The Main Event (Dec 04)

Several years ago, a small country boy yearned to see a circus. When one came to town, his father gave him enough money to go, and boy, did he ever! The next morning, bright and early, he rushed on down the road to see his very first circus. A couple of hours later, he returned extremely excited, but had not spent a single penny. "What happened, son," his father asked, "Didn't you go to the circus?"

"Oh, yes," the small boy responded, "It came right down Main Street, and I saw the whole thing—and it didn't cost me anything, either!" His father, trying to remain calm, threw up his arms in exasperation and declared, "Oh, no! You didn't see the circus at all—you just saw the parade! Son, you missed the Main Event!" Many people would probably agree, that with all of the commercialization and marketing that goes on at this time of year, that Christmas has become nothing but a flashy parade of decorations, packages, and parties for some, and a huge hassle for others. If we allow either perspective to dominate our vision, the Main Event is actually missed. Thank God for His Word, for if we will allow it to lead us, it will lift us above the "glitz" and the "grumps", and take us right to the Main Event—the Christ Event!

Normally, as the Christmas season begins, we would turn to Luke's account of the birth of Jesus, but this year, let's not! Joseph's side of the story in the Gospel of Matthew, though it is told using far fewer words, contains ideas that must be seen. And the first one is "Love." Though the actual word is not used, it is all through this story: "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as His mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily." (Matt. 1: 18-19) But where is the love in that? It actually sounds rather cruel—is he just going to dump her?

No, not at all! For all intents and purposes, it appeared that Mary had been unfaithful, and for that, the Judaic law called for her to be stoned to death. But Joseph loved Mary far too much for that, so he was thinking about quietly divorcing her. His thought must have been that if she were no longer "espoused", the law would no longer apply—she would just be branded as promiscuous. And as difficult as that would be, she, at least, would still be alive! This brings us to our second Christmas word, "Judgment." What? How can "judgment" be a Christmas word? Oh, it not only can be, it must be! Sin is choosing something other than God, and the result of it is separation from that God. Even before this baby would be born in a manger and die on a cross, the concept of judgment would be played out in the generation just before Him. Out of love, Joseph was more than willing to live the rest of his life without his beloved Mary. He would pay the price! What a picture of the judgment and justice of God that would require the atonement for sin! Just look at that word—doesn't it speak an amazing truth? "Atonement"—at…one…ment! Even before Jesus would hang on that cross to make it possible for us sinners to be "at one" with a holy God, His "step-father," Joseph, would be a very graphic and loving representation of this in God's heart.

Praise God—and, so that he, and we, couldn't miss the point, a.k.a. "the Main Event", an angel appeared to him and said, "Joseph, thou Son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins." (vss. 20b-21) Praise God—didn't I tell you? It was all a picture of God's heart. And notice, Mary didn't even try to defend herself; she didn't butt in before God, trying to justify herself. She evidently hadn't even told Joseph about it at all—that was the Lord's job. After all, she was only His "handmaiden," not His boss. When God put these first two words of Christmas together—Love and Judgment—they brought into focus the third—Grace! God could have sent the entire human race careening to Hell for its sin, but He, instead, showed His divine favor and influence upon the heart—not because people were so good, but because He is! Though there may be many things we might consider to be our enemies, "sin" is the greatest—and many don't even realize it! It is so great, it can't be dealt with from within ourselves apart from God. The answer? God would, by His grace—totally and absolutely unmerited on our part—come within us in order to destroy the power of sin.

Yes, that is right! Verse 23 even reiterates what the prophet Isaiah had said seven hundred years before: "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." Praise God—in both the original languages of Hebrew and Greek, the "with" also means "in." God would not just chip away at sin from the outside of a person, simply changing the outward appearance by a legalistic dropping of a few bad habits or a gaining of some good ones. Many today, thinking they are Christian, have merely been awakened to the things of God. They may say some of the right words, and even attend church, but they are merely interested in spiritual things, and ultimately, remain "fruitless"—as evidenced by letting virtually anything get in the way of their pursuit of God and being with His people. The true message of Christmas involves a work on the inside—God actually transforming the heart, the seat of reasoning and emotion, which would then change the entire life. Jeremiah put it this way: "…After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people." (Jer. 31:33b) Emmanuel—He isn't just the perfect example to follow; He is a life lived within!

Remember—contrary to the popular opinion that people are basically good, the truth of the matter is, that "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jer. 17:9) God can! And that is why someone once suggested that "grace" can be understood best by the acronym he put with it—G.od's R.iches A.t C.hrist's E.xpense. What an incredible truth—Jesus is God's grace. As we consider the cost of the Cross, we truly should be amazed that the Son of God would love us so much, that He would take our sin upon Himself, and be judged by His own Heavenly Father to be worthy of death! Remember—that is what it is to be "at one" with the Lord. Grace isn't a free ticket out of obedience or a matter of just knowing that Heaven is in our futures, but it is a precious gift of the power of God's Holy Spirit that is intended to shape us and fit us for the Kingdom of God right now.

So many today think that since the price has been paid, they are free to be whatever they want to be. No, it actually frees us to be what God wants us to be—dead to self, pride, and our own agendas. A.W. Tozer once said, "Among the plastic saints of our times, Jesus has to do all the dying, and all we want is to hear another sermon about His dying. We want to be saved, but we insist that Christ do all the dying. No cross for us, no dethronement, no dying. We remain king within the little kingdom of Mansoul, and wear our tinsel crown with all the pride of a Caesar; but we doom ourselves to shadows and weakness and spiritual sterility." Even at Christmas, all many people want to do is to hear another sermon about the birth of a baby. No—Christmas is so much more than that! All of the words of Christmas, when we bring them together—Love, Judgment, Grace, Salvation, and so many others—scream out against a limp and fruitless "decision for Christ." This relationship is not just a decision; it is a determined directive right from the heart of God Himself—looking to be taken hold of by all who will die to everything else!

Yes, it's a change of the heart that produces a heart-felt obedience. We see it in Joseph, as he obeys the angel in taking Mary to be his wife, and even holding back his intimacy with her in order that others would have no doubt about it—this was God's Child! Let me, in conclusion, illustrate this with something that happened almost 40 years ago. Dr. Christian Barnard, who performed the first successful human heart transplant, said that a frequent post-surgery request by patients was to see the old heart. He often complied by putting the heart in a jar, and often received this response—"Thank you, Doctor, for taking away my old, diseased heart and giving me a new one." This is what Christmas should be about—the Main Event is Emmanuel, God "within" us. The Great Physician has come to rid us of an old and diseased heart, and to give us a new one—His! In this Christmas season, don't turn it all into a three ring circus; simply receive what He came to give—Himself, the Main Event!

Come Before Winter (Nov 04)

It is said that Scottish Presbyterians cast long shadows, referring to the heritage of the Scottish Covenanters in the Reformation era. These dedicated Christians went through severe persecutions—even death, because they wouldn't conform to the compromising church of their day. It makes me wonder if the "long shadows" goes beyond just their dignity and commitment, but even to the shadows that they cast as they hung from the gallows. But that was hundreds of years ago—what about more recently?

…Clarence Edward Noble Macartney, the seventh and last child of a Scottish preacher, became one of the greatest Presbyterian leaders of the 20th Century. In 1924, he was named the Moderator of the General Assembly, but was a staunch conservative in a very liberal time. When those around him would deny the authority of Scripture, he thundered, "A deleted Bible results in a diluted gospel. Protestantism, as it loses faith in the Bible, is losing its faith." One time he said, "We can decaffeinate coffee and de-nicotine tobacco, but we can't de-Christianize Christianity."

Sad to say, that is precisely what so many in our society today are doing. Rev. Macartney's exhortations to purity and holiness didn't go over very well in the midst of the liberal mindset of his day, and, I can tell you from personal experience, it doesn't go over very well now, either. Why is that? Well, first of all, God's people were always called to be separate from the world, and thereby, be "a light to the Gentiles."(Isaiah 49:6) Even in the days of the New Testament, Paul said clearly, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?" (2 Cor. 6:14) This text goes on to make clear that this is not just talking about marriage, but all of the Christian life—"I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." (vs. 16b) His next exhortation is to…"come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." (vss. 17,18)

Believe it or not, herein lies the problem. The heightened liberal mindset in our times rejects all of this stuff about "thus saith the Lord." Many today insist on being their own boss and don't want to hear anything about His control, His Kingdom, and His rule over the heart and life. Now, I certainly can understand this when we see this in the world, for they don't have the Lord and His life-transforming power…but in the church? Yes, it has often refused to shine the light of Jesus in the darkness, and opted, instead, to be like the world in order to be liked by it. Much of the church today is determined to walk arm-in-arm with the world's liberal philosophies, somehow thinking that this "buddy-buddy" type relationship is going to draw people into the Kingdom of God. No, it is just the opposite—it keeps them away from it!

