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

The Hairy, Grass Eating, Clawed King/Beast in Babylon....(and in Us)

   God says -- My ways are higher than your ways... (No problem convincing me of that!) I am often bewildered by His ways.

 

    God could have brought the bible into existence with  a mere thought, but chose instead to employ men to write it for Him under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The words of many other ordinary humans are also quoted within the scriptures, and then there are a few significant passages which appear to have been written or dictated by still others. One of these appears in Daniel 4, where the narrative is in the first person voice of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. That's right, Nebuchadnezzar, the same guy who once laid siege to Jerusalem, and ransacked the Temple, stealing everything of value it contained and enslaving God's chosen people.

   As the story begins, Daniel interprets a dream for the king, telling him that if he fails to repent his pride and sin, and begin to worship God, he will spend seven years living as a wild animal. Nebuchadnezzar refused to yield to God for twelve months and then, in his own words, The king spoke, saying, 'Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence [fn] by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?'
31 "While the word was in the king's mouth, a voice came [fn] from heaven, saying, 'King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty [fn] has been removed from you,
32 and you will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field. You will be given grass to eat like cattle, and seven periods [fn] of time will pass over you until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes.'
33 "Immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled; and he was driven away from mankind and began eating grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair had grown like eagles' feathers and his nails like birds' claws.

  

      In the bible, Babylon is often used as a metaphor for the world system. As I watch the madness of the world we live in as nation upon nation rejects the Truth of God, I wonder how the result of our Godless madness will be made manifest. Nebuchadnezzar's madness was what psychologists call boanthropy (the delusion that one is an ox). I pray that our understanding will be returned to us, before humanity loses all remembrance that we have been made in His image and are turned loose as beasts.  Paul wrote to the Romans -- Therefore God [1] gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored [2] among them. (1:24)

 

    Nebuchadnezzar learned that he could not really ever see and understand the truth about himself until he first understood the truth about God. Amen. Me too. And for those of us blessed to already have received His Grace in the form of salvation from our sin, let us at least respond as Nebuchadnezzar did -- and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever:  

 

    Surely we can out praise and out worship this heathen king. Has the Lord heard your words of praise and worship today?

 

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

 

  

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My Weirdest Prayer....

   My connection to Christ, my spiritual rebirth, began many years back when I read an explanation of the process of salvation written hundreds of years ago by John Wesley. I don't really remember much of what he had written except the term indwelt by the Holy Ghost. I had never heard that ordinary flawed folks like me could be occupied inwardly by God's Spirit. I began questioning people who said they were Christians, asking, "How can I be indwelt by the Holy Ghost." I got a wide variety of answers, but really no one I asked seemed to have a clue. Frustrated, one day I weirdly and nervously prayed to the Holy Spirit and/or Jesus (sort of a spiritual to whom it may concern) and asked to be indwelt by the Holy Ghost. I'm not really sure what I thought would happen, but at that moment, I was certain that nothing had happened. Spiritual fail. Rejected again.

 

   When I prayed that prayer, my image of the Father was of an angry old man who resented the life I had led and was looking forward to the day He's light my bones on fire. Man, was I wrong. The first notion I had that my prayer may have had some effect was a few days later when I unexpectedly realized that the Father was maybe mellowing on His anger toward me, then after a few more days I was startled to realize that I believed He actually loved me. These remarkable changes happened without opening a bible or hearing the Gospel message. Within another few weeks, I understood the Gospel, repented my sin and gave my heart to Jesus.

 

   How could I have known what was never told to me?

 

   1 John 2:20 NKJV says -- But you have an anointing from the Holy One and you know all things.

 

    The Greek word translated as anointing is chrisma, Strong's Exhaustive Concordance defines it wonderfully -- anointing, referring to the teaching ministry of the Holy spirit, guiding the receptive believer into fullness of God's preferred-will. This anointing functions through faith (pistis), with God inwardly persuading the believer of His preferences.

 

   Wow. That's exactly how He saved me. Through the anointing of the Holy Spirit, the Father guided me into His preferred-will, inwardly persuading me of His preferences. All born again believers experience this anointing through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, but not all seem to be equally aware of His guiding presence. Romans 8:16 says -- The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

 

    So, the inner witness -- with knowledge of all things -- is active within us, witnessing to our spirit. He has also left us that same witness in a written revelation called the bible. Yet we often flail and worry and weep about life's circumstances as if it is impossible to discern an answer, when all we really need to do is ask, then listen.

 

   Remember, Strong's definition said that the receptive believer will be guided by the Holy Spirit into the fullness of God's preferred will. You know you are a Believer. You know you are indwelt by the Holy Ghost. But, are you receptive to His guidance? 

 

   What mystery of life are you trying to solve by the power of your own intellect, that could be simply understood by seeking the guidance of God who has united Himself with your spirit, and searching the written revelation He has left you?

 

   Ask, and it will be given to you. (Jesus of Nazareth, A.D. 33)

 

 

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

Hey Jude......

Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. 
For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God [fn] and our Lord Jesus Christ. (Jude 1:3,4 NKJV)

 

    Jude, the half brother of Jesus, wrote this small epistle. Imagine his life. He grew up in an ordinary working class home in the village of Nazareth in a large Jewish family. Little brothers often look up to and emulate their older brothers. In Jude's life his older brother, Jesus, became known to him as God's anointed Son. The are few secrets among siblings. Jude's testimony of his faith in Jesus as the Christ, coupled with his brother James', may make them the most compelling witnesses ever.

 

    Jude says that he found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith..... He was properly concerned because he'd learned that certain men have crept in unnoticed... who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny

the only Lord God [fn] and our Lord Jesus Christ. The spirit which animated those deceptive "certain men" still exists and animates the enemies of Christ today. Our culture stands in stark opposition to the cause of Christ, incessantly attempting to redefine God and His Word in ways that suit their flesh driven purposes. This is not a new phenomenon, but rather a continuation of an ancient battle over Truth. Moral decline has always ebbed and flowed. We appear to be living in a period of acceleration of this decline.

 

   So, what to do?  Jude answers us with an exhorting voice -- contend earnestly for the faith.....  The Greek word translated as contend is a term often used to describe the continuous struggle experienced by a wrestler who refuses to be overcome by his opponent. Do I put that kind of effort forth every day for the cause of Christ? I cannot say that I do, so Jude's challenge resonates in my soul.

 

   What Christian efforts qualify for this kind of earnest contention? Of course, sharing the Gospel qualifies. This is God's plan. Saved people save people by sharing Christ. Also. sharing the Word. The bible needs to be on our tongue. Secular conversations rife with opinions can be often redirected by simply saying -- I'm a Christian and I believe the bible which says.....

 

   In addition, we can support, with prayer, encouragement and finances, faithful pastors who unflinchingly declare the Word from their pulpits. Provide the same supports for lay teachers. Likewise, we should withhold support from those who are unfaithful to or oppose God's Word.

 

     Missionaries epitomize contending for the faith. We should support them, but also every form of local missionary like Sunday school teachers, those who make communion preparations, and small group leaders.

 

     Finally, we should contend for the faith by the daily witness of our transformed lives, always deflecting all the glory for our transformation to the One who saved us.

 

   Have you responded to Jude's call? How will you earnestly contend for the faith today?

 

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