2 Timothy 2:1-2 – “You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”  NASB

Making disciples as seen in verse two ‘commit to…’ is essentially ‘making a deposit’ in their lives.  It is like putting money in the bank.  You drive alongside or go inside and deposit the money and the money is there when you need it.  But, what about the times when you do that with people and they quit on you, betray you, hurt you, leave you, abandon, you in the time of heated battle?  You say, ‘that deposit didn’t work am I supposed to do it again?’  YES! 

Everyone’s been hurt or will be hurt.  Even if fear grips your heart you dare not go back into isolation and refuse to risk being hurt again.  If you do then the devil’s plan is succeeding.  The temptation is always present to protect your own heart from hurt. When we realize that we cannot if we continue in ministry and fulfill the commission the Lord gave we will persevere and risk. It is important to remember you cannot function in battle alone and be effective.  This is a Body Ministry!  This is an Army!  This is a Family!  This is not a bunch of isolated individuals or body parts trying to be the whole for that is certain defeat!

In the process of making disciples we quickly learn the power and importance of Forgiveness. We must make the determination that we will forgive, forgive, and forgive.  That will prevent a root of Bitterness from springing up in your heart and defiling you and others.  It is necessary to maintain order and keep the battle moving forward.  If we have been abandoned in the war zone we need to be ‘healed’ and ‘restored.’  Refuse to allow wounds to fester and become infected.  Healing comes by allowing the wound to be opened, the blood to flow to it and life to be ministered. 

A word of wisdom and warning – “Pick the right friends this time!”  Do not be too quick to lay hands on people.  How do you pick the right ones?  Discernment and testing!  I’ve had people want to be friends and comrades in arms in the battle only to find that they quickly became disillusioned and disappointed.  They had expectations of me that I could not fulfill and therefore they turned on me.  Some have been offended that I would joke, laugh, enjoy recreational sports, etc.  They expected me to be, as they stated different which really meant abnormal or weird.  They had not learned that we are all human and even Jesus was anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows. 

It would be easy to say, “Never again! I won’t risk being hurt!”  That will seal the deal, and make failure a certainty limiting any effectiveness we might have in the kingdom.  Too many lead pastors have allowed the wrong people to be made elders and deacons.  We do that in our churches and our lives too frequently. That is why it is vital that we exercise the discerning of the Spirit. 

Always remember that the qualifications for leadership are not community influence, financial status, charisma, or perceived leadership potential.  It is Commitment! We all have the capacity for a great number of friends but only room for a few close intimate relationships.  You are to deposit a portion of your life into that person or persons and that deposit is precious so guard it with your all.  You are going to war with this individual so you must Know Them! In war, you must Know that your fellow soldiers will stand and do their jobs.  Your life may and probably will depend on it.  I am not talking about preferences I am talking about War!  Once you have committed your life to Jesus you are a candidate for Front Line Duty!

There is nothing more destructive to a local fellowship than misplaced leadership.  Likewise, there is nothing more destructive to an individual life than misplaced friendships or relationships.  1 Corinthians 15:23 tells us that “bad company corrupts good morals.”  Proverbs 25:19 teaches that “confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth or a foot out of joint.”  It is painful and can be quite harmful.

In your enlistment in the Army of God, I pray that God not only equips you for battle but enables you to equip others and to have the spiritual insight and discernment to recognize the right people to stand with.

Blessings as you go through your day!

2 Timothy 2:1-2 – “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. 2 The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.”  NASB

I know what it is like to be in a War Zone in the natural and in the spiritual.  I’ve had some people say to me, “You don’t sound like a preacher you sound like a soldier.”  Well, in truth, you cannot remove the training and experience in the War Zone from my life.  God has used and is using it to shape me into what I am and what He desires. 

There are things I learned and experience in the natural war zone that has proven to be beneficial in the spiritual war zone.  I acknowledge that virtually all believers get a taste of the ‘Spiritual War Zone’ but all do not Function there or at least not effectively.  It takes fierce determination, an understanding of the strategies of the enemy and an understanding of our weapons and equipping.  It takes that but there is one thing more that is absolutely essential and that is Faithfulness!

