WHO ARE WE and WHY ARE WE???

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1 John 4:7-11 – “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” NASU

The Law stirs up sin but Grace applies the healing balm of the Gospel. Humanity stood steeped in sin and The Law came. What many missed is that The Law was continually pointing to LOVE. Man, would look at The Law and Commandments and say, “That is a wonderful idea. I wish I could do that.” Mankind has, in many ways, acknowledged that a Society of Love is needed but man’s heart resists and rejects that idea. The root is that we want the rest of the world to demonstrate Love but allow us to continue in our selfishness. That produces incredible despair in the heart of man.

Let me offer something that might sound controversial, Jesus came as the first true human, who walked on this planet and lived God’s kind of Love! That is the very reason that religion was always so angry with Him. The political powers of that Day did not care about Jesus, He meant nothing to them. The people who were threatened by Him, those who were violently angry with Him were the Religious. The best that religion could produce were the Pharisees. Tragically, they would fit in well in too many churches in our day. They were scandalized by Jesus because the Love of God is scandalous to Good Religion because it loves the worst and the bad. It loves people that, other human beings have given up on. If you will recall, Jesus sat and ate with prostitutes. Not to partake of their sin but to love them as people. He went to the sinners, the tax collectors, and those considered the dregs of society. HE LOVED EVERYONE! It often upsets legalist, when I say, “The first miracle of Jesus was turning water into wine.” Imagine that! What in the world was He doing at a party where there was drinking? He is the Messiah, shouldn’t He have been at a prayer meeting not at some worldly event? The Religious got together in their self-righteous societies and said, “He eats & drinks with SINNERS!” He embraces people who are not like us! Does that sound familiar?

That happens today. I remember back in my early years of ministry there was much ‘clothesline preaching.’ There were sayings that were meant to poke fun at the over stressing of the outward like, “I don’t drink, I don’t chew, and I don’t go with girls that do.” Tragically, too often, we draw our circles and say, “We are other. Those not of us are less than we are. We are holy.” The Pharisees would not even talk to the Samaritans because a Samaritan could never be saved, nor could prostitutes or tax collectors. It was a very exclusive society and in their minds, if a Tax Collector began to confess his sins today, he’d be dead before he could possibly finish confessing.

I find it very interesting that Jesus drew out some of His best friends from among the Tax Collectors. He went to Samaria and even sat down in public with a woman – GOD FORBID! The Religion of the Legalist may come disguised as Love but it does not fit or follow the rules of Love. That religion is horrified by God’s Love because it only knows how to love like a good human being. It wants the best people in its membership and LOVE destroys that! Jesus was their thorn in the flesh and they crucified Him. Little did they know that in crucifying Him, He was dying for them. They didn’t even know enough to say, THANK YOU.

Just before Jesus died to take away the sin of the world He made some incredible statements that are critical for our understanding. He said, “Except a corn of wheat fall to the ground and die, it abides alone. But if it drops into the ground and dies, it brings forth much fruit.” What a simple but powerful illustration! We know exactly what it means. If you only have one grain of wheat and plant it, the Law of Harvest comes into play and it springs forth producing many, more than the original seed. The fruit is exactly like the original. I know you see it. Jesus was saying, “There is only one of Me. No one has ever lived God’s love before Me. I am going to fall into the ground and die. If I do not there will never be but one of Me. BUT, if I do, then I’ll bring forth much fruit.” There are and have been MILLIONS LIKE HIM and that is the desire of God for mankind.

Jesus came to forgive us of our sin. That is the handle on the door of the kingdom. He came to produce persons who LOVE like He LOVES. In the Law of Harvest, the original brings forth after its kind. MILLIONS JUST LIKE JESUS. We are the New Creation that God brought forth after His kind. He brought forth LOVERS who Love Like Jesus! The fascinating thing is that the disciples heard things like this but did not understand UNTIL after PENTECOST when the Holy Spirit began to teach them. They were fascinated with the POWER and missed the most important, LOVE. But Love is the Greater Work. It is greater than miracles. If we can love like Jesus loved, then we won’t have to worry about keeping the Law it will become second nature to us and an outflow of Love. If we Love like Jesus loves we won’t need a law that says, “Thou shalt not kill or steal, etc.” Love, not only does not kill, it lays down its life for its enemies.

What the world needs now is Love, Sweet Love! God, bless you as you embrace the Love of God being shed abroad in your heart by the Holy Spirit.

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THE GOOD NEWS…

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1 John 4:7-11 – “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” NASU

The reality that God who is love, makes His best friends out of unholy, bad, messed up, rotten and selfish people is Good News and nothing short of Amazing! That is the Gospel! That is another word that often falls short in our human vocabulary and understanding in today’s world. Many people think that the Gospel is the first four books of the New Testament. The word gospel in the original meant, “The good, glad, merry news that makes a man fairly leap for joy!” I hope you wrap your head around that and rejoice in the Gospel. When we realize that God loves the messed up and less than perfect people and includes them in His family that is GOOD NEWS. That is news that makes us leap for joy! That is the Gospel.

