Youcef Still Alive Despite False Execution Rumors

29 Thursday Mar 2012

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The ACLJ (American Center for Law and Justice) has received confirmation that Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani is alive in Iran as of today, March 26, 2012.   New false reports about Pastor Youcef’s execution continue to surface – whether these reports originate from a misinformation campaign initiated by the Iranian regime or just uninformed sources is unknown.   Many of these false reports stem from an inaccurate image being circulated on various blogs and social media sites of an Iranian man of Pastor Youcef’s age standing bound in front of a gallows surrounded by two armed, masked Iranian guards. The image is not of Pastor Youcef and has been circulating since at least July 2011.   The ACLJ believes these demonstratively false rumors about Pastor Youcef’s death are detrimental to his freedom and potential release. It also causes unnecessary anxiety for the family members awaiting his release and the millions of people who are praying for him around the world.   Diplomatic efforts in Brazil and other nations around the world continue to proceed as international pressure on Iran increases. The ACLJ is reaching more than 1.3 million Twitter accounts every day with news and updates about Pastor Youcef through the Tweet for Youcef campaign. A companion Tweet for Youcef campaign in Portuguese is also reaching over 20,000 Twitter accounts each day. The Tweet for Youcef campaign is now reaching more than 90 percent of the world’s nations.

Reblogged from http://aclj.org/iran/youcef-still-alive-despite-false-execution-rumors

 

Blessings,

Pastor

 

The Altar of Worship

28 Wednesday Mar 2012

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Then he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD. Genesis 12:8

 

This altar was built between Bethel (’House of God’) and Ai (’Ruins’). The point being…. Worshipping God and calling on His name in His House will keep our lives from ruin. Do you see the need?  We need to worship together with our own families and with the family of God (The Church).

If we don’t have an altar of personal worship we will not be able to join in worship as a congregation. Some people do not attend anointed worship at Church because they have never learned to worship alone with God.

You hear of people blaming the worship leadership, the instruments, song selection, acoustics, or the order of worship. But in reality they really need to blame themselves for never having built their own altar of personal worship.

This is why I believe that each person who publicly participates in worship needs to be a personal worshiper.  Too many times we see people get up in worship and seek to lead others in worship when we know they are not personal worshipers. This means they worship out of public service when no one else is looking.

I truly believe when we continue to worship at Bethel (the House of God), it will keep us from focusing upon Ai (I) our own problems.

Eventually, famine comes to everyone at some point in time.  If we spiritualize the word “famine” it can mean the absence of something essential. There will be times when we think, “I’m lost or I’m losing everything and God is quiet.”  It is at these points in life when we either turn to God and worship or turn inward to try and meet our own needs.

When famine came to Abraham, he initially lost faith in God and forsook Bethel (House of God).  He took a long look at Ai (I).  Abraham then went to Egypt (The World) and almost came to ruin (see Genesis 12:10-20) Only when he returned to the altar at Bethel did he get back on track. (Genesis 13:1-4).

There is only one source in life, the Lord God.  Like many of us, Abraham collapsed under the pressure of the famine. Instead of remaining at the altar and trusting in God he fled to Egypt. We will talk about Abraham’s lying problem later but I want to emphasize the IMPORTANCE of remaining at God’s altar. The beautiful thing is that God did not cast him off but graciously received him again as he humbled himself before the original altar he built at Bethel.

Remember Abraham didn’t have to go back and give his life to God again at the altar of Moreh in Shechem.  He just had to get right with God and start worshiping.  Getting right with God doesn’t mean starting over from the beginning. God calls us to go back to the place where we made the wrong turn and begin again.

 

Blessings,

Pastor 

The Altar of Dedication

27 Tuesday Mar 2012

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Abram passed through the land as far as the site of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. Now the Canaanite was then in the land. 7 The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the LORD who had appeared to him. Genesis 12:6-7

 

Every hot-hearted seeker of God will build an altar of dedication in their lives. Early on in his walk with God, Abraham learned the benefits of building this type of altar. In order to understand the process of dedication Abraham went through, we need to understand this sacred place called Shechem.

 

 Shechem means “the shoulder – place to carry burdens”.   It sits between two mountains, Mount Ebal (Barren) and Mount Gerazim (Fruitful).

