Terror to Triumph – Part 6

Posted by & filed under Franks Blog.

2 Corinthians 2:11 “….in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.”

 

Although the truth remains the same, strategy changes according to the times, circumstances and situations that we find ourselves in.

 

This is also true with Satan down through the ages. His methods have been simple, but effective: persecution, death in the arena, and many other atrocities Satan tried in order to stop the advancement of the kingdom of God. However, Satan has found that the Gates of Hell cannot prevail against the Church of Jesus Christ.

 

About 300 A.D. we found that Satan’s strategy changes. Constantine supposedly becomes a Christian and Christianity is accepted as the bona fide religion in the Roman world. Now God’s people, instead of being persecuted, find themselves being applauded, accepted and put on a pedestal which is a dangerous place to be.

 

In the immediate years following Christ’s death there was little formal organization of the Christian movement. The early converts thought that the return of Christ was near and they concentrated on their own personal lives of being ready for His coming. But by the second century there was a formal, hierarchical organization within the church.

 

There seems to be a two prong attack against Christianity. One comes from being accepted and no more persecution, and another from within by a false doctrine.

 

The most important development was the rise of the Bishop of Rome to a position of pre-eminence in the hierarchy of the church and with the title of “Pope” or “Father” in Greek. Rome became the center of the Christian faith for it was the largest city in the West, the capital of an empire and had a certain respect that was transferred to the Pope or Bishop of Rome.

 

It was during this time that serious debates raged about the personage of Christ. Arias, a priest in Alexandria believed that Christ was not fully God because he was not of a substance identical with God. Arias did not believe that Jesus was co-eternal with God and the controversy became so serious that Constantine convened a council called the “Nicene Council.” The council branded the idea of Arias as a heresy which was a doctrine contrary to the official teachings of the Church. Christ was declared henceforth to be of the same substance of God.

 

It was during these years of relative peace that the doctrines of the Church were being worked out. However, it is like Jesus said when He gave the parables of the kingdom in Matthew 13 that the wheat and the tares (the real and the false) will grow together until the harvest. This is what we had then and this is what we still have today.

 

Throughout the ages we see three things developing in every congregation and denomination. First, we have the Lord’s commands. This is not debatable; they are simply to be obeyed. Secondly, we have the apostolic teaching. Thirdly, we have what a congregation agrees on doing. There is nothing wrong with this, but what happens is that we begin to substitute point number three with point number one. In other words, what the congregation agrees on doing becomes as authoritative as the Lord’s commands.

 

Like our text reads at the beginning of this chapter, “we should not be ignorant of the devil’s devices or schemes.”
 

 

Terror to Triumph – Part 5

Posted by & filed under Franks Blog.

Revelation 12:11 “They overcame him (the devil) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”

 

The early expansion of the kingdom of God into the Roman world was not without difficulties and obstacles. However, it was done by men with great faith who believed God in what they were doing.

 

Seeing the extension of the kingdom of God comes down to our faith. The world is not going to change until people change. We have to go from the internal to the external. But for many evangelicals today the basic approach is to rescue as many sinners as possible from a dying world and then to simply just hang on until the return of Jesus. But, we are told to “occupy” and not just to survive.

 

When the early disciples started out they started with a protest against the tyranny, slavery, and the injustice that was in the world. Their basic weapon was Truth.  In his book, Shaking the System, Tim Stafford said: “It was truth that launched American anti-slavery. The truth was simple: Slavery is sin. Truth matters. Truth has the power to move people. When truth is recognized, the terms of debate change utterly. We need to be able to articulate the truth powerfully and convincingly.”

 

Jesus said that when we come to know the truth, the truth will set us free. These men/women armed with truth went out into the Roman world and within 70 years planted fellowships with the followers of the Truth.

 

Truth will lead to conflict and conflict will sort out our friends as well as enemies. The truth has enemies, but speaking the truth is crucial. When Paul and the other apostles went out, I am sure that they were faced with many frustrations and being faced with those frustrations they probably also had long discussions about tactics.

 

We see something of this when Paul and his team tried to go to different places in Asia Minor, but the Holy Spirit stopped them. They finally wound up in a place called Troas on the Aegean Sea. After Paul’s dream of the Macedonian Call, Paul and his team debated over tactics as to what they should do. We read that they concluded that they were to go into Europe. Their tactics had changed, but the Truth remained the same.

