for everything there is a season: flesh, scandal, season

Though it is Old Testament, over the last month I have repeatedly savored Ecclesiastes 3, and realized how well (precisely?) it ties in to the New Testament, God's wisdom and being led by the Holy Spirit:

"To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven:
A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted,
A time to kill and a time to heal, a time to break down and a time to build up,
A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
A time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
A time to get and a time to lose, a time to keep and a time to cast away,
A time to rend and a time to sew, a time to keep silence and a time to speak,
A time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace."
(Ecclesiaste 3: 1-8, Amplified)

(Note: the aim of this is to prick the thinking of followers of Jesus. This is not a how-to, nor is it an I've-got-the-answer work. Nor is it meant to be "I've got a revelation" stuff. Lord forbid. It is just some thinking out loud, based on my experiences and mistakes as a follower, measuring this with some verses, and hoping there's a nugget somewhere among the chaff.)


• Witnessing - it's not just for Christian Fleshers anymore

Let's think back to the times we've witnessed fo the Lord and despite our intentions on the Lord's behalf and our Scripture quoting, there was an awkwardness during and at the completion of our conversation with someone. We sensed this fly-in-the-ointment feeling as we witnessed, but we continued. The conversation did not result in their salvation, and ended essentially in a standstill with an indiscernably weird flavor hanging in the background. We were doing the Lord's work, but what is that twang I sense?

We walked away, let's be honest, torn: partially with a "silver lining" attitude (some kind of warm fuzzy that we'd witnessed for the Lord), and part of us wondering why the conversation didn't end more fruitfully.

It's clear how we commonly look at these situations, but can we take our blinders off for a minute and look at the fruit? After all, Jesus said we will be known by our fruit (Matthew 7).

The common cliches following a Follower's experience in a situation like this may include:

"their heart just wasn't ready"
"Satan is blinding them to the Truth"
"I sowed some seeds, and I pray the Lord will water them!"
(insert any other cliche you've ever heard or expressed here)

Honestly, frankly, haven't these phrases or their close cousins flowed from our mouths before? My devil's advocate questions to this are:

• why wasn't there more fruitful fruit from our interaction with them?

• how loosely do we sling around the term "sowing seeds"? (bear with me meat-eaters, just keep reading)

• was it really and truly 100% them and 0% us in that resulting awkwardness?


Jesus and witnessing:

Jesus talks about witnessing. Check it out in Luke 10. He talks about going into a town and seeking "a man of peace". He goes on to say that if a man of peace is there the Followers' peace will rest on the man. If not, the Followers' peace will return to the Followers.

Jesus then says that IF we are welcomed (caps mine) in that town we are to eat what is set before us, to heal the sick in the town and tell those in the town the Kingdom of God is at hand.

If we are NOT welcomed in the town, Jesus says to go into the streets and say, "'Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near."

Do we note Jesus' points about peace and welcome (or lack thereof) when witnessing? Are we to bullrush everyone we come across, turn some (most?) off to the Lord by our headstrong insistence despite their unwelcome demeanor and "sow seeds" come hell or high water, all in the name of Jesus?


Philip's witnessing:

Acts 8 gives a beautiful illustration of Philip witnessing and leading someone to Jesus. I don't think it a coincidence that God made sure in this illustration of witnessing that Phillip's encounter with this man was unequivocally led by the Holy Spirit.

"Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza" (v.26). Philip's taking this path was instructed by a messenger of the Lord. Philip had no intention of leaving Jerusalem to go toward Gaza. Yet he was prompted to do so. It wasn't something he just decided of his own doing.

Leading, part II. As Philip heads toward Gaza, he sees a man in a chariot. The Holy Spirit tells Philip "Go to that chariot and stay near it" (v.29). Again, God makes sure to note in this story, Philip is instructed by the Lord (in this case the Holy Spirit) to do something.

Isn't it interesting how the Lord shows the man's heart was ready? He had been to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was reading from Isaiah. After being led by an angel and the Holy Spirit on faith, Philip recognized he was in the right spot and there was a fertile heart, a man of peace, who welcomed Philip to share with him (v. 31, 34).

The illustration finishes with the man's conversion, baptism and a miracle (Phillip being beam-me-up-Scotty'd 20 miles away to another town (v. 34-40) as they came up out of the water at the man's baptism).

Let me share about my witnessing briefly if I could. When I'm about to go into a public place, I turn on what I refer to as the Holy Spirit radar. Before I go in I pray "Lord, if there is someone you wish me to talk to, make it clear. Make them stand out, Lord". I then go through the store, doing my business, but keeping the HS radar up: looking at the others in the store, seeing if the Spirit witnesses anything to my spirit about anyone or anything. Yes, even when I go to WalMart. :-)

Now, there's never a shortage of people at WalMart, and there's no way we can walk the aisles of that place and think everyone in there is a Follower (especially at Christmas when fights break out over toys, etc). This being true, and with my HS radar up and operable, the Lord has only had me talk to someone one time in a WalMart, and that was upon their approaching me. Nonetheless, I let the Lord know I'm ready to do his bidding if He so chooses.

I don't give this illustration to say I am a perfect witnesser, cause I'm not. I miss opportunities regularly, wrangling sometimes with the Lord's prompting for an extra confirmation, letting my own flesh (mind) think to the contrary, being preoccupied with some situation, etc. I simply mention it to affirm that even when open/eager to speak for the Lord He does not lead to an interaction always.

I don't doubt Him nor myself when nothing comes on the HS radar. It means the Lord didn't have anything to happen at that time.

The Lord knows every person's heart and their readiness about Him. We don't. It is not our charge nor our calling to impose our guesses about people's hearts, based on appearance or any other sense outside of the Holy Spirit, in a poke-it-with-a-stick or throw-enough-mud-up-against-the-wall kind of way.

That's not what Jesus teaches. It's also not the benchmark exampled to us in the Word.


Stephen's witness:

Let's look at another example of testifying about Jesus in Stephen. Begins at Acts 6:8 and goes through the end of Acts 7.

First, let's note, and God does it purposely so there will be no mistake. Five times in a very short timeframe, in Acts 6, the Lord makes sure we know Stephen had God's Spirit and Hand upon him.

"Brothers, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom." (v. 3)

"They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip..." (v. 5)

"Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. " (v. 8)

"These men began to argue with Stephen, but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke." (v. 9-10)

"All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel." (v. 15)

Pretty clear that Stephen is in tune with the Spirit.

What happens next? Stephen lights up the Sanhedrin. He calls their hearts out on the spot. Akins them to their forefathers who rejected Moses and refused to obey his message from the Lord (7:39). They turned their hearts to idols, and God turned away and gave them over to their idolatry (7:42).

But wait, Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, witnesses even further:

"You stubborn and stiff-necked people, still heathen and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you are always actively resisting the Holy Spirit! As your forefathers [were], so you [are and so you do]! Which of the prophets did your forefathers not persecute? And they slew those who proclaimed beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, Whom you now have betrayed and murdered--You who received the Law as it was ordained and set in order and delivered by angels, and [yet] you did not obey it!" (7:51-53, Amplified Bible)

Is this a warm, positive, peach-fuzz-Jesus testimony by Stephen, a man full of faith, grace and controlled by God's Holy Spirit (7:55)? No. It is not.

How on earth, some ask, could words like this come out of a Christian's mouth?

Ecclesiastes. There's a time to love and a time to hate. Jesus scathed the falsely religious, calling them pretenders, whitewashed tombs full of empty bones, and a brood of vipers. My opinion is Jesus hated this look-down-the-nose posture because "You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to." (Matt 23)

It is abundantly clear that Stephen is full of and led by the Spirit. Yet his testimony is not friendly, positive, loving and sweet Savior Jesus testimony. Why not? Ecclesiastes 3. In this instance, the Holy Spirit led Stephen that this was a time to tear, not a time to mend. It was a time to scatter, not a time to gather. A time to rend, not a time to sew.

Are we, then, to be a Dirty Harry type witness for Jesus in all circumstances? By no means, but honestly isn't the brunt (all?) of testifying for Jesus today extremely lopsided on the lovey, dovey, nice, cream-puff side of things?

We treat Christianity like it's a PR campaign for Jesus.

Let me not offend. Let me walk on eggshells. Let me be a nice person. In order to win someone to Jesus I must be a positive, warm person who attracts people to me. Then I'll be a "living witness" and can share Jesus with them when I've won their trust. (I heard a pastor recently say that being a living witness is "the only way to win souls to Jesus".) The Body is LARGELY lopsided that our testimony is to only and always be "God is love".

Explain then Stephen, full of and led by the Holy Spirit.

The admonition here is that we go before the Lord and be led by Him in life. Not doing our own thing. Not saying what we think is appropriate. Not saying what we think God wants us to say. Not saying what we think God is saying. Not blindly regurgitating Christian catch-phrases we've heard. Not going into a situation deadset toward one approach (love) or the other (rebuke).

The New Testament lines up beautifully with Ecclesiastes. Let's note Jude 22-23:

"be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear" (NIV)

This is awesome. Here's a paraphrase: With the doubters be merciful. Others need a strong word to be saved from the jaws of hell. With others, they need a mixture of mercy and fear.

God's ultimate goal is for mankind to come to Him. Some come by love and some come by fear. Just like Ecclesiastes says. There's an appropriate time to speak one way, and an appropriate time to speak another. People are different. God knows this, but how often do we as the Body use the SAME approach to everyone we speak with, whether it be witnessing, counseling or sharing?

Ecclesiastes says there is a Way for each situation. We shouldn't gather when it's time to scatter. We shouldn't scatter when it's time to gather.

How, then, can we know what the Way is for any given situation? Seek Him, and follow the lead of the Holy Spirit. Some situations allow time to ponder and seek the Lord. Some situations only allow a quick breath to think "Guide me, Lord." Whatever the case may be, seeking the Spirit's lead is the Way. It's what Philip did. It's what Stephen did.

