Got Wisdom?

Attention: Wisdom needed

James addresses in 1:5-8.

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

What is wisdom?

There are various definitions of wisdom.

Webster defines it as “the ability to make right use of knowledge.”

Theological dictionary defines wisdom as “prudent, considered, experienced, and competent action to master the various problems of life…”

My definition of wisdom is this: Wisdom is the convergence of knowledge and skill which enables a person to make right choices that honor God.

True wisdom, according to Scripture, begins with God.

Proverbs 1:7  “fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”

Proverbs 1:7

“Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”

Now that we have an idea what wisdom is all about, let’s look more closely at what James says regarding wisdom.

Life creates a demand for wisdom. – If any of you lack wisdom…

We are in a state of lacking wisdom.

– This shortage of wisdom could be highlighted by many different problems.

• Financial problems

• Family problems

• Relationship problems

• Work problems

• We don’t always have a clear handle on every intersection we come to in life.

Most people do not really have these problems but instead what they really have is a wisdom problem

Now, this is very important to understand.

– If you do not face up to your lack of wisdom, you will never ask for it.

– It is the arrogant person who thinks they never need counsel.

– It is the foolish person who refuses to admit his/her need for wisdom.

Great! Now you are ready for step two.

God supplies wisdom to those who ask. “If you lack wisdom ask God.”

God will give you wisdom.

– He will give it generously. God is not stingy with this gift.

– He will give it without finding fault.

Remember God’s attitude toward gift giving. Jesus explained it in Matt. 7:9-11.

“You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? 10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! 11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.

He pointed out that a good parent never insults the child who comes asking for bread by giving him a stone. He doesn’t give him a snake if he asks for fish. So, if you, who are evil, can give good gifts to your kids when they ask, how much more will God give us good gifts when we ask Him?

Do you need some wisdom today?

Life creates a demand for wisdom. God supplies wisdom when we ask.

Now there is one more thing we need to see.

Wisdom is supplied to those who ask in faith.

-We must ask in faith, not doubt. Faith is an attitude of trust.

– Doubt means “to dispute with oneself.” It is not the kind of “he loves me, he loves me not,” it is convincingly believing

– The doubter should not expect to receive anything

from God.

– The doubter is a double-minded person, unstable in all he does.

Doubt here is… the vacillating Christian who cannot decide from one trial to the next whether he or she will really trust the Lord and follow His wisdom.

I love the words of Abraham Lincoln who said, “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for the day.”

Can you identify with those words today?

Does anyone lack wisdom here today?

Let him ask God come and let’s pray together.

Words that change our hearts and our world! Part 3

Words that Change our hearts and the world Part 3

Just a little review first

Part 1 we talked about

We should always pray

Prayer is not an option it is a command from God

Prayer has power

Part 2 we talked about most effective ways to pray

Get in a quiet place

Know who you are talking to

Schedule a time to pray

Create a prayer list

Pray specifically

Pray out loud at times

Take time to listen

We know we need to pray and the attitude and aptitude of prayer

What are the types of prayer

– We talked about quiet, alone, prayer as one type of prayer

– We know also that when we pray, regardless of the type of prayer, we need to pray in faith. James challenges us when praying for the sick

James 5:15a

“a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well….”

Through time of spending in prayer we learn to hear from Him and more and more of our prayers are answered because we are praying His will. 1 John 5:14

“And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.”

We need to understand that prayer is a battle. Our flesh does not want to take the time or energy to pray but the enemy as we have seen in these skits especially does not want us to pray.

In Matthew Jesus had gone through His temptation in the wilderness and had defeated the devils advances and in Matthew 4:10,11 we read this…

“Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” 11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.

Remember Jesus is God in the flesh but later Jesus has to rebuke Satan again. Matthew 16:23

Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.”

Satan never won with Jesus obviously but we have to have a “Jesus” mind set to stay focused

Types of prayer

– Thanksgiving

Philippians 4:6 and Colossians 4:2 tell us to pray with thanksgiving.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.”

“Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.”

Psalm 95 and 100 tell us to enter into the presence of God with thanksgiving.

When Christ prayed He often gave thanks – Matthew 15:36; 26:26, 27; Luke 22:19.

