Words are My Friends

Permit me the luxury of sharing some thoughts about “words” without a single, Scriptural reference but which thoughts are totally based on the Scriptures.

The spoken word, persisted in, carries a creative power—an attribute of God.

Our words call into being that which now abides in the invisible world.  Mind you, this goes beyond “thoughtless” words so much so that we need to become master “word practitioners”, framing every situation with our words.

In “calling” things into the visible world from the invisible, it is not a matter of “straining”, but gentle, persistent believing and speaking.

Words become the instruments of our believing.  In fact, it appears that “believing” apart from words is impossible.

I believe God is pleased with our “large believing” and “large asking”.

We need to be friends with our words, using them most judiciously.

Note:  The way I have put some of these thoughts together may be original with me, but their origins  stem from several authors and principally, the Scriptures.  Use them as a spring board for your own thinking and speaking.

It's Kingdom Building Time--Part V (God Calls and Prepares at the Same Time)

A Dungeon Becomes an “Ante” Room to the Throne Room.  Keep in mind God allows no experience yielded to Him in obedience to be unprofitable (See Romans 8:28), as in Old Testament Joseph’s experience.  He had a dream of ruling and reigning, the legitimacy of which was acknowledged by his father, Jacob, in presenting Joseph with a coat of many colors (signifying royalty).  Because this dream involved his brothers bowing down to him, his sharing of it with them stirred them to anger and jealousy.  So intense were these emotions they would have killed him, but for the providential passing by of a caravan bound for Egypt to which his brothers sold him as a slave.  (Isn't it ironic Joseph was clad in his many-colored coat when they betrayed him.  Oh, yes, they stripped him of that coat almost as if to say, "Now let's see what becomes of your royal dream.") 

In Egypt, because God’s favor was upon him, Joseph soon became head of Potiphar’s household.  When Joseph had learned all he could in that household, the Heavenly Father arranged for him to have advanced training in Pharaoh’s dungeon.  Actually, Joseph was betrayed again, this time by Potiphar's wife accusing him of an act of which he was completely innocent.  No matter.

God’s favor which had been upon Joseph in Potiphar’s household, attended him in the dungeon with the result he soon had authority over all the inmates.  This meant the very enemies of Pharaoh, highly placed persons in the Egyptian court, were now persons over whom Joseph exercised authority.

To the natural eye it would appear "all the parts” were in place.  Joseph had superb mastery of the Egyptian language along with its customs and his administrative skills had been sharply honed.  But the time was not yet.  Two more years elapse before a realistic expectation of release might occur.  Then one day, almost suddenly, there came a call for him to present himself in Pharaoh’s throne room.  As a result of the interview that followed, which involved some dream interpretation, and some suggestion about requirements needed in a person to carry out implementation of the dream, Joseph became “Prime Minister”, 2^nd only to Pharaoh, of the most powerful nation on earth. 

In time, his brothers would bow before him, just as Joseph had seen in his dream.  God’s destiny for Joseph played itself out and because the his character had been thoroughly dealt with, he could say to his brothers at a point of reconciliation, “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive” (Genesis 50:20).

Training will be commensurate with the “job description” God has for you—willingness to submit to that training will be determine where the Heavenly Father “plugs you in”.

It's Kingdom Building Time--Part IV (God's Talent Search)

I began this series saying “It’s Kingdom Building Time” and conclude it with “God is looking for talent” He can press into service to enlarge and speed completion of His kingdom—“For the eyes of the Lord run to and from throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him” (II Chronicles 16:9a).  This verse is written in what is called the “present active” tense meaning He is still searching for persons who will make themselves available to Him for life’s highest service.  In submitting to such a “call”, persons actually fulfill the purpose for which they were created.  In the prophet Jeremiah’s case, this call was “issued” while he was still in his mother’s womb (Jeremiah 1:5).  And inasmuch as “. . .God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34b), there is probably a great many who have been “called” of God from the womb.

