A.L.I.V.E.

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philippians 3:20

One of my Bible professors used to always say, "As Christians we need to always be cross-eyed and crown headed." I spent all of last year being "cross eyed," completely focused on the cross that Jesus came to die upon to pay for my sin. The cross is something that I can endlessly study, meditate on, and it never leaves me feeling bored or content, but leaves me humbly living in obedience to God, denying myself, and taking up my cross daily (Luke 9:23).

However, the part of being "crown-headed" never really clicked until a couple of months ago. My teacher really meant that we are to push for eternal rewards (crowns), but all I need as my treasure and reward is Jesus Christ. I have been thinking and processing the reality of heaven and eternity a lot lately. I think, as Christians, we know heaven is real, we know we will be there eventually, but do we really know how real it is? The same Bible professor who used to tell us to live this way also used an acronym A.L.I.V.E. (Always Living In View of Eternity). Really think about that, we would live different if we consistently thought in an eternal perspective.

How would we engage people differently? How would we react to temptation when it stares us right in the face? Would our obedience to the Word of God go far beyond orthodoxy (right knowing) and move on to orthopraxy (right doing)?

Lately I just keep thinking what it will be like seeing Jesus face to face, really, think about that moment. The tears flowing, seeing the unseen that you had faith in (Hebrews 11:1), and literally talking with God the Son who saved you from eternal separation from Him. Can you imagine? What about understanding all the mysteries of God? Finding out what your job will be for all eternity? Talking with Moses, Paul, Elijah, Stephen, relatives, people who trusted in Christ because of you and you don't even know them? What about the thought of no more tears (Revelation 21:4), no more sin, no more abandonment?

Those are just some things I wanted to share that I have been processing lately. Think about these things. Sometimes we get so caught up in life, obedience, hurt, happiness, etc. that we forget to ponder what IS to come. Praise God for these things, all the glory to Him!

Also, listen to the new Phil Wickham CD titled Heaven and Earth. Phil is an amazing singer/songwriter and his new album is all about eternity. It has brought me to tears numerous times as I praise God for the truth of eternity.

RECONCILIATION

blessed be the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.

Romans 4:8

Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

Romans 5:9-10

Concerning reconciliation, John Stott writes:

“Justification is our legal standing before our judge in the court, reconciliation is our personal relationship with our Father.”

To me, reconciliation is one of the most beautiful themes, if not the most, in the entire Bible. You see, for us to be reconciled it must have once been that we were already in relationship and things were good. However, we must also recognize that for reconciliation to take place that our relationship with God was fractured, and we see this as we read Genesis 3 and from then on watch the disobedience of man against God.

The beauty of it is that “while we were enemies (Rom. 5:9),” God came and rescued us. Once again, like in propitiation and justification, we have no part in reconciliation. The Father is loving enough to not just restore us into right relationship through the death and resurrection of the Son, but we now are adopted sons and daughters with all the love possible from the Father (Rom. 8:12-17).

So what are the effects of reconciliation, other than being adopted by the Father?

The first result of reconciliation is simple, complete humility! When we rightly deserved eternal punishment (Rom. 3:23), God the Father initiated reconciliation, God the Son made it possible, and God the Holy Spirit made us new.

The second result is seen in 2 Corinthians 5:18-20 and Ephesians 4:17-24. We are to put off the old self (our sinful wicked ways) and live in obedience to God and be ambassadors of Christ. To hear more on the 2 Corinthians passage you can hear a sermon I just preached on it at www.sevensdchurch.com or go on iTunes and type in Seven San Diego Church.

So, as we ask ourselves the question I asked you two days ago to keep at the forefront of your minds, did Christ have to die for us, the answer so far is a definite yes. The Father needed a perfect sacrifice to satisfy His wrath, the Father needed a perfect man to take our punishment if we were to be seen innocent, and the Father needed Christ’s death and resurrection to restore us into right relationship with Him.

Of all these, reconciliation is by far the most personal, for we have now been restored to a VERY personal relationship with God.

JUSTIFICATION

…who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

Romans 4:25

We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

Galatians 2:15-16

Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.

Romans 5:18

When remembering this theological term, justification, my girlfriend remembers it’s meaning by saying it this way: “Just- as- if- I- never sinned at all.” That is very true and a good way to remember it.

Justification is actually a legal courtroom term that means to have right legal standing before God. You see, when someone puts their trust in the person and works of Jesus Christ, their guilty verdict of sin is put upon Jesus Christ (propitiation), and his innocence is imputed to them and they are completely forgiven and no longer liable to punishment (justification).

The Galatians verse I posted above (2:15-16) makes it completely clear that we are not justified by our feeble attempts to please God, but through faith in Jesus Christ alone. The term justification is just dripping with grace because it is all from God.

Picture this: There are 2 men living completely different lives. The first is a “man” who lives the perfect life. He never lies, never steals, in fact he never sins at all. He ends up becoming a well-known judge and is responsible for sentencing criminals to prison for their wrong doings. Now, the second man is a filthy criminal. He has good intentions, but overall is guilty of lying, cheating, stealing, etc. No matter how hard he tries to be “good” he ends up failing.

Imagine this: The criminal stands before the judge for all his crimes. The judge knows he is guilty but decides to take the man’s due punishment upon himself and let the guilty criminal go free. In the same way, Jesus Christ, the sinless perfect Judge has taken the punishment of all who are guilty that put their trust in Him. Those who do trust in Christ are gracefully given a completely innocent title.

We must realize that Paul did not invent the concept of justification. In the Parable of the Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14), Jesus justifies a tax collector for his humility and trust in Jesus Christ. Justification is also a concept we see laced through the Old Testament, especially in the Passover. Isaiah 53:11 says:

Out of the anguish of his (Jesus) soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.

Isaiah 53:11

There is a lot more to justification than this, but I believe these basics are understandable and will give you a general understanding. If you remember these 2 parts, you will have a basic understanding: 1) Forgiveness of past sins takes place through faith in Jesus Christ 2)Christ’s righteousness (perfect life) is imputed to us through justification.

Praise God for justifying me, for I was guilty in my sin. Think through this concept today and what it means to you. Explain this to your non-believing friends.

Propitiation

As you read these studies, keep a few questions in mind that we need to answer, or at least attempt to answer. The first question we must keep in mind is, was it necessary for Christ to die? Let that specific question linger while we discuss our first term of the atonement: Propitiation

Propitiation: In simple terms, propitiation means that God’s wrath against sin is appeased, or satisfied.

God is a holy, righteous and just God, among many other attributes. Because He is all of these things all of the time, sin is completely offensive to God and He cannot sin nor be in the presence of sin. You see, when we sin we offend His holiness and for Him to be completely just, His wrath must burn against us and the due punishment is hell. Before I explain a bit more of whether or not Christ had to die, I will list the 4 times the word propitiation is used I the Bible.

…whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. –Romans 3:25

Therefore he had to be made like his brothers, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. –Hebrews 2:17

He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. -1 John 2:2

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. -1 John 4:10

So, out of love for us, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ to be the propitiation of our sins. The only way this could take place is if the sacrifice was sinless (Rom. 5:19) and that God’s wrath was paid in full. Therefore, Christ took our place on the cross and soaked up ALL the wrath of God out of love for us, leaving us innocent in God’s eyes.