If God is the God who will come to people who do not deserve His love, and He is, that produces another wonderful word, “Grace.” Grace means that God gives to us what we did not and cannot earn. It is the opposite of what we deserve. That is Good because He is Love He must deal with us in Grace. Everything that God is to people who do not deserve it He gives freely or Graces us with His love, mercy, and forgiveness. That means that something has happened to us. If you do not deserve something but it is given to you what do you do? Hopefully, you say, THANK YOU! The New Testament calls that FAITH, which is our response to the Gift that God has given or gives.

I hope that resonates in your spirit. God gives, through nothing we have done, because of nothing in us, simply because of Who He Is. The only thing that we can do is respond and receive saying THANK YOU! When we do that, we discover that He means it and we can rest in that truth. That is the Good, Glad, Merry News that makes the heart leap for joy. THE GOSPEL! God is Love, He acts in Grace, and we respond in Faith. It is not trying to be better it is not trying to do good. It is FAITH. It is simply saying, THANK YOU and when we do that a miracle transpires and we are BORN AGAIN.

But, what happens in this New Birth experience? We are birthed into the Family of God. That begs the question, “What is the character of the Family of God?” LOVE! The Love that God is comes into us and we become new people or new creations. THAT IS THE GOSPEL! To demonstrate just how much mankind needs God’s Grace, God threw in an extra ingredient that has produced confusion for many. God put it in at Mt. Sinai and took it out at the Resurrection, THE LAW! He gave the “Ten Commandments” but I suggest that it only looks like ten but it is actually ONE. In Leviticus God boils it down to TWO, “Love the Lord with all your heart, and love your neighbor as yourself.” That is the heart of it all.

If you love your neighbor, you won’t murder, steal, or slander him. Love takes care of that. The commandments are simply manifestations of God’s incredible Love. You can get away with the first Nine without Love, but the last one is impossible outside of LOVE. “Thou shalt not covet…” Covet deals with motive and means that you not only do not do it, you do not want to! To fulfill that commandment, we have to find something that will cause us to NOT want to. That is LOVE! When you LOVE as God loves you will not hurt your neighbor. You will want to do the exact opposite and bless your neighbor. That is where man has completely failed and missed the mark.

Remember Israel at Mt. Sinai? God sent Moses down the mountain to see if they understood what they were getting into. Israel said, “We’ve Got it and we Agree.” They promised to do everything that God said. Moses went back and reported to God, “They understand.” God sent him back three times and in thirty days they had blown the whole thing. We focus on the DO NOTS of the Commandments. It is not simply, do not murder, steal, slander, etc. No! No! It is that we LOVE! That was God’s desire from the beginning that man should walk in Love. That is the will and purpose of God before the Law and since the Resurrection it is unchanging. So, He gave the Law to show man just how much we needed Him to take over and enable us to LOVE! He gave the Commandments to show us that we were unable to keep them. Have you ever tried to not do something? The more you determined you would not the more you were tempted to and the less successful you were. The Law stirs up sin. The Law was never given as a path to salvation but was given to reveal to us how hopeless and helpless we are without Him.

I pray that God will richly bless you as you enjoy His love and this wonderful day!

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THE WILL OF GOD – Man’s Problem in the Process…

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We have considered the Big Picture in finding the Will of God for our lives and called attention to the fact that GOD IS LOVE presents a problem for man. It is a blessing and it is a problem at the same time for the flesh. What do we mean when we say, LOVE? I am quite serious in asking that question. The word “love” in the English language is often a useless word in attempting to convey true meaning. WHY? Because when we use the word in various contexts we often have to define how we understand love. What we mean, often, is that we reach out to someone we deem to be in Our Class. I would argue that it is rare for someone to have real love for someone that is not perceived to be in their class. Don’t get self-righteous and exhibit a false humility on me here.

Let me give you an example of what I mean. In Europe of bygone eras and still somewhat true today, if a member of Royalty falls in love with a commoner they are fired. You did and do not marry outside your class. When we, humans, fall in love we tend to do so within our perceived status. We gravitate to those who are deemed to be in our tribes and we maintain our boundaries. I know many will argue, that they do not, but if you carefully evaluate life you will see that what I saying is true more often than not. We don’t talk about it and rarely admit it but we do it.

When we say “Love” we are saying of that person we express love toward the person who is the object of our love we are saying, that they call forth our highest admiration. When we look at them we admire them. We look at them and the bells begin ringing, our hearts begin racing, and our emotions scream WOW! When we talk about that person we describe them as the cat’s meow and there is an element of worship involved. When we love somebody, they answer to what we feel is beauty. Beauty, we are told is in the eye of the beholder or something that happens inside our heads. That’s what we understand love to be.