Consider what Paul says to his spiritual son Timothy in verse 2 – “The things which you have heard from me…”  In the KJV it is rendered ‘of me’ the Greek word is [pa-ra] = alongside, partnership, side-by-side relationship.  It is the same word used to describe the ministry of the Holy Spirit in [John 14:26; 15:26; 16:7] The Holy Spirit reveals the heart of the Father as He walks with us and resides in us.  It is a Covenant relationship!  He is the ‘Paraklete’ and there is no one closer to you than Him!

Timothy had been there with Paul in good times and bad.  He had worked alongside the apostle.  Paul reminds him “the things you have learned by virtue of our close, long-standing, side-by-side relationship.  You have been mentored.”  This was not a teacher-student classroom experience with one lecturing and the other taking notes for a test.  This was an actual ministry.  It was the ministry of covenant. It was walking together in good times and bad.  In 2 Timothy 3:10 Paul declares, “But you (Timothy) have Fully Known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience.”  Paul says in verse two above – “what you have learned, commit to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.”

Simply, “Timothy, you know what I’ve done for you.  Now go and do the same for others.  You have been disciple now it is time for you to disciple.”  This is the principle of reproduction.  God always expects reproduction.  What we receive we are to give.  What we learn we are to demonstrate and teach.  Remember Jesus said in Matthew 10:8 – “…Freely you have received, freely give…”

I was teaching on this once and had someone interrupt me saying, “But Timothy had been hurt!”  I paused and asked, “Was Paul ever hurt?  Was Jesus ever hurt?  How is being hurt a justification for drawing back?”  We are supposed to be pulling down strongholds and taking ground for the kingdom not going into hiding or isolation. 

If we faint in the time of adversity our strength is small.  In verse one Paul charges Timothy to be “strong in the grace that is Jesus Christ.”  If we do not have a good connection to the flow of ‘supernatural enablement’ we must ask why?  Is it because of our relationship, trust, revelation?  What?  It is imperative that we truly See Jesus to truly Trust Him!

Making disciples is a commission that each of us has been given and that works at all levels of leadership and responsibility in the kingdom and life.  In Matthew 28 our Lord said, “Go therefore and make disciples…”  That is not a suggestion but a commandment.  That commission cannot be fulfilled outside the context of faithfulness through committed covenant relationships.  It is time-consuming to make disciples.  It involves commitment and sacrifice.  It can be and usually is incredibly painful but equally joyous.  It is risk-filled. 

My question is not if you are in the War Zone but are you a committed warrior?  If you are then do not shy away from the task at hand of making disciples.  Jesus instructed us to pray to the Lord of Harvest that He would send forth laborers into His harvest.  The harvest is plenty but the laborers are few.  Be a committed warrior making disciples who are or will be committed warriors. 

God bless you as you go through your day!

Ephesians 4:29-32 – “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. 30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” NSAB

Ephesians 5:1 – “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”  NASB

Yesterday we discussed this a little and I want like for us to move further into consideration of the mindset of ‘victim’ vs. ‘Christian.’  I truly believe that one of the reasons that we fall into that trap is that we fail to understand Grace.

Sometimes it seems like we think Grace is simply God being gracious to us.  I think the schoolmaster ‘The Law’ that brought us to ‘Grace’ has become a problem in that in The Law or any Law says if you behave, I am satisfied.  Grace does not issue that edict but demands more.    The Law simply deals with my behavior but Grace deals with my heart.  I can look the part, act the part, and appear to be Christian but inside be full of filth.  Grace deals with my heart and regardless of how I look on the outside it is working on the inside or The Heart!

