier.
• He is a great man, with great reputation, great capability, great courage, great accomplishments, AND a great sickness.
• The author ended the trail of accolades with the buzz killing statement of Naaman’s inescapable and undeniably painful reality “and he had leprosy”.
He needs God.
At the end of the day, what we really need isn’t what this world can offer us.
• Naaman needs a miraculous cure for his leprosy. He needs God to heal him.
• So, the story goes, he went seeking for God’s help, through a prophet of Israel.
That’s at first glance.
A casual reading gives us this picture of a man seeking God.
• But on closer reading, it is more accurate to say, God is reaching out to him.
• The author says God has been giving him victories in battles.
• 5:1 “He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, BECAUSE through him the Lord had given victory to Aram.” (5:1)
• His reputation was given by the God, because his successes were given BY God.
This is the GRACE of God. God showed him favour.
And then we see another of God’s sovereign act.
A young Israelite girl was captured in one of those Aramean raids and ended up as a servant for Naaman’s wife (5:2).
“Why does not my master, Naaman seek out Elisha, the Prophet in Israel …?”
• The words of this servant girl became the critical bridge for Naaman to be introduced to the prophet of God in Samaria. Ultimately, to God Himself.
• The whole story hangs on her still small voice speaking up, the daring, minor role she played and the few words she said, and we do not even know her name.
We do not even know whether or not the little girl was rewarded for her caring
• You don’t need a name to serve God or doing something significant like caring for others – daring to put your life out there, then risking rebuke, risking wrath and risking an unknown punishment for opening our mouths against authority.
And I sincerely hope and pray we don’t serve God, care for others, looking for a name and a reputation too.
• Be amazed at how God works to fulfil His will.
He can surprise us.
This young servant girl’s words of daring, caring, were brought before the King!
• Naaman used her timely words to ask for permission to go seek for this prophet.
The King took up the girl’s suggestion!
The King gave him an official letter to see the King of Israel. They might have thought that such a great prophet must be working in the King’s own courts.
• The King of Israel was taken aback and read this as a possible excuse for the Syrians to start a war, for failing to heal their commander.
• The plan almost backfired until Elisha, God’s anointed Prophet heard of the outburst and sent a message.
The King did not look for the prophet. He doesn’t know what to do next.
• Again we see the providence of God. God works at every step of this story to make this encounter possible.
Naaman was re-directed to see the prophet, with his entourage of horses and chariots (5:9). We can imagine the grandeur of this visit.
• But when he arrived at the door of Elisha’s house, Elisha remained indoors.
A messenger came out and gave him a blunt order: “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored, and you will be cleansed.” (5:10).
• It was a test of faith moment. But this was unacceptable to a reputable man.
Elisha did not even greet him, his entourage, when he was already at his door.
2 Kings5:11-12 “But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So, he turned and went off in a rage.
• Naaman had certain expectations – he had earned and expected “due respect.”
But instead, a simple servant of Elisha had written, spoken, a simple message.
He had already written God’s script for Him: “This is what you should do and how you should do it.”
• This sounded so familiar to me because very often, we come to God in the same manner – with a certain set agenda and script.
• We have our own very specific, very detained ideas and expectations of how God ought to do things for us, and when the things don’t synchronize with our expectations, we become disappointed, not at circumstances but WITH GOD.
Moreover, going to river Jordan wasn’t going to be that simple a walk. They are now in Samaria. River Jordan would take a while, some travelling (40km away).
• Grumbling, “it would be so much easier to wash in the rivers nearer home.”
• Grumbling and dissatisfied, in the spur of the moments, he decided to leave.
His servants stepped in and talked some sense to him.
Again, we witness the providence of God acting through Naaman’s soldier!
• What do you really want?
To save face and uphold your reputation? Or to get yourself healed? If that is what you want, just do this simple thing – “wash seven times and be cleansed!” (5:13)
• This simply worded instruction carries with it a promise. Elisha did not say, “You go wash at Jordan and see what happens.” Like what some doctors say.
• But the promise was given: “… and your flesh will be restored, and you will be cleansed.” (5:10).
The challenge is, can Naaman separate himself from his grumbling, trust the words of the prophet fully. It’s a crisis of faith. Can he obey what God has said?
• By God’s grace, Naaman did what he was told, and he was completely healed – “his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.” (5:14).
Naaman’s change was not just physical.
We witnessed a change that was both physical and supernaturally spiritual.
• Naaman returned back to thank Elisha and within the short discourse which followed, we see witness him addressing himself as “your servant” – 5 times in 5:15-18. No longer the proud commander with great accolades.
• He saw his true self before a true God. He confessed his faith in God: “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel…” (5:15)
• And asked for forgiveness from God for having to accompany his King when he enters the temple of Rimmon (5:18).
We see the reach of God’s grace.
God extended grace and this foreigner received it and believed God.
• In a time of great apostasy when most within Israel would not want God, this foreigner believed that Israel’s God is the only true God.
• Jesus made this comment in Luke 4:27 “And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed – only Naaman the Syrian.” This foreigner was willing to believe God.
Naaman was humbled and grateful and wanted to give the prophet some gifts.
• Elisha refused any reward, obviously and rightly so, because this has nothing to do with him.
• It has been the work of God from the beginning, and everything happened by the providence of God. This has been a display of God’s amazing grace!
• And that explains why what happened next is such a great aversion to God.
2 Kings 5:19-27Amplified Bible
19 Elisha said to him, “Go in peace.” So Naaman departed and was a good distance away from him,
20 when Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “My master has spared this Naaman the Aramean (Syrian), by not accepting from him what he brought. As the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.” 21 So Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw someone running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him and said, “Is all well?” 22 And he said, “All is well. My master has sent me to say, ‘Just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a [a]talent of silver and two changes of clothes.’” 23 Naaman said, “Please take two talents.” And he urged him [to accept] and tied up two talents of silver in two bags with two changes of clothes and gave them to two of his servants; and they carried them in front of Gehazi. 24 When he came to the hill, he took them from their hand and put them in the house [for safekeeping]; and he sent the men away, and they left. 25 Then he went in and stood before his master. Elisha asked him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” He said, “Your servant went nowhere.”
26 Elisha said to him, “Did my heart not go with you, when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Is it a [proper] time to accept money and clothing and olive orchards and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male and female servants? 27 Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever.” So Gehazi departed from his presence, a leper as white as snow.
Elisha was adamant in refusing Naaman’s gifts, but his servant Gehazi was eager to get them as Elisha’s “due reward.” In fact, he ran after them, literally.
• If this has been the work of God’s grace, then no one could, should, take credit for it. No one should take any reward for this and rob God of His rightful glory.
• Gehazi’s actions robbed God of His glory and marred the character of God.
Firstly Gehazi’s action itself transgressed half of the Ten Commandments.
1st – You shall have no other gods before Me.
3rd – You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
8th – You shall not steal.
9th – You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. (He lied a few times.)
10th – You shall not covet.
But his most serious offense was the distortion of the truth about God.
• His behaviour ran contrary to all that God represents, giving the impression that the healing can be paid for, and as a sure reward, we can buy God’s favour.
• That’s precisely the distorted thinking of pagan worshippers, that man can bribe or manipulate the favor of their God into giving them what they want.
The message that Elisha conveyed – that this healing is free, it is the grace of God alone, it is the work of God alone and you don’t have to give me anything – was destroyed by this greedy act of Gehazi.
