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A Sleeping Narcissist

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Jonah 4:9-11 And God said to Jonah, Do you do well to be angry for the loss of the gourd? And he said, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die!10 Then said the Lord, You have had pity on the gourd, for which you have not labored nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night.11 And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons not [yet old enough to] know their right hand from their left, and also many cattle [not accountable for sin]?

All Jonah cared about was himself and his comfort. His self-centeredness went so deep that he turned a blind eye to the possible deaths of 120,000 children. What’s really interesting regarding this passage is that God not only cared for the cruel Ninevites, and their children, He also cared for the cattle that would die if He brought judgment and destruction. But not Jonah.

In the 1980’s the psychological designation of narcissus began to pick up popular, cultural steam as it entered pop psychology designating someone we used to categorize as self-centered. Sunday, August 24 I googled the question: What do you call someone who stubbornly refuses to change their behavior? I was surprised by one of the articles I discovered. It stated: “People with narcissistic personality disorder are extremely resistant to changing their behavior, even when it’s causing problems.”

What is repentance? Change. First it begins with an acknowledgement that you have missed God’s Perfect Way of Love. Next it culminates with a change of mind which leads to a change in lifestyle. Elul is a time of conversion and repentance in order to seek God.

Jnh. 1:5-6 – Jonah refused to have his mind changed – refused to be teachable – regarding his responsibility for his neighbors. How many messages have you heard, repeating the same theme, that you have refused to change your mind, behavior, actions or attitude about? Are you Christ-centered or self-centered in your lifestyle and actions? Is it possible to be a follower of Jesus and still remain a narcissist? Are you teachable? Is your thinking aligning more with the truths of God’s Word and the example of Christ than the lies of this world and popular culture? Has your thinking and lifestyle been changed to be more in line with Jesus and His Word in the past year or would others state you have remained relatively the same?

Jnh. 1:6; 2:1-2 – Jonah had become faithless in prayer – choosing sleep over praying for his neighbors. Jesus told Disciples – Followers of Jesus – to watch and pray. Would you characterize your spiritual life as watching and praying? Do you watch and pray with Jesus? Do you have a daily quiet time with the Lord? Do you sleep while a small minority remain faithful in prayer? Are you sleeping while third world countries and believers are spending sleepless nights in prayer? Are you spending time in leisure while brothers and sisters around the world faithfully pray as they face the threat of death, rape, persecution, torture, beating and imprisonment? What does your prayer life reveal about your faith?

Burning With Zeal, Sons of God, Volcanos and Earthquakes

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Micah 1:2 Hear, all you people; listen closely, O earth and all that is in it, and let the Lord God be witness among you and against you, the Lord from His holy temple.

What is going on? Have you read some of the headline news regarding global, seismic events? Scientists Give LAST WARNING as Mount Rainier Triggers a Chain Eruption Across the Cascades; Russia earthquake has caused a ‘parade of volcanic eruptions’; Scientists warn one of world’s supervolcanoes is awakening: ‘It will plunge the planet into chaos’

Why are these volcanoes and earthquakes being triggered around the world? Romans 8:19-22 states that there is a connection between mankind and earth: For [even the whole] creation (all nature) waits expectantly and longs earnestly for God’s sons to be made known [waits for the revealing, the disclosing of their sonship].20 For the creation (nature) was subjected to frailty (to futility, condemned to frustration), not because of some intentional fault on its part, but by the will of Him Who so subjected it—[yet] with the hope21 That nature (creation) itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and corruption [and gain an entrance] into the glorious freedom of God’s children.22 We know that the whole creation [of irrational creatures] has been moaning together in the pains of labor until now. Nature, earth, and all creation is linked to our freedom, as the manifest sons’ of God.

Jesus used nature as a sign symptomatic of His Return inMatthew 24:7-8: For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in place after place;8 All this is but the beginning [the early pains] of the birth pangs [of the intolerable anguish]. Are the earthquakes and volcanoes increasing because the birth pangs, or spiritual contractions of all creation are hearing the Voice of the Lord, the Living Word of God approaching? Question is, Are we listening?