Grace is not focused on behavior but the Church largely is.  We fulfill the scripture that ‘man looks on the outward’ to a tee!  Grace deals with our want to and begins the process of change there at the seat of the problem and the core of our being.  Then, when the heart is changed the behavior follows naturally.  Sadly, behavior is too often nothing more than a mask that professors of Christianity wear and hide who they really are from the world but you cannot hide from God!

Notice Paul says, “The Grace has come to you….”  In other words, it has invaded who you are.  Now it is up to us to cooperate with the Spirit of God and allow change to be effected in our lives on the inside.  Grace did not just bring us deliverance from the world of sin it brings us Salvation that takes place every day of our lives.  It brings us daily wholeness! 

The Grace of God makes us ‘spiritually healthy’ and ‘whole.’  There is a truth that I won’t get into here but sometimes we are sick in our bodies because we are sick in our heads and hearts.  I have heard medical doctors claim that upwards of 90% of all diseases are psychosomatic.  I don’t know that I would go that far but I do know that our attitudes can affect our health.  Please do not assume that I am saying if you were right spiritually you would not battle any physical ailment.  I did not and do not say that!

Paul tells us that there are some things that we must do as believers.  There are some things that we do not just pray about but take ownership of and act on.  We are to put away – malice, bitterness, and evil speaking.  That is pretty radical but the Holy Spirit emphasized the Put Away which in the Greek means ‘make a decisive choice.’  It is like saying, ‘Do it man!  Make it happen!  Don’t pray about it!  Don’t say I will try!  JUST DO IT!’

I want us to look at what we are to Put Away but time and space won’t permit adequate examination so I will stop here and pick this up in a later devotional.

God bless you as you go through your day!

Ephesians 4:29-32 – “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. 30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” NASB

Ephesians 5:1 – “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”  NASB

The more I read and study the writings of the apostle, Paul, the more I am convinced that he saw a life that most professing believers either never see or do not believe is possible.  Paul repeatedly speaks of leaving the “old” – world, way, man and everything that belongs to the realm of sin and the fallen race of Adam and moving into the new creation, self, man, birth and encouraged his followers to  Act Out or Live Out the Christian experience through their new source of Life – Jesus!   His message was one that continually called for those who experienced the ‘new birth’ to Become who they really are in Christ!

The new birth is about the process that happens after the experience of salvation.  In the new birth, we were translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light.  We were not and are not the finished product but are in the process of becoming!  So for the rest of our mortal existence on earth, we are moving from one experience to another and being transformed into something!  We are no longer what we were and are not yet what we will be but we are moving toward that goal.  It is time that we allow the newness of the Life in Christ to permeate every crevice of our lives and touch every facet and dimension of our being.  It is a passage from the ‘old’ to the ‘new’. From ‘sin’ to ‘total transformation.’  It Is Salvation!

Tragically, far too many have the cart before the horse and are trying to change, shape up, get better, turn over a new leaf, and try harder or something.  It is the incredible need of humanity to earn something and deserve something.  God repeatedly says, “No thanks!  I accept you just as you are, where you are, and who you are because of Jesus!”  So, it is time that we comprehend and get our heads and hearts around the truth that We Are Accepted! It is in that state of acceptance that God steps in and begins the process of changing us or transforming us into His Image.

When we come to Christ we essentially have to relearn life because we have the mindset of Sin in us.  That is one of the reasons that Jesus spoke of becoming like little children.  We have to develop a new way of thinking and a new way of living.  For that to become reality we have to be schooled or trained and that is the work of the Holy Spirit and those under whose tutelage we are maturing.  

Far too many people simply add Sunday to their schedule when they accept Christ but Christianity is not that.  It truthfully is Relearning how to live every moment of every day of every week of every month of every year!  It is allowing all the distortion that is in us to be purged.  It is to allow the ‘bentness’ that is inherent in our DNA to be transformed by God’s Love, Mercy, and Grace!  It is literally having our Minds Renewed!

That is the only possible way that we can move from the human mindset of ‘victimization’ to God’s mindset of “Christian.”  We have to Relearn Life and Live that life that we have learned in Jesus!  You are a “Child of the King of Kings” not just a man or a woman.  You are God’s children and are heirs to everything that God is and has, so live like it!