God did not just forget our sin, but instead poured out all his wrath on the Son at the cross. Here is where things get very emotional and should force you to your knees in thankfulness:

1) Jesus Christ was in perfect unity with the Father and the Holy Spirit for all eternity. In Matthew 27:46 Jesus cries, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” At this point, for the first time ever, the Son was separated from the Trinity and made to be sin, separation because God cannot be in the presence of sin.

2) Fathers, think through this one: The Father was pleased with the sacrifice, since that is what propitiation basically means. Imagine your son crying for help, being tortured and beaten, and you stand there pleased at what is happening to your son. Some people have gone as far to say that this is the most vulgar account of child abuse in human history. However, God did this knowing that 1) Jesus would conquer death and be raised from the dead 2) God would restore all sinners who trust in the person and work of Christ on the cross back into a right relationship with Him.

This is the definition of propitiation in short. Please meditate on these facts today and realize the love God has for you.

“But the gospel begins with the outspoken assertion that nothing we can do, say, offer or even contribute can compensate for our sins or turn away God’s anger.” –John Stott, The Cross of Christ

THE CROSS

Over the next week to two weeks I will be studying and writing on the atonement. My main focus and purpose in this is to grow closer to Jesus and look a bit deeper into the cross. There is a secondary purpose to this study, which will be shown through the writing. I want my study to be a tool for the church, specifically Seven San Diego Church. A lot of times we throw around words like justification, propitiation, and reconciliation and some Christians might not understand these. However, they are highly important concepts and help make clear why Christ died on the cross, for who Christ died for on the cross, etc.

My friends, there is nothing more important than studying what Christ did on the cross. Please feel free to ask questions, write comments, or call me so we can discuss anything I do not write clearly enough for you to understand. My heart loves studying this stuff and I will do my best to make it simple and understandable. One thing I ask is that you pass on what I write to non-Christian friends and please be purposeful and missional and discuss these things with them. I hope this will bring you as much joy as it will for me.

Lesson Learned

The other day, October 9th to be exact, I changed my relationship status to single on Facebook. I did not expect the flood of questions that came along with that. So, this is my attempt to answer those questions, share an honest story of disobedience, and explain an amazing lesson learned through trust and repentance.

As most of you know, I was married in August of 2008. What most of you do not know is the disobedience I had towards God and what lengths I went to to ignore His commands. To save time and typing, I was given the impression through lots of prayer and scripture reading that I was not to marry the girl I was dating. However, I wanted to be Jesus to a broken girl and despite the physical and verbal abuse that took place from and to both of us, I pushed forward. Many friends told me not to marry this individual, but I did. Her relationship with Jesus was not authentic, as far as scripture says, and I felt she pursued God through me, but I am a sinner and I soon showed to be imperfect and a sinner.

After some clear and extreme signs to not marry her came about, we married in August 08'. I loved like Christ loved the Church, I was willing to die for her. However, due to an abusive upbringing and lack of trust in men, I was soon pushed away and she chose other things over me. In February of 2009, I gave an ultimatum that would force her to choose me, or these "other things." She chose the other things. I humbly moved out and into a dining room where a kitchen table should be. 3 close brothers took me in and nurtured me, but I was not used to such love.

This break led to the most intense study of the atonement of Christ and what He did on the cross for me. I was broken and camped daily and nightly at the foot of the cross...but I was still blaming her and had a lot of anger and bitterness, so I kept studying!!!

God kept breaking me, over and over and over. I spent many days in tears, literally balling my eyes out and loudly weeping in confusion. I was more upset that God allowed it, not at her disobedience and unfaithfulness. Only the closest most trusted people in my life new. I somehow shoved it down while at school all day and still attained straight A's. Slowly over time, my roommates, some other close friends, my pastor, and my parents brought me to a place of unconditional love. I was loved!!!

I always judged those men in ministry who got divorced, "Did they not understand the sanctity of marriage?" A few months later I was served divorce papers and watched my wife return to the lifestyle of her past. I fought for this marriage, like no other. But we have a sovereign God who knows all, and while some might disagree, this was His will for me. It was a lesson and discipline of my disobedience. The blame must not be put on her for this, but on me alone!

If it was not for this all taking place, the cross would not be as glorious as it is to me, I would not have the lenses I have now for a equally "gospel-lensed" woman, and I would not know the extreme call of obedience to holiness God requires of us!!! I was transformed!!!

So what now??? I am a man who loves Jesus like no other. I am finishing my last year of my undergraduate degree, preparing to move to Dallas for seminary, and have my eyes fixed on a gospel-lensed woman!!!

I am healed!!! I am loved!!! I am a vessel of honorable use when I was heading towards a path of being of dishonorable use. Thanks for all the questions and concern...this is me now!!!

The Great Exchange

As some of you may know, I get up very early every day to read the Scriptures. This is my way of meeting with Jesus and just learning about how I can glorify him, where I am falling short, where I am doing good, etc. I keep a file on my computer of my daily recordings of my readings. I write an analysis on every single verse, which helps me study deeper, learn more, remember more, and glorify my Creator.

Today I was brought to tears, which isn't a rarity most mornings, but I just really wanted to share a bit with you today from a specific passage. Please enjoy...and think!

Luke 23:25

Barabbas is a violent, grotesque animal that when we read through the lenses of our current salvation, we tremble at the fact of this murderer being released in exchange for Jesus. We must take off our bias lenses and look what is really happening here. Who is Barabbas? We are Barabbas! We are the robbers, the insurrectionists, the murderers. We have sinned and been released!

Pilate can almost be seen as the Father here. He let us go, while we were once guilty, but the innocence of the sinless Christ is now applied to us. We are free to go, from all condemnation. But, Christ is then punished for our innocence. Taken captive as a criminal, beaten, mocked, flogged, and crucified, to DEATH! This is quite an exchange!!! Sad, amazing, not worthy, loved, these are only a few emotions that can be expressed.

You have killed!!!

MURDERED!

There was a day, as I took my walks abroad,
when I came by a spot forever engraven upon
my memory, for there I saw this Friend,
my best, my only Friend... MURDERED!

I stooped down in sad affright, and looked at Him.
I saw that His hands had been pierced with rough iron nails, and His feet had been torn in the same way.
There was misery in His dead countenance so terrible
that I scarcely dared to look upon it.
His body was emaciated with hunger, His back was red with
bloody scourges, and His brow had a circle of wounds about it:
clearly could one see that these had been pierced by thorns.

I shuddered, for I had known this Friend full well.
He never had a fault; He was the purest of the pure,
the holiest of the holy.

Who could have injured Him?

For He never injured any man: all His life long He "went about
doing good." He had healed the sick, He had fed the hungry, He
had raised the dead: for which of these works did they kill Him?
He had never breathed out anything else but love - and as I
looked into the poor sorrowful face, so full of agony, and yet
so full of love, I wondered who could have been a wretch so
vile as to pierce hands like His.

I said within myself, "Where can these traitors live?
Who are these that could have smitten such an One as this?"

Had they murdered an oppressor, we might have forgiven them;
had they slain one who had indulged in vice or villainy,
it might have been his desert; had it been a murderer and a rebel,
or one who had committed sedition, we would have said,
"Bury his corpse: justice has at last given him his due."