Let me show you through three of this country's liberal agendas, just how much of the "church" is deceived. This society is undeniably based on self, pleasure, and pursuing a life of ease. It is all about self-actualization and feeling good, even at the loss of the truth. Now, as I said before, I most certainly understand the world buying into this, for being without Jesus, they really have nothing but themselves and their own fulfillment. But Jesus said clearly, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?…"(Mt. 16: 24-26) And yet, many sermons today are nothing more than pep talks on how to get a more pleasurable life, with sin hardly being mentioned. So-called "seeker-friendly" churches often survey the "unchurched" of the community to find out what they want in a church, and then provide bowling alleys, spas, athletic courts, locker rooms, and even Starbucks and McDonalds franchises—all to lure people in. One church's "Purpose-Driven" theme is void of the true gospel and is leading millions astray. Oh, sure, we have a purpose, but it isn't going to be pyschotherapeutic self-help programs and "feel-good" theologies. These aren't supposed to drive us anyway; the true Christian is Spirit-led, not driven. It would seem, that when it comes to marketing Christianity, that anything goes—the ends justify the means. Not as far, however, as God is concerned—"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."(Prov. 14:12) Remember—"A deleted Bible results in a diluted gospel." And I would add to that—If you dilute it, you pollute it!

Secondly, consider an absolutely tragic result of this obsession with "self". For decades now, many in this nation are absolutely determined to murder the unborn. The current rate is about 4,000 babies every day—not year—DAY! When it was legalized in 1973, a big part of the argument was the safety of the mother and her rights, but it has clearly escalated into a matter of convenience. God desires to protect the innocent, but liberalism doesn't care about that. The true church of Jesus Christ most certainly will! Several years ago, I stood up in a large "church" meeting and emphatically shared God's heart on all of this. In the back of the room, a rather liberal pastor stood up and said, in effect, that the Bible was only a history book, and we don't have to follow its directions anymore. The end result?—recommending that pastors and their churches shuttle women past the protesters so they can get their abortions. Absurd! Both Martin Niemoller and Dietrich Bonhoeffer were Lutheran pastors who came to understand the necessity of standing against their church's compromise during Nazism. Niemoller once said, "First they came for the socialists, but I did not speak up for I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, but I did not speak up because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, but I did not speak up for I was not a Jew. Then they came for me, but there was no one left to speak for me." The implication here is obvious. As it would turn out, Rev. Niemoller would spend eight years in concentration camps, and his friend Dietrich—only a few days before Europe was set free—was hanged for standing on the truth of God's word. "Protestantism, as it losses it's faith in the Bible, loses it's faith."

Thirdly, much has been in the news recently about "same-sex" marriages and unions. This, of course, is the result of a liberal agenda that is specifically intending to disagree with God at every turn. Come on now—it doesn't take a rocket-scientist to figure out that homosexuality is a perversion of God's intention for men and women. Scriptures, such as 1 Cor. 6:9-11; 1 Tim. 1:8-11; Rom. 1: 24-32; and many others, condemn it, but also call people out of it—proof that it is a choice. Hundreds of testimonies concerning deliverance through the power of Jesus also prove that God didn't "make" people that way. Also, are you aware that there is a move within Congress, led by ultra-liberal senators, to redefine our nation's understanding of hate-crimes? If passed and signed, it will become illegal to speak against homosexuality. What will be the punishment? Fines? Imprisonment? Hanging? Praise Jesus—may God's true people stand on the One who is Truth, and all to the glory of God!

Remember Rev. Macartney? Back on October 18th, 1915, he preached a message entitled, "Come Before Winter." His text was 2 Timothy 4—Paul, writing from prison, declared to young Timothy, and to us, the absolute necessity for the true church to preach the true word of God, whether it is liked or not. At the end of the chapter, Paul exhorts Timothy to come to be with him before winter. In this, Rev. Macartney stressed the need to repent and seek the Lord today, and not wait. He said, "The Holy Spirit, when He invites men to come to Christ, never says, 'Tomorrow,' but always 'Today.' If you can find me one place in the Bible where the Holy Spirit says, 'Believe in Christ tomorrow' or 'Repent and be saved tomorrow,' I will come out of the pulpit and stay out of it—for I would have no gospel to preach." By the grace of God Almighty, I make the same pledge! These are truly perilous days in which we live, and the choice is before us. Many think things are going to get better, but God said, "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived."(2 Tim. 3:12-13) God's call is to turn from these liberal and worldly ways, and seek Him alone. Everything I have written here is God's heart, and our decision must come before winter—yes, even today, for today is the day of grace and salvation. This Thanksgiving, turn from the de-Christianizing of Christianity, cast a very long shadow, and thank God for Christ, the living Word!

Holiness Unto the Lord (Oct 04)

A recent series of deadly hurricanes reminded me of an amazing incident that took place off the shores of California in January of 1983 during a horrific storm. A San Diego surfer carelessly risked his own life, as well as others, trying to catch "the big one." Having lost control of his board and suffering a severe head injury, a courageous lifeguard pulled him from the surf and onto the sand at the base of a very steep cliff. Then, several firefighters risked their lives bringing him up in a stretcher.

…another killer storm hit the coast. This time, two of the three surfers, who were about to wade out into the turbulent waves, stopped when lifeguards ordered them out. The third, however, stubbornly ignored their appeals and proceeded into the deeper waters. The surfer was arrested, and you guessed it—he was the same one rescued two months earlier…and the same lifeguard who had rescued him, now arrested him. Believe it or not, we do the same thing spiritually, with far more devastating consequences.

How? When we ignore the holiness of God, and what that is intended to mean in our daily lives, we thumb our noses at His grace. Several years ago, fourteen-year-old Jason Van Boom won his local spelling bee by guessing the correct answer. He himself even says, "It was sheer luck, that's all." Furthermore, he didn’t have the least idea what the word even meant. Christianity, however, is all about something different. Any attempt to guess, especially by this world's standards, what holiness is all about, will not be successful. It is not something to be guessed, it is something that must be known and experienced. Any attempt to get around this reality, will only result in risking your own eternity, and even that of others, as you blatantly flaunt your own so-called rights over God's holy expectations—and not just once, but over and over and over again!

So, join me in these next paragraphs as we journey through the Scriptures to discover God's heart on this. Throughout the Old and New Testaments, holiness refers to something being sacred, and when something is sacred, it is consecrated, dedicated, and hallowed. Certainly, all true holiness and purity begin in the heart of God. Over 600 times in the Bible, the word "holy" is used—usually describing some aspect of the Lord—His ground, His house, His word, and even His priest's garments. Exodus 28:36, in describing the exact detail of the hat, or mitre, that Moses' brother Aaron was to wear as the High Priest, puts it this way: "And thou shalt make a plate of pure gold, and grave upon it, like the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD." It would be a permanent reminder of how the spiritual leaders of the people, as well as the people themselves, were to see God as holy. Other reminders would be given along the way—1 Chron. 16:29 tells us, "Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name: bring an offering, and come before Him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness." When the armies of Israel were sent forth to defeat Moab and Ammon, the enemies of the Lord, they were led by the praise of God for a very special thing—"…he appointed singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for His mercy endureth forever." (2 Chron. 20:21)

But that is only part of the picture—it is not just about God's holiness, but also the holiness that He will instill in His people. I say "will", because if they refuse, and persist in doing their own thing, they will no longer be His people—God's people will be holy. The Holy Spirit—and He ought to know—said in 1 Peter 1:15 and 16, "…as He which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." Oh, so its all about our conversation?—we just have to talk holy? No, of course not—"conversation", in the Greek, refers to the entire life as it is lived. Psalm 93:5, in referring to the majesty of God, says, "Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O Lord, for ever." This speaks clearly of God's people, being "at home" with holiness—finding it to be what they want and not an unbearable burden.

In fact, all of life will be transformed by the holiness of God. In prophesying of a coming day, including our own day, Zechariah, filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke, "In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the Lord's house shall be like the bowls before the altar. Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the Lord of hosts." (14:20-21a) In other words, there will no longer be a distinction between the spiritual part of our lives and the common, everyday living of our lives. No longer will there be "religion" on Sunday morning, and a living of the rest of our lives apart from that. Oh, but wouldn't that make us "fanatics?" What would others say? Well, God saw that objection coming—Jeremiah said, "Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets—(referring to the false prophets)—all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the Lord, and because of the words of His holiness." (23:9) Holiness will indeed shake up our lives, but a good shaking is exactly what we need to break us from this world. But remember—It isn't you just cleaning up your life; it is far deeper than that. A.W. Tozer once wrote concerning this, "True holiness is not something that can be humanly cultivated…It is the presence of God that comes upon the humble heart and life with a sweet and radiant fragrance that gives meaning to our witness." Oswald Chambers echoed this when he wrote, "…If we do not steadily minister in everyday opportunities, we will do nothing when the crisis comes." True holiness begins within—as we allow His life to be our own, we become holy!