Praying with thanksgiving should be a regular part of our prayer life.

Two weeks ago we read this scripture from 1 Thessalonians 5: 16 – 18

Always be joyful. Never stop praying.  Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

A grateful heart is a heart God can work with

– Supplication – this is a word ill bet you used this week. It is an old word and Philippians 4:6 uses it in the New King James

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

God really cares about you and I know some of you struggle with that but supplication is prayer that you pray for what you need. It is asking for the stuff of earth and heaven that you need to get you through the day.

The Greek word for this is used 60 times in the New Testament

The point being that it is not arrogant to pray for your own needs. God welcomes you with open arms when you take your genuine requests for help to Him.

– Intercessory prayer – standing in between two people, it is praying on behalf of others

1 Timothy 2:1 “I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.”

Notice here that Paul doesn’t tell us to pray only for those people we like but to pray for all people…we are to intercede, stand in the gap for implore God for all men and women regardless. The power of any nation is in the hands of the church.

We can stand in the gap for our families, our neighbors, our nation, our work place our schools, people that are hurting or broken and the Lord hears it and moves on their behalf.

Both Supplication and Intercessory prayer can involve, healing, prophetic insight and spiritual warfare

– Consecration – this is the type of prayer where something is dedicated, or set apart to the Lord or confirmed to the Lord.

Christ’s prayer over Communion in Matthew 26, Luke 22, Mark 14 is this kind of prayer.

Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 1:9-11 is an example of a dedication that does not seem like a prayer but truly is.

So Hannah arose after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the tabernacle of the Lord. 10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish. 11 Then she made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.”

Then in the New Testament Acts 13: 1-3

Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.

We can consecrate our day, our jobs, our families all to the Lord anything that we have the authority over we can dedicate to God

Whatever type of prayer you pray know that God is listening. We are called to all of these types of prayer.

As I started this teaching out

1 John 5:14

“And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.”

So many times we simply throw up prayers to heaven, God hears them but are we really able to hear Him? Do we know that our prayers have been answered.

You do if you have listened over this last few weeks, our praying isn’t simply for us to have what we need, God cares and makes things happen but through prayer, our words do change our hearts and the world.

As we believe this let’s put it to work today, what do you need prayer for? Let us agree in prayer for your mountains to move.

Here is the power of prayer wrapped up in one verse Jesus shared

Matthew 17:20

“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”

What is impossible for you right now? Whatever it is I hope you realize now that nothing is impossible and your prayers can change your world!

 

 

Prophetic Word…a Call to the Church

Mark 4:29

And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come.”

 

The person who is going to win the election is the going to be person who will cause the Body of Christ to mature the most

 

The only thing that is important is someone going to heaven or going to hell

 

Matthew 13:24 -30

Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”

 

Matthew 13:37

He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. 39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. 40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. 41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, 42 and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

 

Our job….

 

Love God

Love Man

Make disciples

 

As a Christian who loves God and holds up the cross of Christ who loves God, who loves man and is making disciples I can solve the problems

 

Revelation 3:14-22

And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,

‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: 15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, “I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

22 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

 

Malachi 3:2-4

But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like launderers’ soap. 3 He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering in righteousness.

 

God I have no rights…I have no banner but you….I have no purpose but you!

 

You can not make peace without the Prince of Peace

 

It’s not over…I stand at the door and knock, if any man opens the door then I will come in

 

We need God in the church again, we need the Holy Spirit to move in one Body that is not divided…we need one Body in America again then we will straighten America out.

 

 

 

 

Words that change our hearts and the world! Part 2

Words that change our hearts and the world! Part 2

Prayer is simply having a conversation with not only your loving heavenly Father but also with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the ruler of all time and space, He is the all-knowing, all-powerful, all-present God, and He among other titles is the Almighty God.

I mentioned last week, “seven days without prayer makes one weak”

Exodus 33:15

Then he said to Him, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.

He stands in the gap for the whole nation and one man is able through standing the gap to save the nation.

Prayer is a constant reminder that God is with us!