Isaiah’s “call” was of a different sort.  First, he had a vision of the Lord. . .”sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple” (Isaiah 6:1).  Then he experienced being “undone” because he was a man of unclean lips dwelling in the midst of a people of unclean lips (see Isaiah 6:5).  Next came his purging by an angel applying a live coal from the heavenly altar and touched Isaiah’s mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged (atoned for)” (Isaiah 6:7).

Immediately after this life-changing, purging exercise, Isaiah heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us? Then I said, ‘Here am I!  Send me” (Isaiah 6:8).  And it was done.

For Moses his “call” formally began with his turning aside to see a burning bush which was not consumed.

Samuel was placed into the Lord’s service by a mother who was desperate to have a child and agreed to present this man-child unto the Lord were the Lord to be gracious to give her such a son.  He would usher in the monarchy.

While attending sheep David was anointed by Samuel, ultimately, to be king over Israel and become the prototype of the Eternal King, even Jesus.

The “calls” of God as related in the Scriptures are many and varied and none more simple than that of Jesus calling the disciples saying, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19).

These persons responded positively to God’s “call”, what of those who don’t?  or, more precisely what happens when persons refuse their “call”?  Hear the plaintive cry of the Lord in Ezekiel’s mouth, “So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.  Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads,” ‘says the Lord God’ (Ezekiel  22:30).  In a word the consequence is destruction.

But lest anyone should think God’s “call” is optional hear these ominous words also from Ezekiel.  Though specifically given to Ezekiel this exhortation speaks as a challenge to all “witnesses”:  “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from me:  When I say to the wicked ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand”(Ezekiel 3:17,18).  Will you heed the “call”?

It's Kingdom Building Time--Part III (Beware Disqualification!)

In the previous segment (II) I spoke of “bits and pieces” of rebellion that have to be “worked out” of our nature and character.  Serious consequence can derive if we do not permit God to have His way with us in this process.  “Exhibit A” of this process is Old Testament Jacob.  Though he had had his rounds with his Uncle Laban, deceitfulness matched against deceitfulness, Jacob had actually met all his financial obligations to Laban and then some.  He leaves Laban and heads back to Canaan, to face his brother, Esau.

Subterfuge had been so much a part of Jacob to this point and was much on display in the strategy he employed in sending ahead his family and all his possessions, with appropriate and extravagant gifts, to assuage Esau’s probable anger, so Jacob imagined.  Meanwhile, Jacob remains behind and begins a “wrestling match” for the ages (Genesis  32:22-28). There had never been a wrestling match like this before and never would there be another one quite like it until his grandson (to the umpteenth power), Jesus, wrestled in the garden.

What was at stake in this wrestling match?  Jacob’s character, his nature, the future of his family and the nation that will soon bear his name and, dare it be said, ultimately the future of the entire world!  One slip and all would be lost.  How much Jacob understood beyond the fact that if God did not have mercy upon Him, Esau would destroy him—one does not know?  And is that not the way such titanic struggles frequently happen—the participants do not realize the stakes involved?  Yes, Jacob could have been disqualified had he not pursued the “wrestling match” to its conclusion.

Consider Judas in his betrayal of Jesus, positioned to be a founding Apostle of the Church and yet disqualifying himself for a mere 30 pieces of silver. 

With full awareness of betrayal by Demas concerning whom Paul said, “has forsaken me, having loved the present world. . .”(II Timothy 4:10) and other covenant people over 1500 years, Paul said, “. . . I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (I Corinthians 9:27).  Much later the great reformer, Martin Luther, said in a hymn, “Leave no unguarded place, no weakness of the soul”.  The Bible, secular history and the contemporary scene all furnish illustrations of persons who in “one moment” cast away something very precious, and disqualify themselves.

In speaking of “disqualification” I’m not speaking necessarily of a person’s losing his/her salvation, I’m talking about “victory”, “abundance of life” (John 10:10), and “ruling and reigning” in this life.  The disqualification can come at the point of falling short of a God-designed goal and then repentance enters in—but then, again?

So let us suffer to be so trained that all the Heavenly Father has to do is “lift His eyebrow” and we catch the signal.  If this were needful for Jesus who said, “I always do those things that please Him [the  Father]” (John 8:29b), how much more needful for us.

