April 27th, 2008
I BELIEVE THAT if we would pray more and pray better we would experience a greater measure of Divine power in our life and ministry. Prayer is the means by which we as physical/spiritual blended beings can communicate to God who is Spirit. By prayer we understand how he works and what he wants to do in us, through us and among us.
Prayer is conversation with God. He speaks and we listen. We ask and he answers. Much of this happens at the level of the mind. There is a measure of logic to the conversation. But it becomes much more than that. Fellowship with God also occurs at a deeper level where you begin to feel what God feels and you get the sense he feels what you feel. Yet God wants to relate to us at the even deeper level of our spirits. It is at this level where life changes happen.
The level of the spirit is beyond logic and feeling, yet it impacts our minds and our emotions in profound ways–not to mention the unexplainable miraculous impacts on the physical realm. This is the level the apostle Paul was speaking of in his letter to the Corinthians: ”However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him”— but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:9-11 NIV)
Indeed it is the Holy Spirit who helps us to relate to God at that spirit level. “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.” (Romans 8:26-27 NIV)
Prayer is something which can occur as a logical activity and an emotional experience. But it is finally a spiritual exercise by which God enables us to have communion with him and we become more spiritually effective in our world. By prayer we invoke God’s supernatural power to positively impact our sphere of influence in the world. So let us not allow ourselves to drift away from the one activity that has the potential to make the greatest difference in our lives.
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“So what shall I do?
I will pray with my spirit,
but I will also pray with my mind;
I will sing with my spirit,
but I will also sing with my mind.”
(1 Corinthians 14:15 NIV)
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December 28th, 2007
THE TRANSITION FROM an old year into a new year is an opportunity to assess where we’ve been, where we are and where we are going. The old year is history with its experiences etched on our memories. We are standing on the threshold of the New Year with all that it promises to bring into our lives. There are hopes and dreams; goals and expectations. I realize that there are those who have become somewhat cynical about these transitions which are built into our calendars. However I believe whether they are birthdays, New Year celebrations, the beginning of the seasons it is good to pause and regroup. Stop and see if you need to make some changes. Check to see if there are different problems which require new solutions. What has changed in your life which requires an adjustment in your approach? Most of all: what is the Spirit of God saying to you about where your life is going?
The book of Joshua speaks of transitions and the need for reassessment, renewed covenant and redirection. Israel was now going to cross the Jordan and settle into the land God was giving them. Until now they had lived a nomadic existence wandering in the desert. This was going to require a change of lifestyle, change of strategy and a whole new way of looking at life. As Joshua faced this new reality the word of the Lord was no doubt a great comfort to him: “I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses….No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.“ (Joshua 1:3, 5 NIV) God gave him the promise of his continued presence even into the new circumstances they were going to experience. He was going to guide him but in his commissioning he also pointed to the foundation of success for his continued life and ministry: “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.“ (Joshua 1:7-8 NIV) God was going to give him new revelation for the conquest of the land but that revelation would not diminish in any way what God had already revealed to Moses. The written word of God became for Joshua the foundation of a prosperous and successful life.
We can apply this principle for us in our own lives. We can count on God’s presence with us in the New Year as we build our lives on the truth of the scriptures which we have received. But we must internalize these scriptures by hearing, reading, study, meditation and memorization so that they may add value to our lives.
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“[Teach] them to obey everything I have commanded you.
And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
(Matthew 28:20 NIV)
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December 23rd, 2007
“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.“ (Philippians 2:5-11 NLT)
CHRISTMAS IS ABOUT the descent of Jesus the Son of God into the experience of humanity. Easter is about his experience of death and resurrection. The amazing thing about his descent and ascent is that he did it for our benefit—a totally selfless venture. Theologians have described it as the self-emptying of Christ. Although they may not all agree entirely on what that exactly means, it certainly points to a sacrifice of immense proportions for the potential well-being of many people. Not only that, Jesus’ descent is an example of how we all need to approach life. We need to be willing to make sacrifices for the benefit of others and not think of ourselves so much. We are not being asked to make the same sacrifice that Jesus made because his sacrifice has already accomplished what was necessary for our salvation. We cannot improve on it or add to it. But we are invited to enter into the same attitude that Jesus had and make selfless sacrifices which will add blessings to others. We observe in Christ’s self-emptying that in the end God exalted him to the highest place. This principle holds true. Those who humble themselves will be exalted by God. (see James 4:10) Take a risk and let the Holy Spirit reveal what that may mean for you during this Christmas season and for the New Year.
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“You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Though he was rich,
yet for your sakes he became poor,
so that by his poverty he could make you rich.”
(2 Corinthians 8:9 NLT)
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December 16th, 2007
HAVE YOU EVER wondered what Christmas looks like from heaven’s point of view? I am not talking about what Christmas lights look like from the space shuttle. I am referring to the way God might see Christmas in relation to the whole purpose for which God sent his Son to the world. From our earthly perspective we have our delightful images by which we celebrate Christmas: the lights, the gifts, the manger scenes with shepherds and wise men, the jingle bells, the Christmas trees. We correctly celebrate the birth of the Saviour, reflect on the way in which God came in the flesh, and consider how we have received him and how we invite others to accept him. As the scriptures point out from the earthly point of view: “But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12 NLT) And as the angels sang: “…peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” (Luke 2:14 NLT) We all like to focus on all the positive images and messages of Christmas and it is right that we do so.
