Healing the Lame Beggar, Today.

If John and Peter, found in Acts 3, were to meet the lame beggar today what would likely happen?

Peter and John were walking to church when they happened upon a certain man sitting beside the road with a cardboard sign that had scrawled on it in a black marker, “I am lame, homeless and hungry.  Please help!!”

As Peter and John were about to walk past him, the beggar sees them and calls out. “Hey Buddy!  How about five dollars, or even a single?  I ain’t eaten since yesterday.”

Peter and John stop and look at the man intently.  Peter shrugs.  “I don’t have a five or even a one, but God bless you.”

John looks to Peter in shock. In his soft voice, he chastises Peter. “That’s all?  God bless you?  This man needs love Brother Peter."

John walks over to the man and knells down beside him.  The man looks expectantly to John in hopes of a nice gift.  John gives the man a hearty hug and then hands him a flower.  “Jesus loves you more than you will ever know.”

Then laying his hands upon the man John looks up  to heaven.  “Father, bless this man from your abundant wealth and love.  Give him food to eat and a place to sleep. And if it is your will Lord, heal his legs so that he might walk again.  In the name of Jesus I pray.  Amen!”

Standing up John smiles at the man who looks back at him confused.  Walking back to Peter John beams with love.  “You need to learn to be more loving brother Peter.”

Thankfully Peter and John knew what power they had, and used it.  We have the power of the Holy Spirit today as well. He will lead us when we encounter people in need.  Listen to The Spirit and follow Him. He might lead you to help by giving money, your things, yourself or by using the power of God.  We must remember that the power of God is within us to bless people with signs and wonders just like Peter and John.

Photo Credit: Seriously Handicapped Beggar by Augapfel

What if the Day of Pentecost in Act 2 was Done as We Would Do it Today?

What if the day of Pentecost, found in Acts 2, was accomplished by modern thinkers of today?  It would definitely be different.

Peter pounds the table.  “Alright, quiet down.  Pentecost is only a week away and we have a lot of work to do.  Matthew, have you gotten a place for us to hold our Evangelistic Meeting?”

Matthew smiles proudly.  “I reserved the King David Concert Center.  It will hold one thousand people.”

Thomas shakes his head vigorously.  “One thousand people?  How do you expect us to get that many people to come?  We should be realistic here and get a smaller place which will cost less.”

John examines a flower as he interjects in a soft voice. “We should give everyone a flower and invite them to come.  Love them, and they will come. Peace, love and Jesus.”

Thomas rolls his eyes at John.  “John, your so Heavenly minded, your no earthly good.  Love doesn’t pay the bills.  We have to be good stewards of what God has given us.”

James scowls at Thomas. “Leave my brother alone Tom.  He might have something there.  We could go out into the city and give flowers to everyone with a card inviting them to the meeting.  They are more likely to read the cards and come with a present attached.”

Peter nods, “That’s good James.  I am putting you and John in charge of publicity.  Get those flowers and cards out to everyone.  I want to fill that center up.  If God is willing we might get a hundred converts.  Wouldn’t that be something.”

Thankfully, the Holy Spirit was in charge and not a church committee.  When we plan we look only upon the physical, but God sees the hearts of the people.  He knows how to touch them and bring them to Him.  After Jesus ascended into Heaven, the disciples waited and prayed together.  They didn’t make plans on how to reach the world, but instead they waited until the Holy Spirit came and orchestrated an event filled with God’s power.  As a reslut about 3000 people were saved that day.

Photo Credit: And all shall be well and All manner of thing shall be well When the tongues of flame are in-folded Into the crowned knot of fire And the fire and the rose are one.- ts elliot.jpg  By Jo Naylor

The Last Words are Important

I remember when I was a teenager living at home and had signed up to join the Navy.  The day I left home to go to boot camp, my family and I said good-bye.  It is at those times, that the most important concerns a parent has on their heart are expressed.  Nothing profound was really said when I left except for two things that were very important.  1. “I love you” and 2. “Take care of yourself.  You be careful.”

I can still hear my mothers voice.  What the White House was doing that day, what was happening on some TV show, and the price of tea was in China, were not important when I left.  The facts that I needed to remember I was loved, and I should be careful were important.

When Jesus left the earth, He didn’t talk about Caesar, religious leaders or even remind them of His past teachings.  He knew he was about to leave them, but they could not survive alone.  He had a mission for them, and they would need all the help they could get.

Acts 1: 1-11 tells about Jesus’ last words before he Ascended into Heaven.  He had two important messages for His people.

1. They were not to go out into the world until they had received power from the Holy Spirit.  Jesus loved the people and promised to send someone to help them, guide them, and take care of them.  God will not leave His people to stand alone against the world.

2. Once they had been baptized with the Holy Spirit they were to be a witness for Christ to those near and far, even to the whole earth.

Today, we talk about many things that we think are important in the Christian life.  I believe abortion is wrong, families consisting of a man married to a woman, and supporting Israel are all important concerns.  Did Jesus tell his disciples to get involved in politics?  Did He say to get laws changed so that they support Biblical principles?  No.

That does not mean we roll over and let anti-Christian laws, and movements have their way.  It simply means that the answer is not in laws but in Christ.  Change the hearts of men and you change the world.  Change the laws and the hearts of men will just change them back again later.

We are to be witnesses of Christ.  Tell the world about Jesus.  Tell about His love and His sacrifice.  Tell about how Jesus has changed your life.  No one can argue you about your own testimony.  You are a witness of God working everyday in your life.  Share it. Share what God has told you in scriptures.

Read the great commission and remember, this is the most important thing Jesus had to say before He left us in this world.  Read it and believe that Jesus loved you so much that He wanted you to hear these last words and take them to heart.

Photo Credit: Saying Goodbye by Dannyman

Does God will the Suffering of Christians?

I want to recommend reading the post, Does God Will the Suffering of Christians by Jonathan. 

What does scripture say about suffering?  Is this something that is part of being a Christian?

Please read this post. I think you will find it worthwhile.

Photo Credit: FOXE Voices of the Martyrs by Chris Yarzab

Is the RFID Device in Health Care Bill the Mark of the Beast?

