So Close and Yet So Far?

/0 Comments/in /by

Today is Day 27 of counting the omer – countdown to Pentecost or Shavuot.

Exodus 25:30 And you shall set the showbread (the bread of the Presence) on the table before Me always.

When the people of Israel cried out for bread He provided manna in their wilderness. When the people began collecting the manna they described it as “what is it?” (See Exodus 16) When Moses pitched a tent outside the camp of Israel – far outside the camp – the Exodus account records Moses speaking to God face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. What’s surprising is what Moses prays in Exodus 33:18-20, a mere seven verses later:

And Moses said, I beseech You, show me Your glory. 19 And God said, I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim My name, The Lord, before you; for I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy and loving-kindness on whom I will show mercy and loving-kindness.20 But, He said, You can not see My face, for no man shall see Me and live. 

Yet, throughout the Bible, we are commanded to seek the Lord’s face: Psalm 27:8 You have said, Seek My face [inquire for and require My presence as your vital need]. My heart says to You, Your face (Your presence), Lord, will I seek, inquire for, and require [of necessity and on the authority of Your Word]. 

Many Bible scholars will say that this phrase is simply a Hebrew idiom for presence, serving as a metaphor for God’s Presence, intimacy, and favor. The Hebrew word for “face” is panim which is frequently translated as “presence”. You could conclude, “Well that issue is settled”. Or is it? John 14:8-9 records an interaction between Jesus and Philip in which the disciple is echoing Moses’ words almost verbatim: Philip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father [cause us to see the Father—that is all we ask]; then we shall be satisfied.9 Jesus replied, Have I been with all of you for so long a time, and do you not recognize and know Me yet, Philip? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say then, Show us the Father?

Did you catch what Jesus said? Have I been with all of you for so long a time, and do you not recognize and know Me yet, Philip? You could conclude that the Old Testament’s repeated exhortation was a command not to settle for what appeared to be God’s, “No!” Many are familiar with the Exodus 33 account. In response I frequently ask, Is Jesus God? Did the disciples see Jesus’ face? Often they seek to justify their ignorance by stating that they only saw Jesus as a human. I follow that question by asking, Was Jesus God following His resurrection – in His glorified state? That’s when the lights go on. The Old Testament exhortations to seek God’s Face were not limited to God’s invisible Presence. It was a clue that they were to seek for more. To seek for Jesus – the Manifest Presence of God the Father. Many followers of Jesus settle for the superficial forms of Christianity never questioning why they aren’t really satisfied. Forms of religion that deny His Power; His Manifest Presence. For many the best that can happen is to die and go to Heaven.

That’s why Scripture has been given by the Spirit Who leads us to the living Jesus. Exodus 25:30 gives us the clue: And you shall set the showbread (the bread of the Presence). Showbread is translated mysteriously as the Bread of His Faces. Why? Because the Hebrew word for Presence, panim, is a plural word used singularly. If you are making the grain of the Word count – you are seeing His Bread crushed into flour, “baked” into bread, rising into the Bread of His Face, revealing His Presence. All of this should lead us to the conclusion that if you are hungry enough you will want more than just words on a page (forms of religion). You will hunger for the Jesus’ Face. You will hunger to see Jesus. Are you hungry? How hungry are you? How badly do you want to see Jesus? Have you been with Jesus so long and you still don’t know Him?

The Price of Bread

/0 Comments/in /by

The German hyperinflation of 1923 remains the most extreme case of currency collapse in modern history. At its peak in November 1923, prices were doubling every 3.7 days. A loaf of bread that cost 250 marks in January 1923 cost 200 billion marks by November. Workers were paid twice daily because their morning wages would be worthless by afternoon. In 1923, a German housewife went grocery shopping with a wheelbarrow full of money to buy a single loaf of bread. By the end of that day, the same wheelbarrow of cash couldn’t buy a postage stamp. The Weimar Republic’s hyperinflation was so extreme that prices doubled every few days, children played with bundles of worthless banknotes, and people burned money to heat their homes because it was cheaper than buying firewood.