Stephen's outcome was vastly different from Philip's...in an earthly sense. Yet it is clear that God's hand, His leading and His power permeated both situations. One led to a baptism and a miracle. The other led to a stoning and the death of a Spirit-anointed follower.

What a clear example that following the leading of the Spirit is NOT always going to result in positive, prosperous earthly results. Clearly, in both instances, the Lord did lead what transpired, and through both God was glorified mightily.


Distinguishing Stephen's witness from today's unreceptive unbelievers:

Some might compare Stephen's witness before the cunning Sanhedrin with the unwelcome scorn of an unbeliever whom we might engage today in the 21st century.

Let's look at Stephen's situation, versus Jesus saying "shake the dust off your feet if they don't welcome you". Is this a contradiction? Absolutely not.

In Stephen's situation, these people sought to hear him. They gave Stephen an audience. They inquired of him what was the nature of these charges brought against him. (Let's not confuse the fact they killed him with the fact that they welcomed him to speak.)

This is quite different from us in our own flesh randomly selecting someone to witness to, soon discovering they are unwelcome to discussing Jesus, then engaging in verbal banter with them anyway that goes nowhere and at best irritates them toward hearing the gospel.

There was never a welcoming by them for us to be heard. We invited ourselves, and perhaps forced our way further after getting an unwelcome vibe during the conversation.

How merciful God is and how conceited we are: Stephen was invited to testify and got killed. We are uninvited to testify and don't get killed. Anyway...

So, is calling this self-induced witnessing "sowing seeds" a cheap veil to excuse our not following the Lord's leading?

"Of course it's sowing seeds!" some would say, "there's that verse that says 'My Word will not return void'".

Glad you brought that up. Can we look at that verse?

"so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11, NIV)

Wow. If the Lord sends out His Word it will not return void. If HE sends it.

If I go shove His Word in the wrong place at the wrong time (not at the Lord's bidding), that's not the Lord sending out His Word, is it? No, it's not. That's me in my own Christian Flesh doing it.

If I go out and attempt to get in depth about Jesus with someone who isn't receptive, or to someone who the Spirit did not light up the radar to talk with, guess what? The Word can return void.

Thus the awkwardness and lack of fruit from witnessing conversations when I've done this. Red flag of the Lord going up in our spirit about what we're doing. And we keep talkin'?

I am really convicted right now. I think back to a girl I used to engage years ago in discussions about the Lord. We shared a class together, and I used to proactively engage her regularly. It was always civil, and those around us couldn't help but listen too. There was no chest beating back then, that I was doing any purposed work of the Lord in engaging her, but as I reflect back on that now in light of this study, I can see where I was missing the mark...yet thinking I was being a soldier of the Lord.


Aligned with God?

What it boils down to is this. Are we on the same page as God is? Is our witness and movement in sync with what He is doing? Or are we instead going out in the name of Jesus, doing our own witnessing, our own ministering, our own praying with others, etc.? I call this the Christian Flesh. Doing Christian things and Christian activities in the name of the Lord, but the truth is it is either: just Christian activity or busy-ness; unfruitful; lacks the impact, power or God's distinctive imprint on it, etc.

One of the saddest things about this is: folks are often blind to the fact their Christian acts are not of God. Blindness to this is rampant, and unfortunate. I'm nice in using the word unfortunate. Jesus warns very soberly and strongly about this (Matthew 7:21-23).

Let me give an example. Last spring I was in the beginning stages of an extremely difficult trial in my life. I was driving a several hour drive back home one day. I had the radio off and was just engaged in a combination of praying/thinking about the situation before the Lord. Doing some serious pondering. The situation was extremely difficult, but intercoursing with the Lord about it ministered to me. There was no quick fix to the situation. What was the Lord doing? Just listening, with compassion. He offered no Christian cliches, no Christian one-liners, no platitudes. The sense of His compassion was strong, though He just was listening.

Then my phone rang. It was the senior pastor of the fellowship I attended at the time. He said I'd been on his mind and wanted to call. Told him I was heading back from out of town, he invited me to come by and visit. So, upon getting back into town I did. Stopped by, went in, shared with him what was going on, and he offered his counsel.

His counsel grated against my spirit. I'm sure when I left he got a smile on his face and a "man, I'm glad I got to share with him and encourage him" thought going through his head.

What about me, the counselee? I left feeling worse about the situation than when I'd gone in to speak with him. It made me wish I had not stopped by. The Lord's ministering to me didn't stop the pain of the situation I was facing, but His ministering was putting salve on my wounds. The pastor's ministering agitated. It missed the mark of where I was about the situation.

Had the pastor been on the same page with the Holy Spirit, then his counsel would have been in line with the Spirit, and it thus would have ministered to me. I was getting ministry from the Spirit for three hours before I went in his office. That salve from the Lord screeched to a stop during my conversation with the pastor.

The Lord put me on his mind that afternoon. Yet per the outcome of our talking together, I believe he was to have lifted me up in prayer, not called me to swing by so he could offer his (not the Lord's) counsel. This is an extremely frequent occurrence, the Body acting in the Christian Flesh.

I was speaking with another Believer this week about a situation, and they blabbed out a verse of Scripture. (Hey, it's Scripture! Won't return void, right?)

The Scripture they stated grated against my spirit regarding the situation being faced. The good thing is, I have an open relationship with this believer, and took the liberty to say "So-n-so, that is NOT where I am with this." Again, a well-meaning, Jesus loving follower. But what they said, though scriptural, missed the mark.

Very important point here. The awareness of Followers living in the Christian Flesh is not something that has led to ill-will, judgment, etc. toward any brother or sister I've experienced it with, and it never should. The frequency of Christian Flesh is so pervasive, at least in my experience, if time was spent telling other believers that they are missing the mark, that would take up a surprising portion of conversation with other Followers.

Because of this, it is worth considering, even among the Body, we should use discretion in who we share what with. Jesus says "don't give what is sacred to the dogs". Though Followers' hearts mean well, and they love the Lord, if we get a consistent pattern that their advice to us is wrought with Christian Flesh, God grant us wisdom how much we share and counsel with these folks.

Thinking of the Christian Flesh, in the context of Matthew 7:21-23, gives me a new sense of conviction about Jesus saying "men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken" (Matthew 12:36). I have always associated the Matthew 12 verse only with "bad" words (?) or making fun of people. Might it go deeper than that? Is Christianese babble and self-composed counsel/advice/ministry/words NOT given by the Lord careless?

• The Great Scandal of Christianity - verse locking, scriptural cookie cutting

We've already touched on some of this above, in the "my Word won't return void" discussion. One of the extremely common vices within the Body (at least in America) is verse locking, or scriptural cookie cutting.

This happens when a Follower develops their view of something based on one Scripture or a group of Scriptures. On a small scale, this verse locking could show itself in how they react or minister to one particular circumstance in life. On a large scale, verse locking is so widespread it impacts a Follower's (or group of Followers') entire paradigm and view of Christianity. Impacts it by narrowing it down, to the point the Believer recluses into a small subset of verses and there sets up their Christian belief shop. And buddy, this often grows into a fortress instead than a shop.

Case in point: the Prosperity Gospel paradigm, the Love paradigm, the Dominion paradigm, the Name It Claim It paradigm, the Peace/Harmony paradigm, the Positive/PMA paradigm, the Turn The Other Cheek paradigm, the Blessing paradigm, the Family paradigm, etc... Can you think of others?

Followers who have established (limited?) their entire perspective of God and their faith around a restricted set of verses are verse locking at its highest level. This is a very powerful stronghold, because it is Scripture based.

Additionally, when you share openly (in the freedom of the Holy Spirit) about this not being the only way to look at God or Christianity, commonly their feet are concreted into the paradigm they embrace. They have found a comfort and security with looking at God and/or life this way, and that's the way it is because Scripture backs them up.

This is scriptual cookie cutting, folks. Taking a smorgasborg of the Word, then picking and choosing select verses to justify or defend a particular stance or position on life, on circumstances, on family, etc.

To not engage any of these paradigms doesn't translate to an unstable or varying walk with the Lord. Quite the opposite, it leads to a free, full relationship with the Lord.

If we're not locked into a paradigm or movement, we understand that sometimes God is/does A and sometimes He is/does B. We are open to Him working however He wants. We don't restrict Him nor limit Him to work in a certain acceptable way. If we stay open to all that God is, we are free.

"You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men." (1 Corinthians 7:23) Jesus paid a brutal and horrifying price for our freedom. Staying out of cliques/movements/paradigms, either within a local fellowship or within the Body, perpetuates our freedom in Jesus.

God has demonstrated flexibility through the ages. The first instance of this was resorting to Plan B regarding mankind when Adam & Eve messed up Plan A. The Lord is maleable in many ways, as should we be. Verse locking and scriptural cookie cutting have no place in the Body. Those who leave these enslaving traps behind become free--giving God the freedom to move as He wills. Our notions no longer limit Him.


• For Everything There IS a Season

God's variance is evident in His sharing with us the verses in Ecclesiastes. In these verses, God clearly shows He is not stagnant or repetitive. On the contrary, He is unpredictable.

This reminds me of an awesome story a brother shared with me some months ago. He faced a strong situation with another brother, one which had left gaps of sizable differences betwen them.

They had agreed to meet to discuss things. My friend told me he had pondered the situation over and over, and had a sense of his approach toward their meeting. He did his homework and was armed with a wealth of verses to show this other brother his stance. God based, Scripture based. The works.

So he goes before the Lord and lays out his Scripture-based blueprint for the meeting. What was the Lord's response to him?

"Yeah, I know you've prepared all that, but scrap it. Here's what I want you to do instead..." and surprises my brother with a totally different Way. He did follow the Way he was instead told, even though his blueprint was wrought with Scriptures and ready to go.

This is an awesome illustration of not putting God in a box. Of not walking a predetermined (yet scriptural) path. He could have rattled off the laundry list of verses with the other Follower. But what'd he do? He sought the Lord, and the Lord said "That's scriptural and all, but I instead want you to do this..."