• Naaman was made to “pay”, so it seems, for the healing that he had just received. And Elisha was the one asking for it, on the pretext that he had visitors.
• It implied that the God of Israel was a “taker”, just like Baal and the rest of the pagan gods.
Little servant girls, Prophets like Elisha, wakes us out of our self-sufficiency.
The humble, humbled unknown servant girl dared and risked everything to care enough about her Master – “be healed, go and find Elisha the Prophet in Israel.”
Elisha didn’t even greet the entourage.
He sent a messenger to say, in effect, “Go, humble yourself. And be cleansed.”
• But God is HOLY (set apart, separate, distinct) and unlike any other.
He has no comparison or competition.
Gehazi’s action pulled the character of God down to the level of pagan gods.
• He was undoing what God has done – showing goodness and grace to Naaman – revealing Israel’s God as very unlike other gods.
• Gehazi put a price on the goodness and grace of God. God’s honor was badly tarnished, and His glory shaded, shadowed, robbed by Gehazi most sinful act.
• Hence the judgement of God. It is fair and it is right.
It more than just about greed and lying; it is about the holiness of God.
• God upholds His Name and glory. His judgement could be worse. He was gracious.
We have tasted God’s goodness and grace today.
We’ve come to know Him and what He has done, through Jesus.
“What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Refrain: O precious is the flow that makes me white as snow; no other fount I know; nothing but the blood of Jesus.”
• Let us rejoice and give thanks.
Let us walk in the supernatural anointing of the blood of our Savior Jesus Christ.
Let us bow down, kneel down, prostrate ourselves, and humbly worship Him.
Let us honor and glorify Him in every way possible.
Are we willing to be humbled as Naaman?
Are we ready, willing and able to walk in humility s Naaman was?
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Write Your Words of Grace on My Heart, O’ God of my Salvation,
Everlasting Father, thank you that you have revealed yourself to me. May I not forget your teaching but keep your commands in my heart. Through your power, prolong my life, bringing me peace and prosperity. May your love and faithfulness never leave me, write your words on my heart. May your grace transform my life, that I may be gracious to others. Let me trust in you with all your heart and lean not on my own understanding; in all your ways may I submit to you, and you will make my paths straight. Through Savior Jesus Christ, our Lord. Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.
One of the hardest spiritual disciplines is to wait eagerly for Jesus to return.
Some believers complain that every day that passes makes the wait harder.
Other believers will happily claim that with every passing day brings us one day closer to Jesus’ return.
We know with an absolute certainty that our Savior Jesus will one day return!
We hope and pray our Savior does not tarry too long considering these times and these seasons we find ourselves living in – in truth – trying to survive in.
We latch all that we are, all of our hearts, all of our souls with all of our mind and with all of our strength, with every last fiber of our life – Jesus will Return!
The Word of God gives us all that we need to “hang on” to life in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in these most uncertain and perilous times and seasons.
Romans 15:4-6 Amplified 4 For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope and overflow with confidence in His promises. 5 Now may the God who gives endurance and who supplies encouragement grant that you be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, 6 so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify and praise and honor the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Yet, still, there is that “waiting” and there is that “living” in God’s anointing.
Until that fair day when the Shepherd comes for our souls and calls us Home, there is still all of that living and loving, and being and burden bearing to learn from. There’s still the anointing of our God upon our lives we’re accountable to.
There ought to be no doubt that it will take the double discipline of patience and trust to live and wait every blessed day in eager anticipation of Jesus’ coming.
Philippians 1:22-26Amplified Bible
22 If, however, it is to be life here and I am to go on living, this will mean useful and productive service for me; so, I do not know which to choose [if I am given that choice]. 23 But I am hard-pressed between the two. I have the desire to leave [this world] and be with Christ, for that is far, far better; 24 yet to remain in my body is more necessary and essential for your sake. 25 Since I am convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, 26 so that your rejoicing for me may overflow in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.
The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.
How long have you desired to let God take you to a higher place, to let God meet you just outside of your little box of preconceived religiosity and experience?
When you made the conscious decision to accept Jesus as Savior, and became a Christian how many of you had a dramatic improvement in your quality of life?
How many of you want to go to the next level?”
Do you feel that in these perilous times and uncertain seasons, that nothing satisfies, that the church does not fill that yearning in your heart anymore?
How many of us are seeking that “fresh anointing” of Father, Son, Holy Spirit?
For how long now have the “many of us” wanted to “light the fires and kick the tires” explore, discover, experience fresh Holy Spirit fire – set holy heat under:
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! O what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God, born of his Spirit, washed in his blood. Refrain: This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long; this is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long.
Every religion acknowledges spiritual realities. They tell us that the world we inhabit includes infinitely more than what we can touch or see or hear.
Even those who question the existence of God cannot escape feeling that his or her life is about something significantly more than our mere daily grind. That’s because, as those made in the image of God, we are essentially spiritual beings.
But “spiritual” can mean different things to different people.
Some of us love “spirituality” but not “religion.”
Others view spiritual matters as supernatural rather than practical.
Christianity, by contrast, teaches human beings are made in the image of God.
Christians believe in one God who eternally exists in three persons: Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit.
This teaching is known as the doctrine of the Trinity, a “mystery” because it has been revealed to us supernaturally by God but can’t be fully understood.
Many analogies have been used trying to explain the Trinity, but none are really adequate, so we won’t explore those here.
But the doctrine of the Trinity tells us one very important truth about the nature of reality: God is an eternal communion of loving persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit). So, as those made in His image, we yearn for a similar communion with God, our fellow image-bearers which far transcends our sinful humanity.
Throughout the world, there has been a sudden and dramatic increase of our interest in the supernatural, in the paranormal, and in the extraterrestrial.
I am convinced that somehow, we must communicate, declare, and proclaim and provide access to the supernatural in the Gospel message we share of Jesus.
For how long now and exactly how many of us can now envision an entire generation of people coming along who don’t see much hope or fulfillment within the world as we are now taught it, nor in the not-to-distant future.
They will seek access to the supernatural elsewhere (Drugs and Alcohol and Crime) if we do not teach and show them that through the risen Christ, who transcends this world and the world unseen, they can find the true access into the realm of the Holy Spirit. We can lose how any millions of them if we don’t?
We find ourselves asking more and more of each other, “does it really matter in the end what model of ministry and mission we use, what “radical” “worship” approach or style we should be taking in conducting “church” to reach the lost.
What should be of utmost importance is having the desire to help both these new travelers and “Cradle to Grave” Christians participate in and experience the fiery power of the resurrection in their daily lives. Sharing the risen Christ proactively and relationally will have a far greater impact than changing the format of your church to the latest “fad” espoused by futuristic church ‘guru’s.’
I remember as a young Born-Again Christian just starting my spiritual journey that I would walk in and through the presence of God effortlessly. I lived and breathed the supernatural. The anointing was powerful! I don’t want that to be a long-distance and fading memory, I want it to remain a living, fiery reality!
How can we reveal the true reality of the spiritual universe to the generations to follow?
What can we do?
How can we make their walk with Jesus an authentic incarnational experience flowing and breathing in and of the holy fires of the Holy Spirit? How can we show them how to transcend the cares of this world through the supernatural?