Seven more signs are listed in Matthew 24:10-14: And then many will be offended and repelled and will begin to distrust and desert [Him Whom they ought to trust and obey] and will stumble and fall away and betray one another and pursue one another with hatred.11 And many false prophets will rise up and deceive and lead many into error.12 And the love of the great body of people will grow cold because of the multiplied lawlessness and iniquity,13 But he who endures to the end will be saved.14 And this good news of the kingdom (the Gospel) will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then will come the end. What are the seven signs? Offense, Distrust or Unbelief, Falling Away from Jesus, Deceit, Love Grows Cold, Multiplied Lawlessness, AND the Gospel being preached to the whole world.

1 Peter 2:7-8 states: To you then who believe (who adhere to, trust in, and rely on Him) is the preciousness; but for those who disbelieve [it is true], The [very] Stone which the builders rejected has become the main Cornerstone,8 And, A Stone that will cause stumbling and a Rock that will give [men] offense; they stumble because they disobey and disbelieve [God’s] Word, as those [who reject Him] were destined (appointed) to do. What is Peter saying? A similar thing that Jesus is saying: To the believer – the one trusting in Jesus, and obeying His Word – Jesus is Precious. They love and adore Him. But to those who are not trusting, who do not consider Jesus and His Word Precious, they are getting offended; they are stumbling over the offenses; they are falling away from the Lord. Their love for Jesus, His Word, and others is growing cold. They have forsaken what they were destined and appointed to do. To become sons of the Living, Most High God! To become little Christ’s – little anointed ones running with His Vision; His mission. Is that the point that Jesus is making to the Laodicean church? So be enthusiastic and in earnest and burning with zeal and repent [changing your mind and attitude]. (Rev. 3:19) Another way of stating burning with zeal is to say you are boiling hot. Jesus is the Burning Man and those who draw near to Him will burn with His fire. Is this why earthquakes and volcanoes are increasing?

The Burning Man’s Approach is nearing and repentance begins with changed minds. Is your mind changing or have you been digging in your heels to an earth that is already shaking; already changing preparing to erupt? The sons of God are about to be revealed and the earth knows it. Question is: Will you be counted among their number? Are you listening?

Is Ignorance Innocence?

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Robert Browning once wrote “Ignorance is not innocence but sin.“

In the book of Nehemiah an incident is recorded regarding the ignorance of the children of Israel and the Feast of Tabernacles. A remnant of Jews had returned to the Promised Land of Israel after being in Babylonian captivity only to discover that they had ignored the commandments, instructions, and teachings of the Lord. Once Ezra, the priest, began reading from the Law – the first five books of Moses (meaning instruction, or teaching) – and its hearers understood, they immediately responded in compliance and obedience. Ignorance did not imply innocence, nor excuse their guilt and sin. The good news was that 70 years of exile had done its work in changing the way they thought about sin. The bad news? Many died in Babylonian captivity never having changed their minds, or lifestyle.

Nehemiah 8:13-18 Now on the second day the heads of the fathers’ houses of all the people, with the priests and Levites, were gathered to Ezra the scribe, in order to understand the words of the Law. And they found written in the Law, which the LORD had commanded by Moses, that the children of Israel should dwell in booths during the feast of the seventh month, and that they should announce and proclaim in all their cities and in Jerusalem, saying, “Go out to the mountain, and bring olive branches, branches of oil trees, myrtle branches, palm branches, and branches of leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.” Then the people went out and brought them and made themselves booths, each one on the roof of his house, or in their courtyards or the courts of the house of God, and in the open square of the Water Gate and in the open square of the Gate of Ephraim. So the whole assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and sat under the booths; for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun until that day the children of Israel had not done so. And there was very great gladness. Also day by day, from the first day until the last day, he read from the Book of the Law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day there was a sacred assembly, according to the prescribed manner.

In a song titled “The Lumber Song,” by Eli, the lyrics describe a man who had lived his life in ignorance finally dying and arriving in Heaven for his eternal reward. Peter guides the newly arrived citizen of heaven to his “mansion” only to discover it is a shack. The man replies, “How can this be?” and Peter replies, “That’s all the lumber you sent.”

The symbolic meaning of the Feast of Tabernacles is clear, What materials are you using that are of eternal value? Ignorance is not innocence – it is sin (missing the mark). Is your life missing the mark or are you learning to fix your mind on things above, not on the things of this earth?