I am not even sure there is a RFID device required by Americans in the Health-Care Bill, but if there is, would it be the Mark of the Beast?  Let me say positively the answer is yes and no.  Maybe.

I don’t think it matters if it is the actual mark of the beast.  It still has the same purpose as the Mark.  “Wait a minute.” You call out to me. “It does not mean I am worshiping anyone if I got the implant.  I am not saying someone besides Jesus Christ is God.”

Well, let's take a look at what it does mean when someone receives this RFID chip in their hand.  It will be required to buy and sell because your finances will be on this chip.  That will help stop identity thief and track criminal activities.  The government will be able to track financial transactions and better predict financial problems and keep track of things better such as unemployment.  We will be able to trust the government to save us from recessions, unemployment, debt and other difficulties.

The chip will hold our medical information.  This way, anything that has happened to you medically will be available to doctors who are working with you.  Even if they had never met you before and have to treat you such as when you’re a thousand miles from home while on vacation.  It will tell them if you are an organ donor so that they might harvest your organs quicker.  It also will give the government information on the physical health of people so that they know how to fund research and what diseases to concentrate on curing.  They will know all about everyone's health and be able to wisely decide who should receive care and who really does not need care.

They will be able to to keep track of where people are.  This will help to locate children who are abducted, find criminals, watch traffic, and defeat terrorism.  There is a loss of privacy, but the country will be a much safer place because of it.

How can this be The Mark?  I don’t think it is, but it still is worshiping to take this chip.  This chip is designed so that the Government can save you from many problems we have in this country.  The Government becomes our salvation.  Taking this RFID chip is saying that we are trusting the Government to take care of us.  We are putting our faith into the Government instead of in God.  Taking the chip is saying that the Government is the answer and not God.

Receiving this chip is placing your money, health and all that you own into the Governments hands.  Without  the chip, you cannot  buy or sell.  You cannot  get medical help.  You cannot  travel.  You cannot  have a job. The government is in control of your life.  If you do anything it does not like, it can turn off the chip so that you can do nothing at all.  The government has become your God with control over your life.

In the early church, they had the same problem.  They had to worship Caesar, or they could be arrested and killed.  If a Citizen of Rome worshiped Caesar, they could have free food, be entertained at such places as the Coliseum, and go to the public baths.  The government did all it could to keep its people happy.

Those who denied Caesar were imprisoned and killed.  Thousands died on crosses, by wild beast, or were killed by gladiators.  They were lit on fire, boiled in oil, starved and beaten.  All they would have had to do was to bow to Caesar, and they could live a peaceful life.

Taking this RFID chip is bowing to Caesar.  I don’t know if all this talk about the chip being required is true or not.  I do know that eventually it will be true.  When that happens will you bow to Caesar?  Will you receive the chip so you can live in this world?  I know not where you stand on this, but as for me and my house, we will serve and trust the Lord, our God and Him only. 

Photo Credit": rfid by Alejandra H. Covarrubias

Fear: Financial Security

Money is one of the most argued about subjects in a marriage.  Worrying about finances has probably caused more ulcers  and stress then anything else.  Lets be honest and confess that we Christians are not immune from being distressed about our debts and how little money we have.

I am fortunate to be debt free.  I have money in the bank and some retirement money.  I am not rich by any stretch of the imagination.  I need to watch my money, but I am much better off than many people.  Money should not be something to worry about and yet I wonder about my future.

My wife and I are planning a trip to visit our daughter who works for Peace Corp in The Gambia.  I just bought the tickets and as I looked at the money I was spending, I confess I cringed a little.  We could use that money for other things.  It would be nice to have it in savings in case of some unforeseen problem in the future.  I did not want to spend the money.  I love my daughter, but I would be seeing her a few months after our visit anyway.

After the money was spent, and I was spending some time with the Lord, He and I had a conversation that went sort of like this.

“Son,” He asked. “Are you suppose to be going on this trip?”

I thought about it and nodded, “Yes lord.  You are the one who has called Kathy (my wife) and I to go on this trip.”

“Why are you going?”

“The first reason is to see Dawn (my daughter) and see what her life is like in The Gambia.”

I thought I had answered the question, but I didn’t hear anything, so I searched my mind before adding more.  “And we are going to Rome before that to see some things there.”

“I want to bless Kathy and you.”

“Thank you lord and you have always been a blessing.”

“The reason you are going on this trip is because I am sending you.  You have seen me send others on trips, which were paid for by others.  I have blessed many before this, and now I am going to bless you.   Do not worry about the money.  That is my concern, not yours.”

Looking back at my life, there have been times when money was very tight.  We have been in debt and had very little money to work with.  There are times when I was out of a job, and we didn’t know how we would pay our bills.  Somehow God has always come through.

“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

Photo Credit: Worried by kpishdadi

Playing Grownup

I look at myself in a mirror, and I see an adult male with gray hair.  I will be 61 years old soon, and I think I look pretty good for my age.  I am an adult.  I have served in the U.S. Navy, gone to college, married, help raise three daughters and now have eight grandchildren.  I think I qualify to be called an adult.

I do wonder, however, what God sees when He looks at me.  He doesn’t care as much about how I look on the outside.  God looks at me and sees my true spiritual maturity.  Do I look like a small child wearing my parents clothing and playing as an adult.  Am I still a child who needs spiritual milk?  Does He have to change spiritual diapers on me because I have soiled myself with sin again?  What does He see?

He doesn’t care about my resume of jobs, schooling, or family.  He looks upon my heart and sees how close I am to being like Christ.  Jesus is the  only one I am to compare myself to.  It would be easier to compare my spiritual maturity to Billy Graham.  I have a long long ways to go.

The early church had people who played at being mature Christians. In Acts 5, Ananias and Sapphira tried to lied and tried to fool people into thinking they were mature.  They found out that God knows their hearts, and all that they do.  Those were days when depending on someone to be a strong, mature Christian could get you arrested and killed if it turned out they were still children.  Ananias and Sapphira died because of their deception.