 

I have had the privilege of visiting Shechem.  It is now in Palestinian control.  It is also the place were the Children of Israel buried the bones of Joseph when they entered the Promised Land.  Shechem is seen as the entrance to the Promised Land.

Both Abraham and the Children of Israel carried the burdens of their past into the Promised Land.  God wants all of His children free from burdens in order to be blessed with the fruit of the land.  Abraham, the Father of Faith, was first to lead us into God’s promises. Abraham came to the place in his life where he was ready to spend time with God and allow the Lord to teach Him His ways.

Every day we must set aside time to come to our personal altar where we read God’s word, worship Him, and pray. Like Abraham, we must have a dedicated place set aside to experience the Lord.  Here we will encounter Him afresh and the Lord will teach us His ways.

Do you have a Shechem or Moreh in your life?  Where is it? If you don’t have such a time or place, you must purpose to build it now! It must be a quiet, sacred place where you go to experience God.  Building an altar of dedication will not happen by itself.  The responsibility is yours. Too many people are waiting for the Lord to move, yet they never arrive at Moreh to meet with their Creator upon His altar.

In Genesis 35:4 and Joshua 24:23-26 we learn more about Moreh in Shechem.  Jacob buried the family idols at the foot of this same tree by the altar of his grandfather. In addition, the Children of Israel, under the guidance of Joshua, erected a stone of covenant at this same spot and purposed wholly to follow the Lord.

As we come daily to our personal altars the Lord will reveal those “idols” in our lives which need to be buried and forsaken.  These are things we have placed before God and interfere with our worship.  In these quiet moments at the altar we can bury these idols and be cleansed by the blood of Jesus.

This altar at Moreh was the same place that Jacob later built a well which existed in Jesus’ time. Do you think this is all an accident? Or is God trying to speak to us? Here Jesus told the Samaritan woman “He was the Living Water.” (see John 4:12, 21-23)

All this began centuries earlier because one man, Abraham, dedicated himself to the Lord and built an altar to God.  You too could change the destinies of people’s lives because you sanctified yourself on God’s altar.

 

Blessings,

Pastor

 

Building Altars to Worship

26 Monday Mar 2012

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I don’t know if you have picked up on this fact before from reading through Genesis, but Abraham was an altar builder.  Isaac dug wells; Jacob made monuments; but Abraham built altars to worship the Lord.

Why were altars so important? If altars were so important to God in the Old Testament, then why don’t we build and worship at altars today? I’m glad you asked that question.  Some of you are probably thinking, “We consider the altar to be the front of our church.”  Yet, this is not really the same type of altar in which Abraham worshipped. I ask those questions to draw a parallel between the altars of the Old and the altars of the New Testament.

 

~ Altars Are About Worship ~

 

True worship takes place in the context of our obedience to God (see Genesis 12:1-5). Abraham was in the process of obeying God’s prompting to go to the land of Canaan. We cannot truly worship God unless we are in the place of obedience.

How many of you have discovered it is difficult, if not impossible, to worship God on Sundays when your living in known disobedience? The only effective way to truly worship the Lord in body, soul, and spirit is to be obedient throughout the week. It is your obedience that gives you excitement, passion, and fervor to worship the Lord. Disobedience breeds apathy, coldness of heart, neglect, and boredom in worship. It was only after Abraham became truly obedient to God that his real worship of God began.

 

~ Abraham Built Altars to Worship Effectively ~

Wherever Abraham went (cities, countryside & villages) he built altars to the Lord God. There he worshipped the Lord.

 

The LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the LORD who had appeared to him. Genesis 12:7

8Then he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD.  Genesis 12:8

Then Abram moved his tent and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and there he built an altar to the LORD.  Genesis 13:18

Abraham was a trailblazer.  We know now that God prescribed and commanded the children of Israel to build and worship Him on altars. Abraham didn’t have all this information.  He blazed a trail.  He was simply a lover of God.  He was just discovering the art of worshiping God on altars.

