Living Strong Until the End

05 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by eisakouo in Discipletips, Luke

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Billy Sunday quote, cost of discipleship, count the cost, cruise control, dog chasing rabbit, fail to finish strong, hot-hearted, love or God, Luke 14:28-30, Noah, old man and younger believer, Philippians 1:6, self deception, Solomon, spiritually coasting, submit to our process, the demands of discipleship, we must see the Lord

The demands of discipleship are tough. Jesus demands we prefer Him above all relationships and carry our cross daily. Next, Jesus demands we count the cost of following Him, NOW, to ensure we are able to finish strong. I believe this step is basically ignored by most believers because they each instinctively believe they have what it takes to remain faithful to the end. This is simply self-deception or Jesus wouldn’t mention it. Remember, if Jesus mentions it… it is a problem.

The Bible is chock-full of stories of people who didn’t finish strong. Even though they started great, they finished poorly. Somewhere in the course of their race, they put their spiritual life in cruise control and started coasting. When we coast, we become fodder for the enemy. A quasi-delusion sets in and we believe we can simply rest on old victories, old words… and even the words of other believers.

Who of us could ever compete with Noah? His life story is the stuff of legends. Noah and his family were saved from the flood by God’s word, but poor Noah ended as a drunken man who got naked and cursed his son.

Solomon was the wisest man in all of history, but he didn’t finish well either. He loved women and his many foreign wives turned his heart from God. King David and King Saul before him each had fatal flaws as well.

Jesus presents a story about the importance of “counting the cost” so we each will finish what we started.

28 For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Luke 14:28-30

Now this little parable is about the cost of discipleship, not the cost of salvation. Like salvation, God provides everything we need to finish our race. We simply must submit to the process. The cost is really about submission. It is about valuing what God is doing in your life day in and day out. Like Paul said in Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.”

The key to remaining hot-hearted for God is to stay in love with the Lord. You may stray some but your love for the Lord will ultimately keep you on track! If you count the cost now… you will not be tempted when some cheap substitute for true obedience comes your way. If you count the cost now, you will not sell-out to other loves and idols. We are to guard our love relationship with Jesus.

So ask yourself… Are you going to finish well? Do you so value what God is doing in your life that you would never drift or coast on your personal process? The good news is your race is not over. You can still finish strong and be more in love with the Lord by the end than when you started. It doesn’t matter what has happened in the past, you still can finish strong. The finish line is still ahead.

An older Christian was sitting on the porch with his dog stretched out before him taking in a beautiful sunset. The younger believer posed this question:

“Why is it that most Christians zealously chase after God during the first year or two after their conversion, but then fall into a complacent ritual of church twice a week and end up not looking any different from their neighbors who aren’t even Christians? I have heard you are not like that. I’ve been told that you have fervently sought after God throughout your years as a believer. People see something in you that they don’t see in most people who became Christians. What makes you different?”

The old man smiled and replied, “Let me tell you a story: One day I was sitting here quietly in the sun with my dog. Suddenly a large white rabbit ran across in front of us. Well, my dog jumped up, and took off after that big rabbit. He chased the rabbit over the hills with a passion.

Soon, other dogs joined him, attracted by his barking. What a sight it was, as the pack of dogs ran barking across the creeks, up stony embankments and through thickets and thorns! Gradually, however, one by one, the other dogs dropped out of the pursuit, discouraged by the course and frustrated by the chase. Only my dog continued to hotly pursue the white rabbit.”

In that story, young man, is the answer to your question.”

The young believer sat in confused silence. Finally, he said, “Brother, I don’t understand. What is the connection between the rabbit chase and the quest for God?”

“You fail to understand,” answered the seasoned old man, “because you failed to ask the obvious question. Why didn’t the other dogs continue on the chase?

And the answer to that question is that they had not seen the rabbit. Unless you see the prey, the chase is just too difficult. You will lack the passion and determination necessary to keep up the chase.”

