Tweets, Texts, Posts, and Blogs Attempt to Steal His Peace

   Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, [fn] not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. (Hebrew 4:1,2 NKJV)

  

      Some days I just feel exhausted! So much to do. Running from activity to activity can be tiring, even when the activities aren't work related. I live in a relentless stream of information. My senses are bombarded with phone, text, Hey Tell, Facebook, Tweets,

Blogs, etc..... I love the access technology gives me to information related to whatever I am thinking about. I'm a chronic Googler. But sometimes, I need a break from the manic techno-stream. Still, I never turn my phone off. Sometimes the ringer, never the phone.

 

   God created everything that exists, then rested. He then commanded rest for His people thousands of years ago. They rested by obedience. Although we think of their lives as slow paced and antiquated, it was hard for them, too. So hard that a sophisticated distinguishing work from rest was alliterated. The Israelites knew exactly what efforts they could put forth on the Sabbath without sinning and they often tread the edge of that work/rest line.  

 

    In Chapter 3 of Hebrews, the writer recalls God's attempt to have His people enter HIs rest in the Promise Land. His attempt with met with unbelief, so He allowed an entire generation to walk in circles in the desert until they died, the led the next generation back to the Jordan where they crossed by faith.

 

      The New Testament reiterates nine of the ten commandments, but fails to reiterate the Sabbath. That's because Jesus is our Sabbath. The Israelites sent to wander because of lack of faith are a shadow of salvation by faith. My Sabbath rest began fifteen years ago when the Lord drew me to faith. It has been nurtured all these years by daily reading of His word (..faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God... Romans 10:17 NKJV).

 

   Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest... The promise of the Gospel is spiritual rest as the burden of our sin guilt is  shouldered for us by Christ, and inner peace is provided by Jesus through the comforting indwelling Presence. That rest abides in me as long as by faith I actively abide in Him. It can release peace that transcends my techno-hectic life. It transcends difficulty. It floods my heart  with His Holy Peace.

 

   Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28 NKJV) So today if you will hear his voice, His rest will abide and prevail. Social media and an array of devices cannot shout it down. Jesus doesn't receive Tweets, can't be Googled, doesn't text, has no cellular device and won't de-friend me. I can only commune with Him through His Word and in prayer and worship. When I don't (or won't), I feel His peace diminish.

 

    Is His Peace dominating your hectic life today?

 

Copyright 2013 Mission of the Master Ministries, Inc. May be reproduced in whole or in part without prior written permission if a link is provided to http://wordworkswednesday,blogspot.com

 

  

 

   

 

  

 

Golden Tumors and Mice, Re-stacking Our Idols vs the Aroma of Life Leading to Life

    In 1 Samuel we find an strange but interesting story. In battle, the fierce Philistines managed to wrangle the Ark of the Covenant from Israel. Immediately the Ark brought destruction to whatever Philistine city possessed it. It was placed in the temple of the Philistine god,

Dagon, next to his statue to show his superiority over it. The following morning, the priests of Dagon arrived to find his image toppled to the floor, so they returned it to its upright position. Next morning, Dagon was again face down with a few parts broken, Again the Dagonite priests did the best they could to return him to an upright position. This continued for days until there was no longer enough left of ole Dagon to re-stack.

 

   When I read this I wondered why the superiority of the God of Israel over Dagon the fish/man/god wasn't immediately apparent to them. Why didn't the Philistines simply reject Dagon and worship Yahweh? Then Holy Spirit reminded me of the lessor gods I once worshipped. When I first placed my faith in Jesus I expected to continue to worship my own idols, over-valuing things that were of no worth in the Kingdom of God. Just like the Dagonite priests, when the Lord knocked my idols over and chipped away at them, I tried to restore them to their original position. Dagon's priests stayed at it until he was rubble. I stayed at it until the Lord and pulverized mine. When nothing remained of what I had once worshipped, my eyes were finally fully turned to Him.

   When the Philistines still failed to recognize Yahweh's superiority, He brought a nasty plague of mice that carried a human plague. It wasn't very pleasant. The Ark was then sent

from city to city. Those who received it couldn't get rid of it fast enough! Eventually the Philistine leaders had a meeting to decide what to do with it. Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go back to its own place, so that it does not kill us and our people." For there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there.  And the men who did not die were stricken with the tumors....(1 Samuel 5:11,12a NKJV)  So they placed the ark on a cart and sent it packing, along with some golden mice and golden tumors that they hoped would appease God.  

    Pastor and commentator David Guzik wrote --  The Philistines, if they would have repented and turned towards the LORD, could have benefited from the ark. Instead, it became a curse and a judgment to them. The same is true of the presence of God among us. Paul wrote, For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. (2 Corinthians 2:15-16) The work of Jesus on your behalf will either be the greatest blessing you have ever known for all eternity or it will be the greatest witness of God’s judgment against you. If you submit and surrender to God, it can be a blessing. If you refuse His voice and His heart towards you, it can be a curse. What will you decide? 

     The Ark was the  designated dwelling place for the Name and the Presence of God for Israel. We are blessed to be indwelled by the Holy Spirit and to have continuous access to the Father and to Jesus. The glory of God abides with us.