But when You were slain, my best, my only-beloved,
where did the traitors hide?
Let me seize them, and they shall be put to death!
If there be torments that I can devise, surely they shall
endure them all. Oh! what jealousy; what revenge I felt!
If I might but find these murderers, what I would do to them!

And as I looked upon that corpse, I heard a footstep,
and wondered where it was.
I listened, and I clearly perceived that the murderer was
close at hand! It was dark, and I groped about to find him.
I found that, somehow or other, wherever I put out my hand,
I could not meet with him, for he was NEARER to me than my
hand would go.

At last I put my hand upon MY BREAST. "I have you now"
said I - for lo! he was IN MY OWN HEART - the murderer
was hiding within my own bosom, dwelling in the recesses
of my INMOST SOUL.

Ah! then I wept indeed, that I, in the very presence of my
murdered Master, should be harboring the murderer - and I
felt myself most guilty while I bowed over His corpse, and sang
that plaintive hymn...
"Twas you, MY SINS, my cruel sins,
His chief tormentors were;
Each of my crimes became a nail,
and unbelief the spear."

Amid the rabble which hounded the Redeemer to His doom,
there were some gracious souls whose bitter anguish sought vent in
wailing and lamentations- fit music to accompany that march of woe.

When my soul can, in imagination, see the Saviour bearing
His cross to Calvary, she joins the godly women, and weeps
with them; for, indeed, there is true cause for grief, cause
lying deeper than those mourning women thought.
They bewailed innocence maltreated, goodness persecuted,
love bleeding, meekness about to die - but my heart has
a deeper and more bitter cause to mourn.

MY SINS were the scourges which lacerated those blessed
shoulders, and crowned with thorns those bleeding brows;
my sins cried -
"Crucify Him! Crucify Him!"
and laid the cross upon His gracious shoulders.

His being led forth to die is sorrow enough for one eternity;
but MY having been His murderer, is more, infinitely more
grief than one poor fountain of tears can express.

If Christ has died for me, ungodly as I am, without strength
as I am, then I cannot live in sin any longer, but must arouse
myself to love and serve Him who has redeemed me.

I cannot trifle with the evil which slew my best Friend.

I must be holy for His sake.

HOW CAN I LIVE IN SIN WHEN HE HAS
DIED TO SAVE ME FROM IT?

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Shaping our Culture

The other day in one of my classes, we were discussing how much shapes have shaped cultures views, leadership, and even community. In early Egypt, they had a dictatorship style government where the leader was at the top, picture a pyramid, and the slave class was a large amount of people at the bottom. Oddly enough, their architecture was....you guessed it, pyramids.

America, especially in the 50's to know, has a mixture of the pyramid/square culture. We would say democracy is our goverNments approach, but face it we really don't have a say. Anyways, our land is always layed out in squares. Take a flight and look down sometime; square land plots, square buildings, etc.

Stick w/ me here, almost done w/ the illustration!

The Indians have a circle culture. They have a circular government where when a war leader is needed, that specific leader steps in the middle of the "circle" and is in charge. Then, when it's time to move villages, the leader who is best at moving the tribe moves to the center of the circle while the other leader exits. Guess what kind of structure they lived in? A circular Teepee.

As I thought through this in our culture today, especially the church, I had to be honest with myself and realize that, for the most part, it seems that most churches are led in a pyramid/square style. Sometimes, especially in a lot of the mega churches (not all of them), decisions come down to one man. As I thought through this, I thought about Romans 12 and how it can coincide with the circle shape that the Indians trusted in. If we have a body of believers, we can depend on those whose gifts are needed at the time and continue the cycle effectively.

These are just some random thought and hope they open up a discussion of some sort.

Spiritual Gift: Shepherding

The spiritual gift of shepherding is one I was very excited to tackle, that is why I made it a separate day of study from the gift of teaching, and saved it for our last dat of spiritual gifts. I believe the American Church has hindered the growth and effectiveness of some it's teachers by expecting those with the gift of teaching to automatically have the gift of shepherding/pastoring. THESE ARE DIFFERENT!!! I in no way doubt that God has given some people the gift of teaching and pastoring, but I am convinced they do not come in a 2 for 1 deal. So, with that said, let's look at the spiritual gift of shepherding.

In the Greek, poimen, literally means a herdsmen. In the context of Ephesians 4:11, it is the shepherd/pastor's job to train and equip the Church. In the days when this verse was written, the author, Paul, would have had the duties of an actual eastern shepherd in mind. Some of the shepherds main duties were: 1)To watch for enemies trying to attack the sheep 2)To defend the sheep from attackers 3)To heal the wounded and sick sheep 4) To find and save lost or trapped sheep 5) To love them, sharing their lives and so earning your trust.

The greatest example of a shepherd/pastor is of course Jesus. John 10:1-18. Read this carefully! Jesus was speaking in the context of saving his people, but I believe this is the example he left for those with the spiritual gift of shepherding to abide by.

This is my main warning and concern for those of you with this gift. Guard and equip your sheep, but also guard yourselves!! I once heard a very wise friend of mine say that too many "pastors" are doing a bucket load of things at 50%, when they are gifted in one or two things that could be done at 100%. Church leaders: Equip your sheep to do what they were created to do. You will watch them fail, but through that they will learn. This will free up what you pastors/shepherds were made to do, and do it well!

I hope this study of spiritual gifts was convicting and encouraging for you all. Thanks for all the encouraging notes and I hope you all work at fully shaping the gifts God has given you.

If you do not know Jesus and have more questions about him and how he died on the cross a sinless man for your sins, was resurrected from the dead 3 days later, and wants you to trust in him so you can spend eternity with him, please message me and I will explain my life and what the Bible says about the cross. I love you all!!

Spiritual Gift: Evangelism

The spiritual gift of evangelism is found in Ephesians 4:11. Along with other gifts (apostleship, prophets, shepherds, and teachers) evangelism is to be used to equip the church body (Ephesians 4:11-12). It is the Greek word euaggelistes defines those who herald Christ's name who are NOT apostles.

Philip was an evangelist (Acts 21:8) and you can read what the the gift of evangelism looked like through him in action in Acts 8:26-40. Also, In 2 Timothy 4:5, Paul is telling his successor Timothy to do the work of an evangelist, which when tied back to 1 Tim. 1:1; 2 Tim 1:8, 10; and 2:8) is being commanded to share the gospel, or evangelize.

Now, I don't believe everybody has the gift of evangelism but I do believe Christ has called us all to share the gospel. If you spend the next month reading a chapter of Acts a day, you will see why. Also, why would you want to hide the ONLY thing that can truly save people from an eternal suffering (Revelation 20:15)? Do not be ashamed to share the GOSPEL, I beg you, it is the power of salvation (Rom. 1:16)

As we have studied spiritual gifts so far, we know they are for the encouragement of the body. What does this look like with the evangelist. The evangelist can encourage the body with his/her passion for the cross AND excitement to not only equip (Eph. 4:11-12) the Church on properly sharing the gospel, but also encouraging them by new converts saved into the Church!

Spiritual Gift: Apostleship

I will get straight to what I believe, from studying the text, about apostleship. I have a hard time seeing this gift being used or given today. However, I believe every other spiritual gift is given or exercised today, so why not this one? I will do my best to answer that without writing a bunch of pages.

