Reborn

On January 19, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 1: 12 – 13

But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

As pastors we often talk about believers being adopted into the family of God. The Jews were the family of God but through Jesus those of us who were former Gentiles are now part of the family. Though this is good thought and resonates well, it is a bit of an overstatement as well. In truth, we have been reborn and this second birth was as a child of God. We are born again by the will and design of God as His own children. We have a heritage in Christ and an inheritance.

God ordained and predestined us to be His own children. We have our lineage, then, through Christ to the Father of all. Ruminate on that for a moment. It isn’t just theology to say that we are children of God. It is family history. It is the line of who beget whom. Our lineage is through Jesus to the Father. He, Yahweh, is your real Dad. You were a glimmer in His eye long before your biological father was even a thought. At the dawn of time, God had you in mind. He had a plan for your welfare and your inheritance. His plan was that you would be born into His family and share in all that is His. What do you think of that?

The second time we were born, we were born as royalty. We were born again so that we could get all of the lines of lineage sorted by house. You are a child of the King because when you were reborn you were born of the King. Amen. If you can grasp how ultimately true this concept is, then you will have a new lease on life. You will never see things the same again. You are Yahweh’s kid. He provided the second birth so that you would be born into His family. That’s pretty big.

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Stoned Again

On January 18, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 8: 59

Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself, and went out of the temple.

Yesterday I shared a very similar verse with you. Jesus drove the Jews crazy. He inspired murderous intent in them. What was it about him that aggravated them so? Think of it this way. Jesus told them the truth, the absolute truth. Doesn’t it strike you as odd that the truth inspired such malicious actions? Here is another point to ponder. The Jews actually thought they were doing good in their persecution of him. They were trying to protect the church and the faith. They accused Jesus of blaspheme when he told them the truth and they believed that blaspheme should be silenced because of its potential damage to the church.

Another problem with what Jesus preached was that it was new. Rather than taking into consideration what Jesus proclaimed, they rejected it out of hand. What was the source of their fear? Why does a person’s articulation and sometimes even just their existence rattle people so? The Pharisees should have known that truth wills out. It will survive no matter what you do. The false will fade and wither. They even admitted that others had come previously claiming to be the Messiah but, their testimony did not last.

Jesus was aware of their justification of their thoughts and acts. He warned us that we would face this same dynamic. “They will make you outcasts from the synagogue, but an hour is coming for everyone who kills you to think that he is offering service to God” (John 16: 2). There is no need to be so reactionary and persecute people for their beliefs. God is bigger than any false doctrine. Moreover, there may be truth in what is said. Perhaps, though, it is the truth which frightens people most of all. And to be honest, it is not really the church which we seek to protect by our vehement rebuttal of opposing thought. We are in truth seeking to protect our thoughts and our way of life and that is the case even if our belief is wrong. We will fight to the death for a philosophy which isn’t even truth because to entertain an opposing idea challenges us. Why are we so afraid? What can another’s opinion do to us? We don’t have to force our ideology and views down other people’s throats in order for Yahweh to be seen as the glorious God He is. He is bigger than any paradigm we have yet constructed. Furthermore, Jesus has told us that he is doing a “new thing” so we need to relax and trust him and trust that he is well able to reveal truth amongst an abundance of opinion. Believe me, the prophets God is sending into the world are going to shake us up. They are going to challenge us. That’s okay. Father is well able to care for us and lead us into all truth.

It is very easy to look back at the Pharisees and the Jews and criticize them for their shortsightedness but we have become the modern day Pharisees. We serve a form of religion rather than the truth. Our opinions and doctrines sit on the throne of our faith rather than the Word of God. We listen to old, worn out theology and never even question whether it is rooted in the Bible. So much of what we defend is from Christian culture rather than the heart of God. Jesus came sharing good news. He went about doing good, (Acts 10: 38) not beating people up with the law. The commission he gave us was to continue his mission, to spread the good news of the gospel. We don’t need to try to convince people they are wrong treat, them as outcasts or slay them with our words. We only need to share the love of God and allow them to do the same. Whatever is true will prevail and we will be a unified body walking in the glory of our Lord.

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Stoned?

On January 17, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 10: 30 – 33

“I and the Father are one.” The Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, “I showed you many good words from the Father’ for which of them are you stoning Me?” The Jews answered Him, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.”