How dangerous is it to depend on your maturity?  In the United States, we have a lot of people playing spiritual grownup.  The result is slow growth of those who are Christians and very little growth in numbers resulting from evangelism. In other countries, there might be persecution, and you need to grow quickly or Christianity could die out.  No matter where you are, God needs you to grow.  Stop your childish ways.  Be willing to sacrifice that milk and search for God’s meat.  Thankfully, God will keep working to make us  mature Christians.  We just need to trust Him and follow His leading.

“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” Philippians 1:6

Photo Credit: In Daddy's shoes by carrier

Spirit Led Gatherings: Part Three Fleshing It Out

Guest post today is part 3 of 3 in a series by Travis Kolder who authors the blog, Pursuing Glory.

We’ve been talking about Spirit-led gatherings the last few posts.  In our first post, we looked at what a Spirit-led meeting might look like in the first-century  church.  Next, we tried to define what the characteristics of a Spirit-led meeting are.  Today I want to look at some examples of what a Spirit-led meeting might look like today.

Let me give you an example from a recent gathering that I participated in.  For those of you who don’t know, I’m a house church planter and advocate.  The church that meets in our house gathered a couple of weeks ago on a Wednesday night.  We typically gather together, eat a meal, and then try to focus on whatever the Lord is doing or saying.

Normally, after the meal when we gather in the living room, there is a short, awkward period where those who are gathered aren’t sure what to do next.  This is actually a good thing, because it forces us to turn to Jesus and get direction from Him about what we’re doing.  He is the head of the body and it’s good for us to get direction from Him.  This particular night, my wife asked everyone a question.

The question was an invitation for everyone in the room to talk about opportunities they had to share the Gospel with those around them this week.  This opened the door for conversation  and several people shared about different times where God had opened the door to speak about Christ.  Gradually this transitioned into the topic of loving people.  When that transition happened, we then began to talk about the best ways to love those in our midst.  We talked about marriage, inner healing, and learning how to love others.

Somewhere in the midst of the conversation, my downstairs neighbor (also a believer, but not a part of our house church) popped up and joined us.  As the conversation was winding down, we asked if we could pray for him (partly because he was heading to an Asian nation in a few days, partly because it’s our custom to pray for people new to our gatherings).  The men in our group gathered and prayed as one of the others grabbed a guitar and sang.  Prophetic words and prayer began to flow. 

After the prayer and prophecies for our friend were finished, the singing and worship continued.  One of the brothers stood up in the middle of the singing and my wife saw an opportunity to pray for some physical ailments he had.  Another brother and I grabbed some oil and laid hands on him and there was a strong sense of the presence of the Lord as we prayed. (A few days later this same brother testified to a healing in his back as well as a significant healing in one of his organs that hasn’t been confirmed by a doctor but seems like is functioning much better.) We had started eating at 6:00 P.M. and now it was approaching 9:00 P.M., about the time folks start winding down and heading home.

Does every meeting work like this? No.  Do supernatural things happen every time we gather? No.  There have been really boring meetings. There have been meetings where most people are not engaged with the Holy Spirit. There have been meetings where one person has taken control of the meeting and talked the entire time. There have been meetings where verbal and almost physical fights have broken out.  But honestly, even in these meetings, the Holy Spirit was working.  He was strengthening, challenging, and growing us in the good things and through the bad.  And every bad meeting has forced us to look more towards the Holy Spirit and less to our own control. 

I guess I would sum everything up by saying that the Holy Spirit is alive and active. He’s not just able to lead individuals, but whole groups of people.  If we look to Him and create an environment where He can lead, supernatural things will happen beyond what we can plan or orchestrate.  Are you hungry to express Jesus with others and experience Him? Then find a small group of believers with the same heart and begin to wait on the Lord together.  You will not be disappointed. 

Part one of this series is Spirit Led Gatherings: Have You Met With Christians Like This?

Part two of this series is Spirit-Led Gatherings: Part Two- Definition

Photo Credit: dove-object-black2 by knowhimonline

Spirit-Led Gatherings: Part Two- Definition

Guest post today is part 2 of 3 in a series by Travis Kolder who authors the blog, Pursuing Glory.

In the last post, we looked at a Spirit-led meeting in the first-century  church.  It’s important that as we talk about the subject that we are clear about what we’re talking about.  Most people believe that the Holy Spirit is leading believers when they gather, no matter what happens.  My goal is not to comment on whether the Holy Spirit is leading every gathering of believers.  But when I look at Scripture, meetings that are led by the Holy Spirit are much different than most church gatherings, I have been a part of. But it is important to understand what Scripture says about Spirit-led gatherings so that we can pursue that reality wherever we are.

Part of the difficulty in describing Spirit-led meetings is that no one gathering is the same.  That is part of their joy. The Holy Spirit has different goals and agendas in each gathering of believers.  But there are a couple of key elements that are usually present:

Spirit-led meetings are led by the Holy Spirit. This should almost go without mention, but most Christians I know believe that the Holy Spirit leads their leader who leads the meetings.  In reality, this frequently ends up being a meeting led by some kind of senior leader: a pastor, a bishop, an elder, etc.  Spirit-led meetings are not led by one person who is led by the Spirit.  They are actually led by the Holy Spirit as He leads multiple individuals in a church to participate in the gathering.

Spirit-led meetings are participatory. Because the Holy Spirit dwells inside of each truly born-again  believer, Spirit-led meetings are participatory.  Paul describes this reality of believers gathering together in 1 Corinthians 14:26: “What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation,”(emphasis mine). The reality is each believer brings to a meeting of believers a piece of what God is doing for the whole church to be built up.

Spirit-led meetings are governed by love. Love for other believers should be the goal of every Spirit-led meeting. Scripture is clear that the reason we gather is to provoke one another to follow Jesus more fully. We gather together with other believers for their sake, not for ours.  This requires us to lay down our lives for the building up of others.  That’s why in the middle of correcting the Corinthians for their out of control meetings (1 Corinthians 12-14) Paul spends a whole chapter talking about the critical importance of love instead of just giving a giant list of instructions.  If we gather as believers to follow the Holy Spirit and we practically demonstrate love to our brothers, everyone present will be built up by Jesus.  The result will be a more whole and mature body of Christ.