Incarnational Ministry finds its origin in the love and care of God for His creation. God demonstrated, in a concrete way, His care for humanity by becoming human. It must be this love of God that takes hold of us and inspires us, in turn, to care for others.
Outreach to the unchurched must consider the issues of incarnation by going where people go and living in their world. The methods we use to reach them must be based upon developing relationships that are authentic. We must model a lifestyle of Christ-likeness in the context of friendship. The church must meet the needs of the unchurched within the world in which they live, whether they be Builders, Boomers, Busters, Gen X, Post-Moderns, or…
Because God is Love, because our Lord and Savior Jesus is love incarnate, He chose to leave the comfort and glory of heaven and humbly dwell among men.
Think about this…
God, the eternal Son Jesus, chose to become flesh – human flesh…. just like you… to dwell side by side with each of us and to get caught up with the garbage and the sweat and the blood and the tears and the pain of our world.
Why? Because God is love!
God so loves you that He was willing to give Himself so that you could have life everlasting… starting today!
This is the God we can entrust our hearts too!
Now we must prove through our lives that man can still dwell eternally side by side with God.
When God the Father gave the honor of giving birth to the Savior of the world to an unmarried teenaged girl, the created bore the Creator.
Her maker, her Creator, was to grow within her and be raised by her, nurtured by her, taught by her…loved by her…
Incarnational Ministry is not about remembering an event in the past but about the future events.
We must come to realize that the best days are ahead of us, not behind.
The Kingdom of God is just around the corner.
We must stop yearning for the good old days and begin to look forward with joyous anticipation and excitement that the best is yet to come.
God is yearning to be incarnate in your life…today and in all our tomorrows.
The Kingdom of God is always and forever just ahead of you. It is time for us to look farther down the road. The fullness of His Glory is still yet to be revealed!
Without giving up His divine qualities, Jesus became fully immersed within the culture of the people to whom He brought the Great News.
He was part of the culture yet transcended it.
He lived happily within the culture yet was an agent of its transformation.
The incarnation is a challenge to understand and live within the world of the unchurched culture.
We must make the Great News culturally relevant to them and take it into their world.
Although the incarnation first took place 2000 years ago in the life of a young girl, it continues to happen every time you share His love with others
…. when you speak words of life in His name
…. when you offer a shoulder to cry on
.… when you offer a helping hand
…. a touch to heal
…. a handshake of welcome and acceptance
.… when you give a cup of water in His name
.… It happens whenever and wherever the name of Jesus is lifted up
.… every time you and I choose to forgive
…. And it will continue to happen each time someone offers a prayer of simple faith…
…. “Lord Jesus, come into my life and be my Lord and Savior. I need you to forgive my failures and faults. I freely give you my whole entire life as you have freely given all of yours. I surrender to you all of the hidden things of my heart.”
How can we expect the God of the universe to entrust us with the souls of spiritual seekers if we are not living an incarnational reality?
Incarnational Ministry is a challenge to understand and live within the world of today and of the future.
We must make the Great News culturally relevant to all people. Just as God chose to become like us to prove His love, we must now choose to become like Him and learn to walk in the Spirit, breath by breath, overflowing in the power of the Resurrection so that Jesus will become incarnate in every heart we touch.
Our Vertical Call …..
Revelation 7:9-12Amplified Bible
A Multitude from the Tribulation
9 After these things I looked, and this is what I saw: a vast multitude which no one could count, [gathered] from every nation and from all the tribes and peoples and languages [of the earth], standing before the throne and before the Lamb (Christ), dressed in white robes, with [a]palm branches in their hands; 10 and in a loud voice they cried out, saying,
“Salvation [belongs] to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb [our salvation is the Trinity’s to give, and to God the Trinity we owe our deliverance].” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the [twenty-four] elders and the four living creatures; and they fell to their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying,
“Amen! Blessing and glory and majesty and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might belong to our God forever and ever. Amen.”
How will you and I reach that higher place of walking naturally in the super-natural anointing of God?
It begins through extravagant worship!
We are going to spend eternity worshipping God just as the Angels.
Worship truly is a way of life.
Not just worshipping but being a worshiper – living a life that is pleasing to Him, no matter where you are in your Christianity, or what you, I, are doing.
We need to become lost in the ecstasy of intimate embrace.
You and I need to press into Jesus and let Him hold us so close that as He hugs us, He takes your breath away.
Why, because you take His breath away, every moment of every day.
The Cross proves He loves you so much it hurts.
God isn’t mad anymore…He is madly in love with you and with me.
We must come to that place in worship that we are completely overwhelmed with His presence – His beauty – His majestic splendor – His infinite love.
He desires to love us so intimately that the waves of passion from His presence will make a casual observer blush.
For how long now have you longed for His passionate touch?
Since the very beginning, He longs for you and for me to feel His heartbeat against your chest, two hearts beating as one.
Since the very beginning, He longs for His majestic love to roll over you and me like waves rolling in and also crashing mightily and loudly upon the seashore
– sometimes like the waves caused by a quiet, gentle breeze and sometimes with the intensity of storm-tossed waves pounding you, heaving and sighing, pulling you under, causing you to gasp for breath.
For how long now have you longed to do His bidding?
His love can totally overwhelm and engulf you with the deep satisfaction that His love transcends all that this world has to offer.
For how long have you and I desired to become a hopeless romantic for the intimate caresses of His unconditional love that are far better than life?
God is a relentless pursuer and lover who desires to ravish each of us with His love.
We too must become relentless in our pursuit of His passion and presence.
He is looking for radical worshippers. We can only worship in the degree of our revelation. Worship takes us much deeper into the revelation of who God is. The deeper you move into worship, the greater degree of the revelation of His glory.
C. Resurrecting Dry Bones
For how long now has this generation been yearning for a greater unveiling of God’s glory and a much deeper longing and desire for intimacy with Jesus?
God is imparting unique gifting upon the new generation that is similar to the Jesus Movement of the ’70s but with signs and wonders that will come out of having a deep experience of intimacy with Jesus.
God is posturing us to meet with Him.
There is no question, undoubtedly supernatural Revival is absolutely coming.
It will sweep across the nation and cost something
– not just our time, talents, or money.
It will cost us everything.
As written in Ezekiel 37, God is going to resurrect this generation and put life into dry bones in order to create an army full of grace and the gifts of God’s glory. The message is clear; God is saying to this rejected, abandoned, and fatherless generation, “LIVE!” and He will place a double anointing on them.
This young generation believes they have seen it all, experienced it all.
They are being bombarded with visual images so amazing and often so vile that they echelons beyond defying the imagination.
There are designer drugs that even Professor Timothy Leary could never have conjured up.
But now they are to behold Jesus in all His splendor, in the wonder of His glory.
It will transcend anything they have ever experienced.
No drug, no human-made image can compare to the wonder and glory of God.
This generation is being beckoned into His chambers.
The spirit of prophecy has come.
Psalm 40:7-10 Amplified Bible
7 Then I said, “Behold, I come [to the throne]; In the scroll of the book it is written of me. 8 “I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your law is within my heart.”
9 I have proclaimed good news of righteousness [and the joy that comes from obedience to You] in the great assembly; Behold, I will not restrain my lips [from proclaiming Your righteousness], As You know, O Lord. 10 I have not concealed Your righteousness within my heart; I have proclaimed Your faithfulness and Your salvation. I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great assembly.
