May 7, 2012
Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV) Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
When it comes to this text, it seems to me, that too often there is an overly strong emphasis placed upon the word “Go” and not enough emphasis upon the truthful and general call for us all, as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, to “make disciples”. In fact, the word “go” is too often treated as an imperative or command in this passage, when in truth it isn’t. Rather it is a present participle. This means that the word go, means going. So when we put it in the context of this passage it speaks more clearly of, as you are going, going forth, or going out, along the way, make disciples. The implied assumption is that you, being a child of the Lord Jesus Christ are already going forth in this world, in your everyday life, and therefore as His Kingdom witnesses, He has a mission for you. The phrase, “Make disciples”, is the imperative or the command here, and not “go”.
It is true that discipleship gets a lot of writing. There are all kinds of books, classes, articles and messages upon this word, disciple, or even attempting to describe and encourage the process of discipleship. In Jesus day it was also a well known concept and practice. Today, this word may more closely resemble our terms for “apprentice” or “mentor”. I personally like the word mentor. It has over the years become very important to me. The idea is that of personally getting involved in the process of training and equipping others to do the same kind of job or fulfill the same kind of responsibility as the one who is doing the teaching, training, etc.
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Posted in A Genuine Heart Cry, Accountability, Anointing, Authenticity, Awakening, Calling, Commands, Core Values, Discipleship, Exhortation, Grace, Hearing The Lord, In Spirit and In Truth, Mentoring/Discipleship, Mercy, Sacrifice, Training, Transformation |
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April 28, 2012
Heb 10:23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. ESV
In the face of all that is going on around us in the world, let us remain strong in our hope, in our confident expectation regarding the Lord Jesus Christ and His faithfulness, His promises, His Word of Life.
Let us not become those who shrink back, or draw back into fearful compromise, acquiescing to those who would threaten, be offended by the truth, or would attack the message and thus the messengers of the Word of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us not surrender our genuine saving faith and its message for the sake of cultural acceptance or relativity, self-preservation, or even of a worldly appeasement, or worldly acceptance and approval.
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Posted in Authenticity, Calling, Christian Maturity, Church, Communion, Confidence, Encouragement, Following Through, Genuineness, Hope, Persecution, Perseverance, Readiness, Sacrifice, Spiritual Warfare, Standing in Faith, Steadfastness, Suffering, Surrender, Tenaciousness, True Love, Victory, Word of God |
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April 19, 2012
Proverbs 25:2 (ESV) It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.
There is a very real need to inquire that seems essential for each one of us. Need simply refers to that which is essential for life. We are strongly encouraged in scripture to seek that we might find, to search out that which is hidden with the assurance that as we seek and search we will find, in Christ Jesus. We are commanded to seek first the kingdom of God that all we seek after in and of God’s Kingdom may then be added to us. The problem is that there are far too many who want to do it all for us, simply because they see us as just too ignorant or lazy to do it for ourselves. Then having created this dependency, us on them, they turn around and criticize us for not doing or learning to do for ourselves.
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Posted in Authenticity, Belief System, Bible Translations, Body of Christ, Calling, Changes, Christian Maturity, Church, Core Values, Death, Elitism, Fear of God, Holy Ghost Burdens, Misplaced Dependency, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Suffering, Theology, Wrestling |
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April 14, 2012
Change comes hard for most of us and as we get older, change seems to become even more difficult. It may simply be because of our age or it is simply because when you have spent a life time moving through one change after another, change just gets harder, more difficult and seems to require more of you than ever before. The motivation, energy and drive required for these changes seems to wane and not be as sufficient as it once was, to see you through these seemingly essential changes.
The truth is however, that true change is hard, risky and is always stressful whatever its ultimate fruit and our age at the time.
As a pastor or one who has spent the majority of his life in the ministry in one form or another, I find myself in such a season of life. The real question arises for me, regarding my need for change, is simply, is it worth the effort, difficulty, stress, etc? I have experienced a lot of changes in my life, from one move after another, from one church or ministry organization after another, from one home to another, one state to another, from one ministry crisis to another and even from one job after another. So, yes, the question arises, is this change worth all of the effort, stress and hardship it requires of us to accomplish this change and the promises that these changes hopefully contain?
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Posted in A Genuine Heart Cry, Absolute Dependency, Being Built Up, Breaking Forth, Changes, Christian Maturity, Dying to Self Will, Fear of God, Genuineness, Grace, Hearing The Lord, Holy Ghost Burdens, Hope, Jobs, Mentoring/Discipleship, Ministry Motivation, Seeking The Lord Jesus, Spiritual Fathers/Mothers, Timing, Word of God, Work |
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April 7, 2012
This is a link to an earlier post that addresses the question of what exactly crucifixion is and looks like and my further discussion regarding it. You can read it here. I pray you find it enlightening.
Let us join with the millions of other Believers around the world in remembering and celebrating with thanksgiving the Life, Suffering, Death and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Without Him and His blood shed upon Calvary, we would be as dry bones, a people without any hope but for and in this life alone.
Thank you Lord Jesus for bearing the full weight and judgment of our sin for us, who didn’t deserve it, nor could have done anything in ourselves to gain genuine forgiveness and salvation in and before the Father God. Thank you for your awesome gift of love eternal and sacrifice sufficient to purchase for us our redemption, our deliverance from sin, its enslavement to darkness with its condemnation of eternal death and damnation. Thank you Lord Jesus for dying that we might genuinely live, eternally yours with you in your glory and for your greater glory, honor and praise, forevermore. Thank you, Father God, Lord Jesus Christ and Precious Holy Spirit!