Listen, how we answer this question reveals whether we will pursue the Lord until the end. Have you seen and met with the Lord lately? Is His presence still burning in your heart? If you’re simply going through the motions because everyone else is and you know it is the right thing to do… you will eventually drop out. You must see Him!

Blessings – From God’s Incubator,

Pastor

Learning to Live Like a Dead Person

03 Monday Jun 2013

Posted by eisakouo in Discipletips, Luke

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benign piece of jewelry, come and die, daily cross bearing, dead men walking, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Galatians 2:20. Galatians 5:24, Galatians 6:14, instrument of death, Jesus' discipleship programs, Luke 14:27, Madonna, stage prop, the cost of discipleship, union with Christ's death

Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. Luke 14:27

If hating your family was not enough reason to “opt-out” of Jesus’ discipleship program, the next demand was even more extreme. According to the Lord, daily cross bearing was an absolute essential for a disciple. Today’s culture thinks fondly about the imagery of the cross. In fact, crosses can be seen everywhere. But let’s face it… a cross is an instrument of death. Just because we have romanticized them, doesn’t mean it was so in Jesus’ mind. When He issued this demand for cross bearing, He was sentencing His followers to certain death.

Even many Christians continue to be confused about what it means to carry their cross. I’ve have heard many people say, “Well, I have migraine headaches or ulcers, or hearing loss… I guess it’s just the cross I must bear.” I am not trying to diminish anyone’s suffering, but real crossing bearing is not any of these things. The cross is not a headache or a stomach aliment. It is an instrument of death every believer must come to terms with in their life.

Maybe Madonna best describes our culture’s confusion about the cross. During her 2006 tour she performed a mock crucifixion on a cross while singing. When asked about it she said, “[Putting myself on a cross] is no different than a person wearing a cross or ‘taking up the cross’ as it says in the Bible.” She added later, “I believe in my heart that if Jesus were alive he would be doing the same thing.” In her mind, she was only doing what Jesus would or should be doing. But Jesus didn’t use the cross to draw crowds. No, He mentioned the necessity of cross bearing to weed out the insincere.

The true message of the cross is death… a horrific death! Those who crucify themselves… do not get off the cross and go and perform another concert in the next city. Just like an electric chair or hangman’s noose, the cross is a death process. Just because you admire the cross and worship it, doesn’t mean it has done its work in your heart. Those who have learned to bear the cross understand exactly what it means to be crucified daily by it.

Don’t be fooled… just because the cross has become a benign piece of harmless jewelry or a stage prop, doesn’t mean God is not serious about cross bearing. In the time of Jesus, when you saw someone carrying a cross it meant one, and only one thing–that person was as good as dead. They were like men on death row… they were “dead men walking.”

Paul summarized cross bearing best in Galatians.

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me…” (Galatians 2:20)
“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.” (Galatians 5:24)
“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Galatians 6:14)

All this means there is nothing the world has to offer you any longer. It’s as if the world is dead to you and you are dead to the world. One of the classic books on discipleship is The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He wrote:

The cross is laid on every Christian. As we embark upon discipleship we surrender ourselves to Christ in union with his death–we give over our lives to death. The cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise god- fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ. When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die. (p.99).

Blessings – From God’s Incubator,

Pastor

Learning to Hate Your Family!

29 Wednesday May 2013

Posted by eisakouo in Discipletips, Luke

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alienated, allegiances change, Dana Curry, family, family circle, first demand of a true disciple, friends, Gary Ezzo quote, hate, Heather Mercer, insane, loving God more, Luke 14:26, mother and father, place Christ at the center, primary structures in proper order, prisoner, Prisoners of Hope, sane, setting boundaries, stranger, to prefer above

If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Luke 14:26

Are you surprised that sweet, peaceful, loving Jesus would ask you to “hate” ma, pa, gramps, and grandma? How can this be Jesus’ first demand to becoming a real disciple? As a young believer I looked at this verse and knew there had to be a catch somewhere… I hoped! I felt guilty kicking my mother to the curb and throwing my father under the bus! I resolved to understand it later when I could better grasp it.