Spirit-led meetings edify the body. God has actually designed the body of Christ so that it builds itself up in love. Part of the way you know you’ve been part of a meeting led by the Holy Spirit is that the individual members of the body are built up by the Holy Spirit through other individual members of the body. This does not mean that everyone teaches in the meeting or even that everything goes as planned, the diversity of ways God accomplishes this will boggle your mind.  But God does it and He uses the simplest among us to do it when we are following His Spirit.

Spirit-led meetings demonstrate the gifts of the Spirit. When the Holy Spirit is allowed to lead a meeting, He manifests Himself through the gifts He has given each believer present.  In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul describes a number of unique gifts that God manifests when believers gather: words of wisdom, words of knowledge, faith, healing, working of miracles, tongues, interpretation of tongues, prophecy, and discerning of spirits.  These gifts (and probably others) are the ways God acts when He desires to build up His church through others.

We’ll talk a bit more about current Spirit-led gatherings in a future post.  But for now, what elements of Spirit-led gatherings have you seen when your church gathers? What parts are you missing?  Have you ever seen all of these elements in one gathering? Tell us about it in the comment section. 

Part one of this series is Spirit Led Gatherings: Have You Met With Christians Like This?
Part three of this series is Spirit Led Gatherings: Part Three Fleshing It Out

Photo Credit: dove-object-black2 by knowhimonline

Spirit Led Gatherings: Have You Met With Christians Like This?

Guest post today and the next couple of days is by Travis Kolder who authors the blog, Pursuing Glory

The day has been long and though you’ve worked hard serving your master  all day, you’re eager to join your brothers and sisters as they gather tonight.  You make your way cautiously through the streets of the Ephesus, trying not to draw attention to yourself.  Quietly you slip into the house Julian.  You arrive a few minutes before dinner.  Others will arrive shortly.  You stagger your arrivals to avoid suspicion from the Roman authorities.

More people continue to come.  Julian’s wife and some of the other women have prepared a meal and when everyone has arrived, Julian leads the gathered church in a time of remembering the sacrifice of Jesus and the meaning it has for everyone as a community.  The meal continues with great love and joy.  Others continue to arrive and there are a few people that you don’t personally know who have come as well.  Soon the house is full, both of people and great joy.

The meal ends and those that are gathered sit quietly and listen as those who can read open up the scrolls and read parts of the Scriptures*.  Then Julian pulls out a scroll and reads part of a letter that had passed on to him from Paul.  You’ve never met Paul, but everyone in the church has great respect for him.  Then Julian recounts a story from the life of Jesus that had been passed on to Him.  

Quickly the conversation begins to shift from Julian to others.  While the earlier those who could read were the primary contributors, now everyone has begun to participate.  Simple hymns that the earliest Christians wrote are sung.  Not everyone has a great voice, but all are stirred by the words that call for you to stand firm in the face of difficulty.  A simple, illiterate brother stands up and begins to speak.  He begins to whisper, but his words carry great authority and remind everyone of the need to cleanse their lives.

Finally a sister stands up.  She speaks in a language no one in the room understands.  There is great silence as everyone waits to see if there is an interpretation.  Then a man you don’t recognize stands up, in tears.  He says he is from the land you’ve never heard of but the woman has just spoken about a medical condition that his mother back home has been dying from.  The words spoken promised healing.  No one in the room had known of the situation and now the man wants to serve the same Christ that everyone has been speaking of so passionately.

Joy floods the room as everyone begins to glorify God.  Several brothers surround the man and begin to pray for him.  Plans are made for a baptism the next day, which interferes very little with everyone’s plans because most had planned to assemble together the next day anyways.  The gathering goes late into the night as others share about the greatness of Christ, the worth of following Him despite the cost, and the imminence of His return. You leave late into the evening encouraged by the supernatural work that has obviously taken place.

*Today we would know this as the Old Testament
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The story you’ve just observed is the story of the church of Jesus Christ.  While this story obviously took place during the first century in Ephesus, by changing a couple of minor facts, this story could also take place in any city around the world today.  In fact, while this story may seem fantastic, it is actually a restructuring of testimonies from Scripture, early church history, and the meetings of many churches around the world today.  These meetings are not unique to the first century, but they are abnormal to most Christians in America today.

The story above is actually what I refer to as a Spirit-led meeting.  Elements of the story can change. What makes the story we witnessed different from most church gatherings we see is that the people in the story gathered to encourage one another and be lead by the Holy Spirit. It’s my contention that these meetings don’t need to be confined to first century. They can happen again today.  My hope is as we delve into the topic of Spirit-led gatherings, you’ll be encouraged not just that they happen, but to actually be a part of these gatherings in wherever you live.

Today, though, tell us about you: Do you think a meeting like this is possible today? Why or  why not?  Leave a message in the comment section.


Part two of this series is Spirit-Led Gatherings: Part Two- Definition
Part three of this series is Spirit-Led Gatherings: Part Three Fleshing It Out

Photo Credit: dove-object-black2 by knowhimonline

Repentance Brings Freedom

Stopping the act of sin is not repentance, and it does not break the stronghold it has on you.  I have heard the definition of repentance as turning around.  Turning away from a sin is part of repentance, but it is the result of repenting not the substance of it.  Repentance is an act of the heart.

As testimony to God’s working in my life, I want to tell you about a sin that possessed me.  I have had a problem with the sin of Pornography all my life.   My dad had Playboys and other pornographic magazines around the house.  I remember both of my parents watching a porn movie at a neighbor's house.  Mom didn’t seem to have a problem with it.  I just didn’t think there was that much wrong with it.  Everyone did it.

God could have helped me get rid of the sin by punishing me or forcing me somehow to stop looking at the pictures.  If he had, I would have turned away from the sin, but my heart would still be in the same state as before.  I would still have the desire within me even though outside everything seemed fine.

I became a Christian, and God started working with me.  I kept thinking that I had to stop.  I tried to stop.  I was not very successful really, but I did better.  I was determined to stop, and I did my best to force myself to turn away from pornography.  It was deep rooted stronghold that gripped me.