The Pharaoh, Akhenaten, led Egypt in Religious revolution, when he proposed there was only one God. During his spiritual reform he wrote: True wisdom is less presuming than folly. The wise man doubteth often, and changeth his mind; the fool is obstinate, and doubteth not; he knoweth all things but his own ignorance.

Significance of Sukkot (Tabernacles)

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Deuteronomy 16:16 states: Three times a year shall all your males appear before the Lord your God in the place which He chooses: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread,(Passover) at the Feast of Weeks, (Pentecost) and at the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths. They shall not appear before the Lord empty-handed.

Exodus 23:14–17 Three times in the year you shall keep a feast to Me.15 You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread; seven days you shall eat unleavened bread as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in it you came out of Egypt. None shall appear before Me empty-handed.16 Also you shall keep the Feast of Harvest [Pentecost], [acknowledging] the first fruits of your toil, of what you sow in the field. And [third] you shall keep the Feast of Ingathering [Booths or Tabernacles] at the end of the year, when you gather in the fruit of your labors from the field.17 Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord God. 

Significant events occurred during two of the three mandatory feast days – of God’s Biblical Calendar: Feast of Unleavened Bread or Passover = Jesus was crucified, and resurrected. Feast of Firstfruits, Feast of Weeks or Pentecost = Jesus Baptized His Followers in the Holy Spirit and Birthed the Church.

What significant event could happen around the Feast of Tabernacles-Sukkot? Like Passover and Pentecost, Sukkot has a dual significance: historical and agricultural. The holiday commemorates the 40 year period the children of Israel wandered in the desert, living in temporary shelters. Sukkot also celebrates the harvest, and is sometimes referred to as Chag Ha-Asif, the Festival of Ingathering. During the days of Jesus’ ministry on earth, Sukkot, was celebrated through sacrificing 70 oxen, corresponding to the 70 nations, and praying for peace and harmony among all the nations of the world. As a religious Holy Day – it follows the Feast of Trumpets, 10 Days of Awe, and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). The time of judging yourself, confession of sin and repentance becomes a time of celebration at Sukkot. Lev. 23:42-43 You shall dwell in Sukkot for seven days…So that your future generations shall know that I had the children of Israel live in Sukkot when I brought them out of Egypt. Today the Jewish people around the world build temporary shelters to participate in this Holy Day. During this 7-day event – families will eat and sleep in their sukkah.

Hebrews 11:13-16 states: 13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. NKJV

Sukkot or Tabernacles reminds us we are only passing through this life. This earth is not our home – Jesus is. All followers of Jesus, are strangers and pilgrims in this land. We are looking forward to a Heavenly City – actually seeking it out, desiring, and longing for it. And why shouldn’t we? Have you ever stopped to think that most of us will be forgotten after just three generations. No one will really know who we were. My Dad has done extensive genealogical research on our family. He has traced our roots all the way back to the highlands of Scotland. He has the names of ancestors going back all the way to the 1600’s. I know many of their names. But guess what? In reality I have no idea who they were. Nobody does – but Jesus. Jesus has our names written in the Palm of His Hand (Isa. 49:16); He has the hairs of our head numbered (Mt. 10:30); He saves our tears in a bottle and records them in a book (Ps. 56:8); He saves our prayers in a bowl (Rev. 5:8); He records in a book when we have conversations about Him (Mal. 3:16) He knew us before we were born (Jer. 1:5). I’ve said it often: What gift do you give a rich man who owns everything in the world? The one thing He doesn’t have: you. You are God’s Treasure, His pearl of great price, and His lost coin. My Mom still has my baby book. If my Mom thinks I am that special to save a scrap book of memories about me – how precious is it that we have a God Who hasn’t just saved our baby footprints and handprints? He has saved every trace of who we are – from beginning to new beginning. Remind yourself of these things during these seven days.

Herrnhut, The Lord’s Watch

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David Christian cut down the first tree for the first house for the new community the would call “Herrnhut,” which means the “Lord’s Watch.” The small group now totaled 300. It wasn’t long before Herrnhut began growing and accepted refugees from other doctrinal persuasions. Now there were not only Moravians but also Lutherans, Calvinists, Catholics, Separatists, Reformed, and Anabaptists.