Yes, it is an enduing of a spirit of consecration, that ALL of life would be lived unto the Lord—seven days a week. Take, for example, just believing His word to be true. Recently, the Genesis Project's satellite, intended to gather solar particles so as to ascertain the composition of the sun and discover the origin of the Universe, reentered the earth's atmosphere. Even though it had a parachute, to ensure a safe touchdown, NASA employed a Hollywood helicopter stunt pilot to snag the chute and set it down gently. We all know what happened—CRASH! I could have saved them millions of dollars in their quest; I would have shown them the original Genesis Project—"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth…And God said, Let there be light: and there was light." (Genesis 1:1,3) Forget that nonsense about the Universe coming from a "Big Bang"—all of the matter in space condensed into a dot the size of this period (.) and then exploding to produce the perfect order we see in space now. The Big Bang, if you want to call it that, didn't begin everything, but it will play an integral part in the end—"…the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness…?" (2 Peter 3:10-11) Not unbelievers in God's word, that's for sure! And He isn't just expecting us to believe Him concerning creation—what about His word concerning homosexuality, "gay" marriage, abortion, lying, adultery, hatred, heresy, drunkenness, pride, rebellion, and a whole list of other sins. So many people today just ignore His word and run right back out into the churning sea of self-fulfillment. Where is the holiness in that? God's word is truly holy—believe it!

Later this month, on Halloween, Satan worshipers will sacrifice both animals and people. On the same night, countless millions the world over will have "fun" while focusing on skeletons, devils, monsters, and a whole myriad of symbols based on death and damnation. Holiness unto the Lord? And what about returning to the surf of perpetual guilt over sin—even after you are forgiven and truly saved? Where is the life-transforming holiness of God in that? Or are you just waiting for God to "make" you be obedient to Him, so that you don't have to take that step? You see, holiness is extremely practical. Hebrews 12:14 tells us that without holiness, the Lord can't even be seen! What is God's divine purpose in this?— "To the end He may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints." (1 Thess. 3:13) So, take up your position in Christ in holiness and proclaim Him with every fiber of your being until His soon return. Remember—today is the day of salvation—today He comes to the rescue, through the Cross; any day now, He comes to arrest and judge—all in holiness. Seek Him, and be filled with HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD! !

The Unknown God (Sep 04)

Thanks for the harmonica," little Joshua said to his uncle. "It's the best present I ever got." "That's great," the uncle responded. "Do you know how to play it yet?" "Oh, I don't play it," the little boy said. "My mom gives me a dollar not to play it during the day, and my dad gives me five dollars a week not to play it at night."

I suppose someone should tell Joshua that the harmonica is intended to be a music-maker, and not a money-maker. After all, only practice makes perfect, or at least that is what we've been hearing for weeks from the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Held every four years, these modern games were inaugurated in 1896 right there in Athens, but they are but a modified version of the original Olympian Games, dating back to 776BC. The location of these ancient games, Mount Olympus, was believed to be the residence of many of the Greek gods, and the competitions were to honor them—especially the chief of the gods, Zeus.

Their motivation, however, was not entirely altruistic—they were honored with wreaths of olive leaves, celebrated by the poets, and they often lived the rest of their lives at the public's expense. Amazing—it's really not that different today! Gold, silver, and bronze medals, as well as tons of accolades, and scads of advertising endorsements—in other words, money and pride! Paul, the apostle, was very much aware of the ancient games, and used them to compare the diligence, perseverance, and motivations of the athletes with what true Christianity should be about, and how, very often, the church is put to shame by the world's devotion to its gods (see 1 Cor. 9:24-27; Hebrews 12:1-2; and 2 Tim. 4:6-8). If a runner can give his all in honor of a mythological god, surely those today who enter into a relationship with the one and only true God, the Lord Jesus Christ, can be poured out as well—not for money or ego, but for the beautiful harmony of living in His will right now—sweet music in the ears of the Lord!

To further illustrate this, turn to Acts 17 to see what happened the day Paul visited Athens. Verse 16 tells us, "…his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry." In the Greek, the original language of the New Testament, it means that Paul was indignant and grief-stricken over an entire city lost and in need of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, Athens was not a great center for politics or even commerce, but it was a center for intellectualism. In fact, men from Rome would come there for their university training. In other words, it was a city of "know-it-alls." And when Paul debated with the Jews of the city, both in the synagogue and in the market place, "…certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoics, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection." (vs. 18)

Who were these people? Well, Epicurus, born in 341 BC, believed that the Greek gods existed, but he didn't really give them much honor. Pleasure, he suggested, should be the motivating force in people's lives. In fact, he taught that a very tranquil life was the ultimate goal—total freedom from pain, trouble, and fear…especially, the fear of death. Many churches have fallen into this trap, embracing today's psychology, "Christian" or otherwise. The premise? The love of self, and therefore, the blame for problems falls on others. David Wilkerson, of Times Square Church, rightly criticizes this "counseling" trend in modern preaching. He recently wrote, "The majority of sermons today focus on meeting people's needs, rather than on the victorious life we have in Christ. Preachers are offering three steps to surviving another day, a how-to plan for merely getting by." The Stoics, on the other hand, suggested that "God" is the world's soul, and that "it" dwells in all things, including all people. This lie has been believed by many denominations, and not so subtly in the New Age movement—the western remake of Hinduism.

Ironic, isn't it? They are calling Paul the babbler. In the Greek, it refers to a crow as he picks up seed—picking up scraps of undigested knowledge. They were confused about this one who preached of Jesus and resurrection. Why? Some have suggested that the confusion rests in the Greek words for Jesus and resurrection—"Iesous" and "Anastasis," sounding in their ears something like "Zeus," the ruler of the celestial realm, and "Athena," the goddess of wisdom. But it goes far deeper than that. It all sounded strange to them, "for all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing." (vs. 21) It is the same today, as multitudes run here or there for a "new word" from the Lord, when they haven't even bothered to get to know the One who has been speaking since before the beginning of time. A.W. Tozer, in thinking on this, once wrote, "Can I explain a time when there was only God--no matter, no law, no motion, no relation or space, no time and no beings, only God? Can I explain how God could have chosen us before the creation of the world? Can I explain the eternal nature of God, the uncreated Being?" Furthermore, how can we, such "know-it-alls," even know such a God, especially in such an Athenian city as our modern day society?

It's a good question! When they brought Paul to the Areopagus, the Hill of Mars and the location of the highest court of the land, he laid it out for them: "Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, Him I declare unto you." (vss. 22b,23) The Greek word here for "superstitious" is a very interesting one— "deisidaimonesteros"—and a looooong one. The "deos", refers to being far too fearful, faithless, and timid, while "daimon" points to allowing oneself to be influenced by demonic activity. Hence, their worshiping at this altar, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD, was not just a way to cover their bases. Not at all—Paul specifically states that the God, whom they don't know, is the one true God of the Bible. This God had made everything, and yet they didn't know Him. He had brought all people to live together on the same planet for a purpose, and they didn’t get it. The one true God had sent His only Son to take away all sin, and the demonic power of that sin to control people, but they didn't comprehend it. Do we? So, since many then and many now don't know who He is, the life-transforming call went out to all—"…seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him, though He be not far from every one of us: For in Him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also His offspring." (vss. 27,28)

The Athenian poets had actually spoken the truth, but they didn’t know it! So, Paul explained it—this "offspring" of God makes it possible for them, and us, to be children of God, as well. In other words, its about time to be fed up with the ignorance bit—repent, "because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead." (vs. 31) That's right! All men! Praise God—now they could not honestly claim God to be unknown, for, through the Cross of Calvary, He had made Himself available to everyone!

Oh, sure, some derided Paul and mocked the message of the power of the resurrected life, just like they do today—not wanting to hear that the true Gospel, empowered by the Holy Spirit, transforms hearts and lives right now—not just in Heaven. But some didn't gripe—in fact, they said, "We will hear thee again of this matter." (vs. 32b) Praise God—even when Paul left Athens, some went with him, including Dionysius the Areopagite, whose name, in the Greek, means "reveler," and, a woman by the name of Damaris, meaning "to tame, and to be gentle." The one true God became very well known to them as He conformed them into His image. No longer would they revel in the world and its ways, but now in God. No longer would they be timid and fearful, worshiping fear itself, but now God Himself would be their beautiful music. Some have suggested that Paul was an utter failure in his race against Satan that day in Athens, for there was no church established in that "know-it-all" city. But that shows just how little some "know-it-alls" really know—salvation came into the hearts of those who repented, and that is the ultimate victory—that is Church!

Hide Or Seek? (Aug 04)

Many years ago, when my daughter was only 3 or 4 years old, she and I would play Hide and Seek in our seminary apartment. I would go down the hall and hide in one of the bedrooms, or even in the bathroom, while she was with her mother in the living room. Once the countdown was complete, I would wait for her to come and seek me. And wait. And wait. And wait. Finally, I would come out of hiding, only to find out that she was too scared to even come down the hall! So much for Hide and Seek!

I say "Hide and Seek" because when God calls us to play His "game", it isn't and, but or—Hide or Seek! You see, each one of us has a very real choice to make—are we going to hide from God and His expectations, or are we going to seek Him and His ways with all that is in us? In fact, if there is to be any hiding at all, let it be in Him, and not from Him! The problem is unbelief. Dr. A.W. Tozer, a very powerful 20th Century voice for true Christianity, once wrote, "Remember—unbelief always finds three trees behind which to hesitate and hide. Here they are: Somebody Else. Some Other Place. Some Other Time." While thinking on this, I was led to Judges 6, 7, and 8—the very powerful story of Gideon.