John 6:5 states: Jesus looked up then, and seeing that a vast multitude was coming toward Him, He said to Philip, Where are we to buy bread, so that all these people may eat? Today is Day 26 of Counting the Omer, or measuring the grain. Jesus’ question is still as true and timeless today as it was when He uttered this question, Where are we to buy bread….?  What’s telling about His question is the verse which follows it: But He said this to prove (test) him, for He well knew what He was about to do…. (John 6:6) Is where we buy our “bread” the most important spiritual test of life? Jesus is the “Bread of Life.” His Word is “Bread.” What price are we paying to receive His Bread? This leads to other questions. Do I have enough “Bread” to feed myself? Do I have enough “Bread” to feed others. Over the years I have felt guilty when people have remarked, “I am leaving the church because I am not being fed.” That is until I began to examine what the comment really meant. Human opinions are as varied as the sand on the shore. Some people’s opinions regarding “spiritual food” is that teaching is their spiritual food, while others find preaching to be spiritually nourishing. Others reject both believing that practical application to life’s issues is the real spiritual food. Other’s look at spiritual food as that which  encourages them, and makes them feel good. Others would say good illustrations, or inspiring video clips. Others prefer food that involves any and all things intellectual. While others want to laugh making their spiritual food humor or jokes. Where can one man get all this “food” to satisfy all these varying opinions? Nowhere human. The only Person Who can truly give the Bread that we need, and which satisfies, is Jesus – the Bread of Life. The Prophet Isaiah sought to point the people of Israel in the right direction when he exhorted them:  Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your earnings for what does not satisfy? Hearken diligently to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness [the profuseness of spiritual joy]. (Isa. 55:2) According to Isaiah how do we get this bread? Hearken diligently to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness…Three things: Hearken diligently to the Lord (His Spirit and His Word); Eat what is good (spiritually, biblically); let your soul delight itself in what truly brings everlasting joy. Are you making His Bread count? What do you spend the majority of your time and money on? From Jesus’ perspective do you have enough bread to feed you spiritually? In the long run what price are we paying to eat the bread of our opinions? What price are we paying to not eat the Bread of Life – Jesus and the Word of God?

God’s Daily Bread

/0 Comments/in /by

Counting the Omer: Day 22

Leviticus 24:5-9 “Take the finest flour and bake twelve loaves of bread, using two-tenths of an ephah  for each loaf.6 Arrange them in two stacks, six in each stack, on the table of pure gold before the Lord. 7 By each stack put some pure incense as a memorial portion to represent the bread and to be a food offering presented to the Lord. 8 This bread is to be set out before the Lord regularly, Sabbath after Sabbath, on behalf of the Israelites, as a lasting covenant. 9 It belongs to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in the sanctuary area, because it is a most holy part of their perpetual share of the food offerings presented to the Lord.” 

We know from our previous studies that bread, and grain referred to throughout the Bible can be a symbol of the Word of God. What few fail to see is what the Bible is alluding to when it mentions incense; especially in relation to the Old Testament. The Bible is often the best interpreter of itself. From its pages we discover its symbolic meaning. Revelation 5:8 states: And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.

Leviticus 24:5-9 communicates some important truths in regard to God’s Bread accompanying the incense of prayer. This act of Tabernacle and Temple worship was to be presented to the Lord as a food offering. But a food offering for whom? From the context of this passage it appears that this “bread” was for the priests. Yet, this bread was to be set before the Lord continually, Sabbath after Sabbath, as an everlasting covenant. This seems to imply that God’s Bread – is our prayers. I was puzzled for years by Revelation 3:20‘s claims that if the person who heard Jesus calling, and knocking, would open the door – He would come in and eat with them. I struggled with knowing how to interpret its meaning till I prayed and sought the Lord. Once during a time of personal communion after examining myself I began to receive downloads of revelation from the Spirit and Word of God. This annoyed me. I was attempting to focus on Jesus being with me in communion and these “thoughts” interrupted that process. It took some time to recognize that Jesus, in answer to my prayers to understand, had sat down with me – desiring  to “break bread” with me – through His Word. Luke 24:15 echoes this idea by stating: Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat – this Passover with….you…before I suffer….” Jesus fervently desires to eat with us through prayer and His Word. You could conclude that Jesus is “dying” to talk with us, commune, or fellowship. Now take some time to mull that over. What if you were the only believer in the entire world. How well “fed” would He be from the “bread” of your prayers? Do your prayers “count” as God’s Bread?