Since Jesus listed it first when relating to the demands of being a disciple of His, we can’t put it off any longer. Actually, Jesus didn’t use the word “hate” in these verses… translators did. The word Jesus used is “sane”. It means “to prefer above.” The Lord is inferring or demanding our total allegiance. In other words, to be a disciple, we must love Jesus more than we love anyone else–even our closest family members. Our love for Jesus should be so powerful that in comparison, it seems as if we hate everyone else. It is not a matter of hating anyone. It is about loving God more.

Let me ask a hard question. Has your love for the Lord ever alienated you against certain members of your family? If it hasn’t yet, it eventually will… or it should. Why? Because when we truly prefer the Lord over others, they eventually get offended. We do not do it on purpose, they just move into second place. When our allegiances change, so do our priorities even in family circles.

Gary Ezzo says that one of the problems with families today is that the husband and wife join hands to form a family circle and then a child comes along and they place the child in the center with the husband and wife still forming the circle. Now everything revolves around the child. Then a second child comes and that child is also placed in the circle. And now everything revolves around two children. And as the family becomes larger the center becomes so big that the hands of the father and mother are pulled apart and the circle is broken.

What we must do is form the circle but with Christ in the center. Then as each child is born, they join hands with mom and dad to make the circle bigger. The result is that the circle is never broken as long as Christ is the center.

As a disciple, if we cannot get these basic primary structures in proper order, there will be no way to withstand the pressures of the world coupled with Satan’s attacks against us. Once we are able to “prefer the Lord” over and above our family, then we are able to move forward into the next stages of real discipleship. It is that simple. If the Lord hasn’t addressed your primary relationship issues, He will. Allow Him to set the boundaries.

Heather Mercer and Dana Curry were arrested by the Taliban and held prisoner for 128 days in Afghanistan. They both attended Baylor, and surrendered their lives to be fully devoted followers of Jesus. Afterward, Dateline interviewed Heather Mercer’s mother. It was the kind of story the media likes because they discovered Heather’s mother was totally opposed to Heather’s decision to work in Afghanistan. The media really tried to play up the story to show Heather’s commitment to Christ had divided her family. They wanted to keep asking her how she could do something her mother opposed. This is what Jesus meant in verse 26. Heather and Dana had to prefer the Lord over their family and even their own life!

In her book, Prisoners of Hope, Heather wrote:
“We answered hard questions posed by our families and friends. Extraordinary are the parents who don’t balk at the idea of their child moving to a third-world, war-ravaged, drought-stricken country–and, in this case, a country serving as a hub for international terrorist activity. That we had decided to go as Christian aid workers to a country where a harsh, unpredictable regime severely curtailed religious freedom gave most of our loved ones pause at best, and otherwise prompted serious alarm. We were asked: ‘ Aren’t you being foolish? Why would you jeopardize your own safety?’”

When God calls and leads you, you will have to make some difficult decisions. Those closest to you (your friends and family) will not jump up and down and rejoice over those choices. But…this the first demand of a true disciple.

Blessings – From God’s Incubator,

Pastor

From a Fan, to Follower, to Believer, to Disciple

28 Tuesday May 2013

Posted by eisakouo in Discipletips, Luke

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Christian, disciple, discipleship, discipleship is hard, doing Christian things, genuine believers, Korean house church, Oswald Chambers quote, Paul Estabrooks, suffering, suffering through obedience, the cost of discipleship, western church temptations

All genuine believers of Christ are on a journey… a journey to be closer to the Lord. None of us started out having already arrived. Hopefully by now you have grown closer to the Lord by some degree.

Have you learned discipleship is hard?
Have you learned there are no shortcuts?
Have you learned suffering through obedience?

A western Christian co-worker was visiting the Chinese city of Dandong which borders North Korea. He shares his challenging experience at a local house church meeting:

“It was the first time I had ever been called ‘Satan!’ But no one could fault the careful exegesis as this fiery Korean preacher bellowed to the 200-member house church.

