That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life-- the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us......and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 

And these things we write to you that your [fn] joy may be full.  (1 John 1:1-5 NKJV)

 

   I want full joy. Why be unhappy? Dave Guzik thinks this verse expresses the importance of relationship over accumulation of worldly possessions--  Most people understand that the important things in life are not things at all - they are the relationships we have. God has put a desire for relationship in every one of us, a desire He intended to be met with relationships with other people, but most of all, to be met by a relationship with Him. In this remarkable letter, John tells us the truth about relationships - and shows us how to have relationships that are real, for both now and eternity.

 

   John, the writer of these verses, knew Jesus intimately. Most scholars agree that John was a teenager when he began to walk in Jesus' dust every day. Teen years are extremely important formative years. Things we learn and accept as truth in those years influence who we are and how we act as adults. If we spend those years learning and practicing the wrong things, we will at best spend years unlearning them or at worst have our lives destroyed or badly misled by what we learned. But John learned the Lord form the Lord. He had countless hours walking the roads of Israel with Christ. He refers to himself as "the disciple Jesus loved". He had a wonderful relationship with the Lord and knew it. In these verses and all of chapter 1, John is exhorting us to a full relationship with Christ. When our relationship with Jesus is properly established, good relationships with others naturally result.

   John says, I heard Him, I saw Him, I touched Him! Jesus was not mystical or theoretical to John. He was the guy he and his friends spent three and a half years with. He was the guy who over time revealed Himself as God in the flesh. He was the guy who confirmed His claim with miracles, but more importantly with intimate personal relationship. John knew and loved Jesus, and he is pleading with us to do the same.

   Why is this so important to Him? John says -- Jesus is the eternal word of life, and that relationship with faith in Him will transport any person from temporal life to eternal life, and that once that exchange is transacted, your joy may be full. Ever hear anyone long for a ten percent joyous life? How about a half joyous life? Neither have I.

   If the landscape of your life is littered with broken relationships, or if you are struggling with one major broken relationship, it might be wisdom to take another look at your primary relationship with Christ for help. Have you heard Him like John? Seen Him like John? Has He touched your heart like He touched John's? As Jesus walked with John, He is willing to walk with us today -- but He won't chase us down our own rambling path. We have to hear His voice, see Him, then walk as John did in Jesus' dust -- down Jesus' path.

   Want full Joy? Follow Jesus.
 

   And these things we write to you that your [fn] joy may be full.



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

   

 

  

How To Receive a Gift...and Reject It At The Same Time

For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.  

 

  One day, I will die. This is certain. As a man who has existed a few years, this is also obvious. But it is as certain that a healthy child born this very day will also die. Death has no question of if, just when. Paul points to death as the Adamic legacy. Through Adam's sin, death arrived and plagued mankind with its certainty. In spite of this certainty, we never quite get accustomed to it. I lost a sister to cancer this year at age 57. I still can hardly believe she is gone.

 

  What kills me physically is Adam's sin. What kills me spiritually is my own. Humankind has

never developed a method of immortality, and it has never developed an method to erase sin and bring spiritual immortality. Left to our own devices, both are absolutes. Still, we try.

 

   Paul wrote - For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God... We kind of get that, so when we know we're in trouble, we look for our own solution. God knew we would, and reminded us and the Ephesian church (and us 2:8-10) For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast

   When an occasion warrants that I get someone a gift, I take the task seriously. I like to get people gifts that they will appreciate. The best gifts provide a solution to a problem. If your car is old and broken down and someone gives you a new one, that's a great solution! I've received some great and timely gifts. Even if they weren't of great financial value, if they provided a solution to a problem that was concerning me, my appreciation of the gift was great. I while back, when I was without funds, someone stole the tires and rims from my car. The sister I mentioned earlier bought me new tires and rims. The ones that were stolen were old and worn. The replacements were new and better. I still appreciate those tires every time I drive that car.