 

Disturbing Jesus

/0 Comments/in /by

Today’s Omer Count: Day 20

Friday we sought to answer the question, What is it? referring to the grain that is counted in the omer. Today I want us to begin answering the question, What does God’s Bread provide? Luke 24:35 states: “Then they [themselves] related [in full] what had happened on the road, and how He was known and recognized by them in the breaking of bread.” In this familiar passage Jesus has been crucified, risen from the dead, and making disturbing appearances throughout Israel. It’s always interesting when people attend churches or gatherings different than their own. Afterwards they will often remark that they were disturbed or uncomfortable. Guess what? If Jesus is there – He is going to make you uncomfortable. Note that in this account the two disciples walking on the road to Emmaus have already been disturbed through the horrific crucifixion of Jesus, and the even more disturbing news that Jesus had risen from the dead.

A.W. Tozer once stated: “If God cannot disturb us, He cannot move us. If He cannot move us, He cannot save us. If He cannot get us concerned about the things of God, He cannot do anything at all for us”. Walter M. Miller, Jr. wrote: “When you tire of living, change itself seems evil, does it not? For then any change at all disturbs the deathlike peace of the life-weary.” 

I would say that when our walk with Jesus becomes comfortable, and the Word and Spirit of God no longer disturbs us – we have settled into the graves of comfortability. We have grown tired of living for Christ and His Word. This results in our seeing change, and disturbance as evil. This is a sad commentary on not making the grain of God’s Word count. It’s quit disturbing us. We have rocked ourselves to sleep in self-congratulatory delusions of who we think we are losing sight of to Whom we belong.

Yet these disciples on the Road to Emmaus were kept from recognizing Jesus. When did they recognize Him? And it occurred that as He reclined at table with them, He took [a loaf of] bread and praised [God] and gave thanks and asked a blessing, and then broke it and was giving it to them. 31 When their eyes were [instantly] opened and they [clearly] recognized Him, and He vanished (departed invisibly). (Luke 24:30-31) They recognized Him when the bread was broken. Funny how we refer to opening our Bibles like we’re cracking eggs: “Crack open your Bible to…” We can’t truly count the omer, or make the omer count until we’ve allowed the Word of God to be broken for us. At the birthing of the New Testament church a common practice was for them to meet in homes and “break bread” together. This implied more than eating a meal. It was a deeper reference to something far more profound: fellowship and communion. They were handling the Bread of Jesus (His Body), sharing Him with one another. His broken bread doesn’t become your bread until it’s broken in you. The Word is made flesh – in your life. This Bread, His Bread, allows you to see Jesus – in your life and others. Now the question remains, Are you disturbing to Jesus? Better yet, Are you disturbing the devil? 

What Is It?

/0 Comments/in /by

Exodus 16:15 When the Israelites saw it, they said one to another, Manna [What is it?]. For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. 

Today is Day 16 for the Lords’ Countdown to Pentecost (or should I refer to it as a count up to Pentecost, Shavuot?)

As you may recall an omer was a unit of measuring grain. What should capture our attention is the last phrase of verse 15, This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat. In keeping with the theme of counting the omer, or making the omer count – counting the grain of the harvest – it is the grain that has been harvested that is measured, or counted. It is the grain that is used to be ground into flour which in turn is transformed into bread. The grain is the bread which the Lord has provided. Question is, What are we doing with His grain? How is it being “ground” into our lives? How is it being transformed into His Bread? This last question, reveals another truth: Jesus is the Bread of Life, and according to 1 Corinthians 10:17 you and I are His Bread. Since both of these things are true, How is the grain of His Word being ground into your life in order that the Bread of Life might rise within you? 