When we codify God, through culture, through denomination, through man-made religion, through verse locking, and yes, through Scripture, we miss out on the unparalleled depth of God. His power, His heart, His Way. We're missing out on Who God is, and missing His Way in situations. It raises the frequency with which we operate in the Christian Flesh. Doing, saying, bequeathing our own notions of God to others.

We are made in His image. Are we soul-less, robot, monotonous beings? No. Nor is our Creator, but something interesting about Him: God since the New Testament is often a Gentleman. He commonly reveals Himself to the level of belief that people have in or about Him.

Does belief exist about Him and His power? He shows Himself in signs and miracles. Jesus epitomizes this in reminding us the kingdom belongs to those who are as children (Matthew 19), or in some translations those who "become like children".

Does unbelief exist regarding Him? He does not show Himself, or will show Himself much less (Matthew 13). Or, even yet, if belief be absent He will bring about what He wishes to bring about through His own choosing (Matthew 3). He truly is the Supreme Being. Nothing, no one compares to the Lord.

There is no mystery in Ecclesiastes, through which God makes two things clear: (1) life is going to vary, and (2) the Way to deal with these situations and circumstances may vary. God has a Way. Sometimes it's this, sometimes it's that. There is a time to hate and a time to love, etc.

• Ecclesiastes 3 and the leading of the Holy Spirit

So, we know from Ecclesiastes there is a Way. How do we know when to do which?

When do we love? When do we hate?
When do we rend? When do we sew?
When do we gather? When do we disperse?

In answering this question, one important thing to do is not to rely on our own wisdom, our own sense of things, our own knowledge--of life, of Scripture, of God. God wasn't kidding when He said "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55).

One temptation (laziness?) as Followers is the danger of putting our responses/actions into Christian automatic pilot mode. Even knowing the Lord we should not be in a mental rut, Scripture based or otherwise, in our actions or reactions.

We should also be aware of religion, denominationalism, verse locking, paradigms, culture, our flesh, lies from satan, or any other thing squelching or warping the Way. These can be very resistant strongholds, but all are breakable through the blood of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.

It would also be good to be willing to abandon self. If we are followers of Jesus, we have accepted the fact that He calls us to die to ourselves, or more literally, our soul. This is an ongoing process (otherwise He would not have said we are to die daily).

Read something today about dying completely to self:

"Jesus says, ' . . . I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don't want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down. . . . Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked--the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours'." (C.S. Lewis)

When we surrender to Jesus, He calls us to die to the innocent parts of ourselves as well as to the more glaring and sinful ones. Dying, fully and completely, opens the Way for the Lord to lead us--in anything, whether His leading of us be conventional or unconventional.

• learning to distinguish the voice of the Lord. One of the most intense hungers among Followers seems to be to learn the distinction of the Holy Spirit speaking. This post is long enough, and I have a bad habit of drifting among topics, but in this moment there's clarity to not go into a long deal on learning the voice of the Lord. I feel led to only hit the highlights, in one paragraph.

Luke 11:13. Continue to ask. Lock onto this request with tenacity and pursue the Spirit. John 14:26. The Spirit will teach and guide. Ask that His voice become raised, bold-lettered, neon-distinguishable above the thoughts of the flesh and the cunning suggestions from the devil. It's trial and error. Bear in mind there may be periods of tarrying, where the Lord is silent, or is not in as big a rush as us (Matthew 15). Tarry, and keep listening for Him.

The awesome thing is, as we are led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14) we will be in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:25), and our walk with the Lord will transform from a faith of words into a living demonstration of His power (1 Corinthians 2:4-5).

To God, friend.

© 2006, johnthree30

the subtle "innocence" of Prosperity/Dominion

in an online Christian forum recently, I saw this quote as a signature under a Follower's name:

"Petitionary prayer is the absolute, undying refusal to accept this world as it is. To believe that not only should it be changed, but it can be."

Honorable and godly, isn't it?

Pig's vomit.

Not only vomit, but God's rebuke on this Prosperity/Dominion bull-kimshi.

What this quote says:

• we know better what is to transpire than God does

• spit on Jesus' teaching "Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven"

• outright defiance and 180 degree opposite of Jesus' prayer before His arrest: "Father, if it be possible, take this bitter cup from me; yet, not my will but Your will be done."

• our will supercedes God's will

• our knowledge of how everything works together (circumstances, events, positions, roles, locations, order) trumps God's

• "My ways are not your ways, nor My thoughts your thoughts", says the Lord, "for My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts". This verse is void, and scrapped from the Bible.

• what entitlement do we have to dethrone the Father? what/where is the source of this entitlement? Really.

• this is pride and defiance direclty akin to satan's rebellion, but oh how much more subtle

• Jesus said if anyone would follow Him, the first requirement is denial of self: "if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow Me" (Luke 9)

• following Jesus means following, not leading

• Romans 8:14, "Those who tell the Holy Spirit what to do are God's sons". Is that what God says? No. "Those who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God."


Man, a flood of other verses floods the mind now:

• I have been crucified with Jesus and I no longer live but Jesus lives in me. The life I now live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Galatians 2). Hmmm. Doesn't say "the life I now live I live by faith in myself, who knows better than God what should happen".

• "I have called you out of the world" (John 15). Hmmm. This Dominion crap sounds like we're to tell God what we want to go on in the world.

• ""Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'"

Jesus says very plainly that those who do the Father's will are those who will enter heaven. He also very clearly says that those who live their own will in His name (what I call the "Christian Flesh") are going to be in for an extremely unpleasnt shock.

We must NOT be deceived, friends.

Don't claim to be a disciple (of Jesus) if what you're really doing is trying to be a dictator (to God).

ouch

I'm learning more and more, with much pain, what Jesus means by saying I must die in order to follow Him.

The last few days one part of one verse keeps coming back to mind. There is a verse somewhere (I'll look it up momentarily), which says "why not rather be wronged?"

Okay, it's in 1 Corinthians 6.

The context is instruction to the folks in Corinth because of disputes arising among Followers. They are scolded because they are filing lawsuits against each other, which leads to their having matters decided by judges who are not Followers.

They are slammed for what they're doing, and told that even the "men of little account in the church" are qualified to judge their matters. "Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and this to your brothers" is how this passage ends. They get totally railed for what they're doing.

Anyway...

That verse has been coming to me for the last few days, and it is amazing to ponder.

It doesn't say "Why not be wronged?" It says "Why not rather be wronged?"

To me, there is a huge difference with the distinction of that one word: rather.

These Followers are told "Why not PREFER to be wronged?" It's not being emphasized that they are being done wrong, but that they should prefer to be wronged.

Looked up synonyms for the word "rather" when used as an adverb. "by preference, by choice, willingly"

This stuns me, thinking about it.

Prefer to be wronged.

How much is this taught in the American Body in the 21st century? Would we hear this in even one pulpit in the U.S.?

I think back to several situations I've caught wind of among Followers in the past few months. I've heard many been told "hold your ground" and "stand up for the Truth". I've yet to hear anyone say "Prefer to be wronged."

My mind is racing a mile a minute now.

What would propel the Lord to instruct us to turn the other cheek when wronged?

Why?

• what is the reason for this?

• why this radical change from the Old Testament way (when the people of God went proactively and aggressively after the ungodly)?

• is this somehow tied to the "My power is made perfect in weakness" verse?

Let's look at that section:

""My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12)

Man, there it is again. I DELIGHT in insults. I DELIGHT in hardships. I DELIGHT in persecutions. I DELIGHT in difficulties.

There are parallels here to things worth pondering:

• Jesus' beating and death

• "'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the LORD. 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.'" (Isaiah 55)

• "there's a time to speak and a time to be silent" (Ecclesiastes 3)

• Jesus' silence at the end (Isaiah 53, John 19)

There are more, but that's all I've thought of here shortly.

Remember the Phillippians 3 blog from a couple of weeks ago. If we pray or commit to dying to self, be prepared for what's going to happen (hint: it ain't the kind of life being preached on tv or in a lot of pulpits these days).

on a roll

got another nugget from a blog:

"Jesus taught us to pray, 'Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.' Would He really expect me to pray that way and not expect me to live that way?"

hiding and finding

I was at a birthday party this evening with my four year old daughter. There were several other girls at the party within a few years of her age, and they were enjoying playing with each other.

At one point in the evening, I started counting to ten and the whole clan would giggle and go hide. Of course they can't hide very well at that age, but it doesn't really matter. The girls thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and I enjoyed being able to rustle a few giggles for awhile.

Something during in the course of hide-n-go-seek really stuck with me.

During one of the times I was 'seeking', my daughter and one of the other girls were hiding behind a blanket in a closet. (Of course I heard them giggling and talking before opening the closet door.) I opened the door and said "Nope, no one in here!" and walked away.

I went and hid in another room myself, thinking they would come out of their hiding place eventually and try and find me. After a couple of minutes they hadn't come looking, so I went back to the closet where they were. I opened the door, peeked in and again said "Nope, no one in the closet!"

I wanted to let them think they had really hid well, so well that they had fooled me twice.

I smirked as I started to walk out of the room, thinking about this, when I heard a sound that caught my attention.

I turned around, and my daughter had come out of the closet, crying and upset.

I went over to her, bent down and just waited for her to speak. I knew she would tell me what was on her mind, I didn't have to say or ask anything.

What she said once she composed herself enough to talk floored me. Through her tears she said "I wanted you to find me, Daddy."

I couldn't help but parallel this to us and God.

I think to the times in my life when I've thought I am hiding from God in sin. I have this 'free will' to sin (hide) and I didn't seem to get found or caught. Wow, did God not see me hiding from Him? I fooled and snuck by Him in my sin.

So I keep on, enjoying the world and its pleasures, and here comes God, again. He misses me again, I think.

The what happens? Does the bliss of sin perpetuate?

For awhile I may think so, but over time it brings an unfulfilling emptiness. It never completes. Superficially it's enjoyed at the time, sure, but it does not last.