 

Having the privilege of being able to travel in so many countries of the world I see that each country is unique and every country has the need for different strategies at different times. For example, in Karnataka India where I first worked almost 40 years ago I could not find any village pastors, but there was need to get as much of the Word of God out as possible then. Now, 40 years later the strategy has changed. Instead of being in the villages, preaching in the markets, giving out as much literature as possible, we are now finding that there is need for teaching the thousands of village pastors who have come into existence. The strategy has changed. However, the Truth is still the same. We must never forget or neglect the Truth.

 

I thought it was rather interesting to see the strategy of Paul and what Tim Stafford said in his book, Shaking the System: “We need to have a strategy for presenting truth (Paul did. He went to key cities). First, we need to stick to principle, not sentiment. Second, we need to insist on public debate (Paul stayed several years in Ephesus in a rented hall. He also spent time in the synagogues to reason and persuade). Thirdly, the discussion should be thorough and deep. We need to get away from ‘sound bites.’ Fourthly, we need to emphasize facts. Fifthly, calmly present the truth to ordinary people and not the elites (often Paul was among the masses of ordinary people). Sixthly, we need to press for a decision. Facts must lead to commitment.” We should not only know the truth that undergirds what we are doing, but we should think and plan on how to make it prominent.

 

To me this was the basis of the early disciples’ strategy to see the extension of the kingdom of God.

Stay the Path

Posted by & filed under Mikes Blog.

I just finished reading the book of Nehemiah, and noted all the attacks he faced. Evil always uses the same method of attacking any work of God.

 

1. Scoffing – Nehemiah 2:19
2. Mocking – Nehemiah 4:1
3. Physical harm – Nehemiah 4:7-9 …
4. Slander – Nehemiah 5:6-7
5. Gain access to our leadership – Nehemiah 6:19
6. Infiltrate our places of worship Nehemiah 13:5
7. Destroy our godly families – Nehemiah 13:28

 

2 Corinthians 2:11 “so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.”

 

Ephesians 6:10-13 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”

 

Lord, give us Your wisdom to recognize the schemes of the evil one, help us to stand up against evil with Your truth and love. Forgive us for entertaining evil in our own hearts, in our homes and in our places of worship. Thank You that You forgive and restore because of the good future You have for those who love You. Help us to stay on Your path Lord!

The Proverbs 31 Woman – Chapter 43 – His Reflection and Reward

Posted by & filed under Carols Blog.

The excellent woman strives to reflect the excellence of her Father God. I’m not talking about being perfect in that we never sin or fail, but rather that we strive to have a heart after God’s heart. This is how we reflect Him on the earth. This is why He will reward our faith.

 

“The Lord’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness is with their children’s children — with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.” Psalms 103:17-18

 

The growing hatred for ‘godliness’ is something we need to ‘faithfully’ ignore and just simply ‘follow through’ living for the Lord boldly, peacefully and joyfully. You don’t need to fear the opinions of the ungodly or to succumb to the threats of the wicked because “greater is HE who is within us than he that is in the world.”

 

God does not reward cowards. He who is seated on the Throne says, “I am making everything new!” “Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars – they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” Revelation 21:5, 7-8

 

“You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised. For, ‘in just a little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay.’ ‘But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back. But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.’” Hebrews 10:36-39

 

“Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6

 

“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate before the Father – Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” 1 John 2:1

 

God will hold you and your family up if you will do your best to obey His instructions and trust in His promises.

 

There’s only one reason why a child grows up to praise and honor his/her mother. It’s the sum of all the many [mostly little] things she eagerly and lovingly did for them, as well as for their father, in making their home the best place on earth they had ever been. Even the friends of her husband and children look forward to being in the home of this woman.

 

Never forget how important your home is, how others see you serve and esteem your husband and children, making all guests feel welcomed and blessed to be in your home and in your presence. The home of the just is a safe place because God is loved and honored there.

 

“A woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.” Proverbs 31:30-31

Father’s Open Arms

Posted by & filed under Carols Blog.

Talking to my Father God this morning and thanking for Him for His open arms anytime I want to come to Him, I thought about earthly fathers with their children, and how important it is for a child to always feel free and confident to run into his/her daddy’s lap and arms for the affection and attention they need from their daddy, or mommy too. A child truly needs to feel this, and not feel rejected or put off. Little children can be annoying or in the way of our personal what-evers, but oh how so very important it is to allow our children the right to feel accepted at any time, and affectionally favored.