Oswald Chambers has the following insight in regard to becoming His Bread:Why has God left us on the earth? Is it simply to be saved and sanctified? No, it is to be at work in service to Him. Am I willing to be broken bread and poured-out wine for Him? Am I willing to be of no value to this age or this life except for one purpose and one alone— to be used to disciple men and women to the Lord Jesus Christ. My life of service to God is the way I say “thank you” to Him for His inexpressibly wonderful salvation.

One of the ways in which you can measure, or count the omer of the “grain” of His Word is by looking to see how your life is saying “thank you” in your obedience to Him, His Word and His Spirit. How do you “measure” His Grain? It’s “measured” in the lives of those around you. Over the years I have preached many a message, and have heard many an “amen!” of those who believe the Word of God without question, and without doubt. Yet, confronted with the stark realities of Matthew 28:19-20, and questioned about how many disciples they have made, who they have baptized, and the people they have taught – the room becomes strangely silent. Inevitably someone will pull me off to the side to excuse their disobedience. They will say, I don’t need to go to another country because there are people here in the United States who need salvation.” To which I readily agree – in part. But at this point the question has to be asked, Who are you winning to Jesus here in the United States? Who have you baptized? Who are you teaching to walk with Jesus? Others will say, “Well my gift isn’t evangelism, and I am more of a behind the scenes, introverted type of personality.” To which I would reply, Who are you giving a drink of water to? Who are you feeding and clothing? Who are you visiting in prison? Are you reaching out to your neighbor or better yet to your own family – with the Bread of Christ? In other words, Is the Bread of Life rising in you? Are you being broken bread and poured out wine? Is there proof that Christ has risen in you and you have been raised to new life – with Jesus? 

Table Scraps

/0 Comments/in /by

Dt. 29:4-6 Yet the Lord has not given you a [mind and] heart to understand and eyes to see and ears to hear, to this day. 5 I have led you forty years in the wilderness; your clothes have not worn out upon you, and your sandals have not worn off your feet. 6 You have not eaten [grain] bread, nor have you drunk wine or strong drink, that you might recognize and know [your dependence on Him Who is saying], I am the Lord your God.

Many are what the Bible refers to as God-fearers. They have a belief in God, they may pray, go to church, and even own a Bible. They are moral people, or what we would refer to as good people, but the Lord has not given them a mind or heart to understand. As Jesus repeatedly stated, You have eyes but you cannot see. Those of this persuasion, would take this Scripture as proof that there is nothing they need to do. The reason for their spiritual blindness, and lack of desire is God’s fault. However this type of thinking reveals a deeper spiritual problem. It reveals an unwillingness to make the bread of God’s Word count. The fact that there are thousands upon thousands, over the centuries, who have been of the same persuasion – not having a mind or heart to understand; nor having spiritual eyes and ears to receive its message. Yet, this ignorance, or blindness did not stop them from seeking. In the Gospels there is a telling account of Jesus testing a woman whose daughter was demonized. The woman begged, and pleaded with Jesus through tears to heal and deliver her daughter from her demonic torment. Shockingly, Jesus responded by saying it wasn’t right to throw the children’s bread to dogs. This was a metaphor that highlighted the prevailing sentiment at the time: Jews were God’s children, and the Gentiles? They were dogs. Astoundingly, the woman quickly responded by asserting, “Yes, Lord, I know, but even the dogs live on the scraps that fall from their master’s table!” (Mt. 15:27 Phillips Translation) This Gentile woman showed more faith than many of her Jewish neighbors. She passed Jesus’ test and ate the “bread” that was only supplied to the humble, and believing.

