The Fruit of the Spirit
July 21, 2011
Paul wrote to the church at Galatia, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22-23). This “fruit” stands in stark contrast to what he describes just a few verses beforehand, “sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like” (Galatians 5:19-20) which are “the acts of the sinful nature” (Galatians 5:19). When we become Christians, and especially when we are filled with the Spirit, we will bear this fruit that Paul illustrates, and we will definitely cease the practice of the aforementioned sinful acts.
Earlier in this fifth chapter of Galatians, Paul speaks on the subject of freedom that comes through Christ Jesus. Basically, what he is saying is that those who bear the fruit of the Spirit are free. They are no longer bound. But those who exhibit sinful “products” in their lives, are bound. They are what Paul would call “slaves to sin” (Romans 6:16).
The good news of the Gospel is that we can be victorious over these acts, bear the fruit of the Spirit and live a holy life. It does not happen by accident, however. It takes perseverance. But the first thing we must do is confess our sin; that is the starting point. We cannot do this on our own. Jesus is the only one who can forgive sin, and once we come to Him, the Bible says that we will overcome, “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their [our] testimony” (Revelation 12:11).
Here comes the persevering part. After we’ve given our lives to Jesus, we can’t stop there. We have to daily communicate with the Lord through prayer. There is no substitute for “talking to God.”
Also, the study of God’s Word cannot be overemphasized. If we are to grow in our faith, we cannot neglect the study of the Scriptures. The Bible is where God reveals Himself to us.
And lastly, we must find a Bible-teaching church (sadly, all churches don’t teach the Bible) in order to become one of Jesus’ disciples. Attending church is how we’re encouraged, uplifted and guided by other like-minded believers. We are discipled when we come together with the saints.
We can, however, bear the fruit of the Spirit. It is possible. But in order to do that, we begin at “the foot of the cross.”
THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
King of Kings
July 16, 2011
When one thinks of Jesus, most thoughts go to Jesus as the little babe in Bethlehem, or to the “Teacher” who taught the disciples, or to the “suffering servant” of Isaiah 53. But when the Son of God appears again to humanity, it will be as “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” John writes in the 19th chapter of Revelation:
11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
This will be a glorious appearance for the believer, but it will be a dreadful one for those who rejected Jesus. My prayer is that also of John who wrote in the 22nd chapter of Revelation, verse 20, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”
THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Rapture
July 14, 2011
Some say that the word “rapture” is not to be found in the Bible. This is true, but there are quite a few theological terms that we use everyday that are not found within the canon of Scripture. Some would include: “eucharist,” “confirmation” and even the word “Bible” itself. The Biblical concept, however, of a heavenly coming together of saints, both dead and living, and the Lord Jesus does exist within the pages of the Word of God.
In 1 Thessalonians Paul says, “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17). Some confuse this event with the “Second Coming” or return of the triumphant Lord to Earth. These are, however, two distinctly different occurences.
Also, some “poke fun” at Tim LaHaye and his “Left Behind” series of writings. But Tim LaHaye is not the originator of the doctrine of the rapture and of being “left behind.” Jesus is.
Jesus said, ” I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left” (Luke 17:34-35). So the question is this: do we believe the words of Jesus? There really is no “gray” area here. He wasn’t ambiguous in this passage of Scripture, and this is definitely separate and apart from His “Second Coming.”
There are many other Scriptures that reference this event that is to come. Paul also writes, “Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). The Bible is “crystal clear” on this subject, and that is why Jesus gave so many examples and warnings for mankind to be prepared for this happening. We do not know when, but He is coming!
THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Church Youth Camp
July 13, 2011
In a church youth camp in 1982, I learned a very valuable lesson regarding right and wrong. For some, this issue might not be a moral one, but for me it changed me for the better. I grew in the Lord that Summer when I realized that listening to rock music was damaging my spirit.
I grew up in the seventies listening to artists like Jethro Tull, Steely Dan and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. I was saved at age twelve in 1975, but after conversion, I still found myself addicted to the music. I was conflicted. Do I leave this music behind and draw closer to God, or do I continue on with soul-damaging habits?
My camp counselor, that year, brought in tapes that brought to life the dangers of listening to rock music. The tapes exposed the demonic influences that helped the composers write the songs. Most of the time, the lyrics spoke for themselves. Themes of drug use, sexual immorality and rebellion were common in the music. Down deep inside I already knew these things; it just took a committed camp counselor to guide me in the right direction.