The Problem for man is that when we read, “God is Love” we tend to view God as loving the way we love. Every religion in the world has a concept of God that is based on human love. We have equated what we define love as with God Who is Love. Therefore, if God loves like we love then when He comes to us what does He find? First, He finds someone that is not even remotely in His class. That eliminates us! If God were to get friendly with us He must fire Himself for we are not in His Class. Second, He finds people that are not even remotely in Harmony with Him. We do not jell with His holiness and Love. We are selfish, like it, and have no genuine plans to change. There is nothing in us that would cause Him to say, “That’s the best person I know!” If God loves like humans love, we are doomed. That is where the religions of the world find themselves.

I heard an illustration that conveys my meaning wonderfully. A missionary went to a tribal witch doctor and said, “You preach to me now. If I come to you with a problem, how would you tell me to contact the Most High God?” He said, “I know you have many gods, but I want to reach the Big One, the Most High God, how do I do that?” The witch doctor said, “First you have a big problem because the Most Hight God is not interested in you. You are not good enough for Him.” That is where the religions of the world and human love comes short. You may say, “Well that’s not how I or my church views God.” But, consider with me how we used a more sophisticated language but arrive at the same destination. Most have the idea that they are not good enough for God and therefore He is not interested. Some feel that they have to make themselves ‘good enough’ for God before He will accept them. Isn’t that the same thing? That is incredible and completely contrary to the biblical report.

I believe that once we understand the biblical definition of the Love of God we will immediately realize that our human definition and usage is worthless in describing God’s Love. God’s love is completely other than our kind of love. When the Bible says, “GOD IS LOVE” it does not mean that he reaches out to His class. No! No! No! It means that He reaches out to ALL PEOPLE or more importantly He reaches DOWN TO ALL PEOPLE and lifts us up to His level. Human love reaches Up to those we deem the most beautiful or worthy but God’s Love reaches down to us. That makes no sense to the human mind but GOD IS LOVE and because of His Love He Gave that which would purchase our redemption and He deemed us worth the Blood of Jesus. God loves the bad, messed up, twisted human beings, and makes us His friends and that is AMAZING! That is GOOD NEWS or the GOSPEL.

I want to continue in this vein of thought at least one more time so until next time God bless you richly is my prayer and desire!

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LORD, What Shall I Do With My Life?

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Last time we talked about the Will of God and the fact that God is Love, as well as Love, being the prime identifier of a Christian. Now, it is my desire that we press into this a bit further and consider some additional realities concerning the Will of God and the Believer.

I have often been amazed and at times amused at the thinking of some Christians regarding this matter. Often, we spend so much time seeking the Will of God that we never get around to Doing His will. One of the reasons is we make the Will of God so mysterious we overlook the obvious. After all, God’s will could never be what we wanted to do could it? I suggest that before God reveals His will to you, He ALWAYS prepares our hearts for that will. He helps us to want to and then asks, “Would you like to?” or “Will you?” That’s just how He operates and it is not something weird or mysterious. It is usually what the heart has been crying out to do all along. I have become convinced that I do not have to worry about finding the Will of God for He has been preparing my heart and leading me to it all along. I do not diminish seeking Him but do encourage everyone to not stress out over it as though it were a deep hidden mystery virtually undiscoverable. I take comfort in the reality that “IF” God walks me into it, then I do not have to be overly stressed about the minute details. I can, through the Holy Spirit, look at the Big Picture. That begs the question, “What is the Heart of God for my life and yours?”

That is a very important question. When we see His Big Picture or a bigger picture than we have heretofore seen, the details of HOW will work out as we FOLLOW Him. But, “What is the Big Picture?” Is there a picture that is true for everyone? I suggest the answer is a qualified yes. The details may and will likely be different as to HOW it is worked and walked out in life but the Big Picture is consistent and the same. I believe that the DESIRE of God for each of us springs forth out of Who He Is. I hope you follow me in that. Because God is the way He is, His desire for us is, “That We Become the Manifestation and Demonstration of Him in Life.” Who is more perfect than God? Since He is perfect, there could be no higher call than to “manifest” and “demonstrate” Him before the world. That, in a nutshell, is the Big Picture of which I speak. It is His Will and Design for every person living on this planet. He wants us to MANIFEST Who He is and be the DEMONSTRATION of Him to the world.