We live in the New Testament era of grace, so where are our worship altars?  Are all the altars gone or are they present here today?  Why ask?  In order to gain forgiveness, acceptance, and access to God, altars were needed.  Sacrifices were made on altars.  Blood was spilled on altars.  This was done that sin might be removed and the worshiper cleansed.

We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat (Hebrews 13:10) which is in Christ! Through His blood we have access any time to the throne of God. In Christ we have everything we need that “pertains to life and godliness.”  So today we no longer have need of “altars” in the Old Testament sense.  But we do need altars in our lives in another way.

 

~ The Altar Represents True Worship ~

The altar represents true worship and involves: SURRENDER, SACRIFICE, and SERVICE.  Abraham would have used raw stones (not touched by man’s strength and skill) to represent a yielding to God’s strength and not trusting in his own strength.  (Exodus 20:25).  We cannot worship or offer God anything that is not tainted in some way by the world.  Therefore we are to take things God gives us (Jesus Christ) and worship the Father.  It is important that you understand this point because most people do not.  They want to worship God in their own way or fashion.  When God rejects them by not gracing them with His presence they are offended.   It is imperative we worship God as He requires through Jesus Christ and Him alone.  He is our altar.  We are to approach God in and through Him.   In Abraham’s life we can see the need for altar worship.  It is gives a keen sense of who Jesus is and our need for Him.

Are you ready to examine the three types of altars Abraham erected and discover the deeper meaning of what it means to worship at God’s altar?  I will discuss these later this week.

Blessings,

Pastor 

Keep Growing. Do Not Quit!

25 Sunday Mar 2012

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When you think about giving up, remember the Lord has not given up on you. It takes the Lord more time to develop some us.  Listen to the story below.

 

 

One day I decided to quit… I quit my job, my relationship, my spirituality… I wanted to quit my life.  I went to the woods to have one last talk with God.

“God“, I said. “Can you give me one good reason not to quit?” His answer surprised me…

“Look around“, He said.. “Do you see the fern and the bamboo?” “Yes“, I replied.

“When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed.   But I did not quit on the bamboo. In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful.  And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo.”

“In the third year, there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. In the fourth year, again, there was nothing from the bamboo seed.  I would not quit..”

“Then in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth.   Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant… But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall.   It had spent the five years growing roots.   Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle.”

He said to me. “Did you know, my child, that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots. I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you. Don’t compare yourself to others ..” He said.  “The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern … Yet, they both make the forest beautiful.”   Your time will come,” God said to me. ” You will rise high! ”

“How high should I rise?” I asked.   “How high will the bamboo rise?” He asked in return. “As high as it can? ” I questioned.   ” Yes. ” He said, “Give Me glory by rising as high as you can.”

 

Blessings,

Pastor

Journey of Faith Picture Quotes

24 Saturday Mar 2012

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I have been blogging on Abraham’s journey of faith these past few days and have used some of these quotes in my blog.  I have posted some of these again with a few addtions.  Some of the pics come from photobotos.com.  If you get a chance check them out.

…. If you like these quotes you also might like these other posts on “faith”

http://wp.me/p1GmG0-6o

http://wp.me/p1GmG0-dR

Blessings,

Pastor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Summons to Receive God’s Blessings

23 Friday Mar 2012

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In the past two blogs I have been writing about all Abraham had to release in order to follow the Lord.  As someone said, “you cannot out give God.”  The blessings God promised Abraham far outweighed those things he gave up. Below is a summary of those blessings.

2 And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; 3 And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”  Genesis 12:2-3

 

1) Hope and Future ~

The provision of hope is found in the Lord’s promise to Abraham, “I will make you a great nation.”  How would God make Abraham into a great nation when Abraham’s wife Sarah was barren?  God provided by giving Abraham and Sarah a promise first. The very thing Sarah longed for was now promised by God. It took 25 years but God’s word came to pass in their lives.

 

2) Divine Favor ~

The provision of divine favor is found in the Lord’s statement, “I will bless you.”  God’s blessings are beyond what we can think or imagine.  This promise was a promise of personal blessing, a blessing that would bring about prosperity upon Abraham’s life. God would prosper Abraham in his family, in his business, and ultimately in his entire journey of faith.