After that week of camp, I went home and threw out all of my albums. I got rid of a hindrance that kept me from being more like Jesus. I have never been sorry for the decision that I made. God blessed me, and I was able to share with others what God had done in my life. The music that hampered my spiritual walk was gone, and I was so thankful to the Lord for His leading.
The Old Testament
July 12, 2011
The Old Testament, in all of its literary diversity, points to a coming Messiah and the salvation that He will bring to humanity. The authors of these thirty-nine books wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and the wisdom that came from their writing aids the modern-day Christian regarding issues of God’s mission in the world, living a life of holiness and being a part of the community of Christian faith. The Old Testament is so important and relevant to those who call themselves “disciples of Christ.”
In a prophecy that speaks to the kind of death Jesus would die, the prophet Isaiah writes, “Surely he took up our infirmities, and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4-5). This passage of Scripture alludes to the terrible suffering that Jesus would endure on the cross at Golgatha. Isaiah, like other writers of the Old Testament, tells of a Savior who is to come who would bring deliverance to sinful humanity.
On this same subject of Jesus’ suffering at Calvary, the Psalmist writes, “….they have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing” (Psalms 22:16-18). These prophetic statements were written many years before Jesus’ death, but their accuracy and detail are amazing for both the Biblical scholar and the layperson.
These two excerpts are part of many passages of Scripture found in the Old Testament that talk of a coming Messiah who would bring salvation through His death and shed blood. They are proof of the relevance that the Old Testament has for modern man. The Old Testament is authoritative in that it points us to Christ.
Although some would say the study of the Old Testament is a “waste of time,” the facts do not bear this out. The fact that the Old Testament points to the Messiah’s future arrival is so important for those who call themselves Christian. The Old Testament, time and again, in the words of the prophets and Psalmists, alludes to the one who will come to save Israel and the world as well. Also, another reason why the Old Testament is so relevant for the Christian today is that it spells out the fact that God wants to be known. The God who created everything wants to know His creation. He wants humanity to be in relationship with Him. The Old Testament aids in this coming together of Creator and creation. In addition, the Old Testament helps us understand what it means to be holy. And lastly, the Old Testament, foretells of a people of community who would live in covenant with God through the blood of His Son, Jesus.
THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Revival
July 11, 2011
When one wants to find the key to revival, one needs to go no further than the writing of Luke (quoting Peter) who states, “Repent then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord…..” (Acts 3:19). All of the great revivals, Wesleyan, Welsh, Asuza, began with repentance. These awakenings were spawned when believers (who had grown cold spiritually) came back to God, and when the masses (who had not yet believed) came to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
But make no mistake, the “launching pad” for revival is repentance. It always has been, and it always will be. If revival is to be had in an individual, a church, a city, a region, a nation or the world, it will come through honest confession and turning away from sin. The Old Testament is clear on this as well, “’if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land’” (1 Chronicles 7:14).
The mark of true revival occurs when the “lost” come to Christ. Although other great things are produced in revivals (physical healings, baptisms in the Holy Spirit, and other signs, miracles and wonders), salvation and contrition before God are the catalysts for spiritual renewal. God “shows up” when men and women “fall down.”
I have had the privilege of attending a great revival that occurred at the end of the twentieth-century and one that came at the beginning of the twenty-first. Both of these spiritual events had repentance and salvation as key. They followed the patterns of those of the past: Godly sorrowfulness and repentance.
Hopefully, it will not take economic, natural or man-made disaster to bring about revival in the U.S. My prayer is that the people of this nation will come back to the faith on their own. Unfortunately, it appears that we are too complacent spiritually, and that we have other “pressing” concerns. The Lord said through the writing of Isaiah, “ ‘These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word’” (Isaiah 66:2). Our nation needs revival; our nation needs to repent.
THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Pentecostalism
July 10, 2011
In the two-thousand years of church history, Pentecostalism stands out as a relatively new thought. This branch of Protestantism came to the forefront near the end of the nineteenth-century and at the beginning of the twentieth. Although some would agree with Pentecostalism’s emergence as late-coming, others would argue that it is as old as Christianity itself.
Pentecostalism, of course, gets its name from the Biblical “Day of Pentecost” found in the book of Acts. Jesus said, “‘But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth’” (Acts 1:8). When this “power” came upon the followers of Jesus, they would be given a supernatural drive to tell the “good news” of the Gospel. The Church of Jesus Christ was born on that day, and it has changed the face of the earth.
One of the ties that Pentecostalism has to those first believers is the experience of speaking in tongues as the initial evidence of being filled with the Spirit. This spiritual phenomenon is an amazing thing for one to behold and to experience. This belief and practice continues in present-day Pentecostalism. Thus, the kinship between the ancient church and the modern Pentecostal movement is a close one.