What is so wonderful about God is that He never gives up on me and has promised to work in my life and make me the man I was designed to be.  Philippians 1:6 “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”

I want to tell something I feel strongly about.  I am not a sinner.  Do I sin? Yes, but my identity is as a Child of God.  I guess you could say I am a Saint who sins, but not a sinner who is a Saint.  God looks at me as what I will be.  My state may be in this sinful world in a fleshly body, but my standing is in Heaven at the right hand of Jesus.

God has  taken that stronghold which had me in its grip and changed my heart. He did not whip me across the back to force me to stop looking at pornography.  He helped me to realize the pain, suffering and heart ache my sin was bringing to those who were in the pictures, who took the pictures, and my friends and family whom I knew and loved.  I saw clearer God’s heart on the matter.  That has changed me more than any punishment could have.  I didn’t stop because of fear, but on the account of the  love God placed in my heart, I am almost totally free.

I am not totally free? I have to keep my guard up against the sin.  I am free of the stronghold, but if I want to I can give into temptations which come along.  There are temptations at times still, but it does not have the power it used to.  Jesus locked up those temptations in a cage and gave me the key.  I have a choice.  I can unlock the power of temptations into my life again, or I can love those around me and God by following His commands.

In today’s world, it can be hard to follow Christ.  It is not easy to cast of strongholds of sin when the world says it is normal.  To attempt stopping a sin is a road to almost sure failure.  Instead let God change your heart and your entire being will follow.

 

Photo Credit: Man in chains looks up to the light by emersonquinn

What is Necessary to Serve God?

Let's take a look at the relationship Adam and Eve had with God.  What was the world like back then when mankind served God perfectly?

From reading Genesis, I find the world to be totally different than what we have today.  We look back at that time and have difficulty imagining something other then Adam and Eve basically living in a forested area of our world.

Before the flood, the world was like an alien planet.  It had a pink sky and twice the atmospheric pressure we find today. The plants and animals grew bigger and there were so many more different types which we do not find today.  There was no rain, but a mist came up every morning to water the world.

Not only was the world different in the days of Adam and Eve, but Man’s relationship with God was different as well.  Before the fall, man’s relationship with God was perfect.  Adam and Eve were sinless, and they would meet with God in the evening to talk.  When Moses spoke with God, he came back to the people with a glow from God’s Glory.  I suspect that man had a glow about him that shone brightly and clothed him.  Man was not walking around completely naked, but walked in God’s glorious light.  After they sinned, that light faded and left them naked.

The Garden of Eden was where Adam and Eve lived and worked.  They were given the task to cultivate and keep the Garden.  When we think of gardening, we imagine a hoe and back-breaking work, but Adam and Eve did not live by the sweat on their brow.  I think they were like Jesus when he was on earth.  Jesus could calm storms, commmand trees, and even multiply food.  If the second Adam could do that, why not the first?  I believe Adam would order a tree to move to the side so that sun could get to another plant, and the tree moved.  He ordered a stream to form so that a section of the garden had more water, and the stream flowed just when he wanted.

What changed all this?  Why did man lose those powers?  What stole man’s dominance over the world?  Nothing stole it.  Man gave it away to Satan when he sinned.  The keys to this world were handed over to Satan, and man fell into the depths of sin, death, sickness and weakness.

Today, because of the work of Jesus Christ, we can have a relationship with God again.  With that relationship comes godly power.  The only thing that can stop God’s power in your life is sin.  Don’t be so hard with Adam when you make the same choice as him everyday and allow sin to separate you from the relationship God desires with you.

The key to serving God with Power is our obedience to Him.  Look at the scriptures from Genesis to Revelation and it keeps coming back to obedience.  He calls us to a life more wonderful than anything we could imagine, but it all begins with our submissiveness to God.

Photo Credit: Sunset, Long Caye, Belize by Roads Less Traveled Photography

Click here to read about the world of Adam and Eve.

Self-Denial of Today’s Christian

Do we deny ourselves like the first Century Christians, who went so far as to forsake the comfort of their traditions?

I have trouble denying myself the comforts of life.  I want to enjoy life like everyone else.  We Christians in America are rich and we love our comforts. Yet that is not the hardest thing for us to give up.  I have found that we protect our traditions even more than our possessions.

After Jesus had left, any Jew who accepted Jesus as the Messiah had to make a radical change to their life.  The traditions they had grown up with were now changed.  Christ coming turned the Jewish religion all upside down.  Many did not accept Jesus simply because it would mean changing their whole way of thinking.  Many of the comfortable traditions they had grown up with would be gone.

We don’t think we are holding any traditions, but that is not true.  It is just that we are so used to them; we no longer even notice them.  Examples of some traditions we might hold:

1. We meet every Sunday in a Church.  Buildings are our traditional place of worship.  The early church met in houses.
2. Baptism has to be by emersion. What is necessary is the person’s heart and their desire to make public confession that Jesus is their Lord.
3. Church service must have singing, a sermon and prayer.  What if God moved to just worship him the whole time?
4. No drums can be used in worshiping God.  Some people even say no music at all.
5. Church hierarchy of leadership. Should we have pastors? Deacons? Elders? Maybe have no leadership?

These are just a few traditions.  We can defend our traditions pretty well when we hold them to be true.  We get offended when someone attacks our traditions.  You might be offended that I mentioned one or more of them which you hold.

Traditions can be good, but they can never come before what the Scriptures say.  How willing are we to give up a tradition for the truth of Scriptures?  It can be harder to put aside a tradition, than it is to walk around blind to what God says.  Denying our traditions means to deny self.  Are we willing to turn our world upside down like the early church did so that we can live the truth of Jesus Christ?

To live as the first-century  Church did, we may have to examine our traditions and decide if we must put it aside or not.  This is a whole new world of obedience which our emotions and sentiments will not want us to go into.  Can we be brave enough to die to our own traditions?  With the help of Christ, of course we can.

Photo Credit: The Little Brown Church - Nashua, Iowa by jmehre

Faith in God’s Word by Today’s Christian

Do we preach Christ Crucified or do we preach a milk toast Jesus?

The Apostle Paul, one of the leaders in the First Century Church, said in 1 Corinthians 11:1 “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.”  Lets see what his faith was like.