1) Get to a quiet, undistracted place

Moses went into the tabernacle to talk with God Exodus 33:8

Jesus would go away alone Mark 1:35

Jacob met Him in the wilderness Genesis 28

We need to give Him our undivided attention so we are able to hear him clearly

Proverbs 8:17

I love those who love me, And those who seek me diligently will find me.

 

2) Know who you are talking to

He is the God who loves you with an everlasting love Jeremiah 31:3

He is the God Almighty Exodus 6:22

He will never leave you nor forsake you Deuteronomy 31:6

When you are praying you are talking to the one who loves you the most, is almighty, and will always be with you!

 

3) Schedule a time to pray…

Psalm 5:3

My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.

We schedule whatever is a priority to us and talking with God needs to be a priority

 

4) Create a prayer list

1Timothy 2:1

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,

Use your phone or a pad or something to keep a list to keep focused and  organized.

5) Pray specifically

Matthew 6:8

“Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him”

It is also an acknowledgment on our part that we are truly care about specific individuals and things revealing that our heart is growing to be like the Father’s heart.

6) It is best many times to pray out loud

Psalm 142:1,2

I cry out to the Lord; I plead for the Lord’s mercy. I pour out my complaints before him and tell him all my troubles.

And a very obvious verse from Romans 10:9

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

when you pray out loud it forces you to focus on what you are saying sometimes when we pray silently it is easy for our minds to wander

7) Prayer is about listening to God as well, part of conversation is not just talking but listening as well

Jesus said in John 10:27

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.

God spoke to Jeremiah and said

Jeremiah 7:13

And now, because you have done all these works,” says the Lord, “and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear, and I called you, but you did not answer,

Proverbs warns us

18:13 “Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish.”

Please remember prayer is simply conversation with God

– He wants to spend time with you,

– He wants you to know Him better,

– He wants you to be at peace

Prayer times for our nation beginning October 17th at 6PM

We are always open to praying for you

 

Addition notes so you know God as you speak with him

Names of God 

ELOHIM” (or Elohay) is the first name for God found in the Bible, and it’s used throughout the Old Testament over 2,300 times. Elohim comes from the Hebrew root meaning “strength” or “power”, and has the unusual characteristic of being plural in form. In Genesis 1:1, we read, “In the beginning Elohim created the heaven and the earth.” Right from the start, this plural form for the name of God is used to describe the One God, a mystery that is uncovered throughout the rest of the Bible. Throughout scripture, Elohim is combined with other words to describe certain characteristics of God. Some examples:

– Elohay Kedem – God of the Beginning: (Deuteronomy 33:27).

– Elohay Mishpat – God Of Justice: (Isaiah 30:18).

– Elohay Selichot – God Of Forgiveness: (Nehemiah 9:17).

– Elohay Marom – God Of Heights: (Micah 6:6).

– Elohay Mikarov – God Who Is Near: (Jeremiah 23:23).

– Elohay Mauzi – God Of My Strength: (Psalm 43:2).

– Elohay Tehilati – God Of My Praise: (Psalm 109:1).

– Elohay Yishi – God Of My Salvation: (Psalm 18:46).

– Elohim Kedoshim – Holy God: (Leviticus 19:2, Joshua 24:19).

– Elohim Chaiyim – Living God: (Jeremiah 10:10).

– Elohay Elohim – God Of Gods: (Deuteronomy 10:17).

“EL” is another name used for God in the Bible, showing up about 200 times in the Old Testament. El is the simple form arising from Elohim, and is often combined with other words for descriptive emphasis. Some examples:

– El HaNe’eman – The Faithful God: (Deuteronomy 7:9).

– El HaGadol – The Great God: (Deuteronomy 10:17).

– El HaKadosh – The Holy God: (Isaiah 5:16).

– El Yisrael – The God Of Israel: (Psalm 68:35).

– El HaShamayim – The God Of The Heavens: (Psalm 136:26).

– El De’ot – The God Of Knowledge: (1 Samuel 2:3).

– El Emet – The God Of Truth: (Psalm 31:6).

– El Yeshuati – The God Of My Salvation: (Isaiah 12:2).

– El Elyon – The Most High God: (Genesis 14:18).

– Immanu El – God Is With Us: (Isaiah 7:14).

– El Olam – The God Of Eternity (Genesis 21:33).