Behold, these dry bones will be revived!
Behold, these dry bones will live!
D. “Trading Spaces”
One night while in prayer, the television show “Trading Spaces” popped into my mind.
This is that show which takes two couples from the same neighborhood.
They redecorate a room of each other’s home over a weekend based upon the design plan of a professional interior decorator.
At the end of the show, the finished rooms are unveiled before each of the couples with mostly excitement and happiness over the changes.
Sometimes, the results are so hideous to the couple that tears of anger and sadness overwhelm them.
I asked the Lord what this was all about, and I heard Him say,
“This generation is going to redecorate and renew the Church. Some are going to love it, and some are going to hate it, but it will be by my design”.
Just as the Jesus Movement crossed denominational boundaries, so will this new move of God.
E. The “Free Love” Generation
The Jesus movement discovered the transforming power of Jesus and experienced the passion, but there was no one to lead us into the Secret Place.
Instead, we were led down a path of maintaining the status quo because that is all our spiritual leaders knew.
We were led to believe that church could only be conducted a certain way.
And now, because of it, our sermons, our music, our worship programs are boring and culturally irrelevant.
We have settled for the sublime. We have pursued prosperity rather than His presence. We can’t have it both ways. We can’t love God and money. We have abandoned this generation in our quest for unfulfilled dreams that will break.
We longed for love, and we became the “free love” generation, which has reaped a whirlwind of multiple sexually transmitted diseases.
Aid’s is killing tens of thousands. Tens of millions of babies have been sacrificed on the alters of our hedonistic self-indulgence under the guise of “free choice.” The biblical institution of marriage is in near shambles and Divorce is rampant.
As we grew older, the empty longing persisted within us.
We thought it was because we didn’t have enough.
Our children became latchkey kids while we pursued our careers and increased our wealth.
We have filled our houses with “things” made by hand and not made by the heart of God.
They have become a nameless, faceless, and fatherless generation.
This generation is crying out in desperation for transformation – the transformation that brings true freedom to grow and experience all that God has for them.
Our children have become infatuated with the supernatural, yet we can only mesmerize them with “Harry Potter” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” rather than the King of kings and Lord of lords. The mind can’t comprehend, nor has eye ever seen nor the ear ever heard what God has in store for this generation.
F. The Simeon and Anna Call(Luke 2:21-38)
My generation didn’t have anyone to lead us into reckless abandon with Jesus.
We fell in love with Him, but there was no one to teach us His intimate ways, to lead us into the Secret Place deep in His Chambers.
I believe God is giving us that opportunity with this generation!
The success of this new move will be dependent on our peers – the Moses generation.
We hold the correcting rod of the Lord.
This army of young Saints carries the sword of Joshua.
They will take back what the enemy has stolen in the Arts, Music, Sports, Politics, Business, and Education.
And just like Joshua, their success will be dependent on the authority God has given us.
The key element for success is that we are so plugged into Jesus and His holiness that we can become true spiritual parents.
We must become the Simeon’s and Anna’s who will lead them, mentor them, and become spiritual fathers and mothers to them.
The job of a servant-leader is to lead and usher people into God’s presence.
We must lead and usher the sheep to the pastures of His presence so that they can reproduce.
It is a biological impossibility for Shepherds to begat sheep. Only sheep can beget sheep. Shepherds can only beget shepherds. Nor can they create the pastures. Only God can. We must hear His voice and bid His calling. The degree to which we know Him personally will determine the degree we serve Him.
As in the parable of the 10 Bridesmaids, we must have our lanterns full of the oil of God’s Spirit so that we will be a blazing light to this generation, and they will be drawn to His passionate flame.
We must find the Secret Place of intimacy with our God before we can lead this generation there.
We must let God fill us with His passion and presence.
Your destiny is revealed in your passion.
Your passion will be released in serving others.
A lover will always outwork a worker.
Jesus can’t be just a part of your life He must be ALL of your life.
We don’t have the capacity to receive all that God has for us because of our pride.
It is pride that keeps us from experiencing all that God has for us.
You can’t become without beholding.
You have to see to be.
We must learn to cling to the Lord wholly and completely. You can’t fully cling if your hands are full. It is time to cry out, “Awaken my heart God, let me feel the burning passion of your love. I yearn to love you the way you love me”.
G. Fascinate This Generation
God is calling a warrior Bride – but first, they must get to know their lover.
This is a generation that longs to be intimate with God but is afraid to approach Him because of shame and fear of rejection and fear of “cultural cancellation” for the sinful nature that is hidden deep inside of their hearts and their souls.
We must help fascinate this generation with the person of Jesus. We must teach them of His character and nature so that they can be infused with lovesickness that will cause them to long for nothing else – long for no one else – but Jesus.
The Lord is saying,
” My Bride is timid and shy. She is afraid that she isn’t desirable because of her failures and faults. She is afraid to let Me see her in all her nakedness. I say, come now into the Bridal Chamber, for I desire all of you just as you are. I see you as a new creation – spotless – without wrinkle or blemish – radiant and beautiful in My sight. For now, you see me through a glass darkly, but one day soon, you will see Me face to face. I long to be with you. Teach her my ways. Show her my glory. Let her see what it means to be married to the King of Glory, the Lord of the universe! Reveal My intimate love for her – that I Am to be trusted and adored.”
I am convinced that the primary way to attract the unchurched is to become ATTRACTIVE, having the fragrance of Jesus, an aroma that the lost will seek out and yearn for nothing else ever again once they experience His presence.
We are to be reflections of His mercy in how we appear to the world.
“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumph, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. (2 Corinthians 2:14-16 RSV)
If we are going to reach the unchurched, we must be willing to be broken and poured out.
We must desire to be shattered upon the Rock and emptied of ourselves so that God might fill us up over and over again each time He chooses to pour us out.
We must yearn to share the bread of heaven with the hungry.
We must ride in the chariots of fire across the earth so that the Glory of God will cover the earth like the waters cover the seas.
H. Make Us Dry Wood
The Church must become a place of extravagant worship and teaching – A place of training and mentoring to empower and send out a bunch of revolutionaries to take our cities for the Kingdom.
We must teach them what it means to be loved by God, not just as His servant but as His bride.
We must ask God to make us dry wood so that His fire may burn brightly and consume us.
We must cry out for God to move with each breath, not just when He speaks.
We must break the chains that hold us back from knowing Him more so that we can be released into the passion of His presence.
It is no longer the time to weep tears of sorrow.
We have been forgiven!
His shed blood has paid the price for our redemption!
It is time to weep tears of joy! It is time for dancing in the streets!
It is time to jump and shout in celebration for the Bridegroom is coming!
Blow the trumpets in Zion! Sound the alarm!
Make way for the day of His appearing is near!
Are you ready to walk in the anointing?
He wants you to go deep into the Secret Place and consume you with His love.
Are you ready for more?
Do you desire to fall deeply in love with the Savior?
Today is the day!
I. Become consumed by God.
Acts 5:14-16Amplified Bible
14 More and more believers in the Lord, crowds of men and women, were constantly being added to their number, 15 to such an extent that they even carried their sick out into the streets and put them on cots and sleeping pads, so that when Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on one of them [with healing power]. 16 And the people from the towns in the vicinity of Jerusalem were coming together, bringing the sick and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all being healed.
The Glory of God was upon Peter to such a degree that when he walked, the anointing poured over onto those that needed healing.