Counting the omer, or making the omer, a measure of grain, count is a reminder to measure the grain of God’s Word. Measure the grain of what you have harvested. Have you ever taken the time to count how many times the Bible makes reference to Bread, or Grain? The exercise of counting is not the point. The exercise reveals how often the Bible – God’s Word – makes reference to grain, and bread. This fact alone should cause any seeker of spiritual things to sit up and take notice. For it reveals the bread crumbs the Father has left as clues leading to the very feet of Jesus, the Bread of Life. If you are God’s child you have been invited to the Father’s table to eat His Bread. If you liken yourself to a spiritual dog there are still crumbs that fall from His table. But take note: those crumbs are only for those who are hungry; those who are seeking the Master’s Bread.

The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread

/in /by

Revelation 3:18 Therefore I counsel you to purchase from Me gold refined and tested by fire, that you may be [truly] wealthy, and white clothes to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nudity from being seen, and salve to put on your eyes, that you may see.

Today is the twelfth day of counting the omer or the measure of barley grain coming from the harvest. Question is, Are you harvesting the “grain” of His Word? Which raises another question, Why are there so many references to bread in the Bible? Jesus was born in Bethlehem, or the House of Bread. Jesus referred to Himself as the Bread of Life. When Jesus was led in the wilderness by the Spirit – following being filled with the Spirit (Luke 4:1) – He told Satan that man does not live on bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. I can keep going but I believe you have gotten the point. Unbeknownst to most wealthy Westerners, bread, or some form of it is a basic commodity of life. Most of the World’s poor can’t afford to slaughter their chickens, cows or goats every day – but they can afford grain to grind into flour to make bread. Which is an interesting concept. As I mentioned in a previous post barley grain is ground into flour by the impoverished to make bread. Barley bread is inferior to bread made from wheat. Wheat then is known as the bread of the wealthy, or more financially stable. Why is all of this significant and how is it connected to the counting of the omer? 

Revelation 3:18 is addressed to the wealthy, self-satisfied, “have no need” Laodiceans. One of the things Jesus counseled them to do was to purchase from Him “salve” to put on their eyes. How was that significant and relevant to the Laodiceans? The Greek word for eye salve is kollurion. Greek was the primary language spoken by the common, average, everyday person. That being understood the Laodiceans knew this word used by John contained a dual meaning. Kollurion could refer to the medicine produced in Laodicea used for treating various vision problems, or it could refer to a roll of bread. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament had this to say: The Greek term kolloúrion carries a fascinating dual meaning rooted in its physical form. The word derives from kollýra, which refers to coarse bread shaped like a cylinder. Jesus’ beatitudes commends those who are poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of God. 

How do we apply all of this to making the omer count? Only those who “see” their poverty of Spirit will recognize and hunger for the “bread” that not only feeds them – but heals the way they “see”. Are you poor in the things of the Spirit? Or are you so rich spiritually that you don’t need His Bread? Can you see Jesus? Can you hear His Voice? Can you recognize when He knocks? May I suggest paying the price to get alone with Him for Him to eat with you and you with Him? He really does prepare a table in the midst of your enemy. Are you hungry to hear His Voice? Hungry to see Him? Hungry to hear Him knocking?

Making It Count

/in /by

Friday, April 10 marks the ninth day of the counting of the omer. What is the counting of the omer and what difference does it make for followers of Yeshua-Jesus today? Leviticus 23:15-17 states: 15 ‘And you shall count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: seven Sabbaths shall be completed. 16 Count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall offer a new grain offering to the Lord. 17 You shall bring from your dwellings two wave loaves of two-tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour; they shall be baked with leaven. They are the firstfruits to the Lord.

You might ask, What’s an omer? One for Israel defines an omer in the following way: An omer is a unit of measurement and is about three and a half litres, or just over fifteen cups of dry commodities. In this case, barley. Sometimes an omer is translated as sheaf, since it is about the amount of barley or grains that you would need to bundle into a sheaf.