The vision of Count Zinzendorf was that of the restoration of the apostolic community. He worked to establish a community of saints that loved and supports one another through prayer, encouragement, and accountability. John Wesley (founder of the Methodist Denomination) was so enamored with the Moravians that he called Herrnhut the “closest thing to the New Jerusalem that could be.” In 1738, eleven years into the revival, Wesley visited “this happy place” and was so impressed that he commented in his journal: “I would gladly have spent my life here….Oh, when shall this Christianity cover the earth as water covers the sea?”

It wasn’t something that happened overnight. With all the different views and doctrines…trouble soon arose. Many disputes erupted within the other sects over doctrinal language and how the community would support itself. From the start the Herrnhut community showed few signs of spiritual power. Leslie K. Tara described in his book, A Prayer Meeting That Lasted 100 Years, what was happening: “By the beginning of 1727, the community of about 300 people was wracked by dissension and bickering, an unlikely site for revival.” To make matters worse, a new resident, John Kruger, attacked Zinzendorf and his beliefs – preaching that the Count was none other than “the Beast” mentioned in the Book of Revelation. Linda Jacobs writes: “He turned almost the entire community of Herrnhut against their benefactor.” With a pastor’s heart, the Count began going from house to house, counseling each family from the Scriptures. He was teaching and exhorting daily, creating what he called “Bands,” a small group of believers who had “a special affinity” to each other. Before long the small community was becoming one as more and more homes were opening day and night for prayer, fellowship, and teaching. Small groups began holding all-night prayer vigils, and it seemed almost weekly that the spiritual unity and the bonds of love were becoming perceptively stronger. The community pooled their finances for the sick and began distributing goods to the poor among them.

Now that dissension and bickering had vanished, many unbelievers who came to Herrnhut were converted, and on May 12, Zinzendorf covenanted all to pray and labor for revival. The fire of the Spirit on these precious saints was beginning to heat up. Services held at this time usually ended in weeping, deep repentance, and lying prostrate on the floor. By August 5th, anticipation was building to the point where many did not want to sleep for fear that they would miss something God was doing.

Positioning Ourselves for More of God: Part 2 – Our Heart

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In Psalm 139, verses 23-24, the psalmist says: Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Ps 139:23-24 NIV)

Notably, the psalmist makes this request of God to “search” him right after he’s just informed us in earlier verses 1-4 (below) that the Lord, in fact, already knows everything about him. He tells us that the Lord has not only already searched him, but knows his every thought, exactly what he does, what kind of person he is, and every word that will come out of his mouth – before he even says it.

You have searched me, Lord, and You know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue You, Lord, know it completely. (Ps 139: 1-4 NIV)

John 2:25 confirms: “No one needed to tell Him about human nature, for He knew what was in each person’s heart.” (NLT)

So the question is, If God already knows all this, why then does the Psalmist specifically ask God to do something he knows He has already done? Is it some sort of rhetorical device, or is there more behind it?

The answer, I believe, is that its quite intentional. That in requesting God to “search” him, knowing God already knows him, the psalmist reminds us when we invite God into our heart, it is through a door of intentional and voluntary submission and contrition (Rev 3:20). This is the thing that God desires most from us: The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. (Ps 51:17 NLT)

Or, in Isaiah: Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool; what is the house that you would build for Me, and what is the place of My rest? All these things My hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. (Isaiah 66:1-2 ESV)

Thank You Lord for Your Word. It is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path so that we can seek You and find You. Lord, teach us how to be like the psalmist, submitting our hearts to You so You can find a welcoming place within us to rest. Lead us in all Your ways – continue to transform us and empower us – so that through our words and deeds we can glorify Your Name in greater ways each day. Amen

Ten Days of Awe Begins Tomorrow

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Revelation 20:12 I [also] saw the dead, great and small; they stood before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is [the Book] of Life. And the dead were judged (sentenced) by what they had done [their whole way of feeling and acting, their aims and endeavors] in accordance with what was recorded in the books. AMPC

Imagine the day when you will stand before Jesus and every word – thought, every action – taken, and every core motive that is the driving force behind every action – will be brought out in the open to be reviewed. Standing there will be Jesus and His holy angels. You will watch – as the One Who Loves you – clearly seeing how your sins hurt Him and the angels entrusted with your care. Wouldn’t you want the opportunity to erase that record of offenses before that great and terrible day?