The Greek word for apostle is apostolos. This means it is someone sent forth with a message, to delegate, or with orders. This word is always in the passive, meaning apostles had no initiative but were instead put in this position (Matthew 10:1; Romans 1:1). Among the lists of Spiritual Gifts in the New Testament, Apostleship shows up only in 1 Corinthians 12:28 and Ephesians 4:11 and both times seem to be types of leadership roles.

Paul constantly called himself an apostle (1 Cor. 1:1; 2 Cor. 1:1, 11:13; Gal. 1:1, Eph. 1:1), but did it end with him? In 2 Corinthians 8:23, Paul calls some of the congregation apostolos. He also calls Epaphroditus an apostolos, in his place, in Philippians 2:25. It seems to me that apostle and evangelist (tomorrow's spiritual gift) are similar because they both deliver a message, although tomorrow you will see one major difference in definitions of the two.

So, whether or not apostleship is for today, I don't know. Some would say it is like leadership or the ability to plant churches. However, if we stay in the text we see that it is usually a messenger and all, except 3 (Philippians 2:25; 2 Cor. 8:23; and Acts 1:26), were instituted by Christ himself.

Spiritual Gift: Prophecy

The spiritual gift of prophecy is found in 4 areas of the Bible: Romans 12:6, 1 Corinthians 12:10, 1 Corinthians 12:28, and Ephesians 4:11. Prophecy is the God-given ability to receive direct revelation from God, proclaim the revelation for the encouragement of the body, and even some prophets can predict the future (from God). Throughout the Old Testament, we have a ton of prophetic books...from Jeremiah to Malachi.

God used these prophets to warn Israel of future destruction, blessing, and covenants. For some of the bigger and clearer example of prophecy, read Isaiah 52:12-53:12; Jeremiah 31:1-40; Psalm 22; these are just a few among MANY!! We also see examples prophecy in the New Teastament: Acts 21:11; Ephesians 2:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21; and all throughout 1 Corinthians 12-14.

So what about today? Do we see prophecy still, and if so, what is the prophets purpose? Once again, I believe all the gifts are for today but alot of churches don't encourage them. In Romans, Paul instructs prophets to only prophecy when the Holy Spirit is leading or directing them to do so. Also, in Ephesians 4:11-12 prophets are called to equip or train others in the Church (alongside the teachers, evangelists, apostles, and shepherds), so the Church can do work for the ministry. That's right...everyone should be doing work for the ministry!!!

If you have the gift of prophecy, you should be 1)Using it 2)Using it when led by the Holy Spirit 3) Using it for the encouragement of the church.

Spiritual Gift: Ability to distinguish between spirits

This spiritual gift is designed to distinguish demons from the Holy Spirit. I sat here for a while this morning thinking through this. I believe this is a gift that needs to be used and WOULD encourage the Church. So many times, myself included, have felt led towards a conclusion about a certain situation. If not well disciplined in waiting for conformation from the Holy Spirit, I think we can be misled into the plans of Satan and his demons.

The Greek words for distinguish and spirits are diakriseis and pneumaton. Some scholars believe that this means to interpret revelation, like prophecy. However, more bible students would conclude that it means to distinguish between the Holy Spirit and demons.

Remember in Exodus 7:10-12 when Moses was doing miraculous signs by the Spirit, then Pharaoh's wisemen and magicians would do the same tricks. Moses was able to distinguish between spirits here. Pharaoh was hard hearted and was being led by powers of evil. Again, in Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus says that many peeps would come performing miracles and casting out demons in his name...but Jesus says he never knew them. How scary is this? How many people say daily that they feel God is doing something huge? How do we know it is Him? I am not trying to scare you, but am hoping I lead you more into a discipline of Scripture reading and prayer, to help discern between spirits.

Let's pray that God would show people in the Church who has this gift, or develop it in someone who doesn't know they have it...for the encouragement of the body and above all, the glory of God!! Peace and grace.

Spiritual Gift: Utterance of wisdom

The only place in Scripture that the spiritual gift of wisdom is located is 1 Corinthians 12:8. It says this: For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit.

Like the other spiritual gifts, wisdom is given by the Holy Spirit. It is not a natural wisdom, but an imparted gift from the Spirit for the encouragement of the Church. According to Frank Thielman, Ph.D. of Divinity at Duke University (ESV Study Bible), this is the only place in Scripture Paul uses these specific Greek words together: logos sophias and logos gnoseos. These mean the speaking or words of divine or mysterious things and the speaking or words of more advanced knowledge.

Since we know Paul uses a separate term for prophecy (propheteia), we could believe that Paul is explaining the gift as an ability to speak wisely or with knowledge into a hard to understand or discerning situation.

D.A. Carson says in his commentary on 1 Cor. 12:8 "In the Old Testament, wisdom was split into two approaches: 1) A practical way of telling believers how to live their lives under the fear of God 2) Wisdom was more theoretical and doctrinal explained through teaching."

We must realize the verse in context and how it is grouped with other spiritual gifts, with the purpose of encouraging the Church. If you have this gift, which is a temporary gift that comes and goes, feel free to comment and encourage myself and others. Peace and grace!

Spiritual Gift: Teaching

I decided to add an extra day to the spiritual gifts series. I will only do teaching today and add shepherding to August 4th.

In the American church, a lot of "pastors" have limited themselves by fulfilling the role of pastor and teacher. Some might view these as the same spiritual gift, but scripture would say different. Now, people can have both gifts but the problem arises when a person only has one gift and tries to fulfill both.

The spiritual gift of teaching is the God-given ability and desire to study and explain the truths of Scripture. The person with this gift is usually very passionate about the scriptures but has an ability to make them clear and understandable to others. One of the clearest examples of this is Acts 7, please read this chapter. Also, read Matthew 5-7; 24-25; Acts 18:11; 19:8-10; and 18:24-28.

I would like to look at one verse specifically from above, Acts 18:11. It says Paul stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. Key point: Paul made sure that the people knew the scriptures. Teaching God's word is not for the encouragement of the teacher (although it should bring tremendous joy to study it), and should not be a tool to draw attention to himself. Teaching is to be used for the encouragement of the Church! Teaching should not be limited to a man standing on stage, it should be an investment of those in the Church.

Caution: Teaching can cause pride (1 Corinthians 8:1; 13:1-3). It can also cause the teacher an over-emphasis on their importance in the Church. If you have the gift of teaching, seek opportunities to teach in youth ministry, small groups, be a student of other teachers, go to seminary, do what is necessary to maximize your gift.

Spiritual Gift: Serving

The spiritual gift of serving is another much-needed gift in the church. I am not talking about those who serve and do what they can until they get burned out, but those who truly have the gift of service. One thing I have not mentioned throughout this series is the effect a spiritual gift will have on you when exercised properly. It should give you maximum effectiveness and minimum fatigue. The same applies with serving, it should encourage the body and get you all hyped up like a 5 year old drinking Monster energy drinks and watching Transformers.

The Greek word for serving is diakanon (Romans 12:7). This means to serve or minister, especially of those who execute the commands of others. Service can be displayed as those serving by using other spiritual gifts i.e. teacher, pastor, evangelist, prophet, elder, deacon, etc. Serving can also be seen as meeting the needs of others in the Church; like contributing help to the meeting of needs like collecting and distributing charity for believers or meeting individual needs of the Church.