Posted in Word |
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March 31, 2012
Matt 16:24-25 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ESV
I found my thoughts focusing upon the persecuted Christians throughout the world. Did you realize that Christians as a people group are the single most persecuted group in the world? Did you realize that of all the martyred Christians since the time of Christ Jesus, half of them have been martyred in the last century alone? I am not sure of the exact numbers but I believe that the number range maybe close to 100,000,000 Christians have died for their faith in the last century or so alone, with most of these occurring in the last half of the century and the beginning of this one.
Christians are dying for their simple faith in Christ Jesus every minute of everyday. They are not dying because of their hatred for the western culture or governments. They are not dying because they have some kind of a holy war against others. They are not dying because they are strapping bombs around themselves seeking to destroy themselves and any others they can along the way regardless of who they may be. They are not dying because they are out trying to destroy others for any reason at all. No!
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Posted in Believer, Body of Christ, Calling, Christian Maturity, Commands, Death, Exhortation, Faith, Following Through, Hatred, Hope, Mercy, Persecuted Christians, Persecution, Perseverance, Readiness, Spiritual Warfare, Steadfastness, Suffering, Transcendence, Victory |
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March 26, 2012
Luke 24:15-16 (ESV) While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.
There is just something about Luke 24 as a passage of scripture that I have always been drawn to. It speaks to me often and I have therefore gained from it at important times in my life. So, every now and then I revisit this text to refresh myself in what the Lord has taught me there and to see what else I might get to see.
Today as I was reading it again, I noticed again something I had seen before and it is the title of this article, He whom they had known, had been familiar with over a period of years, they no longer recognized.
Why? Why did they not recognize their Lord and Savior anymore? What had changed? Was it them who had changed or was it the Lord Jesus? I think it was most definitely the Lord who had changed. He was, in so many ways, not who he was in the natural. He had been crucified, died, had been buried and now had been resurrected. He was now, more than ever, their Savior, Lord, God and King. He was, in every sense of the word a glorified new creation of God, transformed in and through the Power of the Lord God Almighty’s Resurrection of him from death.
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Posted in A Simple Reminder, Absolute Dependency, Anointing, Changes, Crucifixion, Divine Encounters, Election, Holy Spirit Hearing, Holy Spirit Listening, Holy Spirit Seeing, Hope, In Spirit and In Truth, Open Ears, Open Eyes, Regeneration, Resurrection Life, Work of God |
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March 20, 2012
Proverbs 29:18 (ESV) Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.
The word “vision”, can be translated revelation, the illumination of the Word of God, God given directives that come to us prophetically by the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. I have come to see both the truth of not having God’s prophetic revelation in ones life and the fruit of having the Lord grant us this revelation. Let me share with you a critical time where His prophetic revelation made it possible to turn a very significant corner in my life.
There was a time after the Lord had delivered me from an almost certain car wreck on the freeway at night while on drugs, saved me from an overdose death a little later, and various other significant steps of getting my attention and helping to turn me back towards the Lord Jesus in my life. I wasn’t yet married but I had finally become desperate enough to want to get cleaned up and straightened out with my heart, life and relationship with the Lord Jesus. But I discovered early on that it wouldn’t be a quick and easy road to restoration. I had heard how the Lord had done this almost instant deliverance from drugs, etc. for others, but for me, well it was another matter. I would have to learn to walk a different path, a much slower path, a path that was conquered one little step at a time and from revelation to revelation.
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Posted in A Simple Reminder, Absolute Dependency, Authenticity, Being Built Up, Benefits, Changes, Confidence, Dependency, Dying to Self Will, God's Love, Holy Spirit Hearing, Open Ears, Prophetic Revelation, The Power of God, Work of God |
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March 16, 2012
Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV) For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
John 15:8 (ESV) By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
John 10:10 (ESV) The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
The Lord knows the thoughts and plans he has for us, but are those thoughts and plans automatic?
The Lord has determined that those who serve him must bear fruit, fruit that will last, but is this automatic?
The Lord has come that we might have life, His life to the full, but is this automatic, here and now?
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Posted in Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Adoption, Alone, Being Built Up, Believer, Character, Church, Core Values, Dying to Self Will, Genuineness, Injustice, Ministry, Obedience, Process, Rest, Sacrifice, Steadfastness, Tenaciousness, Training, Vulnerability |
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March 11, 2012
Psalms 27:5 (ESV) For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.
I want to share with you something that the Lord shared with me. It has to do with Spiritual Covering. While I admit that this phrasing has met with a lot of distortion and abuse over the years, I genuinely believe in the truth and principle of our need to cover those whom the Lord has given us. Covering has to do primarily with protection. It is in this light that I desire to share with you Spiritual Covering.
It was 1985 and my lovely wife was in Sacred Heart Hospital for surgery on a brain tumor. I had been with her for much of the time during her surgery and in recovery with very little sleep. So, I finally went to a nearby motel. As I was at the motel, I suddenly found myself under attack, spiritually. This attack was concerning things that I had long thought were taken care of. I began to cry out to the Lord concerning these things. My question was why I was suddenly vulnerable to these attacks. The presence of the Lord came and was powerful, precious and very comforting. It was then that the Lord began to grant me some clarity regarding that which I was crying out to him about.
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Posted in Abiding, Absolute Dependency, Anointing, Awakening, Calling, Covering, Empowerment, Family, Genuineness, God's Love, Hearing The Lord, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit Seeing, illumination, In Spirit and In Truth, Inner Healing, Intimacy, Paradigm Shift, Prayer, Testimony, Thanksgiving |
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