“The Jews took up stones AGAIN to stone Him.” This was not the first time they had attempted to stone Jesus. His reaction is classic. Rather than running, pulling a sword or calling down fire from heaven, Jesus stood there and argued with them. He questioned them about their reactions. What a testimony that is all by itself. Still, this word “again” begs for attention. Why were they never successful at stoning him? You understand, of course, that stoning is a death sentence. They were not trying to bruise him. Their intention was to kill him. Whatsmore, this was not the first time they had attempted to kill him by stoning him. So, clearly, they failed to kill him in at least one previous attempt. Why were they unable to kill Jesus?

It seems the answer is in verse 30. Jesus had a revelation of “I and the Father are one.” There must be power in that revelation. He knew it was not time to lay down his life so he did not give it up to them. It was this very statement, though, that so incensed the Jews. How dare he compare himself with God or even insinuate relationship with the Father?

Jesus’ life was threatened because of his confession about his position with God. We fairly well take this for granted now. For Jesus to declare that he and the Father are one is completely acceptable to us. Let us go the next step though. Are we ready to admit, accept and even confess that we and the Father are one? Would you say that about yourself. I hope so. It is true. The redemptive plan of God in all its brilliance can be boiled down to this simple statement. We have been joined with the Father. Jesus has restored us to union with God. As Jesus was in the earth, so are we. When you peel back the cover, that really is pretty amazing. Also amazing is that you will not be stoned for making this declaration.

So, I want you to start talking to the Father as if you and He are one. I want you to wake up in the morning as a walking, talking co-tenant with God. Wherever you go, He goes. Whatever He thinks, you think too. You hear His thoughts and share His ambitions.

(See also John 17: 21)

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Shout

On January 16, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Zephaniah 3: 14 -15

Shout for you, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away His judgments against you, He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you will fear disaster no more.

Jesus is the Word. He is the gospel. The gospel is the good news of Jesus, the Christ. So, every word in the Bible is a potential source of good news for you, you who are in Jesus. That includes the Old Testament. While you may not typically spend a great deal of time in the book of Zephaniah, it is good to see that God always had good plans for freedom and victory for us.

We have been adopted in the kingdom which was formerly the tribe of Israel. We are members of this family. So, who is the daughter of Zion? The daughter of Jerusalem? Who is Israel? It is you, of course. Some of you know that I frequently line through Israel and write in my own name. This is especially the case when it comes to a promise because every promise God has ever made belongs to me.

I want you to receive today’s passage with the soft tissue of your heart. Here the exultation and the longing for the family. You have good news, you should have a good expectation in all things because the King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst. He is in your breath. Shout in triumph! Rejoice! He, your Father and King, has vanquished your enemies.

However, that is not all. He has put your just judgment behind Him. He has taken it away. People get so hung up on judgment but, let us not. The Word is quite plain about judgment. Jesus bore our judgment so that we can live as God desired, in perfect union with Him. We are made clean by the blood so that no veil of sin separates us from the love of God. We are now positioned where He can pour out His goodness upon us.

Now if that isn’t shouting ground, I clearly don’t know what is. Shout in triumph, the triumph of our Lord Jesus. Glory to his most holy name!

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Ears On

On January 13, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

John 10: 27

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

Get ready for a year of lots of good news. That is what the gospel is afterall, right? So let us begin here. God has opened your ear (Isaiah 50: 5). So, now you can hear Jesus’ voice. Our challenge for this year is believing what Jesus said. Could he tell a lie? Do you think he did even if he could? So what did it mean when he said his sheep hear his voice? It seems pretty plain, doesn’t it? The next question is, “Are you his sheep?” I like to think you are and if you do answer this question in the affirmative, then I have some good news for you. You can hear Jesus’ voice! I take that back – it’s not good news, it’s great news!

Let me ask you a question. Do you ever tune out your spouse or a co-worker? That ability to tune out background sounds can be very beneficial. However, your spouse probably isn’t all that excited about your gift. That ability may well operate to tune out Jesus’ voice as well. Everyone who is part of Jesus’ flock has the ability to hear him speak. However, some people hear him and others don’t. Why? Some people have cultivated the ability to tune out much of their sensory data. In order to hear Jesus’ voice many of us have to learn to listen. I will confess it took me some time to hear him speaking to me regularly. Even now, my ability to hear him is dependent on my surroundings. If I do not slow down and pay attention, I will miss his communications.