A great example of service for us believers should be first and foremost Philippians 2:5-11. That is the mind of humility we should all have when serving one another, but especially those with the gift of serving. A good example of this played out is in 1 Corinthians 16:15-18, read it. The last thing I would like to address is more of a warning. I have seen a lot of "serving" in the church plant I have been involved in and have seen a scary effect come from serving, even within myself sometimes. Serving can ultimately lead to bitterness when your serving is not recognized. If this is the case, check yourself and make sure you know what your spiritual gift is. If serving is not bringing effectiveness and is wearing you out, meet with your church leaders and start serving where you are spiritually gifted.

Spiritual Gift: Exhortation

The spiritual gift of exhortation is a much-needed gift in the church, especially among the men. Women have the natural gift of encouragement and I believe the Lord uses those more accepting of it to give the gift of exhortation. In the Greek, exhortation means “a calling of someone alongside to help. Tyndale dictionary says that the same Greek word may include the idea of consoling and comforting, depending on the context.

In Luke 3:7-18, we see exhortation in the context of inciting or spurring someone on. John the Baptist is exhorting them to repent and be baptized, to bear fruit, share their food and clothes with the poor, and to be happy and content with their current wages. John was exhorting them to be more Christ-like which probably was encouraging to all present further populating the Kingdom of Heaven.

As I have reiterated throughout this series, spiritual gifts are for the encouragement of the Church, exhortation is no different (Romans 12:8). Exhortation can be one of the results of the gift of prophecy being used right )1 Corinthians 14:3;31). In 1 Timothy 4:13 we can also see the gift of teaching, if used properly, can bring exhortation.

As far as the consoling and comforting context. we should look to  2 Corinthians 1:3-7. In this passage it is clear that God comforts his kids in times of suffering, and those with the gift of exhortation should be doing the same to suffering believers. Also, Acts 15:31 demonstrates the clear exhortation that took place at the council in Jerusalem.

So, we see that exhortation can take place through different spiritual gifts. The gift of exhortation can be used to too incite somebody on to do something that will produce spiritual maturity, or exhortation can be seen through the consoling or comforting of someone in the Church that needs it.

Spiritual Gift: Miracles

The spiritual gift of miracles is similar to healing but not limited to healing. Soon after Jesus ascended to heaven, miracles were performed by the apostles as credentials of whom the served and where they got their power from (Acts 8:13; 14:8-10; 19:11-12; Romans 15:19; Hebrews 2:4). Most scholars today would call healings, tongues and miracles "infancy gifts" professing that they were only for the early church, I and many others disagree.

The spiritual gift of miracles can also be used for exercising demons (Acts 19:12), inducing physical ability (Acts 13:11), or even death (Acts 5:5;9). It is easy to understand how the miracles in the first paragraph would be encouraging to the church, but what about the ones like death and potential blindness? In Acts 13:1-11, Paul temporarily blinds a demonic magician trying to divert a high ranking Roman officer from hearing the gospel, so Paul straight blinded this magic man and the Roman officer was saved. What's not encouraging about that!!!

Like I said in yesterday's post about healing, these type of gifts must be sought out, expected from the Father and not doubted. If we want to see God do big things, let's allow Him to do them!!!

Spiritual Gift: Healing

The spiritual gift of healing was a hard one for me to study, but by the grace of God I believe I can explain it well. I know a couple of people who have the gift of healing and have seen some amazing things take place. In 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 "healings" is plural, just like in 1 Corinthians 12:28. After doing a word study on these passages, we see that Paul does not have in mind that the gift of healing is drawn by some "general power" within themselves, but the healings take place with faith and mostly charisma through the Holy Spirit.

People who have the gift of healing usually would have a natural ability to sympathize or empathize along with the ability to know what to do in certain situations. When these people are yielded to the Holy Spirit, miraculous healings can take place. Through reading, Paul seems to make these healings as miraculous as the ones done by Christ himself.

The American church has institutionalized spiritual gifts. What I mean is that we have taught that each person has certain gifts and that's it. However, scripture often makes clear that we should pray for gifts. So, if someone prays for the gift of healing and is able to heal someone in the Church of a disease, we must be careful not to label that person or assign them to a "healing ministry." The Spirit does give gifts at certain times to those with enough faith and charisma to heal.

Look at some of these examples of healings, and please read the surrounding verses to understand the context: Acts 2:43; 5:12; 2 Corinthians 12:12. When one reads through the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) we see Jesus constantly healing (Matthew 8:16-17). These healings were just a foretaste, or appetizer, to the healing that would take place through the atonement.

Here is the thing friends: The gift of healing is real and we must not limit it to charismatic churches. We all pray that God would move in our churches but then the second a "charismatic" man or woman comes in, we disregard them as crazy or something. We are limiting God ourselves when we do this. Let's start having faith and expecting to see healings happen. Let's see God move!

Spiritual Gift: Leading/Administrating

The first thing we see in Romans 12:8 about leadership is it is aided by zeal. Zeal in the Greek is the word "spoude" and means to have haste and earnestness. This means that one who has the gift of leadership gets things done with a quickness and with a sincere and intense conviction. The spiritual gift of leadership can be defined as the God-given desire and ability to give vision and direction to projects and people, like Nehemiah.

Some other good examples we see of sinners being good leaders are Joseph (Genesis 37-50) and Titus (1:5) just to name a few. There are a lot of people who WANT to be leaders, but are not. This usually stems from a sense of pride (1 Peter 5:5) and should be addressed by church elders or leadership. WARNING: If you have this spiritual gift, guard yourself against lust for power and the abuse of power (Mark 10:42-52). The spiritual gift of leadership usually presents itself as an encouragement to the Church because God's plans are clearly seen and directed and the leader is a SERVANT-LEADER, not an observer spouting direction.

If you have the spiritual gift of leadership, use it humbly for the encouragement of the Church and glorifying God!

Spiritual Gift: Interpreting Tongues

Guest blog by Adriel Sanchez

The gift of interpretation of tongues is extremely important in the body of Christ. This is because without interpretation, the gift of tongues has no edificational value for the corporate body of Christ (it solely benefits the speaker). When Paul was writing to the Corinthians, he was encouraging them to pursue the greater gifts, i.e. the gifts that would edify the body as a whole. He makes this clear in ICor 14:1-2, "Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men, but to God; for no one understands him, but in the Spirit he speaks mysteries." and then in verses 3-4 Paul explains why prophesy is to be a more coveted gift, "But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation. One who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but one who prophesies edifies the church." In other words, Paul is saying, "Listen Corinthians, seek the gifts that are going to edify the body as a whole! Dont just get involved in self edification." Without the gift of interpretation - tongues will not corporately edify the body of Christ! Paul writes in 14:5, "Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues, but even more that you would prophesy; and greater is the one who prophesies than one who speaks in tongues, UNLESS he interprets, so that the church may receive edifying." (emphasis mine)

The gift of interpretation is a supernatural gift bestowed by the Holy Spirit which allows someone in the congregation (and often times the tongues speaker himself) to interpret the unknown utterance that was given. When someone speaks in tongues, they don't understand what they are saying. Paul affirms this in ICor 14:14, "If I pray in a tongue my Spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful." In order for the congregation to understand what the Spirit has said through the tongues speaker, an interpreter must be present. It is also important to note that Paul says in 14:13 that the one who prays in tongues, should also pray that he may interpret (this is especially important to note when you're speaking in tongues in the assembly) This seems to indicate that the tongue's speaker can himself have the gift of interpretation, and should pray that he has the ability to do so in order that he might edify the body. The gift of interpretation is not when someone simply understand the tongues that are being spoken (such was the case during the day of pentecost, with the Jews who were present during the Holy Spirits outpouring) but rather when someone is granted supernatural understanding by God, in order to be able to articulate the unknown tongue being spoken.