GOD IS LOVE! That is a cornerstone of our life. Everything we know about God must be filtered through that prism. We think about God being ALMIGHTY and He is. He does not have power He is power. He said, “Let there be light, and there was light.” That is a dynamic demonstration of power. But, imagine if you will, a God with that kind of power who is not LOVE. That is terrifying! He would be the ultimate monster of monsters. LOVE controls everything else that we know about God. He is OMNISCIENT and knows the past, present, and future. But, imagine, a God that knows what we have done, are doing and will do but without LOVE. Most of us are ashamed to tell even our closest friends some of our thoughts and this God KNOWS them, but without LOVE He would squash us like bugs. He would be a monster of epic proportions. The Bible does not say, “God is Power,” but as we study the Bible we realize that is a factual reality. But, the Bible does say, “God is Love.”

That presents a problem for mortal man which I hope to delve into in the next devotional, but for now, we will pause and hold those thoughts for the next discussion. May the Lord bless you richly as you embark on today’s journey in Jesus!

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GOD, What Do You Want Me To Do and Be???

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Many, if not most people struggle with what God wants for their lives. Often, we unnecessarily complicate the issue but the fact that it remains a struggle for many makes it an important issue for the present-day church and believer. I am reminded of a song from the past recorded by Jackie DeShannon, “What the World Needs Now Is Love.” The lyrics begin, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It’s the only thing there’s just too little of. What the world needs now is love, sweet love. No, not just for some but for everyone.” That is powerful and true! We talk about Love but what we call love is not the love the world needs.

When we talk about biblical love we must come face to face with the truth and reality that LOVE is from God. John informed us that everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. That would suggest that love is an incredibly rare commodity in our present world. John also told us that, the person who does not love, does not know God, for GOD IS LOVE! Two immediate realities leap forward in my mind as I read this passage. First, LOVE is from God. It issues forth from Him. The imagery in my mind is a living spring a geyser with water gushing forth from it. Water comes from that spring naturally. Then, we realize the greater truth that GOD IS LOVE. He does not have love, He is love and because of Who He is we receive Love from Him naturally. I may have money but I am not money. I may have knowledge but I am not knowledge. I may have wisdom but I am not wisdom. But, GOD IS LOVE!

The simple reality is that if we say we KNOW and LOVE God that is recognizable by everyone because we LOVE. If God is living in our hearts, LOVE is living in our hearts and that Love will come forth from us in expression and demonstration. I believe that it is impossible to KNOW God and not LOVE Him and LOVE others. God is LOVE and if we have Him, Love is a natural product of our lives. That is something missing in much of the world today and even in some of the church. You do not have to pray about LOVE if He is in your heart, Love is in your heart. Love, biblical love is natural because it is supernaturally deposited and spread abroad in our hearts.

One of the problems is that we make assertions that are mental assents, not experiential realities. If God is Love, and Love is from God, and we say that we Know God then we Love! The word KNOW is important because it does not mean ‘know about’ it means ‘intimate personal relationship.’ The word in the Greek means ‘to penetrate.’ Remember Adam KNEW his wife Eve and she conceived. It was more than recognition of the existence of the other it was a deep intimacy that joins the two as one. KNOWING GOD is not mental assent it is deep personal intimacy where we are joined as one with Him. If God has come into my heart and I have received Him, I LOVE naturally and consistently. I do not have to try to Love, I Love! The singular most prominent identifier of being a Christian is LOVE. Jesus said, “By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, that you LOVE ONE ANOTHER!” You can’t fake real love and 1 Corinthians 13 is a beautiful picture of Love in Action and Expression.

Back to my initial thought on finding what God wants for our lives. I have found, through the years of ministry, and was a participant in this mentality at one time, a fascinating attitude, and mindset. Many believers are, in my view, overly fascinated about finding the will of God for their lives. In fact, that is what I was taught upon coming into the Body of Christ and the church, that I need to seek the will of God for my life. The way it was presented was so mysterious and almost mystical, it seemed that this was a major undertaking that was almost impossible except for the most devoted believers or the super spiritual. I lived in the joy of knowing God and the frustration of not knowing my purpose in life. I am not suggesting that seeking the will of God is bad but that our being overly fascinated by it can be detrimental to our walk, work, and warfare as a believer.

Let me give you a clue about the Will of God for your life. Have you ever considered that it might be something obvious? Have you ever considered that God just might be directing you to the obvious as His will for your life? What tugs at your heart? What is your passion? What are your talents or abilities? Could it be that God put those in you because that is what He wanted you to focus on in life? What a novel concept! I have found that some people truly believe that if there is some place they do not want to go or something they do not want to do in life, that is exactly where God is sending them and directing them to do. God is not into masochism. We get bogged down in the minute and miss the obvious too often and that is tragic. It is also a scheme of the devil to prevent us from discovering God’s Purpose for our lives and hinders us from entering into the abundance of that life.

I have much more to say on this subject so I will pause for now and pick this up next time. God, bless you richly as you embark on His mission for your life!