‘The third temptation of Jesus,’ he declared, ‘was when the devil offered him the kingdom without the cross. The devil was basically saying, Don’t go off and make all those sacrifices, touch all those lepers, spend nights in agony praying, and end up being tortured by soldiers and dying a horrible death. Just take it all now…from my hand!’ He went on, ‘The church often has the same temptation. The devil offers us power without suffering. And… I’ve got to say this even though our western friend is here…this is a temptation one part of the church tempts another part of the church with. We have to call that part of the church ‘Satan,’ just as Jesus had to call Peter ‘Satan’ when he made the same suggestion later in his ministry.’

Good rip-roaring stuff, and thoroughly biblical. But I was intrigued as to why this pastor had singled out the western church as the tempter. He was happy to explain over a meal.

‘I hosted five pastors from North America last year. All Koreans. They came with reading material. Good stuff as far as it went, and they were supplying a sort of formula for church growth. But could one of them even bring himself to mention suffering? No! And when I heard those Korean pastors preach, it was also absent.’

He leaned forward and whispered, ‘When these pastors preach to the persecuted church, and mention everything but suffering, they are taking away the cross from the Christian life. That’s why I have to say that they are bringing a satanic suggestion. Anyone who says you can follow Christ but not carry your cross is no better than the old deceiver himself. Jesus said so. He said it to Satan, and he said it to Peter. And I’m going to say it to anyone else who dares to think they can be a witness for Christ from anywhere else but on a cross.'”

(Standing Strong Through The Storm – by author Paul Estabrooks)

This Korean pastor understood what Jesus understood about the process of discipleship. It is extremely difficult and the devil tempts us everyday to take the easy road. Jesus always referred to His followers as disciples. In fact, the term “disciples” occurs 269 times in the New Testament, while the term “Christian” only occurs three times. We are who Jesus says we are.

This is why Jesus turned around to speak to the large masses of people following Him. They were following for many reasons but He knew the reality of the situation. Some were only wanting to see more miracles. Others wanted to gain another free meal. Still others were tantalized by Jesus’ radical ways.

So Jesus began to cull this crowd by laying out five marks or descriptions of what it meant to be a real disciple. From all outward appearances these crowds were willing and even anxious to follow Jesus, providing the cost was not too high or the demands too great.

They were not unlike many people today who do “Christian things” like go to church, pray, sing Christian songs, etc., but are not really committed to real growth in Jesus. In a sense, they were “along for the ride” but were unwilling to give up everything in their lives which conflicted with following the Lord in a committed way.

They also are not unlike many today who look to Jesus to solve their money problems, relational problems, health problems, etc., but quickly grow disillusioned and unwilling to obey. When following Jesus doesn’t readily solve these issues or when following Jesus requires real sacrifice… they fall away until they need something from Jesus again.

As Jesus’ time on earth drew to an end and His own personal cross loomed on the horizon… the process of discipleship was on His mind. In the next few blogs I will examine Jesus’ five demands of a real disciple.

Blessings,

Pastor

Standing Still, Looking Sad

16 Thursday May 2013

Posted by eisakouo in Luke, Receiving Revelation

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arriving at the truth, burning hearts, can't handle the truth, disciples, dull, Emmaus Road, Jesus, looking ugly, Luke 24:17, Luke 24:32, present day experience, slow to believe, truth, unbelievers, when God brings truth alive, whys

One day two of Jesus’ disciples were walking down the road towards Emmaus, when unbeknownst to them – Jesus approached and started traveling the road with them. All they could do was “stand still and look sad“, according to Luke 24:17. Like my father used to say when I asked him what he and mother were doing, he would retort – “we are just sitting around looking ugly.” These disciples were sadly moping around looking ugly. Have you ever been in this place? Maybe you’re in this place right now. As these two walked along, Jesus took the Scriptures and explained everything concerning Himself and what they had just witnessed. All their “why” questions were answered as they strolled along to their destination.