So just as my daughter hid from me, and initially was thrilled at sneaking me, in the end she wanted me to find her and be with her.


No matter how much surface satisfaction and enjoyment in this world we derive from sin (and we may actually sense this, for a period of time), eventually it fades. And if we walk in sin, Follower or not, we end up craving for something beyond the rotten lie of the world we've lived and believed.

And then we cry.

We may or may not understand our crying. Whether we come to our senses about our sin or not, our souls are saying "I want You to find me, Daddy." What a ripe time to come to Jesus, yet we don't always. I think back to the many, many times in my life when this opportunity for reckoning presented itself.

There are reasons why we wouldn't come to terms with God at this ripe time to come to Him. Two that come to mind are: we don't understand ourselves or what's going on. This happens before the Holy Spirit brings the knowledge of sin into our lives. Or, in cases like my life where the Spirit has clearly given knowledge of sin, we simply won't come to the Cross. It's either fall back into the same sin or find another one to hide in.

This brings to mind a flow of other thoughts for their other:

• the notion (lie) we can hide from God

• the bondage in our freedom

Holy Spirit, fall on us. Hard. Pierce through the scales over our eyes. Let us see our sin for what it is. Let us see the opportunity for reckoning with Father that is before us. Only through You, Holy Spirit, can be found the power to overcome our habits and our bondages. Come, Holy Spirit, break through, so that we can be broken. In Jesus' name, amen.

Control

A close friend of mine pricked my thinking in one of his recent blogs. In it he said:

"If I control my world, if I take charge, I don’t really leave room for heaven to fill in the space I left empty."

That led my mind to a very sobering thought:

Whatever in my life I am controlling, God is not.

Brings to mind a flood of verses, but that's later. I'm just gonna read it again and soak in the conviction (and the encouragement from the conviction).

Parable of the Twins

I came across the following ten years ago. It was hanging in the cube of a lady who was, to my surprise, agnostic. She wasn't even a Follower. I came across it again this past week, in the process of moving some boxes.

There's no impetus to discuss creation/evolution on this blog. The physical release from forgiveness, the freedom from various bondages, seeing a leg grow before my very eyes, seeing a hand burned black from a kitchen accident healed immediately. I have seen, witnessed and experienced the power of the Creator's Hand time and time and time again.

So, I'm posting this for someone else's use, who's never seen this. There is so much more to the Kingdom than this, but enjoy.


The Parable of the Twins

Once upon a time, twin boys were conceived in the same womb. Weeks passed and the twins developed. As their awareness grew, they laughed for joy: "Isn't it great that we were conceived? Isn't it great to be alive?"

Together, the twins explored their world. When they found their mother's cord that gave them life they sang for joy: "How great is this love, that she shares her own life with us!"

As weeks stretched into months, the twins noticed how much each was changing. "What does it mean?" asked the one. "It means that our stay in this world is drawing to an end," said the other. "But I don't want to go," said the other one. "I want to stay here always." "We have no choice," said the other. "But maybe there is life after birth!" "But how can there be?" responded the one. "We will shed our life cord, and how is life possible without it? Besides, we have seen evidence that others were here before us, and none of them have returned to tell us that there is a life after birth. No, this is the end."

And so the one fell into deep despair, saying: "If conception ends in birth, what is the purpose of life in the womb? It's meaningless! Maybe there is no mother after all?" "But there has to be," protested the other. "How else did we get here? How do we remain alive?"

"Have you ever seen our mother?" said the one. "Maybe she lives only in our minds. Maybe we made her up, because the idea made us feel good?"

And so the last days in the womb were filled with deep questioning and fear. Finally, the moment of birth arrived.

When the twins had passed from their world, they opened their eyes. They cried. For what they saw, exceeded their fondest dreams.

aspirers to Phillippians 3:10-11 beware

"[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [[b]which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death" (Philippians 3:10-11, Amplified Bible)

"I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead." (Philippians 3:10-11, NIV)

It doesn't seem that this is the aspiration or prayer of many followers of Jesus these days. "I want to know...the fellowship in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death."

Hmmm.

Not too many of us in that boat. And even fewer actually seeking or desiring that boat, it seems in terms of American believers. So much seems to be about blessing, blessing, blessing in today's American Body.

As I've often said, I am not and do not take anything away from those whose lives are blessed of the Lord. It's just the common deceit that human blessing, worldly blessing, financial blessing is THE goal, or one of the preeminent goals, of the Christian faith.

Contrast the blessing approach with these verses from Philippians 3. I want to know Jesus, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, becoming like Him in death.

For those who want to grow in their faith, those who want to grow beyond the "well, I'm blessed, and I'm saved, and so that's all I'm concerned about in my Christian walk", be aware.

If you seek to become like Jesus as in Philippians, get ready. Or, if the Lord chooses you and says "Okay, I know you are comfortable with where you are with Me, but I am choosing you to move on to new levels of faith and growth in Me", be aware.

Aware of what? Be aware that life as you know it on earth is going to get rocked. Shaken. Uprooted. And quite possibly turned upside down from an earthly, human perspective.

Just as when you decided to follow Jesus, truly follow Him, there were some things that changed in your life. Same thing happens here. When you choose, or He chooses, for you to move onward and stronger in your faith, there are going to be some new changes. These changes will NOT correspond to comfort and ease from an earthly perspective.

What are you talking about, you may ask.

Let's step back in time and look at something.

Let's take a look at what Jesus says:

"If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow Me." (Luke 9:23)

"For whoever is bent on saving his [temporal] life [his comfort and security here] shall lose it [eternal life]; and whoever loses his life [his comfort and security here] for My sake shall find it [life everlasting]." (Matthew 16:25, Amplified)

Let's look at that a little more. In Jesus' day, death by crucifixion was the most painful death of that time. You suffocated to death. If you weren't dying fast enough they broke your legs, so that you wouldn't be able to push up off your feet to draw breaths easily. This quickened your death, and did so by suffocation.

Death by a cross was not a pretty thing. It was ugly. It was humiliating. It was painful. Very painful.

And yet Jesus said (paraphrased) 'if you want to follow Me, you must be willing to deny yourself, even be willing to die to your self. You must be willing to take up your cross. Yes, take up your cross. No, I didn't stutter. By taking up your cross daily you must be willing to die painfully in order to follow Me. And oh, by the way, if you are determined to save your earthly life, guess what? You're going to lose it. But if on the other hand you forsake (lose) your earthly life of comfort and security for My sake, you'll end up finding eternal life.'

This is the Gospel, folks. This is not teaching that tickles ears or gives warm fuzzies and human comfort. This is the foundation of choosing to follow Jesus.

Why is it difficult to digest this teaching today, in the 21st century? Because nowadays the cross is a beautiful piece of jewelry. The cross is something we sing a pretty little song about while thinking about how good that casserole is going to taste at the potluck lunch after the service is over.

In Jesus' day the cross meant death.

The meaning of the cross has been diluted by the world to where it no longer is seen for what it means: painful death.

To those who embrace the true meaning of the cross, that would be the equivalent today of wearing an electric chair around our necks. It's a symbol of death. "I have been crucified with Jesus, and I no longer live but rather Jesus lives in me" (Galatians 2:20)

Dying to self, dying to our flesh, dying to the comfort and attraction of a smooth and blessed life--ain't easy. It's not comfortable. It's not fun. It's not promised to be rosy life full of fluff. But it's what we're called to...if we wish to follow Jesus.

"but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." (1 Cor 1:23-24, NIV)

"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires." (Galatians 5:24)

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)

These verses are a clear, blunt statement that the life of following Jesus, striving to become more like Him, is not a life composed of earthly pleasures.

Jesus gave us a powerful, ultimate example of denying self.

He did not want to go to Calvary. He was willing to, and did, but He did not want to.

What did He tell God the Father? (paraphrased) "If there is any other way this can be done, ANY other way, then do it another way and let what's about to happen NOT be what must occur. Yet not my will, but Your will be done." (Matthew 26: 39-42)
How does this translate to our lives as followers of Jesus, and Philippians 3:10-11?

We're called to die to the flesh and simultaneously called to live according to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Our flesh wars against the Holy Spirit and the Spirit wars against the flesh.

And what's the reward for deciding to deny ourselves?

We'll be hated and despised. (Matthew 10:22, Luke 6:22) The passage in Luke goes on to say we will be excluded, insulted and rejected.

Have you been misunderstood? Welcome to being a follower of Jesus. Have your motives and actions been misinterpreted? Welcome to following Jesus. Have you been betrayed by someone close to you? Welcome to being a follower of Jesus. Have you been butchered by circumstances or people while standing for His Truth? Welcome to being a follower of Jesus.

Are you pouring out your life or heart and getting kicked in the teeth as a result? Welcome to what Jesus experienced when He walked the earth. He healed and performed jaw-dropping miracles for three plus years, and what thanks did He get? He was spat on, mocked, beaten beyond recognition (Isaiah 52:14) and killed.

If we hunger to become like Jesus (not for one or two hours on Sunday morning, but in our lives), we're going to be asked to die. Die to ourselves. Die to our flesh.

This taking place means pain. There is no comfortable, warm, blessed way to die to the flesh. The process of dying to self and becoming like Jesus separates us from our earthly flesh. This is the Gospel, and it is not a comfort-based process. Preaching or teaching otherwise is ear-tickling (2 Timothy 4:3).

This painful process can take place one of two ways. We can choose/seek/ask to become like Jesus, or we may be cruising along in our walk with Jesus and we get a wake-up call by Him, offering/asking us to become more like Him.

Jesus has considered you worthy to rise above the elementary salvation level of Christianity. Jesus thinks enough of you that He wants you to become a bigger man or woman of God than to just sit comfortably in an air conditioned, cushioned pew savoring your salvation.