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THE BATTLEGROUND…

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Romans 8:32 – “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” NASU

2 Peter 1:3 – “…His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” NASU

God’s vision is never cheap nor is it easy. Tragically, I have witnessed well-meaning believers and churches receive the Vision of God and try to accomplish it as cheaply as they could and with as little stress, pressure, or controversy as possible. If we are going to Wage Spiritual Warfare and Pull Down Strongholds, WE NEED POWER, the Power of God. Deuteronomy 8:18 informs us that God gives us power to ‘create wealth’ and we are told that the ‘wealth of the wicked is laid up for the just.’ God has plenty, He owns it all, for as the Psalmist declares, “The Earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof…”

But there is a Battle Ground that we must overcome and that is the Human Mind or the Subconscious Fleshly Mind. When we hear Truth all the old arguments surface, challenging and questioning that which we have not seen before. Too often we have attempted to operate in Human Understanding to achieve the purposes of God and we produce and Ishmael rather than an Isaac. Leaning to my own understanding prevented me from receiving forgiveness for a time and finally, the truth revealed in Proverbs 3:5-6 broke the chains and allowed me to receive freely and fully, His Salvation. In Salvation, we find entrance into the Kingdom. In Healing, we are fitted for service. In God’s Prosperity, we are enabled to fulfill the call and finance the vision.

I challenge you to rehearse in your mind and heart the Abrahamic Covenant as revealed in Genesis 12:1-3. When we recognize the scriptural directive for appropriating the Promise of God for Salvation, Healing, and Prosperity we can move into what God has for us powerfully. God has a Plan of Finance and while I never want to make wealth the focal point of my message, we must have money or a medium of exchange in this world. In Malachi 3, we are told to bring the ‘whole tithe’ into God’s storehouse and the Promise is He will Open heaven for us and bless us as is revealed in Malachi 3, 2 Corinthians 8; 9:6-16; Luke 6:38; Ecclesiastes 11:1-4, and Proverbs 19:17.

The Law of Multiplication can be applied to every dimension of life. If we follow God’s directives completely we will find that the Work of God never lacks and as in the illustration of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness in Exodus 36, the giving was so much the people had to be restrained from giving. Imagine that problem in the Local Church! God finances what He ordains and if we will be obedient to Him He will open heaven’s windows for us and bless us, spiritually, physically, and financially.

Many fail, to be charitable because their minds tell them that if they give away their money they will not have enough for themselves. Remember the Law of Harvest and the Law of Multiplication. We reap WHAT we sow, we reap LATER than we sow, and we reap MORE than we sow. If the need is God caused it will also be God funded. It becomes a matter of mindset and a trust. If we cannot trust God with our finances, we will find that we are unable to trust Him with virtually any area of our lives. The Battle Ground we must overcome and the Stronghold we must pull down is the Human Fleshly Carnal Mind and bring every thought captive to the obedience of our Lord Jesus.

God, bless you richly as you roll all your care upon Him and Trust Him today!

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THE FULL ATONEMENT – How Does It Affect the Church Today?

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3 John 2 – “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.” NASU

I have no problem with the KJV translating it ‘wish’ but I would remind everyone that the apostles were not ‘wish-ers’ they were ‘pray-ers’. They earnestly contended for the faith and practiced the ‘effectual fervent prayer’ of the righteous. They were taught by the Greatest Prayer Warrior of all time, Jesus. They Prayed and Prayed with Faith and confidence in the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Promises of God. I call this the ‘Top Prayer’ of John and it dealt with three specific areas – Soul, Health, and Prosperity.

It would undoubtedly be beneficial for us to consider a bit of history as we pursue this truth. In the Dark Ages, just about everything that was important to the Gospel was wiped out by the religious hierarchy. No longer did salvation come by grace through faith, the organized church dispensed it. That is worse than horrendous it is heretical. I am convinced that most who read what I am writing believe and understand that the core of the Gospel is the Atonement. However, in Martin Luther’s day, if you were to ask a congregation how many knew they were saved or that they had been made the righteousness of God, not one hand would go up. The Atonement had been erased from their consciousness. Restoration of that truth began with Martin Luther but it was hundreds of years before it became commonly believed. What you and I take for granted took a very long time to be Restored.

Until the turn of the last century, the Atonement was viewed as ‘one-dimensional.’ But revivals in Galena, Kansas and in the Azusa Street Mission in Los Angeles God began to Restore more and more to the Church. Spiritual Gifts began to come back into many churches and lives and the understanding or belief that the Atonement not only included our Salvation but also our Healing through the Stripes of Jesus. I believe that is why and how John could pray as he did, for he was praying a basic premise of the Atonement and his prayer was for the powerful dual promise of the Gospel – Salvation and Healing. Healing both physically and spiritually. Someone said, “Salvation” gets you in the family and “Healing” makes you fit for the fight. But, what about the “Prosperity” part?