Tomorrow begins what is known as the Ten Days of Awe. It is a time your loving Savior has provided to seek forgiveness, and restoration of all relationships. It is a time to make preparation in anticipation of the arrival of Jesus – when He will tabernacle among us. Could it be this experience was what they were trying to alleviate?

Lamentations 3:40 Let us test and examine our ways, and let us return to the Lord! AMPC

Psalm 139:23-24 Search me [thoroughly], O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there is any wicked or hurtful way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. AMPC

Scripture records that when we seek forgiveness He will forgive and wash us clean:

1 John 1:9 If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sins, He is faithful and just (true to His own nature and promises) and will forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us from all unrighteousness [everything not in conformity to His will in purpose, thought, and action]. AMPC

Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. AMPC

Jesus’ Blood cleanses us from all sin. Yet, like any relationship in which you have hurt or offended another, you seek forgiveness to bring restoration to the friendship and relationship.

The Ten Days of Awe give you an opportunity to take account of your ways, seek forgiveness, and restoration to prepare for your soon and coming King. Take time, beginning tomorrow morning – Sunday, September 25 – to draw nearer to Jesus. Take this time to seek Him with whole-hearted obedience, worship, and prayer.

Encouraging Words

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I trust everyone is doing well and adjusting to all the stay at home policies being encouraged by our government. As we are in lockdown (that’s how it feels) many of us are finding new ways of reaching out through a new tool called Zoom. Through it we’ve been able to gather together for prayer, and through internet streaming we are able to maintain a semblance of connection. Just recently I got off the internet doing a conference call through Zoom that enabled 5-6 people to join another 8 of us who were meeting to pray at the church. Since March 1 prayers have been released from 6:30-8:30 asking God to release a wedding of the Spirit and Word in our church, community, nation and the world. We have been calling on Heaven to invade our earth through Spirit sent revival and awakening. Lastly we have been beseeching God to release a sovereign move of His Spirit throughout the globe. Several passages of Scripture have come to the surface repeatedly:

2 Chronicles 7:13-14 If I shut up heaven so no rain falls, or if I command locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people,14 If My people, who are called by My name, shall humble themselves, pray, seek, crave, and require of necessity My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.

Isaiah 60:1-3 Arise [from the depression and prostration in which circumstances have kept you—rise to a new life]! Shine (be radiant with the glory of the Lord), for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! 2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and dense darkness [all] peoples, but the Lord shall arise upon you [O Jerusalem], and His glory shall be seen on you.3 And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

James 4:7-10 So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you.8 Come close to God and He will come close to you. [Recognize that you are] sinners, get your soiled hands clean; [realize that you have been disloyal] wavering individuals with divided interests, and purify your hearts [of your spiritual adultery].9 [As you draw near to God] be deeply penitent and grieve, even weep [over your disloyalty]. Let your laughter be turned to grief and your mirth to dejection andheartfelt shame [for your sins].10 Humble yourselves [feeling very insignificant] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up and make your lives significant].

Hosea 10:12-13 Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord, till He comes and rains righteousness on you.13 You have plowed wickedness; you have reaped iniquity. You have eaten the fruit of lies, because you trusted in your own way, in the multitude of your mighty men.

Hebrews 12:27 The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.

Recently Kristy received a word from the Lord that all the idols of America are being shaken, and that’s what we are seeing. As believers, those who truly cling to Jesus, we are finding out if we built our lives on idols of sand, or the Rock that can’t be moved.

Recently I received an email from a Christian organization out of Israel, Mike Evans, and I thought that I would share it with you:

Dear Robert,
God has given me a word that has shaken me to my knees. As I was working on this revelation that God put in my heart, I picked up an old Bible, and a handwritten note fell out. It was from a meeting I had with Dr. David Wilkerson at the Embassy Suites near the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport on a Tuesday in 1986 when we were having breakfast. The letter he wrote was addressed to Rev. Richard Dortch, who ran PTL under Jim Bakker. It said, “Within 12 months from the date of this letter, the judgment of God will fall on PTL. You are fornicating with brick and stone. Flee now and repent. Bats will fly through the empty building.” It was exactly 12 months to the day that the Charlotte Observer broke the PTL scandal story. In that meeting in 1986, Dr. Wilkerson said something else to me: “I see a plague coming on the world, and the bars and churches and government will shut down. The plague will hit New York City and shake it like it has never been shaken. The plague is going to force prayerless Believers into radical prayer and into their Bibles, and repentance will be the cry from the man of God in the pulpit. And out of it will come a third Great Awakening that will sweep America and the world.”
Plan to join us in watching this amazing and prophetic message tomorrow at 6:00 PM (CST) on our Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/1094173014269685/
Your ambassador to Jerusalem,
Michael David Evans
Make an online donation here: https://giving.jerusalemprayerteam.org
Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by. See, the LORD is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed on it; the earth will conceal its slain no longer. —Isaiah 26:20-21