I want to also make it clear the the gift of tongues has a personal edificational value. Some people argue that tongues should never be spoken if there is no interpreter, however this is simply not true due to the fact that all tongues speaking serves to edify the speaker. However tongues should not be spoken out loud in the midst of the assembly, if there is no interpreter. Paul makes this clear in 1Cor 14:19. Tongues then aught to be used in the privacy of ones prayer closet (self edification) and in the midst of the body of Christ when accompanied by an interpreter (corporate edification). The question remains, will you take Paul's commandment in 1Corinthians 14 seriously to "desire the greater gifts," and to "seek to abound for the edification of the church." (14:12) That's a mandate that is often overlooked by many Christians, but was an imperative from Paul for the Corinthians, and for the present day saints as well!

Spiritual Gift: Speaking in Tongues

Speaking in tongues is a highly debated topic, mostly whether or not this spiritual gift is for today. Some would say speaking in tongues has ceased. I want to make clear that my belief is that speaking in tongues IS still a if used today. I think the gift must meet at least 3 criteria for it to be valid.

1. It must be for the overall purpose of encouraging the Church and glorifying to God.

2. It must be in an orderly fashion that is not distracting or overwhelming in a negative way.

3. There must be an interpreter present (I will address this more tomorrow).

The best place that describes this gift is 1 Corinthians 14. This chapter would say that there does not have to be an interpreter present, but then the man or woman speaking in tongues only encourages themselves, which can be seen as a direct prayer to God out of an overflowing of his/her spirit.

Speaking in tongues should have some sort of revelation, encouragement, or teaching for the Church, not just reckless blabber. Some would say that speaking in tongues is a heavenly language, while others have said it is the ability to speak foreign languages. A reputable author once told a story of a conference going on and all of a sudden this dude got up and started speaking in tongues. After a couple minutes, a dishwasher came running into the conference asking where this man learned to speak his language. The man then explains that he is from a small village where only they speak that language. The dishwasher interpreted and ended up trusting in Christ.

I am hoping my friend Adriel will be kind enough to comment on this and maybe guest blog tomorrow, he has done far more studying on this spiritual gift than I have. Love you all!!

Spiritual Gift: Giving

The spiritual gift of giving is a very necessary one in today's Church. We are raised and trained in a culture where it is normal to have an excess of pride. It is supposed to be "all about me." Even in the Church, pride is running rampant among pastors, elders, deacons, and volunteers. Some churches are filled with people who give to get attention.

We must recognize the true givers, the ones with the spiritual gift of giving who give for the purpose of encouraging the Church. The spiritual gift of giving can be defined as a God-given ability and desire to impart one's substance to meet the material needs of others (Acts:9:36-39 and Romans 12:13).

The Greek word for giving is haplotes and is defined as simplicity, liberality, bountifulness. This is not a self-seeking generosity but an openness of heart that manifests itself through generosity. It can be seen as someone who gives their clothes, time, or money to someone in need in the Church. If you have the spiritual gift of giving, use this blessing as much as the Lord directs because the Church needs it!

Spiritual Gift: Mercy

The gift of mercy is found in Romans 12:8. Again, before I explain this spiritual gift, remember that it is to be used for the edification and encouragement of the Church. If you read Romans 12:8 you will notice that the gift of mercy is sandwiched between two verbs: acts and cheerfulness. It is someone who does acts of "mercy" with cheerfulness. Before I define the spiritual gift of mercy, let me contrast the description in Romans 12:8 so we know what it is NOT. 

The gift of mercy is NOT someone who volunteers at the church, serves the homeless, or helps a friend out in need out of a bitter heart. It is NOT someone who serves with a negative attitude or expects something in return, especially respect.

The spiritual gift of mercy IS a God-given desire and ability to SHOW concern and DO what is necessary for needy others (Read Luke 11:30-37). You probably have the gift of mercy if you gravitate towards the less fortunate, the ill, the down and depressed. You do this because it is not only glorifying to the Lord, but shows them His love towards them (Read Matthew 25:31-46).

Here is the key: In Greek , the word mercy is eleeo. Every time it is used in the Bible, it is an action. It is not something to be stored up, but something to be expended...like all the other gifts. Also, in the Greek, it is connected , or grouped, with "who does acts of." That is clear evidence that if you have the gift of mercy, you should be wearing yourself out showing mercy for God's glory! 

Spiritual Gift: Faith

The gift of faith is probably one of the most misunderstood spiritual gifts. It is found in 1 Corinthians 12:9. The gift of faith is not the same faith that every Christian should have, faith in the risen Christ. Remember: ALL Spiritual gifts are given by God and ARE TO BE USED for the edification and encouragement of the Church, or body of believers. The gift of faith is NOT a lack of worrying. It does not mean that you are not worried about bills being paid, not worried about a living situation, etc. Again...the gift of faith is for the encouragement and edification of the Church.

The spiritual gift of faith has to do with believing God for what He wants to accomplish in the church’s ministry, that He will lead and provide. Read that again, that is the definition. The context of the gift of faith in 1 Corinthians 12:9 is miracles (another spiritual gift). The gift of faith allows people to believe that not only will God lead and provide, but will perform miracles. So, if you have the gift of faith, you SHOULD be using it in a Church context, for the encouragement of believers. EX: You will be used by the Lord to encourage those to have faith and by you having the gift of Faith, the Church will be encouraged and have faith at the needed time.

*Any time I use the word Church (capital C) over the next 15-16 days, I am describing a body of believers who have trusted in Christ's death on the cross for their sins and his resurrection so they could have life. This Church is not just inside a building, and your spiritual gift(s) can be used at work, school, etc.

16 Days of Spiritual Gifts

The topic of spiritual gifts is something I sometimes get frustrated with, due to the lack of understanding most people have. Although the responsibility of teaching people and equipping them lies in the hands of the church leaders (Ephesians 4:11-12).

So here is my plan: Over the next 16 days, starting tomorrow (7/19/09), I will address what each spiritual gift is, where we can find it in scripture, and what they look like when utilized in the Church. Today will count as Day 0 and I will explain how and when we get spiritual gifts, what they are for, and the difference between spiritual gifts and natural talents.

How and when do we get spiritual gifts?

When we trust in Jesus Christ that he died for our sins and arose 3 days later we are saved. We are then sealed w/ the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13).

What are spiritual gifts for?

Spiritual Gifts are for the edification of the body (the Church)! They are not positions in a church (although those are layed out in scripture), they are not to be used for our glory, and they are not to be kept caged up inside. They are for God's glory and the encouragement of the church (1 Cor. 12:7, 11; Eph. 4:12).