– El Echad – The One God: (Malachi 2:10).

“ELAH” is another name for God, used about 70 times in the Old Testament. Again, when combined with other words, we see different attributes of God. Some examples:

– Elah Yerush’lem – God of Jerusalem: (Ezra 7:19).

– Elah Yisrael – God of Israel: (Ezra 5:1).

– Elah Sh’maya – God of Heaven: (Ezra 7:23).

– Elah Sh’maya V’Arah – God of Heaven and Earth: (Ezra 5:11).

“YHWH” is the Hebrew word that translates as “LORD”. Found more often in the Old Testament than any other name for God (approximately 7,000 times), the title is also referred to as the “Tetragrammaton,” meaning the “The Four Letters”. YHWH comes from the Hebrew verb “to be” and is the special name that God revealed to Moses at the burning bush. “And God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM; and He said, thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, I AM has sent me to you… this is My eternal name, and this is how I am to be recalled for all generations'” (Exodus 3:14-15).

Therefore, YHWH declares God’s absolute being – the source of everything, without beginning and without end. Although some pronounce YHWH as “Yaweh,” scholars really don’t know the proper pronunciation. The Jews stopped pronouncing this name by about 200 A.D., out of fear of breaking the commandment “You shall not take the name of YHWH your God in vain” (Exodus 20:7). (Today’s rabbis typically use “Adonai” in place of YHWH.)

Here are some examples of YHWH used in scripture:

– YHWH Elohim – LORD God: (Genesis 2:4).

– YHWH M’kadesh – The LORD Who Makes Holy: (Ezekiel 37:28).

–YHWH Yireh – The LORD Who Sees/provides: (Genesis 22:14).

– YHWH Nissi – The LORD My Banner: (Exodus 17:15).

– YHWH Shalom – The LORD Of Peace: (Judges 6:24).

– YHWH Tzidkaynu – The LORD Our Righteousness: (Jeremiah 33:16).

– YHWH O’saynu – The LORD our Maker: (Psalm 95:6).

Names of God: The Lord Revealed in YHWH is the Lord Revealed in Jesus

The LORD who revealed Himself as YHWH in the Old Testament is revealed as Jesus in the New Testament. Jesus shares the same attributes as YHWH and clearly claims to be YHWH.

– In John 8:56-59, Jesus presents himself as the “I AM.” When challenged by some Jewish leaders regarding His claim of seeing Abraham (who lived some 2000 years earlier), Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM.” Those Jewish leaders understood that Jesus was claiming to be YHWH. This is clearly established when they tried to stone Him to death for what they considered blasphemy under Jewish Law.

– In Romans 10:9, Paul declares, “if you confess with your mouth Jesus as LORD… you shall be saved.”

– Immediately, in Romans 10:13, Paul backs up this declaration by quoting the Old Testament, “Whoever will call upon the name of the LORD (YHWH) will be saved” (Joel 2:32).

– Calling on Jesus as Lord is the same as calling Him YHWH, because Jesus is YHWH (LORD), the Messiah foretold throughout the entire Old Testament.

This is a light list of the names of God. The Bible gives us various names of God that reveal His nature and character to us so we might have a better understanding who he is!

Words that change our hearts and the world Part 1

Words that change our hearts and the world! Part 1

Everyone knows we should pray but the idea of prayer to many is boring or only used in a crisis or perhaps frustrating because we have prayed and our prayers seem to have gone unanswered.

I had shared this on facebook last week Daniel’s habit in prayer

“But when Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room, with its windows open toward Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God.” Daniel 6:10

He prayed 3 times per day everyday. As you read about each of the great men and women of God we find them in prayer often.

Very quickly today I want to share with you what the Bible says about prayer

1) How often should we pray?

Daniel prayed three times per day as I mentioned earlier is that what we should do?

Paul said in his first letter to the Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Pray without ceasing what is that about?

As a Christian you have the “ear” of the almighty God, the one with the power of all creation. We simply get frustrated with the learning process, the process of knowing his heart and reacting to his heart

Prayer builds that relationship just like talking and spending time with a friend or spouse builds that relationship as well.

Don’t know how you could pray all of the time?