A critical part of this training process is being accountable to someone, possibly in a same-sex, small group where we can “Confess [our] trespasses [faults] to one another, and pray for one another, that [we] may be healed” (James 5:16).  God wants to take us from victory to victory and the sweetest part of that victory is the one over self--this knocks "disqualification" in the head.

It's Kingdom Building Time--Part II (Tests)

Knowing that God uses all things for His honor,  glory and our good (see Romans 8:28, Part I), sets the individual free from looking for a “problem-free” relationship with God to a “problem-solving” relationship (gosh! That sounds secular).  Problems must come (I Peter 4:12).  Initially they come as we struggle to get free from those things that bound us before we came to Christ.  We start with the gross, outwardly visible things and work our way inward to those sins of the spirit which are so much more deeply entrenched, ultimately dealing with generational curses and such like.  In my case the death of our first born son led me through some troublesome waters of near rebellion.  But it was absolutely critical I learn to get through this with thanksgiving (see I Thessalonians 5:18, also the little book, Prison to Praise by Merlin Carothers was enormously helpful) because in the years since I preached 393 funerals teaching people how to trust God through their grief.

Paul “jumps on” this theme in beginning his 2^nd letter to the Church at Corinth:  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”  Then he continues, “Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer.  Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation” (II Corinthians 1:3&4, 6&7).

Bishop Presents a Tough Test

A much more severe test, for both my wife and I, came when the Bishop (of The United Methodist Church) asked us to leave a church where we had served for 8 years and did not want to leave and where 90% of the people did not want us to leave, but the local Medical Doctor did (he neither attended nor was a member of the church we served).  We thought this request unjust and allowed rebellion to mount up in us big time!  God was about to teach us about “authority”.

It took a broken leg (as a shepherd might break the leg of a lamb with tendencies to roam and then carry it over his shoulders until the leg heals) to bring me to my senses, to see that in rebelling against the Bishop I was rebelling against God.  (For non-Methodists reading this, a bishop is totally within his rights to appoint a pastor wherever and whenever he pleases, that’s the system and I had agreed to it.)  Few lessons have been more powerful and instructive for me.  But it only became so as I repented toward God and the Bishop, asked forgiveness all the way round, and yielded to the Bishop’s request.

The repentance toward the Bishop was not a “convenient thing”, something to get back into his good graces but from the depth of my being.  Accordingly, my wife and I prepared for the worst consequence in terms of where the Bishop might appoint us at the end of our 9^th year.  In my contrition, I had written the Bishop and along with my sincere apologies, sent a copy of Watchman Nee’s book, Spiritual Authority as the basis for my repentance.  So, what happened?  The Bishop moved us from the “hinterlands”, serving two churches, to a county-seat church of 800 members where we were able to serve effectively for 9 years.  It proved to be a very good move for us.  Next, “Beware of Disqualification”—Part III.

It's Kingdom Building Time -- Part I

 
Are not things astir in the spirit realm?  If so, and I believe so, rightly discerning the (spiritual) seasons has always been critical and Jesus castigated the spiritual leaders of His day for their inability to do so (see Matthew 16:3).  Things are not just now beginning to stir, it’s just that agitation (in the spirit realm) is becoming so intense that even the least sensitive are asking, “What’s up?”  Now we need the same spirit that was upon the sons of Issachar (“who understood the times and knew what Israel should do. . .” (I Chronicles 12:321) to arise.

Let me share with you my sense “of the times”, in a word, it’s kingdom building time.  This is in contrast to view that says, “It’s time for the Lord to come—at any moment—and take us out of the present mess.”  Working against this sense of the Lord’s imminent return are four principles:  (1) there must be the “restoration of all things” (Acts 3:21); (2) a way must be prepared for the coming of the Lord, even as John was a forerunner to prepare the way for the 1^st coming of the Lord (Malachi 4:4-6); (3) a “Bride” (for the Lord) must be prepared who is “without spot or wrinkle” (Ephesians 5:27); and (4) the “Gospel of the Kingdom” (Matthew 24:14), as distinguished from the “Gospel of Salvation”, must be preached to all nations—including America.  If this view is correct then let’s “get it on” with kingdom building.