Now, first of all, it is very interesting to note that the name "Gideon," in the Hebrew, literally refers to a "feller" of things, and specifically, of trees—to destroy them. Talk about prophetic! Who was he? Well, between the years 1375 and 1050 BC, God, in His mercy, gave His people judges, who functioned as military leaders and civil magistrates, to help keep them on the right path. You see, it was during this time—as was true at about every time, including our own—"…every man did that which was right in his own eyes." (Judges 17:6b) Over and over again, as the people would stray from the Lord and His ways, God would send trouble in the form of an invading army. When the people would cry out to Him, He would raise up a deliverance through one of these judges. Such was the case in Gideon's day.

When the Midianites attacked, and they forced Israel to take to the hills and hide in caves. They even destroyed many of their crops. And this is where the Lord finds Gideon—"And there came an angel of the Lord, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor." (Judges 6:11-12) And Gideon, who was "hiding" behind this tree, probably looked all around, as though to say, "Who, me? Are you talking to someone else? Mighty man? Valor? Me? You have got to be kidding! Or was He?

This is the very first tree we often try to hide behind—"Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house." (vs.15) He sounds humble, but it is a very false humility—a humility that stems from unbelief. Just a minute before this, when he had voiced his complaint concerning how God had forsaken His people, the angel made clear that God had not, and that He was about to prove it—through Gideon, and not Somebody Else! But he didn't believe it. Why not? He knew that God had done miracles in the past, but he, personally, hadn't seen any. But if God was really calling him, He would empower him. It is false humility to suggest He can't or won't. And this is where I can often try to hide—behind the tree of individuality, claiming that I've got to be me—whatever it takes for me to be OK is OK. Concerning this, Tozer once said, "Independence is a strong human trait, so men and women everywhere bristle when anyone says, 'You owe obedience.' We live in a generation alienated from God, making a great case for individualism and the right for self-determination. The individual's strong statement is this: 'I belong to myself. No one has the authority to require my obedience!'" In other words, get Somebody Else…not me! I like my God generic, if you don't mind!

Ah, but God does mind! We all know that Jesus came to suffer and die on the Cross in order to take away sin, but do we also know that that includes the control sin has over our daily lives? And do I know that that includes me—personally? And does my life show it? Do you know that if you had been the only sinner in the entire world, Jesus still would have died to take away your sin? Do you? He is not just out to save this world, and doesn't give a hoot about you—He is a very personal God! But "personal" is at the very opposite end of the spectrum from "individual." Though they sound like the same thing, the latter is based in pride, arrogance, and unbelief, while the former is rooted in a true understanding of the love and mercy of God. We need to step out from behind this tree of false humility, and come out into the open where God can reach us with His searching and illuminating light—the power of the Holy Spirit! This, my friend, is not a good time for playing games.

Once that hiding place is out of the way, we need to deal with the second one—Some Other Place! God had not only told Gideon that He would be his strength, but He proved it by making fire come forth from a rock—a sign that the Lord would be both his provision and his purifying fire. OK—Gideon was now ready for whatever God had in mind for him personally—"Take thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it: And build an altar unto the Lord thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down." (vss. 25,26) "What? You've got to be kidding! He'll kill me!" But guess what?—no such response is found in the Scriptures. He could have reneged, saying, "OK, I understand you want the false gods to fall, but my own family's? Couldn't I go to the next town and do it—you know, Some Other Place?" But, Praise God, he didn't!

How often do we try to hide behind the tree of our own decision making—how and where we will accomplish His will? We might leave a tract on the magazine table in a doctor's office, but we won't take a stand as our own kids get sucked into the world's ungodly ways—after all, we wouldn't want to offend them. Have you ever muttered under your breath, "If I were only in Some Other Place—different circumstances, then I would do what God says." No you wouldn't—that's just an excuse! In these last of days, we not only need to step out from behind this tree, but it needs to come down. And, Praise God, that is exactly what Gideon did—he cut down the grove of trees that represented the false gods of our own way. Set the axe to the root—these trees of unbelief must go, and they will, if the Holy Spirit has His way!

Gideon would indeed become a mighty man of valor, as you can see in Chapter 7, but then comes Chapter 8. The people wanted to make him their king, which he quite rightly refused—"the Lord shall rule over you." (vs. 23b) Instead, he stepped out of bounds and took a place that was not his to take—the tragic fruit of selfish individuality. He made a priestly ephod, and "and all Israel went a-whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house." (vs. 27) Literally, in the Hebrew, he was hooked in the nose and led around by it. Even after all of the trees had been cut down, another one managed to sprout, and no one recognized the danger. God is expecting His people to walk with Him all the way—even until the very end. After Gideon submitted, he ran well—for awhile! You don't run a race, and 50 feet from the finish line, slow way down—and yet, so often, we go just so far and say, "Maybe later!" This tree of Some Other Time seems to hide many—people who think they are saved because they are "good," but have no intention of making Jesus Lord anytime soon; those who claim they are saved, but think they can just "tack on" a deeper life of obedience at some future time…if they want to; and, those who think that because they have made their commitment, the battle is over, and from here on out—smooth sailing! This is a very big tree! The truth is that the battle has only just begun, for when we step out of our places of hiding and desire to be seekers instead, Satan gets furious. But remember—God is far greater! Some Other Time just won't cut it, so you cut it—let it fall! Quit hiding and be a seeker of God instead—it's one or the other. Not Somebody Else, but you! Not Some Other Place, but right here! Not Some Other Time, but right now! Which will you choose? Don't be scared of the long hallway—Father God is down there, and He isn't even hiding—"Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matt. 6:33)

Looking For Freedom in All the Wrong Places (Jul 04)

A man went to the doctor because he was concerned about his decreasing level of energy—not able to do all that he used to do around the house. After the examination, he said, "Tell me, Doc, I can take it—in plain English, what's wrong?" "Well," the physician declared, "In plain English, you're lazy." "OK," said the man, "Now give me the medical term, so I can tell my wife."

As someone who has just gone through surgery myself, I can identify with the temptation to milk it for all its worth. I said that I can identify—I didn't say I was doing that! Praise God, though, for a loving wife, who is laying down her life, allowing the Lord to show His love through her selfless acts of caring. Her free will has been shaped by the Lord's own definition of freedom. As the 4th of July approaches, this country's focus will be on freedom, but so often, we are looking for freedom in all the wrong places.

Today, all freedom means to so many is that they get to do what they want to do, and when they don't—they cry, "unfair—my rights are being violated." But someone once said, "There are two freedoms—the false, where a man is free to do what he likes; and the true, where a man is free to do what he ought. They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." And yet, many fail to realize that the most clamor and complaining takes place in the free countries; it is under the dictatorships that there is very little complaining, but a whole lot of pain and suffering. And still the misperceptions of true freedom persist—thinking I should always be free to have my way!

Now, understand—this is perfectly natural in the godless society in which we live, everything being oriented around "self." But, Oh, how tragic it is when it can be found in so much of the Church today! In religious circles, the debate is over free will—God creating us to be free to make our own choices. The problem, however, is that often it is used to be free from Christ and His expectations, instead of being free in Him. At the outset, we need to see the Biblical truth. A.W. Tozer once wrote, "How can you be a Christian and not be aware of the sovereignty of God who has loved us to death. To be sovereign, God must be the absolute, infinite, unqualified ruler in all realms in heaven and earth and sea. To be Lord over all creation, He must be omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. With all that is within me, I believe that the crucified and risen and glorified Savior Jesus Christ is the sovereign Lord. He takes no orders from anyone. He has no counselors and no advisors. He has no secretary to the throne. He knows in the one effortless act all that can be known and He has already lived out our tomorrows and holds the world in the palm of His hand. That is the Lord I serve! I gladly own that I am His; Glory to God! The Christ I know and serve is infinitely beyond all men and all angels and all archangels; above all principalities and powers and dominions, visible and invisible—for He is the origin of them all!" Well, with that being said and with that being true—and it is—how in the world does free will, or free-anything, for that matter, fit it with such an awesome and in-control God?

It doesn't! But I guess I need to be clearer than that—the normal or false understanding of free will does not line up with a sovereign Lord. God's understanding of free will, however, does. Let's go back to the very beginning—Creation itself! In Genesis 2: 16-17, we are told, "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shall surely die." God had laid down the law, but within that, they were given some freedom. In fact, a great deal of freedom—in the Hebrew, the original language of the Old Testament, this "freely" refers to something given gratis—with no cost, and no way to earn it. Its root word intimates a graciousness that is precious, kind, and favorable, and specifically, one that is shown to an inferior by bowing down. As incredible as it may seem, the problem is, that, from that time on, people have wanted something else—freedom to do their own will. But true free will is freedom and the ability to do God's will. Adam and Eve had been given plenty to satisfy them, but they listened to Satan's lie and allowed self-will to rule.