May God be with you as you go through your day!  We will consider this more tomorrow!

John 15:5-7 – “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.  6 “If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.”  NASB

If Christ is ‘inside’ then the life that we live in the flesh is His life.  I’ve heard people sing or preach and someone come up to them and tell them how much they were ministered to as a result only to hear the person say, “Oh it was not me it was the Lord.”  While that is true, wasn’t that you on the platform singing or speaking?  I ask that you consider the reality that while it is truly the Lord, you are the vessel that He is using so do not draw back from celebrating your uniqueness.  He made you like He made you and gifted you like He gifted you so it is “I live, yet not I….”  It is Christ in Me!  You do not trust yourself but you are totally reliant on Him.  He is the Vine and we are the branches or a vine branch!

Have you ever considered the reality that a vine branch is utterly useless in and of itself?  If a vine branch is not producing grapes it has no use whatsoever.  I believe that God chose this deliberately to teach us a vital truth.  What is the Vine?  Think about it for a moment. If you dig deep enough you will realize that the vine is invisible.  It is an invisible life that comes up through the trunk and inevitably produces a leaf that produces a flower that produces a grape!  I have never seen a Vine but I have seen expressions of it.  Therefore, the Branch does nothing but receive the Life that is in the Vine!

Just imagine a Vine in the springtime and the branches saying, “Man I’ve got to get this leaf out so we can produce grapes.”  No it just hangs there effortless waiting on the life that is in the vine to flow through it and do the work.  Jesus is trying to convey to us that it is the same principle in the Christian Life.  We are simply flow through vessels of the Life that is in the Vine!    He is trying to convey to us that if we will just be ‘in’ Him, He will do the work and produce the fruit!

Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 when He said “Come unto me all you that labor and are heaven laden and I will give you a rest.”  The word rest could be accurately translated vacation.  What is a vacation?  It is when you stop working and rest!  Jesus was not speaking to sinners, He was speaking to believers.  He was talking to people who were trying to work enough, do enough, and please God.  So, if you ever grow sick and tired of trying to do enough to please God He is calling ‘Come unto Me, and I will…’  

Imagine that!  A Christianity that wants to deserve and earn its salvation has a difficult time with that.  If we have to struggle to please God you have a number of choices.  You can be a Buddhist, Hindu, or any other religion in the word because they are all struggling.  But, if I am a Christian, according to the Bible, I am to Stop Struggling and allow the Life of the Vine to produce its Life and Flow through me.  “I live, but it is not I, it is Christ.”  All the Branch does is remain In the Vine!  The Life that is in the Vine flows into the branch and produces the visible fruit!

So Stop Struggling and allow Christ in you to produce the Hope of Glory!  Let God live His life through you!   Christianity is a Rest not a Struggle!

May God bless you as you go through your day!

Numbers  6:24-27 – “The LORD  bless you, and keep you; 25 The LORD  make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; 26 The LORD  lift up His countenance on you, And give you peace.’ 27 “So they shall invoke My name on the sons of Israel, and I then will bless them.” NASB

I cannot do justice to this passage in a short devotional this morning. I will attempt to hit the high points and hope they will bring encouragement and blessing to your hearts as you face another day.  This was something that was said by the priests multiple times each day. They would stand and bless the people this way and the people would receive it and bless the priest back.  It was more than words to them it was a releasing of the power of God, God’s Shalom that had the energy and power to bring it to pass in their lives.

Who is it that is blessing?  Ultimately it is The LORD! It is not just words of a man or men it is The Lord God doing the blessing.  It is an action of God Himself in the lives of the people.  It is a prayer and a promise that God would ‘bless and keep them’.  It is a prayer and a promise that God’s ‘face would shine upon them’. 