My question is… Why didn’t Jesus do this in the beginning of His ministry? Why doesn’t He operate this way with us personally? Why doesn’t He tell us the “whys” before we go through trials, hardships, and the tribulations of life. I sure could have used more information ahead of time!

The key to understanding this is found in verse 25… Jesus called these two “foolish and slow of heart to believe.” Hey, this is harsh – but the truth. Jesus is not really calling them foolish, but dull… dull in perceiving or arriving at the truth. But the word slow means the same thing as it does in English. Someone who takes a loooong time to believe or to arrive at the correct conclusion. Most of the time we accuse God of being slow, but the actual truth is most of the time, if not all of the time… He is waiting for us to come around to truth.

So… if we can barely handle and understand the truth at the end of our difficulties and hardships, how can we ever fully understand or comprehend what God is doing from the beginning. As Jack so elegantly put it… “You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth!”

These two confessed later of the encounter…

Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us? Luke 24:32

This type of burning is what we all need to feel and experience. It is when God brings the truth of Scripture alive in our present day experience. Until this happens we will just “stand still and look sad.” Not only do you need to hear the voice of the Lord today, but tomorrow, the next day and the next. Take some time to allow the Lord’s voice and truth to burn in your heart. It will change your life.

Blessings,

Pastor

How to Get Straight in a Crooked Church

25 Thursday Apr 2013

Posted by eisakouo in Luke, Our Spiritual Process

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alcoholics, asthenia, baby elephant, battle over truth, bent out of shape, bound by Satan, crippled, crippled by a spirit, infirmity, Jesus, Leask and Beatty quote, legalism and bitterness, Luke, Luke 13:10-14, more than a medical condition, religious rules keeper, scripture and revelation, spiritual warfare, the mind is ground zero, we are growing stronger in broken places, we are who God says we are, weakness, wooden stake

10 And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And there was a woman who for eighteen years had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.” 13 And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God. 14 But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath… Luke 13:10-14

This story from Jesus’ life was really about two bent out of shape people. Obviously, we see the woman who was bent over double for eighteen years. But another person was bent-out-of-shape as well…a religious rules keeper. The length of his torment was unknown. Both were crippled and attending this fellowship. One was crippled by a spirit of weakness and the other was crippled by a spirit of legalism and bitterness. Jesus could only help the woman. The man continued on in his crooked condition.

Dr. Luke specifically informed us that this woman’s suffering was more than a “medical condition“. Instead of employing a medical word to describe her problem, Luke used the phrase “crippled by a spirit.” Then in verse 12 Jesus also used the word “infirmity“. It’s the word asthenia, which doesn’t mean “sickness caused by disease” but “weakness“.

When I was a kid, people used to refer to alcoholics as having a “weakness“. In other words, these otherwise strong people were weak when it came to alcohol. They were weak, when others were strong.

About 30-40 years ago, this all changed. Alcoholics were no longer considered “weak”. It was said they had a disease. This also helped because insurance started paying for their treatment. But, in one sense it is disease. The Bible says the sins of the father are passed down 3-4 generations. So, a disease it is. But, these same folks are weak as well.

It’s probable this woman’s weakness was caused by some demonic influence because Jesus says in verse 16 she had been “bound by Satan” for eighteen years. Demonic spirits can provoke physical problems, but not every illness or disease is caused by demons. There were twenty-six recorded miracles where Jesus healed someone of a physical problem and only seven of those were caused by demonic influence.

This particular encounter became a battle over truth. At some point eighteen years ago, a lying spirit had convinced this poor woman she couldn’t stand up straight any longer. From the language Luke used, it appeared she had no physiological cause for her affliction. When Jesus came along issuing “truth“, it became her opportunity to be set free from her affliction. All spiritual warfare starts in your mind. The mind is ground zero where most spiritual battles are won or lost. Praise the Lord – she believed Jesus’ words, after He touched her.

I know you may have heard this story before, but it fits well here. Have you ever seen a circus elephant tied to a small wooden stake outside a circus tent? The grown elephant could easily rip the wooden stake out of the ground. But when elephant handlers are training baby elephants, they use a strong, iron anchor bar and drive it deep into the ground. When the baby elephant tugs and tries to get away, he can’t do it. He experiences the pain of the shackle on his leg. Eventually he gives up and stops pulling.