All followers should aspire to become more like Jesus, as in the Philippians 3:10-11 verses. When earthly trials and rejection arise as as result of the growth necessary to become more like Him, don't be surprised.

one of my favorite poems

taking a break from the regular blog to recite one of my favorite all-time poems. We got several inches of powder snow overnight here in the Nashville area. It is absolutely gorgeous on the mountains, hills and woods in the area. Both last weekend and today it made me think of my favorite poem by Robert Frost:


Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farm house near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

-- Robert Frost

giving is giving, not getting

I have not watched Christian television in years, and I found out this week why.

I was channel surfing, and just for giggles decided to stop by for a second. What did I see?

A guy reading a laundry list of people who had sent in money. The attitude in reading the list was a "these people are awesome. These people have done the right thing. These people have heard God."

This train of thought carried over after the names were read off. The train of thought was: "those whose names are read off are the ones who can expect blessing from God" (for having contributed).

My first thought upon seeing this was thinking about the charge to Followers in the New Testament, and thinking about the nature and spirit of giving.

In the first chapter of James, we're told to look after orphans and widows. Period. There is no "and if you do you'll be recompensed by God for having done so" attached to it.

In Luke 17, Jesus presents a scenario to His disciples about a servant and a master. Jesus said the attitude of a servant should be: do what you're told to do and expect nothing. Again, do what you're told and expect nothing. Wow.

In Mark 6, Jesus said if you do your acts of righteousness before men there will be no reward from the Father.

He expounded on this, saying to give in secret and "when you give (to the needy), don't announce it with trumpets as the hypocrites do in church and on the street to be honored by men."

And further, "When you give, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

The emphasis here was on giving, and the way/manner/approach in which to give.

The Prosperity Gospel puts the emphasis backwards: "Do you want to be blessed? In order to do so, you'll need to give/sacrifice. Do you want to be in a better financial position? You can, but it requires you to contribute." The emphasis is on gain. The focus is on being or becoming blessed, and the manner by which to get to this goal of gain? Give.

In other words, if you want to gain you must give. The goal of giving is to get. The focus of the Prosperity Gospel, and what I saw on TV, was to gain, not to give.

Brothers and sisters, this is a stench. We may end up blessing the poor in the process, sure, but it is our hearts which will be judged and weighed, not our actions (Prov 21:2). If the purpose of our heart is GAIN even when our actions are giving...the Lord is not fooled, nor amused.

Jesus says giving is the goal. Giving is the end, not the means.

The Prosperity Gospel says giving is the means by which you reach the true goal: blessing and rewards in your earthly life, from God.

Jesus says (paraphrased) "Give, and do it unobtrusively. And oh, by the way, if you do then you'll be rewarded."

In Jesus' teaching the emphasis is giving, and the humility and secrecy in doing so. The fact we'll be rewarded by the Father for having given is a sidebar consequence, not the goal.

Along that same vein, of being rewarded by God for giving, Jesus didn't specify it would be a financial reward. There is heavy emphasis in the Prosperity movement that earthly financial reward is inexorably tied to the blessing to be expected from having given. You may be/become blessed otherwise too, but you can go ahead and salivate over what you can expect God to do financially for you...

I read recently that the Gospel is about divesting, not investing.

Jesus said to give. We are not to horde what we have, but give it away so that it multiplies. Not for our personal purposes or for our gain, but for the advancement of the Kingdom.

Read the parable about the person who was given one talent of money, went and buried it, then later returned to their master (Matthew 25, Luke 19). They were so proud of themself. Had a big smile on their face, saying "Look, Master! I didn't want to lose this, so I went and buried it. Here it is! I still have it, see?" What was the master's response? "You wicked, lazy servant. I desire a return with interest."

We are to take care of the poor, the orphans, the widows (James 1). In Acts we read of the early Followers selling their possessions and their things so that the poor could be sustained and helped. We are to abandon ourselves so that God's Kingdom will multiply.

There was no semblance of this Truth on TV. If there was any abandonment, the thought is "you'll only be abandoning your money temporarily, cause God will soon be blessing your socks off above what you gave."

This thought does follow the biblical truth of tithing and receiving back. But the gutcheck is on the motivation for giving. And let's be DEAD honest here. Have there not been times where we gave and there was a pondering/thought in our mind of 'wonder what God is going to do in return for me doing this". I used to give gladly, helping others, yet had that thought (curiously pondering the impending reward) quietly hovering in the background.

We need to examine ourselves, our hearts and our motivations very, very soberly.

Do we give publicly? Do we blow trumpets or make our giving known to man? Do we give for the purpose of man's recognition? Do we give with "oh boy, I'm going to get something in return for this" running through our mind? Are we motivated in our giving by what we hope or expect to get back? What do we secretly expect back? Money? A relationship?
Recognition?

A good barometer of this is based on what happens after giving. What if we give and there is no thanks in return? What if there is no reciprocation at all by who we give to?

There is no "me" in give, but a Prosperity enthusiast might say "there is an 'I' in give!"

All I'd say to that is, enjoy saying the cute quips now, cause down the road mouths and hearts like that will be too busy gnashing teeth to say anything else.

more prosperity/positive b.s.

Lord, do we ever stop to think how much You are shaking Your head at Your people? Are we really that blind to ourselves and our 'faith'? Holy Spirit, open our ears to hear how out of tune we are from the Truth.

Lord, help us understand the fine line between Your blessing and Your desire for us to grow and mature.

My perspective is influenced by the cross that I carry. There is such a foul taste in my mouth from perspectives I don't understand. Is this from sheep being far from the Truth, or an unrelatability within me?

I went to a Bible study/group tonight, and from three people there was a very strong (pungent) spirit that a life/week of contentment is the pinnacle and goal of the Christian life.

Where is the line between God's true blessing and the growth of our faith through trials?

I don't wish to rain on anyone's parade, nor detract in any way from God giving/doing something good for a child of His (aka blessing).

It just seems the Body (in America, which is my only reference point, living in this culture) has a larger expectancy of what constitutes God's blessing than God Himself does.

I soberly realize at this point in my life I have been given a heavier cross to bear circumstantially right now . The esteem of my circumstances is no justification to rip anyone who is experiencing God's blessing on their life, and I don't do that.

What really burns me is not God blessing others, it is when I perceive in others that to "be blessed" is the zenith of their walk with Jesus. I should have a passionate regret for them, as Jesus had for Jerusalem, but I find myself instead being scornful (NOT judgmental) of this "just bless my socks off, God" approach to being a Follower.

prosperity babble

No kidding here. The following is a series of posts from a Christian chat room I was in recently.

After puking up my lunch, I decided to engage this person after they finished spouting their ramble. Interesting how it turned out. I'll post the dialogue I had with them after posting their babble. Here is how they went off on their Prosperity frenzy in the chat:

"our households are blessed"
"our homes are blessed"
"our marriages are blessed"
"our finances are blessed"
"our businesses are blessed"
"our jobs are blessed"
"our children are blessed"
"our grandchildren are blessed"
"our parents are blessed"
"our siblings are blessed"
"our ministries are blessed"
"our decisions are blessed"
"husbands are on the way"
"wives are on the way"
"mortgages are paid and debts are cancelled"
"our hearts desires are on the way"
"according to our perfect will and plan for our lives"

Yeah, big oops. They seriously slipped in their last sentence.

Showed their true colors, that it's all about standing on and demanding what we want, and God is supposed to conform to what we want for our lives. (Whatever happened to "thy will be done" and "if it be possible, take this cup from me, yet not my will but Yours be done"?)

Anyway, I won't rip on that anymore this instant. Here's the dialogue I then engaged them in.

me: "Why all the talk about blessing?"

they: "because God wants us to be blessed"

they: "we are beginning to reclaim the promises of God that the Devil has stolen"

me: "as God's children we don't have to 'reclaim' anything. If we are His children we have His blessings. They were never lost."

they: "I'm reclaiming God's promise of a husband"

they: "God formed the family"

they: "the Word says 'My people perish for a lack of knowledge" (I didn't know if she said this as a dig toward me, or if it was just random babble)

me: the goal of Christianity is not to 'be blessed'

me: there is much more to the Christian life than being blessed

me: God's blessings are but one room of the much bigger mansion of God's Kingdom

me: we do not grow when everything is blessed. Our faith grows through trials (Romans 5:3-5)


That was it. This person started chatting with someone else and didn't come back to our dialogue.

I know better than to expect a full conversion of someone from the Prosperity Gospel to not. I was not looking to spar with them. My purpose was to get beneath the surface, to find out the foundation, the "why", behind their (in my opinion blind) belief in the Prosperity Gospel. I really wanted them to get at the root of the perspective.

More on this later.

the reason

If our greatest need had been information,
God would have sent us an educator.

If our greatest need had been technology,
God would have sent us a scientist.

If our greatest need had been money,
God would have sent us an economist.

If our greatest need had been pleasure,
God would have sent us an entertainer.

But our greatest need was forgiveness,
So God sent us a Savior.

obedience

There's a distinction between being a follower of Jesus who obeys the word, and a follower of Jesus who makes a point to obey the word "to a T".

One is based on love. The other is based on duty.

One is effortless. The other brings satisfaction based on compliance by self.

One is unpredictable. The other is predictable.

One brings forth good fruit of and for the Kingdom. The other gives the appearance of producing lasting fruit.

One brings life. The other brings death.

One brings the commendation and embrace of God. The other leads to rejection by Jesus.

One warms God's heart. The other is a stench to His nose.


The Body believes and preaches the former.

Some of the Body lives the former (praise the Lord). Some live the latter.

Some don't realize they live the latter.

There is bondage in half-baked, religious-based and regulation-influenced quasi-Christianity. Jesus paid a horrific price so that we could be free from this. He taught and severely rebuked that a life based on code adherence is not the Way. And yet some live this, even though they read and profess Jesus' teaching denouncing it.

Lord Jesus, you came to set the captives free. There is no bondage in You. None. There are unseen shackles of code-based living in the Body, Lord. It weighs some down from living in freedom you came for. You came for freedom, Jesus. Freedom from sin. Freedom from religious-based adherence, whose way ends in death.