Although some would argue that Pentecostals are fanatics, so did some in Jerusalem who viewed the proceedings on the day that the Holy Spirit was poured out on the one-hundred and twenty. Luke, who wrote the book of Acts, states, “Some, however, made fun of them and said, ‘They have had too much wine’” (Acts 2:13). In the early days of Pentecostalism, believers were placed in the same category with cult-followers. There was, however, precedence for what happened in this work of the Holy Spirit at the turn of the twentieth century: The book of Acts.
With this “new thing” that God was doing through His Spirit, came a new emphasis in evangelism. Pentecostalism brought new energy into the missions aspect of the church. A renewed initiative towards spreading the Gospel and bringing the “good news” of Jesus to the world came about due to Pentecostalism. Evangelizing the world for Jesus is the main point of the Pentecostal movement, and the untold number of souls saved bears this out.
THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Call of Isaiah
July 9, 2011
Isaiah 6:1-8
Isaiah’s Commission
1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
4At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
5“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.”
8Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
The Prophet Isaiah was one of Israel’s most renowned prophets. His writings and prophesies in the Old Testament regarding the coming Messiah are some of the greatest works of the Bible. The words of the prophet, written over two-thousand years ago, are beautiful and at the same time fill one with awe. He is also one of the most quoted authors in the pages of the New Testament.
The vision that Isaiah saw is reminiscent of other famous visions in the Bible like that of John, Ezekiel and Paul. Just as these other men of God had “extreme encounters” with the Lord, Isaiah’s vision shows that the call of God is a life-altering event. The prophet would never be the same after this happening.
Being called of God is one of the most humbling experiences one could have. Isaiah, as is shown in the verses of Scripture, feels initially unworthy. He senses the gravity of the moment and realizes his utter worthlessness.
The fact that Isaiah not only heard God’s voice but also immediately responded in the affirmative speaks volumes. His initial feelings of inadequacy did not prevent him from plunging in once God beckoned. This man of God accepted the challenge from the Lord even though he knew he did not deserve this honor.
Isaiah became well aware of his impurity when standing before God. This scene reminds one of the episode in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve became aware of their nakedness. Isaiah must have felt the same panic that Adam and Eve felt when the eyes of God were upon him.
In the call of Isaiah, we are allowed to see Isaiah’s unrighteousness, God’s holiness and the change that occurred in Isaiah after his confession and cleansing. Isaiah was a new man. The radical spiritual “overhaul” would leave its mark on the prophet forever. And through his writings, we too, have been privileged to see, hear and feel what the prophet experienced.
Isaiah was not forced into submitting to God’s call. He could have responded negatively. He could have chosen the route that Jonah took. But he did not. Because of his obedience to God, he and his readers have been blessed. Isaiah’s life and ministry are an example of what God can do when one is humble, repentant and willing.
THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Rededication
July 8, 2011
Since graduation and beginning the internship with Faith Assembly, I have been filling in for one of our visitation pastors (who is recovering from knee-replacement). It has been a privilege to visit the sick in hospitals, rehab centers and through home visits. Praying for these people and “lifting them up” has been a wonderful experience.
During my first week in this ministry, I went to see a young man (forties) who had been in a horrific motorcyle accident. He came off his bike at around 45 mph, and he broke his neck (and was almost decapitated), shoulder and ankle. During that first visit, I asked him if his relationship with the Lord was “up-to-date.” He said, “no.” I, then, led him in the sinner’s prayer, and he came back to Jesus.
He was released from his rehab facility this week, but he still has a long road ahead of him. I believe that as soon as he is able, he will come back to church. I am glad that the Lord allowed me to have a small part in his “spiritual rehab.” And I know that as long as this man continues to look to God, the Lord will see him through the times ahead.
The New Jerusalem
July 7, 2011
John wrote in the twenty-first chapter of Revelation:
15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17 The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick. 18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass. 22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
This has to be one of my favorite sections of Scripture. Although some people (the unsaved mostly), have a feeling of dread when it comes to the book of Revelation. For the Christian, however, it is a book of victory. Good has finally triumphed over evil, and we are with the Lord. And we are in a place of indescribable beauty. What we have been talking about, singing about, preaching about and hoping for, is now a reality. This “New Jerusalem” will be the “grand finale” of all-time. I am looking forward to this great day when the saints of God are all together, and we are worshiping the One who is worthy.
THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