As the elephant grows, they replace the iron bar with a wooden stake. This is why the now grown elephant doesn’t pull away; he doesn’t think he can… so he can’t. It’s not the stake in the ground keeping him in place; it’s the thought in his mind that keeps him there. One of the devil’s greatest tools is to try to erect a stronghold in our mind to make us think we can’t do something God has told us to do.

I have a long list of lies about myself which I used to believe. These were all lies the demonic realm tried to use to keep me enslaved. I was no different than the baby elephant. It has taken a lot of scripture and revelation from heaven to pry the demonic junk out of my life. I don’t know of any growing believer who has not had to receive some kind of deliverance from the Lord. It is part of the process. The devil is a liar and the father of lies. It is the lies we continue to believe which enslaves us. It is only as we bring our brokenness to the Lord that He can heal us. We are who God says we are! It is only then that we can grow strong in broken places and truly minister to others.

Blessings,

Pastor

It Is All About Timing!

21 Sunday Apr 2013

Posted by eisakouo in Luke

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camp fire, desert places, dry, fire and division, insignificant wood, Jesus processes, Jesus search for kindling, Luke 12:47-51, meek and gentle Savior, not ready, not ready to catch fire, spark, spiritually dead

I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. Luke 12:47-51

Most of the time we are not privy to Jesus’ thoughts or processes. His motivations and operations are a mystery to us, as they were to the disciples. In fact, the words in this passage came as a surprise Why would the Lord want to bring “fire and division“? Where was our meek and gentle Savior, Who came to seek and save the lost?

I have been in some places where I thought it would take a miracle for the Lord to move among the people. It was sooooo dead, the environment was actually sucking the life from me. I wanted out. I wanted to be someplace different, someplace where God was doing something. Have you ever lived in these dry, desert places?

Notice, Jesus didn’t want out, He wanted kindling. He had the fire. He had the spark. What He wanted were some people ready NOW to receive His life, so that they could catch fire with Him. His baptism (death, burial, and resurrection) was just a few months away. As Jesus looked around Himself, He wasn’t comforted. What He saw was a group of followers who were not ready to catch fire. I am sure they thought they were ready. Just like we think we are ready to follow the Lord anywhere. But, Jesus’ words tell the truth… He was still searching for kindling.

I have been on camping trips where it was my job to start a fire. It is easy to find wood…but sometimes it is more difficult to find kindling. Kindling is the smaller, insignificant dry pieces of wood which will burn immediately without effort. Without proper kindling it is impossible to ignite the larger limbs and branches, even with plenty of spark.

The question becomes are we kindling where we live? Are we easily fired-up or does it take the Lord a long time to move us? Jesus looked forward to the day and time when He would have kindling. The Lord doesn’t need large, green pieces of wood. He needs small, insignificant, tender but dry wood which will easily ignite.

Blessings,

Pastor

Becoming Bigger on the Inside

16 Tuesday Apr 2013

Posted by eisakouo in Luke

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anxiety, becoming bigger on the inside, dad daughter at the carnival, drowning, E Stanley Jones quote, faith is my native land, fear, Luke 12:31-32, opposite direction the world takes, overcoming, putting our own needs first, snare, the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of God is always available, worry, worry is really fear

I have been blogging on how to overcome worry and anxiety. The last point I want to make about this issue is God desires to give you exceedingly and abundantly more than those issues which cause worry in your life. Listen to the words of Jesus:

But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Luke 12:31-32

If we allow the wrong things to be “number one” in our lives, they will create an enormous amount of stress, pressure, and anxiety. Our lives will revolve around attaining them. But when we seek the Kingdom of God first…then the Lord Himself is responsible for providing all of our material needs, wants, and desires.