This “kingdom” must be built with “kingdom people”, not just people who are “born again”, “saved”, “converted” or have a “Biblical world view”.  Of this kingdom Jesus is the king and we are to be His co-regents (II Timothy 2:12, Revelation 5:10).  We are to be re-made in His image (Romans 8:29), possessing His character, “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises:  that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (II Peter 1:4).

Believe it or not Jesus was trained for the throne He now occupies, “. . . though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by things which He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8).  Jesus became “qualified” for His position, even as one might “qualify” for a home or auto loan.  Similarly, we must become qualified for a “sonship” position.  Perhaps it would be helpful to use the imagery of a “prince” being trained for a “throne”.  In fact, the Bible relates that Jesus Christ “. . . has made us kings and priests unto God and His Father” (Revelation 2:6).

With “sonship” in view the church immediately needs to shift its focus from “getting saved” to “being trained”.  Adopting this perspective, understanding of life immediately moves to another level.  With Romans 8:28 as an initial guide, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” we begin to embrace experiences previously rejected.  This does not say everything that happens is good, quite the contrary, but God can use everything that happens to us for our good and His glory—even to the point of making the wrath of man to praise Him (Psalm 76:10).  In the next segment—“Tests Await Us”.

Is a Great Awakening on the Way?

 

Evangelical Christians with a Biblical world view (redundancy run amok) have long found prayer material for revival in the Old Testament book of the Bible, Malachi 4:5 & 6:  “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.  And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.”

But such “prayer warriors” have about grown weary waiting for the Spirit of Elijah to fall upon the whole of Christendom all the while seeing the Church, particularly in America, becoming increasingly more irrelevant.  So any hint of God’s moving in a special way anywhere on the globe heartens such prayer warriors.  A number of such “hints” are contained in Jonathan Bernis’ book, A Rabbi Looks at the Last Days, telling how God has been bringing Jews to a place of repentance and acceptance of Jesus as their Messiah—all over the globe.  Good news indeed.

Now on April 18, 2015, Sid Roth, Messianic Jewish Evangelist, tells of an absolutely electrifying event in Jerusalem where 650 Jews were gathered for a “lecture on the supernatural”.  After he started speaking, according to his “Outreach in Jerusalem Report”, “. . . so many Jewish people raised their hands to say they were healed that I couldn’t count them all.  But the best part is this:  after I presented the Gospel, 98% of the 650 unsaved Jews stood to make a profession of faith in Jesus as Messiah!”  (Emphasis his.)

Using Mr. Roth’s figures, 637 Jews made a profession of faith in Jesus as Messiah—in Jerusalem, possibly the most significant such move there since Pentecost with the birth of the Church and the subsequent preaching of the Apostle Peter when 3,000 Jews made a profession of faith in Jesus as Messiah.  This is an event that cannot be dismissed.  This sort of thing just does not happen in Israel, let alone Jerusalem.  What can it possibly signal?  Let me suggest a possible relevant Scripture then I will speak of its implications for the Church.

The Scripture:  “You (the Lord) will arise and have compassion upon Zion (Israel), for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed time has come.  For her stones are dear to your servants, her very dust moves them to pity. . ..  For the Lord will rebuild Zion and appear in His glory.  So the name of the Lord will be declared in Zion and His praise in Jerusalem when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the Lord” (Psalm 102:13-14, 16, 21-22).

An implication for the Church.  As the Lord begins to move upon “natural” Israel, so will He begin to move upon “spiritual” Israel, the Church.  This has always been God’s order, “. . . to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (non-Jew)” (Biblical Book of the New Testament, Romans  1:16b).  Encouraged with such news the prayer warriors can resume their work with a high expectation that God will begin to work afresh in the Church, drawing her unto Himself, then loosing her in renewed fashion upon a world desperate for answers.  O believer, O prayer warrior, be encouraged.