We are seeing the manifestation of this word as I write this. Over 70,000 believers are praying, fasting, and seeking God for a global awakening and revival. Please join them, and us, as we seek God – not simply for an end of this virus, but for the very Face of Jesus to manifest, calling people to repentance, and brokenness.

We love you and miss all of you. It will be a great day when we all can gather together and sing His praises. Remember again to check in on those who are shut in, the elderly, and those alone. Know that you are in our prayers as I trust that we are in yours. It’s time for all God’s people to awake and prepare. Heed the call to show up for the Last Day’s dress rehearsal, and turn to see Jesus.

About Face

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 Wednesday, October 2, 2019

Acts 3:19 So repent (change your mind and purpose); turn around and return [to God], that your sins may be erased (blotted out, wiped clean), that times of refreshing (of recovering from the effects of heat, of reviving with fresh air) may come from the presence of the Lord;

When a person sits still, crawls, walks or runs the action to move must first pass the command center of the brain. The brain initiates the action. The thought must be wedded to the will. The will being the fuel, or energy, to put into action the command of the brain. How I sit, crawl, walk or run will be determined by how I’m feeling. How I’m feeling will be expressed uniquely through my personality. Everything initiates in the mind and is expressed through all the others. What I have just described is the soul of man. The soul of man is separated from God and is at war even with itself. Paul describes that battle in Romans 7 in which he states that the things he wants to do he doesn’t do, and the things he doesn’t want to do he ends up doing. At the end of the chapter he exclaims: O unhappy and pitiable and wretched man that I am! Who will release and deliver me from [the shackles of] this body of death? O thank God! [He will!] through Jesus Christ (the Anointed One) our Lord! So then indeed I, of myself with the mind and heart, serve the Law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. Romans 7:24-25

It is only through Jesus that our soul can be brought to conformity to the Spirit of God. But that victorious life of victory can never be achieved until we submit to repenting. At face value repentance means, to turn around, or do an “about face,” but the true foundation of repentance is found in the changing of the mind. Without a change of mind all the other action never takes place. The real kick in the pants is that the problem is so much deeper than a change of mind. Until my spirit man comes to life I might want to change; my mind might initiate the command, but it has to pass through my will, emotions, and personality to become a reality. In fact we can all give testimony to times when our minds were willing to do stuff but we didn’t feel like doing it. The key to our repentance is found in Romans 3:19 when it states: change your mind and purpose. Until our purpose is addressed our minds will see no need for a change. Yet Romans 8:28-29 states our purpose: 

We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose. For those whom He foreknew [of whom He was aware and loved beforehand], He also destined from the beginning [foreordaining them] to be molded into the image of His Son [and share inwardly His likeness], that He might become the firstborn among many brethren.

Most claim the promise of verse 28 without asking the question, What is God’s Design and Purpose? The answer is found in verse 29: …He also destined from the beginning [foreordaining them] to be molded into the image of His Son [and share inwardly His likeness]. Another interesting detail that many ignore or fail to address is the statement: …for those who love God and are called…” Until we love God we will never hear. Because loving God is not mere sentiment but obedience. If I love Him I will do what He says. But I can love God, and hear, yet reject His call. I know, I’ve done it many times. Repentance helps us see that if I have done all of the above I will embrace God’s call to fulfill His design and purpose for my life to be a little Christ. No more excuses about being only human, but a change of thinking that declares that I have a responsibility. Responsibility is made up of two words, “response,” and “ability.” I have the ability to respond to the call to be a little Christ. Repentance states I have the power of the Anointed One. How do I know that? Because He was anointed with the Spirit to accomplish all that He did so that He could baptize me with the same anointing – empowering me to do what He did. The question is, Am I repenting? Am I receiving refreshing; recovering from the effects of sin; being revived with fresh air of His Spirit? Am I repenting coming into the presence of the Lord? If our minds are being transformed, conformed to the Spirit and the Word, then I am taking on the Mind of Christ, the thinking of Jesus. If Im thinking the thoughts of Jesus then I’m modeling what He did, and what He does. That’s repenting. It’s not a stagnant thing. It’s not a thing of the past – one time and then you’re done. No, it’s a steady ascent up the Mountain of the Lord, a narrow, harrowing path with even narrower ledges. But we serve the One Who has made the Way and is the Way to the Top.