^{Jesus commanded in the great commission at  Matthew 28: 18-20 to go into all the world preaching and teaching what Jesus commanded.  What did Paul teach? He tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness”  He preached the scriptures.}

^{How often do Christians look at the Gospel message and say, “How are we going to make this more desirable for the people to accept?”  So they dress it up and have two hours of games and fun with 5 minutes of Gospel testimony.  They do this especially when teenagers are involved.}

^{When the Gospel is presented, they have to make sure that it never makes anyone uncomfortable or offends them in any way.  The sugarcoat the gospel in hopes that the lost will accept their milk toast Jesus.  When you hear their gospel, the Christian life is all flowers, peace and happiness.  There is perfect happiness if you come and become a Christian.  The Gospel is emasculated of its power.}

^{Never let it be said that any sin, accepted by the world, is wrong.  You never want to offend someone about, homosexuality, sex before marriage, or belief in any other gods beside the Biblical God, Jesus Christ and The Holy Spirit.  Do the scriptures say something is wrong?  If it does then speak the truth.}

^{“Oh no.” You say in horror. “My friend will think I am some kind of religious fanatic.  They might unfriend me on Facebook. “  How sad that you do not love your friend enough to risk your friendship with them, so that they may never see Hell.}

^{If we truly believe God’s word, then we would be like Paul.  Persecution, slander, prison, torture, and even the threat of death, could not stop him from preaching the gospel.  He knew the power of God, which resided in the scripture.  The undiluted Word of God can change the world.}

Photo Credit: 1 Corinthians 1:18 | The Cross is the Power of God by UnlockingTheBible

Zealousness of Today’s Christian Leaders

You ask yourself, “Why should I worry about this?  I am not a leader.”  Even if that is true, God will call you to be a leader tomorrow.  God does not want you to linger where you are today.  You may be named the leader of a group, called to lead your family, or to some high calling of God you do not know about.  You can be sure that no matter where you are now, God will call you to leadership.

The Apostle Paul, one of the leaders in the First Century Church, said in 1 Corinthians 11:1 “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.”  So lets see how today’s Christian Leaders match up to following Paul’s example.

How Zealous was Paul? When it came to persecuting Christians, he was so zealous in running them down and killing them, that Jesus Himself came to him in a blinding flash saying, “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?”

I am not sure there were very many things that Paul ever did without zeal.  In 1 Corinthians 10:31 he told the church, “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God”  Do you always eat and drink to the glory of God? I could see him saying when you do a good deed, do it to the glory of God, but he tells us to do even the smallest things to God’s Glory.  He had zeal for even the minutest things.

Paul zealously desired salvation for the lost.  He was whipped five times, three times beaten with a rod, stoned and left for dead, and still he did not stop preaching the Gospel.  He desired salvation for them so much that in Romans 9:3 he says, “For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:”

Oh, that today’s Christian had such zeal!  Paul was full of zeal because he was full of the love of God.  Nothing else mattered.  To Paul, to live is Christ and to die is gain.  Today, God’s eyes are searching the earth for a Paul.  What will He see when His sight falls upon you?

Photo Credit: Mountain Men by Dioboss

I Struggle Everyday. I Don’t want to Die.

I am struggling.  It is not easy to be what God desires me to be.  I wish I could just go to church on Sundays to worship and with a smile, and live my own life the rest of the week.  I know it's selfish, but it sure does sound nice.  Most Christians live their lives that way, so why not me?

Then I hear this still small voice.  “Beloved Son, I expect more from you then that.  You were never created to live your life in the chains of the world.  You do not belong to yourself, and I will not suffer you to live as if you do.  I love you too much.”

This is where God brings to my mind Romans 12: 1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 

^{2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.}

^{The early church understood this.  All they had and were, was given to God and to His people.  I am not the only one whom God calls to live the life of sacrifice.  He calls all of His children to die to self.  You are called to put aside your selfish desires for His desires.}

^{Yes, I struggle to keep my hands off my life and what I “own."  I struggle to let  my selfish die.  I don’t want to be a living sacrifice, but I don’t want to disappoint God either.  He loves me so much, how can I say no?}

^{The beautiful thing is, it is worth it all.  No matter how hard the struggle or what pains we might bear, doing the will of Christ is more than worth it.  He showers us with blessing and accepts us even when we fail.  He is doing a great work in us.  We just need to keep our eyes on Him and keep struggling.}

 

Photo Credit: Sacrificial Alter by Nat and Paula

Living the First Century Church

For the last two weeks, I pounded my head against a wall.  I labored and prayed hard to find the right subtitle for this blog. I felt that God wanted to refocus the blog's direction, but the exact words just did not seem to be there.  I sought advice from my Son-in-law Travis, who is my blog mentor, and he got me in the right direction.  I asked people on Facebook what the best words to use where.  I prayed, meditated and sweated over this until I finally think I have it.

“Living the First Century Church in the Twenty-First Century”

First let me say that the First Century Church was not perfect, but the Twenty-First Century Church has built up 2000 years of traditions and mistakes which we need to shed. We need to look back at the First-Century Church and see what Biblically based teachings they believed and produced in their lives.

What is special about this new Subtitle?  The first word (living) was the hardest word to determine, and it really is the key.  Many people suggested what the first word of the sentence should be, and they were very good.  I am thankful for intelligent friends who were willing to help share some wonderfully descriptive words.

The word “living” connotes that they didn’t simply exhibit the Christian life, but it was an integral part of them.  They didn’t have to think about how to live. It became  natural to them.  They didn’t just manifest Christ in their lives.  They lived Christ.  The seven sons Sceva are an example of someone who manifested the power to exorcise evil spirits in Jesus’ name but did not live the Christian life.  Acts 19: 13-16

What gave The First Century Church the power of God in their lives?  That is where we will be going together in this blog.  What we in The Twenty-First Century Church need to learn and allow God to transform in our lives.

Thank you to everyone who has helped me in this search.  Now let us begin to learn together what is in God’s heart for us in the twenty-first century.  Never be afraid to disagree with me or encourage me in what is said.  I have a lot to learn, and you might hold  a truth in your heart which I need to learn.