   So, why are we so drawn to continue re-stacking our idols? Why do so many fail to even tithe, but offer instead our own golden mice in the form of occasional generosity which we hope will appease God?


   Dave Guzik's question apples to us today. “What will you decide?" 

   Copyright 2013 Mission of the Master Ministries, Inc. May be reprinted in whole or in part without prior written permission if a link is provided to http://wordworkswednesday.blogspot.com

 

Do You Know the Holy Spirit Who Lives Inside You?

But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.   (1 John 2:2 NKJV)

 

But you have an anointing....

   If you want to ignite a theological debate among Christians, you need only to mention the Holy Spirit. The range of understanding of the person and the function of the Holy Spirit from Cessationists to residents of Azuza Street is extreme. But I see another extremity present even among  Christians of the same denomination or church - extreme variety in how well we individually know and commune with the Holy Spirit who we all agree has indwelled us when by faith Christ redeemed us.   

    We tend to focus on the outward visible actions of the Holy Spirit depicted in the bible and lose sight of the consistent biblical depiction of His anointing as a common gift to all Christians who share equally in the infilling  by and blessing of the Holy Spirit, and lean toward an counter biblical belief that certain people have received a double drenching and others a single drop. In Truth, the anointing of the Holy Spirit doesn't belong to any of us. We all belong to Him.  

   This also seems true -- if we are equally indwelled, we don't equally know the One indwelling us. And those who don't know him well seem furthest from His gifts. Many Christians pray feely to the Father and the Son, but never to the Spirit. They shout prayers to a perceived distant Heaven when they could whisper them to the Holy Comforter within their very hearts. They ignore Paul's admonition to the Corinthians (12:31 NKJV) to Earnestly desire the best gifts. 

 

 

     And you know all things....  

     Our common indwelling seeds in us One who can whisper a confirmation of truth and rejection of fallacy. Earlier John used a Greek word translated as know which means knowledge by experience. That's the human way. Here (under the guidance of the anointing) he chose a different word which is translated as know. It means knowledge by intuition. This intuition is given by the Holy Spirit. Availability of this Holy intuition resides in all whose hearts belong to Christ. 

    Some say the only way to know Him  is by reading the Word He inspired. Imagine applying that argument in human terms. What if you lived with the great author Earnest Hemingway, but chose to only get to know him by reading every word he had written. You would come to know a great deal about him, but would suffer a complete lack of intimacy and personal relationship. This is also true with the Holy Spirit. He lives not just with, but within us and yet it is possible and even common among Christians to lack intimate relationship with Him.

    Our bibles, and pastors and teachers have taught us to know Him as a part of our common experience. This is important but is only intellectual ascent to His existence. But do you know Holy Spirit intuitively in your heart? Is His name on your tongue? In your prayers? Do those who know you, see evidence of Him?

 

   Do you know Him on His terms, or only on yours?

 

Copyright 2013 Mission of the Master Ministries, Inc. May be quoted in whole or in part without prior written permission if a link is provided to http://wordworkswednesday.blogspot.com

 

How Many Legs Does the Bible Say an Elephant Has?

   But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned. (Titus 3:9 NKJV)

 

   Scripture speaks to me through 66 books. And through their many chapters. And through passages. And through verses, fragments of verses, and even single words. Each word in the bible was inspired by the Holy Spirit, and God's power is released into my life every time I hear it. That is God's plan. (Isaiah 55:11). Praise the Lord.

 

   I could write for an hour about this verse, but its hard for my heart to go down the trail much further than the first four words --  But avoid foolish disputes... Paul is specifically addressing certain kinds of foolish disputes, and he lists some. But my list is bigger. When I read these simple words my heart is led to consider one of my great source sins, pride. Oh, the foolish disputes which have plowed through God's peace in my soul to avenge hurt pride or to establish prideful boasting. Often I have engaged in a biblical discussion to prove someone wrong or to demonstrate my biblical expertise. The bible describes its purpose as mind renewing, but I sometimes treat it like a game of biblical trivial pursuit.

 

   Is it possible to avoid foolish disputes? When we dig into the original Greek, the Lord shows us not only that it is possible. but also how it is possible. The Greek word translated as avoid is peristemi. It's meaning is much more enlightening than our simple English translation word avoid. It means --

 

   “The word peristemi literally meaning to turn oneself about so as to face the other way (cf. 2 Timothy 2:16 where it is used in a similar manner).” (Guthrie)

 

    Some questions have no answers (like how many legs does this elephant have?). Others have answers that are definitely not worth squabbling about.  God's message in this phrase is simple. When tempted to enter a foolish (unproductive in the kingdom of God) dispute, turn your back on it. Look away, then walk away. I want to quit wasting God's time disputing trivial things when He has set in my heart the ability to instead share His Great Truth, the Gospel message of Jesus Christ.

 

But avoid foolish disputes.....

 

(By the way, elephants have four legs. You know I'm right!)

 

Copyright 2013 Mission of the Master Ministries, Inc. May be quoted in whole or in part if a link is provided to http://wordworkswednesday.blogspot.com