What is the difference between spiritual gifts and natural talents?

Natural Talents Spiritual Gifts

1. Source: From God, through parents From God, independent of parents

2. Possessed: From birth From conversion

3. Purpose: To benefit mankind on natural level To benefit mankind on spiritual level

4. Process: Must be recognized, developed, Must be recognized, developed, exercised

exercised

5. Function: Should be dedicated by believers Should be used to God's glory

to God for His use and glory

Hopefully that is clear. Remember these things, especially that gifts should be used as encouragement to the body, as I describe each gift over the next couple weeks. I love you all and here is the days I will go over each gift. Please feel free to ask questions if things are confusing.

Date Gift

7/19 Faith

7/20 Mercy

7/21 Giving

7/22 Speaking in Tongues

7/23 Interpretation of Tongus

7/24 Leading/Administrating

7/25 Healing

7/26 Miracles

7/27 Exhorting

7/28 Serving

7/29 Teaching/ Shepherding

7/30 Utterance of Wisdom

7/31 Ability to distinguish between spirits (Holy Spirit and demons).

8/1 Prophecy

8/2 Apostleship

8/3 Evangelism

The Afterglow

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. -Psalm 119:105

The Word of God is a living thing. It is something that when handled carefully and applied to our lives can cause serious transformation, through the power of the Holy Spirit. When reading this Psalm we notice right away that the Word is light. This means that there is a need for light, that this light is obviously in contrast to darkness.

When I was in the Army, part of my job was to program sensors, tactically plant them in enemy territory, and still be aware of my surrounding enemy. All this ALWAYS took place in pure darkness. It was my job to make sure that not only could I tell the sensors apart by touch, but to connect all the proper cables and perform planting procedures all by memory and touch. This meant that I had to be constantly training and making sure I was memorizing ways to effectively do these necessary things. The purpose of these sensors was to monitor and eventually capture any enemy.

The Christian life can be the same. In a world full of darkness (injustice, sexual immorality, etc.), we must train ourselves in the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16) and be prepared to combat the enemy that lurks in the darkness. Knowing and memorizing the Word is a MUST!!! To brighten our paths, we need to be active in memorizing scripture so we can not only see and understand the path God has for us, but to also be a lamp to our enemy. This is one of the highest calls and responsibilities of a Christian.

Lately, when I approach God through prayer, I have had a hard time staying focused. My thoughts are scattered with my daily "to-do list" and other less important things. While reading Francis Chan's book "Crazy Love" I came across a powerful verse with a powerful visual.

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is filled with his glory!" And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for." -Isaiah 6:1-7

Sometimes we forget who we are approaching. We have access to the Creator of the world. The one who put the sun the exact amount of distance from us necessary so we don't burn or freeze. The one who can create an earth that spins at high speeds endlessly while we walk around without being affected. This one, is the one who is responsible for creating you exactly the way you are, what a sense of humor huh?

As you read through the passage, focus in on the seraphim (angel). He covers his face and feet, but why?
1. The Lord is too holy to look at (verse 3).
2. The covered feet could signify humility before God, or even standing on holy ground.

Whenever you see Holy, holy, holy (3 times) it is explaining God's supreme and perfect holiness. Here is my favorite part:
Despite the angel covering his eyes, and Isaiah being a simple human, God lets Isaiah see Him, and live!!! Isaiah, in my language, says that he is unclean (a sinner) and is humbled before God. What does God do, other than letting Isaiah see Him face to face? He uses the seraphim to cleanse Isaiah of his sins. How amazing!!!

My Daddy Date with Jesus

I love my monthly days of solitude with Jesus. He set the example for us over and over in Scripture, no matter how busy He was, he always got away to spend quiet time with the Father (Matthew 26:26-46). I have tried to make this a discipline, and it is always so healing and rewarding. So...here is some stuff I learned today.

1) There was a group of birds flying and they were so in sync and seemed to know there role. The lead bird would stray off to the back of the group so another could lead, and the cycle continued. Romans 12:3-8 talks about the church being one body with many different functions. I really want to see the church become like this group of birds. If everyone would seek God and realize their gift and that it has been given to encourage the church, how awesome would life be together as a body of believers?

2) I watched these beautiful waves just crash into the cliffs today. The beach always is such a clear evidence to me that God exists. Romans 1:18-23 talks about the wrath of God being revealed through His creation. It was so evident to see these powerful waves crash into the the wall and come to their end in an instant. God's wrath is real and I hope that people come to trust in Christ alone to save them from the wrath they so rightly deserve.

3) I always wanted to be able to dim the sun and look at the form, structure, and even the texture of it, but God created it to where we can't stare at it without our eyes being damaged. God the Father is a Spirit that if we were able to look at would shatter our eyes in an instant. The sun was a reminder of that to me today. 

4) I love the beauty of the ocean top. Watching it is like medicine for my soul. However, there is a whole other world I often forget about in the ocean. It is something i do not understand. Why can't I breathe underwater? Why are there all those other kinds of creatures under there? All I know is that it is a vast mystery of God that I can rejoice in not understanding.

5) The clouds were forming over head, but not blocking the sun. In the Old Testament God would be with Israel in the form of clouds. I think that this is a constant reminder, especially for me through this divorce process, that God is with us.

I love Jesus. He is real. Because we are sinners, by birth, we have a fractured relationship with Him. He sent Jesus, perfect man & perfect God, to take our punishment on the cross. Whoever puts their complete trust in Him and his sacrifice will be seen perfect in God's eyes and will spend eternity in Heaven, instead of eternal punishment. Peace!!

Are you New?

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. -2 Corinthians 5:17

On February 9, 2005 I trusted in Jesus Christ with all my life. This was not an, "Ok...I believe a set of facts; Jesus died and was resurrected 3 days later for my sins so I can go to heaven. This is not TRUST!! To truly be regenerate (born again) we must have a complete trust in Jesus Christ.

When this happens, something crazy will follow. You will change. The old nasty person you once were will start rapidly changing and conforming into the image of Jesus Christ. This should be unstoppable!! We are given God the Holy Spirit when we trust in Jesus. This combined with our understanding of our salvation and what we were saved from (eternal torment), should produce good works (James 2:14-26; please read).

When I trusted in the works and person of Jesus Christ, I had friends who did the same...I think. However, there has been no visual change in their lives. When I ask them about their relationship w/ Jesus they usually say, "What do you expect Wes...reading the Bible and praying isn't for everyone. You are the weird pastor dude!!!" This kills me inside, because trusting in Christ is not believing a set of facts so you can get a free ride to heaven, because that will only get you on an elevator that goes down.

Here is a quick litmus test to whether or not you are saved by Jesus:

No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.  -1 John 3:9-10   

Yes we all sin, but when you do it purposely thinking that it is okay because Jesus died for you, discipline will take place, if you are saved. We must put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20, please read, even post on your wall), and be in the offensive mode of killing sin. Really...KILL SIN! It is nasty and destroying this world from the inside out.

If you have not trusted in Jesus, please let me or someone who has know. It will be the best decision you can and will ever make.  