The picture the Lord provides here is that when we seek to put our own needs first we fall into a trap which most of the world and most believers make. Worry and anxiety are born in this snare. The believer’s life is often the very opposite of the direction the world takes and from the direction our basic instincts tell us to take. According to Jesus… we gain our life by loosing it, we lead by serving, and we have our material needs met by not worrying about them, but by seeking the kingdom as a priority. How can this be possible?

A man took his daughter to the carnival. Upon entering, she immediately ran over to a booth and asked for cotton candy. As the attendant handed her a huge ball of it, the father asked, “Sweetheart, are you sure you can eat all of that candy?”
“Don’t worry, Dad,” she answered. “I’m a lot bigger on the inside than on the outside.”

When the Kingdom of God comes in fullness and we make it first in our lives… we are a whole lot bigger on the inside. Praise God… the Kingdom is always coming and is always available. When we allow the Kingdom of God to grow within us, the bigger we will become on the inside. Our testimony will become the same as the little girl. “I can handle it because I am a lot bigger on the inside.“

In verse thirty-two Jesus really gets to the bottom line, WORRY IS REALLY FEAR! When we fear, we are afraid that the Kingdom is NOT COMING as Jesus promised. God is not going to fulfill His word.

Jesus communicates to His followers that they are to stop being afraid. It is this type of fear that manifests itself in our lives as worry. Worry then is a symptom of fear!

The antidote to fear is faith. Dr. E Stanley Jones explained this many years ago when he said:

I am inwardly fashioned for faith, not for fear. Fear is not my native land; faith is. I am so made that worry and anxiety are sand in the machinery of life; faith is the oil. I live better by faith and confidence than by fear, doubt and anxiety. In anxiety and worry, my being is gasping for breath—these are not my native air. But in faith and confidence, I breathe freely—these are my native air.

Blessings,

Pastor

Worrying Will Never Change The Outcome

12 Friday Apr 2013

Posted by eisakouo in Luke

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being stuck in uncomfortable places, casting your cares over on God, fear not, God is our only source, key to break the bondage of anxiety, Luke 12:29-30, make a long term investment in God's Kingdom, stuck in an elevator, Tony Evans, trust in the Lord and His Kingdom, we become what we see after, worry, worry is a faith killer, worry is a gauge in your spiritual vehicle

If I told you not to worry… it wouldn’t help you very much. In fact, telling someone “don’t worry, be happy” is a little cliche and doesn’t have any meat to really help people. It is about as helpful as putting a screen-door on a submarine. It only patronizes them.

Jesus gives us our key to break the bondage of anxiety… trusting in the Lord and His Kingdom.

And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. (30) “For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. Luke 12:29-30

If you have been a believer for very long you are familiar with these verses. This principle is found here and in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. According to our Lord, we become what we seek. So He encourages or commands His closest disciples to stop seeking and stop worrying about certain issues. His words are not a suggestion, they are imperatives. Each of us must choose to trust God for those things which are beyond our control.

Someone once said an average person’s anxiety is focused on :

40% — things that will never happen;
30% — things about the past that can’t be changed;
12% — things about criticism by others, mostly untrue;
10% — about health, which gets worse with stress; and
8% — about real problems that will be faced.

It is the Lord’s desire for us to stop grappling with the “what ifs” and allow Him to take charge and care of our daily needs. Our responsibility is to simply make a long term investment in God’s kingdom. This investment happens day by day as we continually turn our life over to Him.

The Bible always encourages us to “fear not.” Whenever we start to feel anxious or worried, it means we are on the path to fear. Remember I said previously worry is a faith killer. Before our fears manifest, we worry. The time to do battle over these issues is when worry and anxiety begins…not when they become full-blown fears. Worry is merely a gauge in your spiritual vehicle telling you that you are about to let fear rule the day.

The Bible calls us to be “casters or rollers.” Every believer is faced with burdens and cares too heavy to carry. Our call is to “give our burdens over to the Lord.” (1 Peter 5:7) Why? Because He is the only One who really cares! Others may be concerned… but only God really cares. Our job is to “cast or roll” our cares over to God.