But Christmas as seen from a heavenly perspective includes much more that we need to think about. Consider the Christmas story as presented in the book of Revelation: “Then I witnessed in heaven an event of great significance. I saw a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant, and she cried out because of her labor pains and the agony of giving birth. Then I witnessed in heaven another significant event. I saw a large red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, with seven crowns on his heads. His tail swept away one-third of the stars in the sky, and he threw them to the earth. He stood in front of the woman as she was about to give birth, ready to devour her baby as soon as it was born. She gave birth to a son who was to rule all nations with an iron rod. And her child was snatched away from the dragon and was caught up to God and to his throne.“ (Revelation 12:1-5 NLT) In highly symbolic language we have the description of a woman about to give birth to a son and how this event was threatened by a dragon who was intent to destroy the baby. But the dragon could not destroy the child. The significance of the Christmas is not primarily about the misunderstandings that Mary and Joseph suffered because of the virgin birth neither about the hardships of a journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem nor even about the lack of accommodation in the inn and that Jesus had to be born where livestock feed. It is really about the fact that God was invading the earth, declaring war on Satan and establishing his Son as ruler of the earth. Satan, the dragon knew that and instigated Herod to try and kill the baby. God protected the baby who grew up to be a man of whom it was said: “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.“ (1 John 3:8 NIV)
From heaven’s perspective Christmas was a declaration of war against the enemy and the bringing of the rightful ruler to the earth. That war has been won through the death, resurrection and ascension of the one whose birth we celebrate at Christmas. It remains only for us to enforce that victory as we announce the good news of that victory to everyone who will hear us.
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“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,
but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the powers of this dark world
and against the spiritual forces of evil
in the heavenly realms.“
(Ephesians 6:12 NIV)
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November 2nd, 2007
WE WHO ARE consciously part of the church have no problem relating to it and loving it. But we cannot assume that everyone has a positive view of the church. In our society the church is often seen as an institution which is very intolerant of others and very restrictive on the people who are associated with it. The media tends to highlight the negative things which from time to time are exposed (as they should be), but the good things that flow out of the church are usually not newsworthy enough to warrant coverage. I am not suggesting that every expression of the church is perfect or even that every organisation which uses the word “church” to describe itself is in fact a genuine part of the church. So it is possible that bad press, imperfect church members and misuse of the term all contribute to the difficulty of bearing witness to Jesus, the builder his church.
Part of the problem is that many Christians themselves have not really understood what the church is. In their minds they may know the doctrine of the church. They can tell you that the church is the bride of Christ, the body of Christ, the household of God and the temple of the Holy Spirit but they do not fully understand how precious to the heart of God the church really is. Jesus laid down his life for his bride, the church“to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.“ (Ephesians 5:26-27 NIV) Hear the passion of the words of the apostle Paul when he says: “Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.“ (1 Corinthians 3:16-17 NIV) We must think of and speak of the church with highest respect and live our lives in such a way that this precious entity is not badly spoken of.
So how do we deal with this prevailing negative view of the church in the world today? Perhaps in our witnessing for the moment we need to bypass the word “church” which has became so distasteful to people for whatever reason. Maybe we need to do what Jesus did and emphasize the good news of the kingdom. He did not say to people, “Come and join my church.” Rather he said, “The time has come, the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15 NIV) He called people to submit to God’s rule. He called them to change their thinking and their life-style of opposition to God and believe in him. He called them away from external conformity to a religion and towards a radical change of heart and life. As people turned to him, followed him and became his disciples, he built his church, his bride, his family and his temple.
Let us first introduce people to Jesus and his kingdom. Let them see kingdom values and principles up close and personal in our lives. Then it will inevitably follow that Jesus will take these living stones and build them into his church. It may even be into our local church community.
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“As you go, preach this message:
‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’”
(Matthew 10:7 NIV)
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October 28th, 2007
IN ORDER TO guide us in the best response to a wakeup call, it is good to see how God dealt with his people in Bible days. “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.“ (Romans 15:4 NIV) Read the rest of this entry »
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October 21st, 2007
SLEEP IS GOOD; but not all the time. It is necessary and healthy to sleep at appropriate times so that your physical, mental and emotional energies can be replenished. But when we are attending to our duties we need to be awake. Sleeping on the job is a hindrance to the work and in many cases dangerous. So there is a time to sleep but there is also a time to be about our work. “A wise youth harvests in the summer, but one who sleeps during harvest is a disgrace.” (Proverbs 10:5 NLT) Sleeping too much or at the wrong times can lead to personal destruction. A biblical proverb warns: “But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.“ (Proverbs 6:9-11 NLT)
An even more dangerous state is spiritual slumber. Read the rest of this entry »
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October 14th, 2007
A MISSIONARY IS someone who has left his or her home, country and culture for the purpose of bringing the message of the gospel in word and deed to another country and/or culture. At Bethel International Church we are helping to support some missionaries and some of them have even been sent out from our church. By being involved in missions we are obedient to what Jesus has called us to do in the Great Commission: Read the rest of this entry »
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October 7th, 2007
IT IS EASY to give thanks to God when we have experienced something good like the birth of a healthy baby, a job promotion or a great holiday. It is also not too difficult to thank God for the provision, health and security we enjoy. On the spiritual side we are quick to give thanks to God for sending Jesus Christ to die on our behalf so that we can be saved from our sin. For all of these good gifts from the Father’s hand, it is right and appropriate to give exuberant thanks to Him. “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.“ (Psalm 136:1 NIV) Read the rest of this entry »
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September 30th, 2007
AS WE EXPERIENCE relationships with people of all kinds, we will come to the conclusion that human nature at its best loves to serve, help and give. There is something within us that applauds those who do. When we ourselves serve, help and give we feel an unusual sense of satisfaction. It just seems so right. Yet our experience with people also reveals another side of human nature which can include selfishness, greed and all kinds of nastiness. Read the rest of this entry »
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