We must come to the place of understanding that we were saved by God for His Glory and His purpose so that we can likewise become vessels of His Glory and begin to walk in His supernatural anointing so that the sick will be healed, the blind will see, the deaf will hear, the lame will walk, and “the dead” will “live.”
We must pour out our lives and allow ourselves to become totally possessed by Him, not just spiritually, but emotionally and physically as well.
The blessings of being possessed by Him are far greater than the satisfaction of being self-possessed.
2 Corinthians 4:3-6Amplified Bible
3 But even if our gospel is [in some sense] hidden [behind a veil], it is hidden [only] to those who are perishing; 4 among them the god of this world [Satan] has blinded the minds of the unbelieving to prevent them from seeing the illuminating light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves [merely] as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give us the Light of the knowledge of the glory and majesty of God [clearly revealed] in the face of Christ.
Before you and I became a Born-Again Christian, it was tough for us seeing how exciting being born again was. But, when we stepped into the light of Christ and asked Jesus to become your Lord and Savior and repented of your sin, all of a sudden, you and I began to understand the reward that came with salvation.
What we’re going to experience is a new revelation of the Cross because we have known the Cross from the standpoint of Jesus dying for us.
So now He is going to pull the church through that atonement into a deeper revelation of what it is. Then we begin to see a second death and a second resurrection, which is the death of God’s people in this hour that need to die so we can be resurrected under His supernatural anointing and His presence.
Ephesians 3:20-21Amplified Bible
20 Now to Him who is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly more than all that we dare ask or think [infinitely beyond our greatest prayers, hopes, or dreams], according to His power that is at work within us, 21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen.
It says He is able; it doesn’t say He will. So we have to change. It says He is able to do this for those who will humble themselves before the mighty hand of God.
If we don’t walk in humility, then we can’t move “He is able” to “He is willing to do it.”
That’s why it’s conditional to walking in humility, laying down our pride, then the power begins to take place in us and through us.
You and I came to believe in the will of the Father through the Body of Christ.
Perhaps with “enough” fire in our souls – coming generations will feel Christ.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Lord Jesus Christ, thank you that you know my every need.
Your word says that the church is your bride. Your people have been washed clean and purified by your blood. Your people have been clothed in only your righteousness. You love the church, you died for the church, you pray for the church, you sustain the church. Hear my prayer and fill your people with the knowledge and experience of your love. You are the God of endurance and encouragement. Help us to live in harmony with one another, that together we may with one voice glorify you. In your powerful name, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.
Other than death and taxes, some people aren’t sure about anything.
Many people have a fear of commitment.
They drift through life uncertain about anyone or anything.
But that’s a miserable way to live.
After all, our identity is formed by the commitments we make.
That’s why the little word “Amen” is so important.
Many think “Amen” is just an ancient word that marks the end of a sermon or prayer.
Many children sitting through an especially long sermon will spend their time waiting to hear the Pastor shout his “Amen” so they can just head for the exit.
But “Amen” doesn’t mean “It’s over now.”
“Amen” means “in truth it is so.”
Adding “Amen” to a prayer or confession means declaring it to be “absolutely positively” true!
In biblical times, it was the custom of the whole congregation to respond to God’s Word and the prayers of their leaders with a united “Amen.”
That’s what we see in our reading today. The entire creation, represented in the four living creatures, offers “Amen!” to the good news of the victorious Christ!
What about you?
What about me?
What about the Church?
Revelation 5:11-14Amplified Bible
Angels Exalt the Lamb
11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and [the voice] of the living creatures and the elders; and they numbered myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands (innumerable), 12 saying in a loud voice,
“Worthy and deserving is the Lamb that was sacrificed to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”
13 And I heard every created thing that is in heaven or on earth or under the earth [in Hades, the realm of the dead] or on the sea, and everything that is in them, saying [together],
“To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb (Christ), be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”
14 And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped [Him who lives forever and ever].
The Word of God for the Children of God. Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia! Amen.
We look at God and ourselves through the basics of the Christian faith.
What is my response?
What’s your response?
What is the Churches response?
Your “Amen” declares this Christian faith is your steadfast, immovable faith.
We have been taught always to let your “Amen” sound in all you say and do.
If we were asked by someone, family, friend, neighbor, or a complete stranger, to describe the Christian life in a few words, what would we say to them?
If we were asked what does God want from us more than anything else what would be the very first words you would say?
“He wants me to love Him just as much as He first loved me.” (1 John 4:7-21)
The answer is that the living Lord wants to have a love affair with you.
The Bible says that we were created as an object of God’s love.
God made you to love you.
He made me to love me.
He made me to be an object of His love.
He made you to be an object of His love.
He made the church to be an object of His love.
That means that we were all created for the purpose of having a relationship and, as a result, the most important thing you can know in life is that God loves you. And the most important thing that you can do in life is to love Him back.
Rabbi Jesus was asked in Matthew which command in the Lord law is the most important?
Rabbi Jesus gave this answer.
Matthew 22:37.Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.
One version says to Love the lord your God with all your passion.
Nothing is more important.
If we all do this with the same measure God first loved us, we will fulfill our primary purpose in life.
If we each learn to love God and we let God love us, our lives have fulfilled its meaning, its purpose.
If we miss this part of our life, our life risks failure on a grand scale.
Because we have missed the very reason that God created us and put us on earth – to love and be loved with quite literally all that we are.
There’s a term in the Bible for expressing love to God.
That term is called “worship”.
People often think of worship as a ritual or routine or something that we are to do only in context with a church.
Worship simply means expressing love to God.
Any time we are expressing love to God, we are worshiping whether we are by yourself, in a small group or in a large crowd.
When you express love to God in any way you are worshiping.
Today we’re going to talk about how to express your love to the Lord.
Expressing our love to God is not only something we do individually, but also something we do together.
In fact, as I reflect back over my Christian life, some of the most powerful and meaningful moments took place in worship services.
Someone once described the goal of worship is to make it easy to find God and making it difficult to forget him.
The book of Revelation gives us a glimpse into what worship in heaven will be like.
John describes a day when around the throne of God are gathered around the throne are millions of angels and believer for worship.
Read and reflect, read and ponder, read and meditate upon John’s description:
Revelation 5:11-13Amplified Bible
Angels Exalt the Lamb
11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and [the voice] of the living creatures and the elders; and they numbered myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands (innumerable), 12 saying in a loud voice,
“Worthy and deserving is the Lamb that was sacrificed to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”
13 And I heard every created thing that is in heaven or on earth or under the earth [in Hades, the realm of the dead] or on the sea, and everything that is in them, saying [together],
“To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb (Christ), be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”
I don’t know about you, and I cannot speak for you, but I can’t wait for that day.
I just ponder and meditate and smile wide that there is a day coming when everything in heaven and everyone on the earth will worship the Lord Jesus.
I hope that we will all realize that what John saw is something that we will likely be a part of.
Can we imagine being a part of such a grand and majestic scene?
I don’t know about you, but I just can’t wait.
After listening to what John saw I would imagine that we would each equally think that our worship to the lord from such a few would sound just as great.
I think that true worship from a few believers is just as powerful when everyone is singing from their hearts in worship to God.
The great thing is that we get ample time to practice for that great day in Christ.
I saw on the Internet a book called “Ten Thousand Ways to Say “I Love You.
