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New Beginnings?

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C.S. Lewis: You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.

Often time a new beginning includes a new ending. C.S.Lewis also wrote: Getting over a painful experience is much like crossing monkey bars.You have to let go at some point in order to move forward.

The prophet exhorted a backslidden Israel to begin again by stating: ...the garment [expressive] of praise instead of a heavy, burdened, and failing spirit…Isaiah 61:3

But what was the context of this prophetic word? Isaiah 61:1-4 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed and qualified me to preach the Gospel of good tidings to the meek, the poor, and afflicted; He has sent me to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound, 2 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord [the year of His favor] and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,3 To grant [consolation and joy] to those who mourn in Zion—to give them an ornament (a garland or diadem) of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, the garment [expressive] of praise instead of a heavy, burdened, and failing spirit—that they may be called oaks of righteousness [lofty, strong, and magnificent, distinguished for uprightness, justice, and right standing with God], the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.4 And they shall rebuild the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former desolations and renew the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. AMPC

Endings are hard to begin. Much like the monkey bars we’ve got to desire to rise to the challenge by climbing, or jumping to grasp the first rung. I can’t recall the last time I climbed and crossed some monkey bars. But I can remember the last time I did a pull up. The thing about pull ups is that they pull back and after slamming out the desired repetitions I am a lot less enthusiastic about jumping up to grasp that bar. Joel 2:32 reveals something about God we all need to be reminded of: And it shall come to pass That whoever calls on the name of the Lord Shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, As the Lord has said, Among the remnant whom the Lord calls.

If there is a spirit or demon of heaviness then we can rest assured Jesus has a deliverance ministry for this affliction. Joel 2:32 promises that those who call on the Name of the Lord shall not only be saved but delivered. It’s high time we ascend those monkey bars again as a child of the King and change the ending of our lives with a new beginning – a new rung in the ladder that ascends into God’s Presence. You will only ascend through His Praise. Put that garment on, button it tight, and take a leap. Ask Jesus to bind up and muzzle the spirit of heaviness, and grant you Grace and the Power of His Spirit – to praise and worship Him. Ask Him to restore the Helmet of Hope in His Salvation.

What Are You Dying For?

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Once John Maxwell’s leadership word for the day was Warrior.  He said that a warrior is best defined as the character, William Wallace from ‘Braveheart’. Wallace had a cause that he was so committed to that he was willing to die for it. In essence that is a warrior. His life’s cause earned him the title of Braveheart. Franklin Roosevelt once stated: Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear. We see this courage on display as Jesus lived His life on earth. We see it demonstrated in what He was willing to live and die for.

In the first temptation of Christ it is revealed what He was willing to live for. In the second temptation what He would die for: Matthew 4:5-7 Then the devil took Him into the holy city and placed Him on a turret (pinnacle, gable) of the temple sanctuary. And he said to Him, If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, He will give His angels charge over you, and they will bear you up on their hands, lest you strike your foot against a stone. Jesus said to him, On the other hand, it is written also, You shall not tempt, test thoroughly, or try exceedingly the Lord your God.

1 John 4:18 states: There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love’s complete perfection].

Jesus had heard the Father thunder, This is My Beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased!” Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. God His Father had drawn near and Love led Jesus on though the fasting, the wilderness, the hunger and thirsting. Love led Jesus through His earthly life and ministry, and Love led Him to the Garden of blood soaked, sweat and tearful prayers. Love led Jesus through the darkness of man’s questionings, beatings, and trumped up charges. Love led Jesus through the scourge of the soldiers whip, the splintered, crucifixion tree, and the nails that pierced His hands and feet; thorns that pierced His brow. And as death closed His eyes, with its cruel grip, Love warmed His heart on Resurrection morn. This is the Love that found us and the same Love that calls to us. This ascent, His Ascent, is for those warriors who shake off the self-centered, proud-filled, fears for something else and Someone Else – more important than fear. Love calls us Home and Love calls us higher. Are you hearing the call of Love? The call to Love?

C.S. Lewis wrote in his book The Last Battle: I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now….Come further up, come farther in!”

Sounding the Depths

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Ephesians. 3:18-19 That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it]; 19 [That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!

This was part of a prayer the Apostle Paul prayed for the Christians in Ephesus. In the book Mere Christianity, its author C.S. Lewis remarked: A good many people nowadays say, “I believe in a God, but not in a personal God.” He adds that those who believe that God goes beyond personality are really saying that God is impersonal; something less than personal. We expect this kind of talk from unbelievers but not from followers of Jesus. Unfortunately our practice of spirituality reveals that we really view God as less than personal. More like a rug or a mat that we place on the floor and clean our feet or walk over – ignoring it altogether. We don’t expect much from the rug or mat.

Interestingly enough, physical truth often mirrors spiritual truth. For example, we think very little of a two dimensional world. But add extra dimensions to it and it becomes more than lines on a page. It becomes an object that we can interact with. Inside or outside of that object you can move three ways. Lewis adds: “you can move…to the left or right, backwards or forwards, up or down. Every direction is either one of these three or a compromise between them. They are called the three Dimensions. Now notice this. If you are using only one dimension, you could draw only a straight line. If you are using two, you could draw a figure: say, a square. And a square is made up of four straight lines. Now a step further. If you have three dimensions, you can then build what we call a solid body: say, a cube – a thing like a dice or a lump of sugar. And a cube is made up of six squares.