2) Prayer is not negotiable it is a command of God

Matthew 5:44 “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

Matthew 6:9 “Pray then like this. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.”

Matthew 9:38 “Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”

Luke 18:1 “And He told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” (woman and unjust judge and Pharisee and tax collector)

Mark 14:38 “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

God would not ask us to pray if our prayers did not change things

3) Prayer has power

Here is one very powerful example 1 Kings 18:36-39

At the usual time for offering the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet walked up to the altar and prayed, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant. Prove that I have done all this at your command. 37 O Lord, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O Lord, are God and that you have brought them back to yourself.” 38 Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench! 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell face down on the ground and cried out, “The Lord—he is God! Yes, the Lord is God!”

Elijah could pray this prayer because he knew God,

Psalm 103:7 says this

He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.

Here is my challenge for you this week.

– 15 minutes a day in prayer

but also….

– every time you begin to worry stop and pray,

– every time you begin to get angry stop and pray

– every time you begin to feel out of control stop and pray.

Pray for Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, and Gary Johnson that they might come into a real encounter with the Lord

Believe as you pray that there is power in your prayers to change the world!

Soon return of Jesus? (What are the real signs of Jesus return)

Soon return of Jesus?

I have talked about loving God with all of our heart mind soul and strength.

I have shared with you that according to Peter we are always to be ready to give a defense of the Gospel with gentleness and humility

I have talked with you about the various ways we can and should worship the Lord.

If you need a review of these things they are all on our website at www.christiancenter.us

All of these things and many more are about the establishing of God’s Kingdom on earth, in all our hearts,  prior to Christ return.

You have heard me say many times

2 Peter 3:9

The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be lost, but wants everyone to repent.

Verse 10 says this

But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.

I have heard for my entire life that things are so bad surely it is time for the Lord to return…

Jesus taught us to pray…

“Your Kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” Matthew 6:10

God’s Kingdom must be established in the hearts of people all over the world. They must hear the Gospel message everywhere before Christ will return.

Matthew 24:14

And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.

I have established that with you many times. We also know that the Holy Spirit is already about the business of drawing people to God

The disciples were grieving and confused because Jesus was telling them He was going to leave them

John 16:7-11

7 But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate, the Helper, the Holy Spirit won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. 9 The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. 10 Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. 11 Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged.

The Holy Spirit’s job to the.. “not–yet believer” is to convict them of their sins, to show them how far away they are from God’s righteousness, and to reveal to them that apart from Christ they are condemned.

The Holy Spirit is already at work and it is obvious that the Gospel of the Kingdom being spread is to be our job, however all of this is contingent on God’s waiting on one thing….our maturity

Mark 4:26-29

Jesus also said, “The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens. 28 The earth produces the crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens. 29 And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come.”

As in so many of Jesus’ parables we are the grain that the Good News has sprouted in our heart.

Here it is tomato season already but we will not pick the tomatoes until they are ready. The Father, the farmer in this parable, is waiting for the grain also to mature before He comes to harvest it.

The New American standard translation puts it this way

“But when the crop permits, he immediately puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”

The original Greek word here is “paradidomi” which means as soon that the crop itself determines it is ripe

In other words, you and I are the hold up for Christ return. He is waiting for us to mature before He will come and take up the harvest.

You see the Holy Spirit is already doing the job of convicting as I had mentioned earlier but we must be in a mature place.

What are the signs of a mature believer?

1) It is attitude – not age, it is not “extensity” of years but “intensity” of years and what we learn in the process. All people age, but not everyone matures. Our life experiences either cause us to grow and mature or fail and become embittered but it is our choices that determine whether we mature or not. 

Paul explains it this way to the church at Colossae

Colossians 1:24-28

I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, 26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. 27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man mature in Christ Jesus.

Paul talks about his suffering his struggles and difficulties not as problems but as things to advance the kingdom and cause others to come to maturity. These by the way are also the things that lead him to understanding, wisdom and insight into all the things God has promised.

Our attitude is one of I trust God even if I don’t understand what I’m going through or I am in a suffering or difficult place because I know He has me regardless of what is happening

2) Spiritual maturity takes time. It is not instantaneous nor is it automatic.

Hebrews 6:1 says

“So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God.”