Imagine the difficulty that Martin Luther had in attempting to get people to realize that the Church had no power to save them. The move at the turn of the last century has endured the scorn and attack of the organized church, that embraced the message of Salvation by Grace through Faith but could not receive the second aspect of the work of Christ in the Atonement. Virtually all the church believes in the Atonement for Salvation but a much smaller percentage believes that the Gifts of the Spirit are for today. We have been on this restoration process for over 100 years, similar to Martin Luther’s plight in Grace. We are told that we have Salvation because Jesus, who knew no sin became sin for us. We are also told that we have Healing because He bore, in his body, the stripes for our healing as per both Isaiah and Peter’s writings. But, what about that third leg?

2 Corinthians 8 is important in our consideration of this third leg. Jesus is righteous and He became sin that we could be made the righteousness of God in Him. Jesus is health, and He endured the stripes taking on our infirmities so that we could be well (whole). He is rich and He became poor so that we could be made rich. This is not a secondary part of the Gospel it is part of what God is restoring to the Church. I truly believe that the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the righteous so that we can fund the Harvest of these last days! In a very real sense, Jesus bore our sins for us, bore our sickness for us, and bore our poverty so that we could be set free and have His abundant life.

Anytime God Restores something to the Church there is opposition from without and within and there are abuses to that truth. Our objective should be to ‘Seek His Face’ and allow the Holy Spirit to help us ‘rightly divide the Word of God’ and receive all He has. Let’s have the whole loaf, not a few slices. When revival comes, there is always trouble with the Old Crowd who resist change and fear moving into uncharted waters. Flesh and Tradition die hard and slow deaths. I encourage everyone to become diligent students of God’s word and just because you never saw it before does not mean that it is not real. Allow the Holy Spirit to ‘guide you into all truth’ and never become complacent or settled in the idea that you have All Truth. None of us do! As we grow and mature in Him our understanding broadens and we can move from glory to glory and grace to grace. If the Word of God does not verify and confirm it do not incorporate it into your life. However, do not assume that because you have been taught that something is not for today and fail to carefully examine the entire Bible. Learn to Listen to the Spirit of God and search the scriptures daily to find truth. God Promised that He would lead us into all truth.

What God is doing in these last days will cost BILLIONS if not TRILLIONS and He wants His Body to know Him in salvation, walk in health and healing, and reap the harvest and receive the wealth of the wicked so that we can have the funds for the harvest. Yes, God can supernaturally drop it in our hands and He can enable us to have a new idea, new opportunity, or new contact that will bring wealth to us. That wealth is not for us to lavish on ourselves but to finance the Harvest.

I pray that the Lord help each of us embrace the Full Atonement and not only experience the New Birth, but to become open to His Healing Touch, and His desire to put in our hands the Wealth of the Wicked for His Kingdom and Purposes. I pray with John that you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.

God, bless you richly as you enjoy this day in Him!

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CAN WE TALK SOME MORE ABOUT THE ATONEMENT???

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Yesterday we discussed a little about the “Full Atonement of Jesus” and today I’d like to venture a little further into those often, uncharted waters. My singular desire is to inspire us to press into God more and be open to whatever God desires to do in our midst. I have encountered a philosophy in ministry that severely limits God in today’s world. I believe that we are to be agents of change in our world impacting them with the message and person of Jesus and thereby bringing into reality the Lord’s Prayer of Matthew 6, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven…”

We all know or have known some who were diagnosed with ‘incurable diseases’ and felt powerless in the presence of that killer. The only Hope is the Stripes Jesus bore in His body for our healing as referenced in Isaiah 53 and 1 Peter 2:24. I am confident that part of what God desires to ‘restore’ to the Church is the miraculous, as well as effectively return the guidance of the Church to the Holy Spirit. I am not speaking of some legislative thing but a supernatural thing where the Holy Spirit guides our steps in the church as well as in our lives. When that happens, it will get the attention of the world and will be severely opposed by some in various religious circles. Every new move of God is often opposed by those of the previous move. Those following God in the new revival are often branded as heretics and called people of wildfire to be avoided.

God is, in a very real way, is ‘transforming minds’ so that we no longer categorically reject things we thought of a bygone era but recognize the sovereignty of God and the authority of His word. We will see the dismantling of man-made traditions and sacred cows of religion being offered on the altar of sacrifice. We have the most highly educated and well-trained technological world that has ever been and that is visible in the church as well. Yet, what God is about to do and promised to do in the Last Days cannot be accomplished by education and technology alone. It will be supernatural and that will cause many to be incredibly uncomfortable because our ‘safe spaces’ and ‘comfort zones’ will be shredded.