Now all of these lines converge to make something that is tangible and real. Even as you advance to deeper levels you never leave behind the simpler ones. You combine them to advance to something far grander than you or I imagined. Unfortunately, Western Christianity has resigned God to be a line or two. Nothing more than a mat or a rug.

Pauls’ prayer for the Ephesians, and I believe for us, is that we would know personally the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Christ experientially. That our mere knowledge, without experience, would be surpassed by experiences that build upon the simple lines that have been given to us in order to advance in our intimate, experiential, progressing relationship with the Creator of the Universe.

The majority of pew warmers in the West are still treating Jesus like a mat or rug. But you need to understand – there’s no accidents with Jesus. He has caused the infinite, eternal lines of Eternity to merge with yours. The question is, will you go wider, farther, higher up, and deeper in? Or will you simply keep walking over the mat? How could you ever miss a God so big?

Aiming to Please

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C.S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity: Hope is one of the Theological virtues. This means that a continual looking forward to the eternal world is not (as some modern people think) a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next.”

C.S. Lewis echoes the Apostle Paul when he stated that if we have really been born-again of the Spirit, our aim, or life’s focus, will not be on this earth – but on the things of Jesus’ Kingdom. Colossians 3:1-2 If then you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead], aim at and seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth.

What are you aiming for in this life? What do your activities, and energies spent reveal? What do your fears reveal – about this life and the life to come? What do your fears reveal about who or what you really place your trust?

The Last Battle

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Friday, October 25, 2019

What’s a Christian fanatic? Can a person survive after being set on fire? Is it possible to be on fire but not consumed?

When I was a younger man I couldn’t stand fanatics. That is until I became one and realized that a fanatic was simply someone who loved Jesus more than I. After encountering Jesus I wanted to change that – but how? 

Numbers 14:44 But they presumed to go up to the heights of the hill country; however, neither the ark of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses departed out of the camp.

In this passage the Children of Israel had listened to the report of the spies who had gone into the Promised Land. Caleb and Joshua had faith for the promises of God, whereas the rest of Israel chose to believe the bad report. As a result they were condemned to continue wandering around the wilderness till they died. What’s really sad is that after they receive this rebuke and condemnation they presumptuously chose to go up into the “heights” of the promises. Unfortunately, presumption never secures the promises of God leading to destruction and ruin. 

It’s interesting to note that the Mountain of God went by two names: Horeb and Sinai. Both names were used for the same Mountain. For years I puzzled over the meanings of the two words. I discovered Horeb means the “sword that brings desolation” whereas Sinai means the “one on fire.” While seeking to wrench some meaning from its symbology I finally reached the end of my mental, or soulish abilities. Instead I chose to seek the Lord in prayer regarding it’s mysteries. As I sought the Lord I reached the conclusion that the two names were symbols of our two natures: Horeb, the older name, referred to our Soul Man, whereas Sinai, referred to the younger, Spirt Man. Which should cause us to ask: Do I want to live my life according to Horeb, the “Sword that brings desolation?” IN other words, Do I want to live a life that leads to “destruction, and judgment” or do I want to live my life according to Sinai? Do I want to become like the “One on Fire…but not consumed?” If you would recall that the burning bush of Moses was located just at the foot of this Mountain. Here Moses observed a bush on fire but not consumed. At the end of Revelation we discover Jesus as the Burning Man – on Fire but not consumed. (Revelation 1)

As we come to the base of God’s Mountain we have a choice to make. Which mountain will we choose to ascend? Scripture repeatedly asks, Who will ascend the Mountain or Hill of the Lord in Psalm 15, and Psalm 24. Yet in Isaiah 2:3 the unanswered question appears to be answered as the prophet observes: And many people shall come and say, Come, let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord, to the House of the God of Jacob, that He may teach us His ways and that we may walk in His paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law and instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. 

What changed? What changed was that only One was worthy to ascend the Mountain of the Lord – only One. Jesus, our Conquering King, ascended the Hill of the Lord and made the way for us to follow into the Throne Room of God’s Presence. We must remember that there are only two ways to ascend. The first path is very wide, and popular. It is motivated by the presumption of the soul – mind, will, emotions and personality. From this path presumptuous souls assert themselves in the hope that somehow they can come into the Presence of God through knowledge, will power, sentiment and emotions. The personality of self- focused, self-centeredness asserts, and flaunts itself before a Holy God condemning itself to a life of separation from God. Fortunately God has made a way to the top of that Mountain through the Burning Man – Jesus. It’s path is narrow, and few find it. It’s not very flashy or popular. On the surface it appears to be insignificant, and can be easily overlooked. Yet through living a life in pursuit of Jesus we discover that this path is the greatest of them all. Here we face His Fires consuming our self-centered, presumption. Here we watch as our souls squirm, and struggle to be wrenched free from control. Yet here on His “Cross-Path” we may stumble, and even fall, but His Rock Strong arms are always there to lift us up, encouraging us to ascend higher. Blazing love beckons to us to progress from walking to running, to soaring on eagles wings. And why wouldn’t we? Who can resist the Eyes of the Blazing One – the Lover of our souls calling us higher, and higher. As C.S. Lewis wrote in the Chronicles of Narnia, The Last Battle: “I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now…Come further up, come further in!” This truly is the battle of the last days.