The phrase “let us go on instead and become mature” is most diligently translated “Let’s keep progressively moving toward maturity”

Growth toward spiritual maturity will, of necessity, involve moral effort, discipline, renunciation, and perseverance in pursuit of the goal. There are no shortcuts.

3) Spiritual gifts can be a sign of Spiritual maturity but not always.

In 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 we have a list of how the Corinthian church is moving in all of the gifts. They flowed amazingly in the gifts but Paul says this about them.

1 Corinthians 3:1-3

Dear brothers and sisters, when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people. I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life. 2 I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, 3 for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?

The same church that was flowing powerfully in all of the gifts was still a childish church lusting, quarreling, not listening to leadership, jealous, because they lack one of the true signs of a mature church…found in 1 Corinthians 14..

4 Maturity is truly being a reflection of Christ in all we say and do being “Christ-like”

Ephesians 4:11- 13

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

Paul is saying here that maturity comes through submission, learning, growing, tearing down walls, building one another up, and we will see it reflected in ourselves because we are truly a reflection of Christ.

The supreme goal of God is not evangelism, as important as that ministry is but as Paul writes

Colossians 1:28

We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete, mature in Christ.

God’s purpose is to produce disciples who reflect the perfect humanity of His Son so the whole world might easily see Jesus!

Why? Because as I started this teaching with the parable from Mark 4, He is waiting for the harvest to mature and then He will take it in

Once again I am pushing you all to maturity, as I am pushing myself everyday.

As long as we allow and I use the word “allow” because that is what we do, it is not the devil we need to worry about as much as it is our choices. As long as we allow sin, bad attitudes, past failures, unforgiveness, prejudice, fear to control us we will stifle our maturity.

Are you trusting that the Lord has your life in His hands and that everything coming your way…good or bad is simply and opportunity to grow?

Are you maturing everyday?

Are you allowing “love” to be the overarching control in your life?

Are you being a reflection of Christ in all you do?

If you are taking time to rest you should be starting on this journey.

Let’s work together to make it so Jesus might come soon but maturing, being ready for the harvest.

 

 

 

 

You need to take a break!

You need to take a break

Psalm 127:2

It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.

Isaiah 26:3

“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”

The problem is, we think we are doing better or at least OK when the truth is we are not

Martin Luther one of the Fathers of the reformation is quoted as saying

“I have so much to do today I have to spend twice as much time in prayer”

 

1) First is to stop and breathe

As we read earlier we do not rest as a culture Psalm 127:2

It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.

Rest is trusting in the Lord, putting Him first, and keeping our eyes on Him rather than everything else

70% of people do not get enough rest

People who are not rested are more irritable, have lower self-esteem,  those who are not rested have a mind-set often accompanied by decreases in willingness to think and act proactively, control impulses, feel positive about yourself, empathize with others, and generally use emotional intelligence*

*“The Secret World of Sleep: The Surprising Science of the Mind at Rest” Penelope Lewis

 

2) Set your focus on the right things

Going back to the second verse we talked about Isaiah 26:3

“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”

Acts 12:6

The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate.

Learning to keep your thoughts fixed on Him turns that around.

The science behind it.

In 2011 a Harvard study lead by Sara Lazar found that the type of focus like study in the word and regular daily prayer called “Mindfulness based stress reduction

In other words, setting your focus on the right things improves your ability to handle everything with peace and grace and gives you a general sense of wellness

 

3) Take time every day to get alone with God

Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray. Mark 1:35

But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer. Luke 5:16

We are under so much pressure by so many demands in our

In the book, “The power of the lonely” the author quotes a Harvard study

“a certain amount of solitude can make a person more capable of empathy towards others. And while no one would dispute that too much isolation early in life can be unhealthy, a certain amount of solitude has been shown to help teenagers improve their moods and earn good grades in school.”

Send your kids to their rooms if you love them….

Everything I have shared today can really be wrapped up in this simple verse

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Matthew 6:33

Practically

Take time everyday to shut yourself away with the Lord, even if it is only 15 minutes, please develop that habit.

If you have your mind in the right place the result will be Philippians 4:8

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”

Chances are you will need less stress relief and maybe even less meds, become a more proactive person rather than reactive because you have taken control of you life and put God in charge.

