Category Archives: Uncategorized

ARE YOU A DISCIPLE-OR? 110215

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Father playing chess with sonSo we’ve been talking about “making disciples” for Jesus, as in Matt. 28: 18-20, when Jesus said, “All power is given to Me, in heaven and in earth, so Go and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and [know this], I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  I am satisfied that ‘making disciples’ is the duty of every practicing Christian. You know, “practicing Christian” means a person who has a personal relationship with God through Jesus, and they have the Spirit of the Living God residing in their own personal hearts and bodies.  (As in 1 Corinthians 6:19: “Don’t you know that your body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit?”)  Earlier, we have defined “practicing Christian” as one who talks to and listens to God during her daily quiet time; and as one who meets with other brothers or sisters weekly to tell each other what God is doing in their lives.

So if practicing Christians make disciples, how do they do it?  Well, that’s a pretty big subject; we probably can’t cover it in 300-400 words; but at least we could talk about how to begin.  Continue reading →

CHOICES. 050815

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Fork roads horizon with grass and blue sky

The introductory talk in the Kairos program for the brothers in white in the prison is called ‘Choices’.  The person chosen to make this talk (in fact all talks in Kairos) is given certain points to make during the talk, but there are two basic guidelines for every talk.  1] Write it and give it in your own words, and 2] give a personal testimony that relates to the subject matter.  While in Kairos we are primarily concerned with talking to the participants about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, in the ‘Choices’ talk, we are specifically directed NOT to say anything about God or religion or the Bible in this talk.  We just want to get them to think, to think about themselves and their past, to think about how their past choices have affected their lives.  It’s like parents raising their children.  In order for the child to grow up to be a responsible, productive citizen, on a natural level, they need to understand the principle of cause and effect.  “If you do this, this will happen; if you do that, that will happen.”  If we do good things, good things will result.  If we do bad things, bad things will result.  Continue reading →

PERFECT PEACE. 030515

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Evening autumn mountain river in orange mist.Isaiah 26: 3, said, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You,  because he trusts in You.”  Focus on God, and He will keep you in perfect peace, because if you stay focused on God, you will trust Him; which is the main thing.

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THE TWO SONS. 022415

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In Matthew 21: 28-32 Jesus says, “What do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ The son said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” [The Pharisees] said to Him, “The first.”  Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. For John [preached] righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.”

What does this mean?  It’s this: “Whatever you SAY; God cares about what you DO.”  So the Pharisees answered correctly.  But Jesus skips right to the main point, “You guys say the right things; but you don’t do right.  So the bad people, the people you despise because they don’t do right and they don’t answer correctly; they are going to heaven and you’re not.  They believed John’s preaching and turned; but you didn’t turn even when you saw how they were changed.”

So I guess you could say, “Practice what you preach,” and God will like you. But that might not be quite right either; because God looks at our hearts; and He knows what’s in your heart, even if you’re able to hide it from everyone else.  Doing right is not necessarily obedient, if your heart’s not in the right place.  Just like the two sons, the first son said, “I won’t go;” but then regretted it and went.  His heart was in the right place.  The second son said the right thing, but his heart wasn’t right, ’cause he didn’t go.  Like the Pharisees.

So obedience must be about having your heart right.  And how do you make your heart right?  You humble yourself, you surrender to Jesus and you trust Him; and His Spirit comes into your heart.  Your ole heart just can’t get any more ‘all right’ than that.

FAVOR—GOD’S SHIELD. 022315

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In Psalm 5:11-12, David says to God, “But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You.  Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them.  Let those who love Your Name be joyful in You.  For You O Lord will bless the righteous with favor.  You will surround him as with a shield.” (and who are the righteous?  It’s those who have Jesus’ righteousness, because they trust in Him.)

So why should we rejoice?  One reason is because we have put our trust in the Lord, and we know He is taking care of us.  He IS defending us.  We have this great reason to be joyful.  Another reason we have to rejoice, and be thankful, and praise and worship God is because we know He is blessing us; because we are righteous, because we have the righteousness of those who trust God, like Abraham. (see Genesis 15:6, “Abraham believed (trusted) God and it was counted to him for righteousness.”)

How do you like that line, “You will bless the righteous with favor. You will surround him as with a shield.”  Makes me think of an invisible shield; a bullet proof, electron shield, so the galactic invaders can’t touch you.  Even better, this shield comes with God’s favor.  (You know favor? That’s God’s Grace, His Unmerited Favor.) When you have God’s favor, it means that God likes you and almost everyone else likes you too, because God moves them to like you.           Yes, I know you may think I’m kidding.  You may say that doesn’t happen, certainly not in this day and age.  Au contraire!  I have personally experienced it and witnessed it in the lives of others.  Favor.  It’s like being golden. For no apparent reason, good things just happen.  Why?  Because God enjoys granting favor to people, especially to those who trust Him.  It’s like ole David says in the end of the 23rd Psalm, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me, all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”  That’s what favor feels like.

So rejoice! Be happy! Be thankful! Enjoy the favor!

LOVE AND THE LAW. 022215

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“The commandments, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness, you shall not covet, and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.  Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”  Romans 13:9-10

You might have noticed that the five “do-nots” listed above are the exact same items as the last five of the Ten Commandments listed in Exodus 20:1-17.  You might also know that Commandment #5 is “Honor your father and your mother  .  .  .”  These six commandments cover, in a general way, how we are supposed to treat other people as we live our lives on this earth.  What we should do, or not do, to satisfy God.  Along this same line, the first four of the Ten Commandments cover how we should treat God.  1] You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart  .  .  ; 2] Have no other Gods besides Him; 3] Do not make (or keep) any idols; and 4] Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy; (because it’s God’s Day).  These are the things we do to honor God.