God, in His mercy, used another Hebrew word to portray His concept of freedom, and He did so 17 times. Throughout Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, and even in the Psalms, God refers to His people worshiping Him with "freewill offerings." By definition, they are something presented spontaneously and voluntarily. The Lord is not looking for devotion due to duty, but for love that comes out of the abundance of love that He has already given in Jesus Christ. We see this very clearly in Hosea. This prophet, whose name actually means "salvation", was called by God to prophesy to the crumbling kingdom of Israel during her last 30 years before the Babylonian exile. God even went so far as to call Hosea to take a prostitute as a wife to dramatically demonstrate the whoredom of God's people. For generations, and, in fact, from the very beginning, people had chosen their own free will contrary to God's. And now, they were about to go down for it, but—there would be one last opportunity to repent and turn from their wicked ways.

Hosea 14:4-7a tells us, "I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him. I will be as the dew unto Israel, he shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. His branches shall spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive tree…They that dwell under his shadow shall return…" Yes, God would love them freely, but would they repent? Not yet, and off into captivity they went. But Praise God—this amazing promise would be fulfilled in Christ—God's people would return to Him through the coming Messiah. At the very close of Hosea's prophesy, this Messiah speaks: "I am like a green fir tree. From me is thy fruit found…For the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein." (vss. 8b-9)

What is really the problem? You guessed it—a faulty understanding of God's freedom. I have seen so many, claiming to be following the Lord, but off insisting on their own free will. They find no problem in letting the unsaved—whether they be friends, or even husbands and children—rule their lives, even to the detriment of their own spiritual lives. Others decide when we leave for church. Others decide if we leave for church. Others decide when we run here or there for them, tying up our time that should be spent in the Word, in prayer, or in the presence of the Body of Christ. Others decide, by their overbearing demeanor and anger, how far we go with the Lord and how seriously we take Him and His commands. "But wait a minute, Pastor," you might say, "aren't you being just a little hard here? After all, it's not our fault they can be so controlling." Isn't it? What about free will? The unsaved are quick to use theirs—but why does our free will have to line up with theirs? Why do their expectations get honored, and not God's? What happened to the amazing abundance the Lord has freely placed in our hands to be used for His glory?—"Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:24) As much as we love those around us, what have they ever done to compare with that? What about spontaneously, and quite voluntarily, giving our all the to One who already gave His All? What about letting Him be Lord and King, instead of giving that awesome position to the unsaved around us? Huh, what about it? Will the world shape our free will, or will He—Christians have the free will to decide that!

Remember—"From me is thy fruit found." Free will was not given for our own purposes, whatever they may be. As the poet Tennyson once put it, "Our wills are ours, we know not how; our wills are ours to make them thine." Freedom is given for His glory, and His alone. Christ said it clearly—"It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son." (Rev. 21:6-7…read vs. 8 to see what happens if you don't) He also said, "Freely ye have received, freely give." (Matt. 10:8) Quit looking for freedom in all the wrong places—"If the Son therefore shall set you free, ye shall be free indeed." (John 8:36) True freedom—repenting of your sin, turning from it, and submitting your will to His! It is just what the Divine Doctor ordered!

Reach! (Jun 04)

A husband and wife were at a gathering of friends when the topic of marriage counseling came up. "Oh, we'll never need that. My wife and I have a great relationship," the husband explained. "She was a communications major in college, and I majored in theater arts. She communicates really well, and I just act like I'm listening."

And don't think that that isn't a big part of the problem in our society today—relationships that aren't even relationships. Today, families run in so many different directions, they often don't even know what is going on in each other's life. As we approach Pentecost Sunday on May 30th, we would do well to consider the underlying cause of all of this fractured lifestyle—a total misconception of what love really is.

Today, love has become a feeling, coming and going according to personal whims. But in reality, true love is an act of the will—God's will and ours. Remember what Hannah Whitall Smith wrote—"As usual, we put feeling first, faith second, and His promise last of all. No, God's rule is everything—His promise (His Word) first, faith second, and feeling last of all. We can not change this order." We see this clearly in a story of a man named Thomas, though that is not his actual name—to reveal his real name could be dangerous for him, for he is a Christian in a very hostile nation. He is also a pastor, who was forcibly moved from his home and his loving family, and imprisoned for his love for Jesus Christ. He could have felt forsaken by God, but God's promise came first—preach. And so he did, right in his prison cell. When the guards caught him, they hauled him down to the "beating room" for his punishment. His "congregation" knew what would happen next. About an hour later, he was returned to his cell, bloodied and bruised. His face was disfigured, yet his eyes were surprisingly bright and clear. As he looked around the large cell block, he said, "Now, brothers, where was I when we were so rudely interrupted?" He continued to preach, communicating the love of the gospel with his very life to a group of hungry hearts—truly hungry, not just acting like it! Another jailed preacher put it this way—"We preached and they beat. That was the deal. We were happy preaching, and they were happy beating. Everyone was happy!"

Remember—God's Word comes first, not feelings! Another Thomas needed to learn this lesson, and Jesus was just the one to teach it. That was His call after He was raised from the dead—to teach them of His physical reality. On the evening of the resurrection, all eleven disciples were gathered, with some others, in an upper room, fearful of further retaliation by the religious leaders. Soon, the two who had met Jesus on the road to Emmaus, came running in with their amazing report. But when Jesus comes, there are only ten disciples—Thomas is not there! Incredible! He had just heard another report of a resurrection appearance, and he leaves! Why? Stubbornness! He was going to do what he was going to do! Oh, yes, he would have loved for this story of resurrection to be true, but as far as he was concerned, it was too good to be true—it was only a story. And that was all that mattered—how he saw it! He was going to be in control; he was going to call the shots! Or was he?

We see it clearly in John 20:25. During the next week, the others tried to tell him what he had skipped, but he would not hear of it—"Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger in the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe." It is interesting to note that when he demands to "see" Jesus' hands, the Greek word refers to a physical seeing that results in a perceiving the truth of the situation, and obeying it—just as it was for the other disciples—"We have seen the Lord." In fact, the opposite of this word means to become hardened, to ignore, and ultimately, to skip! Amazing! He is the one who is demanding to "see", but he is also the one who skipped—insisting to do the opposite of what it would take to truly "see." He didn’t perceive it to be important to stay connected with the Body of Christ. He didn't see that as the church gathers, and Jesus lives within each one, faith grows. He didn't see that as he insisted on staying separate from the others, faith would wither and die.

Oh, just look how far Jesus will go to rescue a soul—a week later, when they are all gathered together, including Thomas, Jesus appears again! And notice, His message for His gathering Church doesn't change—"Peace be unto you." (vs. 26b, cf Luke 24:36) It is His intention that His people be filled with His paramount blessing—reconciliation with a holy God! In other words, Jesus is that peace. Since all have sinned, and all deserve to go Hell, it is indeed a paramount blessing that He has paid for our sin on the cross of Calvary. The week before, when Jesus breathed on them, He told them to receive the Holy Spirit. And that is exactly what they did, and in so doing, they were born-again under the New Covenant—no longer was God out there somewhere; now He could and would live within them. But Thomas had skipped, so Jesus had a special first word for him alone—"Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing." (vs. 27) The persecuted Christian, "Thomas", had been told to preach. Jesus' mission during these days of appearing to His followers, had been to teach—object lesson after object lesson, with the object being His own scarred body. Thomas, the disciple, is now told to reach. Preach, teach, and reach—Praise God for the depths of His true love!

Reach! In the Greek, it refers to a bearing up under something, and all with the idea of motion. Reaching will never leave you at a stagnant standstill. Someone once wrote, "Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?" In other words, we must never settle for where we are, and for what we have already embraced. Our reach must exceed that if we are to move forward at all in a loving relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. "Thomas," Jesus is saying, "I know what you want and why you want it—you want your own way, and it's because you are stubborn. Thomas, go ahead—do what you wanted to do—reach out, only take me by the hand, stay by my side, and I will fill you with faith—even beyond that which you have known before." In the Greek, when Jesus tells him to not be faithless, it is actually a call to not become that way, intimating, of course, that it is possible to do so. If he had refused to bear up under all of this and come into a place of trust and peace, he could have gone to the same place as Judas—acting like he was listening, but never truly receiving.

Praise God—He did not! Verse 28 tells us, "And Thomas answered and said unto Him, My Lord and my God." Literally, in the Greek, it reads—"The Lord of me and the God of me."—very personal! A. W. Tozer put it this way, "Nowhere in the Bible are we ever led to believe that we can use Jesus as a Savior and not own Him as our Lord. He is the Lord, and as the Lord, He saves us, because He has all the offices of Savior, Christ, High Priest, and Wisdom and Righteousness and Sanctification and Redemption! He is all of these—and all of these are embodied in Him as Christ, the Lord." My Lord and my God!

"Thomas," Jesus says, "you can say this, but it took your physical eyesight to get you there—imagine how blessed people will be in the future, when they cannot see me in the flesh but have to rely entirely on faith! I have so much more for all of you, if you will only receive it." You see, some time shortly after this, several of the disciples decided to not wait in the city of Jerusalem until they were "endued with power from on high," (Luke 24: 49b), as they had been told to do. Instead, they went fishing. After spending the entire night fruitlessly, Jesus called them to get back on track. He had always communicated this very well, but they weren't listening—not with their hearts! And guess what? Thomas was one of them—even his profession of Jesus being his own Lord and God could not carry him through to total obedience. Praise God—from that moment on, every one of the disciples knew they must be baptized in the Holy Spirit and in fire, which happened on Pentecost. So, don't just go through the motions, trying to earn a spiritual Oscar. And don't settle for where you are, even if you are truly saved and born-again. Even if you have experienced your own Pentecost—that is great, but don't sit down even there! Let your entire life preach and teach, but don't forget to reach. Reach for a deeper life in His love, and then…reach again! Reach beyond what you have already grasped, and you will no longer misunderstand love.