Defending your Faith Part 2

Defending our faith part 2

 

1 Peter 3:15,16

 

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.

 

 

1) Can we trust the Gospels to be accurate?

 

The book of Acts was most likely written around AD 61 to 64

 

within 30 years of the resurrection of Christ. How do we know this?

 

Several key events that would naturally have been included in the Book of Acts were left out

 

James death AD 61

Paul’s death in AD 64

Peter’s death in AD 65

Jewish war against the Romans AD 66

Destruction of the temple in AD 70

 

In fact J.P. Moreland of Talbot school of theology writes in his book, “scaling the secular city” on page 154 that “the Gospels style of writing and the synchronicity all point to an authorship between 12 and 29 years after Jesus resurrection.”

 

The new testament also includes Paul’s letters some of which date to AD 49

 

Galatians 2:1,2

 

“Then fourteen years later I went back to Jerusalem again, this time with Barnabas; and Titus came along, too. 2 I went there because God revealed to me that I should go. While I was there I met privately with those considered to be leaders of the church and shared with them the message I had been preaching to the Gentiles. I wanted to make sure that we were in agreement, for fear that all my efforts had been wasted and I was running the race for nothing.”

 

 

1 Corinthians 15:3-9

 

I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. 5 He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. 6 After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7 Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him. 9 For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I’m not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God’s church.

 

 

 

2) Have there been revisions and changes to the New Testament record over the years?

 

Revelation 22:18,19

 

And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book. 19 And if anyone removes any of the words from this book of prophecy, God will remove that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book.

 

 

To date archeologist have found over 5000 Greek manuscripts. If we add to that the number of Latin, Coptic and other manuscripts we have over 24,000 manuscripts of the New Testament as proof to the continuity of the New Testament.

 

Compare that to there are less than 650 manuscripts of Homers Iliad the ancient manuscript with the next highest level of authenticating works.

 

Compare that to the less than a dozen manuscripts for our Constitution yet we believe it to be authentic.

 

Apart from actual manuscript evidence 95% of the New testament is found in the writing of the early church Fathers

 

Sir Fredrick Kenyon former director of the British Museum and other of Palaeography and Greek Papyri,……. “The last foundation for any doubt that the scriptures have come down to us substantially as they were written, has now been removed.”

 

 

3) Did Jesus claim to be God?

 

1) Jesus most common name for himself was “son of man”, not what others called him but instead what he called himself.

 

This was in reference to Daniel 7:13,14

 

“As my vision continued that night, I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would serve and worship him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.”

 

 

2) He claimed to be “I am” John 8:58,59

 

Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I Am!” 59 At that point they picked up stones to throw at him. But Jesus was hidden from them and left the Temple.

 

 

 

3) Jesus forgave sins

 

Mark 2: 5-7

 

Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.” 6 But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves, 7 “What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”

 

4) Others recognized Him as God and he did not deny it.

 

Thomas after Christ resurrection having seen Him, he now believes and makes the exclamation John 20:28

My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

 

Peter when challenged about who Jesus really is…

 

Matthew 16: 15-17

Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”17 Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.

 

5) What Jesus said about himself

 

John 8:24

“That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I Am who I claim to be, you will die in your sins.”

 

Luke 12:8,9

“I tell you the truth, everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, the Son of Man will also acknowledge in the presence of God’s angels. 9 But anyone who denies me here on earth will be denied before God’s angels.

 

It doesn’t get any clearer than this John 10:30-33

 

The Father and I are one.” 31 Once again the people picked up stones to kill him. 32 Jesus said, “At my Father’s direction I have done many good works. For which one are you going to stone me?”33 They replied, “We’re stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God.”

 

 

Two weeks ago I shared with you in part one of defending your faith that

1) Even science proves there was a beginning if a beginning then a Creator

2) The Bible is God’s Word,

3) There can only be one universal truth and not all truth is truth.

Today

 

4) We can trust the Gospels to be accurate,

5) The Bible has not been changed over the years

6) Jesus did claim to be God.

 

Let’s love unconditionally, pursue relentlessly and change the world continuously.

 

If you need prayer….