 

   The bible says that as believers we have received from Christ the gift of righteousness  There is no greater gift. It provides the solution to the problems of both my physical death initiated by Adam's sin, and my spiritual death initiated by my own sin. The solution to the sin problem that has plagued humanity is available by grace....through faith in Jesus' work on the cross. Jesus hand is always extended, offering this gift to all. I simply need to receive it.

 

   But there is a strange phenomenon in the church. Many professing born again Christians still walk out their days in a continuing effort to accomplish self earned righteousness, to attain worthiness of the gift, to repay God for something of infinite value. They struggle and suffer (two things they believe they deserve) and they rarely experience Peace. The idea of Grace is more than they can accept. They still bear the weight of the sin Jesus has lifted from their shoulders. They profess Christ, but never share the Gospel. You cannot give away what you have never received. You can't explain what you don't understand. In fact, they often argue for limited Grace, expressing a conviction that some work must be added to Grace for it to be effective.

 

    Yep, The wages of sin is death.... That's true. ....but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. That's true too. In your heart have you received the gift of righteousness by Grace through Faith, or are you professing Christ and trying to earn His favor?

 

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

  

Are You a Carnal Christian?

   I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 
   

   What's a carnal Christian? Is it even possible to be a Christian and remain carnal? Carnality implies a life led by the demands of the flesh rather than a life led by the Spirit. Most new Christians retain some amount of carnality. Over time, as they marinate in the Word and spend time in prayer, they grow continuously more spiritual and become less carnal. The possibility of returning to carnal thinking and carnal living always exists if we lose the disciplines of prayer and bible study.

 

   Redpath wrote -- “The carnal Christian is a child of God, born again and on his way to heaven, but he is traveling third class.” 

 

   This implies that the people Paul is addressing are born again Christians. He calls them "brothers" and "babes in Christ". This implies that they are born again, indwelled by the Holy Spirit, but are still leading lives dominated by their flesh. They are saved, but stuck in the lowest possible level of freedom in Christ in a perpetual battle with their spiritual immaturity. Paul inquires of them -- are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 

 

   Here's a vivid depiction of carnal Christianity. Notice that the state of being, either natural, carnal or spiritual is determined by the position of Christ.

 

 

   If you find yourself in depiction 1, you are not a Christian. Give your heart to God today. Repent your sin, ask Jesus to enter your heart, and find a good biblical church where you can grow and prosper in Christ.

 

   If you find yourself in depiction 3, Praise the Lord. You are walking as the Lord would have you walk.

 

   But if depiction 2 best describes your life, Christ is in your life but you are still seated on the throne, you are best described as a carnal Christian. Most Christians find an occasional day when this best describes them, but if it generally describes your life, how can you transition to depiction 3? The answer is so simple that many remain stuck in carnality, unable to see it. Ask yourself these simple questions.

 

   1 - How is my prayer life? Most carnal Christians have virtually no prayer life. At the end of the Azuza Street Revival that initiated the Pentecostal movement over a century ago, a final prophecy was given describing a falling away that would become apparent in our days -- An over emphasis on praise to a God they no longer pray to. The good news is that if your heart is cut by the truth this prophecy exposes in your life there is a simple and immediate solution -- take time to pray. Prioritize prayer. It will may begin as a task, but will quickly become your favorite time. Sit with the Lord in prayer until you become vividly aware of His Presence.

 

   2 - Who is seated on the throne of my life? Part two of that same prophecy says -- An overemphasis on the gifts of the Spirit rather than the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Saving power comes from Christ alone. No person can make any effort that bolsters their own salvation. However, submission to Christ is a daily choice. Is your heart submitted to the will of God today? Are you submitted the Lordship of Jesus Christ? 

 

   See, it is simple -- but not easy and certainly not automatic.

 

   Are you stuck in carnality? Find the fullness of freedom in Christ. Pray, read your bible, and relinquish your throne to Him.

 

 

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 wordworkswednesday.blogspot.com.

   

 

  

 

  

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