Holy Spirit, show us any of this in our lives. Open our eyes. Let the scales fall! If we have any rotten, bad fruit like this in our lives, show it to us. Reveal any of this regulation garbage, so that we can recognize it, nail it to the cross, and this very minute start living in the freedom of the Truth. Jesus promised that You would guide us into all Truth, Holy Spirit. Guide us!
In Jesus' powerful and liberating Name, Amen.

listening to God, listening to man

I just read a report on the West Virginia coal mining incident, in which twelve of thirteen miners were found actually dead instead of alive. News had come out there was an explosion in the mine. A report came out late Tuesday evening of this week that 12 of the 13 trapped miners were actually alive. This was when I first heard about the incident.

About three hours later another report came out, stating the miners had in fact not made it. The report I just read was about 24 hours after this correction of events unfolded.

First thing I thought of as I read the story was what I expressed last week about the U.S. media slanting things to blame God anytime a tragedy happens. Case in point from the report on the West Va story in the American media:

"Several relatives, who danced and praised God as the church bells rang, said an unidentified mine foreman had called someone at the church on a cell phone to relay the information (that the 12 of 13 miners were alive).

"A few minutes later, Casto said Wednesday, another man came to church and said squads cars would pick up the miners and bring them to the church where they would be reunited with their families. The man said 'it would be like another Christmas,' Casto said, chocking back tears.

"Then the families waited. Three hours later, Hatfield and Manchin appeared at the church to announce that there had been a miscommunication and all but one miner was dead.

"Casto said it took a while for relatives to absorb the news. And then a pastor had to tell the angry crowd to calm down.

'Whatever the hell did God do for us?' a young man shouted in reply."


What a convenient way to blame God. My first thought after reading this was, "was there no one among all those gathered at the church(es) with discernment from the Holy Spirit about this situation?"

Was there no Believer plugged in enough to God to perceive that the good news was inaccurate? to throw caution to the wind of the report that the miners were safe?

This young man from the news article shouted "whatever the hell did God do for us?"

My reply is "God offers mankind His Holy Spirit to dwell within us. To teach, comfort, guide...and give us discernment."

Look at the story of Annanias and Sapphira in the beginning of Acts chapter 5. This story is somewhat different from the West Viriginia mining incident ( a lie in Acts, versus inaccurate report/information in West Va).

The point is, Peter through the Holy Spirit knew the truth of the situation. The false facts presented didn't hold up against the discernment of the Holy Spirit within Peter.

Is America (in general) not going to wake up from putting faith put in man and government, only to see it fail time and time again?

Is there a growing hunger within the nation to start listening to the voice of the Lord with regard to earthly matters?

Jesus gave an explicit heads-up and warning about the end times. He said there would be false prophets who would "deceive even the elect--if it were possible" (Matthew 24:24).

This warning pertains to false prophets coming and performing great signs and miracles and the attempted deception (if it were possible) through these miracles to deceive followers of Jesus.

If members of the Body of Christ lack discernment regarding natural events and the reports surrounding them (like this mining accident in West Va), what kind of position does this put the Body in when great miracles and signs by false prophets start happening?

We'd better wake up and be on our guard, Body. This West Va situation is a grim example of the lack of Holy Spirit discernment.

God offers His Spirit to those who ask (Luke 11:13). There is no abra-cadraba or any hierarchy to this offer. The Spirit is given to followers of Jesus who "ask and continue to ask Him" (Luke 11:13, Amplified Bible).

Jesus said He (the Holy Spirit) will "guide you into all truth" (John 16:13).

To the young man in West Viriginia who asked where God was. May the scales be removed from over your eyes (spoken with the love of Jesus). God explicitly offers His children the Holy Spirit, to give wisdom and revelation (Ephesians 1:17).

Surely you've heard the word Immanuel, sung or spoken at Christmas time. Immanuel. Means "God within", or also can be translated as "God inside".

Jesus said "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:20-21)

Not much has changed in 2000+ years, has it? People are still asking "where is God", and the answer is right under our nose.

People still want to second guess God, yet when it comes to realizing He is holy and we are called to repent (abhor our sin and change our ways), amazing how many of us don't want to listen. I'm raising my hand.

Imagine if you heard of someone who wanted to meet you and get to know you, yet when they did meet you and you began to share with them your principles they scoffed at you and turned and went away. This happens to God and Jesus time and time again.

So many want to hear and see Him, yet do we do what it simply takes to begin to hear Him? Some do. Some don't want to hear Him. Some say they want to hear Him but don't realize it is Him, or deny it's Him, when He speaks (cause of itching ears, 2 Timothy 4).

We should really take a sober look at our view of God, and do we really want to hear Him.

He has not gone anywhere. He knows everything about us (Psalm 139). He knows our struggles, our sin, our weaknesses, and most importantly He knows our heart. He knows if we are truly seeking Him. He knows if we are listening for and to Him versus listening to mankind.

He wants to communicate with each one of us. Just as personally, openly and intimately as with Adam and Eve in the original garden. None of His children in Jesus is any more or less deserving (nor capable or incapable) of hearing Him.

Does it take learning? Yep. is it a process? Yep. Do those who have known Him still miss His voice sometimes (or often)? Yep. Is that a big deal to Him? Nope.

It warms His heart when we seek Him. Walking with Him and by Him illumines God's heart. It's what He intended for mankind all along, and it's what He offers us. Yes, you and me. He is not some pie-in-the-sky, way out there, untouchable, unreachable Creator. He is as far away as a whisper of humility from our hearts to Jesus.


side post about God in another natural disaster:
Didn't we see on TV this last summer how many hurricane victims were crying out to be saved by the government instead of crying out to God? Granted the media only portrays a small portion of any story (and it's the part they want, with the angle they want to tell it...)

When Katrina happened this summer, I was waiting for a story to come out of the Gulf. The story I was waiting to hear was of a Christian who had walked on water and escaped drowning through an absolute, undeniable miracle by the hand of the Lord.

I don't know if the media would have ever reported such a story. The media has no problem showing stories of idol statues "crying blood".

Endless documentaries about the supernatural that can be found almost daily on cable TV (ghosts, ufo's, etc.). And yet of the hundreds of thousands of people in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, not one Believer among them who walked on water?

My sober question is, why not?

possible reason(s) why not:
Is there a permeating belief in the American Body that any extreme miracles must take place in the mission fields overseas in Africa, Asia?

Just a few weeks ago I heard a pastor (who himself has been miraculously cured of cancer, with the x-rays to prove it) say that he had heard someone say "in Africa, they had seen a limb grow back in full on someone's body". He made a very big point of emphasis in relaying this story that it being in Africa had something to do with the magnitude of the miracle.

I heard another Believer talk about the mission field in Africa. Specifically, that missionaries there are known to literally walk on water during monsoon season, in order to get to the next village to preach Jesus.

This particular Believer was bold and confident in describing this miracle happening overseas. I say this next statement in observation, not judgment. A few months later I had the chance to spend a couple of days with this believer, here in the States, and was surprised at the inability to look to the Lord to perform a 'smaller' miracle in their own life.

It's as if God is allowed to perform amazing miracles in other parts of the globe, and only allowed to do lesser miracles here in the States.

These two examples are not sufficient to generalize the general belief level of the rest of the American Body has in terms of miracles, but they are worth noting. It is unbelief which I've heard from Believers, one a pastor, the other a son of another pastor.

There are clearly miracle-believing Christians in the U.S. And God does mighty things every day in America which most Believers never hear of (and some wouldn't believe anyway, Matthew 7:6).

You want to talk about a swelling of faith. What better testimony to the power of God than to have Followers share the testimonies firsthand of what , through Jesus and the Holy Spirit has happened in their lives. This being done without the default skepticism and unable-to-understand-or-find-or-know-God attitude of the media.

"We overcame by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony" (Revelation 12:11).

What powerful thing has the Lord done in your life in the last month? Care to share?

I've been going through a fierce personal battle. The Lord gave me a vision about a month ago of myself standing before Him as my Father. In the vision I saw myself and how I was before Him. It was not as I had perceived in my own mind to be.

The vision helped me break free from some reservations and reluctance in how I approached Father about some things I had needed to take to Him in prayer. Ever since then, when I've prayed about these things I have sensed the Holy Spirit powerfully.

Within the last month I've received two revelations from the Holy Spirit about two situations I'm dealing with. Both were powerful, and have brought assurance of the Lord's hand over these respective things I'm facing.

What has God been doing for you? Would love to have you share.

Christmas is over, let's go back to our lives

Christmas is over.

We can now turn off the 'holiday cheer' attitude that we turned on for one month out of the year.

Time to flash a look of anger and maybe say a choice word to that person who came the wrong way in a parking lot and took our parking spot.

Time to quit being so patient in the line at the grocery store or post office, and purposefully let out a loud sigh when the person at the counter doesn't have their things together...who is causing a delay in the line.

Time to sweep discord back out from under the carpet (where we swept them last month), and re-engage in open strife with those around us. Backbiting, gossip and slander are welcomed again...until mid-November next year.

Time for shouts and sign language to other drivers...until the week before Thanksgiving next year.

The homeless and hurting will be fine for the next ten and a half months. They do just come out of the woodwork in November and December, don't they?

How fortunate we are to have a turn-on, turn-off faith. Isn't it great to know we will only be judged by the Lord for our actions and attitude during the mid-November-to-late-December timeframe? (Oh, and our Sunday morning actions and attitude, too.)

Our God is so merciful. He overlooks our January-to-October lives of self-absorption and fleshly living.

He showers nothing but mercy for our Monday-through-Saturday living. It's okay His heart aches and breaks six days of the week and ten and a half months of the year. Our righteousness on Sunday morning and November/December heals His heart and grants us favor from all else we do.

Bless us, Lord. Bless our lives, though we only give You a fraction of the week and year!