In the world, today the “movers and shakers” in the world of finance teach that “Joe Average” can become wealthy and make a lot of money. They teach that success can be the experience of anyone willing to take the risk, put in the labor, and persevere. In too much of the Church, there is the idea that only a few can have wealth. Yes, there are some who push the idea of prosperity out of bounds in both the world of worldly finance and in the church but the idea of prosperity is a biblical truth.

One thing the Hebrews had that we sometimes lack and a truth that has been stolen or lost in much of the church is the truth that “In Christ” there is no sense of lack. What brought about the “Doctrine of Insufficiency”? One reality that I have learned is that anything that man cannot reproduce he will seek to disprove, deny, or discredit. The Commission of Jesus to His Disciples in Luke 9:1-6 seems to have led to a misunderstand and misinterpretation in the church that we are to go with nothing and go unprepared financially. Jesus did give that commission but if we consider the big picture and the whole context that followed and the Commission that followed we realize that Jesus was not advocating lack but trust. Consider Luke 22:35-36 – “And He said to them, ” When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you?” They said, “No, nothing.” 36 And He said to them, “But now, whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one.”

Do you hear the LORD? His direction is powerful. Let me suggest that he was saying, “The last time, you went out to the lost sheep of the House of Israel, but now you are going to the wilderness of the heathen and when you go there you must have money and possessions. You will have to pay your own way to win them. Therefore, do some commerce and get the finances and then go!” The first commission was a teaching session and an exercise in trust, this time the Marching Orders are to go into ALL THE WORLD and that world is a Hostile World.

God does not want His soldiers to run around looking like a mile of bombed out runway or a fugitive from the Goodwill Store. You are representing the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. I am not suggesting ‘lavish living’ but I am suggesting that we take pains in how we appear before the world and be presentable, clean, not unkempt, and unwashed. No, your suit or tie won’t anoint you and you do not have to wear them but don’t go ragged and dirty either. Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves but most of all Go in the Name of the LORD and EXPECT Him to go with you!

I have more to discuss and hopefully, you will join me next time as we dig a little deeper in the Truth of the Atonement. I know that some are saying, “Roy, you haven’t talked about the Atonement yet.” BUT, I have and you have not connected the dots yet, but you will. So, until next time, Go with God and He Will Go with you!

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LET’S TALK ABOUT THE ATONEMENT…

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I feel compelled to challenge you at the outset and hopefully not lose readers in the process. I am concerned that the Christian Church of today does not believe in the “Full Atonement” of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let me venture further out on that limb and suggest that it appears some do not truly believe in the Atonement. Hopefully, I am wrong but it appears certain that there are those who hold a concept in their minds but do not embrace that truth or reality in their hearts.

Some years ago, the Holy Spirit began challenging me regarding my ‘Mindset’ and began to nudge me toward embracing things I had not yet seen or experienced in God. That has been a richly rewarding and a terrifying and difficult journey at the same time. One of the problems when we answer the call of God to move beyond our comfort zone and venture into the unknown we are introduced to trouble like we have never encountered. I know personally, that the costs are seldom fully appreciated at the time we embark on the journey. We are exposed to the wrath of hell and religiousness in a most disturbing way. Although there is ‘nothing new under the sun’ there are things ‘new’ to us. When we venture out into those uncharted waters (uncharted in our experience) we realize a new dependence on God.

We are living in ‘Troubled Times’ and in the midst of ‘Times of Trouble,’ God has promised to bring about Full Restoration to the Church. It is exciting, will be difficult, but incredibly rewarding if we persist and pursue Him and His purposes. I hope you will be stirred to venture a little deeper into the things of God and move outside your spiritual comfort zone.

Acts 3:19-21 – “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord; 20 and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, 21 whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.” NASU

If we take the Bible as the inerrant and infallible Word of God (I do) and resist the temptation to make scriptures mean what we want them to mean, we will find some challenging passages in the Bible. This is one of those for it says that our Lord Jesus would be ‘held in heaven’ or “whom heaven must receive UNTIL…” Until What? The Restoration of All Things which God spoke by the mouth of His prophets from ancient time. Let me ask a probing question, “Is there anything that the Church had but is not experiencing or practicing today?” I believe that the fulfillment of this passage of scripture and to facilitate the return of Jesus is why we have the ministries of Ephesians 4 listed and detailed. God wants us ‘equipped’ for service and ministry so that we can walk in His Restoration and reap His Harvest of these last days. There are wonderful things coming to the church and difficult times as well. We will have times and rejoicing and weeping but God is building His Church and will keep His word fully. I contend that the issue is not “IF” God will bring about Restoration but “WHAT” our position and participation will be. Will we embrace what He is doing or will we resist and label it heresy, apostasy, or something else and fail to ‘discern our times’ and miss the visitation of God? I pray not!