Another translation of this verse (The Living Bible) puts it this way,

“Let Him have all your worries and cares, for He is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you.”

The point is God is our only source in troubles. When we choose to worry we are carrying our own weight. The question becomes do we want to walk our issues out alone, or do we desire to be free and clear, allowing God to provide for all our needs. Before you can ask God for provisions, your personal worries and fears must be dealt with appropriately.

Tony Evans, a popular preacher from Texas, spoke of being on an elevator in a high-rise building. He said he’d never been particularly comfortable on such elevators. There was something about riding up and down in a little box several hundred feet off the ground that never sat well with him. He worried that something would go wrong.

One day it did. The car he was riding in got stuck between floors way up in the higher floors. He noted that some of the people in the car became frantic. They began to beat on the door hoping to get someone’s attention. Others began to yell in the hopes that their voices would get someone on the surrounding floors to come to their aid. Nobody ever heard their cries or their noises.

Then Evans quietly made his way to the front of the car, opened a little door in the wall and pulled out a telephone. Immediately he was connected with someone on the outside. He didn’t need to beat on the wall to get their attention. He didn’t need to speak loudly in the phone to receive help. He could have whispered and they would have heard him.

Evans said, “In this world, we’re going to get stuck in places where we aren’t comfortable. Some people begin to beat against the walls, others cry out in dismay. But the person who trusts in the power of confident prayer knows there’s Someone on the other end who hears their call and comes to their aid.”

Blessings,

Pastor

The Acceptable Sin

10 Wednesday Apr 2013

Posted by eisakouo in Dying to Self, Luke

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Did you know that worry is the number one mental disorder in America? Even in church, it is acceptable to get a case of the worries every now and then. Nobody wants to say anything to you about the issue because they too have fits and spells of anxiety and worry! We now know and understand that many medical problems are closely tied to worry or anxiety… such as heart trouble, blood pressure, ulcers, thyroid malfunction, migraine headaches, and a host of stomach disorders.

Have you done any worrying lately? Have you felt convicted about it? In this particular section of scripture Jesus addresses His comments not to the crowd at large, but to His disciples.

Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.” Luke 12:22

Some translations render verse twenty-two “for this reason I say to you.” Since these words are addressed to the disciples, the implication is that worry is one of the besetting sins of believers… and particularly to Jesus’ personal disciples.

We have seen them struggle about how to feed the 5000.
We have seen them worry about the storms while sailing the Sea of Galilee.
We have seen them stumble over demonic issues.
We have seen them worry about many of Jesus’ personal ministry decisions.

It is interesting to me that many of the believer’s problems are God related! Ouch! If God didn’t give me problems… I wouldn’t have any! Not really. But, many of my problems are God related. Many of my struggles and difficulties have arisen totally because of my commitment to Christ. Hey, if you are like me… I am constantly going through something.

As believers we are not immune to worry because we live under the same pressures of society. In addition, our spiritual commitment adds even more worry weight to our shoulders. It is even possible to worry about being a worrier. We know that we shouldn’t worry, but we just can’t seem to get a grip on the issue.
Worry has now become one of those socially acceptable sins, even in the Christian circles. As Chuck Swindol notes,

We would never smile at a Christian who staggered into his home… night after night drunk and abusive. But we often smile at a Christian friend who worries. We would not joke about a brother or sister in God’s family who stole someone’s car, but we regularly joke about worrying over some detail in life.

Why does God call worry a sin anyway? Worry is a faith killer! The primary New Testament word for worry is (merimnao) which means “to take thought of” or “to be careful about.” Those who let worry reign in their lives ultimately struggle with faith issues. The Greek word for worry actually gives the picture of a divided mind. The worrier has a mind which is torn between the real and the possible, the immediate and potential… heaven’s ways and earth’s realities.

Whether or not worry is acceptable in the Christian circles you live, you should seek to eliminate worry from your life. If you really desire to be a man or woman of faith, then worry must be conquered…not accepted. I will offer more help next time.

Blessings,

Pastor