Bless our country, Lord. Though we don't stand up against the increasing godlessness in it. "God bless America" anyway! It's our right! Our forefathers loved and served You. It's okay that we don't stand up and proclaim You, Jesus. You just go ahead and bless us for our country's past instead of what we're currently doing and living as a nation.

Bless us, Lord, for these next ten and a half months. We'll mention You out of the corner of our mouths in mid-November next year.

In the mean time, watch over our favorite sports teams and give us everything we ask for, so our lives can be comfortable and blessed. And if any tragedies or disasters happen between now and then, why'd You cause or allow those?

We love you, Lord! See Ya!

a Christian Christmas

What would a true Christian Christmas consist of?

• giving each other an apple (or some other kind of basic, unglamorous item)
• taking into our home someone who is lonely or homeless, and sharing a meal and fellowship with them. Regardless of their appearance, regardless of how graceful or educated or unrefined they are.

If you don't think America is full of pious religion, stop and think how few well-meaning Christians would take someone in off the street and share a meal like this. Here's the true gut check. We'll do a meal like this in December (at a church, school or homeless shelter), but how many of us do it on Christmas day? We'll serve the homeless a Thanksgiving meal on a weekend in November. How many of us will bring a smelly, unshaven "least of the brethren" into our home on Thanksgiving Day itself? We don't. Our cozy, well-kept homes are not welcomed places for the unrefined.

America is engulfed with the dainty decorations and wanting everything to be so quaint and warm and perfect for ourselves. Largely absorbed with our own comfort. (And this doesn't even touch on the abounding glut of consumerism.)

This notion of self-comfort is definitely part of what the American media says makes Christmas Christmas. It's part of "the spirit of Christmas" and "the spirit of the season".

It's not the spirit of Jesus. He came to earth in humility and without fanfare. He showed no regard or favoritism among mankind.

"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick", Jesus said. (Matthew 9:12)

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me...He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted..." (Isaiah 61:1)

America (Body included) is largely about the production and panache of what Christmas has been made out to be by the media. If you don't have a decorated place to be with family and presents, well then something is wrong with your Christmas picture.

What a crock of crap, and the Body of Jesus buys into it hook, line and sinker.

I am not knocking anyone who has been blessed of the Lord and has His favor. I'm just taking a sober look at the commercialism and separatism in American society, and its infiltration into the Body.

Christmas in this Christian-based society has become much more than the simple celebration of Jesus coming into the world.

40 days of defense, 3 years of offense, key to offense

"Then Jesus, full of and controlled by the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led in [by] the [Holy] Spirit
2 For (during) forty days in the wilderness (desert), where He was tempted (tried, tested exceedingly) by the devil." (Luke 4:1-2, Amplified Bible)

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(CAPS mine for emphasis)

"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,
2To 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,
3To 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." (Isaiah 61:1-3, Amplified)

"Jesus went through all the towns and villages, TEACHING in their synagogues, PREACHING the good news of the kingdom and HEALING every disease and sickness." (Matthew 9:35, NIV)

"The blind RECEIVE sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are CURED, the deaf hear, the dead are RAISED, and the good news is PREACHED to the poor." (Matthew 11:5, NIV)

"he SENT THEM out two by two and GAVE THEM AUTHORITY OVER EVIL SPIRITS." (Mark 6:7)

"After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and SENT THEM two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go." (Luke 10:1)

"Go! I am SENDING YOU out like lambs among wolves." (Luke 10:3)

"The seventy-two returned with joy and said, 'Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.' 18 He replied, 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have GIVEN YOU AUTHORITY TO TRAMPLE ON SNAKES AND SCORPIONS AND TO OVERCOME ALL THE POWER OF THE ENEMY; NOTHING WILL HARM YOU. 20However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.' 21At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, 'I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.'" (Luke 10:17-21)

"Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written." (John 21:25)

"And I tell you, you are Peter [Greek, Petros--a large piece of rock], and on this rock [Greek, petra--a huge rock like Gibraltar] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades (the powers of the infernal region) shall not overpower it [or be strong to its detriment or HOLD OUT AGAINST IT]." (Matthew 16:18, Amplified)

"...The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work." (1 John 3:8)

Have we stopped to consider the overwhelming majority of Jesus' ministry was offense, not defense?

Upon Jesus' baptism and His being filled with the Holy Spirit He was led into the desert to be tempted by Satan (Luke 4:1). Once Jesus stood this test, without sin or blemish, the remainder of His ministry (until He allowed His arrest, beating and crucifixion--which was for mankind, not Him)...the remainder of Jesus' ministry was offense, not defense.

"Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil". satan was on offense. Was his offense fierce? Must have been. Even as God incarnate, when the temptation was over angels came to Jesus to attend to Him (Matt 4:11).

There is little else in the gospels which suggests Jesus was (or was concerned with being) primarily subject to Satan's offense. When Jesus approached someone with a foul spirit, the demon shrieked. They begged Him not to torture them before the appointed time. (Matthew 8) Jesus simply told them to go. He didn't make a big deal about them. Didn't make a big deal about people's suffering at satan's expense. He simply moved in power, restoring.

Jesus' ministry was power, signs, prophecy, teaching, miracles, healing, deliverance, resurrection and Truth. Jesus went to the people, into the crowd, proactively, and revealed the kingdom of God in power, word and miracles. He and the disciples were on offense, not defense. He dealt with the works of the devil, by simply destroying them with a word or a touch. He did not give any homage or fanfare to satan's crud which He came across. (Know anyone who gets dramatic about satan's attacks? "Oh my gosh, so-n-so is REALLY under attack! Pray for them!") This was not Jesus' attitude or approach, and it should not be ours.

"The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work" (1 John 3:8) It does not say Jesus appeared to withstand the devil's attacks. It doesn't say Jesus appeared to resist, rebuke or oppose Satan's offense.

Ever prayed, or know some who pray, to rebuke the devil and all his schemes? That begs a question for another blog sometime: when did Jesus ever address satan in any prayer? He prayed to the Father "deliver us from evil", and He prayed to the Father "I pray...that You protect them from the evil one" (Jn 17:15). I know someone who addresses satan in most prayers I've heard them pray...and it made me think of this. I didn't think so much about it the first couple of times I heard this person, but when it became so frequent I began to ponder this. Why didn't Jesus rebuke (or even mention) satan in prayer? I don't pose this question as a point of theology, it's just the frequency with which I've heard this it makes me think "are we praying and talking to God, or to satan?"

Satan back on offense
It was not until Jesus' final hours had come that His hands prophetically came down. He had been destroying satan's work powerfully and decisively. Since the end of His temptation, He had been on offense, advancing and revealing God's Kingdom.

When His hour had come, Jesus was no longer on offense. He had taught and said all He was to say...for the moment. He had healed and freed all He was to have healed and freed...for a season. And only a fraction of the things He did were recorded in the gospels. (John 21:25)

It was now time for Him to become the sacrificial Lamb. "He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.". (Isaiah 53:7)

The Creator of the universe, the One through Whom the universe keeps existing as we know it (Hebrews 1:2-3), the One Who could have spoken a word and called over 80,000 angels to His side...did not.

At the time of suffering and crucifixion, Jesus took what was dealt out. He was taking it...for us. Until then, His ministry since His temptation had been one of offense for God's Kingdom.

Body of Jesus on offense
What percentage of the American Body sits back, comfy in our church pews, enjoying our salvation, so thankful we have it, and wait for the unsaved, wounded and dying to come to us?

Does Christianity involve church activities, and that's pretty much it? Did we somehow stumble into a church, and now that we're in that 'safe haven' are we just to sit there, comfy and secure, warm and blessed?

Is a Christian a disciple of Jesus? If so, are we disciples same as any other disciples who have walked the earth at any time, or is there a different (man-made) classification or qualification of disciple that makes us different than any previous? (And "those who actually saw Jesus" doesn't count. That's irrelevant. If you're of the opinion it's relevant, there's no need to read the rest of this.)

As disciples who are no less (nor more) than any other disciples, the question bids: why are we sitting on our lazy kiesters when we've been given the SAME authority, same Power to plug into that raised the dead (Acts 20:7-12), defied natural circumstances (Acts 28:1-6), healed (Acts 3:1-10)? The list goes on and on and on.

Going On Offense For The Kingdom
First, Jesus wants our hearts before anything else. Specifically, He says to repent. Repent means to change of one's mind for the better, heartily amending one's ways, with abhorrence of past sins.

Let's first realize we can attempt to change ourselves. This is done as an act of our own will to "be better" or "be a better person". We determine within ourselves "darn it, I'm going to change!"

There's a big difference between this versus saying "Jesus, I can't help myself. Change me, Jesus."

If we determine to make this change ourself, the change will be partial and incomplete. The majority of our walk will be struggle and defeat, not victory. We will have a form of godliness but will not be walking in His power.

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." (Matthew 16:24).

Repentance is linked to the first part--deny. None of us has to spend much effort to live a fleshly life in rebellion against God. Doesn't take much at all. We have the choice at any time, any moment, to live according to our flesh (aka sin nature).

I'm not going to address the "take up his cross" phrase in this particular blog. (saving for later)

Jesus also says to follow Him. That's kind of broad. What do you mean by that, Jesus?

"Follow Me." Hmmm. Have we ever stopped to realize that we can do the first two without doing the third? We can deny ourself and take up our cross, but not follow. It happens all the time. Continuously.

We may be denying ourself and sincerely desiring to walk with Jesus. We may even know what taking up our cross is, and be doing so. But if we're not following Jesus then what we're doing doesn't count for beans.

What do you mean? You mean that my living a clean life, according to the precepts of the Bible, striving to live by it, having a decent prayer life and asking forgiveness when I know I've missed the mark is not "it"? How can that be?

These next verses come up pretty frequently in this blog. Matthew 7:21-23.

Did Jesus just say this because He was bored? Had nothing else to say or do? No, He was simply laying out the tenets of the Way.

Many say: accept Jesus, study the Word and develop a prayer life. Do this and you're on the Way.