 

3) Success and Character ~

This provision is found in the Lord’s statement, “and make your name great.”  Abraham could have chosen to make a great name for himself or allow the Lord to do it.

In the previous chapter (Genesis 11:4) the people of Babel said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name.” Humanity strives to make names for themselves and become successful.  True success is only found in the life of faith. It is only by trusting in the Lord and following the Lord that one can truly have a great name.

The idea of a great name goes beyond fame. In ancient times a great name was a “revelation of character.” A great name referred to one who had “superior character.” A life of faith produces a life of righteous character.  A character that can only find its source in God.

 

 

4) A Great Nation and Blessing ~

This promise is a promise of purpose and destiny. As Abraham obeys the Lord by relinquishing all, he will then be a blessing for all to see. He will become an example a life blessed of God.

The implication of this promise of purpose goes beyond just being an example. If God is going to bless all the families of the earth, then Abraham and his descendants would have to be the message bearers to the rest of the world. Thus, being blessed by God has a responsibility of letting the rest of the world know about God’s blessings.

 

5) The Promise of Protection ~

“And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse.” This promise is significant when you realize that the Lord was asking Abraham to leave the security and safety of his country, culture, and clan, and go to a place of uncertainty and hostility. Those who will bless Abraham in his journey of faith will be enriched, but those who hinder and become an enemy of Abraham will be cursed. One only has to observe the life of Abraham as well as the life of Israel to see that the Lord has been faithful to fulfill this promise.

In Abraham we discover what it means to walk in faith before the Lord.  These promises are not just given to Abraham.  They are extended to his children and to all who would follow.  How about you, do you wish to walk in faith?  Just as God invited Abraham to walk in faith, we too are given that opportunity as well.  Like Abraham, we must respond to God’s call to leave the world behind and follow hard after Him.  Your journey awaits!

Blessings,

Pastor

Letting Go of …Your Country, Relatives, and House

22 Thursday Mar 2012

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If Abraham was ever to enjoy the blessings of God he would have to relinquish the comfortable, the worldly, and wholly follow the Lord. The difficult portion of God’s summons to a life of faith was this call to relinquish those things which ultimately hinder the journey.

“Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you;” Genesis 12:1

 

God’s summons was simple …“go forth.” It was an imperative command.  Everything hinged on Abraham obeying those first words. Abraham was commanded to disassociate himself and relinquish those things which might cause him to stumble.  All bridges to his past had to be burned by his own hand. The Lord was asking Abraham to give up his past and his present situation in order to give him hope and a future.

I have never been to Ur. Some believe it was an ancient port city.  When my wife and I moved to New Orleans we thought we were moving to another country.  Port cities are different because of the influx of people.  We saw things in New Orleans that we haven’t seen since!  This was probably the type of environment God wanted Abraham to leave behind.

Sometimes God calls us out of bad environments and sometimes He calls us into these situations.  He knows what is best.  What we do know is that Ur would become the Chaldeans.  The Chaldeans would become the Babylonians.  The Babylonians would become the Syrians. Canaan did not compare to the luxurious comforts of Ur.  Yet the Lord was asking him to relinquish his country for the sake of Canaan.

In addition, Abraham was commanded to leave his relatives.  Acceptance, affluence, and protection would now be forfeited.  This included his inheritance and rights to family property. Had Abraham and extended family been able to move as a clan, he could have kept his identity and inheritance. In addition, there would have been a small group to lend support and protection in a new country and a new culture.

 

 

This seems harsh when we look at all that God was asking Abraham to relinquish. God knows what is best when it comes to the journey of faith, and He knows what is best for our spiritual development and progress in our life of faith.

Throughout the ages God has consistently called people to leave places of safety and security in order to place our total trust in Him. Jesus echoed these same principles only in a different way.

“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

The summons to a life of faith is a summons to total commitment to the Lord. What many people fail to understand is that though the summons to a life of faith is a summons to relinquish, it is also a summons to receive. For when we relinquish all to follow the Lord we receive in return the greatest blessings that don’t come close to comparing to those things we give up. Tomorrow I will share a few of those blessings.

 

Blessings,

Pastor

 

Have You Received Your Summons to Live a Life of Faith?