How’s your entree’? Wash that meat down with a pure drink from the Fountain of Living Waters. Let it bubble up inside of you and aid in your digestion. Both will provide strength for the ascent.

Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?

/in /by

There was an old song from the band Chicago Transit Authority back in 1969 titled, “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?” There’s a line in the lyrics that says: “People runnin’ everywhere, Don’t know where to go, Don’t know where I am, Can’t see past the next step, Don’t have time to think past the last mile, Have no time to look around, Just run around, run around and think why”

I bet if people from 1969 were to visit our world that they would think our life is a blur in comparison. Which begs the question, “Do you have time to know what time it is?” According to God – that is?

The Jewish new year began at sundown, Sunday night and went through sundown Tuesday night. Thus today marks a countdown in what the Jewish people called the “Days of Awe.” You may be tempted to ask, “What business does a Christian have with things that are Jewish?” Do you mean other than Jesus, the 12 Disciples, and the Bible? Obviously there are a whole lot of things we are already doing “business” with. Yet there is still one more thing that many Christians ignore because, mistakenly, they believe that it was done away with the Law. What in particular am I referring to? Why I am referring to God’s Calendar. God’s calendar is portrayed in His holy days. The holy days being Passover, Pentecost, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Hanukah.

IN the beginning God created time and you can rest assured that He intended that events on earth should reflect heavenly realities. The Apostle Paul stated that the events that God put on the Jewish calendar were to be to us as a tutor (Gal. 3:24). In fact he stated that they were a “shadow” of things that were to come or occur (Col. 2:16-17). In Lev. 23:2 God calls the feasts of Israel, His calendared items, His “appointed times.”

From today through sundown September 18 the Jewish people observe a time of fasting, confession of sin, and repentance. Thus you have ten days of seeking God through recognizing your sins, asking for forgiveness and grace to repent. It was more than a New Year’s resolution. It was to be a complete life change.

As I arose early this morning to pray and seek the Lord I pondered why there were 10 days. I wondered how many objects were used to worship God in the Tabernacle and I realized if you count the door (there was only one way in and out of the Tabernacle) that there were only 7. Wanting to ignore the obvious I kept hoping there was something that seemed deeper, but when it was all said and done I could only come up with the 10 Commandments. Then it hit me: “What if I took one commandment for each day, meditating on it, using it to prompt me in my confession?”

The first commandment is “You shall have no other gods before me.” That didn’t hit me that hard until the Spirit of God stirred up Jesus’ teaching on this matter. In Matt. 22:37-38 “And He replied to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (intellect). This is the great (most important, principal) and first commandment.” When I lined my life up against that passage I realized I did have other “gods.” They were things that I loved more than God. Things I had given my whole heart, soul and mind to. Even as I type this I realize that there are some more sins I need to confess. Because even when something is good, like loving my wife or children, I can place them above God. I’ve had times in my life where I loved the martial arts, exercise, scuba diving, and entertainment more than I did God. Also when you think about it, “what is a god?” A god can be anything I place or put my trust in. In fact a god can be anything I serve. What we serve and trust above God, is a god.

God give us these calendared reminders because He knows we all have a tendency to drift off course, especially when our center isn’t His Word and Spirit but our selves. So I wanted to take this time to invite you to join me in seeking God, making an appointment to get on His calendar. Who knows what might happen. Jesus was born according to God’s calendar, crucified according to God’s calendar, raised from the dead on God’s calendar, and His Spirit was poured out on God’s calendar. Guess what else? He’s coming back on God’s calendar. Get on God’s calendar and possibly while you are participating Jesus will show up and you will experience Him in ways you never imagined.