The good news, though, is that we all have the ability to hear Jesus speaking to us. We just have to develop our listening capacity. We have to turn on and tune in our ears. Journaling is one way to help focus your attention and your tuner. It makes it easier to block out the noise so that you hear Jesus more clearly and even easier.

Let’s put this on our goal list for the New Year, to plainly and clearly hear the voice of God!

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Answer the Phone

On January 12, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Isaiah 42: 9

“Behold, the former things have come to pass, now I declare new things; before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.”

It seems like every time I have opened my Bible this week, my eyes have fallen on Isaiah 43: 19, which reads, “Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth.” Today I found Isaiah 42: 9 quite by accident. Do you think God is trying to say something? Are you the person to whom God is speaking; for whom God’s insistence is palpable?

God has a message for you. Behold, old things have passed away. He is doing a new thing in you and with you. It is the beginning of a new year and your Father has good plans for you. He wants to do something new in your life this year, something grand. There is more for you, bigger and better things.

Allow me, please, to remind you of Psalm 46: 10, which says, “Cease striving and know that I am God.” The King James says, “Be still.” If I were in your shoes, I would very much want to hear what these new things are that Jesus wants to proclaim to you. The best ways I know to hear these plans and revelation is to slow yourself down, be still and let your heart and mind ruminate over the scriptures. The Word gives you a foundation, a structure for your musings. Without it your mental wanderings will sometimes be vague and unanchored. I also find that the Word helps me to be still and ponder God.

I know from Jeremiah 29: 11 that God has a good plan for you this year; a plan for your well-being. He wants to encourage you and give you a hope for new and great things. Get alone with your Father and ask Him what it is that He wants to tell you, show you. He is loudly calling you. Are you listening? Answer the phone!

(See also Isaiah 48: 6, 2nd Corinthians 5: 17)

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In Jesus’ Shoes

On January 11, 2017   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Luke 2: 41 – 49         God’s Word translation

Every year Jesus’ parents would go to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. When he was 12 years old, they went as usual. When the festival was over, they left for home. The boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents didn’t know it. They thought that he was with the others who were traveling with them. After traveling for a day, they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. When they didn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. Three days later, they found him in the temple courtyard. He was sitting among the teachers, listening to them, and asking them questions. His understanding and his answers stunned everyone who heard him. When his parents saw him, they were shocked. His mother asked him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been worried sick looking for you!” Jesus said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you realize that I had to be in my Father’s house?”

I know this story is long but don’t you think it is great? Jesus was incredulous at his parents’ question. How did they not know where he was? The King James version says Jesus was about his Father’s business. He was right where they should have expected to find him. You’ve just got to love that.

Do you know that we are supposed to be able to do everything that Jesus did? We are supposed to walk in this world as he did. He is our model. But wait, shall we embrace the entire truth? Jesus said that not only would we do the things he did but that we would do greater works, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father” (John 14: 12). Get out! We are actually supposed to eclipse Jesus. Isn’t that what this passage says? Well that is a tall order to fill.

So here is what has been rolling around in my head this year so far. Jesus was about his Father’s business. He was almost incensed, certainly surprised that his parents didn’t know where to find him. While everyone else was eating and drinking, partying with their friends at the feast, Jesus was communing with his Father. He was hanging out in the synagogue learning and growing in wisdom. Now, I want to be like Jesus. Query: If I wish to walk in the earth as Jesus did, if I want to do the works he did, then isn’t it reasonable to speculate that I am going to have to learn and grow as he did? You see, Jesus emptied himself of his deity when he came here (Philippians 2: 7). He grew in wisdom by busying himself with his Father’s business.

I contrast my life. I am more proficient in computer games than Jesus and I watch much more television than he. If my goal is to eclipse him in computer games and TV watching, then I am on the right path. If, however, I really do wish to be like him, I think I am going to have to shift my priorities a bit. I presume Jesus had leisure time also and am not suggesting that we need to be workaholics. I am merely setting my sights for this year and attempting to determine what actions will yield the results I wish. It is pointless for me to set lofty goals if I do not proceed to break down those goals into action steps and decide if I am willing to do that which is required for the attainment of my goals. If I truly want to be like Jesus, what am I willing to do to position myself to receive the answer to this prayer? Shall I pray and ask the Holy Spirit to lead me and then turn a deaf ear when he tells me what things will help me?

What would you like God to do in your life this year? What is He speaking to you?

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