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

Use It, Or Lose It

23 Tuesday Aug 2011

Posted by eisakouo in Receiving Revelation

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fresh revelations, Matthew 13:11-12, mysteries, spiritual revelation, truth, use it or lose it, wisdom

Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. ¹² For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.” Matthew 13:11-12

I hate to see people lose anything. Whether it is an athletic ability, musical talent, or mental capacity. There is a phrase we hear bantered around quite often. It is, “use it or lose it.” It means if you stop using your ability, talent, or gift atrophy will set in and the gift you once possessed will fade. It is a slow fade, but a costly one.

What is true in the physical world is equally true in the spiritual world as well. Jesus is seeking to communicate this principle to His disciples. Except Jesus is not necessarily talking about a talent or ability, but spiritual revelation, wisdom and truth.

Maybe you have seen this principle of the Kingdom at work in your life. A truth you once possessed with great conviction is now a thing of the past. You used to believe that truth. You once tried to help others in that area where you had victory, but now you wonder it was ever true.

Listen, the mysteries of the Kingdom do not have to be mysteries. They can once again be self-evident revelations you actually believe and possess. If you would go back and pick up those precious revelations and allow the Lord to breath new life in them, they will become alive to you just like the day you first discovered them. You may have lost them because you failed to treat them as holy. The worse sin is to not repent and correct the issues that now confront you. The Lord desperately wants to give you fresh revelations of Himself right now so that you will have an abundance of His Kingdom.

Guide You In All Truth

22 Monday Aug 2011

Posted by eisakouo in Our Spiritual Process

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directional information, GPS, guide, Holy Spirit, John 16:13, spiritual GPS, spiritual journey, trust, truth, wisdom

But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. John 16:13

Have you ever traveled anywhere using GPS? Insert your own joke here. In reality, we as a society have had to grow accustomed to having a computer voice telling us our next turn. Now that we have gotten used to the idea of using them, we have gotten better at using them. We know when they will be reliable and when it might be better simply following the signs. The point is that a GPS is only as good as the maps inside.

The Holy Spirit works on our behalf like a GPS in this fashion. He speaks to us and gives us directional information from heaven’s perspective. If we fail to follow His directions, it is not His fault. He cannot make our turns or coerce us to choose correctly. His job is to speak what He hears from heaven. Our job is to listen. Just like it doesn’t make good sense to yell back to the GPS, it doesn’t do any good to be in disagreement with the Holy Spirit. He is our Guide, not our consultant. When we choose to treat Him as a consultant, He simply stops speaking.

Jesus was trying to convince His disciples of the benefits and advantages of trusting the Holy Spirit. Jesus trusted the Spirit’s guidance and so should you. If we can learn to trust and use a man-made GPS, we can learn to trust and use God’s spiritual GPS, the Holy Spirit. His maps and guidance of our spiritual journey are not incomplete, but perfect. The Holy Spirit’s mandate is to guide us in all truth. Are you taking advantage of His wisdom and trusting Him with your future?

“Behold, I Come Quickly”

03 Wednesday Aug 2011

Posted by eisakouo in The Lord's Return

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behold I come quickly, believe, face the music, fake believe, I am the Alpha and Omega, Revelation 22, solo, truth

¹² “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. ¹³ I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Revelation 22:12-13

One of the things that helps keep true believers alert is the knowledge of the Lord’s return. Jesus spoke on numerous occasions about the need for everyone to be ready and to be watching and waiting for His imminent return. Two thousand years seems to be a long time to wait, but as each day passes we are one day closer.

With this in mind, would you be ready to meet the Lord today? It is easy to “fake believe” that you and the Lord are close. No one knows the actual truth, but Jesus knows! The truth is you can be just as close to the Lord right now as any other point in the past, present or future. We all determine each day how close we desire to be to the Lord and how relevant He is to our lives. I am reminded of a story by Max Lucado that illustrates the point that one day we will all give account of our lives.

Many years ago a man conned his way into the orchestra of the emperor of China, although he could not play a note. Whenever the group practiced or performed, he would hold his flute against his lips, pretending to play but not making a sound. He received a modest salary and enjoyed a comfortable living. Then one day the emperor requested a solo from each musician. The flutist got nervous. There wasn’t enough time to learn the instrument. He pretended to be sick, but the royal physician wasn’t fooled. On the day of his solo performance, the impostor took poison and killed himself. The explanation of his suicide led to a phrase that found its way into the English language: “He refused to face the music.”

It is true, we all eventually “face the music.” We may “fake the music” for a while, but the truth comes out in the end when we have to perform a solo. Be ready for Jesus’ return now, so that whenever He appears, you are prepared.