Hoping to quell your concern about whether I’m drifting into a heretical place, let me say that RESTORATION is a “time of change.” It is a resurgence, in my mind, of the gifts and power of God. It is a return to the church local and universal being run by the Holy Spirit not boards, committees, or denominational headquarters. It is a return to God being the Lord of the Church in reality and truth. The Holy Spirit is preparing His Body for the “New Wine” and in the process, will destroy the “Old Wineskins”. Much of the church today is experiencing the Isaiah 61 ministry or effect. God is shaking that which can be shaken and is pruning the trees so that which is rigid, inflexible, and dry is pliable, flexible, moldable, and filled with the Oil of the Spirit of God. We are seeing and will see a resurgence of the Anointing of God which breaks all yokes and the Harvest is going to be reaped in these last days. We are God’s instruments to effect change in our world and help bring about the reality of the Prayer of Matthew 6 which we call the Lord’s Prayer.

I use a takeoff on the catch phrase of the NFL’s Monday Night Football, “Are you ready for some Restoration?” Are you ready for the shaking that is coming and the outpouring of God’s Spirit on mankind and the resulting harvest of souls? God is about to do a work in our day that even if someone told many, they would not believe, but soon they will see.

I want to discuss this a bit further so I pause for now and say, “May the Lord bless you and keep you, make His face to shine upon you, be gracious unto you, and give you peace!” Until next time blessings abundantly!

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WHO TOUCHED ME???

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Mark 5:30 – “Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, “Who touched My garments?” NASU

I love the songs, “He Touched Me” and “Touching Jesus.” My title question might cause one to assume that I was talking about the Lord touching us but the person of my question is Jesus. Our Lord and His disciples had crossed over the sea to the country of the Gerasenes and the encounter with the demoniac resulted in those people asking Jesus to leave. He and his disciples crossed back over to their starting point and he found a very large crowd awaiting Him. The crowd and needs were so numerous he stayed by the seashore ministering. One of the synagogue officials Jairus came requesting healing for his daughter and many others were trying to get to Jesus to receive their healing, their miracle. The throng of people was so overpowering that he could hardly move without being bumped, touched, or grabbed.

In that situation, the woman who had had a hemorrhage for 12 years and endured terrible treatment by physicians. She was broke and still afflicted with her malady. She heard about Jesus and decided in her heart, “If I can just touch His garment I will get well.” That was her faith and focal point. TOUCHING JESUS! She believed that if she could simply, “Touch His Garment” the healing virtue of God would flow out from him to her and she would be cured. She pressed through the crowd and achieved her goal, touching his garment. IMMEDIATELY, the Bible tells us, the flow of her blood ceased and she was fully cured. IMMEDIATELY, Jesus stopped and stunned His disciples asking, “WHO TOUCHED ME?” Remember the condition and situation. The throng of people was overpowering and Jesus was being touched repeatedly as he moved through the crowd and yet He asked, “WHO TOUCHED ME?”

The response of the disciples was one of incredulousness and they said, “You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, ‘Who touched My garments?” In East Texas, it would have been, “Are you kidding me? Look at this mob, EVERYBODY IS TOUCHING YOU!” But, Jesus KNEW that something had happened and this was different from all the other touches uncoupled from faith. This was a FAITH TOUCH that resulted in virtue or power leaving His body, power that He could feel. He looked at the woman and she confessed what and why she had done what she did. Jesus’ response was, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction.” WHO TOUCHED ME was the question of Jesus but it was not a question of simply being physically bumped or touched. This was a question of WHO exercised faith and drew out from Him the Divine Power to heal. This is the TOUCHING JESUS that we need to do for ourselves and others.

I remember years ago, as I served as lead pastor in a church in East Texas, I was called to the home of a retired minister and his wife. She had been ill and wanted me to come, anoint her with oil, and pray the prayer of faith as directed by James. When I began to pray, I said, “Lord, touch my sister.” She immediately interrupted me and said, “Preacher, don’t pray for a little touch, I want Healing!” She wanted me to do more than offer words, she wanted me to do what the woman with the hemorrhage did, TOUCH JESUS in a way that was coupled with faith and would result in total healing. She wanted results, not just prayer.

I have said before, “Too often we expect to be prayed for but we do not expect to be healed.” We expect to go through the motions and do the prescribed religious things in prayer for healing but we do not expect the TOUCH OF THE MASTER’S HAND effecting a full recovery. That is not universally true for all believers or even all believers all the time, but it more prevalent than we acknowledge. Jesus said we are to “Ask, Seek, and Knock.” We are instructed to be determined and to become as the ‘hart panting for the water brooks’ in our pursuit of God. NOTHING LESS THAN HIS TOUCH should be satisfactory. When we TOUCH, HIM He will TOUCH US.

God, bless you as you enjoy this wonderful day in Jesus!

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