When I watch my children or grandchildren as they perform something special or well my ‘face shines toward them’, and I beam with pride and love.  It is a prayer and a promise that God would ‘lift up His countenance toward them.’  He would look upon them favorably and in so doing would ‘give them peace.’  His Shalom would go before them, work in them and lead them in the right paths.  This was something that the Israelites longed to hear and it meant something to them. 

Sadly, we’ve heard it or said it in benedictions in church and people say ‘Ho Hum’ another quotation from the Bible.  It is virtually meaningless to many that hear it and even some that say it.  It sounds good but if we examine it, believe it, and receive it into our lives it releases power from God to go before us and work in us to bring about His Blessing!  It is a release of the Covenant into our lives.  It, as are the words of the Bible, is more than just words.  It is The Word of God and the Word of God is filled with the Love and Power of God.  God’s word does not return to Him void but accomplishes that which He sent it to do.

Instead of just hearing this and allowing it to slide off like water from a ducks back take it to heart, examine it, understand it, believe it, and receive it into your life.  When I say it I expect the Power of God to be released to bring it to pass in the lives of those to whom I speak.  So in closing let me pray this prayer:

“The LORD, bless you, and keep you; the LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace.”

God with God and go in peace!  Blessings!

Colossians 1:25-29 – “Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, 26 that is,  the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, 27 to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. 29 For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.”  NASB

We are continually being transformed into the likeness of Jesus!  As we behold Him we become more and more like Him.  Salvation is not just being ‘saved’ from Hell.  In the Greek [sozo] means ‘to make whole or well.’  The word means save, heal, and/or deliver.  The Gospel is the Power of God for SOZO or Wholeness!  It is putting us back together or total healing of our mind, body, and souls!

That raises another question – “What is sin?”  Oh I know that the standard answer is ‘missing the mark’ but can you receive that it is “Unlove!”  It is failing to love as God loves.  What does sin do to us?  What does unlove and selfishness do to us?  It literally blows or rips us apart.  That is why those living in sin are so tragic; they are blown apart on the inside!  They are not whole! 

The Good News is that with the coming of the Love of God which is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit we are made Whole!  Deep on the inside at the core of who we are we are made Well by the Love of God!   Life is filled with pitfalls and difficulties but do not despair because we are moving from Glory to Glory in God.  This is a process and it is not finished!  It is “Christ in us, the Hope of Glory!”

I urge you to call to mind that it is not you trying to ‘get glory’ or trying to ‘love like God’ loves.  It is God coming into you and living His life and loving His love through you!  You are the vessel not the producer of that love or life!  He Is!  Some seem to have the idea that if we try hard enough and work long enough, one day we will arrive and make it.  No, No, a thousand times No!  It is Christ in you, the Hope of Glory!  If you can make it by your efforts and struggles then that places Christ outside rather than inside and Christianity is an inside job.

One of the greatest tragedies and obstacles that the Church has inflicted upon herself is that we have traditionally told new converts, “You go out there and love like Jesus loved.  You work out your salvation!” 

We are told to “be like Jesus,” as if we could in and of ourselves.We are told that we are to love and forgive putting aside all resentment and anger while putting on kindness and tenderness.  But I challenge you with the thought that is Life is not an outside job but an inside job.  It is not you doing it it is Him living His life in you.  It is Christ in you, the Hope of Glory!

When the Bible tells us in Philippians 2:12 to “work out our own salvation…”  How does it tell us to do that?  I’m serious!  It says, “with fear and trembling…”   It is a Greek expression that means:  “You work out your own salvation, with no trust whatsoever in your own ability.”  That does not sound like a matter of willpower or an outside job but an inside job to me!  It is simply allowing God to have full control of your life and watching Him live His life through you!  Yes you participate because you could resist and rebel but you willingly choose to flow with what He is doing inside of you and through you.  It is Christ in you, the Hope of Glory!  I feel the urge to should this, It is In You!  In You!  In You!

May God help each of us to realize that this is an ‘inside job’ and walk in the fullness of what Jesus offers through the Cross and the Holy Spirit!

Blessings as you go through your day!