Good Friday To-Do-List

Good Friday is the day of celebration of Jesus’ crucifixion.  It is by far the most important day in the history of the world. What makes it good? The fact that Jesus, 100% God/100% man, took on all the wrath that ALL mankind deserves in exchange for our freedom.  All who TRUST in Him (trusting that He did die for our sins and rose 3 days later so we can have eternal life with Him) will be saved from the eternal wrath of God.

With this being said, and without me rambling on for hours, Good Friday should be a day of meditating on what was accomplished through the cross. I believe this should be done everyday, but at least we should celebrate this whole day. I will be making Friday a full day off and giving all my thoughts and time to Him. Below I have compiled a list of some ways we can focus and cherish our Lord and Savior. Please take some time and really consider some or all of these, it will not only honor your Creator, but I PROMISE it will make your day better, and even make you fall deeper in love with God.

 

1.    Pray for 30 minutes. This might seem long, but it will go fast and I believe it   will prepare you for the rest of this list. Just talk to Him…then try being completely silent, just listening. Be sure to do this where you won’t be distracted. Turn off your phone as well!

2.                 2.     Read slowly through Isaiah 52:13-53:12.  This is a prophecy written about Jesus approx.       500 years before his birth. Really meditate on each verse and realize that this horrific scene       was for you.

      3.       Read Psalm 22. This is another prophecy pointing to Jesus, 1,000 years prior. Meditate         in these verses as well.

 4.   Read Matthew 26:36-28:20 and John 17-21 (additional reading: Mark 14-16   and Luke 22:39-Luke 24). Read over these as if reading a normal book.

       5.    Read this article: http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/119

I have used this for the Bible study I am currently leading and it is a very great study including medical facts of what Jesus went through. Grab a box of tissues, even men as well!!!

6.    Lastly (you can do more if you wish), write a list on your computer, in your  journal, or get it tattooed on you what you learned on Good Friday. I promise this will be life changing. Take some time and pray, thanking Jesus for what he has done for you.

"I'm not scared of death!"

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. -2 Corinthians 5:10

A lot of people who have trusted in Jesus to save them from their sin and eternal torment often say they are not scared of death. I think they should re-think that and maybe rephrase it and say they are not scared of hell. Myself, I used to say I wasn't scared until I studied what the Bible says about when we die. The above verse (2 Cor. 5:10) is what will happen to all Christians when they die, a separate judgment will happen to non-believers (Matthew 25:31-46).

When we die we will stand before the Creator himself and give account for what we did. He will ask why we did not share the greatest news of all time (Jesus' life, death, and resurrection), why we purposely treated someone bad when we knew it was wrong, why we spent so much money on ourselves when 97% of the world does not have clean water? I am terrified of this moment. Can you image the tears and sadness you will feel standing before the one who bore the sins of the world so you did not have to eternally suffer?

If we live with this moment in mind, stop judging unbelievers by their external and start judging eternally, and start picturing our unsaved family, friends, and others in eternal torment (Revelation 20:15), we might share this glorious news that we have been commanded to share (Mark 16:15, Matt. 28:18-19, Luke 24:45-47, John 20:21, Acts 1:8).

Either way, those who have trusted in Jesus will spend eternity with Him, but how marvelous it would be stand before our Savior and be confident when He says, "Well done, good and faithful servant (Matt. 25:21)."

He always shows up

There are many unexpected times when Jesus shows up and gives us a glimpse of what his love looks like. If we are on the constant lookout for this love, we would experience it more often. Today is one of those days where I feel filled with the Holy Spirit and am seeing things in the right state of mind. However, today was a hard day...a real hard day!

I do not know if it was because of the emotional rollercoaster I have gone through today, but at the right moment (God's timing) Jesus showed Himself to me and I could not hold back the tears. 

I was watching the AFC Championship game and Baltimore Ravens running back, Willis McGahee, was laid out by one of the Steelers. As McGahee laid there very hurt, I saw many of the players, both Ravens and Steelers, flood the field with concern. Many of the players, including Ray Lewis (a tough guy), went into prayer. This is where I started getting a little emotional, but then Jesus kicked me in the heart when one of McGahee's teammates approached the stretcher he was on. His buddy came and they squeezed hands with such immense caring, such concern, that I lost it! The teammate who seemed so concerned, had tears in his eyes and it just helped me see Jesus and his love in this nasty world we live in.

In John 11:35, perhaps the shortest yet most powerful verse in the Bible, John writes, "Jesus wept." In the verses leading up to verse 35, Jesus is coming to raise his friend Lazarus from the dead. Lazarus' sisters, Martha and Mary, are there and deeply saddened by their brother's death. Not because of Lazarus' death, but because of the deep sadness and loss that the sisters are feeling, Jesus wept. God clearly shows He is fully human here and weeps with the women. I love Jesus!!

McGahee's teammate was weeping at the fact of his hurt friend. I loved this, needed this, and then did my duty and prayed for McGahee. Jesus loves us and understands every single thing we struggle with. Pain, hurt, confusion, embarrassment, etc. Give yourself to Him!

The Tongue

I often have trouble holding back what I say. Below is a blog from a pastor named Mark Driscoll, who is very solid in his biblical teaching and many other aspects of his walk with Jesus. He has struggled with his mouth as well and I figured that this blog might be helpful to you, as it is to me. Peace and grace!!

Speaking

 

Mark Driscoll

It is said that the average woman speaks around 5,000 words per day whereas the average male speaks around 2,000. For men who work full time outside of the home, the number increases to as many as 3,000 words a day, and 10,000 to 20,000 words a day for the average woman working full time outside of her home. Furthermore, we send innumerable emails in addition to spending countless hours on the telephone. In short, we communicate a lot, in both spoken and printed words.

The Tongue

Proverbs has a great deal to say about what we say; it likely addresses the subject of our speech more than any other book of the Bible. It is a good place to start for those wanting to spend considerable time in Scripture examining the subject. According to James, Jesus’ brother, our tongue is often the last part of our body to get sanctified (James 3). He compares the power of our tongue to the bit in a horse’s mouth, the rudder on a ship, a wild beast, and a small spark that could set a fire of destruction as big as hell itself. In Ephesians 4:29 we are told to speak only “what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Jesus said that “men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:36–37). In meditating on this verse, it occurred to me how much I will have to answer for, considering that I speak roughly 60,000 words each Sunday, or what the average man speaks in a month!

Condemnable Speech

The Bible is filled with examples of condemnable speech, including cursing God, blasphemy, making false accusations, perversity, rashness, harshness, wickedness, boasting, lying, flattering, bitterness, nitpicking, adulterous flirtation, busy-bodying, gossip, nagging, whining, complaining, needless quarreling, and plain old foolish stupidity in its innumerable forms. On the other hand, the Bible also describes speech as an opportunity for worship, prayer, grace, teaching, counsel, preaching, kindness, truth, comfort, love, healing, sweetness, encouragement, mercy, hope, gentleness, conviction, and faith. AsProverbs 18:21 says, “The tongue has the power of life and death.”

An Indicator of the Heart

In many ways, the tongue is an indicator of the heart because, as Jesus said in Matthew 12:34, “out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” The disciple of Jesus learns to speak under the discipline of the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit enables Christians to speak truthfully in love – not too much or too little – in a manner that is appropriate for both the hearer and Jesus, who is listening in on our words. Sometimes, the key is to get our time to listen silently to God through His Word so that when we do speak, we echo Jesus.