The Power of the First Word (May 04)

Having complained in the morning staff meeting about not getting enough respect, the boss went out a little later to a local novelty shop and purchased a small sign that read, "I'm the boss!" Taking it back to the office, he taped it onto his door. Later that day, when he returned from lunch, he found that someone had taped a note to his sign, and it declared, "Your wife called, she wants her sign back!"

As we come to the end of Matthew 27, many could begin to wonder who really was the boss. In a matter of less than 24 hours, Jesus had been arrested, tried before both religious and civil authorities, beaten, mocked, crucified, and buried in a borrowed tomb. It certainly didn't look like Jesus was in control. For all intents and purposes, one could surmise that Satan had won the battle, if not the entire war. The promised Savior of the world was defeated, dead, and gone, and the kingdom of darkness reigned. The powers of darkness had both the first and the last word.

Those who had known Jesus must have felt the same way. The darkest Sabbath they had ever experienced had finally come to an end, and the day was beginning to dawn. Little did they know, it was more than the beginning of a new 24 hour period. Their "feelings" were about to be shown who was really the boss. Hannah Whitall Smith put it quite well when she wrote, "As usual, we put feeling first, faith second, and His promise last of all. No, God's rule is everything—His promise (His Word) first, faith second, and feeling last of all. We cannot change this order." God had promised a Messiah, and His Word comes first. It always has—even from the beginning. In Genesis, we read of an earth without form—void and filled with darkness, but God had the first Word…"And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night." (1:3-5) From the very beginning of Creation, God was in control, calling it as He saw it.

Praise God, it even goes back before that! John, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (1:1) Jesus Christ is that Word—God's first Word! The prophet Isaiah put it this way: "So shall my Word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." (55:11) God has a problem with "void," and so out goes His Word, His living Word—"And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat upon it." (Matthew 28: 2) What a sign of victory! The Word had been spoken, even from before the beginning, and now it is accomplished—but where does its power truly rest?

Is it in what the angel would tell the women? Wow—what words!—"Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where He lay. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead; and, behold, He goeth before you into Galilee; there ye shall see Him: lo, I have told you." (vss. 4-7) Just look at all the words of action! Certainly, true power can be found in them! I think not. Oh, yes, having heard this Good News and having been given the direction they should go, they can now do just that. But is the fullness of the power of the Word of God really found here? No, in fact, notice how they do leave the empty tomb. They do go quickly and they do plan on telling the disciples, but they do all this with a mixed bag of emotions—"with fear and great joy." (vs. 8) The great joy is good, but it is tempered by fear, which they had been told not to have. Perhaps it was fear that this was just too good to be true, but in His mercy, Jesus didn't leave them there in that condition. He won't settle for mixture—He came that His followers would have joy and have it abundantly!

The answer to our question is actually found in the very next verse—"And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail." (vs. 9a) No, He wasn't giving them a weather forecast, or was He? Twenty-seven times this word is used in the Old Testament, and every time it refers to the little balls of ice that fall from the sky—hail. Ten times it appears in the New Testament, but only four of those refer to weather—and those are in the Book of Revelation. The remaining six times are used as a greeting. The angel's first word to Mary as the up-coming birth of Jesus was announced was "Hail." The first word that Judas Iscariot spoke to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane as he betrayed Him was "Hail,"—an obvious perversion of the word. And it was the word the soldiers used as they mocked Him before the crucifixion—"Hail, the King of the Jews." So, what does it really mean? In the Greek, it is a call to be full of cheer, rejoicing, and to be well off. Its root word is the same as that which refers to the little ice balls—"to lower as into a void, to let down, and to strike." We can see the hail in a storm doing that, but what about this word of greeting and salutation?

As Jesus and these women stand face to face, the joy and the well-being that His presence creates and fosters, strikes down upon their aching hearts and fills the void that they had been feeling. As great gladness floods into their souls and their spirits, their feelings, which they had placed in the No. 1 slot, were being displaced by His Word—His very first Word since His resurrection! His promise of resurrection life now takes over the frontrunner position, with faith being produced next, and "feelings" coming in a very distant third place—God's order, indeed! And remember—Jesus said, "All hail." In the Greek, the "all" is not a separate word—it is an intensity that is built into the "hail." In other words, His presence brings the fullness of cheerfulness and gladness—His Word is not void, but full of blessing—full of Him!

This is the true power of resurrection—not just that He was raised from the dead, or even that we will be some day, but that that day is now! Once we truly receive His Word into our hearts, the life is changed—not just inwardly, but outwardly, as well. Remember—God's strategy is one of separation—a church living according to the Scriptures, and doing so by the power of His Holy Spirit. We see it clearly in one little three-letter word. The two Greek words that form the word "met" refer to the opposite of being away from something near—in other words, as we meet Him, we are brought into a very close relationship that actually changes everything. To be close to Him will also mean to be separate from the world and the satanic strategies that shape its philosophies. You see, Satan's plan is the opposite of God's plan—it is one of infiltration—just get the church to think that they and the rest of the world worship the same God, and voila—everyone is fine; just fill the church with entertainment, unbiblical hype, and spiritual foolishness; just convince her that the ends justify the means—and down goes the Word of God. Why do you think we are seeing homosexuality being depicted as a perfectly normal lifestyle today, even to the point of recognizing it as good grounds for both marriage and ordination? God's Word had spoken very clearly that marriage was to be between a man and a woman, and that spiritual leaders were to be pure and holy, so Satan attacks it. Why do you think violence has become such a common part of real life today, even encouraged on TV, in movies, and on the internet? God had spoken reconciliation with Himself through His Prince of Peace, and Satan hates it. In fact, whatever you see in society today that conflicts with God's Word, is precisely for that purpose! Satan's agenda is to twist, pervert, and even destroy God's Word. He tried at Calvary, and he failed—so he tries even harder in these last of days. He hates the real boss, so up goes his sign—"I'm the boss!

Satan couldn't have the first word, so he is determined to have the last. But Praise God, the First Word's last Word included these words: "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates of the city…Surely I come quickly." (Revelation 22: 13,14,20b) And how does the true church respond to His Word and its promises? By insisting that they come first, and through that will come faith—"Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus." (vs. 20c) When these are in order, then, and only then, will you really feel it! Praise God—Jesus Christ is risen. The Word of God is risen—is He risen up in you? Let Him be!

The Real Passion: The Mocking of the Mock King (Apr 04)

And you think you've had bad days? Think about this—it is reported that the average cost of rehabilitating a seal after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska was $80,000.00. At a special ceremony, two of the animals that were the most expensive to save were being released back into the wild amid cheers and applause from onlookers. A minute later, a killer whale surfaced and ate both of them!

I am hoping you didn't find that funny—ironic, yes, but not funny. Romans 8:22 tells us, in reference to the state of this fallen world, "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now." As a result of sin in this world, everything is subjected to dying and death—and it's not funny! There is nothing entertaining about anyone's bad day, even if it's Pontius Pilate's.

Pilate had them before. Throughout his time as governor of Judea, he had done several things to offend the Jews—from bringing the Roman standards with Tiberius' image on them into the Holy City…to using the temple offerings for city works projects. No one could say, however, that he hadn't brought many of his "bad days" upon himself. This day was probably his worst yet. Early in the morning, a Jew—one of his least favorite people—was brought before him for judgment. Something about Him being a King. Check it out for yourself—between our text in Matthew 27 and the other three Gospel accounts, Pontius Pilate tries no fewer than four times to acquit Jesus and set Him free. He knew He was innocent, and said so—often. Normally, this vicious and vindictive ruler would have taken less than two seconds to end such a trial with the death penalty. But not on this day—this Man was Truth Himself, and he knew it. He was between a rock and a hard place—Luke 23:20 tells us he was "willing to release Jesus," but Mark 15:15 declares that Pilate was also, "willing to content the people."

This would be no normal day! God Himself was working on this pagan's heart, even to the point of being willing to personally subject Himself to all that this tyrant and his minions could throw at Him. But what would that prove? That, "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) The whole world, not just the Jews—even Pontius Pilate; even you; even me! Amid cries for crucifixion, "when Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just man: see ye to it."(vs. 24) It is amazing—earlier in the chapter, when Judas, the one who had betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, regretted that he had done so, declared Jesus to be innocent—free from guilt and without any penalty. (By the way, even though verse 3, in the KJV, states that Judas "repented himself," the actual Greek word means to simply regret some action and be sorry for it. True repentance is far more than that—it is hatred towards sin and returning to God—he didn’t repent to God, but to himself) Now, Pilate is claiming his own innocence, as well as Jesus'. His wife had warned him earlier, "Have thou nothing to do with that just man," (vs. 19), and now, Pilate himself also calls Jesus "just"—intimating, in the Greek, that "rightness" just exudes from this man, allowing Him alone to make the rules. In other words, both Pilate and his wife recognized that Jesus' life had been conditioned by a standard—not theirs, but a far higher one.