Photo Credit: Early Christian Gravestone by Walter Parenteau

5 Steps to Seeing Miracles in Your Life

Step 1.  You can do nothing for God that is worthwhile and eternal while you live without Jesus in your life.  Salvation is the first step to becoming a Godly instrument which Jesus can use in miraculous ways.

Ephesians 2:6-10 “6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
^{7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:}
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Step 2. To do God’s work you must know His overall strategy and guidelines.  That is found in His scriptures, The Bible.  Knowing what God has written in the scriptures is  essential.  It is the key to knowing God’s Heart.  I suggest you read the Bible everyday and let God speak to you through it.

2 Timothy 3:16  “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”

Step 3.  Listen to God.  Yes, God does speak to people, but we to often do not hear Him.  When you accepted Christ as your savior, it was because you heard a still small voice in your heart calling you to Him.  When someone is called to the pastorate or to be a missionary, it is because they heard the voice of God calling them into that work.  You can hear Him also.  His voice to you might be that still small voice, or a vision, or a conviction.  His communication to us is multifaceted.

Don’t just read the Bible, read and listen for His voice.  The Bible gives you God’s strategy, but hearing His voice gives you the tactical information from God for the details of what God plans for you.  His voice will never go against what The Bible says.  The two work together.

John 10:27  “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:”

Step 4.  Abide in Him.  You can be a Christian, who has the Bible memorized and hears God speaking to them, but you must live your life in His presence.  The word abide means to conform and wait patiently in a fixed place.  It means becoming Christ-like in your life.  It is sacrificing your selfish desires for His Loving desires.  This is a painful step, because it means dying to your self-interest, but it is a necessary step if we are to gain God’s best in our lives.

“Romans 12: 1-2  1. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Step 5. Do only what you see Him doing.  I admit I would love to see visions of God doing something and follow His leading in that way.  Sadly, He does not give visions to everyone, but Jesus does show Himself to those who abide in Him.  How God communicates with you is up to Him.

You might be in the cash register line, and God urges you to tell the cashier, “I believe God has told me that your son will be fine.”  You might not have any idea who this person is, but God wants that cashier to hear through you that her son, who was in a car accident, will be alright.

John 14:21  “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”

God will manifest Himself in you in miraculous ways if you follow these steps.  He has promised that you not only can do great works ,but that you can do even greater works then He did.

John 14: 12-14 “12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it”

Photo Credit: Kelly Shepherd Crying by Transguyjay

I Just Want Jesus

I just want the Lord in my life.

I love God.  Nothing profound in that statement, and yet it is the heart and soul of my being. I want nothing else except Him.  What can compare to God?

I do not care about seeing healings and miracles.  I would rather see His face.  Feeling that tingly feeling of His glory around me is great, but I would rather feel my hand in His.  I yearn to hear His voice and feel His arms wrapped around me. 

I am thankful for all He has given to me and all He will give to me. He has blessed me far beyond what I could have ever dreamed.  My life on earth has been worth living because of Him.  If God never had promised Heaven with its streets of Gold, foundations of precious gems, a great mansion and angels as servants, I would be happy to just have known Him in this life. 

His presence in my life is all that matters.  I would rather spend one minute in His presence than to live eternally in Heaven without God there.  Heaven is Heaven only because God lives there and not because of anything else.

All I am saying in this blog is that Jesus loves me so much, and I could never love Him enough.  I don’t care if He never does another thing for me ever again except to love me, I will love Him. I just want to be with Him.

David and Goliath; Who Really Won?

Just about everyone knows the story of David and Goliath.  I read that story, and feel sorry for this little guy who goes out on the battle field and gets trounced.  He doesn't know what hit him.  He might as well have gone out there naked holding a feather to fight with.  It's kind of sad to see the little guy overwhelmingly defeated.  Poor Goliath.

You see this may be the story of David and Goliath, but its the battle of God and Goliath.  Goliath never stood a chance.  He thought he was fighting some peach fuzz faced boy who had never fought against another man, but actually Goliath was doing battle with the all powerful, immortal, King of the Universe.  The God, whose very words could create or destroy, was to decide the fate of this little human warrior arrayed in his worthless armor and wielding his ineffective weapons.

David was merely the vessel God used to kill Goliath.  David knew better then to go into battle with this Giant alone.   David never threatened Goliath with his skills.  He wasn't out there in his own power or ever the power of King Saul.  Goliath had not insulted David or the Israeli armies. He had defied God Himself. David was there in the name of the Lord.  David simply stepped out in faith that God would deliver Goliath into his hands. 

1 Samuel 17: 45-46  45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.

46 This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

Today the church has many Goliaths coming at us.  We plan and organize our resistance against them. We organize rallies,  training sessions, conferences, meeting and marches.  We find political candidates to promote whom we find closest to our beliefs.  We do everything humanly possible.

What we need to do is find out what God says, and let Him fight the battle.  He very well might have you organize something, but then you will be doing it with Him, instead of alone. Then you will stand in the middle of the battlefield with God's strength and skills.  Let your Goliath fight God.  He is the one whom they are defying, and He is the one who should fight the battle.  

Photo Credit: Tiziano Vecelli - David and Goliath by Shimbleshanks1

The Obstacle to Revival is Christians.

If revival is being withheld from us it is because some idol remains still enthroned; because we still insist in placing our reliance in human schemes; because we still refuse to face the unchangeable truth that, 'It is not by might, but by My Spirit.   Jonathan Goforth

What is the biggest obstacle to a revival?  Answer: Us.

God’s power is under His authority, and we have our own will.  As long as we allow our will to live, God cannot  control our ways.  If we are not under His authority, then how can He entrust us with His power?  If we do not have the power of God working in our lives, how can He use us to bring revival?

How do we bring revival? We can try to bring about a revival by making elaborate plans.  We would organize who will do what, and gather all the materials we think will be necessary.  Educate people on what to do and say so they have the “right techniques."  We set the time and bring in charimatic speakers who can preach powerful messages.  We have 24-hour  prayer going on to prepare the souls of those who attend.  Everything is in its place, and everything is absolutely perfect, except for one thing.  No one has turned to God for the guidance and power for the Revival.  We made all the plans ourselves and trust in our own strength.  We need to rest in God and not in any of our own efforts.  We didn’t allow God to work within us to bring about His power for the revival.  God still might work in some people's hearts, but not in the powerful manner He truly desires.