I thought that maybe today we would cover all 10,000.
Except that is far from conceivable for this devotional writing.
So, actually, I have narrowed it down to six and a half.
What I am going to share with you are ways to tell God you love Him.
I acknowledge, recognize, you very likely are already doing some of these but maybe you didn’t know that as you did then you were saying “I love you, Lord.”
1. By singing to the Lord Jesus Christ.
You have probably noticed that music and love usually go together because music comes from the heart.
It’s not something you and I do intellectually.
It’s something that comes out of our inner being, our emotions.
There are many love songs in the world.
There are radio stations that are dedicated entirely just play love song.
But did you know that there are more songs written about Jesus Christ than any other topic in the world?
Nothing even comes close in second place.
Christianity is a singing faith because Christianity is not about a religion but it’s about a love affair.
It’s about a relationship with God, that God loves you so much that He sent His Son to die for you and the wants His children to love Him back.
Psalm 147:1 Authorized (King James) Version
Psalm 147
1 Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.
Psalm 147:7-8Authorized (King James) Version
7 Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God: 8 who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains.
Nothing will make us more aware of God’s love and God’s presence in our life than singing to the Lord.
I know some of you are saying, “But you don’t understand. I can’t sing.”
The Bible does not say that you have to be able to carry a tune.
2 Samuel 6:12-16Amplified Bible
The Ark Is Brought to Jerusalem
12 Now King David was told, “The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So, David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the City of David with rejoicing and gladness. 13 And when those who were carrying the ark of the Lord [by its poles] had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. 14 And David was dancing before the Lord with [a]great enthusiasm, and David was [b]wearing a linen ephod [a priest’s upper garment]. 15 So David and all the house of Israel were bringing the ark of the Lord up [to the City of David] with shouts [of joy] and with the sound of the trumpet.
16 Then, as the ark of the Lord came into the City of David, [c]Michal, Saul’s daughter [David’s wife], looked down from the window above and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she felt contempt for him in her heart [because she thought him undignified].
The Bible just says, Make a joyful noise.
I don’t know about you but that is something that I know I can do, and I believe you can too.
What I find it rather interesting that when we go to a ball game or if we are at a wedding that most time, we do not seem to have a problem raising our voices.
When we are in our own “worship space” there are times that we would get so caught up in the worship service that we would be in a little world of my own.
I know there were times that the people would spend the worship time making fun of us as we worship the Lord Jesus Christ.
I know of quite a few Sundays where one of the church people came to me and asked me if the next service I would “worship” act like the rest of the people.
It was kind of like the guy who was on a trip and on Sunday morning he went to church. As the congregation would sing a song that touched him, he would say Amen or praise the Lord. Well after the second song one of the ushers went and escorts him away and asks him to please refrain from making those comments.
Then when the pastor got to preach the man really began to say Amen brother or praise the Lord.
Finally, the usher went to the man and said please sir you have got to refrain from saying what he was saying, doing what you are doing. The man said I am so filled with love for the Lord that I just can’t help myself. The usher said Well, you did not get that here, so don’t bring it here and be sure not to leave it hereas you leave.
Psalm 95:1-4Amplified Bible
Praise to the Lord, and Warning against Unbelief.
95 O come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord; Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before His presence with a song of thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with songs. 3 For the Lord is a great God And a great King above all gods, 4 In whose hand are the depths of the earth; The peaks of the mountains are His also.
Notice that the Psalmist says let us sing and let us give a joyous shout.
Singing is an important part of you learning to express your love to God.
I have been in churches where people got upset because of the type of music that was sung or over the church worship team using a computer and screen.
Did you know that most of the music written about Jesus Christ contains scriptural principles that will help and strengthen your Christian life?
Did you know that music can inspires you, it can refresh your soul and it can rejuvenate you?
Did you know that if you are depressed that singing a worship song will help you because the singing gets your mind on the Lord Jesus Christ?
I have even noticed that there have been sometimes when I didn’t feel like participating in worship, when I didn’t feel like getting involved, when I just wanted to be an anonymous spectator in the last pew in the back of the balcony.
What I learned from that was that I needed to warm up my heart by singing to the Lord Jesus.
By getting involved in worship of the Lord Jesus will help change my mood.
Worship is setting aside all the busyness and distractions of my life of the past days and week and just giving my complete undivided attention unto the Lord.
It is an opportunity to focus our hearts and minds on exactly how much we love the Lord and how utterly grateful we are for exactly what He’s done for us all.
You know that we can worship God more than just at church?
As I have said worship is simply expressing our love to God.
So, if a person is a born-again Christian, then wherever we are the Lord God is there and we can worship because the presence of the Living Lord is within us.
That means we can worship in the shower.
We can worship in our backyards mowing the lawn, having a barbeque.
You can worship washing dishes.
You can worship driving to work and on the golf course.
You don’t need to be in a certain place to express your love to God, but we need to remember the writer to Hebrews informs us that we are to gather together and when we do, we encourage each other, we are a witness to our community.
We also gather to learn what the Lord has for us, and we gather to express our love to God.
Here is the thing when we gather for our services, and we enter into the worship service our Lord and Savior and King becomes the audience.
So, when we sing to the Lord Jesus, we are expressing our love for Him.
I want you to think about this for a moment.
If we say we are born again by His grace and that we love Him yet when we come to a worship service and we don’t want to express or worship or love the One, we say we love beyond all; just what are we genuinely communicating to God?
A lot of people have said Well, you just don’t know what I went through this week. My answer would be well the Lord got you through the week isn’t that a reason to express your maximum love and give your maximum thanks to Jesus.
2. By TALKING to the lord Jesus Christ.
When a relationship stands still then that relationship isn’t growing and if the relationship is not growing then the relationship is basically going nowhere.
A relationship that is going nowhere soon won’t be a relationship at all.
Well, the same is true with our relationship with the Lord.
On the days when we a have deep, significant talk with God our relationship grows and matures. On the days when you have little or no talks with the Lord our relationship is not growing and if something is not growing then, by logic, it must be in the steady and ongoing process of decaying.
When you really love somebody, you don’t just want to spend time with them.
You also definitely want to talk with them.
Psalm 116:1-4Amplified Bible
Thanksgiving for Rescue from Death.
116 I love the Lord, because He hears [and continues to hear] My voice and my supplications (my pleas, my cries, my specific needs). 2 Because He has inclined His ear to me, Therefore, I will call on Him as long as I live. 3 The cords and sorrows of death encompassed me, And the terrors of Sheol came upon me; I found distress and sorrow. 4 Then I called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, please save my life!”
Would you indulge me for a moment?
Does your prayer and worship life still have spark or has your Christian life become tiresome, exhausting, routine, dull, joyless, listless and .01% lifeless?
If there’s no real joy or spark any more, well there’s a simple remedy for that.
Start talking and spending time with the Lord God again.
Maybe you are not talking to the Lord like a child talking to the Living Lord.
Maybe you are talking like you are the parent and the Lord is the child.
Maybe you are talking but what you are saying isn’t coming from the very essence of your life.
Talking or Prayer is not some duty that you have to do.
It’s a holy and sacred privilege that you get to do.
You get to talk to the Creator of the universe, and He wants to talk with you.
This expression of worship also has a community aspect to it.
All through the Bible and through the long concourse of history we find pockets of Christians gathering for the sole and soulful, soul-filled purpose of prayer.