One for Israel explains the significance, or the “why” of counting the omer: Just as any woman who has given birth knows exactly how long nine months feels, the Jewish people know exactly how long it feels from Passover until the feast of Weeks (called the feast of Shavuot in Hebrew, which means weeks, also known as Pentecost because of the 50 days) because they have to count the days off every year. Fifty days. Seven weeks. Every day, the omer is counted.

Following the crucifixion of Jesus, and Passover, every Jewish person would have been counting. One for Israel adds: He was crucified at Passover, and raised on the morning of the third day which is when the counting starts, and ascended ten days before the Holy Spirit was poured out at the feast of Weeks. For forty of those fifty carefully counted days, Yeshua was walking around, hanging out with friends, eating with them, talking with them, freaking them out from time to time. Especially at the beginning.

Now this counting is significant for several reasons:

  1. Firstfruits. Got Questions defines firstfruits in the following way: Firstfruits was a Jewish feast held in the early spring at the beginning of the grain harvest. It was observed on Nissan 16, which was the third day after Passover and the second day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Firstfruits was a time of thanksgiving for God’s provision. The day of the firstfruits offering was also used to calculate the proper time of the Feast of Weeks. The firstfruits offering found its fulfillment in Jesus. “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20).
  2. Harvesting of Grain. Firstfruits signaled the beginning of the barley harvest. Barley grain made up the poor man’s bread. It was coarser than wheat, and crumbled easily after being baked into bread. Why is that of significance? Following Jesus resurrection from the dead He made appearances for forty days to His Disciples and followers providing convincing proofs that He had been resurrected from the dead.

Isa. 55:11 states: So also is My Word. I send it out and it always produces fruit. It shall accomplish all that I want it to and prosper everywhere I send it.

Now imagine counting every Scripture you have ever read, every verse you’ve ever heard, every sermon, and teaching you’ve been exposed to – and counting to see if it has produced fruit. Imagine having to provide proof of its potency in your life. What firstfruits would come from your harvesting of the grain of His Word? What firstfruits could be offered as thanks for this word? How can you make His Word count?

Code Blue: Revival or Funeral

/in /by

Colossians 3:1 If then you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead],…

We have all heard sermons regarding Paul’s famous testimony in which he stated, “I have been crucified with Christ…” Gal. 2:20. But how many messages, or devotions have you heard, or read on being resurrected with Christ? This morning as part of my quiet time I read Oswald Chambers exhorting believers in the following way: “As the disciples were commanded, you should also say nothing until the Son of Man has risen in you— until the life of the risen Christ so dominates you that you truly understand what He taught while here on earth….We must have a oneness with His risen life before we are prepared to bear any particular truth from Him. Do we really know anything about the indwelling of the risen life of Jesus? The evidence that we do is that His Word is becoming understandable to us….[Jesus exhorted His disciples]“…tell no one….” But so many people do tell what they saw on the Mount of Transfiguration— their mountaintop experience. They have seen a vision and they testify to it, but there is no connection between what they say and how they live. Their lives don’t add up because the Son of Man has not yet risen in them. How long will it be before His resurrection life is formed and evident in you and in me?

If you haven’t had a very good death you can rest assured you will not have a very good resurrection (if you have any resurrection at all). For how can you raise something from the dead that hasn’t yet completely died? Or better yet, How can you raise something from the dead that isn’t convinced it’s dead? 

Years ago two young pastors talked about what they were doing to raise their plateaued churches to life. One pastor discussed all the difficulties he was having convincing the people to change, and the other was experiencing astounding success. The pastor of the difficult church asked the pastor of the successful church, “What’s your secret?” The pastor responded, with a wry smile on his face, “when you are in cardiac arrest you are not going to argue over how they resuscitate you.”

Are you living the resurrected life of Christ? Are you living like you have been raised to new life or are you still arguing over how He is trying to “raise” you? (Pun intended)  What would happen in your life (or in one church’s life) – if you began believing and behaving like you have been raised with Jesus? Are you convinced that you have died with Jesus? Are others?