 

I thought how very sad it is for a child NOT to feel free and confident, and why that is. What would make a child afraid of their daddy, or not sure of their daddy’s love? A man that has never known the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ, certainly. Maybe a man who never had an affectionate dad, but rather an abusive dad. Maybe a man who simply never had a dad at home, just a mother to raise him.

 

I didn’t have a loving dad at home. He was a marine and wasn’t home much. When he did come home, and most the time drunk – he was mean to our mom. (I was the oldest of three daughters.) I didn’t like him at all. He enjoyed tormenting my younger sister because she was a frail fearful child. Hum, I wonder why. I was always glad when he left.

 

My mother told me how I stood up to him one time when I was about 8 years old. He had come home drunk trying to pick a fight with her in the hallway. I got out of bed and got between them and then looking up at him I said, “YOU LEAVE MY MOMMY ALONE!”

 

Like I said, I didn’t like that man, but when I met Jesus at the age of 22, I began to reach out to my dad who lived on the opposite side of the country from me and my hubby. In my heart I felt a forgiveness for him, and it’s because I knew the Lord’s forgiveness for all MY sins. I began to write letters to my dad telling him about my life, my husband and children and my love for the Lord. He told me one time when we were on the phone, “Carol, I want to hear about you and your family but not any of that Jesus bullshit.” I responded, “Well then dad, you don’t want to know me – because Jesus IS my life.” Then I hung up.

 

I continued to write him letters, not omitting my testimonies of the Lord of my life. Years later my dad’s second wife called me to tell me that he had passed. (He was in his fifties.) My dad was born on Halloween (October 31st) and he died on April Fool’s Day (April 1st ). Oh, he was an atheist too. God knows he had every chance to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, if just from me alone, and to believe. Who knows, maybe he did, even though I never heard if he did. Heaven will reveal so many things!

 

In America today we see all the horrible results of grown children (adults) who never had a loving strong father to raise them in the right way. I am so very thankful that MY heavenly Father reached out to me to draw me to Himself and show me His Beloved Son who died in my place to forgive my sins, and then to present His Holy Word to me (the Bible) so I could KNOW HIM, Who was, and Who is and Who is to come; Who is everything He says He is – to His children, and even to all His enemies.

 

I am His daughter and He is my Daddy forever! Every morning I freely and confidently run into His lap to just sit and talk to Him about everything; to ask Him for things for myself, for my husband and children, and for others I love; I ask Him to use me in any way He wants, asking Him to forgive my resistance at times. I can freely express my anger and rage to my Father God – towards our wicked and foolish leaders in this nation, and to ask Him to work in their hearts and turn them around. I ask Him to give my own children the way and the will to grow up in their most holy faith in Him, and for each of their marriages and families to be secure in Him, being pillars in society. I ask Him for my unknown brothers and sisters in other parts of the world undergoing severe persecution of their faith in His Son to have the strength to endure it – to the end.

 

There are so many things we can ask our Father God, in Jesus’ Name, and talk to Him about so openly, as we each live our own ‘unique’ lives. Every one of His children is His favorite. What a future we all have to look forward to with our Great Redeemer and precious perfect Father God, as the true sons and daughters of the Most High God!

 

“Jesus came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God.” John 1:11-13

Terror to Triumph – Part 4

Posted by & filed under Franks Blog.

1 Corinthians 10:20 “The sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons.”

 

Rome, like empires before and after, were caught up in what is known as the five deadly sins. What were the five deadly sins of history?
1 – Rejection of God’s laws. 2 – Tyranny/ worship of leaders. 3 – Enslave or execute enemies. 4 – Human sacrifice. 5 – Persecution of the believers.

 

We can see the same five deadly sins operating in some countries in the world today where the kingdom of God is spreading. One thing that comes out is that there is a major problem in the heart of man. God’s laws are written on the hearts of all men.  “Since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.” Romans 2:15

 

When we reject the laws of God we will have problems in our families to the third and fourth generation.  We can trace this through history.  We do not break God’s laws, but God’s laws should break us unto obedience. Persecution of believers takes place in all pagan empires.

 

It was this type of environment that the 12 apostles, along with the other disciples, went out into the Roman world preaching the gospel of the kingdom. The book of Acts shares some of the problems that they faced as well as victories won and sacrifices they made.

 

Paul, one of the guiding lights in the days of the early church, is converted in a dramatic way on the road to Damascus. During those days of Paul’s blindness and as he fasted, his theology was shaped. He begins to move out in the power of the anointing of the Holy Spirit. He is chosen to go to the Gentiles.