Sometimes their prayers are prayers of praise. Sometimes they are prayers of intercession. Sometimes they are prayers looking for comfort or they are prayers that are looking for a deeper relationship with the Lord.
I pray prayer a priority of your life and I want you to know that you don’t have to use a special voice or certain words. Talk to Jesus like He is your best friend.
What do you talk to God about if you want to express love to God?
Anything and everything that you would, you should talk to your best friend about and all the stuff you would never talk to even your very best friend about.
You talk to the Lord about your hopes, your fears, your dreams, your anxieties, the things you are embarrassed about, the things you’re proud of, the things you’re ashamed of, goals, ambitions, your hurts, the things you care about.
You talk to the Lord about every part of your life because the Lord knows every part of your life a whole lot better than you do.
There isn’t a part of your life that you can’t come to God, and you talk about.
3. By LISTENING to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Listening is one of the greatest gifts you can give to somebody.
Listening is hearing what the other person is saying without thinking up an answer to what they are saying.
When you listen to someone, you’re saying, they matter to you that you value what they have to say.
That you value their opinion because they’re important to you.
When we don’t listen to somebody, we’re basically saying that person isn’t important that what they have to say isn’t of any value.
One of the ways you express love to anybody is by listening to them.
The same is true with God.
Every time you listen to God, you’re saying that the Lord is important to you, and you place a high priority upon, put great value what the Lord has to say.
Listening is the most misunderstood and left off part of prayer.
Most people think that prayer is just talking to God.
That’s only fifty percent of prayer.
Psalm 46:10Amplified Bible
10 “Be still and know (recognize, understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth.”
The other fifty percent of prayer is “shutting ourselves up” and being quiet and exalting the LORD first, then in the beauty of HIS quiet, letting God speak to us.
In our world today I could all too easily imagine that most people are in too much of a hurry to do this.
I remember reading about a person who said that his time with the Lord use to go like this.
“Hi, God, it’s me. I’ve got these ten things I need from You today. Thank You.”
It was not until he started writing down his prayer that he realized what his prayer times were actually like.
He said he never stopped and wait or even listen to see if the Lord had anything to say to him.
One of the most important steps you can take is set aside time to listen to God.
All of us have pressure packed filled schedules.
God said that we are to set aside one day per week for rest and worship.
This rhythm of life is so important that God put it in his top ten lists.
Leviticus 23:3. You have six days when you can do your work, but the seventh day of each week is holy because it belongs to me.
Perhaps the reason some of us can’t hear God is that our lives are so fast and so full and so noisy, that there is no room in our daily calendars for ‘hearing’ God.
God has been trying to speak to us, yet we say why don’t I ever hear the Lord?
The reason is because we either not listening or that our lives are so full that we have not intentionally ‘scheduled’ anytime to deliberately listening to the Lord.
The Christian world today isn’t like it used to be.
There was a time when we could pause in the middle of the day and say, “God, Do You have anything you want to say to me or have me listen to, right now?
Today as I watch Christians who seem to be so occupied with their phone, iPods and social media and texting that it is little, no wonder, that you can actually be talking to someone and while you are talking, they are texting to someone else.
God speak to us through the Bible, His word.
If you’re not spending any time in this book obviously, He’s not going to speak to you through this book because you’re not reading it and not listening to it.
God speaks to us through the experiences we go through in life.
God speaks to us through trials.
But you’re not listening.
You’re not reading these principles in this book and you’re not being aware that God may be trying to tell you something through that irritation.
God speaks to us through other people, through the advice of Christians and godly people who will say, What about this?
God will often speak to you through another person.
In my life, God has often provided direction, insight and confirmation through other people.
Here is another reason why you need to be in community with other believers.
Proverbs 11:14. Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances.
God will speak to you the loudest and the clearest through the wise counsel of spiritual mature friends.
Do you have a trusted circle of Christian’s friends to whom you can go to seek God’s counsel?
God will speak to you through impressions.
He puts ideas in your mind.
Now, not every idea you get is from God.
When you get an idea from God, we call it an inspiration.
When we get an idea from the devil, we call it a temptation.
When we get an idea from ourselves, we just call it dumb!
But how do you know if an impression is from God or not?
Test it. The Bible says you’re to test it.
Did you know the Bible says that hearing God’s voice, being able to listen to God and hear God speak is the test of whether you’re really a true believer or not, whether you’re in the family or not, whether you’re headed for heaven or not?
In John’s Gospel narrative Jesus talked about Him being the Good Shepherd.
John 10: 4; 16. The sheep follow him because they know his voice. I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.
If you’ve never ever got an idea or an impression or heard from God, you have every reason to wonder, if you really know God?
Do you really have a relationship with Jesus Christ?
Are you truly a believer or have you stepped across another “worldly” line?
4. By PUBLICLY IDENTIFYING with Jesus Christ.
Mark 8:38. If any of you are embarrassed over me and the way I’m leading you when you get around your fickle and unfocused friends, know that you’ll be an even greater embarrassment to the Son of Man when He arrives in all the splendor of God with His army of the Holy Angels.
If a Christian, by their lifestyle, says I’m not going to let anybody know I’m a Christian, I’m not telling my neighbors or I’m not telling my friends or the people at work that I am keeping it a secret then you don’t really love God.
If you love somebody, you’re not ashamed of them.
You publicly identify with them.
Again, here is a place where the church community helps us to worship the Lord.
When we see others who take their stand for Christ, it should give us courage to do the same and we should also let our brothers and sisters know that we are willing to stand with them in a testimony about our Lord, Savior, Jesus Christ.
Christianity is not about a secret club with secret words and codes.
Christianity is about making one faith in Jesus Christ a public faith.
Jesus said in Matthew 5:14-15. You are the light of the world, like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. Don’t hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all.
I wonder if maybe sometime in our past we were encouraged to have a kind of a flashlight witness and we were to only let it shine in church.
We all know that it is easy to talk about the Lord when we are surrounded by our brothers and sisters.
I don’t even remember being told too many times that when I left the church that I was to publicly allow my faith to shine so everyone could see it.
I do not know about you, but too many times I have found it very difficult to be that light that was set on the hill for the world to see.
Can you imagine what your wife would have said if you said let’s get married, but we won’t tell anyone. When no one is around we will be husband and wife but when we’re in public let’s quietly pretend like we don’t know each other.
Well, a Christian shouldn’t be saying that they love their Savior Jesus Christ when they are outwardly communicating being ashamed of Him. We need to publicly identify ourselves with Christ. That’s how we show our love for Him.
Think for a moment what Jesus did for you.
1. He saved us from the penalty of sin. He paid for your forgiveness. Think of the thing that you feel the most guilty about. The thing that has caused you the most shame in your life, the thing that you wish had never happened and you regret deeply. Now thank God because of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
2. He saves us from the devastating, catastrophic power of sin. He breaks its grip in our lives. He gives us a new resurrection power to be able to make visible changes so we’re not the same anymore. He can do new things in our lives that we always wanted to do but never thought or hoped we could do on our own.
3. Eventually, He saves us from the presence of sin as we graduate to heaven where there will be no sin, no sorrow, no suffering, no pain, and no grief.