There is one question we really need to answer.  Is living our lives, the way we want, worth the loss of hundreds of souls?  Our prayers, plans and witness, should be filled with the power of God as He directs us in the way we should go.  It could make the difference in the eternal lives of our friends, relatives and in the lives of anyone who meets us.  Are we willing to sacrifice ourselves for others?  Is the loss of the control of our lives and will, worth giving if it means gaining eternal life for even one other person?

Are you willing to be Christ to those around you?  Are you willing to fulfill Luke 9:23 in your life?

 “And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”

Photo Credit: the Big Gospel Tent revival by Brit

The Marriage of Knowledge and Spirit

I once knew a Drake University professor who had worked on The Dead Seas scrolls.  He knew the scriptures in English, Greek, Hebrew and Arabic.  This man knew doctrine and could tell you more about what the Bible said then anyone I knew.

I cannot say how much of the Bible he believed, but I know he did not believe that salvation comes through Jesus Christ. This man knew all the facts, and yet he was not a Christian. He did not have the Holy Spirit within him to help him to understand what the scriptures say.

James 2:19 “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”

There are Christians in churches all over the world who know very little about the Scripture, but the Holy Spirit is leading them. He has them telling their friends about Jesus and bringing them to Christ.  They are led to give to others who are in need and do things in God’s name.  These baby Christians are following Christ with a love and enthusiasm which should shame the rest of us.

However, they do not know the facts of what the Bible says and what doctrines say they should believe.  They could still be living in a sin because they do not know what the scriptures say about it.  They are like helpless lambs who are wandering around oblivious to what God has decreed in His Word.

We cannot  have just the facts and knowledge without the Spirit, also we cannot  have just the Spirit without the facts and knowledge.  The two must go together.  I have been saying that Christians go about their lives based upon facts, experience and knowledge using their own wisdom and strength.  They give lip service to the Spirit, but they do not truly follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. The problem is not in what they know but in how that knowledge is used.  We must not think that we can do God’s work on our own.

Zechariah 4:6 “Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.”

The more knowledge and experiences we have, the more tools the Holy Spirit can use in our lives to do His will.  We need to know the scripture.  Memorizing verses is a wonderful thing.  Knowing where to find verses that support what you believe will strengthen you.  The more facts we know the better.

2 Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”

Do not disparage knowing the facts about God and His word, but do not ignore the leading of the Holy Spirit as well.  They are both essential to a living, growing relationship with Jesus Christ.

Photo Credit: Holy Spirit by kelsey_lovefusionphoto

Humanistic Christianity

“Humanism : a doctrine, attitude, or way of life centered on human interests or values; especially : a philosophy that usually rejects supernaturalism and stresses an individual's dignity and worth and capacity for self-realization through reason.”  Merriam-Webster

Does that definition fit you?  It fits most Christians.  A humanist Christian is someone who believes in Christ, but rejects the power of God in their life.  Their Christian lives revolve around doing things for God under their own power.  They can have the best intentions and even get some good results, but it is all humanistic based.

When I was a young Christian, I went to a Church meeting where we started the meeting without prayer and were trying to find a solution to a problem.  I suggested we pray about it, but the pastor put me down saying, “No! We need to find out what we should do first and then ask God to bless it.” That is humanism. Anytime we try to do something on our own wisdom, or strength, we are saying we have what it takes to do God’s work, without God.

We think the answers to the Christian ministry are in such things as, what techniques to use when witnessing; What small-group  dynamics work best; Memorizing Scriptures; Charisma of a speaker; Bible training and education.  Not one of these things are bad, if God leads in these areas, but when we rely on them to fulfill the work of God, we are relying on human effort instead of on God.

Jesus knew the Scriptures and doctrines.  He quoted scripture often and walked out the law in everything he did.  If anyone was wise enough to do what was best it was Jesus.  John 5:19 says, “Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.”

Even Jesus, the Son of God would not do anything under his own power or wisdom.  He only did what he saw his own father do.  If he didn’t do the work of God on his own, than why do we think we can?

We have been raised to believe in ourselves, our wisdom, knowledge, education, experience and hard work.  We see the challenges and immediately search for solutions that will work in this world of ours.  We get advice from books, mentors, the internet, universities, and other worldly approved methods.

We must begin to listen to God first before we try to do anything for God.  He is speaking to us, but we must listen.  We must learn to hear that still small voice and distinguish it from our own.  People say God doesn’t speak to people today, and yet they believe pastors are called by God.  God does speak.  We just don’t listen.

Note: This post is based on my reading of the book” Viral Jesus by Ross Rohde

Photo Credit: First: believe in yourself. Then: achieve! by Felicelam

Knowing the Bible is Important. Knowing Jesus is Crucial.

I accepted Jesus as my Savior when I was in the US Navy Boot Camp.  I accepted him simply so I would not go to Hell.  I did not do anything about Jesus until about six months later when I met some Christians, who were with the Navigator Ministry.  Sometime I will have to tell about that story but for now, let me just say, God used the Navigators to show me about the basics of being a Christian.  I am so thankful for what I learned in those days from them.

That was when I learned about reading and memorizing the Bible.  We did Bible studies and learned all sorts of facts about what I should believe. I learned about witnessing, praying, fellowship and all sorts of things I should be doing or not doing.  I learned a lot that was very valuable but while I learned to know the Bible, I never learned to know Jesus.

I learned facts about Jesus and what he said.  I knew the doctrines about him and what he taught.  I could tell you who he was, what he did, what he said, and even what he wore, but it was all facts about Jesus which I knew; not him personally.

I have learned that prayer is not just talking to him, it is talking with him.  It is listening as well as talking.  I have learned to wait to hear that still small voice and not go off on my own power to try to do things for God.  He is more than just a person out of history to learn about.  Jesus truly is here with me.  I can feel his presence and hear his voice.  He laughs; he cries; he comforts, and he sometimes has to scold me.  He is truly my one and only Best Friend Forever.

Photo Credit: The Bible by Brent Nelson