 

From Antioch Paul begins his missionary journeys into the Roman world and the kingdom of God begins to spread. Although Rome committed the five deadly sins mentioned above, there was still a certain amount of peace and common language, and the Roman roads that allowed the gospel to spread.

 

We read in Acts 16 that Paul and his companions traveled throughout the province of Asia. However, when they came to the border of Mysia they tried to enter Bithynia (which is located in the northern – Eurasian part – of modern-day Turkey), but the Spirit of God would not allow them. So we read that they came down to a place called Troas located on the Aegean Sea.

 

It was during the night that Paul had a dream of a man standing in Macedonia calling and begging him to “come over to Macedonia and help us.” We read that the next morning they concluded that God had called them to preach the gospel to them in Macedonia.

 

We see that this decision to go to Macedonia in fact caused the gospel of the kingdom beginning a westward movement. The gospel was coming into Europe. It is quite remarkable to think that within 70 years the apostle Paul, with his companions and other disciples – that God used, spread the Kingdom of God throughout the Roman Empire.

 

In 68 AD Nero committed suicide and Rome was left without a leader. Civil War ensued and the generals fought for control of the empire. About 50,000 people died. Eventually Vespasian becomes the Emperor, but he lacked authority and so he knew that he needed a foreign victory to secure his throne.

 

He turned his attention upon Jerusalem and the destruction of Jerusalem came about. Not only was the Temple destroyed but over 1 million people died. However, Rome was coming to the end of the empire, but the kingdom of God that started in a small obscure village in Palestine was beginning to spread throughout the world.

 

Today, in the 21st century the Roman Empire is long gone, but the kingdom of God is moving on.

Christ’s Full Legacy

Posted by & filed under Carols Blog.

Just sitting here thanking my Lord that His legacy didn’t and doesn’t stop at the cruel Cross where He hung nailed in OUR place as guilty sinners and rebels, but that for THOSE who believe and surrender to Jesus Christ the Savior of the world – there is no longer any condemnation from our Father God, but rather forgivenness with His peace and joy, having poured His love into us by His Holy Spirit of truth and power.
Our Lord’s legacy does not stop there, HALLELUJAH! our resurrected Savior stands at the Father’s Right Hand as my (our) GREAT High Priest covering us from Satan’s accusations and requests to do great harm to Christ’s disciples. Jesus our great Defender – until the time of His finale’ when He comes riding down with all His Saints FROM GLORY to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords over all the earth – for one thousand years, doing all that the WORD of GOD says He will do in conquering all evil and rebellion, restoring and renewing all things God created that He once called “good,” making ready in fullness – that great and awesome Day when NEW Jerusalem comes down to earth from Heaven prepared as a Bride for the Bridegroom who reigns Supreme on David’s Throne: King Jesus, as the whole world witnesses it.
“Thy Kingdom come, on earth as it is in Heaven,” just as Jesus said.
Then God will be all in all, as the Word of God proclaims. This is the legacy of God’s Son, our SAVIOR and KING! What a future the people of the Living Word of God have!
The Bible (God’s Word) leaves off with Revelation 22, but there’s an eternity to live with our Father God, and I believe He didn’t write anymore down for us to know on this side of GLORY because “no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind can conceive, what Father God has eternally prepared for those who LOVE HIM!” How could anyone doubt, or worse, reject the love of God! This is my Father’s world!

My Father’s Open Arms

Posted by & filed under Carols Blog.

Talking to my Father God this morning and thanking for Him for His open arms anytime I want to come to Him, I thought about earthly fathers with their children, and how important it is for a child to always feel free and confident to run into his/her daddy’s lap and arms for the affection and attention they need from their daddy, or mommy too. A child truly needs to feel this, and not feel rejected or put off. Little children can be annoying or in the way of our personal what-evers, but oh how so very important it is to allow our children the right to feel accepted at any time, and affectionally favored.

 

I thought how very sad it is for a child NOT to feel free and confident, and why that is. What would make a child afraid of their daddy, or not sure of their daddy’s love? A man that has never known the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ, certainly. Maybe a man who never had an affectionate dad, but rather an abusive dad. Maybe a man who simply never had a dad at home, just a mother to raise him.

 

I didn’t have a loving dad at home. He was a marine and wasn’t home much. When he did come home, and most the time drunk – he was mean to our mom. (I was the oldest of three daughters.) I didn’t like him at all. He enjoyed tormenting my younger sister because she was a frail fearful child. Hum, I wonder why. I was always glad when he left.

