21 Tuesday May 2013
Posted in News/Hot Topics
Tags
2 Samuel 22:7, cry for help, distress, God, may God bless and keep you, pray for Oklahoma, reached His ears, thoughts and prayers, tornados
Our thoughts and prayers go out to all those who experienced these tragic storms the past few days. May the Lord bless and keep you and cause His face to continually shine upon you during this time.
Blessings,
Pastor
16 Thursday May 2013
Posted in Luke, Receiving Revelation
Tags
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
10 Friday May 2013
Posted in Holidays and Special Events
Tags
anticipation, contortionism, envy, foresight, genetics, humor, irony, justice, mom sayings, Mother's Day, motherhood, religion, time travel, weather
Maybe your mother told you things like this… and maybe you miss hearing such excellent advice. Whatever the case, make sure and tell your mother how much you love her. If your mother has gone on to be with the Lord, thank the Lord for her this Mother’s Day.
Blessings,
Pastor
09 Thursday May 2013
Posted in Quotes
25 Thursday Apr 2013
Posted in Luke, Our Spiritual Process
Tags
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
21 Sunday Apr 2013
Tags
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
16 Tuesday Apr 2013
Posted in Luke
Tags
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
12 Friday Apr 2013
Posted in Luke
Tags
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 :
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
10 Wednesday Apr 2013
Posted in Dying to Self, Luke
Tags
a God related problem, anxiety, conquer not accept it, convicted about worry, divided mind, Jesus and His disciples, Luke 12:22, merimnao, our commitment to Christ, Swindol quote, take no thought of, worry, worry about worrying, worry and medical problems, worry is a besetting sin, worry is a faith killer
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.
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
08 Monday Apr 2013
Posted in Luke
Tags
a fool, cash, fruits of our labor, God's resources, lack of spiritual discernment, leave God out, Luke 12:20, Mark Twain Quote, Martin Luther quote, material blessings, Panama, Psalm 14:1, remove all doubt, Sears catalog, spiritual discernment
“But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?” Luke 12:20
The last thing you ever want God to call you is “a fool“. The Lord was not attempting to ascertain this man’s intellect but his lack of spiritual discernment. According to Scripture a fool is any person who leaves God out of life’s calculations. For example, “The fool has said in his heart there is no God.” Psalm 14:1
The man in Jesus’ story was a fool not because of what he said, but because of how he lived his life. He did not recognize his material blessings came from heaven. Fools leave God out of their lives.
Many years ago, a major American company had trouble keeping employees working in their assembly plant in Panama. The laborers lived in a generally agrarian, barter economy, but the company paid them in cash. After a week or two of work, the average employee had more cash in their pockets than ever before–so many of the workers quit! They were completely satisfied with what they had already made.
What was the solution? Company executives gave all their employees a Sears catalog. They brought a little bit of lust into their lives. No one quit then, because they all wanted the previously unimagined things they saw inside that book. Their focus changed – and so did their priorities.
When I was a kid, I always longed to see the Christmas edition of the Sears catalog. Every toy imaginable was in that book. I reviewed the contents for hours. Like the Panamanian workers, I saw things in that book which were previous unimaginable to me.
Without real spiritual discernment we all will act foolishly with our resources. Our hearts will lead us astray. As Martin Luther once said, “The Lord commonly gives riches to foolish people, to whom he gives nothing else.” In the end, someone else will enjoy the fruits our labor.
Blessings,
Pastor
eisakouo 