There is scant teaching on learning to follow Jesus. Yet He emphatically says that unless what we do is of Him and through Him then what we do is useless (John 15:5, Matt 7:19).

Learning to follow Jesus, tangibly and actually in our lives (not theroetically or philosophically in our minds), should become our way of life before going any further in this thread.

..................

So when we are following Jesus. As we learn to follow Him and are chosen to be His hands and feet through which He moves in power, it's important both our motives and hearts about it stay in check. If we have any self-glory in desiring to be used of the Lord, or any self-glory when used of the Lord, this is absolutely not of Him. There is very specific note of this in Scripture (Acts 8:9-25, Luke 17:10).

Getting back on track. The power of the Gospel. Offense.

"Jesus came...to destroy the works of the devil."

This doesn't read "When the Son of God appeared on earth the devil's work was destroyed", nor "the devil was destroyed". satan's work did not disappear or go away just because Jesus was on earth. The removal of satan's handiwork required Jesus' proactive touch or word for healing, restoration and strengthening to occur.

Colossians 2:15. The power of satan and his hordes was rendered powerless through the cross. Doesn't say "the power and authorities were removed" or "...were thrown into hell".

No, they are still in our midst. The world is under the control of the devil. I raise this point after hearing someone recently say "satan is already defeated". Folks, satan doesn't get thrown into the lake of sulfur until Revelation 20. He is alive and doing much evil in increasing measure all over the globe.

There is a difference between satan's power being rendered powerless and him already being defeated. A difference between his works being destoyed and he being destroyed. To say he (himself) is defeated indicates the battle/engagement/fight/war is over. And it's not...yet.

"We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one." (1 John 5:19)

"Again, the devil took him (Jesus) to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 'All this I will give you,' he said, 'if you will bow down and worship me.'" (Matthew 4:8-9)

"The world hates me because I testify that what it does is evil" (John 7:7)

"If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." (John 15:19)

Here's the good news. Actually, it's more than good. We as Followers have the authority in the name of Jesus to trample on scorpions and snakes, and to destroy the works of the devil even moreso than Jesus did (John 14:12).

Again, bear in mind that walking in the power of Jesus must coincide with being led by the Holy Spirit.

I spent time with a brother in Jesus last night who was involved in a horrific accident early this year. He was thrown by a man off a 50 foot building. He has a brain injury, a bad back, and either hip can become dislocated at any time.

This brother's heart belongs to Jesus. He loves the Lord deeply and truly. My heart went out to him, and we ended up praying together. As much as in my Christian flesh I would have liked to have seen the Lord heal him on the spot, that was not in the works last night. Can God heal him? Absolutely. Instantly? Absolutely. But it was not to be last night.

As we prayed I did not get a green light from the Holy Spirit about healing last night.. The Spirit did not fall down or lead in power for that purpose. We had great fellowship and prayer time together, and I did anoint him with oil, but his thorn remains at least for a moment.

After we prayed together, we were walking over to another location. He told me of an experience he'd had recently. He was in public somewhere, and a lady came eagerly toward him. As she approached she said "Where have you been? Where have you been?!?" Turns out she was a Follower, and she prayed for him and anointed him with oil, etc.

This brother walks with a stroller/walker with wheels. After this sister prayed for him, she said "You can walk without that now. You don't need it anymore." He appreciated her compassion, her time and her desire for the Lord to work powerfully at that moment, but it didn't happen. Why not? It wasn't God's timing. I guarantee it was not due to a lack of faith in this brother. There was nothing "wrong" with him. There is no unbelief. There is no "hidden sin" that prevented anything.

it is admirable that this sister acknowledges Jesus' ability and power to heal. That's awesome. She's already ahead of the part of the Body that thinks the power of God was for times past, not present. And I'm glad she felt compassion for this brother upon seeing his situation.

What I'm most thankful for is that this brother's faith did not waver one bit. How many thousands have been turned off because of someone whose heart and intentions were in the right place, but whose actions were not by the leading of the Holy Spirit? Matthew 7:21-23, Romans 8:14. My two staple verses.

it's about learning to be led by the Holy Spirit, friends. As I spent time with this brother last night, and heard his story, the compassion and longing for him was strong beyond description. Nothing could have been more glorious than for the Lord to reach down and touch him.

And why wouldn't He? I mean, this man is around many others. Many people know he walks with a stroller walker. They know of his affliction. Wouldn't it absolutely glorify God for this man to be touched? Yep.

Friends, we are called to follow Jesus. He is not called to follow us.

One of the spiritual cancers in America is the Dominion Gospel, where there is teaching that we are to invoke and/or "name and claim" things we want to see, things we want God to do, people we want to see healed...and God and Jesus are to just do it all.

Do what I want, Lord. Make my life content and prosperous. Bless me, Lord. Give me smooth sailing. Make my job enjoyable. Make sure my car runs well. Solve all my family conflict. Make sure there's plenty of food in the cupboard.
Bless my life, Lord, and I praise You and thank You for doing it and making it so. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Friend, you need to get back to the basics of the Lord's prayer. "Not my will, but Yours be done".

I reminded someone of this this past week, their response is "Oh, I know. I know." I saw right through their crap. I exposed their Dominion Gospel for what it is, and they gave lip service to knowing and following the Truth.

Same thing applies to this "Wild At Heart" crud. The Wild At Heart author says man should "live from his deep heart".

Really? How about living according to the leading and prompting of the Holy Spirit?

This advocacy of this author, for people to live from what's in their heart, without clearly drawing a distinction between the thin line of living a Scripture-based life versus a Scripture-based life under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, is a recipe for disaster.

There are three sources of thoughts in my head: my flesh, the devil, and the Holy Spirit. How is telling someone "live from your heart" clarifying any distinction between these three? There are plenty already, and here come more Believers who will be living, doing and invoking their own Bible-based flesh into the world. Just like this lady who approached the brother to pray for him and he could throw his walker down.

Is she a Christian? Yes. Mean well? Yes. Love the Lord? Yes. Scripture-based Believer? Yes. Heart go out for this man? Yes. Led by the Holy Spirit? No.

Are you being led by the Holy Spirit, friend? Are you following Jesus...or asking Him to follow you?

Are we hearing the Holy Spirit? Are we learning in increasing measure to distinguish between the Holy Spirit, our own thoughts and the thoughts planted by the enemy?

We may be reading our Bible and striving to live by its principles. When we're faced with a situation, what do we do? Are we to "turn the other cheek", or do we "trample on snakes and scorpions"? The Bible says both of these things. Which is it? "There's a time for peace and a time for war" (Eccl 3). How do I know which to do?

Tune in to the Holy Spirit.

Jesus was not just speaking to hear Himself talk when He said:

""I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot [ever] enter the kingdom of God." (John 3:5, Amplified)

"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things..." (John 14:26a)

"But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears..." (John 16:13)

John said, "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire." (Matthew 3:11)

A couple of things I share about the Holy Spirit that you need to know about my background.

I grew up in a dead church. Dead. Full of religion. Full of ritual. At Christmas time Jesus was referred to as "the Christ child". What? That would be like me calling my blood brother "the male who was born before I".

The Holy Spirit was referred to as "one of the mysteries of God". Also commonly heard "that we don't understand" added to that statement.

I grew up not having the faintest clue about the Holy Spirit. He was mentioned as some distant, vague, unknowable entity.

Jesus made no bones about the Holy Spirit. Jesus was quite clear about Him, and more overt than many American churches care to acknowledge.

There is no mystery to the Holy Spirit. If you wish to know Him as you would get to know any other person or friend, you can.

"What father among you, if his son asks for]a loaf of bread, will give him a stone; or if he asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good gifts [gifts that are to their advantage] to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" (Luke 11:11-13, Amplified)

One of the most incredible things I come across in talking with other Followers is their fear/hostility/avoidance with regard to the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is a GIFT. A gift from God.

Jesus clearly affirms the Holy Spirit is a good gift. The Greek word for "good" He uses also means advantageous.

So, putting this all together: the Holy Spirit is a gift from God that is to our advantage to have. He is not a mystery. He is not something we're incapable of understanding. Jesus promised He would send the Holy Spirit to disciples, and He delivers.

Remember this. The Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are all gentlemen. They do not dwell where they are not welcome. If they are disbelieved, scorned, yawned at or uninvited, they may show up briefly, but they don't dwell.

This blog may have drifted from its original, but to wrap it all together: we must live by the Holy Spirit's guidance, not our Christian-based flesh or our own Christian-based thoughts, if we are to be the Lord's hands and feet, His offense, in this world.

Trust in, cling to and rely on the Lord. Seek Him. Ask Him for the advantageous gift of the Holy Spirit, that He may guide, lead and teach. If we are to walk in the power of the Spirit (Acts 10 :38), then let us be led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14).

There is mighty Power of the gospel we are called to walk in for the advancing of God's Kingdom. It is not our own. We are simply the conduit through which God does amazing works, to draw people unto Himself, not draw them unto us. This is not a gospel of words or human wisdom, but rather a demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 2:4-5).

"But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved." Hebrews 10:39

We have the option to be and do for God, or to shrink back. Shrink back into comfort. Shrink back into our cushioned pews. Shrink back into conformity with society. Shrink back into man's opinion.

Shrink back into thinking that things like potluck dinners in the name of Jesus are the "works" He has called us to. Shrink back into thinking that being a Christian means conducting a PR campaign for Jesus, where we're to be admired and liked for being Christians instead of hated (Matthew 10:22, Luke 6:22, John 15:19, John 17:14).

Maybe we need a soul search as to what we're truly called to as followers of Jesus. Apart from the scales over our eyes, as to what our society says our faith and our calling consists of. Apart from what a denomination says. Apart from the opinions we have formed ourselves about God. Aside from the teaching of the Holy Spirit and God's Word which we've received from man (rather than from God).

Let's hit our knees and hear straight from the Holy Spirit. Let's be transformed, as He renews our mind. We will not only be surprised. More importantly we will be empowered by the very hand and heart of God.