1 Corinthians 2:7-9Amplified Bible
7 but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the wisdom once hidden [from man, but now revealed to us by God, that wisdom] which God predestined before the ages to our glory [to lift us into the glory of His presence]. 8 None of the rulers of this age recognized and understood this wisdom; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; 9 but just as it is written [in Scripture],
“Things which the eye has not seen, and the ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him [who hold Him in affectionate reverence, who obey Him, and who gratefully recognize the benefits that He has bestowed].”
There’s another way we can declare, and we can communicate we are a Christian and that is through baptism.
Baptism says I believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus Himself as a thirty-year-old adult went down to the Jordan River was baptized by John to say, this is how I want it done. It’s a picture of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Second, it’s a picture of what happens to you. You’re dying to an old way of life.
Colossians 2:12. Going under the water was a burial of your old life. Coming up out of it was a resurrection, God raising you from the dead as He did in Christ.
When we are baptized, we are saying I’m dying to all my old sins.
They’re forgiven, they’re forgotten, and they’re out of my life. I’m beginning a brand-new life in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Third, it symbolizes your new life in Jesus Christ.
Galatians 3:27. Your baptism in Christ was not just washing you up for a fresh start.
It also involved dressing you in an adult faith wardrobe, Christ’s life, the fulfillment of God’s original promise.
5. By BEING COMMITTED to the Lord Jesus Christ.
So often we think about commitment from a purely individual perspective. In Scripture you find the people of God making commitments.
For example, at the end of Joshua’s life, Joshua challenges the people of God to stay committed to God.
Joshua 24:20-22. If you forsake the Lord and serve other gods, he will turn against you and destroy you, even though he has been so good to you. But the people answered Joshua, saying, no, we are determined to serve the Lord! You are accountable for this decision,” Joshua said. You have chosen to serve the Lord. Yes, they replied, we are accountable.
Joshua 24:25. So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day at Shechem, committing them to a permanent and binding contract between themselves and the Lord.
Acts 2:43-47Amplified Bible
43 A sense of awe was felt by [a]everyone, and many wonders and signs (attesting miracles) were taking place through the apostles. 44 And all those who had believed [in Jesus as Savior] [b]were together and had all things in common [considering their possessions to belong to the group as a whole]. 45 And they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing the proceeds with all [the other believers], as anyone had need. 46 Day after day they met in the temple [area] continuing with one mind, and breaking bread in various private homes. They were eating their meals together with joy and generous hearts, 47 praising God continually, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord kept adding to their number daily those who were being saved.
Love is all about commitment.
You don’t really love somebody unless you’re committed to their best.
Nothing ever significant happens in life without commitment.
Your commitments determine your future.
You are becoming whatever you are committed to.
So, you better choose your commitments carefully.
If you’re committed to the wrong thing, you’re going to risk becoming the wrong thing.
You can’t lose by being committed to God.
Some people are defined by their circumstances, but strong people are defined by their commitments.
The Bible tells us in 2 Chronicles 16:9a.
For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.
6. By GIVING to the Lord Jesus Christ.
I have found that whenever I have even mentioned this subject that most Christians get a bit upset.
The thing is I don’t understand why.
The subject of tithing is a Biblical one.
Jesus and the apostle Paul talked about it.
I have been in churches where I have actually had people get up and walk out of the service.
Well, the only reason I can figure out is that the Lord probably been dealing with them and they though that the Lord was using me to pick on them.
I remember reading about a man who was being baptized and when he was just about to get into the water, he said to the Pastor I need just a few minutes more.
Now the pastor figured that the man had to go to the bathroom so he said can’t you wait until after I baptize you?
The man looked at the pastor and said I don’t need a minute for that reason.
“I want to get my wallet and my checkbook so they can be baptized with me.”
The first generations of Christians were givers.
And they did it together.
It is amazing what can be done, accomplished when we each give our little bit.
As you and I listen carefully to the history record of the early church, we need to understand that I don’t see this as the Lord instructing that we sell everything that we have and put it in a community pool.
I do see this as the Lord teaching that when there was a need within the church that the Christians did what they had to do to meet that need.
Acts 4:32-35Amplified Bible
Sharing among Believers
32 Now the company of believers was of one heart and soul, and not one [of them] claimed that anything belonging to him was [exclusively] his own, but everything was common property and for the use of all. 33 And with great ability and power the apostles were continuously testifying to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace [God’s remarkable lovingkindness and favor and goodwill] rested richly upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, because those who were owners of land or houses were selling them and bringing the proceeds of the sales 35 and placing the money down at the apostles’ feet. Then it was distributed to each as anyone had need.
Did you catch the words of v. 34?
There was no poverty among them.
Now I want you to understand the scripture isn’t saying that everyone was rich.
What the Scripture is actually saying is that the needs of the people were all being met.
They had all that was required to meet the needs of every person in the church.
Can you imagine what would happen in our churches if we got serious about sharing with those in need?
Can you imagine what would happen if we were so serious about our Jerusalem that we would make available whatever we had to those in need?
Giving is at the very core of love.
When you love someone, you want to give to them.
You can give without loving but you cannot love without giving.
It is impossible to say you love God and not give.
I can claim to be a Christian, a follower of Christ.
I can claim to love God.
But the Bible says there is one way to really test the sincerity of your love.
2 Corinthians 8: 7-8. Just as you excel in faith, in speech, in knowledge, and in complete earnestness, see that you also excel in the grace of giving. I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love.
God tests the sincerity of your love by looking at your giving.
Why does He do that?
Because you’re giving show your heart and how much you love the Lord your God.
He wants you to become like Him.
God so loved the world that He gave.
You can become like God and become a generous giver, or you can become like everyone else in the world and become a hoarder.
I want you to know that the major person who doesn’t want you to become a give is Satan.
I have discovered that there are really basically two kinds of people in life.
There are cheerful givers and fearful givers.
Cheerful givers say, I’m going to give.
It all belongs to God anyway.
He gave it all to me.
I wouldn’t have anything without God so I’m going to give it all to Him and He can take care of all my needs.
Then there are the fearful givers.
These are the ones who say we can’t afford to do this.
They are the ones who feel that it is their job to be their own god and look after and protect their interests.
If we feel that we have to protect our interest that is a sign that we don’t trust the Lord as fully as we ought to.
It is also a sign that we don’t look at everything we have as coming from the Lord. It is also a sign that we don’t love the Lord as much as we say we do.
It is also a sign that Jesus Christ isn’t the only Lord and only love of our lives.
Matthew 22:37-39Amplified Bible
37 And Jesus replied to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others].’
What is the central change God wants in our lives?
So many of the changes we desire are important but not central to life: weight loss, better study habits, development of leadership skills, more peace of mind, even ethical and moral improvement.
These are all good things, but they’re not the main thing.
The legal expert who questioned Jesus understood the main thing, and he wanted to know if Jesus knew.
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,” and “love your neighbor as yourself.”
That’s the central change God wants in our lives, and it will make us like Jesus.
To keep these priorities straight in a world filled with choices, we must, with the Spirit’s help, keep our eyes on the cross, because at the center of the cross is the love of God. “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Heavenly Father, thank you that you are the light of the world, guiding our steps on your path. Your word says that you are a Good Father who gives us good gifts. Thank you for the gift of the church, a community of your children that you have gathered together to worship, serve, pray and love. Give us thy strength to live as ambassadors for you in the world. Lord, bless your church and keep us pure, make your face shine upon us. Turn your face towards us and give us peace. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 