21 Wednesday Mar 2012

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“Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing;”     Genesis 12:1-2

 

I have been spending some time reading and praying through Abraham’s life.  Chapter 12 begins the story of Abraham’s call to leave behind his extended family and follow after God.  I was reminded that this was not the first time Abraham heard the summons of God. Chapter 12 could be a renewed summons of God’s call upon Abraham’s life. It was on this occasion when Abraham became fully obedient.  I have been at this place.  Maybe you have been at this crossroad as well, when you finally made the choice to go full throttle for the Lord.  There are several reasons to believe this was God calling Abraham to rededicate or renew his life to the journey of faith.

Chapter 11 indicates the Lord had originally called Terah, Abraham’s father, to leave Ur and go to Canaan.   “And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans in order to enter the land of Canaan…”

Now we don’t see the Lord speaking directly to Terah or Abraham in this text, but we do see God directing them to leave Ur for the purpose of going to Canaan. This indicates that some form of God calling Terah and his family took place.

In Acts Stephen reiterates this truth.

“Hear me, brethren and fathers! The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, ’Depart from your country and your relatives, and come into the land that I will show you.’ “Then he departed from the land of the Chaldeans, and settled in Haran. And from there, after his father died, God removed him into this country in which you are now living.” Acts 7:2-4

 

Did you notice the tense of these verses.  It reminds us the Lord considered the call on Terah’s life to be also a call on Abraham’s life.  It was a process that took an entire lifetime to fulfill.

All this suggests this was not the first time that Abraham heard God speak to him. No, the Lord had already spoken to Abraham and now the Lord was calling Abraham to rededicate himself to a life of faith.

Knowing this truth blesses me. I have not always gotten the Lord’s call and word right the first time.  Like Abraham, if our heart wants to be obedient, the Lord will continue to speak and work with us until our obedience is sure.

 

 

We should avoid Terah’s mistake.  He stopped short of God’s call.  He settled in Haran.  Terah never made it to the Canaan. Instead, he settled for what life had to offer short of what God promised. It was possible that Terah started a life of faith, but became a castaway.  Terah wanted the blessings of God, like so many people.  I have known many who started the journey of faith in good shape and with strong convictions.  But somewhere down the road they settled for less than God ordained.

Even Abraham at first had a hard time believing God in the beginning. The truths gleaned from his life are that the life of faith is a process.  When we begin the journey of faith, our ability to trust in God is not perfect. In fact, the journey of faith is really a journey into maturity. Abram’s faith matured over the years because his life of faith was a process.

Just as Abraham had his moments of struggling to trust God, so will everyone else who receives God’s summons. Just as Abram wanted to hold on to the comfortable, the familiar, and the worldly, so will we. The main thing is to stay in our process.

If you are currently in the process of following the Lord, stay in your process.  Keep on, keeping on.  Things may not look pretty today, but if you stay with God’s word, His word will eventually have its effect in your life.

 

Blessings,

Pastor

 

 

 

What Is In a Name?

20 Tuesday Mar 2012

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“For it is through Isaac your descendants shall be named.” Genesis 21:12

Abraham had been waiting for an heir his entire life.  Specifically, God had promised this heir twenty-five years earlier.  Finally, the promise rested in his arms. His name was Isaac.  Even though the promise was fulfilled in the birth of Isaac, the naming of that promise wouldn’t take place for approximately another hundred years.

He said, Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed. Genesis 32:28

Having God name a promise is just as important as receiving that same promise.  When the Lord names a promise, He gives His certified seal of approval.  Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob went through numerous trials and tribulations individually.  All three generations held on in faith to the words God spoke to them.  In each generation there were those who sought to take their wives, cheat or steal their livelihood, and thus thwart God’s word.  In the end, God named the promise because they wrestled and struggled but prevailed.  This is what the name of Israel means.

You too will have to fight in order to inherit the promises of God.  This is only the beginning of your travails.  After receiving the promise, the world, the devil, and even some of your closest friends will fight to take that promise from you.  Yes, some of your fiercest battles will transpire on the other side of the promise being birthed.

Let this be an encouragement to you… God wants to name your promise as well.  When He does, no force in heaven or hell can change the outcome of that word.  God is good!

Blessings,

Pastor