 

My mother told me how I stood up to him one time when I was about 8 years old. He had come home drunk trying to pick a fight with her in the hallway. I got out of bed and got between them and then looking up at him I said, “YOU LEAVE MY MOMMY ALONE!”

 

Like I said, I didn’t like that man, but when I met Jesus at the age of 22, I began to reach out to my dad who lived on the opposite side of the country from me and my hubby. In my heart I felt a forgiveness for him, and it’s because I knew the Lord’s forgiveness for all MY sins. I began to write letters to my dad telling him about my life, my husband and children and my love for the Lord. He told me one time when we were on the phone, “Carol, I want to hear about you and your family but not any of that Jesus bullshit.” I responded, “Well then dad, you don’t want to know me – because Jesus IS my life.” Then I hung up.

 

I continued to write him letters, not omitting my testimonies of the Lord of my life. Years later my dad’s second wife called me to tell me that he had passed. (He was in his fifties.) My dad was born on Halloween (October 31st) and he died on April Fool’s Day (April 1st ). Oh, he was an atheist too. God knows he had every chance to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, if just from me alone, and to believe. Who knows, maybe he did, even though I never heard if he did. Heaven will reveal so many things!

 

In America today we see all the horrible results of grown children (adults) who never had a loving strong father to raise them in the right way. I am so very thankful that MY heavenly Father reached out to me to draw me to Himself and show me His Beloved Son who died in my place to forgive my sins, and then to present His Holy Word to me (the Bible) so I could KNOW HIM, Who was, and Who is and Who is to come; Who is everything He says He is – to His children, and even to all His enemies.

 

I am His daughter and He is my Daddy forever! Every morning I freely and confidently run into His lap to just sit and talk to Him about everything; to ask Him for things for myself, for my husband and children, and for others I love; I ask Him to use me in any way He wants, asking Him to forgive my resistance at times. I can freely express my anger and rage to my Father God – towards our wicked and foolish leaders in this nation, and to ask Him to work in their hearts and turn them around. I ask Him to give my own children the way and the will to grow up in their most holy faith in Him, and for each of their marriages and families to be secure in Him, being pillars in society. I ask Him for my unknown brothers and sisters in other parts of the world undergoing severe persecution of their faith in His Son to have the strength to endure it – to the end.

 

There are so many things we can ask our Father God, in Jesus’ Name, and talk to Him about so openly, as we each live our own ‘unique’ lives. Every one of His children is His favorite. What a future we all have to look forward to with our Great Redeemer and precious perfect Father God, as the true sons and daughters of the Most High God!

 

“Jesus came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God.” John 1:11-13

Terror to Triumph – Part 3

Posted by & filed under Franks Blog.

Acts 2:14 “Then Peter stood up with the 11, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: ‘Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.’” Jesus had died, was buried and rose again on the third day and later ascended back into heaven. Before He left, He told His disciples to wait in the upper room until the Holy Spirit came upon them in power. (Acts 1)

 

After this we see Peter standing up, raising his voice and addressing the crowd that had gathered to hear the message that God had for them. We read in Acts 2:41 that “those who accepted his message were baptized, and about 3000 were added to their number that day.” The kingdom of God is beginning to spread. Jews that had come from all over the world and were part of the 3000 that were baptized, went back to their own countries and began to spread the kingdom of God in their own communities, language and culture. It started small, from a little village in Palestine and began to spread throughout the Roman world. Two things stand out in my mind. First, what was the situation like in the days of these early disciples with the extension of the kingdom of God? And secondly, what were these men/women like who were so greatly used of God to spread the good news of the gospel of the kingdom throughout the Roman world? It is these two things that I would like to look at in the next few weeklies. I trust that it will be an encouragement to you as it has been to me.

 

Rome, “the mother of all nations,” had conquered the world at that time. They ruled with an iron fist. In conquering the world, they had numerous slaves and prisoners that often were sacrificed in the arena for the enjoyment of the spectators. Rome, like other empires, committed the five deadly sins.

 

One deadly sin was tyranny and the worship of leaders. Caesar, and those who followed were ‘gods’ to the people and they would not tolerate the people worshipping any other gods but them. In the time of Christ, Augustus had died and his successor Tiberius came on the scene. Tiberius was not Augustus’ first choice as heir, so his position was insecure. He and the Senate did not get along and so Tiberius looked for help elsewhere and turned to a man by the name of Sejanus. He launched a widespread purge, arresting and executing many rivals. Just when Sejanus seemed to be unstoppable, Tiberius told the Senate that Sejanus was condemned. Sejanus was arrested and executed.