And did you notice?—when Judas runs to the chief priests, they retort, "What is that to us? See thou to that." (vs. 4) Now, Pilate echoes that sentiment with similar words, "see ye to it." Do you see what is happening? These two episodes are put side-by-side to clearly manifest the mercy of God. Throughout his time with Jesus on this earth, Judas had refused to yield his life to the rule of Truth, and now, in the end, down he goes. Pontius Pilate had refused to yield to the laws of God concerning the place of the Roman standards, thereby conditioning himself to continue in his stubborn pride and arrogance against God's standards. He thought he could just wash his hands and the guilt would no longer be his. Not so!

When Pilate declared his innocence, the Jewish mob answered in unison, "His blood be on us, and on our children." (vs. 25) While many today try to suggest that it is best to distance the Jewish people from this event, they do so even to the point of calling the Scriptures erroneous. They have to, if they are going to take such a stand, for the Bible is very clear that the Jews of 2,000 years ago had an obvious role in the physical death of Jesus. There is no way the Romans would have crucified Jesus if He hadn't been brought to them by the Jewish leadership. Even John, the Jewish Gospel writer and beloved disciple, declares, "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not." (1:11) But, remember, His physical death is only part of the story. Jesus wasn’t killed or murdered or even martyred—He gave His life as a ransom for many. If God was going to take away sin, Someone without sin would need to take it upon Himself and then suffer the wrath of God against it. The focus shouldn't be who killed Jesus, but on the very One who would yield Himself for the sake of the glory of God and for the salvation of each one of us.

We must see far beyond the figure of a bleeding man on a cross. We don't have to go beyond Scripture to know the truth of that event. Matthew, inspired by the Holy Spirit, put it in so few words—"Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified." (vs. 26) No long and drawn out descriptions of the whip or the nails; no slow-motion beatings and torture; no ghastly emphasis on the "ghastliness" of the event. Oh, yes, it was bloody, no doubt—even more so than any depiction can conjure up, but that is not the picture the Holy Spirit chose to dwell on. Why? I believe it is precisely just that—the WHY? This was all happening because of His claim to be King. The Jews didn't like it, the Romans didn't like it, and the vast majority of the world today doesn’t like it, either! Hence, the mocking of the mock king!

This poor, miserable excuse for a human being wants to be king, so let's give Him a kingdom. A whole band of Roman soldiers—possibly a cohort of 600, a tenth of a legion—were ready, willing, and able to pretend to be that "kingdom." So they ripped off His own robe, and covered Him in scarlet. Their intention was to mock His royalty, but did they know this?—the Greek word, "kokkinos," refers to a grain full of worms, or maggots, whose fluids, when crushed, produced a remarkable crimson dye—red as blood. The mock king, in their eyes, was nothing but a maggot, waiting to be smashed. Oddly enough, Jesus had described Himself similarly as a grain that must fall to the ground and be buried in order to bring forth good and ripe fruit. (John 12:24) His "loyal" subjects then braided a crown of thorns for Him, and put a flimsy reed into His hand—a mock scepter. And the mocking continued, "they bowed the knee before Him, and mocked Him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit upon Him, and took the reed, and smote Him on the head. And after that they had mocked Him, they took the robe off from Him, and put His own raiment on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him." (vss. 29b-31)

Oh, what a picture of yielding! A man conditioned by the power of the Holy Spirit to give absolutely everything to His own people, even though they had refused to receive Him. How ironic that now much of the Church receives Him not! Is not the real passion of the Christ seen when His own Church insists on it's own way? Oh, how many ways each day do we mock Him, by pretending to bow the knee in submission and worship? How many times do we whack Him over the head with the only scepter we allow Him to hold—our own understanding? How often do we change His clothes, like a little girl playing with paper dolls, giving Him "rule" and taking it away at our own whim? Don't we do all of these things as we refuse to yield absolutely everything to His control, day in and day out? Don’t we mock Him as we run to Him for help on the bad days, and ignore His sovereignty on the "good" ones? Praise God, it didn't end there with a mock king on a mock throne. The true King went the whole way—not just to, but through the cross; through the tomb; and piercing through to the right hand of the Father—to reign in Glory forevermore. Hallelujah! Jesus' yielding to the Father's will produced a very good fruit—His resurrection life available to be lived right now in every aspect of our yielded lives. No mockery in that! King of kings and Lord of lords—glory, Hallelujah! Praise God—Jesus Christ is risen today…Yes, He is risen indeed!

Strange Encounters of the Best Kind (Mar 04)

A customer walked into a restaurant and noticed a large sign on the wall—"$500 if we fail to fill your order." When his waitress arrived, he ordered elephant tail on rye. When she took the order back into the kitchen, loud outbursts could be heard. The owner stormed out and slammed five $100 bills on the man's table, saying, "You got me this time, buddy, but I just want you to know one thing—that is the first time in ten years we've been out of rye bread."

Admit it—a very strange encounter, right? But was it a strange encounter of the best kind? Perhaps it was a good encounter for the customer, but not the best! The "best" will always involve a heart connection with the Lord Jesus Christ of the Bible. In our church, we have been looking at the various appearances throughout the Old Testament of the Angel of the Lord. A careful look at each one reveals that He is not a created angelic being, but even God Himself. A very careful look at what this "Angel" says and does, narrows it down even more—He is the Son of God Himself, that is, the same Spirit of God that would fill Jesus centuries later, now comes in different forms to manifest the truth of God's love. John 3:16 tells us, "For God so loved the world, that He gave…" and I would add, "and gave and gave and gave and gave." He sent His Son not only at Christmas, but all through His dealings with His people—an "Angel" to speak with Abraham (Gen. 18); a "Voice" to Moses from a burning bush (Ex. 3); a sword-wielding "Angel" to stand before Balaam and his donkey (Num. 22), and so many others.

As we are in the midst of the Lenten Season, let us now look at the very strange encounter that Joshua had before the battle of Jericho, and how it even points to the Cross. Joshua, the successor to Moses, had already been experiencing several unusual things that correlate to the life of Moses—dejavu, if you will. Forty years before, the Lord had parted the Red Sea and allowed the people to escape the wrath of Pharoah by crossing on dry ground. Now, Joshua leads the people across the Jordan River in virtually the same manner. Forty years before, Joshua and eleven other spies had been sent by Moses into the land to scout it out, but only he and Caleb returned with the truth—if God leads it, the land will be taken. Now, Joshua sends two spies to scout out the possibility of taking the heavily fortified city of Jericho, and, on the word of a prostitute named Rahab, they receive the same message—if God is doing it, it's a done deal!

And that's not all—forty years before, Moses instructed the people to mark their doorways with the blood of the lamb before their exodus from Egypt, and the angel of death would "passover" those households and none would die. Now, Rahab is to put a scarlet cord out her window in the wall of Jericho as a sign of God's protection for her and her family—a bloodline, if you will—due to the help she showed the spies. Later, we would find her name in the "bloodline" of Jesus Himself (Matt. 1:5). WOW—so much must have been at the forefront of Joshua's mind as he looked up at the 30' high and 20' thick walls of the city. And then it happened—so very strange! "And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand; and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?" (Joshua 5:13) Forty years before, when Moses saw the burning bush, he dropped everything and turned aside to see it. Now, Joshua steps right up for his amazing encounter.

To answer Joshua's question, He said, "Nay; but as the captain of the host of the Lord am I now come." (vs. 14a) In other words, "Neither—I am not just your ally; I am the Great I Am—I am your leader, your head, the only one who should have dominion over you; I am your Prince, your Lord, your Master. This is my battle, not yours. You don’t need to be snooping around here, wondering if this whole thing is possible—it's a done deal!" And Joshua fell flat on his face before God's Spirit—the Christ Himself—and worshiped Him. By the way, if this were only an angel, Joshua's worship would have been rebuked, for Christ alone is to be worshiped. And now Joshua asks for further orders from his Commander-in-Chief.

And He gives it—"And the captain of the Lord's host said to Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so." (vs. 15) Strange!—forty years before, Moses heard the same thing at the burning bush, and now Joshua is told of his first step—to know of God's holiness, and enter into it. Moses had taken his shoes off, but then proceeded to formulate numerous excuses for the task ahead. Praise God—finally, he submitted and allowed the Lord to empower him, but we don't all have to make the same mistakes and grieve the Spirit of God. Joshua had learned from what Moses went through before him, and we can do the same thing—if we will submit to the "Captain," and quit trying to be the boss. "And, behold, God Himself is with us for our Captain," (2 Chron. 13:12)—and the author of Hebrews makes clear, "For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through suffering. For both He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren, Saying I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee." (2: 10-12)

What? This encounter is surely getting strange! Are we to believe that our leader, and even Prince, is to suffer?—and if we would enter into that with Him, we will be one with Him? That is what it says—it is His battle, but we, if we are truly His people, will enter into that with Him. It is not our battle to lose; it is His to win and have the victory. The account in the following chapters would make clear just how divinely inspired Joshua's military strategy would be. There would be three campaigns. The conquest of Jericho and Ai would be the first thrust right up through the middle, securing the central ridge and driving a wedge between the northern and southern sections of Canaan. The second campaign in the south would conquer the Amorite coalition, and the third would do the same to the northern confederacy. This was the plan, and remember—it was God's.