In Matthew 22:37-40:  Jesus said .  .  , “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”  Did you get that?  Love God and love your neighbor.  It’s the fulfillment of ALL THE LAW and ALL THE PROPHETS. (That means the whole Old Testament)  ALL of Gods requirements for us on this earth are summed up, FULFILLED, in those two commandments.

Of course then, the real question is, “How do you accomplish that?”  And the answer is:  Surrender your whole self to God; trust Him completely; so that He sends His Spirit to dwell in you heart.  Then you will have the ability to love God and love others.  Because it is not by your power or your will or your righteousness; it is by God’s Power and His Will and His Righteousness that we are ABLE to truly love Him and love others.

When Does Heaven Begin? 022115

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In Psalm 23:6, David says, “‘I will live in the house of the Lord forever.”  I may be crazy, but I think David understood that he would continue to experience God’s Presence and love and grace, even after he died.  I actually believe that David knew what few of us figure out while we’re still alive, that heaven begins right here on earth, when we surrender our whole selves to God through Jesus, and really begin to trust Him.   When we trust God, He sends His own Personal Spirit to live in our hearts, and we begin to experience Heaven.  (Small at first, fits and starts, but the more we trust, the more we realize heaven.)

Like Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  And “Seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all this [stuff] shall be added unto you.” (Matt 6:33)  When you really decide to trust God, and quit worrying about trying to take care of yourself, you actually begin to feel what it’s like to experience heaven.  Get ready.

Small Callings for God. 022015

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In reference to Oswald Chambers devotional of Sept 29, about Paul saying in 1 Corinthians 9:16, that he is compelled to preach the Gospel, I have also felt the desire to preach, but I have felt that it was me and not God’s Spirit, calling me to preach.  Like me wanting to get praises and glory for me, rather than for God.

And I’ve been at a loss to explain why I would have been ordained as a minister of the Gospel under the circumstances I was, and then not be driven, compelled to start a church, or start to preach, instead of just being called to pray and talk to a relatively few people on an individual or very small group basis.  But I do feel called (compelled) to pray and talk to a few at a time about Jesus.  (even though praying and sharing our stories about Jesus are for everybody)

That kind of “small” calling is not treated often in the literature, but it is in the Bible.  And Paul preached, sometimes to large groups, but usually to small ones (probably not as small as the groups I talk to, LOL)  see 1 Corinthians 1:25-31.  I am surrounded by people who are involved in “small callings” and I am convinced ( the Spirit speaks to my heart) God uses the small things of this world to overcome the mighty, and this is the way God touches peoples’ lives, more often than not.

FRUIT. 021915

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It’s like an apple tree. What does an apple tree do to bear fruit?  Well, it sits there and waits. But while it is sitting there it takes in the ingredients it uses to make fruit; water and stuff from the soil, sun and rain from the sky.  Then one day, when the time is right, it puts out leaves and begins to develop this chlorophyll that is its food; and it puts out buds and blossoms and bees come along and help with the pollination; and in due time, while the tree is still waiting, the blossoms turn into little, tiny apples.  And eventually the apples grow big and ripen and get ready to be picked and eaten.

But here’s the version  we would envision if we were comparing most of us to an apple tree.  The apple tree gets up every morning and starts worrying about how it is going to bear fruit.  It knows there must be fruit down in there somewhere, so it grunts and pushes and strains and gets tired and frustrated and develops ulcers waiting for something to happen; and grunts and pushes, expecting I guess, for the apples to just POP out of the ends of the branches.  One day no apples; the next day POP and there are the fully developed fully ripened apples.  Just doesn’t work that way, does it?

I may have said this before somewhere, but in Spanish wait and hope are the same word, which is esperar; and sometimes I think trust is all a part of that same feeling; while we’re waiting and hoping, we’re also trusting that God is going to bring it to pass; because there’s not a way in the world that we’re ever going to push hard enough or grunt hard enough to make those apples pop out on our tree.  We’ve got to trust that God, by His Spirit, is going to use what He’s put in us to fulfill His purposes in the world.  That’s service.  And that is the same feeling we need to have when we pray; that “down deep knowing” that God is going to bring it to pass.

CHRISTIANS? 021815

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How can you tell if people are Christians?  There are several things:

1]   They love one another.  2]   They trust God and surrender to Him daily. 3]   They seek God’s will, and His Power, and His direction in their lives. 4]   They bear fruit –     a] Fruits of the Spirit b] Fruits of more disciples 5]   They read, study and memorize the Bible. 6]   They pray for themselves and others, they meditate on God’s Word and they listen for God. 7]   They tell what they’ve seen and heard about what God is doing in their lives and in the lives of others. (They just can’t help it.) 8]   They are ready to give a reason for the hope that is in them. 9]   They know, be, make and teach others to make, disciples (followers) of Jesus. 10] They gather themselves together regularly to worship God and encourage each other.

Might be a good idea to compare ourselves to this list periodically, to see how we’re doing.   None of us are doing all the right things all the time, but it’s God’s will that we continually grow and develop as Christians by the power and the grace of His Holy Spirit.  (Sometimes you run into someone who exhibits the love and peace of Jesus in their personal demeanor, and even though they don’t say it in so many words, you just know they have to be followers of the King.)

Two things to remember: 1] This is not a comprehensive list of things Christians do (LOL); it’s just a good place to start; and 2] What this is really all about is having a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ our Lord, and being more like Him every day.