 

Later came Caligula, who at first did well, but his behavior became strange. He seduced the wives of his guests and murdered people at random. Soon he was dead, murdered by his closest advisors. He then was followed by his uncle, Claudius who had been disfigured by illness when he was a child. Often he was the butt of jokes, but to everyone’s surprise he worked hard and did well. It was during this period that other changes in the empire were taking place as well. In Egypt, there were attacks on the Jews. In Judea, Jesus was challenging the religious and political establishment. At this time, the local furor barely touched Rome but the kingdom of God that was beginning to spread would one day engulf the entire empire. Claudius’ wife, Messalina, was quite promiscuous and Claudius had her murdered. Claudius remarried with his niece, Agrippina. She wasted no time in removing her rivals and convinced Claudius to make her son, Nero, his heir. Once this was done she removed the final obstacle, Claudius himself, by poisoning his food and then announcing Nero as emperor. We of course know the outcome of what Nero did in blaming the Christians for the burning of Rome, a fire that he had undoubtedly set himself. In his early days Nero was guided very much by his mother.

 

It reminds me of the kings of Israel that when they are mentioned it is always with their mother as well.  How true the saying is: “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.” We often think that the time we live in is hard and difficult and that spreading the gospel of the kingdom is difficult, but when we look through history, we see that the kingdom of God is unstoppable. Yes, we might have many difficulties and obstacles, but when we look at history we see that there were others who have gone before us in even more difficult times.

Called by Jesus for One Reason

Posted by & filed under Carols Blog.

We each can come to Jesus Christ for many reasons. But, we’re called by Jesus for only one reason.

 

“For He had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch Him.” (Mark 3:10)

 

“Jesus called to Himself those He wanted, and they came to Him, to be with Him, that He might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.” Mark 3:13-14

 

Our sins are forgiven, and He will heal us when ‘by faith’ we ask Him to, but to join Him in HIS work and under HIS yoke, is a commitment we make that will require sacrifice after sacrifice to remain with Him to the end of this life. God calls our commitment and sacrifices, going “from glory to glory.” For Jesus has told us what it will require things of us to faithfully walk with Him to the end; that if we love family or friends more than we love Him – we cannot be His disciple; that if we love the world more than His Kingdom – we cannot be His disciple; that if we love even our own self more than we love Him – we cannot be His disciple. And I will add one more: If we love the church more than we love Him – we cannot be His disciple.

 

You might say that to love the church is to love Him, and this is true, or to love Him is to love His church, which is also true. But I have found, not only in my own early years of Christianity as well as with most church-goers that the ‘organized church’ with its denominational traditions, social programs and various requirements for belonging – can actually take the place of Jesus in our life; so that we ‘walk with the church’ instead of ‘walking with Jesus.’

 

We can be more eager to regularly meet with and willing to serve ‘church leaders’ instead of meeting each morning with the Lord our God (in His Word and in prayer) to know Him better, and how HE wants us to serve Him each day. Jesus Christ is the HEAD of His Body, of which we each are a part of. No ‘part’ of His Body is who or what we worship and serve. Yes, we are told by the Lord to serve one another in love; to serve our family at home, our neighbors, our fellow believers, but in the way the LORD has told us to in His Word.

 

The “organized church” is the result of each of His disciples meeting with Him alone each morning to fellowship with Him, before we do anything else that day, and then coming together praise Him in testimonies and song, and to pray together, as we serve Him as “His body.”

 

If the leaders of a church are not teaching the congregation the true foundation of Christianity, holding them accountable first and foremost to a personal intimate day after day relationship with our Lord Jesus (in His Word and humble prayer) – then those leaders are building their own kingdoms, not Christ’s. Beware! If the leaders ‘themselves’ are not in fellowship with the Lord, then how or why would they teach or hold anyone accountable for what they neglect themselves? This is what made Jesus Christ so angry about the religious leaders of His day, calling them wolves, hypocrites and white-washed walls who were keeping the people from entering God’s Kingdom.

 

The apostle Paul speaks so perfectly about the fellowship of Christ’s Body: “I pray that out of Christ’s glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to HIM be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever!” Ephesians 3:15-21