No swords, no catapults, no battering rams—just do as the Lord says! They marched around the nine- acre fortress once a day for seven days, and on the last day, they went around seven times. In the Jewish mindset, "seven" is a number of fullness and completion—God's way would accomplish the mission. There was no talking, no yelling, no anything of themselves—this was God's battle. When that was done, seven ram's horns sounded—quite literally, in the Hebrew, jubilee trumpets—and this was even before the first Year of Jubilee. Through the coming years, they would announce the arrival of Yahweh as King, whether to His true people to complete His covenant and proclaim release and liberty, OR, to His enemies, to judge and destroy them—the choice was theirs. Paul would later refer to the "trump of God" having this dual-purpose when announcing Christ's second coming. (1 Thess. 4: 16)

And with a great shout, as the song says, "The walls came tumblin' down." And everyone and everything was destroyed—all except the scarlet cord and Rahab's family. It was Christ's battle, His suffering, His death—but He had the ultimate and complete victory, and so did, and so does, everyone who will lay down their own demands and enter into it with Him. The full victory will be had by those who will cross over—not just out of Egypt—a picture of salvation, BUT over into the Promised Land, a deeper walk with full participation in the battles that lie ahead—a picture of being baptized in Holy Spirit and fire (Acts 2). The full victory will be had by those who come under the protection of the blood of the lamb, and hold onto His scarlet cord of purity and holiness until the walls are down. The full victory will be had by those who give up their own rule and control, letting Him be the Captain, with the sword of truth in His hand. In this Lenten season, please do just that—no more excuses, just full surrender! For such is the way of true victory—surrender. It sounds strange, but it's true. So many are trying to be, and do, "good"—don't settle for anything "good." You can have God's very best. As the Christ stands before you right now, know this—a true encounter with Him is the best kind, the only kind that leads to everlasting life! May His name be declared unto the brethren, and be praised in the midst of the church—Oh, the beauty of full victory—the very best God has to offer!!!

True Love Indeed (Feb 04)

At age thirteen, while on vacation with her family, actress Betty Davis had her first crush—on the young boy working the refreshment counter at the drugstore. Each day, she walked in, sat down at the counter, and stared at the handsome young man. By summer's end, he would be her first kiss. In August, the family left for home, and Betty never saw him again—until about fifty years later.

She was doing a show in Boston, when she heard someone from the audience yell, "Do you want a soda?" She knew the voice and immediately invited the man to come backstage. "I was so nervous waiting for him," she remembered, "and when he came into my dressing room, I didn't even recognize him—there stood this little old, old man. Maybe that's my biggest regret—not that I remembered his voice, but that after fifty years, I asked to see him again. In seeing the man, I lost the first boy I ever loved."

But it works both ways, too, doesn't it? He wasn't the only one who had changed dramatically over the years. Oh, how her comments make clear the difference between infatuation and true love! A couple married that long and in true love would look past the aging affects of time and appreciate the life, the heart, and the soul. Instead of being unbearable, the astonishing reality would bring delight. As St. Valentine's Day approaches, and the world's efforts to redefine true love are even more in focus than usual, we certainly need to be reminded of this truth. Today, love is portrayed as romantic feelings that find their fulfillment in sex, whether within marriage or without. It is seen as a way to get your own "needs" met for as long as you can. In one wedding, the traditional vows concerning being married "as long as we both shall live," were changed to "as long as we both shall love."

Let's get back to what God says about these things. John 3:16 tells us, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." But that isn't the end of it, or, should I say, it isn't the beginning of it. We all know that God came down in the flesh on the very first Christmas, but did you know He had made the trip many times before that? God so loved the world that His Spirit—the second person of the Trinity—came down many times throughout the Old Testament, often as "the Angel of the Lord," to reveal His love long before He did so in Jesus. A note in the Cambridge Bible puts it this way: "There is a fascinating forecast of the coming Messiah, breaking through the dimness with amazing consistency, at intervals from Genesis to Malachi. Hagar the slave girl, Abraham, Moses, the impoverished farmer Gideon, even the humble parents of Samson had seen and talked with Him centuries before the herald angels proclaimed His birth in Bethlehem." You see, it isn't "Jesus" that is appearing all these times—He wasn't born until about 4 BC. These appearances are of the Spirit of God that would fill Jesus later and make him the "Christ." This is true love indeed. And I mean that in two ways—"indeed," in the sense of a surety, and "in deed," referring to far more than just self-satisfying feelings, but a love that is lived out—in deeds. Repeatedly, God lived out His love for us in that He sent His Son many times throughout His encounter with His people, and that would empower His people to do the same thing—true love "in deed."

We see this very clearly in Genesis 22. When God calls out to Abraham by name, the response is, "Here I am." (vs. 1)—a response we will see throughout the story. God Himself would later tell Moses that He is the Great I Am, and now, God's chosen man Abraham makes clear his willingness to be obedient, no matter what. True love, indeed! God then said, "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of." (vs. 2) On the surface, it sounds cruel, but God has a plan—He would be willing to give up His only Son for Abraham; would Abraham be willing to give up His only Child of Promise, Isaac, for God? Would he, or we, be willing to surrender all to have all of the Lord?

Early the next morning, Abraham, his son, and two servants, packed up and headed in the general direction. On the third day—sound familiar???—they came to the specific location, and Abraham told his servants to wait there—he and Isaac would go worship and return shortly. Remember—God has a plan. Centuries later, David would buy a threshing floor located on this very mountain, and use it for worship. After that, the temple in Jerusalem would be erected on this very spot. Why? For worship! Later, Jesus would clear out the perversions that had made their way into the temple, and He declared it to be a house of prayer—not a den of thieves. And He is doing the same thing today, as He calls His people away from all of the charismatic foolishness, fleshly antics in the House of the Lord, and stupid unbiblical prosperity-oriented theologies. God, in His true love, will not put up with these lies, and Abraham wasn't lying when he told his servants that the two of them would return. Francis Siewart, the editor of the Amplified Bible, writes, "He (Abraham) believed God, who had promised him that this young man's posterity was to inherit the promises made to Abraham." The Book of Hebrews also expresses Abraham's confidence in what God was about to do. (Heb. 11: 17-19) Praise God—true love, indeed!

As the two traveled up the mountain, Isaac remarked, "My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he, (Isaac), said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" (vs. 7) Praise God—Abraham's "Here I Am" relationship with the Lord had also permeated his relationship with his family. Don't be in a quandary over the lack of submission in your household when you won't be surrendered first. The call of God and Abraham's response is what produced the fruit of obedience. You see, Isaac is not a young child or even a teenager—he is about 25 years of age, and has to know what's up—and yet, there is no argument, no struggle, no rebellion. If relationships are lived in true love, and not legalism, God's authority will be the standard. Abraham's response? "God will provide Himself a lamb for the burnt offering…"(vs. 8) Adam Clarke wrote concerning this, "We must not suppose that this was the language merely of faith and obedience. Abraham spoke prophetically, and referred to the Lamb of God which He had provided for Himself, who in the fullness of time would take away the sin of the world, and of whom Isaac was a most expressive type." In other words, he is not just looking for a way out of this dilemma; he knows this whole thing is pointing to Jesus.

How do I know this? Jesus Himself told the Jews, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad." (John 8:56) Praise God—as the knife is raised over Isaac, the Angel of the Lord speaks—"Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I." (vs. 11) The Christ—the Great I Am—is now calling, and Abraham continues to listen. Twice this 2nd Person of the Trinity would reveal Himself. First—He called Abraham to not go any further in this critical proof of his faith, trust, and obedience. In a very real sense, Isaac was already sacrificed. And notice the clear picture of this "Angel's" divinity—"…I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, from me." FROM ME, not just an angel, but from God Himself! This is when Abraham looked around and spotted a ram stuck in the thicket—the provided sacrifice! Then, Praise God, it happened again—the second calling from the Christ—"In blessing will I bless you and in multiplying I will multiply your descendants like the stars of the heavens and like the sand on the seashore. And your Seed (Heir) will possess the gate of His enemies, and in your Seed (Christ) shall all the nations of the earth be blessed and (by Him) bless themselves, because you have heard and obeyed my voice." (Amplified Bible; vs. 17)

Adam Clarke asserts, "We have the authority of the apostle Paul (Gal. 3:8, 16, 18) to restrict this promise to our blessed Lord, who was the Seed through whom alone all God's blessings of providence, mercy, grace, and glory should be conveyed to the nations of the earth." No wonder the place of such blessing would be called Jehovah-Jireh—"In the mount of the Lord, it shall be seen." (vs. 14b) It all points to Jesus—true Love Himself! In these days, when many are so intent on redefining love, let Love define it—surrender to His Spirit, for even this He provides. May He truly be conspicuous before your eyes, within your heart, and in everything you think, do, and say. See the man, the Son of God Himself, and never lose His love!